Every Letter, Every Pen Stroke (Matthew 5:18)

Mark 2: Jesus and Religion

2012-01-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

Recently, there has been a video about Jesus that has been quite the sensation on YouTube. Entitled "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus," the video starts with the words "What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?" While the video is well-intentioned, it is too extreme in that it overstates its case. It's hard to argue that Jesus came to abolish religion when He attended synagogue (see yesterday's reading in Mark 1). Perhaps it is not that Jesus came to abolish religion, but instead He came to abolish a certain type of religion. It's clear that Jesus was not a big fan of the religion of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He thought there was a lot wrong with faith as practiced in His day.

Conflict with the religious leaders starts early in Mark. Here we are in chapter 2 and the sparring has already begun. The religious leaders are already critical of Jesus. First, they are critical of His claim to forgive sins. Next, they don't like the company He keeps. Then, they don't like His piety and the piety of His disciples. The religious leaders feel that Jesus and His disciples are not nearly observant enough when it comes to the customs surrounding the Sabbath and fasting.

Jesus has no tolerance for the criticisms of the religious leaders. First, these criticisms are based on a faulty understanding of who He is. But second these criticism are based in a false style of religion. The religion of the religious leaders lacks mercy. It is arrogant in assuming that there would never be enough grace to forgive certain type of people. It has a false love of asceticism, thinking that true faith is about repressive denial rather than joyful reception of God's blessings. It also has no compassion. It makes rules more important than the legitimate needs of people, failing to recognize that as valuable as rules can be, they have their time and place. From Mark 2, we learn that Jesus apparently hates a religion that has no mercy or compassion and that elevates man made rules above joy and human need.

It may very well be that Jesus hates our religion. Perhaps our faith often is very much like the Pharisees and Sadducees, but that doesn't mean Jesus hates all religion. He loves religion as He practiced it: a religion of forgiveness and compassion, one that celebrates the joys of God's blessings and does not steal that joy under a blizzard of man made rules and regulations.

Matthew 26: It's All in the Timing

2012-01-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is the little details of Scripture that are interesting. Take for example Matthew 26:5. In that verse, having decided to arrest and execute Jesus, the religious leaders state that they will make no move against Jesus during the Feast. By Feast, they mean the Passover Feast. Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims during the Passover. Many of those pilgrims liked Jesus. They were considered loyal to Him. The arrest of Jesus would have to occur when there were less people around to observe and to be troubled by it.

The religious leaders were clear. No arrest of Jesus during the Feast. Yet, by the end of the chapter, Jesus is well on his way to being crucified. How can this be? Why the change in plans? The pragmatic answer is that the religious leaders stumbled across an opportunity too good to refuse. Judas, who was accustomed to stealing from the poor fund that he managed, gets upset when he sees expensive perfume being poured at Jesus' feet. Wouldn't this money have been better used for the poor, where he could steal it? This is the last straw. Jesus has made it clear he is not going to be the Messiah the disciples expected. He will give His life rather than defeat the Romans. There will be no political glory or power for Judas. Now even the pecuniary benefits of controlling the bag are being taken. So Judas decides he won't walk away with nothing. He decides to make the religious leaders an offer they can't refuse. The plans may have been to make an arrest after the Festival. But with help of an insider, the timetable can be moved up. The arrest can be done at night, outside the city, away from the eyes of the crowds.

That is the pragmatic explanation for the religious leaders' change of timing. But there is a theological explanation too. God is in charge. The timing of Jesus' crucifixion is set by His Father. Jesus is not a victim of the religious leaders. He goes to the cross willingly. The Passover provides important context for Jesus' work. Just as Israel killed the Passover lambs to cover sin, so also is Jesus the spotless Lamb of God, shedding His blood to cover the sins of the world. The cross is not done to Jesus but by Jesus.

There is a verse in Proverbs that paraphrased reads: "Man proposes, but God disposes.". The plans of men cannot thwart God 's purposes. Matthew 26 shows us that God works in His perfect timing to bring about His will.

Matthew 24: I've Got a Secret

2012-01-24T08:20:00.000-08:00

I have read Matthew 24 many times, but there was something that I never noticed until today. The chapter starts with Jesus and His disciples walking through the Temple courts. The disciples are impressed by the big structures that they see in the Temple complex. This is not surprising. Even Gentiles considered Herod's Temple to be something of an architectural marvel. In the Ancient World, buildings of this size were very rare. It is very unlikely that Jesus or the disciples would have seen any buildings approaching the scope of the Temple in their lifetime.

Jesus, though, is not as impressed as His followers. He reminds the disciples that even these huge, massive buildings are going to be destroyed. Based on the conflict that Jesus has had with the religious leaders in the proceeding chapters, it is clear that Jesus means that these buildings will be destroyed as a result of judgment by God.

Here is what I never noticed. The text says that the disciples ask Jesus when this is going to happen. That I saw. What never struck me was that they don't ask this question until later, until they are in private. Why? Why the delay?

A few answers strike me. At His trial that is only a few days away, Jesus is going to be accused of saying that He would destroy the Temple and rebuild it. While the disciples have little understanding of what is shortly to come, perhaps they do understand that Jesus' words' about the Temple are irksome to the religious leaders and a public discussion of their question would be impolitic. Or, perhaps there is another reason. Perhaps the disciples like secrets. Perhaps they want to have the inside scoop and inside information. Perhaps they like the idea of having some important news that nobody else has. Perhaps they think that secrets give them power.

If a love of inside information is what motivates the disciples in this passage, little has changed. Today, Jesus still has disciples who love secrets. He still has disciples who feel that knowing the time of the end gives them a power and rank and importance that others don't have. (See a certain Christian radio mogul for an example that is both famous and infamous). What strikes me as I read Matthew 24 is that Jesus says there isn't all that much that is secret here. He tells His disciples not to be deceived. He says false teachers are going to tell you that Jesus is here or Jesus is there. Don't believe them. Why? Verse 27: "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (NIV, 1984). Jesus says don't believe those who say Jesus is here or there because there will be nothing secretive about my coming. You don't miss a lightning flash in the sky. You won't miss me.

There are still pastors and teachers who like the power of a secret. They like to tell us they have got the End figured out when we don't. Jesus says there isn't much to figure out though. Rather than spending our time on secrets, we should spend our time on being ready for His return (verses 45-51).

Matthew 19: Love Those Love Sermons?

2012-01-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

This week, we will be studying 1 Corinthians 13 for our Sunday morning sermon. That sermon of course will be about love. Typically, people like sermons about love. In the popular imagination, sermons about love conjure sweet images of hearts and puppy dogs and other cute things. Plus we imagine that love is easy. Sermons about love don't seem as horribly convicting as sermons about sin or holiness or something along those lines.

Our affection for sermons about love is misguided. Matthew 19 reminds us that sermons about love can be tough. The rich young ruler tells Jesus he has obeyed all the commandments. "Oh really?" Jesus asks. "Even that one about loving your neighbor as yourself?"

"Even that one."

"Okay, here's a test of your obedience. Go take everything you own and give it to the poor. After all, you love yourself enough to meet your own needs. Now prove you love others enough to meet their needs. Give it all way."

Suddenly that command about love doesn't seem so easy.

We should never be fooled into thinking that love is simple. Love is profoundly hard. It involves completely sacrificing ourselves for the sake of another. Jesus' words show us that our capacity for love is greatly limited. Love has to be measured in more than words. It also has to be measured in action.

We say we love one another in the church. That love will not be seen in just words. It will be seen in the sacrifices that we make for one another. If we can't sacrifice time to minister to the needs of other Christians, do we really love? If we can't sacrifice money to help provide for other Christians who are wanting, do we really love? Matthew 19 reminds us that love is never easy. Perhaps sermons about love are really the most convicting type.

Matthew 18: Facebook or Forgive?

2012-01-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

I read recently about a growing social media phenomenon: people going to Facebook and similar social media sites to air grievances with spouses, friends, co-workers. It used to be that anger was something that had to be broadcast one poisonous whisper at a time. But now we have the ability to broadcast our grievances to the entire world with a few quick strokes of the keyboard and a mouse click on post. In the twenty first century there is a whole new meaning to airing your dirty laundry.

This "Facebooking" a fight runs counter to what Jesus counsels us in Matthew 18. Where our culture says air your brothers sins, Jesus says work to keep them private. In Matthew 18, Jesus says that when we are sinned against we should try to resolve the matter one on one. After that, we may bring along another person, still keeping the matter as secret as possible. Only in the end may the matter be brought to the congregation. And even then the motive is clearly not to tattle or titillate but to restore.

It is the end goal that makes all the difference. Today people run to Facebook to post the wrongs committed against them because they want to punish. Their hope is to embarrass and humiliate so that they might get their pound of flesh. Jesus says His followers are not to be motivated by revenge. Instead they are to be motivated by restoration and forgiveness and correction. The goal after all is to win the brother over.

Even Jesus' steps to restoration can be abused. I have seen Christians follow the steps to peace that Jesus outlines here with the real goal of humiliating the one who offended them. They want to list their brother or sister's sins before the church. It is no accident that a passage on church discipline is followed by a passage about radical forgiveness. It is a reminder of what Jesus really wants. He wants us to love and forgive one another from the heart.

Has someone wronged you or hurt you? Don't take your battle to the Internet. Go to that person privately. Explain why you feel wronged. Listen honestly and humbly to their response. And always be ready to forgive in the same radical way that God forgave you in Jesus.

Power Failure- Matthew 17

2012-01-17T18:12:00.000-08:00

After every mountain comes a valley. That is certainly very often true in the Bible. Moses comes off the mountain, and he finds Aaron and the Israelites worshipping a golden calf. Jesus comes off the mountain and He finds His disciples powerless to help a boy beset by demons. As I read that story, I relate to the disciples. Many times I feel like them. I have a desire to help but the problems I face seem too complex, too intractable for me. As a pastor, I see many people with broken lives. They come to me asking for help. And honestly many times I look at the issues and hurts and say they're beyond me. I wonder where the power of God is.

Of course I know the problem is not with God. He is not short of power. The problem must be with me. But what issues prevent me from knowing God's power in ministry? Jesus suggests two. He says that He is weary of an unbelieving, perverse generation. These are the problems that lead to power failure: a lack of faith and a lack of obedience. Perhaps I don't have the power to make a difference because I'm afraid to trust that God will work. What if I act trusting God and nothing happens? And perhaps I am afraid to do it God 's way because I am trusting in my own plans and strategies.

I think we often fail to know the full extent of God's power to mend broken lives because we doubt and we disobey. I'm glad that Jesus is willing to put up with a wicked and perverse generation.

A Religion to Kill For

2012-01-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 12, the Pharisees' hatred of Jesus boils over. The chapter is full of conflict between Jesus and these religious leaders. In fact the Pharisees' hatred of Jesus becomes so great that Jesus withdraws from the region because He knows that the Pharisees will try to kill Him. What is the immediate source of all this animosity? Picking grain. The Pharisees come to hate Jesus because His disciples pick grain on the Sabbath.

I have to say that at first blush I would be on the Pharisees' side. I like rules. And the Ten Commandments are pretty clear. God said honor the Sabbath. The disciples seem to be violating that commandment. Couldn't they have picked on Friday and prepared for their needs? Why did they need to work on that day to be fed? I am a rules person and if God has spoken that is how it should be.

Jesus, however, introduces another factor into the debate: mercy. He reminds that Pharisees of a Scripture that seems to show the rules being bent in service of human need. Jesus seems to say that there are times that the rules can be temporarily laid aside so that people can be loved and ministered to. This represents a rather creative reading of Scripture on Jesus' part. It shows a willingness to let narrative and story speak as loudly as dogma and theology. It may challenge a hermeneutic that wants to see rules as the center of the Biblical project.

The amazing thing here is that the Pharisees wanted to kill to preserve a religion that would tell the hungry that they needed to stay hungry even when the hungry were righteous men on a mission from God. Religion became more important than mission. It became more important to be dogmatic than merciful. Even God had to be sacrificed in the name of correctness and right thinking for the religion to be saved. God save us all from religion like that.

Rest Up

2012-01-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

I think many of us are looking for rest these days. Part of the rest that we need is physical. We are exhausted from the schedules we keep, having far too much to do and too little time to do it. Part of the rest that we need is spiritual. We have a gnawing emptiness in our souls. We are besieged with doubt, with fear, with anxiety, with guilt, and with a general sense of disquiet. We want to turn the thoughts off in our brain but we don't know how. Alcohol, drugs, entertainment- those are the things that we unsuccessfully use to try to keep our hearts, our minds, our souls at rest.

In Matthew 11, Jesus gives us a different path to rest. He tells us how rest for our weary souls is found:

1. We admit that we are weary and tired. This is implied in the words "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened." This invitation calls people to admit their weariness and their inability to handle life before they come. Our society says the answer to feeding our souls is found in looking for the answers inside ourselves and calling on inner strength. Jesus says the answer to finding rest for our souls is found in admitting that we don't have the answers.

2. We come to Jesus. "Come to me." This coming suggests that we are leaving all other things behind. We are relying on Jesus plus nothing to find the rest that we need.

3. We obey Jesus. In Jesus' day, the yoke was a symbol of discipleship. When Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you," he means "Follow Me." "Obey My teaching." "Live life as I did." I think many Christians never find rest because they don't take this step. They come to Jesus. They confess Him. But they never undertake the radical obedience of discipleship. Without obedience, there is no rest.

It may seem odd to say that Jesus' yoke is "easy." After all, any disciple knows that following Jesus is hard. Taking up the cross is inherently painful and even humiliating. When Jesus says His yoke is easy, He doesn't mean that following Him is without difficulty. Instead, the Greek word translated easy means well suited or well purposed. The life may be hard. The body may not always rest easily. But the soul knows it has found that meaning for which it was intended. In confessing our shortcomings, in confessing Christ as our only hope, and in obeying Jesus, we find the rest for our souls that we crave.

Closet Christian

2012-01-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 10, Jesus begins to prepare His disciples for the ministry to which He has called them. The chapter provides an important reminder that following Jesus is never simply for our own good. Jesus calls us that we might minister to others. This message has been lost in the Church today. Especially in the West and even more so in America, we market a Christianity that is all about self-fulfillment and the meeting of perceived needs. Jesus never intended His disciples to follow simply for their own good. Instead, Jesus intended that His disciples be trained to minister, to do the very work that He did.

Our Christianity has become ingrown, however. We lack the missionary vision that Jesus had. Part of this is because we do live in a selfish culture, one that cares far more about our own comforts and hopes and aspirations than about the needs of others. But another part of our ingrown Christianity is quite honestly our embarrassment with Jesus. Miracles aren't received well by scientific skeptics. Hell doesn't merge well with postmodern notions of tolerance. Jesus' call to be sacrificial doesn't sit well with our self centered, therapeutic culture. Many of us have lost our willingness to speak for Jesus because Jesus doesn't always fit well with our culture. The price of speaking might be high.

Jesus gives a stern warning about this in verses 32-33. He says there: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." There is a high price to shame about Jesus. There is a high price to not being willing to identify with Jesus in front of others. Jesus' words call us out of our closet Christianity. They move to us be ministering and to have a Christianity that is about serving Jesus and others not ourselves.

NT Wright's Translation of the Beatitudes

2012-01-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

As we have been reading through Matthew, I have been reading from NT Wright's Matthew for Everyone as a type of devotional commentary. So far, I highly recommend the book. Wright provides his own translation of the passage at hand and then writes about it. I wish I had this book when preaching through Matthew as it really is a treasure trove of illustrations and sermon starters.

I loved Wright's translation the Beatitudes so I will paste it here for you (at least the first 10 verses):

Wonderful news for the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours!
Wonderful news for the mourners! You're going to be comforted!
Wonderful news for the meek! You're going to inherit the earth!
Wonderful news for the people who hunger and thirst for God's justice! You're going to be satisfied.
Wonderful news for the merciful! You'll receive God's mercy yourselves.
Wonderful news for the pure in heart! You will see God.
Wonderful news for the peacemakers! You will be called God's children.
Wonderful news for the people who are persecuted because of God's way! The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.

I love that Wright renders the word that is usually translated "blessed" as "wonderful news." I think that, that really communicates the meaning and the emotional intent of this passage. Great stuff. Here is a link if you are interested in finding out more about the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Everyone-Chapters-Tom-Wright/dp/0664227864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325792666&sr=8-1

What Would Jesus Say?

2012-01-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

A few years ago the letters WWJD were all the rage in evangelical circles. Those letters of course stood for What Would Jesus Do? The implication was simple: whatever Jesus did we should do the same. The problem was that determining what Jesus would do sometimes seemed tricky. What one person thought Jesus might do seemed to be the very opposite of what someone else thought He might do. WWJD proved not to be an easy thing to figure out at all.

Perhaps a better question would be WWJS: What Did Jesus Say? Perhaps the words that Jesus spoke give us a better insight into what Jesus did and what we should do as well. In Matthew 4:17, Matthew summarizes the preaching of Jesus in a single sentence. He says the whole of three years of preaching comes down to this one relatively simple expression. Matthew writes: "From that time on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'

The phrase kingdom of heaven is rendered the kingdom of God in other Gospels. Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience with deep cultural concerns about taking God's name in vain, was probably trying to avoid unnecessary use of God's name and thus substituted the word heaven. This might confuse us into thinking that Jesus was speaking about some future time and future place. But Jesus was not. He was not preaching repent so that some day you might be ready for an eternal kingdom. Jesus' preaching was more than that. He was preaching that God now is breaking into history and all need to be ready. All need to turn from disobedient and selfish actions to be ready to be a citizen of and participant in God's kingdom.

