A Theology Lesson
I can hear many of you now. "Oh, goody! A theology lesson! Just what I was hoping for to start my New Year! Oh, Joy! Oh, Wonderful! Thank you, Mark!"
Really, it's not that bad. Most of this you already know. I'm just organizing it for you. So hang in there.
The word "theology" comes from two Greek words: "theos", meaning "God," and "-ologos," meaning "study of". So, "Theology": the study of God. We would like to ignore theology (certainly many of us would), but we can't. It is a discipline that we all have to come to terms with. Even the atheists (the word literally means "no God") and the agnostics (which means "unknowable"), have to come to terms with theology. Why? Because we are all hard-wired as spiritual beings (we are a composite of the physical, mental and spiritual), and as such, have an extremely strong sense that there is "something out there" that is greater than us and that we are directly linked to. We can deny its existence or simply conclude that it can never be known and understood, but that doesn't sit well with us. Something is still nagging at us. Something still prods us to keep wondering, "Is whatever it is that is out there, know me, care about me, have a desire to relate to me and communicate with me?" "What's out there... (and we slip and say)...God? So we know He's there. We know He's real. And now we know that we are compelled to learn about Him and how we relate to Him.
So I'll jump right into the meat of this.
Theology contains high-sounding words like, "Salvation, Sanctification, Justification, Glorification". ("See, Mark. I knew you were going to bore me to tears with this."). No I'm not.
As I said earlier, most of this you already know. I'm just organizing it for you. But to explore these terms, we have to begin somewhere. So we will begin with this life. We are alive. We exist. We are living, breathing, functioning entities that exist and are very real. Only the truly far out minds deny that concept. And we will leave them to themselves.
"For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17 :28a). Paul made this statement while in the Areopagus in Athens close to 2000 years ago. He was visiting Athens for the first time and gravitated to the Areopagus, the forum where the idle and curious Greeks went to debate life, since they had nothing else to do that day. Paul's statement contains two concrete facts: 1) we are real, living, breathing humans and, 2), we live within God. He is the source of our lives. The way Paul states this indicates that we could not exist apart from Him. That would explain why we are just naturally curious about God. We wouldn't be alive without Him.
Understanding that we are alive and exist because of God and as a part of Him, we immediately get greedy and begin to wonder, "is this life all that there is? Is there more beyond this life?" We sense that there is because we sense that God, the Creator of all things, is immortal. He has always existed and will always exist. We can't really explain that concept but nothing else seems to make any sense. God has always been and will always be. All of creation has come about because He has actively desired it to be, and has had a hand in every detail (see the opening pages of Genesis). Further, all of creation functions according to laws that govern the design. God's laws. Astronomers and physicists understand this in spades.
"For the wages of sin is death," (Romans 6 :23a). This is one of God's universal laws. Notice how Paul states this as an equation: Sin = death. It is straightforward and to the point. It is an unalterable law of God's universe. You sin, you die. Ok, but what is sin? Sin can simply be defined as "transgression of the laws of God." You break God's laws, you suffer the consequences. No exceptions. It's the law of the universe. It's unalterable and unapologetic.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3: 23). Umm. This is looking bad. Sin equals death and everyone has sinned (including me). This is looking very bad. Very, very bad. I was actually hoping for an extension of life and it is looking like that is not going to happen at all. This is actually a disaster. I wish I had never started down this theology road. Is there any hope here?
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus." (Romans 3: 23-24). Wait a minute.
It sounds like you are telling me that there may be a way out of this "sin equals death" law.
Can you explain that a little more clearly?
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6: 23). I'm not sure that I completely understand this but it sounds like you are saying that not only do I NOT have to die because of my sin, I actually get eternal life with God because of what Christ has done for me. Maybe I am beginning to understand some of this theology. And I like what I am learning!
The law says that when sin goes down, someone (the perpetrator, usually) has to die. But you are telling me that Christ has imposed Himself in my place and has died as my substitute (substitutionary death). So now I am actually free and saved to be with God for all time (salvation). And further, God doesn't see me as some kind of freeloader who got in here in an undeserving manner, he sees me as being sinless and fully justified by His grace (justification). So, I guess that I get to live my 70-80 years or so in this life, and then I die, and then because of Christ, I get to go to heaven. Is that how it works?
Actually, no. It's nothing like that. That is a common misconception that many people have but there is nothing in scripture that attests to that at all. I don't know where we ever got that idea. Let's look at some passages from Scripture that explain it more clearly.
Salvation.
Scripture tells us that God, out of his incredible love for us and His absolute refusal to lose us, sent His Son, Christ Jesus, into the world to live as a human, to teach us "how to live life," and then went to a Roman cross and died a substitutionary death on our behalf. If we understand that and fully believe that God has done that for us by His grace, we are saved from a permanent separation from Him for all time (see John 3:16). But salvation (being given entrance into God's presence for all time) doesn't occur at the end of our lifetimes, as is so commonly understood. It happens instantaneously at the very moment that we put our faith and trust in Christ. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned: he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24).
