Monthly Archives: September 2015

And Peter

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AND PETER

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. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him as He told you.’ (Mark 15: 5-7)

Now why would Jesus single Peter out for a special message? Wasn’t he one of the Twelve, even their self-appointed leader? Peter had the biggest mouth and was always the first to speak or act. He was not only one of the Twelve but also the first of the Three; Peter, James and John, the three men who were closest to Jesus. If anyone had anything to say, it was Peter. If anyone was first to react, it was Peter. Who wanted to walk on water with Jesus? Peter! Who was quickest with the sword to defend Jesus? Peter!

Peter was up front alright when it came to being noticed. So why Peter?

I think the answer is obvious. Peter was not only ahead when it came to responding to Jesus. He was also right out front when it came to disowning Him. He has pushed his way into the courtyard of the high priest’s house, mingling among the “enemy” in the hopes that he would not be noticed, but his Galilean accent gave him away. And the serving maid had pounced on him. In that split second, did Peter think that she had any influence to get him arrested along with Jesus? Why did that bother him? It was not he but Jesus they were after.

A downfall happens in an unguarded moment. Peter didn’t have time to think. He blurted out his denial before his brain caught up with his mouth, and it was too late to take it back. The next time he faced the same accusation, he had to carry on the deception. It was not planned; it just happened. Wasn’t that exactly what Jesus had warned them all about? He knew what Peter would do, but what about the rest? Was he the only guilty one?

When it was time to prepare themselves for the unexpected, they slept. It was a lesson they had to learn through hard experience. They did not know what was coming but Jesus had warned them of impending trouble. It was not about the details of the circumstances but about having a watchful attitude that they completely missed.

How did Jesus handle their failure, and especially Peter’s, seeing he was their leader? Did He write them off as hopeless? That would have been a disaster because He had invested three years in them, grooming them to take over where He left off, and there was no one else to whom He would entrust His message; even more important, His very own presence in them. Apart from Him they could do nothing.

Jesus was neither disappointed in them nor disillusioned with them because of their failure. He knew that it was part of their journey and far more important than any successes along the way. They had to know that He had not written them off. ‘Tell my disciples and Peter . . .’ Jesus did not miss a beat. Love doesn’t give up. He knew that it was not their love that had failed Him but their flesh. Their intentions towards Him were settled. Unlike Judas who had abandoned Him in his heart long before his dastardly action, the disciples loved Him.

He saw Peter’s bitter tears. How He must have longed to comfort Peter in those terrible moments when remorse hit him like a tidal wave! God’s like that! No angry accusations. No harsh judgment. Just mercy and compassion for a fallen son! No matter how Peter felt, he could not take back his hasty words. And he could not get near to Jesus.

‘Go and tell His disciples . . . and Peter.’ And Peter? Packed into those two words are all the scandalous mercy of a forgiving God. Can you feel the compassion of the Master’s heart towards His fallen companion? Unlike us, unlike the gods we have created in our own image, the heart of Jesus was for him. Yes, he did wrong; yes, he sinned grievously; yes, he lied and deceived to save his own skin, but Jesus was not offended. He thought only of the pain in Peter’s heart for the severing of fellowship in that moment.

Peter’s tears were the visible evidence of a broken heart; not broken as shattered but broken as submissive – like a young horse that submits to a saddle and rider after a great struggle. Peter knew, in that bitter moment that Jesus was right and he was wrong. It was not his worst failure but his first victory. A ‘broken’ Peter would finally submit, knowing that all his blustering protests of self-control were but a vapour.

‘And Peter’ was Jesus’ declaration of confidence that Peter had finally ‘got it’. Teaching him didn’t do it; warning him didn’t do it; he had to feel and know the pain of failure before the lesson was firmly embedded in his spirit. ‘And Peter’ was His call to leave his pain and bitter remorse and step back onto the path of trust and obedience, a humbler and wiser man. No, Peter’s failure did not disqualify him. On the contrary, it eminently qualified him to be a true disciple of Jesus.

