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Response to a Beheading

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Beheading isn’t new. ISIS didn’t invent it. Do you remember how you reacted when you first heard about the reporter? Compare that to Jesus’ response when they cut the head off His cousin, John the Baptist. (You can read this in the first part of Matthew 14…)

Consider who the “bad guys” were:

The King –
– shacked up with his brother’s wife
– imprisoned John the Baptist for telling him it was wrong
– so moved (aroused?) by a young girl’s (his niece) dance, and so impulsive (drunk?) he promises her anything she wants
– reluctantly orders the beheading, to save face with his dinner guests.

The Girlfriend
– unfaithful wife, sleeping with brother-in-law
– encourages her daughter to dance seductively at dinner party.
– manipulates daughter to ask for John’s head.

The Guests
– enjoying a wild party an cheering the murder on

The Actual Cutter
– just following orders and doing his job.

As you consider Jesus’ response, think about how much justifiable rage has been poured out against ISIS. Remember that Jesus told Pilate He could summon legions of heavenly warriors at any time. Imagine the depth of His anger, frustration and despair. How did Jesus react?

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. (Matthew 14:13a)

Later on, He went to the cross for those people, to pay for their sin.

And mine, too…

It’s Up to You

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Jesus wasn’t being fair. At least He sounded unfair, when He told his disciples why He spoke in parables, instead of laying out His truths in a straightforward way.

“He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:11-15, NIV)[1]

Sounds unfair, doesn’t it:  “Whoever has will be given more, etc.?”  Did Jesus arbitrarily try to confuse some people and keep them from His salvation?  The answer is revealed in the words Jesus quoted the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9ff).   There are some people who cannot “see and hear,” who will never understand God’s truths.  But that is because “They have closed their eyes!”  By that choice, “this people’s heart has become calloused…”   When people shut their eyes to God’s truth, when they turn away from God, their hearts do become hardened, and it becomes tougher – potentially impossible –  for them to understand anything about God.

You have seen a lesser example of this dynamic as most teenagers close their eyes and ears to what their parents try to teach them.  For a time, in the minds of those adolescents, the parents have become stupid  and ignorant.  The youth’s make a choice that hardens their hearts.  In most cases, the resulting separation and angst is temporary.  No harm, no foul.   But when people close their eyes to God, the effects are potentially much more serious and long-lasting.

When Jesus told a parable, it was like a bunker-buster of truth, designed to penetrate beyond the callouses on our hearts.  Once the seemingly harmless story has gotten past our defenses, the truth contained within it “goes off.”  But the impact of that truth separates the HAVES from the HAVE-NOT’S.  For those who HAVE a readiness to learn and receive, the truths contained in the parable produce “aha moments” of increased understanding.  Those who DO NOT HAVE that readiness don’t get it.

When those who HAVE, respond to what they understand, when they TURN, Jesus heals them.  He erases their separation from God by fully paying for their pardon on the cross.  He reconciles them with God and gives them eternal life – His Holy Spirit.  This Spirit is born in their souls and grows, producing a crop of fruit (of the Spirit) in the world. (See “Sow What” and “Seeds of Truth“)

In other words, the impact of Jesus’ parables in your life, depends upon you.  It’s up to you.  It depends on whether you HAVE a willingness to learn His truths, or whether you have closed your eyes and HAVE NOT.

[1] 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.

The Proof in the Doing

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Jesus didn’t behave.  The religious people couldn’t get Him to act the way a Savior was supposed to act – that is, how they thought a Savior should act!  They wanted to call the tune and make Him dance,  They wanted to be in control.  In His defense, Jesus said;

“… wisdom is proved right by her actions.” (Matthew 11:19b)

Translation: i know you don’t think I’m doing the right things, but you will discover the wisdom that guides Me when you see the results of what I do.  Doesn’t look right to you now, but you don’t know what I know.  Simply put, “Oh yeah? Watch this!”

Is your mechanic good?  Does your plumber know what he’s doing?  Has your doctor read the test results correctly?  All these questions are ultimately answered by the results of what they do.  Wisdom is proved right by her actions.  The proof is in the doing.  And in how well it works.

Jesus’ actions didn’t make sense to the hyper-religious, because He didn’t follow their rules.  He had an occasional drink. He wasn’t afraid to touch the lepers.  He was compassionate with broken sinners.  He hung out with the boys.    But those religious critics hadn’t seen anything yet.  He allowed them to crucify Him.  He called out for their forgiveness from the cross.  He died.  What kind of a Savior does that?  But wisdom is proved right by her actions:  He came back to life after being buried.