Christ is saying here that at the very instant that we look Him in the face and say, "Lord, I believe in you and I will follow you," that at that moment, God moves us from death to life. In a very real sense our eternal life begins at that moment. There is no waiting period involved.
Justification
Justification simply means "to be declared not guilty." We are declared not guilty for the sins that we have committed. Justification happens simultaneously with salvation.
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are JUSTIFIED, (my emphasis), and it is with your mouth that you believe and are saved." (Romans 10: 9-10). Paul indicates that those two theological conditions happen at the same time. What triggers those two things happening in our lives? True belief which leads to a confession of faith. Then salvation and justification happen instantaneously and simultaneously.
I used the term "true belief." What does "true belief" mean? In the terminology of our present day, one might say, "You can't just talk the talk; you have to also walk the walk."
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Math 7: 21). Here Christ is telling us that real belief, true belief, means a total commitment to following God's will for our lives. But how can we possibly do that since we can barely keep to the schedules that we set for ourselves? How will we ever do those things that God desires us to do in our lives?
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--- the Spirit of the truth. The world cannot accept him,
because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14: 15-17). Christ sends the Holy Spirit into our lives to teach us, encourage us, support us, defend us, and to pick us up when we fall. As a result of the Spirit's function in our lives, we are able to do God's will for our lives.
So salvation and justification are being lavished on us by God as a result of our entering into a relationship with Christ, and, as if that were not enough, Christ also sends the Holy Spirit to live in our lives. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14: 26). So Christ has not set us up to fail. He has actually arranged things so that it is impossible for us to fail. But we need to be cognizant of the fact that the Holy Spirit has come into our lives and is present with us moment by moment and be receptive to His presence. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit," Paul tells us (Gal 5:25).
Sanctification
Sanctification simply means to "be set apart" or "made holy." Whereas salvation and justification occur instantaneously, sanctification is a process. It is the Holy Spirit working in our lives on a day by day, moment by moment basis. We have all experienced this. It is a lot of, one step forward, two steps back, or, two steps forward, one step back. We do this all of the time. It will go on our entire lives and may extend beyond these lives. It will continue until we are the finished product that God needs us to be. The remarkable thing is that the Holy Spirit has incredible patience with us and will not depart from us until the job is finished. It is a truly
amazing thing to know that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ) lives with us the entire time and walks us home when all of this is over. Christ explains to us about the Holy Spirit in this passage.
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (John 16: 13-14). Christ is telling us that the Holy Spirit will function in our lives according to our individual needs and will streamline His work in our lives to meet those particular needs. He will continue that process until we are sanctified; made holy.
Glorification
Here's where I reach the end of my understanding. Of course, we are talking about "heaven" here and our individual places in heaven. Heaven is a vast and virtually unknowable topic for those of us on this side of it. If you want to read one concept of it, read Revelation 21 and 22. John, the author, paints a pretty incredible picture of glory or heaven. But as several very wise Christian authors have pointed out, the "real thing" may be even more magnificent than that. We have no way of knowing. The truth is that even if it were described to us as it actually is, it is very likely that it simply wouldn't make any sense to us. Our minds simply cannot grasp the enormity and complexity of God's domain. However, N.T. Wright does a commendable job of getting us close in his book "Surprised by Hope." I can certainly recommend it to you.
So I'm done. See, that wasn't so bad. And most of that you already knew. I just put it into an order that was fairly easy to follow. Now you can go and have coffee with the people who have
gone to seminary and throw around terms that will impress them. Most importantly though, you have a very workable understanding of some things that you always wondered about, but now know.
Happy New Year!
Mark
Luke’s Christmas Story
Many (if not most) people view the Bible as a book. It's not. It is actually a collection of books.
Our Protestant Bible contains 66 books, 37 Old Testament and 29 New Testament. They are written by more than 40 authors over a period of at least 1500 years. All of the authors are Jewish men except one: Luke. Luke is a Gentile, a highly educated Greek (Paul refers to him as a doctor on one occasion (Colossians 4:14). Luke authored both the Gospel of Luke and Acts. He does so to give us an accurate narrative of Christ's time here on earth and the early development of the Church. Luke is also a skilled historian. He includes many names, dates and places in his writing that have been verified to be accurate by research historians. As an historian, Luke has never been found to be wrong.
Luke's Gospel begins with the well-known Christmas story; Mary and Joseph, the baby in a manger, the angels, the shepherds, etc. Ever wonder where Luke got that story? Luke tells us that but not directly. The strong sense of his source for all of the information that he gives us in the beginning of his gospel, doesn't come until the end of chapter 2. There he relates a curious story about the boy, Jesus, at age twelve. It is the only story that we have about Jesus in his childhood.
