Giving Thanks

Forget Black Friday.  Black Friday teaches us to want what we don’t have.  Today is Thanksgiving, a day for being thankful for all we do have.  A heart filled with gratitude is a happy heart and a healthy heart, a heart that gives health to the whole body, a heart surrounded by loved ones and astounded at the uncountable small blessings that accompany each day.

Join me in song to the One we give thanks to.

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son

And now let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us

Give thanks

~

A Day of Prayer and Fasting

Today Trinity School held a day of prayer and fasting for the persecuted church worldwide in response to the increasing number and severity of incidents of violence against Christians around the world.  Just as the day was coming to a close the following message was received on campus email.  I copy it here in its entirety as an example of the kind of reports that are increasing in number.  This particular report comes from Egypt, a nation close to the hearts of the staff and student body.

Please join us in praying for peace and an end to religious prejudice and violence both in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Posted message begins here:

“On the day we are praying for the persecuted church this message was sent to me from [the] Executive Director of the Friends of the Diocese of Egypt.”
*****************

Egyptian Muslim Mob Attacks Thousands of Coptic Christians in Egypt

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 /Christian Newswire/ — As of Saturday, November 21,
2009 the Egyptian town of Farshoot, located 300 miles south of Cairo, and
the neighboring villages of Kom Ahmar, Shakiki and Ezbet Waziri, have been
the scenes of massive Muslim mob attacks against Coptic Christian
inhabitants. The mob looted, vandalized and burnt Coptic properties
estimated for six million Egyptian pounds (over one million dollars), while
Copts are still hiding indoors fearing for their lives. There are reports
that many Copts were attacked and injured. According to many eye witnesses,
the mob made wooden crosses and burnt them in the streets while shouting
“Allah Akbar.”

Victims and eye witnesses said that nearly 3000 angry Muslims have been
damaging and looting at least 50 shops all owned by Christians, including
jewelry stores and pharmacies, over a claim that a 20 year old Christian
man, now in custody, had a relationship with a 12 year old Muslim girl.
Coptic priest Rev. Benjamin Noshi was attacked and is now hospitalized as a
result of a fracture in his skull. His car was damaged by the Muslim mob. By
the evening most Coptic businesses were looted and burnt and many Coptic
Christian families were thrown out of their homes by other Muslim residents.

Farshout’s Bishop, Kirollos, said the attacks were definitely preplanned and
suggested that the principal of an Islamic Institute in Farshoot motivated
his students to attack the Christians. He also pointed out to the shameful
role of the security forces, which disappeared without giving proper
justifications or making any arrests, despite several demands by the victims
to put an end to the organized attacks against the Copts.

In the early hours of Monday, November 23, 2009 three additional
Christian-owned businesses were looted and burnt in the village of “Abu
Shousha” located 15 miles away of Farshout. New attacks were taking place
Monday night in Al-Arky village seven miles away.

It has become clear that the organized violence is spreading out to more
villages only to target the Christian lives and businesses while the Police
continue to watch. The last 90 days witnessed at least seven similar attacks
on Christian villages, where at least five Copts were killed, many Coptic
girls and women were abducted and forced to embrace Islam with the
assistance of the Egyptian authorities.

Coptic American Friendship Association (CAFA) pleads to the American and
International Rights Organizations to demand the Egyptian government to take
immediate measures to protect the Christian lives and properties of the
persecuted Copts in Farshout, Egypt (Copts are about 18 million Christians -
The largest Christian minority in the Middle East).

For more information, please contact CAFA at Coptic.American@yahoo.com or
Call: 703.337.5217

Ihab Aziz
Executive Director
Coptic American Friendship Association (CAFA)

Coptic American Friendship Association (CAFA) is a non-for-profit 501(c) (3)
organization based in the greater Washington, DC area since 1996. CAFA
advocates on behalf of the persecuted Christians in Egypt and the Middle
East.

Quote of the Week: C.S. Lewis on Suffering

Why is there suffering in the world?  If God is really a good God, why does He allow so much pain in people’s lives?  In his book The Problem of Pain C.S. Lewis gives intellectual answer to those who pose such questions from an intellectual standpoint.  Yet he is the first to admit that a person going through suffering and pain is not looking for an intellectual answer… which brings us to our Quote of the Week:

“…when pain is to be borne, a little courage helps more than knowledge, a little human sympathy more than courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.” (p. xii)

You Are the Salt of the Earth

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.   You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
- Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV

“He’s a salt of the earth kind of guy.”  It’s a comment spoken frequently around here, and we all nod knowingly when we hear it.  We understand the man in question is being described as the kind of person who helps keep the world turning by quietly going about his business, doing the best he can, loving his family, caring for his friends, making an honest living, paying his taxes, voting in every election.  Western PA is famous for producing salt-of-the-earth-kind-of-guys.  We specialize in it, and there’s a certain homespun goodness about it.

