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Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
THE WAY UP IS DOWN
The disciples were on their way through Galilee when an interesting intellectual discussion broke out real quietly amongst some of the disciples. We can guess that it involved Peter in some way. I imagine he and John fell back behind the group to clarify something. Peter happened to mention the clear fact that he was the top leader of the group, destined to sit at Jesus’ right hand in the kingdom.
John replies that Jesus likes him best. All the signs were there, and he was just saying that when they pair up in the boats, Jesus sits with him most of the time. Peter points out that it is John who sits with Jesus, not Jesus with him. He’s got no choice, says Pete. Then Pete says he’s the one that Jesus named the Rock, and he claims that Jesus is going to build His kingdom on him!
Oh, yeah, says John? Yeah, says Pete. In fact, says Pete, John only thinks Jesus likes him best. In fact, he says, the truth is, John encroaches on Jesus’ personal space bubble all the time, and He’s too nice to say anything about it.
Well, Judas checks in on the matter, and he says he’s the most qualified to be the leader of the group. Most education, knows his way around Judea, and so forth.
Well, that riles up John’s big brother James, who reminds the others that his mom got him and John to be first in line to sit on His right and left side in the kingdom.
This whole thing is heating up into an argument, is what’s happening, but all done in whispers, cause they’re thinking Jesus wouldn’t like the way they’re talking right about now.
Later in the evening, as they’re settling in round a campfire, Jesus asks real casually: “So, what were y’all talking about on the road this morning?”
Suddenly, they all get busy maintaining the fire with their eyes. Slowly, painfully, it comes out: Well, they were arguing about who was greatest in the kingdom.
Jesus heaves a real slow sigh, and He looks around at them like He’s really disappointed, catching the eyes of each one of them. Suddenly, they become aware of how they’re sitting there. There’s the inner three, crowding in on Him. Then come the rest of the twelve. Then everyone else.
In the cold outside circle are the women and a few men who’ve been walking along with the disciples. There are also a couple of kids amongst that crowd. Or maybe several dozen. The disciples never really noticed.
Jesus calls one of the littlest ones forward. A little boy totters over to him, Jesus takes him up in his arms, and He says, “This little boy’s name is Joshua, but his daddy and momma call him Josh. Back home, he’s got a puppy named Jake, and he misses him. But he likes to play hide and seek, and he loves to sing, don’t you, Joshie-Boy? Any of you men know him?”
They all study their toes for a bit. Trying to think of something to say. How long’s that kid been with them?
Jesus speaks again: “This little boy, so precious and innocent, is the greatest in the kingdom of God. And unless y’all humble yourselves like him, you ain’t even gonna be there.”
“The way up is down, boys. Y’all want to be great? Learn to be the servant of all. Y’all want to be famous? Sit in the outside circle, instead of the closest seats. Do you begin to get this?”
They were beginning to get it, all right.
Did you notice that Jesus never rebukes them for wanting to be the greatest in the kingdom? He doesn’t say, “Just cut that out! Stop thinking about yourself. Let’s all just cooperate rather than compete.” Why doesn’t Jesus say that?
Perhaps ambition is not a sin! SELFISH ambition is a sin. But Jesus knew that it is built into most of us to want to WIN. If a man is going to do something with his whole effort, it is with the goal of being the best at it. So Jesus goes about redirecting that natural competitiveness in their hearts. Get into a new contest: See who can SERVE the most!
In that contest, the LOSER is the WINNER. King of the hill is won by going to the bottom and help to push others up the hill! It’s not wrong to run fast. But you just might be running in the wrong direction. The finish line is BACK THERE!
Now, let’s all join in on a game of King of the Valley. And may the least one win.
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
ATTACK OF THE SOCCER MOMS
Jesus was in the hills of Galilee, doing His regular routine of speaking and healing, healing and speaking, showing mercy and calling to repent, you know the deal. A group of men gathers, and the Master Teacher heads over to do some disciple-making with them. That’s when a gang of MOPS comes sweeping in. Now, if you’ve never seen one of these groups, I ought to warn you about them.
