The Ken Read Podcast

0102 JESUS THE NAZARENE

Matthew ends his second chapter with this curious fulfillment of prophecy: "He shall be called a Nazarene." What does this mean?

 

The first chapter of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Joseph, who served as Jesus’ earthly father. It also contains Joseph being visited by an angel in a dream, assuring him that Mary’s pregnancy came from the Spirit of God. In chapter 2, Matthew reports three more significant dreams: The wise men were warned about Herod in a dream, Joseph flees Bethlehem in the middle of the night based on a dream, and in  Egypt, the Lord appears to him once again. It leaves me wondering how many of us have made major decisions in life based on a dream that we knew to be from God. But there is a little phrase at the end of Matthew 2 that isn’t found anywhere else, so I would like to focus on that for a few minutes.

 

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

~Matthew 2:23

Do you know where in the Bible it says, “He shall be called a Nazarene?” You can look it up. You won’t find it. Here is what you will find:

The Bible says the servant of the Lord would be despised and rejected, with no beauty or majesty, nothing attractive about him. Oppressed, afflicted, judged, smitten. That is what it means to be known as a “Nazarene.” No wonder Nate asked Phil, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nobody thought it could.

The region of Galilee never had much of a reputation down in Judea. But the little town of Nazareth was The Lowest Rung on the ladder of respect. A small village with a couple hundred low income residents. No fishing. Few livestock. Very little farming. In fact, Nazareth is so poor . . .. How poor are they, you ask? Nazarenes are so poor that their primary crop is rocks. That sounds like a (very bad) joke, but I’m not even kidding. On the edge of town, the sunny south slope of the hill had been gouged out by the Romans, in order to quarry big building blocks from the limestone to build nearby towns and tombs in the valley. 

They call it The Cliff. We will see the cliff again when we get to Luke chapter 4. 

It was only right that a man of no reputation should be associated with a town of no reputation. You know, Jesus could have referred to Himself a lot of ways: Lion of Judah, King of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth. Those are labels used for Him, but Jesus never used them for Himself. Though He was King of kings, Lord of lords, the only begotten Son of God, He humbled Himself to be found looking like just a man. In fact, our Lord called Himself the Son of Man—He continued down the ladder to be the servant of all. The lowest of the low, in the eyes of man. 

Isaiah called the region “Galilee of the Gentiles.” But he said that despised land would be honored in the future. Know how it happened—how Galilee became honored? Jesus was lifted high in shame, and became the name above every name. 

The demons feared Him and called Him “Jesus of Nazareth.” Pilate respected Him and posted a sign on the cross to identify “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” And so the least becomes the greatest, and the last becomes first. Jesus gets a portion among the great, and divides the spoils with the strong. 

Indeed, the name of Jesus has been lifted higher than any name, with a power to cast out demons, raise the dead, and heal the lame. Even His followers worked miracles because they did them in that name. It was all part of God’s plan to turn the world upside down. The greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all. And the servant of all becomes the name above all.

So if you are ever tempted to think that God, in all His infinite power and wisdom, does not notice you, think again. You might be just a little dot in the vast expanse of time and space, but the God of the universe has a way of working ahead of time to use the lowest things in a mighty way. Every lowly detail is a part of His own story for you.

And so, once upon a time, a little baby girl by the name of Mary was born in a little town called Nazareth.

What are the chances, huh?

And the rest, as they say, is His story.

0103 THE G.O.A.T.

Matthew 3 contains the story of John the Baptist. Here is why Jesus called him the greatest of all time.

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Grace and peace to you. Welcome to the podcast of One a Day, in which we share both an overview of a chapter of Scripture and dig down into one salient detail of it. Today is January 3, so we are reading Matthew chapter 3.

In this chapter we are introduced to John the Immerser, we see a sampling of some of his teachings, and we see Jesus baptized by him. In chapter 11, we will see Jesus make this superlative claim about him: He said there was no man greater who was ever born to a woman (which is pretty much every man, if you think about it). The Lord Jesus Christ ought to know about such things. 

Sooner or later, any story about Jesus will need to begin with John the Immerser. All four gospels tell about him.

Now, some say that John was a Baptist. A Baptist? Seriously? I’m here to tell you, I’ve seen a lot of Baptists in my day, and John definitely was not one of them. He was—how can I put it? Peculiar. You might overhear mommas whisper behind their hands to one another about him, calling him A Curious Boy. 