But I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind when He said these words, or at least I don’t think that’s all He meant.  (I do believe The Eternal Mansions™ will have a large wing especially for salt-of-the-earth people! But I digress…)

I’ve often heard preachers preach about salt being preservative, and of course it is: in ages past people used salt in place of refrigeration to keep their meat, if not fresh, at least edible for a longer period of time.  The preachers then go on to say that the believer’s job is to “be preservative” in society, to slow the rot and decay brought on by lack of morality and charity.  They have a point in theory, but in practice this too often becomes a source of judgementalism and hypocrisy.

I prefer to go with the more obvious meaning: salt is salty. Jesus says “if salt loses its flavor” — He’s not talking about preservative, He’s talking about taste.   Salt makes your taste buds stand up and take notice.  It makes the flavor of food come alive.   In the same way, people of faith make people sit up and take notice.   Whether you approve of religion or not, believers make life come alive.  Believers are noticeable because (like salt) we’re supposed to be noticeable.  We add a dynamic that, if it was missing, would leave the world boring and tasteless.

Jesus says “if salt loses its flavor” — there’s a warning here, a puzzling one.  How is it possible for salt to lose its flavor?   Google confirmed my suspicions.  There’s only one way for salt to lose its saltiness — by dilution.  Mix it in too much water and it disperses to the point that eventually you can’t taste it any more.  Mix a believer in too many worldly concerns and the saltiness of faith is lost.  (Jesus warns against this again in a parable when He speaks of good seeds being choked out by weeds.)  And when a Christian gets too caught up in worldly concerns and worldly thinking, they are (as Jesus says) trampled under feet by men.  By way of illustration insert church scandal du jour here.

Jesus goes on to say “you are the light of the world”.  This is an amazing statement to take in.  Speaking as a believer I know I don’t feel much like light in the world.  I drag my bleary-eyed butt out of bed in the morning just like everybody else.  Ah, but it’s not my light Jesus is talking about, it’s His.  He lights the lamp. He sets it on a stand.  As a believer my job is to be where He puts me and keep on burning.  Allow myself to be seen, allow His light to shine through me, allow Him to trim me and fill me.

It’s much easier to see when I look at the lives of other believers.  When I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ, who I love, who I know have as many imperfections as I do but who love Jesus and are committed to living for Him — I hear things coming out of their mouths and I see things happening in their lives that I know are humanly impossible.   You can’t make this stuff up.  Jesus said it best: their light shines before others in such a way that others give glory to God, because there’s no way they can claim credit for themselves.

So… bottom line… we are salt and light.  Meant to be different.  Meant to make life interesting.  Meant to be visible.  Meant to be vessels by which people can see.  Be true, and be careful not to fall from the faith.  People will see and acknowledge God’s glory.

Dying Churches: Close, Renew or Re-Start?

Running a Google search on church plants, church re-starts and renewing dying churches, what should I be directed to but today’s post from iMonk, commenting on the church-planting movement in the newly-formed Anglican Church in North America.  Dang if iMonk and I aren’t thinking along the same lines AGAIN.

His initial post is great — recommended reading (with good links), find it here.

But it’s his comment further down that I wanted to record here for future reference.  IMonk writes:

Scripture commands church planting. It’s normative.

Evangelicals always got this right and it’s one of the reasons the mainlines are dying and deserve to do so.

Listening to a debate on what to do with a PCUSA church plant in Lexington changed my life on this subject. Of all the things that the PCUSA was and is getting wrong, what I heard that night that resulted (later) in the closing of the plant was the most moving.

Ministerial and denominational self interest. THAT’s your Americanization of the Gospel. Going to the poorer neighborhood, offering the Gospel in an evangelical wasteland…that rocks.

I find myself at the moment living in one of those poorer neighborhoods, where a number of congregations I care about very much are hanging on by their fingernails.  Can they be renewed?  Is the impulse toward life still strong enough to seek God and reach out in His name to those in need in our community?

I’m researching and outlining a possible game plan to find answers to these questions and offer some possible short- and medium-term goals.   If you were standing where I am right now, what might you do?

Quotations from John Stott and Friends

At the top of my list for this summer’s reading was John Stott: The Making of a Leader by Timothy Dudley-Smith.  Subtitled The Early Years, the over-400-page volume reads like a mini-history of Evangelical Anglicanism in England during the 1900s.  (I’ll be interested in reading Volume 2 one of these days!)

John Stott, now 88, was for many years the Rector of All Souls, Langham Place, London and authored many books which have become Christian classics.  He retired from public ministry two years ago at age 86.  He is one of the great Christian thinkers of our time and has been a great influence on my thinking and on the seminary I attend (he was one of the driving forces behind its founding).