MOPS stands for Mommas of Pre-Schoolers, and they’re pretty scary. Now, you’d think all those mommas and their little ones would be cute and nice and all that. But here’s what they’re really like: it’s a bunch of first-time mommas with their precocious first-borns. When they get together, they all start comparing notes. First, they talk about breast feeding and pooping schedules, including textures, color and smell. Then they get to competing with one another through their kids: when he said his first word, when she took her first step, how much he can read at the tender age of four—and in Hebrew, at that. They might as well line their little ones up and have a little toddler race, except that no one can admit that her self-image is so tied up in her little one that she’s just got to win in the prodigious child awards.
Anyway, here this group of rabid mothers comes toward Jesus, walking with their arms held out like giant Barbie dolls, shoving their precocious prodigies at Jesus like he’s the long-overdue babysitter. Descending on the Son of God with their little gifts from heaven, asking Him to bless their Wunderkind so he can be the next great world leader.
The disciples, of course, can see this one coming a mile away, and they know just what to do. I mean, after that Temple cleansing incident, they pretty much know Jesus is going to let these child-worshiping women have it. Tell ‘em to repent before they turn into soccer moms! So, they head them off at the pass, as it were, and break it to them gently, lovingly, the way Jesus Himself would do. They tell them their kids are real cute, yes, and right bright and all, but Jesus has got Himself booked until, well, until your kids have reached puberty or so. Once they have acne and don’t want to be seen in public with you any more, THEN Jesus can speak with them like they were real people people. Problem solved, right?
Jesus sees them doing Him this favor, and sure enough, He goes ballistic about priorities and children. Only it’s not the way His followers thought it would be. Jesus is livid, all right. But He’s steamed about the disciples, not the mommas!
“Let the little ones come to Me,” He says, “for the kingdom belongs to such as these.”
Jesus didn’t get angry very often, but this is one of those notable times. One of them starts to explain that they were just trying to help Him, when He cuts them off like a soccer mom weaving through heavy traffic.
“Have I been with you all this time, and you still don’t get it? Children are the most important people in the kingdom. They aren’t half-an-adult just because they’re small! Children are moldable, innocent, humble and pure. Can you tell me any adult with those qualities? Anybody? I didn’t think so.
“And these mommas are doing the most important job in the world! There’s nothing harder or more important than what they’re dedicating the prime years of their adult lives to do: turn a blob of human DNA into a fully-functioning adult in the short span of a couple of decades, all without losing their own sanity. “It just might be that these children here are more valuable than any of these men here. Maybe more valuable than the twelve of you are yourselves!
“Now leave them be, and never prevent them from coming to me again! Have you got that? Don’t screen their calls, don’t insist on an appointment, and don’t you ever think that I’ve got more important things to do than to bless these little ones!”
And with that, Jesus turns around and a smile comes to His face that never appeared when He was talking to crusty, skeptical grownups. He bends down and gets on their level, He picks up young ones, He receives babies from their mother’s arms, He places His hands on each one of them, and He blesses them.
You have never heard such simple, powerful words of prayer. And it begins to become clear that the main work of Jesus is to speak a blessing into folks’ lives. And the younger they are, the more of that blessing they can receive.
Friday Feb 04, 2022
Friday Feb 04, 2022
LEADING WITH A QUESTION
The eleventh chapter of Mark is very similar to material that is found in Matthew, including the question from the leaders about where Jesus gets his authority. But Mark contains a little more detail, and especially one little phrase. That’s what I’d like to focus on today. Our Lord provides an example of how to deal with questions that are not really questions. Jesus asks a question within a question, you might say.
It strikes me how often Jesus asks questions, especially when being confronted with criticism from the Jewish leaders, and especially in the gospel of Mark. Maybe Jesus intended to show us how to have an argument, or how to win an argument. And maybe he was simply being shrewd, knowing that asking a question rather than delivering a lecture is the best way to proceed in a disagreement. He never said that he was doing that on purpose. But let’s note his practice and see what there is to learn from it.
