Author Archives: tombeaman

Sow What

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Chew on this:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:3b-9, NIV)

Let this curious parable of Jesus stick in your mind today.  Do you have “ears to hear?”  What’s the lesson here?  Can you find yourself in this parable?  What did Jesus allude to with the “crop?”

We will see how He explained it next time.  For now, chew on it.

Quotes from The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Don’t Just Stand There

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One of the most mysterious things about the Bible is how it all fits together.  If it had been written by one guy, and he was a genius, it would be amazing to see how the early books fit neatly into the later ones.  But when you understand it was written by more than 35 different authors, from several different cultures and spanning 1500 years, the symmetry and unity of the Bible’s writing is mind-boggling.  For example:

” Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:38-41)

Admittedly, the story of Jonah is a head-scratcher.  You might read it (I suggest you do…) and wonder, “What is this all about and why is a story like this in the Bible?” But then, several hundred years after Jonah was written, Jesus shows that Jonah unknowingly and prophetically acted out a preview of the crucifixion!  The more you prowl around and ponder the Word, the more you discover that the writings are deliberate and intentional.

Amazing!  So is the point of both of those accounts: When God tries to get your attention, respond!

Quotes from: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Where Credit is Due

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Jesus said every sin could be forgiven – except one!  He freely associated with people who were caught up in sinful behavior that shocked the religious leaders.  He was accused, Himself, of being a drunkard and a glutton.  He told a woman who had committed several serial acts of adultery that He did not condemn her.  Jesus was a compassionate and forgiving and taught that God the Father was also forgiving.  And yet, He said, “Watch out!  There is one sin that cannot be forgiven – ever.”

“And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31-32)

What was He talking about?  What did He mean?  We don’t have to look far to see.

” Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (Matthew 12:22-24, NIV)

Jesus demonstrated the compassion and power of God in a healing of spiritual and physical dimensions.  It was clear to “all the people” that He had done so by God’s power.  Indeed, “all the people” began to suggest that He was the “Son of David,” the Messiah King, promised by God.  But the Pharisees told the people that Jesus was acting on behalf of Satan (“Beelzebub, the prince of demons”), not because of what they saw Him do, but in response to what they heard the people saying about Jesus.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the act of publicly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the influence of Satan, when you know it is not true.  Those guys had deliberately tried to diminish what God was doing, so they could control the people and protect their own reputations.  They said, “That’s not God doing that, it is Satan.”  Jesus said, “Watch out; doing that is unforgivable!”

Now, maybe you are thinking, “I don’t have to worry about that; I’m certainly no religious authority and nobody is going to be influenced by what I say.”  Maybe so.  But in the light of the severity of what Jesus taught, perhaps it is appropriate for us to be cautious about what we think whenever we see something that God does.  For example, during the last several months, The River Church in Lyons, CO has experienced several astonishing acts of rescue and relief, as they were recovering from a devastating flood.  Their well went completely dry.  The experts determined that the ground water had shifted and that the only thing to do was to drill another well – something the church had no money to do.  But a volunteer work crew, assembled from churches all around the country, gathered around the well house, joined hands and prayed that God would restore it.  That afternoon the water began to flow – pure water that passed the county’s stringent health standards.

How do you understand that event?  Who did that?  How did it happen?   There are many physical explanations you could use.  Most of them would need to include the word, coincidence.  Or, you could shake your head with awe and humility and give the credit to God.  I’m pretty sure that is the safest course.  And ultimately, it matters little how God pulled it off.  The main thing is to understand why He did it.  And to give credit where it is due.

Bible quotes:  The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

You Can’t Vote “Present”

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When a politician votes “present” on a bill, instead of “Yea” or “nay,” he or she is saying, I cannot or will not decide.  Seems kind of wimpy to me, not what we elect so-called leaders to do.  Maybe they are uninformed or afraid – who knows?  Politicians can try to justify such indecision, but you cannot – not when it comes to Jesus.

When Jesus was embroiled in a big public controversy and was being attacked and accused by many religious leaders, He said:

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30)

Jesus gave that warning to the ones who had just accused Him of being in league with Satan (Matthew 12:24ff).  But those words were spoken in the midst of a big crowd of onlookers, people who may have thought they would be neutral about Jesus and see how things played out.  Many of the folks in that crowd must have thought they could vote “present” on Jesus.  But Jesus made it clear: You are either with Him or against Him.  There is no neutral ground.

Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation.  You have heard about Jesus, wondered about Jesus, been confused by Jesus, but have never made a decision about Jesus. But Jesus said, either you are with Him or you are against Him.  That means that until you choose to be with Him, you are supporting the side that is actively working against Him.

