Monthly Archives: June 2014

Shalom!

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SHALOM!

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'” John 20:19-23 NIV.

Such familiar words! But they conjure up all sorts of pictures in our imagination, and many questions too.

‘Shalom! Hello!’ The common Jewish greeting but now loaded with new meaning! This was much more than a “Hello! Nice to see you again,” greeting.

Can you imagine what that one little word meant to those eleven fear-filled men, cowering behind locked doors? Every footfall, every sound sent their hearts racing. ‘Have they found us? Have they come to arrest us? Are we to suffer the same fate as Jesus? What are we supposed to do now?”

Jesus did not announce His arrival with a knock on the door or a “May I come in?” He simply appeared, in their midst, just like that! As silent as an owl on the hunt, He came. One minute He was not there and the next He was, in the middle of the huddle of men whispering together in case their hiding place was discovered.

‘Shalom! Peace!’ was His greeting. Peace, the inner calm and confidence that secures the heart in the midst of turbulent circumstances. It was a wish, a prayer, a command, and a promise. He had taken on the adversary and won. He had returned from the grave to tell them that they were back on the road to wholeness. For them, a new life was just beginning.

He had not only won the victory over the devil; He had also set in motion the process of renewal that would come through the Holy Spirit’s presence in them. The Spirit of God who had been removed from the human race when Adam chose against God, and who had only sporadically visited His people since then, was coming back to fill the earth with His presence and to take up residence in the lives of everyone who received Jesus.

Imagine Jesus’ excitement and joy! He was able to tell them that a new era had begun, and they were to be part of the biggest scoop in history. He had played His part in setting it in motion. Now it was their turn to go, and wherever they went, to tell the story and to invite the wayward sons of God to return to the Father’s heart and the Father’s home.

There was one great obstacle to experiencing this new life — the guilt of sin. It was their task to declare to whoever would listen, that God had finally and effectively dealt with sin. No one need cower in the presence of a holy God, ever again. Sin had been atoned for, guilt removed and everyone who believed in Him could face God in the shalom of a new heart and a clean slate.

He had now entrusted them with the precious message of forgiveness. Unless they shared the good news, people would remain in their sin, their guilt, their shame and their fear of death and they would never know that God had forgiven them and that they were free to come home.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 5:1 NIV.

Sons And Brothers

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SONS AND BROTHERS

“Jesus said, ‘Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news, ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that He had said these things to her.” John 20:17-18 NIV.

Mary was overwhelmed with joy. All she wanted to do was to hold her Master and never let Him go. There were so many things she did not yet understand. For now, Jesus was alive and that was all that mattered. But for Jesus, there were still things to accomplish to fulfil the imagery of the Old Testament Scriptures.

After the high priest had sacrificed the second goat on the Day of Atonement (the first goat was the Azazel — the live goat that carried the sins of the people out into the wilderness), he had to take the blood into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat to make atonement for the people. No one was allowed to touch him until he had reappeared from behind the veil.

Was Jesus referring to this imagery when He stopped Mary from touching Him? Later on when He met His disciples in the upper room, He invited Thomas to touch Him, to probe His wounds so that he would be sure it was really Jesus. Why did He contradict Himself?

“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, not part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11 NIV.

The writer to the Hebrews does not give us an idea of when this happened. It could be   that at some time between Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene and to the disciples in the upper room, He had presented His blood to the Father as an eternal atonement for sin. How else can we understand the apparent contradiction between His instruction to Mary and His invitation to Thomas? I am not starting a new heresy, just wondering!

Jesus used a little phrase that has captured my attention, ‘…My brothers…’ For the first time in His association with His disciples, He called them “brothers”.  Something had changed His relationship with them, from “servants” to “friends” (John 15:15) to “brothers”. There was a new blood relationship with them that had not existed before. He referred to God as His Father and their Father, not “our Father” in a general way which would not have drawn their attention to the newly-formed family relationship.

Again we are indebted to the author of Hebrews for throwing light on Jesus’ words.

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

“He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.'” Hebrews 2:10-12 NIV.

The unthinkable has happened. Brothers and sisters! That puts us who believe in Him on the same level as He is. The same love that the Father has for His Son He has for His sons and daughters. Through His grace He has raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6, 7). He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

It’s all about Him. He has reinstated us into His family and given us the status and privileges of sonship. We are no longer slaves but sons, and He had given us the Spirit of sonship and the witness of the Spirit that were are indeed children of God. He has given us His name, His blessing, His home and an inheritance in His Son which are all the benefits of sonship.

