Stand Firm - Rolling Up Our Sleeves - 1 Peter 1:22 - 2:3 - October 3rd

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1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3

Yesterday we finished up with the thought since God has commanded us to be holy as He is holy, It indeed is an attainable goal in this life. The idea is that our hearts are able to – through the work of the Holy Spirit – be a reflection Of God’s heart. The illustration was if you take a cup of ocean water out of the ocean it still shares the same composition of the ocean. In other words, we can indeed be in step with the Holy Spirit and holiness of God.

And somewhere in the middle of yesterday’s devotion I talked about how Peter tells us we are going to have to roll up our sleeves and do some work in concert with the work of the Holy Spirit to make this happen. Let’s hear what Peter says next.

1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3 (NIV) Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever. “And this is the word that was preached to you.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Recently one of our friends had a baby boy. And they are at the stage of starting to feed him baby food. So they are trying different things. It was quite funny to see him trying bananas for the first time. He took the spoon and wanted to hold it and feed himself – but that was not going to happen. When the bananas hit his mouth you could tell by his facial expression that it wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. He kind of winced and squinted, and then his expression changed. His eyes opened wide and he had in a moment decided what he had tasted was really good.

When I read this Scripture today I liked how Peter talks about what our part is in all of this. The part about rolling up our sleeves and removing those obstacles in our lives that make it difficult for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.

In essence since we have made a commitment to follow Christ and live the Jesus Way, there are some things we can actually do on our part in response to the Holy Spirit working in us so that He will be able to work through us.

Peter says it like this, get rid of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind that has been a part of your life. It changes now on our part to make an intentional effort to rid ourselves of these behaviors. You wouldn’t think that in the life of a Christian you would find these. But I’m afraid, just like we don’t pay attention to these particular two books in the Bible, very often we also don’t realize these smallish things taking over in our lives. And it is important to get rid of them, like doing some deep cleaning in your home.

But take a moment and remember what did we just last study from the devotional series “All In?” The greatest command as Jesus saw it, and we see that from the book of Mark.

Mark 12:29-31 (NIV) “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

It would be near impossible to have a loving relationship with God or with others around us, if we left our old carnal habits of how we treated others before we were saved intact in our lives.

So is there something in your life, it might even be one of these that Peter lists, that God has been talking to you about removing from your life. Maybe there is something in your life that as you heard these Scriptures today God has just given you a little nudge about in your heart. Maybe there’s something that you’ve held back from Him, something that seems insignificant in your life, it may seem as if God want’s submission of that to Him. You know – as His creation there is nothing insignificant about you. Jesus wants to be part of everything you are – you are that important to Him.

Stand Firm - Called Unto Holiness - 1 Peter 13:25 - October 1st

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1 Peter 1:13-25

So yesterday we concluded that in Peter’s time and culture, and in this world today – our time and culture – how we respond to suffering as Christians because of spreading the Gospel, or even because we are Christians is a concern to Peter. And this should be something that we are aware of and are ready to address in a Christ-like way.

And right off the bat, Peter begins to talk about holiness. This life of holiness is not just relegated to living holy lives when everything is going well. Living this life of holiness is also about living holy lives when we are suffering – especially suffering for the cause of Christ – because we have a living hope. Let’s listen to Peter.

1 Peter 1:13-25 (NIV) Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

It’s the command that Peter re-states from the Levitical law, handed down to the people of Israel from God through Moses: Be holy, because I am holy. And remember Peter’s underlying premise from back in verse 2 that this is all from the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

So when this passage starts out with the therefore in verse 13, we need to loot at what it’s referring to. And this section is all based on the living hope we have from in believing in Christ Jesus to the point of salvation that this sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit can actually take place in the life of every Christian.

We see holiness of heart leading the Christian to holiness of life. Holiness of life then spills over in the world around the Christian. So there are some thoughts here.

First I realize there are those in many churches who believe that they will indeed sin in word thought and deed daily. I do not believe the Bible tells us that at all, and it’s simply because all the way back in the Old Testament, in Leviticus, God Himself gives this command repeatedly to be holy as He is holy.

So if God were to give a command, that He holds us accountable to, but that we are completely unable to attain, where is the just-ness of that command? So one must conclude that holiness of heart is indeed attainable. I would add especially in light of the Holy Spirit, that is the very Spirit of God coming to reside within the heart of every believer. It is indeed possible.

You take what Peter is saying here that it indeed is possible to live a life of holiness that is a byproduct of a heart of holiness in that we do have some part in this.  Not that God just does all of it for us and we are without responsibility.

Peter tells us that we must first be of sober mind – we must do our part. While it is all of God’s ability to make us holy of heart, we must roll up our sleeves and respond to that divine ability, which He will bestow upon us and do the work within us.

We put our hope in Christ Jesus in the grace provided through faith in that Christ is the Messiah – the Savior of the world.

We then walk as obedient children – we do not run ahead, lag behind, run off to the side. We are attentive to the Holy Spirit, and the work He wants to accomplish in our lives – which by the way prepares us to minister to others. The preparation in our lives today is for ministry – for you to do ministry tomorrow.

Then we are to be holy as God Himself is holy. And probably one of the best thoughts I have heard regarding this is an illustration about ocean water. Just like a single cup of water from the ocean shares the same properties of the ocean, or if you would like something more contemporary, how a smart phone would keep time matching the atomic clock, our finite beings can indeed be in step with the Spirit and holiness of God.

So today, and everyday when we are living our lives we need to ask ourselves, are we walking in step with the Holy Spirit? Are we inviting Christ through the Holy Spirit to invade our souls that we indeed would be the reflection of Him?

