The Ken Read Podcast

0120 WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?

WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?

In this chapter, there are many important events and teachings. Jesus gives this amazing teaching on people hired to work in a vineyard. Some work a partial day and others work a full day. But everyone was paid the same (for a full day). Some became offended by the master’s generosity. The mother of James and John comes to Jesus asking him to let her sons sit at his right and left hand in his kingdom. He says it is not his to determine such things. Then Jesus heals two blind men. And as our Lord does so, he asks a very significant question that would be easy to skip over.

Let’s set up the context (verses 29-34) “And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.” And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” They called him the son of David, which is a valid title telling of the authority of Jesus. They do not call out demanding anything, but they ask for him to have mercy on them. This is the central prayer for any of us, when we don’t know what else to pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.”

This prayer is a central part of Orthodox Christian worship. I read a famous book that called it the pilgrim’s prayer. You say, “Lord, have mercy” as a constant part of the mental backdrop or silent soundtrack of our lives. We invite him to have mercy on our enemies, on ourselves, in every circumstance. So these men start a solid tradition of prayer for the world.

“The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” They could not easily cut their way through the crowd to find Jesus, but they could get his eventual attention if they continued to make a loud noise. Sure enough, in spite of the rebukes from the others in the crowd, they get the attention of Jesus.

“And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is the central question I want us to focus on today. 

You might say, “Duh! We’re BLIND! What do you THINK we want you to do for us?” But Jesus wants them to say specifically what it is that they seek from him.

But if we were asked that same question, we might not be quite as quick in our reply. What do I really want? More specifically, what do I want Jesus to do? 

It might seem obvious to all of us that the men wanted to see. But did they perceive that as being their greatest need, or immediate request? Sometimes a person has an unclean spirit. Sometimes he wants to know what good thing he can do to inherit eternal life. Sometimes he hasn’t thought clearly enough about it to know exactly what he is seeking. I want forgiveness. I want freedom. I want you to tell me I am loved. I want you to let me know the truth and have it set me free.

I have a few dad jokes always at the ready, just in case someone words a question just the right way. Bear with me a moment.

At the drive-thru fast food joint, if the person asks me, “What do you want?” I will answer, “World peace. . . . But if I can’t have that, I’ll have something from your menu.” If they ask, “What can I do for you?” Then I will answer, “You can sell me food from your menu here.” If I go to a restaurant, and the host asks, “How many of you are there?” I will answer, “Let’s see, there’s one of me, and (turning to the others) one of you, yes, and one of you?” Then I turn to them and say, “There’s one of each of us.” If they say, “Is there anyone else?” Then I will say something like, “Yes. About eight billion. But they aren’t eating with us right now.” They have to be careful about how they word a question when I am in Dad Joke Mode.

Okay. Back to the question. Jesus says, “What do you want me to do for you?”

They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.”

I heard of a weekend retreat recently, in which one question is asked over and over to help each participant get to the center of their need. The question is: What do you really want? 

WHAT do you really want? What is it, exactly?

What DO you really want? Let me think about it again. Is that what it is?

What do YOU really want? Not what I think other people want me to want.

What do you REALLY want? This is not just a practical exercise. If I could truly have what I seek, what would it be?

What do you really WANT? Not just wistful, wishful thinking. My genuine desire.

By the end of the retreat, most people have found that their true center is quite different from what they started pursuing at the beginning of the weekend.

Jesus asks you and me today: “What do you want me to do for you?” 

How will you and I answer?

0121 CHILDREN LEAD THE WAY

CHILDREN LEAD THE WAY

Matthew 21 opens with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, to the cheers and praises of the masses. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” The word “hosanna” means “O Save!” But by the time of Jesus, it was more of a generic word for “praise.” Even so, the choice of words is very significant, for Jesus had indeed come to save.

The whole city was stirred, Matthew says, and they were saying “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from nazareth of Galilee.” So Jesus was known to strangers as a prophet, who shockingly was from the little village of Nazareth in the Gentile area of Galilee.

