Something to be Thankful for

I pray that this day of thanks is filled with reminders of blessings and renewal of relationships.  Today I was blessed far beyond our celebratory meal and outstanding fellowship.  Today I read a document entitled the "Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience."  I've written much in the past about the meaning and effect of a Christian worldview.  The Manhattan Declaration demonstrates what can happen when your mind, your heart, is gripped by Christianity as the explanation of reality, as a worldview.  It will burst out of our personal sanctuaries and blow the doors of our corporate sanctuaries.  It will cause the Kingdom of God ooze, flow, splatter, and spray over our world - reclaiming territory for King Jesus, putting things back to the way their supposed to be.  Below you'll find the preamble to the Manhattan Declaration which briefly documents the profound preserving and advancing influence of Christianity on western culture.  This is much more than a profession of Christian ideas.  In this act of declaration Catholic, Orthodox, and Evangelical Christians have joined together out of a common understanding of what is really real and how that understanding ought to be lived out by real believers.  I urge you to read the complete document and if it agrees with your convictions about the way things ought to be, to sign it and pass it on.

Christians are heirs of a 2,000-year tradition of proclaiming God’s word, seeking justice in our societies, resisting tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering.

While fully acknowledging the imperfections and shortcomings of Christian institutions and communities in all ages, we claim the heritage of those Christians who defended innocent life by rescuing discarded babies from trash heaps in Roman cities and publicly denouncing the Empire’s sanctioning of infanticide. We remember with reverence those believers who sacrificed their lives by remaining in Roman cities to tend the sick and dying during the plagues, and who died bravely in the coliseums rather than deny their Lord.

After the barbarian tribes overran Europe, Christian monasteries preserved not only the Bible but also the literature and art of Western culture. It was Christians who combated the evil of slavery: Papal edicts in the 16th and 17th centuries decried the practice of slavery and first excommunicated anyone involved in the slave trade; evangelical Christians in England, led by John Wesley and William Wilberforce, put an end to the slave trade in that country. Christians under Wilberforce’s leadership also formed hundreds of societies for helping the poor, the imprisoned, and child laborers chained to machines.

In Europe, Christians challenged the divine claims of kings and successfully fought to establish the rule of law and balance of governmental powers, which made modern democracy possible. And in America, Christian women stood at the vanguard of the suffrage movement. The great civil rights crusades of the 1950s and 60s were led by Christians claiming the Scriptures and asserting the glory of the image of God in every human being regardless of race, religion, age or class.

This same devotion to human dignity has led Christians in the last decade to work to end the dehumanizing scourge of human trafficking and sexual slavery, bring compassionate care to AIDS sufferers in Africa, and assist in a myriad of other human rights causes – from providing clean water in developing nations to providing homes for tens of thousands of children orphaned by war, disease and gender discrimination.

Like those who have gone before us in the faith, Christians today are called to proclaim the Gospel of costly grace, to protect the intrinsic dignity of the human person and to stand for the common good. In being true to its own calling, the call to discipleship, the church through service to others can make a profound contribution to the public good.

The End of the Sermon

Jesus' model prayer next moves from our immediate physical needs to the sustenance of the inner man. Forgive us as we have forgiven others. Though each member of the Father’s family has received forgiveness in the fullest sense so that none will answer in final judgment for his or her sin, the matter does not end there. We have begun a relationship with the Father but we have not fully rid ourselves of the old man, the rebellious man, the self-directed man. We each know that more regularly than we would like, we turn our backs on the Father and go our own ways. It may only happen for a moment, but in that moment relationship becomes broken. Forgiveness paves the way to restoration. But Jesus describes this forgiveness in a particular way – not just any forgiveness, but forgiveness that mirrors that which we extend to others. You can hear the echo of another portion of the Sermon. “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

Jesus does not suggest that we can earn our forgiveness by forgiving others. No, the New Testament clearly states over and over that we, in fact, cannot earn forgiveness. Instead, Jesus points to the primacy of relationships in God’s kingdom. Remember back to when Jesus redefined murder to include something deeper than the physical act. At the end of the discussion, He emphasized the restoration of relationships – if I’m engaged in what a first century Jew considered his highest duty, ritual worship, and discovered that a brother had something against me, I ought to set aside my worship, go to my brother and restore our relationship. “God does not work by halves. He will not allow us to come to Him confessing half a sin while hanging on to the other half. It must be all or nothing. Thus if we confess our sin, our confession must of necessity involve a forgiving attitude towards others.” By asking God to forgive us as we have forgiven others, we impliedly ask God to assist us in forgiving others. For, without that the restorative act of forgiveness towards others, we cannot effectively seek the forgiveness of God we so desperately need.

Finally, we hear the call of our daily battle: lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. The term “temptation” is a neutral word, sometimes meaning to lure one into sin and other times to test or try a person. James makes it clear that God does not lure anyone into sin. “When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. “ That leaves only one option to clarify this phrase in the prayer: do not lead us into trials. If possible, keep me away from the places where I might be tested. But if tested, deliver me from the evil one, keep me from sin. I do not want to experience testing, but I might need it.

Several biblical principles help us navigate the shoals here. First, though unpleasant, testing has its place. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” And, finally, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Testing will help form us into the people God intends by forcing us to face the weak points where we have yet to surrender to Christ’s authority. It will provide us a history of God’s work in our lives which builds our faith into an absolute expectation. God will use even those events intended by others for the worst outcomes toward us to our good, bringing towards our inheritance one step at a time. And Finally, God will never allow the testing to go beyond the resource He provides and our ability to grasp it. He will always, always provide a way of escape.

Just after the prayer Jesus talks about our treasure, a fitting commentary on the jump from petition for bread to meet our temporal needs and the request to receive forgiveness and avoid temptations to satisfy our souls. He’s already told us not to worry about our material needs, but here He goes beyond our needs to those things we hold dear, to our treasure. What kinds of treasure do we have – horded earthy things, wealth, power, and status, or the eternal treasure of refined character, wisdom, powerful faith, and God-like love? Jesus makes it clear, we can’t have both – we’ll either “hate the one and love the other,” or “be devoted to the one and despise the other.” In the end, like metal detector beeps in the ear of a beach sand jewelry hound, our treasure will shout out the home of our hearts. They either rest in the hands of Jesus, a fitting gift for the One who turned them from stone to flesh, or we’ll have clutched them to ourselves where they slavishly serve our desires alone.

This brings us to the end of the Sermon and the final exam. We only have two options after hearing Jesus’ words: put them into practice, or not. The one who puts them into practice builds for herself a foundation that will not fail. Rain, rising water, nor beating wind can move the house built on the rock. Even if we must encounter temptation or trials, we can endure. We will have the strength to restore relationships and actively seek the good of others. Our kingdom lives will flavor the lives of those whom we touch and provide a Jesus beacon to a groping world. We will rid ourselves of contempt and lust and garnish our conversations with truth.

The other side of this canvas bears the portrait of a house built on sand. Rain, rising water, and beating wind will have their way with this house and will reduce it to a pile of rubble and bits of flotsam that disappear with the tide. This might occur through neglect or outright refusal, but the result remains the same. Can we witness any greater disaster than one who recognizes and responds to the salvation call of Jesus, yet fails to put His words into practice – one who has entered the kingdom gates but fails to put all into kingdom life?

Staying in the Kingdom

After instructing His disciples not to pray as the pagans do, mindlessly repeating the same words or phrases, hoping that repetition will have some effect, Jesus says, when you pray, pray like this:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Though he had an existential slant to his theology, Karl Barth was a deep theological thinker, prolific writer, and an ardent follower of Jesus. When this one who could fill a wheelbarrow with the books he’d written on theology was asked, how do sum up your theology, your view of God, responded “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I’ve heard this described as simplicity on the other side of complexity. For Karl Barth to quote the words to a child’s tune means much more than when sung by a first grade Sunday School class. For Barth, these simple words were jammed with a depth of meaning that many adults may never comprehend.