Stand Firm - Suffering or Inconvenience? - 1 Peter 1:6-9 - September 30th

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1 Peter 1:6-9

We’ve just begun this series on 1 & 2 Peter called Stand Firm. And the first day we talked about a living hope – how because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we can be to and that gives us hope for our future. But also that hope can be a suffering hope – a hope that brings joy into present circumstances even when suffering is involved and we can hold on to the joy of our salvation and that will give us hope.

And today I want to talk about suffering in general, so let’s read our passage together and then take a few moments to talk about this idea that Christians probably will suffer and what Peter means by that.

1 Peter 1:6-9 (NIV) In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

So what does Peter mean when he notes “…all kinds of trials.” There’s different kinds of suffering? Well yes there is.

Think about this that in Peter’s time suffering could mean physical suffering like pain from an injury or sickness. There could also be suffering brought on you from other people such as the suffering Israel experienced during the exile or under Roman rule. Even now days, we know people can suffer emotionally and intellectually from things. You don’t have to be physically affected by traumatic situations to suffer you can witness or hear descriptions of or see pictures of traumatic incidents and experience perceived trauma. Even an extended crisis, like we are in now can have a similar effect on your brain.

But what is Peter talking about here? Peter is talking about suffering for having faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Peter speaks less about the how or why we suffer and mostly to how we are to react to suffering.

Daniel G. Powers. 1 & 2 Peter Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2010 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p36.

“Suffering is not inevitable for believers (1:6), and yet every Christian must be ready to face it (1:7; 4:1). Thus, the concern of the letter is not if believers will face suffering but how they should react to it.  Christ is used as the supreme example. Like Christ, believers are to react to suffering in three ways.  First, they should not respond with hate or retaliation (2:21-24; 3:9). Second, they are to meet suffering with a spirit of submission (2:13-3:6; 5:6). And third, they are to persist in doing good (1:15; 2:12-15, 20,24; 3:6, 11, 13, 17; 4:2, 17, 19).”

As we progress on in this study we will go deeper into these other references within 1 & 2 Peter regarding suffering. Suffice to say that Daniel Powers has an interesting point in that Peter really does not deal with how we suffer or when or if we will suffer, but how we will respond to suffering. In his world and in this world that is a concern to Peter, and should be a concern to us.  Are we following Christ’s example when we suffer?

All In - Love Your Neighbor As Yourself - Part 2 - James 2:14-16 - September 26th

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James 2:14-16

So yesterday we heard how it isn’t just enough to love God, we must also direct that love outward toward others. One could say that it is impossible to fully love God with your muchness – your heart, soul, mind, strength, and not show that same holistic love to other people. So the last part of that commandment, tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. So how do we love ourselves?

Well – it’s not about being selfish. Please do not confuse this with being selfish. Loving ourselves is about self care. Fred Rogers – Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood – said this on one of his shows.

“The toughest thing is to love somebody who has done something mean to you, especially when that somebody is yourself. Have you done anything mean to yourself? Well it’s very important to look inside yourself and find that loving part of you. That’s the part that you must take good care of and never be mean to. Because that’s the part of you that allows you to love your neighbor. And your neighbor is anyone you happen to be with at anytime of your life. Respecting and loving your neighbor can give everybody a good feeling.”

He’s so right – we have to pay close attention to the part within us that loves other people and take good care of that part of us so that it will function the way God intended us to towards each other.

James 2:14–17 (NIV) What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James was addressing a church that had a diverse socioeconomic culture. The church members would play favoritism with those who were wealthy , and neglect the members who were poor.

James needed to emphasize that real faith works – it puts forth action it doesn’t just cultivate heartfelt praise or theological belief. Real faith is expressed in the service of others.

Faith must have action to express its beliefs and passionate convictions. The love we have for God must be shown in taking care of  the physical needs of the poor.

The greatest commandment, discusses loving God – a very personal relationship with God. It would be difficult to properly love God if I did not first understand His love for me and my value. It would be difficult to fully love God if my heart and mind were filled with self-hatred. Loving God with every aspect of myself and experiencing and understanding His love for me helps me share that love for my neighbor.

All In - Love Your Neighbor As Yourself - Mark 12:30-31 - September 25th

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Mark 12:30-31

So yesterday we came to a new understanding that the strength the Bible talks about in Deuteronomy and that Jesus quoted in the book of Mark 12:31-31 was truly about loving God with all of our muchness. Using our strength is devoting every opportunity, possibility and capacity you have to honoring God.

And The Bible Project quote I used I want you to hear again, “loving God with your me’od means devoting every possibility, opportunity, and capacity that you have to honoring God and loving your neighbor as yourself.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aaVy1AmFX4)

Today we are going to talk about the last part of the commandment, which is to love my neighbor as I love myself.

What does it mean to love someone? Is love just a feeling? Do you only love your spouse or relatives? Can you love strangers?

Of all the virtues for a Christian life, love is considered the most important, Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 13:13.

So let’s listen once again to the words of Christ Jesus.

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Jesus declares that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. But he doesn’t conclude there. Jesus then says, “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

It isn’t just enough to love God. You must also direct that love outward toward others. One could say that it is impossible to fully love God with your muchness – your heart, soul, mind, strength – and not show that same holistic love to other people.

“Both the Greek and the Hebrew words for love show a meaning beyond just emotion. One of the most common Greek words we translate into love is agape, meaning love, affection, goodwill benevolence.” (Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 9th ed. [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009], 4).

The Hebrew word referenced is ahavah. A broad word that means love affection or friendship.

The Bible Project tells us that ahavah is mostly used to show care towards another human beings. It can be used as physical love, like the King of Persia’s love for Queen Esther – but this is the exception.