The kingdom of God is here now. God is spreading His rule and His reign in this world. And we participate in that reign and rule only as we have faith in Jesus and only as we turn from our sin and obey His Word and command.

Religious Not Welcome

2012-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

Who would think it? The religious not welcome at a revival! That is the very thing we find in Matthew 3. When the Pharisees and Sadducees make their first appearance in Matthew's Gospel, we see the sneers on their faces. We hear the boos from the crowds gathered there to see John. We know the Gospels and we know how the story ends. We know that these religious leaders are not the good guys. But those who witnessed these religious leaders come to John did not know the end of the story. They most certainly did not see the religious leaders as bad men. Sure the Sadducee's were the party of power and privilege. They associated with the upper classes and had a liberal religion that didn't often win the favor of the crowds. But to say they were bad men might be strong. And the Pharisees, they were beloved. Men who were the very ideal of holiness to their generation. Yet, John tells them to repent and calls them a brood of vipers. How can this be? The answer was simple. They relied on their genealogical status to make them right with God. They thought biological descent was the key to their salvation. But John tells them to look at their deeds. He says produce fruit if you want to know you are God's children. And maybe the religious need the same lesson today. Maybe we need to know our assurance is not about having a branch on the evangelical family tree. Maybe we need to know that our assurance is about the fruit of our faith, the obedience that shows in our lives.

Another Year, Another Try

2012-01-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

Another year has arrived and with it another recommitment to blogging. I have been inconsistent with my efforts here (to say the least), but this year I am determined to make a go of it. Since I now have the ability to blog from my laptop, my phone, and my IPad, there really isn't much of an excuse is there?

Our year starts with a reading of the book of Matthew. A chapter a day shouldn't be too taxing. Of course, the idea is not just to read the chapter but rather to meditate on it and hear the Spirit speaking through it so that we can be better disciples of Jesus.

Matthew 2 has the danger of being so familiar that it is hard to hear the message. I feel as though there is not much that can be said about it that hasn't been said already. The chapter is disturbing with Herod's violent slaughter of the innocents. When one reads that dozens of baby boys were slaughtered because God drew the Magi to Bethlehem through Herod, one wants to ask wasn't there another way? Couldn't God have brought His son into the world in a way that didn't cause mourning for all these families? I think many want to approach Matthew 2 as an indictment of God, but there is no doubt that is not what Matthew intended. Herod was known as a cruel, capricious ruler and that is certainly what Matthew intends us to see. He wants us to be shocked that the King of Israel, who has benefit of special revelation, opposes the Messiah while pagan, astrology loving Gentiles worship and adore the King. Matthew 2 is the world turned upside down. The Gentiles love Jesus while Israel rejects Him.

In this chapter, Matthew is setting up one of the themes of his book. Most likely, by the time Matthew recorded the Gospel, it was pretty obvious to most that Christianity was becoming a largely Gentile movement, flourishing not in Israel but in the Greek world through which Paul traveled. Assuming that Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience, this would have been an apologetic issue. Jews readers would have asked how could Jesus be Israel's Messiah and be accepted by Gentiles but not Jews? Matthew's answer starts to be seen here in chapter 2. Christianity is a Gentile movement because it is Gentiles who have accepted him while Israel has largely rejected Him. This reaction goes all way back to the time of Jesus' birth.

This chapter reminds me that having the Bible is not enough. Herod had the truth but did not act on it and so was lost. As we start reading through the New Testament this year, Matthew 2 is a good reminder that reading is not enough. We not only we have to read. We have to have faith. We have to have have obedience. If not, God can find others to come and worship.

Repetition is the Key to Learning

2011-09-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

Psalm 136 is one of those passages of Scripture that interprets itself. If you don't get the point by the end of the Psalm, then you could definitely be described as dense. Over and over, speaking of God, the Psalmist tells us "His love endures forever." Some think that the Psalm was originally intended to be read responsively. A singer would sing the words that vary while the congregation in the Temple would reply with the words: "His love endures forever." I wonder what it sounded like for hundreds of Israelites to sing or repeat that phrase in the temple courts?

Why does the Psalm involve so much repetition? Well as the blog title says repetition is the key to learning. But maybe more than that is going on here. Maybe Israel is going through some tough times when the psalm is written and so they need the repetition to convince them. Repeating a phrase about God's love persuades them of God's love and reminds them that it is real.

It is interesting to note that the Psalmist proves God's love by reference to the Exodus from Egypt. He teaches the people of God's love by reminding them of the story of Israel's flight from Pharaoh. When the Psalm was written, this event was a millennia old. None of the Psalmist's audience could remember it first hand. But the story still functioned in a powerful way to remind the people of God's love.

As we read the Bible, we are reminded that the story of God's people then remains our story today. Though none of us experienced the events and miracles that the Bible contains, those events still speak to us of God's love for His people. Many of us are experiencing hard times today: illness, joblessness, depression, the death of a loved one. Each pages of the Bible repeats that grand phrase of Psalm 136. Though our lives may not always make it readily apparent: His love indeed endures forever.

He Has a Real Presence about Him

2011-02-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

I have often heard it said of actor or athletes or other public personalities: "They have such a presence about them." Typically the idea is that this person has a confidence or swagger or competence that makes them seem powerfully natural at what they do. In Exodus 33, we also see the idea of presence, though here the term is used differently.

In this chapter, Moses is overcoming a disaster. While he has been up on Mount Sinai receiving the Law, the people of Israel have fallen into the most abominable sin- mixing immorality and idolatry all together. To make matters worse, Moses' own brother Aaron, the spiritual leader of the people, was involved in this sin. Moses acted swiftly upon his descent from the mount and his discovery of the sin. Through the help of the Levites, 3,000 of the worst offenders are put to death. In addition, God strikes the people with a plague assuring that more will die.

All this is devastating enough. But then comes the biggest blow of all. God says to Moses: "Move the people from this place." That is something God has said many times. But then He says something He hasn't said before: "You go. But, I'm not going with you." Because of the momentous nature of the sin, God is no longer accompanying the people on their journey.

Moses' response to this is swift. Verses 15-16 make it clear that he does not want to undertake the journey alone. In those verses, Moses says: "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (NIV) Moses says it is Your presence, God, that makes us unique.

I think we need to remember that lesson today. As a church, we ought to ask ourselves can people sense the presence of God when they come to our services and activities? We could have great music. We could have great sermons. We could have great programs. But none of that does us any good unless God is present with us. Let's seek to cultivate an awareness of God's presence in all that we do.

Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out

2011-01-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

In Genesis 29, the deceiver Jacob gets his payback only not from the expected source, his brother Esau. This passage is a sure illustration of the Biblical principal that your sin will find you out. Rather than trusting in God to secure his blessing, Jacob practiced deceit at his mother's urging. Now Laban returns the favor by deceiving Jacob. The passage emphasizes the link between Laban's deceit and Jacob's previous deceit by highlighting common elements. Jacob is fooled by a disguise just as he fooled his dad. And Leah is described as having weak eyes, the very condition that allowed Jacob to trick his father. Clearly Jacob receives in Genesis 29 what he did to Esau. Three important lessons emerge here:

1. Treat others as you would be treated.

2. Wait on God to fulfill his promises. Don't take matters into your own hands like Jacob and Rebekah did.

3. God is a God of justice. In mercy, he chose Jacob. And Jacob's sin does not override God's mercy. But Jacob still reaps the reward of his own poor choices

A Taste for Stew

2011-01-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

This week our sermon will be on Jesus' question: "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" Apparently that would have been a question that Esau would have done well to consider. It boggles our mind that anyone would sell their inheritance for stew (some scholars think it should rightly be called a bowl of lentil soup), but Esau was a man of strong passions, and he did not take time to consider what the filling of his passions would cost him. In many ways, Esau would have fit right into the twenty-first century. We too live in a time of strong passions, where people are willing to mortgage the future for what they desire. This is true not only in terms of credit card debt, but it also true in terms of spiritual price. Esau's bowl of stew cost him his blessing from God and ultimately his soul. And many today are willing to pay the same price for temporary, passing pleasure. The story reminds of Esau reminds us that pleasure often comes at a high price.

Kierkegaard on Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac

2011-01-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a brief snippet of Soren Kierkegaard's take on Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac. I'm sure you're tired of always hearing what I think!

"There was many a father who lost his child; but then it was God, it was the unalterable, the unsearchable will of the Almighty, it was His hand took the child. Not so with Abraham. For him was reserved a harder trial, and Isaac's fate was laid along with the knife in Abraham's hand. And there he stood, the old man, with his only hope! But he did not doubt, he did not look anxiously to the right or to the left, he did not challenge heaven with his prayers. He knew that it was God the Almighty who was trying him, he knew that it was the hardest sacrifice that could be required of him, but he knew also that no sacrifice was too hard when God required it- and he drew the knife" [Fear and Trembling, 36].

Would we agree that no trial is too hard when God requires it? And could we be so unflinching in giving up for God even that which is most precious to us?

Terah

2011-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Genesis 11 marks the end of one section of Genesis with a transition to a new section. In Genesis 12, we will begin the story of Abraham and of the ultimate birth of the nation of Israel. Genesis 10 prepares us for that transition by telling us how the sons of Noah multiplied into many nations. Yet, none of those nations would have the relationship with God that would be had by the descendants of Shem through Abraham. Israel would stand alone as God's chosen nation.

What interests me as Genesis 11 closes is the story of Terah, Abraham's father.  Verse 31 makes it clear that Terah left his homeland for the very long and dangerous journey to Canaan, the place that would ultimately become the Promised Land. Why did Terah go? We don't know. Was it related to the death of his brother Haran? Did he perhaps have some directive from God like Abram would? We don't know. All we know is that Terah never made it to Canaan.  Along the way he became comfortable in the Ur of the Chaldeans and stopped there short of his final destination.

Does the same thing often happen with us? Does God call us but we fall short of his best because we get comfortable in situations other than the one to which God has called us? Do our service and obedience stop because a half way commitment seems easier than finishing the journey? Terah is a reminder not to get too comfortable in our walk with God. Instead, we need to keep pressing for the blessings that God has for us in Jesus.

Blameless and Faithful (thoughts on Genesis 5-6)

2011-01-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Genesis 5-6 paint a picture of gloom and despair. In Genesis 5, we get the genealogy of Adam to Noah and we see that the world is in the full grip of the curse. Verse after verse we read "then he died." While all the men of Genesis 5 lived many, many years, their outcome with the exception of Enoch was very much the same. They all died.

Genesis 6 isn't any better. There the grip of the curse is seen not in death but in wickedness. At the start of the chapter, there is a suggestion that fallen angels mated with human beings. (In the Old Testament, the term "sons of God" is always used to refer to angels. See also 2 Peter and Jude for their commentary on this passage) This sexual immorality is seen as a sign of greater and constant wickedness.

Things are bad. So bad that God decides to wipe out the earth and start over. Except, in God's grace, one man catches his eye. 5:8 says, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (NIV). What was it that made Noah stand out? Verse 9 says, "Noah was a righteous man." And why was Noah found righteous? He was "blameless among the people of his time and he walked faithfully with God." In other words, Noah stood out among the people of his generation in terms of his character and his relationships. In addition, he walked with God, having a constant relationship with Him. The phrase of walking with God hearkens back to what Adam and Eve did in the Garden before the Fall. Noah cultivated a deep, personal relationship with God.

We live in dark times like Noah. Thanks to the work of Christ though, we can be righteous. We can be blameless among our generation. Perfect? No. But we can live lives that show a character that is different than the people around us. We can be kind and goodhearted and selfless. And we can cultivate a relationship with God- praying and reading the Bible daily and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In a world still in the grip of the curse, we can be people who stand out like Noah.

Two Gods?

2010-09-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

There are those who want to divorce the New and Old Testament God, saying that they are different beings, bearing little resemblance to one another. According to these folks, the Old Testament God is a terrible guy, blood thirsty and full of vengeance. He delights in death and mayhem. The New Testament God, by way of contrast, is a God of love and forgiveness, one who is done with all that terrible talk of sin and judgment.

Both of these Gods are caricatures, neither true to the whole Biblical picture of who God is. But if anyone doubts that the God of the New Testament is a holy God, given to righteous judgment upon sin than they have not read the book of Revelation. Revelation 14 makes it clear that God will judge the wickedness of this earth. This is not something to glory in. Outside of Jesus all of us would be deserving of wrath. How can we celebrate its descent on others? But it is something to fear. The wrath of God as described here is an awesome thing. Even as those who have escaped the wrath of God in Jesus, we need to see that sin is a serious matter. And we need to live lives that show God's hatred for sin.

When Satan Wins

2010-09-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

Revelation 13 is a chapter that engenders a lot of controversy. Who is the beast? Who is his prophet? Have these figures lived already or are they yet to come? What is the meaning of that infamous number 666? In the midst of all the debate in this chapter, we often miss a very chilling verse, verse 7. That verse says in part: "He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them."

That verse doesn't fit too neatly with our theology. We don't like to think that there are times that Satan (or his emissary) gets the victory over the Church. Preachers on TV tell us that we should always be healthy and wealthy. But that is not the reality that the Scriptures present. The Bible tells us that there are times when Satan has great power and when there is a great cost for being a Christian. When these times come, what are we to do? Verse 10b tells us: "This calls for patience and for faithful endurance on the part of the saints." American Christians especially need to know that we will not always be the church triumphant. Sometimes, we will be the church patient and faithful.

An Interesting Case Study

2010-03-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have sometimes heard people say, "It would be so much easier to believe in Jesus if we lived in the time that He did. If we had seen the miracles with our own eyes, faith would be easier."

Our passage today- John 9- belies that notion. Even those who saw the miracles that Jesus did had a hard time accepting them. As I read this passage, I am struck by the many different reasons that people did not exercise faith:

*Confusion about the facts- In verses 8-9, the neighbors can't agree if the man healed is really the blind man or not. Even his testimony doesn't seem to convince them!

*Legalism/false righteousness- In verse 16, some of the Pharisees say that Jesus cannot be from God because he healed on the Sabbath. Their narrow, religious conceptions kept them from faith.

*Fear- Verse 22 tells us that the parents did not exercise faith in Jesus or celebrate the healing of their son, because they were afraid of the religious leaders! I suppose this reason could also be labeled peer pressure.

*Ignorance- Verse 36 tells us that the blind man did not immediately exercise faith himself because he didn't know who Jesus was (never having seen Jesus before his healing). It takes Jesus' identification of Himself to lead to faith.

Not much has changed in 2,000 years. Today, people fail to believe for many of the same reasons. We have to make sure that none of these things keep us from faith.

The Light of the World

2010-03-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

There is so much to comment on in John 8 that it is hard to restrain myself. The story about the woman caught in adultery (textually suspect as it is) teaches us a great deal about mercy. At the end of the chapter, Jesus' words about being "I AM" give us a clear statement of his own claim to divinity. But what strikes me as I read this passage today are Jesus' words in verse 12. Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

I could write a lot about what the metaphor of light teaches us about Jesus. But that is not what strikes me as I come to the passage today. What strikes me as I reread these familiar words is how the light is turned on. Jesus says, "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12, ESV). What is the key to God's light in our lives? Is it a moment of decision for Jesus? Is it listening to Christian radio? Is it hanging out in church? Those things might all be good, but they are not the root source of God's light in our lives. What is? Jesus tells us: obedience. We have the light of life when we follow Him.

A lot of Christians feel like they are in darkness now. Even though they exercise faith, they have depression and hopelessness and fear. Could it be that we have darkened our own lives by a failure to follow? If we want to have light in our lives, we need to have the courage to pick up our crosses and follow Him. We need to walk as Jesus did.

Isaiah 12:2

2009-10-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a church with several Messianic Christians and with a real heart for Jewish evangelism. As I read Isaiah 12:2, I couldn't help but think of the Liberated Wailing Wall concerts that were held at our church. For those of you don't know, the Liberated Wailing Wall is a musical ministry sponsored by Jews for Jesus. Back in the days I was at their concerts, their signature song was "Behold!" "Behold!" is basically a rousing version of Isaiah 12:2. Below, I have put a link for the song in case you would like to listen. I thought the rough, live versions were better than this recorded one, but still a great song on a great verse. (The added benefit of the song is that they begin singing in Hebrew so you can hear what Isaiah 12:2 sounds like in the original language!)

http://files.jewsforjesus.org/audio/messianicjoy/12_behold.mp3

Should Christians Love Fox News?

2009-10-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

When I was in Seminary, I had a pastor encourage us to preach the Old Testament prophets. Rereading Isaiah, I am reminded of why he urged that mandate upon us. Isaiah's words were recorded thousands of years ago, yet there is much about them that is true and relevant today.

For example, we in the evangelical church need to remember the directive that Isaiah receives from God in Isaiah 8:11-13. "The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread..."

