Scripture reading:
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life
Observations:
(1) We should not make assumptions about god.
In this passage, we see Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, make assumptions about Jesus. He comes to Jesus and says “We know you….who has come from god …”(v2).
Essentially, he was saying two things. Firstly, that they knew who Jesus was, and secondly, that they knew about the kingdom of god.
Little did he know, his false assumptions were about to be exposed. The response of Jesus took him by surprise. He was clearly on the back foot for the remainder of the conversation.
We must be very careful about the assumptions we make about god. Sometimes, I think that we try to contain god into a little box in our understanding. Our pre-conceived notions can block our hearts from being open to a fuller understanding of the nature of the lord.
Rather than making assumptions about god, we must allow him to speak to us, both through his word and through his spirit. Our hearts must be open to hearing him. We must be open to a greater understanding his true glory and honor.
(2) We cannot hope to understand god unless we have been born again.
How do we come to understand about god?
Formal study, whilst helpful, is not the answer. It would by quite possible to complete a Masters Degree in Theology and yet still not comprehend the unlimited justice, power, integrity, mercy and love of our magnificent creator.
Studying the bible is a wonderful way to gain a greater appreciation of the glorious character of our lord. But it is possible to undertake extensive bible study and still not comprehend the wonderful gift of our lord on the cross.
After all, Nicodemus, a member of the ruling Jewish council, was no doubt well versed in scripture. But his poor understanding of the role of Jesus as savior was exposed wide open in this encounter.
The greatness of the kingdom of the lord cannot be learned through academic comprehension.
The true power, glory, justice, mercy and love of the lord can only be learned through experience – the experience of being born again through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus on the cross.
What does it mean to be born again? How does one become born again?
Essentially, it means to experience complete forgiveness of sins through Jesus.
The bible says that the death of Christ on the cross is sufficient to cover the entire costs of all of our sins. Anyone who turns to god receives full forgiveness for their sins because of Jesus and his death on the cross.
Those who are forgiven through Christ receive a spiritual re-birth. Jesus died and was raised again three days later. In a similar manner, those who are forgiven through Jesus receive a spiritual re-birth. Physically, we remain in our regular state, but spiritually speaking, our old self dies and we are raised into a new spiritual life.
This is not a physical transformation, it’s a spiritual one. Spiritually speaking, we are born again, except that this time, we are born into the spirit of god, truly as one of his children. Spiritually speaking, we are born and raised into a new family and a new household, the kingdom of god.
The only way to truly know god is to experience him. This means experiencing the process of being forgiven for your sins and being spiritually raised into a new life through Jesus.
The greatness of god cannot be understood or comprehended without this experience.
(3) Status is worthless before god.
Within the world of the Jews, Nicodemus looked pretty good. As a member of the ruling Jewish council, he held a very respectable position.
He was the man. He had status, honor and apparently, a sound comprehension of the Old Testament. As a teacher of Israel, many looked up to him.
But did Nicodemus believe the word of god?
Apparently not, according to Jesus. Jesus said “I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not believe. How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (v12)
Moreover, in verse 3, Jesus implies that Nicodemus has not been ‘born again,’ and does not properly understand the kingdom of god.
It is possible that I am taking this passage out of context. It is also possible, given Jesus’ reference to ‘you people,’ (v10) that Jesus was not referring to Nicodemus personally, but either to the Jewish council or to the broader Jewish population within Jerusalem. However, Jesus does appear to accuse Nicodemus of not believing the word of god.
The point I am driving at is this – your worldly status does not matter when you stand before god. The only thing that matters when you stand before god is whether or not you believe in
Christ as your savior.
This applies for any man, woman or child. When it comes to standing before god, your earthly status does not count, whether you are a street beggar, prisioner, company owner, president, pastor or even the pope. The only thing that counts is whether your sins have been forgiven.
And, as we’ll see in the next passage, the only way that can happen is through belief in Jesus or savior.
(4) Jesus came from heaven.
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven.” (v15)
This says a ton about Jesus and why does not compare to any other man.
Each of us originated from the womb of another human. No matter how loving our parents may have been, they were imperfect human beings. We all originated from earthly beings and by nature, belong to the earth.
Jesus is different. He came from heaven - from god’s eternal heavenly kingdom.
His roots are different from ours. He came down to earth, but, unlike us, he was not really part of the world.
He is, and has always been, part of god’s great kingdom in heaven.
Prayer:
Lord, forgive us for the times when our hearts are not open to hearing about you and your word.
Forgive us for times when we assume in our ignorance to know things about you, even if those assumptions are not supported by your word.
Lord, we cannot comprehend the great height and depth of your incomparable justice, mercy and love unless we experience your great mercy through the forgiveness of our sins on the cross.
Lord, each of us is accountable to you and you only. Status before men does not matter if we are not right before you. So, let our hearts be set on honoring you, and let us all seek forgiveness from you for our sins through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus on the cross.
Lord Jesus, you are not one of us. We are from the earth, you are from heaven. We came from within a dirty, sinful, broken world. You are from a wonderful and perfect heaven.