However, it’s mostly used like Abraham’s love for his son Isaac, or Jonathan’s love for King David, or even Israel’s love for King David.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (NIV) The Lord did not set his affection (ahavah) on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.  But it was because the Lord loved (ahavah) you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

This ahavah originates for Israel from God’s own character. Ahavah begins and ends with God and because He has no beginning nor does He have an ending, His ahavah has always been and will be.

God’s love is not just a feeling, it’s also an action.

Deuteronomy 4:37 (NIV) Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,

The Bible Project tells us this, “God’s love isn’t just a sentiment; it is something God does” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV_LUs2lnIQ, direct quotation is at 2:28).

1 John 4:9 (NIV) This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Love goes beyond feeling, and involves action. How do we show God our love and how do we show our neighbor God’s love through us to them?

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 (NIV) And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.  Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

All In - Loving God With All Our Strength - Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:5 - September 24th

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Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:5

So yesterday we finished up by answering the question how do we love God with our minds. And we concluded that it is by allowing them to be transformed and allowing them to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. We do this so that we would remember to bring God into every situation we face, whether it is work, family life, politics, whatever it is that we are reading or thinking, we invite Christ into our minds, we invite Christ into our thoughts that He would be given glory and honor. This will enable us to gain a better perspective that is honoring to God in all situations.

 Today we are going to talk about the word strength. Remember that Jesus is quoted in Mark 12:30 and also in the shema in Deuteronomy 6:5, that we are to love God with all of our strength.

In the New Testament the Greek words translated as strength are ischys, meaning “ability, force,” and dynamis, meaning “power” (Kerri Wyatt Kent, Deeper into the Word: New Testament [Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2011], 202).

To contemporary thinking about the definition of strength is mainly about our physical abilities and mental capacity to overcome obstacles.

However, the image that Mark 12:30 and the shema prayer of Deuteronomy want to present to us is not one of power.

The Hebrew word for strength is me’od, meaning “very” or “much.” The word me’od is an adverb and comes alongside another word to augment or enhance the meaning. So, when God says that his creation is good, in  Genesis 1:31, on the sixth day it was me’od good.

The Bible Project explains that me’od is used over 300 times in Scripture. But it’s not a word used on it’s own, and it doesn’t mean strength. In the shema it’s used as an exception to mean strength. The meaning is ‘very’ or ‘much’ and it’s an adverb – for all you English language professors out there.

They go on to explain how loving God with all our strength is really about loving God with all of our muchness, devoting every opportunity, possibility and capacity you have to honoring God.

This word is so inclusive and means so much more. It was interpreted different ways, in different times when the Bible was written in different languages for different cultures and communities.

Translating me’od from Hebrew to Greek it was translated as dunamis, which means power or strength. In ancient Aramaic it was translated as  wealth. Jesus actually uses the word for mind and power for with all your mind and all your strength in place of me’od when He quotes the shema.

But here’s the lesson for today. We really shouldn’t just pick one interpretation of the word me’od.        We shouldn’t limit it to wealth or knowledge or power.

“loving God with your me’od means devoting every possibility, opportunity, and capacity that you have to honoring God and loving your neighbor as yourself” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aaVy1AmFX4)

Love God with all of your muchness today.

All In - Loving God With All Our Mind - Part 2 - Mark 12:30-31, Romans 12:1-2 - September 23rd

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Mark 12:30-31, Romans 12:1-2

So remember yesterday that the greatest commandment given by Jesus, tells us to love God with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength.

And we talked about how our mind is thoughts, knowledge, and intellect, and how we will love God  with all of our mind when we allow our thoughts to be transformed and renewed by the work of God’s Holy Spirit.

Today I want to talk about that a bit more. Remember it was Jesus who added in the word for mind, that is not in the shema found in Deuteronomy.

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

When Jesus says we must love God with all our mind, remember we concluded that this means that the mind becomes a place of worship. Paul said it like this.

Romans 2:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul wants to emphasize resisting a fallen and wicked world. This emphasis reflects his early description of a depraved and sinful world in Romans 1.

Paul declares that humanity rejected knowledge of God and was given over to a “debased mind” Romans 1:28. There is a relationship between the debased mind and the wickedness we see plague the world. So it’s important for Christians to have a transformed mind.

“By refusing to conform to the ways of the old Adamic age and instead “walking in the newness of life,” Christians’ minds may be continually transformed according to the pattern of the risen Christ (7:4, 6; 8:1-17) Believers must steadfastly resist the pressures of this present age to conform them to the pattern of this world, which is already “passing away” (1 Cor 7:31). As the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, God’s Son is the predestined model to which all believers may be conformed (Rom 8:29), the destination of the new age, the shape of things to come.”

(William M Greathouse with George Lyons, “Romans 9-16,” A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, [Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City 2008], 126).

As we live in a sinful world, we are to reaffirm the truth of God’s grace to continually bring to our minds the truth of God.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul says, “We … take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

God cares about truth, knowledge, and wisdom. And He wants us to understand Him and the world around us. Sin has impacted our minds and our thinking must be transformed by the power of God through the Holy Spirit.

So how do we love God with our minds? By allowing them to be transformed. We use our minds every day to figure out problems or gain knowledge. We read or google new ideas or ways of doing things.

What if we tempered that knowledge and thinking with God’s desires? So when we are at work, we can look at the numbers or the figures and simply see a problem that has to be solved or, we have an opportunity to see how that problem affects the lives of others to find a solution that would help other people. Or we read new information from an opinion article about a politician or a group of people and instead of allowing that information to determine our conclusion on the matter, we strive to find other sources that shed a different light on a situation and are able to gain a better perspective that is honoring to God.