Nothing teaches a disciple better than the exposure of failure. Failure brings him right down to earth with a bump. It reveals not only who he is but also who He is, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. (Ex 34:6)

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.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

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

 

Setting The Record Straight

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SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

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. They returned and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. (Mark 16: 9-13)

Talk about unbelief! First the women at the tomb when the young man told them Jesus had risen; then the disciples when Mary reported to them that she had seen Jesus; then the two whom Jesus had accompanied home from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

I suppose it was understandable seeing to them there was no such thing as someone rising from the dead. O yes, they had seen Jesus raising people from the dead, but that was different. They had come back to life in their old natural bodies.

But the reports about Jesus may have seemed spooky to them. He seemed to come and go like a spirit, and yet, He was a real person. They recognised Him as Jesus. These reporters must have described in detail what they had seen. Best they just dismiss the reports rather than raise their hopes only to be dashed when He failed to show Himself to them.

But that’s where they were dead wrong. It was not only Thomas who refused to believe the good news that Jesus was really alive until he had verified it for himself. The others were in the same boat. They wanted to see Him personally before they would finally abandon themselves to the truth that He was really alive and they could rejoice without reservations.

What is so wrong about that? Perhaps people in this generation could take a leaf from their book. There are too many “believers” walking around today, thinking they are disciples of Jesus but having done nothing more than given mental assent to Him, or ”accepted Him as their personal Saviour” because of what He could do for them – sins forgiven, a free pass to heaven and all that.

Is that how the disciples understood Him and His call to them? If that was so, what difference did it make to them whether He was dead or alive? They had His teaching, and they could carry on with His mission as He had taught and trained them to do. He was no different from any other founder of a religion. After all, they believed in Moses and held to his teaching even though he had been dead for many centuries.

But was that what Jesus had actually taught them? Not by a long shot! All the other rabbis with authority who had ever lived could do no more than pass on their teaching. Their disciples were taught to imitate them but they were, at best, human and fallible. However closely their followers stuck to them, it would make no difference to their hearts. They could copy their rabbis as carefully as they liked – it was all external. Their sinful hearts remained unchanged.

But Jesus was different. He promised His disciples a union with Him that would recreate them from within. He told them of the Holy Spirit, His “other self”, one just like Him, who would come when He left, “another Counsellor” who would be “in” them. He said that they would see Him again and that He would return to take them to where He was. All empty promises if He were dead – or were they? Did they die with Him and prove Him a liar, or would He really be able to make good on His promises? From what they had seen up to that point, everything He told them had disappeared with Him into the tomb behind the stone. They were left helpless, hopeless and alone.

The stories that the witnesses of the resurrection of their Master persisted in telling them, only served to make their loss more poignant. Why raise their hopes when they knew His resurrection was impossible? Whoever added the last few verses to Mark’s story to set the record straight, since Mark’s story ended abruptly with the women fleeing from the tomb, made sure that Mark’s readers would know that Jesus’s story did not end there.

What the disciples dismissed as impossible, actually happened and much more. Everything that Jesus taught and modelled hung on His promise that He would rise again. Did He or didn’t He? If not, then He was just another hoax!

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.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

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

 

 

 

A Shocking Discovery!

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A SHOCKING DISCOVERY!

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 is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. (Mark 16: 1-8)

What a shocking discovery! It was nothing like these women expected when they arrived at the tomb. What did they expect to find when they got there? A cave in the rock, the entrance guarded by a huge stone which they were powerless to move? How would they get in? They thought about it and discussed it on their way through the quiet city. It was too early for anyone to be out and about to help them. It was a problem but it didn’t seem to bother them. They would make a plan when they got there.

Imagine their surprise and horror when they found a gaping hole at the entrance instead of a huge rocky barrier. What did they think? Were they afraid to go in for fear that grave robbers might still be inside? It seems that curiosity drew them into the tomb. Imagine their shock when they found, not a body but a person – a young man dressed in dazzling white, sitting on the edge of the slab! He spoke to them, and what he had to say shocked them even more.

‘He is not here.’ Well, that was pretty obvious! But where was He? Did they even hear the first words of the stranger? ‘He is risen!’ Preposterous! As far as they were concerned, no one gets up and walks out of a tomb. It was unheard of. There must be some other explanation.