In your great name,
Amen
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
What's in a Man? (John 2:23-25)
Scripture reading:
23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Observations:
(1) I have to admit that I do not understand this passage.
It seems clear that Jesus displayed the power of the lord by performing at least some miracles.
It is also clear that the crowd believed in his name because of what they had witnessed.
The point I do not understand is that about Jesus not entrusting himself to them.
What does this mean? Why was Jesus so particular about not trusting these specific people? I don’t know.
The context and location may provide some ideas. The location was Jerusalem – the same town of the crucifixion. This was also the same town where, before his death, Jesus arrived to a mass welcoming - only to have many demand his crucifixion shortly after.
Knowing what would later come, Jesus was doubtless wary of this crowd in particular. Jesus probably saw their belief as being shallow and fickle, especially given how quickly many turned against him at his crucifixion. This is the most likely explanation for Jesus’ distrust.
Furthermore, consider the context. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to find that traders had turned the temple into a marketplace – not a great impression. If things like this were allowed to occur, it would be fair to say that the faith in Jerusalem was not strong.
Likewise, it was in Jerusalem that Judas was to betray Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders. This could also be a factor in Jesus’ response.
What is clear is that there was something different about the people of Jerusalem, some particular reason why Jesus had no trust in them.
But, as stated above, I do not understand the meaning of this passage.
Prayer:
Lord, when we put our trust in you, let our faith always be strong. Do not let our hearts change easily, but let us hold steadfast in good times and bad like a tree with strong roots. Let us stand strong, in solid ground, and never deviate from faith in Jesus.
In your great name I pray,
Amen.
23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Observations:
(1) I have to admit that I do not understand this passage.
It seems clear that Jesus displayed the power of the lord by performing at least some miracles.
It is also clear that the crowd believed in his name because of what they had witnessed.
The point I do not understand is that about Jesus not entrusting himself to them.
What does this mean? Why was Jesus so particular about not trusting these specific people? I don’t know.
The context and location may provide some ideas. The location was Jerusalem – the same town of the crucifixion. This was also the same town where, before his death, Jesus arrived to a mass welcoming - only to have many demand his crucifixion shortly after.
Knowing what would later come, Jesus was doubtless wary of this crowd in particular. Jesus probably saw their belief as being shallow and fickle, especially given how quickly many turned against him at his crucifixion. This is the most likely explanation for Jesus’ distrust.
Furthermore, consider the context. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to find that traders had turned the temple into a marketplace – not a great impression. If things like this were allowed to occur, it would be fair to say that the faith in Jerusalem was not strong.
Likewise, it was in Jerusalem that Judas was to betray Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders. This could also be a factor in Jesus’ response.
What is clear is that there was something different about the people of Jerusalem, some particular reason why Jesus had no trust in them.
But, as stated above, I do not understand the meaning of this passage.
Prayer:
Lord, when we put our trust in you, let our faith always be strong. Do not let our hearts change easily, but let us hold steadfast in good times and bad like a tree with strong roots. Let us stand strong, in solid ground, and never deviate from faith in Jesus.
In your great name I pray,
Amen.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Raising the Temple in Three Days (John 2:18-22)
Scripture reading:
18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Observations:
(1) Jesus claims, he delivers.
In the preceding verses, Jesus made a fairly significant claim. He said “How dare you turn my father’s house into a market.”
By referring to god as ‘my father,’ he was essentially claiming to be the son of god – a rather audacious claim. Accordingly, the response of the Jews, to demand a sign to prove his authority, is hardly surprising. Jesus was making a big claim.
They wanted to see proof of authority to make such a claim.
In response to this, Jesus made a big promise.
I feel that this promise was given for the benefit of the disciples, not for the purpose of immediately appeasing the Jews. It certainly was not what the Jews were expecting, or demanding. It is almost certain that many of the Jews would have been immediately satisfied by this response, particularly given that the promise was not fulfilled until several years later.
But the response was not made in the presence of Jews only. It was also made in the presence of the disciples, who were later to put their full trust and belief in him after the promise was fulfilled. It was them who saw the fulfillment of the promise.
Regardless of whoever the promise was primarily made for, the promise was fulfilled in completion. It may not have been fulfilled in the way expected by many, but it was fulfilled in completion. The body of Jesus, the temple of god, (see below) was raised three days after his death – exactly as promised.
Jesus promises, he delivers - a true sign of the pure integrity of our great lord.
(2) The church is not just a building.
What images enter your mind at the mention of the word ‘church?’
When I was a young kid, the word ‘church’ represented a place that I did not find particularly exciting. Sitting through long services with many old people was not much fun for a kid.
The common world view of the church relates to a building. The world see the church as a place that people (usually old) go to on a Sunday, as well as being where you go for baptisms, confirmations, marriages or funerals. They see it a place that you go to.
In the same way, the Jews at the time of Jesus saw the temple as a physical place.
Yes, it was a place of worship, but a physical place nonetheless.
Coming from this perspective, it was little wonder that the Jews could not understand the promise of Jesus. After all, a temple, in the literal sense, is a physical place. It’s where they went to worship god.