All In - Loving God With All My Mind - Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:5 - September 22nd

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All In - Our Soul - Part 2 - Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - September 21st

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Deuteronomy 6:4-9

So we are in a devotional series talking about what it means to be all in. We are ultimately asking ourselves where in your life are you “all in?” And in reference to this Jesus is asked the question what is the greatest commandment? And He responds by reciting the Shema and then, He actually adds more to it.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

So last week we talked about what the Greek and Roman understanding or thoughts about the soul are. Today I want to talk a bit about the Old Testament or Hebrew understanding of the soul. The word nephesh is used over 700 times in the Bible and it can mean more than just soul. But in this context, in the Shema we are talking about the non-physical, immortal essence of a human being that is trapped in the physical body, and released in death.

Nephesh – can mean other things. It is used for the word throat. And since life is controlled by breathing in and out and eating and drinking food, life is sustained by the things coming into the body through the throat. It can also simply mean the whole or complete person. In the Bible people don’t have a nephesh they are nephesh, a living, breathing, complete human being.

Biblical writers do have the concept of people existing after death, waiting for the resurrection. However, they rarely wrote about it. And when they do, they don’t use the word nephesh. Often we assume that the Bible translates nephesh into soul but that’s not the case.

Psalm 119:175 (NLT) let me (nephesh) live, that it may praise you.

Our main text today, to love God with all my soul – nephesh - is to devote my entire physical existence to my Creator, my entire being with all of my capabilities and limits to love my God. You know the question is this, can we say today this moment that we are fulfilling that command in everything we are saying and doing.

All In - Our Soul - Matthew 16:26 - September 19th

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Matthew 16:26

So yesterday we read where Jesus outlined the cost of discipleship. We can actually see that Jesus lives up to the standard when we read any of the four Gospel accounts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all show us how important it was to Jesus To be a Disciple of the Father, for Him to say and do what the Father, and only what the Father, required of Him to say and do.

I want to remind us today of the end of that portion in Matthew where Jesus poses the following question.

Matthew 16:26 (NIV) What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

This is an extremely deep question. And again I believe that often times we read over this and think, “How can I save my soul from the eternal damnation of hell?” And I don’t believe that’s what Jesus meant when He asked the question. I believe that it goes much further and deeper than simply an eternal transaction of safety. Or as we used to put it in youth ministry salvation goes further than simply being fire insurance.

It becomes a question of devotion to God. Allegiance to God must become unconditional, not tentatively but without reservation. And His question at the end of this particular verse is again something to pay attention to.

What do we posses in any fashion, that would be able to even begin to pay the debt we owe because of sin? The answer is we don’t have anything. There is nothing we can do to affect our lostness or sinfulness, except to become a disciple of Christ believing in Him as Messiah to the point of experiencing salvation.  I believe salvation to be more than a confession, it is to be the way one lives life in accordance to Scripture. Christ is the only Sacrifice that can pay the debt humanity owes.

I will say that for a long time I thought that in our day being a Christian and serving Christ would not come to martyrdom. I don’t know that I believe that any more given the circumstances we see happening around the globe and even here in the United States. There may come in my lifetime the need for such resolve as to give up ones physical life for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right at this moment I don’t see that to be the case.

However, I do see people who are looking for security, safety, easier, and more comfortable way to live than living the life of a committed disciple of Jesus Christ. And that puts life eternal in a precarious place. In every decision we make we find ourselves choosing a path. Can the path we are on be one in which we choose to love God with all heart, and with all our soul?

All In - Loving God With All My Soul - Matthew 16:24-26 - September 18th

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Matthew 16:24-26

I’ve said this little statement before but, I find it especially important To today’s devotion. The person that no one can see, is the person that really is me. Think about that for just a moment While we review a bit this morning.

We’ve been talking about the prayer shema from the book of Deuteronomy which Jesus quotes in the Gospels As being the most important commandment. And the second is just as important as the first commandment which is loving others as we love ourselves. We’ve specifically gotten it from Mark 12:28-34.

And we’ve talked about loving God with all our heart and today I want to take the next section and talk about loving God with all our soul. Now that word for soul, is actually nephesh in ancient Hebrew, in the Greek it’s psyche.

Has anyone ever heard the phrase “soul-sucking job?” Perhaps some of you have been at a job that did this to you. When you hear that phrase it means that the situation was demeaning, depressing, unfulfilling, hostile, and working at that job did not give you life. It seemed to drain you of all energy and any positivity you had. The idea of the soul carries a lot of weight in our minds. We can relate the idea of having life drained from you with having the soul drained.

Jesus is talking with His Disciples one day and trying to prepare them for His death. He’s giving them an understanding of what discipleship truly is.

Remember Jesus was a Disciple of the Father as our example. He prayed to the Father, He only brought to the Disciples what He heard from the Father. That’s exactly what a Disciple does. Let’s read today’s passage together.

Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life (psyche) will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul (psyche)? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

So when Matthew writes the specific Greek word used in the text for soul is the word psyche. He is referring to the different parts of a human that are not the physical body. Greeks and Romans believed in a soul, or the immaterial part of a person that lived on when the physical body died.

However, the biblical text also relates the word soul to life. For example, in Matthew 16:24–26 Jesus uses the word psychē for the translated words life (v. 25) and soul (v. 26).

When we talk about loving God with the part of us that is not physical, the part of human beings that we really cannot measure or see, in the Greek words used here, the understanding would have been that we are to love God with our life – in all of its extent. To love God with all my soul is to love God unreservedly with the very essence of my being. And some would say it is to worship God out of our unreserved love with all of our soul.