Here are questions that show how Jesus answered criticism from the Pharisees:
Chapter 2
[The scribes are thinking, “Why does this man speak of forgiving sins? He is blaspheming!”] Jesus says, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say…forgiven…or…walk?”
[The scribes of the Pharisees said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”] Jesus said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (There are five other times that I counted in the book of Mark where Jesus leads with a statement rather than a question. Nonetheless, there are many more times he leads with a question.)
[People came and said to him, “Why do (others’) disciples fast, but yours do not?”] Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?...
[Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”] He said to them, “Have you never read what David did …?”
Chapter 3
[They watched to see whether he would heal …on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.] He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”
[The scribes were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul.”] He called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?”
[His mother and brothers called him, and a crowd said they were seeking him.] Looking about…he said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
More questions by Jesus:
Chapter 4
“Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”
“Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?”
“With what can I compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?”
“Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Chapter 5
“What is your name?”
“Who touched my garments?”
“Why are you making a commotion and weeping?”
“Why does this generation seek a sign?”
“Why are you questioning…Do you not yet perceive or understand?”
“Who do people say I am? Who do you say that I am?”
“What are you arguing about with them?”
“O faithless generation, how long am I to bear with you?”
“How long has this been happening to him?”
“What were you discussing on the way?”
“What did Moses command you?”
“Why do you call me good?”
“What do you want me to do for you?”
“Are you able to drink the cup that I drink…?”
“What do you want me to do for you?”
“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’”
And here is the context of the question within a question that prompts my thoughts today:
The chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” . . . So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
What shall we take away from this?
First, perhaps that in a debate or heated confrontation with someone who is accusing you, it is better to let your first comment be a question. Whether to set up the logic of your answer, or simply as the preamble to your answer, it seems to be far more common in Jesus’ conversation than it was (about 5 times) to lead with a statement.
Second, a question, sort of requires that the person reply. This both avoids lecture mode and also the right question can trap your opponent.
It makes me wonder; What do you think we can learn from Jesus in this?” (See what I did there?)
Saturday Feb 05, 2022
Saturday Feb 05, 2022
WE ARE THE TWELVE
We are the special chosen ones from Gal’lee
The faithful few who answered Jesus’ “foller me”
Of all of the fine citizens of Gal’lee Country
It’s good to now he loves us most of all.
”I’m Pete and I’m a fisherman” (“Who swims lie he was bait!”)
And Andy’s wandered off again, that’s why he’s running late
I’m John and I must say I’m loved and most contrite
While my brother Jim is loud and he’s always ready to fight
(“Am not!” “Are, too!”)
“I’m Phil and people say I’m slower than molasses.”
”And I’m Nate and I say I think he’s fine just the way he is.”
“And I’m Tom and I say we’re all gonna die.”
I’m Matt the tax collector but I’d sure appreciate if you could call me Levi.”
(chorus)
We are the special chosen ones from Gal’lee
The faithful few who answered Jesus’ foller me
Of all of the fine citizens of Gal’lee County
It’s good to know he loves us
I’m pretty sure he loves us
Nice to know he loves us most of all
(“Oh, look! Here comes Andy! And he’s bringing somebody with him!”)
Monday Feb 07, 2022
Monday Feb 07, 2022
WISDOM OVER LOGIC, 1-0
In this chapter, Jesus faces questions from various groups of Jewish leaders, each time outmaneuvering their theological traps. First, Jesus speaks a story aimed at the leaders as a whole. Then they send some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians together to ask an impossible question of Jesus.
For the moment, let’s not focus on the exact question, but on the preamble to it, based on who is asking the question. They say in verse 14,
“Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.”
That’s a laughable introduction, given the hypocrisy of it all. The significance of the question is based on the significance of the questioners. They are representatives of groups that are on opposite ends of a theological and political divide on this very topic. His answer will therefore be impossible. At least, it’s impossible if there are only two choices, A or non-A. So, which is it, Jesus? You must choose either A or non-A. There is nothing else.
