Monthly Archives: April 2020

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – MISPLACED EXPECTATIONS!

Bible Study,

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

MISPLACED EXPECTATIONS!

“The women, who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee, followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body had been placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath as commanded

“At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus.” Luke 23:55-56; 24:1-3.

Everything these loyal women did after Jesus had died was to fulfill a certain expectation. Their beloved Master had perished at the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities. All they could do for Him now was to give Him a decent burial. Nothing was spared in their preparation for that final act of love. They had little time before the beginning of the Sabbath at sundown. Working together, they pooled their resources and then waited for the dawn of the first day of the new week.

Although they had a mission to accomplish, they put it in its proper perspective. Their first obligation was to submit to a Higher Authority. Sabbath was a special day every week, symbolic of their covenant relationship with Yahweh, and they rested as was the custom so deeply ingrained in them that they would no more ignore it than ignore all the other requirements of the Torah.

Even their obedience had a certain expectation in it. It was prophetic of another rest of which their Master had spoken, the rest of release from the tedious details of their teaching which was given to them to introduce them into the rest of His completed work.

If they grasped why they had to do so many things to keep their Law, they would understand that these were pictures of Jesus’ death as redemption from sin. Jesus had invited them into His yoke of freedom from the “labour” of trying to satisfy God’s requirements in their own strength.

All their “laws” and cultural practices were the foundation for understanding the mighty redemptive work of Jesus which was unfolding before their eyes. Redemption from slavery in Egypt was a picture of His daring rescue of mankind from slavery to sin. The entire rigmarole of sacrifices pictured His once-for-all offering of Himself on the cross as the perfect sacrifice of atonement and the first-fruits of the resurrection.

They were, at that moment, right in the middle of that drama. They had not yet grasped where it was leading. They went to the tomb expecting to find His body where it was placed and to carry out their final loving ministry to all that was left of Him that they could honour. They expected to be the givers and the corpse of the Jesus the receiver.

Their first shock was to find the tomb open. Had they not witnessed with their own eyes the mighty effort it took to seal that tomb with a massive stone? In their grief and passion to do something for Jesus, they had not taken into account the problem that faced them when they reached the tomb. A few women’s combined strength would never dislodge the stone.

Even when they found the stone rolled out of the way, they still expected His body to be where Joseph had left it. They did not consider why the stone would have been moved – for one purpose only, for His body to be removed and taken elsewhere, perhaps for reburial at an unknown site, or perhaps to hide in order to offset any false claims that He had risen. Whoever had moved the body would be able to produce it as evidence to disprove that claim.

Whatever their expectations might have been that early Sunday morning, one was too unlikely to consider, that He was not there because He was alive and had walked out of the tomb! In their shock and grief at His loss, they forgot His promise. The reality of His death crowded out the only possibility that befitted the one they had believed was the Son of God.

Because our expectations are often so earth-bound because of present reality that we ignore God’s promises, like the women, we miss the indescribable joy of expecting Jesus to show up in the middle of our crises because He is no longer in the tomb but alive and with us as He promised.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – JOURNEY TO COMPLETION

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JOURNEY TO COMPLETION

“There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectations of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking Him down, he wrapped Him in a linen shroud and placed Him in a tomb chiselled into the rock, a tomb never used. It was the day before Sabbath; the Sabbath was about to begin.” Luke 23:50-54.

Enter Joseph of Arimathea! Luke gives his reader a thumbnail sketch of this man who made a brief appearance in history and will always be associated with the burial of Jesus. He owned a tomb which was yet to become a family crypt. Isaiah had written, centuries before, that Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s grave – and this rich man, Joseph, in this poignant moment, donated his tomb to Jesus. No doubt it remained unused after the resurrection.

The disciples could not have buried Jesus – they were Galileans and had been unemployed for the past three years. Joseph’s action prevented the body of Jesus from receiving the same treatment as all other criminals – cremation in the city garbage dump, the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem which burned perpetually.

Luke does not record the interaction of the Jewish leaders with Pilate over the body of Jesus. He said nothing about the sealing of the tomb and the Roman guard. His description is simple and clear. Joseph requested the body of Jesus, wrapped Him in expensive linen and buried Him in his own tomb.