I think of Jesus’ words in the Lord’s Prayer in a way. Even a cursory glance at the Gospel of John leaves one with the conclusion that Jesus and the Father are one – knowing each other so intimately that to know one is to know the other. So when Jesus speaks these simple words, only 53 in total, they carry an exponential depth of meaning. They touch the tips of icebergs that we will rightfully spend a lifetime exploring.

Though we cannot treat them exhaustion here, a helicopter view of the portions that breach the surface will do us well. First, note that Jesus introduced the “Lord’s Prayer” with a warning – don’t pray like the heathens – which indicate He intended this as a pattern for prayer rather than a literal string of words for us to repeat. Even so, we often find it useful when praying corporately or individually to use these actual words, particularly when we begin to understand their full meaning. In that way, they become for us simplicity beyond complexity – common words with deep meaning.

The prayer begins first with God and then moves to us, setting the proper relationship and attitude for our own prayer. All but once (while hanging on the cross – “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” – Jesus addresses God as Father. The Jews would have heard this as something unique and new in matters spiritual. We commonly hear how the Jews would not even speak the name of God and as a result, we do not have an accurate pronunciation of His name YHWHW. In contrast, and in keeping with the announcement that the Kingdom of God is near, that new access to God has arrived, Jesus calls God “Father.” Even with such an intimate address, we must still hallow, or hold sacred, or sanctify, or set apart, the name of God. We must use it in consideration of who He is (He’s God and we’re not).
In the second of three phrases focusing on God, Jesus addresses the Kingdom – requesting that it come. Let’s think about that for a moment. What is a kingdom? In common terms a kingdom consists of all that comes under the power and authority of its king. A kingdom exists in the place where activity bends to the will of the king. Sitting in our world with His dicisples, Jesus says we ought to pray that here, were we live out our present lives, God’s kingdom might come. He instructs us to petition the Father to make His presence as King, the one to whom the subjects defer, known.

In the third God-focused phrase, Jesus enforces the idea of God’s kingdom coming now by instructing us to pray for His will to be done just as it is in heaven. In heaven He rules unopposed, without the rebellion of sin. Later on, we’ll discuss how this Kingdom or rule of God ought to extend to every arena of life and how Jesus, sitting at the right hand of God in His place as our King lays claim to every inch of human existence.

After setting the priorities – recognizing who is King, Jesus moves to four petitions that cover the entirety of human existence. First, our sustenance. This directive thrusts at the idea of complete reliance upon the Father for sustenance. It also indicates we ought to pray this way regularly and repeatedly, today for our daily bread. Two other sections of the Sermon flesh out the short phrase, “give us today our daily bread.”

Matthew 6:25-34 begins “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” And it continues “your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Rather than worry about our daily bread, we ought to come regularly to our Father, who knows that we need them, acknowledge our dependence upon Him and simply, reverently, and faithfully ask. If we ask, “it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.“ (Matthew 7:7-11). Still, what assurance do I have that God will really do what He says? "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?”

Warnings

Jesus’ warnings continue in Matthew chapter 7 – don’t judge, don’t throw valuable things to the pigs, avoid the wide road, and watch out for false prophets. Taken by itself, Matthew 7:1 appears to present a prohibition against judging. However, when we couple it with the illustration that follows something different emerges. The example ends with “first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye,” not “don’t look at the speck in your brother’s eye.” Jesus did not prohibit judging, but contemptible judging, the kind that disregards the common fallen condition of all mankind with its propensity for sin, including in us. This kind makes a determination on the value of the person judged and elevates the person judging in the process. Contemptible judging does not direct itself in any way toward the benefit of the one judged. Jesus says this kind of judging doesn’t belong in the kingdom.

What kind of judging does belong? Jesus’ example gives us a good start. First, it recognizes that the one passing judgment must guard against the infirmaries of his own flesh. He must begin with self-examination, removing the vision blocking element from his own eye before he attempts to assist his brother. Galatians 6:1-4 comes to mind. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.” This passage makes it clear that we judge for the purpose of restoration and we do it in a spirit of humility, understanding the well worn saying “there but for the grace of God go I.”

Within the body of Christ, we do not posses the made-up rights assumed in today’s world. However, outside the body, proper judging becomes impossible because we have lost a common standard. Each person retains the right to make their own rules, to live life the way they see fit. Imagine what that would look like in a criminal proceeding. The defendant (named Joe) enters the court and the judge reads the charges against him. When finished, Joe’s lawyer stands up with a fat book in hand and says “your honor, I have here the law according to Joe and the violations of law alleged by the state appear nowhere in Joe’s law. Therefore, you must release Joe immediately.” If Joe really does get to make up his own law, what choice would the court have? The judge must release Joe. In fact, we should call the court official something other than a judge for no judging could possible take place. Sadly, Joe becomes the loser in this story. He misses the opportunity to have his life formed closer to what God intended. Even if Joe does not respond to the prospect of an eternal relationship with Jesus, he would benefit from proper judging because it would encourage him to live his life based on the truth.

Commentators most commonly treat Jesus’ next warning as an instruction not to spend the gospel on those who have rejected it – not throwing the “pearls” of the gospel before the swine. If we view this verse from a few steps back, a fuller meaning emerges. We should not throw our pearls to swine not because they don’t deserver them, but because they have no use for them. Pigs primarily have a single goal: food. Pearls are no good for food. Let’s not force the pearls of the gospel on folks while they remain in a pigly state, one in which they have yet to understand the value of gospel pearls. Once they recognize the value, a transformation will occur. They become like the man who discovered a pearl of great price in a field and in his excitement, ran and purchased the field so he could possess the pearl.

I recently attended a graduation party for the daughter of some old friends. They live on a small road that connects to a much busier one and if I’ve missed the turn once, I’ve missed it twenty times. If I want to actually end up at my friends’ home, I have to work at it, paying attention to the where the turnoff is and make the turn. Jesus reminds us that like visiting my friends, we do not come to the kingdom by accident. Not at all. We must choose the path that leads to the kingdom and apply some effort. The path that misses the kingdom requires little effort. It has wide margins and will take any who come. The kingdom road, on the other hand, requires that we choose and act.

Finally, Jesus warns “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Alright, I’m watching. What should I look for? “By their fruit you will recognize them.” Grapes don’t come from thorn bushes and we don’t get figs from thistles. Only true prophets will bear kingdom fruit. And, what does kingdom fruit look like? It looks like what Jesus has described so far in the sermon. It runs deeper than the actions of a man. It comes from a heart which Jesus has transformed and it works itself out in action reflective of that transformation. Who should I listen to and who should I follow? Jesus has carefully laid out the pattern of a true prophet so we can discern his fruit. The rest is up to us.

Outside the Kingdom

In the next section of the sermon (Matthew chapter 6), Jesus dishes out some stern warnings. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them.” Jesus gives three examples of how the religious folk of the day missed the point of their practices. Rather than honoring God, they did little more than honor themselves. When they gave money to the poor, they sounded a trumpet. They wanted everyone to look up like we do today when we here a fire truck’s siren. They did their praying on street corners (and probably out loud). Finally, when fasting, they would put on a “gloomy face” and ignore their personal grooming. They were the first century equivalent of that co-worker who mopes around the office does everything in his power to entice you to ask “are you O.K.” so he can cut fifteen minutes off of your lifespan by telling you how horrible his life is. In each of these instances, giving, praying, and fasting, Jesus repeats a single conclusion. “Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

The ability to ignore God and go our own way gives significance to our choices. If I were not morally responsible for rejecting God, my choices would mean nothing. However, since I can reject God, choosing God becomes highly significant. God respects our choices whether for Him or against Him. To do otherwise would rob us of our freedom and ultimately destroy our personhood. Without the ability to choose in this manner, we could not claim to be the image a personal God.[1]

So, if I choose to use spiritual disciplines to gain the admiration of men, God will let me do so. However, that does not mean that He’ll agree to participate in my sham. Human admiration will become my prize, all I get, my “reward in full.” Giving away my money will just make me have less money. Praying will only exercise my vocal chords, and fasting will just make me hungry.