After reading the story, (Luke 2: 41-52), ask yourself this question: "Does this sound like a story that a mother would always remember having happened to her twelve year old son, a story that she would never forget, and, even in her old age, would remember it, detail for detail?" Of course it does. It's exactly that kind of story that a mother would never forget. So where do you think that Luke got the story? Precisely. From Mary.
How could Luke have known Mary? The answer to that is somewhat long and involved, but suffice it to say that Luke most probably spent a considerable amount of time with Mary around 57-58 AD in Jerusalem. Mary would have been quite old, maybe 75 to 80 years old.
She would have been living with James, her son next in age to Jesus, in Jerusalem, where James was one of the leaders of the Jerusalem Christian church. Luke, having come to Jerusalem with Paul ,who was then imprisoned in Caesarea awaiting his transport to Rome,
would have had multiple occasions to spend long hours with Mary. Mary might have been old but her mind was still sharp and she told Luke everything that he wanted to know.
The entirety of the Christmas story that Luke gives to us in his gospel likely came from one source: Mary. Many of the details of the story that Luke relates to us could have only been known by one person: Mary. Go back and read the story again and you will know this to be true. In all probability, some of the words that Luke attributes to Mary, are not her words. These are Luke's words. Mary would not have known Greek or Latin and could not have expressed herself in that way ("The Magnificat" is Latin). Is Luke trying to embellish things here? Not at all. Reread Luke 1: 26-56. As you savor what Luke is writing here, the answer hits you like a ton of bricks. Luke is in awe of Mary! He is absolutely in awe of this person, Mary. He has never known anyone quite like her.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
holy is his name. (Luke 1: 48b-49)
Mary is elderly but remains a very vibrant soul. And Luke is in awe of her.
We can fully believe what Luke is telling us in the Christmas story that he presents at the beginning of his gospel. Luke is a gifted writer who is a stickler for detail and is telling the story as told to him by the one who lived it, Mary. It is an ancient story that comes across as though it happened only a few years ago. It is a real tribute to the two people, Luke and Mary. Two people that God chose to tell and live His story.
Merry Christmas,
Mark
The Great Commission
Matthew concludes his gospel with a passage that we know today as "the Great Commission."
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matt. 28: 16-20).
It's a magnificent passage, a passing of the torch, if you will. Christ is commissioning the eleven disciples to take up the work at this point and carry His gospel message to all people. It's a magnificent passage with one exception: the phrase, "but some doubted."
What did they doubt? That it was Jesus? That he was alive? That He was actually standing in front of them? What was it that they doubted? Luke tells us in the opening of his book, Acts, that Jesus, probably knowing that it was going to take considerable convincing to move the disciples from doubt to belief, that, "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." (Acts. 1: 3). Luke goes on to tell us of THIS extraordinary event.
"He (Jesus) said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking up intently into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" (Acts 1: 7 -11).
I don't know about you, but that event would have gotten my attention! I'm standing there, not altogether sure that this really is Jesus in front of me, still overwhelmed by all of the things that have happened over these past weeks, only half-listening to what He is saying, and then, all of a sudden, He begins levitating up into the air and disappears behind a cloud in the sky! And then there are these two guys dressed in white (where did they come from?!) standing there, very calmly asking me why I'm still hanging around, because Jesus is gone but will be coming back in much the same manner. They are clearly implying that I have work to do and it is time to get to it. I'm looking at their faces, they are looking back at me, and the look on their faces says, "No need in hanging around here. You have work to do. Get going."
And that's the Great Commission. We have work to do. All of us. Time to get going.
To Whom Do You Belong?
The Gospel writers tell us about a number of instances where Christ encounters the political and religious elite of His day and how those encounters went. This passage is from Matthew 22.
Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."
When they heard this they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (Matt. 22: 15 - 22).
We read this and think, "Wow! That is so smart, so slick, so clever! Jesus should have been a lawyer!" But Christ wasn't trying to be clever. He was just pointing out a fact. The Greek word used here that is translated "portrait" in the NIV Bible, is "eikon," which can be translated, "portrait, likeness, or image." It is probably best translated, "image." "Whose image is this?" To capture what Christ is saying here, think about a passage in the Bible that uses the word "image" several times. Look at the first chapter of Genesis.
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image...'
So God created man in His own image,
In the image of God he created him; ' " (Gen 1: 26 and 27).
Now go back to the passage from Matthew. Christ takes the coin from them and asks, "Whose image is on the coin?"
"Caesar's," they answer.
"Then the coin belongs to Caesar."
"But you," he is implying, "you bear God's image. You belong to God."
The Pharisees missed that. But we shouldn't.
We bare God's image. We belong to God.
Eternal Life
The major groups of Jesus' day in the region that we know as Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, consisted of some fairly well known names and some not. The Pharisees were perhaps the largest group. They were both politically and religiously powerful but were perhaps not as wealthy as their rivals, the Sadducees, who really occupied the upper echelon. Other groups included the Zealots, the Sacarii (the dagger men!), and the Essenes. They all differed with each other. Divisions among the populace was as common in Christ's day as it is in ours.