I wanted to collect here, for my benefit as well as others’, some interesting bits and pieces from the book…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stott speaks of the impact the life of Hudson Taylor (missionary to China) had on him.  He writes: “He taught me four important aspects of the faith.  First, faith rests in God’s faithfulness…  Secondly, faith is the trust of a child… Thirdly, faith is as necessary in the material realm as in the spiritual… One of Hudson Taylor’s best-known aphorisms was ‘God’s work done in God’s way will never lack supplies’… Fourthly, faith is not incompatible with the use of means.”  (The fourth item means, for example, using a life jacket on a boat is not an expression of a lack of faith in God.) (134)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like so many creative people, especially those who make their living in the public eye, John Stott had a difficult childhood.  “There were tragic and painful difficulties in his early family life and upbringing which left their mark on him in a certain natural shyness and self-deprecating humour… ‘his conversion was for him a deliverance from what he experienced in the home of grief and pain.. the gripping power of evil and loss of control.’  From this strong sense of deliverance and freedom sprang his love for all kinds of people…” (210)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answering critics of Billy Graham’s crusades (which had an enormous impact in the U.K. in the 1950s, and during which Billy and John Stott became lifelong friends) John wrote the following as part of a letter to the editor of The Times:  “All thoughtful Christians would agree with the Bishop of Durham… that God’s revelation is essentially reasonable, but would have to add that it is often in conflict with the unenlightened reason of sinful men.  The Bible itself is aware of this conflict.  ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My… thoughts than your thoughts’ (Is.55:9)… Our Lord himself gave thanks that the Father revealed his truth not to the ‘wise and prudent’ but ‘unto babes’ (Matt. 11:25).

“There is then in conversion not what the Bishop of Durham calls ‘the stifling of the mind’ but the humble (and intelligent) submission of the mind to a divine revelation.  The proud human intellect still needs to be abased — in England as in Corinth — and the only way to enter the Kingdom of God is still to become like a little child.” (347)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the 1950s (and afterward as well) Billy Graham was often attacked by religious fundamentalists.  Billy wrote home to his wife Ruth: “Some of the things they say are pure fabrications… I do not intend to get down to their mud-slinging and get into endless arguments with them… We are too busy winning souls to Christ and helping build the church… If this extreme type of fundamentalism was of God, it would have brought revival long ago.  Instead, it has brought dissension, division, strife, and has produced dead and lifeless churches.” (354)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the authority of Scripture, John Stott writes: “To accept the authority of the Bible is a Christian thing to do.  It is neither a religious eccentricity, nor a case of discreditable obscurantism, but the good sense of Christian faith and humility.  It is essentially ‘Christian’ because it is what Christ himself requires of us.  The traditional view of Scripture (that it is God’s word written) may be called the ‘Christian’ view precisely because it is Christ’s view.” (356)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the fall of 1955 Billy Graham was invited to lead a mission to Cambridge University (England).  He was somewhat daunted by the intellectual atmosphere and expressed his concerns to John Stott.  John, himself a graduate of Cambridge, wrote the following to encourage his friend:

“…I can well understand your feelings of apprehension about Cambridge, but Billy do not worry.  God has opened up the way wonderfully and has called you to it and so all will be well.  If I may be bold enough to give one suggestion, I would say ‘keep to the simplicity of  your message’.  Do not regard these men as ‘intellectuals’.  Appeal to their conscience.  They are sinners, needing a Saviour.  Conviction of sin, not intellectual persuasion, is the need.  So many preachers fail at this point when they speak to university men.  So, Billy, keep to the wonderful clear simple message God has qualified you to preach and which He honoured wonderfully in London and Glasgow.” (360)

Evangelist David Watson, then an undergraduate at St. John’s College, Cambridge, remembers Graham’s mission: “In sweeping contrast to the dithering caution of most academic theologians, who were efficiently undermining the faith of some of my friends, Billy Graham led a mission to the university in November 1955.  Interestingly, when he tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to be academic, his preaching lacked power.  But when he accepted the apparent foolishness of the message of ‘Christ crucified’ and preached it with simplicity and integrity, the power of God’s Spirit was manifestly at work, changing the lives of many undergraduates.  It was a lesson I have never forgotten.” (365)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed Are You…

Great multitudes followed Him — from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 4:25-5:12, NKJV

Amen.

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain…”  The places named (Decapolis etc) are basically a way of saying “from the north, south, east and west.”  People were coming from all over to see Jesus.  And as noted in the previous post, many in the crowds were following Jesus for His miracles — to receive a healing, or to witness another miracle.

Above the Sea of Galilee - It is believed the Sermon on the Mount was preached somewhere near here.