In truth, nobody was weird as he was. The truth is, if you could earn kingdom points for where you live, what you wear or how you eat, John would be hard to beat. 

In the first place, he lived in the wilderness. The wilderness. You know, where nobody chooses to live? Let me just say there’s a reason no one else chooses to live there. He lived in the wilderness because John was a wild man, sure enough. But it turns out, he was a preacher, of all things. A wild, unkempt, college-educated, preacher man.

And in the second place, John took to wearing camel’s hair, in the tradition of the prophet Elijah. May I say that camel’s hair is not a top choice for hot weather clothing? You got wool, sheepskin, linen, even Silk and Cotton. They are all reasonable choices for the extreme temperatures of the Judean desert. But there was only one man out there wearing camel’s hair, which feels as smooth as burlap and as comfortable as wearing an inside-out camel. It almost seemed as if he was out to punish himself for the sins of the rest of the nation. And it was working.

What did he eat? Bugs and wild honey—which is an important part of a high-risk diet. You never know if this one’s going to be your last meal. I mean, locusts, in season, can be a good source of protein, if you can get past the wiggly crunch, and the fact that they look like apocalyptic battle horses (just wait until we get to the book of Revelation!). And wild bees go anywhere they please—including poisonous plants. So their honey is not exactly approved by the FDA. 

But John wasn’t looking for anyone’s approval, that’s for sure. The crowds didn’t come because John was following a well-traced strategy for popularity. His preaching mostly consisted of yelling at folks all day long. He wasn’t what you’d call a People Person.

And yet, folks came from all over just to hear John preach and then to get themselves dunked by him in the Jordan. Yessir, this eccentric preacher moved in the spirit and power of Elijah, the greatest of the prophets before him. And Elijah’s purpose was to call fallen Israel back from the brink.

What was the secret to the power of John’s ministry? To begin with, the self-discipline of his austere living gave him spiritual power. 

Maybe even more than his self-denial, John had power because he had no fear of men. He never chased after the crowds, never depended on them for money or fame, and never changed his message based on public opinion. That fearlessness came to lead to his undoing, actually. More on that later.

What’s more, John knew the prophetic future for Israel. He knew that wrath was ahead for the entire nation, unless they repented. That awareness gave him a sense of urgency and seriousness that made every sentence quiver with power. After all, John was the chief fruit inspector for Israel, the quality control specialist for the kingdom. He was not inspecting their words, their reputations or their credentials; he was inspecting the fruit that came from a prophet’s unbiased wilderness view of their actual behavior.

So, make no mistake about it, for as harsh as John’s message might sound, it was delivered from a heart of tremendous humility. He knew his place, compared to One whom he did not even know, yet. He would do something lower than to carry someone’s sandals; he became less, while Jesus became more.

THAT is the man that Jesus called the best man who ever lived. May we follow in his train.

0104 LEAD US NOT

Jesus faces the same three temptations that are common to all of us while He is in the wilderness.

LEAD US NOT 

Grace and peace to you. Welcome to the podcast of One a Day, covering something from a chapter of the Bible each day. Today is January 4, so we are reading Matthew chapter 4. Let’s get to it.

In Matthew 4, we find that Jesus has just been baptized. And he is led by the Spirit into the wilderness for the express purpose of being tempted by the devil. He has already fasted 40 days and 40 nights when we find him having the final three battles.

Scripture says that Jesus was tempted in every way that we were, yet was without sin. It also says, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” So seeing this battle should look familiar to me, though the particular temptations might be specific to Jesus. At the same time, how the Lord defeats his temptor should teach me how to overcome my own temptations.

John tells us that there are three basic categories of sin, which contain what he calls “all that is in the world.” They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These are the three temptations that Jesus faces here.

The first temptation is the lust of the flesh. If you are the Son of God, you can turn these stones into loaves of bread. After 40 days of fasting, that’s got to be a very tempting offer to the one who could feed 5000 with five loaves and two fish. But Jesus is ready with an answer. 

Through gritted teeth, He quotes the book of Deuteronomy: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” There is something more important, more eternal and more life-giving than food, even after 40 days of depriving yourself of it. If I delight in God’s word and doing His will, I can also overcome the lust of the flesh in whatever form it takes.