In true Jesus form, He doesn’t stop with highlighting the old way, life outside the kingdom. Jesus points it out and then goes on to explain what life in the kingdom will look like. First, we’ll practice spiritual disciplines for their intended purpose. They’ll become part of our partnership with God in working out our salvation. We’ll give to others because they have a need that pulls at our hearts. We’ll pray to build our relationship with God, to seek His involvement in our lives, and to exercise the authority He has given us. We’ll fast to remind ourselves of how the flesh constantly chatters about our physical needs and to attune ourselves to the voice of God. And, we’ll guard the sanctity of these practices by engaging them in secret, avoiding the possibility of abusing them.

[1] The point here is not to debate the meaning of the sovereignty of God. Whether we approach our decision for or against God from a perspective of (a) human will that though corrupt still retains the ability to choose God, or (b) a perspective of compete depravity that requires action from God before we can turn to him, or (c) something between these two views, Scripture is clear that we are morally responsible for a choice against God and He will judge us so.

You Have Heard it Said

Jesus continues his list of examples of kingdom life in Matthew chapter 5. Several things become very clear from this section. First, the Kingdom of God is more than skin deep. It’s a heart change starting on the inside and flowing out into how we live our lives in every arena. Second, relationships, not rules, make up the central concern of the Law. Jesus has not brought a new law, a new set of rules for us to follow. No, He has brought examples for us so that we understand what this new way of living looks like.

It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE'; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

In Marks’ Gospel, Jesus explains that Moses allowed the Israelites to issues certificates of divorce only because of the hardness of their hearts. Kingdom law presumes a heart of flesh over a heart of stone, a heart receptive to God’s call and His desires. The divorce practices of Jesus day had degenerated into the no fault divorce we find today, but with more devastating results. Today, divorced mothers often find themselves a part of an underclass of citizens. Unshared family responsibility coupled with, for a number of reasons, lower earning capacity makes single parenting for mothers a daunting task.

What if we added the exclusion and social stigma of first century Judaism to the mix? What if a woman had no property rights and a certificate of divorce might mean living on the street corner? Jesus theme continues by suggesting change that values wives as more than cooks and cleaning women. Such change requires men to break out of their hard heart prisons and decide to make decisions for the benefit of their wives, to love them as their selves.

Beyond the devastating effects of divorce in His day, I believe Jesus had another reason for characterizing the distinctives of Kingdom marriage. When asked by the Pharisees why His disciples did not fast they did, Jesus responded that the groom’s friends don’t fast while he remains with them, only after he leaves. He may not have pointed directly at His role as the groom of the church, but later portions of the New Testament make it clear that the Church is the bride of Christ and that marriage is more than convenient social arrangement. It presents a picture of the union of Jesus and the Church. In addition to providing the foundation of society throughout the ages, it provides us with a constant reminder of where history is going.

Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.' "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

It always annoys me when someone says “I’m going to be completely honest with you.” What? You haven’t been honest with up to this point? In order to rely on what you say, I need to wait for you to announce that the following words are the truth? That kind of approach to relationships makes growing them a little tough and it's similar to the place of oaths in Jesus’ time. They had become a means to emphasize that what one said equaled the truth. As noted above, that begs the question of when a person operates in truth mode and when not.

Most of us will probably read this passage and think to ourselves, “I’m truthful,” but let’s dig a little deeper. What do we mean by “truthful?” For example, if I want someone to do something for me, can I exclude facts in my request that I believe may cause them to refuse? Can I express my request with words that will technically communicate what I want, but could also communicate something much more favorable? Can I tell them everything, but emphasize the good parts and downplay the hard parts? Should my truth telling change depending upon my audience – say, my best friend versus the other party in a business negotiation?

Jesus presents a simple solution: integrity. Let you yes mean yes and your no mean no. Nothing added, nothing taken away. Only with integrity can we expect to build meaningful relationships with others and with Jesus. But, integrity will not happen by itself. We must have good soil to grow it in and we must cultivate it. Good soil is free of debris, and so we must clear out the relationship debris in our lives. If I engage in relationships to get something from someone else, that motive will challenge my ability to grow integrity. Rather than concerning myself with the needs of others, I will focus on what they have that will meet my needs and how I can get my hands on it. Integrity may or may not help me in that quest and thus I may or may not employ it. Even when sincere caring for others motivates my relationships, integrity will not automatically grow. I need to work at it, remind myself of its importance and consciously employ it.

Integrity does not demand that I tell everyone everything. Jesus Himself had degrees in His relationships which impacted what He shared. He shared with the disciples things He did not share with the crowds and Peter, James, and John experienced things with Jesus that the other disciples did not. However, Jesus did not withhold information that a person needed to in order to make a decision to follow Him. In legal terms, He did not withhold “material” information – the kind of information that if withheld, could change a person’s decision.

Integrity does not demand that I only express the truth in naked form. For example, I have a friend who faces very real integrity challenge. He knows the importance truthfulness in relationships, but always wants to spin his message to others. If that friend came to me an asked my help with his integrity issues, I would not lead with “wow, you’ve finally gotten to the point where you realize everyone thinks your working an angel every time you talk with them.” It’s true, and I might think it, but to say it would only harm my friend and his desire to deal with a significant personal problem. My love for him and my desire to make decisions for his benefit will temper my how I communicate the truth.

You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Jesus continues in this passage to say that if someone wants my shirt, I should give him my coat also, if someone asks me to walk one mile with him, walk two, and if someone wants to borrow from me, give freely. These few verses in particular seem to draw believers in the trap of new laws from Jesus. Some say we should never defend ourselves because Jesus requires us to turn the other cheek. Or, we ought to give our possessions, time, and money away regardless of our other obligations because Jesus taught so in this sermon. Remember, Jesus said the Law will remain intact. He came to fulfill the Law, not bring new ones.

Instead, these represent examples of life in the Kingdom of God. One who has kingdom life, whose heart Jesus has transformed will act differently. He will not demand his right to return a slap to a neighbor who has slapped him, or his right to his possessions in the face of one who needs help, or his right to use his time as he pleases when another intrudes, or his right to spend his money on whatever he chooses. God does not demand these things of us, but our changed hearts will compel us to act this way.

You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . .

You probably have the idea by now that the Law in the kingdom means much, much more than previously thought. This short statement and the verses following which explain further capture the flavor of this entire section of the sermon. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” If we live the same as everyone else, what does following Jesus matter? God intends something much different. He intends a transformation of our hearts that results in kingdom living, a lifestyle that stands out. It shines like a light on hill and people can’t miss it. It seasons an otherwise meaningless existence and draws in crowds for another taste.

The murmuring around the water cooler that comes to a halt when I walk up won’t consist of complaints about my overbearing religiousness. No, it will be stuffed with whispers about how I’ve changed. And, behind each of those comments by the folks I interact with will squirm a quiet nagging question, “how can I change like that?”

The Law and the Prophets

Through the end of chapter 5, Matthew addresses the Law of God as practiced with a guarantee and a new perspective. He’s going to reveal to His disciples that Kingdom life means a change in the heart that causes us to behave differently rather than external constraints on our actions to prevent us from committing sins we otherwise would. But first, He needs to address His relationship to the Law. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.[1] The Law and Prophets were major sections of the Scriptures given to mankind up to that point in history. Jesus was not bringing a new law, a new set of rules. He was not bringing new prophecy about God’s plan for His people. No, Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

Remember, the Kingdom of God is near in the person of Jesus. He will move Kingdom history forward in two ways. His life will fulfill the prophecies made of the Messiah throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. The Old Testament authors made nearly 300 statements about the Messiah in their writings over a span of 1,000 years. Jesus fulfilled each of these statements. Consider Psalm 22 penned by David which describes the crucifixion of Jesus, a method of execution not yet devised by men. The Psalm begins with the desperate cry “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Jesus’ very words as He hung on the cross. It continues to describe the onlookers at the crucifixion, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.” A few verses later “a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced [c] my hands and my feet.” And then “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” This particular prophecy stands out because it contains facts that many of us can recite from memory. A careful review the other hundreds of references to the Messiah in the Old Testament will reveal that Jesus satisfied each to the fullest.

