Author: Bruce

I have been in Japan as a missionary since 1995. I'm currently going to a church called Crossroad Nishinomiya, an international church in Nishinomiya, a city right between Kobe and Osaka. Check out their website: www.crossroad-web.com. #crossroadnishinomiya

１９９５年に宣教師として日本に来ました。　今、西宮クロスロード教会という国際の教会に行っています。どうぞ、そのホームページを見てください：　www.crossroad-web.com. #西宮クロスロード教会

Categories
Acts

Unity, power, and grace

Acts

What is the church supposed to look like? I think we get a picture of it here.

Unity.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. (Acts 4:32)

How many churches can say this of themselves? One in heart and mind. One to the point that they didn’t even see their possessions as their own.

All they had belonged to the Lord, and whenever they saw need among their brothers and sisters, they shared what they had to the point that there were no needy persons among them.

But nowadays, many people in the church don’t think that way. When they hear about tithing, they get offended, and say, “It’s my money. All this about tithing is Old Testament law. It has no relevance to me.”

I’d agree that tithing is Old Testament law, and that we are not bound to it.

But to say that it’s your money is not true. God ultimately is the one who made you able to earn your money, giving you your gifts and your talents. So anything you earn off of those gifts and talents ultimately belong to him.

The early church recognized this, and because of it, they were generous with what God had given them, and as a result, there was much…

Grace.

As it says in verse 33,

Much grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33b)

God, of course, shows much grace to us directly, forgiving our sins, and showering his blessings on us every day.

What we need to remember, however, is that God desires us to be agents of his grace. He wants us to share the grace we have received with others.

But when we are self-centered, holding on to the things God has freely given us, the pipeline of grace gets clogged.

On the other hand, if we get our eyes off ourselves and on to others, grace flows freely within the church.

Power.

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 4:33a)

Power included miracles as well as the Spirit-infused power of their witness turning them from ordinary, uneducated fishermen into people that turned the world upside-down.

The same Spirit that did that back then can do it today. We need to be praying for that. Not only for the miracles of healings, but for the miracles of changed lives as the Spirit speaks through those who bring us the Word.

A pastor’s words are nothing if they are not infused by the Spirit of God. So let’s pray for our pastors that they would be filled with God’s Spirit, and that he would speak his words through them.

But let’s also pray that God would speak through us as well as we touch the lives of those around us. After all, we are God’s priests to the world too.

Unity, grace, and power. May Christ’s church be filled with these things like it was 2000 years ago.

Categories
Acts

Filled and refilled with the Spirit: What does it mean?

Leaky vessel

As I look at this passage, there are two things I notice.

First, the filling of the Spirit was not a one time thing. Instead, time and again, the Spirit filled God’s people.

We see it in this chapter, and we see it in the subsequent chapters throughout the book of Acts.

Second, for what purpose did the Spirit fill his people?

In this chapter, I see two main purposes: power and boldness.

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard Peter speak, it says,

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Think about this for a moment. In arresting Peter and John, throwing them in prison for the night, and then dragging them out for questioning in front of them, the religious elite, they probably expected Peter and John to be intimidated.

Yet, the two apostles stood there boldly proclaiming Jesus to them, quoting scripture, and making the stunning statement that,

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Here were these ordinary fishermen, uneducated, and yet speaking with great boldness and power that could not be quelled or denied.

The Sanhedrin couldn’t explain away the resurrection of Jesus. (Even they didn’t believe their own story that they had tried to spread through the soldiers.)

Nor could they explain away the healing of the man they had passed by for roughly 30 years at the temple gate.

And because of all this, they were rendered speechless.

Finally, after withdrawing and discussing the matter, they tried once again to intimidate Peter and John, warning them never to teach in the name of Jesus.

But once again, Peter and John refused to be intimidated, saying,

Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:19-20)

After further warnings from the Sanhedrin, they returned to their fellow Christians, and together they prayed that God would continue to fill them with boldness and with power that the people might know that Jesus was the Messiah.

When they had done so,

…the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

What can we get from this?

If we are ever to make a difference in this world for Christ, we need his Spirit within us. Through him, and the power and boldness he gives us, though we may be ordinary people, God can do great things through us.

How often, though, do we lack that power and boldness in our lives?

I know I do. Too often, I lack confidence because of who I am, with all my weaknesses and limitations.

And that’s why I, and all of us for that matter, need to be constantly filled and refilled with the Spirit.

As one person put it, we are vessels of the Spirit, but we are leaky vessels. We can get tired. We can get distracted. We can get discouraged. So moment to moment, day to day, we need his filling in our lives to do his work.

Holy Spirit, I need you. So fill me this day and every day. Fill me with the power and boldness to do the work you’ve called me to that I may touch this world which needs you so desperately. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Acts

Before we can receive blessing

Acts

Lots of people desire to receive blessing from God. And God is a Father that gives his children good gifts. We can expect blessings from him as his children.

But before we can receive blessing, there is something we must do first. Peter told the Jews,

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you–even Jesus…

For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.

Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’…

When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. (Acts 3:19-20, 22-23, 26)

Now Peter, as I mentioned, was talking specifically to the Jews.

And he told them, “Moses himself told you that someone like him would come and that you must listen to him. If you don’t, you will be cut off from God’s people. That prophet has now come in Jesus.

“So listen to him and repent. God sent him to bless you, but first you must repent from your wicked ways. And if you do, he will wipe out your sins and times of refreshing and blessing will come.”

What Peter said to the Jews is true for us in many ways as well.

God sent Jesus to the Jews first, but now he has come to us non-Jews. And just as he came to bless the Jews, he has come to bless us.

But before that blessing can happen, we must repent from our wicked ways. We can’t keep living our own way. We must listen to Jesus and follow him.

If we don’t, we’ll never receive God’s blessing in our lives. Worse, we’ll be cut off from his kingdom forever.

Too many people want God’s blessing in their lives, but continue to live their own way. They expect God’s blessing on their terms. But if you want God’s blessing in your lives, you must come to him on his terms, not your own.

That starts with salvation. You can’t earn the blessing of salvation on your own terms. You can’t earn it by doing a lot of good things.

Rather, you must put your faith in Jesus and his work on the cross. Only through faith in Him can you ever be made righteous in God’s eyes.

But this truth continues after we have received his salvation as well. We can’t consistently expect God’s blessing in our lives if we continue to live our own way. We need to live his.

Am I saying that we have to earn God’s blessings in our lives? No. None of us could ever do that.

But the thing that God is looking for from us is our faith. Do we trust him enough to do what he says? And if we do, he will bless us.

Noah found that out when he built the ark. Abraham found that out when he left for Canaan. Daniel found that out when he refused to eat the king’s food. And so have many others down through history.

Are you seeking God’s blessing? Then the question you need to ask is “How much do I trust him? Do I trust him enough to stop living my way, and start living his?”

Categories
Acts

Not about us

Acts

As the man Peter and John had healed was making a ruckus in the temple courts, all the people gathered around.

They were amazed that this man who had been crippled for 40 years was walking. But then, they started looking at Peter and John in wonder as well.

But Peter told the people,

Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk…

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.

It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. (Acts 3:12, 16)

And here we see something that I think is really important to remember. This life is not about us. It’s not about who we are. It’s not about what we can do.

Rather it’s all about who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he is doing around us now.

It would have been so easy for Peter and John to strut in front of the crowd, and say, “Look at what we did. See how God’s favor and power rests on us?”

But instead, they pointed everyone to Jesus. They noted that it was Jesus who performed the healing, not them. And it was Jesus who they should direct their attention and faith to, not them.

After all, it was Jesus who suffered on the cross for them. It was Jesus that Moses and all the prophets had pointed to saying, “Listen to him!”

Too often, however, Christians are not focused on Jesus.

They are focused on themselves. They are focused on their gifts. They are focused on what they can do. They are focused on the attention they get.

And in doing so, they miss the whole point of life.

The whole point of life is to know Jesus and point others to a relationship with him. But as long as we’re focused on ourselves, we’ll never know the life or the joy that God intends us to have.

How about you? Who are you focused on? Who and what are you living for?

Categories
Acts

Joining in with God’s work

Acts

I have to admit, too many times in my life I have missed opportunities God has given me to touch a life. Why? Because I’m too focused on my own agendas.

I can’t count how many times I have had opportunities to touch a life and I’ve missed it because I had to do some shopping. Or because I had to go to this place or that.

And sometimes, they were legitimate reasons. But even if I truly couldn’t afford to stop and talk for long, how difficult would it have been to say, “Hey, let’s hook up later,” and make plans to do so?

But too often, I simply made excuses and just went on my way.

Peter and John, in this passage, could have made similar excuses as they passed the man begging for alms.

After all, they were going to the temple. They were going to worship. Surely, they couldn’t stop simply to engage with this man. Especially since they didn’t have any money to give him.

It would have been so easy to simply ignore him. Or to say, “Sorry, I don’t have anything on me” and pass on by.

But instead, they stopped and actually made eye contact with this man.

And instead of focusing on what they couldn’t do (give him money), they focused on what the Spirit could do.

Peter said,

Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. (Acts 3:6)

Then he picked him up, and immediately, this man could walk. Not only could he walk, he started jumping around and praising God to the amazement of all the people.

How about you? Do you get so focused on your agenda that you can’t see what the Spirit is doing around you? And are you so focused on what you can’t do, that you can’t see what the Spirit can do?

Let us walk each day, led by the Spirit. Let us become aware of what he is doing around us, and as he leads us, join in his work.

Categories
Acts

Together and in one accord

Acts

As I wrap up this section, the words that strike me are in verses 44 and 46: They were “together” and in “one accord” (KJV).

It comes back to what was said in verse 42, really.

They devoted themselves to the…fellowship. (Acts 2:42)

They considered time with each other to be important, and so they made it a point to be together with each other.

This does not just mean once a week at the temple. They were meeting daily, not only at the temple, but at each other’s homes.

More, they truly cared for each other. If they saw other brothers and sisters in need, they were quick to help them.

And they were in one accord. I really like that translation in the King James. It gives the idea that the Christians lived in harmony with one another. Or as the NASB puts it, they were of “one mind.”

Does this mean they always agreed? No. Does this mean they never fought or argued? No.

But in the end, they were able to look past their differences and see each other as brothers and sisters. They were able to see that they actually needed each other. And they devoted themselves to each other.

So often Christians say that married couples need to be committed to each other even during the hard times. Even through their disagreements. Even through the hurts they sometimes cause each other. And this is true.

But how often do these same Christians walk away from relationships from each other, and it never crosses their minds that God calls us to be committed to each other too.

We are to be committed to each other even during the hard times. Even through our disagreements. And even through the hurts we sometimes cause each other.

Like a marriage, this requires commitment. It requires hard work. But like a marriage, if we are committed to each other and put in the hard work, the rewards are vast.

Ultimately, we will be blessed by staying committed to each other. But even more than that, the world will see the love we have for each other and be attracted to Christ because of it.

That’s what happened in the early church. Because of the love and unity among God’s people, and all that God was doing among them,

The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47)

The church has many problems; that is true. As long as the church has people in it, there will always be problems.

Why?

Because Jesus didn’t come for perfect people. He came for the sick. He came for the broken.

Pastors and leaders will make mistakes. People in the church will hurt each other.

But will you commit yourself to them anyway? Will you lay aside your pride, and put in the hard work needed to work through the problems you have with others in the church? If not for your sake, for Jesus’ sake?

Let us always remember the words of our Lord.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)

Categories
Acts

Devoted to praying…together

Acts

Before I get into today’s topic, a note.

I’ve been thinking about the last few blogs I’ve written, and praying about whether I’ve been perhaps too harsh on those who are “Dones.”

I’m honestly not sure.

Here’s what I can say: I know that there are many people who leave the church because they have been hurt by others in the church. On that level, I have sympathy for them.

But to me, the answer is not to abandon the fellowship of believers. Learning to forgive is difficult and painful. But if we truly love and desire to follow Christ, it is a lesson we need to learn.

Why? Number one, to live in bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness grieves the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:29-32)

And you know that if you’re grieving the Holy Spirit, you’re grieving the Father and Jesus too.

Second, if we don’t learn to do this, what message are we sending to the world when Christ’s own people can’t love and forgive each other?

I suppose the people who I have the most problems with are the “Dones” who have hardened their hearts to the Word of God, and the “Dones” who simply feel they don’t need the body of Christ.

People who in the words of Paul, say to the “hands”, “feet”, and other parts of the body, “I don’t need you.” (1 Corinthians 12:21)

If there was one person who might have been able to say that, it was Paul.

He was out in the world doing ministry. He was spreading the gospel, going here and there to do God’s work. In that sense, I don’t think he had a “home church” that he went to every week.

Nevertheless, he had a passion for fellowship. He always longed to be with his fellow believers. (Romans 1:10-12, 2 Corinthians 1:15-16; Philippians 1:8)

His main reason? He wanted to give to them what he could. (Romans 1:11; 2 Corinthians 1:15)

In other words, he recognized they needed him.

More, he affirmed his need for them, especially in their prayers, but also in their encouragement. (Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2; Romans 1:12)

For a person to say, “I don’t need the church,” is both arrogant and selfish.

Arrogant in the sense that we all need each other. Selfish in the sense that even if they feel they don’t need us, we need them. We all have a part to play in the body.

Anyway, back to the passage from Acts. It says that the people were devoted to prayer. It occurs to me that this does not mean just in their prayer closet. In the context, the idea is of people praying together.

Why is it important to pray together, not just by yourself?

I think the main reason is that in doing so, not only are we aligning ourselves with God, but we are aligning ourselves with each other.

We are fulfilling the words of Christ when he prayed that we would be one as he and the Father are one. (John 17:20-21)

This was the practice of the church from the very beginning. (Acts 1:14)

And when the church is united, we can do great things for the kingdom of God.

But when we are divided, saying we don’t need each other, and biting and devouring each other, we are rendered weak and powerless to Satan’s great delight.

Let us not be that way. Let us be united as Christ’s church.

We don’t always have to agree on everything. We don’t always have to do ministry the same way. But let us declare our love and need for each other.

And as we do, Satan’s kingdom will be brought to its knees, and Jesus Christ will be exalted in our lives and in this world to the glory of God the Father.

Categories
Acts

Despising the body of the Lord

Acts

As I continue thinking about the “Dones” (see the previous two blogs), there is another issue I think that’s easy to forget: communion. And we forget it because we don’t really think about all that communion means and symbolizes.

It says in Acts 2:42,

They devoted themselves to…the breaking of bread.

You could make the argument, I suppose, that the breaking of bread just meant eating meals together as seen in verse 46. But if you look at 1 Corinthians 11, a lot of that dining together was an extension of sharing communion together.

What is communion? It is remembering the night before Jesus was crucified, where upon taking the bread and breaking it, he said,

This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24)

And again, when taking the wine, he said,

This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)

Here’s the thing to note about this: communion was meant to be taken with other believers. The bread was meant to be broken and shared.

Why? I think one reason is it’s a sign that we all have a part in the body of Christ. He died for each one of us who believe in him, not just the Christians you happen to like, or enjoy being with.

One wonders. At the first communion table, how much did each of the disciples actually like each other right at that moment?

They had just finished arguing with each other about who was the greatest. They had refused to wash each other’s feet, leaving Jesus to do it.

Also think of the personalities. A person like Simon the Zealot trying to deal with a guy like Matthew. One person who had sought the overthrow of the Roman government, while the other had actually worked for the Roman government before they both dropped all to follow Jesus.

Such was the relationship between the disciples that he actually commanded them to love each other. Had all of them had the closest of relationships, would he have actually had to say that to them?

Yet by taking communion together, it was a reminder, “We all have a part in Jesus. We are all one in Christ.”

That’s why Paul got so upset with the Corinthians. There were divisions among them with people arguing about which leader they followed.

In addition, the well off among them despised those who were poor, and in so doing, despised the church of God. (1 Corinthians 11:22)

They were despising people who were part of the same body that they were in.

And so Paul said,

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:27)

What does it mean that they were guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Jesus? Basically, it means they were sinning against Christ, by despising the body and blood that he sacrificed for us.

They were saying, “I know that you died for this person. But what you did for them doesn’t matter to me. I personally have no part with them.”

And with that attitude, we sin against the body of Christ that is the church. Because other Christians, whether you like them or not, are part of his body.

When you are in a church with people that you are upset with, with people you don’t like, with people you violently disagree with, communion, taken correctly, forces you to reevaluate your attitudes toward your brothers and sisters.

For Paul wrote,

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. (1 Corinthians 11:28)

And primarily, in the context of 1 Corinthians 11, that means examining your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The “Dones” don’t do this. If they take communion at all, they take it with those they like. With those they agree with. And they never examine their relationships with those they don’t.

They never make their peace with them. Instead, they simply avoid them. And in doing so, they despise the body and blood of Christ.

If you’re a “Done” that claims to follow Christ, here’s the test for you: Would you take communion one on one with each person you used to be in church with?

And as you take it, can you say to that person, “We are one as Jesus and the Father are one. We are in complete unity that the world may know that Jesus was sent by the Father.” (John 17:21-23)

Even if you’re not a “Done”, how do you take communion?

Are your relationships with those you take it with right? Are your relationships with your brothers and sisters at your local church right?

Or in your heart, are you despising the body and blood of the One who loved you so much that he gave his life, not only for you, but for those you despise as well?

Categories
Acts

Devoted to the fellowship

Acts

This is a continuation of the blog I started yesterday on “The Dones,” people who still follow Christ but have dropped out of the church.

I addressed the point of “being lectured to in sermons” and “having heard it all” yesterday. Today, I’d like to look at an issue that is probably even bigger.

I think for most people that are true believers, the sermons are not the reason they drop out. It’s the people in the church, whether it’s their fellow members or the leaders.

The article I mentioned (you can google it, I’m not sure if I’d be allowed a direct link — it’s actually a blog, now that I look at it carefully) is a little confusing to me as I read it.

The very first “Done” they mention says he didn’t leave because of a blowup with a church staff or member. Rather, it was long-considered, thoughtful decision. Based on what, we never find out.

That seems to minimize the relationship aspect of leaving the church. But ultimately as you read the rest of the article (and the comments below it by others), relationship problems are at the very root of many people leaving the church.

Sometimes it’s philosophical differences on the direction of the church. Other times it was how the leadership treated the members. And yet other times, it was a simple lack of love and brotherly kindness in the church.

And because of that, people leave the church and never come back.

But look at what the early Christians did.

They devoted themselves to…the fellowship. (Acts 2:42)

In short, they made fellowship with other believers a high priority. They were passionate about it.

Some of my friends say, “Well, you know, I have my group of Christian friends, and we are committed to each other for spiritual and personal growth.”

I hope that’s true. But what does that mean? You call each other once a week? Once a month? Once a year?

Are you making it a high priority to spend time with them, talk with them, encourage them, and if necessary, admonish them. Do you devote yourselves to prayer with each other? Do you share communion with them?

Or are these things down on the list after “real life,” work, family, school, etc?

The Christians of that day did make it a priority.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. (Acts 2:44-46)

The Christians were so passionate about the fellowship, they met every day in the temple courts. They spent time together in their homes. And when they saw each other’s needs, they helped each other.

The result?

The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47)

Why did the church grow? It was a fulfillment of what Jesus told his disciples.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:35)

Note that Jesus said, “By this all men will know you are my disciples if you love everybody.”

He said, “By this men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”

Certainly it is important to love people outside the church. As Christ’s church, we can’t solely be focused inward and loving each other. We must reach out beyond our walls to a dying world.

But if the world looks at us and sees us fighting amongst ourselves, with unresolved differences, anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness, what will they think?

If a person you’re sharing Christ with says, “Hey, can I visit your church?” and you say, “Well I don’t go,” and they ask why, what are you going to say?

“Well, I had some relationship problems with people.”

Or, “I got into a fight with leadership over the direction of the church.”

What are they going to think? If we are disparaging the very church Christ loved and died for, will they still want to become a Christian?

Let me rephrase a verse from 1 John, and maybe it will hit home.

If anyone says, “I love God,” yet refuses to associate with his brother, he is a liar.

For anyone who cuts off his relationship with his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

Can you really claim to love God if you refuse to associate with your brothers and sisters at your local church? Can you really claim to love God if you cut yourself off from a relationship with them?

It’s easy to love your friends. Do you love your family, warts and all?

Categories
Acts

Devoted to the Word

Acts

A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook talking about the “The Rise of the Dones” in the church.

It was talking about the “life-long believer, well-studied in the Bible, [who] gives generously, and leads others passionately,” yet who dropped out of the church.

They didn’t drop their faith, they just dropped church. This, though they were “among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations.”

There were a few reasons given for becoming a “Done,” and over the next few blogs, I’d like to address some of these things. Because to be quite honest, it’s troubling to me to hear people I care for say they’re feeling the same way.

And since the timing of my Bible reading just so happens to match the topic, I might as well work out my own feelings on the matter.

Among the reasons given for leaving the church was thinking they had heard it all after hearing countless messages, and a tiring of being “lectured to.”

But in this passage in Acts, we see a model of how Christians should live and what the church should look like. I want to focus on the first thing today.

They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching.

In other words, they had a passion for God’s Word. They desired to know it, and they desired to live it.

I suppose my first question for those that tire of being “lectured to” is how devoted are you to the Word?

Do you really believe it is God’s Word? Do you believe it contains the very words of God? And do you have the same passion for the Word that the early Christians had?

Or are His words to you just an outdated way of thinking that has little if any relevance to our lives here and now?

Now I can agree that there are pastors that can seem condescending to those they preach to. That act as if they’ve already “made it.”

And if that’s so, then I can understand people’s feelings. But is that really the problem?

So the question that you need to ask yourself is, “When I read the Bible, do I feel lectured to when I read the things that I don’t like to hear?”

The problem with many Christians is they have their favorite passages, and only read those in their quiet times, while avoiding those that make them feel “lectured to.”

And perhaps that’s why they feel that way at church. The pastor brings out passages they don’t want to hear.

But if we are truly Christians, we need to be devoted to the Word, whether it’s encouraging and comforting words we hear, or whether it’s words of challenge or rebuke.

As for the hearing of countless messages and thinking that you have heard it all, I suppose the same kind of question needs to be asked.

“When I read the Bible, do I feel like I’m getting nothing from it? Have I heard it all? Or is God still speaking to me?”

I have to admit, there are (many) times I do feel like I’ve read and heard it all. That being said, I would say two things.

First, after 35 years of being a Christian, I’m still learning. And every once in a while, God will bring something to light, either in my reading or in a message that I’d never seen or heard before. And that’s exciting to me.

Second, for all the times that you’ve heard something, are you practicing it? Has it gone from your head to your heart?

You’ve heard it’s important to forgive. Have you forgiven those who have hurt you the most? You’ve heard that you need to let go of anger and bitterness. Have you?

In short, is the Word of God living and active in your life, penetrating your heart, dividing between soul and spirit, joint and marrow, judging the thoughts and attitude of your heart?

Or is it just going through one ear and out the other?

Like I said, I can’t speak to your experience or the experience of the “Dones.”

If your pastor is speaking from his high horse, maybe you need to find another church.

But my question to you is this: is the problem really the sermons? Or is it your heart’s response to the Word of God?

Categories
Acts

The message of the gospel

Acts

This was the first ever gospel message preached in all its fullness. All the preaching that had gone on before was prior to the death and resurrection of Christ.

Now, all things had been fulfilled, and Peter preached to the people that this Jesus whom they crucified was both Lord and Christ (i.e. God’s anointed King).

The people, cut to the heart cried out, “What shall we do?”

Peter replied,

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call. (Acts 2:38-39)

That, in a few sentences is the gospel message.

That first, we need to repent of our sins. In other words, we need to stop living our way. By living our way, we grieve God, we hurt each other, and we hurt ourselves.

Instead, we put our trust in Jesus and come under his good reign. 

We say, “Jesus, be my king. You loved me so much that you went to the cross to take the punishment I deserve for all the grief I’ve caused God, myself, and others by living my own way. Now, I want to follow you. I’m putting my trust in you and following you.”

Baptism is a sign of that decision you make. It’s saying, “I’m dying to this old way of life. I’m dying to ‘My way.’ And I’m coming up a new person. Washed by the blood of Christ from my sins and empowered by the power of his Holy Spirit to live a new life.”

And it is this promise of the Holy Spirit that is the best gift of all. Because the Holy Spirit is God himself dwelling in you.

We no longer have to be separated from God. We can walk in close relationship with him.

And as we do, he heals us of our hurts and he transforms us into new people. More, we find life as God intended when he first created us.

Eternal life doesn’t start in heaven. It starts right here, right now.

That’s the gospel message. Have you truly accepted it in your life? It’s as easy as the prayer I wrote above. If you pray it, please tell me about your decision. I’d love to hear from you.

Categories
Acts

This same Spirit

Pentecost

It’s hard for me to imagine the day that the Spirit came upon the church in power. To hear that sound of a rushing wind (was it just as sound, or was there an actual wind?) come upon that house, and to see tongues of fire rest on each person there as each was filled with the Spirit of God.

Then to see them go out into the streets declaring the praises of God in languages they had never learned to the shock of the Jewish proselytes that had gathered from all over the world. I would have been wondering too, “What’s going on?”

But Peter proclaimed,

This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:16-18)

Peter then went on to proclaim the gospel, and 3000 people got saved in a single day.

It’s easy for us to look back on that and marvel and say, “Why isn’t this happening now? Why doesn’t the Spirit act in the same way?”

I would argue that he does. Peter told the people,

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. (Acts 2:38-39)

Peter said the promise of the Spirit was not just for his generation. It was for the next generation. For peoples of every land. In fact, it was for ALL whom the Lord would call unto salvation. All would receive and be led by his Spirit.

The church I attend here in Japan was started because of a literal dream God gave my pastor at a time when his life was falling apart.

I can look back on my life and see God speaking to me through others.

I remember at a time when I was seeking the Lord for direction for my life, a friend of mine, who had no idea what I was praying, said out of the blue, “You know Bruce, I can’t see you working behind a computer at some office somewhere. I see you doing ministry.”

And I can look back, not only at people’s words to me at that time, but things God did in my life that caused me to leave my comfortable life in Hawaii to come to Japan.

I can say with confidence that it is because of the Spirit that I am here today. And I’m realizing more and more that I need his leading in my life so much more.

Too often, I have been going on my own wisdom and strength. A lot of what I said a couple of blogs ago, I can say about me. But I don’t want that anymore. I want to be filled with his Spirit as the church was 2000 years ago. Do you?

Categories
Acts

The One who knows our hearts

Acts

In this passage, we see the choosing of Matthias to take Judas’ place as one of the 12. A couple of minor points before I get to my main point.

Some people think that Peter and the other apostles made a mistake in appointing Matthias as the one to replace Judas.

They say that Paul should have been the one who took Judas’ place, and that Jesus in appearing to Paul and appointing him as an apostle had, in effect, appointed him as the one to take Judas’ place.

I used to think that, but now I’m not so sure. In particular, because Paul himself recognized Matthias’ position as one of the 12 in 1 Corinthians 15:5.

He hardly could have meant the resurrected Jesus appeared to Judas when Judas was already dead. So he must have meant Matthias.

Paul also said of himself that he was the least of the apostles and was not even fit to be called an apostle (although he clearly was one). (1 Corinthians 15:9)

The second point is on Judas’ death.

Matthew 27 says that the chief priests took the money that Judas had scattered before them and bought a field while Judas went and hung himself.

However, here in Acts, it says that Judas bought the field, and that he plunged headlong and his body burst open. How do we reconcile the two?

Apparently, Judas had hung himself on a cliff over the valley of Hinnom, and perhaps some time later, after his body had started to decompose, the rope snapped or was cut and his body fell headlong into a field in that valley.

Perhaps having heard what had happened, the priests then bought the field in Judas’ name, as it really wasn’t “temple money.” (Matthew 27:6)

Now on to the main point. It’s very interesting that the other apostles talked about how Judas had shared in their ministry.

There can be little doubt that he had preached the good news of the kingdom, cast out demons, and healed the sick as Jesus had commanded them on their two mission trips throughout Israel (Luke 9-10).

Yet even then, Jesus knew his heart. That though Judas did all these things, his heart was not truly with Jesus. And the time came when Judas was exposed and ultimately cast out from his position.

He was then replaced by another whose heart was right before God.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that for those of us in ministry, we really need to search our hearts every day. To search our motives. To see if our hearts are truly His.

We can do many things in Jesus’ name. People can even get saved in our ministry. But God knows our hearts. And if our hearts are not right before him, the time will come when we will be cast out from our position and be replaced.

Even worse would be if the day came when we stand before Jesus and say,

Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? (Matthew 7:22)

But Jesus looks at us, and says,

I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:23)

Where is your heart? Have you truly given your heart to Jesus? Or are you just playing a role?

If you are simply playing a role, whether you’re a Christian or not, eventually your position will be taken from you as it was taken from Judas. And it will be given to someone whose heart belongs to Christ.

Who does your heart belong to?

Categories
Acts

Waiting for his return

Acts

It must have been awesome to see Jesus suddenly start ascending into heaven. And I think it’s perfectly understandable that the disciples were standing slack-jawed looking into the heavens where Jesus disappeared. I probably would have done the same.

But then two angels appeared. And they said,

Men of Galilee…why do you stand here looking into the sky?

This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

I think we see two things here.

First, the hope that we have. That though this world is a mess and will only get worse, Jesus will return. The day will come when he comes back and makes all things right.

But second, we have work to do until he does come back.

I think the angel was implying to the disciples, “Don’t just stand there slack-jawed. Do what Jesus told you to do.”

For the disciples, the first thing they had to do was go back to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. And before we can do any kind of ministry, so do we.

Like I said in my last blog, while we can “accomplish” much on our own, it is nothing compared to what we can do when we are filled with his Spirit. It is people filled with God’s Spirit who can turn this world upside down (Acts 17:6 — ESV).

So let us not just look at this world and complain. Let us not just look at the heavens longing for Christ’s return. Instead, let us be filled with his Spirit, doing the things God has called us to do.

Categories
Acts Luke Luke 24

The power to change the world

Jerusalem

And so with today’s blog, we exit the gospels and enter the book of Acts.

I’m not sure if it ever occurred to me that what Luke referenced in Acts 1:4 was probably the same event that he talked about in Luke 24:49. Specifically, that the apostles were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.

At any rate, about 40 days later, Jesus led them into the vicinity of Bethany, namely the Mount of Olives.

I wonder if as they were standing there, they thought of the prophesy of Zechariah, who said that after the conquering of Israel by the nations, the Lord would arrive on the Mount of Olives, fight those nations, and become king over the whole earth (Zechariah 14).

Perhaps that is why they asked,

Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6)

But Jesus replied,

It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:7-8)

Too often people worry about when Jesus is coming back. And we should be aware of the signs of his coming.

But more than worrying about when Jesus is coming back, we need to be concerned about what he’s called us to do until he comes.

What has he called us to do? To preach the gospel. To be his witnesses.

What does it mean to be a witness? Essentially, it’s to tell all that you’ve seen, heard, and know.

All that you’ve seen Jesus do in your life, all that you’ve heard from the Sunday messages and know from the Word, you are to share these things with the people around you.

And as we do, we will change this world.

But the power to change the world is not found in us. It is not our words in themselves that will change people’s hearts.

Rather, it is the power of the Holy Spirit working in us that will change the world.

By ourselves we can do nothing. And so Jesus didn’t tell his disciples, “Okay, you know everything you need to know to change the world. Now go!”

Rather, he said, “Wait for the Holy Spirit. He will baptize you with the power you need. Once he has done so, then go.”

So often, we do things in our own strength. Our own wisdom. And we can “accomplish” a lot in doing so.

But if we truly want to change the world, we need to be baptized with his Spirit. To be filled with his power.

Human power and human wisdom has its limits. But with God, there are no limitations.

Holy Spirit, fill me now. So often I do things in my own wisdom. In my own strength. In my own power. But without you I can do nothing.

I’m tired of living life on my own. Of trying to serve you in my own wisdom and strength.

So Holy Spirit, fill me. Fill me with power so I can make a difference in this world as you have called me to. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 28

The one who is always with us

Matthew

We are rapidly coming to the end of the gospels. It certainly took a lot longer than I expected. I thought harmonizing the gospels would make things go a lot faster.

Maybe it has, but it’s still taken nearly 11 months to get through them. But it’s been fun, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

I wanted to talk about this in the last blog, but it was getting long as it was. After giving all his instructions to his disciples, Jesus encouraged them saying,

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus was soon going to heaven. And after he left, the disciples would have a great work to do, to spread the kingdom of God.

While there would be great joy in that, Jesus also knew they would suffer persecution and hardship as well. Most of his disciples would die for their faith.

But the one thing Jesus promised them was that though they would no longer be able to see him with their eyes, he nevertheless would be with them.

He would not leave them as orphans, but send his Spirit to dwell within them and be with them. (John 14:16-20)

He makes the same promise to us. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, no matter what joys or hardships we go through, he will never leave us lonely. He is with us. And always will be.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 28

Making disciples

Matthew

Somehow in 35 years of reading scripture, it never really occurred to me that the events in Matthew 28 and Acts 1 were two separate events. One happened in Galilee and the other on the Mount of Olives.

It was perhaps here in Galilee that Jesus appeared not only to the 11, but to 500 other followers of Jesus as well, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:6.

It would also perhaps explain why “some doubted,” not the 11 disciples who had already seen him before, but the others who had come and who had yet to see the risen Lord.

Whatever the case may be, there was no doubt remaining once Jesus appeared and started speaking to them. He said,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18-20)

It’s significant to me that Jesus didn’t simply say to go out and preach the gospel, although they were to do that too.

He told them to make disciples. Not of themselves, but of Jesus.

How were they to do that?

They were to baptize new believers first, as a sign of their commitment to Jesus.

What is baptism? What does it mean? It basically identifies you with Christ.

It’s saying, “Just as Christ died and rose again, I am dying to my old way of life, and rising up as a new person. And one day, after I die here on this earth, I will rise up and be with Christ forever.”

I think it’s very interesting that here in Japan, in some sense, even the non-Christians have a stronger idea of the implications of baptism than believers in the States do.

I have heard many stories of how parents have told their (adult) children, “Well, you can go to church, but don’t get baptized.”

That’s one of the biggest struggles that young believers face here. Will I take that step of baptism at the risk of alienating my family?

I think for many of the Jews, they faced the same kind of pressure from their families.

But if we are going to become true disciples of Christ, we need to get to the point where Jesus is more important to us than anything else. And baptism is a very visual and public way of proclaiming that.

Jesus also told his disciples that they were to teach people everything that he had taught them. And not only that, to teach them to obey.

A lot of Christians feel uncomfortable with that idea. After all, doesn’t it smack of legalism? And aren’t we saved by grace?

Yes, we are saved by grace. And no, we shouldn’t be presenting Christianity as a series of dos and don’ts.

But what we should be doing is reminding people that God really does love us. That he desires the very best for us.

And if we trust him enough for our salvation, shouldn’t we also trust him enough to believe that his way is best and to follow that way?

More, if we truly love him, shouldn’t we do the things that we know will please him?

In short, we need to be teaching people to draw closer to God in a relationship where they learn to love and trust him more every day.

It is, unfortunately, an area that the church all too often fails at.

As a result, we have a bunch of baby Christians that never really grow up. Christians who though they say they love God, nevertheless never really learn to trust God.

And because of that, their lives remain an utter mess.

Let us not make that mistake.

Let us not just preach the gospel, but teach young believers to be disciples of Christ, so that they will become people who love, trust, and obey him, growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Categories
John John 21

Keeping our eyes on Jesus

John

It must be disconcerting to hear about how you’re going to die. And so after Jesus told Peter exactly how he was going to die, there probably was an awkward silence.

Peter then suddenly realized that John was walking not far behind them, and so he said, “What about him Lord? Is he going to die for you too?”

But Jesus replied,

If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. (John 21:22)

So often, as we are serving the Lord, we compare ourselves to others.

Sometimes we are jealous of the gifts and talents they have. Other times, we look down on others because our gifts and talents are “better” than theirs.