Now the devil shows him the highest point on top of the temple in Jerusalem. This time the tempter quotes a couple of Scriptures himself—I guess he is able as much as anyone to read the Bible, even though he misapplies it. Prove that you are the Messiah by having God work a public miracle to verify your authenticity. But Jesus is also ready for this one. This might be a case of taking a shortcut to the boastful pride of life. This particular manifestation might not be so strong for me, but for Jesus, doing a sign like this would mean He would not have to go through the cross and the grave in order for God to prove him to be divine. But he also knows that He would be forcing God’s hand to have to rescue him. He shouts, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God!” It’s not about me taking a shortcut to food or to fame, it’s about my Father.

So now the devil speaks directly to the center of the issue: Jesus can have all of the riches and honor in the world, and nothing would be withheld from him. The lust of his eye would be fulfilled, forever. All he has to do is to bow down and worship the one who is in control of much of the earth, and He can take a shortcut to being Lord of all. Jesus takes complete spiritual authority over his enemy. “Away! Leave me! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only!’" And Satan must comply when Jesus commands him, so he leaves for a more opportune time.

And now angels come and minister to Him. 

Wait a second! Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, and in the very next chapter he teaches us to pray, “lead us not into temptation?" He knew, didn’t He? He would not wish this on anybody. Instead, we are to plead with our Father to “deliver us from evil." Just as Jesus was delivered a moment ago.

I wonder if the incarnation is so complete that Jesus has been deprived for forty days and nights of His Father’s blessed presence? Jesus was simply there to battle satan, armed with only what he knew of the word of God, from which he quoted with each temptation. 

Now I think I see why Scripture memorization can be so helpful, not just on Sundays, but on the weakest days, too. 

0105 THE FIRST FOUR

The calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John is found in all four Gospels, and yet the details of the story differ. Matthew and Mark both say that Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Gal’lee, saw Pete and Andy, and called them to become fishers of men. A little farther up the shore He finds my brother and me and says the same.

Luke includes the part where Jesus used Pete’s boat as a floating pulpit, then urged us to push her out into the deep and let down our nets for a miraculous catch of fish. John’s account provides more background and plot twists, being written by one of the four. We will leave that account until we get there in a few months.

For today, let me tell you the accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke. And, to help, let me set it to music. We’ll call this song CAST IT OUT.

It had been a long and lonely night.

We were what you call fishing in the dark, 

but we hadn’t had a bite.

It was late, we were cold 

and there weren’t a fish in sight.

So what are we going to do all night?

Cast it out, and bring it in.

Cast it out, and bring it in.

Cast it out, and bring it in, bring it in, bring it in.

 

Four men and more, all with one wish:

If we could catch our fine filet-of-fish

And get back home and market it.

But this night we all run dry.

 

It ain’t easy to admit when the battle of wits

For one whole night was won by the fish— 

But, we all had to admit that on this . . . one . . . and so forth.

 

But the lake ain’t empty and the water ain’t dry

And experience tells me that the fish are inside.

I mean, they got to be somewhere, right?

And we’re pre-fessionals, right?

So what’re we gonna do all night?

We cast it out, and bring it in.

We cast it out, and bring it in.

 

Well, the sun come up and we give up

Tomorrow night we’d try our luck

We’ll wash the nets and hit our beds 

and see what the evening brings.

 

So, we’re closing up shop when Jesus comes by

He says, “Fellas, can I give your boat a try?

There’s all these folks that need to hear 

the truths I’m called to tell them.”

 

Well, sure enough, there’s sure a crowd

And they sure are fast and they sure are loud

So Jesus gets in and we push Him out

To where folks can see and hear Him

 

We all stood slack-jawed, mesmerized.

Something in the way He caught us all.

Was it His words? Was it His eyes?

If it was a fever, we was catching it,

As Jesus cast out truths and spun some tales

And drew men with every word.

He’d cast it out, and bring us in, 

bring us in, bring us in.

 

Jesus gave His final illustration 

and His closing invitation

The crowd dispersed. 

But then He made it worse

When He told ol’ Pete to set out into the deep

And catch himself some Walleye.