Jesus also came to fulfill the Law which dealt in a multitude of ways with man’s relationship to God and how man ought to live life in that relationship. Jesus confirmed that the Law would not go away until each until everything was accomplished and that not following the law would have consequences in the Kingdom just as not following the law. Then He says something interesting. “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The law wasn’t going anywhere, but the keeping of the law had to be different than the present practice. What a teaser for the next section of the Sermon.

Jesus now makes six bold statements about the law and how living the law in the Kingdom is different than what the disciples were used to. In most cases, He follows the same pattern – “you have heard,” and the replies with “but I say.” He then goes on to describe in more detail what kingdom obedience to the law looks like in each example. Several things become very clear from this section. First, the Kingdom of God is more than skin deep. It’s a heart change starting on the inside and flowing out into how we live our lives in every arena. Second, relationships, not rules, make up the central concern of the Law. At other times, Jesus said this more plainly, summing the law up in two commands: love God with everything we have and love our neighbors, anyone whose life we touch, as ourselves. Finally, Jesus has not brought a new law, a new set of rules for us to follow. No, He has brought examples for us so that we understand what this new way of living looks like. Some examples have more universal application than others. Anger coupled with contempt has no place in the community of believers. However, we might not always walk the extra mile or give away our coats because there may be competing demands on us of equal moral strength. Let's examine the first two examples.

"You have heard that the ancients were told, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

Jesus expands the prohibition on murder far beyond the outline of a corpse on the pavement. Harboring anger and contempt, allowing them to color our thoughts and relationship actions as long as we avoid the act of murder will have a similar impact our hearts and our relationships with others as if we actually carried through with the act. In Jesus’ words, the one who is angry with his brother stands in the same place as one who has murdered, he is guilty before the court. The one who says to his brother you good-for-nothing or you fool has taken the offense even further, beyond the courts to condemnation. Why? Anger responds to encroachments on our self-determination, when someone or something prevents us from doing what we want or believe we have the right to do. It’s not a plan, but a response.

Contempt, on the other hand, takes some time, some careful thought. It strikes at the heart of its object’s personhood, considering them unworthy of any good thing. Personhood is the prime evidence of the image of God in humans. So by aiming at personhood, contempt casts aside the image of God that He carefully placed during the act of creating. The God-image of someone in the sights of a contemptuous person becomes no better than a scrap of trash, something to disregard or even discard. That is the real evil of contempt. It not only comes after God’s image in a person, but in doing so, it acts doubly to devalue God, whose image is at stake.

In both cases, anger or contempt, relationships become disrupted and sometimes destroyed. Out of concern for avoiding that result, Jesus provides another example. If my brother has something against me, I need to put my duties aside and make it right. He might have something against me because of anger or contempt in me or in himself. Either way, life in the new kingdom comes from the inside out and will express itself in restored relationships. On the other hand, when we respond in anger and fail to let go of it and instead embrace it, care for it, feed it, it will eventually grow up into contempt.

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

In the same way merely avoiding murder does not guaranty healthy relationships with others, avoiding the act of adultery does not guarantee that my relationship with another in the realm of sexuality is as it should be. Here, we can trace the lines of anger and contempt to see why looking at another for the purpose of lust can harm us in ways similar to adultery. While the anger-contempt combo treat a person as good for nothing, lust treats a person as good for a single, limited purpose. Lust also attacks personhood because its interest stops with the physical form and the watcher’s fantasy. For the married, the lustful thoughts breach the marriage covenant and for the single, crosses over in fornication. For both, these thoughts objectify and separate. They make good relationship with the object impossible. All but the hardest or bound hearts cannot at the same contemplate God’s image planted in another and lust at the same time. Since these two thoughts mutually exclude one another, lust will always drive out our ability to perceive personhood, value, and God’s image in another.

[1] Matthew 5:17a.

A Kingdom for the Haves

The kingdom is near for all, both the "have nots" and the "haves." It's not only for poor in spirit, mourning, meek, or hungering, but for those who show mercy, the pure in heart, and peacemakers. None will argue that a follower of Jesus should not pursue each of these qualities. Indeed, Jesus promises them wonderful kingdom treasures. They will receive mercy, they will see God, and they will be called sons of God. Entry into the kingdom does not require some certain level of loss or reprobation. John the Baptist’s call to repent because the kingdom is near reaches to both banks of the Jordan River and none are excluded. Jesus welcomes those who have successfully pursued God and those who have miserably failed. Likewise, entry into the kingdom also does not require that reach a certain level of righteousness. The point is more that neither my failures nor my successes make me eligible to enter the kingdom and for that reason, the kingdom opens itself to all. Only work of Jesus in life and death can unlock the kingdom gates.

Finally, those who take up kingdom citizenship, align themselves with Jesus and begin to do true righteousness run the risk of persecution. In fact, Jesus seems to assume that the following Him will induce harsh reactions in others who would pursue His followers in order to oppress them, insult them, and falsely says all kinds of evil against them. These Jesus exhorts to rejoice and be glad. Do the persecution and insults make them glad? Of course not. Possession of the Kingdom of heaven and its rewards are their reason for joy. The Epistle of James puts flesh on these bones. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”[1] Even before we followers of Jesus see His kingdom in final form after His return, good things await us in the face of persecution. We will develop a persevering faith, the kind of faith that can withstand whatever Satan chooses to forge his fiery darts from (he’s good at it – remember the low blow to Jesus after forty days of fasting). The exercise of that kind of faith, faith that stands as a shield in battle,[2] will cause a completeness in our relationship with Jesus and cause us to mature so that we lack nothing. Now, that’s something to rejoice over.

Once in the kingdom and connected to Jesus, we have something valuable to offer the rest of humanity. As Jesus sat with His disciples around Him, He declares “you are the salt of the earth,” and “you are the light of the world.” Interesting statements for someone who has just introduced the kingdom of God. As we saw in our discussion of the gospel of Mark, the disciples didn’t have a real clear picture of who Jesus was, let alone what His kingdom was like. This was a work in progress and the disciples would become salt and light to the world which should offer encouragement to the rest of us. Even if our self evaluations result in low grades, not only does Jesus still offer us the kingdom, but He also will make us its effective agents.

Salt had two common uses in Jesus day. First it could preserve food when properly applied. Second, it brought out the flavor in food, enhancing its natural taste. Jesus’ disciples would have understood that to preserve food with salt, they must rub the salt into the food. Likewise, salt need to get mixed in with food during preparation if it would have any affect on the flavor. Rebecca Manly titled one of her books “Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World.” She hit the nail on the head. If we’re not injecting ourselves into the world with Jesus thinking and Jesus habits, then we’ve become “no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”[3]

Similar to salt, Jesus says we can’t hide our light. Not only can we not hide it, but to make it truly useful, we need to show it, put it in the place where it will provide the most benefit to everyone in the house. Jesus calls us to let our light “shine before men.”[4] If our light, will have any value to men, we need to place it before them. We need to at least be rubbing elbows with them in the same room. Then, when our light shines before them, they have the opportunity to see our good works. Not just see them, but because of this Jesus light, see them for what they really are, kingdom works of obedience, service, gratitude, and worship. When they see that, something changes. The insults and lies stop and a marvelous change occurs. They begin to “praise our Father who is in heaven.”[5]
[1] James 1:2-4.
[2] Ephesians 6:16.
[3] Matthew 5:13.
[4] Matthew 5:16.
[5] Matthew 5:16.

A Kingdom for the Have-Nots

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” So ends Matthew chapter 7, what we commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount.[1] Let’s read the sermon with this fact in mind. We ought to approach it as much more than ethical teaching or a collection of sayings from one of history’s great teachers. Instead, we ought to take it in as the authoritative words of God in the flesh.