In climbing the mountain, Jesus makes it a little more difficult to follow Him.  Only people who really want to hear Him bother to climb up the hill… and the ones who make it to the top are referred to as “his disciples”.  The disciples mentioned here are not limited to “the twelve” (in fact Jesus hasn’t called all twelve yet) but refers to the people who were following Him, listening to His words, and learning from Him.  And to those who made the effort to climb, Jesus gave a joyful message: “Blessed are  you…”

What does it mean to be “blessed”?  I’ve often heard “blessed” translated as “happy” but I think that’s too generic a term.  Dictionary definitions include “highly favored”, “fortunate”, “enjoying good fortune”, “enjoying the bliss of heaven”.  I think these definitions come closer, but they lack the action of a loving God.  Without negating the other meanings, I think the word “blessed” in this passage includes something along the lines of “you are in God’s heart when…”.

Volumes upon volumes have been written about the lines that follow, and I’m not about summarizing them here.  The purpose of this project is to look at the Gospels with fresh eyes.  So…

What jumps out immediately is that Jesus is (once again) turning the world’s values upside down.  God’s favored people are not, as was commonly believed at the time, the wealthy, the beautiful, the people who had easy lives.  (So much for the “Prosperity Gospel”.)  On the contrary, God’s favor rests on those who don’t think overly highly of themselves; those who grieve or who have tears in their eyes; those who know themselves to be small and insignificant; those who are hungry for justice, both in setting their own lives right and in setting the world to rights;  those who forgive others; those who aren’t mired in self-deception; those who find ways of resolving (rather than aggravating) differences between people; those who suffer for doing what’s right.  To these folks Jesus promises God’s kingdom, God’s comfort, a new earth, satisfaction, and forgiveness; they will see God face to face and hear Him say “My child”.

Above all God’s favor rests on those who suffer injury and false accusation for His sake.  Be overjoyed when this happens, Jesus says, because you’re following in the footsteps of the great men and women of faith down through the ages who were persecuted for God’s sake.  I find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t say who “they” are who are doing the persecuting — but a glance at the Old Testament shows that throughout Israel’s history it was the religious leaders (and some of the royals) who persecuted the prophets.  Jesus is being upfront in warning these things never change, and in doing so He foreshadows both His own crucifixion at the hands of the religious leaders, and the suffering of many others throughout the history of Western civilization at the hands of church leaders with agendas other than God’s.  Jesus says to those who suffer persecution for His sake “rejoice and be glad” because God has something special in store for those who stay true to Him under pressure.

And all this is just the opening of Jesus’ sermon, the foundation of His message… there’s much more to come.

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.”
– Matthew 4:18-24

Sea of Galilee

Observation 1

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  What an invitation, and what an intriguing offer!  I’m not sure I know what Jesus meant by it, and I’m not sure the disciples did either (though they probably had a better idea).  This much is certain: Peter and his friends and family didn’t fish using hooks and bait — they used nets and brawn.  Fishing, for them, had more in common with the TV show Deadliest Catch (minus the sub-zero weather) than sitting in a boat with a rod and reel.  It was dangerous, physically demanding work involving long hours and constant threat of storms.  It was work in which you had to depend on others — your life depended on working as an efficient team.  In many ways being fishers of men would be the same.

I imagine Jesus had a twinkle in His eye when he said it.  “C’mon, leave the fish, let’s go catch people!”  It was an offer you couldn’t refuse, even if you weren’t sure what He meant.  Peter, Andrew, James and John certainly didn’t hesitate, not even for a moment.

Observation 2

If you were given an assignment to start a worldwide movement, how would you do it?  What would your strategy be?  What resources would you marshal?  What if someone said to you “you have no budget, but you may choose any four people in the world to be on your implementation team”? Would you choose from among the wealthy, the powerful, the famous, people with connections?  Would you choose four fishermen?

I love how, over and over again, Jesus turns the world’s values upside down.

I wish I could have heard Jesus preach.  I wish I could have sat at His feet as He taught.  I look forward to the day when we hear the sound of His voice, not only through the Spirit, but His actual voice reverberating in our ear-drums.

Observation 3

Jesus traveled throughout the Galilee region preaching the Gospel — “the Kingdom of God is here” — and healing all kinds of diseases.  It’s interesting that when His fame spread and people came to see Him, they were more interested in the healings than they were in hearing His message.  The healings were meant to be a sign that the Kingdom of God had really come, but most of them settled for healing and then went their way.

And have things really changed that much?  How often do we, in personal prayers and in our churches, pray for healing?  Not that we shouldn’t — on the contrary, Scripture encourages us to pray for the sick.  But how often do we pray that the Kingdom of God would be made a reality (apart from the one line in the Lord’s Prayer)?  “Your will Your way, Lord, let Your Kingdom come” — may this be our constant prayer.

How Not to Run a Church, aka How Not To Do Missions

This news story is incredibly apropos our current readings in Church, Ministry and Sacraments class.  In it you will read about members of the hierarchy of The Episcopal Church soliciting contributions from lawyers to support lawsuits against individual parishes who are leaving the national church.  Notice that the lawyers’ fund (The St. Ives Fund) is self-described on the website as “Mission Funding”!  (I wonder how many new converts they’ve won…?)