Then Jesus enters the temple and clears the out the moneychangers, saying they have made the house of prayer into a den of robbers. Interesting that Jesus had mercy on tax collectors, but not on moneychangers. Do you suppose the reason is because the tax collectors knew they were compromising their fellow Israelites. But the moneychangers were doing the same thing in the name of God, forcing worshipers to cut them in on what was to have been dedicated to the Lord. Jesus is indignant, we might assume.

Then we revisit praise and indignation. Jesus is there in the temple, healing the blind and the lame, and the children are crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” And this time it is the chief priests and the scribes who are indignant. That’s because they saw the signs and wonders, and they heard the children praising, and since they assumed that Jesus was just a man, it sure looked like blasphemy to them. Sure enough, it would have been blasphemous, even if Jesus had been a prophet. Except that Jesus was divine.

Children have picked up on the refrain they heard earlier in the day. It must have been some sort of a sing-song chant, like what happens today at sporting events and political rallies. It becomes “sticky,” and now the children repeat what they heard the adults singing. 

That’s how it works, you know. Children imitate what they hear. When they see their parents and other grown-ups being wholly involved in something, it becomes infectious in some simplified form with the youngest ones. These children are not theologically discerning, questioning to themselves what the implications are if they connect the words “hosanna” and “son of David” in a song. Sure enough, they repeat what they saw and heard. And it pleases God for things to work this way. It’s how it’s supposed to be.

The indignant religious leaders say to Jesus, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Of course, what they are saying is that Jesus is worthy of praise, and is the rightful king of Israel. Jesus says it is in fulfillment of the psalmist, who wrote, “Out of the mouths of infants and children you have ordained strength (Jesus uses the word “praise”), to silence the foe and the avenger.”

God has ordained that when innocent children, who do not yet fully grasp the implications of what they say, copy adults and parrot back the words of praise, simply believing what they are saying, without years of doubt and analysis and skeptical scrutiny, then God uses that praise. He uses it to grow the children to become the next generation of warriors and worshipers. He uses it to silence the foe and the avenger.

Silencing the foe and the avenger by means of children’s praise. That’s the moment that I want to understand fully.

Maybe it’s like the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes. All of the adults saw the same thing that the child saw, but they were all too wrapped up with adult doubts and hesitations. A child simply said what they saw: “He has nothing on at all!” And, sure enough, it was true, and everyone else had seen it, too. But it took a little child to lead them,

I also think of the moment in 2 Chronicles where God sends the singers at the front of the army as they march into battle. And as the singers lift up their praises in loud voices, it says the Lord set an ambush against the enemy. Sure enough, praise silenced the foe and the avenger, once again.

Leave it to a child to lead in things of the kingdom. Hosanna to the son of David!

0122 TIME TO CHANGE!

TIME TO CHANGE!

This chapter contains several of the best-known quotes and statements about Jesus. Such as:

“render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. . . . 

“You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. . . . He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” . . . 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

But there is a little detail of another well-known parable that I’d like to share today. Jesus told the parable of a wedding feast. 

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, . . . those who were invited to the wedding feast, . . . would not come. . . . ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention . . .  ‘those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ . . . both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

Just a few chapters ago I was emphasizing how Jesus sends us to the vulnerable, the needy, the children, and the imperfect. We are called to leave the ninety-nine sheep in the fold to rescue the one wandering lost sheep. So far, that seems to be the point of this story: “Whosoever will may come!” 

Some guests were invited. They were the VIP’s who were known by the king and his son. But they did not bother to come. They were invited a second time, with a very attractive sales pitch. But they each went their own way and ignored or declined the invitation. So the king invites as many as they could find. These are people who were not invited, who might not even be known by the king, who were not wealthy or connected. They get to come to this incredible feast and join in with royalty in their celebration!