Sometimes as with Peter, God calls us to do something, and we ask, “Why me? Why don’t you send that guy or that woman instead?”

But the answer Jesus gave Peter is the same that he gives to us. “Don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of them. You follow me. Don’t focus your eyes on others and compare yourself to them. Keep your eyes on me and you do the things I tell you.”

Honestly, that can be hard to do. Our eyes are so quick to drift to others. Our hearts are so quick to compare ourselves to others. That’s something that I struggle with even now.

But if we are to bear fruit as God desires, then we need to get our eyes off of others serving God and put them solely on Jesus.

How about you? Where are your eyes? On yourself? On others? Or on Jesus?

Categories
John John 21

A God who believes in us

Jesus and Peter
www.LumoProject.com

This is another of my favorite stories in the Bible.

Here we have Peter. Brash Peter. Bold Peter. But because of his failure in denying Jesus three times, a lot of that has been stripped away, leaving a man not only humbled, but perhaps questioning himself.

I would have loved to see an account of that first appearance Jesus made to Peter. We have no record of it.

Peter had seen the empty tomb, and was probably in great confusion. Had Jesus risen? Perhaps he thought to himself, “I almost wish he hadn’t. I don’t know how I could face him.”

And then, suddenly Jesus appears before him. How did Peter respond? Shock? Joy? Perhaps. But I can also imagine Peter falling before him, weeping, and saying “I’m sorry” again and again.

But Jesus probably told him, “It’s okay. That’s why I went to the cross. For people like you. I still love you Peter.”

Perhaps for a while, Peter was okay. But as time went on, perhaps a thought started to creep into his mind.

“Has Jesus really forgiven me? Even if he has, there’s no way he could accept me as a disciple again, could he. I’ve just failed too badly.”

And perhaps after days of not seeing him, Peter was feeling so discouraged that he thought, “It’s hopeless. Yes, Jesus said he’s forgiven me. But there’s no way he could ever truly accept me again. I might as well go back to my old life.”

And so he said to the other disciples who were with him, “I’m going fishing.” Having nothing better to do, they joined him.

They go out into the lake, and fish all night, but catch nothing. And perhaps, Peter was thinking to himself, “Am I good at anything anymore? I can’t even catch fish.”

Then they hear a man on shore asking, “Have you guys caught any fish? Throw your net on the other side, you’ll catch some.”

They do, and suddenly their nets are completely filled with fish. At which point, John says, “Hey! It’s the Lord!”

Peter, upon hearing this, immediately jumps into the ocean to swim toward Jesus.

I can imagine Jesus laughing as he saw him coming up and saying, “Hey Peter, go help the guys bring in those fish you caught.”

And so he helps the other disciples bring the fish in, and when they arrive, Jesus already has some grilled fish ready for them.

I can imagine there was a lot of talking and laughter as they ate. But as the meal wound down, Jesus looked at Peter and said, “Hey Peter. Walk with me.”

And at that point, Peter probably was thinking, “Oh, oh. Here it comes. Jesus is going to tell me I can’t be his disciple anymore.”

And perhaps with a feeling of dread, he starts walking down the beach with Jesus.

Perhaps they walked in silence for a bit, and Jesus said, “Peter, do you love me more than these?”

It’s not clear what he meant by “these.”

Many people think he was asking, “Do you love me more than the other disciples?”

But considering his failure, I can’t see Peter telling Jesus, “Yes I do.”

I think that perhaps they were passing the boats, the fish, and the nets, and Jesus was saying, “Do you love me more than all this? I go away for a short time, and you’re already back to your old life. Do you truly love me more than these things?”

And to this, Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

They walk a little further, and Jesus says, “Peter, do you really love me?”

Again, Peter says that he does, and so Jesus says, “Take care of my sheep.”

They go further, and a third time, Jesus says, “Peter, do you love me?”

Peter was really hurt at this point and he said, “Jesus you know I love you.”

And Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. (John 21:18)

Here Jesus was talking about Peter’s death. That the day would come when Peter would be crucified for Jesus’ sake. And that’s exactly what happened years later.

Why did Jesus tell him that?

I think he was telling Peter, “I know you failed. But I still believe in you. And I’m telling you, the day will come when you will again be forced to make the choice to deny me or die for me. And you will choose to die for me.”

Then he said, “Follow me.”

All of us, like Peter, fail. And many of us like Peter, start to wonder, “Can God still use me? I’ve failed so badly. Can God still even accept me?”

The answer is yes. Because God not only sees who you are now, he sees what you can become. And he believes in you.

So don’t rest in your own strength. Don’t rest in your own wisdom. But rest in the knowledge that God accepts you and he believes in you. Then go…and follow him.

Categories
John John 20

Though we have not seen him

John

Seeing is believing. At least sometimes it is.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law saw all the miracles Jesus performed and they still didn’t believe.

They saw Lazarus alive after he had died and they plotted to kill him because people were believing in Jesus because of it.

The main problem: They didn’t want to believe. And as long as you don’t want to believe, you can explain away anything.

Thomas, on the other hand, wanted to believe. But his head would not allow what his heart wanted to be true, and so he told the other disciples,

Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it. (John 20:25)

So when Jesus showed up for a second time in the midst of a locked room, I imagine he smiled at Thomas’ astonished face as he said,

Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. (John 20:27)

Thomas’ reaction?

My Lord and my God! (John 20:28)

Jesus replied,

Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. (John 20:29)

In other words, you only believe because you see. But true blessing comes when you believe having not seen.

It was the blessing that Abraham received, who trusted God and left everything behind, not even knowing where he was going, but believing that God would do what he had promised.

It was the blessing that Noah received by building a huge boat because God told him a flood was coming.

It was the blessing that David received, trusting that God would make him king, and never trying to seize the throne with his own hands.

It was the blessing Mary received by believing the angel who said she would become pregnant with God’s Son. It is the blessing that people all throughout history have received all the way down to us.

But it is not a blind belief. We see Christ in the prophets who predicted numerous things about him hundreds of years before he was born.

We see Christ through the experiences of those who actually met him face to face and recorded all that happened. John wrote,

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30–31)

We see Christ in the experiences of those throughout church history who have encountered him in their lives, people like Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.

We see Christ in the lives of those around us today, whom God has changed and transformed through the gospel.

And we see him as we ourselves encounter Christ, and see his work in our lives.

But it all starts with one choice. To say, “Lord Jesus, though I have never seen you with my own eyes, yet I believe.”

And as we follow him, walking in trust and obedience to him, he will reveal himself to us more and more. And we will find blessing.

Peter puts it this way,

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8–9)

Categories
John John 20 Luke Luke 24

Filled and sent out

The gospels

It seems like there was quite a bit of confusion and disbelief among the 11 and the others gathered in the upper room that Sunday.

Here was Mary, the women, the two followers of Jesus, and Peter himself saying that they had seen the Lord. And even then, many of the other disciples simply could not bring themselves to believe.

And then Jesus appeared. Understandably, they were freaked out, thinking he was a ghost, particularly those that hadn’t seen him up to that point. And Jesus said, “Peace with you.”

That was actually a very common greeting, like “Hi.” I wonder if that’s how he meant it the first time. “Hi guys.”

But everyone freaks out thinking he is a ghost so he says it again more seriously, “Hey relax. Be at peace. It really is me.”

He then shows them his hands and feet and even eats some fish to prove he is not a ghost.

I can imagine that everyone wanted to touch him to make sure it was really him, and when they did, they were filled with unspeakable joy.

Then Jesus explained to them how all that had happened to him had been prophesied in the Old Testament, and he probably reminded them of his own words to them as well.

Having said these things, he then told them,

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21)

You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:48-49)

At that point, he breathed on them, and said,

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (John 20:22-23)

It kind of reminds me of another event in Genesis, where God breathed physical life into Adam.

Here, Jesus breathed spiritual life into his disciples. The Holy Spirit came into them as a seal of their salvation, and as Jesus promised, he would teach them all they needed to know and would be with them wherever they went.

Not only that, we find in Acts that he would fill them with power to do all that he asked, to take the gospel to every nation.

In the same way, Jesus breathes life into us when we receive him as Savior and Lord. His Holy Spirit comes into us to lead us and guide us. More, he gives us the power to live the life he calls us to, and to accomplish purposes.

In short, we are not alone. The Christian life is not about trying to please God and accomplish his purposes in our own strength and by our own efforts.

Rather God himself, through the Holy Spirit dwells in us, he fills us, and gives us everything we need for life, for godliness, and for his service.

And the main task he has given us is to spread the gospel. To declare to those who repent and turn to Jesus that their sins have now been forgiven. And to warn people of the judgment to come if they refuse to repent.

God has given us the keys to the kingdom. When we share his gospel, we open the doors wide open to those who would walk in. So let us go out, filled with his Spirit, and open those doors to a lost and dying world.

Categories
Luke Luke 24

Slow to believe

Luke

This appears to be the third or fourth appearance of Jesus after his resurrection, depending on when Jesus showed himself to Peter.

And here we see two followers of Jesus walking down to Emmaus, which was perhaps their hometown.

As they did, they talked with each other about all the women had said, and what Peter and John had found at the tomb.

But it’s obvious from their sadness that they still didn’t believe Jesus had risen.

Then Jesus appeared. But it says that these followers couldn’t recognize him. The New King James puts it, “Their eyes were restrained.”

In other words, they could see Jesus, but he purposely kept them from recognizing him. It is perhaps the very thing that Jesus did with Mary Magdalene in the garden.

And he asked them, “What are you talking about?”

The two followers must have been shaking their heads in disbelief as they said, “You don’t know? You were in Jerusalem right? You must have seen and heard what happened.”

But playing dumb, Jesus simply said, “What things?”

And the two followers poured out their hearts.

They talked about all the hopes they had had that Jesus was the Messiah and that he would set them free from the Romans, only to have them dashed when he was crucified.

They then shared the bewildering news of how Jesus’ body had disappeared and the stories of his resurrection.

At which point, Jesus said,

How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? (Luke 24:25-26)

And then he gave the first “sermon” on the prophesies of a suffering Messiah that would die for our sins and be resurrected.

When they arrived at Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he would continue on, but stirred by all the words of Jesus, they begged him to stay. And as they sat down to eat, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to them.

Perhaps as he did, it sparked a memory of how he had done the very same thing on the day he fed the 5000 or the 4000. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. When they did, Jesus disappeared.

They said to each other,

Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us? (Luke 24:32)

They then rushed to the eleven disciples and told them that Jesus was alive, confirming the women’s and (apparently) Peter’s testimony.

What can we learn from this? How often are we slow of heart to believe what God has spoken?

Oh, we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. But what about his other words to us?

Sometimes we are slow to believe because like these followers, we have been disappointed in the past. Or things are not going as we had hoped.

And so we question God, asking, “Is your Word really true? Are you really here with me? Are you really going to provide for me? Do you truly care for me?”

I know I have experienced those doubts more than once.

Or perhaps we doubt that his way is best because our way seems better. Or going his way seems hopeless.

I’ve known more than a few people that have married non-Christians because they couldn’t find a suitable Christian partner.

So instead of waiting, they just plunged into a relationship with an unbeliever. Too many times, I have seen that decision end in regret.

And because we fail to believe, like those two followers, we walk through this life in disappointment and sorrow.

But the good news is that Jesus does not give up on us. He is still there walking with us.

And if we will pour out our hearts to him, and if we open up our lives to him, and let him pour his word into our lives, he will bring us healing and renew our hope.

So let us not be slow of heart to believe. Let us open up our hearts to him and believe. For,

Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. (Romans 10:11 NASB)

Categories
John John 20 Luke Luke 24 Mark Mark 16 Matthew Matthew 28

The One who is always with us

The gospels

A couple of notes on the resurrection.

I think I will be cutting out Mark 16:9-20 from my commentary since it is considered by most scholars to not be in the original text.

It was apparently added on to Mark by someone, either because Mark died before it was completed or because the original ending was lost.

Second, there is some difficulty in harmonizing the events of the resurrection. What I give here in my blog is my best guess.

The thing to remember, though, is that all the essential facts are the same.

The tomb was empty when the women arrived there. Angels appeared to the women to tell them that Jesus had risen. Jesus appeared to Mary and the women. They all went to tell the disciples.

Lawyers today will tell you that in a court of law, any apparent discrepancies in the testimony of these four sources would not be able to overturn these essential points.

With that, a very quick summary as to what I believe happened.

The women went to the tomb and found it empty. When Mary entered the tomb and found the body gone, she immediately left to tell the disciples.

The other women lingered, however, and at that point, two angels appeared, with one giving them the good news that Jesus was alive. The women ran to tell the disciples talking to no one else along the way. (Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-10)

Meanwhile, Mary told the disciples that the body was gone. (John 20:2). And so Peter and John (probably) went to investigate, with Mary following after.

After they had left, the other women arrived with their tale of the angels. (Luke 24:9-11)

Peter and John then arrived at the tomb and found the body gone, and while John seems to have believed that Jesus rose from the dead, Peter wasn’t so sure. Perhaps discussing the situation, they then left. (Luke 24:12; John 20:3-9)

Mary, by this time had arrived at the tomb. Whether Peter and John were still there when she arrived is not clear, but it’s possible they had already gone.

Jesus then appeared for the first time and spoke to her. She then went to tell the disciples. (John 20:10-18)

As she was on her way, Jesus then appeared to the other women, perhaps as they were on their way back home, discouraged that the disciples had not believed them.

Encouraged once again, they returned and told the disciples what Jesus had told them, bolstered by Mary’s testimony. (Matthew 28:9-10)

I don’t know if that was the exact order of events, but it seems to be a reasonable harmonization to me.

At any rate, I want to focus on Mary for a moment.

The image that strikes me most was Mary in the garden, in the depths of sorrow and despair.

If the order of events were as I imagine, she had not heard the story of the other women. All she knew was that Jesus was gone.

She enters the tomb, and sees the two angels, but because she never heard the other women’s story, she doesn’t recognize the angels for what they are.

So when they ask her, “Why are you crying?” she simply says, “They’ve taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”

Perhaps the angels were about to tell Mary the truth when they saw Jesus appear behind her.

At first, through her tears, she couldn’t recognize him, but then he spoke her name, “Mary.”

And in an instant, all of her tears of sorrow were washed away by joy.

How often are we like Mary? We’re going through a tough time, and God seems far away. We pray but our prayers bounce off the ceiling. We seek him, but we can’t seem to find him. For all we know, he’s dead.

But the truth is, he is there. Like Mary, we can’t see him, but he is there. And at the proper time, he will reveal himself to us.

So don’t give up. We all go through times of sorrow. We all go through times when God seems distant.

But he is Immanuel. He is God with us. And through the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, he will change our sorrow into joy.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 28

A people that will not be convinced

Matthew

The hardness of heart that the priests and Pharisees had is simply unbelievable to me. Despite all their efforts, the tomb was empty. That is one thing even they did not dispute.

They had the testimony of the guard who told them that there was an earthquake, and then an angel rolled away the stone.

More, they had to have heard of all the people that had died who were suddenly now living again. (Matthew 27:52-53)

But with all this evidence before them, they still didn’t believe Jesus was the Christ. Instead, they went out of their way to bribe the guards so that they would spread a false rumor that the disciples had stolen the body.

And these were people that prided themselves in keeping God’s law.

It just goes to prove what Jesus said in his story about Lazarus,

If [people] do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. (Luke 16:31)

Jesus rose from the dead and so did many others. But the Pharisees and priests refused to believe.

And there are many people like that today. You can throw out all the evidence there is for God; you can answer all their questions about the Bible and Jesus.

They may even see things they can’t explain, people healed of cancer or other terminal illnesses. Yet they still won’t believe.

Ultimately it comes down to the fact that there are people who simply will not believe. It’s not that they can’t believe. They choose not to. And apart from God’s grace, they never will.

So what am I saying? Pray. For only God can open the eyes of such people.

The apostle Paul tells us,

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

What do we pray? That God would make his light shine in their hearts to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Indeed, that was what saved Paul. In his blindness and rejection of the truth, God shined his light upon Paul both literally and figuratively and it changed his life.

Are you discouraged by the hardness of heart in the people you love? You cannot change their hearts. No matter what you say or do, you don’t have the power to change a heart.

But God does. So don’t give up. Pray. Fervently.

And by his grace, God will bring his light of salvation to them.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 27 Matthew 28

A God who cannot be thwarted

Matthew

This is perhaps one of the more humorous incidents in the Bible if you really think about it.

The Pharisees and chief priests were concerned that perhaps the disciples might come to steal the body and claim that Jesus had risen from the dead as he had prophesied. And so they asked Pilate to make the grave secure so that no one could come and steal the body.

Pilate assented, and gave them a guard (that is, a group of soldiers), to protect the tomb from any robbers.

But on the third day, there was an earthquake, and an angel rolled away the stone and sat on it. This so freaked out the guards that they fainted dead away.

Imagine the consternation of the priests and the Pharisees when they heard this.

They had to have been questioning themselves, “Why in the world did we set that guard? All we did is make it more inexplicable that the body has disappeared?”

But it all goes to prove one thing. People can make all their plans to achieve their purposes while denying God’s. But God is not someone who can be thwarted. And his purposes will stand.

Many people wonder about the tension between God’s sovereignty and our free will.

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I think you catch a glimpse of the answer here. By their free will, the priests and Pharisees put out a guard to prevent Jesus from coming out from that grave.

God didn’t interfere with that choice at all. But after they made their choice, God made his. He raised Jesus from the dead, rolled away the stone, and scared the living daylights out of the guards in the process.

In the same way, we make our choices, and God lets us do so.

But then God makes his choices, and his purposes will not be thwarted. It wasn’t thwarted then back at the tomb. Nor will it be thwarted now nor into eternity.

So let us praise him and walk with confidence knowing that no matter what happens, God is in control, and his purposes will be accomplished.

Categories
John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

That scripture would be fulfilled

The gospels

One thing that becomes crystal clear as we look at these passages is that Christ’s death was no accident. It was no mistake on the part of God. Rather, he had planned it from the beginning of time for our salvation.

The irony was that when the chief priests asked for a sign from Jesus to prove that he was the Messiah, Jesus did give them a sign. They were just too blind and deaf to perceive it.

They demanded he come down from the cross. He pointed them to prophecy.

He couldn’t have been more clear when he cried out,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

The priests thought he was calling for Elijah. But Jesus was actually pointing them to Psalm 22. Why? If they had only seen, they would have understood that Jesus was fulfilling many of the things that David had written.

He was scorned, despised, mocked, and insulted. In fact, the chief priests themselves used virtually the very words that David prophesied they would say.

He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him. (Psalm 22:8)

He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ (Matthew 27:43)

David also gave a graphic description of suffering on the cross. He said,

All my bones are out of joint. (Psalm 22:14a)

This disjointing of the bones is what often happened to people hanging on a cross.

David then said,

My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. (Psalm 22:14b)

John records that when the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side, water and blood flowed out, which doctors today say is a sign that he had suffered heart failure.

David prophesied Jesus’ great thirst upon the cross, saying,

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. (Psalm 22:15)

And he prophesied Jesus’ hands and feet being pierced. (Psalm 22:16).

More, a person hanging on a cross could probably see his ribs pressing against his flesh, thus David saying,

I can count all my bones. (Psalm 22:17)

And of course, David prophesied the casting of lots for Jesus’ clothing, saying,

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. (Psalm 22:18)

All these pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, but the chief priests who knew the scripture, couldn’t see it.

John points to other scriptures, Psalm 34, Psalm 69, and Zechariah 12, all of which point to the cross.

And of course, Isaiah 53 describes even more.

Jesus being pierced for our sin and taking our punishment for us.

Being silent in front of his accusers.

Interceding for those who killed him.

Being originally assigned a grave with the wicked, but instead being buried in a rich man’s tomb.

And of course, being resurrected from the dead.

In short, again, this was no accident. It was planned and purposed by the Father for our salvation from the beginning of time.

So let us never take the cross for granted. Instead let us praise God with hearts full of thanksgiving for the price his Son paid for our salvation.

Categories
John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

Paid in full

The gospels

If there is one thing I hate to do, it’s pay taxes.

Every year, I have to go down to the tax office to declare my income, and then a month later, I collect my refund…only to have to give all of that refund back and more to pay my property taxes as well as my city and prefectural taxes.

Nowadays, I tend to pay these taxes all at once. We have the option to pay in installments, but it’s nice to get it all over with. And when I pay, my tax bill is stamped, to show that my tax debt is paid in full.

And that is exactly the picture Jesus invoked when saying his final words at the cross.

At around 12:00 p.m., the gospels tell us that it became dark, and that the sun did not shine its light.

I doubt that it was an eclipse because those last only a few minutes, and this darkness lasted 3 hours. But however God did it, a darkness fell on the land.

My guess is it was a picture of God placing all of our sin upon Jesus. That all the darkness in this world that comes from sin, was put on Jesus during that time.

Then at around 3 p.m. Jesus cried out,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

At that moment, I believe that God the Father turned his face aside from Jesus because of the sin that had been placed upon him.

If so, it was the first time ever that the relationship between the two had ever been broken, and Jesus suffered what all of us deserve: separation from the Father.

Separation from he who is love. Separation from he who is joy. Separation from he who is life.

That’s what hell is. And so in that sense (and that sense alone), Jesus suffered hell. He took upon himself the punishment that we deserved.

And having suffered that, he looked up for the last time, and said,

“It is finished. Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46, John 19:30)

It is finished.

Those were the words that were often printed on the bill of those who paid their taxes in Jesus’ day. And they literally meant, “paid in full.”

And by Jesus’ death on the cross, he paid in full the debt we owed because of our sin.

What’s the result? We can have a new relationship with God.

God tore the curtain that hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. (Mark 15:38). And by doing so, he was telling us, “The barrier that stood between me and you is gone. You have now free access to me through my Son.”

We no longer have to stay at a distance from God as the Israelites once did. (Exodus 20:18-21)

We can draw near. So let us draw near.

As the writer of Hebrews exhorts us,

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Categories
John John 19

Seeing beyond our misery

John

I suppose one of the biggest tests of how selfish we are is how we respond in times of misery. When we are suffering, when we are going through trials, where is our focus? Is it on us?

That would only be human, I suppose. To wallow in self-pity. To ask, “Why me?” To ask, “How long will I have to suffer like this?”

But from everything we see of Jesus on the cross, his focus was still more on others than on himself.

We saw it with the thief on the cross. We saw it in his intercession for those who persecuted him. And we see it here in this scene with his mother.

Here is his mother, weeping at the foot of the cross. Her firstborn is dying a horrible death. Apparently, her other children are not even there.

We’ve seen in the past how they thought Jesus was out of his mind (Mark 3:21).

Perhaps they were embarrassed by him and thought he had brought dishonor on the family by his crucifixion.

And so from a family standpoint, Mary stood alone. Her other children would be of little comfort to her. So when Jesus saw the disciple he loved (probably John himself) standing by her, he said to his mother,

Dear woman, here is your son. (John 19:26)

And to John, he said,

Here is your mother. (John 19:27)

From that time on, John took Mary into his home.

Jesus had every right to focus solely on his suffering. He was innocent. He deserved none of what he went through. And yet, he continued to focus on and care for others.

How about you?

One of the most remarkable women I have ever met was the wife of one of my pastors. She was one of the most caring people I have ever met. And that continued even to her death.

She went to be with the Lord a couple of years ago, a victim of cancer. But even though at the end, she was forced to stay in bed and to be cared for by others, she didn’t wallow in self-pity. To the end, she was still trying to minister, even to the person who had been hired to care for her.

This is not to say that she was perfect. I’m sure she went through times of depression. But her focus never stayed inward. And in that, she was a picture of our Savior.

What struggles are you going through? What problems? What trials?

As you go through them, where is your focus? Is it solely on yourself? Or can you see beyond your misery to see beyond yourself?

A heart that focuses on itself in times of misery stays in misery.

A heart that can see beyond its misery to the needs of others rises above it.

And ultimately finds joy.

Categories
John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

Railing at God, humbling ourselves before him

The gospels

This is one of the most famous stories from the cross. Along with Jesus, two robbers were crucified by his side. And at first, both mocked him. In the ESV, it says,

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)

Somehow, that word, “railed,” really strikes me. It makes me think about how many people rail at God when they face the consequences for their sin.

Here was this criminal who had done wrong and was being punished for it, but far from being repentant, it seems he felt that he was being wronged.

Perhaps he felt justified in the things that he had done, and so as he railed at Jesus, he said, “Are you really the Christ? Then save me from this! I don’t deserve this!”

Apparently, according to the other gospels, the second criminal joined in with the first in railing at Jesus, at least at first.

But perhaps as Jesus refused to answer, but instead only looked with pity upon his abusers, the second criminal started to quiet down.

He saw the dignity of Jesus in a situation where all dignity had seemingly been stripped away from him.

He saw the compassion, love, and forgiveness Jesus had for those who had crucified him.

And as he did, perhaps he remembered all the stories he had heard about Jesus. Perhaps, he had even gone to listen to Jesus at one time and seen him perform all those miracles.

As he considered all these things, perhaps he then looked at himself, and for the first time, admitted, “I was wrong. I made all these excuses for what I did. But ultimately, those were just excuses. I was wrong. I deserve this.”

And so after hearing again the railings of the man beside him, he said,

Don’t you fear God…since you are under the same sentence?

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. (Luke 23:40-41)

Then he turned to Jesus, and pled with him,

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Luke 23:42)

I’m not sure, but perhaps for the first and only time on the cross, Jesus smiled. And he said,

I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

And in that moment, the man was saved. In death, he found life.

As I said, so many people are like the first man on the cross. They do wrong, but when they are caught in their sin and suffer for it, instead of admitting their wrong, they rail at God.

Sometimes, people wonder how God could allow eternal punishment.

I think part of it is because there is no repentance in hell. Rather, there is an eternal railing against God.

They rail that they were justified in their actions. And they rail that God would punish them for what they know deep in their heart is wrong.

And part of hell is the knowing they are wrong and are getting what they deserve but being too proud to admit it.

But for those who will only recognize their sin, humble themselves, and repent, as the second criminal did, there is forgiveness and there is life.

But that time is now. Because once you are dead, it is too late. As the apostle Paul wrote,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

How about you? Have you humbled yourself before Jesus? Have you received his salvation?

Categories
Luke Luke 23

Forgive them

Forgive them.

Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things people struggle with. The reason is that the hurts we experience go straight to the depths of our hearts. And as deep as our wounds go, they can be very difficult to heal.

For a simple prick of the finger, healing is generally quick; for a deliberate knifing, healing takes much more time.

That’s what makes Jesus’ response to his enemies so remarkable. He said,

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)

Think about that for a minute.

Obviously, it’s easier to forgive someone who literally doesn’t know what they’re doing. They accidentally hurt you and when they find out, they’re quick to apologize. That kind of wound is relatively easy to forgive.

But what of the person who knows exactly what they’re doing. That type of person is much harder to forgive.

Which category do the Pharisees and chief priests fall into. Did they say, “Oh, Jesus, how in the world did you end up on that cross. My bad. Let me help you get off of there.”

No. From the very beginning, all their actions were quite deliberate.

They paid Judas to betray him. They got false witnesses to lie about him in the Sanhedrin. They then lied to Pilate and Herod about Jesus. They incited the crowd against him. And now with him on the cross, they ruthlessly mocked him.

How in the world could Jesus say, “They don’t know what they’re doing.”

They knew exactly what they were doing.

And yet they didn’t. They were blinded by their own jealousy. They were blinded by their own pride. They were blinded by their own sin. They were blinded by Satan himself.

Just as we all were at one time.

When people hurt you, no matter how deliberately, they do it because they are blind. They can’t see how their actions could be hurtful. Or perhaps they can’t see the value you have as a person in God’s eyes.

It’s also possible that they have their own hurts that they’ve never come to grips with, and those hurts cause them to lash out in ways that even they can’t understand sometimes.

I know of a man who really struggled with forgiving his father for all the physical and emotional abuse he had poured out on his family.

But the day came when God opened his eyes and he realized that his father had been abused too. That because of the hurt his father had experienced as a child, and his inability to deal with it, he grew up to be the man he had become.

And because he could finally understand his father, he suddenly felt compassion for him and was able to forgive.

That’s what we need to pray for when we’re struggling to forgive. That God would help us get our eyes off of ourselves and our hurts. That he would help us to understand the hurts and needs of those who have hurt us so that we can have compassion on them.

That’s what Jesus did. Jesus saw beyond his own hurt to the utter need of those who hated him. They never ever repented for what they did. But he was able to forgive.

Though God gives you understanding of those who hurt you, they may never change.

But as you start to understand them, you will change. You’ll start to focus on their hurts and needs instead of your own. And because of the compassion God puts in your heart for them, you will be able to forgive.

Is there someone you’re struggling to forgive.

Pray for understanding for why they act the way they do. And as he gives you that understanding, pray for them as Jesus did,

Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.

Categories
John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

What has been written

The gospels

The interaction between Pilate and the chief priests is very interesting. Pilate put up the “charge” against Jesus, calling him the “King of the Jews.”

The priests immediately went up to Pilate, asking him to change it to, “He claimed to be king of the Jews.” But Pilate simply replied, “What I have written, I have written.” (John 19:21-22)

It strikes me that many people take the same kind of attitude toward Jesus that the Jews did.

They don’t want to recognize Jesus as their king. They don’t want to admit that he’s God’s Son. They don’t want to admit he’s the only way of salvation.

So they complain to Christians saying, “He just claimed to be the king. He just claimed that he was God’s Son. He just claimed that he’s the only way. But don’t go telling us that he really is all these things. We don’t believe it.”

But unlike Pilate, we have a higher authority than ourselves to point to. And we simply have to say, “What God has written in his Word, he has written. You cannot change what he has said. Nor can you convince him to change his mind.

What he has said is fixed for all eternity. And all your unbelief will not change it.”

People won’t like to hear that. The chief priests certainly didn’t. But the question is not whether you like it or not. The question is whether it’s true.

And the question is whether you will bend your heart to that truth or attempt to bend the truth to what you want to believe.

But if you try to do the latter, it’s not the truth that will shatter, but you.

Jesus said of himself,

Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone (that is, Jesus) the builders (the chief priests and other religious leaders) rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’…

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. (Matthew 21:42, 44)

The chief priests rejected Jesus, and as a result their whole world was shattered. Jerusalem was conquered, their temple destroyed, and worse, they will find themselves condemned before God on judgment day.

The same will happen to anyone who rejects Christ. What God has written is written.

The only question is, “What will you do with what he has said?”

Categories
Luke Luke 23

The heart of Jesus

Luke

If there is one thing that always astonishes me, it’s the heart of Jesus. And it is as he goes to his death, that we see the compassion that caused him go to the cross in the first place.

On his way up the hill, he saw the women weeping for him, and he said to them,

Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.

For the time will come when you will say, “Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!”

Then “they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!'”

For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? (Luke 23:27-31)

Here Jesus looked beyond his circumstances to what would happen to the Jews because they had rejected him.

He was basically telling them, “If the Romans are willing to do such things to me, though I am full of the life of God, how much worse will they treat those who are withered spiritually?

“The days will come when you will wish for death, and envy those without children because of what they do to you.”

And that’s what happened when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in some 35 to 40 years later.

The point is, however, that Jesus didn’t want that, even for those who hated him. He longed for them to be saved. He longs for us to be saved. And that’s why he went to the cross.

Jesus died because he looked beyond himself to us and our needs.

The old hymn captures the wonder I feel at such a thought.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
–Wesley

Categories
John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

If we were forced to bear the cross Christ bore

The gospels

We know very little of this man of Cyrene, this Simon. It is conjectured that he is the father of the Rufus mentioned in Romans 16:13, the only other Rufus mentioned in the Bible.

In all probability, he was a pilgrim from Northern Africa, a Jew who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, perhaps for the first time ever.

But when he arrived, he got more than he expected. He saw the true Passover lamb sacrificed for him. (I Corinthians 5:7).

For a time, though, Simon had to bear the cross Jesus was eventually crucified on.

As Jesus was going up the hill, the physical strain, the loss of blood, the scourging, the beating he had taken at the hands of the soldiers, and the emotional strain, of being betrayed and abandoned by those he loved most dearly, became too much and he fell under the weight of the cross. He could no longer bear it.

And so Simon had to carry it for him.

And it makes me think. What would have happened if Jesus had said to us at Calvary, “Enough. I can’t bear this anymore. You carry the cross. You die on that cross. You deserve it, after all, not me. I’ve never sinned. You have.”

In a sense, Simon had to experience that, if only for a short time. A cross that he should have been carrying anyway because of his sin, was put on him because Jesus simply couldn’t do it anymore.

Did he realize later, “I was doing Jesus no favor by taking up that cross for him. I was carrying the cross I deserved anyway.

It was he who was doing me the favor by trying to carry my cross up to Calvary. It was he who helped me, he who saved me by dying on that cross when I should have been the one hung there.

But what if he had chosen not to? What if he had simply felt like he could not bear it any longer? Where would I be now?”

The answer? Hell. Because that’s what we all deserve. Hell.

But Jesus did bear the cross. He loved us so much that he died there, and by doing so he took the punishment we deserved upon himself.

And now, because of what he did, our sins can be forgiven, and we can find life as we were meant to have it. A life in relationship with the God who loves us more than any other.

So let us never take the cross for granted. And when we look at it, may we look to the One who died there with hearts full of gratitude.

Jesus Christ,
Praise your name,
Lord, I sing
Without shame.

You bore the cross.
So much love.
All my life, all I need is you.
–James Gabriel

Categories
Matthew Matthew 27

His blood upon us

Crucify! Crucify!
www.LumoProject.com

As I look at all the gospel accounts, the cries of the crowd shouting “Crucify! Crucify!” resonate with me.

How it must have broken the heart of Jesus to see the ones he loved reject him so.

Pilate, in his utter despair of the situation, finally washed his hands in front of them, and said,

I am innocent of this man’s blood…It is your responsibility! (Matthew 27:24)

To which the people responded,

Let his blood be on us and on our children! (Matthew 27:25)

Ultimately, that’s what happened. Because of their rejection of Christ, they and their children perished when Titus came to destroy Jerusalem in AD 70.

But as I reflect on Pilate’s words and the crowd’s, two things strike me.

First, it is our responsibility that Jesus died. It was because of us that he died.

Had we never rejected God, had we never sinned, Jesus would never have had to die. And so his blood is not only on the Jews of that time, it is on us as well.

Paul says,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Because of this, there is no one who can say as Pilate tried to, “It is not my responsibility.”

We are all responsible.

But there’s another way to look at the phrase, “his blood be upon us,” and this is the second thing.

Certainly, the crowd meant that they were responsible when they said it. But the irony is, it is now his blood upon us that cleanses us from our sin.

When we put our faith in Jesus, his blood covers our sin and makes us righteous before him.

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

Jesus entered the Most Holy Place (in the heavenly tabernacle) once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:12-14)

So let us cry out to the Savior, “Your blood is upon us. We are responsible for your death because of our sin. But now may your blood be upon us, and by your grace and mercy, cleanse us, forgive us, and make us whole.”

Categories
John John 19

Who is your king?

John

As we look at the interaction between Pilate and the chief priests, we see one of the great ironies of scripture.

On one hand, we have this pagan governor who has little or no concept of who God really is, telling the Jews, “Here is your King.”

And he was absolutely right. Jesus was their rightful king.

But here were the religious leaders of the Jews, the ones who should have known God better than anyone else, insisting, “We have no king but Caesar.”

The one that should have been insisting Caesar was king (Pilate) was saying Jesus was their king.

The ones who should have been insisting that Jesus was their king (the chief priests) instead declared Caesar as their king.

Even if the priests didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, they still should have proclaimed God as their king. But in their fervent hatred for Jesus, they called Caesar their king.

How about you? Who is your king?

Maybe unlike the priests, your mouth declares Jesus as your king, but how about your actions?

When people look at your actions, would they say your job is your king? That is, your job considerations trump every other consideration? Or would they say it’s your family? Or your hobbies or interests?

Here in Japan, one of the biggest gods is the god of culture. Even among Christians, culture often reigns as king.