But what if it’s a false choice? What if this is purely hypothetical, and doesn’t even need to be answered? It is only designed to be a trap. And the prologue to the question underscores the irony of it all. They butter up the Master, of all things, and use two points of logic to trap him into losing his followers, no matter what he answers. So they think.
They open and close with these two similar sayings: “You are true,” they say, and “[you] truly teach the way of God.” These bookends trap Jesus into saying one side or the other, as “true” and “from God.” That will drive away half of his followers, since Jesus could not speak sarcastically or be swayed by context, later saying that literally he didn’t mean what he said.
In between those two phrases are the other side of the same coin: “[you] do not care about anyone’s opinion,” they sneer, and “you are not swayed by appearances.” Under those conditions, he has no room to give a politically-measured response. He must say “A” and offend half of the people (those who agree with the Pharisees) or say “non-A” and offend the other half (those who agree with the Herodians).
Then they ask the question carefully, with only two options: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” Yes or no. That’s the only way to answer the questions, right? Those are the only options they gave.
The greatest irony of the moment is that the two parties who are joining forces are pretty much on opposite ends of the theological/political spectrum. Pharisees and Herodians cannot agree on anything, ever. Except for this one thing: both groups want to do away with Jesus, or at least discredit him. As they say, politics makes strange bedfellows.
The irony is that they themselves are “A” versus “non-A,” and yet the two groups have found a third way by inventing this question. So you might say that logically they are providing a context of thinking outside of the binary box, even as they present a strictly binary conundrum for the Master. Their hypocrisy is overwhelming, but they are willing to overlook it for the sake of an effective trap that will service both parties.
Delicious, isn’t it? And Jesus does not disappoint. He introduces a third element to the debate before he even begins: Bring me a coin and let me look at it. They bring him one, and he opens with a question (as we have noticed him do so many times): “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” Take note that Jesus has now forced THEM to be the ones who are saying the self-incriminating answer: “Caesar’s.”
So Jesus says to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” (implying, though not stating, that it is reasonable to pay taxes, since the coin belongs to the Roman government), “and [render] to God the things that are God’s.” In effect, Jesus distances himself from the twofold dilemma and answers, Not A OR non-A, but some sort of A AND non-A.
And Mark writes their response. “And they marveled at him.” I can imagine their debriefing meeting after the Q&A was done. “What, exactly, happened there?” “How did He do that?” “I didn’t see that coming, even when he called for the coin to be brought.”
And, as the devil did back after the 40 days’ of temptation, they left him “for a more opportune time.”
Final score: Wisdom over Logic, 1 to 0.
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
SPEAKING BY THE SPIRIT
This chapter is mostly filled with end times prophecies, which we discussed a bit in an earlier podcast. There is one instruction from Jesus, however, that I’d like to spend some time reflecting on here. While he’s telling the disciples that they should be on their guard, for times of persecution are coming against them, he includes this instruction:
And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. (verse 11)
Those words of Jesus came true among the disciples, of course.
For example, Peter and John had healed a man in the name of Jesus, so they were brought before the Jewish council to defend their actions. Acts 4:8 begins: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” What he said was powerful and amazing, but the point right here is that Luke is specific in saying that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit in giving his answer.
I wonder what might have marked that particular moment for Peter? There are other times that it simply tells what Peter said, but this is noteworthy because Peter was filled with the Spirit when he was saying it. So he spoke with wisdom and power, bold conviction and spiritual authority. Just like Jesus.
We are told something similar in Acts 6:10 about Stephen. Stephen, you might note, was not one of the twelve disciples, and yet Luke says about him, “They could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.” And again, the apostle Paul was being undermined in his evangelistic work. It says that he was “filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said…” So once again we see an extemporaneous speech which was directed by the Spirit. And Paul had not even been there to have heard the promise from Jesus. In fact, he was an enemy of Christ at that time.
Later, Paul is instructing the church in Corinth about how to conduct their gatherings, and he talks about people speaking by the Spirit in the regular assemblies of the church. Among other things, he says, “Let two or three prophets speak . . . If a revelation is made to another sitting there . . . you can all prophesy . . . so that all may learn and all be encouraged . . . for God is … a God … of peace.”