Much as we do today, they differed along the lines of religious belief. The Pharisees accepted all of the writings that we now include in our Old Testament. The Sadducees, however, only accepted the first five books as being God's word. These books were called the Pentateuch, the writings of Moses, and were considered by them to be the only truly inspired books.
It is not known exactly when the idea of a "resurrection" became popular, but N.T. Wright seems to indicate from his extensive research, that the idea only gained traction around 200 years before the time of Christ, despite the fact that it is commonly referenced in Biblical texts. David in Psalms mentions an eternal existence for people frequently, the best known perhaps being, "and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23).
The Sadducees scoffed at the idea of a life after this one as they argued that there was no reference made to such an existence in Moses writings (the Pentateuch). And they did not accept the other ancient writings as being inspired or valid. This background allows us to better understand the confrontation between Christ and the Saduccees that Matthew mentions in chapter 22 of his Gospel.
That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
"Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" (Matt. 22: 23-27).
This is obviously a contrived story, made up and presented to Christ with the intent to mock and embarrass Him. But He is prepared.
Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God."
(A direct slap in their faces!). "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." (He could have left it here, but goes on).
"But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read what God said to you (now He begins quoting from Exodus, a book they accepted as holy) 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Matt. 22: 29-32).
He is not the God of the dead but of the living! Incredible! Those who seek to know Him in this life, and come to do so, will never stop living! They will pass from this existence into an eternal existence with God that will never cease. An eternal life in the presence of God. What an incredible concept. If Christ had only stated this it would have been remarkable in itself.
But then He goes on to prove it. We'll see that soon.
What Is Love?
Love can be both a noun and a verb. We say, "He is my love!" or "She is my love!" There, we are using it as a noun. Or we say, "I love him!" or "I love her!" Now we are using it as a verb. But what is love? It probably gets defined most frequently for us in popular songs. Paul McCartney wrote, "You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs," ("Silly Love Songs", Paul McCartney and Wings), but apparently not. They are still written and sung every day. So we hear frequently about all the aspects of love.
But how well do we actually know and understand love in its truest sense? And how well do we actually recognise it when we see it in its truest form? And when we do see it, recognize it, and understand it in its highest form, how willing are we to adopt that kind of love into our own lives?
Paul writes this in Romans:
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 6-8).
God demonstrates His own love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. What did that actually look like? Matthew spells it out for us, very graphically.
"They came to a place called Golgotha (which means the Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him." (Matt 27: 33-44).
There's more.
"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?---which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." (Matt 27: 45-50).
Paul tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Out of love. What sort of love is that?! Do we actually know any love like that?!
Issac Watts wrote the hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" (1707). The third stanza says:
"See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did ever such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"
Incredible love! Self-sacrificial love! Love like we've never seen. Christ, Himself, said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15: 13). How do I respond to love like that?! The fourth stanza of Watts' hymn says this:
"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
It were a present far to small;
Love, so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
The Resurrection: The Testimony of Women
The validity of the Resurrection has been argued for 2000 years. Many deny it out right as an event that could have never occurred. Others say that they believe it "on faith." A smaller number of believers say "look at the evidence; examine the evidence." But what are the facts, the evidence, surrounding this event that we know of as Christ's resurrection?
We first have to answer the question, "Was Jesus of Nazareth a real historical person?
The answer to that question is, decidedly, yes. It's undeniable. In addition to the Gospel writers and Paul (who are every bit as authoritative writers of antiquity as any others), we have Josephus, a Jewish historian of the 1st century AD, who mentions and discusses Jesus of Nazareth and some of the particulars of his life in his book, "The Antiquities of the Jews." Tacitus, the Roman general who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and later became emperor of Rome, mentions Jesus of Nazareth, as do the Pliny's (other Roman authors). There are other citations that could be mentioned, but the point is, Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical person, every bit as much as Napoleon or George Washington.
The next question to be answered is, "Did He rise from the dead?" Here we only have the Gospel writers and Paul who have documented this event in what they have written. Some would argue that they have to be discounted as they are "Christian" writers, but the fact remains that what they have written can, in many cases, be verified by other historical records. Luke, the only non-Jewish writer of the New Testament, mentions a large number of historical names and events that have been verified to be completely accurate when related to other information found in excavations. As a historian, Luke has never been found to be wrong. And as his data was largely gathered from individuals who were very close to Jesus, there is no reason to doubt the authority and accuracy of what the other Gospel writers and Paul have included.
So what do we know about the events of the crucifixion and resurrection? Jesus was crucified by the Romans, on a Roman cross outside of Jerusalem, and died on that cross about mid-afternoon on a Friday. His body was taken down from the cross and placed in a donated tomb
(probably a small cave carved out of the soft rock) and the tomb was sealed by a large stone.
It was then guarded by a contingent of Roman soldiers, ordered to do that to prevent theft of the body (Matt 27: 62-66).
Sunday morning came and very strange things started happening.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." (Matt 28: 1-7).