The pressure to yield to cultural norms is tremendous whether it’s to maintain family harmony at the expense of compromising your Christian faith, or whether it’s to place job above church or even family.

If someone were to look at your life and based on that said, “Here is your king,” what would they be pointing at?

Would they be pointing to your job? Your culture? Yourself? Or would they be pointing at God?

More importantly, what would your response be? Could you honestly acknowledge God as your king? Or would you have to point to something else?

Who is your king?

Categories
Luke Luke 23

Those to whom Jesus has nothing to say

Luke

We now see in this passage Herod’s response to Jesus. Perhaps, though, it would be better to call it Jesus’ response to Herod.

This was the same Herod that had beheaded John the Baptist, and had wondered if Jesus was John raised from the dead. (Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9)

When Herod had first heard of Jesus, he had tried to see him, and failed. If the Pharisees weren’t lying, it’s also possible that he had even tried to take Jesus by force, but failed. (Luke 13:31-33)

Now at long last, Herod had Jesus before him. But though he asked him many questions and tried to get him to perform some miracles, Jesus said nothing.

Why not? I think Jesus knew that no matter what he said or what he did, Herod would never believe.

Herod had had John before him many times after he had imprisoned him. But though he had been intrigued by John, and “liked to listen to him,” he refused to repent. (Mark 6:20)

He treated Jesus the same way. As a curiosity. As a person of perhaps some interest. As a person who could perhaps provide some entertainment.

But he certainly didn’t look at Jesus as someone to obey. And he most certainly didn’t see him as someone he should take seriously. And so Jesus said nothing.

The warning for us is this: If we harden our hearts to him, Jesus will have nothing to say to us.

Jesus is no genie to perform for us. Nor is he one to be treated as a curiosity that we can take lightly.

He is God himself. He is the King. He is the Lord.

How about you? How do you see Jesus?

Categories
John John 18 John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

When we have nothing to stand on

The gospels

I will start by saying that it’s a bit hard to harmonize these passages. Here’s how I see it, but I encourage you to look at it yourself, and come to your own conclusions.

  • The priests and council members bring Jesus in front of Pilate with their initial accusations. (Luke 23:1-2, John 18:29-31)
  • Pilate then talks to Jesus the first time. (John 18:33-38 gives us the most details of this conversation while the other gospels give the briefest of summaries).
  • Pilate proclaims Jesus innocent but after further accusations, decides to send him to Herod. (Mark 15:3-5; Luke 23:4-12)
  • Herod returns Jesus, and Pilate proclaims him innocent again. (Luke 23:13-17)
  • Pilate proposes releasing Jesus or Barabbas, and the crowd demands Barabbas. (All the gospels.)
  • Pilate releases Barabbas, but then proposes punishing Jesus instead of crucifying him. Ultimately, he has Jesus flogged. (Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:21; John 19:1-7)
  • Pilate makes one last appeal, but ends up giving Jesus over to be crucified. (John 19:7-14)

With that background, over the next few days, I think I’ll go over the main characters in these events.

Today, I want to look at Pilate. You can read about Pilate in history, but I want to stay with what we see here. And what I see is someone who had nothing to stand on when it came to how he made decisions and how he lived his life.

When Pilate first called Jesus in for a private interrogation, his main concern was whether Jesus was truly an insurrectionist or not. So he asked point blank whether Jesus was a king or not.

When he found out that Jesus did claim to be a king, but that this kingdom was “not of this world,” and was certainly no threat to the Roman empire, that was all that mattered to Pilate. (John 18:36-37).

But Jesus would not let things rest there. Instead he challenged Pilate, by saying,

In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. (John 18:37b)

Basically, Jesus was asking Pilate, “What about you? Are you on the side of truth? Are you a lover of truth? Are you willing to stand on truth? If you are, then you must listen to me and believe it.”

It’s the challenge that faces all of us. What do we base our lives on? Do we base it on truth? Do we believe that Jesus himself is truth?

Pilate faced that question in that moment. His response?

What is truth? (John 18:38)

I really wish that we could know the tone behind his words. Did he say this with the implication of, “Who do you think you are? You think you know better than everyone else?”

Or did he say it with a voice dripping with irony? “Truth? There is no truth. Truth is what people in power say it is.”

Or did he say it with despair. “Is there really any truth out there? Is it really possible to find?”

Whatever his feeling, his ultimate response was to reject the idea of absolute truth. Specifically he rejected Jesus as the source of truth. The result?

He had no foundation by which to make his decisions. Instead, he was tossed and blown by the winds of the words of others and the pressures they put upon him.

The pressure of facing a riot. (Matthew 27:24)

The pressure of being reported to Caesar. (John 19:12)

The pressure, ultimately, of his own fears. And because of this, he made a decision he knew was wrong.

The same will happen to us. If we refuse to make truth the foundation of our lives, if we refuse to make Jesus himself the foundation of our lives, then we will be blown and tossed by the opinions of others and by our own fears. And we’ll end up making decisions we know are wrong.

How about you? What do you rest your decisions on? What do you rest your life on?

Do you seek God’s counsel? And do you have the faith to believe that what he has said is true?

James tells us,

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:5-8)

Categories
Matthew Matthew 27

A sorrow that leads to death

Matthew

Here we see the end of Judas Iscariot’s life.

Upon seeing that Jesus had been condemned to death, he became remorseful, and went to the priests and elders saying,

I have sinned…for I have betrayed innocent blood. (Matthew 27:4)

He even tried to return the money, but when the priests and elders refused to take it, he threw it into the temple and went and hung himself.

The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 7 talks about two kinds of sorrow. Paul tells us,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. (2 Corinthians 7:10a)

This is the kind of sorrow that we eventually see in Peter. Devastated as he was by his failure in denying Jesus three times, he nevertheless repented, and was eventually restored.

Judas, on the other hand, never did repent.

Certainly he was sorry for the results of his actions. But instead of coming before God for forgiveness, he killed himself.

Paul calls this kind of sorrow, “a worldly sorrow that leads to death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10b)

Unfortunately, far too many people have Judas’ kind of sorrow.

They see the damage that they have done through their actions. But they see no hope for forgiveness. They think that what they’ve done is just too awful for even God to forgive.

The question is, what are we doing about it?

The people that should have helped Judas find the forgiveness of God, the priests, were of no help.

They basically said, “What’s your sorrow to us? If you think you’ve done something wrong, that’s your responsibility. Don’t come crying to us about it.”

The priests, of course, were too hardened by their own sin to be of any help. To have helped Judas would of course have meant recognizing their own sin. And they weren’t about to do that.

What’s so ironic is that they felt they couldn’t put the money back in the treasury from where it came because it was “blood money.”

Obviously, somewhere deep inside, they knew they were wrong.

But getting back to the point, as God’s priests, we should be helping people who are sorrowful for the mess they’ve made of their lives.

Are we doing that? Are we letting people know that God’s grace is there for them if they’ll just repent?

Or are we happy they are suffering? Are we saying, “That’s your responsibility. You’re reaping what you sowed. So don’t ask me to come help bail you out.”

Jesus had every right to do that to Peter. For that matter, he had every right to do that to each disciple that abandoned him.

Instead, he showed them grace. He showed them God’s forgiveness. That led to their repentance and completely changed their lives.

That’s what Jesus calls us to do for others. Are you?

Categories
Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

The ultimate question

The gospels

The trial of Jesus was an atrocity on many levels.

Among them, the priests and Sanhedrin knew Jesus was innocent. Yet because of their jealousy and hatred of Jesus, they were desperate to find a reason to kill him.

Jewish law required that two witnesses agree before condemning a person, but time after time, the testimony was completely uncollaborated.

Finally, they seemed to find two people that could agree. Two witnesses came up and said that Jesus had threatened to destroy the temple and that he would build a new one.

This, though Jesus had meant, “Though you destroy this temple, I will raise it up,” and that he was referring to his death and resurrection, not the destroying of the Jewish temple. (John 2:19-21).

As a result, there were contradictions between what even the two witnesses said and in the end, their testimony became completely invalidated.

The high priest was so frustrated at that point, that he finally questioned Jesus directly, and when Jesus refused to answer, he said,

I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. (Matthew 26:63)

And that is the ultimate question. Who is Jesus? Is he really the Christ? Is he really the Son of God? Because if he is, we owe him our lives. More than that, we are accountable to him.

Jesus warned them as such, saying,

But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)

The reference is to Daniel 7, where all authority, glory, and power were given to the Messiah, and judgment would be pronounced on all who warred against him.

The reaction of the priests and Sanhedrin? Rejection. They refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. That he was their Messiah. Instead, they accused him of blasphemy and condemned him to death.

Many people do the same today.

They are exposed to the gospel. They are exposed to the claims of Christ. And they reject him. They trample underfoot the one who loved them enough to die for them.

As a result, the writer of Hebrews tells us they will be judged. (Hebrews 10:28-30)

But for all who believe in him and receive him, he gives the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

The choice is yours. What will you choose? What will you do with Christ?

Categories
John John 18

Striking those who tell us the truth

John

We now go to the first hearing Jesus had, this one before Annas.

Annas had been the high priest before Caiaphas but had been deposed from his position by the Roman government. Nevertheless, he was still held in high regard by the spiritual leadership, and his influence was still very strong.

At any rate, he questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. But Jesus essentially deflected the questions and said, “My ministry has always been public. Everyone knows what I have taught. Ask them.”

In saying this, Jesus was pointing them to the law that they claimed to revere, and was basically telling them, “If you are going to charge me for some wrongdoing, call witnesses up and have them testify. That’s what the law says, isn’t it?”

At which point, one of the officials struck him in the face, saying, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

Jesus replied,

If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me? (John 18:23)

In other words, “I’m merely pointing out that you should be following the law and calling witnesses. If what I said is wrong, tell me exactly how I’m wrong. But if I’m telling the truth, what right do you have to strike me?”

There was no answer the high priest could give to this. Jesus was right, after all. And so they had him sent to Caiaphas for the formal hearing.

But Jesus’ words make me think, “How do we respond to the truth when people confront us with it, particularly when we know we’re wrong?”

Are we like Annas, proud and refusing to admit our wrong? Are we like his officer, and abuse those who tell us the truth?

Or do we humbly accept the truth?

Truth can be hard to hear sometimes. Honestly, there are times when I can be really hard-hearted. And more than once, God had to step into the situation and say, “Bruce, listen.”

Even then, there was a struggle. I don’t like to admit I’m wrong. And oftentimes, I simply want to do things my own way.

But as followers of Christ, we can’t live that way. We need to be lovers of the truth. Even when it hurts.

So as James said,

Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:21–22)

How do you respond to people who confront you with truth?

Categories
John 18 Luke 22 Mark 14 Matthew 26

Taking a hard look at ourselves

The gospels

We’ll get to the trial of Jesus in the next few blogs, but first, I’d like to deal with Peter.

It’s a bit tricky trying to harmonize the gospels on this point because there are variations in the testimony. If I’ve pieced it together properly, there were actually four denials with three coming before witnesses.

The first came as Peter entered the courtyard of the high priest.

Another of the disciples (perhaps John, or perhaps a disciple who was not one of the twelve) was well known to the high priest, so he was able to enter the courtyard, and on his word, Peter was able to enter too. (John 18:15-16)

Enter a very persistent servant girl. She was the one watching the gate, and as Peter entered, she asked, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” (John 18:17)

At a guess, she recognized him as one that had been with Jesus. This was probably confirmed in her mind by the fact that his friend who had vouched for him was a disciple too.

Peter denied it, saying, “I am not.”

The first denial before witnesses came shortly thereafter. As Peter was warming himself by the fire, the same girl came up to him, peered closely, and convinced that she was right, said, “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.” (Mark 14:67)

She then announced to everyone in the courtyard in a loud voice, “This man was with him.” (Luke 22:56)

At that point, one of the people at the fire questioned Peter, “You’re not one of his disciples are you?” (John 18:25)

Peter answered. “I am not. I don’t even know the man. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” (Mark 14:68; John 18:25b)

He then moved off to the entryway. A short while later, the same servant girl came with her friend, another servant girl who had perhaps seen Peter with Jesus before, and pointed him out to her, saying, “This fellow is one of them.” (Mark 14:69)

Her friend then said for all to hear, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” (Matthew 26:71)

One of the men in the area looked over, recognized Peter and he too exclaimed, “You also are one of them.” (Luke 22:58)

Peter then swore that he didn’t saying, “Man, I am not. I don’t know the man.” (Matthew 26:72; Luke 22:58b)

Perhaps that satisfied everyone for a while, but after about an hour, one of the priest’s servants walked by and saw Peter.

Worse, he was a relative of the man Peter had attacked in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he said, “Didn’t I see you with him at the olive grove?” (John 18:26).

When Peter denied it, another piped up, “Surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean. Your accent gives you away. (Matthew 26:73; Mark 14:70)

At that point, Peter lost it and started to call curses on himself swearing, “I don’t know the man.”

And then, he heard a rooster crow. He then heard a commotion in the courtyard as Jesus was being led out to be taken to Pilate, and as he turned, he saw Jesus looking right at him.

Realizing what he had done, he ran out, weeping bitterly.

So much for that. What can we get from this?

It would be so easy to criticize Peter. To criticize him for his cowardice and hypocrisy. But I think we would be better served to take a close look at ourselves.

Personally, I don’t know if I would have done any better than Peter.

I remember as a teenager, basically doing the same thing. When asked if I was a Christian, I didn’t deny it, but I avoided the question entirely, either by silence or by trying to deflect the question.

It’s something I’m ashamed of to this day.

But going beyond that, I have seen people fall into other kinds of sin. Particularly sexual ones. And knowing the temptations that I face daily, I know that I could be like them if I’m not careful. Because I am weak. And only by the grace of God, can I stand.

And that’s what we need to remember when we see others fall. That we are all weak. We are all sinful. And we can all fall. So let us not stand in judgment so much as to have compassion for them and seek their restoration.

Let us remember the words of Paul who wrote,

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

Categories
John John 18 Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

Power and authority, mercy and grace

The gospels

In this passage, there are three things I see in Jesus.

1. His power and authority. Though surrounded by his enemies, he was in total command of the situation. Standing to face his enemies, he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

And when they said, “Jesus of Nazareth,” he answered, “I am he.” (John 18:4-5)

At this, his enemies immediately fell to the ground at his use of the divine name. (Exodus 3:13-14; John 8:58)

What fear must have struck their hearts at that moment? Jesus then asked again, “Who are you looking for?” (John 18:6-7)

Completely shaken and with a lot less confidence in their voices, they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and probably braced themselves to be knocked down again.

But instead, Jesus simply said,

I told you that I am he… If you are looking for me, then let these men go. (John 18:8)

And though they went up to arrest him, I don’t think there was any doubt in their minds who was truly in control of the situation.

2. His mercy. Jesus’ disciples, however, perhaps thought to take advantage of their enemies’ uncertainty, and one of them cried out,

Lord, should we strike with our swords? (Luke 22:49)

Not waiting for an answer, Peter dashed up and chopped the ear off of one of the men that had come to arrest Jesus.

(Either he had very good aim going for the ear and hitting it, or he was trying to slice the guy in two, and missed. I kind of think it was the latter).

But Jesus rebuked his followers, and told them,

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)

There’s an old song that says Jesus could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set himself free.

Actually, the songwriter miscalculated. 12 legions would be more like 48,000 to 72,000 men. (Then again, maybe the songwriter just thought ten thousand sounded better).

Whatever the case, the point is Jesus could have destroyed them all. But he showed mercy to them. He spared their lives, and in fact, ultimately gave up his life for theirs.

3. His grace. While mercy is not giving a person the punishment he deserves, grace is the giving of something the person does not deserve.

And Malchus, the high priest’s servant, found Jesus’ grace as Jesus took Malchus’ severed ear and restored it. (Luke 22:51)

It was the last healing that Jesus ever performed here on earth. Physically, anyway.

For it was through the cross that Jesus brought spiritual healing. And by his grace, our sins are forgiven, and we can find eternal life. And he gives it to anyone who will believe.

Power and authority. Mercy and grace. Are there any better descriptions of our Lord?

Categories
Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

When my will is not God’s will

Gethsemane

There are times in our lives when we go through trials and suffering. It may be an illness. It may be family troubles because of our Christian faith. It may be problems in our ministry. And so we pray for relief.

Sometimes God says yes, and we see him work in a powerful way to transform our situation.

But sometimes, God says no. And we see that in this passage.

Jesus asks three times that the Father would take away the cross from him. He says first,

My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. (Matthew 26:39)

This was no calm, serene prayer. So troubled was he that he fell to the ground praying to the Father. (Mark 14:35)

So stressed was he that he sweated blood. (Luke 22:44)

So often we think of Jesus as being perfectly calm and collected at all times. This was certainly not true at that moment.

God knew his feelings. God sympathized. God cared for and loved his Son. But God said no.

Knowing this, when Jesus started to pray again, he said,

My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done. (Matthew 26:42)

Still, I have to think that he continued to pray that God would provide another way.

But each time, God said no.

What can we get from this? I think there are several things.

There are people out there, Christian people, who claim that if you just have enough faith, God has to do what you ask.

But if we are going to claim that, then we have to say that Jesus didn’t have enough faith.

Are we going to condemn the Son of God for not having enough faith? I don’t think any rebuttal to that notion is needed.

The truth is that there are times when our will is not God’s will.

God is not a genie that we should make his will bend to ours. Rather, we need to bend our will to his. And that’s exactly what Jesus did.

Rather than insisting on his will, he conformed his will to the Father’s. We need to do the same.

And faced with his no, we need to do as Jesus did at the end of this story. Rise up, go, and do the Father’s will.

But when we make that decision, know that you are not alone. You don’t have to face your situation alone. Jesus didn’t.

In the midst of his struggle, in the midst of his agony in the garden, God sent an angel to comfort and strengthen him. God will do the same for you.

I actually think we can say more than that. Through his Holy Spirit, God himself will comfort us. That in fact, is one of the names of the Holy Spirit: the Comforter. (John 14:16—KJV)

And as I mentioned in an earlier blog, Paul tells us in Romans 8 that when we are weak, he intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will.

Because of that, we can have confidence that God will work out everything for our good. (Romans 8:26-28)

So what do we do when God says no?

Trust him. Trust that his way is better than your way. Trust that he will see you through whatever you’re going through.

Then rise up, go, and continue to do the things he has asked of you.

Categories
John John 18 Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

Weak

The gospels

Nobody ever said Satan fights fair. And he doesn’t. When he sees us in our weakness, whether it be physically or emotionally, he will attack.

You see this in these passages. When Jesus and his disciples arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus warned them,

Pray that you will not fall into temptation. (Luke 22:40)

The disciples had been through an emotional wringer.

They were still trying to make sense of all that Jesus had said, words about his betrayal, words about their betrayal of him, and the thoughts of him being taken from them.

Because of that, they were weakened, not just physically and emotionally (Luke 22:45), but spiritually.

So though Jesus asked them to stay with him and keep watch with him, they fell asleep. Not just once, not just twice, but three times. This despite all Jesus’ pleas and admonishments to keep watch and pray.

The result? When it came time to face Judas and all of Jesus’ enemies, they fled.

Jesus, on the other hand, faced even harsher realities. He was going to the cross, with all the sins of the earth upon him, and his Father’s face turned from him.

We see only a glimpse of his prayers here, but consider that they went on for at least an hour for the first prayer, and that he returned twice more to pray.

He prayed so hard, that drops of blood started to fall from his brow (a condition called hematidrosis—Luke 22:44)

Not only that, with his disciples sleeping, he had no emotional or spiritual support.

But in his weakness, God strengthened him, even sending an angel as support and comfort. (Luke 22:43)

Thus, when the time came for his arrest, he was calm, and fully prepared to face his final trials here on earth.

When I think about why Jesus could do this and his disciples could not, here’s the guess I would hazard.

Jesus throughout his life watched and prayed. Every morning he did so (Mark 1:35), and we can guess that he often did this at night too (Matthew 14:23)

So when the time came when he was weakest, he naturally responded the way he had trained himself.

His disciples, however, had not disciplined themselves that way, so in their weakness, they fell.

I remember reading about a famous football coach named Chuck Noll.

As he was watching film of a game with his team, he pointed out an opposing player who repeatedly made errors late in the game.

And he told his team (this is my paraphrase), “When he was practicing, he was probably lazy about working on his technique. He probably thought to himself, ‘Well, I don’t need to work so hard on this. I know what I need to do, and in the game, I’ll do it.’

“But when you’re tired and beat up late in the game, you don’t think, you react. And you react in the way that you trained yourself.”

The same is true in the spiritual world.

If you tell yourself, “Well, when I’m in trouble, I know what to do. I’ll pray,” but never make a daily practice of that, when you’re tired and beat up spiritually, you’ll find yourself unable to do even that.

And like the disciples, you’ll fall prey to your own weakness when your greatest hour of trial comes.

But if like Jesus you make a practice of seeking God, of watching and talking with him, when your hour of trial comes, you’ll find yourself able to do what you know you should. And you will stand.

How about you? Are you making a daily practice of watching and talking with God?

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. (Mark 14:38)

Categories
John John 17

Jesus’ desire for us

John

I wonder just how much people in the church really know the deepest desires of Jesus?

We saw one of those desires a few days ago, that he really desired an intimate relationship with us. That eternal life is all about drawing close to him, knowing him, and being known by him.

But that’s not his only desire for us. He desires us to be in complete unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. He prayed,

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20–23)

Jesus desires that we have the same kind of relationship with each other as he does with the Father. A relationship where we are one. What does that mean?

Part of that means unity in purpose. That we are all working together toward the same goal: the preaching of the gospel.

But I think it also means a relationship where we are honoring each other above ourselves. Where we’re looking out for each other’s interests above our own. (Philippians 2:3–4)

But too often, we don’t live that way. And when people walk into the church, they see the same bickering, resentful spirit that they see outside the church. The result? They walk away.

Meanwhile, the people in the church are so self-involved, they don’t even notice what just happened. And because of that Jesus grieves.

How much do you grieve Jesus by how you treat others in the church? By the jealousy, the backbiting, and the resentment you hold in your heart.

Not only are we hurting him, but we hurt ourselves. Worse, we cause the world around us to continue stumbling in the dark because they’re convinced they won’t find any light in the church.

How about you? Are you one with those in your church?

Categories
John John 17

Sanctified, being sanctified

John

Sanctification.

It’s one of those words that could best be described as “Christianese.” A word that has meaning in the church, and very little outside of it.

It’s a word you often see in scripture, and one that you might hear thrown around in Sunday messages.

But what does it mean? Essentially, it has two meanings. It means “to be made separate for God’s purposes.” And it means “to be made pure.”

We see both of these ideas here. Jesus prayed for his disciples,

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:16–19)

Let’s take a look at verse 19 first. Jesus said that he sanctified himself that his disciples (and us, for that matter) would be sanctified too.

In other words, he set himself apart for the Father’s purposes by coming to this earth and going to the cross.

By doing so, he has sanctified us, both in the sense of purifying us of our sins, and also of making it possible for us to become truly his.

Now we are no longer truly of this world, though we are in it. Our way of thinking, the way that we live is completely different from the way the world thinks and lives.

That’s why they can no longer understand us, and some even hate us.

But each day, we are being sanctified.

Through God’s word, he shows us what is sinful in his sight, and he causes us to hate such things. And when we sin, his Word causes us to mourn over our sins and repent. In that way, he is constantly purifying us.

But through his Word, he also shows us day by day what he wants of us. He shows us how we are to live our lives and fulfill the purposes of his kingdom. And as we read and live these things, we become set apart for his purposes each day.

So in one sense we have been sanctified, having our sins cleansed because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross. And in another, we are constantly being sanctified day by day.

And since Jesus prays for this in our lives, let it be our prayer too.

Lord Jesus, please sanctify me through and through each day. Make me more like you, hating sin, and seeking to join the Father in his work every day.

Lord, where I fall, please forgive me and pick me up. Purify me, and make me yours each day. Amen.

Categories
John John 17

Prayed for in the midst of a hostile world

John

If there’s one thing I see in this passage, it’s the tender care that Jesus has for us as he prays for us.

And he does pray for us.

So often we pray for others. But Jesus, as our high priest, prays for us. And one thing he prays for is our protection.

Yes, I know Jesus in this passage was specifically praying for his disciples, but I do believe that he prays the same for us even now.

Because just as Jesus sent his disciples out into a hostile world, he sends us out. And just as his disciples faced spiritual opposition, so do we.

So Jesus prayed (and prays),

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me…

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. (John 17:11, 14–15)

There may be times you face spiritual attack. There may be times when people hate you because of the gospel. There may be times you will be persecuted.

But because Jesus is praying for us, the Father puts definite limits on what Satan can do to us, and we will never be given more than we can bear.

So whatever you are going through, no matter how hard it is, stand firm.

Stand in hope that God is still with you. And stand in the knowledge that you will come through whatever you’re going through in victory. Because Jesus is praying for you.

Categories
John John 17

What eternal life truly is

John

A lot of times, we think of eternal life as simply living forever in heavenly bliss. Certainly we will experience that, but to many people, strangely enough, it’s a life devoid of God.

Oh, they have some concept that God will be there and that we’ll know his love, but the idea of really knowing him and being known by him is the last thing on their minds. And that’s the way they live their lives.

And I’m not just talking about non-Christians. Even Christians have a tendency to live that way.

They go to church, they sing songs, they hear the message. Maybe during the week, they even crack open their Bible and pray from time to time.

But the rest of the time, their relationship with God takes a back seat to everything else that goes on in their lives.

Work, family, recreation. All these things are good in themselves, but too often, they leave too little time for us to truly develop our relationship with God.

And ultimately, that’s what life is all about. That’s what eternal life is about: our relationship with him.

In his “Great Priestly Prayer,” Jesus prayed,

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

Note that Jesus doesn’t say eternal life is living forever (though it is).

Note also that Jesus doesn’t say eternal life means being forever happy (though that’s true too).

Rather, he says eternal life is knowing God. It’s knowing Jesus. Not just knowing about them. But truly knowing them in a deep intimate way.

Jesus prayed,

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me…
I in them and you in me…

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world…

I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:21, 23, 24, 26)

Life is all about knowing God. To draw near to him. To know him intimately. And to be known by him.

That’s why eternal life is not just future, it’s right here, right now. Jesus is saying here that even now, he has revealed the Father to us and is continuing to do so.

And when we go to where Jesus is after our time is done, it’s not the start of something new, it’s a continuation of what we started here on earth.

Wouldn’t it be sad though, to go to heaven with only a passing acquaintance with God? To have a relationship where you “passed a few emails between you,” but no real relationship?

How much more joyful would it be if all along, you’d been in close relationship with him?

Talking to him, and hearing from him daily? Seeing him work in you and through you every day? And having had that relationship all along, then seeing him face to face?

I don’t know about you, but I prefer the latter. Having said that, am I really living that way? Probably not. But I want to. How about you?

Categories
John John 16

Finding peace and joy

John

It’s very clear from this passage that all that Jesus was saying was weighing heavily on the disciples, mostly because they were so focused on the idea that Jesus was leaving.

As a result, it overshadowed everything else he was saying.

Instead of hearing all that he said about the Spirit and the good things he had in store for them, the only thing they could think about was, “Jesus is leaving. What are we going to do?”

And so Jesus both warned them and encouraged them, saying,

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (John 16:20–22)

All this was realized in Jesus’ death and resurrection. When Jesus was crucified, his enemies rejoiced while his disciples fell into utter despair. But when they saw him alive again, triumphant over the grave, their grief turned into joy.

And despite all the persecution and hardship they endured, no one was able to take away their joy, and because of that, they changed the world.

But I think the same is true of us in many ways. Until Jesus returns, we will face many troubles in this world. Now is our time of grief.

Paul puts it this way,

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:22–23)

But when Jesus comes again and we see him face to face, we will rejoice and no one will be able to take away our joy.

Until he comes, however, because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we now have direct access to God. Because of that, we can ask anything we wish of him in Jesus’ name and he will give it to us, and we can find joy here and now. (John 16:23–24, 26–27)

I think we spend too much time making disclaimers about Jesus’ words here.

Yes, our prayers need to be according to God’s will. Yes, God reserves the right to say no if we’re asking for a scorpion, thinking it’s a fish.

But we spend so much time making disclaimers that we become afraid of asking at all. And our Father wants us to ask freely.

How much blessing do we miss out on because we don’t ask?

How much is our joy incomplete because we fail to ask for the things we desire in our hearts?

So let us ask. And again, remember the words of Paul who said,

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Romans 8:26–27)

Sometimes in our human weakness, we do not know what to pray for and sometimes even pray for what is bad for us.

But during those times, the Spirit intercedes for us and prays for what’s good. That’s why Paul can say,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

So let us rest in these things:

  • That no matter how bad things are now, Jesus is coming back and will make all things right.
  • That because God loves us, we can ask of the Father anything, knowing the Spirit intercedes for us and will only give us what is good.
  • That God is working all things out for our good and for his purposes. And no power on earth can stop him from doing so.

With these things in mind, I think Jesus’ words ring even more powerfully.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Categories
John John 16

The work of the Spirit

John

Who is the Holy Spirit? Even today, many Christians are confused as to who he is.

And that’s one thing to remember. The Holy Spirit is a “he,” not that he’s literally of the male gender—although God chooses to reveal him that way—but that he is a person.

Not a thing. Not a force. A person.

We see this clearly in the title that Jesus gives him. He calls him, “The Counselor.”

The word counselor here is very much like the title we give lawyers today. They are advocates for the ones that they represent. They give advice, they help, and they defend against those that would condemn them.

This is hardly something you could attribute to an impersonal force.

So let us make it clear in our minds: the Holy Spirit is a person.

When Satan tries to condemn us, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us along with Christ.

When we don’t even know how to pray, he prays for us (Romans 8:26–27, 34).

When we start to question God’s love for us, he reminds us we are God’s children (Romans 8:15–16, 1 John 3:24).

But Jesus tells us more. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts people in regards to sin, righteousness, and judgment.

So often, we think that we are the ones that have to change people’s hearts. But while we are responsible for scattering the seeds of the gospel and watering it, only the Spirit can make it grow. Only he can change the human heart.

He is the one who convicts people for rejecting Christ. (Notice here, by the way, that sin, more than simply doing “bad things,” is associated first and foremost with a rejection of Christ.)

With Christ’s visible example of righteousness gone from this earth, the Holy Spirit is the one who shows people what is right and points to Christ as the only way to salvation.

And it is the Holy Spirit who warns people of the coming judgment, not only for the prince of this world (Satan), but for all those who reject Christ.

One last thing that Jesus tells us about the Spirit is that he leads us into all truth. He takes the things that Jesus has said and shows us what they mean.

Words that we can’t understand when we first read them in the Bible, he will bring to mind and shine the light of understanding on when we need them.

The thing that you can’t help but notice in the last part of this passage is the interaction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

All that the Father knows, Jesus knows. And all that Jesus knows, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us at the appropriate time. For all three are the one God, and they all work together in perfect concert.

What does this mean for us? When Jesus says that it was for our benefit that he departed, he meant it.

For through the Holy Spirit, God dwells in each one of us who believes in Jesus. He works in us to bring others to him. He intercedes for us and defends us. He teaches and guides us. And he comforts us.

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of your Spirit. That through Him, you are truly Immanuel, “God with us.”

Holy Spirit, lead us, guide us, teach us, and help us each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
John John 15 John 16

An occupational hazard

John

I remember one time working for a church here in Japan, and the pastor’s daughter was working at a Christian pre‑school.

One day, she complained that one of her students stabbed her hand with a pair of scissors. (Fortunately, it was a blunt one, but still.)

Later on, she told me, “We need an English teacher at our school. Don’t you want to come?”

Needless to say, I declined. Getting stabbed in the hand is one occupational hazard I could do without. 🙂

As Christians, however, we do face an “occupational hazard” that we cannot avoid.

If we are going to testify for Christ, there will be people that will get angry with us. There will even be people that will hate us for it. Jesus said,

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.

As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Remember the words I spoke to you: “No servant is greater than his master.”

If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. (John 15:18–21)

Jesus was perfect love. He lived a perfect life. And still people hated him. Can we expect to escape the same fate as Jesus?

This is not to say that all will hate us. Some will love us for telling them the truth about Jesus. But to expect no conflict at all is unrealistic unless you compromise the message.

And unfortunately, far too many Christians do. Why? Because they don’t want to be hated. They don’t want the conflict.

I’m not saying that we should go out of our way to generate conflict and hatred. We’re going to generate enough as it is just by representing Jesus.

But neither should we be afraid of conflict by telling people the truth. Not just part of the truth, but the “whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27)

Jesus never shrank back from it. Why should we?

Categories
John John 15

The command of love

John

I wonder if we really understand the implications of Jesus’ command that we love one another.

One of the clear implications is that love is not merely a feeling but a choice. No one can command a feeling, not even God himself.

If I were to tell you, for example, “Get angry at me,” you’d have a tough time doing so unless I hit you a few times, because anger is a feeling. It comes out based on the circumstances around us.

Neither could you tell a person who is depressed, “Be happy!” and have them respond in a truly happy manner within seconds. Happiness too is a feeling that is based on our circumstances.

Yet Jesus commands us to love. If love were merely a soupy feeling, Jesus could not command us to love. Our love would be based instead on the kind of relationship we had with the people around us.

If our relationship were good, we’d love them. If it were bad, we wouldn’t.

So what is love? It is to place high value on people, and to treat them that way. Jesus tells us the ultimate expression of that kind of love when he said,

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

In other words, ultimate love is when we value the lives of others even more than our own lives.

It is, in fact, the kind of love Jesus showed us. He valued us so highly, that he left his rightful place in heaven to come to this earth and die in our place. He loved us so much that he took the punishment for our sins that we deserved.

And so Jesus tells us that just as he valued us, we are to value others. We are to value others so highly, that we are willing to sacrifice our lives for theirs.

“But that’s impossible,” you say. “You don’t know the kinds of people I have to deal with every day! I’m supposed to sacrifice myself for their sake? To value them more highly than myself?”

Yes. And that takes a total change of heart. The kind of change that only comes when you’re connected to the Vine.

As you receive love from God, and as you understand just how highly God values you despite your weaknesses and despite your failures, it then gives you the ability to value those around you despite their weaknesses and failures.

Until you truly understand this, however, it’ll be tough to show the kind of love that God does.

Are there people that you struggle to love? I know some people I struggle to love.

But love is not a mere feeling. It is a choice. A choice that we can only make when we truly understand God’s love for us.

So let us draw near to God and root ourselves in his love.

And as his love flows in us, we will bear the fruit of love that God desires of us, and that this world is desperately searching for.

Categories
John John 15

Asking that we might bear fruit

John

In this passage, Jesus makes a very powerful promise.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (John 15:7)

A lot of people take these kinds of words to mean that if we ask God to make us rich, he will.

But look carefully at what he says. “If you remain in me. And if my words remain in you.”

We talked yesterday about what it meant to remain in Jesus. It meant to live a life of trust in him. Trusting that he knows what is best and is looking out for our best. And because of that, we do the things he asks.

But if a person is truly putting his total trust in God, how in love with money will that person be?

Instead of seeking temporary things like money or possessions, what will such a person pursue? A relationship with God. And a life that makes an impact on the world around them for the kingdom of God.

A life, in short, that bears fruit for God. And that’s why Jesus says in the very next verse,

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8)

The whole context of asking what we wish is of bearing fruit. Jesus again says later,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. (John 15:16a)

And immediately after that, he says again,

Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John 15:16b)

What is the one way that God wants us to bear fruit more than any other? He tells us in verse 17.

This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:17)

If we do this, if we love one another, and show the people around us who God really is, we will make an impact in this world. We will bear fruit. Fruit, as Jesus said, that will last.

And with a heart that is transformed, with a heart that looks not to temporary things but eternal, God will be more than happy to give us whatever we ask in his name that we might bear even more fruit for him.

So the question is, “Are you remaining in him?”

Is your heart focused on him and pleasing him? Is your heart focused on serving him and touching the world around you with his love? Or is it still focused on temporary things?

Where is your heart today?