Then the story takes an unexpected turn. The end of the story is NOT “whosoever will may come,” even though the servants were sent out to invite as many as they could find. Here’s what Jesus said:

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 

What?! I thought he said that whosoever will may come. 

Yes. But anyone who is invited to such an event knows that you wear a wedding garment to a wedding, even if you are an uninvited guest. Even though our culture when compared to past generations is quite casual and egalitarian, even we would know you don’t go to a royal wedding in a T-shirt and jeans. To make such a presumption would be insultingly disrespectful, right? Did you not even think to ask if there was a dress code? When you arrived and everyone else was dressed formally, did it not even strike you then that you were treating this event like a backyard barbeque?

Now the king asks, “How did you even get in here dressed like that?” And you stammer and say nothing. So you are thrown out, with no food and no fun, left out in the cold and dark, with nothing but regret for taking this privilege so lightly.

What is Jesus saying by this second part of the story? I think he is saying that without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Whosoever will may come, but to stay, to belong, you must yield to expected norms. This is no bait and switch, where someone is invited under false pretenses, thinking that standards have been set aside. Everyone understood the expected behavior. 

I’m saying, we are not invited into the kingdom BECAUSE we are already holy or are worthy of being called into God’s kingdom. But we are not to remain the same as our old life. We are not to imagine that God has no standards for our language and actions. Instead, we are to let God’s Holy Spirit CHANGE us to become more like him.

Here is the Lord’s summary of his story: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” I know it’s January, but Jesus is not saying many are cold but few are frozen. He is saying that anyone may come, and all are called. But you must change.

There are lots of people who have been in church for years, yet remain unchanged. There are lots of churches who never let their attenders know that there is a behavioral dress code. Come as you are. But do not stay as you are. They are permanent spectators but never participants, cultural Christians but never repentant followers, perpetual visitors but never true members.

Friend, how are you dressed right now? Do you think it’s time for a change?

0123 HOW TO BE A HYPOCRITE

HOW TO KNOW YOU’RE A HYPOCRITE

I present this podcast as a public service on HOW TO BE A HYPOCRITE, based on the symptoms of hypocrisy that Jesus points out in the Pharisees in his day. This all comes from the 23rd chapter of Matthew, which contains the “seven woes” that Jesus says to the religious leaders of the Jews in his day. It is scathing and painful. But you would be very wise to see the signs of hypocrisy and avoid the behavior in your own life. 

It’s popular these days especially toward religious leaders to call someone a “hypocrite.” The word itself means “two-faced,” someone who is facing two ways at the same time. In other words, it is someone who talks one way and behaves a different–maybe even the opposite–way. Quite often, a hypocrite is blind to their own hypocrisy. 

Of course, when I see hypocrisy in someone else, but not in myself, that pretty much guarantees that I am a hypocrite. So, let me use Jesus’ descriptions of the religious leaders of his day to help you know if you, too, are a hypocrite.

Ready? Fire! Aim. 