Too many in the church today are enamored of conspiracy. They watch the pundits on Fox News or they listen to the call of conservative radio. They get wrapped up in the behind the scene machinations of those in political and cultural power. God tells Isaiah not to get too tied in to those speculations. He tells Isaiah to fear Him, to be devoted to Him. We need the same message. We shouldn't fear what Obama or the liberals or the left are doing. We shouldn't look for conspiracy behind every rock. Instead, we should seek to fear and serve our Lord, knowing that all these matters are in His hand.

Patience (Proverbs 14-15)

2009-09-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today, in preparing Sunday's sermon, I was thinking a little about patience. By patience I mean not the ability to wait but the ability to graciously overlook the faults and foibles of others. Proverbs 14 and 15 make two statements about patient people. 14:29 says, "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly." In Proverbs, wisdom/understanding and folly are moral terms. Solomon is saying that person who is patient with the faults of others will live righteously while the one who is impatient will make poor moral choices. Patience with others is a key component to a God-pleasing life. Without such patience, we feel license to do all sorts of things we should not do.

Proverbs 15 also comments on patience. Verse 18 says, "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Here, the verse states quite explicitly that being patient with the fault of others leads to peace and the avoidance of conflict. If we want to have peace, we need to be patient.

I find it interesting that both verses contrast patience with anger. Looking at this from the anger side of the coin, it suggests that anger is caused by a lack of patience with others. The more we tolerate others faults and extend grace as Jesus extended grace to us, the less angry we will be.

Keeping the Peace

2009-09-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we started a series both in Sunday School and in our Sunday morning service. The series is called "The Peacemaking Church." Through this series, we hope to learn how to promote peace both inside and outside of the church. One of the foundational truths of that series is found in a small verse in our reading today. Proverbs 12:16 says: "A fool shows his annoyance at one, but a prudent man overlooks an insult" (NIV). I think we all need to do a better job of following the truth of this verse. We need to learn not to take every offhand comment and every poorly worded remark so seriously. And even when the intent is there, we need to follow the example of Jesus. " To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:21-23, NIV). We have all said unkind words to others that we didn't really mean. In doing so, we have hoped for the forbearance of others. We need to extend that same courtesy to those who hurt us.

Hold Your Tongue (Proverbs 10-11)

2009-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

The tongue is a common theme in the book of Proverbs. More than that, hold your tongue is a common theme in the book of Proverbs. 10:19 summarizes the broad point here. It says: "When words are many, sin is not absent; but he who holds his tongue is wise." Clearly, there is a virtue in not saying much.

This is something that we as a society need to learn. I think our culture is largely afraid of silence. That is why we have TVs and radios and Ipods that are blasting all the time. It's also why we talk so much. To us, silence isn't golden. It is just plain awkward. The Bible, though, calls us to a different way of regarding silence. Proverbs reminds us that there are times that we just don't need to speak.

A good example of such a time is Proverbs 11:12. "A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue." If we have a negative thought about someone, we don't have to share it. Somehow, we feel compelled to always speak our minds about the failings and shortcomings of others. Proverbs suggests a different tact. It agrees with my grandmother who used to say: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Proverbs 3:5-6

2009-09-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

As I read Proverbs 3:5-6, I was reminded of this beautiful song by Sixpence None the Richer so I thought I would share. I wish I knew how to embed video, but I don't. So you'll have to follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYwIzHGMP3g

Strike Up the Band (Psalm 150)

2009-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

When Tammy and I were on our honeymoon, we visited a small church in Sarasota, Florida. (At least by the standards of the South it was small). The congregation was a part of the Church of Christ denomination. Neither Tammy or I had visited a Church of Christ congregation before so we didn't know what to expect. We did immediately notice that some things were different. Chief among those differences was a lack of instruments. In the sanctuary, there was no guitar or organ. Not even a piano could be found. In fact, even the human voice seemed to not be trusted as an instrument of praise. I remember that there was a note of the hymnal that said something to the effect of unison singing only. Singing the harmony or singing in parts would not be permitted.

The Church of Christ is a denomination that does not allow for practices not found in the New Testament. Since instruments are not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament, they are not allowed in church. (Of course, air conditioning isn't mentioned in the New Testament either. But they had air conditioning. I certainly wasn't going to quibble over that point on a hot June day in Florida.)

I am glad that Fellowship Bible Church takes a broader view of Scripture. Instruments may not be mentioned in the New Covenant, but they are a celebrated part of the Old. In Psalm 150, God is praised with many different instruments. (He is even praised with dancing!). It is clear from Psalm 150 that ancient Israel's worship of God was loud and energetic. Enthusiasm was not one thing that Israel's worship lacked. We use instruments of many different types because they help us show how enthusiastic we are for the worship of our Savior and Creator. Piano and guitar and drums help us communicate our joy at how great our God truly is.

I am glad that I don't worship at that church in Sarasota each Sunday. And I am also thankful for our FBC instrumentalists who lead us in praise and worship of our mighty God each Sunday.

Grace (Genesis 31)

2009-01-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

Genesis 31 is a very "messy" chapter. If you ever wanted proof that the heroes of the Bible weren't perfect, there is plenty of that proof here. Jacob deceives Laban. Rachel steals his idols and lies about it. Genesis 31 does very little to convince me that I would want to spend any time with Jacob or his family. In some ways, the chapter sounds more like a modern day reality TV show than a passage of Scripture.

One might despair for encouraging truths in this chapter but I do see at least one. Genesis 31 certainly teaches that God watches over those who belong to Him. This idea is found most clearly in verse 42. There, Jacob says that if God had not been with him, Laban would have robbed him blind. He would have worked twenty years like a slave with no reward. But, of course, that didn't happen. Up to very last minute (verse 24), God was working to protect and to bless Jacob.

If we were in God's shoes, Jacob might seem like one man we wouldn't care to protect that much. His life is certainly full of "moral challenges." We might think let him take his lumps and learn his lessons. And certainly God does allow some of that (see yesterday's post about Jacob's first wedding). But in the end, God will not allow Jacob to suffer injustice. He works for the good of Jacob because Jacob was chosen by grace not merit.

I guess there times when I wonder why God doesn't say "Enough!" to me. I wonder why He puts up with me as long as He does still pouring out His blessing into my life. But then I remember that I am chosen by grace not merit. And being chosen by grace through the work of Jesus, God blesses and protects even when I don't deserve it.

What Goes Around Comes Around (Genesis 29-30)

2009-01-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

If ever there was an illustration of why to follow the Biblical maxim: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," it is found here in Genesis 29-30. We know how Jacob has treated Esau. Jacob has used deception to rob his brother of his blessing rather than trusting God to provide it. Jacob (in concert with his mother) took advantage of his father's weak eye sight to deceive and to trick.

Now, in Genesis 29-30, Jacob has the very same thing done to him. Don't miss the obvious here. The deception that Jacob foisted upon his father, Laban now foists upon him. One might wonder how such a thing could happen. How could one marry the wrong woman and only discover the mistake after the wedding night? Our society's guess would be that alcohol was involved, but that wasn't necessary here. Brides in Jacob's day were covered from head to toe on their wedding day with a veil around their faces. And even on the wedding night, modesty was preserved according to Middle Eastern custom. In the relative dark of a tent, it would have been difficult for Jacob to realize what was happening, especially if the bride was an accomplice.

Whatever the explanation of the deception, one certainly believes that Jacob got what he deserved. In Jacob's deception, the youngest was elevated above the eldest. Now, the eldest (Leah) is elevated above the youngest (Rachel). God has reversed the trick on him.

It is interesting also to note how Leah is described in this passage. She is said to have "weak eyes." Scholars aren't sure what this means. Most think, the phrase was probably a euphemism meaning she was "ugly to the bone." Whatever the phrase's meaning, Leah's condition is not an insignificant detail. Think about it. The one (Jacob) who deceived one with weak eyes (Isaac) now is deceived into receiving one with weak eyes (Leah). At every turn here, the justice is complete.

I think it was on Hollywood Squares that Peter Marshall used to say: "Turn about is fair play." That lesson is certainly learned here. Genesis 29-30 gives us a good reminder: "Do unto others or God may see that the same is done unto you."

A Heart for People (Genesis 18-19)

2009-01-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

There is a lot that could be said about today's chapters. I suppose one temptation is to focus on the comparison between Sodom and Gomorrah's sins and those of our own generation. Reading chapter 19, one is tempted to wonder how long it will be before our Western society slides to the depravity of those two ancient cities. One thinks we are not far away.

But rather than writing about judgment, I want to write about mercy, particularly the mercy of Abraham. In chapter 18, Abraham receives an unusual visit from the Lord. God comes in the form of a man to visit. On the one hand, this visit is a visit meant to announce blessing. God comes to tell Abraham that within a year he will have a son. On the other hand, this visit is a visit meant to announce judgment. The Lord decides in chapter 18 that he must tell Abraham about the destruction that he is going to bring on Sodom and Gomorrah.

If you were Abraham, how would you react to this news? Putting ourselves in his shoes, I think the response of many of us would be twofold. Certainly a part of us would be concerned for the relatives the we had in the city. We would want our nephew Lot and his family to be safe. Our first thoughts would be about their escape. But honestly another part of us might relish the coming destruction. Knowing Sodom to be a wicked place, we might cheer what God was going to do. We might ask for a ringside seat to see the destruction of those pagans in the valley. This is especially true because Sodom and Gomorrah had already been a source of some difficulty for Abraham. He had already had to bail out the kings of that place in a time when they were attacked. These kings had been less than grateful, continuing in their pagan and evil ways. Abraham might have been tempted to not shed many tears for these cities.

But Abraham's response is not what ours might be. Instead of gloating or rejoicing, Abraham pleads for mercy. Boldly, he approaches God asking for a reprieve for the city. If there are fifty or forty-five, or forty, etc, then don't destroy the city Lord. Now, some might suggest that Abraham's plea is really a plea for the righteous. But it is more than that. After all, his plea is not that the fifty or forty five righteous would escape. His plea is that the whole city would be spared. He ultimately intercedes for the sinner as well as the saint.

I think many Christians are ready to draw lines between Sodom and our own society. And in some ways, that exercise might be justified. But if we do that, should we do that to condemn or should we do that to pray? We need to instill the same heart for people that Abraham had because ultimately God's heart is for mercy too.

It's All in the Timing (Genesis 15-17)

2009-01-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

What is the key to good comedy? Any comedian will tell you it is all about timing. Athletes will tell you that the key to their profession is timing too. If a quarterback wants to complete his pass to a receiver, his timing has to be right. If a baseball player wants to hit the ball well, he better not be even a fraction of a second late. If we thought about it, we could list endeavor after endeavor that has to do with timing.

Genesis 16 reminds us that success in life has to do with timing too. In Genesis 15, God has given Abraham a promise that he will have descendants like the stars in the sky or the sands on the seashore. Yet, some decade later, he and Sarah are still waiting. The promise has not been fulfilled. So, Sarah gets an idea. Let's make alternate arrangement for having children. No, Sarah's not talking adoption. She's talking fornication. Sarah wants Abraham to sleep with Hagar, her servant, so that the child can come through her. In the ancient world this might have been an accepted practice. In God's world, it was not. But Abraham and Sarah aren't getting any younger. Time is running out. And so not able to wait for God's timing, Abraham and Sarah create their own.

Not surprisingly, the results are bad. The good relationship that Sarah and Hagar had is ruined. Abraham, who had been running his household well, loses control, abdicating leadership of the family to Sarah. The attempt to speed God's timing is a decided disaster.

This is a lesson that we need to remember today. For it seems to me that many of our modern sins are sins of timing. Sexual immorality is that type of sin. God says that sex is good in marriage. But we can't wait to find someone to make a commitment to, so we seek physical affection in our timing rather than waiting for God's gracious gift of a husband or a wife. Greed is that type of sin too. Don't wait until you can pay for it. Buy it now on credit without the money. Much of our problem is not that we desire the wrong things. It is all about our timing being off.

Timing is everything. We need to learn to be patient and to wait upon God for His blessings rather than trying to quickly grab them for ourselves.

Faith (Genesis 12-14)

2009-01-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

When I think of examples of faith in the Bible, the first name that comes to my mind is Abraham. Paul uses Abraham as an example of faith in Romans. Abraham also appears in Hebrews 11, that chapter some have designated "the faith hall of fame."

Genesis 12 gives us a good example of what faith is all about. In Genesis 12, Abraham (still Abram here) is called to leave "his country, his people, and his father's household." Note how each phrase of that quote gets more specific and personal. Abraham is leaving his nation behind, then his ethnic group, then his own family. In the ancient world that was a dangerous thing to do. There were no police forces in Abraham time. There was no unemployment insurance or Social Security for retirement. How did one stay safe in a dangerous world? How was one prepared for calamitous times? One stayed close to home. Following God's directive entailed a high degree of risk.

Accepting this risk would have been hard for Abraham as he did not know where he was going. The Lord tells Abraham to go to the "land I will show you." Abraham was not provided with travel brochures. He was not told what the features of the land would be or even if it was a decent place to live. He was just told to go. And not knowing where he was going, Abraham went.

Of course, when Abraham arrived, he found that the land was not exactly empty. There were powerful people there who were not ready to be dispossessed from their land. Their culture was pagan; their societies ungodly. Abraham had to realize that he and his family might have to endure a long time before they saw God's promise fulfilled.

Abraham's story tells us what faith is all about. Faith is taking risk at God's directive. It is moving forward with God when one doesn't always know the outcome. It is continuing to trust the promises of God and obey even when there are problems.

Chapter 12 calls me (and all who read it) to ask, "Where am I exercising faith?" I like to talk about being a person of faith, but where am I being faithful like Abraham? Where am I taking risks for God at His command? Where am I moving forward, trusting God for the outcome? Where am I being faithful even with problems?

As I read Genesis 12, I have admiration for Abraham. I also wonder how he was able to do it. How could he trust God so dramatically? I think the answer is in verses 2-3. There, the Lord gives some great promises to Abraham. And he trusted those promises. This is a reminder of what ultimately faith is all about. Faith is not ultimately about belief in a system or doctrine or a creed. It is about belief in God as revealed in His Son Jesus. Our faith is not in a religion. It is in a personal God. That is why Abraham could do what he did: he trusted and loved a personal God believing that he would keep all of His promises.

I hope all of us listen for God's call to us. And when we hear it, I hope we respond like Abram.

God's Sense of Humor (Genesis 10-11)

2009-01-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

In Genesis 11, we learn that God has a sense of humor. In verse 4, we are told that the people of the earth wanted to build a tower that would reach to the heavens. In verse 5, we are told the the Lord "came down" to see the city and the tower. In Hebrew, the word translated "come down" was often used for the act of coming off a mountain. The idea is that this "gigantic" tower of man was so small that the Lord could not see it without stooping.

I think Genesis 11 reminds us of the greatness and grandeur of God. It shows us that our greatest efforts are feeble compared to the Lord's work. Let's be thankful that we serve a great and mighty God.

Oprimist or Pessimist? (Genesis 5-6)

2009-01-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

So which are you? An optimist or a pessimist? Here is an easy way to find out.

If you know your Bible trivia, you know who the oldest man ever was: Methuselah. Genesis 5:27 tells us that Methuselah lived 969 years and then he died. Now, let's do some math.

Methuselah was 187 years old when he gave birth to Lamech (5:25). (I thought I was old becoming a father at 37).

Lamech was 182 years old when Noah was born (5:28-29). That means Methuselah was 369 (187+182=369) when Noah was born.

Genesis 7:7 will tell us that Noah was 600 years old when the flood hit the earth. So how old was Methuselah when the flood came? 369-900=969. So, Methuselah died in the year of the flood.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I guess the optimist says that Methuselah died in the year of the flood because God wanted to spare an old man judgment. In other words, Methuselah died the year of the flood but before the flood actually came. The pessimist says that Methuselah died in the flood. After being given nearly a millennium to repent, he still had not made his peace with God.

My guess is that Methuselah died in the flood so I suppose I am a pessimist. (But Tammy could have told you that). I think Genesis 6 teaches us that we can live for centuries but it is not much of a life if we don't get right with God.

Legalism (Genesis 3-4)

2009-01-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

Trivia time. Where is the first example of legalism in the Bible found? You guessed it. Genesis 3. Verse 3 to be specific. We are all familiar with this passage. The serpent comes and leads Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Through his cunning and guile, he convinces Eve that God is not trustworthy and that there is great pleasure to be found in that apple or kumquat or whatever it was. What often goes unnoticed is Eve's comment in verse 3. In conversing with the serpent, Eve says that she and Adam were not to eat from the tree or touch its fruit.

As you probably realize, this was an expansion of God's command. God said don't eat the fruit. He didn't say don't touch the tree. Where did Eve get this idea from? My best guess- she got the idea from Adam. Genesis tells us that he was the one who received God's command about the tree. Loving this woman God had put by his side, Adam didn't want to see her get in trouble. So, how to make sure she stayed away from the fruit? Add a rule. Not only don't you eat the fruit. You don't even touch it.

God's people have long thought that adding to God's rules was an effective sin deterrent. The Pharisees thought this. Many of Paul's opponents thought this. And many Christians today think this. I grew up in a tradition that seemed to think adding to God's rules was a good way to stop sin. ("Don't drink. Don't dance. Don't listen to rock and roll). Genesis 3 teaches us early on that more rules don't help us keep the right rules. More effective is truly knowing God. If Eve had been insightful enough to trust God's character and intentions, she would have never had that piece of fruit.