Categories
John John 15

The need to abide

John

Yesterday I talked about the Father’s work in our lives. That our righteousness, our fruit, does not come from our own efforts but through his work in us.

He cleans us through his Word (verse 3), he lifts us up out of our sin and failures, and he prunes us so that we can bear fruit.

If bearing fruit does not come from our own efforts then, does that mean we don’t need to do anything?

Not at all. There’s one thing that’s utterly essential for us to do. We need to abide (the NIV says “remain”) in him.

What does that mean? It means to walk in close relationship with him. To keep him at the center of your life. To spend time with him. To listen to him. And then to do what he says.

Jesus said,

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. (John 15:9–10)

We said in an earlier blog that more than merely saying, “Do what I say!” Jesus is saying, “Trust me. I love you. I want what’s best for you.”

It’s hard to have a relationship with someone that you won’t trust. And when we say to God, “I can’t trust you,” it puts a distance between us and God.

But as we trust him, and obey him, it becomes a cycle that draws us ever closer to him.

We trust him, so we do what he says. We see the blessing that comes from obedience, and we see that he really wants what’s best for us.

This causes us to love and trust him more, and so we obey more, we get blessed more, and we end up loving and trusting him even more.

And it’s that kind of relationship with God that leads to fruitfulness in our lives.

But what happens if we live in continual distrust of God? Then we will never bear fruit for God.

Jesus said this,

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:4–6)

How about you? Are you walking in a relationship with God where you love and trust him completely?

Only by doing so can you bear fruit. Apart from that kind of relationship, we can do nothing that will please God.

And if you walk in continual distrust of God, you will end up like Judas, withered, thrown into the fire and burned.

But if you walk in relationship with God, you will bear fruit, and you will find joy. As Jesus said,

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)

A relationship with God starts by trusting Jesus in the most important thing of all: your salvation. John tells us in one of his letters,

And this is [God’s] command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ… (1 John 3:23)

If you haven’t already, won’t you make that decision today?

Categories
John John 15

Lifted up and pruned

John

One of the biggest differences between Christianity and every other religion is that our righteousness does not depend on our own efforts. Rather, it comes from God’s work in us, changing us from the inside out.

God first introduces that concept in the Old Testament, where he said through Jeremiah,

“The time is coming…when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…”

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD.

“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33)

And again, in Ezekiel, where God said,

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:26–27)

Now in this passage in John, Jesus shows us further the work of God, as he says,

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1–2)

Here we see the work of the Father, first cutting off branches that bear no fruit while pruning others so that they will be more fruitful.

What does it mean that God cuts off branches that bear no fruit?

I don’t believe from other scriptures that it means that we can lose our salvation. There are two other possibilities.

One is that he’s talking about people like Judas who came to learn of Jesus. But after years of learning from him, he bore no fruit. He never came to true faith. And so he was cut off.

Many people today go to church, they learn many things from the Bible but never come to true faith. And so eventually, they’re cut off.

There is another possibility, however. The words “cut off” can be translated “lifted up.”

It’s possible that Jesus is saying that the Father lifts those branches that are not bearing fruit up into the sunlight to better nourish the plants so that they can start to bear fruit.

In the same way, God lifts us from out of our sin and failures and works in our hearts to bring about change so that we can start to bear fruit.

And as we start to bear fruit, he prunes us, cutting out the things from our lives that would hinder our fruitfulness.

I think God’s work in Peter’s life illustrates all this.

At a time when Peter was depressed and discouraged for having failed Jesus so badly, Jesus lifted him up and encouraged him.

He didn’t wait for Peter to change himself. He went to Peter and started to work in his heart, pulling him out of his depression, and then challenging him to move on. (John 21)

And though Peter started to bear fruit, Jesus didn’t stop there. Rather, he pruned away Peter’s prejudices and caused him to become more fruitful as he started to reach out to the Gentiles he had once despised. (Acts 10–11)

But it was a continual process, and when Peter fell again, Jesus lifted him up and pruned him further. (Galatians 2:11–14)

How about you? Are you discouraged about where you are as a Christian?

Remember that God doesn’t condemn you. Nor does he give up on you. Rather, he will continue working in you until you become all he desires you to be.

So don’t shy away from him. Draw near. Remain in him. And you will bear fruit.

Categories
John John 15

Chosen to be fruitful

John

This is one of the most famous passages in the Gospels in which Jesus shows us a beautiful illustration of our relationship with God.

Here he calls himself the vine. In the Old Testament, Israel was referred to as a vine. They were to bear fruit for God so that the nations would see them and be drawn to God.

But through their disobedience they bore only bad fruit, and as a result, God brought judgment upon them. (Isaiah 5:1–7, Jeremiah 2:21)

So now Jesus doesn’t just call himself the vine, but the “true” vine. A vine whose fruit would not only draw people to God, but save them.

And Jesus tells us we are the branches to the vine. He tells us in verse 16,

I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. (John 15:16)

What does it mean to bear fruit? I think the first thing it means is the fruit of a changed life.

Paul, after talking about the kind of sinful life we once lived, tells us,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self‑control. (Galatians 5:22–23)

In other words, if we are Christians, it should be evidenced in our lives. Our lives should be different from what they once were.

And as our lives change, we’ll see fruit in that we’ll start to make an impact on the people around us. People will see God himself in us, be drawn to him, and be saved.

That’s what God originally intended for Israel, and that’s what God intends for us now. Peter puts it this way,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

You were chosen to be fruitful. Are you?

Categories
Luke Luke 22

Preparing to face a hostile world

Luke

As Jesus led his disciples out of the upper room, he asked them,

When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything? (Luke 22:35)

This is referring to the two times he sent out the disciples to preach the gospel throughout Israel (Luke 9 and 10).

At those times, he told the disciples to bring no provisions with them, but to rely on the hospitality of those they were reaching out to.

And at that time, at the height of his popularity, that was perfectly fine. Despite hostility they might face, there would always be people to welcome them. (Luke 22:35b)

But now, the situation would be changing. Jesus would be “numbered among the transgressors,” (37-38) and they would face more hostility than ever. People who once might have welcomed them would do so no longer.

So Jesus warned them, saying,

Now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. (36)

In short, “It’ll be even more dangerous for you out there than ever before because you follow me. Be prudent. Be careful.”

But Jesus’ disciples responded,

See, Lord, here are two swords. (38)

In other words, “Lord, don’t worry. We’ll take anyone down that comes after us.”

Peter would later show that exact attitude in the garden of Gethsemane.

So Jesus curtly and perhaps exasperatedly told them,

That is enough. (38)

Jesus’ point wasn’t that they should turn to violence against those who attacked them, but simply that they should be prepared to face a hostile world.

But Jesus’ words were not just for the disciples, they were for us.

As we’ll see later in John, Jesus specifically warns us that people will hate us on account of him. There will be persecution. And he basically tells us that we shouldn’t be surprised by this when it happens.

So while we are to love and reach out to those who are lost, we are also to be on our guard. People will hate us. People will betray us. People will hurt us. Even those we love.

Because of this, let us always remember the words of Jesus when he told his disciples,

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men… (Matthew 10:16-17)

Categories
John John 14

Never alone

John

One thing my five‑year‑old daughter used to do quite often, and even does now from time to time, is crawl into my wife’s and my bed and snuggle in between us. When we ask why, she’ll say, “I was lonely.”

I think all of us can relate to that feeling sometimes. And the disciples themselves were feeling lonely when Jesus said he was going away.

But Jesus told them,

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.

The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.

Because I live, you also will live.

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…

If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:16–21, 23)

Here we see the Trinity in all its fullness. And it tells us a very important truth: God is with us.

Jesus said he would send a counselor to us, God the Holy Spirit. And that the Holy Spirit would teach us and remind us of the things that Jesus said.

Then Jesus said that he himself would come to us and that he would be in us. That he would not abandon us as orphans.

Finally, he said that the Father himself would make his home in us.

The key? We walk in obedience to him. And that all comes down to what we talked about yesterday: trust. Do we trust God enough that we obey him?

That’s why Jesus said at the beginning of this chapter,

Trust in God; trust also in me. (John 14:1)

It is impossible to have a relationship with God if we refuse to trust him.

Closely related to that is love. Do we love God enough to want to please him? Do we love him enough to avoid the things that hurt him, and to do the things that bring a smile to his face?

If we love, trust, and obey him, then we’ll find that God is right there with us, through the good times and bad. And because of that, we can find peace.

Jesus told his disciples,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Categories
John John 14

If we truly love Jesus

John

This is one of those passages that would probably make many people turn their heads if they really thought about it.

Jesus says to start off,

If you love me, you will obey what I command. (John 14:15)

Think about that a minute. If your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend said to you, “If you love me, you will obey what I command,” what would your response be?

Most probably, “I’m outta here. Forget this relationship.”

I think there are certain things to keep in mind, however.

First, Jesus is not only our Savior, but our Lord. Yet he’s not some tyrant looking to make our lives miserable just for his own pleasure. Rather, he genuinely loves us and is looking out for our good.

More than that, he’s our creator, and he knows exactly how our lives were designed to work.

And so this idea of obedience is not so much a matter of, “Do what I say!”

Rather, Jesus is telling us, “Trust me. If you really love me, trust me. I truly know what is best for you, and I truly want what is best for you.”

Our problem is that we’ve seen so many people trying to order us around not because they’re looking out for our best, but because they’re looking out for their own interests.

That’s why when God tells us, “Trust me, I want what’s best for you,” we tend to look at him with a jaded eye.

This is not a new problem. It goes all the way to the garden of Eden.

God told Adam and Eve, “Trust me, I want what’s best for you. So stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Believe me, you don’t want to know what evil is.”

But Satan caused Eve to become jaded to God’s intention. To start thinking, “God doesn’t really want what’s best for me. He’s holding something back from me.”

And to this day, people hold that same way of thinking.

The other thing to remember is that our sin really hurts God. He is so pure, and righteous, he can’t even stand the sight of sin.

Do we really want to do something that hurts him? Rather, wouldn’t we want to do things that please him?

If you love your wife or husband, for example, will you purposely do things that hurt them? “Yes, I know it will hurt them, but I’ll do it anyway.” Of course not.

Rather, we do things that we know will bring a smile to their faces.

And that’s what our relationship with God should look like.

We love him so much that we do the things that please him, and we stay away from the things that we know will hurt him.

Jesus modeled this with his own life while he was on earth.

He loved and trusted his Father so much, he always did what his Father said, even though it meant going to the cross.

Why? Because he believed his Father knew what was best.

How about you? What does your relationship with God look like? Do you trust him enough to do what he says?

Categories
John John 14

Powerful promises

John

Jesus made some pretty amazing promises here. The type that make you say, “Really? Are you serious?”

Jesus said,

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)

Jesus did some amazing things. He healed the sick. Raised the dead. Taught thousands, bringing the good news to those without hope.

And anyone who has faith in him will do these things too? And even greater?

I suppose you could look at the church in the book of Acts, and say that Jesus was specifically talking about them.

And certainly, they did all that Jesus did and more. Not only that, they did it on a larger scale, not only taking the gospel to Israel, but beyond Israel to the world.

But Jesus said, “anyone who has faith in me.” Anyone. Not just the disciples. Not just the people in the New Testament. Anyone who has faith in Jesus will do what he did and even greater things.

How could Jesus say that? Because he was going to the Father, and he would send his Holy Spirit to live in each one of us. And through his power working in us, we can change the world around us.

Does that mean we’ll heal the sick and raise the dead like Jesus did? I wonder sometimes how much we limit God by our lack of faith.

I have heard of cases in third world countries where such things actually happened because people were too “ignorant” of the realities of life, and simply took Jesus at his word, and God worked miracles as a result.

My former pastor in Kobe was dying of cancer, and to the shock of his doctor, refused to give up at his diagnosis of 6 months to live. Now he is healthier than ever, and his doctor can only say, “Keep doing whatever you’re doing.”

Another woman in our church had a grandmother who received Christ recently, and though she had once been almost deaf, now she can hear clearly.

A part of me is skeptical. How long will these things last? Can it last? I don’t know. All I know is that God is working. And he is working today.

Maybe we should take him more at his word when he says,

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:13-14)

This is not to say that Jesus will give us a sports car if we ask him for it in his name.

But if we ask things, seeking not our own glory but God’s, seeking that his will be done, and not ours, then we will see answers to prayer. Answers beyond what we can even ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

God wants to shape the world around us. And he wants to use us to do it.

The only question is, do we believe that he can use us? And will we surrender our prejudices, our skepticism, and our lack of faith to him, and simply say, “Your will be done. Use me as you will.”

Categories
John John 14

To see and know God

John

How can we possibly know God? How can we know what he is like?

Obviously, when we’re talking about an invisible God, there can only be one answer: if he chooses to reveal himself.

God first revealed himself through direct contact, through visions, through dreams, through angels, and through prophets.

Then Jesus came. And when he did, he was no mere man. Rather, he was God himself, coming down and living among us. That’s why he could say,

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. (John 14:7)

And when Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus responded,

Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. (John 14:9-11)

This is not to say that the Father is Jesus, or Jesus is the Father. But as Paul wrote,

The Son is the image of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15)

All that God is, we see in Christ. When we hear Jesus speak, we hear the Father’s words. When we see him react to situations, we see how the Father reacts.

So if we want to truly know the Father, all we need to do is look at Christ.

Let’s put it this way. When people see my daughter, they say, “She looks just like you.”

And as she grows up, a lot of the way she thinks and acts will mirror the way I think and act. You can learn a lot about me by looking at her. It’s the way of fathers and their children.

But while she is an imperfect mirror of what I am like, Jesus is a perfect reflection of what the Father is like.

So what’s my point? Do you want to know God? Look at Jesus.

Do you want to know how God thinks? Look at Jesus’ words.

Do you want to know how God responds to different situations? Look at how Jesus responded.

We don’t have to guess any longer what God is like. We can know because he came down to this earth and he became one of us.

So let us pursue a relationship with him. And if we do, we will find him.

As James wrote,

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

Categories
John John 14

The Way

John

This is the one passage that provides such a stumbling block to so many people in the world today.

Many people simply refuse to believe it because the implications of what Jesus said are so deep, and they are simply not willing to accept them.

What did Jesus say?

He had just told the disciples that he was going away to prepare a place for them and that they knew the way to where he was going.

Thomas, who had no idea what he was talking about, then asked the obvious question.

Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? (John 14:5)

Jesus replied,

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Jesus didn’t say, “I will show you the way to the Father.”

He didn’t say, “I’ll show you the things you need to do to get to the Father.”

He said, “I AM the way to the Father. If you want to go to heaven and see the Father, you need to go through me.”

That’s an amazing statement. But let’s put it this way.

If you want to see the President of the United States, you can’t just walk into the White House and into the Oval Office.

Assuming you have an invitation, someone will meet you at the door and escort you in. Without that escort, there’s no way you’re getting in to see the President. That escort is your path to the President.

Well, Jesus is much more than an escort. He is God’s Son. And it is only because he paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross that we now can have access to the Father.

He takes us in before the Father and he intercedes for us as our high priest. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 10:19-22).

But without his sacrifice on the cross, and without him by our side, there is no way we’re ever going to heaven, no less see the Father.

Jesus also told Thomas, “I am the truth.”

Many people are looking for truth. Others are convinced that truth really does not exist, particularly when it comes to spiritual matters.

But Jesus says, “I am truth. My words are truth. Truth is not relative. All that I say is absolute truth. And you will never find truth apart from me.”

More, Jesus said, “I am the life.”

So many people seek for the meaning of life. They’re seeking a life that matters. They’re seeking a life that’s worthwhile. And ultimately, they seek life beyond the grave.

To that, Jesus says, “I am life. Do you want the meaning of life? It’s found in me.

Do you want a life that matters? A life worth living? You can try finding life in money, possessions, power, marriage, children, sex, or a thousand different things.

But you will not find life in any of these things. Ultimately, these things will leave you empty. I’m the only one that makes life worth living.

And if you want life beyond the grave, you won’t find it in Buddha, or Muhammad, or any other religious leader. Only in me can your sins be forgiven, and you can find eternal life.”

But like I said, people don’t want to accept this. The implications are too deep.

It means casting aside the things they value most highly. It means that they can no longer simply live as they want to.

And so they say Jesus was a liar. Or misguided. Or misquoted.

But if you want to find true life, you can only find it in Jesus.

Truth is absolute and it is found in him. And if you’re ever going to see heaven and meet the Father, you can only do so with Jesus by your side.

I can’t make you believe that. You need to find that out for yourself. And you will, one way or another.

So as Isaiah urged the Israelites, I urge you now.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Categories
John John 14

What’s waiting for us

John

As I said in my last blog, the disciples were both stunned and troubled by what Jesus had just told them.

First, he told them he was leaving and they could not follow, and then he told them that they would all abandon him.

If that weren’t enough, he told them that Peter, who seemed the strongest of them all, was going to deny Jesus three times.

Jesus must have read their hearts, for he immediately tried to comfort them saying,

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (John 14:1)

In other words, “Don’t worry. I know these things sound awful. I know you can’t imagine these things happening. But God is still in control. Trust him. Trust me.”

He then gave them a glimpse of the future and why he had to go. He said,

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)

Here we see three promises Jesus gives us.

First, he’s preparing a place for us. If we have put our trust in him as our Savior, he is preparing a place for us in heaven.

I don’t know if it’s a “mansion” as translated in the King James Version, or if it’s a deluxe condo. But whatever Jesus is preparing for us, I know it’s going to be glorious. Jesus would make nothing less.

I love the sentiment of Keith Green who wrote in one of his songs,

In six days You created everything,
But You’ve been working on Heaven [for] two thousand years.

Jesus then promises that he will come back again.

The disciples were freaking out that he was leaving them. But Jesus reassured them, it would not be for forever. That he would come back. First, by sending his Spirit to dwell in them, but also, someday, by coming back literally in physical form.

And when he does, Jesus promises that he will take us to be where he is.

The apostle Paul writes about it this way,

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Think about this, though. Jesus made these promises to a bunch of people who he knew would be unfaithful to him and would abandon him within hours.

How could he promise them these things? Because he wasn’t finished with them yet. And there was no way that he would ever give up on them.

And neither will Jesus ever give up on you. Whatever struggles you may go through, however badly you may fail him, he is preparing a place for you.

So don’t get discouraged. Keep getting up, and pressing on.

As an old song once put it,

So why should I worry?
Why should I fret?
‘Cause I’ve got a Mansion Builder
Who ain’t through with me yet.

– 2nd Chapter of Acts

Categories
John John 13 Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

A God who knows our weakness and accepts us anyway

The gospels

When Jesus told the disciples that he was leaving for a place they could not follow, it must have really troubled them. He was their teacher, and they couldn’t imagine life without him.

As usual, it was Peter who spoke out, saying,

Lord, where are you going… why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. (John 13:36-37)

Jesus then stunned Peter and the rest of the disciples by saying,

Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John 13:38)

He then said,

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift (all of) you as wheat.

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:31-32)

Again, Peter declared,

Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death. (Luke 22:33)

But again Jesus replied,

I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me. (Luke 22:34)

Perhaps, at that point, the other disciples thought that Peter was the betrayer that Jesus had talked about earlier. Perhaps even Peter was wondering.

So Jesus said,

You will all fall away… for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. (Mark 14:27-28)

Still Peter continued to insist,

Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will. (Matthew 26:33).

So Jesus made his declaration even stronger and more specific saying,

I tell you the truth… today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times. (Mark 14:30)

Even then, Peter refused to believe it, and insisted with all the other disciples that he would never do such a thing, even if it meant death. (Mark 14:31)

In the end, of course, they all did as Jesus had predicted. All of them ran away when Jesus was arrested, and Peter ended up denying Jesus three times.

What’s my point? Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our weaknesses, even when we can’t see them ourselves. And yet, he accepts us.

That’s the amazing thing of all of this. He never condemned Peter.

Rather, he tried to encourage him saying, “I’ve been praying for you that your faith will not fail. You will fall, but you will get up again. And when you do, encourage the others.”

In the same way, Jesus knows our weakness. Yet he doesn’t condemn us.

Rather, he, as our great high priest, prays for us daily. He reaches out to pull us up when we fall down. And when we get up again, he tells us to have mercy on the others we see around us who have fallen as well.

So in our weakness, in our failures, let us always remember,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Categories
John John 13

That the world may know

John

With Judas now gone, Jesus begins his final address to his disciples before the cross. And to this bickering, prideful group, he said,

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

This was the group that even up to a few hours before, were arguing about who was greatest among them. Who were too proud to take the role of a servant to wash each other’s feet.

And so Jesus wanted to drive home what was really important to him: that they love one another.

Notice he doesn’t say, “Love everyone around you,” although most certainly he wanted them to do that too.

He said, “Love each other.”

Why?

Because that’s how people will know we are truly his followers.

Yet even today, the church is so lacking in love. We fight among ourselves, as prideful and bickering as the disciples were.

And when people walk into the church, they start to think, “Is this what followers of Jesus are like? Is this what Jesus is like? If so, I want nothing of it.”

I remember walking into a church once, and for some reason, the worship leader wasn’t leading worship. Another guy, who was just a beginner, was up there struggling to lead the worship.

The worship leader, meanwhile, was just sitting in the back stone-faced. And the tension in that room was utterly palpable.

I later found out that he had just had a falling out with one of the leaders just prior to my arrival.

The sad thing about it all? A visitor came that day. And I think she noticed it all. She never did come back, so far as I know.

If we can’t learn to love the people in the church, how can we love the people outside of it? And if we act just like the people outside of the church, how in the world are they ever going to see Jesus in us?

How about you? You can’t change the other people inside of the church and make them more loving. But you can shape your own attitude with God’s help.

How are you responding to those in church around you?

Are you looking down on others? Sniping at others? Tearing them down? Grumbling about their shortcomings? Or are you approaching them with the same love that Jesus approached you?

The next time you go to church, or even as you go to church today, think on these words. Meditate on them. And ask God to help you live them.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

Categories
Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

Pictures of the cross

Matzah

The Old Testament is rich with pictures of Christ. And in this passage, we see the fulfillment of them in Christ.

The disciples were having the Passover meal, and after the first cup of wine, Jesus pulled out a piece of bread from a bag, a bread called matzah.

There were actually three pieces of bread in this bag, which were put into three different compartments.

Why three? Some people said it represented Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Others said it represented the priests, Levites, and the people.

During the meal, the second piece was pulled out and broken. And for the first time in any Passover meal, Jesus gave his disciples the true meaning of the bread. He said,

This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19)

Jewish Christians tell us now that they believe the three pieces of bread represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But it was Jesus who came out and lived among us. And in the matzah, we see what he was like.

Matzah was made without yeast. In the Bible, yeast is always a picture of sin, and so the bread was a picture of Jesus’ sinless nature.

The bread was also pierced, so that the bread would stay unleavened during the cooking process. In the same way, Jesus was pierced for our sins.

And then the bread was broken, just as Jesus’ body was on the cross.

Then Jesus took the cup, and the cup he took was what the Jews called the “Cup of Redemption.”

It was a reminder of how God had bought the Jews out of slavery to Egypt and set them free.

But Jesus, instead of pointing back to the past, pointed to the future, saying,

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

Luke, in his gospel, adds the word “new” to covenant.

What did Jesus mean by new covenant? Well, when God brought the Jews out of Egypt, he gave them a covenant. An agreement. That if they would obey his laws, he would be their God and they would be his people.

But there was a problem. No one could keep those laws perfectly.

And so God promised in the book of Jeremiah that he would make a new covenant that would not depend on our effort.

He said,

I will put my law in their minds and write it 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 will know me from the least of them to the greatest.

For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

In this new covenant, God made several promises.

First, he would change us from the inside, changing our hearts and minds so that we can obey him.

Second, we would have a new relationship with him. We don’t need priests or pastors to stand between us and God. We can have a close intimate relationship with God himself.

And third, all our sins would be wiped away. He will remember our sins no more.

Now Jesus was saying, “The time for the new covenant has come. My blood will be poured out for you so that your sins may be forgiven and you may find new life.”

So because of Jesus and what he did for us,

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:22-23)

Categories
John John 13 Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

Betrayal

The gospels

As I’ve mentioned before, harmonizing these passages is a little tough.

One question is whether Judas participated in the first communion. Luke seems to imply so, while the other gospel writers seem to say Judas didn’t.

It’s just my opinion, but I believe Judas was there, and that the other writers, for whatever reason, didn’t keep things in chronological order.

At any rate, in these passages, Jesus dealt with his betrayer Judas.

There are some interesting things to note here.

While it was John who sat on one side of Jesus (assuming that he is “the one Jesus loved,” there seems to be a good chance that it was Judas that was on Jesus’ other side. It seems hard to believe that Jesus could say what he did to Judas without the others hearing unless this were so.

Unlike most pictures you see of the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples did not sit in chairs. They sat on couches.

And when they reclined, they didn’t lean back, rather they leaned to the side, resting on their left elbow, right near the bosom of the person on their left.

Thus, it seems John was on Jesus’ right, and Judas on Jesus’ left.

Like I said before, to be seated next to Jesus at the table was an honor to the people there. And Jesus let Judas sit next to him. In short, he honored Judas.

Yet despite all of this, Jesus never fooled himself concerning Judas’ true nature. He told the disciples,

I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me. (John 13:21)

This of course, shocked all the disciples, and they started to ask Jesus one by one, “Is it I?” Judas himself asked “Surely not I, Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:25)

Perhaps Judas thought he had fooled Jesus. But Jesus whispered to him, “Yes, it is you.”

Imagine the look of shock that must have come on Judas’ face. He was totally exposed. Perhaps he was afraid that Jesus would now denounce him before his disciples and have him killed.

At about that time, Peter nudged John and said, “Ask Jesus who he’s talking about.” (John 13:24)

When John did, Jesus replied, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” (John 13:26)

He then (in the eyes of the other disciples watching) honored Judas once again by offering a morsel of bread to Judas.

To everyone except John, they must have been thinking, “Wow, Judas is more special than we thought!”

Judas himself must have been wondering at all this honor that Jesus was bestowing upon him. Maybe he thought he had misunderstood Jesus. Then Jesus told him,

What you are about to do, do quickly. (John 13:27)

And Judas quickly realized that Jesus knew exactly what was in his heart. And he went to betray Jesus.

What can we learn from this? Two things.

There are people that will betray us. That will hurt us. And it is easy to get bitter against them. To dishonor them as they have dishonored us.

But just as Jesus honored his betrayer, we are to show the same kind of honor and respect to them.

At the same time, however, we should know exactly what kind of person they are. We should not deceive ourselves about their nature. And we should protect ourselves from them.

When you look at the life of Jesus, he always did this. When people sought to kill him, he got out of there. The only time he didn’t was with Judas, and that was because it was his whole purpose to die. His time had finally come.

But God generally does not call us to submit to abuse from others if we don’t have to. Stay away. Keep your distance.

And if that’s not possible for some reason, keep your armor up around them. The chances of them hurting you deeply is much less if you have not fooled yourself concerning their character.

That said, we are called to forgive them. And even more, to treat them with respect and honor. As Peter wrote,

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)

Categories
John John 13

Getting our feet cleaned

John

One more point from this story before I go on.

As Jesus went to wash Peter’s feet, Peter exclaimed,

No…you shall never wash my feet. (John 13:8)

When Jesus replied that Peter would have no part with him if he refused, Peter then went over the top as he usually did, and said,

Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well! (9)

But Jesus replied,

A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you. (10)

What was Jesus saying?

He was telling Peter, “Because you have put your faith in me, you are already clean. Once you’ve been made clean from your past sins, the only thing that you need to deal with is the sin you accumulate as you walk through this life every day.”

The same is true with us. When we come to Jesus and put our faith in his work on the cross, he washes completely clean from all the sins of our past.

But each day, as we go through life, we get stained by sin once again. We do things that hurt God, hurt others, and hurt ourselves.

This does not mean that we are no longer Christians and need to be saved again. But it does mean that every day we need to come to Jesus so that we can be cleansed once again. Not for the sins of our past. But for our sins of the day.

And John tells us in his first epistle that when we do, that

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

I have to admit, I need to get my feet washed a lot more. Too many times, I forget to look back on my day and confess my sins. And that sin can put a barrier between me and God if I let it go unconfessed.

So let us make it a daily practice to come to Jesus and get our feet washed. To confess our sins, and to ask his forgiveness.

And if we do, he is faithful, and he will wash us clean.

Categories
John John 13

The ultimate servant

John

The Bible is full of pictures concerning Jesus and his work on the cross, starting from God’s promise of someone to come stomp on the serpent’s head even while getting his heel struck in the process, to Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, to the tabernacle sacrifices.

And this is not even including all the prophesies made by Isaiah, and the ones made by David in the Psalms.

And now, just before the cross, Jesus gave two more pictures.

One, of course, is communion which we’ll get to in a few blogs. But the other is right here in this passage. And because of the beauty of the picture Jesus painted, I would be remiss in not talking about it.

It says that Jesus got up from the meal, he took off his outer garments and wrapped a towel around his waist.

What was this a picture of? The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 2.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7)

Jesus, though he was God, made himself nothing. The NASB puts it this way, “He emptied himself.”

He took off the outer garments of his glory and became one of us. But not only did he become one of us, he wrapped a towel around his waist, and in so doing, took the very nature of a servant.

Paul goes on to say,

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8)

Just as Jesus humbled himself and washed the feet of his disciples, so did he humble himself, going to the cross, that our sins might be washed away by his blood.

That’s why when Peter objected to Jesus washing his feet, Jesus replied,

Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. (John 13:8)

In other words, “Peter, you’re messing with my picture here. Just as I am washing your feet, so will I need to wash away your sins. And unless you allow me to wash away your sins, you will have no part with me. You cannot have a relationship with me.”

After Jesus finished washing their feet, he then put his clothes back on and returned to his place at the head of the table. And in the same way, Paul tells us,

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and underr the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Now Jesus asks us the same thing that he asked his disciples.

Do you understand what I have done for you? (John 13:12)

Do you? Do you understand all that Jesus gave up and sacrificed for you so that your sins might be forgiven? If you do, then Jesus tells you,

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:13-15, 17)

Jesus was the ultimate servant. And he calls us to be like him. Are you?

Categories
John John 13 Luke Luke 22

True leadership

The gospels

Trying to harmonize the gospel accounts at this point is a little sticky. I get the impression that things were not always told in chronological order and that there were little asides thrown in.

This passage in Luke, in my opinion, is one of them.

It says that at the meal that the disciples started arguing with each other about who among them was the greatest.

I don’t know how this argument started, but at a guess, it started when they were deciding the seating arrangements after arriving at the upper room to celebrate the Passover.

In their culture, the person sitting to the right of Jesus would be considered the most important, and the person sitting to his left would be second most. And the further you sat away from Jesus, the less important you were considered.

And so it may be that they were arguing about who should sit next to Jesus.

Peter may have been saying, “Hey I’m the leader of all you guys. I should sit there.”

John may have replied, “Yeah, but Jesus loves me more.”

Even Judas might have gotten into the act. “Everyone knows I’m the most important. I handle all the money.”

How long Jesus watched this, I don’t know, but perhaps after everyone finally settled down into their places, with some still grumbling about where they were sitting, Jesus did something that shocked them all.

It was customary in situations like this meal, that someone would wash the feet of the others. With everyone wearing sandals on dirt roads, feet could get pretty filthy.

Usually, a servant would do the washing, but in circumstances where a servant wasn’t present, typically it was the lowest person on the totem pole who would do this.

John, being the youngest, might have been expected to do so. But he apparently somehow managed to weasel his way right next to Jesus (John 13:23) and was not about to give up his place to do a “servant’s job.”

And after this big blowup, none of the others were inclined to do so either.

Jesus could have rebuked them. But instead, Jesus “showed them the full extent of his love.” (John 13:1)

He got up, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, and started washing their feet and drying them.

How embarrassed the disciples must have been that Jesus was doing the job that one of them should have been doing.

After Jesus had finished, he sat down and asked them,

Do you understand what I have done for you… You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. (John 13:12-14)

He continued,

The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest and the one who rules like the one who serves.

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table?

But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:25-27)

He then concluded,

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:15-17)

What was Jesus telling them? These were the men that Jesus had chosen to have great responsibility.

The day will come when they will sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. They will have the privilege of sitting at Jesus’ table and eating and drinking with him. (Luke 22:28-30)

But as he had pointed out earlier, leadership is not about lording it over people. It’s about servanthood.

Jesus served them by washing their feet. Jesus served them and all of us by dying for our sins. So now he tells us that as leaders we are to do the same.

And Jesus tells us that the true blessing of leadership comes not from all the “privileges” we receive as leaders. It comes not from exercising our authority over others and telling them what to do. Rather it comes from serving as Jesus did.

That’s what leadership is all about.

How do you see leadership? As being served? Or as serving others?

Categories
Luke Luke 22 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

Room for the master

The gospels

Jesus’ final public appearances (of his own volition, anyway) are now over. And he now knows that the time of his arrest and crucifixion is close at hand.

But before that happens, Jesus prepares to have one last meal with his disciples.

It’s kind of an unusual account that’s given concerning the preparations for the Passover meal.

Did Jesus supernaturally know that a man would be carrying a jar of water around (something only women generally did)?

Or had he worked out an arrangement and a special signal ahead of time with the parents of John Mark (the author of the book of Mark)?

Whatever the case, when the disciples entered the house, they found the upper room furnished and ready for them.

It’s very interesting to me that at the time of Jesus’ birth, there was no room for him. But now, just before his death, there was a room already prepared and ready for him.

How about your heart? Is it always prepared and ready for whatever Jesus wants to do in it?

Or is it so cluttered with sin or your own desires that it’s impossible for him to make use of it?

Lord, may there always be room in my heart for you. More, may my heart be cleared out from any clutter that would prevent you from doing what you want to accomplish in me and through me.

May my life always be used for your glory. In your name I pray, amen.

Categories
John John 12 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

True love, false love

The gospels

Here we see a stark contrast in love. One person’s love came from the heart. The other’s came only for what profited him.

Jesus was in Bethany having dinner at the house of a man named Simon. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were all there, as were Jesus’ disciples.

And at the meal, Mary took some expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet and on his head.

Judas’ reaction was immediate.

Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. (John 12:5)

And apparently, the other disciples chimed in with Judas.

John tells us, however, that Judas’ love and concern for the poor was not genuine. Instead,

He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:6)

But of Mary, Jesus said,

Leave her alone… Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.

I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. (Mark 14:6-9)

Judas’ reaction? He went to the chief priests and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

We will always wonder why Judas decided to do this, but I don’t think it was simply because Jesus rebuked him in front of the disciples.

I think it went much deeper than that: His love for Jesus (and for others) apparently didn’t go much further than what it benefited him.

As treasurer among the disciples, he was happy to give to the poor as long as he could help himself to some of the money himself. And as a disciple, he was happy to follow Jesus as long as it seemed Jesus would become king.

But time and again, Jesus talked not about ruling as Messiah, but of his death. Perhaps frustrated and fed up with this, Judas thought, “Fine, if you want to die, die.”

And he went to betray him.

Mary’s love, on the other hand, came from her heart. And unlike Judas, who followed Jesus for what he could get, she loved Jesus enough to give him what was precious to her.

I love what John said about what happened when she opened the bottle of perfume. He said,

The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:3)

And that’s what our love for Jesus and others should be like. It should permeate the world around us. It should be so evident, that no one can miss it. Some people, like Judas, will criticize us for it. But to Jesus, it’s a sweet-smelling aroma.

How about you? Is your love selfish, only interested in what you can gain? Or is it a sweet-smelling aroma to Jesus and the world around you?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 25

Parable of the sheep and goats: How we treat others

Matthew

Jesus finishes his dialogue on the end times with this last story. And it talks about the final judgment following the tribulation.

At that time, God will judge the nations, separating the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Considering the context, it seems God will specifically judge the nations for how they treat his people during the tribulation.

Some, who out of their love for God and faith in Jesus, work to help them in their time of need will be blessed and welcomed into the kingdom.

But those who participate in their persecution, or who simply turn a blind eye to them will be condemned.

But there’s a broader application that we can get from this. For as much as people will be judged for how they treat God’s people during that time, we will be judged for how we treat them in the here and now.