All In - How Do We Define Heart? - Proverbs 2:1-22 - September 17

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Proverbs 2:1-22

We’ve been talking about loving God with all of my heart. But how do we define heart? Is our heart the place we feel emotion or our emotions come from? How did they define heart in biblical days – what did the Shema infer when it says we need to love God with all of our heart?

We can see through the New Testament, Jesus made some big statements hat had to do with people’s hearts. He often chastised the Pharisees for what was in their hearts or what came out of their hearts.

So in biblical times, when speaking of the heart of a person, it wasn’t a physical reference like the heart muscle. It was this idea of the center of a person’s being – where intellect, emotion, and will combined together to make decisions. The heart of a person was the moral center of a person.

The writer of Proverbs tells us in chapter 2, that Wisdom is given to us by God and through seeking God wisdom will enter your heart. So that you will know what is right, just, fair, and every good path. Let’s read this Scripture together.

Proverbs 2:1-22 (NIV) My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Can you see from just this one example how loving God with all my heart is not just an emotion? It’s not like in the Disney animation movie Bambi where at the end of the movie all the animals, and even the little skunk, get twitterpated. When we talk about loving God with all our heart, we are not twitterpated with God.  Loving God will all our heart, is all in action. Yes there are times where it is accompanied by emotion, but loving God with all my heart encompasses so much more.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us that where are treasures are that is where our heart is.  And He goes on to explain that we should set our hearts on the things above – in heaven – where  they will be for all of eternity, not on things here on earth that will decay.

How do we view the term heart? Maybe we think of our feelings. There are countless songs which have placed emotions, especially love, at the center of our heart. Billy Ray Cyrus didn’t want someone to break his achy breaky heart a few years back. This view of the heart is centered around the emotions we have toward others – and not about loving God with all of our heart.

The Bible teaches us that we must love God not with just our emotions. That is only a part of our heart. God’s Word teaches us that loving with all of our heart includes all our emotions, desires, passions, thoughts, affections, and will.

All In - Loving God With All My Heart - Mark 12:28-34 - September 16th

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Mark 12:28-34

So yesterday we started a conversation about what does it mean to be all in? And truly that leads us to ask ourselves Where in your life are you “all in?”

One could say that the Bible had the contemporary meaning of “all in,” all along. As Christians we are to give every aspect of our selves to God, we are to be all in believers and followers of Jesus. But the depth of our enthusiasm is different, it goes beyond being excited about a new brand or public figure.

Mark 12: 28-34 (NIV) One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Now before you go and think that Jesus reaches back to some old or forgotten, arbitrary command that Moses gave the Israelites thousands of years before He was here teaching and preaching, remember that this is part of the Shema. The Shema is a prayer recited every day. It was a part of Jewish life, a spiritual discipline to remind them of their covenant with God.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

In his commentary on Deuteronomy: A Commentary In the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2016 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p. 99. Dr. Stephen G. Green writes:

“Not only is Israel expected to serve Yahweh alone, but her devotion is also to claim the totality of each life.  The love called for is total commitment.  This undivided life is expressed in the phrase heart, soul, and strength. Ancient Israel understood the heart (leb) not as the seat of emotion, like contemporary culture, but as the place where decisions are made. Soul could also be translated being. This word, nepes, indicates a person’s life or vitality. Strength (meod) implies the idea of a person’s full capacity. This would include natural abilities and resources. Even though the use of these three concepts seems to describe different compartments of one’s life, the intention was never to imply that one could love God with one’ heart without loving God with one’s being and resources. Human beings are whole persons who think and act and live in social networks. The force of the heart, soul,  and  strength requires a devotion that is single-minded and complete.”

It’s that last sentence that really speaks to me and brings me to ask myself this question. What does loving God with all our heart look like? As you go through the rest of your day, as you go through living life today, I want you to ask yourself, no matter what it is you’re doing when you think of it is this: “Is this what it looks like to love God with all of my heart?”

Come and See: Self-Determined or God-Determined - John 21:1-14 - September 12th

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John 21:1-14

Here at the end of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John the Apostle, we see more appearances of Jesus. Now, you need to know that this particular chapter in John has been debated repeatedly as to whether or not it truly was written by the Apostle John or added later. And there are no good arguments either way except that we don’t have a text of this book that does not include chapter 21 – so we include it, and regard it as Holy Scripture. Let’s hear what happens in today’s account.

John 21:1-14 (NIV) Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Now right off the bat I see something strange. Why don’t the Disciples know that this indeed is Jesus? Was His appearance so different when they are far away out on the lake they couldn’t tell it was Him? I understand that, but it seems as if John notes that even after they come in, and Peter drags in this miraculous catch, they are questioning – or maybe realizing that this is indeed Jesus Christ risen Lord!

We can see three miracles here. First, is that they catch fish on the other side of the boat. It wouldn’t have made sense to a seasoned fisherman to let down nets on the opposite side of the boat. But when they do, the net is filled so full they cannot bring it on board the boat.

Second is that Peter’s able to pull this catch into shore as the boat is coming ashore all by himself. That’s a lot of large fish – 153 John writes.

And then add to that the third miracle. The net doesn’t tear or rip in any way. Fishermen spent most of the day after fishing through the night to supply the market with fresh fish and earn wages, sitting on the shore and mending nets. It was something probably done after every boat load, because inevitably some part of the net at some point is going to break. And with a catch so large in this case it was amazing to John – miraculous in fact that the net doesn’t have a tear in it.