A New Year Begins... (Genesis 1-2)

2009-01-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

...and already I am late on posts. But this year I am going to make a concerted effort to make comments (however brief) on our OT readings.

And so we start in the beginning with Genesis 1-2. There is a temptation to take these chapters as merely a straight account of Creation. In other words, we come to these chapters expecting to learn only how God created. To us, Genesis 1-2 is sort of a play by play account of the beginning. But in reality, these chapters are more than that. While I do still hold to a 6 day creation, I know that Genesis 1 has a lot more to teach us than that evolution is "wrong."

Think of Genesis 1 from an Israelites' perspective. Genesis was written by Moses as he was inspired by God. This probably happened as Moses shared time with God on Mount Sinai. So, Israel likely received Genesis as she was journeying to the Promised Land. With that fact in mind, Genesis 1 had to hold a great deal of interest for Israel. The account of God's creation of Eden had to powerfully remind them of their own journey to the Promised Land. In the account of Creation, Israelites would not have only seen a play by play account. They would have seen lessons about to thrive in their own Paradise.

The lesson they found in Genesis 1 is that there are blessings in the boundaries. Do not miss Genesis 1:2. That verse says that the earth was formless and empty. Thus, the rest of the chapter becomes an account of how God rectified that situation. In the first 3 days of Creation, God builds boundaries. On the first day, God creates the boundary between dark and light. On the second day, God creates sky, the boundaries between the waters above and the waters below (up until the Flood the world was apparently surrounded by a canopy of water). On the third day, God separates the land and the seas, putting each in its proper place. He also creates vegetation according to its kinds. In the opening three days of creation, the emphasis is clearly on bringing form to boundaries.

On the last three days of creation, God fills the boundaries. On day four, the sun and moon are placed in the sky. On the fifth day, the sky is filled with birds and the seas with fish. And on the sixth day, the land is filled with animals and the pinnacle of God's creation: humanity. All this rectifies the emptiness of verse 2. Now, not only are there boundaries but those boundaries are filled with wonderful and marvelous creatures.

The message here is unmistakable. Clearly, Genesis 1 teaches us that there is blessing in God's boundaries. Without the boundaries, there can be no holding of the blessings. If Israel was to enjoy the bounty of the Promised Land, they would have to accept the bounds of God's Law. Without submission to His commands, there could be no enjoyment of the blessings God planned to give. And for those of us who follow Jesus, the lesson is the same. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to be obedient to God's Word. For it is in obedience that we know the fullness of God's blessing. Those who don't follow Jesus think that God';s boundaries are meant to take our fun and kill our happiness. But Scripture starts with a very different lesson. It is only in the boundaries of God that the fullness of blessing is found.

Discernment (1 John 4-5)

2008-08-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

I am a day behind, but I do want to post some thoughts on 1 John 4 because I think it is a verse that the church in America needs to hear again.

1 John 4:1-3 says: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (ESV).

We need to learn more discernment. It is amazing what is uncritically accepted as Biblical truth these days. Evangelical media is full of messengers and messages that claim to be Biblical but are not. Many (but certainly not all) evangelical bestsellers are more heresy than truth. How have we come to this state of affairs? We have not "tested the spirits." Perhaps in the name of Christian charity, we have not been critical enough, substituting social and cultural markers of orthodoxy for theological ones. Or perhaps we have been lazy. Maybe we have trusted Christian publishers and radio stations to be discerning for us. If it is on STAR 99.1 or WFME, it must be good. Zondervan wouldn't publish bad teaching, would they?

What should be the main focus in discerning who teaches the truth and who does not? John points to the person and work of Christ. John was living in the days of a "proto-Gnostic" heresy. It seems that some were denying that Jesus came in the flesh, probably because they felt the flesh was inherently evil. If flesh was evil, Jesus could not have been flesh and blood. 1 John is written to warn Christians against these heretics. One part of the warning is this: not matter how good the teaching may seem, reject it if it doesn't get Jesus right.

Evangelicals would do well to remember that today. No matter how entertaining or culturally savvy a teacher may be, his words are meaningless if he doesn't get Jesus right. May God's church have a spirit of discernment.

And Now With Further Explanation

2008-08-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

There is a phrase I sometimes here used: "and now without further explanation." I don't think the Apostle John ever heard that phrase. It must not have been a phrase used in koine Greek. You see, John is not adverse to repetition and to further explanation. Throughout his letter, John goes over the same themes again and again: love one another, be holy, watch out for false teachers. It is clear that John wants to get his point across. I think that this is one of the reasons that I have never preached through the whole book of 1 John. I have always felt like my hearers would think I was just preaching the same sermon over and over.

In 1 John 3, John picks up on two of his themes again. In verses 1-10, John reminds us of the need to be holy in living. He says that holiness gives us assurance of our faith. He also says that one who willfully, habitually sins cannot claim to be a believer. In verses 11-24, John reminds us of the need to love others, especially our fellow Christians. In verses 16-18, we get the motivation, the method, and the measure of love. Verse 16 gives us the motivation: we have been loved by Christ so we should love others. Verse 17 gives us the method: we need to share our possessions to meet others' needs. Verse 18 gives us the measure of love: love is measured by what we do not by what we say.

As I think about John, it reminds me of a great symphony where the same strands of music are played again and again being wrapped in different contexts and arrangements to create a beautiful work of art. John's work may be repetitive at points. But it is beautiful and powerful in its message.

Blessed Assurance

2008-08-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

Assurance is any issue that many Christians wrestle with. How do I know that I am truly saved? Perhaps this question surfaces less now then it did say among the Puritans of the 17th and 18th centuries. But it is still on the mind of many believers nonetheless. How do I know that I am really a Christian?

1 John 2 tells us the basis of our assurance. Verses 3-6 say: "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (ESV). John says that obedience is the key to assurance. This is very different than how some teach it. Many will say: "Did you pray a prayer? Do your remember a moment when you asked Jesus to be your Savior?" Certainly there is no salvation without faith, but a single moment of prayer is not the bedrock of our assurance. Assurance is found in a life lived like Jesus.

Obviously, none of us are going to obey completely (see 1 John 1 again). But there should be patterns in our lives of living and acting like Christ. John points out three types of works in particular that contribute to the assurance of our faith:

1. loving our fellow Christians (verse 10)

2. not loving the world and its ways and desires (verses 15-17)

3. not tolerating false teaching (verses 18-27).

As we follow Jesus, may we receive the assurance that only Jesus can give.

Fellowship That Doesn't Involve Munchkins

2008-08-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

I grew up a Baptist. When I hear the word fellowship I can't help but think of Munchkins and coffee in Styrofoam cups in the church basement. In the church circles that I traveled in as a child, fellowship always involved food, usually of the sugary and caffeinated variety.

In 1 John 1, John uses fellowship in a very different way. John says that he (and the other disciples) had a remarkable fellowship with God through Jesus. Since Jesus was fully God and fully man, John got to interact with God in a way few humans ever have. I don't know about you, but I have a temptation to be jealous John. I think it must have been remarkable for him to walk and live and dine with Jesus each and every day. The fellowship of the disciples with Jesus seems so unique. Yet, John says a remarkable thing in 1 John 1. He says that you and I are able to have the very same fellowship with God. Verse 3 says: "that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (ESV). John says the Gospel is proclaimed so that you and I might have the very same fellowship that he had. We have the same opportunity to know God in a deep and intimate way.

I guess we might wonder how that is possible. After all, we can't walk with Jesus like John did. But Jesus can walk with us. Through the Spirit, Jesus lives inside of us and we know Him in a very real and tangible way. Perhaps we know Him even more deeply than John and the disciples first did. For if Jesus is not experienced by our eyes and hands and ears, He is experienced by our hearts and souls and minds. That is even better fellowship than Munchkins. It is our experience of Jesus that is the heart of what true fellowship is about.

Love One Another

2008-08-06T05:20:00.000-07:00

As I read James 2 today, it struck me how much the command to "love your neighbor as yourself" is at the heart of what James says here. Being of a theological bent of mind, my inclination has always been to focus on the second half of the chapter. How does one reconcile James' view of reconciliation with Paul's? (A question whose answer who would require another blog- at least). But as I read today, I see that the whole passage really hinges on the command to love your neighbor.

This theme of loving neighbor really begins in chapter 1, when James speaks of caring for orphans and widows in their distress. But it comes to a crescendo here in chapter 2. In this chapter, James makes the argument that loving one's neighbor is not an option to be added to other, more important religious commands. If you break one part of the Law, you break the whole thing. Then, that whole second half about justification, really makes the argument that you can't claim to be saved if you don't put your faith into practice by loving your neighbor.

James 2 is a good reminder that we can't just talk about loving our neighbor. We need to live it out. And so the question becomes who are we helping in their distress? Are we loving the unlovable? James 2 reminds us that our faith demands mercy and compassion.

Three Inevitable Things

2008-08-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

The old saying tells us that two things are inevitable... death and taxes. To that, we could add a third thing...trials. All of us go through hardships and difficulties at some point in our lives, even Christians. In fact, I think it may be fair to say that the Bible tells us that Christians go through more trials than the rest of the world. So, what do we do when trials come? That is the question that James answers in James 1.

To James' readers, this was an important question. Note who the letter of James is addressed to. Verse 1 says that it was written to the 12 tribes in the dispersion (ESV). Why were the Christians whom James addressed dispersed? Acts 8:1 tells us. Speaking of the day of Stephen's death, it says: "...On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" (NIV). James was pastor of that scattered church. He writes his letter partially to encourage his suffering flock.

So, how do handle trials when they come? James make four points

1. We rejoice in our trials knowing that they work for our spiritual benefit (verses 2-4).

2. We pray for wisdom from God to handle our trials (verses 5-7).

3. We accept our low position, not being jealous of the blessing or success of others. We do this because we know that earthly riches are temporary. They do nothing to prepare us for death or for eternity (verses 8-11).

4. We stay steadfast in obedience. We do not use our trial as an excuse to sin. Instead we see even a trial as a good gift from God (verses 12-18).

That is a pretty good prescription for dealing with trials. Like most medicine, it may at first be hard to swallow. But in the end, it brings great benefit.

Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner

2008-08-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have always read Hebrews 13:2 a certain way. Hebrew 13:2 says: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (ESV). That verse seems very straight forward. It seems to suggest that there are Christians who have entertained spiritual beings without recognizing it. I have heard pastors tell stories of Christians who stopped to help a fellow traveler with a flat tire. After these Christians finished the job and got back to their car, the car that received aid miraculously disappeared, vanishing much too quickly to have simply driven off. Was this a Hebrews 13:2 moment? Had someone helped an angel?

Stories like that always left me with a question. What was an angel doing driving a broken down jalopy in the first place? Did Gabriel get to Mary's house on the back of a worn out donkey? Today, it dawned on me that there might be a different explanation for this verse. The Greek word for angel is angellos. That word cannot only be translated angel but also messenger. It can refer to spiritual messengers (like angels) and human messengers (like Christians serving God). So maybe the author of Hebrews is saying that in entertaining strangers we have helped God's human flesh and blood messengers. The guy on the highway might not have been Gabriel. But he might have been a pastor in a hurry to get to a church to preach a sermon. Or the driver might of been a woman going to help the homeless. In entertaining strangers, we sometimes help brothers and sisters in Christ without even knowing it. And of course, Matthew 25 tells us that in helping other Christians, we help Jesus Himself. That is even better than helping an angel!

The New Beats the Old

2008-07-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

We are a society in love with the new. Manufacturers anually make new models of computers and cars and vacuums and TV’s just so we will have the desire to make another purchase. Of course, the reality is that new is not always better. Late in the 1990’s, I bought a new computer with lots of bells and whistles. My intent was to replace an outdated model that I sold to a friend. I have to be honest. I missed the old computer. It didn’t have the features of my old one, but it had one endearing quality: it worked. In used car terms, my new computer was a lemon. I had to replace the monitor twice. It locked up. It overheated. Some of the new features stopped working within a week. Old is sometimes better than new.

In Hebrews 9, the author of Hebrews reminds us that new is better when it comes to the New Covenant established in Jesus. In that case, there is no comparison between old and new. Hebrews 9 highlights 3 ways that the New Covenant surpasses the Old:

1. The new covenant cleans outside and inside. All the Old Testament Law did was really give us a moral appearance. The Ten Commandments didn’t change our heart. In fact, in Romans, Paul says that our sinful natures were actually enticed by the Law to sin. (He also says that is not a knock on the Law. It is a knock on how wicked we are that God’s perfect law would entice to do evil!) Under the New Covenant, though, we are made new on the inside. Verse 14 says that through Jesus are “consciences are cleansed from acts that lead to death.” The New Covenant changes our nature, allowing us the power and desire to live in obedience.

2. The new covenant gives us unlimited access to God. Under the Old Covenant, the message from God was “Danger! Keep away!” Only one man, the high priest, could go directly into the presence of God. And He could go only one time a year after having offered a rigorous round of sacrifices. Under the New Covenant, we have unlimited access to God through Jesus. Verses 23-24 say “It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence” (NIV). Christ appears for us in the presence of God. We have unlimited access.

3. The new covenant is once for all. In Old Testament, offering sacrifices was sort of like doing laundry. Have do laundry again and again because things keep getting dirty. Under the system of sacrifices, sacrifices had to be repeated again and again as acts of cleansing. (And even then, sacrifices weren’t really effective. See 10:4). But under the New Covenant, there is no repeating of sacrifices. Verses 25-28 say: “Nor did [Christ] enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (NIV). The sacrifice of Jesus is a “one and done” act. We can rely on it in perpetuity.

New things aren’t always better than the old. But in the case of the New Covenant, there is no comparison with the Old. New is better.

The Truly New Covenant

2008-07-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

“The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.” That is how I was taught to think about the Old and New Testaments (or covenants) as a young child growing up in a Baptist Church. There is much wisdom in that saying. The New Testament is not a complete departure from the Old Testament. However, it is still a New Testament. Over the years, I have heard several Bible teachers say that the New Testament is simply a new administration of the Old Testament. The difference of the Testaments (or covenants) is not a difference of kind. It is merely a difference of expression. Hebrews 8 ought to lay that argument to rest.

Actually, all of Hebrews ought to lay that argument to rest. The book of Hebrews is written to remind its readers not to backslide into sin. Apparently, those to whom the letters of Hebrews was written were struggling with obedience, much like their Israelite forefathers. The letter is meant to remind the Hebrews that they need to be faithful to God because they have become part of a much better covenant than their ancestors. The point of Hebrews is that the New Covenant is not like the Old. It has far better advantages and blessings and thus there is no excuse for the disobedience that marked the Old Covenant.

Hebrews 8 is one of the places where this argument is made most clearly. Verses 8-12 highlight how the New Covenant is indeed new. Quoting from Jeremiah 31, these verses show how the New Covenant surpasses the Old. Verses 8-12 say this: “‘The time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’”

These verses highlight several advantages of the New Covenant. One, the Law of God is now on the hearts and minds of those who follow. Through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, we have the Law internally as well as externally. Two, we have a deep relationship with God. In the coming chapters of Hebrews, the author of Hebrews is going to show that the message of the Old Covenant was “Danger. Stay away!” Under the Old Covenant, God could not be approached except under the most limited of circumstances. Under the New Testament all the people of God may know Him in an intimate way. Three, the priest/laity distinction of the Old Covenant is eradicated. All now have the privilege to minister for the Lord.

The New Covenant is new. I am glad to be part of all of its blessings and provisions.

My Least Favorite Bible Question (Hebrews 7)

2008-07-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

As a pastor, I get asked a lot of questions about the Bible. One of the more popular questions that I get asked is this: who was Melchizedek? I have yet to figure out why people like to ask that question so much. Now, in certain contexts, I understand the question. Tomorrow night, when we have a Bible study on the book of Hebrews, that will be a good, legitimate question. But I have been asked the question when a Bible study in Hebrews was the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. When I moved into the Parsonage in Avon, one of the men there came by to install a ceiling fan for me. As he was putting it in, he asked me: “So, who do you think Melchizedek was?” It left me wondering where the question came from.

For those of you who have never heard this question before, let me say that there are two answers that you can give to this question. The first answer is that Melchizedek is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. The second answer is that Melchizedek was an ancient king, ruler of what would be come Jerusalem in the time of Abraham. For those of you who are still confused, let’s go back even further. In Genesis 14, Abraham’s nephew Lot is still living in the city of Sodom. Sodom and the surrounding cities are attacked, and the people of those cities are taken into captivity, probably to serve as either slaves or sacrifices. (It is hard to know which fate would be worse). Abraham is alerted to what has happened. Thus, he raises an army from his household that defeats the four kings who have attacked Sodom. Lot and all who are with him are saved. As Abraham journeys back home, he is met by Melchizedek, the King of Salem. Genesis 14:18 tells us that Melchizedek was a priest of God Most High. Genesis 14 also tells us that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all he had. Abraham’s tithe showed that he considered Melchizedek to be of greater importance.