Jesus said,

The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:34-36)

And when these people asked when they did such a thing for him, the King will reply,

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:40)

But to those who did not help others in their time of need, he will say,

I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Matthew 25:45)

When we see our brothers and sisters in Christ in need, how do we react? Do we reach out to them in the love of God? If we do, we do so to Christ.

But Jesus says that if we instead turn a blind eye to them, we are turning a blind eye to Christ and we will be held accountable for it.

John wrote,

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)

Jesus has given us so much. He laid down his own life to give us life. How then can we not do the same for others?

Let us turn a blind eye to Jesus no longer, but reach out and touch the lives of those he loved enough to die for.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 25

Parable of the talents: Being faithful

Matthew

The second parable in this chapter goes to the point that Jesus brought up earlier. That we need to be faithful, doing the things that God has called us to do until he returns.

In this story, Jesus talks about a man who gave money to three different servants to invest.

To one, he gave five talents (a talent was a measure of weight for precious metals, usually 58-80 pounds) of silver, to another 2 talents, and to the last servant he gave one.

And it says that he gave to them, each according to their ability.

In the same way, God has given us different talents (not money, but abilities) and resources. He does not give them equally to us, but rather according to what we can handle.

And like the story, God requires us to use and invest what he has given us. If we are faithful, doing what he’s asked us to do until he returns, then like the master in the story, he will tell us,

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:21)

In the story, the master said this to two of his servants.

But there was a third servant, who instead of investing what his master had entrusted to him, buried it in the ground. And when his master returned, he had nothing to show for what he had been entrusted.

Why? Probably more than anything because he did not honor his master.

He saw his master as unfair, as a man who merely leached off the work of others. And he feared that his master would be unfair in judging him were he to try to invest, but instead lose everything.

Many people look at God the same way. They don’t truly honor him.

They see him as unfair. They see him as too harsh. They throw all kinds of criticisms his way. And they use these criticisms as an excuse to live for themselves, instead of investing what God gave them and living for him.

This will especially happen in the last days when everything is falling apart. Earthquakes, famines, wars, and plagues.

And people, even more than they do now, will throw criticisms God’s way, rather than turning from their sin and serving him.

But when Jesus comes back, they’ll find out that all their criticisms and excuses are empty.

They’ll realize that God is completely fair and just, and that it was they who were wrong. It was they who were selfish, wicked, and lazy. And they will be judged for that.

Part of faith is believing that God is good. That though there is evil in this world, it is not God who is evil. That though there is injustice in the world, it is not God who is unjust.

Rather it is we who have made a mess of things.

But as long as we fail to honor God and criticize him for the mess we made, we will make all kinds of excuses for why we need not be faithful with all he has given us.

How about you? How do you see God?

Do you honor him enough to honor him with your life? Do you honor him enough to be faithful and use what he’s given you to make a difference in this world as he has called you to?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 25

Parable of the ten virgins: Being ready

Matthew

In this chapter, we see two parables on what Jesus was just talking about, watching for his return and also doing the things he’s asked us to do until he comes.

In this first parable, I think it’s easy to try to over-interpret each facet of the parable, and I think we can get into trouble trying to do so.

The main point, again, is that we are to watch and be ready for when Jesus comes back, because he will come back when we don’t expect it.

That’s what happened with these bridesmaids.

The bridegroom had gone to the bride’s house and was due to return to his home for the wedding banquet, and so everyone was waiting for his return.

But for some reason, it took more time than they expected, and so when the bridegroom finally came, they were fast asleep.

Awakened from their slumber, the bridesmaids quickly realized that their lamps were going out and needed more oil.

Five of them were ready for such a situation and quickly refilled their lamps.

The other five, however, were not ready and as a result, had to go out and buy more oil and by the time they came back, the doors were shut, and they could not enter.

The point? Some thought they were ready and were not, while others were truly ready for the bridegroom’s return.

Those who were ready were able to join the banquet, while the rest were shut out.

Many Jews will be like this when Jesus finally returns. They have been yearning for the Messiah for so long. And some will be ready; they will have already acknowledged Jesus as Messiah, been filled with his Spirit, and be ready to enter the kingdom when Jesus comes.

But others, though they claim to be waiting for the Messiah, are not ready. And they will find that out when Jesus returns. That the Messiah they’d been waiting for had been Jesus all along.

But when they find out, it will be too late, and they will be locked out of his kingdom.

But the same can be said of the rest of us. Many people claim to be Christians but have never truly received him as Lord and Savior. Rather, they merely have the “form of godliness but deny its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5)

They claim to follow Christ, but in their hearts, merely live for themselves. And when Jesus returns, they’ll realize that they are not ready for his return, and will find themselves locked out of his kingdom.

How about you? Are you ready for when Jesus returns? There is only one way. The apostle Paul wrote,

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Are you ready for our Lord’s return?

Categories
Luke Luke 21 Mark Mark 13 Matthew Matthew 24

Being ready whenever

The gospels

There are a lot of people concerned about when Jesus will return. And over the years, many people have predicted when he will come back.

I remember back in my high school days, a book came out called, “88 reasons why the rapture will happen in 1988.”

Needless to say, it never happened. Not that it stopped the author from making more futile predictions.

For some reason, such people seem to ignore the words of Jesus who said,

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:32)

God has his plans, and he hasn’t chosen to reveal to us when Jesus will return. What he has given us is signs to look for, which we’ve already talked about.

And he’s given us an admonition that too few Christians follow today: watch, and be ready.

Jesus said,

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.

If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ (Mark 13:33-37)

I know I mentioned this yesterday, but considering that Jesus repeats the same admonition 4 times in the same passage, I figure it can’t hurt to repeat it again.

A lot of Christians argue about when Jesus will rapture the church. Will it be before the great tribulation? Will it be in the middle? Will it be after?

I’m not saying these things aren’t important. What I am saying is that it’s not so important when Jesus is coming, but to be ready whenever he comes. And if you are ready whenever he comes, you’ll never be caught by surprise.

That is the whole point of what Jesus is saying here.

So before you start arguing about pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib, or premillenial, postmillenial, or amillenial, ask yourself one question: If Jesus were to come today, am I ready?

Am I doing the things that he has asked me to do? If he were to come today, what would he say to me?

And if you have that question settled, everything else will work itself out.

So…are you ready?

Categories
Luke Luke 21 Mark Mark 13 Matthew Matthew 24

Until our Lord returns

The gospels

The Lord talks a lot about the events that will occur before he returns. And the thing that you get from all he says is that things will get worse before he returns. A lot worse.

There will be wars, earthquakes, and famines. And because of all these troubles, false prophets will arise, trying to bring hope, but instead deceiving many. And if that weren’t bad enough, Antichrist will appear.

The result? Persecution.

There will be a persecution of the Jews in particular, but also of any who follow Christ, leading to a great falling away from the faith.

You won’t see what you see today with many people claiming to be Christians, all the while living as they please.

And because of all the wickedness surrounding them, the love of most will grow cold.

Trust, I believe will be in short supply as well, as people will be turning on each other, especially on those who are following God.

And then celestial phenomena will start to occur that will further shake people’s hearts.

But just when things reach their worst, Jesus will appear and bring an end to these things, and his kingdom will finally come.

Having said all this, Jesus gives us warning and encouragement.

The first warning he gives is to be careful of false Christs.

When Christ comes, he’ll come from the sky and the whole world will see his coming. So don’t waste your time running after rumors.

And though people may come with great signs and wonders, if they claim to be Christ, don’t believe them. For that is exactly how the Antichrist will come, performing signs and wonders, deceiving many. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9)

He then warns us and encourages not to lose hope through this time of trouble, but to be ever watchful doing what he has called us to do. He says first,

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:28)

In other words, don’t fret when these things happen. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t lose hope. Because all these things mean that Jesus is truly coming soon.

But then he says,

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. (Luke 21:34)

It will be so easy in those days to fall into discouragement and depression from all the evil you see around you. And so Jesus says to be careful not to let that happen to you.

He also warns us not to become jaded and cynical, and to start thinking that Jesus will never return because of all the evil we see.

Instead, we are to continue waiting in hope. Waiting in terms of watching for his return. But also waiting in terms of serving him and doing the things he has asked of us.

If we do, we’ll be rewarded. If we don’t, we will be punished. (Matthew 24:46-51)

I know that there are a lot of people thinking, “Well, this isn’t really for me. I’ll be raptured by then.”

I certainly hope you’re right. But if the day comes that you see the Antichrist, then know that these words are not only for the Jews. They are not only for those who become Christians at that time. They are for you.

And no matter what happens, no matter what trials we may go through, let us keep watching for our Lord, serving him faithfully until he returns.

Categories
Luke Luke 21 Mark Mark 13 Matthew Matthew 24

A sign of things to come

The gospels

I mentioned in my last blog that this is one of the more difficult passages in scripture, and part of the difficulty comes in the harmonizing of it.

Jesus had just told the disciples that the temple was going to be destroyed, and troubled by this revelation, the disciples asked when this would happen and what would be the sign of his coming and the end of the age.

I’m trying to think of this from their perspective.

At this point, it still had not sunk in that Jesus had to die and be raised to life. It had never even crossed their minds that Jesus would ascend to heaven and depart from them.

So when they asked about his coming, they weren’t asking when he would come back from heaven. They were probably asking when he would set up his kingdom.

They had heard all the prophesies of the “Day of the Lord” from the Old Testament. A day of judgment for the nations, and a time when Israel would be restored.

But now Jesus was saying that this temple would be destroyed. The Day of the Lord could not certainly happen before that.

And yet, that very week, they had heard the people in Jerusalem shouting “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”

As a result, they were understandably confused.

The truth is, I’m still working through all Jesus said in his answer. And as time has gone on, my perspective has changed on what it means from when I first wrote this particular article, and thus a slight revision has been made.

At any rate, in Luke’s account, Jesus talks about how in the future, there would be false Christs, wars, and disasters. But he warned the disciples that before these things happened, they would be persecuted and even be put to death.

All this happened in the book of Acts. We also see when they were put on trial, the Holy Spirit gave them the words to speak in such a way that their opponents couldn’t answer them, just as Jesus promised.

He then warned that when they saw armies surrounding Jerusalem, to get out of there because Jerusalem would be destroyed and the people taken captive. And he talked about how terrible it would be for those women who would be pregnant or nursing at that time.

All this happened in AD 70, and most if not all the Christians at that time took Jesus’ warning and were not there when Jerusalem was destroyed, while many other Jews stayed in Jerusalem thinking it was their only hope for safety.

In Matthew and Mark, we also see Jesus referring to an abomination that causes desolation standing in the temple.

The book of Daniel refers to this event, and it was originally fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes set up an idol of Zeus in the temple and then sacrificed a pig on the altar of God.

There was no such desecration of the altar when the temple fell in AD 70, but there are Bible scholars that feel (and I agree) that during the destruction of the temple, the Romans nevertheless defiled it, albeit in a different way from Antiochus, and that fulfilled Jesus’ prophesy.

And Jesus said of that time,

Those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. (Mark 13:19)

I originally felt that at this point, Jesus couldn’t be talking about Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70, as I felt that the future tribulation to come would be much worse.

But when you look at history and all that actually happened in Jerusalem at that time, I’m not so sure anymore.

All that said, I still think the things that happened in Jerusalem in AD 70 were a sign for what will happen in the future. After all, we see some of those things happening now.

Even now, we see wars and rumors of wars. We see famines, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. We see false Christs popping up all over the place. We see persecution.

And all this will not end until Jesus comes again. And when he comes, all will know it because he will appear in the sky for all to see, and at that time he will call his elect to him.

I know that many people think that Jesus will rapture all Christians before Antichrist even comes. I certainly hope so. I’m willing to be convinced. But I wouldn’t count on it.

Whatever you believe, here’s the point I want you to remember: Jesus’ words concerning Jerusalem came true, exactly as he had said. We see his words coming true even today.

And so when he says he will come again, we can know it’s true. Because he said so. Jesus said,

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Luke 21:33)

So no matter what trouble we may suffer through, let us wait in hope, and be ready whenever he does come.

Categories
Luke Luke 21 Mark Mark 13 Matthew Matthew 24

When our temple becomes corrupt

The gospels

We now come to one of the more difficult passages in scripture.

I want to say straight off that if you’re hoping to get all the answers for what all this means, I don’t have them.

There are other people much more qualified to espouse their views on the matter of whether pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, are correct and all that goes with it.

More than anything, as I have through my blogs, I want to stay with what’s clear and what things mean practically for us.

(Although I’m sure all the pundits for the different positions will argue that the scriptures are clear about their positions).

Today, though, I want to look at what started this whole discourse.

After this final day of arguing with the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus’ disciples said concerning the temple,

Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings! (Mark 13:1)

And indeed from the outside, the temple was beautiful indeed. But Jesus quickly doused their enthusiasm by saying,

Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down. (Mark 13:2)

That was exactly what happened. When the temple was attacked in A.D. 70, a fire started, and the gold from the roof melted into the cracks of the walls of the temple.

As a result, the commander of the attack ordered that the temple be dismantled stone by stone so as to retrieve all of the gold.

Why did this happen? We saw the answer earlier.

While the temple looked beautiful on the outside, and though there were certainly some good things that happened on the inside, nevertheless, the corruption was so great that it could not stand.

There was greed (as seen in the cleansing of the temple), and even worse, a rejection of the very God they claimed to serve.

They couldn’t even recognize him when he stood right there among them. Rather, they were determined to kill him.

All of us as Christians are God’s temples. But how often have we seen high-profile Christians, particularly in ministry, fall because of corruption. And not just fall, but fall utterly, with “not one stone left on another.”

But before we start judging others, we need to look at our own temples. What is there? Is there any hint of corruption? Greed? Hypocrisy? Jealousy? Pride?

These things in particular were in the temple of Jerusalem. Are they in your temple?

What about other things that can corrupt a temple? Lust? Bitterness? Unforgiveness?

And are there things that should be in your temple, but aren’t? Things like love and mercy?

Our temples might look good to those who see us from the outside. We might seem to be shining examples of what a Christian should be.

But if our temples are corrupt, eventually, they will utterly collapse and be exposed for what they really are.

What’s in your temple?

Categories
Luke Luke 21 Mark Mark 12

What God is looking for

The gospels

After the blistering criticism Jesus gave the Pharisees, he settled back, and quietly started to watch the people walking past the place where offerings were put.

A number of rich people walked past, and with great ceremony dumped in large amounts of money. And perhaps as they did, Jesus’ face twisted in consternation.

Person after person walked by, giving their offerings, but somehow, I imagine Jesus’ face only grew darker.

And then a poor widow walked by.

Unlike many of those who had dropped in their offerings, this woman only dropped in two coins. There was no pride in it. No seeking of attention. I imagine there was only a heart filled with love and gratefulness toward God.

At this, Jesus’ face lit up. And he quickly pointed her out to the disciples, telling them,

I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. (Mark 12:43)

The disciples must have thought Jesus was out of his mind. They probably said, “Jesus, what are you talking about? You can barely buy anything with what that woman gave!”

But Jesus replied,

They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on. (Mark 12:44)

I don’t think it’s coincidence that Jesus pointed this woman out after all he had said about the Pharisees and teachers of the law. He had just scathed them for all their hypocrisy, because all of their righteousness was merely for show.

And so when he finally found the kind of person that God was really looking for, he said to his disciples, “This is what I’m talking about. This is the kind of person God is looking for.”

What kind of person was that? A person whose heart truly belonged to God.

A heart that didn’t worry about what others thought about her. A heart that didn’t cling to what was hers. But a heart that said, “Here I am. Here’s what I have. I give it to you.”

How about you? Is that the kind of heart you have?

Can Jesus point to you and say, “Here is a person whose heart is mine?”

Categories
Matthew Matthew 23

When we reject those sent to us

Matthew

Nobody likes to be rebuked. To be told you’re wrong. But how do you respond when you are?

The Pharisees followed the long line of their ancestors throughout Israel’s history. Instead of listening and repenting when rebuked, they turned on those sent to them.

They turned on Jesus, murdering him, and they turned on his disciples, all the while claiming that they would never have murdered the prophets that their ancestors murdered long before.

And so Jesus said,

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. (Matthew 23:33-36)

Jesus then wept, saying,

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Look, your house is left to you desolate.

For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ (Matthew 23:37-39)

And that’s what happened. Within a generation of the people that murdered Christ, Israel fell, their beloved temple demolished until this very day.

What happens when we reject those God sends to us to rebuke us? Ultimately, our lives will fall apart. And we will be judged.

God takes no pleasure in this. He weeps over it. But there can be no life, there can be peace until we acknowledge him as Lord over all in our lives.

Solomon wrote,

Faithful are the wounds of a friend. (Proverbs 27:6, NASB)

The truth can hurt. It can be painful to hear. But if we take it to heart, it can bring healing.

What do you do when you are rebuked?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 23

Cleaning out the inside

Matthew

Jesus continues his scathing of the Pharisees and teachers of the law by saying,

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.

In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:25-28)

Scathing indeed. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were held up as so righteous by the people. But Jesus exposes every filthy thing in their hearts, their greed, their self-indulgence, and their utter hypocrisy.

He called them whitewashed tombs which look so beautiful on the outside, but are filled with rotting bones on the inside.

How about you? What would Jesus say about you if he saw you? Would he call you a whitewashed tomb? A cup that is clean on the outside and filthy on the inside?

It is so easy to put up a front. In fact the word “hypocrite” originally came from the word for “actor.”

But God looks beyond your exterior to your heart. And when he does, what does he see?

For that matter, what do you see? Can you even see the areas in your heart that are ugly in the sight of God? Or are you so blind that while you can see everyone else’s sin, you can’t even see your own?

I suppose the real test is this: Do you feel compassion for those “sinners” around you because you know just how much mercy you yourself have received from God, and continue to receive day by day?

Or do you just feel utter contempt for them, thinking, “I would never do something like that!”

What is in your heart? What needs to be cleaned out from your cup?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 23

Remembering what’s important

Matthew

It’s really sad the reputation that a lot of Christians have in the world, particularly in the States.

Some of it is the natural response of the world to people who love the Lord. Jesus did say that there would be people who hate us because of him.

But I wonder sometimes how often Christians get a bad reputation, not because they are following Jesus, but because they’ve forgotten what’s important.

Many of these Christians go to church every Sunday, perhaps go to a Bible study during the week as well, they read their Bibles and pray daily, and they are very loud in their championing of Christian values.

There was a group very similar to that in Jesus’ time: The Pharisees and teachers of the law. Yet Jesus said of them,

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin.

But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.

You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:23-24)

Jesus adds another thing they neglected in Luke 11:42, “the love of God.”

Jesus said in another passage that the world would know that we are his disciples by the love that we have for one another. (John 13:35).

I suppose the question I have, not just for you but for me, is this: “Is my life marked by the love and mercy of God?”

When people look at me, do they see these things flowing from me? Do they know that I truly do care for them? Do they see the compassion I have for them?

Or do they merely see a person who constantly condemns them and their lifestyle?

When people see me at work, do they see a person of integrity, a person who does what is right even when it hurts me?

Do they see a person who is faithful at what he does, or someone who slacks off whenever he can?

If people don’t see these things in our lives, the condemnation and criticism we receive from the world will be well deserved. And sadly, they may never come to Christ because of it.

And while God will hold them accountable for the decisions they made, we also will be held accountable for giving them the opportunity to blaspheme God and to hold him in contempt. (2 Samuel 12:14)

How about you? What’s coming out of your life? Love? Mercy? Justice? Faithfulness?

These are what is important to God.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 23

Loopholes

loopholes

I’ve mentioned before the different problems of legalism.

Here we see another problem. People who are legalistic tend to try to find loopholes. They may keep the letter of the law (as they see it), but try to find ways to avoid keeping its spirit.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were masters of this, and we see an example here that Jesus brings up.

The law said that you were to keep oaths that you made to God. But these men made all kinds of rules of what that actually meant.

If you said, “I swear by the temple,” you weren’t bound by your oath, but if you said, “I swear by the gold of the temple,” you were required to keep it.

If you said, “I swear by God’s altar,” you weren’t bound by your oath, but if you said, “I swear by this gift on the altar,” you were.

And Jesus points out the utter fallacy of this way of thinking.

It is the temple that makes the gold holy, not the reverse.

It is not the gift that makes the altar holy; rather, it’s the altar that makes the gift holy.

Lest the Pharisees try to squirm out from under that concept, he goes on to say that if you swear by the temple, you’re swearing by God who dwells there.

And if you swear by heaven, you swear by God’s throne and by God himself.

What was Jesus’ point?

Just do what’s right.

When God said, “Keep your oaths that you have made to me,” the point wasn’t that it’s okay to break your oath if it isn’t made in God’s name.

While keeping your oaths is certainly important, the real point was that your word is important. If you say you’re going to do something, do it.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law focused on “oaths to God” rather than “keeping your oath.”

In so doing, they “strained the gnat,” in making rules on what “oaths to God” meant, and “swallowed the camel” by consistently breaking their other oaths. (Matthew 23:24)

How about you? Do you have a heart that truly wants to please God and do what’s right? Or do you have a heart that only does so grudgingly, and is always looking for loopholes?

You cannot please God by claiming to find loopholes and slipping through them in your daily life.

Let’s get rid of that kind of attitude.

Rather, let’s do what we know in our hearts God has told us to do.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 23

When those who teach are bad

Matthew

For some reason, one of the English teachers in the Japanese high school I teach at was showing Karate Kid 2 to his students yesterday.

I can’t say much for the film, but the one character I really like is Mr. Miyagi, the mentor to Daniel who was his karate student.

What does Karate Kid 2 have to do with this blog? Absolutely nothing. But the original Karate Kid does.

In the original (and much better film), Daniel asked Mr. Miyagi why the karate students who bullied him acted the way they did. Mr. Miyagi answered, “No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher.”

Now I don’t know that I completely agree with this statement, but there is some truth to it.

When a teacher is bad, then those who follow him or her will almost inevitably go down the same path.

That’s what you see in this passage. Jesus continues his scathing of the Pharisees and teachers of the law by saying,

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to…

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. (Matthew 23:13-15)

These teachers of the law and Pharisees had a lot of problems. They were hypocritical, legalistic, and completely blind to what was truly important to God.

The result? All their students were the same way, and even worse. You see this in Saul of Tarsus before his conversion.

What can we learn from this?

First, as a teacher, what are you like? The apostle James wrote,

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)

While James is primarily talking about what we teach, he is also talking about our lives. As teachers, we cannot be like the Pharisees and teachers of the law who did not practice what they preached. (Matthew 23:3)

So if you’re a teacher, are you living what you say? Or are you hypocritical?

And as you teach and live your life, do you always keep in mind what is most important to God? Justice. Mercy. And faithfulness.

For what we need to remember is that God will not only hold you responsible for what you teach and how you live, but to the degree that you are faithful to the position he put you in, he’ll hold you responsible for the kinds of students you produce as well.

The other question you need to ask is who is your teacher?

How is he living his life? What kinds of things is he teaching? Because if you are not wise in choosing your teacher, you’ll be going down the same road as they are, and that can be disastrous.

Who are you listening to at church? Who are you listening to on podcasts? Whose books are you reading?

Teachers are responsible for what they teach, but you are responsible for what you let in.

So as I’ve said before, I’ll say again,

Test everything. Hold on to the good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Categories
Luke Luke 20 Mark Mark 12 Matthew Matthew 23

A wrong view of leadership

The gospels

What is leadership? What is leadership not?

In a scathing criticism of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus gives us insight into what true leadership is about.

He first warned the disciples and the crowds,

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you.

But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. (Matthew 23:1-2).

Here, Jesus tells the people that though they were to respect the offices of authority, nevertheless they were not to do what the teachers of the law and Pharisees did because they didn’t practice what they preached.

Oh, they kept all the minor details of the laws, as well as the traditions of the elders, but when it came down to what was most important, justice, mercy, and faithfulness, they failed miserably. And it showed in how they treated the people, and how they related to God.

It also showed in how they viewed leadership. They saw it merely as telling the people what to do, not serving them. Jesus said of them,

They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. (Matthew 23:4).

These men poured out law upon law, rule upon rule on the people.

But when people started to crumble under the burden of guilt for not being able to keep all these things, they didn’t encourage them; they didn’t pray for them; they didn’t think how to help them. Rather, they condemned them.

They also saw it as a point of pride to be in that position.

Their phylacteries (boxes that held writings of scripture in them) were wide and their tassels which also had scriptures written on them were long so that all the world would be impressed by their spirituality.

They then abused their position for financial gain. Jesus said, “They devour widows’ houses,” probably meaning that they used the respect they gained from their position to get money from the widows.

They also gloried in being called “teacher” or “father” by those around them because it showed their high position among the people. But Jesus said,

But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.

And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. (Matthew 23:8-10).

And that’s what a leader is to remember. Titles are nice to have, but in reality, all of us are equal, and God is the only one who is truly above all.

Yet even God came down to earth as a servant. He healed the sick, he brought good news to the poor and downtrodden, and then he died on a cross to take the punishment for all of our sins. And that is the attitude that leaders are to take.

Jesus said,

The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12).

True leaders are servants. They don’t look for what they can gain in terms of respect, pride, or money. Rather, they are willing to sacrifice all for the sake of the people around them.

What kind of leader are you?

Categories
Luke Luke 20 Mark Mark 12 Matthew Matthew 22

Son of David, Son of God

The gospels

Perhaps tiring of the hypocrisy of those questioning him, Jesus posed his own question to them that ultimately shut them up. He said,

What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? (Matthew 22:42a)

This was an easy question for the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and they immediately answered,

The son of David. (Matthew 22:42b)

Then Jesus challenged their thinking of who the Christ, the Messiah really was. He asked,

How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him “Lord”?

For he says, “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.'”

If then David calls him “Lord,” how can he be his son? (Matthew 22:43-45)

The answer is simple. Jesus is not simply the Son of Man (namely David), he is also the Son of God. As a man, he was the son of David. But as the Son of God, he was also David’s Lord.

But this was something the Pharisees and teachers of the law could not see. Or perhaps did not want to see.

There are many people like that today. They are willing to see Jesus as the son of man. A good person. A great teacher even. But they are unwilling to acknowledge him as Son of God.

But Jesus is not simply a son of man. He is the Son of God. And as such, he is worthy of our honor, our trust, and obedience. More, he is the only way to the Father.

How about you? How do you see Jesus?

Categories
Mark Mark 12 Matthew Matthew 22

What we need to understand to enter the kingdom

The gospels

Of all the people that had come to question Jesus, there was one that seemed to be impressed with what Jesus had to say. And so he asked Jesus,

Of all the commandments, which is the most important? (Mark 12:28)

Jesus answered,

The most important one…is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is no commandment greater than these.

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Mark 12:29-31 and Matthew 22:40)

In other words, if you keep these two laws, to love God with everything you have and you love your neighbor as yourself, you will have kept all of the laws. All of the laws are summed up in those two commands.

The man questioning Jesus answered,

Well said, teacher…You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12:32-33)

This man was unique among the other Pharisees and teachers of the law in that he understood that it was not enough to be ritually clean.

He understood that to please God meant going beyond the letter of the law to the spirit beneath it, to love God and to love others. And if you don’t do these two things, all the “righteous” things you do are worthless.

When Jesus saw the man understood this, he said,

You are not far from the kingdom of God. (Mark 12:34)

Notice he didn’t say, “Good job. You are now part of the kingdom!”

Rather, he said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

What was this man lacking? He was lacking one further insight. That none of us keep these two commandments perfectly. And because of that, we need a Savior.

Once this man realized that and put his faith in Jesus, then Jesus could say, “Welcome to the kingdom.”

And that’s what all of us need to realize. None of us are good enough to earn our way into heaven. Because no matter how hard we may try, all of us fail in loving God or loving others in one way or another.

That’s why Jesus came. He died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin. He then rose again three days later, and if we will put our faith in him, then and only then will we be saved.

Have you done that? If not, will you do it today?

Lord Jesus, I realize that I have sinned. I have not loved you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And I haven’t loved my neighbor as myself. Instead, I have hurt you and others through my actions. Forgive me.

Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and taking my punishment. Now come and be Lord of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Luke Luke 20 Mark Mark 12 Matthew Matthew 22

When we fail to understand the scriptures and the power of God

The gospels

There’s a children’s song that humorously describes the Sadducees. It says, “I don’t wanna be a Sadducee, ’cause a Sadducee is ‘sad, you see?'”

Yes, I know, a very bad joke. 🙂

Nevertheless, they were a sad bunch of people because of one main thing. They had no hope for a resurrection. They thought this life was all we have.

And because of that, it shaped the way they saw God, the way they saw life, and the way they saw scripture.

They didn’t understand God’s power, nor his desire for a lasting relationship with us.

They didn’t understand that life goes beyond the grave, and so they were more interested in the power and influence they had on earth, as well as their wealth.

As a result of these things, it also affected the way they saw scripture. They only accepted the first five books of the Bible as scripture, and rejected everything else as divinely inspired.

They therefore came up to Jesus with a question that had apparently stumped the Pharisees who did believe in the resurrection of the dead.

It was essentially an asinine question, although it brought up a situation that was technically possible.

In Jewish culture, if a person’s brother died without having a son, they would have to marry that brother’s wife and have children through her so that their brother’s family line could continue.

So the Sadducees asked Jesus if a man had 7 brothers, and this happened 6 times because the woman failed to have a son, whose wife would she be in the resurrection?

Like I said, an asinine question, on the level of asking, “Can God make a rock so big that he can’t move it?”

Jesus answered the Sadducees,

You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:29-30)

Then he stuck the needle in by using a passage from the book of Exodus that they had never really thought through (and most people don’t to this day).

He said,

But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

He is not the God of the dead but of the living. (Matthew 22:31-32)

In other words, God could have said, “I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

But he purposely said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even now, I am their God.”

Meaning, of course, that they were still alive, not dead, utterly destroying the Sadducees’ argument, using the only possible passage they would accept as scripture.

What does this mean for us? Let us not put God in a box that he has not put himself in.

In the Sadducees’ case, they had boxed him in as a God that could not raise the dead because they did not understand his power. And the reason they didn’t understand his power was because they did not understand scripture.

Let us not be like the Sadducees. Let us thoroughly study God’s word and seek to understand it.

And where it contradicts our ideas of God, let us not cast it aside as the Sadducees did. Rather, let it transform the way we think about God and cause us to draw closer to him.

Categories
Luke Luke 20 Mark Mark 12 Matthew Matthew 22

Giving to God what is his

The gospels

I hate paying taxes. When March rolls around (tax time in Japan), it’s not so bad in that I actually get money back (after the pain of filling out all the tax forms).

But when June rolls around, that’s when it really hurts because that’s when I have to pay property taxes as well as city and prefectural taxes.

Nobody likes paying taxes, but the Jews in Jesus’ day especially loathed it because they were paying it to their conquerors.

And so the Pharisees and Herodians thought they had come up with the perfect question to trap Jesus, saying,

Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (Luke 20:21-22)

If on one hand, Jesus said they shouldn’t pay taxes, the Herodians would have immediately reported Jesus to the Roman government accusing him of being an insurgent.

If on the other hand, Jesus said it was right to pay taxes, he would instantly lose popularity with the people.

Jesus, however, knew what they were trying to do. And once again, he answered a question with a question.

After having them pull out a coin that they would use to pay their taxes, he asked,

Whose portrait and inscription are on it? (Luke 20:24)

When they answered, “Caesar’s,” Jesus replied,

Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. (Luke 20:25)

What was Jesus saying? First, “You are using Caesar’s money, aren’t you? If you are using Caesar’s money, then isn’t it really his? Give to him what belongs to him.”

But he didn’t stop there. He said, “But make sure you give to God what belongs to him.”

In one short sentence, he both tactfully attacked what Rome claimed, and taught the people a very important lesson.

The Romans claimed that Caesar was God, and such was written on the inscription of the coin the people showed Jesus.

But Jesus clearly draws a distinction between Caesar and God. “Give to Caesar, the man, what is his. But make sure you give the only true God what belongs to him.”

It is the second point Jesus was making, however, that I want to focus on.

Just as the Roman coins had Caesar’s image and inscription on it, so we too have God’s image and inscription upon us.

The Bible says we were made in the image of God. And in II Corinthians 3:3, Paul tells us,

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

God has written his name upon our hearts, showing that we belong to him. And though his image upon us has been marred by our sin, nevertheless, through Christ,

We…are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

What am I saying? That we belong to him. And because we belong to him, we need to give to him what rightfully belongs to him. Not just our money. But our lives.

Are you giving to God what is rightfully his?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 22

Parable of the Wedding Feast: Entering God’s kingdom on his terms

Matthew

In this story, we see continued warnings from Jesus about rejecting him and the consequences of doing so.

He told the story of a king who invited people to his wedding banquet. But when all was ready, the would-be guests refused to come. Another translation puts it, “They were unwilling to come.”

And though time and again, the king sent messengers to plead with them to come, they “made light of it and went their ways.” (KJV).

More, they even turned violent, beating and killing those sent to them.

This was a picture of Israel as we’ve seen in the other parables, but it’s also a picture of how many respond to the gospel today.

God pleads with us to come into his kingdom. He himself makes all the preparations; all we have to do is come.

But many people make light of his invitation and go their own way. And some even abuse and persecute those who offer the invitation.

The result? Judgment and death.

The king then sent invitations to all, both good and bad. This is a picture of how after Israel rejected the gospel, the gospel was then taken to the whole world. And many who were invited responded and entered the kingdom.

But then we see a twist in the story.

As the king looked at those in the banquet, he noticed a person without wedding clothes. He was simply dressed as he wanted to be with no regard for the host’s requirements. The king went up to him and asked,

Friend…how did you get in here without wedding clothes? (Matthew 22:12)

The man had no answer and was cast out in the darkness, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 22:13).

In the same way, many people today hear God’s invitation to the kingdom, and they try to enter. But they try to enter on their own terms with no regard for God’s requirements.

What is God’s requirement for entering the kingdom? John tells us,

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

In other words, in order to enter the kingdom of God, we must be clothed with Jesus Christ. Apart from him, there can be no entering the kingdom.

But many people do not want to enter on God’s terms. They want to enter on their own, spitting on the very invitation God has sent them and the price Jesus paid on the cross that they might come.

We cannot do that.

You can either go to heaven on God’s terms or to hell on your own. There is no in-between.

How about you? Are you coming to God on his terms? Or are you trying to come to him on your own?

Categories
Luke Luke 20 Mark Mark 12 Matthew Matthew 21

Parable of the tenants: When we reject Jesus

The gospels

After nailing the leaders for their unbelief, he then told a parable warning them of what would happen if they didn’t repent.

And the start of it is very similar to Isaiah 5 in which God describes a vineyard that he planted, the vineyard representing Israel and Judah.

And in both cases, we see that the owner does not receive the fruit he deserves from the vineyard. The one difference is that Jesus places the blame specifically on the tenants who were put in charge of the vineyard.

The tenants, of course, were these very leaders that had rejected Jesus, and all those that had come before them.

They had been put in charge of the spiritual welfare of Israel that they might bear spiritual fruit for God. But instead, they became corrupted and failed in the charge they had been given.

Why? They failed to honor God, instead focusing on themselves. They focused on money, power, and the praise of man.

Is it any wonder that Israel failed to produce fruit when its very leaders failed in their responsibilities?

And so God sent his servants. Throughout Israel’s history, he sent prophet after prophet to warn and admonish the people. But time and again, the leaders of Israel rejected the prophets, beating and/or killing them.

Finally, God sent his Son. But now the leaders planned to kill the Son, hoping to take what rightfully belonged to him.

When Jesus asked the people what would happen to such people, the people replied,

[The owner] will bring those wretches to a wretched end…and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time. (Matthew 21:41)

Nevertheless, the people were astonished that such horrible people could exist, saying, “May this never be!” (Luke 20:16)

Jesus answered,

Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. (Matthew 21:42-44)

What was Jesus saying? He was saying that he is the one on whom everything rests. He is the cornerstone (probably a better translation than “capstone” here) of everything.

The cornerstone was always laid down first when constructing a building, and everything was built around it.