1. Do not practice what you preach. Whatever you say with your words, don’t do it with your life. This is pretty much the definition of hypocrisy, so we’re off to a pretty good start here.
2. Tie up heavy cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but do not be willing to lift a finger to move them. This is very effective, and we recognize it in politicians in our generation all the time. I also think it is very easy for teachers and college professors (ahem!) to give assignments that are far more difficult than they realize, since they are already familiar with the material. And children complain about this in their parents all the time, right? You lay down strict rules and guidelines for others, but you don’t help them.
3. Do everything for people to see. Dress for respect. Love the place of honor and the best seats in the house. Love to be greeted with respect and to be called rabbi. In short, Exalt yourself, and encourage others to join in. Today, we might label such people narcissistic. In any case, I’m glad I’m not like them. I don’t need affirmation everywhere I go with everything that I do, or with every social media post I make. You probably do.
4. Shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. Do not enter yourself, and don’t let others enter who are trying to. Go to great lengths to win a single convert, and make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. One simple question: How do you gain by someone’s conversion? If there’s something in it for you, you’re probably a hypocrite.
5. If you find yourself saying something beyond a simple yes or no, you show that your simple word is not enough. So you swear on a stack of Bibles, cross your heart and hope to die, or in some way you try to say, “This time I really mean it.” Jesus says that anything beyond that comes from the evil one. If you have levels of credibility, you are a hypocrite. 
6. Be particular about what you obey. For example, you might be a careful tither. But while you do that, neglect the more important matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness. Do you judge others who don’t share your personal standards? Congratulations, you hypocrite!
7. Here are other ways to describe your selective holiness: Somehow you appear as holy, but your heart is a mess. You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. You clean the outside of the cup, but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence. Your public image is like a whitewashed tomb, but inside full of dead man’s bones and everything unclean. (Jesus isn’t saying don’t be clean. He is saying start with becoming Clean inside, then clean outside). 
8. Here is the final test: Do you honor the martyrs and victims of past history, while imagining that you would have been a hero who would have delivered them back in the day? In your imagination, you win twice, once with each face! You rewrite history while distancing yourself from it. Well done, you hypocrite! But I’m not like that. If I had been a Pharisee in Jesus’ day I would have repented right away and challenged my fellow religious leaders to do the same. . . . I would have. I swear it.

0124 HOW IT ALL ENDS

HOW IT ALL ENDS

The end is coming for Jerusalem and the temple. The kingdom is coming for Christ. The end of the age is in the near future. Jesus said so shortly before his death around 30 AD, and Matthew wrote it down somewhere before 70 AD.

I should start with Two Warnings: #1. This is intriguing to some people, and completely boring to others. #2. This will answer a lot of questions for some people, and come across as heresy to others.

With those two warnings, I want to open up Matthew 24 and see what Jesus says about how it all ends. Let’s follow the text of the entire discourse here and make just a few comments.

“Jesus left the temple . . . Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

It is indisputable that what Jesus predicted literally happened just about forty years later. The Romans completely wiped out the city of Jerusalem, tearing down the temple to the ground, forcing Jews to move out, and renaming the city Capitolina and the region Palestine (referring to the Philistines, rather than the Israelites). [In case you’re wondering, what is known as the Wailing Wall today is not a wall of the temple. It’s actually some of the foundation. The other side of the wall is below ground level.]

“ . . . the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 

They ask three related questions, which are all related. And Jesus is about to give direct answers to the matters of time and events. Jesus answers first by saying that there will be wars and there will be people claiming to be the Christ, but that is not yet the end. He also says that his followers will be hated, while false prophets arise and the love of many will grow cold, while the gospel will be proclaimed throughout the whole world. Then the end will come.

One way or another, most scholars are in agreement that everything Jesus has said so far was fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem. But then Jesus gives other details that bring confusion.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days . . . the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Has this all happened yet? It doesn’t seem so. So, has the time been postponed for all these centuries? Or was the event not literal, so that it was fulfilled in a way that is not recognized?

After all, Jesus in his first coming was expected to fulfill all of the prophecies, including the end of the world and the conquest of Israel’s enemies. But Jesus came only to fulfill the first set of prophesies about bearing sins, not about coming in power. Is it possible that his return was also missed, as people were expecting a literal return on the clouds and military vengeance.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

This seems like a very firm promise, doesn’t it? This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Shall we assume, then, that all these things would happen within 40 years of that moment?

Do you remember that fig tree a few chapters ago? The one that Jesus cursed, saying, “May no one ever eat figs from you again!” And the tree withered and died that day. 

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. . . .  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

All of this leads to a very important question: What is the status of Israel now? Has God turned his back on Israel? If the end of the age was near in the first century, why have we not seen it happen yet? Is Jesus coming on the clouds to be literally seen by everyone? And, especially,

Are you and I ready for that return? 