Our class has been reading Lesslie Newbigin’s The Household of God, in which Newbigin teaches that salvation apart from the church is impossible — not because the church dispenses salvation (it doesn’t) but because all who have become one with Christ are one with each other in His Body, the Church.  He says the Protestant concept of the “spiritual” church  as opposed to the “physical” church is judgmental and sounds like something the Pharisees would have come up with.

I like Lesslie Newbigin a lot, and his points are very well taken.  But there still must be some way to distinguish The Church (God’s people, the Body of Christ) from the church (the man-made institution).  Confronted with deliberate evil and strategically planned disobedience to God within the church (the man-made institution) isn’t it essential for the Church (God’s people) to take a stand?

When the leadership of a church (the institution) is deliberately deceiving the Church (the people) by calling a lawyers’ war-chest “missions”, and using the money to sue other Christians (which is forbidden by Scripture)… how is it remotely possible that the church can remain undivided? The very act of deception is in itself a breaking of Christian fellowship.

Near the end of his book Newbigin makes a very good point though (speaking of missions): “our Lord forbids His disciples to stay and argue with those who do not receive them…” (p. 144)  It’s a sad thing not to be received, and in fact to be preyed upon, by one’s own church.  It’s no way to run a church, and certainly no way to do missions.

Time to move on and follow Him.

Jesus Begins His Public Ministry

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“ The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
- Matthew 4:12-17

It must have totally freaked Herod out.  No sooner had he thrown John the Baptist in prison, than another prophet pops up preaching the same message!  This one is not quite the same though.  Jesus isn’t staying put in the wilderness surrounding the Jordan.  Instead of the people coming to him, as they had come to see John, Jesus comes to the people.  I think that says something about Jesus, that he’s willing to come to where people are.

Having traveled to Israel recently, one other thing from the text jumps out at me: Jesus’ travel itinerary.  He walked from the desert wilderness where He was tempted (the east-central part of Israel) to Nazareth (in the north of Israel) and then to Capernaum (on the shores of the Sea of Galilee).  He would have passed near Capernaum on the way to Nazareth, and would have had to retrace His steps to go to Capernaum.  What’s up with this?  All Matthew says is “leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum”.

Nazareth

Nazareth was Jesus’ home.  Is Matthew saying “Jesus left home”?  If so, under what circumstances?  Matthew doesn’t say, but Luke does.  Luke 4:16-30 tells the story of Jesus preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth.  Jesus starts out with a reading from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor…” (Is 61:1-2) and begins His sermon by saying “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  When Jesus was finished preaching, the congregation was so ticked off they dragged Him to the top of a cliff to throw Him off, but Jesus managed to walk away.

A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown.  They wouldn’t hear Him.  That’s why Jesus left Nazareth.

Why go to Capernaum?  Because that’s where the prophecies said He should be. “The land of Zebulun and Naphtali” — minor tribes, often looked down on by the larger and politically more significant tribes in the south.  Capernaum, distant from Jerusalem, far from the seat of religious authority and leadership, a backwater town of hard-working, salt-of-the-earth people, in a setting of natural beauty, was blessed to have Jesus move there and live among them for some time, working among them and teaching in their synagogue.

The Ruins of Ancient Capernaum

Jesus identified Himself with the “little people”, the powerless, the people society considered unimportant, insignificant, and on the fringe.  Praise God for that, because I’m one too.

The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,

‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’“

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
- Matthew 4:1-11, NKJV

Part Two of a two-part series.  In this passage Jesus is faced with three temptations.  As mentioned in Part One, I believe the temptations serve as a preparation for Jesus’ earthly ministry.

In the first temptation, the devil attacks Jesus at the point of His greatest physical need.  Jesus has been without food for forty days, and is feeling hungry.  Anyone who has ever fasted knows that after the first day the feelings of hunger pass, and given enough water to drink, it’s fairly easy to fast for days or even a few weeks.  But when the feelings of hunger return, that’s a sign to start eating again.  Jesus needed food, and in the wilderness of southern Israel food would not be easy to come by.  He was quite literally depending on God to provide for His physical needs.

So along comes this corrupt but awesome being (see Part One) who says, “hey! If you’re the son of God tell these stones to turn into bread!”  Sounds reasonable enough on the surface.  If you’re the son of God you can do pretty much anything.  And there’s no denying Jesus’ need for food is real.

But beneath the surface the words are mocking.  There’s no “if” about Jesus being the Son of God.  God had just got finished saying He was, right before Jesus headed out into the wilderness.  If Jesus took matters into His own hands, turning stones into bread, He would be doubting His Father’s word and denying His Father’s goodness.  Instead Jesus defends both in His reply.

It’s interesting to note that later in His ministry, after speaking to a Samaritan woman at a well, Jesus’ disciples will urge Him to eat and He will reply by saying “I have food to eat of which you do not know” and “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 4:32 & 34)  Perhaps this is one of the ways Jesus’ temptation prepared Him for His public ministry as noted in Part One.