 

That riles up Pete the fisherman

Who knew where fish ain’t never been:

Up near the surface, out in the deep

In the middle of the day when they go to sleep.

 

But he stops mid-sentence to think it through

Jesus had sure brought us in, too

So what could it hurt to add a long day 

to a longer night of what you might call fishing?

 

We’ll cast it out, and . . . HOLD ON!

We needed extra help to bring them in, 

bring them in, bring them in!

 

Well, if you know Pete 

you know that from the start

Guilt and shame have never been 

far below the surface of his heart

So when this miracle happened 

he figured this was God

Had singled him out for skinning.

 

Pete turns around and flops right down

And shakes the boat and cries out loud

 “I don’t deserve to have you here

To see my weakness, know my fear

Depart from me! And don’t come near

And make me face Your judgment.”

 

Jesus don’t look at all surprised.

There’s something of a sparkle in His eyes.

And He says, “Fear not. Just listen here, boy,

And I’ll teach you to catch men.

 

“Yeah, some are smelly and some are mean

And they all need love 

and they might need cleaning

But if you’ll follow me 

I’ll show you what it means 

to seek the lost and save them:

 

“You cast it out, you bring them in.

You cast it out, you bring them in.

You cast it out, you bring them in, 

bring them in, bring them in.”

 

That was the day Jesus changed my life

And the way I thought of men

And the way I thought of life

And the way I thought of truth

And the way I thought of lies

So I joined the Master fishing:

Casting out and bringing in.

Casting out and bringing in.

Casting out and bringing in. Bringing in. Bringing in.

0109b SONG OF THE WEEK: MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT

MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT

Giles Fletcher the Younger (1588-1623)

Edited by Ken E. Read 2007

 

Judgment and Mercy stood before God

Each before the Throne

Judgment with ten thousand times ten thousand witnesses

Mercy stood alone

What to do with sinful man

The topic of their argument

 

Judgment spoke first, of vengeance spoke,

Of broken covenants

Of sin and death and wrathful punishments

Versus innocence of holy perfection,

Your hand did not make him for this purpose

Your plan did not include a fall

You made the man. You weigh without mistaking

The Maker of the man, or the manner of his making.

So raise your arm and blot the sin

That stains the very heavens

And wipe the whole earth clean again

With those whose lives will be worthy.

 

So Mercy said:

“He is but dust: how can he stand?

 “If all must pay that which all cannot pay,

Oh! first begin with me, and Mercy herself slay!

Oh! let not Judgment’s iron sceptre break

a heart already broken, or a man so far enslaved!

 

“Must all go by desert? Is nothing free?

Ah! if but the ones who only worthy be

Then none should ever see Thee!

No, none should Thee ever see!

 

“What man has done The Man can clear

Since God of him has grown so dear.

Did his foes slay him? He shall slay his foe:

Has he lost all? He all again shall win.

Is sin his master? He shall master sin.

 

“He is a path if any be misled.

He is a robe if any naked be.

If any chance to hunger, He is bread.

If any be a bondman, He is free.

If any be but weak, how strong is He!

To dead men life He is, to sick men health.

To blind men sight, to the needy wealth.

A pleasure without loss, a treasure without stealth.”

 

And so she spoke, that Mercy queen,

‘Til heaven’s mighty thunder stilled.

And God’s unwary arm grew mild

and melted into tears to offer

pardon and pity to the fallen souls of earth.

 

And Sacred Vengeance was set down,

While angel armies all devowed

their rightful rage, to Mercy bowed

and broke their weapons at her feet.

And God became an infant child

Who would become their Victim and their Feast.

 

Thus did Mercy mighty Justice persuade;

And thus did history turn forever

on the hinge of Bethlehem at the fulcrum of Golgotha.

So a new song arose to fill the sky

from the empty, silent, angel-aweing grave,

While Mercy smiled and led the song

of how she gently over Judgment triumphed.

0106 EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE

Eeyore is a character who epitomizes lugubrious humor. He says things like, "Could be worse. Not sure how. But it could be." When I read this statement of Jesus, "Each day has enough trouble of its own," it almost makes me wonder if this is a sort of depressed sarcasm. Let's explore it and find out.