0124b SONG OF THE WEEK: AWAKE MY SOUL

PSALM 57

My heart is steadfast O God, my heart is steadfast

I will sing and make music

Awake my soul, awake harp and lyre

I will awaken the dawn

Be exalted O God above the heavens

Let your glory be over all the earth

for great is your love reaching to the heavens

your faithfulness reaches to the skies

I will praise you O God among the nations

I will sing of you among the peoples

for great is your love reaching to the heavens

your faithfulness reaches to the skies

Awake my soul, awake harp and lyre

I will awaken the dawn

 

0125 THE FIRST POSTMODERNIST

THE FIRST POSTMODERNIST

Before leaving on his long trip, the master had left a large amount of money with each of his three stewards, and now they are giving their accounts. 

The first is an energetic, gifted young man. He had received five talents of silver, and he reports that he has made five more. The master laughs and celebrates his steward’s profits, and then tells him that it was always his intention to give him whatever money he earned. Now the steward laughs, and he thanks his master profusely. 

The second steward also has some obvious drive. He had received two talents, and he has earned two more. Again, the master gives him all of the money to keep. Laughter and music ring out across the plain and echo off the rocky cliffs.

The third man only had received one talent, and he has brought it back, with excuses as to why he did nothing for his master for an entire year. The atmosphere changes instantly.

Listening to this third steward speak, i think that this dude just might be the world's first postmodernist. In any case, he sounds like many of my friends today who have gone through a kind of postmodern angst.

After Mr. Five Talents and Mr. Two Talents have worked hard and received their rewards, this guy comes to his master with a complaint as his excuse. He says something like:

"I was afraid, because you are unfair. You steal stuff that isn’t yours. You represent all that is wrong with corporate America. In short, you are The Man.

"So I decided to stick it to The Man. Instead of working as your steward, I buried your stuff and lived my own life for the last year. Because I can't trust you, here's what's yours, no more and no less."

He nailed the postmodern funk on the head, i think. This man, so far ahead of his time, might have gone on to say: 

"Let me tell you what’s wrong with Your system: someone who doesn't smoke a day of her life gets lung cancer. Good people die young. Evil prospers. I pray for healing, and it's a crap shoot as to whether or not it will work. I share the gospel until I'm blue in the face, but never get a result, and then some joe picks up a tract and repents on the spot. And by the way, can't You stop terrorism? or tornadoes? or politicians, for crying out loud?! There is no justice, or at least not enough. If You are so good, how come there is so much evil? Either You don't care, or You can't do anything about it. And so i conclude that You are harsh. And you only gave me one talent. Why am I being punished for something I can’t control?  I can't devote myself to work for You when I can't predict whether or not it will do me any good. Take what’s Yours. That's all I got.”

The Master stands slowly, and gives His response. And what surprises me the most is that He never contradicts the servant! In effect, He answers, “So, you know that I steal, that I am unfair, that I am not consistent so that you can trust Me? I won't deny it. But if your tiny little postmodern faith won't allow you to work with your whole heart, at least you could have put the money in the bank and let other people do the work.

“Do you know what that makes you? Wicked. And lazy. Stop hiding behind that timid and doubting mask, and let Me call it straight: You use your doubt of My character as an excuse for living a selfish life. You despised My generous gift to you (or do you forget that I entrusted you with many thousands of dollars? Did you think I owed you that?), and you pursued your own little goals.

"So now, take that valuable gift from this wicked, lazy man whom I trusted, and give it to the one who was faithful. Because faith is what gets rewarded. And faith is in things you can't see and prove. My other stewards chose to see Me as someone worth serving, and they have found that they get to keep everything that they thought they were earning for Me! Now we see Who is generous, and who is harsh!"

The man is sent away. No meal. No money. Only desert. He shuffles off into the distance. It is a solemn moment to watch him go.