But Jesus was talking figuratively, not literally. Figuratively speaking, the body of Jesus Christ is the temple of god. Jesus, as part of the holy trinity, was god in the flesh – in the form of a man.
Therefore, the body of Christ was indeed the body of god.
Secondly, and most importantly, it was Christ’s body that was sacrificed on the cross and raised again. It was the body of Christ which took the entire punishment for the sin of man. Without this action, our relationship with Christ could not have been healed. Without this action, we not be reconciled to god, we would have no reason to worship god and physical temples would not serve a worthwhile purpose.
The body of Christ represents, in figurative terms, the true temple of god, the centerpiece of the kingdom of heaven.
Yes we go to physical buildings in order to worship. But the act of worship is not about buildings – it’s about Christ, and his death and resurrection. That’s what we celebrate. A temple is where we worship. Jesus is why we worship.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, I thank you that you didn’t stay dead on that cross, that the promise was fulfilled and you raised the holy temple of your own body.
Lord, we know we can have full confidence in your word. We know that you are a god of integrity, that when you promise that something will happen, it does.
Lord, we go to physical buildings to worship you. But let us not forget that the building is simply a venue, and what matters is why we worship, lord. And the reason why we worship is because of your great sacrifice on the cross – the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
That is why we are there, lord. It’s because of who you are. It’s because of your wonderful name.
It’s because of the amazing justice and love that you showed for us on the cross.
And in that, lord, we can only look at you in awe of your greatness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Observations:
(1) Jesus claims, he delivers.
In the preceding verses, Jesus made a fairly significant claim. He said “How dare you turn my father’s house into a market.”
By referring to god as ‘my father,’ he was essentially claiming to be the son of god – a rather audacious claim. Accordingly, the response of the Jews, to demand a sign to prove his authority, is hardly surprising. Jesus was making a big claim.
They wanted to see proof of authority to make such a claim.
In response to this, Jesus made a big promise.
I feel that this promise was given for the benefit of the disciples, not for the purpose of immediately appeasing the Jews. It certainly was not what the Jews were expecting, or demanding. It is almost certain that many of the Jews would have been immediately satisfied by this response, particularly given that the promise was not fulfilled until several years later.
But the response was not made in the presence of Jews only. It was also made in the presence of the disciples, who were later to put their full trust and belief in him after the promise was fulfilled. It was them who saw the fulfillment of the promise.
Regardless of whoever the promise was primarily made for, the promise was fulfilled in completion. It may not have been fulfilled in the way expected by many, but it was fulfilled in completion. The body of Jesus, the temple of god, (see below) was raised three days after his death – exactly as promised.
Jesus promises, he delivers - a true sign of the pure integrity of our great lord.
(2) The church is not just a building.
What images enter your mind at the mention of the word ‘church?’
When I was a young kid, the word ‘church’ represented a place that I did not find particularly exciting. Sitting through long services with many old people was not much fun for a kid.
The common world view of the church relates to a building. The world see the church as a place that people (usually old) go to on a Sunday, as well as being where you go for baptisms, confirmations, marriages or funerals. They see it a place that you go to.
In the same way, the Jews at the time of Jesus saw the temple as a physical place.
Yes, it was a place of worship, but a physical place nonetheless.
Coming from this perspective, it was little wonder that the Jews could not understand the promise of Jesus. After all, a temple, in the literal sense, is a physical place. It’s where they went to worship god.
But Jesus was talking figuratively, not literally. Figuratively speaking, the body of Jesus Christ is the temple of god. Jesus, as part of the holy trinity, was god in the flesh – in the form of a man.
Therefore, the body of Christ was indeed the body of god.
Secondly, and most importantly, it was Christ’s body that was sacrificed on the cross and raised again. It was the body of Christ which took the entire punishment for the sin of man. Without this action, our relationship with Christ could not have been healed. Without this action, we not be reconciled to god, we would have no reason to worship god and physical temples would not serve a worthwhile purpose.
The body of Christ represents, in figurative terms, the true temple of god, the centerpiece of the kingdom of heaven.
Yes we go to physical buildings in order to worship. But the act of worship is not about buildings – it’s about Christ, and his death and resurrection. That’s what we celebrate. A temple is where we worship. Jesus is why we worship.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, I thank you that you didn’t stay dead on that cross, that the promise was fulfilled and you raised the holy temple of your own body.
Lord, we know we can have full confidence in your word. We know that you are a god of integrity, that when you promise that something will happen, it does.
Lord, we go to physical buildings to worship you. But let us not forget that the building is simply a venue, and what matters is why we worship, lord. And the reason why we worship is because of your great sacrifice on the cross – the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
That is why we are there, lord. It’s because of who you are. It’s because of your wonderful name.
It’s because of the amazing justice and love that you showed for us on the cross.
And in that, lord, we can only look at you in awe of your greatness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Profiting from the kingdom of god? (John 2:12-17)
Scripture reading:
12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."
Background:
For those who are unaware, a little background into the concept of a ‘Passover’ may help in understanding this passage.
