Monthly Archives: June 2015

Unlikely Ones

Bible Study, ,

UNLIKELY ONES

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him (Mark 3: 13-19).

How well did Jesus read these men? Why did He choose men who, from our point of view at least, seem so unsuitable? Why did He include a guy like Matthew – a thief and a sell-out to Rome? What about James and John? They had no idea how to show compassion. Weren’t they the ones who wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village for not offering Jesus hospitality? Of what use where they to Him with an attitude like that?

And Simon the Zealot? He was a political activist – the last kind of person Jesus needed in His band. He had enough trouble trying to convince the rest of them that the kingdom of God was not a restored Davidic kingdom, without having a stirrer in His group. And as for Peter! Jesus didn’t even connect him with Andrew his brother because they were two completely different characters. He was very good at putting his foot in his mouth every time he opened it.

Who was Bartholomew? Was he the Nathaniel of John’s gospel? Thomas? He was famous for his scepticism and pessimism. Philip at least tried to believe, now and then, but his puny efforts didn’t get him very far. James son of Alpheus didn’t even make a blip on the radar. And Judas Iscariot? Was he Jesus’ biggest mistake?

Luke even tells us that Jesus spent the night in prayer before He chose His men. That makes it even worse, doesn’t it? He and the Father were in it together. And of course the Holy Spirit was there because He was the one who was on Him from His baptism, leading and empowering Him to do what He did. So the Trinity were all in agreement that these were the men whom Jesus was to train to be disciples and to take over from where He left off when He had fulfilled His mission on earth.

How did Jesus propose to train them? They were not even schooled in the Beth Talmid – “discipleship school” of their day. They were drop-outs from elementary school because they didn’t have it in them to become rabbis or disciples of rabbis. They were raw labourers of one kind or another. Jesus chose a “hands-on” method of honing these rough guys to become just like Him.

The essence of a disciple was to become a replica of his rabbi – not just learning and teaching what he taught but being like him in every way. He had to stick close by him, day and night, learn his language, and copy his gestures, his actions, his words and even his thoughts and attitudes. That took very close association. It must have been tough for both rabbi and his disciples to be so “joined at the hip” that they could not escape each other. No time out for a breather! Not even a moment to let their hair down and be “normal”.

In those two little words “with Him” lay the key to their mission. Unless they learned the lessons from their association with Him, every moment, every situation, every event, every incident, absorbing His actions and reactions, soaking up His attitudes and emotions, listening to His words and His heartbeat, they would never become true followers. Jesus was to be to them like a fish in a fishbowl, exposed every moment from every side. Not only were they expected to watch and listen to Him – He also invited them to scrutinise Him. What other human being would have the courage to do that – to make himself completely vulnerable knowing that his followers would pounce on every flaw and hold him accountable – because they were supposed to replicate him.

How do the so-called “disciples” of Jesus measure up today? How much time to we take to be “with Him”? If that is the key to being a true copy of our rabbi, how badly do we misrepresent Him because of our pathetically impoverished knowledge and understanding of who Jesus really is? His penetrating question to His disciples was “Who do you say that I am?” That was the crux of their confession. If we are not convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, we may as well pack our bags and go home.

It was exactly because of who He is, that He could choose them (and us), not because of who they were but because of what they would become through Him. No other rabbi could offer them that! That’s why He can be so confident when He calls, “Follow me,” because He knows what can happen if we do just that – stick with Him, listen and learn.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Muzzled!

Christian Life, , , ,

MUZZLED!

Because of the crowd He told His disciples to have a small boat ready for Him, to keep the people from crowding Him. For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him. Whenever the impure spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But He gave them strict orders not to tell others about Him. (Mark 3:9-12).

Don’t you love Mark’s matter-of-fact way of telling the story? No frills; no fancy language; no flowery descriptions; just plain facts as it happened!

Jesus’ popularity had reached an all-time high. People flooded into the neighbourhood from far and wide. Mark says nothing about the practical implications of an influx of people into a small town. Where did they stay? Where did they get food? What about crowd control? His focus was on Jesus. He was the centre of the attention. How would He handle this hero-worshipping mob, all clamouring for a piece of the pie?