Matthew 6 is the middle of three chapters that contain what is often called the Sermon on the Mount. We recently went through a sermon series on THE SERMONS OF JESUS, but there is a verse in here that we did not cover. The final verse of the chapter has this strangely comforting advice from Jesus:

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Here are some other translations and how they word it:

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

“Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

“Take the trouble of the day as it comes.”

“Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Interesting. Jesus almost sounds pessimistic here. Or to most of us natural pessimists, we might say Jesus is acknowledging the truth that we all know. Tomorrow will have trouble, sure enough. He seems to be saying, “Don’t dread what tomorrow brings. Tomorrow may be bad, sure enough. But you have enough dread happening right now.”

In the most recent Spiderman movie, one of the characters protects herself from disappointment by saying, “If you expect disappointment, then you can never really be disappointed.” Garrison Keillor used to describe Minnesotan optimism in a similar way.

But look again. It’s actually realistic pessimism, or optimistic realism, I guess we might say. He just spent several verses telling us not to be anxious about anything. What you eat, or drink, or wear. He promises that God cares for us like He cares for the sparrow. Or He says that God cares for and clothes the flowers of the field, dressed in more splendor than Solomon in all his glory. That’s sounds like optimism.

But elsewhere Jesus says that his Father notices when a sparrow dies. Is that awkward? If God notices, why does he let the bird die? Or while he’s telling us about plants, he mentions in passing that it is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven and burned. Ouch! That seems more like saying each day has trouble.

Here is what I think Jesus is really saying. It is the verse just before the ones we are focused on. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Just as we saw in chapter four, when Jesus was facing temptations, his answer was always the big, eternal picture: serve God, do what is right by him, live as if your personal pursuits are not the most important things in your life.

And now Jesus wraps it up by saying the reality of what he had faced in the wilderness. You can’t overcome tomorrow’s temptations by facing them today. It takes all you have to keep perspective and persevere through what is right before you. Yes, you know you are going to the cross rather than getting it all right now, but do the right thing today, rather than taking shortcuts or trying to reshape your future. I often tell my son what is hard now is easier in the future, but what is easiest right now makes your life harder in the future. Just do right now what God would have you do. He will take care of you. And, in truth, tomorrow there will be another set of challenges before you, just like those that are here today.

Other phrases we sometimes use are ONE DAY AT A TIME. Or BE HERE NOW. Or LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

When the Orthodox Christians paint icons of Jesus, they are careful to follow a particular pattern. One of the elements of the pattern they follow is that Jesus’ mouth is not smiling or frowning, but is distinctly in a straight line. His right hand is always extended in blessing.

Picture it. If Jesus were smiling, it would feel very nice when we were coming to say our thanks for his blessings. But what would that smile look like if we were facing a tragedy in our lives and bringing our deepest cares to him? He might seem to be taking our concerns lightly, don’t you think? In the same way, if he were painted with a frown, how does that feel when we come to give thanks? He is always realistic, compassionate, but not fake. 

I think maybe that’s what I am reading when I hear his words, each day has enough trouble of its own. Good or bad, your plate is full with today’s happenings. Focus on God’s kingdom and live in this moment. 

As for tomorrow? That’s why Jesus says that He will be with us forever.

0107 MARKS OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

THE MARKS OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

The seventh chapter of Matthew contains the final section of the Sermon on the Mount, and there is more to delve into with that message. Even so, I’d like to focus on Matthew’s summary after the final words that Jesus spoke in the sermon. Matthew writes,

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. ~Matthew 7:28-29

Matthew was a close observer of Jewish customs and human habits, so he saw this very clearly. His Jewish readers would also understand the nuances of these matters far better than we can.

The teachers of the law in Jesus’ day behaved very similarly to our world of academics, which requires layers of proof and footnotes and documentation, rather than just declaring something to be true. You never simply made a claim to represent God’s will without quoting from Scripture and then from the Talmud, which was the growing collection of rabbinic teaching from over the last generation or two, and continues to be a secondary guide for any Jewish scholar today. 

So, for example, if you say that God wants people to live holy lives, first you need to find a verse of Scripture that supports what you claim. You’d say, “As it is written, ‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.’” ~Leviticus 20:26

Then in the Talmud, you will find some statement, most of which fall under the school of Rabbi Hillel or Rabbi Shammai.

Hillel was known for his kindness, gentleness, and concern for humanity. One of his most famous sayings is "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?" 