The ‘Passover’ feast originated during the time of Moses. Shortly before leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, god had inflicted a range of plagues on the Egyptians. During the final such plague, god struck down and killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household.
Israelite households were spared these calamities. On the night in question the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb. The doors on their households were to be marked with the blood.
In addition, they were to roast and eat the lamb for supper.
The blood on the doorway distinguished Israelite households from the Egyptians.
Egyptian households bore the full force of the plague, but Israelite-marked households were spared any impact. The plague literally ‘passed over’ Israelite households in a completely discriminate fashion.
The Passover was a demonstration that god had set the Israelites apart. They were chosen to be his people – part of the kingdom of god – separate from the Egyptians.
Subsequently, according to the lord’s decree, a Passover feast was to be celebrated by the Israelites as a lasting ordinance. At such feasts, the Israelites were required to bring an animal, which was to be sacrificed (killed) in honor of the lord’s act of mercy at the original Passover.
Observations:
I think there are three key observations that we can make:
(1) God must not be used for profit.
When the time for the festival came, the Israelites needed animals for sacrifice in order to correctly fulfill the requirements of the celebration (refer ‘background’ above). Accordingly, those who did not have a suitable animal had no choice but to purchase one.
This created a market for traders who, with little care about the meaning of the festival, were able to exploit the needs of god’s chosen people for their own profit.
This practice was an insult to god, as are all forms of viewing Christianity as a means to profit.
I am not saying here that Christians should never gain financially from service to the god’s kingdom. Pastors, church leaders or others who work in a church related role are entitled to have their material needs met.
The key factor here is motivation. In the case of those who work in church related roles, their primary motivation (usually) is furthering the kingdom of the lord. There is no problem with them receiving some form of financial reward. God looks into their hearts. If their hearts are set on honoring the kingdom of heaven, then he will be pleased.
Nor is it a problem for business to profit from religion in cases where such a profit is merely incidental to their regular business operations. For example, there is nothing wrong with a book publisher who profits from the sale of Christian books in addition to other books.
What is a problem, however, is the practice of viewing god simply as a means of profit, as in the case of the traders above. They did not care about the Passover festival, or about what its meaning. They cared only about the prospect of financial gain.
The disgust of Jesus demonstrates how god feels about such practices.
Men led by Satan ask how they can profit from the lord. Men led by the lord ask how they can serve, honor and glorify their magnificent creator.
(2) Jesus is not just a gentleman often imagined.
When you picture Jesus, how do you imagine him? What images spring to your mind?
Before I came to Christ, the image I used to have was that of a kind, serving gentleman - a good man, who would never hurt a fly. I pictured Jesus as being gentle and caring – always peaceful, never aggressive. A truly nice guy.
That picture is partially misleading.
True, Jesus had a pure servant heart. He was caring and he was a gentleman. But he was not always simply a ‘nice guy.’ He did not beat around the bush, nor was he afraid to rock the boat.
Jesus did not politely ask the men to kindly fold up their tables. He flew into a rage, and left no doubt whatsoever that their actions were completely unacceptable.
An interesting parallel may be drawn with the actions of god the father. The original Passover came about because the Egyptians persecuted the Israelites. God the father responded with a brutal act of destruction.
At this particular Passover festival, the sellers were exploiting god’s people. Jesus the son did not responded with an act of brutality. Not destruction, this time – but brutality none the less.
This demonstrates an important point about god’s character – he does not tolerate acts against himself or his people.
To be sure, god is full of mercy. He provided his son as a sacrifice for our sins.
But, for those who mock, exploit or persecute god or his people, his patience will run out.
And you don’t want to be on his wrong side when that happens.
(3) Jesus has extreme passion for the house of god.
The last part of the passage reads “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Why did Jesus fly into a rage? What was it about this action in particular which set Jesus off?
The response of Jesus demonstrates his pure passion for the house of god. Jesus is part of the holy trinity. As such, the kingdom of god is like his family home or household. It’s his home. It’s where he belongs – a sacred place. There is nothing he cares about more.
It is worth noting here that the house of god is not a physical building on earth. Maybe, there is a physical house in heaven, I don’t know. But the ‘house’ of god here refers to the kingdom of god, which in a spiritual sense, consists of the holy trinity and all of god’s chosen people.
When the traders used the festival for profit, figuratively speaking, they ransacked its entire meaning. It was like vandals coming in and destroying a holy place.The magnitude of Jesus response shows just how much the house of god means to him.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us never view any part of you or your kingdom as a source of profit.
The day we see your kingdom as a means for profit, is the day we insult you. Your kingdom is so much more. Your kingdom is about life – it is the source of life.
Let us serve and honor you and only you. Let our hearts be set only upon your kingdom. Rather than devising profit schemes, let us meditate upon your great mercy - the mercy in which you have shown fully to us through the death of your son on the cross.
Lord, you show us a great example of your passion for your kingdom. Let us worship your great kingdom with reverence. Let us love the great kingdom you have created.
And let us worship and adore you who made that great kingdom.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."