As if this wasn't enough, then this happened.
So the women hurried away from the tomb. afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee: there they will see me." (Matt 28 8-10).
As remarkable as this story is, we, living in the 21st century, do not understand the true significance of the story being related in this way, and why it is extremely strong evidence for the fact that the resurrection occurred exactly as it is told. It is called, "The Testimony of Women" and this is why it is so important.
In First Century AD Jerusalem, women were absolutely second class citizens. They could not own land, hold office, have jobs, vote, or even worship in the same part of the temple as men.
Their testimony was inadmissible in a court of law. They were not considered believable. They were women. So. If Matthew was making this story up, he would have NEVER told it this way.
No one would have believed him. He would be laughing stock. These are women. The only reason he can have for relating the story in this manner is, that is EXACTLY the way it happened.
So there we have it: The Testimony of Women. Conclusive evidence that Christ's resurrection happened just as Matthew relates it to us? What do you think?
The Cover Up
Following his relating to us the particulars of Christ's resurrection as told by the women, Matthew continues with another very interesting story, also concerning the resurrection, but this time from the perspective of the guards who were at the tomb.
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this day.
(Matt: 28: 11-15)
Let's examine this passage. Why did the guards go to the "Jewish" authorities (the chief priests)?
Consider this: It is still very early in the morning on that Sunday ("while the women were still on their way" going back to the disciples to tell them that they had seen the risen Lord). The guards are no doubt still recovering from their shock ("His (the angel's) appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.") Matt: 28: 3-4. The tomb was now empty and the body that they were supposed to guard is now gone. If they report this to their commanders or to Pilate, they would likely be severely punished or executed for failing in their mission to guard the body. So they go to the Jewish authorities hoping that the Jewish authorities might somehow cover for them.
The Jewish chief priests and elders, not knowing what else to do and not wanting to admit that another miracle has taken place concerning this man, Jesus, whom they wanted dead, devise this story. They instruct the guards that they are to say that, "His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep." Matthew goes on to tell us that "this story has been widely circulated among Jews to this day" (Matthew's gospel was probably not completed and in book format until around 60 AD, around 30 years after Christ's resurrection and ascension). So the story has been circulating for 30 years at this point.
Apparently, many people bought the story. Otherwise Matthew would not have mentioned the fact that the story had been widely told and believed.
But how likely is it that the story could be true?
Let's back up about four days and nights to Jesus' arrest by the temple guards (these were Jewish temple guards, not Roman soldiers) in the Garden of Gethsemane on that Thursday night.
"At that time Jesus said to the crowd, 'Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to arrest me?' Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.'
Then all the disciples deserted him and fled." (Matt 26: 55-56).
What did the disciples do when confronted by the Temple guards? They ran! Like scalded dogs. Now, how likely is it that these same men, the disciples, would go out at night, armed with perhaps a couple of swords, to take on a detachment of Roman soldiers in the dark. These are battle-hardened Roman soldiers, the Navy Seals of their day, equipped with the best fighting tools of their day, and there are probably 8-10 of them. What is the chance that the disciples are going to take them on? None! Absolutely none. It's never going to happen! How anyone could have ever bought that story amazes me.
But people will believe what they want to believe ("Don't bother me with the facts," some people say). It doesn't take much close examination of Matthew's Gospel to make us realize that he is telling us the truth, that his version is the real one, and the cover up is false.
The Next Step
Francis of Assisi is one of the best known Christians of all time. He ranks up there with Augustine of Hippo and Teresa of Calcutta. He lived in Italy, in the town of Assisi in the Twelfth century. Born into a wealthy family, as a young man he lived the life of wine, women and song. Charmed with the idea of being a knight, he galloped off to war. He was captured, thrown into a dungeon and nearly died. When finally released, he returned home a broken man. While recuperating at home, he began to immerse himself in Scripture. This passage particularly captivated him.
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. Now a crippled man from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful,
where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3: 1-8)
Francis was also caught by the Beatitudes, Christ's statements on what it means to be "blessed," that He uses to begin His sermon on the mount. Francis read repeatedly the first one, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Christ is simply pointing out here that our first step toward God is recognizing our own spiritual poverty and our need for God. That's our first step.
While taking a recuperative walk with a friend through the town of Assisi, they stopped in front of a newly finished cathedral in the center of town. The cathedral was magnificent, adorned with gold leaf on some of the outer structures. The friend remarked, "Well, we certainly can't say, 'gold and silver have I none!' " Francis replied, "Neither can we say, "rise up and walk.' " Fancis had recognized his spiritual poverty and was taking his first steps toward God.
Those first few steps would be the beginning of an incredible lifetime of walking with Christ.
HIs was a remarkable journey. But others have taken that journey as well. What's the old adage? "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." We have to take the first step toward God. Then everything else follows. But we have to take that first step.
Are we ready to do that?