While you are still contemplating that, Shammai was known for the strictness of his views. He was reputed to be dour, quick-tempered and impatient. Shammai taught that if Jews had too much contact with the Romans, Judaism would be weakened, and so he followed a more strict interpretation of Jewish law. 

Into this atmosphere steps Jesus, who says things like, “You have heard it said . . . but I say to you . . ..” That is exactly what was offensive to the teachers of the law, because Jesus was teaching as one who had authority. It is also what made him popular with the masses, because they heard truth directly from God, without the maddening citations and arguments.

More than that, Jesus had authority because he not only talked about compassion and mercy, he demonstrated in his healings and miracles. It was obvious that when he said his Father cares for you, it was said within the context of healing people who were medically untreatable. He gave illustrations, but they were simple and easily observed. “See how he cares for the flowers of the field. Will he not more care for you?”

And even more than that, Jesus called God his Father. Not just distant terms like The Almighty One, or The Holy One of Israel, but Our Father or My Pappa. He seemed to have a direct relationship with his Father, so when he said to repent, it was like hearing God Himself say it to me directly. Or when he said, “In truth, you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband.” When that kind of prophetic insight is spot on, that seems to show indisputable authority.

In fact, Jesus pretty often threw their whole system out the window, which is why it was so infuriating to the teachers of the law. They asked his followers, “In whose name, or by what authority do you do these things?” And the followers say, “It is the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified but God raised from the dead.” That’s pretty direct confrontation, wouldn’t you say?

But now we must ask, if those are the marks of spiritual authority, how can you and I have that kind of authority today? Perhaps the answer is too simple, but let me say the next verse of what happened when his followers made the bold claim I just quoted. They took note that they had been with Jesus. We gain spiritual authority in his name by spending time with him, just as Jesus gained his authority by rising early every morning and going alone to pray before he started his day of healing and preaching, or chose the disciples, or went into spiritual battle in the wilderness with the temptor.

One final question: Does God want us to have spiritual authority? If so, what is it that you want?

0108 WHEN JESUS WAS AMAZED

WHEN JESUS WAS ASTOUNDED

Today we have read Matthew 8, which is filled with miracles and signs and wonders that Jesus performed. He cleanses a leper, heals someone with just a word, heals Peter’s mother-in-law and whole crowds of people, calms a storm and casts demons out of two men. Everyone was amazed at his teaching in chapter 7, and now they are amazed that he calms a storm at sea. But in the midst of all this amazement, we find Jesus himself being amazed. It is a man’s faith that astounds our Lord Himself. He marvels and says, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in all of Israel.” Let’s explore what marked that man’s faith.

The man’s background does not cause us to expect such great things. He is an unnamed Gentile. In fact, he is a Roman, that oppressive nation that rules the land of Israel. Even more, he is part of the Roman army, so he would be one of the most unlikely of heroes to the king of the Jews. But nationality and station in life do not dictate a person’s faith. Here is his story:

He is a centurion, which means he is somewhere in the middle management of the Roman military–perhaps being similar to the rank of a lieutenant or a captain in ours. A centurion has about 100 soldiers under him. Plus, this centurion has a servant, who apparently is important to him, because the officer travels a distance to find Jesus and ask him to heal his servant.

Jesus offers to go to the man’s house and see him, but the centurion gives this humble and faith-filled reply: “I don’t deserve to have you under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” That phrase is used in the text of several Christian liturgies to this day. As we confess our sins, and tell the Lord, “only say the word, and your servant shall be healed.” It is a powerful statement of faith, to know that He does not need to come into our house, or to lay hands on, or to anoint with oil, but only declare it, and it will be done. In any case, it is that statement that causes our Lord to be amazed and to declare this man’s faith to be greater than any He has seen in the whole nation of God’s chosen people.

How did this Roman centurion come to such amazing faith? He explains it himself. It has to do with his understanding of how spiritual authority works (We just talked about that subject yesterday!). He has been trained in how the military must function if it’s to be effective: if he tells someone under him to do something, that man will receive it as an order and carry it out with the same zeal as if it were his own idea. His superior officer simply says the word and can move on to other things while his orders are being taken care of. That’s how authority always works, you know. The person in authority is the “author” of an idea, and his word is unquestionably followed. And so, the man says, Jesus needs only say the word, and whatever happens in the spiritual realm is carried out. Proximity doesn’t matter. Jesus needs only to declare it, and it will happen.