Background:
For those who are unaware, a little background into the concept of a ‘Passover’ may help in understanding this passage.
The ‘Passover’ feast originated during the time of Moses. Shortly before leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, god had inflicted a range of plagues on the Egyptians. During the final such plague, god struck down and killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household.
Israelite households were spared these calamities. On the night in question the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb. The doors on their households were to be marked with the blood.
In addition, they were to roast and eat the lamb for supper.
The blood on the doorway distinguished Israelite households from the Egyptians.
Egyptian households bore the full force of the plague, but Israelite-marked households were spared any impact. The plague literally ‘passed over’ Israelite households in a completely discriminate fashion.
The Passover was a demonstration that god had set the Israelites apart. They were chosen to be his people – part of the kingdom of god – separate from the Egyptians.
Subsequently, according to the lord’s decree, a Passover feast was to be celebrated by the Israelites as a lasting ordinance. At such feasts, the Israelites were required to bring an animal, which was to be sacrificed (killed) in honor of the lord’s act of mercy at the original Passover.
Observations:
I think there are three key observations that we can make:
(1) God must not be used for profit.
When the time for the festival came, the Israelites needed animals for sacrifice in order to correctly fulfill the requirements of the celebration (refer ‘background’ above). Accordingly, those who did not have a suitable animal had no choice but to purchase one.
This created a market for traders who, with little care about the meaning of the festival, were able to exploit the needs of god’s chosen people for their own profit.
This practice was an insult to god, as are all forms of viewing Christianity as a means to profit.
I am not saying here that Christians should never gain financially from service to the god’s kingdom. Pastors, church leaders or others who work in a church related role are entitled to have their material needs met.
The key factor here is motivation. In the case of those who work in church related roles, their primary motivation (usually) is furthering the kingdom of the lord. There is no problem with them receiving some form of financial reward. God looks into their hearts. If their hearts are set on honoring the kingdom of heaven, then he will be pleased.
Nor is it a problem for business to profit from religion in cases where such a profit is merely incidental to their regular business operations. For example, there is nothing wrong with a book publisher who profits from the sale of Christian books in addition to other books.
What is a problem, however, is the practice of viewing god simply as a means of profit, as in the case of the traders above. They did not care about the Passover festival, or about what its meaning. They cared only about the prospect of financial gain.
The disgust of Jesus demonstrates how god feels about such practices.
Men led by Satan ask how they can profit from the lord. Men led by the lord ask how they can serve, honor and glorify their magnificent creator.
(2) Jesus is not just a gentleman often imagined.
When you picture Jesus, how do you imagine him? What images spring to your mind?
Before I came to Christ, the image I used to have was that of a kind, serving gentleman - a good man, who would never hurt a fly. I pictured Jesus as being gentle and caring – always peaceful, never aggressive. A truly nice guy.
That picture is partially misleading.
True, Jesus had a pure servant heart. He was caring and he was a gentleman. But he was not always simply a ‘nice guy.’ He did not beat around the bush, nor was he afraid to rock the boat.
Jesus did not politely ask the men to kindly fold up their tables. He flew into a rage, and left no doubt whatsoever that their actions were completely unacceptable.
An interesting parallel may be drawn with the actions of god the father. The original Passover came about because the Egyptians persecuted the Israelites. God the father responded with a brutal act of destruction.
At this particular Passover festival, the sellers were exploiting god’s people. Jesus the son did not responded with an act of brutality. Not destruction, this time – but brutality none the less.
This demonstrates an important point about god’s character – he does not tolerate acts against himself or his people.
To be sure, god is full of mercy. He provided his son as a sacrifice for our sins.
But, for those who mock, exploit or persecute god or his people, his patience will run out.
And you don’t want to be on his wrong side when that happens.
(3) Jesus has extreme passion for the house of god.
The last part of the passage reads “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Why did Jesus fly into a rage? What was it about this action in particular which set Jesus off?
The response of Jesus demonstrates his pure passion for the house of god. Jesus is part of the holy trinity. As such, the kingdom of god is like his family home or household. It’s his home. It’s where he belongs – a sacred place. There is nothing he cares about more.
It is worth noting here that the house of god is not a physical building on earth. Maybe, there is a physical house in heaven, I don’t know. But the ‘house’ of god here refers to the kingdom of god, which in a spiritual sense, consists of the holy trinity and all of god’s chosen people.
When the traders used the festival for profit, figuratively speaking, they ransacked its entire meaning. It was like vandals coming in and destroying a holy place.The magnitude of Jesus response shows just how much the house of god means to him.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us never view any part of you or your kingdom as a source of profit.
The day we see your kingdom as a means for profit, is the day we insult you. Your kingdom is so much more. Your kingdom is about life – it is the source of life.
Let us serve and honor you and only you. Let our hearts be set only upon your kingdom. Rather than devising profit schemes, let us meditate upon your great mercy - the mercy in which you have shown fully to us through the death of your son on the cross.
Lord, you show us a great example of your passion for your kingdom. Let us worship your great kingdom with reverence. Let us love the great kingdom you have created.