Here is what I hear John saying to us today, the lesson we can learn and apply to our lives. When we decide we are going to try and do things on our own, within our own determination – I’m going to accomplish (fill in the blank) on my own power, rather than asking God what He needs  accomplished in His Kingdom – how He wants it accomplished, we are self-determining what we do in His kingdom rather than allowing God-determining our work according to His plan. That’s why in the Old Testament men inquired of the Lord – they waited until they heard his voice.

The Disciples went out fishing on their own, back to their old ways too before Jesus called them out of fishing to become His Disciples and fish for men. They were self-determining what they were going to do. Did they mis-understand the mission Christ had given them just a week or so ago in sending them out as the Father had sent out Jesus? I’m not certain.

But what I do know is that Jesus once again sets the stage for His Disciples to learn and to hear again this idea of going and spreading this ministry of reconciliation in this short breakfast meeting on the beach.

Come and See: Thomas - John 20:24-31 - September 11th

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John 20:24-31

So – I really dislike – I immensely dislike the name we give Thomas , Doubting Thomas.   I don’t think it to be fair. Peter and John get to see the empty tomb, Mary gets to run into Jesus in the garden and give Him a hug. All the other Disciples get to see        Jesus for themselves and they believe. And we get on Thomas’ case Because he wasn’t there and tells them he’s not going to believe it till he sees Jesus and touches His wounds. It’s just not fair – not fair. Let’s read and hear what happened.

John 20:24-31 (NIV) Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I want you to notice here that often times we get on Thomas’ case for something we probably shouldn’t. I want to deconstruct this here a bit.

First is that I don’t believe that I’ve found a definitive Scripture telling us Thomas’ doubting was sinful. I’m fairly certain that we don’t get on Mary’s case for thinking that Jesus’ body was stolen instead of resurrected. So the idea or thought that doubt is sinful is not accurate by biblical standards.

I am however, going to say this. What we do with doubt is what matters – and where we go with our doubt matters. Now, John has talked about and we have seen other examples in this account of the Gospel of the idea that seeing is believing – and Jesus doesn’t discredit that in what He says in response to Thomas.

In fact Jesus appears, I believe, simply for Thomas’ benefit. He appears in front of everyone else and invites Thomas to do exactly what Thomas had said he needed to do to believe. And when you think of Thomas’ initial response, how many of us wouldn’t demand some kind of proof that someone had risen from the dead?

When Jesus responds, He offers to Thomas exactly what Thomas had declared he needed to believe. And then, I believe without chastising His Disciple, Jesus adds a blessing for those who believe and don’t see, for those who will come to believe in Him after He ascends to heaven.

What does this teach us today? I believe that when our faith needs to be strengthened we can ask God to show Himself to us in a way that is affirming and strengthening.

And that brings me to this conclusion. When we doubt our faith, we have a source – no we have THE SOURCE of all sources – the Word of God. This is why I’ve said it’s not a bad thing to have doubt. Where do you go searching for answers? That is probably the most important part of this story – Thomas went to Jesus. He went to THE SOURCE and that is what we all need to do.

Come and See: Later That Evening... John 20:19-23 - September 10th

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John 20:19-23

So let’s set the stage… Jesus has appeared to Mary that morning. John and Peter have a good idea of what happened, Mary maybe not so much. Remember that John saw the grave clothes and believed. But in the mean time the Disciples are still a bit concerned and in hiding, so they are behind locked doors. Let’s see what happens next…

John 20:19-23 (NIV) On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Wow – could you imagine, being in a locked room with no way in or out except through the locked door, and Jesus just shows up. You saw Him die on the cross and now He’s standing right in front of you – miraculously. Well – if Jesus shows up in person in my office when my door is locked, well then that’s a whole other devotion but you get what I’m talking about.

And Jesus is not recorded as saying shalom aleichem previously to His Disciples.  The common greeting is simply shalom. So Shalom aleichem is more than just a simple greeting of peace. This was peace be on you, peace be within you. It carried with it an entirely new meaning. and it actually comes from Isaiah 53, specifically verse 5.

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

So this time when Jesus greets them with peace, it is not simply speaking completeness or well being, safety, prosperity, and rest into their lives. Rather it was a bestowing of all those things and including peace between them and God the Father as a blessing into their lives. No more was there to be enmity or division or separation but now there would be a perfect completion of the ministry of reconciliation.

Now, when we look at verses 21-22-23 we can see three things: The Christian Mission, The Christian Equipping, and The Power Over Sin.

So let’s talk about that for a moment. Verse 21 As the Father sends I’m sending. This is what Jesus tells the Disciples and us today. Isn’t that just exactly what we see in God’s plan for this ministry of reconciliation? God is working through His people? And it starts right there – on Resurrection Sunday – that very evening. Jesus includes them in His mission, they are no longer servants they have become brothers in the mission.

And He doesn’t send them out empty handed. He equips them by breathing into them the Holy Spirit – which is separate from what happens on the Day of Pentecost – the birth of the Church. Now, this whole thing has been debated repeatedly by smarter people than me and none of them come up with a good theological answer. What I see here is Jesus giving the Disciples the ability – giving them the tool they need, precisely the infilling of the Holy Spirit – to actually do the work He assigns them to do as Jesus sends them out.

And of course, it kind of seems odd to us protestant believers to have the power to forgive sin. But isn’t that exactly what the ministry of reconciliation is all about, the power over cancelled sin?

And here is what I’d like you to remember. When we are on mission – Christ’s mission, living in the will of Jesus Christ, and empowered by His Holy Spirit, we operate just like Jesus did when He was here on earth. If you live within the will of God instead of acting against God, setting your will to be in line with His, making His mission your mission, and carrying out the assignment He has for you, then you walk in the power and the authority of Jesus Christ.