Most people have the same trouble with Jesus today.  He doesn’t behave.  They want Him to stay up on the crucifix, silent and safe.  They want to approach Him through religious ritual.  They want to polish their shoes, sit in a pew, hear about Jesus and sing about Jesus, say the prayers about Jesus and then go on about their life.  But Jesus doesn’t behave.  He isn’t on the wall and He isn’t in the grave.  He comes to us personally.  

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

That may seem like the wrong way for a Savior to act.  But if you open the door and let Him in, if you allow Him to sit at your table, eat with Him and talk Him in all transparency and honesty, if you trust Him and do what He tells you to do, you will discover something astonishing:

“Wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

Choose: Life or Life

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If we are honest, none of us know how we would respond to a violent assault by terrorists who challenge us to “convert or die.”  We may think we know, but we don’t really know.  People have done astonishing things when threatened with death as an alternative.  But Jesus knew that the desperate urge to preserve our physical life is driven by a distorted understanding of reality.  He said:

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

This saying of Jesus is the most quoted in the New Testament.  It is a “Truth” that sets us free, free from the death grip of physical life.  Clinging to physical life at all costs is a sure loser.  No one gets out physically alive.  Finding eternal life in Christ is a sure winner.  No one can take that away.

Here’s how Jim Elliott, a man who was murdered for following Jesus, said it:  

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

 

Who is on the Guest List?

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During WWII, when Nazi forces conquered towns in Europe, some of the citizens in those towns collaborated with them, in an attempt to secure special favors and safety for their families.  You can imagine how such collaborators were hated and despised by the others in town.  Tax collectors in Jesus’ day collaborated with Rome.  In addition to being despised for that reason, they also were considered to have abandoned their place among God’s Chosen People.

And yet, Jesus selected a tax collector, Matthew,  to become one of His disciples.  Imagine the outrage!  Worse yet, Jesus went to a dinner at Matthew’s house, also attended by other “outcasts” and sinners.

“When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

Jesus, Whose understanding of reality was not limited or distorted, knew that people caught up in sin are spiritually sick, that they need healing not ostracism.  Jesus told the self-righteous people, those who looked down on “sinners,” to “go and learn” what the verse in Hosea meant by, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”   Jesus began to extend mercy to the outcasts by showing up for dinner.  He sent the religious people back to learn more about the Bible.  Think about that.

It is ironic that many who call themselves Christians consider themselves too good to associate with people who are caught up in spiritual sickness, people who need mercy.  If you have been rejected by so-called Christians, do not hesitate to seek mercy from Jesus.  He didn’t come for the righteous but for sinners.

The Same God

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The woman of my fantasies whispered in my ear. I had spent the night at the college infirmary and she woke me with the most seductive voice.  “It’s time to wake up, Honey.”  But when I opened my eyes, all my adolescent hopes were dashed.  I’m pretty sure that old lady knew what she was doing to us.  She could have sold alarm clocks with that voice…   But when you only hear a voice and can’t see the face, it’s easy to get the wrong idea.

That’s why so many people have screwy ideas about God – even people written about in the Old Testament.  Because they could not see God, they imagined all sorts of distorted things about Him.  But David – King David – had the right idea.  God said he was a man “after His own heart.”  David knew God.

Question is, was David’s God the same God portrayed in the New Testament?  You know how the 23rd Psalm starts out: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”  But take a closer look at how David ended that Psalm:

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

David’s God was the God of goodness and love, the God Who kept track of His people (He followed them…  probably not yet on Twitter) and cared for them faithfully.  This concept of God is nothing like how pagan gods were imagined to be.  It sounds right to us because it is a New Testament idea, but in David’s day it was fairly radical stuff.  Jesus reaffirmed the goodness and faithfulness of God in all His teachings.

But David’s final thought, the hope of living “in the house of the Lord forever,” is inconsistent with what the Bible teaches for those whose souls are dead, disconnected from God’s Spirit.  Without the redeeming work of Jesus, without being forgiven by God and reborn by His Spirit, no one can “live in the house of the Lord forever.”  Jesus made this clear when He spoke with Nicodemus:

“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  (John 3:3)

“Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:5-6)

Without being brought to life by God’s Spirit, our souls are dead and cannot “live in the house of the Lord forever.”  God had given David a peek under the tent to glimpse a mystery that would not be revealed until the coming of Jesus.  It  was the mystery of how dead souls are brought to eternal life.  Here’s the third verse of Psalm 23:

“He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

Here’s how Jesus said it:

“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)

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13a)

Maybe you have wondered if the Old Testament God is the same as the God described in the New Testament.  He is.  Scroll down through the previous posts.  Adam knew Him; Job knew Him 3500 years or more ago; Abraham knew Him; David knew Him; Isaiah knew Him and Jesus knew Him.  He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