And let us worship and adore you who made that great kingdom.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The first miracle (John 2:1-11)
Scripture reading:
(1) On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, (2) and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. (3) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him “They have no more wine.”
(4) Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
(5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(6) Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
(7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
(8) Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, (9) and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside (10) and said “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.”
(11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Observations:
(1) Jesus lived the way he promised.
Back in John 1:50-51, we saw Jesus put his reputation on the line by promising Nathanael that he would see great miracles.
In this passage, Jesus commences action upon his promise. The act – turning water into wine – was the first of many miracles Jesus performed. In doing so, he started delivering on what he had promised to Nathanael.
This is just one of many examples throughout the bible which attests to both the character of Jesus the son and that of god the father – he doesn’t make bold promises lightly – what he says he will do – he does.
(2) God is not a ‘kill joy.’
A common perception of god in the world is that he is a kill joy. Some have the idea that being a Christian means locking yourself away in a cupboard and never enjoying the fruits of life – something like what we see in the movie “Flowers in the Attic.”
This is a misconception. To be sure, Christians are called to abstain from certain activities, such as sexual promiscuity or alcohol abuse. But at the same time, god created many wonderful things for us to celebrate and enjoy.
The gift of marriage is one such wonderful occasion. Far from abstaining from the celebration, we see that Jesus joined in. Not only did he personally join in, but when tragedy almost struck and the wine ran out, Jesus saved the day and allowed the celebration to continue.
God has given us many wonderful things in life to celebrate and enjoy. We should not hold back in enjoying the lord’s great gifts, but should take an attitude of enormous gratitude to our maker.
(3) Sensible enjoyment of alcohol is Ok.
This is not the main point of the passage and I do not wish to labor upon this point.
Some Christians abstain from alcohol by choice, others believe that drinking alcohol is a sin.
However, we can clearly see here that god is not opposed to enjoyment of alcohol per see. We see here Jesus turning water into wine. Later we see Jesus giving wine to his disciples during their final feast together.
It seems clear to me that sensible enjoyment of wine is OK. Abuse of alcohol, or getting drunk, is not behavior which honors the gospel. But sensible enjoyment is not a problem.
(4) Jesus does not refer to Mary as his mother. (v4)
The manner in which Jesus addresses Mary in this case demonstrates not only an important aspect of the relationship between Jesus and Mary, but also of the character of Jesus himself.
Jesus addresses Mary as “Dear woman,” – not as his mother.
Why didn’t Jesus address Mary as his mother? I believe the reason for this is that from a spiritual viewpoint, Jesus had no mother, nor did he need one.
John chapter 1 describes how Jesus, from a spiritual viewpoint, has always existed. The existence of Jesus in physical form commenced after he was born to the virgin Mary. However, the spiritual existence of Jesus had no commencement.
Physically, he was born to Mary. Spiritually, he has always existed.
For this reason, from a spiritual viewpoint, he had no mother. Nor did he need one.
It should be noted, however, that whist the manner which Jesus adopts toward Mary does not indicate an intimate relationship, nor does it indicate rudeness or disrespect. According to one of my former pastors in Australia, the expression “Dear woman,” was not, in this context, a patronizing expression.
Jesus did not address Mary as his mother, but nor does he address her in an insulting manner.
(6) God does not act according to our time schedule.
Not only does Jesus not address Mary as mother, but he also made it clear that he would reveal his glory when the time was right, and not when Mary asked.
In this case, Jesus performed the miracle nevertheless. But he also made it clear that neither the problems faced by the wedding party, or Mary’s wishes, would dictate when the time was right for him to reveal his glory.
Often times, we think feel that god should do what we want and act according to our plans and schedules. Perhaps this is a product of the consumer oriented societies of the western world - where we are encouraged to think of ourselves, as individual consumers, as being the centre of the world.
But god will not simply conform to our desires. He is the creator of the world, we are his creation.
We are accountable to him, not the other way around. He will carry out everything according to his perfect plan in his own time. Sometimes, this will conform neatly into what works conveniently for us. Other times, it will not.
But he does things according to his plan and schedule, not ours.
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you that you fulfill your promises.
When I look at your word, it reveals a maker who does not make empty promises, but rather a maker who can be totally and completely trusted.
Lord, I thank you that you gave us many wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy. The gift of marriage, where you join two people in lifetime partnership, is simply a marvelous gift.
Lord, so many times, we think you should do things our way and conform to our plans and schedules. Remind us in those times, Lord, that we are under your authority, not the other way around. Humble our hearts to accept your plans.
In these things I pray. In your great name.
Amen
(1) On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, (2) and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. (3) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him “They have no more wine.”
(4) Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
(5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(6) Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
(7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
(8) Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, (9) and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside (10) and said “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.”
(11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Observations:
(1) Jesus lived the way he promised.
Back in John 1:50-51, we saw Jesus put his reputation on the line by promising Nathanael that he would see great miracles.
In this passage, Jesus commences action upon his promise. The act – turning water into wine – was the first of many miracles Jesus performed. In doing so, he started delivering on what he had promised to Nathanael.