Cheap Grace
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a famous German Christian theologian and pastor who was executed by the Nazis at the end of WWII, is extremely well known in Christian circles for his phrase, "cheap Grace." By this he means that many are ready to accept God's Grace of salvation by faith in Christ, but are reluctant to change anything about the way they live their lives.
This practice of religious hypocrisy was common even in Christ's day. Matthew tells the story of Christ clearing the temple in Jerusalem.
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He over turned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written, he said to them, "my house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" (Matt 21:12-13.)
The retailers and traders of Christ's day were happy to come under the shelter of God's temple as long as they could continue their profitable trading. They weren't about to change anything in their lives in response to what God had done for them. "Cheap Grace."
Mathew follows the story of Christ disrupting the temple, with this story.
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,"May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. (Matt 21:18-19.)
The footnote to this passage in the NIV Bible, explains it this way: "Why did Jesus curse the tree? This was not a thoughtless, angry act, but an acted-out parable. Jesus was showing his anger at religion without substance. Just as the fig tree looked good from a distance but was fruitless on close examination, so the temple looked impressive at first glance, but its sacrifices and other activities were hollow because they were not done to worship God sincerely."
Apparently, Christ can recognize "cheap Grace" easily and acts swiftly
So how do we avoid "cheap Grace" in our own lives? Richard Stearns, the former CEO of World Vision, a Christian organization that tries to meet the needs of the worlds' poorest and neediest people, tells this story. Overwhelmed by the magnitude of trying to meet the needs of the destitute throughout the world, he consulted the pastor of his church. The pastor recognized what Stearns was struggling with and said this: "Well, don't fail to do something, just because you can't do everything."
"Don't fail to do something, just because you can't do everything." We can do that. We can accept God's Grace that comes to us in Christ and then go out and do "something." And by changing our lives in order to do "something" we avoid "cheap Grace."
Blindness
In all my time in Ophthalmology, seeing a variety of puzzling cases, the ones that baffled me most were of the type called "psychogenic blindness." These people were "blind" in every sense of the word, but had no anatomic reason for their blindness. They had to be led down a hall, assisted with being seated in a chair, and could not see me waving my hand in front of their face. But there was no anatomic reason for their blindness. I could tell from my clinical exam that their eyes were perfectly normal. CT and MRI scans showed no abnormality with the optic nerves, optic chiasm, optic radiations, or occipital lobes, where vision is interpreted in the brain. But they were blind.
Occasionally psychiatric treatment was helpful, but usually not.
Why were they blind? Because they wanted to be? Best not to be judgmental. But what other reason could there be? They simply did not "want" to see.
In the passage in Matthew 20: 29-34, Christ is leaving Jericho with his disciples. They pass by two blind men sitting at the side of the road. Hearing that it is Jesus that is going by, the two blind men start calling out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" (v. 30). The crowd tries to shut them up, but they persist, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" (v. 31). The passage then says,
"Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him." (Matt 20: 32-34).
They wanted to see, they asked Christ to give them sight, and He did.
So how much are we like them, people who want to see, and how much are we like the people with "psychogenic blindness" who don't want to see? God is real, Christ is who He says He is,
The Son of God, Savior of the World, Lord. But often we just don't want to "see" it. If we want to see the reality of the world we live in and the cosmos that surrounds us, if we want to know God and everything that He has planned for us, we can ask Christ to open our eyes and He will.
And then we will "see" and follow Him. But if we want to remain "blind" there is little that He can do for us.
The choice is ours.
The Messiah
The word "Messiah" is an ancient Hebrew word. It means "the Chosen One", or "the Anointed
One". The Greek word is "Christ". It means the same thing: "the Anointed One," "the Chosen One." The concept of a Messiah, an individual who would come to "save his people," is as old as the book of Leviticus but may even be seen to be referenced in the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. The clearest reference to such an individual is found in the book of Daniel.
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Dan 7:13-14.
By the time of Jesus' arrival on the scene in 1st century AD, there were mixed notions about who the Messiah would be. Many in Israel believed that he would be a political or military leader who would throw off the rule of the hated Roman empire and restore the kingdom of Israel. Others believed that he would be an individual who would remove human sin and make it possible for people to enter into a right relationship with a holy God. John the Baptist, on seeing Jesus approaching him, said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1: 29.)
In this passage from Matthew, Jesus asks the question of His disciples. "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (Matt 16: 13-14.) Then Jesus goes to the real point of His question.
But Jesus persists. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say that I am?" (v. 15)
Now He gets a bold but honest response. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (v.16).
Jesus responds with a stunning statement.
"And I tell you that you are Peter (the name "Peter" can be translated "rock") and on this rock I will build my church,and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (v. 18)
Peter will go on to make some significant mistakes in his discipleship, but here he gets it right.
What about us? It is implicit in the passage that we are also being asked that question. Who do you think Jesus is? Who do I think He is? The question is unavoidable. Eventually we all have to answer it. Will we, like Peter, get it right?
Bad Information
This passage comes from Matthew 16.
"When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matt 16: 5-6.