Inspect the Fruit

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Perhaps Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland don’t know Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…” (Matthew 6:19).  Maybe they don’t believe it, or somehow think it doesn’t apply to them.  But they are not the only ones who have failed to take Jesus seriously.  All their followers also ignore the seriousness of Jesus’ teaching – specifically these warnings:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  (Matthew 7:15)

Jesus knew there would always be con-artists who would take advantage of the gullible.  That’s why He said “Watch out!”   But how can we know who is legit and who is a fake?  Jesus said to look to see their fruit:

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.   (Matthew 7:16-18)

Just as apples naturally grow from apple trees, multimillion dollar mansions appear for a person who serves money and not God (Matthew 6:24).  Luxury automobiles, jets and expensive clothing naturally the one with an overblown ego.  Deceit and corruption are the natural fruit of a life more characterized by greed than charity.  Jesus says “Don’t be fooled!”  This kind of discernment does not contradict Jesus’ command, “Do not judge.” (Matthew 7:1)   We are not told to look down on these people, or presume to condemn them to Hell.  We are told to recognize that they are bad apples and watch out for them.

The most obvious “bad fruit” from these “false prophets” is that they disregard Jesus’ warning about what happens to such people:

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19)

If they don’t believe those words of Jesus, why should you believe anything they tell you about Jesus?  Don’t be fooled!  Check the fruit!

 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:20)

Do Not Scorn

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Insanity is defined by law as the inability to discern right from wrong.  But Jesus said:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  (Matthew 7:1-2)

Jesus was not commanding us to stop evaluating what it is right and wrong to do.  He was instructing us not to look down upon others with condemnation or condescension, as though we were in a position to pronounce judgment upon their souls.  Of course we are meant to use our God-given capacity to discern.  But we are not to act as though we have the knowledge and insight into another person’s background and thinking which God alone possesses.  Jesus says such judgmental attitudes set us up to be judged with the same harsh measure.

Judged by others?  Certainly!  You know how harshly clergy are judged in moral failure, especially when they have adopted a “holier than thou” attitude.   Judged by God?  Jesus does not say.  But this statement is similar to what He said about praying for forgiveness:

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  (Matthew 6:14-15 )

Jesus taught us a radical standard of righteousness in this same sermon, and urged us to aspire to it.  But, when measured against the righteousness of God, none of us can rightfully look down on others with scorn or condemnation.  Another time, Jesus illustrated how wrong-headed such attitudes really are:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’  “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

 

Filled to the Brim

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When the religious mucky-mucks accused Jesus of breaking God’s laws, Jesus threw them a curve.  He said,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets (the Scriptures); I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  (Matthew 5:17)

When you think of the word, fulfill, think about getting a drink at McDonald’s.  You pay for the drink, but they hand you an empty cup.  You have to go over to the machine and fill it up.  You “full fill” it.  But in another sense, it is not until you actually take a drink from the cup that you have completely fulfilled its purpose.  When Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, He meant both of those senses of the word.  He was going to fill the scriptures up with all they were intended to hold, and He was going to make those scriptures usable so we could really drink from them. 

He filled the scriptures up in several different ways.  For example, He fulfilled specific prophecies, such as the ones that told of His birth and His death.  He brought the descriptions of the character of God to life – filled them up with the tangible example of His life – showing people what it looked like that God was loving and forgiving and that He was with us. 

Some of the events in the history of Israel were arranged by God to foreshadow the work of the Messiah.  For example, when Moses rescued the people from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land, those events foreshadowed the work of Jesus in rescuing people from slavery to sin and leading them to eternal life.  Jesus filled those prophetic hints full.  The sacrifices God commanded people to make, to temporarily atone for sin, were “fulfilled” by Jesus’ one time, complete sacrifice of atonement.

Other parts of the scriptures were commands.  They told people about some of the ways we could live in harmony with His principles ( Do not steal, do not lie, etc.).  Jesus took these incomplete sketches of righteousness and filled them full.  His life was the perfect example of what it looks like to live in harmony with God.  

But the scriptures as a whole were given by God for the purpose of connecting us to Him.  If the purpose of a cup is not fulfilled until we drink, then the purpose of the Law and the Prophets is not fulfilled until we fully connect to God.  Jesus fulfilled them by connecting us to God through faith in Him.

The religious authorities were threatened and angry that Jesus would imply that the Bible was more than a list of rules, that it was incomplete without Him.  But you can decide who was right.  How?  By taking a drink! 
Isaiah said,

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…”. (Isaiah 55:1a)

Jesus fulfilled that; He said,

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within Him.”. (John 7:37b-38)