You might say this is another circle outside the original audience that Jesus was instructing. First, it was the apostles themselves who were assured that they would speak what the Holy Spirit told them. Then it was other early evangelists who had met Jesus in person. Then it was for those who had been Gentile converts and who had never met Jesus in person. Would it be fair to say that the promise is potentially still available to us today?
It makes sense that the followers of Christ would be told by the Spirit what to speak. After all, Jesus was the predicted “prophet” who would be like Moses. And God says of that prophet, “I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” In turn, Christ told his followers, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .” He said elsewhere, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Is it God’s will for us to be filled with the Spirit? Yes! We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit! We are elsewhere told to walk in the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit, or to be led by the Spirit. The Spirit gives spiritual gifts and we bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
So can we expect today to have God’s Spirit speak through us when we need to testify about him? We can rely on God to lead us in what to say when we are persecuted for following Christ, can’t we? We need not be anxious about anything, including what we will say when we give a defense for our faith, right? I hope by now the answer is obvious.
Jesus didn’t say that we should never prepare a lesson or a sermon or a talk. He did say that we should not be anxious ahead of time, but trust that the Spirit will guide us. And we must be very careful to test the spirits, and to weigh what is being said by others. We must also not fall into what we might call “prophetic abuse,” which I hope to address some time this year.
So let me ask, have you ever been guided by the Spirit, and you knew that what you said came from Him? Have there been times when your words surprise even you? May you and I yield to the Spirit more often. Amen.
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
SINGING A HYMN
So much takes place in this chapter, as the final hours of Jesus’ life unfold. And there is much that I would like to discuss. For example: There are at least three occurrences of blasphemy in this single chapter: Jesus would be the worst case, claiming to be the Christ–except that it is true. Peter commits both perjury and blasphemy when he calls down curses on himself and swears that he never knew Jesus. And Judas commits blasphemy against the Lord when he calls him Rabbi and betrays him with a kiss. Another famous quote in this chapter is what Jesus says to Peter when Pete keeps falling asleep, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But there is one detail that must be talked about, because those of you who know me are aware that I am something of a music geek. This little detail is mentioned, but I’d like to delve into it a bit more. In verse 26, Mark writes,
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
First, it is encouraging to know that Jesus and the disciples sang. I wonder what kind of voice Jesus had, but I wouldn’t expect it to be unusual. He was, after all, a Nazarene, you know. But how many of us sing a hymn together around the table before we leave the room? It’s a challenging example, don’t you think? I’d love to make it a regular practice that when someone joins us for dinner, we sing before we leave the table.
Having said that, the fact that they sang after the Passover meal is not unusual at all. It would be unusual if they neglected to follow the tradition of Jewish celebration of the Passover by simply leaving.
But they did more than just sing “a hymn,” as we have come to define a hymn in our day. The traditional text to be sung after Passover was the group of psalms known as the Great Hallel, consisting of Psalms 113-118, (sometimes also 111 and 112) because several of the psalms begin and/or end with “hallelujah!” (Praise the Lord). The words they sang were memorized and very familiar to Jewish adult men. Appropriately for Passover, they speak in praise of God for his deliverance and goodness to Israel. But there are also several lines that are strikingly prophetic, in light of the deliverance and sacrifice that are about to take place in ultimate fulfillment of the Passover Lamb himself. I wonder if the disciples thought back on those words they sang that night, thinking, “If I only knew how that psalm was about to be fulfilled, I’d have sung it louder!”
Here are some of those salient lines:
Psalm 111
[9] He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
Psalm 112
[8] His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
[9] He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
Psalm 116
[3] The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
[4] Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
[8] For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
[9] I will walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
[15] Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.
Psalm 118
[5] Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.
[6] The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
[7] The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
[13] I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
[14] The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
[17] I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
[18] The LORD has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
[22] The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
[23] This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
[24] This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[26] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
[27] The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
[29] Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
SELF-INTEREST
In this chapter, we read about the trial before Pilate, all of the conversations and actions leading up to the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. So much to talk about: How the Roman soldiers mock-worshiped him, how they knew he was dead, where he was buried, and many other details. But one phrase jumps out at me, because it is related to some topics we have been talking about in recent days.