The young man had a message for them to deliver to His disciples. What he had to say made no sense to them. Not only did he tell them the unbelievable news that Jesus was no longer dead; that He had got up and left the tomb; but he told them to tell His disciples that He would meet them in Galilee, as though He knew that they would be the first to arrive at the tomb, It was just too much for them to absorb.

Not waiting to hear any more, they turned and fled – back to the city to cower behind closed doors and try to process what they had just seen and heard. They were so frightened and overwhelmed by what they had just witnessed that they did not breathe a word to anyone in case it was all in their imagination.

If we put ourselves in their shoes, would we have reacted any differently? Perhaps we may be thinking, “What’s wrong with you women? Why didn’t you just believe him and do what he told you to do?” Of course, we are wise after the event. We know better because we have the whole story. But they were at the forefront of the sequence of amazing events following Jesus’ crucifixion.

There are still many who refuse to believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Other religions have created fanciful stories about dead gods coming to life again, but there are no historical facts or proofs to back up their stories. Well-educated scholars have fine-combed the evidence of the resurrection in the hopes that they can find errors to disprove its truth, but every single one has come up empty.

The fact is, whether people believe the evidence or not, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He is alive and at work in the world through His Spirit to transform the heart and lives of those who believe in Him. What other explanation can there be for the preservation of the world from the rot of sin which destroys wherever the influence of Jesus is not felt?

Religion, no matter how good or ethical it might be, can offer nothing but self-help which cannot work because the human heart is corrupt at best. Only the risen Jesus, who made forgiveness of sin possible through His sacrifice, can transform the hearts of those who believe and give them a brand new life. Because He lives, we will also live.

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.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

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

 

 

    

Two Kind Men

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TWO KIND MEN

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. (Mark 15: 42-47)

Again we have Mark’s terse and unembellished account of Jesus’ burial. He included none of the paranoid instructions of the chief priests to try to secure the tomb. No Roman guard, no official seal on the stone. It was not his focus. His was the simple story of Jesus’ death and burial. Not that Matthew’s version of the events was exaggerated or even untrue. It was just a detail Mark did not include for his own reasons.

Who was the man who had the courage to ask for Jesus’ body which was destined for the city rubbish dump where His body would have been cremated in the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem if it were not for his bold intervention. He was a member of the ruling council, Joseph of Arimathea. He would have been present at Jesus’ trial, a lone voice protesting Jesus’ innocence, but not even heard against the howling mob.

According to the Apostle John (John 19:38-39), he was not alone in this final deed of love. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the Pharisee who visited Jesus one night. Although these two men were members of the upper class, unlike their peers they were honest enough to evaluate Jesus without prejudice. When the crunch came, they boldly and openly took their stand with Him. One wonders what the rest of their associates thought of them, but they didn’t care.

It was evident that Pilate was still sympathetic towards Jesus otherwise, would he have released His body to Joseph? He was amazed that Jesus had succumbed to the torture so quickly. It was often a long drawn-out affair. Some of the victims of crucifixion lingered on the cross for days, hence the request of the Sanhedrin to hasten His death by breaking His legs (John 19: 31). Since Jesus was already dead, His bones were not broken but His side was pierced with a spear (John 19: 34). Amazing how accurately the Old Testament prophets predicted the exact details of His death!

Since Joseph was a wealthy man, he owned a yet-unused tomb which had been prepared for him and his family. He gladly gave it over to the body of the one he had come to recognise as his Master. He had to act in haste in order to be faithful to the requirements of the Sabbath, and he and Nicodemus moved quickly to have the body in the tomb before sunset. There was no time to give the body its proper treatment with ointments and spices but just to wrap it in cloth and place it in the tomb.

Again it was the Apostle John who noted that the next day was a special Sabbath. Traditionally, Jesus died on the day before the normal Sabbath, Friday but, according to John, this Sabbath was not on the seventh day of the week but the day before the Sabbath. Hence in that year, there were two Sabbaths, Friday and Saturday. Jesus would have been crucified on the Thursday and His body would have been in the tomb from Thursday before sunset to early Sunday morning, three days according to Jewish reckoning.

How accurately God arranged all the details to fulfil the imagery of Passover. Like the Passover lamb which had to be selected on the tenth day of the month and slaughtered on the fourteenth day after careful inspection for defects, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week preceding Passover, put on public display and crucified on the Thursday, the fourth day of that week. He died at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, at the exact time when the high priest slaughtered the first Passover lamb.