In our passage today, the author of Hebrews says that Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek. Like Melchizedek, Jesus is not from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of priests. Melchizedek could not be a Levite because Levi had yet to be born. He was Abraham’s great-grandson. Jesus was not a Levite because in his humanity he was a descendant of Judah, the tribe of Kings. So neither Jesus nor Melchizedek were priests based on lineage. Instead, they were priests based on their character and their righteousness. Hebrews 7:15-16 says: “And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life” (NIV, emphasis added). One of the central points in the book of Hebrews is that the New Covenant established through Jesus is better than the Old Covenant established through Moses. In Hebrews 7, the author of Hebrews shows that the New Covenant has a greater priesthood since it is based on the righteousness of the priest not on human lineage.

So why all this discussion about whether Melchizedek is actually Jesus? I think it is because of what the author of Hebrews says about Melchizedek in verse 3. He says: “Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.” If Melchizedek is described as being without father and mother and being without beginning of days or end of life, he doesn’t sound like any human being I know. That sounds pretty God-like. No wonder people have concluded that Melchizedek must be a pre-Incarnate appearance of Christ. But I think we have to be cautious here. I think the context gives a different sense to verse 3. I think the proper interpretation of verse 3 is that Melchizedek was without recorded father or mother, without recorded beginning of days or end of life. In Genesis, we get a lot of genealogy. But we don’t have any for Melchizedek. He stands out among the righteous in that we do not have a record of his parent’s name or the amount of years that he lived. Not having a recorded father or mother or a recorded beginning and end of his life, Melchizedek becomes a symbol of Christ who in His eternal nature has existed forever without having ever been created.

To me, Hebrews 7 is very clear that Melchizedek and Jesus are not the same person. Time and time again we are told that Jesus is “like” Melchizedek. In addition, we are told that Jesus is of the order of Melchizedek. This really doesn’t make a lot of sense is Jesus is Melchizedek. The language seems to suggest two different individuals. Reading Hebrews 7 and Genesis 14, I would conclude that Melchizedek is a symbol of Jesus’ priesthood. He is not, however, Jesus Himself.

There is much more that could be said on this question. This is really just a start. But next time someone asks who Melchizedek was, I think I’ll just send them here.

The Immature Church

2008-07-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 6 is a passage that causes me to make a sober evaluation of the church in our country. In verses 1-2, the author of Hebrews lists several elementary teachings of the faith: baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Apparently, these were matters of some controversy in the churches of the Hebrew Christians. This distresses the author of Hebrews. He sees these as elementary truths, truths that long ago should have been settled. Since the Hebrew Christians are still wrangling over these issues, the author of Hebrews is concerned for his readers, discerning that they are immature and possibly even unsaved.

It is interesting to me that these issues continue to stand at the heart of church controversy today. Baptists and Presbyterians (and others) argue the proper mode of and recipients for baptism. Pentecostals and non-Pentecostals argue over the state of so-called sign gifts like the laying on of hands. Liberal and non-liberal Christians squabble over the historical reality of the resurrection. And evangelicals are now divided as to whether or not there is a hell. There is little certainty about the nature of God’s eternal judgment. These disagreements do not speak well for any branch of the church. They remind us that we are in deep need of the maturity that comes from repentance and from our faith in the work of Jesus Christ.

Godless Chatter

2008-07-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

There is a great deal that I could say about 1 Timothy 6 today. But I am currently preaching through the book of 1 Timothy and I don’t want to preach sermons before their appointed time! Let me just say that I am struck by Paul’s words in verses 20-21. Those verses say: “Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” I guess we are tempted to think that godless chatter is foul mouthed speech or bawdy jokes. But note the context of the chapter. Paul is again warning Timothy about false teachers throughout the passage. Godless chatter is not swearing or lewd humor. It is religious talk that has nothing to do with God. The false teachers claimed to be teaching of God, but there reaching was really godless. The power of God was not behind it and people were not led to God through it. We need Paul’s warning today. There are many who are preaching what they consider to be knowledge, but it is not. Turning from godless chatter happens not just in the world. It also happens in the church.

I'm Back

2008-06-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

After a protacted absence, I am back blogging by popular demand. (Popular meaning that one person asked me to do it. I think that is about as popular as I can expect to get).

Let's start today with a trivia question. Why did Paul write the book of the Philippians? Don't know the answer? It is found in our passage today, in verses 10-18. Paul writes there:

"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." ESV.

Paul wrote Philippians as a thank you note. By their messenger Epaphroditus, the Philippians had sent Paul a gift to help support him during his time of imprisonment. Roman jails weren't like jails today. Our government meets the costs of a prisoner's survival. In the Roman world, prisoners paid their own bills. If you didn't have the money for your necessities, the Romans would not provide them. The Philippians provided Paul an important service and Paul writes to say thank you.

In the midst of these words of thanksgiving, Paul writes his famous words: "I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Those words are interesting to me. I understand needing to learn secrets for facing hunger and need. But it seems odd that Paul would say that he has learned the secret of facing plenty and abundance. Paul's words seem to suggest that living with riches is just as much a challenge as living with less. We understand the challenge of living when you don't have food or shelter or money. But, Paul's words raise this question: what is the challenge of living with plenty? Paul doesn't elaborate. But perhaps experience tells us. Living with plenty presents the challenge of not being selfish. It presents the challenge of being compassionate to those who do have needs. It presents the challenge of living in dependence on God not our bank accounts. In America, even the least among usually have plenty compared to the rest of the world. Maybe we need to pray that we would gain the wisdom of Paul. Maybe we need to ask that God would teach us the secret of living with plenty and abundance so that riches don't become a trap to our souls.

Some Random Thoughts (Acts 12)

2008-04-10T10:45:00.001-07:00

As I read Acts 12, I am struck my several things:

1. I am struck by the power of prayer. What allowed Peter to secure his freedom? The passage implies that it was the prayers of the church. When God's people prayed, God worked.

2. I am stuck by Peter's peace. On the night where he is to be executed, what is he doing? He is asleep! Apparently he has no anxiety. That speaks to tremendous faith in God.

3. I am struck by Herod's death. At a moment when Herod had seemed to reach the pinnacle of his power (he is recognized as a god), he is struck down, dying a horrible death. (Note the worms eat him before he dies not after). God fights the enemies of His Church!

This passage gives great encouragement to Christians about God's protection of His people!

The Limits of Belief (Acts 11)

2008-04-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

I was interested by Acts 11:21 today. In the ESV, the verse says: "And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord." The NIV translates that same verse this way: "The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." What is interesting to me is that it sounds like there is a difference between believing and turning to the Lord. In the NIV, these things are separated as two actions. In the ESV, there is an implication that not all who believed turned to the Lord. It led me to wonder what could the distinction be between the two terms?

I think the question is answered by asking what the great number who believed, believed. The context tells us that they believed the preaching that was brought to them by those who came from Cyprus and Cyrene. In other words, they believed the content of the Gospel message. But, it could be that believing the content of the Gospel message is not the same as turning to the Lord. Becoming a Christian involves more than believing a story. Turning to the Lord, means confessing Jesus as King and letting Him be the boss.

Imagine a person who is dying of cancer. They are told that there is a clinic in Malaysia that has a drug that is bringing about a one-hundred percent cure rate in their type of cancer. The person dying of cancer believes the story. Will that belief save them? It will if it leads to them getting on a plane and flying to Malaysia with enough money to pay for their time at the clinic. But if they never board a plane, their belief is not enough. They may believe, but they have still not turned to the clinic for deliverance.

I wonder if our churches have many who believe but have not turned to the Lord. I realize this thought is probably more than exegesis of the passage can bear. But I think considering the difference between believing and turning remains a helpful exercise.

Power to Witness (Acts 4)

2008-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Have you tried sharing your faith in Jesus with anyone lately? It is not an easy proposition. We live in a world that is often inimical to faith and non-material realities. Our world tells us that faith is a matter of personal preference. It says that it is arrogant and condescending to claim that your truth is better than anyone else's truth. In a world like this, where can the power to be a witness come from? I think Acts 4 gives 4 answers:

1. Power to be a witness comes through the Holy Spirit (verse 8). Peter's words were powerful because they were not his. They were given by God.

2. Power to be a witness comes through prayer. Verse 31 tells us that the church continued to speak the Word with boldness after they had spent time in prayer together.

3. Power to be a witness comes through good deeds, done in God's power. Peter and John are not punished by the Sanhedrin because of the miraculous work they did with the lame man. Their compassion was a testimony to God's power and love in their lives.

It is interesting to note one thing that did not lead to a powerful witness: education (verse 13). Now, I am not taking a stance against education. (I have 2 masters degrees after all). But formal education is not a requirement for being a powerful witness. The first church that I pastored in Carteret was founded by a ditch digger. According to church records, he was a man full of the Spirit, devoted to prayer and deeds of compassion. Even though he spoke limited English, these things made him a powerful witness.

Acts 4 encourages me to strive for the power and boldness that the Apostles had.

Still Waiting (Acts 3)

2008-04-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

I will admit it. I don't have profound thought or insights about Acts 3. But what does strike me as I read Acts 3 is Peter's sense of expectation. After the lame man is healed, Peter preaches a sermon in Solomon's portico. In the sermon, he calls on the people to repent of the crucifixion of Jesus (verse 19). And Peter says that when the people repent, three things will happen:

1. their sins will be blotted out (verse 19)
2. they will have times of refreshing (verse 20)
3. the return of Jesus will be hastened ("that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus," verse 20).

It is obvious that Peter had the idea that Christ was going to return quickly. He was motivated to evangelism by this thought: if Israel repented, then Christ would come again.

We live 2,00 years after these events. We know that Peter's hopes for a quick return of Jesus were not fulfilled. I guess that is why we often live without Peter's sense of expectation. Perhaps, though, we need to be more like Peter. Perhaps we need to be as eager to see Jesus come as he was. Perhaps our evangelism suffers because we don't have Peter's longing for Jesus' return.

How to Grow a Church (Acts 2)

2008-03-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Acts 2 is one of my favorite New Testament passages. I love Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. I think it is foundational to New Testament theology. And I love the story of the church at the end of Acts 2. I guess as a pastor I am particularly interested by the fact that 3,000 people were saved in one day. I would probably be thrilled by 3,000 in a lifetime. They had 3,000 in a day! And it didn't stop there. Daily, people were being added to their number.

How is it that the church was able to grow? I think the answer is found in verse 42. There were four things that allowed the church to grow:

1. They were committed to the Word of God (the apostles' teaching)
2. They were committed to serving and loving one another (fellowship)
3. They were committed to worship (breaking of the bread, ie communion)
4. They were committed to prayer.

And in all these things who were they really committed to? They were committed to Jesus. There is no real secret to church growth. A church has the opportunity to grow as its people are committed to Jesus.

Matthias Madness (Acts 1)

2008-03-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

As a pastor, I have found two points of Biblical interpretation that people will get quite worked up over. Now, there is nothing wrong with getting worked up over Biblical interpretation. If you are defending the divinity of Christ, or the reality of hell, or the penal substitutionary view of the atonement, go for it. But these two points of interpretation that I have seen people get so exercised over seem to have little true import. Point one: who is the Melchizedek in Genesis? Is it a real flesh and blood person or an appearance of the pre-Incarnate Christ. Give the wrong answer to that one and you will be branded a heretic. Point two: were the disciples right in appointing Matthias the twelfth apostle in Acts 1?

I am long familiar with the Melchizedek question. I grew up hearing all the arguments for that one. I am less familiar with the Matthias issue. Though, in the last 5 years, I have heard the question discussed so much that it makes up for the 35 years I didn't know it was an issue. Apparently, there are lot of people out there who think that the apostles made a big boo-boo in appointing Matthias. As I understand it, there are several reasons why those who take this stance feel the apostles were wrong:

1. 1:4 seems to suggest that Jesus wanted the Apostles to sit around and do nothing until they received the Holy Spirit.

2. The future appointment of Paul as an apostle seems to suggest that the church nominated the wrong guy. Paul was supposed to be 12 not Matthias.

3. Matthias might as well rhyme with anonymous. We hear nothing of Matthias after Acts 1. If Matthias was a good choice, why does he disappear?

There may be more reasons than that. I am not sure. I don't really understand the whole argument. I think that the choice of Matthias was a good one for the following reasons:

1. There is nothing in the text that suggests that this was a bad choice. I mean if it was a bad choice, why does Luke even mention it? He could have skipped the whole incident and nothing would have been lost.

2. The Apostles quote Scripture to defend their actions (1:20). I think that Luke (inspired by the Holy Spirit) is showing this is a Biblical thing to do.

3. The argument that Matthias is not mentioned again in Acts is irrelevant. Many of the disciples are not really mentioned by name in Acts. Was Jesus wrong in choosing them?

4. (The real clincher). God chose Matthias not the Apostles. The Apostles only made their selection after much prayer. And, they decided by casting lots. Proverbs 16:33 says: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." I think the text tells us that it was ultimately God who chose Matthias.

To me, the last part of Acts 1 is meant to emphasize the historic reality of the Gospel story. The Apostles were not making up tales. They selected a witness who could tell all that Jesus did. This wasn't a bad choice. It was a good one. The Apostles wanted to remind us that the story of Jesus is true and factual. It is too important to have the truth and details lost.

The Best for Last (John 21)

2008-03-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite verses in John has always been the last one. John 21:25 says: "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." Books were not small in John's day. They couldn't fit on a CD or be stored on the Internet. But still, books weren't the largest thing around either. A world full of books would contain a lot of books. At the end of John's Gospel, John reminds us that we can always learn more about Jesus. There is more to learn about Jesus' work in history, and there is more to learn about Jesus' work in present. May I never think that I have arrived in my knowledge of Jesus.

Some Random Thoughts (John 17)

2008-03-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

In John 17, we have what is truly the Lord's prayer. John 17 represents the longest of Jesus' prayers that we have on record. There are some special things to note here:

1. Eternal life does not begin in heaven. It begins now. Jesus says in verse 3: "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." Eternal life is not just about a quantity of life. It is about a quality of life. And while the fullest quality of our life with Jesus is not known until heaven, we do begin to experience that quality now in knowing Jesus and the Father. The Gospel is not just for the future. It is for the present. And those with faith in Jesus have begun to taste heaven through their knowledge of Jesus.

2. It is amazing to think that Jesus prayed for each and every one of us. In verses 20-21, Jesus says: "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Jesus prays for those who would believe in the future. And what does He pray for us? He prays that we would be one in the family of God. He also prays that we would live in the Father and Himself. In other words, Jesus asks that we would rely on the Father and Son's power. As we are united and empowered by the Spirit, we give witness to the world that Jesus is from heaven and that His words are true. May today's Church live up to this prayer.

The Spirit Advantage (John 16)

2008-03-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

In John 16, Jesus tells His disciples that it is to their advantage that he go away. I'm sure at the time they had a hard time believing that. The years they had spent with Jesus undoubtedly had been the best years of their lives. Yes, they had left home and family. Yes, there had been tension with the religious leaders. But they had seen miracles every day. They had heard Jesus' wonderful teaching. More than that, they had performed miracles and gotten to teach themselves. How could Jesus going away be an advantage?

That is the question that Jesus answers here in John 16. To paraphrase, Jesus says that the advantage of His leaving is that the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) is coming. Believe it or not, we live in a more advantaged age than the disciples. That is hard for us to believe. We think that if Jesus were with us like He was with the disciples we would have a much easier time with our faith and Christian living. But that is not necessarily the case. Jesus says we have several advantages over the disciples in having the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit gives power to our message. He convicts people of the truth of the Gospel message
The Spirit guides us into truth. He is an inner revelation to our minds and hearts of all that God has to teach us. The disciples had Jesus as an external teacher. We have an internal revelation from God that unfolds the Scriptures to us.
The Spirit is omnipresent. Jesus, being fully God and man, was limited by His human body to being in any one location at a time. The Spirit knows no such boundaries so He is able to be with every believer.

The blessings of the Spirit are far more than those outlined in John 16. We should rejoice that we live in a time where we can say that "the Comforter has come."

An Easter Meditation (John 14)

2008-03-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't really come to John 14 expecting to write an Easter meditation. But, that is where verse 19 led me. Jesus says there: "Because I live, you will also live." When we first hear those words (especially out of their context), we assume that Jesus is talking about eternal life. Because Jesus has eternal life, we will have eternal life too. But a closer examination of John 14 tells us that Jesus is speaking about something more. In John 14, Jesus is speaking about our indwelling by the Holy Spirit. He says that we will do great things and have direct access to God because the Spirit is in us. Thus, the life of which Jesus speaks in verse 19 is not the life to come. It is the life that we are living now as the Spirit dwells within us. Jesus tells us that one of the great benefits of His being alive is that we have a full and complete life in the here and now. How thankful we can be that Jesus rose from the dead so that we can have the life that is really worth living!

Glory in the Lowest (John 11)

2008-03-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

My first thought was that my comment on John 11 would most likely involve John 11:35 ("Jesus wept). After all, that is every kid's favorite Bible verse- the shortest verse of the Bible. That was the verse you always hoped they would have you memorize in Sunday School. But somehow they never did. Sunday School required a lot more work than that.