In the same way, Jesus is the one we are to build our lives and his kingdom around.

But the Jewish leaders rejected him, and so the kingdom of God would be given to those the leaders despised, the tax collectors, prostitutes, and the Gentiles who would turn to Jesus and embrace him as Savior.

The leaders, meanwhile, would be judged and lose everything.

How about you? How are you building your life? Are you building it on money? Possessions? Power? The things of this world? Or are you building it around Jesus? Is he the chief cornerstone of your life?

God has given you your life. You and all you have ultimately belong to him, and he will demand that you produce fruit in your life for his kingdom.

But you cannot produce fruit if you are living for yourself. And if you reject him who is the cornerstone, you, like the Jewish leaders will lose everything and be judged.

Who are you living for?

Categories
Luke Luke 20 Mark Mark 11 Matthew Matthew 21

When you’re too proud to admit you’re wrong

The gospels

It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong. I know I struggle with it at times. The reason? Pride. It takes a great deal of humility to simply say, “I was wrong.”

But if we want relationships that last, relationships with others and with God, we need that kind of humility.

This was exactly what the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not have. Time and again, Jesus clearly showed them they were wrong, and they simply could not bring themselves to admit it.

We see this several times over this last week of Jesus’ ministry before he went to the cross.

It starts here, however. The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders all came up to Jesus asking by what authority he had come to the temple and cleared it out.

Jesus, as was typical, answered their question with a question.

John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin? (Matthew 21:25)

Immediately, these men were in a quandary. If they said it was from heaven, then Jesus would say, “Why don’t you believe his words that I am the Messiah, then? If, however, you do accept them, then you know exactly where my authority comes from.”

On the other hand, they didn’t want to say it was from men because everyone else in Israel believed John was a prophet and would not stand for them denigrating him.

So, they answered, “We don’t know.”

And so Jesus said, “Fine. You don’t answer my question, I won’t answer yours.”

Then he told them a parable of two sons. One was asked by the father to do something, and he said “Sure,” but ended up doing nothing. The other refused his father’s request at first, but later changed his mind and obeyed.

This of course was a contrast between these leaders and the “sinners” Jesus ministered to.

Outwardly, these leaders were “righteous.” But in truth, they rebelled against God.

They saw John and immediately dismissed him as a kook.

But then they started to see the impact he was having, and all the lives that were changing because of John. They had to know in their hearts that he really was from God, but in their pride, they rejected him anyway.

Then they saw Jesus, they saw all his miracles and heard all his teaching. Despite all this, they rejected Jesus too.

Even when he shredded all their arguments and left them speechless, they still clung to their old way of thinking.

On the other hand, these “sinners” the leaders despised had outwardly rebelled against God, ripping people off and selling their bodies for sex.

But then John and Jesus came, and as a result they repented of their sins. They were humble enough to recognize their wrong, and so turned from their sins.

And so Jesus told these leaders,

Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. (Matthew 21:31)

How about you? Are you so proud that you can’t admit when you’re wrong?

It’s bad enough when that pride tears apart your relationships with others. It’s worse when it keeps you from a relationship with God.

So let us have hearts that are humble and soft to correction. That can admit when we are wrong.

Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves in the same position as these leaders. Separated from others and separated from God.

Categories
John John 12

When we see and hear Jesus

John

So many people say, “I believe in God,” but refuse to put their faith in Jesus.

But if you truly believe in God, that is exactly what you cannot do. Jesus says here,

Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.

The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (John 12:44-46)

Jesus is saying here that to believe in him is to believe in God. To see him is to see God.

He then said,

For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. (John 12:49-50)

So to hear Jesus also means to hear God, because he speaks the very words of God. And to reject Jesus’ words is to reject God’s words. More, to reject Jesus means to reject God himself.

And Jesus says,

There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. (John 12:48)

All of us will be held accountable for what we have heard Jesus say.

If you believe him, you will find light and life. But if you reject him, you will find only judgment and darkness.

What will you choose?

Categories
John John 12

From whom we seek praise

John

One of the saddest comments you’ll ever read in the Bible comes from these two verses.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.

But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (John 12:42-43)

Basically, you see in this passage a bunch of undercover believers.

They had seen all that Jesus had done and had heard all his teaching, and they believed. But they did not tell anyone because they feared being put out of the synagogue. And to be put out of the synagogue was essentially to be cut off from society.

But what that showed was that they were more interested in what people thought of them rather than what God thought of them.

If Satan cannot prevent you from becoming a believer, the thing he wants to do most is to prevent you from sharing your faith.

And his best weapon in doing so is asking the question, “What will happen if others find out if you believe?”

For some, the answer is clear cut. It means rejection by their family, their friends, and those around them.

That’s what these leaders faced. A certain excommunication from the synagogue and society.

For others, the answer is not so clear. But they are ruled by the fear of what others might think of them.

I know I was that way all the way through my sophomore year in high school. I didn’t tell anyone I was a Christian, not because I knew I would be rejected, but because I feared I might be rejected.

But God does not want us to live that way. He wants us to make a difference in this world for him, but we cannot as long as we are afraid of what others think.

Some people will reject us for our faith. As one preacher put it, that is an occupational hazard of being a Christian. Not everyone will like us.

As I’ve said before, Jesus was perfect, and people still hated him. How can we expect to be any different from our master?

But what we’ll find is that if we share our faith, some will receive it and be saved.

So let’s not worry about being rejected because of our faith in Christ. Let us proclaim it boldly and let the chips fall where they may. For as Jesus said,

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. (Matthew 10:32-33)

Categories
John John 12

Before it’s too late

John

Sometime people put off following Christ thinking they can always do it later. But in this passage, we see the danger of that.

Jesus in thinking about the cross and his determination to follow the Father’s plan cried out,

Father, glorify your name! (John 12:28a)

In a voice that all could hear, the Father replied,

I have glorified it and will glorify it again. (John 12:28b)

Yet though all could hear the voice, it seemed that few if any actually heard it.

Some said it was thunder. Others said it was an angel. Why couldn’t they understand the Father’s words? John later comments,

This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn–and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. (John 12:38-41)

I’ve explained this passage in another blog, and essentially what it comes down to is that the people couldn’t hear the voice because they had already hardened their hearts to Jesus.

Some hardened their hearts because his background as a carpenter from Nazareth was not what they expected from a Messiah.

Others rejected him because he exposed the hypocrisy of their religion.

Others rejected him because his teaching went against their religious rules and traditions.

And when Jesus performed miracles that proved who he was and the truth of his words, they tried to explain it away saying he did them by Satan’s power, or in this case, by trying to say it never really happened. That they were just imagining things.

The problem was, the more they hardened their hearts, closing their eyes and ears to the truth, the more blind and deaf they became.

And so Jesus tried to warn them, saying,

You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you.

The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.

Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. (John 12:35-36)

In other words, “Your time is short. If you don’t soften your hearts, you will become blind forever. Put your trust in me and the light I bring while you still can.”

Jesus says the same thing to you. He was lifted up on a cross that all people might be drawn to him and be saved.

But if you harden your heart to him, if you close your eyes and ears to what you know is true, the time will come when you can no longer recognize the truth though it’s right in front of you. And then it will be too late.

As Paul wrote,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Categories
John John 12

In order to serve

John

With all the buzz surrounding Jesus, both with his spectacular entry into Jerusalem, and his just as spectacular cleansing of the temple, it’s little wonder that first time visitors would wish to see him.

In this case, it was some Greek proselytes who became interested in who this Jesus was. Perhaps it was because Phillip had a Greek name that these men approached him first.

And together with Andrew (someone who always seemed to be introducing others to Jesus), Phillip brought these men to Jesus.

Jesus responded by saying,

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:23-24)

In saying this, Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection. As long as he was alive, his ministry would be limited to what he could do in Israel.

But after his death, through the Holy Spirit, his work would spread all over the world, touching not only the Greeks, but every tribe and nation.

But Jesus then said to his disciples,

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12:25-26)

Here Jesus says both the blindingly obvious, and the paradoxical truth.

The blindingly obvious? That whoever serves Jesus must follow him, and that wherever he is, his servant must be.

It’s very hard to serve a person when you’re never around him. And if you really want to serve Jesus, you need to be in a place where you can see and hear what he wants.

But in order to be where Jesus is, you sometimes need to leave things behind, including things and people you love.

And that’s why he says something seemingly paradoxical: Whoever loves his life will lose it, but anyone who hates his life will keep it for eternal life.

This doesn’t mean that we should hate everything and every moment of our lives. But the things and people we love in this world need to take second place to Jesus.

If, for example, Jesus leads you to leave your country in order to serve him in another, then you need to follow him there.

Or if Jesus says, “Leave your high-paying job so you can serve me better,” then you need to be willing to do so for the sake of his kingdom.

Sometimes following Jesus means change. Sometimes it means sacrifice.

But we can’t serve Jesus if we’re not where he is. And while the change or sacrifice might seem painful at the time, in the end, we’ll find it was all worth it.

I found that out coming to Japan. I never dreamed that I’d ever leave Hawaii.

But when I came to Japan, I found out that I was happier here than I ever was in Hawaii. I found life by leaving what I loved in Hawaii in order to follow Jesus.

And so will you.

How about you? Are you where Jesus is?

Categories
Mark Mark 11 Matthew Matthew 21

How much faith do I have?

The gospels

Faith. It’s something I must admit I struggle with, particularly in prayer. When I pray, do I pray in faith? And what does it mean?

When the tree Jesus cursed withered, the disciples were amazed and asked how it could wither so quickly. Jesus answered,

Have faith in God. (Mark 11:22)

Have faith in God. What does that mean? What are we believing about God?

We’re believing first that he is a good God. That he is a loving Father that only gives good gifts. That if we ask him for bread, he will not give us a stone. Or if we ask for a fish, he will not give us a serpent.

We’re believing that he hears us. That even the tiniest prayer we breathe, he hears. No matter how big, or how insignificant our problem may be, he sees and hears our cries.

We’re believing that he has the power to do what we ask. That no thing we ask is too big for him.

We’re believing that he wants to bless us. That he won’t withhold what is good from us for no good reason.

We believe that he has an overriding plan for our lives. And that plan is good.

With all this in mind, Jesus then says,

I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:23-24)

Some people take this verse to mean that whatever we ask God for, he must give it to us.

But sometimes we ask for something thinking it’s bread, thinking it’s fish, when in reality it is a stone or a serpent.

We pray, for example, to marry that girl or guy at school and ten years later, we are thanking God he didn’t give them to us.

Or sometimes we pray for something good, but God has something even better planned for us. For example, we pray for a certain job, only to have God give us an even better one.

So to just pray believing God will give us whatever we want does not guarantee we will get what we ask for.

My problem, however, is not believing God has to give me whatever I want. My problem a lot of times is believing that God might actually say yes.

I think about my current job that I just got back in April. It is in almost every way much better than my previous jobs over the past 8 years.

Yet because of all the difficulties I faced in getting the job, I was wracked with doubt as to whether God would give it to me. I suppose it didn’t help that I had applied for that very job a few years back and didn’t get it.

So many times I had prayed for things and was disappointed. I suppose it’s a testimony to the grace of God that I got the job anyway.

Another friend I know is facing terminal cancer. It looked hopeless. The doctors said it was hopeless. My friend asked for prayer.

I prayed, but with little hope. Certainly not praying, “believing I have received it.”

Do I believe that God has the power to heal? Certainly. I guess it’s just that I saw him choose not to heal another friend of cancer (she passed away a year ago) that makes me doubt. And yet, God does seem to be healing my friend now.

What am I trying to say? First, God certainly responds to faith, and is pleased by it, but he is not restricted by how strong our faith is.

But second, I should pray with more hope. With more confidence. Because God can and will answer prayer.

As one man once said, “Lord, I believe. Lord increase my faith.”

Categories
Luke Luke 19 Mark Mark 11 Matthew Matthew 21

Fruitless

The gospels

This is a story where it is a little hard to understand the actions of Jesus. Why would he curse a tree that wasn’t bearing fruit though it was not even the season for it?

There does tend to be disagreement on the answer.

One idea is that during the time of the Passover, fig trees in Palestine usually produced crops of small edible buds.

These buds were often eaten by local peasants, and it was perhaps this that Jesus was looking for. But if there were no buds growing at that time, it was a sign that there would be no fruit at all from the tree.

I don’t know if this is the answer, but it seems as reasonable as any other explanation I’ve heard.

At any rate, sandwiched around the cleansing of the temple as it is in Mark, it seems Jesus was making a point. That just as judgment came upon that fig tree for not bearing fruit, so judgment was coming upon Israel for not bearing spiritual fruit.

This was clearly seen in the temple and the people running it.

Early in his ministry, Jesus had cleansed the temple, casting out the merchants and money changers from the court of the Gentiles.

As I mentioned before, this was the only area where the foreigners could come and worship God within the temple courts.

But the priests had turned it into a market, and not only that, a “den of thieves” where people who came there were cheated of their money. And this was the temple. The very center of Israelite worship.

All of their religious acts, all of their zeal, was proven to be corrupt by what was happening in their temple. Particularly in the fact that they not only rejected Jesus as Messiah, but plotted to kill him.

And because of that, judgment came when Titus tore down the temple for the final time.

To this day, it has not been rebuilt. Why? Because for all the time and love God poured into Israel, ultimately, they proved to be fruitless.

But none of God’s actions are fruitless. Through the Jews’ rejection of Christ, the gospel spread to the world. And in time, the Jews too will come to Christ. (Romans 11)

The question we need to ask ourselves, however, is what fruit is coming out of our lives?

The Bible calls our lives the temple of God. As his temples, are we bearing fruit? Are we making a difference in the lives around us?

Or have we let ourselves become corrupted by the world? By a love of money as the priests had, or by other things?

If so, then we will stop bearing fruit and all that we “accomplish” or “achieve” will eventually be burned.

Let us not be fruitless, but fruitful. Filled with God’s Spirit, and touching the lives of all he puts in our path.

Categories
John John 12 Luke Luke 19 Mark Mark 11 Matthew Matthew 21

What would bring us peace

The gospels

Lots going on in these passages, and as you look at all four gospels, you really get an idea of the frenzy going on due to Jesus’ entrance in Jerusalem. People are shouting,

Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven! (Matthew 21:9)

And,

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! (Mark 11:10)

And again,

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Luke 19:38)

And ultimately,

Blessed is the king of Israel! (John 12:13)

Because of the frenzy some people were asking, “What’s going on? Who is this guy?” And others replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11)

We see from John that one of the reasons for all this frenzy was that people were still talking about Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead. (John 12:17-18)

At first, the Pharisees tried to stop all of this, even trying to get Jesus to stop his disciples from crying out all these words of praise. But when Jesus refused, they muttered to themselves,

This is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him! (John 12:19)

But for all the frenzy surrounding Jesus’ coming the most poignant moment comes just before Jesus enters the city. In the midst of all the cries of joy from the people, Jesus wept when he saw Jerusalem, saying,

If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.

They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you. (Luke 19:42-44)

And that’s exactly what happened in AD 70 when Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple.

Why did this happen? Because they “did not recognize the time of God’s coming” to them.

And because of that, they missed the peace that could have been theirs. Peace within themselves. But more importantly, peace with God.

The same is true with us. God comes to each of us at some time in our lives.

According to Romans chapter 1, even the one who has never heard of God knows about him.

And when they gaze into the sky or see all the nature around them, I believe the Spirit speaks to them saying, “This cannot be an accident. This was designed. You were designed. Seek the Designer.”

For others, the call is much more direct. It comes at church or through a friend telling them about Christ.

And at that point people reach a crossroad. What will they do with this call? Will they listen and follow? Or will they reject it? To follow is to find peace with God and eternal life. To reject it means judgment and eternal death.

How about you? If you are reading this, God is calling you now. Now is the day of salvation. Won’t you receive him today?

Categories
John John 12 Luke Luke 19 Mark Mark 11 Matthew Matthew 21

The Lord needs it

The gospels

We have now reached the home stretch of the life of Jesus, his final week.

As I read this passage, one phrase struck me. Jesus was instructing his disciples to do something very unusual, to go into the village, and just take a colt and donkey that they found there. And if anyone challenged them, they were to simply say, “The Lord needs it.”

The disciples did as they were told, and when the owners saw this, they immediately asked,

Why are you untying the colt? (Luke 19:33)

The disciples responded as Jesus had commanded, and immediately the owners acquiesced.

The question that came to my mind was, “When the Lord says to me of something, ‘I need this,’ how do I respond?”

If Jesus, for example, were to say, “I need you to give some money to this person. They are in need.” Would I immediately say, “Yes Lord?”

Or if I were headed somewhere, and I happen to run into someone, and Jesus were to say, “I need some of your time. Stop and talk to this person,” would I do so?

Or if God were to tell me, “It’s time to leave Nishinomiya. I need you elsewhere for another work,” would I say yes?

Or would I instead cling to what is mine?

Honestly, I don’t know, and probably too often, the Lord has told me, “I need this from you,” and for whatever reason, I said no.

“I’m too busy.”

Or,

“I need that money for other things.”

The disciples brought the colt to Jesus, set him on it, and honored him as king. And we need to do the same.

When Jesus says to us, “I need this,” we need to bring it to Jesus, setting him above it, and honoring him as our king over all.

Do I?

Do you?

Categories
John John 11 Luke 19

A cleansing that goes beyond the surface

The gospels

Right after Jesus’ parable about those who were determined to reject him as king, we see the actual people whom Jesus was speaking of.

Jesus was fast approaching Jerusalem, and a lot of people were already there to celebrate the Passover. And everyone was asking,

What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all? (John 11:56)

But the Pharisees and chief priests had already given orders that anyone who found Jesus should report him to them so that they could arrest him. The irony of all this?

Before celebrating the Passover, people had to purify themselves, that is to have a ceremonial cleansing. (John 11:55)

But while these priests and Pharisees may have been outwardly clean, their hearts were full of murder.

What can we learn from all this? A spiritual cleansing goes beyond ritual. It goes beyond doing a lot of good things.

A spiritual cleansing starts by receiving Jesus as your King. It starts by saying, “I can’t cleanse myself. All my efforts, all the religious rituals that I do can’t cleanse me. Lord Jesus, help me.”

John tells us in his first letter that in the end, it is,

the blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, [that] purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

There is no other way for us to become right in the sight of God. We must come to the cross of Christ and accept the work he did for our salvation.

Only by putting our faith in him will we truly become clean in the eyes of God.

How about you? Are you truly clean before God?

Categories
Luke Luke 19

If we are determined to reject Christ

Luke

There is another point to this story that Jesus told that we didn’t get to touch on yesterday.

It says in verses 12-15,

A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return….

But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

He was made king, however, and returned home. (Luke 19:12-15)

This was actually based on a true story.

When Herod the Great died, one of his sons Archelaus had to go to Rome to have his kingship ratified since they were the true power in Israel at that time.

The Jews, however, sent an embassy to Caesar Augustus basically saying that they didn’t want him as king.

Ultimately, Archelaus received charge over Judea, but did not receive the title of king.

In the same way, Jesus is awaiting his Father’s “ratification” of his kingdom. But to this day, there are people who hate him and say, “We don’t want this Jesus as our king.”

But whether they want him as king or not, Jesus will be king someday. And if these people continue in their rejection of him, they will be judged and condemned as the people in Jesus’ story were.

How about you? Have you made Jesus king in your life?

He will be king whether you want him to or not. Would it not be better to turn over your life to him willingly, rather than to fight it and be condemned for all eternity?

I don’t mean to try to “scare the hell out of you.” I’d much rather talk about God’s love and grace.

And God does truly love you. He sent his Son to die on a cross so that your sins could be forgiven and you could have peace with him.

But if you spit on that peace offering, and are determined to reject Jesus as king, then only judgment remains.

The apostle John wrote,

Whoever believes in [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:18)

The choice is yours. What will you choose?

Categories
Luke Luke 19

Parable of the minas: While we are waiting

Luke

It says that Jesus told this next parable because,

He was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. (Luke 19:11)

In other words, there was an idea that he wanted to dispel from their minds, but there was another idea that he wanted to plant. And so he said,

A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.

So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.

‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ (12-13)

The idea that Jesus wanted to dispel? That his kingdom was imminent.

Before becoming king, he had to first die on the cross to deal with the problem with sin. And after he had done so, he ascended to heaven and sat down at the Father’s side.

Now the Bible says,

Since that time, he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool… (Hebrews 10:13).

And to this day we await our Lord’s return.

So until that day, what are we to do?

We are to serve him until he returns. That’s the idea he wanted to plant in their minds. That there is still much work to be done.

In the story, the king-to-be called ten of his servants in and gave them each an equal amount of money and said, “Put this to work until I come back.”

What is Jesus talking about here? I believe he’s talking about the salvation we have received.

Notice that these men didn’t work to obtain the money. They were simply given it. But they were to invest what they were given.

In the same way, we never worked for our salvation, rather we received it by God’s grace. But we are to take what we’ve been given from God, and put it to work.

Paul puts it this way,

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)

What does it mean to invest this salvation we have been given?

It means to take this salvation we have received and invest it in the lives of others. To not hoard this salvation we have received to ourselves, but to share it with others.

It means to pray for them. To minister to them as the mouth, ears, and hands of Jesus in their lives. And we are to do this until Jesus returns.

If we do, we will be rewarded. How? By being given more responsibilities in his kingdom.

So many people want to do great things for God. But if they fail in the task of sharing this salvation they’ve been given, can they expect God to give them more responsibilities?

What’s more, if they fail to invest in the kingdom, as the last man in the story did, all they can expect is rebuke from Jesus when he returns.

Paul says of such people,

He will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:15)

How about you? What are you doing with this gift of salvation you have received?

Categories
Luke Luke 19

Because of us

Luke

This is a very famous story in the Bible, and it’s one I’ve heard (and sang) since I was a kid. But as I looked at it today, verse 3 struck me.

[Zacchaeus] wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. (Luke 19:3)

Zacchaeus, of course, was a tax collector. In our day and age that would be bad enough.

In the Jews’ day and age, however, it was worse because as I’ve mentioned before, they were basically considered collaborators with the Roman government, not to mention crooks.

As a result, they were utterly despised by their fellow Jews.

And yet, he wanted to see Jesus. Why? Probably because though he had all the money he could possibly want, he still felt empty inside. And in Jesus, he saw something different. He saw life and hope.

But because of the crowd, he couldn’t see Jesus.

This was a crowd, that if you had asked them, would probably have said that they were very religious. That they loved God. And yet because of them, Zacchaeus could not see Jesus.

Part of this was because he was short, of course, and because of the sheer number of people.

But I think there’s also a chance that Zacchaeus knew what would happen if he tried to push through to draw near to Jesus. That being who he was, the crowd would not be inclined to let him through.

And so he climbed a tree in order to see Jesus. When Jesus saw him, however, he said,

Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. (5)

If there had been any doubt at what the people’s reaction to Zacchaeus would be, it was quickly dispelled as the people grumbled,

[Jesus] has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ (7)

But touched by the love of Jesus, Zacchaeus became a changed man, and he said,

Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. (8)

What can we get from this?

How often are like that crowd? We say we love God. We say that we even follow Jesus. But because of us, people can’t see him.

They can’t see him because we fail to tell them about him. Or even worse, because we look down on them and even push them away.

But let us always remember Jesus’ reaction to Zacchaeus. He longs for a relationship with them. That’s why he went to the cross. Not just for you and me. But for those around us. Even the despised.

So let us not despise those around us. And let us not block others off from him. Rather let us remember these words of Jesus and live them.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (10)

Categories
Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 20

Looking beyond ourselves

The gospels

As I read the story of Bartimaeus and his friend, what strikes me is the incredible compassion and love Jesus had for people.

Here Jesus is, headed for the cross, and his closest friends, despite all he’s told him, still don’t understand what’s about to happen.

In that situation it would have been understandable for him to get lost in his own thoughts, frustrations, and anxieties. But as he is walking along, he hears a familiar cry.

Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us! (Matthew 20:30)

It would have been so easy to miss. And even easier to ignore, pretending that he didn’t hear these two men over the crowd. Particularly since the people around these men were telling them to shut up.

But instead, Jesus stopped, and said, “Call them.”

And when these two men came up to him, he asked, “What do you want me to do?”

They replied, “Lord, we want to see.”

And Matthew tells us that Jesus was filled with compassion for these two men, touched them, and healed them.

Instead of focusing on his own troubles and frustrations, Jesus saw beyond himself to the needs of those crying out for help.

I wonder. How often do we see beyond ourselves and see the needs of others as Jesus did.

How often do we instead only look at ourselves and our needs and frustrations? And because of that we either miss or ignore the opportunities we have to reach out with God’s love.

I found out yesterday that Robin Williams died, apparently from suicide. Here was a man that brought so much laughter and even comfort to others. And yet, he was also a man tortured by his own demons.

And I wonder, “Was there a Christian in his life that missed that chance to minister to him?”

Maybe there wasn’t. And if there was, I’m not saying that I’m condemning them for missing that chance. Because I have missed too many opportunities of my own. I’ve failed.

May we learn to be like our Savior. Looking beyond ourselves long enough to see the needs and hurts of those in our lives. And like our Savior, reaching out with the hand of God to bring healing in their lives.

Categories
Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 20

A totally different attitude

The gospels

As I mentioned in my last blog, though Jesus had been as crystal clear with the disciples as he possibly could, they still didn’t get it. They still didn’t get why he was there, and what was facing them.

Because if they had, I can’t imagine that James and John would have asked Jesus what they did, prompted by their mother or not.

They said,

Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory. (Mark 10:37)

One wonders how Jesus felt. Here he had just told them that he was going to die, and they were fighting for position in his kingdom. And so he said,

You don’t know what you are asking…Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38)

In other words, “Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? I’m going to die. You want to die on my right and left?”

That’s what he meant, but as usual, Jesus’ words went right over their heads, and they replied, “We can.”

Jesus then told them,

You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. (Mark 10:39)

And in time, both of them would suffer for Christ. James was beheaded, and John was forced into exile.

But Jesus also told them,

But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared. (Mark 10:40)

When the other disciples heard about James’ and John’s request, they became indignant.

Why? Because James and John were so insensitive to Jesus’ plight? No, they were indignant because they hadn’t thought of asking Jesus first. And each of them thought they were more qualified than the others.

But Jesus pulled them together, and he told them,

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:42-45)

Essentially what Jesus told them was, “Guys, you need a little attitude readjustment.

“All of you are so worried about your position in my kingdom, because you think that a high position means a cushy life. That it means ordering people around, and having them obey your every whim.

“But that’s not what greatness in my kingdom means. If you truly want to be great, you need to serve. And if you want to be at the very top, you need to be the slave of all.

“After all, I’m not here to have other people serve me. I’m here to serve and give my life for them.”

I’ve got to admit, I’m far from having this kind of attitude. And it’s a struggle sometimes, because it’s so easy to compete and compare myself with others.

But when we do ministry, the point is not to show ourselves better than others, it’s to serve them.

This is true not just in ministry, but in every aspect of life. At work, we need to be serving our customers and coworkers.

And in our homes, men especially need to have this kind of attitude as head of the household. An attitude of serving their wives and children.

And to be honest, I fail far too often in all three arenas.

And so I guess my prayer is the one that James and John offered in that old Christian musical “The Witness.” After hearing Jesus’ words, they prayed,

Lord make me like you. Please make me like you.
You are a servant. Make me one too.

O Lord I am willing.
Do what you must do to make me like you Lord.
Make me like you.

Whatever you do Lord, please make me like you.

Categories
Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 20

Failing to see what is clear

The gospels

As I look at this particular story, it is the last phrase in Luke’s account that strikes me.

The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. (Luke 18:34)

“This” and “its” of course is referring to Jesus’ telling them that he would be betrayed and crucified, and then rise again from the dead.

Luke’s words strike me because Jesus spoke so plainly. I really don’t see how they could possibly misunderstand him. Yet, as clearly as Jesus spoke, they could not understand.

Why not?

Perhaps one reason was that they simply weren’t ready to understand. And that’s true with many of us as we look at scripture.

When we are young as Christians, some things are simply difficult to understand. But as we mature in our knowledge and our faith, we start to grasp the things God is telling us.

Perhaps there was some of this at work in the disciples, but I think there were other things as well.

For one thing, they didn’t want to understand. They didn’t want to believe that Jesus would die. And because they didn’t want to believe that he would die, any words concerning his death and resurrection went right past them.

For another, they were too focused on what they wanted, rather than what God’s will was. You only have to look at James’ and John’s request a few verses later to see that.

How often are we the same? We see something crystal clear in scripture, or God speaks to our heart so clearly that there should be no way that we can miss it, and yet we do.

Looking back, it should have been so clear to me that God was calling me to Japan. Time and again, people were telling me, “I can’t see you working at a regular desk job. I see you in ministry.”

Or sometimes they said outright, “I can see you being a missionary in Japan.”

But because I had no interest in ever leaving Hawaii, no less going to Japan, I couldn’t see it for a long time.

And whenever I read passages like, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” my thought was always, “Well, God isn’t calling ME to do that.”

It took several years, and a lot of work on God’s part to actually turn my heart, but when he did, I found the joy of following him and doing what he has said.

And so will you if you’ll soften your heart to him.

So the question is, “Where is your heart? Have you blinded yourself to what God is saying to you? Or have you opened your heart completely to what God is telling you?”

May our words to our Lord always be, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Categories
Matthew Matthew 20

But it’s not fair!

Matthew

I believe this parable Jesus told was in direct response to Peter’s question of,

We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? (Matthew 19:27)

And in telling this story, I think Jesus meant both to encourage Peter, but also to warn him.

Jesus told of a man who hired different workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard.

To the first crew he hired, he specifically negotiated an amount to pay them. (A denarius, which in those days was a typical salary for a full day’s work).

To the remaining crews he hired, no specific amount was negotiated. Instead, he simply said,

You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right. (Matthew 20:4)

At the end of the day, he paid the workers who started later first, and he paid each of them a denarius.

So when the people who had started from early in the morning walked up to get their pay, they obviously expected to get paid more.

Instead, they got one denarius as well. Because of this, they started to grumble. And rightfully so.

Some of the other workers only worked a single hour. And yet, they got paid the same as the ones who had worked all day.

But look at the landowner’s response.

I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous? (Matthew 20:13-15).

In other words, the workers couldn’t complain that they had been cheated. They received the exact amount that they had negotiated for in the morning.

They weren’t angry because they were cheated, but because the landowner was generous with the others who had come later.

What was Jesus’ point to Peter?

“Don’t worry so much about ‘what you’ll get’ for following me. Don’t worry about getting ‘what you deserve.’

And don’t go comparing yourself to other people, concerning yourself with how much you’ve given up and how much they have given up. You will be rewarded.

But understand: God isn’t so much interested in giving people what they deserve. He is a God that delights in giving so much more.

That said, if you are too worried about getting ‘what you deserve,’ God may just give it to you…and nothing more.

But if you do what God asks, without worrying about what others are doing, or how much more you should be rewarded for what you’ve done, you’ll find that God is so much more generous than you can possibly imagine.”

How about you? Are you constantly comparing yourself to others? Are you always wondering why God seems to be blessing others more than you even though you are ‘doing more’?

Remember that grace has nothing to do with ‘what we deserve.’

Rather grace is all about God’s goodness to us though we deserve nothing.

Truth be told, the only thing we deserve from God is death, because all of us has sinned.

So let us not focus on what we deserve. Rather let us rejoice that in God’s grace, he gives us what we don’t deserve: Eternal life. Joy. Peace. Love.

And he gives to us abundantly.

Categories
Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

Is it worth it?

The gospels

Is it really worth it to follow Christ? That was the question the rich young ruler had to face. Unfortunately, he decided that it wasn’t.

Peter too asked himself the same question. “I’ve given up everything to follow after Jesus. But is it really worth it?” And so he said,

We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? (Matthew 19:27)

Jesus replied,

Truly I tell you…no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

But many who are first will be last, and the last first. (Mark 10:29-31)

A couple of things to note here.

First, Jesus says that we will be rewarded for following him. Not just in heaven, but here. And not just rewarded, but richly rewarded.

This is not to say that we will all be wealthy. But at the end of the day, when we look back on our lives, we will be able to say, “I have been blessed. It was all worth it to follow Christ.”

But there’s also one little note that Jesus added. It’s only found in Mark, but it really stands out when you read it.

Jesus talks about all the blessings you will receive, but then he also warns, “You will be persecuted. Persecutions will come for following after me.”

In other words, being a Christian is not all fun and games. Yes, it is a joy. Yes, there are multiple blessings upon blessings for following Jesus.

But there will be people who will dislike, and even hate us for it. Jesus was the perfect Son of God, and people still hated him.

How can we expect to be exempt from the same treatment that Jesus received? As Jesus said, “No servant is greater than his master.” (John 15:20).

So let us not be surprised when hardships come because we follow Christ. Instead, let us keep our eyes on the prize, and know that whatever we may suffer in this life because we follow Christ, in the end, it truly will be worth it all.

Categories
Mark Mark 10

Loving people enough to tell the truth

Jesus and rich ruler

It would be easy to think that Jesus was being mean by throwing out such an impossible challenge to the young ruler who wanted so desperately to enter the kingdom of God. 

Who at least to some degree was quite zealous for God, but who then quickly had that zeal quenched by the words Jesus spoke. 

But Mark tells us something very interesting about Jesus’ feelings for the young man. It says in verse 21, 

Jesus looked at him and loved him. 

Jesus looked not just at the exterior, he looked right into this man’s heart and soul. He saw the zeal. But he also saw what was lacking. And it was his deepest desire that this young man also see what was lacking so that he might seek help and find life. 

So he said something that revealed the truth to this young man. 

One thing you lack…Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. (Mark 10:21b). 

In other words, “You told me you feel that you lack something. You do. You’ve put money above God. So go and sell everything you have. 

You said that you love your neighbor as yourself. Then take the money you receive from all you sell, and give it to the poor. Then you will have true treasure. Then come, follow me.” 

As he said this, it was Jesus’ deepest desire that this young man would find true life. But instead, the young man walked away sadly. 

Jesus didn’t sugarcoat the truth. He told it like it was. Not to be mean. Nor did he say it with coldness of spirit. Rather, he said it out of true compassion and love. 

We need to do the same. To speak the truth. Sometimes the truth is hard. Sometimes people will reject it. But we need to speak it. 

But we also need to say it with genuine love and compassion. Too often, people use it simply as a blunt instrument to beat people with. 

Let us not be that way. Instead, let us wield the truth in the manner that Jesus did. 

People may still reject it, but may they never doubt the spirit in which we speak. 

They may be hurt by what we say, but may they never doubt that we truly care for them and want what is best for them. 

Categories
Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

The impossibility of salvation

The gospels

My religion professor in university brought up this story when talking about Christianity. His point? “If you want eternal life, you have to sell everything you have.”

Which shows the fallacy of not looking at a scripture in its context, because that was not Jesus’ point at all.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

It’s interesting looking at the different accounts of this story, because through them, you get a composite view of this man who came to Jesus.

He was young (Matthew 19:22), rich (all the accounts), and a ruler (Luke 18:18)

And he asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? And why do you ask me about what is good? No one is good except God alone.”

Here Jesus dispels one thing that many people say about Jesus. Namely, “Jesus was a good man, but he wasn’t God.”

Jesus told the young man and us, “You can call me God. Or you can call me just a man. But if you call me just a man, you cannot call me good, because only God is good.”

He then told the man, “You know the commandments. Do them, and you will find life.”

At first glance, it seems that Jesus is telling us that we can work our way into heaven. But look at what the young man said next.

All these I have kept…What do I still lack? (Matthew 19:20)

Here we see the problem of many people today. They do their best to follow God’s commands. To do what is right. Maybe, like this young man, they even think they have achieved it.

But deep in their soul, they know something is wrong. That something is lacking. Why?

Because though we may fool others and even ourselves, none of us meet God’s standard. The Bible says,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

And if we look deeply into ourselves, we’ll realize that.

Why then, did Jesus point to the commandments as the way to life? I think the apostle Paul gives us the answer.

No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law (because no one can keep it); rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:20).