There is symbolic significance in the mention of the Sabbath, the time of Jesus’ death and burial. According to the meaning of the ancient Hebrew language, the Genesis record of creation in not about making something out of nothing, but about bringing order into the shapeless, empty and dark earth and “filling it up” to be man’s home.

God rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired but because His work was complete. He blessed (gave it as a gift to mankind to be valued, protected and used for the purpose for which it was given) the Sabbath (meaning rest) and set it apart to fulfill its function which was to be the “full stop” at the end of every week. It was also symbolic of the “completion” of God’s work of creating a family for Himself.

God commanded the man and his wife to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with people. Everything He made had the capacity to multiply to complete what He had begun.

In John 19:30, Jesus’ last words were, “‘it is finished.'” And He was laid to rest in Joseph’s tomb at the beginning of the Sabbath! Just as God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit – all participating in creation) rested when their work was complete, so Jesus rested on the Sabbath because His work of redemption was complete.

But there is another rest into which He invites us. Because of sin, we are incomplete, but in union with Him, we have the potential to become whole again as we journey through life towards completion. There is another “Sabbath” for those who are united with Jesus in submission and obedience.

The writer to the Hebrews explains how the children of Israel, who were on a journey from slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, to “rest” in their own land, failed to enter because of their unbelief. They were a type of the journey believers are on through this life to the completion of their re-creation into the image of Jesus.

Throughout this life, we are in the process of becoming whole again. Every time we respond in obedience to His leading, we reach another landmark on our journey towards completeness. Our final destination is “Shabbat”, eternal rest with Him because we have become complete again. God rested, Jesus rested and we will rest at the end of our journey.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – THE END OF THE BEGINNING

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THE END OF THE BEGINNING

“By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours – a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, ‘Father, I place my life in your hands.’ Then He breathed His last.

“When the captain there saw what happened, he honoured God. ‘This man was innocent. A good man and innocent.’

“All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, and the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.” Luke 23:44-49.

So many unusual things happened that day! Those who were responsible for His death and those who came to watch the show, had witnessed many a crucifixion (after all, they did not have television!), but never had they seen a man die like this. Even the Roman captain said so!

Why did they slink away, grieving? What was it about the bloodied corpse suspended on a cross by a few nails that got to them? They heckled Him when He was writhing in agony, but now they left because they could no longer look at Him. Was His dead body a silent rebuke to their callous hearts? They got what they wanted and now they could not reverse it.

Why was there total darkness for three hours? This was much more than an eclipse of the sun, which usually lasts no more than a few minutes? Was the Father shielding His Son’s suffering from prying eyes? Was He turning away from the sight of His Son absorbing the sin of the world? Was creation responding to this crime against its Creator? Was this symbolic of the darkest deed human beings had ever perpetrated against God?

And, back in the city, something unusual happened in the Temple. The thick curtain separating the Holy Place, where the priests did their daily rituals, from the Most Holy Place, was torn in two from top to bottom. For anyone other than the high priest, and that only once a year on the Day of Atonement, to enter the Most Holy Place, let alone see into it, would have been instant death.

It was in the Most Holy Place that the Ark of the Covenant, a wooden box overlaid with gold and decorated with two golden angels with wings touching, stood, upon which a mysterious light glowed between the overshadowing angelic wings. This light was the visible representation of God’s presence.

The Jews believed that the curtain represented God’s clothing, protecting them from His awesome presence. Was the supernatural ripping of the curtain at the moment of Jesus’ death a message? Was God saying that He was now accessible to all people because Jesus had atoned for their sin?

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is His body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV).

There is significance in Jesus’ final loud cry. The Hebrew people had been taught to give the first fruits of their harvest, roughly one fortieth, to the high priest, which took care of his family’s needs, but also guaranteed God’s blessing on the rest of their harvest. This became an offering (terumah) when it was lifted up to God and placed in the hands of the high priest. This was symbolic of a greater harvest of people who would be gathered in and resurrected with Jesus on His return.

“But Christ had indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-21 (NIV).

Likewise, Jesus was ‘lifted up’ (John 12:32), and He placed Himself into His Father’s hands (Luke 23:46). He became both a sin offering and a ‘terumah’ offering, guaranteeing a harvest of believers who would be raised to life in the presence of God with an incorruptible body like His own.