Just before this, Jesus was baptized by John and God the Father confirmed that Jesus was indeed His Son. Immediately, the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to enter the wilderness where Satan made his frontal attack. Jesus had fasted for forty days and was hungry (um, I would think so). Being not stupid, Satan leads his temptation attempts with food. Standing firm against each successive temptation, Jesus emerges from the wilderness to begin His public ministry. He begins to preach, call His disciples, and then heal the sick and rescue the demon possessed.

Have you ever wondered at the purpose of Jesus’ miracles? If it were to actually help stem disease, deformity, and sickness, why didn’t He heal thousands at a time? If it were to demonstrate His authority, why not exercise His power in some stupendous way so that no one could deny who He was? He had to work miracles for some other reason. Just before Jesus came along to be baptized, John the Baptist was proclaiming “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”[2] And that seems to be the message of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew – the kingdom is near in a way never seen before. His miracles proclaim the invasion of God-power like never seen before. In a world twisted by the effects of sin, a world where things are not as first intended, not they way they’re supposed to be, miracles peppered the crowds with restoration to the way things are supposed to be. Yes, they saw with their own eyes that the Kingdom of God was near. Jesus’ message came in show and tell form. After showing the nearness of the Kingdom, he began to tell them what the Kingdom was like. And so, “he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach . . .”[3]

First, Jesus begins to talk about people who are blessed and will possess the kingdom of heaven. Interestingly, Jesus initially characterizes these blessed ones as poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. In my study of the sermon, I’ve read the works of a number of commentators and many approach this passage assuming that if people with these qualities experience blessing, we ought to pursue those qualities. Since becoming poor in spirit and a mourner do not strike us as particularly “blessed” qualities, we need an explanation that makes them more desirable. So, the poor in spirit become those who acknowledge their spiritual need and the mourners those who experience sorrow over sin in their own lives and in the world. We see meekness in a positive light and hungering and thirsting for righteousness a condition to long for. I have a nagging sense of pounding a square peg into a round hole when I think too long about this handling of these verses. Certainly, the balance of Scripture bears out that recognizing our spiritual need and responding to sin with mourning will position us for deeper fellowship with Jesus. If we have the ability to apply a spirit of meekness to certain situations good things can result and of course we ought to desire righteousness. But these facts do not require us to read the same conclusion here.

The impression that seems to rest more comfortably in the text is that poorness, mourning, meekness, and hungering and thirsting may not describe something good or beneficial. Here’s why. Jesus says “blessed are [the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek] because they will possess the kingdom of heaven, will be comforted, and will inherit the earth – not because they are poor in spirit, mourning, meek, or hungering. In fact, it could just as well be that they are blessed in spite of these characteristics. In spite of such conditions, the kingdom of God is near, newly available to even these. The kingdom invites the one who suffers from spiritual neediness. The kingdom calls to the one experiencing the short end of life’s stick and who rightfully mourns over tragic loss. The gates of the kingdom swing wide for that one oppressed by others. And, Jesus reaches out His hand to the one whom so lacks the righteousness he desperately desires.

[1] Matthew 5:1 – 7:29.
[2] Matthew 3:2.
[3] Matthew 5:1-2a.

Alone on a Hill

They scourge Him, ripping flesh from bone. They mock Him, place a crown of thorns on His head. They spit on Him and they beat him. Then they crucified Him. The mocking continues and Jesus not only suffers physical pain beyond the body’s ability to comprehend, but He watches as those He loves suffer His loss. For six hours this agony continues, working His arms and legs to grab another breath. He would first feel the panic of asphyxiation and the desperate need for air. Then, He would simultaneously pull down with his arms against the spikes in his wrists while pushing up with his legs against the spikes in His ankles. Moments later the panic would return accompanied by the anticipation of the painful price of He would pay for the next breath. Then in a loud voice Jesus yells out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” A moment later He uses His remaining strength to breath out a last time in a loud cry and then it is done.

We don’t know what that momemnt looked like, sounded like, or felt like, but we have an eyewitness. “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God! Jesus once asked His disciples “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" The gospel writer Mark follows that up with “For even the Son of Man [came] to give His life a ransom for many." That’s the story Mark wanted to tell.

But, what does it mean that Jesus was our ransom? A ransom is the price paid to redeem someone from captivity into freedom. It refers to our redemption from sin. In theological terms, redemption is one part of a bigger idea: atonement. By His work in life and death, Jesus earned our salvation. He atoned for us, wiping away our sin and replacing it with His righteousness.

In life, Jesus lived perfectly, satisfying every requirement of God’s law. What Adam, and all of us coming after could not do, Jesus did, able to place his perfect righteousness for the benefit of those who respond to His call. We receive more than a neutral position from Jesus. Through death he paid the penalty of sin, but in life, He made possible our eternal acceptance by God.

The New Testament uses several perspectives to gain a full view of the atoning work of Christ in His death. Because we deserve on our own to die for the penalty of our sins, Jesus became our sacrifice.[1] Because we deserve to bear God’s wrath against sin, Jesus died to satisfy God’s wrath.[2] Because our sins have separated us from God, Jesus’ death reconciles us to God.[3] Because sin and Satan hold us in bondage, Jesus redeems us.[4]

We described earlier how the sufferings of Jesus intensified as He approached the cross until that point where He finally bore the penalty for our sin and died in our place. Jesus suffered a gruesome death, but so did the thousands that were crucified during His time. Beyond the physical pain, he bore the pain of enduring to satisfaction the penalty of our sin. Consider for a moment, the guilt that accompanies sin for each of us now. Certainly, we want to quickly recognize that in our saved state, our guilt is a holdover from before our own atonement, but our first reaction to sin is often the shadow of guilt. Now imagine that you cannot rely on the atonement of Jesus for to wipe away your guilt. What would the anguish of that guilty knowledge of one sin feel like? What if you found yourself at the end of days standing before God bearing the guilt for the sin of your entire life? What if you were Jesus who took on the guilt of every sin of every person of faith for all of time?

Jesus did not just “bear” or hold onto our sin.[5] No, His pain resulted from choosing to become sin for us,[6] to become a curse in our stead.[7]

On top of the physical pain and the agony of becoming sin, Jesus experienced the abandonment and wrath of God. Only on His own, alone, could He complete His mission. Surely He experienced pain at the abandonment of His disciples, but what must the abandonment the Father have been like, to hang alone having become sin and no longer experiencing oneness with the Father?[8] Finally, Jesus received in Himself the torturous wrath of God, wrath stored up for all the sins of the past and those yet to come.

Remember as Children when we sat in the bright summer sun with a magnifying glass and a piece of paper (or an anthill for those of us who quickly tire of inanimate objects)? Remember how we could start a fire or annihilate a column of ants in just moments under the intensified heat of the sun? Now imagine that instead of the power of the sun, we observe the Creator of the sun and His necessary anger at the rebellious attack on His righteousness. That alone should strike terror in the heart of any person. Now, instead of a magnifying glass we see the Creator focus that wrath on the person of Jesus nailed to a cross on the top of hill. Jesus endured for hours until He had taken the full measure of God’s wrath.

In this state, Jesus cries out the words of Psalm 22:1-2: My God, My God, why have You forsaken me. Mirroring the sentiment of David who wondered why God had delayed so in rescuing Him. Then finally the torrent of God’s wrath subsided, His righteous demand for payment satisfied. Mission accomplished, the price paid, and Jesus, whose life was His alone to give, let it go.
[1] Hebrews 9:26.
[2] I John 4:10.
[3] II Corinthians 5:18-19.
[4] Mark 10:45
[5] I Peter 2:24.
[6] I Corinthians 5:21.
[7] Galatians 3:13.
[8] John 10:30.

Mark: A Long Introduction to Golgotha

Some commentators describe Mark’s gospel as a passion account with a long introduction. Mark begins the account of Jesus in Chapter 1 with John the Baptist and never stops running. In the first 7 chapters, Jesus demonstrates who is He is and even offers His disciples explanations in private. Even with constant attention from Jesus, it took a considerable time for His disciples to catch on (but I suspect in their sandals, we would have reacted much the same). In Mark chapter 8 the disciples finally start to get an idea of who they’re dealing with. “Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asks. The disciples offer up a couple of answers and then it gets more personal. “Who do you say that I am?” Immediately after Peter jumps in and declares “you are the Christ,” the journey to the cross escalates. Jesus begins to tell the disciples that He would die and be raised from the dead, something they've not heard before.