When Joseph and Nicodemus walked away from the tomb at sunset that afternoon, did they ever dream that the empty cave would become the symbol of a mighty victory for the one whose body they had so tenderly placed there? Did they ever visit the empty tomb to see for themselves that the bloodied corpse they had left there had vanished? Was their faith forever confirmed by this silent witness to His resurrection?

This simple act of kindness would change the lives of these two men forever. They have the assurance in their hearts of the words of the writer to the letter to the Hebrews:

God is not unjust; He will not forget your labour of love. (Heb. 6: 10)

Their names will always be remembered for their kindness to Jesus.

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.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

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

  

Faithful Women

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FAITHFUL WOMEN

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed Him and cared for His needs. Many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem were also there. (Mark 15: 40-41)

This was no place for a woman. They would have flashbacks of the horror of what they saw for months to come. It was only the most hardened and calloused of men who could look at so gruesome a scene and feel nothing.

But the faithful women were there, standing at a distance. No matter how terrible it was, they wanted to be near Him to show their love and gratitude and to support Him to the end. The soldiers ignored them because they could do no harm, standing there. At least He would know that they had not forsaken Him in His darkest hour.

Who were these women who loved Him so much that they were willing to put aside their own feelings to be near Him? Mary Magdalene needs no introduction. The subject of much speculation about a romantic connection with Jesus, she was a prominent female figure in the gospels. Strange that the writers were silent about any romance between her and Jesus when they were honest about the faults and failings of others. Did they cover it up because it was distasteful for them even to speculate about something like that?

I don’t think so. The love of Jesus for all people, including the outcasts of society and the women was more than human love. His love was “agape” love. What is “agape” love?

“The Greek word agape is often translated “love” in the New Testament. How is “agape love” different from other love? The essence of agape love is self-sacrifice. Unlike our English word “love,” agape is not used in the Bible to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is used. Nor does agape mean “charity,” a term which the King James translators carried over from the Latin. Agape love is unique and is distinguished by its nature and character.”

(http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html, retrieved September 2015)

Why were women so drawn to Jesus? Jesus treated all people with dignity and respect regardless of gender, social standing, religious persuasion, race, culture or physical condition. These women were comfortable with Him because He accepted them without criticism or judgment. They loved Him because He loved them openly, honestly and without any kind of suggestive attitude or behaviour. He treated them like human beings, not possessions to be exploited for His own ends.

Mary Magdalene was always in the forefront because “she who had been forgiven much, loved much”, in the words of the Master. Jesus had driven seven devils from her. How did they get there in the first place? Who knows but Mary might have been left fatherless and without support as a child or a young woman. She might have had no option but to turn to prostitution to survive or even to support her mother and siblings. However she got into it, there was no getting out of it. She was as effectively a prisoner as if she were in jail. Her owners saw to that.

But it was not only her livelihood that kept her enslaved. It was everything that went with it. Her choices had to fit her lifestyle, and the devil made sure she would never escape. Demons found entry wherever sin had become entrenched in her, until Jesus came and sent them packing. She relished her freedom and loved her liberator so much that she followed Him everywhere and could not do enough for Him.

There is no indication in the gospels of the other women’s debt of gratitude to Him. No doubt among the many unnamed ones who stood and watched from a distance, there were those who were equally indebted to Him for His mercy to them. Like the woman who washed His feet with her tears, they felt the glow of His forgiveness in their hearts and were heart-broken over His fate.

They were not ashamed to be associated with Him. After all, He had not been ashamed to extend love and forgiveness to them, and to welcome their company and support during His travels throughout Galilee. Some even supported the large group of thirteen from their own finances. O yes, there was an attachment to Jesus so strong that not even the spectacle of His broken body, His marred face and the blood that dripped from His open wounds, could keep them away.

They saw past His physical disfigurement to His compassionate heart, evident even in the last moments of His life, and stayed there to be with Him. Little did Mary know, in those final hours of agonising grief, that she would be the first one to see Him in His resurrection glory, and carry the message to His heart-broken and devastated disciples.

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.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

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