Of note, the Pharisees and Sadducees were considered to be the "smart people" of their day.
They were the "intelligentsia," the wise ones, the providers of wisdom and knowledge to the masses who didn't have their superior knowledge and intellect.
At first the disciples don't get Jesus' meaning. "It is because we didn't bring any bread." Matt 16: 7
Jesus explains. "How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matt 16: 11-12.
Bad information. False information. Do we deal with that today? You bet we do! It comes at us from all sides. The age of the internet and social media have only compounded the problem. We get so much bad and false information dumped on us on a regular basis that we wonder, "What can I believe? What is true?"
Where can we find any truth today? Where can we find information that is reliable? In our Bibles.
"Yes," you say, "but that stuff was written more than 2000 years ago. How can it be relevant to me today?"
Truth doesn't change. It is an absolute. It is a constant.
"Ok," you say, "but it is difficult to read and it has been translated from ancient languages and sometimes it is just hard to make any sense of it."
All true. But it is surprising how, with just a little consistent effort on our part, the difficult things become easier. The obscure becomes understandable. Modern Bibles like an NIV (New International Version), or ESV (English Standard Version), or NAB (New American Bible) are often accompanied with added information to help us understand the Biblical text. In addition, they are often cross-referenced to other parts of the Bible that allow us to see how truth, in fact, really does not change over time. The information that God is giving us in His word, is consistent and reliable.
All we have to do is read it. Regularly. In small doses. And we will get it. It's not hard.
And we will know the truth. And knowing the truth in our lives is what we are all looking for.
The Kingdom of God
The New Testament contains numerous passages where Christ informs us that, with his arrival into our world "the Kingdom of God has come upon you." (Matt 1:15, Luke 11:20, Luke 10:9, numerous others). What exactly does this mean for us? The "good times" have arrived? "Let the party begin?" "No more sorrow, no more woe?"
Unfortunately, no. With His death on the cross and resurrection to new life, Christ gained the upper hand over pain, suffering and death. Those who are convinced that in Him and through Him, access to life, real life, eternal life, life of joy and fulfillment in the presence of
God is now available to all who come to Him seeking exactly that, receive it. And He bestows it freely to anyone asking of Him.
But that new life is not now. It is not yet. We still live mired in this world. We still live with illness, suffering and death; our own and that of those that we hold dear. It is incredibly hard to hear of people that we knew well having "passed". It is incredibly hard to know close friends who are dealing with illnesses that will almost certainly lead to death in the months to come. We have great hope for the future but how are we to deal with the tragedies that we face now?
Look at how Christ dealt with them.
""On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.' The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. (Matt 14: 6-12.)
This was John the Baptist, the last of the great prophets, the man who had baptised Jesus, Jesus' cousin. How did Jesus respond?
"When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place."
(Matt 14: 13a). No doubt he grieved, he cried, he sobbed, he looked to heaven and grimaced.
Then he got up and went back to finish the work that God had given him to do.
This is likely a good pattern for us to follow when we lose someone very close to us. We go off by ourselves, we grieve, we cry , we sob, we look to Heaven and cry "why!?" Then we return to the work that God has given us, knowing that, because Christ completed His work, a much, much better day , brighter day, happier day, is coming for us all.
"Are you here for the show?"
Two thousand years ago Jesus was "The Show of the Century!" Absolutely! He was The Eagles, Siegfried and Roy, Bono, and Taylor Swift all rolled into one. He was like the Olympics ten times over. People came from all over that region, what we now know as Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, to see Him put on the show. "He healed my arm!" "I couldn't walk and now I'm walking! Look at me!" "I was blind and He touched my eyes and now I can see better than you do!" "My little girl was dead and He brought her back to life!""No way!""Yes He did! I can still barely believe it myself!"Stuff like that was a main part of "The Jesus Show." And He did it all the time.In Matthew 12: 38, the gospel writer tells us, "Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, 'Teacher we want to see a miraculous sign from you.'" In other words, "Do your show! We want to see the show!"Jesus is deeply saddened by this and by the lack of belief and understanding on their part. He calls them, "A wicked and adulterous generation." We frown at them too, not realizing that we are not very far from them. We are always wondering what Jesus can do for us.Jesus goes on to remind them of the story of Jonah, how the prophet went (very reluctantly!) to Nineveh to preach about God to the Assyrians in his day. At that time (Jonah's time) Assyria was a power house in the world and dominated that part or the world. The Assyrians were well-known to be the fiercest, most brutal people in the world. And Jonah goes to preach to them. Good luck!But Christ says, "they repented at the preaching of Jonah" and came back to God. Repent.It is an interesting word. From it we get "Repentance!" A high sounding word. But all that the word "repent" means is "turn around." "You are going in the wrong direction. Turn around."It is what Christ wants the Pharisees and scribes to understand. They are going in the wrong direction. They are moving away from God. He desperately wants them to see this. He wants to get their attention. He wants them to repent; to turn their lives around and turn back to God. He hopes that the miracles of healing that He is doing will get their attention. But all they want is to see the show.Christ offers us far more than a show. "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matt: 11:28-30). "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6). So now we have to ask ourselves, "Am I just here for the show, or am I looking for something more." He is certainly offering it to us.