All along the way in those first 8 chapters, Jesus continued to prod the disciples and check their progress. A number of times He challenged their lack of understanding, yet waits until they begin to understand the magnitude of His presence before revealing the reason for His presence. To Mark, everything so far was preparation. Now that his disciples were catching on, Jesus would put the plan into full action. “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter plainly.” A chapter later three of the disciples witness the transfiguration of Jesus, see Moses and Elijah, and hear the voice of God speaking from the heavens. Not exactly the confusing parables they were used to. After that, Jesus explains that He must die and rise from the dead twice more and enters Jerusalem behind people calling out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.”

Confrontations with the religious leaders also escalate – they no longer have to travel to Galilee to challenge Jesus because He had planted Himself in the temple grounds – teaching, driving out the money changers, telling parables against religious leaders, and silencing them with His authority. Jesus even explains to His disciples events that will transpire after He has died, risen, and ascended like the destruction of the temple and His triumphal return. At the last Passover meal, Jesus makes an astonishing statement, “Take [this bread]; this is My body” and “This [cup] is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” And then, He is betrayed.

Before His entry into Jerusalem, Jesus shushed anyone who publicly announced His identity. Demons were tormented by His very presence. When they identified Him as the Son of God He rebuked them. Jesus insisted upon silence from those he healed. Even when His disciples began to understand why Jesus had come, “He warned them to tell no one about Him.” But, warnings stopped when Jesus entered Jerusalem. And now, in the hands of the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, and the Roman government Jesus makes His identity crystal clear. "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? And Jesus said, I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." “Pilate questioned Him, Are You the King of the Jews? And He answered him, It is as you say."

And there He stands, at the brink leaning too far forward, past the point of no return. No more need to postpone the inevitable, His calling was clear. It was time. There were promises His Father made that must be kept and all creation was waiting.

The Gospel of Mark: Jesus and the Outsiders - Part 2

Though not Jesus’ audience, demons represent another group of outsiders He deals with. By verse 23 of Mark Chapter 1, Jesus has already encountered a demon possessed man. The parasitic spirit responds to Jesus’ presence by declaring “I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” Unlike the crowds, this unclean spirit knew exactly who Jesus was. In fact, in every instance where they speak, the demons encountering Jesus recognize Him. They call him “Son of the most high God and force their host to fall down and declare “You are the Son of God!" The Epistle of James echoes these demonic reactions to Jesus, “You believe that God is one, you do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Think about the things that make you “shudder.” Is it a scene from the television show “Fear Factor” where a hairy spider the size of your hand walks across a contestant's face? Maybe peering over the edge atop a 20 story building or standing in front of a large crowd with speech notes in your hand. Our worst fears cannot approach what a demonic spirit sensed when faced with Son of the most high God who had the power to torment them, silence them, or send them into exile. Their master had taken his best shot with Jesus and failed. They knew the truth. Before them stood One with God’s authority, One whom they must obey and whose power overwhelmed them.

The religious leaders round out the groups of “outsiders” Jesus interacts with. Though they hear the parables and references to the Kingdom of God and are educated in the Hebrew Scriptures, they don't get it, or don’t want to. Jesus challenges their sense of propriety and ritual practices over and over. He eats with sinners because those are whom He came to call. His disciples did not fast because Jesus the bridegroom was still with them. They “harvested” on the Sabbath by picking heads of grain to eat because the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. He healed on the Sabbath as a demonstration of the a new access to God's kingdom.

After all this, these men still fail to respond. Jesus continues to pursue them by pointing out their destructive habits of form over function and worshipping the rule rather than the rule Maker. He notes with authority that even some of the law given by Moses does not express God’s highest expectations for His people, but necessarily accommodates the hardness of their hearts. Jesus chides their common misinterpretations of the law and explains that they, the leaders and teachers of the people, are “greatly mistaken” about God's law because they don't understand the Scriptures or the power of God.

The religious leaders repeatedly encountered Jesus' teaching. Its seems unlikely they lacked the capacity to understand. They had received good educations and spent their days working through intellectual pursuits. When Jesus used a parable to speak directly to them and communicate that He was indeed God’s Son whom they unjustly sought to kill, Mark tells us the religious leaders understood. Even if Jesus' rebuke pressed against their consciences, almost to a man they chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, they opted to continue in their imaginary righteousness.

What do the outsiders tell us about Jesus? His teaching amazed even the uninitiated and possessed an unfamiliar quality of authority. He possessed at least the character of a prophet, healing the sick , raising the dead, casting out demons. To those who saw into the spirit realm, Jesus was the Holy One of God and Son of the most High God. He wielded a spiritual authority that could only come from God and struck terror in His opponents. Jesus could see past the cheap exterior of the religious leaders and had the will to expose them. In doing so, He demonstrated the inadequacy of the old ways and announced new Kingdom ways that would restore the inside of men. Finally, the outsiders make clear with whom the decision to follow Jesus rests.

The Gospel of Mark: Jesus and the Outsiders, Part 1

I don’t need a theology degree to figure out what the New Testament is all about. In fact, I only need a little 4th grade math to do the job. The New Testament mentions Jesus’ name 990 times (that’s just “Jesus,” not including the other names used for our Lord). On average, from Matthew chapter 1 to Revelation chapter 21 every 8th verse contains the name of Jesus. Funny, I didn’t find my name once. So often we come to the New Testament for answers, comfort, direction, confirmation, what to believe, how to act, and on and on. Don’t get me wrong – we’ll find all those things there, but that’s not what it’s about. We easily slip into what comedian Brian Reagan describes as the “me monster,” a state of self-absorption in which I attribute to my self sun-like gravity that everyone else succumbs to. But, it’s not about me, it’s about Jesus. If it's all about Jesus, we ought to read it with any towards the question "who is Jesus?" The gospels are a great place to start.

I typical fashion, Mark (considered the first of the four evangalists) doesn’t hold back and starts with “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Quick answer to our question – Jesus is the Son of God. However, the answer is much bigger than we think and we need to look at how Jesus interacted with those around Him to begin putting it together. In Mark 4:11 Jesus tells His disciples “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables.” The outsiders saw Jesus, listened to Jesus, became the benefactors of His miracles, but had a relationship to Jesus separate from what He shared with His disciples.

Commentators often note the active nature of Mark’s gospel: everything happens immediately (39 times) and people are constantly amazed (11 times) or astonished (5 times). By the 14th verse in chapter 1, Jesus had alredady begun “preaching the gospel of God.” But often, those who heard had a fuzzy understanding of what Jesus talked of. They knew they had encountered something important, but couldn’t quite put a finger on it. To some, Jesus was Lord (a respectful address like “sir”), Son of David (in hope of a messiah-king who might free them from the oppression of Rome), or Teacher. The combination of His public ministry of healing and miracles with His astonishing teaching caused many others to cast Him as a prophet. Most of the general audiences probably saw Jesus this way – a man with the special ability to apply the power of God to certain situations, but only a man.

To these Jesus spoke in parables, declaring the gospel of the God, but without the private explanation reserved for the disciples. He almost appears to be searching for people like those who came to John the Baptist with repentant hearts, expecting something more from God. People who could see more than a big event or a free meal or an opportunity to have themselves or relatives or friends healed. Jesus found such a man on one occasion, a Scribe who hearing Jesus answer the Sadducees and their disingenuous question about marriage in the afterlife (they did not even believe in the afterlife, but sought to trick Jesus). When this scribe acknowledged that the double law of love – loving God and loving neighbor – exceeded the importance of burnt offerings and sacrifices, Jesus responded that “you are not far off from the kingdom of God.”