“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.
It was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to Pilate, and Pilate knew it. Pilate knew how to recognize self-interest. He was a politician. The world functions because of it. Politics certainly is built around self-interest. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says in 4:4, “And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. “Pilate knew a thing or two about chasing after the wind, though he had not found the answer to his discontent.
I’m saying that self-interest is everywhere. Much as we want to think of ourselves in a different light, the vast majority of decisions we make are based on what is best for us. Politicians claim to represent the best interests of their constituents, and that should, indeed, be their primary job: to do what is best for the people they represent. But they can’t do that if they never get elected (or re-elected) in the first place. So they find themselves doing what is in their own self-interests, while making public statements that seem altruistic. The same is true for business owners, parents, children, shoppers and basically everywhere you look.
But religious leaders are in a much more difficult place. They are in their positions to serve God, not just people, and not their own interests. Because they represent God, there’s a sense in which they demonstrate God’s nature. Because they are supposed to know God and understand his ways, their lives should reflect what God looks like when he gets into a man. They should be, what’s the word? Godly! Consequently, if they pursue their own interests or have a personal agenda, they cause people to assume that is what God is like. So, a religious leader with self-interest becomes worse than a person who falls short; he becomes a blasphemer.
The Jewish religious leaders were on the wrong side. How could that possibly have happened, that they ended up blaspheming, lying, holding secret overnight trials and then bribing witnesses, a betrayer, Roman officials and Roman guards?
I bring all this up because all of us who are in positions of leadership or influence in the church must take special care of not only what we do, but also WHY we do what we do. There are great temptations when your “career” is “the ministry” to do the same thing in ministry that we do with secular jobs: promote ourselves, advance our positions, improve our status, raise our standard of living.
I believe the greatest temptation in the church is “control.” And the greatest desire of any man is “respect.” So when someone comes along and messes up my power base, crosses my theological understanding, and takes away my respect, I imagine myself to represent God while actually just pursuing my own selfish interests.
People go into the ministry because they want to serve God and help his people. They find it very satisfying to give wise counsel, or to lead someone to significant life change, or to usher them on God’s behalf through significant life moments. But over the course of time, all of that influence in people’s lives can be corrupting, because you have a LOT of power! Have you heard the saying, “Power corrupts?” And “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When you represent the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, then your opinions carry more weight than they otherwise would. And so, without even being conscious of it, you drift toward believing your own press releases, thinking that you are, in fact, God’s emissary to the world, and that your opinions are God’s opinions.
So, what does it take to increase your power when you are in the ministry? Have a bigger church. Have a bigger offering. Widen your audience through various media. Carefully control your public image (at the expense of your relationships with those around you). And what helps you accomplish all those things? Tell people what their itching ears want to hear. Entertain them. Keep them coming back for more. And one day, you wake up and realize that you were pursuing the applause of people more than the approval of God. You were driven by self-interest, rather than dying to yourself and living only for God.
It is a slippery slope. But you have to consciously fight to keep from finding yourself in a very bad place one day.
As Paul said, watch your life and doctrine closely. Amen.
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
FEAR! NOT!
The final chapter of Mark’s gospel is given to some debate, as some of the earliest manuscripts do not include the final dozen verses. So scholars are not unanimous on whether to accept verses 9 through 20 as coming from Mark. Most likely, the scroll of one of the early copies of the text was missing the ending, so copyists had no choice but to stop writing when the original manuscript stopped. If so, it seems there were some other copies that were complete, because we have many manuscripts that are complete.
Nonetheless, we can be pretty certain that verse 8 would not have been the end of the book, since it ends with an abrupt and unfinished ending. If the book ended with these words, it would have been unfinished, indeed:
And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Seems awfully unfinished, doesn’t it? Do you think that “the good news” about Jesus, the Son of God, would end with the word AFRAID? I’m afraid not!