The verse "Jesus wept" teaches us a great deal about Jesus' humanity and His empathy with our struggles and sorrows. But as I came to John 11 I was once again struck by John's use of the word "glory." As in John 9, glory is a persistent theme in this chapter. Over and over again, Jesus says that He will be glorified in the death of Lazarus. Glory is a theme of John's Gospel. The word makes an immediate appearance in chapter 1. In 1:14, John writes: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

When I read that verse in John 1, I pictured a heavenly glory. I pictured bright light and trumpets blaring. I pictured radiance and beauty and hope. But as one reads through John, one sees that the glory of God shows up in unexpected places. It is not seen in palaces or temples. It is seen in blindness and death. It is seen in brokenness and pain. The glory of God is not made manifest in our strength. It is revealed in our weakness. The glory of God is not seen in cathedrals. It is seen in hovels. It is not seen in sublime works of art. It is seen in the refuse pile. Weakness and pain are things that we run from, yet it is often there that the glory of God is revealed.

As a pastor, I have seen my share of lilies. Every Easter I take a Claritin in anticipation of the lilies that will be present in church. A church is a glorious frame for a lily. Yet, the most beautiful lily I ever saw was not in a church. The most beautiful lily I ever saw was in Ireland. This lily was in a cemetery, growing right out of a tombstone. A tombstone seems a strange soil and odd backdrop for a lily. Yet, against that backdrop, the lily could be seen in all its glory. In a place of death, the lily was at its most beautiful.

The glory of God often reveals itself in the places of weakness and death. None of us long for those places. But it comforting to know that it is in those places that the power and strength of God is revealed.

Sheep of Another Fold (John 10)

2008-03-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

A number of years ago, the Church of Latter Day Saints (better known as the Mormons) ran an ad campaign in which they suggested that Jesus, after His death and resurrection, had undertaken a preaching tour of now extinct civilizations in North America. One source of this claim was the book of Mormon. Another source of this claim was John 10:16. That verse says: "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." According to the Mormons, Jesus is speaking of Native American civilizations. They are the sheep that are not yet of the fold.

There are many reasons why Mormon claims of a Jesus preaching mission to North America are false. The first, and most important, is the truth of Acts 1. In Acts 1, the angels who speak after Jesus' ascension into heaven say that Jesus will return to earth in the same way he left. The suggestion is that Jesus' return will be a public, visible return. If Jesus came again to North America, His visit did not fit the criteria the angel established. Someone was wrong or mistaken.

But there is another reason that we can confidently conclude that Jesus never came to North America. When we interpret John 10:13 properly, we realize that it has a much broader meaning than Mormons suggest. For some reason, a lot of Christians are fascinated by this verse. As a pastor, I have been asked again and again about who the sheep from the other fold are. One person wanted to know if Jesus might be speaking about extraterrestrials! The true answer is much more mundane than Indians and aliens. One has to remember that in the Gospels Jesus is ministering to Israel. He is speaking to a wholly Jewish audience. So, who are the sheep of the other fold? I think the clear answer is the Gentiles. Note what Jesus says will happen when He claims the sheep of the other fold. He says in verse 16 that the two flocks of sheep will be merged together. That is what happened in the early Church. Jew and Gentile were united together in Christ. Part of the purpose of Christ's work and death was to unite people from all nations of the world. Jew and Gentiles alike would be accepted into the Kingdom of God.

As a Gentile, I am thankful for Jesus' words in John 10:16. I am thankful that Jesus called a non-Kosher sheep like me to be a part of His flock.

The Man Formerly Known as Blind (John 9)

2008-03-17T18:04:00.001-07:00

To anyone who actually reads this blog, I apologize for a 5 day break. The last few days were crazy for all sorts of reasons, but things have settled down so on to John 9.

I find John 9 to be a very encouraging passage. The story of the blind man healed by Jesus is a story that reminds us of the fundamental purpose for which we were created. It also gives us hope in our weakness and failings. In Jesus' day, handicaps were considered to be a judgment of God. Both the disciples and the Pharisees reflect that attitude in the passage. If someone were blind or lame or deaf, the assumption was that either that person or their parents had sinned. The "handicap" was the way that God settled scores.

Jesus tells a very different story. In verse 3, Jesus explains that a handicap is not judgment but an opportunity. He tells the disciples that it is in weakness that the strength and power of God is revealed. I find this personally encouraging on 2 levels. First, I find this encouraging in regard to my son. Born with cerebral palsy (albeit a minor case), my son has challenges ahead in his life. I am sure that there are times that he will stand out at different. It hurts me to think that there are times that he might be teased or looked down upon. But it gives me hope to know that his life is a unique vessel where the glory of God might be revealed. What man sees as weakness, God sees as strength.

That is encouraging not only in regard to my son. It is encouraging in regard to myself as well. I am full of weaknesses. Mine may not be as pronounced as blindness or CP, but they are there no matter how deeply hidden I may try to keep them. There are many areas where I do not excel. I tend to view these areas as a curse. But God suggests something different. He suggests that if I look to Him in faith, these areas of weakness can become the very areas where His glory shines through. Most people never get to experience the benefit of weakness because they never confess those weaknesses. They never look to God to be their strength in the "handicaps" that they have.

The story of the formerly blind man is a great reminder that God works to His greatest glory in the places where we are not strong.

Good Eats (John 4)

2008-03-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

John 4 contains one my favorite Bible verses. I love John 4:34. There, Jesus says: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." Food is the thing that nourishes. It gives us energy and animates. Of course, it also gives us pleasure and satisfies our longings (or at least the longings of our stomachs). To Jesus, God's Work did all of these things. It nourished Him. It gave Him energy and animated Him. It gave Him joy and satisfied His longing for purpose.

I need to view the doing of God's will and work as Jesus did. As Jesus points out in verse 35, there remains much work to do. There is still a harvest of people to be had for the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately,we are often satisfied with junk food. We substitute all sorts of garbage for the food that God gives. Some of that junk food may seem to taste good. It may seem to energize us for a short time. But, in the end, there is really no long term benefit in it. In fact, there is only detriment. Let's get our food at the right place. Let's draw strength and joy and energy from carrying out God's will.

That Other Verse in John 3 (John 3)

2008-03-11T06:42:00.001-07:00

John 3 contains the most famous verse in the Bible. Even most Americans who know next to nothing about the Bible can quote John 3:16. I remember as a teenager in the 80's that John 3:16 was an omnipresent sign at sporting events. In particular, I remember this guy who would wear a rainbow wig, like a clown would wear. He also wore a white T-shirt. And on that T-shirt was black lettering that said John 3:16. (Sometimes he would wear other messages, but John 3:16 was the most popular). That guy showed up at golf tournaments and football games. It seemed like he got on camera at every major national sporting event. Through his work, and the work of others, John 3:16 became an iconic part of American culture.

For all its fame, John 3:16 is not my favorite verse in John 3. Certainly, I appreciate John 3:16's clear message of God's love for the world. But as a Christian, I have come to appreciate John the Baptist's word in John 3:30. In John 3, the crowds that follow John are diminishing. John's disciples become concerned. They ask John why everyone is following Jesus instead of following Him. For many religious leaders today, a diminishing crowd would be viewed as a marketing problem. They would be seeking the help of a PR firm to get their followers back. But John has a clear sense of his purpose. He knows that he was to pave the way for Jesus' coming. So in John 3:30, John says: "He must increase, but I must decrease."

In some ways, I think that verse is a simple formula for the Christian life. In everything, Christ must increase while we decrease. In our desires, in our plans, in our quest for glory, we must makes ourselves nothing, while Christ becomes everything.

Yes, John 3:16 is a great verse. It deserves the publicity it has gotten. However, John 3:30 is worth remembering as well.

Water Into What? (John 2)

2008-03-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

Growing up, the turning of water into wine was one of my favorite miracle stories in the Bible. I think I liked it so much because of the way my Sunday School teachers would stammer as they tried to explain why Jesus would make wine when we weren't supposed to drink. Some went with the old it must have been grape juice story. But that doesn't hold up when you consider the master of the feast mentions drunkenness in his words to the bridegroom. Last I checked, people didn't get lit on Welch's. True, wine in Jesus' day probably had a far lower alcohol content than wine today. And Jesus' generation probably consumed more wine because they didn't have Poland Spring and Deer Park. Potable water could be a problem. But the fact remains- it was wine.

Instead of trying to explain away the wine, we should understand what the wine symbolizes. In the ancient world, wine was a symbol of joy and gladness. The story of the water into wine tells us that Jesus takes the mundane and makes it joyful. It also tells us that Jesus cares about even our most trivial problems. If I had been in charge, I would not have nominated the turning of water into wine as Jesus' first miracle. I would have said raise the dead. Heal a leper. Do something truly significant. Yes, running out of wine at a wedding was embarrassing (especially in a culture that prized hospitality), but it was hardly earth shattering. Yet, Jesus cared. His first miracle met a simple need and provided unspeakable joy. To me, that says a lot about the type of Savior that we have come to know.

Growing the Movement (John 1)

2008-03-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

In John 1, John tells us how it was that some of Jesus' disciples came to follow Him. It is interesting to note the dynamics that are at work. On the one hand, it appears that John the Baptist had much to do with Jesus' disciples coming. Verse 36 makes it pretty clear that at least two of Jesus' new followers had also been followers of John. But it is not just charismatic preaching that leads people to Jesus. There is also a relational dynamic at work. Andrew tells his brother Peter. Philip finds his friend Nathanael. It is not just the formal ministers who win followers. Jesus' movement build as those who are his disciples share with friends and family. It is a great reminder that many conversions don't happen in church. They happen as ordinary Christians share Jesus with those who are close to them.

But there is more we learn about following Jesus. In verse 42, Jesus renames Andrew's brother. He calls him Cephas (or Peter) instead of Simon. This renaming of Peter is a reminder that when we come to follow Christ we have a new identity. As Christians, we do not remain the same person that we were. In Christ old things have passed away. All things have become new.

The Witness of Women (Luke 24)

2008-03-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Is the resurrection of Jesus a historical event? Many these days, including some who call themselves Christians, suggest that it was not. These critics say that the Gospel was not intended to be a true, historic record. They suggest that the reality of Jesus' resurrection is a moot point. They also doubt that the Gospel authors were making true claims.

Yet, the very nature of how the Gospel writers tell the story suggests otherwise. There are details that writers like Luke include that don't make much sense if the story is not real. For example, Luke says that women were first to the tomb. In Israelite society, the testimony of a woman was not admissible in court. If Luke were creating a story, why would he place women at the tomb first? His society wanted the testimony of men. The only explanation for Luke's inclusion of women is that is how it actually happened.

There is another odd detail in the resurrection story as Luke tells it. Luke says that when Jesus arrived at Emmaus, He pretended as though he were traveling further. This detail might create more trouble than insight. Why would Jesus pretend to do something He didn't plan to do? What purpose does this serve in the story? It is a detail that is hard to explain. Yet, Luke includes it. Why? Because that is the way it happened.

One may doubt the accounts that the Gospel writers wrote. But one cannot doubt their attentions. Like the other Gospel writers, Luke wanted to give what he believed was a true, historical account of Jesus' resurrection.

Faith Not Works (Luke 23)

2008-03-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite stories in all of the Gospels is the story of the thief on the cross. In Matthew 27 and Mark 15, we are told that both of the criminals mocked Jesus. They both taunted Him by saying if He was the Christ, He should take Himself and them off their crosses. But here, Luke adds to the story. Apparently, one of the criminals had a change of heart as he watched Jesus in the hours on the cross. As death closed in, he began to change his mind about who Jesus was. Something in him recognized Jesus as the Christ. Thus, he turns to his fellow criminal and says: "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong" (verses 40-41, ESV). Then, in a more dramatic moment, he turns to Jesus and says: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (verse 42, ESV).

That is an incredible statement of faith. While the thief talked about Jesus' kingdom, most of the disciples hid, sure that their dreams of a kingdom were over. This thief sees more than Jesus closest followers. And His faith is rewarded. Jesus says: "Today, you will be with me in Paradise." For his faith, the criminal receives the hope of eternal life.

This incident reminds us of the grace of God. With the notable exception of Jesus, good people didn't hang on crosses. Only the worst of the worst were killed in such a cruel, torturous manner. This criminal had a checkered past to say the least. Yet, great as his sin was, faith led to those sins being forgiven in a second. As the hymn says: "grace that is greater than all our sin." What a great reminder that though we are sinners through and through, faith in Jesus leads to forgiveness by His grace.

Why Did the Disciples Close Their Eyes? (Luke 22)

2008-03-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

As I read Luke 22, I know that the focus of the passage is on Jesus and His coming suffering on the cross. But still, as I read the passage, I found myself drawn to the weaknesses of the disciples. In particular, the disciples' inability to stay awake and pray drew my attention. There are times that I feel a lot like the disciples in those crucial moments in the Garden. It seems that I fail to pray at the times when prayer is the most necessary. This is not from a lack of piety or from a tendency for laziness. Instead, it is from the weariness of soul and body that life creates. I had never noticed before the reason for the disciples' prayerlessness- their sorrow had wearied them (verse 45). But weariness from the struggles of life is not a reason to be prayerless. Jesus makes it clear that it is a reason to pray all the more. Luke 22 reminds me that life fatigue shouldn't drive me from prayer. Life fatigue should drive me to pray all the more.

Ready or Not...Here He Comes (Luke 21)

2008-03-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

In Luke 21, Jesus goes into a lengthy discourse about the End Times. We have seen that this discourse is paralleled in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Many study these passages trying to figure out an End Times timetable. They want to know the dates and seasons and hours when things will happen. Certainly, part of Jesus' intention is to give a very general outline of when the last things will happen. But it has to be admitted that this outline is nowhere near as precise as some commentators make it out to be. We certainly have no date setting here. And even narrowing the timetable down to a year or a decade is next to impossible.

That is why we have to take to heart the close of the chapter. At the close of the chapter, Jesus gives us a simple instruction. He says: "Watch yourselves." In essence, Jesus is telling us: "Make sure you're ready." If we are prepared for His coming, it makes no difference when Jesus comes. We don't need to know the exact dates if we have made careful preparation.

Jesus gives us a warning about 3 things that will keep us from being ready:

1. The first is dissipation. That is not a word we use every day. Dissipation refers to living for pleasure or living in extravagance. It is exactly the type of life that most in the United States are living today. Dissipation dulls our devotion to the Lord and steals our sense of urgency. We need to be preparing for heaven not indulging in the excesses of this life.

2. The second is drunkenness. The Bible does not condemn drinking as a sin. But, it most certainly does condemn drunkenness. Drunkenness robs us of our moral and rational faculties. It prepares us to make poor moral choices and decisions. Someone living to drink is not going to be preparing for Jesus' return.

3. The third is the worries of life. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 6:25-33. He said there: "25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (ESV translation). Jesus says that the worries of this life have the potential to distract us from the Kingdom of God.

Reading this passage, I know that I need to be careful not to let things like dissipation and the concerns of life rob my kingdom focus. In verse 36, Jesus tells us to stay awake and pray. Through prayer, we need to ask God to help us that we might stand and that we might be ready for Jesus' return.

Ten Minutes of Fame (Luke 20)

2008-03-04T10:41:00.001-08:00

It seems that everyone is looking for their ten minutes of fame. In America, we have an absolute cult of celebrity. Many people would love their moment of media glory, where they can bask in the light of public adoration and adulation. It might seem that this desire for fame and celebrity is a new phenomena, spurred on by our relentless love of television and the Internet. But the desire for fame and public adulation is much older than modern technology. At the end of Luke 20, Jesus makes it very clear that a longing for fame was also a part of first-century life.

The scribes were in essence the lawyers of their society. They were the ones who copiously reproduced the Scriptures and knew the Word of God inside out. Their work of copying and memorization was tedious. It was not the type of job that most of us would enjoy. One would think it would take a great love of God to do the work that these men (and they were all men) were doing. But it wasn't God that the scribes loved. It was themselves. Scribes undertook the burden of their work because they wanted to be revered. They wanted the best seats at church. They wanted the fancy uniform that came with being a scribe. Scribes put up with the tedious nature of their work not for God's glory but their own.

Copying the Scriptures is no longer an act of manual labor. But we still have scribes today. There are still people who take on religious duty- even onerous religious duty- for the sake of their own glory. There are still people who make the church the arena where they can be worshipped rather than God. The example of the Scribes reminds us that we must always examine our motivations even for our most pious acts. Even when it comes to our Christian duties and service, we have to ask whose glory are we seeking? Do we want to make God look good? Or, do we want to make ourselves look good?

A Wee Little Man (Luke 19)

2008-03-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid in Sunday School, we used to sing a song about Zacchaeus. It started like this:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.

Being of Scottish descent, I knew what a wee little man was. (Today, as any parent of a toddler will tell you, wee has a whole different meaning.) Zacchaeus may have been short of a stature, but the story told about him makes it clear that he had a big heart. For many years, Zacchaeus was a cheat. As a tax collector, he had swindled his own people for the sake of their oppressor. It was no wonder the Pharisees had a hard time believing he could be repentant. But repentant Zacchaeus was. Zacchaeus gives us a wonderful picture of what it means to place faith and trust in Jesus.

When Zacchaeus confessed his sins and repented of them, he didn't repent just in words. He repented with actions. Zacchaeus didn't just shed crocodile tears, trying to play the part of the penitent. No, he actually put his sorrow over sin into action. In verse 8, Zacchaeus says: "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." Zacchaeus would not accept a cheap grace. He knew that repentance was going to have be demonstrated in real life change.