But even to those who were still left scratching their heads, Jesus spoke in a context they could, if they would, understand. Though the Hebrew Scriptures do not use the phrase “Kingdom of God,” they clearly communicate ideas about God’s rule. Spend but a few moments in the Psalms and you know that God is King. “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” Yet, first century Jews would have interpreted God’s Kingdom as a literal rule of His people Israel, mirroring their history. Though He veiled His teaching in parable, Jesus and those who heard Him had a common understanding to work with. However, just as the Passover lamb provided only a historical representation of the timeless and boundless work of Jesus , so too, the historical idea of the Kingdom of God familiar to Jesus hearers only provided a glimpse of His announcement of the Kingdom of God.

Next, Jesus will address two other groups of outsiders and His combined treatment of these three groups will begin to give us part of the answer to our question, "who is Jesus?"

Working From the Outside In

I last wrote of the inward-out transformation that Jesus wants to work in our lives. Like everything else in the partnership that God has established with man, we also have our part. We never have the ability to achieve God's desire, but He expects us to walk side-by-side with Him in the process. In a moment, we’ll discus activities like solitude, silence, prayer, journaling, study, meditation, memorization, fasting, chastity, secrecy, confession, fellowship, submission, simplicity, stewardship, sacrifice, worship, celebration, service, and witness, all of which we commonly refer to as spiritual disciplines. But first we must understand how our part, the outside in approach works.

God has put us together as unifed persons – inner man and body – in His image[1] and intends that we exist now and for eternity in physical form. Francis Schaeffer notes in True Spirituality that a wholly biblical view of spirituality involves a connection between the inward and outward aspects of humanness: “sweeping out of the inward positive reality, there is to be a positive manifestation externally.”

From a more direct point of view, Dallas Willard says it in The Spirit of the Disciplines “Human personality is not separable in our consciousness from the human body. And that fact is expressed by asserting the IDENTITY of the person as his or her body.” This fact is what makes it necessary for us to make our bodies, through the disciplines for spiritual life, the primary focus of our effort in our part in the process of redemption. Philippians 2:12-13 confirms the sentiments of both Shaeffer and Willard. “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” I’m wholly dependant upon God to work in me towards sanctification, but connected all the way back to continuing God’s creative activity after He rested, I have my part to do.

Spiritual disciplines like those I rattled off earlier generally fall into two groups. The disciplines of abstinence include the likes of solitude, silence, and fasting and disciplines of engagement include reading, meditation, and journaling – we’ll begin with those three here.

If you’ve taken the time to read this post, you can probably also list several good reasons why reading God’s revelation of Himself to man sits atop the charts of spiritual disciplines. We’re here to become disciples or apprentices of Jesus. We set out to become like Him in every way. The only full picture of who Jesus is lies between the “in the beginning” of Genesis 1:1 and “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people” of Revelation 22:21.

The multi-faceted nature of Scripture, along with the ever expanding illumination of the Holy Spirit make discovering Jesus a life long journey. If I live to 110 years old and spend each day basking in God’s story of His Son, I will not have gotten to the bottom of it. The issue is not whether God’s Word is enough, but whether I engage it enough. First, you must have a plan and that plan must include the entire Bible cover to cover. Reading the Bible straight through in a year might be your plan but cover to cover isn’t the only way to read. Some find it helpful to alternate between sections of the New and Old Testaments. Others augment they’re regular reading of other passages with a chapter of Psalms or Proverbs each day. You might find it helpful to park in one book for while, reading slowly or rereading certain passages. I know of only two necessities – read it all and read it daily.

Reading alone won’t accelerate knowing Jesus to extent we want. The depth of Scripture requires us to chew on it, mull it over, look at it from different angles, and wring it to extract every last bit the Holy Spirit has for us this day. We must read and meditate on what we read. As you read, pick out a verse or short passage that catches the attention of your heart, begin to ponder each word and phrase. Use your imagination to visualize the ideas expressed. Consider how these ideas fit into the bigger picture of the story of Jesus. Ask how they agree or disagree with your current condition. You might write down a verse that catches your attention and carry it with you for the day, taking time to reread it and ponder a little more. At times, you’ll have important “ah-ha” moments where the Holy Spirit takes what He has for you and holds it in front of your face. Other times, you might feel like you’ve accomplished nothing at all. This might require times of prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal specific aspects of the passage or to assist your understanding. It might also require plain old perseverance.

The object of meditation is to make Scripture a part of you – to hide it in your heart, to let it richly dwell within you. During times of meditations the Holy Spirit will bring ideas, connect concepts, apply portions of Scripture to specific circumstances, use it to uncover hidden problems, and give us a broader idea of who Jesus is. Some of these events will develop over time and others will occur quite suddenly.

Spiritual disciplines are much like training in any other area of life. A hockey player who only works on a slap shot will never develop a sniper-like wrist shot. A golfer who spends all day in practicing with her driver will suffer when it’s time to put. We need to have a full quiver of discipline arrows. Since humans seem to have a knack for forgetting even the biggest insights the Holy Spirit reveals during meditation, Journaling provides a ready compliment to reading and meditation. Your journal becomes a safe place to store the daily treasures the Holy Spirit shares with you. I’m not talking about writing a treatise on some deep theological topic. A couple of short notes will do. Just enough to refresh your memory when you look back to your journal. Of course, nothing stands in the way of writing as much as you want. Much of what I post on this blog site began in my journal. However, mainly we want to create a record, a history of our spiritual development that will help us remember not only what we learn through reading and meditating, but how far down the pilgrim’s path we’ve come.

[1] This does not suggest that God has a body. God gives us bodies in order that we, like He, have a means of expressing the thoughts of our minds and emotions and carrying out the desires of our wills. Where God creates by imagining and speaking it into existence, we imagine and use our eyes, ears, mouths, hands, and feet to create.

Inner Person & Outer Person

Watchman Nee comments on the connection between spirit, soul, and body in his classic book The Release of the Spirit. No matter how one classifies the inner fperson (soul, or soul and spirit as Nee does), Nee’s observations are enlightening. He pictures God's Spirit residing in the inner person, specifically in one's spirit, a separate part of the inner person where one connects with God. God intends His Spirit, joined with a person's spirit to govern the soul – the seat of our thoughts, emotions, and will. The soul then uses the body as its form of expression. For this to happen, God must break a soul still tuned to the call of sin so that the spirit, along with God's Spirit, might rule.

Similarly, in the soul-body make up of humans, the Holy Spirit makes its home in the inner part of a person, the soul, which God regenerates at conversion to Christ. A fundamental change takes place in our souls and we experience a break from the absolute controlling force of sin at regeneration. We become dead to sin, but sin does not completely die. Paul acknowledges that even though we become alive to Christ and dead to sin, we must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies so that we obey its evil desires.[1] Like the soul to Nee that must be broken, we must be made dead to sin that still rests in us.

Though the exact makeup of the inner person remains the subject of some debate, the Bible makes clear: (1) the Holy Spirit takes up residency in the inner man at conversion to Christ; (2) we become new creatures in Christ; (3) we gain not only this newness, but justification for the legal penalty for our sins and adoption into the family of God. However, complete redemption remains a future event. At present, we still battle with sin and must devote ourselves in concert with God in the process of sanctification. We must act to treat sin as it now deserves - dead and without power. Likewise, we must treat the Holy Spirit as He deserves - the power of God in us to live holy, obedient lives in worship to the Lord.

Romans 7:21-23 paints a dismal picture of one on the loosing side of sin’s attempt to reign: “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” The inner person has broken away from the grips of sin and desires to conform to God’s law, but doesn’t have the developed machinery to put it to work. This person cries in despair “what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

In contrast Romans 8 tells the story on one dead to sin. The righteous requirements of the Lord are fully met in those who do not live according the sinful nature, but who live according to the Spirit (vs. 4). In verses 5 and 6 Paul continues with a contrast of the person who agrees with the law of God in the inner person and the one not only agrees, but walks by the Spirit. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Nee describes the breaking of the outer person as the discipline of the Spirit. Through life we will inevitably experience events that wound us. The Spirit knows the strongholds of sin that He must destroy. He knows how to use the circumstances of life that exhaust our cleverness. With a love that we might not immediately comprehend, He wields the events in life intended for our harm and that cause us to inwardly groan and we realize our desperate need for God’s redemptive work, that we can no longer live by ourselves or for ourselves, and uses them bring us to a Jesus commitment of previously unknown severity.

