All posts by Luella Campbell

A WALK THROUGH THE LORD’S PRAYER – 1a

Prayer, ,

I think that most nations or cultural groups within a nation have some overriding issue, characteristic, or consideration  that controls their lives or that occupies their attention. Take Israel in Jesus’ day, for example…

Israel was a religious nation, with their leaders being representatives of their religious system, but with pagan influences because of its occupation by Rome, a pagan nation. 

How did this play out in their daily lives? The temple and temple worship, together with its rituals and sacrifices, played a central role in the beliefs and behaviour of its leaders and which filtered down to the ordinary people. 

The Jews were traditionally God’s covenant people. They had a history of rebellion and disobedience to the covenant which bound them to the God who had rescued them from Egyptian slavery and had led and settled them in their own Promised Land. However, they failed to honour the terms of His covenant. 

After centuries of conflict between themselves and their God, their religion had become one of rule and ritual with little heart, exemplified by their rulers, the scribes and Pharisees. The people were expected to follow their leaders slavishly and, when they didn’t, they were “cancelled” in the eyes of their superiors. 

Jesus came to restore to them the reality of the God who loved them, who was a Father to them, and who wanted a relationship with them as His sons and daughters. He hated the hypocrisy of their leaders who taught one thing but did the opposite. He set out to correct their belief system by teaching and modelling the truth of a Father/Son relationship. 

Jesus’ first task was to teach His disciples about the way His kingdom would operate on earth. He had to dispel the false beliefs that had crept into the minds and lifestyles of His people through the control of their religious teachers and leaders.

Matthew’s version of “the Sermon on the Mount”, recorded in Matthew 5 to 7, is a sample of the way Jesus taught His disciples to live as God’s family under His rule. He had to correct “Halakah” –  the way to behave based on the Talmud which regulated the lives of the people. 

“In simple terms, the Talmud is the central and authoritative text of Rabbinic Judaism, a vast collection of Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, and lore that serves as a guide for Jewish life. It is composed of the Mishnah, a codification of oral laws, and the Gemara, which is a commentary and elaboration on the Mishnah and the rabbis’ discussions about it.” (Source: Google)

For the ordinary Jew, life had become burdensome and almost impossible to live under the religious system their leaders imposed on them.  

Jesus offered them His alternative, His yoke, …., a life of rest and freedom from suffocating rules by trusting Him and following His way….

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…in place of the heavy religious and heartless yoke of the Pharisees. 

How would Jesus, the Son of God, initiator and representative of a new covenant in which prayer was to be the centre of their experience of God, set the record straight? 

Through the mystery and miracle of prayer, personally interacting with their Heavenly Father, they would get to know Him. They would throw off the burdensome, man-made laws imposed on them. They would learn to partner with Him in the administration of His heavenly rule which Jesus had come to restore. 

The first step was to correct the wrong practices of Pharisees and pagans. 

The Pharisees loved to be noticed, their obedience to the law acknowledged and praised. They were the model for the ordinary people and revelled in the attention they received. 

So, Jesus warned…

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus used the terms ”Pharisees” and “hypocrites” interchangeably because that was what they were… play actors who wore masks to hide their true identity. 

“That’s not the way to receive your Father’s reward,” said Jesus. Man’s reward is empty and worthless… God always rewards those who pray with the right attitude and motive…

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, according to Jesus, God rewards the sincere prayer of His children, directed in faith to Him, obviously by answering us, but it’s much more than that…

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fruit! Union with Jesus bears fruit. What kind of fruit? 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The character of Jesus produced by the Holy Spirit, becomes woven into our lives as we gaze at Him…

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 …which is exactly God’s purpose…

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, if we pray only to impress people, that’s all the reward we will get!

To be continued…

MARK’S GOSPEL…NOT HETE! – 43

Bible Study, ,

Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

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What a starling announcement! Not here! “But He is supposed to be here! We saw His body being carried here. Why is He not here? Who carried Him away? Where is He?”

A thousand questions flooded the confused thoughts of these two women. Who is this young man? What is he saying? The last thing on their minds was…Jesus is alive! That was an impossibility beyond common sense. 