This is just one of many examples throughout the bible which attests to both the character of Jesus the son and that of god the father – he doesn’t make bold promises lightly – what he says he will do – he does.
(2) God is not a ‘kill joy.’
A common perception of god in the world is that he is a kill joy. Some have the idea that being a Christian means locking yourself away in a cupboard and never enjoying the fruits of life – something like what we see in the movie “Flowers in the Attic.”
This is a misconception. To be sure, Christians are called to abstain from certain activities, such as sexual promiscuity or alcohol abuse. But at the same time, god created many wonderful things for us to celebrate and enjoy.
The gift of marriage is one such wonderful occasion. Far from abstaining from the celebration, we see that Jesus joined in. Not only did he personally join in, but when tragedy almost struck and the wine ran out, Jesus saved the day and allowed the celebration to continue.
God has given us many wonderful things in life to celebrate and enjoy. We should not hold back in enjoying the lord’s great gifts, but should take an attitude of enormous gratitude to our maker.
(3) Sensible enjoyment of alcohol is Ok.
This is not the main point of the passage and I do not wish to labor upon this point.
Some Christians abstain from alcohol by choice, others believe that drinking alcohol is a sin.
However, we can clearly see here that god is not opposed to enjoyment of alcohol per see. We see here Jesus turning water into wine. Later we see Jesus giving wine to his disciples during their final feast together.
It seems clear to me that sensible enjoyment of wine is OK. Abuse of alcohol, or getting drunk, is not behavior which honors the gospel. But sensible enjoyment is not a problem.
(4) Jesus does not refer to Mary as his mother. (v4)
The manner in which Jesus addresses Mary in this case demonstrates not only an important aspect of the relationship between Jesus and Mary, but also of the character of Jesus himself.
Jesus addresses Mary as “Dear woman,” – not as his mother.
Why didn’t Jesus address Mary as his mother? I believe the reason for this is that from a spiritual viewpoint, Jesus had no mother, nor did he need one.
John chapter 1 describes how Jesus, from a spiritual viewpoint, has always existed. The existence of Jesus in physical form commenced after he was born to the virgin Mary. However, the spiritual existence of Jesus had no commencement.
Physically, he was born to Mary. Spiritually, he has always existed.
For this reason, from a spiritual viewpoint, he had no mother. Nor did he need one.
It should be noted, however, that whist the manner which Jesus adopts toward Mary does not indicate an intimate relationship, nor does it indicate rudeness or disrespect. According to one of my former pastors in Australia, the expression “Dear woman,” was not, in this context, a patronizing expression.
Jesus did not address Mary as his mother, but nor does he address her in an insulting manner.
(6) God does not act according to our time schedule.
Not only does Jesus not address Mary as mother, but he also made it clear that he would reveal his glory when the time was right, and not when Mary asked.
In this case, Jesus performed the miracle nevertheless. But he also made it clear that neither the problems faced by the wedding party, or Mary’s wishes, would dictate when the time was right for him to reveal his glory.
Often times, we think feel that god should do what we want and act according to our plans and schedules. Perhaps this is a product of the consumer oriented societies of the western world - where we are encouraged to think of ourselves, as individual consumers, as being the centre of the world.
But god will not simply conform to our desires. He is the creator of the world, we are his creation.
We are accountable to him, not the other way around. He will carry out everything according to his perfect plan in his own time. Sometimes, this will conform neatly into what works conveniently for us. Other times, it will not.
But he does things according to his plan and schedule, not ours.
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you that you fulfill your promises.
When I look at your word, it reveals a maker who does not make empty promises, but rather a maker who can be totally and completely trusted.
Lord, I thank you that you gave us many wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy. The gift of marriage, where you join two people in lifetime partnership, is simply a marvelous gift.
Lord, so many times, we think you should do things our way and conform to our plans and schedules. Remind us in those times, Lord, that we are under your authority, not the other way around. Humble our hearts to accept your plans.
In these things I pray. In your great name.
Amen
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Jesus knows who you are (John 1:43-50)
Scripture reading:
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Observations:
(1) God is not always who we expect.
I personally became a Christian and put my faith in Christ nine years ago.
However, I have often found that I have held ideas about god which I later found to be completely unsubstantiated by what the bible says.
Our natural tendency is to view god as how we think he should be – not how the bible says that he is. It can be difficult to cast aside pre-conceived notions about how we think the lord should be like and how we think he should act.
But god will not be confined to who we think that he should be. He acts the way he is.
We can see a good example here. Both Phillip and Nathanael had a were well-versed in the Old Testament – a fact that we can see from Philip’s reference to the law of Moses. Both were familiar with the concept of the messiah. Both had their own ideas about what the messiah should be like.
Nathanael’s idea was completely misplaced.We are not told what Nathanael expected. Perhaps, he expected the messiah to come in some form of grandeur and splendor. Maybe, he would descend from the clouds. At the very least, the messiah would come from a more dignified region or town.
Clearly, he did not expect the messiah to come from a modest region.