In the second temptation, Jesus is tempted to do a miraculous act that would convince all who saw it of who He is. Again, this reflects a legitimate need.  Jesus needs people to know who He is if His mission is going to succeed.  And to top it off, the devil quotes scripture to support his argument.  Let this be a warning to all – just because scripture can be quoted to defend an opinion or a course of action does not mean the opinion is true or the course of action is correct!

The temptation here is for Jesus to do things His way rather than God’s way.  Jesus would have already known by now, through His preparation for His bar mitzvah, what the prophets had written about the Messiah.  He knew it was His duty to fill that role, to do His Father’s will.

Jesus’ answer on the surface is a bit enigmatic: “you shall not tempt the Lord your God”.  Another way to say this might be “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test”.  But on reflection it makes sense: in answer to the temptation “prove to these people you are who you say you are” Jesus answers “that’s God’s job”.  Jesus’ duty (and ours) is to obey God and trust Him for the results.

Again, later in his ministry, Jesus will be tempted with similar words.  The religious leaders will mock Him saying “prove you’re the Son of God – come down from the cross!”  Jesus easily could have – but His wilderness experience prepared Him not to fall for the temptation of proving Himself in ways the Father didn’t have in mind.

The third temptation is, quite frankly, an act of desperation on the devil’s part, but he tries anyway.  Showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, past, present, and future, he says “these will all be yours if you bow down and worship me”.  I imagine Jesus and the devil standing before something like The Guardian in Star Trek’s City on the Edge of Forever, watching the great parade of human history pass by.  “All this will be yours…”

Could the devil legitimately have made such a promise?  By all indications, yes; this world is under his influence and follows him in rebellion against God.  Would the devil have kept such a promise?  Not bloody likely.  But no matter.  What the devil is actually offering here is an easy way for Jesus to realize His destiny, which includes becoming the ruler of this world.  He’s offering a shortcut that bypasses the cross.

And for a moment all creation holds its breath (or at least should have) as the fate of every creature rests on what Jesus decides to say and do next.  If His knee bends, our hope is gone.  If He worships the devil, our fate is sealed.

Later in His ministry, Jesus will ask the Father that He might not have to endure the cross, but He will already know the answer.  Calvary’s victory is won here, alone in the desert, face to face with the enemy, with nobody watching.  And Jesus’ answer rings out loud and clear: “Get away from me Satan!  I worship and serve God alone.”

And with these words our victory is won.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d love to end there, with our victory and an echo of praise to our Lord.  But Matthew doesn’t end there.  He ends with the words then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. It’s important to see that Jesus’ needs are met.  He doesn’t walk away from this battlefield alone.  All His temptations, and all the needs they represented, are being answered.  Yes, You are the Son of God – the angels are here, caring for you as scripture says – you have been faithful, you have passed the test, you are ready to minister in the Father’s name.  God is faithful and He misses no detail.

Jesus and the Devil Meet Face to Face

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 

‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,

‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’“

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
- Matthew 4:1-11, NKJV

My assignment and purpose in this series of meditations is to try to look at scripture with fresh eyes, setting aside for a moment what I’ve been taught and attempting to read as though for the first time.  Two things I notice: (1) with this particular passage it’s nearly impossible to set aside what I’ve been taught, and (2) the passage is so incredibly rich with meaning it needs two posts.  Here’s Part One.

First, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.  Why would the Holy Spirit lead someone into temptation?  Jesus Himself tells his disciples to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “…and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one…”.  The very prayer He teaches us to pray for ourselves, He Himself receives an answer of “no” to.  Why would God’s Spirit lead Jesus into temptation?

The only reasonable answer I can come up with (using fresh eyes rather than the writings of experts) is the temptation was given to prepare Jesus for His public ministry.  Jesus is tempted in the three areas He would be most likely to doubt or fail, where His human weaknesses would be closest to the surface.  I’ll come back to that in Part Two.

Second, Jesus is tempted by the devil.  Being a product of the modern, rationalistic world as I am, I have to admit I cringe when the devil is mentioned.  Does this being really exist?  Isn’t scripture simply anthropomorphizing the abstract concept of evil?  Imagining some pointy-eared dude in a red jumpsuit holding a pitchfork seems utterly ridiculous to me.

It’s at a point like this that I find I must return to what I’ve been taught in order to make sense of the reading. The devil is never described in scripture as a dude in a red jumpsuit.  He is given a name: Lucifer – angel of light; and a history: an angel and a former inhabitant of heaven who rebelled against God.  This dude appears on the surface to be a messenger of light, and in human eyes would provoke (as all angels do) a sense of tremendous awe.  In every passage of scripture where angels approach human beings, the first thing they say is “Fear not!”