Their focus was on what He could do for them at that moment. Many were diseased; deformed, disabled, helplessly caught in the trap of infirmities for which there was no solution. They had to bear as best they could the terrible consequences of living in a fallen world. There was no skilled surgeon to fix what was broken or to treat what had gone wrong, no highly trained nurse who knew just what to do with a patient with a high fever, or a headache, no drugs to destroy the unseen organisms that silently invaded vulnerable bodies and wreaked havoc on the inside.

Jesus was the man of the moment. The only problem was that He stayed only for a little while and then went elsewhere. It was not easy to follow Him with sick and cripples people in tow. They had to grab the opportunity while they could before He was gone.

But He did not come on a healing campaign, urgent and necessary as that was. His purpose was to restore God’s image in the minds of His people. For too long they had been ruled by unscrupulous leaders who projected an image of a God who was not anything like His Father. He had to let them know that the God who had called Abraham into fellowship with Himself and, through him, built a nation which was to be His “bride”, living in such close union with Himself that they would resemble Him and reflect Him to a world that did not know Him.

They had long since lost the plot. The god they now tried hard to serve was harsh and demanding, laying heavy burdens of rules and rigmarole on them that they could not carry. Jesus had an urgent task – to undo the damage that ignorance had done and to re-introduce them to the real God whom they had lost in the blur of religious performance.

There was one group in the crowd who knew who He was. The people may have seen Him only as a magical healer who had popped up from nowhere, but who could do what no one else had ever done – fix their problems and release them from suffering. This group was unseen, an unlikely witness to His true identity. Who were they? Not some religious mystics who spent hours in the presence of God and had spiritual insights denied the common people. Of all things, they were beings from the enemy camp. Demons! Spirit beings who hate Him and who worked for the devil.

How did they know who Jesus was when God’s people had no clue? They could not but be familiar with who He was since they had been at war with Him from the beginning. As much as they hated to admit it, He not the devil, was master over them and, though they did not serve Him, they were under His authority and would one day pay for their rebellion. Now, much to their chagrin, He had turned up in their domain, the earth, to challenge their mastery over humans and to evict them from their malicious control over individuals who had inadvertently given in to their evil influence.

Jesus refused to tolerate their testimony. They were not bearing witness to His saving grace. Their words were almost a taunt – like the words of the devil in the wilderness. “If you are the Son of God, prove it.” People would have to come to their own conclusions and to faith in Him, not based on words from the mouths of the demon-possessed but from those who had become convinced that He was, indeed, the Son of God through His words and actions.

There was only one treatment for them – “Shut up and get out!” They were there under false pretences and with a word from Him whether they liked it or not, they had to obey As much as His message of the kingdom was great news, even greater was the demonstration of His authority. If they only realised it, He really was God since His most powerful enemy, the devil and his minions had to give way to Him.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

Popularity

Christian Life, , , , ,

 

POPULARITY

Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all He was doing, many people came to Him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. (Mark 3: 6-8).

O-oh Jesus! So early in your ministry and you are already ruffling feathers!

Never had a rabbi caused such a stir in Israel. Look at the area His fame had already covered. People streamed to hear Him from as far afield as Tyre and Sidon – and that without Google or Facebook! Who needed the mass media when word of mouth worked just as well?

Why were the religious leaders already plotting murder? What had He done to them? They functioned on their man-made rules because it suited them. As long as they got their behaviour streamlined according to their human mentors, what went on in their hearts was of no consequence. Jesus challenged their heart and conscience.

They attacked Him for healing a man with a paralysed hand on the Sabbath. To them that was “work” and He had therefore violated the Sabbath. He responded by exposing their hearts. They had no compassion for the man and his suffering. They were only concerned about preserving the façade of their “righteousness”, whatever that meant. They had both misunderstood and misrepresented Torah, God’s instructions on the best way to live.

They believed that, as long as they performed according to the letter of the Law, and the many interpretation of the rabbis down the centuries, they had earned God’s favour, no matter how impure their hearts and motives were. The additions made by the sages, as far as they were concerned, carried as much weight as the Word of God itself. Not to obey them to the letter was culpable.

Jesus was not only a threat to their authority, He was also a threat to them because He pulled the covers off their evil hearts. Their concern was not so much for the honour of God as it was for their own honour in the eyes of the people. Every time Jesus showed them up, they lost the respect and obedience of the people. They were losing control and they didn’t like it. Control! That was the issue. They were the authority. They were the learned ones. The people were ignorant. They were the ones who knew and interpreted the Law and the people were to obey them. They could manipulate them through their religion.