What more do we need?

Agony To Ecstasy!

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AGONY TO ECSTASY!

“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put Him.’ At this she turned around and saw Jesus there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.” John 20:11-14 NIV.

Poor Mary! Her eyes were so swollen with weeping and her mind so dulled with grief that she seemed almost to have lost her senses. Two angels were sitting in the tomb where the body of Jesus had lain but they didn’t even startle her. She did not react in fear or wonder. They asked her a question and she replied as though she were talking to her next-door neighbour.

She did not appear to be surprised at the sight of unearthly beings or wonder who they were or what they were doing there. To her at that moment it might have been an everyday occurrence to see angels sitting in a tomb guarding empty burial cloths!

Her reply was exactly what she was thinking. Someone had stolen her Lord’s body and she was distraught because she no longer had free access to the place where she could go to mourn and remember. She had nothing left of Him but memories, and now those memories were stained by more loss, not only the loss of His presence but now also the loss of His earthly remains.

What could she do now but go away and nurse her terrible grief? The pain in her gut was unbearable. She felt as though she would die of sorrow and disappointment. Great sobs wracked her body as she turned to walk away, dismissing the unusual event as though it were of no consequence.

Through the blur of tears she saw someone standing outside the tomb, but she did not recognise Him because tears and grief had blinded her.

“He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking He was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him and I will get Him.”’  John 20:15 NIV.

Really, Mary! Did you think that you, a frail woman, could carry away a heavy, dead weight corpse? And where would you put Him? In your house, in the front room? She was not only blinded but irrational at that moment. She did not even recognise her beloved Master’s voice. She expected nothing but to mourn at the tomb of the one she loved more than life.

I try to imagine how Jesus felt at that moment. Mary was broken with grief. She had watched Him die. She had seen where He had been buried and had come to mourn for Him…He was ecstatic with joy. He had endured the cross, conquered death and was on the point of revealing Himself to the first person who would ever see Him alive in His resurrection body.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned towards Him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means “Teacher”).” John 20:16 NIV.

What a moment! Disclosure! Revelation! Understanding! Unparalleled delight! Mary exploded with joy! In an instant, her sorrow vanished and was replaced with ecstasy. Jesus was alive and that was all that mattered. Her name, uttered by her Lord, changed everything. All the tender love of the Son of God for a daughter He had rescued and given new life, was packed into that one word.

He had done it! He had taken the devil on and won. Mary represented the whole human race and especially those who would, like her, now be able to embrace Jesus as the Son of God and their Lord, entrust their lives to Him and submit to His loving authority over them for the rest of their lives. She had seen Him, heard Him and she was content.

Have you seen Him with the eyes of faith? Have you heard Him call your name? Do you know that He is alive? Forever? And so are you?

He Saw And Believed!

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HE SAW AND BELIEVED!

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him.'” John 20:1-3a NIV.

John’s story sounds so true-to-life, doesn’t it?

Mary Magdalene is so distraught about the death of her Master that she can’t sleep. She gets up before daybreak and hurries noiselessly through the dark streets of the city until she comes to the tomb. What is she going to do there? She probably doesn’t know. She just wants to be there one more time, to be near her beloved Master.

In the light of the full moon, as she nears the tomb she notices that something is amiss. Instead of the huge round stone sealing the entrance, it has been rolled away, leaving a gaping hole. She stops for a moment to assess the situation and then turns and runs, as fast as her legs can carry her, back to the city. Her first thought? ‘I must tell Peter! He’ll know what to do.’

With rasping breaths she gasps out her story. ‘He’s gone! They’ve taken Him away. I don’t know where He is.’ That’s all. The stone has been moved. Something’s wrong.  Without even going inside the tomb to check whether He is still there, the only conclusion she can come to is that His body has been stolen.

“So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but he did not go it.

“Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple who reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead) Then the disciples went back to the others where they were staying.”  John 20:3b-10 NIV.

Peter and John wrap their cloaks around them and rush off to see what the woman is talking about. By this time it is beginning to get light. John, the younger man, outruns Peter and reaches the tomb first. The stone has been rolled away, just as Mary had said. He stops at the entrance, hesitant to go in. He bends down and peers into the gloom. As his eyes become accustomed to the dark, he sees something strange. The grave clothes are still lying there, intact but empty. The body has gone.