Notice that Lucifer doesn’t extend the “fear not” courtesy to Jesus.  Quite the opposite: he comes at Jesus full force, showing no mercy in a situation where Jesus is physically starving and near death’s door.  In this scene Lucifer shows his true colors.  He cares nothing for Jesus; he shows no compassion whatsoever; his only goal in the conversation is to separate Jesus from the Father who loves Him, to cause Him to doubt His Father’s love.

I think there’s a deep and important lesson here for all of us.  In all the relationships and situations we find ourselves in in life, we might do well to ask ourselves: Am I being cared for? Am I being treated with compassion?  Do the words being spoken to me remind me of God’s love, or cause me to doubt Him?  How much clearer would our thinking be, and how much easier our decision-making, if we answered these questions first?

And for those of us who seek to serve God, this is where the battle lines between good and evil are drawn.  Care for others; show compassion; speak and act in ways that reflect God’s love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Two will take a look at the individual temptations.

The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- Matthew 3:13-17

[Background notes on this passage: John the Baptist and Jesus were related through their mothers, but grew up in different parts of the country.  John's family lived in the south, close enough to the city of Jerusalem for his father to serve in the Temple.  Jesus, while born in Bethlehem (a stone's throw from Jerusalem) was raised in Nazareth, a northern town surrounded by countryside.  In traveling to the Jordan to see John, Jesus would have walked some distance -- I've never walked that far but I guess it would be at least two days' journey.]

The first question that jumps out of this passage is: why would John try to prevent Jesus being baptized?  I think the answer lies in the meaning of baptism.  Earlier in Matthew people are coming to John to confess their sins, return to God, and be baptized — an outward symbol of inward cleansing.  Back in Jesus’ day, baptism was a religious rite for adults (not babies), because it was a sign of repentance, of turning away from sins — something adults needed to do (not babies).  (The Church’s switch to baptizing babies is an interesting historical/theological discussion too long to get into here.)

But Jesus had nothing to repent of.  John did.  And that is the source of John’s protest.  The roles were reversed, and he said so.

Jesus’ answer is puzzling.  “…to fulfill all righteousness…” wasn’t He already righteous?  What could He be missing?  When all’s said and done Jesus didn’t need to be baptized for His own sake.  I think He did so in order to be a true leader of His people, to identify with us and walk alongside us, to put Himself in a place where we could follow His example.  Because true righteousness isn’t a matter of doing what’s ‘required’ – righteousness in God’s eyes involves going the extra mile, acting out of caring for others.

Immediately following Jesus’ baptism, God the Father acknowledges Jesus by sending the Holy Spirit (side note: this is the first appearance of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit together in the New Testament) and declaring Jesus to be His Son.  And not just Son, but a Son in whom he is “well pleased”.  If we ever want to know what pleases God, or how we can live a life that honors Him, we need look no further than the life of Jesus.

The Message of John the Baptist

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“ The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘ Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.’”

Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him  and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,  and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
– Matthew 3:1-12 (NKJV)

John’s message is an odd one: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  It’s the kind of message that will make people stop and listen just to hear what he says next.  So what does the message mean, and why would people travel dozens of miles on foot across parched and difficult terrain to hear John preach it?

Repent is a word that has been so mis-used in our time, both by believers and non-believers, that finding a definition is difficult.  The word essentially means to turn or to do a one-eighty. Taken in context, what I hear John saying is essentially “God is coming! Quit wasting your time.  Put away the things you do wrong in your life.  Admit your failures and your rebellion against God, and be clean on the inside just as being baptized makes you clean on the outside.”

John’s words to the Pharisees and Sadducees are harsh, but not without reason.  The Sadducees were wealthy, sophisticated religious leaders who hob-nobbed with the Greeks to the point of compromising their Jewish faith.  The Pharisees on the other hand were the popular religious leaders of the day, legalistic and proud of how well they kept the Law of Moses to the smallest detail.  What made them popular was that they were pro-Israel and they taught religion in a way the people could understand.  The main bone of contention between the two parties was over the issue of resurrection: the Sadducees believed life after death didn’t exist and the Pharisees believed it did.  (Side note: Jesus took the position of the Pharisees on this issue when He said the God of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was “the God of the living, not of the dead.”)

To these religious leaders John says: bear fruit worthy of repentance, and don’t say to yourselves ‘we have Abraham as our father’.  How to translate this ancient text into modern concepts?  “Bear fruit” — Bearing fruit isn’t something a plant tries to do; as long as it is healthy and connected to the source of nutrients it will bear fruit that shows what kind of plant it is.  “I am the vine, you are the branches…” Jesus says.  In other words John is saying let your lives show what you say you believe.