The law cannot make us righteous any more than a mirror can clean our face. What the law can do is show us the sin that is there.

And through the law, we see our need for a Savior.

The problem is, sometimes the mirror can get a little blurred. Not that the law itself is blurry, but we make it blurry by our own conceptions of what it means.

And that was the problem with this young man. He was convinced that he had kept the law. So Jesus cleaned off the mirror so that the young man could see clearly. He said,

If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. (Matthew 19:21)

Why did Jesus say that? Because the young man was right. He was lacking something. He had put his money ahead of God. Money was most important to him.

And by this attitude, he broke the first commandment against putting anything ahead of God in his life.

The man now saw clearly. And sadly, instead of saying, “Jesus, help me. Have mercy on me a sinner,” he walked away. He walked away sadly. But he did walk away.

And Jesus said,

How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:23).

His disciples were stunned to hear this because they always had thought that people were rich because of God’s blessing. But Jesus said again,

Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:24-25).

Why? Because it is impossible to hold on to the things of God when you’re holding on to the things of this world. The rich have more things of this world to hold than most people. And more to let go of.

The disciples then asked,

Who then can be saved? (Mark 10:26).

And now we come to the key point of this entire passage. Jesus answered,

With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. (Mark 10:27).

Salvation apart from God is impossible. None of us can make it because none of us are perfect. That’s what Jesus wanted to make clear to the young man.

But because of Christ’s work on the cross, because of what God did, salvation is now possible. All we have to do is believe.

As John wrote,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

Won’t you accept God’s gift of salvation today?

Categories
Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

Like a child

The gospels

When Jesus rebuked his disciples for trying to chase the children away, he said to them,

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Mark 10:14-15)

What does it mean to receive the kingdom like a child? What is a child like?

1. They are completely trusting. Until they are hardened by years of hurt, lies, and betrayal, they have a heart that is totally trusting and believes what it is told.

That’s the kind of heart that we need. Sin, at its base, is a lack of trust in God. It’s saying, “I don’t believe what you say. I don’t believe you want what’s best for me. So I’m going to do things my way.”

But as long as we hold that attitude, we will never enter God’s kingdom.

2. They are completely dependent, and they know it.

They can’t provide their own food. They can’t provide their own clothes or any of their needs. They are completely dependent on their parents to provide these things.

In the same way, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven until we come to the realization of how dependent we are on God. That there is nothing we can do to buy or earn our salvation.

Rather, we simply rely on his grace and the work Christ did on the Cross.

It’s so easy, it’s hard. People don’t want to believe it. They want to think their salvation is something they can work for and earn. They don’t want to admit that there is simply nothing they can do.

But it comes back to my first point. They need to learn to trust God completely. And Jesus said,

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6:29).

How about you? Are you coming to God with the heart of a child?

Categories
Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

The God of the “insignificant”

The gospels

As a father, I really love my daughter, but I have to admit there are times when she can be annoying. Particularly when I’m trying to do something, sometimes important, sometimes not, and she desperately wants my attention.

It’s so easy to just give her only part of my attention. To say, “Yes, yes, yes” to what she’s saying and quickly brush her off and return to what I’m doing. Or if I’m feeling particularly impatient, to simply say, “Later. I’m busy now.”

And that’s exactly what the disciples did in this passage.

Mothers were coming with their babies (some of them undoubtedly crying) or with their young children (most of them who were undoubtedly noisy and making a ruckus), and the disciples quickly got fed up with it, saying, “Get out of here. Jesus doesn’t have time for all these…kids.”

Jesus’ response was quick and sharp. It says in Mark,

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. (Mark 10:14a)

Indignant. The dictionary defines it as showing anger at something that is unfair or wrong. And that was the response of Jesus when he saw his disciples shoving the children away.

He rebuked his disciples saying,

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Mark 10:14b)

What can we get from this? That we don’t dare treat our children, or anyone for that matter, as the disciples did in this story. As insignificant. As unimportant. As not worth our time.

Because when we do, Jesus becomes indignant. They are his special creation. They are people that he loved so much that he died for them.

And so are you. Maybe you feel insignificant. Cast off. Rejected. But when Jesus sees you treated that way, he gets indignant. He has compassion on you. He loves you. And he would never cast you aside as so many others have.

So come to him. Draw near, knowing that in his eyes you are significant. You are precious. And that more than anything else, he wants a relationship with you.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 19

Jesus on marriage and divorce: Better to be single?

Matthew

The disciples’ response to Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce is very interesting. They said,

If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry. (Matthew 19:10)

Put another way, “Man, if marriage is really supposed to be for life, it’s better to stay single. Better to be single, than stuck in a miserable marriage.”

I agree with that in part. Certainly it is better to be single than to be stuck in a miserable marriage. But Jesus pointed out that not everyone is wired that way. He said,

Not everyone can accept this word (that it’s better to be single), but only those to whom it has been given.

For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others — and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

The one who can accept this should accept it. (Matthew 19:11-12)

In short, it takes a certain kind of person who can be content being single.

He said some are born that way. In other words, perhaps they have some physical defect that would make marriage a hardship.

Some, however, are made that way by others. In this case, Jesus was probably talking about being physically made a eunuch.

This is basically unheard of nowadays, but I think you could include people that have been emotionally scarred in such a way that they have no desire to get married.

Still others, though, choose to stay single so that they might serve God better as the apostle Paul did.

And Jesus says that if you can accept being single, that’s fine.

But the sad thing about the way the disciples thought is that they assumed that a lifelong marriage is ultimately destined to become a ball and chain.

Many people feel that way even today, for that matter. And for that reason, some are unwilling to commit themselves to another in marriage. But in doing so, they miss out on the lifelong joy of marriage that God intended for us.

Marriage can be a joy. It doesn’t have to be a miserable ball and chain. But the key comes down to what you and your spouse decide from the very beginning of your relationship.

Will you commit yourself to maintaining a soft heart to God first, and to your spouse second?

If you maintain a soft heart to God, you will find God often intervening in your fights and bringing peace. Usually by him telling you or your spouse, “Let it go. Give in.”

More, he starts showing you how to improve your marriage and make it stronger. He’ll show you your spouse’s needs and how to meet them. And he’ll show you how to love them better.

If you maintain a soft heart to your spouse, you start to understand them better. What makes them tick. What annoys them. What brings them joy.

If you commit yourself to understanding these things, to go out of your way, not only to avoid annoying them, but also to bringing them joy, you will often find them reciprocating.

And instead of a miserable marriage, you’ll find a fulfilling one in which you truly become one.

How do you see marriage? As a ball and chain? Or as the joy that God intended it to be?

Categories
Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

Jesus on marriage and divorce: When our spouse’s heart is hardened

The gospels

I’ve mentioned before our need as a husband or wife to search our hearts. To see if there is any way in which we have hardened our hearts to God, or to our spouse.

This is important for any marriage, whether we think it’s healthy or not. Because if your heart is starting to harden to God or to your spouse, your marriage is in trouble, or very soon will be.

But what happens if our spouse’s heart has hardened against us? What do we do?

It’s a hard issue to deal with. And there are only two such cases that are specifically dealt with in scripture.

One is in the case where our partner is involved in adultery. And not only involved in adultery but is completely unrepentant.

Jesus specifically says in the Matthew passage, that divorcing that person and marrying another would not be considered adultery in the eyes of God.

Why is that?

Probably, because in the eyes of God, the other person has hardened their heart to the point that the bond has been completely broken. Your partner has become “one” with another.

The same can be said if you have been divorced, and your ex-partner has since remarried. In these cases, you are no longer bound to that person.

How about a one-time affair that your partner has repented of? That is less clear.

Trust broken at that level is difficult to restore. Not impossible, but very difficult.

That said, if your partner has repented, I do believe that it is God’s will that you stay with your spouse.

It won’t be easy. And you’ll definitely need the support of others on top of the grace of God. It will take time, probably much time to restore the trust. But it can be done.

And if your heart and the heart of your spouse is softened to Him, He can bring healing to your heart and to your marriage.

The apostle Paul brings up another situation in 1 Corinthians 7. Namely, abandonment. He says if your spouse is a non-believer, and they choose to walk away from you, you are not bound to stay married to that person.

These are the only reasons that Jesus and the apostles give for permitting divorce.

Many people today, however, wonder about domestic violence. Is divorce permissible in that situation? Jesus and the apostles were silent on the issue.

I don’t know why. It was a problem even in those days. Wives couldn’t divorce their husbands, but they could plead with the judges to force their husband to divorce them in cases of domestic abuse.

Because the Bible doesn’t address domestic violence, there are many pastors that think domestic violence is not a reason for divorce.

Here’s what I can say for sure: If you are in danger from your spouse, if they are abusing you and they refuse to get help, you are not bound in that situation to keep living with that person. Protect yourself and your children.

I think Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:7 are very apropos here:

If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. (Matthew 12:7)

I don’t think God requires the beating of and even killing of wives on the altar of preserving a marriage.

So does that mean divorce is okay in cases of domestic violence? I don’t know if that’s the right question.

So what is the right question?

Jesus said that in the days of Moses, God allowed for divorce because of the hardness of people’s hearts.

Question: Should those words ever describe the heart of a Christian?

No.

So in my opinion, God permits divorce only if your spouse’s heart is so hard, that to continue the marriage is no longer possible.

What does that mean for you if you’re contemplating divorce?

Whatever situation you may be facing, adultery, abandonment, domestic violence, or whatever else it may be, before you make any decision, search your heart.

And again, ask, “Is there any way in which I have hardened my heart to my spouse or to God?”

That is the most important question.

As long as the answer to that question is yes, I think you should put off ideas of divorce. Divorce should never be because of the hardness of your heart.

But in cases where you have totally opened your heart to God and to your spouse, and yet your spouse has completely hardened their heart to you and demands a divorce, or your life is at risk because of that person’s hardness of heart, I think divorce is permissible.

God doesn’t command it, but he understands, and it is permissible.

Categories
Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

Jesus on marriage and divorce: When our hearts are hardened

The gospels

It’s kind of interesting looking at the gospels and trying to harmonize them sometimes. I don’t know if I’m harmonizing Matthew and Mark well here, but it’s amusing to look at these passages this way.

Pharisees: “Is it lawful to divorce your wife for any reason?”

Jesus: “Don’t you know that when husband and wife get married, the two become one? What God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Pharisees: “Why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus: “Excuse me? What did Moses command you? He commanded you, ‘Thou shalt divorce your wife?'”

Pharisees: “Well, no. But he did permit a man to divorce his wife.”

Jesus: “That’s right. He permitted it, not commanded it. And the only reason he permitted it was because your hearts were hard. But it was not that way from the beginning.”

All humor aside, the issue is very serious. And in this passage, Jesus lays out why divorce is so common in our day and age. People harden their hearts against God, and they harden their hearts against their spouse.

How do people harden their hearts against God?

First, they harden their hearts against his teaching against marriage. That it is to be for life. That you are to be faithful to your spouse. That husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church. That wives are to submit to their husband as the church does to Christ.

Instead, they make all kinds of excuses as to why it’s impossible for them to do so.

“Well, she doesn’t submit to me, so why should I show that kind of love to her?”

“Well he doesn’t show love to me, so why should I submit to him?”

“You just never know about marriage. Maybe he really isn’t the one, so it’s best to keep your options open in case it doesn’t work out.”

Or during their arguments, God starts speaking to one or both of them saying, “Let it go. Give in. It’s not worth fighting about.”

But in their pride or anger, they refuse to heed his voice.

How do people harden their hearts against their spouses? They fail to listen to each other.

When husbands hear their wives complain they are working too much, they dismiss it without thought, saying, “But we need the money.”

When husbands complain about a lack of intimacy, the wives dismiss it because they are “too tired.”

When wives share with their husbands how their actions or words were hurtful, husbands dismiss their wives as being too sensitive.

This list could go on and on.

The end result? Divorce.

So many people wonder why their marriages fail. Some try two or three times, or even more, to get things right, and never do.

The reason? They’ve never dealt with their heart. They’ve never learned to soften their hearts to God’s voice and to their spouses.

Are you single? Are you seeking a spouse? Then start by searching your heart.

When God speaks to you about your actions now, when he convicts your heart about the way you live, are you listening?

Because when you get married, he will start speaking to you about how you treat your spouse.

But if you’re hardening your heart to God now when he speaks, you’ll take that attitude into your marriage, and if you do, your marriage won’t last long.

Are you married? Are you frustrated by your spouse? Start by taking your eyes off of them, and put them on you.

How have you hardened your heart to your spouse? Let God speak to your heart about the things that you need to do.

Are you divorced and looking for another spouse? Before you do, ask yourself, how did I harden my spouse in the past? How did I harden my heart to God?

Because until you address these issues, you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes you committed before.

And the first question you need to ask yourself is, “Am I hardening myself to God and my ex-spouse by not working to reconcile with my ex-spouse?”

What is the state of your heart?

Categories
Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 19

Jesus on marriage and divorce: Why divorce hurts so much

The gospels

Divorce is one of those touchy topics that is difficult to deal with, if only because of the emotions and hurt that is often involved.

But considering the social climate we’re in, in which marriages fall apart at such a high rate, I think that it is vital for us to take a serious look at what Jesus said about marriage and divorce.

The Pharisees came up to Jesus, asking,

Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason? (Matthew 19:3)

This was a hot topic of the time, much as it is today. And for some of the Pharisees, they did pretty much believe that it was lawful to get divorced for any reason.

For others, they held a much stricter view that there had to be some kind of sexual sin involved for a divorce to be lawful.

The truth is, many of the Pharisees did get divorced, and as I mentioned before, often times, it was with the intent of marrying another.

They had married, only to meet another woman they desired, but in order to “avoid” the sin of adultery, they simply divorced their wife and married the other woman.

I believe it was this situation that Jesus was specifically addressing in the Sermon on the Mount, and in these passages here.

He was telling the Pharisees and us, “Even if you don’t technically commit adultery by sleeping with a woman you’re not married to, if you divorce your wife because you’ve found another woman, you are still committing adultery in the eyes of God, whether you marry that second woman or not.”

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

In answer to the Pharisees’ question, Jesus replied,

Haven’t you read…that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Matthew 19:4-6)

Jesus totally bypassed the arguments of the “experts” of the day, and went straight to scripture.

And by doing so, he tells us exactly what marriage was supposed to be: a union between a man and a woman where they are no longer two separate entities, but one. The two are “glued” together and become one flesh.

Sometimes people wonder why God says sex is only to be between husband and wife.

The main reason is that there is a joining that occurs during the sexual act. Not just a physical joining, but an emotional joining as well. It’s a joining in which the two are glued together as one.

Have you ever used super glue, and gotten your fingers stuck together? What happens if you forcibly try to pull them apart. Your skin rips off.

Divorce is the same. There is no clean break. Because of the oneness in body and emotion that occurred, it causes a tearing in the soul when two people divorce.

The same is true when two people become sexually intimate outside of marriage. When the relationship breaks up, there is a tearing of soul that occurs because of the oneness that was shared between them.

And that tearing becomes much more painful the longer the relationship goes on. All that they share, not just sexually, but all the experiences they go through together, both good and bad, pull a couple closer together and make them one.

Jesus is telling us the reason divorce is so bad is because it tears apart a part of our soul. What was meant to be one forever, a oneness in body, in heart, in soul, is torn apart.

And so he tells us, “What God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Am I saying there can be no healing from divorce? That there can be no forgiveness? No. But I think we need to understand two things.

First, marriage was meant to be forever. It was how God designed it.

And second, when we get away from God’s design, pain is inevitable.

Why then do so many people get divorced? We’ll get into that in the next blog.

Categories
Luke Luke 18

Parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee: Remembering our need for grace

Luke

It’s amazing how though times change, some things never do. And in this passage, we see an example of this. Luke writes,

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable. (Luke 18:9)

This attitude was particularly common among the Pharisees of the day. The Pharisees had dedicated their lives to keeping every jot and tittle of the word of God. But in doing so, it led to a spirit of pride, and you see it here.

In Jesus’ story, a Pharisee was praying out loud by himself (perhaps even to himself), saying,

God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. (11-12)

In other words, “God you are so lucky to have someone like me in your kingdom. See what a good person I am? Not like this…tax collector!”

Unfortunately, we see much the same attitude in many Christians today.

Oh, they may claim to live by God’s grace, but their attitude says otherwise. Because a person who truly lives by God’s grace sees two things very clearly. Their utter sinfulness and their need for God.

That’s what we see in the tax collector.

Tax collectors in those days were hated because not only were they considered collaborators with the Roman government who had conquered Israel, but because they consistently cheated the people when collecting taxes.

But this tax collector came before God, and beating his chest cried out,

God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (13)

And Jesus said of him,

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (14)

How about you? Are you truly living by God’s grace?

I’ve mentioned that people who live by God’s grace see two things clearly, their own sinfulness, and their utter need for God.

What are the characteristics of a person like this?

First, they are humble and grateful for what God has done for them.

There is no room for pride in their hearts. Pride in their own righteousness. Pride in their gifts. Why not? Because they realize that the only thing they deserve from God is death.

And yet they realize that God has showered his grace on them and given them a life they did not deserve.

So each day, their hearts are filled with thankfulness. Not bitterness because others don’t appreciate them. And certainly not pride for what they’ve “accomplished.” Thankfulness.

Second, they have a heart that extends the grace they have received to others. They don’t see themselves as better as others. Rather they see others as people that need the very same grace that they themselves have received.

There can be no despising of others, when you realize just how wretched you really are. There can be no looking down on others in judgment when you realize just how much you have been forgiven.

Instead, there is compassion, and a heart that reaches out that others may experience God’s grace as well.

How about you? Do you truly recognize the need for God’s grace in your life?

Categories
Luke Luke 18

Parable of the persistent widow: Keeping the faith through times of trial

Luke

It would be easy from looking at just the first verse to think that Jesus’ point is simply that we should keep praying and not give up when God seems slow to answer.

This is most certainly true, but the type of prayer Jesus is talking about is very specific, and it hearkens back to what he was just talking about, the Last Days. Days of trial, days of trouble.

And while Jesus promises that we will not be judged for our sins when he comes back, he makes no promises that we won’t go through trial and suffering. And there will be times when we will suffer through great injustices.

This is particularly true of those who are Christians in the time of the Great Tribulation when Antichrist comes and reigns. And it is these people that Jesus specifically is talking about.

The Bible makes it clear that those who are Christians will be persecuted, and it would be easy during that time to wonder where God is. To wonder if he has abandoned us. To wonder if he still cares. To wonder if we will ever see justice for the all the persecution we endure.

So Jesus tells a story of a woman who suffered an injustice, and pleaded with a judge to give her justice. But the judge for a long time refused to listen.

In the end, however, he got so tired because of the woman’s pleas, that he gave in and gave her the justice she asked for.

Jesus is not saying that God is unjust and has to be badgered into giving us justice. In fact, he’s saying the exact opposite.

He’s saying, “If this unjust judge gave this woman justice because of her incessant pleas, how much more will God who is just give justice to those who are his own?”

You see another picture of this in Revelation 6:9-11. These saints who were persecuted and killed for Jesus’ sake never found justice during their lifetimes on earth. But God assured them that justice would soon come.

But it is hard to wait, especially when we are suffering. And so Jesus asks of us,

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth. (Luke 18:8)

Some of you may be saying, “Well, I’m not going to go through the Great Tribulation. I’m going to be raptured before then, so I don’t have to worry about that.”

Honestly, I’m not so sure about that. I think it’s very possible we will have to go through the Tribulation. But even assuming that we don’t, how strong is your faith

When you go through hard times, do you start questioning God and his justice Do you start asking, “God, where are you Do you still love me Do you still care Why are you letting me go through this”

Or do you keep coming to God in faith, saying, “I believe in you. Even through all I’m going through, I will not let you go. I believe you will eventually bring me justice, if not in this life, then in the life to come.”

When Jesus sees you, does he see a faith that falters Or does he see an unshakeable faith

So as the writer of Hebrews encourages us, let us strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. (Hebrews 12:12)

And let us never lose faith in the one who has proven himself to be faithful

Categories
Luke Luke 17

A sudden but certain judgment

Luke

After addressing the Pharisees on God’s kingdom, Jesus turns to his disciples with a word of warning.

He told them that there would be times of trouble when they would long for his coming, and because of that, it would be easy to go after any rumor that may arise.

But Jesus makes several things clear about his second coming.

First, there will be no mistaking it. When he comes, everyone will know. Jesus said,

For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. (Luke 17:24)

Second, it will come with a suddenness that no one expects.

That day will start like any ordinary day. People will be eating, drinking, getting married, buying, selling, planting, and building.

Then Jesus will appear and judgment will come.

Third, the righteous will be spared that judgment that ends in death. Jesus said,

But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:29-30)

Note that it says after Lot left Sodom, judgment fell. Jesus said the same would be true on the day of his return.

The righteous will be taken out from among the unrighteous, and then judgment will fall.

Next, it doesn’t matter who you are associated with, judgment will fall on you if you are not right with God when Jesus comes. Jesus warned,

I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. (Luke 17:34-35)

Finally, judgment is certain. Jesus closed by saying,

Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather. (Luke 17:37)

Just as the vultures will fall upon dead corpses, so judgment will fall upon those who are spiritually dead.

So ultimately, the question is, are you ready?

Where is your heart? Are you in love with the things of this world, or with God? For the day of judgment will show what’s truly in your heart.

When Jesus comes, those who truly love him will gladly go out to meet him in the air. But those who are instead in love with the things of earth, will instead be dreading the loss of what they have.

So Jesus warned his disciples,

Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (Luke 17:32-33)

Lot’s wife, when judgment fell on the city, looked back with sadness on the life she was forced to leave, and as a result, judgment fell on her.

The same will happen to you if your heart belongs to this world when Jesus comes.

What’s in your heart today?

Categories
Luke Luke 17

Seeing God’s kingdom

Luke

This is probably one of the more difficult passages to interpret.

The Pharisees came to Jesus asking when God’s kingdom would come. I’m not sure what they meant by that, but perhaps they were saying, “Are you the Messiah or not? If you are, prove it!”

But Jesus, as usual, refused to give any signs to prove himself to his critics. Instead, he replied,

The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)

That last part is perhaps better translated, “The kingdom of God is among you.”

It’s hard to believe that he was saying the kingdom of God was actually in the hearts of these men who had rejected Jesus.

What was he saying? I think he was saying, “You guys are so intent on looking for signs of God’s kingdom coming, that you can’t see God’s kingdom when it’s staring you in the face.”

In other words, “The King is here. He’s doing the work of the kingdom right in your very midst. And yet you ask for signs for the coming of the kingdom?”

The Pharisees were blind to what God was doing. The question is, are you?

God is working in the hearts of the people around you. He wants to change their lives. More than that, he wants to use you to effect that change. But are you so wrapped up with your own life that you can’t see it?

Or are you so wrapped up searching through prophecy to determine when Jesus is coming back that you can’t see what he is doing right here and now?

Prophecy is important. But if we focus on it to the point that it blinds us to what God is doing around us, then we’ve lost perspective, and we become ineffective for his kingdom.

How about you? Are you seeing what God’s doing in the lives of those around you?

Categories
Luke Luke 17

Grateful

Luke

In this passage, we see ten lepers hanging out together when they see Jesus. And if there was one thing that this terrible disease did, it broke down barriers that would have otherwise existed.

Jews and Samaritans, as we’ve noted before, detested each other. But with these men cut off from their own peoples because of their disease, they found there truly were no differences between them.

The same is true with us. In Romans 3:22-23, it says,

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

No matter your religious or cultural background, all of us are the same. We all suffer from the disease of sin, and apart from the touch of Christ, we are cut off from God and will be separated from him forever when we die.

There is absolutely nothing we can do to save ourselves, much as there was no way, in those days, for a person to save himself from leprosy once they caught it.

All we can do is what those lepers did. Throw ourselves on God’s mercy. These men cried out to Jesus,

Jesus, Master, have pity on us! (Luke 17:13)

And Jesus in his mercy cleansed them. But it required faith.

Jesus didn’t heal them right away. He told them to go show themselves to the priests, and it was as they were on their way to do so, that they suddenly found themselves cleansed.

In the same way, we can only be cleansed of our sins by putting our faith in Jesus.

But then we come to the key point. When the 10 men realized that they were cleansed, all were overjoyed, but it says that when the Samaritan realized he had been healed, he alone returned to Jesus to thank him.

And when Jesus saw this, he asked,

Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? (Luke 17:17-18)

How often does Jesus ask the same concerning us? He gave his life on the cross to cleanse us from our sins. By his grace, we have been saved from eternal death.

Yet how often, do we take our salvation for granted.

I’m not only talking about failing to express thanks in our words, but in our actions.

How often do our actions show how grateful we are to Christ for what he has done for us? Does the grace and love he has poured into our lives, stop there?

Or does it cause us to pour that grace and love into those around us, and in so doing bring glory to God?

Is your life a reflection of your gratitude toward Jesus for all he has done for you?

Categories
John John 11 John 12

Recognizing truth when we see it

John

I’ve mentioned the problem the Pharisees and the priests had where they saw all that Jesus said and did, and still did not believe.

It all comes to a head here. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and there was absolutely no way to refute it. Not after Lazarus had been dead for four days and buried in the tomb before Jesus came.

As a result, people were coming to believe in Jesus left and right.

The Pharisees’ and priests’ response?

“We know what he’s doing. We can’t deny it. But we will not believe.”

All the evidence was there that Jesus was the Messiah, but they would not believe in him.

Instead, their sole concern was that their nation would be taken from them by the Romans if the people tried to declare Jesus king.

The irony of the High Priest Caiaphas’ thoughts on the matter was not lost on John. Caiaphas said,

You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish. (John 11:49-50)

What Caiaphas meant was that it was better for Jesus to die than to have the nation taken away from them by Rome.

But John commented,

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. (John 11:51-52)

These men were so blinded by their pride and ambition, they could not recognize the truth though it was literally coming out of their mouths.

How about you? Can you recognize truth when you hear it? When you see it staring you in the face?

Jesus said, “I am the truth.” (John 14:6)

If you are ever going to see truth, it starts with recognizing one thing. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Until you admit that, you will be forever blind.

How about you? Have you come to know the Truth?

Categories
John John 11

The one who calls forth the dead

John

Yes, we will eventually finish this chapter. But not today. It’s a passage that is so totally rich in truth.

When Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again, she said,

I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:24)

But Jesus answered,

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25-26)

In other words, “The resurrection is not simply a time in the future when the dead will be raised. I am the resurrection. I am the one that raises the dead and gives them life. And if you believe in me, you will never truly die.”

Jesus proved that moments later by raising Lazarus from the dead. And just as he called Lazarus out from the grave, so will he call all who have put their faith in him.

The apostle Paul tells us,

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

And again,

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

Lazarus was only raised temporarily. He would die again.

But when Jesus raises us, we will be raised in an immortal and incorruptible body.

How about you? Do you know what will happen after you die? Do you know that you have eternal life?

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. If you believe in him, you will never truly know death. Only a new beginning.

Jesus asks you the same question he asks Martha. “Do you believe this?”

May you answer as she did,

I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God. (John 11:27)

Categories
John John 11

Uncovering our pain before Jesus

Mary of Bethany
www.LumoProject.com

So often in our lives, we go through pain and hurt, but instead of dealing with it, we bury it.

We try to ignore the pain. Or we cover it over with other things, busyness, food, pleasure, or whatever else we can find.

But the pain becomes like a rot in our souls, eating away at us from the inside out.

What can we do?

Mary and Martha had to go through that. Their brother had died. Worse, they knew that if Jesus had only come sooner, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. But for reasons they couldn’t understand, Jesus delayed his coming.

And so they went through feelings of pain at the loss of their brother, and perhaps feelings of betrayal by Jesus.

Both said the same thing when they finally came face to face with him. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, it is possible that when Martha said this, she meant it not in an accusing manner, but as a way of saying, “I still believe in you. I’m not turning my back on you.”

With Mary, however, I don’t think there can be any doubt that she said it with lots of pain and hurt in her voice. And when Jesus saw this, John tells us,

He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. (John 11:33)

Why? Part of it may have been the empathy he felt for Mary. But another part of him may have also been hurt by her lack of faith in him.

We see the same response in verse 38 when other people started to question his failure to come in time to help Lazarus.

So he went to the place where Lazarus was buried, and he told Martha,

Take away the stone. (John 11:39a)

Martha’s response was very understandable.

But, Lord… by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. (John 11:39)

But Jesus replied,

Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40)

Martha was reluctant. There seemed no point in rolling away the stone. Lazarus was dead and gone. But she obeyed, and Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

What can we learn from this?

What hurts or pains have you buried in your heart? What bitterness do you hold to in your heart because of it? Bitterness toward others? Bitterness even toward God?

Jesus says, remove the stone. Uncover the pain and bitterness in your heart. It’s rotting there. So uncover it.

And if you will just believe in Jesus, you will see the glory of God in your life.

The question is: “Will you?”

Categories
John John 11

Walking by the light

John

When Jesus made the decision to go back to Judea to see Lazarus, his disciples objected, saying,

But Rabbi… a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there? (John 11:8)

Jesus’ answer is very striking.

Are there not twelve hours of daylight?

A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light. (John 11:9-10)

What is Jesus saying here? As long as he followed his Father’s will, he would be fine. As long as he trusted his Father’s leading, he would not stumble. It’s the person who fails to do either that falls into trouble.

It’s the same with us. We talked yesterday about how Jesus wants more than anything is for us to trust him.

When we choose to believe him and follow him, we’ll see things as they really are. We’ll see his love for us clearly despite our circumstances. We’ll see our trials for the temporary things that they are.

But when we walk apart from him who is the Light of the world, we find ourselves stumbling around in discouragement and despair because of all the trials and hurts that we go through.

How about you? How clearly are you seeing?

Categories
John John 11

That we might believe

John

This is one of the most famous miracles Jesus performed, and I’ve spoken on it at church more than once. But as I read it through this time, these words strike me:

So that you may believe. (John 11:15)

We see this theme again and again throughout the passage, and it was the whole purpose for everything that Jesus did in it.

In this story, he challenged Martha,

Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40)

Again, when he prayed at Lazarus’ tomb, he said to his Father,

I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. (John 11:42)

And at Lazarus’ resurrection, John tells us,

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. (John 11:45)

If there is one thing that Jesus wants us to learn, it’s to trust him. And all that we go through in life, with all the struggles and pain we endure, is directed toward that end.

Sometimes we ask God, “I love you. Why is this happening to me? Do you really love me?”

That’s what I see in the first part of this passage. It talks about Mary’s great love for Jesus. That she was the one who would later pour perfume on him and wipe his feet with her hair.

And because she loved Jesus and thought he loved her, she immediately called for Jesus when her brother Lazarus got sick. She had no doubt that he would come.

And indeed, it said, Jesus loved her, her sister Martha, and Lazarus. So… he stayed where he was another two days.

The NIV says, “but he stayed.” But it is probably more accurately translated, “So he stayed,” and most literal translations (KJV, NASB, ESV among others) do translate it that way.

Why did he stay? Because he wanted all those involved to learn to trust him.

By waiting and letting Lazarus die, everyone’s faith was taken to a higher level when Jesus raised him from the dead.

Sometimes we wonder why God remains silent. Why our prayers seem to go unanswered. Mary and Martha probably felt that way.

“Why isn’t Jesus coming?”

Yet Jesus wanted to challenge them to trust him even more than they already did.

I look at Martha’s words. I’ve always thought that her words were a bit bitter that Jesus had waited. Now I’m not so sure. Could it not be that her words were of pure faith?

That she was saying, “Jesus, I know that you could have healed my brother had you been here sooner. But I still trust in you. Even now, I believe God is with you and will do anything you ask.” (John 11:21-22)

Was she saying that she believed Jesus would raise Lazarus? No. Her later words (John 11:39) prove otherwise.

But I think she was saying, “Even though you didn’t do what I had hoped this time, I will still come to you with my needs in the future. I haven’t lost faith in you, Jesus.”

But Jesus challenged her, basically saying, “Have you already given up on this situation? Don’t. Your brother will rise again.

I am the giver of life, and have power to give it to anyone I please. He who believes in me, though he may die, will live. And whoever believes in me will never truly die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:23-26)

Martha answered yes, but I don’t think she had a clue as to what Jesus meant. Even so, she said, “I believe in you. I believe you are God’s Son.” (John 11:27)

What do we call that kind of faith? The faith of a child.

We will not always understand Jesus’ words. We may not always understand his actions (or lack of them). But will we still say, in the face of our confusion, in the face of our disappointments, “I still believe in you?”

Martha had to come to grips with that question at Lazarus’ grave. “Do I trust Jesus enough, despite all that happened, to do what he asks.”

But when she did, when she decided to put her trust in him, she saw God’s glory.

And so will we. The same question Jesus asked Martha, he asks us.

Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40)

How will you respond?

Categories
Luke Luke 17

Our attitude in service

Luke

We all like a pat on the back. A “Well done” after we do something. But is that why we serve? For the praise of others? For the praise of God even?

Do we feel underappreciated when it doesn’t come? Or even upset?

Jesus gives a very interesting illustration here. He says,

Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?

Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?

Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ (Luke 17:7-10)

What is Jesus saying here? That God does not appreciate our efforts? That he won’t reward the work we’ve done?

No. From other passages we do see that he appreciates and rewards the work we do.

But I think there are a couple things to remember here.

First, as long as we are on this earth, there is always work to be done. There is no room to be resting on our laurels.

There’s even less room to be looking for those laurels.

Rather, we are to continue doing the things that God has called us to do.

Second, no matter what work we’re doing, no matter our position in the kingdom, we serve solely because of the grace of God.

We are unworthy to receive anything from God. Certainly, we’ve done nothing to earn our salvation.

But that God would use us despite our faults, our weaknesses, and our failures, can also only be seen as God’s grace.

More, God gave us the gifts and talents that allow us to serve. He gave us the strength and the wisdom. And if we’ve received all these things, do we really have any room for pride?

As Paul wrote,

For who makes you different from anyone else?

What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

So as long as we live, let us continue to do the things that God has called us to do. Humbly. Faithfully. And remembering that we do so solely because of his grace towards us.

Categories
Luke Luke 17

Forgiveness

Luke

As I was reading this passage, something new struck me as I was reading the ESV.

Jesus is, of course, talking about forgiveness here. He said,

If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3 — NIV)

This is a key point about forgiveness. There is no room for seething or holding in your anger for long stretches of time when someone hurts you. Jesus tells us to confront them about it.

Now you may want to hold off a bit before you talk to them if you need to calm down, but to just let your anger build is definitely not a good thing. And Jesus says that if they apologize, forgive them.

Jesus then takes it further. The ESV puts it this way,

And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him. (Luke 17:4)

In the King James Version, it says,

Thou shalt forgive him.

In short, this is not just a simple suggestion to forgive. It’s a command. Jesus isn’t saying, “If he apologizes, you might want to consider forgiving him.”

He’s saying, “Forgive!”

The disciples’ response?

Increase our faith! (Luke 17:5)

I think a lot of us feel this way. “Lord, my hurt is so deeply rooted, I don’t know if I can forgive. Increase my faith so that I can forgive.”

Jesus answered,

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. (Luke 17:6)

Jesus is saying here, it doesn’t matter how deeply rooted your hurt may be, it can get rooted out.

And you don’t require a whole lot of faith either. What matters is not how much faith you have, but who you have your faith in.

Jesus is the great healer, and no matter what hurt you may have, he can bring healing.

The question then is not a matter of the amount of willpower you have to change yourself.

None of the commandments God gives us is able to give us that power. None of us have the power to change ourselves and make ourselves perfect.

But Jesus can. So don’t turn to yourself and try to will yourself to forgive. Turn to Jesus and ask for his healing and his help.

And by putting your faith in him, you will see miracles happen.

Categories
Luke Luke 17

Causing others to fall

Luke

Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.

It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. (Luke 17:1-2)

Those are pretty heavy words. But Jesus then lends even heavier weight to them, saying,

So watch yourselves. (Luke 17:3)

I don’t know about you, but those words give me pause.

I have a 5-year old daughter who certainly qualifies as a “little one.” What kind of father am I to her?