In fact, the experience of fear is mentioned three times in these few verses. Let’s explore the concept of fear and the gospel, shall we?
The three women who saw the crucifixion and burial of Jesus had come to the tomb, wondering who would roll the stone away from the opening, for it was very large. But when they arrived, they found that the stone had already been rolled away. Someone, or something, that was very, very strong had already been there. Was it still around?
What’s more, very likely, they also saw a bunch of Roman sentries lying unconscious on the ground. I don’t know about you, but that would be a little bit intimidating to me. No. It would be terrifying. What could have overpowered sixteen highly-trained, Jew-killing Roman soldiers? But they bravely kept going. And there they saw Fearful Thing #3.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
They weren’t expecting to see an angel, of course. But there was some being who looked like a young man in a white robe, sitting calmly where the body had once been. Had he somehow moved the stone? Had he overpowered the guards? Had he taken the body away? It caused the women to be alarmed. And the young man said, “Do not be alarmed.” It is what angels always say when they start a conversation with an earth-bound human.
The young man told the women that Jesus had risen, and that he was going before them into Galilee. But at that moment they were conflicted. Jesus had told them earlier that he would be raised from the dead, but for some reason they had not been anticipating that it would happen. They were overwhelmed, but not with hope and joy, but rather with trembling and astonishment.
And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
They said nothing to anyone, at first. Why not? Why not go to where the disciples were in hiding and let them know that everything had changed? Why not say something? They did not say anything to anyone, because they were afraid. This was too much to process, it was an encounter with the supernatural, it was beyond any experience they had ever had, and it was completely beyond their control.
What would the disciples say if they told them about this? Would they believe? (They would not.) Who else could they tell? Pontius Pilate? Joseph of Arimathea? A Roman centurion? Jesus? And what would they say? How would they even begin to bring it up? They had no answers, but one. And who would believe them? And so, all three of them kept quiet, for they were afraid.
I’ve heard that there are two basic emotions or motivations in life: love and fear. We fear when we are not in control. But perfect love casts out fear, as we will see in 1 John.
So, let me ask you what I’m asking myself: What are you afraid of?
Friday Feb 11, 2022
Friday Feb 11, 2022
THE MUTE BUTTON
Luke was not one of the twelve disciples, unlike Matthew and John. And he was not mentioned as often as Mark. Like Matthew and Mark, the gospel that Luke wrote is considered a “synoptic gospel” (John’s gospel is more theological and topical, rather than chronological and historical). Even if that’s all that Luke contributed to the accounts of Jesus, it would have been valuable, for God set a standard that “at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter should be established.”
But Luke’s gospel has some unique characteristics that make it stand alone. First, though Luke was not a personal eyewitness to most of the ministry of Jesus, Luke was a careful historian who researched and interviewed eyewitnesses and put his account in order. Luke then wrote a second volume of history, beginning after the resurrection, a book known as the Acts of the Apostles (the book of Acts). Second, Luke spent a lot of time traveling with the apostle Paul. So, just as we might consider the gospel of Mark to be the book of Peter, in the same way we might consider Luke’s gospel to be the book of Paul. And third, we know from elsewhere that Luke was the “beloved physician,” according to Paul. So it has a certain level of scholastic care, and is the longest of the four gospels (in number of words, not number of chapters).
There is one more aspect of Luke’s writing that marks it as special: Luke focuses often on the ethical teachings of Jesus, at least a bit more than the other writers do.
So, let’s dive in!
Luke addresses his reader by name: “most excellent Theophilus.” Perhaps Theophilus was a real person. Maybe a patron who asked Luke to tell him a complete account so that he could sort through rumors and legends and know the true facts. On the other hand, the name Theophilus means “Lover of God.” So Luke may be saying that he is writing to any inquirer who loves God and wants to know about Jesus.