The stone slab on which Jesus body lay was bare…empty…the body gone! A faint bloodstain was  the only evidence that a broken body had indeed been on that piece of rock, but where was He?

They hardly heard the young man’s explanation. Risen! That was not possible. Nobody can simply rise and walk away from his own burial place, especially since the entrances was blocked by a massive, immovable stone!

They could not deny the fact that the tomb was empty… so, where next? 

“Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid…

‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Terrified out of their wits, the women fled the scene, ignored the angel’s instruction, and went to ground, hiding their secret from even their closest associates…and here Mark’s story abruptly ends. What happened to the end of the manuscript?

There is no explanation for this inconclusive conclusion except that the final triumphant declaration of the resurrection might have somehow got lost or deliberately been removed. Who knows? 

However, this magnificent story  could not have been left incomplete. The message must be told. “He has risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

Some unknown writer closed the gap. In a brilliant summary, taking into account all the events after the resurrection of Jesus, including the disciples’ stubborn unbelief until they themselves saw Him, and the unseen world of Jesus’ exaltation, we are assured of the truth, “He is risen indeed!”

“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 

When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. 

Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. 

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

MARK’S GOSPEL…A LOUD VOICE – 42

Bible Study,

Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭33‬-‭34‬, ‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)….With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!””

There is something unusual about the behaviour of Jesus…a dying man, suspended between heaven and earth by nails in His hands and feet, His lungs constricted by the weight of His body. 

Every breath was agony as He pushed against the nails to take a shallow breath. He would eventually suffocate when His body grew too weak to relieve the pressure on His lungs…an agonising death, like the slow leak of a punctured tyre. 

Yet, twice in Marks record, Jesus cried out with a loud voice…how was this possible? 

First, He called to the Father in the prophetic words of David, 

…“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭34‬ NIV

What was He saying? 

Was this the human Jesus, feeling the terrible isolation from the Father that the sin of the world was inflicting on Him? Had the Father, in that moment, literally forsaken His Son, left Him to suffer alone, with no comfort or assurance of His presence?

Was Jesus, as He had done so many times before, in the agony of that moment fitting perfectly into the picture of prophecy? 

What do we make of Paul’s statement, as he outlined the broader context of Jesus’ death…?

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ…”

It seems that the Father was there, perhaps hidden from His Son’s conscious awareness, but nevertheless present to supervise this crucial moment when the universe itself held its breath for the outcome! 

It is impossible for God to absent Himself from any spot on earth since the Scripture itself assures us that He fills heaven and earth with His presence.  

“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

David himself cried out…

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV

“He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Although it is impossible for God to absent Himself from any geographical location on earth, in the darkness of human experience He can be as absent as it seems.   

Second, Jesus cried out in a loud voice at the moment of His death! Dying people don’t cry out…they whisper or are silent. 

In His many debates with His enemies, He stated categorically that He was in charge of His own death. 

 “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.””

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Again, this very statement is a declaration that He was giving Himself voluntarily as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. No other human has ever died in this way, controlling his death to his last breath. 

Is it any wonder that a seasoned centurion, who had witnessed the deaths of many criminals executed by crucifixion, should make this his conclusion…

“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

MARK’S GOSPEL…CRUCIFIED – 41

Bible Study, ,

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Mark’s carefully crafted report has many details. However, unlike Isaiah’s prophecy, he offers no interpretation except a reference, here and there, to prophecy fulfilled. After all, he was telling the story of a servant! The Servant’s feelings, emotions, suffering, are not the issue. What matters is how He took His punishment…rebelling or submitting? For our salvation, this was the crux. 

In His extreme weakness after taking a beating to within an inch of His life, Jesus had a moment of reprieve. The soldiers had pity on Him, or did they? Was it compassion that made them force Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross, or was it impatience?

The crucifixion was carried out with military precision. The soldiers had done it before…many times. They were merely carrying out the instructions of their commanding officer. They were hardened to the screams, the cries for mercy, the writhing in pain, even the swearing and cursing from the lips of the condemned…but this man?  

“Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me…Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭12‬-‭13‬, ‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not only was He condemned but also treated in the cruellest way possible, with the jeers, taunts, and insults that could have crushed His soul.  