For our part, we must recognize the discipline of the Spirit, yield to it, and begin to live in Romans chapter 8 - setting our minds on the things of the Spirit, living by Him, in His strength which will make sin dead to us.[2]


[1] Romans 6:12-13
[2] Romans 8:4.

Becoming Disciples

Associating with Jesus, consecrating ourselves to relationship with Him, and receiving Him as He imparts Himself to us make it possible for Jesus to demonstrate what He can really do. It’s here that the rubber meets the road and we put our faith to action, a kind of on the job training that prepares us to take over His kingdom work. Our faith will grow step by step with each interaction with the power of Jesus building on those before it. Without even knowing it we’ll be on to doing kingdom work, almost like that first bike ride without training wheels. I remember feeling pretty safe knowing that my Dad had his hands firmly on the back of my bike seat. I wondered if he was getting tired running behind me and when I looked, I saw him stand one hundred or so feet behind me, smiling and waiving as I, me, all by myself rode my bike - without training wheels.

Don’t confuse this process with a destination. Disciples of Jesus will constantly and repeatedly work through the elements of association, consecration, impartation, demonstration, delegation, supervision, and reproduction. These elements will ebb and flow with the direction of the Holy Spirit and sometimes with our own drifting away from the safe mooring of Jesus. Through this process, apprenticing with Jesus and learning to be like Him.



How do we become disciples? In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard says it requires a certain condition of the soul illustrated by two of Jesus’ parables. First, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”[1] Second, “the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”[2] In both instances, the actors recognize an opportunity that they must not miss – treasure and pearls, theirs for the taking. Love of the value of the find compelled them to action, selling all they had to secure the prize. Exuberance and joy covered the process of discovery, actions, and possession from start to finish. When we open our eyes and see the opportunity, what Jesus can do with us in apprenticeship under His lead, when love for Him begins to impel us forward, then we have positioned ourselves to become disciples. We might not start with “sell all I have” intensity, but we need a least a glimmer, a slight flutter of excitement at the prospect of becoming like Jesus. Now, we’re ready.

How do I get from ready to running the race? I must decide to do so. All the preparation and training that best coaches and facilities can offer will mean nothing if when the starting gun sounds I do not choose to run. In preparing to become Jesus’ apprentice, I recommend several steps. First pray. Ask Him to open your eyes so that you might gaze on the treasure. Ask Him to reveal the treasure’s glory, to allow it to steal your breath in amazement. Ask Him to stir love and joy as the response of your heart. Then, ask Him for the will to decide, to choose the path of the apprentice. At the end of the day, Jesus leaves that choice to you and only you can decide.
[1] Matthew 13:44
[2] Matthew 13:45-46

What does it mean to be a Disciple of Jesus?

First off, what's a “disciple”? Do we use the dictionary definition: “a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another?”[1] I think looking to Jesus’ expectations provides more distinction. In his classic The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman lays out Jesus’ plan for implementing the Great Commission, making disciples as we go, teaching them all that Jesus taught.[2] Though he approaches the subject from the perspective of one planning to mentor others, his thoughts will help we who intend to be Jesus’ disciples.

After selecting His disciples, Jesus used a combination of association, consecration, impartation, and demonstration to prepare them for delegation, supervision, and reproduction. In this picture, delegation, supervision, and reproduction comprise the goal – we ultimately do the kingdom work of Jesus and help others do the same – and the balance consists of preparation.

In order to prepare ourselves for the Jesus’ work, we need to associate with Him, be with Him. Being with Him will give us something much bigger than knowledge about God. “With Him” will impart experience that begins to mold our hearts. “With Him” will allow us to understand how He thinks about every facet of life we encounter. “With Him” will help us understand where we’ve come from, what ails the world, and how to apply Jesus’ healing touch.

Next, we must consecrate ourselves to Jesus. At the start, Jesus seemed to have only one rule for His disciples – follow, obey. The church had not come and no creed had been penned. They had only the obligation of loyalty. Parables, sermons, journeys, and encounters became the places of Jesus’ yoke from whence they learned. Nine times in the gospels, Jesus uttered a rather emphatic “follow me.” On one occasion, He says “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”[3] Crosses had one and only one purpose at the time, to make someone dead. And, we can count on it. If a cross comes into play, the executioner will extract a cost and someone will die. I may pay with my fear, my pride, my self-directed decisions, my comfort, or my time, but if I want to follow Jesus, I will pay. I must, as Paul says, be willing to put to death the deeds of the body.[4] We must clearly understand the details of our agreement with Jesus if we expect to become His disciples.

For Jesus to impart Himself to us, we must want to receive Him. He wants to give Himself to us, but never barges in. He waits for the invitation, something I find a mystery. The Creator God who imagined the cosmos and spoke it into existence waits for our nod. Preparing ourselves by being with Him and setting ourselves aside for Him will indicate our willingness to receive Him. Then, Jesus will proceed to interact with our spirits through His Spirit – confirming our relationship,[5] interceding to the Father,[6] and loving us,[7] actually giving Himself to us.

[1] disciple. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.classic.reference.com/browse/disciple (accessed: June 07, 2009).
[2] Matthew 28:19-20a.
[3] Mark 9:23
[4] Romans 8:13
[5] 2 Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15
[6] Romans 8:26
[7] Romans 5:5

Transforming Discipleship

In the previous post, we discussed the process of transforming discipleship based on the five pillars of ministry in Ephesian 4:11. What does life look like if I engage this process? Well, Paul continues in Ephesians chapter 4 to paint the picture. Not just any picture, but one of those masterpieces that you’ll come back to over and over because the depth, nuance, and detail of the artist continue to communicate enlarged meaning. Listen to how Paul describes the results of the five pillars of ministry in our lives. The transformed disciple will:

• Stand prepared for the great privilege and work of service (Eph. 4:12)
• Contribute to the potential of the body of Christ to build itself up (Eph. 4:12)
• Press forward toward unity of faith with other believers (Eph. 4:13)
• Reach maturity in the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph. 4:13)
• Attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13)
• Grow up intellectually, refusing to remain undeveloped in thought (Eph. 4:14)
• Gain confidence in Christianity as a worldview and withstand the strong wind and heavy waves of false worldviews (Eph. 4:14)
• Speak the truth in love (and as a prerequisite, know the truth) (Eph. 4:15)
• Grow up into Jesus in every aspect of life (Eph. 4:15)
• Find her place in the body of Christ and participate in its growth, in building it up (Eph. 4:16)
• Engage a mode of thinking that banishes futility and results in prosperous living (Eph. 4:17)
• Acquire an enlightened understanding of how the world works (Eph. 4:18)
• Become literate in the ways of Jesus (Eph. 4:18)
• Obtain a softened heart that is attuned to the word and touch of God (Eph. 4:18)
• Put off the old self, the former way of life (Eph. 4:22)
• Experience newness in the attitudes of his mind, in his heart (Eph. 4:23)
• Put on the new self that God created to be like Himself, full of true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24)
• Become an imitator of God in the way a small child puts on his father’s hat and shoes (Eph. 5:1)
• Live a life of love, an imitation of Jesus, becoming a fragrant sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:2)

Does this sound enticing? Did you feel a flutter of excitement as you read it?
If you desire such a transformed life, I urge you to participate with two or three others in a long-term covenant discipleship group. Certainly, you can work growth in your relationship with Jesus on your own. But, if you intend walk away from the frustration of Romans chapter 7 (“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”) to the full life of Romans chapter 8 (“through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death”), you need to engage engage Jesus in the context of several transparent relationships. Only then will the deep transformation we long for become ours.