In any case, the purpose of Luke’s gospel remains the same. As he says it,
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Have you wanted to “have certainty concerning the things you have been taught?” I certainly have. Jesus lived a long time ago, and many of the stories about him are beyond my ordinary experiences. So I rely on Luke to provide several details of the gospel that are not recorded in other accounts. For example, while Mark begins with John the Baptist, Luke begins with the story of John’s amazing parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, including what happened in the fifth and sixth months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy
Every year, Zechh would hobble into the temple courts a little more slowly and a bit more hunched to check in at the front desk. “Shalom, Rabbi Zechariah,” said the young man behind the counter, rising to his feet with a mixture of reverence and pity. The old man enters alone—again, ready to do his part in the worship of Almighty God, but with no son or grandson or great-grandsons to apprentice into the ways of the priesthood.
The man’s peers had all been replaced by a younger generation or two, would come to serve with an entourage of perhaps twenty sons and grandsons, all serving or in training under the watchful eye of their own patriarch. But if Old Zechh was experiencing legacy envy, he never let on. The young man assigned to the desk each time wondered if maybe this would be the last time that he would see the old saint.
Of course, Zechh had been in the system since B.C., so everyone knew him. He was kind of a legend, really.
Zechariah had spent his first twenty years studying, and then spent his twenties as an apprentice under his father. He had then served in the temple for thirty years. And now, here it was fifty years later, his father long gone, and whenever Zechariah came to Jerusalem to serve in the temple, the other priests would gather around, as if for story time, to hear what it was like in the bad old days.
According to the Lord’s own directions for priests, when they turned 50, they shifted from being “doers” to become “teachers” of the next generation. Of course, the young priests they were training were their own sons, who would be turning 30 about the time their father turned 50. The elder priest passed along the carefully-honed traditions, motions, rites and prayers. Zechariah was especially helpful in the training of the younger generation because he had been there for the transition of the defiled temple to the new edifice. Zechariah was one of the ones who had been serving through those years, and so he was using his consulting years to remind the younger priests of what it had been before—what it had always been.
And yet, Zechariah had no sons, not even one, to walk in his steps and pass on his important acts of service and worship to the Lord. It was a deep source of disappointment, perhaps even bitterness or shame, to the old man. And here he was, having drawn the lot to serve again. Since he had no son to serve with, or to go in his stead, he had no cloud of witnesses, no team of workers of his own progeny, he was himself doing the greatest honor that a priest could have: he was maintaining the incense in the Holy Place itself.
The room of the Holy Place was reserved to be seen by only one priest a day, and it was a place that was, well, holy—separated. So you didn’t just go walking casually in, as if you belonged. There in the newly-expanded temple were huge, imposing doors, perhaps 45 feet high and covered with gold. In the Holy Place, the room was perhaps 40 feet deep and 20 feet wide, and the ceiling was 60 feet high, with all walls covered in gold.
There were memorized prayers you recited as you did the work. To the left, he would trim the wicks on the menorah, which created a slightly shimmering golden glow to fill the room with a warm glow.
Next, he would turn to the opposite wall and replace the twelve loaves of unleavened bread.
At the back of the room, against the three-story-tall curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, is the golden altar of incense. He would clean out the coals and add new ones, and then more of the special formula of incense scooped on top.
The incense symbolized the presence of God from the Tabernacle, which looked like a cloud by day and fire by night. It also represented the prayers of the people rising up to the throne.
The incense was seen by the priests as being, or at least representing, the very presence of God itself. The incense at the altar also represented the prayers of the people, as they would rise before the Lord. Petitions for prosperity and peace, requests for healing and deliverance, pleas for the nation to experience the establishment of the kingdom of God in this very place. And, perhaps, one last, desperate cry for a son to follow in his steps.
And suddenly, there in the darkened holy space was a bright light and a—Being of Imposing Carriage—speaking from God to Zechariah himself, directly, one on one. The Almighty One was answering all of those prayers that were being lifted up before Him, all in one single answer! Healing, peace, kingdom, deliverance, and even an heir for this lowly old individual man! It was too much to believe. Truly. Too much.
Zechariah had one last question. “How shall I know this for certain?” And then he was put on mute until it had been fulfilled.
Just goes to show: never doubt an angel.