For some reason, those first two stewards chose to overlook what might have been negative, and to work for their master. Just as if he were a fair and ethical man. They are a couple of modernists who overlook the obvious evidence that the world sucks (pardon my strong word here). 

The third steward made an honest assessment, i believe. Sure enough, the world sucks. God is not “fair,” you might say. But he had a choice to be faithful and to plunge into the abyss of doubt and act “as if" God is good, anyway.

Disappointment with God can hurt my spiritual life. The question is, how far will i let that go before i turn around?

0126 MARY’S MOMENT

MARY’S MOMENT

As I often do in these podcasts, I am highlighting and reflecting on a single poignant sentence in the midst of so much very rich material.

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

What happened that would cause Jesus (and Matthew) to say that this event will be such a central part of the gospel that it will go wherever the story of Jesus goes? It must have made quite an impact, because it is recorded in all four gospels. The woman is not identified by Matthew, but John’s account seems to indicate that the woman is Mary, the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Let’s dig into some speculation on what made this such a profound moment.

Monday evening at the home of Lazarus in Bethany, just over the hill east of Jerusalem. Lazarus is suddenly the second-most-famous person in town (other than Jesus). Folks have been hearing about a man raised from the dead, and they all want to catch a glimpse and maybe get a whiff of him.

Lazarus had spent all afternoon reading the variety of cards folks had sent. There’s “get well soon” cards from those who heard he was sick. Then there’s “sympathy” cards from those who heard he was dead. There’s even a few hand-made “congratulations on being alive again” or “happy resurrection” cards. And then there’s this card with the Sanhedrin’s return address on the envelope. The front has a picture of a tombstone. On the inside it says, “wish you were here.” Sort of puts a damper on the party, as if there wasn’t enough tension already.

But Lazarus is even walking around the house on his own, which is something he hadn’t done in a while, his first time around. 

He sort of had a new lease on life, you might say. It’s a grand and festive time as they all recline there at the big table.

Nobody really noticed that Mary wasn’t there, until at last she comes in late and crawls over to Jesus, heaving great sobs and just crying her eyes out. The whole room goes quiet, as they watch this scene unfold before them.

Mary’s on her hands and knees, kissing Jesus’ feet, crying so much she’s soaking them with her tears. Then she lets down her hair and starts drying His feet with it. By now, everyone is shocked into complete silence, watching this odd and awkwardly intimate display of devotion.

We met Mary and Martha before. Now, apparently, Mary had what some folks call “a past.” She’d known plenty about guilt and shame, and since she’d been delivered from all that by Jesus, now she knew more about love and forgiveness than any of the others, so she would hang on every word Jesus would say.

So, it’s not a total surprise to see Mary doing something like this. But feet? Feet are disgusting. Tears? Not really appropriate at a gathering like this. Hair? Women don’t let down their hair in public like that. And then comes the truly remarkable moment. She takes out this alabaster bottle of fancy perfume. Made of pure nard. It had taken her most of a year to make enough  money to buy it. She had earned that money earlier in her life, doing things that, let’s just say, can make money quick. You might say that it was sort of her remaining trophy from that dark time of her life, and her single most prized possession.

She takes that bottle and snaps the top right off, breakin the ceramic neck. Pours the perfume on Jesus’ feet. Then on His head. It’s running down His hair, down His beard, onto His robe. Filling the house with a beautiful scent that closes up your throat and stops your breathing, it’s so strong. Her crying mixes with her laughter in great heaves of emotion.

Keep in mind, this perfume isn’t the special kind the Lord showed Moses how to make for the priests to use in worship in the tabernacle. That kind wasn’t to be used for anything but the worship of God. Yet something tells me that this is just as sanctified an offering as any you’d see in the temple.

In the midst of this moment of beautiful extravagant love and wild radical abandonment, Judas speaks up. 

“Disgraceful, irresponsible stewardship! That’s what this is!” 