A Chance To Participate
It all begins with an idea.
I've been reading through the book of Matthew. Today I read the well known passage about Christ feeding the 5000 (Matthew 14: 15-21). It's a remarkable story. Christ feeds more than 5000 people all totaled with five loaves of bread and two small fish.. It's an amazing miracle of provision, of His ability to provide. But that is not the way the story initiates.
Seeing the very large crowds of people, the disciples, no doubt tired from a long day, come to Christ and ask him to send the people away so that they can go into the adjacent villages and get food for themselves to eat. The passage says, "This is a remote place." But Christ says to the disciples a very surprising thing: "You give them something to eat." They must have looked at Him in complete disbelief. They must have been thinking, "He's been in the sun too long! We need to get Him into the shade. He's lost it!"
But Christ knew what He was saying. He already knew what He was going to do and how He was going to do it. He was simply offering them, the disciples, a chance to participate in the miracle that He would perform.
A chance to participate. I wonder how many times that has been offered to me. I wonder how many times I have encountered seemingly impossible odds and seemingly impossible situations, overwhelming circumstances and numbers of people, and responded, "Nothing I can do here!"
And I missed hearing Him say, "You give them something."
"Give them your time, your understanding, your patience, your empathy, your resources. You give them something." He already knows how He will handle the problem. He is just offering me a chance to participate in something that He will do for people that will be ground-breaking.
I will try to remember this. The next time that I encounter a situation involving a large number of people, and I think to myself, "I can't even make a dent in this problem," I will listen for the voice that says, "You give them something." And I will look for my chance to participate.
Knowing How It Works
It all begins with an idea.
I recently read an article about Jensen Huang, the founder and CEO of Nvidia, the company that makes the computer chips for AI, artificial intelligence. Huang and a reporter were in a room filled with balls of various sizes and colors. A robot, functioning with artificial intelligence, was moving through the room, selecting only the balls that were colored red and putting them into a basket. The reporter watched this awhile and then turned to Huang and said, "This makes me nervous! Doesn't this make you nervous!" Huang laughed and said, "No! It doesn't make me nervous at all! I know how it works!"
Mark, in his gospel, recounts the story of Jesus calming the storm on the sea of Galilee. (Mark 4: 35-41). The disciples put out in a boat on the Galilee water. Jesus goes to sleep in the stern of the boat. Mark states, "There were also other boats with him." (v.37). The only reason that Mark can have for making this statement is that he was in one of the other boats. This is an eye- witness account. "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown!" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him!"
In this scene, we see the disciples terrified, scared out of their wits. By contrast, Jesus is completely calm, even annoyed a bit at having been awakened. They are beside themselves with terror; he is completely calm. The fierce and sudden storm doesn't bother him at all. Why?
Because he knows how it works. "Be still," he says. And it's still. He knows how it works.
Dallas Willard, a former philosophy professor at the USC Dept. of Philosophy, calls Jesus, "the smartest man who ever lived!" (The Divine Conspiracy). He attributes Christ's miraculous works
to not so much "hocus-pocus" as to the fact that he, Jesus, understands how nature works in ways that we have yet to discover. It is a radical idea but as you read his book, you get the distinct impression that he is on to something, something that maybe most of us have missed.
The Creator of Nature, knows Nature and knows how it works. That makes sense.
It might be worthwhile to remember that when life terrifies us, to call on Him to help us. After all, He knows how it works.
Doubt
It all begins with an idea.
Doubt is an attitude that is common to all of us. We all doubt. It is not something that we are born with. We are not "born skeptics." Doubt is something that we develop in life. We develop it because we learn that life often presents us with un-truths, or lies. Our political leaders are often "fact-checked," shown to be in error in what they are telling us, and yet persist in "un-truths." Doubt then becomes a protective mechanism for us. We learn that there is a certain degree of wisdom in doubting; skepticism is healthy to a certain degree.
Sometimes we even doubt when the preponderance of evidence to the contrary, is overwhelming. Look at this passage from Matthew 11. "After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Math 11: 2) This is a remarkable degree of doubt on John's part. Afterall, he was Christ's first cousin and was a mere 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1). Further, he had himself baptised Jesus! (Mark 1). And yet he was doubting at this point that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the one of whom he himself had declared, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! " (John 1:29). But here he had his doubts. As we all do.
How did Christ respond to this? By providing overwhelming evidence that testified to who he was. "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the good news is preached to the poor." (Math 11: 4-6). Tangible evidence; solid evidence; unimpeachable evidence. Then Christ says, "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." He is simply saying, "Overcome your doubts. Don't give up believing in me. I am who I am. Keep your eyes on me and I will get you home. Stop doubting and believe."
Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)