Now Jesus comes along and undermines their authority by showing up their hearts. They were not interested in the truth or what was right. Only who was right mattered and they believed that they were right. The only solution for them was to eliminate the opposition. The seeds of murder were already in their hearts and Jesus watered them by His insistence on the truth.

What was Jesus’ take on the Law? He made it clear that His purpose for coming was not to do away with Torah but to show them how to live it out so that God’s heart of mercy would be revealed in the everyday application of the Law. In this instance, the issue was the Sabbath. When confronted with an opportunity to show mercy, what was one to do? The Torah said, “Don’t do any work.” What constituted work? The Pharisees insisted that healing a man on the Sabbath was “work”. Jesus countered their interpretation by overriding their laws with mercy. Showing mercy was not work.

Of course, the proof was in the action. Just as Jesus proved, on another occasion that He could forgive sins by healing a paralysed man, so now He proved that He was Lord of the Sabbath by healing this man on the Sabbath.

Imagine how frustrated these Pharisees and religious leaders must have been because they could not fight against His miracles! What proof did they have that they were right? None. They had only one alternative. Get rid of Him before they lost control altogether.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

LARITY Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all He was doing, many people came to Him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. (Mark 3: 6-8). O-oh Jesus! So early in your ministry and you are already ruffling feathers! Never had a rabbi caused such a stir in Israel. Look at the area His fame had already covered. People streamed to hear Him from as far afield as Tyre and Sidon – and that without Google or Facebook! Who needed the mass media when word of mouth worked just as well? Why were the religious leaders already plotting murder? What had He done to them? They functioned on their man-made rules because it suited them. As long as they got their behaviour streamlined according to their human mentors, what went on in their hearts was of no consequence. Jesus challenged their heart and conscience. They attacked Him for healing a man with a paralysed hand on the Sabbath. To them that was “work” and He had therefore violated the Sabbath. He responded by exposing their hearts. They had no compassion for the man and his suffering. They were only concerned about preserving the façade of their “righteousness”, whatever that meant. They had both misunderstood and misrepresented Torah, God’s instructions on the best way to live. They believed that, as long as they performed according to the letter of the Law, and the many interpretation of the rabbis down the centuries, they had earned God’s favour, no matter how impure their hearts and motives were. The additions made by the sages, as far as they were concerned, carried as much weight as the Word of God itself. Not to obey them to the letter was culpable. Jesus was not only a threat to their authority, He was also a threat to them because He pulled the covers off their evil hearts. Their concern was not so much for the honour of God as it was for their own honour in the eyes of the people. Every time Jesus showed them up, they lost the respect and obedience of the people. They were losing control and they didn’t like it. Control! That was the issue. They were the authority. They were the learned ones. The people were ignorant. They were the ones who knew and interpreted the Law and the people were to obey them. They could manipulate them through their religion. Now Jesus comes along and undermines their authority by showing up their hearts. They were not interested in the truth or what was right. Only who was right mattered and they believed that they were right. The only solution for them was to eliminate the opposition. The seeds of murder were already in their hearts and Jesus watered them by His insistence on the truth. What was Jesus’ take on the Law? He made it clear that His purpose for coming was not to do away with Torah but to show them how to live it out so that God’s heart of mercy would be revealed in the everyday application of the Law. In this instance, the issue was the Sabbath. When confronted with an opportunity to show mercy, what was one to do? The Torah said, “Don’t do any work.” What constituted work? The Pharisees insisted that healing a man on the Sabbath was “work”. Jesus countered their interpretation by overriding their laws with mercy. Showing mercy was not work. Of course, the proof was in the action. Just as Jesus proved, on another occasion that He could forgive sins by healing a paralysed man, so now He proved that He was Lord of the Sabbath by healing this man on the Sabbath. Imagine how frustrated these Pharisees and religious leaders must have been because they could not fight against His miracles! What proof did they have that they were right? None. They had only one alternative. Get rid of Him before they lost control altogether. Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it! Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com. Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

Doing Nothing Is Doing Evil

Bible Study, , , ,

DOING NOTHING IS DOING EVIL

Another time He went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He would heal Him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’ Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful, on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, so save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. He looked around them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his had was completely healed (Mark 3: 1-5).