“And don’t say to yourselves ‘we have Abraham as our father’…”  In Jesus’ day it was generally believed that one got into heaven  by being physically descended from Abraham, the great patriarch chosen by God.  They missed the point that “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”  (Rom 4:3)  In our day John might have said “and don’t say to yourselves ‘we’re baptized believers’…” because believing in God and being baptized doesn’t save a person’s soul any more than being descended from Abraham does.  There is a world of difference between believing IN God (an intellectual assent) and believing God (a position of trust and obedience). John makes it clear that saving faith results in the bearing of fruit.

John then goes on to talk about fire: those who don’t bear the fruit of faith in their lives will be thrown into fire; the One coming will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”; He will gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff will burn with unquenchable fire.  This is disturbing stuff.  First, I notice that nobody escapes fire.  People without the fruit of faith in their lives burn; people with the fruit of faith are made clean by fire; but nobody gets out of this life without passing through fire.

At the same time, God’s people have nothing to fear.  I think this is what Isaiah was referring to when he said (Is 43:1-2)

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”

God doesn’t promise to deliver His people from trouble; He promises to be with us and see us safely through it.

Second, it’s becoming clear to me even as I write this that the fire John is talking about is metaphorical and is something that happens in this life.  Our actions happen in this life, our decisions happen in this life, and what we think and do in this life has far-reaching effects beyond just this life.

The apostle Peter talks about the fact that the hardships we face in this life are designed to refine our faith (I Peter 1). And going through life’s trials without God is passing through fire without God’s protection; without faith Isaiah’s promises don’t apply.  It seems there might be more to the cutting down and burning John talks about, but I’m not sure what it means exactly except that there will be an end to evil someday.

If there’s a bottom line to the message, it’s that our focus matters.  Are we focused on the great news that God is coming?  Or are we focused only on ourselves — the call to change our lives and the implications and inconveniences such changes bring?

Meditation: The Birth of Jesus

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
- Matthew 1:18-25

[This is the first in a series of posts tagged "Meditations", the aim of which is to prayerfully approach the gospels with fresh eyes, keeping a lookout especially for ideas and scenes that challenge.]

“This is the story of the birth of the One I love!” is the thought the opening verse brings to mind, when I quiet down enough to begin to take it in.  This is the One I love above all others (even though a lot of times I don’t act like it).  Tell me more.

His mother was “with child by the Holy Spirit”.  It’s stunning to consider that the same Holy Spirit comes to live inside those who believe… the same Spirit in whose power saints through the ages have written and taught and preached. My heart is ’strangely warmed’ and at the same time I feel very small.

More than ever I am reminded that our God is a God of LIFE, forever creating life and giving life.  And more than ever I realize how little we do with what we’ve been given.  And yet there is really nothing we can do, any more than Mary did that is, being willing to be God’s servants.  He does the rest.

I often wonder what it was like for Mary.  How did she have the presence of mind to say to the angel, “behold the maidservant of the Lord.  Let it be to me according to your word”? (Luke 1:39)  What was it like to feel the Holy Spirit so close?  What words did she use to explain her pregnancy to Joseph?  How did her love survive his disbelief?  And what words did Joseph use to finally tell her he knew she was telling the truth?  Mary is the only woman in history to have experienced the things she experienced, and there was only one other woman — her cousin Elizabeth — she could talk to who would understand.  For this and many other reasons Mary must have been a very strong and amazing young woman.

I admire Joseph, too, who when confronted with a pregnant fiancee chose to set aside his rights and show mercy to Mary, and later to be obedient to God.  “Joseph, Son of David” — the angel’s address signals to Joseph that something is up, something to do with the Kingdom itself.  What a couple God chose to raise the Messiah!  Who of us would have chosen a carpenter and an unwed mother to be the parents of a king?  Thank God we’re not God.

Challenges

• It’s a challenge to read this passage that is so incredibly familiar with anything like the astonishment it deserves.  There have been too many Christmas Eve services when exhausted, running on empty, the words are barely heard between multiple worship services and incessant muzak carols and marketing pitches and the knowledge that the day after Christmas it will all be forgotten in a mad rush to Valentine’s Day.

Sometimes I think we should bring back the tradition of the 12 days of Christmas, as in, taking 12 full days off work and/or school and focusing on nothing but Christmas.  Sometimes I think all Christians should join our Orthodox brothers and sisters in celebrating Christmas on January 7 in order to separate Jesus’ birth from “Sparkle Season” (as the retailers call it around here).  At the very least I keep promising myself every year I’ll get the shopping done before Thanksgiving so I actually have time to appreciate the One whose birthday we are celebrating.

• Interestingly I don’t find it a challenge to believe in the virgin birth.  As someone who believes that God created the universe and everything that’s in it, I don’t find it a stretch to believe He can make a woman pregnant.
• I also don’t find it hard to accept that Mary and Joseph had normal relations after Jesus’ birth: “….and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.” There’s no hint here that Joseph and Mary had anything other than a typical marriage after Jesus was born.  The physicality of this story is unavoidable, and refreshing, and very human.  And God is not ashamed to be involved in it.