In Nathanael’s case, his pre-conceived notion of the messiah was blown apart by a physical encounter with Jesus. But I think we can learn an important lesson. Too often, we approach god with pre-conceived notions. This could lead to disappointment when god does not do what we think that he ought to.
God will not simply do what we think he should do. He rules over us, not the other way around.
(2) God knows your name.
Have you ever felt small and insignificant? Ever felt that that huge guy in heaven is too big to care about us or any of our daily lives?
Good news – god does not view us that way. God cares enough to know everything there is to know about us.
In the previous passage (John 1:42), when Peter was bought before Jesus, Jesus looked straight at him and said “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras (which, when translated, is Peter).”
Jesus knew Peter by name. Not only that, he knew about Peter’s family background. Peter was not some unimportant part of the masses of unknown. He meant enough to Jesus that Jesus already knew him by name.
Moreover, consider verse 47, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Jesus already knew everything about his character, and confidently stated that there was nothing false about him.
That much, Jesus could not have known from simply being told by others. In order to be able to make that much of a statement about someone, you have to know their character inside out.
God is not distant. He does not consider us as unimportant. He knows each of us by name, family background and character. He knows everything that there is to know about us
(3) Jesus put his reputation on the line.
If someone came up and told you that you were going to see “heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man,” what would you think? Would you think those claims might be a little extravagant?
By promising this, Jesus was putting himself on the line. If he had delivered something less, his credibility would have been shot to pieces and he would have been exposed as a fake. He could not, after making such elaborate promises, afford to come up short.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord I thank you that you are not distant. You do not sit up in heaven and take no interest in our lives. You are not some distant creator who doesn’t really know us.
You know us by name. You know what is happening in each of our lives.
Lord, so many times, we see you as we think you should be, not as your great word says that you are. Lord, help open our hearts and minds to learning more about your character. Let us dwell upon your great character every day.
Lord, you made great promises about what you would do through your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you lord, that throughout his life, your son fulfilled what was promised and your glory was on full display for us to see.
In these things, I pray and thank you for.
Amen.
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Observations:
(1) God is not always who we expect.
I personally became a Christian and put my faith in Christ nine years ago.
However, I have often found that I have held ideas about god which I later found to be completely unsubstantiated by what the bible says.
Our natural tendency is to view god as how we think he should be – not how the bible says that he is. It can be difficult to cast aside pre-conceived notions about how we think the lord should be like and how we think he should act.
But god will not be confined to who we think that he should be. He acts the way he is.
We can see a good example here. Both Phillip and Nathanael had a were well-versed in the Old Testament – a fact that we can see from Philip’s reference to the law of Moses. Both were familiar with the concept of the messiah. Both had their own ideas about what the messiah should be like.
Nathanael’s idea was completely misplaced.We are not told what Nathanael expected. Perhaps, he expected the messiah to come in some form of grandeur and splendor. Maybe, he would descend from the clouds. At the very least, the messiah would come from a more dignified region or town.
Clearly, he did not expect the messiah to come from a modest region.
In Nathanael’s case, his pre-conceived notion of the messiah was blown apart by a physical encounter with Jesus. But I think we can learn an important lesson. Too often, we approach god with pre-conceived notions. This could lead to disappointment when god does not do what we think that he ought to.
God will not simply do what we think he should do. He rules over us, not the other way around.
(2) God knows your name.
Have you ever felt small and insignificant? Ever felt that that huge guy in heaven is too big to care about us or any of our daily lives?
Good news – god does not view us that way. God cares enough to know everything there is to know about us.
In the previous passage (John 1:42), when Peter was bought before Jesus, Jesus looked straight at him and said “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras (which, when translated, is Peter).”
Jesus knew Peter by name. Not only that, he knew about Peter’s family background. Peter was not some unimportant part of the masses of unknown. He meant enough to Jesus that Jesus already knew him by name.
Moreover, consider verse 47, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Jesus already knew everything about his character, and confidently stated that there was nothing false about him.
That much, Jesus could not have known from simply being told by others. In order to be able to make that much of a statement about someone, you have to know their character inside out.
God is not distant. He does not consider us as unimportant. He knows each of us by name, family background and character. He knows everything that there is to know about us
(3) Jesus put his reputation on the line.
If someone came up and told you that you were going to see “heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man,” what would you think? Would you think those claims might be a little extravagant?
By promising this, Jesus was putting himself on the line. If he had delivered something less, his credibility would have been shot to pieces and he would have been exposed as a fake. He could not, after making such elaborate promises, afford to come up short.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord I thank you that you are not distant. You do not sit up in heaven and take no interest in our lives. You are not some distant creator who doesn’t really know us.
You know us by name. You know what is happening in each of our lives.
Lord, so many times, we see you as we think you should be, not as your great word says that you are. Lord, help open our hearts and minds to learning more about your character. Let us dwell upon your great character every day.
Lord, you made great promises about what you would do through your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you lord, that throughout his life, your son fulfilled what was promised and your glory was on full display for us to see.
In these things, I pray and thank you for.
Amen.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Boldness and Humility (John 1:19-28)
Scripture reading:
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