Interestingly, there is one other time that Scripture says Jesus was astonished. But this time it was for a LACK of faith. He was in his hometown of Nazareth, and the people there were asking one another where Jesus got all that wisdom and power from. They had known him since childhood, they knew his family, and it just didn’t add up, so they were offended by his spiritual authority. Jesus said that a prophet is not without honor, except in his own hometown, among his relatives and in his own house. So he was amazed at their unbelief. He was unable to work miracles there, so he moved on.

There’s an old saying, “Seeing is believing.” Yet, faith is, by definition, in something that you cannot see. Otherwise, it would be called sight, don’t you know. So maybe the opposite of faith is doubt. But maybe the opposite of faith is sight. If we need verification and proof, it is not faith, whatever we might want to call it. It is the scribes and the Pharisees, whom Jesus calls a wicked and adulterous generation, who seek after a sign. Jesus refused to answer their request. That conversation happens in Matthew 12, so we will see it soon.

I would like to amaze the Lord of the universe by showing him something that he does not find in most people. But if given a choice, I think I would rather amaze him with my faith than to amaze him with my disbelief. How about you?

Let’s pray: “Lord Jesus, you need only say the word, and your servant shall be healed. When I confess my sins to you, I choose to leave them in your hands, lay them on the altar, and trust that you have fully cleansed me, according to your powerful word. In you will I put my trust. Amen.”

0109 MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE

LEARN WHAT THIS MEANS

Matthew 9 is filled with many of the best-known brief episodes of Jesus’ ministry. He heals a paralytic who is lowered through the roof by four friends. He calls Matthew to follow him and comes to Matthew’s party. He talks about combining new wineskins and cloth patches. He raises Jairus’ daughter and heals another woman, has compassion on the crowds and tells his followers to pray to send out workers into the harvest field. But since this is Matthew’s gospel, and we have already been talking about the author’s perspective, let’s delve into that party Matthew has and focus on the final sentence of that story.

Here is the immediate context: Jesus and his followers have come to Matthew’s house, meeting several of Matthew’s friends. These friends are also tax collectors, no doubt, plus other outcasts of the religious community–people that the religious leaders call “sinners.”

This seems to be one of the early turning points for the Pharisees to scrutinize Jesus’ life, finding him to be the opposite of what they would expect. They judge Rabbi Jesus as unholy or ignorant, or both, for he is not keeping these obvious sinners at a holy distance and being sure to keep himself clean.

Jesus does not disagree with the Pharisees that these people are, in fact, “sinners.” But if the Pharisees could be honest with themselves, they would realize that they, too, are “sinners,” even if not with the same list of sins. Remember, Jesus recently delivered the Sermon on the Mount, in which he sort of redefined how to think of sin. Hate is the same basic sin as murder. Lust is the attitude of adultery. And so forth. The Pharisees are still focused on cleaning the outside of the cup, as Jesus would point out, while being filled with judgmentalism and disrespectful hatred inside. Jesus needs to clarify to them his role and response to sinners of all kinds.

The Pharisees see Jesus as a rabbi. As such, they have expectations: Keep yourself from evil. Keep the law. Stay clean. Quote the Scriptures. But Jesus sees himself as a doctor. A doctor does not just stay away from infection and disease. He is there to help those who are already infected and sick. He says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. . . . I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

In between those two sentences, Jesus says this central statement to these so-called experts in the law: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” 

Go and learn what this means, Jesus says. Don’t just stand there, judging everyone in the house. See them the way the Father sees them. Go and learn. You know the words. But you do not yet know their meaning.

He is quoting from Hosea, when he tells them that God desires mercy, not sacrifice. He longs to show mercy. 

Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” 

David wrote, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” 

Amos told Israel, “Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; . . . But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” 

Micah said these words: “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

The Pharisees could quote all of those passages. But they needed to stop talking, and stop judging, and start learning what it all means.

I think maybe I would also do well to go and learn a thing or two myself. If God desires to show mercy, rather than to receive sacrifice, then how should I be treating others? Cold-heartedly tell them to repent? Or show mercy and offer forgiveness and healing? 