I do my best, but I’m far from a perfect father. Yet she is watching me. Am I being a good example to her? Or am I doing things that would cause her to fall?

As I think of that, I can only say, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.”

But what of the other people in my life? My wife? My coworkers. The people at church, especially the younger Christians, but all that I come into contact with.

Do I cause any to fall because of my actions? Because of my attitudes?

How about you? What kind of person are you to those around you? Do you help them to come closer to Christ? Or do you cause them to stumble into sin?

Categories
Luke Luke 16

The rich man and Lazarus: The reality of hell

Luke

Hell. It is not the most pleasant of topics. And yet Jesus taught on it. And in this passage, he makes it very clear that it exists, and what’s more, describes what it is like.

First, it’s a place of torment. You see this idea all throughout the passage from beginning to end. More, it’s a place of conscious torment.

There’s no idea in this passage that people’s consciousness is wiped out upon entry to hell. Rather, people are conscious of their situation and just how awful it is.

Second, there is a chasm that cannot be crossed between the righteous and the unrighteous. Once you are in hell, there is no way out. There can be no repentance at that point.

Third, it’s so awful that no one wants to be there, nor do they want their loved ones there.

Sometimes, in Japan, people don’t want to become Christians because if they do, they have to face the reality that their grandparents or parents that have already passed away are in hell. But listen to the rich man’s plea.

Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. (Luke 16:27-28)

Abraham told him this was impossible. That even if he allowed it, his brothers had already rejected God’s word to them, and they still wouldn’t believe even if someone came from the dead to warn them.

Ironically, another man named Lazarus did rise from the dead as a testimony to the people that Jesus was truly the Son of God. But Jesus’ enemies rejected him anyway, and plotted to kill not only Jesus, but Lazarus as well.

But the point is, this man did not want his family to join him there. And I don’t think anyone wants their loved ones to join them in hell either.

So if you or your friends are refusing God’s salvation because your loved ones are in hell, remember this man’s words. They don’t want you to join them.

How can we avoid hell? Only by putting our faith in Jesus. By believing that he died on the cross for our sins and that he rose again. By making him your Lord and Savior.

Some people say, “How can a loving God send people to hell?”

What they don’t understand is life without God is hell. Without the Source of life, love, joy, and peace, how can you call that situation anything but hell?

God doesn’t send people to hell so much as people choose to go there. They choose to turn their backs on the Source of all that makes life worth living.

And when they do, when they cut themselves off from Him, what do they have left?

Only despair. And that is hell.

How about you? Will you turn to the Source of life? Or will you turn your back on Him? It’s your choice.

Categories
Luke Luke 16

When we fail to prepare

Luke

This is one of the most graphic depictions of the afterlife, probably because it’s the most personal. In particular, it is a graphic picture of what hell will be like.

Many people think that this was an actual incident, the reason being that this is the only story Jesus tells which names a person.

Whether it is a true story or not, I don’t know, but it is a clear warning to those who fail to prepare for eternity.

It is, in fact, the bookend to this chapter, which starts with a story of a person who did prepare for his future albeit through shady means.

Jesus starts the story by talking about a rich man who lived in luxury. He had no needs or wants unfulfilled, and therefore never gave a thought to his future. Nor did he give a thought to the people around him.

There was a man named Lazarus that he passed by day by day. Lazarus was a beggar, and my guess is that it was through no fault of his own.

But through illness or perhaps some other problem beyond his control, he was reduced to begging for a living.

Lazarus longed just for the crumbs from this rich man’s table, but the rich man never gave him a moment’s notice.

And so they lived.

When their time came, Lazarus was escorted to Abraham’s side where he was comforted, but the rich man descended to hell where he was in torment.

And when he cried out for relief, Abraham responded,

Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. (Luke 16:25)

What was Abraham saying? This man had spent his whole life enjoying his life on earth. He accumulated wealth, he enjoyed pleasure, and generally did whatever he pleased. But he did not prepare for eternity.

Lazarus, on the other hand, though he had nothing on this earth, indeed, though he suffered greatly while on earth, nevertheless prepared himself for eternity.

And so when the time came, Lazarus received comfort, while the rich man suffered in agony.

The problem with the rich man was not his riches. The problem was that he had not prepared for eternity.

He had not, as Jesus put it, used the wealth he had been given in such a way that he would be welcomed into eternal dwellings with God. (Luke 16:9)

Let us not be foolish as this man was. Let us remember that this life is but a breath, and that we need to prepare for eternity. For if we don’t, we will suffer his fate.

How about you. Are you prepared for eternity?

Categories
Luke Luke 16

Justifying ourselves

Luke

One major problem of the Pharisees was that they were so self-righteous.

They were so proud of keeping every little rule there was that they couldn’t see the sin that was so obviously there in their lives.

And when their sin was pointed out, they found ways to justify themselves and their actions.

So Jesus told them,

You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. (Luke 16:15)

In this case, Jesus was condemning them for their love of money. The Pharisees, as I mentioned in the last blog, justified this love by saying, “But this is God’s blessing for my being so righteous.”

Yet in their hearts, money had become their idol. They loved it more than God.

The only thing they perhaps loved more than money was the praise of those around them. So when they “generously” gave to the needy around them, they made sure to let everyone know about it.

But though these things may be highly valued by people, Jesus said they are detestable in God’s sight.

Money and the praise of others are not bad in themselves, of course. But when they become the purpose for our lives, when they become our gods, then they become a stumbling block in our relationship with God.

The Pharisees found other ways to justify their actions.

They placed burdens on the people with all their rules and regulations that they added to the law of God, all the while finding loopholes for themselves, and patting themselves on the back for finding them.

Jesus pointed out one example in their ideas on adultery.

Certain Pharisees, in order to get around the law against adultery, divorced their wives in order to marry other women. But Jesus told them,

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Luke 16:18)

The worst thing they did, however, was disassociating themselves from “sinners” instead of reaching out to them.

They used the law as an excuse to condemn people instead of trying to save them, and in doing so, they shut the door to the kingdom in people’s faces. (Matthew 23:13)

Even so, Jesus said people were forcing their way past the Pharisees into the kingdom of God.

The very people that the Pharisees rejected were being touched by Jesus and were pressing their way past the Pharisees and their legalistic rules into the kingdom. (Luke 16:16).

How about you? What’s in your heart? Are you outwardly righteous, when all the while you’re justifying the evil in your heart?

Are you so self-righteous that you can’t see the evil in your heart?

Let us not be blind as the Pharisees were. Rather, let us ask Jesus to remove the scales that blind us to the sin in our lives, and to tear down the walls of pride that would keep us from him.

Categories
Luke Luke 16

Who or what we serve

Luke

The god of Money is very big in our society. Many people long for it. They work for it. They even give their lives for it. But Jesus tells us here,

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and Money. (Luke 16:13)

I’ve mentioned before, this one is tough for me, especially when it comes to giving. And the question I have to ask myself is, “Who or what am I serving?”

Am I serving money? Trying to do all I can to earn and then hold on to my money?

Or is money simply a tool I’m using in order to serve God? Does God have access to my wallet anywhere and at any time?

If he doesn’t, I’m not serving God. I’m serving money. And that’s idolatry.

That was the problem of the Pharisees. And when they heard Jesus, they sneered at him.

In those days, having wealth was a sign of their goodness. The feeling was, “God only blesses the righteous. Since I have all this money, I must be righteous.”

On the other hand, this caused the Pharisees to look down on everyone else who was not wealthy, including Jesus.

So not only did they commit the sin of idolatry, but the sin of pride was also deeply embedded in their hearts.

How about you? Are you proud of what you have? Are you making what you have your god?

Is your service to this god keeping you from being generous and touching the lives of those around you for the sake of God’s kingdom?

Who or what are you serving?

Categories
Luke Luke 16

Parable of the dishonest manager: Being faithful

Luke

While Jesus praised the dishonest manager in his story for at least planning for his future, he also criticized him, saying,

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (Luke 16:10)

Jesus is saying here, “Be careful who you trust. Don’t hand over large responsibilities to just anyone. Watch them. Give them smaller responsibilities to start with and see how they respond.

If they are faithful, give them larger ones. But if they are not, then you know that they cannot be trusted.”

But lest we stop at judging other people, Jesus goes on to say,

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:11-12)

God has given us resources here on earth, money among other things. Are you being faithful with it?

Do you keep in mind that this money is not really your own? Rather it belongs to God who has blessed you with the talents and strength to work and earn money?

You don’t truly own the money you have. You are simply managing it.

And if you are not faithful with your money, what makes you think that God will give you responsibilities in other areas, particularly in ministry?

Not just formal ministry, like being a pastor, although I mean that too. But ministering to the people around you at home, at work, at school or wherever you may be.

As members of his kingdom, we are all called to do what we can to touch people with the love of God. And when we do, this has eternal rewards.

But can God trust you to do these things, if you are not faithful with the temporal things he has given you?

How faithful are you with the things God has given you? Can God trust you?

Categories
Luke Luke 16

Parable of the dishonest manager: Securing our future

Luke

Everyone desires security for their future. But how many of us really plan for it? Not just in terms of life here on earth, but in terms of eternity?

This story Jesus tells is a very unusual one, because he uses an evil man to illustrate a point on how we should live.

This man had apparently been embezzling money from his employer, and his employer called him to account for it. As a result, the man was going to lose his job.

He got his “30 days notice” and during that time, he fretted about what he could do to secure his future.

He didn’t want to do hard manual labor, nobody was going to hire him for white collar work after being fired for embezzlement, and he didn’t want to beg.

So he made a plan. He lowered the debt of those who owed his employer money so that when he was fired, they would welcome him into their homes and take care of him.

The weird thing? His employer commended him for looking out for his own future. (After which he undoubtedly said, “Now, get lost!”)

Jesus then said,

For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. (Luke 16:8)

In other words, non-Christians are often very shrewd in how they use their money and position to deal with people and so secure their future.

How much more as Christians, should we use the money and positions we have to secure ours?

Again, I’m not simply speaking in terms of life here on earth, but in terms of eternity.

This man used his position to gain friends that would welcome him when he entered the next stage of his life. In the same way, Jesus said,

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9)

What is Jesus saying here? Use the resources God has given you to win people into His Kingdom.

For if you do, when you reach heaven, and all the money you earned is but dust on this earth, all the people you reached with the gospel will welcome you there.

More than that, Jesus himself will welcome you, and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

But if you use your money solely to indulge yourself, no one will be there to meet you when you reach heaven. And when Jesus comes to meet you, he will call you to account for all you’ve done.

What will be left of all you accomplished on earth when he does?

As Paul said,

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

How about you? What kind of life are you securing for yourself?

Categories
Luke Luke 15

The prodigal son: The extravagance of God’s grace

Prodigal son

This is perhaps the most famous of Jesus’ parables in the Gospels. Yet it must have been utterly shocking to the Pharisees. For here in this story was just the type of person they despised.

Here was a young man, who turned his back on his father, and basically said to his face, “I wish you were dead.” (For only after a father died did his sons usually receive their inheritance).

He then went off squandering all his money on wild living. He was greedy, self-indulgent, and perverse in every way.

And then a famine hit, and the young man was left, poor, desolate, and friendless.

Nobody would lift a finger to help him, and he was left trying to scrape by with the worst of jobs, taking care of pigs (an unclean animal by God’s law).

Things were so bad, that he wanted to eat what the pigs ate.

That’s the deception of sin. It brings you pleasure for the moment, but in the end brings death.

Finally, the young man came to his senses, and he realized, “Even my father’s servants live better than this. There’s no possible way that he could ever accept me as a son. I’ve burned too many bridges. But if he’ll just accept me as a servant…”

And so he trudged home.

All along the way, he rehearsed in his heart what he would say to his dad.

Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men. (Luke 15:18-19)

Perhaps as the Pharisees heard this, they had one of two thoughts.

One might have been, “Well, if he grovels enough, maybe, just maybe the father would be kind enough to accept him as a servant, but I kind of doubt it.”

The other might have been, “No way! After all he did? There could never be forgiveness for that!”

They must have been shocked to hear what Jesus said next.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

To a Jew in those days, it was considered undignified for a man his age to go running pell-mell for any reason. To hear that a father would abase himself for such a wretched son was unthinkable.

But that is exactly what happened. And when he reached his son, he threw his arms around him and kissed him.

His son was dirty, his clothes were probably ragged, he probably smelled, and yet this father ignored all this in showing his love for his son.

And when his son tried to give his rehearsed speech, his father wouldn’t even listen to it. Instead, he cried out,

Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. (Luke 15:22-24)

Such is the extravagance of the grace and love of God.

The Pharisees never conceived of a God like this. And so as they looked upon the “sinners” around them they despised them.

But Jesus let them know that God longs for the sinners to return to him. And when they do, he doesn’t despise them. Rather, he embraces them and celebrates.

How do you view God? As a stern Father? As a critical God that is always lecturing? That will only forgive if we grovel?

That’s not the God Jesus taught. So as we look at the lost around us, let us take on the character of our Father, not the Pharisees.

And if you yourself are lost and wondering if God could possibly accept you after all you’ve done, remember that he can and he will.

Remember that his love and grace toward you is extravagant, and he’ll freely give them to you if you’ll only turn to him.

Categories
Luke Luke 15

Parables of the lost sheep and coin: Seeking the lost? Condemning the lost?

Luke

In this passage, we see the one big difference between Jesus and the Pharisees. And it is unfortunately one of the big differences between God and a lot of people that call themselves Christians today.

The Pharisees condemned those who were lost. Jesus sought to save them.

Jesus had just spent some time with the Pharisees, and now he went back to the people he usually hung out with, the “sinners.”

And because of that, the Pharisees condemned Jesus saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2).

The Pharisees were a people that did everything they could to keep from being “contaminated” by sinners.

They would never entertain a “sinner” at their home, and they would never dream of even visiting a “sinner’s” house.

To the extent it was possible, they would avoid having any business dealings with them, and it was their ideal to avoid them entirely.

No wonder then that they were shocked at how openly Jesus welcomed the sinner.

And so Jesus told them three parables, two of which we’ll look at today.

One was of a lost sheep, and how it was so valuable that the shepherd went out to seek it. And when he found it, Jesus said,

He calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ (Luke 15:6)

Jesus then told the Pharisees,

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:7)

Imagine for a moment if the Pharisee had been the shepherd. What would he have done? He would have condemned the sheep.

“How stupid could that sheep be straying off like that. Well let him get what he deserves. He deserves to die.”

But Jesus never thought that way. Rather, he sought to save the sheep, even to the point of giving his life for them.

This way of thinking was totally foreign to the Pharisees. But it shouldn’t have been.

Had they read the prophets, they would have seen that is exactly the way God is. It was, in fact, the whole point of the book of Hosea.

Jesus then told a story about a woman who had lost a coin. Most likely, this was part of a head-dress worn by married women.

It was made up of 10 silver coins and was somewhat like our wedding ring today. If you can imagine a woman losing her wedding ring, that’s the kind of feeling this woman had.

And so she searched every corner of the house until she found it.

In the same way, God searches throughout every corner of creation for those who are lost in their sin. And Jesus said when God finds them, “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God.” (Luke 15:10).

That’s God’s attitude. But how about you? When you see the “sinner,” do you simply condemn them? Or do you go out of your way to try to save them?

Let us not be like the Pharisees that condemned, but like our Savior who saved us.

Categories
Luke Luke 14

Counting the cost

Luke

As the large crowds followed Jesus, I wonder if Jesus was searching their hearts as to why they were following him?

Were they following him because of the miracles? Because of his great teachings? Or was it truly because they believed he was the Messiah and wanted to follow him?

And so he issued a very strong challenge, saying,

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.

And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27)

In other words, “Are you really wanting to be my disciple? To be my disciple is costly. It may cost you your family and even your very life.”

Jesus never promised that life would be easy if we followed him. In fact, he promised exactly the opposite.

Carrying a cross wasn’t pleasant. Neither the carrying of it, nor what happened when you finally put it down.

But Jesus said that unless you carry that cross, unless you are willing to suffer whatever trials you may go through because you’re following him, you cannot be his disciple.

Easy words? No way.

He then challenged us to count the cost of following him. We are to count the cost in two ways.

First, the cost of following him. And he compared it to a person building a tower. If a person doesn’t count the cost beforehand, and cannot complete the tower, everyone will ridicule him.

In the same way, anyone who starts following Jesus and then gives up because it’s too hard will be put to shame.

But there’s another cost to count. The cost of not following him. Jesus said,

Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. (Luke 14:31-32)

The truth of the matter is, we are either at peace with God or at war with him.

You may not think you’re at war with God, but if you choose to reject Jesus, that’s exactly what you are.

The Bible says that God sent his Son to reconcile us to himself. But there’s no need for reconciliation where there is peace.

So Jesus tells us, “Think very carefully whether you can really afford to be at war with God.

When a king considers warring against another nation, they take into account if they can possibly win. And if they can’t, they do all they can, as quickly as they can, to make peace.”

We need to do the same, although in our case, God has already sent out the peace offerings.

But it has to be on his terms, and that’s by accepting Jesus’ payment for your sins on the cross.

If you accept it, you will find life. But if you reject it, and you die in that rejection, you will find out just how terrible the enmity between you and God is.

So make peace with God while you still can. God has called us to be salt in this world. To flavor our world with his love and his light.

Don’t be cast out as worthless because you chose to reject him instead.

Categories
Luke Luke 14

Excuses

Luke

In warning the Pharisees not to just assume they will enter the kingdom, Jesus, as he often did, told a parable. It was a story of how a man invited people to a great banquet.

In those days, they didn’t have watches, so while the day of the banquet was known, the time never was until someone came to your door saying, “The banquet is ready. Please come.”

But when that day came, person after person declined to come. And the excuses were all unacceptable.

One person said he couldn’t come because he had just bought a field and had to go see it (as if he had been stupid enough to buy a field without looking at it first).

Another said he had just bought some oxen and wanted to try them out. In other words, “I have a new toy. I don’t have time to come your banquet.”

A third said, “I just got married, so I can’t come.” Certainly being recently married was a great thing, but no reason for not going to the banquet. Perhaps he could have even invited his wife.

How often do people give these types of excuses when the Holy Spirit comes knocking on the door?

They say, “I’m too busy right now. I’ve got other things that are demanding my attention.”

Or they get distracted by the things of this world, their money and possessions, and they say, “I want to enjoy all these things first. Maybe some other time.”

Or they let family get in the way. “What will my wife say if I become a Christian? What will my parents say? It’ll cause too much disruption in my relationships with them if I become a Christian now.”

But none of these are acceptable excuses. And the danger is, while other invitations may come, the invitation that you’ve got here and now may very well be your last.

You don’t know how long you will be here on earth. You could be in an accident and die tomorrow.

So don’t make excuses. Choose to accept it now. For as the apostle Paul wrote,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Categories
Luke Luke 14

When we reject Jesus

Luke

After Jesus mentioned how God would reward the generous in the resurrection of the righteous, one of the guests at the dinner said,

Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. (Luke 14:15)

This man was referring to the great banquet that will be held someday when the Messiah comes into his kingdom. And as he said this, I’m sure every man at that table said, “Amen,” fully expecting to be at that table when God’s kingdom came.

The ironic thing? They were having dinner with the Messiah right at that very moment and didn’t recognize him. More than that, they rejected him as Messiah and eventually had him crucified.

As a result, they would be locked out of the kingdom, while all those they looked down upon, the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, the very people they locked out of their own feasts, would be allowed into the kingdom.

More than that, those sinners they despised and the Gentiles they thought unworthy of the kingdom would all find a place in the kingdom, while they would be left out.

So many people want to go to heaven, but like these Pharisees, want no part of Jesus.

Instead, they rely on their own concept of righteousness to get them into heaven, while looking down on all those that fail to meet that standard.

And like these Pharisees, when their time comes, they will find the gates of heaven closed to them, while those they despised will enter.

How about you? Are you trying to get into heaven, even expecting to go to heaven, when all the while, you’re rejecting the one who is the only way into heaven?

Only those who put their faith in Jesus and his work on the cross will enter. So put aside your pride and come to Jesus. For as he himself said,

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Categories
Luke Luke 14

Giving

Luke

As Jesus looked around the room, I wonder what kind of people he saw?

A lot of people were invited to this dinner, and I would guess that he was the only one who was not considered at least moderately well off.

And so he said,

When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:12-14)

Two things strike me here. Although this “prominent” Pharisee undoubtedly gave alms to the poor, I strongly doubt he ever invited any of these poor to his dinners.

At another guess, I doubt if the thought of entertaining the poor to a dinner at his house had ever even crossed his mind.

Why not? Probably because he was more interested in gaining the admiration of his friends and the people around him for his house and the food he served.

He was more interested in hanging out with his friends and furthering his reputation among them than reaching out to the hurting around him.

Many times, we give tithes to the church, but use the rest of our money solely for ourselves. We think that now we’ve given our tithes to the church, our “duty” to God is discharged in terms of money.

But God calls us to be givers. Not just inside of church, but outside the church. And if you can give to help someone you know in need, God will bless you.

The second thing that strikes me is our attitude in giving.

Are we giving expecting to be given back? Or do we give freely of what God has given us, expecting nothing in return?

Jesus makes it clear here that it is the latter that God blesses.

I have to admit, I struggle with giving. I’m not a natural giver.

But if we are to be like Jesus, we need to learn to give as he did: sacrificially, expecting nothing in return, helping those who are hurting.

What kind of giver are you?

Categories
Luke Luke 14

Humility

Luke

In this passage, we see a cultural issue that we don’t really see so often in Western culture, if at all.

Jesus noticed at the meal he was at, that people were jockeying for the best seat.

Generally, the person sitting to the right of the host was the most important, while the person to the left was the second most. And the further away you were from the host, the less important you were.

So Jesus told them, “Don’t fight for the best seat. If you do, the host may ask you to go down to a lower seat, and you’ll be humiliated.

Instead take the least important seat. Then if the host deems you worthy of a higher position, you will be exalted in front of everyone.”

Like I said, we don’t really face that situation nowadays. But so often, in the church, people look for the “higher positions.” It may be as a teacher, or worship leader, or other high-profile position.

But don’t be so wrapped up in trying to attain these positions. Be humble enough to serve in lower positions.

It may be setting up the room for worship service. It may be greeting people at the door. Be faithful in those things.

And at the proper time, when the Lord thinks you’re ready and deems you worthy of a higher position, he’ll give you that opportunity.

But if you’re always criticizing those around you, saying, “I’m better than him. I’m better than her. Why are they in that position and I’m not?” you will be cast down.

Jesus humbled himself in this way his entire time on earth.

He didn’t demand to be made king. Nor did he demand to have the best of everything even though he was certainly worthy of such things.

Instead, he remained humble, taking the role of a servant all the way to the cross.

And now Paul says,

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

So let us be like Jesus, remaining humble and serving where we can. And in due time, God will lift us up.

Categories
Luke Luke 14

Arguing people into belief

Luke

Jesus was not only a master teacher, he was a master debater. We see it here, when once again he confronts the Pharisees with the “legality” of healing someone on the Sabbath.

The thing that strikes me here is the Pharisees’ response. When Jesus questioned them about whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, Luke tells us,

They remained silent. (Luke 14:4)

Jesus then healed the man, after which, he looked at them and asked,

If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out? (Luke 14:5)

Their response?

They had nothing to say. (Luke 14:6)

Which just proves the old adage, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” 🙂

But I think it proves something else.

After all their confrontations with Jesus, he had argued them into silence. There was not one thing they could say to argue with him. He had won the argument.

Does that mean they then changed their minds about the matter and about Jesus? Not at all. Rather, they continued to seek to kill him.

The point is that you cannot argue people into believing.

You can lay out all the logical arguments about why a person should believe in Jesus, or why the Bible is true, or why Christianity is true, and you might even win the argument.

As with Jesus, you might leave them completely without defense. But there are some people who simply won’t believe, regardless the arguments, and regardless the proof.

I heard a story once about a debate that occurred on NBC radio between a Christian and some non-believers.

The non-believer said, “The problem with you Christians is that you’re always quoting the Bible to prove the Bible. That’s circular reasoning. You can’t do that.”

The Christian replied, “Who told you it’s one book? Actually it’s 66 different books, written by about 40 different authors, over a period of over 1000 years.

So if I use one author of the Bible to prove what another author said, this is not circular reasoning. This is using independent sources to prove my point.”

The non-Christian said, “No…no…no.”

The Christian replied, “Are you saying no because you actually have proof to back up what you’re saying, or because you don’t believe it.”

The non-Christian said, “I don’t believe it!”

The non-Christian had no argument he could give against what the Christian had said. He was left silent.

But I have no doubt that he went on to use that very same argument with the next Christian he met, hoping that the Christian didn’t have an answer for it.

Am I saying that we shouldn’t debate with unbelievers or answer their questions or challenges? Absolutely not. Peter wrote,

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15)

There are some true seekers out there with legitimate questions. And presented the answers, they may come to belief in Christ.

But let us never deceive ourselves into thinking we can argue people into the kingdom of God.

Only by the Holy Spirit will their hearts be opened. So don’t just stop at giving answers to people’s questions. Pray for them.

Because ultimately, it is the Spirit that will change people’s hearts and save their souls, not our arguments.

Categories
Luke Luke 13

What God longs to do, what he won’t do, what he can’t do

Luke

This is one of the more poignant portions of scripture. After dealing with the Pharisees, Jesus weeps,

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ (Luke 13:34-35)

All throughout Israel’s history, they had rejected the Word of the Lord and the prophets that shared it. And now, Jesus was saying that judgment was coming.

The temple would be destroyed yet again (which happened in 70 A.D.) and the Jews would be dispersed until the 20th century. Only when Israel as a nation accepts Jesus as Lord will they see him again.

But what does this mean for us? I think we see several things in this passage. What God longs to do, what he won’t do, and what he can’t do.

What does God long to do? He longs to draw us into a close and intimate relationship with us. A loving relationship in which he cares for us as a hen cares for its chicks, and we find peace, satisfaction, and joy.

What will God not do? He will not force us to accept him.

He told the Jews, I longed to draw close to you, but “you were not willing.”

God will not force himself upon us. And if we choose to reject him, he will accept our decision.

What can’t God do? He can’t give us a life of joy, satisfaction, and peace without him. Not won’t. Can’t.

Why not? We were designed for a relationship with him. And as long as we are apart from him, there will always be a missing piece in our soul.

We can try to fill it up with many things, money, possessions, jobs, or relationships. But none can fill the piece that a relationship with God can complete. Instead, we will ultimately be left desolate.

That’s what life is without God: desolation.

Without love, because God is love.

Without peace, because God is peace.

Without joy, because God is joy.

And you will never truly have these things until the day you say in your heart, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

How about you? Have you accepted Jesus as Savior in your life? Or have you been spending your life trying to find love, joy, and peace without him.

That kind of life will leave you desolate. You will only find true satisfaction in a relationship with him. Won’t you accept him today?

Lord, I admit that I have turned my back on you. I have been trying to live life without you, and it’s left me empty, desolate. Forgive me.

I believe you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sin, and I believe you rose again. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Now draw me close in a relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Luke Luke 13

Refusing to give in to fear

Luke

It is very easy to tell other people not to be afraid, it’s another thing to live it. Yet, that is exactly what Jesus did.

Some Pharisees came up to him saying,

Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you. (Luke 13:31)

Were these Pharisees sincere about their concern for Jesus? It’s possible. Certainly at least one Pharisee, Nicodemus, seemed to be pro-Jesus. There could have been others.

But I have my doubts. Nothing that we see about Herod in his reactions to Jesus give us the impression that he had an interest in killing him.

When Herod first heard about Jesus, he thought it might be John the Baptist raised from the dead. And it says in Luke 9 that he tried to see him. See him…not kill him.

When Herod actually got the chance to see Jesus, it seems he was more interested in seeing Jesus perform magic tricks than anything else. (Luke 23:8).

This is not to say Herod wasn’t a danger. He was. But it’s my guess that these Pharisees were hoping to frighten Jesus away by exaggerating the current danger that Herod posed.

So Jesus replied,

Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’

In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day–for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! (Luke 13:32-33).

In short, “Buzz off.”

Why did Jesus call Herod a fox? A fox was considered sly and dangerous. But at the same time, it was a symbol of a worthless and insignificant person.

Jesus took his own counsel to be as wise as a serpent. To not simply ignore the dangers that were out there, but to be aware of them and to be cautious.

At the same time, however, he refused to give into the fear of people. They could only destroy the body, not the soul.

On top of that, Jesus knew the time had not yet come for him to die. So he determined to keep on doing his Father’s will.

We need to do the same. People may oppose us when we choose to live for God. Some of them are very cunning, and some are very dangerous. We do need to watch out for them, because they can cause us great harm if we’re not careful.

So while we should be wary, let us not fear them. Let us not fear rejection. Let us not fear anything that they might do to us.

Rather, let us keep pressing on, doing the things God has called us to do.

As the writer of Hebrews said,

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3).

Categories
Luke Luke 13

Before it’s too late

Luke

None of us like to think about hell. And none of us like the idea that anyone is going to hell. We’d like to think that everyone (or almost everyone) will go to heaven someday.

Perhaps that’s the feeling this person had when he came up to Jesus and asked,

Lord, are only a few people going to be saved? (Luke 13:23)

Perhaps as he asked this, he was thinking, “Can’t it be easier? Can’t we let more people into the kingdom of heaven?”

Let’s think about the context of the situation for a moment.

The person asking this was a Jew. In asking this, I don’t think he had any thought in his mind that the Gentiles could be saved. Rather, as a Jew, he was thinking about how tough it would be for him to be saved.

After all, if you looked at the “religious people” of the day, you had to be thinking of people like the Pharisees, people who studied the law, and tried to keep every rule both God-made and man-made.

And as he looked at the Pharisees and other religious folk, he must have been thinking, “This is impossible. I can’t possibly live like the Pharisees. And Jesus once said that our righteousness has to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees!”

But Jesus doesn’t salve his worries. Instead, he said,

Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (Luke 13:24)

In short, “Yes, only a few people will be saved.”

He then warns,

Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ (Luke 13:25)

In other words, we only have a limited time in which to enter the narrow door, that is, we only have our lifetime here on earth. If we die before entering, it is too late.

What is the door? Jesus answered that in the book of John. He said,

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (John 10:9)

Only through a relationship with Jesus, by believing in his work on the cross, and putting our faith in him will we be saved.

Jesus warned the Jews,

There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.

People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last. (Luke 13:28-30)

Many Jews thought that just by being a Jew they would be saved. Others thought by keeping the law they would be saved.

But Jesus warned that while others who would receive him as Savior would enter the kingdom, many Jews would be left outside because they rejected him.

They thought they would be first in the kingdom. But they would be left out entirely.

Many people today feel the same way as the Jews. They feel like because they were born in a Christian family, they are Christians. Or by going to church and doing a lot of good things, that makes them a Christian.

But those things are not enough. Jesus is the gate, and only by him can you be saved.

Won’t you enter before it’s too late?

Categories
Luke Luke 13

The need to be watchful

Luke

I wrote on this passage when we came across it in Matthew (the same illustration is used twice, though probably on different occasions).

The more I look at it, however, I wonder if perhaps Jesus didn’t mean something else than what I first said.

Knowing Jesus and how he often uses multiple meanings for the same illustration (Matthew 5:23-26 and Luke 12:54-59 for example), perhaps he meant more than one thing.

But I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this possibility because it is a very important one. Jesus said,

What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough. (Luke 13:20-21)

If there is one consistent picture throughout the Old Testament, it is the idea of yeast and impurity or sin.

One of the pictures of the Passover meal was the unleavened bread. What happened to that bread? It was broken and eaten, giving (physical) life to those who ate.

Why was it unleavened? There was, of course, the practicality of the matter. The Jews had to prepare to leave Egypt quickly, and so God told them to cook bread without yeast as it would bake faster.

But there is another very important reason. Jesus called himself, “The bread of life.”

And later, at the Passover meal, Jesus took the bread and broke it, saying, “This is my body given for you.” (Luke 22:19).

When Jesus died on the cross, he didn’t do so for any sin he had committed. Like the Passover bread, he was completely free of impurity or sin.

But his body was broken for our sins. He took our sins upon himself and took the punishment for our sins.

And now, if we eat of this living bread, in other words, if we believe in him and put our faith in his work on the cross, we will have eternal life.

But getting back to the point, yeast is always used as a picture of sin and impurity.

Yet here, Jesus uses the picture of yeast spreading throughout bread to illustrate the kingdom of God?

Why? The answer is scary. It is very possible for corruption to spread among God’s people.

You don’t believe me? Just look at what’s happening in America today. The Episcopal church started allowing gay marriages last year, and just this past week, the Presbyterian church allowed the same.

That’s just the moral side.

Throughout the centuries, we’ve seen corruption come into the church in terms of who Christ is.

You have people disclaiming the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ, and his deity, all the while claiming to be Christians.

How can they do this? By discrediting the very word of God. And of course, by discrediting the Word of God, it becomes easy for moral corruption to creep into the church as well.

Jesus warned us about this. He talked about Satan sowing weeds among the wheat. Among the evil that Satan plants in the world is the false doctrine that he also spreads within the church itself. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

And Jesus warns in the latter part of this passage of people who claim to know Christ, but don’t. So he tells us,

Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (Luke 13:24)

What is my point? Be watchful.

Be careful of what your pastors are saying. Be careful of the people you listen to on podcasts or on the radio. Be careful of what you read.

If what you hear and read is consistent with God’s word, accept it and obey it. If not, reject it.

If you’re not watchful, corruption can easily spread into your hearts and minds.

So as the apostle Paul wrote,

Test everything. Hold on to the good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Categories
John John 10

When seeing is not believing

John

A lot of times, people say, “I’ll believe in God if he appears to me and talks to me.”

There is a fatal flaw with this line of reasoning.

God did appear. He did talk to us. He walked among us. He performed miracles. He said words that left all his opponents speechless and without argument.

And people still didn’t believe in him.

The point? If you are determined not to believe, you won’t believe whether God appears to you or not. You’ll convince yourself you were dreaming or hallucinating or something else.

People don’t reject God because they can’t believe, but because they don’t want to believe.

That’s what you see in this passage. The Jews came up to Jesus and said,

How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. (John 10:24)

Jesus replied,

I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me. (John 10:25)

Jesus to this point had healed the sick, made lame people walk, blind people see, healed leprosy, and even raised the dead.

How people could see these things, especially in light of the prophecies they’d studied all their lives (Isaiah 53:4 and 61:1-2 among others) and not believe is inconceivable to me. But they didn’t.

Jesus got even clearer with the Jews. He said,

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:27-30)

Who can give eternal life? Only God can. Yet Jesus promised just that. He went further than that, saying that he and the Father were one.

What did he mean by that? The Jews understood. He was saying that he was God himself in human flesh. Their response was immediate. They tried to kill him, saying,

We are not stoning you for any of these good works you’ve done… but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. (John 10:33)

That they understood Jesus correctly is only enforced by what he said next. He pointed to scripture at how God called a bunch of unjust judges “gods,” because of the position of authority they held over the people.

And Jesus basically said, “If God called these people ‘gods,’ how much more worthy am I of that title as his one and only Son.”

Fathers and sons always share the same nature, whether they be human, animals, or whatever. So if Jesus is God’s Son, what does that make Jesus?

He then again pointed to his life. First, how he lived his life, doing all the things that God does, and then on top of that, again, the miracles he performed.

The Jews saw all these things. They knew all these things. And they still rejected him. Why?

I don’t know. Perhaps it was because all Jesus said and did went counter to what they thought he should be. But instead of changing their way of thinking, they turned their backs on him.

People do the same today.

They encounter Jesus, but he is not at all what they expect or want him to be. Or the things he says offend them because he confronts them with their sin and they don’t want to change. So instead of changing, they reject Jesus.

How about you? Are you hiding behind the excuse that you need to see God to believe in him?

Seeing isn’t always believing. Chances are that if you are intent on disbelieving, you won’t believe. At the very least, be honest about that. Don’t deceive yourself on that point.

But my prayer is that you would go beyond being honest and start softening your heart to Jesus. Because only in doing so will you truly find life.