To make that more clear, Jesus contrasted the actions of those who were with Him with the actions of everyone else.  You either join Him in “gathering” or you are involved with “scattering.”  When someone accidentally drops a box of marbles, those who scatter work in active opposition to those who gather.  With Jesus, “gathering” means drawing people into a relationship with God characterized by complete forgiveness and reconciliation.  As you know, neutrality weakens a relationship; it’s participants are “scattered.”  So, too,with Jesus.  Neutrality works against His purpose of gathering people to God.

Of course, maybe you still need more information about Jesus and do not want to make an insincere decision.  That’s good.  But the information is there for the asking.  One way to get more information would be to read the Gospel of John.  Another would be to click on the link above that says “New Here? Start Here.”  But don’t procrastinate: until you decide to be with Him, by default you are against Him.

You can’t vote, “present.”

 

Quotes in this blog are from: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Power, not Pea Soup

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If you don’t believe Satan is real, turn on the news.  Satan is very real, his power is great and demons under his control torment people and cause them to do twisted, evil things,  Jesus knew demons were real.  When He rescued people from the demonic, He was not pretending.  He was not just going along with the people’s ignorance and superstition.  He released tormented people with great compassion and seriousness of purpose.  And yet, Jesus didn’t approach exorcism with  Hollywood sensationalism.  No pea soup.  He didn’t need it.  He had power.

I have witnessed more than one person being released from demons.  Each time it freaked me out.  I knew I was out of my element, and had no clue what to do.  What happened was very real and had wonderful, lasting effects.  But i was a bystander.  On my own, I don’t know much about banishing demons and have no power.

But God does.  Jesus proved it by casting out demons.  He was so effective, the Pharisees accused Him of being in league with Satan!  Jesus quickly demolished that accusation by pointing out that Satan would not work against his own interests (Matthew 12:25-26).

And what He said next, shows us Who has the power to overthrow demons:

“But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28)

Jesus cast out a demons by the Holy Spirit; He used the power of the Spirit of God.  You fight spiritual battles by the Spirit.  And God’s Spirit always wins.  That being true, the question becomes, how does one get access to this Spirit of God?  Jesus said it is when “the kingdom of God has come upon you.” The only way to have the Spirit of God is by entering into the kingdom of God.  You do that by trusting Jesus, allowing Him to be your “King.”  Do that, and here is His promise:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

And:

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

When it comes to spiritual warfare, you don’t need pea soup, you need power.  A mentor taught me to approach situations that seem to be demonic with this sort of prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, You are King over all and You have the authority to conquer all evil spirits by the power Your Spirit.  I don’t know whether _______________ is happening because of an evil spirit, but if it is, please Lord Jesus, rescue ______________ and send those demons away forever.  Please fill ____________ with Your Spirit completely, leaving no room for any other demonic spirits.  Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen

There is no magic in those words.  But when we acknowledge Who is King and Who has the authority, there is great power.

This is Personal

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God would have made a great pitcher.  Just when you  expect something high and inside, He throws a sinker  Looking for heat?  He throws a curve ball.  God knows how to make the earth shake.  But when He sent Jesus to save the world, He sent Him with stealth.  It’s puzzling why Jesus, Who unleashed great power healing people, so often told them to keep it a secret.  But this was the plan all along.  Isaiah foretold it and Matthew watched the plan in action.  He wrote:

… Many followed him, and he healed all their sick,    warning them not to tell who he was.  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.   He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. (Mt 12:185b-20)

If Jesus’ objective was to reach the whole world, why would He work so subtly and silently?  Why not rent out a stadium and have a sound and light show?  If His objective was “to bring justice to victory,” why not come with a show of military might? 

Perhaps one reason is because Jesus ultimately comes to each of us, one at a time.  Salvation is offered personally.  You cannot decide for me; I cannot decide for you.  A personal invitation is best done quietly, sincerely and without a lot of extraneous hoopla. 

Someday Jesus will come back with great fanfare.  He said everyone will be able to see Who He is.  But until then, His invitation is personal.

Rest Assured

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The most intimate conversations with my wife tend to happen when we are out for a walk – away from the phone, the TV, the dishes, etc.  Something about the pace of walking together draws us closer.  Taking the time for that, periodically, breaks the gradual crescendo of stress and distraction of daily life and helps us re-connect.  God knew that principle and blessed us by commanding us to periodically observe a Sabbath rest.  Think of the Sabbath as God saying, “Hey, let’s go for a walk together…”

But then the religious authorities (an oxymoron?) layered the Sabbath with so many do’s and don’ts that their rules actually separated people from the heart of God.  The Sabbath became a burden instead of a rest and time of re-connection.  Naturally, Jesus’ approach to the Sabbath caused conflict, especially among those who tried to use religion as a way to control others.  Jesus said, “Come to Me and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  That, in a nutshell, is the idea of the Sabbath!   But an invitation like that was a threat to the makers and enforcers of strict religious rules.