I like to think i know the answer. But I have hurt a lot of people with my judgments. Maybe I still need to go and learn what “mercy instead of sacrifice” really means.

0110 THE REST OF THE TWELVE

THE REST OF THE TWELVE

We talked briefly about the calling of the First Four–Peter, Andrew, James and John–a few days ago. We have also talked about Matthew. There are more details yet to come about them all, but today, let’s introduce a little about the remaining seven disciples. Their names are listed at the start of chapter 10, and then the chapter tells Jesus’ instructions to them as He sent them out on their first missionary journey.

It could be that 8 of the twelve disciples were sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew, James and John, Matthew and James the less, and here we meet Phillip and Nathaniel (whom Matthew calls Bartholomew) were also brothers, and they grew up in Bethsaida with Peter and Andrew. Phillip meets Jesus first, and runs to bring his brother to meet him, whom he already sees as the Messiah. Nathaniel asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Phillip just replies, “Come and see.” Then Jesus says that Nathaniel is a true Israelite in whom there is no guile, and says that He saw him under the fig tree. We don’t know exactly what that may have meant to him, but Nathaniel saw it as confirmation of his character.

Later, Phillip asks Jesus where they would find food to feed the 5000 men, and at the Last Supper he asks Jesus to show them the Father so that they can believe.

Then there’s Thomas, sometimes known as Doubting Thomas. That is  mostly because of his response to the report from the other disciples on that first Sunday evening after the resurrection of Jesus. Because Thomas wasn’t there to see Jesus, he said that he would not believe until he had felt the nail prints in His hands and put his hand into His side. Shows that you should never skip church on Sunday evening, just in case Jesus shows up. In fairness, when he did see Jesus, he did not demand such proof, but fell down and called out, “My Lord and my God!” Thomas may have been a pessimist/realist, but he was actually an unhesitant follower of Jesus. When Jesus said they were going to Jerusalem, Thomas responded, “Let us also go, so that we may die with him.” 

Matthew lists James as “son of Alphaeus.” Seems like he would have been the younger brother of Matthew, because he is elsewhere known as James the Less. Maybe James was “less tall,” rather than “less old.” But either way, he is always referred to as lesser in comparison to someone. But Jesus did not choose disciples based on height or birth order. 

Maybe the biggest surprise of all was when Jesus picked Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were known as the “Fourth Party.” All four of the parties were out to solve the problem of Roman oppression. Pharisees hoped to be holy enough to have God rescue Israel. Essenes were out to pray for deliverance in the wilderness, while Sadducees and Herodians were finding ways to cooperate with the Romans, in order to live to fight another day. But the Zealots were a bunch of terrorist cells, whose single purpose was to overthrow the Roman government and take back Jerusalem for the Jews. Jesus didn’t deal with politics, and it seems odd that He would want someone like Simon on the team. Especially considering that Matthew was also on that team, and Matthew and Simon were as far apart as you could get. To their credit, they never killed each other. Which means I guess they were both changed, and Jesus believed in using their futures rather than their pasts. 

Next comes Thaddeus, also called Lebbaeus (Big Hearted). None of his words or actions are included in the gospel accounts.

Which brings us to the most qualified of all: Judas, from Cariot in Judea. Can you believe it? He was the only one who wasn’t from the despised region of Galilee. He was educated, didn’t have a “northern accent,” wasn’t politically compromised, was somewhat refined. He kept the moneybags for the group. Who would have guessed that he’d be the one who would go and betray Jesus? Just figures, I guess. 

You can’t judge a book by its cover. You can’t judge a man by his education or his accent or his background. 

They were such a ragtag group of saints. He was such an unexpected sinner. 

Go figure.

When these men said yes to the adventure of following this rabbi from Nazareth, they could never have imagined where that adventure would end. Jesus was crucified. James was run through with swords. Andrew and Peter were both crucified. John was sent into exile. Phillip converted the wife of a Roman proconsul in Asia Minor, and for that was arrested and cruelly put to death. Thomas was run through with spears in far-away India. James the Less went to Syria, where he was stoned and then clubbed to death. Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot worked together for the Gospel in Egypt and then Persia, where they were both run through with spears for Jesus.

I wonder. If they had known where their paths would lead ahead of time, do you think any of them would have traded it in to go back to a more “normal” life? 

Not on your life.