This was the end of Jesus’ earthly life but the beginning of eternal life for all who believe in Him.

MOLLY AND ME – GLOOMY DAYS

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MOLLY AND ME – GLOOMY DAYS

Molly loves cold, rainy days! Her favourite spot is on my lap under the red “blankie”, soaking up the warmth we make together.

Now don’t get me wrong. Molly is a sun worshipper. Like a little reptile that can’t get moving until it has been re-energized by the sun, Molly lies stretched out on a scrap of carpet, soaking up the sun on the hottest of summer days.

However, no carpet, no matter how soft and comfortable, can take Mom’s place when it comes to closeness and companionship. Her dead weight on my legs and a gentle snore tell me that she is totally at peace.

Father God invites me, on gloomy days when my world is caving in around me, when the storm rages outside, to stretch out on His “lap” under the red “blankie” of His presence and feel the warmth of His love. There is peace in the shadow of the Almighty – the calm assurance that He will be now what He has always been then.

You see, because God is the source of all light, He cannot cast a shadow… but, though I cannot see His “front”, where He is going with me, I can see His “back”, where we have been. My past stretches out before me as an unending testimony to His faithfulness.

In this I can rest, knowing that He works in all things for my good because He knows where He is taking me. Gloomy days no longer make me insecure and afraid because I rest on the lap of my perfect Father.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – KING OF THE JEWS

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KING OF THE JEWS

“The soldiers also came up and poked fun at Him, making a game of it. They toasted Him with sour wine. ‘So you’re the king of the Jews! Save yourself!’

“Printed over Him was a sign, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

“One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed Him. ‘Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!’

“But the other one made him shut up. ‘Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as Him. We deserve this but not Him — He did nothing to deserve this.’

“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.’

“He said, ‘Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.'” Luke 23:36-43.

If they had known what they were doing, would the people who were thoughtlessly mocking and taunting Jesus, ever have said and done what they did?

Surprisingly, there was only one unlikely man who understood, and he was at the point of death. Up to this moment, he was like everyone else – denying his responsibility for, and ignoring the consequences of his deeds; part of a race of rebels against God, doing what he chose at the expense of others, but one of the unfortunate ones who was caught out.  Both men hanging beside Jesus were paying for their misdeeds and he finally knew it.

One was behaving in a typically human way, defiant all the way and using Jesus as a scapegoat for his angry rebellion. The other one watched Jesus’ reaction to the torture and listened to His gracious words of forgiveness. He was not ‘religious’ but in a flash he realised that there was a world of difference between them and Jesus. Perhaps for the first time, he became aware of God and acknowledged his responsibility for his ungodly life.

His rebuke of the other criminal mirrored a reverence for the man dying beside him. Jesus was so different from any other man that he instinctively knew He was God. We might think that his plea was a last desperate effort to escape judgment. I think there was something far nobler in his request than what we give him credit for.

Those around the crosses were taunting Jesus. ‘Save yourself!’ they mocked Him, not understanding that it was the last thing He wanted to do. His response to the dying thief was the culmination of His coming to the earth. It did not matter at what stage of his life the man next to Him recognised and acknowledged who He was. All that mattered was that he had answered the question every human being must answer at some time in his life.

‘Who do you say that I am?’ Jesus had once asked His disciples and Peter had responded, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ That is the answer that transforms a life and settles an eternal destiny.

KING OF THE JEWS! A title of contempt or a declaration of faith? For this man, it was a declaration of faith and the last words he ever uttered in this life. But he died with the assurance that he would join Jesus in the presence of God because, like Peter and his fellow-disciples, he embraced Him as Messiah and rightful king of God’s people.

What tipped the scales for him? He answered that question in his comment to his fellow-criminal. “Have you no fear of God?’ His eyes were opened to the realisation that he was where he was because he had never acknowledged God or taken Him seriously. The apostle Paul diagnosed the reason for human depravity. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:18 (NIV)

The moment we take Jesus seriously and acknowledge who He is, the truth of our accountability to Him will dawn on our souls. Like the dying thief, we will step into the realm of understanding the truth and be joined to Jesus forever.