Jesus snaps back, “Leave this woman alone! She has done a beautiful thing to me. You know what she just did? She prepared my body for burial, that’s what. While you all were thinking about filling your bellies, Mary’s been praying. And when she prayed, the Spirit revealed something to her that none of you have been hearing, even when I say it straight out, three times and more.”

Judas tries one more time: “But she could have sold that perfume and given the money to the poor!” (Maybe he’s remembering about that rich young man whom Jesus challenged with doing just that.)

Jesus gives another surprise answer:  “You will always have the poor with you. You can help them anytime you want to. But you won’t have Me here with you much longer.”

Let’s see. What did Jesus say about what was in a man’s heart coming out of his mouth? Something just came out of Mary’s heart. something came out of Jesus’ heart, and something came out of the heart of Judas and the others. 

Mary spoke love loud and clear. I wish I could say it so good.

0127 SILENT JESUS

SILENT JESUS

The action really speeds up in these last few chapters of Matthew. Chapter 27 contains all of the action from Jesus taken before Pilate, all the way through his crucifixion and burial. So much to talk about! But let me follow this theme through the narrative.

It is the day we know as Good Friday, and a man named jesus is languishing in prison, awaiting his execution at the hand of pontius pilate. He is to be crucified between two criminals. The day before, the guards had taken him out and forced him to hew the crosspiece for his own cross. He has his last meal and awaits the footsteps to come down the hall to his cell, to lead him away to be crucified. Outside, he hears the noise of a crowd yelling something. What was it?

“crucify him! crucify him! we have no king but caesar!”

this is going to be worse than he had imagined. The crowd has been stirred into some sort of patriotic frenzy over something. Perhaps he will be pulled apart by the crowd before he ever gets to the place of the skull.

here are the footsteps. Guards burst in and roughly pull jesus to his feet, still in chains, and out to the portico. There, for the first time, the man named jesus barabbas sees the Man Jesus of Nazareth, the One they call the Christ. He has been so badly beaten that He is hardly recognizable, but barabbas knows of His reputation. He has been a bold, yet soft-spoken itinerate preacher from up in the north country, but has lately offended the jewish leaders. How the roman government got involved in this is anyone’s guess.

pilate is asking the crowd a question: “which of these do you want me to release to you?" at first, there is little unity, but soon a group of pharisees are leading a chant that clearly takes over: “release barabbas!”

pilate turns to the Nazarene. He is speaking quietly, but animatedly. At first, Jesus never speaks, and after that only two short sentences. And pilate washes his hands and the guards unchain the other jesus, and that is it. Barabbas is a free man!

why had the Nazarene not spoken? if the silent Jesus had spoken but one word, he could have been set free, and barabbas would be hanging on that same cross right now. instead, Silent Jesus is mocked, beaten, dragging the cross, nailed to it, and hanging there. The jesus who was set free is there to watch every moment of it, and Silent Jesus never speaks. When He finally opens His mouth, He says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

they don’t know what they do? they don’t know what they do!? well, i know what they do! they crucify the wrong man! i led in an insurrection against the romans, and committed murder in  the process, and so i was to die for it. But this Man (if he is a man) has done nothing worthy of death!

“hey! Silent Jesus! why not speak? Why not answer Pilate when he questions you? Why not defend yourself? All you have to do is speak a sentence of truth, and you would turn the tables on the Jewish leaders. And you know it. And now, why do you not curse the mocking crowd? why not spit back the venom they are spitting at you?”

two men named Jesus. One had led a rebellion; the Other stood silent. One killed a man; the Other forgave all men. One went free; the Other set all free.

why would God do this?”

“i don’t know . But what happened to him also happened to me. i sinned; He didn’t. He died; i didn’t. i can’t explain it. But i can receive it. it is called grace.”

you and i were set free by the silence of God one good friday. May we rest in His silence today.