Come and See: He Is Risen! - John 20:1-18 - September 9th

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John 20:1-18

He Is Risen! – He Is Risen Indeed! I am certain that the Saturday – Sabbath and that Sunday morning were tough times on the Disciples all of them. If the Roman government and the Jewish religious leaders could kill the Messiah, what could they do His Disciples? But we come to the exciting part of the Good News or Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the one thing that separates Christianity from all other religions. Our God not only died for us, but He also rose victorious over Death, Hell, and the Grave – He lives. No other religion in this world has a resurrected Savior – Let’s look.

John 20:1-18 (NIV) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

This is a compelling account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With some notable thoughts here.

First is that to John seeing is believing. These two things are linked together for him. And what John sees and notes is as important as the empty grave. The graveclothes are there not torn off as grave robbers would have done, they are orderly – the head cloth as if it were in the exact place it should be if Jesus were still wrapped inside.

There’s also a correlation being drawn here between the graveclothes of Jesus and those of Lazarus. He needed help getting out of the graveclothes – Jesus didn’t. Which signifies a huge difference in that Jesus was no longer subject to death like Lazarus. Remember Lazarus was resurrected by Jesus, but it’s not the same as beating Death, Hell, and the Grave. Jesus had risen no longer a prisoner of Death, Hell, and the Grave – no longer subject to them.

And that brings me to another point. When Mary encounters Jesus she mistakes Him for the gardener and some translations record Jesus as saying not to touch Him simply because He had not yet returned to the Father. I believe this is poor interpretation, and some of the problem you might find in translations that try to translate word for word only, rather than combining that with thought for thought interpretations. And here’s my argument for this not being very accurate.

When Jesus reveals Himself to the others there’s one Disciple missing – Thomas. And what is it that Jesus does…? He invites Thomas to touch Him, not just touch me and see that I’m real, but stick your hand in my wound in my side. So none of the accounts of the Gospels record Jesus ascending and then descending between those times. I don’t believe that Jesus hadn’t been to the Father between His resurrection and seeing the Disciples. Here in this instance either – it just doesn’t line up with the word for word translations that claim Jesus didn’t want Mary to even touch Him.

Have you ever been hugged so hard and long that you mention to the person you can’t breathe or you need to be let go – um that let me go part is a much better translation for this instance. Mary is not letting go of Jesus – He’s alive! I believe I’m going to do the same thing when I get to heaven.

And I want to leave you with this. Jesus’ tomb is in a garden. Now gardens are where life begins – read Genesis chapter one. Gardens are where fruit is produced, growth happens, things are green and beautiful.

Now I know that on the cross Jesus says it is finished and then willingly gives up His life. But Jesus’ work was hardly finished, it had only begun because out of this place of death He brought life. And that is what Jesus does – He creates life out of death.

And that brings me to what I want you to remember from today’s devotion. No matter how dead you are inside or out, finding Jesus will bring you back to life today right now. I don’t care how deadly your past was, I don’t care your failures or disappointments, or the circumstances around you, that all changes here in this garden. Because out of death Jesus brings life. And not just any life but vibrant, abundant new life – unlike anything we could ever ask for or imagine.

Come and See: It Is Finished - John 19:28-42 - September 8th

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John 19:28-42

It was a long Labor Day Weekend, I know there were some significant losses here on the East side of Washington State. From around Selah and Naches then near Rosalia in the small town of Malden, and around Colfax – our prayers are with you. I also heard there are fires in Oregon as well.  We need to hold up these places in prayer over such loss.

A bit of review – Jesus is on the cross, He has been hung between two others. John doesn’t tell us this but Matthew Mark And Luke tell us they were thieves deserving the sentence of death according to the Roman law at that time. If the humiliation of this criminal’s death was not enough, the Roman soldiers who hung Him there are casting lots for His clothing. Mary, Jesus’ mother, and other women were there. And at least John the beloved disciple was there. It’s here that Jesus takes a painful moment to push up on the spike in His feet so He could gasp for air and give them to each other. And that’s where we pick it up.

John 19:28-42 (NIV) Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.  These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

There’s a lot in here again today. But let’s look at a couple of things. First the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and L – as well as John tell us that Jesus willingly gave up His life. You know how we talked last week about the world rejecting Him they did – but no one took His life from Him. Jesus willingly gave His life for humanity. And that’s part of why the sacrifice works. Remember also that Jesus had to accomplish work here as the Messiah for the sacrifice to truly be a sacrifice. And again in that same frame of thinking He had to willingly give His life up for the sins of the world which rejects Him. Not just the Jews – His own people, but the entire world as well represented by the Roman government.

Another part that I notice is Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, Joseph who is connected somehow and Nicodemus who is high enough in the ranks of the pharisees, they are able to contact Pilate and get permission to take Jesus’ body and give Him a proper Jewish burial. Before you just write that off think about paying for a complete burial today. It’s in the thousands of dollars, a simple cremation is around, on average $1,800.00. They brought 75 lbs. of the spices and the burial cloths to take care of Jesus’ body properly and that would have been expensive then as well. And remember – Nicodemus was from the ranks of the Pharisees. We don’t for sure if Joseph was or not – the Scriptures don’t tell us.  But we know that there were others who were not named within the ranks of the Pharisees who did believe in Jesus Christ secretly as the Messiah.

And then there is the place where Jesus is buried. It’s a tomb that no one has ever used, nearby Golgotha where He’s crucified, and it’s in a garden. I find it interesting that the first Adam through which sin and brokenness enter into the world in a garden. And it’s in a garden where they place the body of Christ.