What if the religious leaders had understood the heart of Jesus and completely agreed with what He was doing? Would His life have made the impact that it did through conflict? Every time the Pharisees attacked Him for healing in the Sabbath or violating one of their rules, His way of mercy showed up their legalistic and callous hearts.

On this occasion He did not even touch the man. A word was enough to release the power of God in response to the man’s obedience. When he stretched out his hand at Jesus’ command, something happened in his body and in his heart. Regardless of what the Pharisees had to say, his faith connected with God and the miracle happened.

Jesus’ action had a twofold purpose. Firstly, it was an act of mercy. The man had suffered paralysis in his hand and heeded healing. Jesus did not miss an opportunity like this to step in with a miracle. Secondly, the people in the synagogue needed to know that the Sabbath was as good a day as any to do good to another. The religious leaders had made the Sabbath into a prison rather than a day of rest. Rest for them had become a straight jacked for rules, instead of a time of refreshment.

By declaring Himself to be Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was redefining the seventh day according to God’s original purpose. As Creator, Jesus had rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired, but because His work of creation was done. He invited His people to share His rest by setting apart that day from the normal labour of the other six days. It was not so much about what they could not do. It was about what they could do – take a day off to do something different from the rest of the week.

Doing something different also included acts of mercy. They knew that, because it was legitimate to save the life of a stranded animal on the Sabbath. “So why not a suffering human being? insisted Jesus and He did something; He spoke a word!

His opponents were not interested in what was right. They were only concerned with who was right. Jesus was both angry and distressed; angry because of their stubbornness and distressed because of their example. What were the people seeing in them? Was this the kind of God they represented? One who was so rigid about His rules that He cared nothing for suffering people?

Did you notice how Jesus classified doing nothing as doing evil? Every time we miss an opportunity, either because we are insensitive or selfish, to make the life of someone else better by an act of kindness or generosity, it is as though we have done something evil. Not to do is to do.

We need to heed the lesson of this story. I need to heed the lesson of this story. God’s mercy takes precedence over all other considerations. Like David eating forbidden bread. Like hungry men picking grain on the Sabbath. Like whatever need arises when I have something else to do. Like being interrupted to help someone when I am irritated by their demand. Jesus was never interrupted because He was led by the Spirit.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

DON’T TEAM UP WITH THOSE WHO ARE UNBELIEVERS

Christian life

DON’T TEAM UP WITH THOSE WHO ARE UNBELIEVERS

Currently we find ourselves living in a world gone mad. High on Satan’s agenda is gay marriages, and sad to say that many countries throughout the world have voted in favor of this including South Africa. What has God to say about this? High on God’s agenda, this is seen as an abomination. Who has given man the right to change God’s word to suit his depraved lusts?

I encourage the reader of this article to turn to Ro-mans 1:1–32 especially verses 26 & 27. Proverbs 16:17 has a good word of advice for Christians “THE PATH OF THE UPRIGHT LEADS AWAY FROM EVIL; WHOEVER FOLLOWS THAT PATH IS SAFE.”

Furthermore 2 Cor. 6:14 -18 warns the Christian of being mismatched with unbelievers. “DON’T TEAM UP WITH THOSE WHO ARE UNBELIEVERS. HOW CAN GOODNESS BE A PARTNER WITH WICKEDNESS? HOW CAN LIGHT LIVE WITH DARKNESS. WHAT HARMONY CAN THERE BE BETWEEN CHRIST AND THE DEVIL? HOW CAN A BELIEVER BE A PARTNER WITH AN UNBELIEVER? AND WHAT UNION CAN THERE BE BETWEEN GOD’S TEMPLE AND IDOLS? FOR WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD. AS GOD SAID: I WILL LIVE IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM, I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE. THEREFORE, COME OUT FROM THEM AND SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM THEM, SAYS THE LORD. DON’T TOUCH THEIR FILTHY THINGS, AND I WILL WELCOME YOU. AND I WILL BE YOUR FATHER, AND YOU WILL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY.”

Church, no matter what Satan tries to dangle before your eyes remember the choice is yours, whether to accept or reject it, the onus is on you.