0128 BUT SOME DOUBTED

BUT SOME DOUBTED

Today, we have reached the last chapter of Matthew’s gospel. I have enjoyed the journey to this point, and look forward to what the Lord will teach me in the gospel according to Mark. But for today, let me personalize this one detail that Matthew provides. It simply says: “And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” (v.17)

Maybe this is a life verse for many of us. When I see the risen Jesus, I worship him. But some of me doubts. Some doubted. Part of me still questions, and feels like it needs just one more miraculous sign. Let me talk about this personally, if I may.

I remember going to a conference in which some prophecies were delivered in the evening session. At the time, I thought of how I wanted to believe that these were actual Spirit-given prophetic words, but these people were strangers to me, and I had no way to know whether or not the messages given were ringing true. I thought, if this prophet were to say something to me that could not have been humanly revealed, only then could I trust this message.

The next morning, at another session, a man who was speaking mentioned those prophecies from the night before, and said how amazing and spot-on they were. Again, I had no way to measure such claims. But I don’t usually travel in such charismatic circles, so I don’t often consciously face such doubts.

A few months later, I was teaching a seminary course on current trends in worship, and I mentioned my experience and my doubt, but urged the class members to withhold any negative judgments, even if they are anti-charismatic in their convictions. Then I took the class to a revival service at a charismatic church in town. That very service, the pastor looks over the crowd of a few hundred people, and he points back about 2/3rds of the way, and says he wants “the worshiper” to stand. All the students and I are looking at one another and around, but the pastor continues to call out “the worshiper,” until he made it clear that he was pointing to (gulp!) me. He had me stand up while he spoke to me for about five (long) minutes. I don’t remember most of what he said, because I was so distracted. But I remember a phrase that he used a couple of times, saying that I had “the spirit of David” and was called to worship and train and something or other.

At last! I had my confirmation! God really DOES reveal secret truths about someone!

But some of me doubted still. What if someone had told him about me as we came into the room? What if he recognized me from leading a program at school? What if . . . ?

We know about Thomas and his doubts. And we know how Jesus resolved his doubts by inviting him to touch his wounds and believe. And we know that Thomas was at least one of those doubters, saying that he would not believe unless he could touch the wounds on Jesus’ hands and side. Once Thomas saw Jesus, however, he didn’t need to touch the wounds, and he fell down and worshiped, saying, “My lord and my God!”

Matthew, however, is particular about numbers. He says, “some” doubted. Not all. But more than one. What other doubts came up among the disciples, I wonder? 

My conclusion from my own experience and that of Thomas is that there is no end to the need to see evidence and see unequivocal proof in order to have “faith.” Of course, it’s not really “faith” if it requires sight in order to believe it.

I am glad that Matthew records this subtle detail about those eyewitnesses. All of them eventually risked their lives for Christ, proclaiming him in dangerous places. They were sure enough in their beliefs to give their lives for a cause. That sounds like people who did not doubt, doesn’t it?

Jesus told the disciples that he would give them his Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit would teach them all things. If I am hearing from that same Spirit in my life, it leads me to believe, even when some of me doubts. It’s what caused me to first choose to bet my life that it is true, even when I am unsure. I have seen enough of what God does. I have studied enough to have arguments against my questions and doubts. And I have simply chosen to take what Pascal worded as the wager. If I choose not to believe, and I am wrong, what is the risk? Eternal damnation? If I choose to believe, and I am wrong, what do I lose? Some comfort, some worldly sacrifices. But in eternity, I simply ceased to exist if there is no God. I’d take the odds of that wager any day. So, for me, when I am in my deepest doubts, I still choose to act as if I believed, until my doubts subside again. I wonder if it’s like that for everyone? I doubt it. Well, I doubt. That’s what I’m saying.

Here’s another illustration that I saw many years ago. What does this say?

GODISNOWHERE

Did you see the letters as saying “God is nowhere?” Or did you see “God is now here?” You saw the same thing, but came to different conclusions about it, depending on how you interpreted it.

May you overcome your doubts today, and live as if you had none. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Amen.