And finally it’s the start of the Sabbath. Now remember that the Sabbath was started because God rested on the 7th day. Actually at the end of what we think of as the 6th day. And that word we translate as rested actually means to cease – or to stop striving.   And it is that same day of the week that God – this time hanging on a cross – stops His striving and His work, and is buried in a tomb in a garden.

Come and See: The Crucifixion - John 19:17-27 - September 5th

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John 19:17-27

So the trial is over and Jesus stands condemned of charges that truly don’t make any sense at all. They are literally fictitious and taken completely out of context, but that is how it was to be for the Messiah, the Son of God to be rejected by the world – not just the Jews but also the Gentiles. And there wasn’t a Gentile government stronger at that time that the Romans that would have been better to represent the rest of the world.

It also brings up a thought before we get to our Scripture today. When we talk about this moment and when we speak of Christ’s birth or His death or His return to redeem His Bride, the Church, the Bible speaks about culmination of time. And I’ve talked about it a bit before. Again everything had to line up just right. For Scripture to be fulfilled Jesus had to die a certain way to fulfil prophecy. All of the things He did before He dies is the work He completed so that He could become the sacrifice that humanity needed to gain a right relationship with God the Father – it’s all through Jesus.

And so the hour is upon us, as it is upon Jesus.

John 19:17-27 (NIV) So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Now I know that we are not in chapter 20 yet, but we need to remember why John wrote his account of the Gospel of Jesus. And that comes from verses 30 and 31.

John 20:30-31 (NIV) Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Knowing that – let’s look closer at today’s passage and what John tells us about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. First is that Jesus carries His own cross. Now the other 3 Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us, that Jesus started out carrying His cross but then a man named Simon of Cyrene was commanded to carry the cross for Christ part way.

Scholars are not certain why John chose to leave Simon out of his narrative. There is speculation of drawing a parallel between Jesus and Isaac or maybe that early on the Gnostics thought that Simon was crucified but not Jesus. And that would have opened up an entirely different set of issues. Honestly, no one has any certainty in regards to this. It does seem to speak of John’s ongoing thought that Jesus is in complete control of what is happening. Remember when Jesus answered the Roman soldiers and the Temple guards with “I Am He.”  And then they stepped back and fell down – Jesus was in control.  Here is the same thought or idea that John is trying to put into his account. And that the biblical scholars agree on.

I also find it interesting that John records the Jewish leaders of the day having an issue of how and what   Pilate wrote on the sign that hung above Jesus’ head on the cross.  It wasn’t just for Jesus, anyone who hung on a cross had a sign above their head with their crime written on it so that passers by would see what they were hanging for. The religious leaders of the day wanted it to be that Jesus claimed to be King of the Jews. And in essence Pilate told them to go packing – I wrote what I wrote was his response. And I’m guessing to John it was that Jesus indeed is the King of Kings, and that it should be noted in this way.

We also see more fulfillment of Scripture in the casting of lots for Jesus’ clothing. And then that Jesus provides for the care of His mother – Mary. Jesus has other siblings to care for her, but it may be that they do not believe in Him. We aren’t told why John the Beloved is asked to care for Mary. It’s what many believe to be the beginning of what we so fondly call the Family of God – showing the idea of adoption into this family through belief in Jesus as the Messiah.

At any rate Jesus is now on the cross, the work finished that qualifies Him as the sacrificial lamb – He literally becomes the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Come and See: The Decision - John 19:1-16 - September 4th

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John 19:1-16

So as this trial continues with Pilate we see more fulfilments of prophecy. The flogging that Pilate put Jesus through speaks of the suffering servant in Isaiah chapter 50 and 53. Again we see that Pilate tries repeatedly to do everything, except that which is his and his alone to do, which is to release Jesus completely. Let’s read what happened.

John 19:1-16 (NIV) Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

There is so much here in today’s passage. One thing that I want to make clear is that Pilate had ample time and it was well within his power to choose to set Jesus free. And Pilate does have some moments that were cautionary, especially when he finds out that Jesus has made the claim that He is the Son of God. There wasn’t a Roman man alive at that time who didn’t have a bit of caution in regards to superstitious thoughts if someone was to have been from “the gods” or made that very claim – no matter what their origin of nationality. And it truly wouldn’t have been thought of as being a superstitious thought back then.

Along with that John talks about what Pilate did after Jesus answers him, in that Pilate tried to set Jesus free. And what is the response of the people? They turn Pilate’s own government, the Roman government of Caesar, against him to give him no choice.

And in the end I believe the last thing the people say truly shows you how complicit the people of Jerusalem are in the crucifixion of Jesus. They say – we have no king by Caesar. Now I will say this, over the years some have tried to use this entire passage of Scripture to bring their view of antisemitism to be backed by biblical standards, meaning they have said it was the Jews who killed Jesus. But if you look here it is not just Jewish people of Christ’s day who crucify Him. It is both Jew and the Gentile that hand Him over that day. It was the entire world. Pilate had an out – he did not have to follow the crowd but did so of his own choosing. And why, to keep the peace and not have an uprising in the area he’s responsible for. It was a group effort to have Jesus crucified by the entire world, not just Jesus’ own people, the Jews.

Again we must ask ourselves, where are we in this story? Are we the religious leaders choosing the violence of Barabbas over the peaceable love of Jesus? Are we the secular government leaders who are flippantly asking what is truth? What about the Roman soldiers who take the hand off from Pilate to carry out the sentence of crucifixion? Are you just doing your job?

Or do we stand with the Incarnational God – Jesus Christ? And by doing so become an incarnational disciple and in turn influence our church to become a body of believers who live incarnational lives in essence infecting their neighborhoods with the love of Jesus Christ?