The church needs more people like Zacchaeus today. Too often, the Gospel is being preached as a get out of jail free card. Too frequently, we give the impression that placing faith in Christ allows one to skip responsibility for one's actions. Zacchaeus portrays a different picture. The forgiveness that Jesus gives doesn't mean that we get away Scot free. It means that we are compelled to make right the wrongs that we have committed against others. Asking forgiveness is not enough. We need to try to mend the wrong that we have done.

Zacchaeus may have been a wee little man in stature. But it turns out that he was a giant of the faith.

Persistent Prayer (Luke 18)

2008-03-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

I would say that persistence has never been one of my strengths. I have a tendency to give up way too easily. That tendency is not a helpful one to have when it comes to prayer. Luke 18 makes it very clear that persistence is a much needed characteristic for prayer. This is first seen in Jesus' teaching. Jesus tells the parable of the widow and the corrupt judge to remind his disciples that they should pray and not give up. Jesus says that when we pray with persistence God will answer in speedy fashion. The truth of this statement is revealed later in the chapter. A blind man sits on the road as Jesus passes by. Hearing that it is Jesus who is coming, the blind man recognizes his one chance for healing. He shouts to Jesus asking to be delivered from his blindness. This bothers the crowd and they tell the man to be quiet. But he will not be quiet. He persists in his request, getting even louder. And as the man persists, Jesus hears and the man's prayers are answered.

Prayer is not a sprint. It is more of a marathon. And we need to pray for the long haul. I want to gain more endurance in prayer.

Why Spoil It By Talking? (Luke 17)

2008-03-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

In the early 1980's, the Jets and Dolphins played a regular season game that came to be dubbed the "Silent Bowl." The game got that name because NBC used no announcers. They decided that the game should speak for itself. I don't know if it worked for football. But I think it works for Luke 17:7-10. I think every Christian needs this passage as a reminder of what our attitude should be as we serve the Lord:

Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ (ESV at www.esv.org)

I hope I can serve with that type of attitude. I hope I can always remember that I am only an unworthy servant who is just doing my duty.

The Other Lazarus (Luke 16)

2008-02-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

When you hear the name Lazarus, who do you think of? If you are like most people with Bible knowledge, you think of the man in John 11, the friend of Jesus who was raised from the dead. But there is another Lazarus in Scripture. This man was a beggar. He spent much of his life in misery and pain. Yet, despite the hardships of his life, Lazarus was a man of faith. And when he passed from this life, his faith was rewarded with eternal bliss.

Is the story of Lazarus real or is it a parable created by Jesus? Is there really a place called Abraham's bosom? If so, what is the relationship between that place and heaven? Can the damned and the blessed really talk in eternity? The story of Lazarus and the rich man at whose gate Lazarus lives creates as many questions as it answers. But for all of the uncertainty of the story, we should not miss the main point. The main point of the story is that the Scriptures are the most powerful testimony to Jesus that exist.

I have heard Christians say that they wished that we still lived in the age of miracles. They say, "If the sick were healed and the dead were raised, then we would have people believe." But Lazarus' story belies that. The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead so that his brothers will not have to come to hell. The rich man is sure that a resurrection will convince his brothers to listen to God. But Abraham says the rich man's premise is wrong. Alluding to the future resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Abraham says that even if someone is raised from the dead the faithless will not believe. He also says that Moses and the prophets were a powerful enough witness. In other words, if they don't believe the Bible, they won't believe the miracle.

As Christians, we should never undersell the power of the Scriptures. We may not have the miracles of the early Church. We have something better: the completed Word of God. As Christians, we have to have confidence in God's Word. The best witnessing tool that we have is to put the Bible in the hands of people.

The Prodigal's Brother (Luke 15)

2008-02-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

It has rightly been said that the parable of the Prodigal Son should really be called the Prodigal's Brother. As much as most sermons on the passage focus on the dad and his youngest son, it is really in the reaction of the older son that Jesus' point is made. To understand the parable correctly, we have to remember the context. In verses 1-2, the religious leaders are upset because Jesus is eating with sinners. They don't think that a truly righteous man would associate with those who were traitors to their nation and with those whose sin was a matter of public notoriety. In Luke 15, Jesus answers the charges that are brought against Him. He uses story to tell why He is eating and fellowshipping with those the religious leaders would condemn.

The parable of the Prodigal's brother is the last of the three stories. And the conclusion of that parable marks the height of Jesus' criticism of the religious leaders in this chapter. After the prodigal returns home and the party is under way, the Prodigal's brother is none too happy. Why should the sinner be celebrated; why not the saint? The Prodigal's brother has been the faithful son, yet there has never been even a cake baked in his honor. He is quite upset with his father. But the father tells the Prodigal brother that the celebration is not meant to overlook his contribution. The Prodigal's brother has indeed been faithful. The father loves him and is willing to share all he has with him. But still, the return of the lost son has to be celebrated and commemorated. Feting the Prodigal is not a commentary on his brother. But there must be joy for those who repent of wrong choices.

The religious leaders were like the Prodigal's brother. They wanted their faithfulness recognized. They thought it unjust that the newly repentant were being celebrated. But Jesus says that it is the right thing to do. A father loves all his children- both the continually faithful and the newly faithful. And so we should be like Jesus. We should be joyful at the prospect of even the most wicked returning to Him.

High Prices (Luke 14)

2008-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

It strikes me that verses 25-33 are not verses that we in the evangelical use all that much anymore. Our way of "promoting" the faith is a lot different than Jesus'. We want to sell people on the benefits. We want to talk about peace and joy and love. We want to talk about the family of God and fellowship. Jesus, of course, knows that those things come to those who follow Him. But they come at a price, a high price. In our rush to get people saved, we often don't ask people to consider the price. But Jesus says there is a price to be paid for following Him. Following Jesus costs us our comfort. It can cost us our family. It can even cost us our lives. But some things are worth the price no matter the cost. We should never soft sell Christianity. As we talk about the benefits, we also need to talk about the costs.

Unique Verses (Luke 13)

2008-02-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Luke 13 contains a lot of material that is unique to Luke (i.e. it is not found in the other Gospels). Two of those passages draw my attention today:

1. verses 1-5 Verses 1-5 reference two historical events that largely have been forgotten about: Herod's ghastly murder of some Galilean rebels and the falling of a large tower in Siloam. Since those events are meaningless to us, we might have a tendency to want to rush by this passage. But we should not. These verses teach us something about God's providence. They teach us that God's providence is inscrutable. That is a fancy way of saying that we can't always understand why God does the things that He does. People in the first-century thought they understood these events. They thought the tragic death of the Galileans and tower victims showed that those people were sinners. They were sure that God would only allow truly wicked people to die in such horrible fashion. Jesus, however, challenges that wisdom. In verse 3, He says that the Galileans were not worse sinners than anyone else. Their death did not comment on their righteousness (or lack thereof). We have to be careful about judgmentally interpreting God's actions. Instead, we should look at our own lives.

2. verses 6-9 Verses 6-9 are encouraging verses. They are verses that speak to God's patience with us. Even if we as Christians, don't produce fruit in a timely manner, God will wait for us to blossom. Of course, the verses make clear that the patience is not unlimited. Eventually, we must grow with the resources that God has provided. But I thank God that He is willing to be extra patient with me.

Speak Up (Luke 12)

2008-02-25T19:38:00.001-08:00

I like verse 12 of Luke 12. To me, that verse is a real encouragement. We have been studying evangelism on Sunday mornings. And Luke 12 is a good verse to give encouragement for evangelism. Now, the first-century setting for Luke 12 is a unique type of evangelism. It is evangelism under pressure. When Jesus speaks of being brought before the synagogue, he means that His disciple is being brought forth for expulsion. Because of faith in Jesus, the disciple is about to be excommunicated (if not worse). Excommunication from the synagogue was a real tragedy. The synagogue was not only the center of Jewish worship. It was a social and economic hub for the Jewish community. To be exiled from the synagogue meant not only that you lost a place to worship. It meant that you lost friends and business partners and guardians. There would be great anxiety in being brought before the synagogue. But Jesus says, "Don't even worry about what you will say. God will give you the words you need to proclaim me."

Why can be confident in our sharing of the Gospel? We are confident because we know that God will give us the Words to say. As we pray and study His word, God will bless us and use us to proclaim His truth to even the most hostile audience. I don't have to be naturally elegant of speech to speak of Jesus. I just have to trust Him to give me the right words.

Hail Mary? Not Quite...(Luke 11)

2008-02-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

Again, in Luke 11, we find some things that appear only in Luke's Gospel. One of those things is a brief incident in verses 27-28. In verse 27, a woman cries out to Jesus: "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." As far as I can tell, this is the earliest Hail Mary (and I'm not talking about football). I'm not trying to be disrespectful. But it seems to me that there is a clear parallel between this woman's words and the veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church. In fact the veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church is even stronger. In some circles of the Catholic Church, Mary is considered to have been born without sin like Jesus. She is also considered to be a participant in the work of redemption that Jesus did. Pope John Paul II called Mary a co-redemptrix with Jesus. You don't have to be in a Catholic Church long to find out that Catholics think very highly of Mary. The question is, is this veneration of Mary warranted?

From the response of Jesus in verse 28, I would say no. How does Jesus respond to the woman who yells: "Hail Mary?" He says: "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it." This response is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Hail Mary. Jesus is not going to allow a cult of veneration to be set up for His mother. Instead, He reminds us that all have the right to be saints if in faith we receive the message of the Gospel and act upon it. Mary is not in a special category.

That is not to say that Mary is not worthy of our admiration. After some possible times of doubt, it seems pretty clear that Mary had faith in her Son. Before Jesus is born, Mary is described as a devout, pious woman. The little that we really know about Mary suggests that she was a model of godly womanhood. She is blessed precisely because she heard the Gospel and received it in faith. The blessing is not for the birth in verse 27. Mary is blessed, like any believer, because as verse 28 says she heard the Word and believed it.

Luke 11:27-28 is a small passage. But I think it carries a powerful critique of those who seek to venerate Mary in the wrong way and for the wrong reason.

Fire and Brimstone (Luke 9)

2008-02-22T18:20:00.001-08:00

This is a long chapter. There is lots to discuss. But what interests me most today is what seems like a trivial little incident in verses 51-56. In the Bible I read today (which was the ESV), it is labeled as "a Samaritan village rejects Jesus."

It is not surprising that a Samaritan village would reject Jesus and His disciples. Very famously, Samaritans and Jews hated one another. We don't have the space to discuss the origins of that hatred here. Suffice it to say that it was very real and very deep. Samaritans were not normally welcoming to Jews traveling through their territory. (And Jews would normally not go through Samaritan territory for that matter). But what made matters worse here was Jesus' destination. One of the bones of contention between Jews and Samaritans was where God should be worshipped. Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. Samaritans worshipped at Mount Gerazim (see John 4). The fact that Jesus was determined to get to Jerusalem would have added theological contention to the racial issues.

The snub that the Samaritans give Jesus is a big one. Hospitality was a chief value of Jesus' society. Refusing to offer hospitality was not just an insult. It was virtually an act of war. That is why James and John (aptly known as "The Sons of Thunder") react as they do. They want judgment to come upon these Samaritans. And not just any judgment. They want it to come on a Sodom and Gomorrah scale. They are looking for fireworks and pyrotechnics.

Jesus is not interested in judgment though. Even though Jesus has been treated in the worst way by the Samaritans, it is James and John he rebukes. How often are we as Christians like James and John? How often do we hope for fast, dramatic judgment on the abortion doctors and the gays and the child molesters, etc., etc. Maybe this passage warns us that we are too quick to rush to judgment. We need to have the same mercy that Jesus had with us. Rather than hoping for people to be fried, we ought to be hoping for people to be saved. James and John shouldn't have prayed for judgment. They should have prayed for the souls of those Samaritans. Let us not repeat their mistakes.

In Nain (Luke 7)

2008-02-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

The story of the widow of Nain has long been one of my favorite Gospel passages. Perhaps I like it because it is unique to Luke. This is a rare passage that is found in only one of the Gospels. Or, more likely, I like it because it is a story about an only child, an only son. I am an only son. And it so happens that my mother is a widow. Perhaps those are facts that give me an emotional attachment to the story.

I think, though, that I cherish the passage for more reasons than that. I think I cherish the passage because it reminds us how Jesus gives us hope in the worst of circumstances. For the widow of Nain, this was a bad time. Of course, it was bad because her only child had died. The pain that, that tragedy would cause doesn't even have to be stated. But the disaster was worse than that. In the first-century, women were typically dependent on men to support them. A woman without a husband or a son was a woman who was likely to have a difficult, impoverished life. The prospects for the widow of Nain were very bad. Yet, at this moment of crisis, Jesus enters the scene. And as Jesus comes, a time of tragedy and sorrow is transformed to a time of hope and joy.

The story of the widow of Nain reminds us of three things:

1. It reminds us that Jesus cares. He has compassion for the poor widow even though He has never met her.

2. It reminds us that Jesus is a powerful helper. Jesus comes into this tragedy and transforms us in a way that no one else could.

3. It reminds us that Jesus is near. I love the ending to the story. I love what the people have become convinced of in verse 16. They say: "God has visited His people!"

I think that is why I love this story so much. I love that statement: "God has visited His people!" In Jesus, that is true. In Jesus, we have help for the worst of circumstances. In Jesus, God is close.

Sending Valentines to Your Foes (Luke 6)

2008-02-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

I think Luke 6:27-36 contains some of the most difficult teaching in all of Scripture. It is easy to love people who love us. Loving people who hate us and mistreat us is an entirely different story. There are some who have tried to blunt the force of Jesus' words here. They have suggested that Jesus is giving us an ethic that applies only to thr millennial kingdom. But that won't do. Jesus Himself has already lived out the teaching of this passage on the cross. Thus, it is very hard to say that it does not apply to the here and now.

The real question that this passage confronts us with is why. Why should we love people who mistreat us and say mean things to us? It seems almost to be a fundamental truth of human existence that we should hate people like that. "Eye for eye; tooth for tooth." But Jesus calls us to a higher standard. Why?

He gives at least two reasons. One reason is this: anyone can love people who love them. But love people who hate you and you will stand out as a Christian. No one will doubt your claim to know Christ when you love the person who cursed you or spit in your face. Only someone filled with the Holy Spirit can do that.

The second reason is this: God gave us mercy. We should do the same to others. The important point here is the point that Paul makes in Romans. Jesus died for us when we were still His enemies. He loved us when we were not loving Him. If He did that for us, how can we not do the very same for others? God has given us more mercy than we will ever pass on to anyone else.

I am fond of saying that true Christianity is counter cultural. That is nowhere more evident than in Luke 6. The next time that rude driver cuts you off in traffic, don't sound your horn. Throw a kiss. Pray a prayer for that person to be blessed. Respond to hate with love.

Quarantine (Luke 5)

2008-02-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

When I was pastoring at Avon Baptist Church, I had an older member of the church tell me about her childhood experience with chicken pox. If I remember the story right, her brother had it first. Then, the rest of the siblings got it. On the second or third day of the outbreak, a public health inspector showed up. He slapped a quarantine sticker on the door and said that the family was not allowed to leave the house until cleared by a government doctor. Only the dad could come and go because he was able to document that he had chicken pox as a child.

I think the Pharisees and religious leaders would have liked being public health officials. They would have had a good time slapping quarantine stickers on people's doors. Of course, it wasn't just physical diseases that the Pharisees were fighting. They saw themselves as fighting spiritual diseases as well. In their minds, certain people- tax collectors, notorious women, etc.- were off limits. A good, religious person did not spend time with the wrong sort because sin could be a sort of contagion. And one did not want to be infected by unrighteousness.

That is why Jesus was so scandalous. He spent time with the sinners. And He seemed to enjoy it! In the Pharisees mind, one had to be very careful not to be in sinful places or to be with sinful people. I think many Christians today have the same habit of mind as the Pharisees. I have heard Pastors teach that Christians should only have Christian friends. While there are Biblical warnings about the dangers of deep, interpersonal Christian/non-Christian relationships (like marriage), the Bible certainly does not teach that Christians should live in perpetual quarantine. We must not adopt the habits of the world. But we must associate with the world. If we don't, how do we ever share the good news?

Jesus went to the "sinners." He did not spend all his time tucked away in church with the "good" people. He instead went to the people who knew their brokenness and preached the Good News. We should do the same. Don't spend so much time in church that you have no impact on the world.

Share and Share Alike (Luke 3-4)

2008-02-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

Having three year old twins is a definite challenge. One of the challenges of having two three year olds at the same time is teaching the concept of sharing. We hear the words "That's mine" a lot in our house. There is something about toddlers that makes them despise sharing.

Of course, it is not just toddlers that despise sharing is it? Even adults don't like to share. We don't like things like fundraisers and offerings and charity telethons. We want to keep what we have for ourselves. That is why the words of John the Baptist in Luke 3 challenge us. Crowds are coming to John, hearing his teaching about the coming of the Messiah. That teaching can be summarized in one word: repent. Confess your sins and change the direction of your life. The crowds want to know how to do this. What particular act should they perform to be ready for the Messiah? In 3:11, John gives a surprising answer. We might expect John to say read your Bible. We might expect him to say pray. We might expect him to say stop sinning and be holy. But none of that is what John says. What does John say? He says, "Share." He says if you have an extra coat give it away. He says give some food to the hungry. Apparently the first duty of a repentant heart is to share with those who have need.