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Son of God, this Servant of Yahweh, felt it all in the most intense of suffering!

Body battered and beaten, flesh flayed to the bone, hands and feet pierced with huge iron nails, naked and exposed, taunted, mocked, and insulted, He was eerily quiet. No sound came from Him, not a word of abuse, not a threat or protest of innocence, not a cry for mercy…only a flicker of pain across His face that spoke more loudly than the agonising cries of the guilty. And one soldier took note!

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did they drop the upright into the hole with a little more care than they did for the other two criminals? Did they treat Jesus a little more gently, kindly than normal? I think not! They were possibly even rougher, even more cruel, to force a sound from this unusual man… and at least one of the co-crucified took note!

With practised indifference, the soldiers did what they always did. They crouched on the ground at the feet of the condemned and gambled for the discarded clothing. Some garments were in tatters, hardly worth a second glance but….

Jesus’ garments were unusual,  His outer garment, a seamless robe, as Mark took pains to mention, the evidence of His office as High Priest…was highly symbolic and significant…

Google explains…

“In Jesus’s day, the most prominent figure, who wore a seamless robe, was the Jewish High Priest. This sacred, one-piece garment was part of the high priest’s priestly vestments, symbolizing unity and holiness, and was an integral part of his ministry when performing rituals in the Temple.”

“Jesus’ seamless robe holds significance as a symbol of divine unity, Jesus’ unified and perfect character, and the unity of the Church, representing the indivisible body of Christ. Its un-torn nature symbolized the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, highlighting Jesus’ role as a perfect high priest whose divine mission could not be fractured.”

And so, the soldiers, callous and unaware, unwittingly fulfilled yet another prophecy,

“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As the spectacle of this crucifixion unfolds, darkness and light clashed, with darkness the seemingly undisputed winner except for one thing…

Peter, the traditionally recognised source of Mark’s gospel, put this pinnacle moment in history, and its eternal outcome, into its divine perspective…

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s story was conceived in eternity, written in prophecy, and fulfilled in time. It reached its climax at 3pm on that Passover day when Jesus and the Passover lamb took their last breath together, sealing forever the fate of darkness and releasing on mankind the era of grace!

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE TALE OF YWO SONS – 40

Bible Study, ,

Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭6‬-‭12‬, ‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.”

‭‭

A twist in the tale! Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against Him. Mark even diagnosed the motive of the religious leaders for the abominable travesty of justice…

“fthonos”, meaning “envy”. 

Envy is more than jealousy. Envy includes the desire to do away with the person whose goods or attributes are desirable. It has in it the thought of corruption, to defile or destroy. 

So, Pilate was at war with himself. Should he risk antagonising the Jewish leaders by releasing Jesus, or does he violate his conscience by condemning an innocent man? Then a lightbulb moment! He’d throw the choice back on them! A strange custom came to mind…to release a condemned criminal of the people’s choice at Pentecost. 

Jesus or Barabbas? For Pilate, the choice was obvious. Barabbas was a murderer. Would they really want a murderer on the loose among them again?

Let’s examine the credentials of these two men. They were both “sons of the father” as Jesus claimed and Barabbas’ name meant. 

Was Jesus “Son of the Father”? Apparently “yes”, since He was on trial for this claim. He, according to the witness of Scripture, is…

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬a NIV‬‬

What of Barabbas? His name, Bar-Abbas” means “son of the father”. Was he the son of his father? We know nothing about his father except that he inherited the nature of his “father” – Adam. In Adam’s nature was the lawlessness and wickedness of rebellion against God, confirmed by Barabbas’ evil deeds and inherited by all mankind. Barabbas, the murderer, was a true son of his father!

So, for Pilate, this was the way out of his dilemma. He no longer had responsibility for Jesus’ death if the people chose Barabbas. 

Despite the terrible evil of the people’s choice, and despite Pilate’s guilt no matter how much he tried to shrug it off, the tale of two sons is a strange twist in this story but the heart of the gospel…the Son of God died in the place of “the son of the father”. 

Did Barabbas stand at a distance, watching the lifeblood of his substitute dripping on the ground? Did he see the head of Jesus hanging lifeless on His chest? Did he think, at that moment? …”He died for me!”

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