Peter arrives, panting and, true to character, goes straight into the tomb. He also sees empty grave clothes but sees something else even more puzzling. The cloth over Jesus’ face is lying, not with the grave clothes but by itself, almost as though the body had melted out of it, leaving it in place where the head had been.

John joins Peter in the tomb and stares at the strange sight. Slowly the truth begins to dawn on him. This is no act of grave robbers. No one can remove a body without disturbing the grave clothes. Why would they take the corpse and leave the burial cloths behind? He hears the echo of Jesus’ words in his mind, “…Rise again on the third day! …Rise again on the third day,” and at last it all begins to make sense.

Finally everything Jesus had told them fell into place and John believes. What a life-transforming experience! “He saw and believed!” The evidence is beyond dispute. He is an eyewitness to the most earth-shattering event in history. A dead man comes back to life as He had predicted. That can mean only one thing — everything else He had said was true.

Many people have made outrageous claims about themselves and their beliefs and, on the strength of those claims have started religious systems which others had devotedly followed. One thing is missing, though — the evidence. Jesus alone produced the proof that He is who He said He is, and that faith in Him is the only way to the Father.

A Rich Man’s Tomb

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A RICH MAN’S TOMB 

“At the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” John 19: 41-42 NIV.

Ever built a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle? It’s a massive undertaking. First one has to find a table or board big enough to fit the reassembled puzzle and all the loose pieces separated and lying face up. Then one has to find all the edge pieces and put them in their correct places to form the outer frame. Next, one painstakingly studies the picture and the pieces to find the shapes and colours that will fit together to form the picture, either beginning at the outer edge or with some focal point that will fit into the puzzle as one goes along.

As the story of Jesus flowed, things happened in quick succession which replicated the words of the prophets of the Old Testament with uncanny accuracy. It was as though God had in front of Him a picture of the events of Jesus’ life, from His conception to His ascension which He had described to the prophets. As event after event happened, He put the puzzle pieces together exactly as the picture showed.

Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 53 contributed the details of part of the completed picture. Joseph’s compassionate action provided the pieces which reproduced the picture of His burial perfectly.

“He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.” Isaiah 53:9 NIV.

According to Matthew 27:57-61, Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man who owned an unused tomb near the crucifixion site, which he had prepared for his own burial. Mark added that he was a prominent member of the Jewish Council. What moved him to request the body of Jesus and to use his own tomb in which to bury Him? Was it love, generosity or perhaps even guilt because he had not been open about his faith in Jesus?

Perhaps, as he watched the terrible events, knowing that Jesus was innocent and that He had been killed to mask the wickedness of his fellow religious leaders, he was moved in his heart to rescue Him from the ignominious end of executed criminals – cremation in the city’s garbage dump in the Valley of Hinnom.

When he was sure that Jesus was dead, he hurried off to Pilate to ask permission to take charge of the body. Together with Nicodemus who allied himself with Joseph, they claimed His body, carrying out hurried burial rites because it was almost sundown and the beginning of the special Sabbath, and placed it in the tomb.

What does this little detail say to us who read it? It fascinates me that God wrote Jesus’ story in His book before He was born. Apart from the fact that it gives me assurance that the Bible really is God’s book — who else can write a biography before it happens and be spot on in every detail? — it also makes me wonder whether He has written my story as well. If He has, it means that I am not an insignificant nobody in His eyes, but someone worth writing about.

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16b.

Does that mean that I am just a puppet that God pushes around at will? I don’t think that’s what David meant when he wrote those words. I think he meant that God sees everything from beginning to end. He is able to write our stories before they happen because He can see the whole thing from His perspective. That means that God is very great, greater than that He can see into the future. Past, present and future are all “now” to God. He is already there, at the end of my story just as He is here now where I am on the journey and was present at the beginning.

That also means that although Jesus died at a specific time in history, all the benefits of His death applied from the beginning of time. God’s people weren’t forgiven because they offered animal sacrifices. That was only a picture to help them to understand that it was the blood of God’s Lamb, His Son that cleansed them from sin.

God has taken care of everything that was needed to forgive us and reinstate us as His children. He left nothing to chance and He leaves nothing to chance as far as our lives are concerned. We can trust Him.