Sharing is not just a lesson my three year olds need to learn. It is a lesson that I need to learn. I do share some of what I have. But as I read what John says, I know I could share even more. God give me a generous heart to share with others as you have shared with me.

The Quirinius Quandry

2008-02-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

Luke 2 is a chapter that has often been used to deny the historicity of the Gospels. In other words, Luke 2 has been used by critics of the Bible to show that Luke did not get his facts straight. It is well known that Quirinus did take a census as governor of Syria. But the problem is this: official records tell us that Quirinius (verse 2) did not become governor of Syria until after Herod died. Yet, Matthew is clear that Herod was king when Jesus was born. How can these two accounts be reconciled?

There seem to be two possibilities. One is that Quirinius was involved in the taking of more than one census. The language of Luke 2 is somewhat ambiguous. It allows for the possibility that Quirinius was in a government office in Syria without being governor. He may have taken a census in this capacity.

The second possibility is that verse 2 could be translated differently. There is latitude for verse 2 to read "this was the census taken before Quirinius was governor of Syria." In other words, Luke would be explicitly saying. "I am not talking about the famous census. I am talking about the one before that."

It should be noted that Luke quotes a reference to the famous census, first taken when Quirnius was governor of Syria in Acts 5:37. Acts is Luke's second book. This reference suggests that Luke well knew when the famous census was. And it suggests that Luke knew there was a census taken before this one. The refernce to Quirnius presents difficulties. But they are not difficulties without answers. Nothing in Luke 2 undermines the confidence that we have from Luke's prologue in Luke 1 (verses 1-4).

As A Matter of Fact (Luke 1)

2008-02-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

Most commentary on Luke 1 centers on the nativity narrative. The chapter sets the context for the birth of Christ. But as I read Luke 1 today, what struck me was the prologue. The opening 4 verses tell us Luke's intention for his Gospel. And in those intentions, Luke is pretty clear:

1. Luke wants to create a narrative (verse 1). He wants to tell the story of Jesus. Luke does this knowing full well that other narratives have been written. But he feels there is more to say on the subject.

2. Luke wants to preserve an eyewitness account of the life of Jesus (verse 2). Some scholars criticize the Gospels saying that they represent second-hand history. But Luke is clear that he has spoken to eyewitnesses. He is preserving testimony of the apostolic generation about who Jesus is.

3. Luke wants to write an orderly account. In other words, he arranges the facts as he knows them in a meaningful fashion. Some might say that Luke admits to having an agenda here. They might say that he has a theological ax to grind. But this third purpose has to be read in light of the first two. There is interpretation, but it is based on credible story and fact.

These three purposes give us great confidence in Luke's Gospel. Some today say that the Gospels are not reliable records. But the opening verses of Luke convince me that Luke was a conscientious and competent historian. And with Theophilus, I have great confidence in the story of Jesus.

And the Murderer Is.... (Mark 16)

2008-02-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

I remember an episode of the old television show M*A*S*H where BJ got his hands on a mystery novel. Being in the middle of Korea, just miles from the front, novels were a rarity at the surgical hospital. Everyone couldn't wait to get their hands on the book and enjoy a good, old-fashioned whodunit. There was only one problem: turned out that the last page of the novel was missing. The last page was where the detective announced the killer. After reading the book, everyone was left hanging. They didn't get the satisfaction of a good ending.

In some ways, that is how I feel at the end of the book of Mark. Most scholars agree that only the first 8 verses of chapter 16 actually came from the book of Mark. They speculate that Mark must have written more. After all, the 8 verses seem a strange place to stop (especially in light of the other Gospels). The ending was so jarring that most likely some scribe later added verses 9-20 to try to give the book a proper ending. But all that snake handling, drinking poison stuff tells us that this was most likely a human creation. None of those things are paralleled anywhere else in Scripture.

So Mark 16 leaves us hanging. But I wonder of in this case that isn't a good place to be. I sort of like the ending that verse 8 gives us. If we didn't have Matthew, Luke, and John it might not be a good ending. But since we do have those Gospels to fill in the story, I like it. Verse 8 tells us that trembling and astonishment had seized the women who came to Jesus' tomb and that they were afraid.

We are not like the women. We have become so used to the story of the resurrection that we no longer have trembling and astonishment when we hear the story. But maybe we should. What kind of man is this that He rises from the dead? How can it be that someone can come back to life after three days? The women were afraid because they wanted to know what had been done to their friend. But they were also afraid because this was a new event in history. God is doing things that He has never done before. I think that some how the women had a sense that everything would be different because Jesus was alive.

In the New Testament, the resurrection changes everything. In Acts, the Apostles preach the resurrection as much as they preach the cross. They knew that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead ushered in a new era of history. It meant that God had a new way of dealing with people. It was astonishing to them. And it should still be astonishing to us today.

It's Curtains!

2008-02-12T17:24:00.000-08:00

As I read the passage detailing Jesus' crucifixion, I was reminded that Mel Gibson does not have anything on Mark. Though the book of Mark contains no moving images, it still is a chilling portrait of how brutal the process of crucifixion was. Jesus suffered mighty physical pain that you and I might be made right with God. It is hard to imagine that anyone would suffer death on a cross willingly. But Jesus did on our behalf. We truly serve a loving and merciful Savior.

It is not only the suffering of Jesus that strikes me here, however. I am also struck by that small detail of the tearing of the curtain in the Temple. The tearing of the curtain was no small feat. The curtain in the Temple was not like the ones hanging in your dining rooms. The Temple curtain was a heavy weave. It was tall, running from ceiling to floor. It was also very heavy, probably weighing hundreds of pounds. Yet, in an instant, it is rent.

This is not just a great physical feat. It is a spiritual feat as well. The curtain that was torn separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. The curtain was a roadblock that said keep out. The Holy of Holies could only be entered by one man, the High Priest of Israel. And he could only enter on one day, the Day of Atonement. In the religion of the Temple, there was no easy access to God. Sin separated humans from a holy God.

Mark is telling us that all that changed with the death of Jesus. Jesus' death paid the price of our sin. With Jesus' death, God was satisfied. And so now men and women- all men and women- could enter in to the presence of God. The great outcome of Jesus' work is that you and I now have an open access plan to God. Thanks to Jesus, we can know God in a very real and personal way.

Extravagant Christianity (Mark 14)

2008-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

There is, of course, much that could be said about Mark 14. Events move rapidly toward the crucifixion of Jesus in this chapter. But what struck me as I read the chapter was the very first pericope, verses 1-9. Verses 1-9 tell the story of the woman who anointed Jesus.

The act of anointing Jesus was scandalous in many ways. First, it was scandalous to have a woman interact with a man like that in public. Jewish culture had strict separation of men and women, even of husbands and wives. Upstanding men and women did not touch in public. Indeed, they wouldn't even talk to one another! This woman's act certainly challenged current notions of public decorum. Yet, it seems that it was not the violation of social mores that was most scandalous. More scandalous yet was the money involved in the act. The text tells us that this perfume was made of pure nard. It was a very expensive variety. Likely it cost tens of thousands of dollars in modern currency. The real affront was that ten thousand dollars worth of liquid got poured on Jesus' head.

It was the extravagance of the gift that most upset the bystanders. Some demanded to know why this money hadn't been spent on the poor. But Jesus is not upset. He sees the woman's act as an act of worship and consecration. Knowing the woman's heart, Jesus understands that she is giving Him her very best.

As I read this story, it struck me that this story is far removed from where most of us find ourselves today. Of course, we don't have the opportunity to literally pour perfume over Jesus' head. But even if we did, would we do it? When was the last time any of us have been accused of being too generous with Jesus? I dare say it has been a long time. Most of us are niggardly in our faith not extravagant. We give Jesus our second best not our all. This woman is rightly mentioned wherever the Gospel is preached, for she teaches us that faith demands extravagance. It demands that we lavish all that we have on Jesus. For Judas, this type of faith is too much. He decides at this moment to betray Jesus. The world does not want us to lavish ourselves on God. But that is what we are called to do. As followers of Jesus, we should go over the top for Him with our money, with our things, with our very selves.

Be Ready (Mark 13)

2008-02-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Mark 13 is not an easy passage. Christians have studied this passage (and the parallels in the other Gospels) for years trying to figure out the roadmap that they give for our planet's future. When will Jesus come back? What era of history are we living in? What are God's future plans for ethnic Israel? These are all questions that some claim this chapter reveals.

I must not be as smart as some people who read this chapter because I can't make sense of it all. When I read this chapter, I actually have more questions than answers. But I think that is okay. I don't think the point of this chapter is to give us a year by year, day by day, minute by minute breakdown of the future. I think the goal of this chapter is simply to tell us to be ready. No matter the timing, we are to be prepared.

This whole chapter flows out of the disciples' admiration for the buildings in the Temple district. The Temple was the pride of Israel. Even though it was built by a semi-apostate king, the Temple gave Israel dignity. It gave hope that one day God would rescue her from her enemies and make all of Israel as beautiful. To the disciples, the Temple and its precincts were permanent structures that would declare God and Israel's glory forever.

Jesus tells the disciples not to be so impressed. He says that the Temple is only temporary. He says that the day is coming when all will be torn down. He tells the disciples of terrible persecution. But He also says that in time God will come and rescue His people. Knowing that God is going to come to judge, His disciples are to be ready. The important thing is not to figure out the cosmic timetable. The important thing is to be prepared.

I like how Jesus defines preparation here. In verse 34, He uses a parable. He says when the master of the house goes away, each servant is given an assigned task. How do the servants wait and get ready? They simply do the task the master has given. How do we get ready for the return of Jesus? We do the tasks God has given us. We use our spiritual gifts. We show love, mercy, and compassion. We tell others the good news about Jesus. In faithfulness, there is preparation.

I need to remember that I am going to see Jesus face to face someday. And in that knowledge, I need to keep being faithful so that I might be unashamed at His appearing.

Random Thoughts (Mark 12)

2008-02-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

Mark 12 is a great chapter of Scripture. It is very hard to limit one's comments on this set of verses. I will, however, highlight just 2 things from today's reading.

1. The first thing to note is Jesus' parable about the tenants (verses 1-12). The obvious point is to critique Israel's leadership for their rejection of the Messiah. The religious leaders well understand that this parable is about them. It is easy to critque the religious leaders here. But I wonder if we aren't sometimes like them. The religious leaders saw Israel as their own personal playground. It was a place where they could exploit their religiosity to gain power and prestige and even money. They used Israel to aggrandize themselves. And many people do the same thing in churches today. They don't see that the goal of a church is to produce fruit for God. They see that a church is a place where they can build themselves up. We need to repent of this attitude. The church is a community that produces fruit for God not for itself.

2. The second thing to note is Jesus' response to the Sadduccees (18-27). The Sadduccees were the liberals of Jesus' day. They did not believe in supernatiral events. They had a very circumscribed view of Scripture. There are definitely parallels that could be drawn between the Sadducees and theological liberals today. But the biggest parallel is that both groups are liberal for the same reason. According to Jesus, they "know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God" (verse 24). Those same problems lie at the root of theological liberalism today. There is no true knowledge of the Scriptures. And there is no real believe in a transcendant, all-powerful God.

A Figgy Sandwich (Mark 11)

2008-02-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today's story confronts us with what some consider to be a very disturbing picture of Jesus. In verses 12-14, Jesus seems at best to have a problem with His temper. At worst, He is a madman. Why would anyone expect figs from a fig tree when the tree was not in season? And not finding figs on a fig tree not in season, why would anyone curse the tree? Jesus' actions in these verses seem beyond explanation.

To understand these verses, we have to understand a literary technique that Mark uses a lot in his Gospel. I am sure there is a very technical name for this technique but I don't know what it is. I just call it the sandwich technique. (I didn't make up that name, but I don't remember who to give the credit to). In his Gospel, Mark likes to make sandwiches of his narrative. He likes to tell part 1 of story A, then tell all of story B, then go back to finish story A. That is what happens in Mark 12. Mark starts with the story of the fig tree (verses 12-14), then he tells the story of the temple (verses 15-19), then he goes back to telling the story of the fig tree. Mark 12 has a classic Marcan sandwich.

Now why does Mark make sandwiches of his stories? It's not just that he likes playing with his food! When Mark wraps two stories together, he is telling us that they are related. He is saying that the two stories provide the explanation for each other. In this case, I think the story of the fig tree acts as a true life parable that explains Jesus' cleansing of the temple. Why did Jesus cause chaos in the house of God? Why was he upset with the place where God's people worshiped? Israelites thought very highly of the Temple. It was a source of pride and joy to them. Why would Jesus disturb such a national symbol? The incident with the fig tree explains.

Fig trees have a unique property. They flower months before they produce fruit. Looking at a fig tree from a distance, one would expect there to be fruit long before there really is. In other words, fig trees will look good long before they satisfy anyone's hunger. In a way, this was a picture of what was happening at the Temple. The Temple looked great. There were majestic buildings. There was the hustle and bustle of thousands of worshipers (especially at the holiday season). But for all the activity, there was no fruit. The buildings and busyness had not really led to people getting closer to God. People were not more obedient. They were actually more disobedient! And so Jesus judged the Temple just as He judged the fig tree. The acts are part and parcel of each other. One explains the other.

It is easy for us to be like the fig tree. I can easily have the look of a religious person without really having the righteous life that God desires. I need to be more than leafy. I need to be fruity too (in the best sense of that term). The Marcan sandwich gives a good reminder that faith is not about appearance. It is about Spirit produced results.

Cry to Jesus (Mark 10)

2008-02-07T06:58:00.001-08:00

There is a lot that could be said about Mark 10. My favorite part of the passage has always been verses 35-45. I appreciate the reminder that true leadership is about service not power. But what struck me as I read today were the closing verses of the chapter: the story of Bartimaeus.

I think Bartimaeus stood out to me because of what we studied in our sermon last Sunday. On Sunday, we looked at the reasons that prayer goes unanswered. We said that one reason that we have unanswered prayer is that we are not persistent in prayer. Well, Bartimaeus is certainly an example of persistence. At the beginning of the story, Bartimaeus is calling out to Jesus over the throngs when he is told to shut up. Why were people annoyed by Bartimaeus' cries? I'm not sure. In the first-cenutry, people with handicaps like blindness were thought to be vile sinners or the children of vile sinners. Perhaps the crowds thought Jesus wouldn't want to have dealings with a man like that. Or, maybe Bartimaeus just had a really loud, really annoying voice. I guess we don't know for sure why the crowds told Bartimaeus to be quiet. All we know is that Bartimaeus did not get discouraged. Being told to stop yelling, he yelled all the louder. And his persistence paid off. Jesus heard him and called him. And ultimately, Bartimaeus was healed of his blindness.

I like Bartimaeus' story because it shows that persistence in prayer is rewarded. I also like Bartimaeus' story because of Bartimaeus' response. Being healed of his blindness, Bartimaeus followed Jesus. Having experienced the mercy of Jesus, Bartimaeus knew that he had to follow. And having experienced the mercy of God, we have the same obligation. We are not free to go our own way. Like Bartimaeus, we have to follow. The mercy of Jesus compels us to do what he did.

Freudian Slip (Mark 9)

2008-02-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Mark 9 contains a prayer that I have prayed many times. It is found in verse 24: "I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!"

When Jesus comes down from the mountain, the father of the demoniac must have been overjoyed. After hours spent with 9 bumbling disciples, the father had to despair that everything would ever been made right. He must have been thinking that the Jesus movement didnt live up to its advertising. That is why it is hard to blame him for the Freudian slip in verse 22: "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." The moment that sentence passed from the father's lips, he must have thought he had blown it. A moment of faithlessness was going to cost his son dearly. But in verse 24, there is a quick recovery. The father reveals himself as a person of faith who needs help believing.

I can relate to that. I too am a man of faith who occasionally needs a little boost in the trust department. That is why Mark 9:24 is a prayer I keep at the ready: "I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!"

It All Begins with Compassion (Mark 8)

2008-02-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

It is not easy reading through the Gospels in consecutive months. There is a definite danger of deja vu. That is especially true with the "mass feedings" like we have here in Mark 8. Since Matthew and Mark both feature Jesus' feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000, it is easy to think that we have heard this all before. It would seem like there would be nothing new to say.

As I read Mark 8, I was reminded of the thoughts that I had in Matthew. In the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, we see that Christ can do a great deal with a little if only we will give that little to Him. But today, I saw why we give that little. It is an act of compassion. This great miracle that Jesus does starts with His compassion for the crowd. Where we would see a nameless, faceless mass, Jesus sees need. He is genuinely concerned for the well-being of those who follow Him. It is radical compassion that leads to the blessing of the little for the many.

I am challenged to have compassion like Jesus. God doesn't do great things through the little that we can offer until we have His heart for others. I need a more compassionate heart. Instead of being overwhelmed by the needs I see each day, I need to know that compassion unlocks the power of God so that I can make a difference and help others.

God, give me Your heart of compassion for the needs I see around me. In your power, make the little that I can give a great blessing to others.