 “Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.” (Matthew 12:9-14)

I wonder if they called their meeting on the Sabbath?   No doubt.  Do you need rest? Do you wish you could be close to God?  Stay away from people like that.  Go to Jesus.  Find your Sabbath rest in Him.   He said,

…“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6b)

Jesus Would Have Loved It

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You can’t touch the Queen of England.  That is a strict rule of etiquette and tradition.  But back in 1991, there was an African American woman whose childcare facility got a royal visit.  Maybe she didn’t get the memo.  More likely, that rule didn’t compute for her; when you welcome someone in her culture, you give ’em a warm hug.  So that’s what she did!  Everyone gasped, but I’m guessing the Queen loved it…  Best hug she’d had in years, no doubt.

Everyone gasped when Jesus’ disciples picked some heads of grain to eat on a Sabbath day.  The Pharisees were quick to criticize but Jesus told them to back off and get a better understanding of God’s Word.  He said:

“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12:7)

To paraphrase what He meant, God would much rather have us adopt the attitude of His heart than try to earn brownie points by coldly following all the religious rules.  God would rather have you hug Him than stand at a distance and genuflect.  He wants us to have hearts of “mercy.”

“Mercy” weakly translates the Hebrew word, hesed, which is rich with deep meaning.  “Hesed” describes a savory stew of faithfulness, compassion, grace, loyalty, and love all expressed in the context of an intimate relationship.  “Hesed” is the word that is used to characterize the heart of God.  “Hesed” is what He wants most for us to hold in our hearts.  “Hesed” is how God wants us to treat each other.

A group of us were visiting the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.  As we waited in line, someone, who could not contain her joy, began to sing: “Joy to the world, the Lord is born!” Others joined in and our harmonies began to fill the lofty stone arches of the cathedral that had been built to honor this wonderful birth.   But the priests on duty there were having none it.  They descended upon us, scowling and scolding and wagging their fingers.  “No singing in here!”   But I couldn’t help think…

“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12:7)

I couldn’t help think, “Jesus would have loved it.”

 

 

 

Just Come

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He was in the classic, dropped-a-contact-lens posture, kneeling with his hands on the ground but his face pressed into the dirt.  His lips moved as he chanted what I suppose was a prayer.  When he stood up, he took one or two steps and knelt back down to do it again.  Over and over.  We observed this man on the side of a road in India.  I was told he was making his way for many miles to the steps of a temple.  It was an act of penance and devotion.  This is a very common concept in religion – doing something to work your way to being good enough.  Jumping through the right hoops so God will accept you.  Some penitents go on pilgrimages.  Some make extravagant sacrifices.  Some repeat ritual prayers.  Some do painful things to their bodies.  The goal is always the same: doing enough to be accepted.  Measuring up.

Here’s what you have to do to be accepted by Jesus:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

 

Pay Attention

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When was the last time you saw a miracle?  Jesus performed many miracles during His time on earth, to make people aware of God’s presence and power.  He used miracles as “signs” to validate His own identity and message while pointing people to God.  He said,

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:11)

He still performs miracles today and it is for the same purpose.  But some people are so distracted by the substance of the miracle – whether it is something as amazing as physical healing or something as simple as providing bread – that they miss the sign contained in it.  After miraculously feeding a huge gathering, Jesus warned them not to follow Him around to get more bread.  Miracles are done to open our eyes to the power of God!  Even physical healing, as wonderful as it is and as grateful as we are to receive it, is merely temporary.  You get healed of one thing only to die later on of something else!    Miracles are signs that point us to the presence and power of God.

Trouble is, many people cannot see miracles.  Perhaps miracles make them uneasy.  Their first response is to explain away what happened by trying to understand the physical explanation of how it occurred.  But the point in a miracle is not how it was done but rather, why it was done!  I am convinced that the reason we in the United States don’t see more miracles is because we have blinded ourselves to them.  We are so fixated on the  how that we miss the why.  Jesus reflected on that kind of blindness:

” At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25)

Jesus didn’t want us to be childish, but childlike.  He wasn’t telling people to park their brains at the door but, rather, to open their eyes!  To recover their natural capacity for wonder and awe when confronted by the presence and power of God.  To look for why instead of smugly dismissing the miraculous with explanations of how.  Open your eyes!  Pay attention!

This is more important than you may realize.  Faced with the stony faced blindness of the “wise and learned,”  Jesus warned them:

“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:23-24)

More bearable for the people of Sodom, because they would have paid attention, they would have gotten the point.  They would have turned away from their arrogant, “know-it-all” attitudes, and responded to the power and majesty of God with humility and reverence.