Monthly Archives: October 2022

THE TIME OF TESTING

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THE TIME OF TESTING

“‘Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out.  When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.'” Luke 22:31-32 (The Message).

Jesus’ words are packed with insight into God’s ways. It would pay us to understand and heed what He said to Peter.

Firstly, there is great significance in a name. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter and yet on this occasion He addressed him as “Simon.” To the Hebrew people a name was a prophetic utterance of character. “Simon” means “listener” or “hearing”, but Jesus prophesied that he would become a “rock”. Why did Jesus revert to his old name? It seems that He did this when Peter reverted to behaving like his old self. He was “hearing” but was he heeding the words of Jesus. Jesus was warning him that he was in grave danger of behaving like the old Simon.

Secondly, how strange that Jesus did not pray for Simon to be prevented from being tested! It seems that every time we are tested, both God and Satan have an agenda. Satan’s design was to drive a wedge between Him and His discliples so that their fellowship would be disrupted. God’s agenda was to expose their vulnerability so that they would get to know themselves and put their trust in Him in their weakness.

If we were protected from temptation. we would be as spineless as jelly fish. Even if we give in to temptation, as Peter did, it does not mean that we are disqualified from being Jesus’ disciples. It is a necessary part of our journey to true sonship. How can  we grow in our dependence on God if we have no idea of how really weak we are?

Thirdly, temptation is not about strengthening our will power. There would be no benefit in that because God’s purpose is to train us to trust Him, not ourselves. The Apostle Paul tried to wriggle out of his trial which he called his “thorn in the flesh”. He pleaded with God to take it away. Instead, God explained its purpose.

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…For when I am weak then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV).

Paul’s experience and his explanation help to put our trials in perspective. Where Satan’s agenda is to arouse suspicion and alienate us from God, God’s agenda is to strengthen our reliance on him. Temptation is never from God. James makes that clear. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” James 1:13 (NIV). But God is never caught off guard. He gives us the option to give in or trust Him for strength to resist the devil by submitting to Him.

Fourthly, Jesus did not pray Simon out of the test. He prayed that he would come through it without giving up so that he would be able to lift his fellow disciples up when they fell because of his own experience. Gentleness and humility cannot be learned any other way and these are the hallmarks of a disciple, as imitators of Jesus.

Jesus prayed particularly for Simon because he was the natural leader. He was a ‘hearer’ but he needed to be honed into a ‘rock’ so that others could learn from and depend on him in their time of testing.

We can draw great encouragement from Jesus’ words to Peter. From His perspecitve, Peter’s fall did not spell disaster but growth – getting to know himself and God’s grace. Satan’s agenda is to destroy but if we handle our failures with understanding, they will serve as valuable learning experiences, exposing our vulnerability and strengthening our faith in God.

The same Peter who failed his Master so badly, said this, “In this (his readers’ hope of resurrection) you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV).

THEY WILL RESPECT MY SON!

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THEY WILL RESPECT MY SON!

“Jesus told another story to the people. ‘A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went on a trip….In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him and sent him off empty-handed….’

“Then the owner of the vineyard said,’…I’ll send my beloved son. They are bound to respect my son.’

“But when the farmhands saw him coming, they quickly put their heads together. ‘…This  is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all to ourselves.’ They killed him and threw him over the fence…

‘What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He’ll come and clean house. Then he’ll assign the care of the vineyard to others..'” Luke 20:9-15. (The Message).

What a daring story! Although Jesus was not afraid of outright exposure, which He sometimes used to strip off the masks of the religious frauds who tried to make out that they had impeccable religious performance records, a story like this one did the job just as well. Since parables were a rabbinical device to be heard or read for identification, they would have had to get the point, which did nothing to endear Jesus to them!

There is both symbolism and character portrayal in this parable. The vine was often used in the Old Testament as a symbol of Israel. “I will sing for the one I love a song about His vineyard: My loved one has a vineyard on a fertile hill…” Isaiah 5:1 (NIV). “Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.” Hosea 10:1 (NIV). 

Both Isaiah and Hosea saw Israel as God’s vineyard, planted in their own land and tenderly cared for but treacherously unfaithful to their Creator.

In this story, the focus is on the leaders of God’s ‘vineyard’. The owner entrusted his vineyard to caretakers while he was away. He expected the farmhands to care for it faithfully and to give him the profits which rightfully belonged to him. Instead, the farmhands treated the property as though it were theirs and drove off any attempt to retrieve what was his.

What an exposure of the attitude of Israel’s spiritual leaders! They treated the people, not as a trust, but as their possession, teaching them falsehood and leading them astray so that they could maintain power over them. They resented Jesus’ intrusion because His passion was to show His people what God was really like and to set them free from these unscrupulous overlords.

God’s people respected neither the prophets who were sent to challenge their power and their false teaching, nor the Son Himself who came from the Father to set the record straight and to restore His people to the Father. They had only one intent – to kill the Son so that they could retain the power to dominate His people.

Spiritual leadership is a sacred trust from God and those who are appointed to lead are both responsible and accountable to God because the people are His. What happens to them is the outcome of who leads and how they lead. Leaders and people are bonded together for one purpose – to be a reward for the sacrifice Jesus made to rescue us from the clutches of the devil and to reconcile and restore us to the Father.

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account…” Hebrews 13:17a (NIV).

Israel’s religious leaders forgot their sacred trust and were treated accordingly. To those of us who lead comes the reminder that we do not own the people. Our task is to be faithful imitators of our Rabbi so that we can attach them to Him, not to ourselves, for the eternal reward is His, not ours.

Our reward will be to hear His words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…” 

TODAY IS SALVATION DAY

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TODAY IS SALVATION DAY

“Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there…Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way…so he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree…

“When Jesus got to the tree, He looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest at your house.’  Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree…delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant…’What business does He have getting cosy with this crook?’ Zacchaeus stammered apologetically, ‘Master, I give away half my income to the poor…’

“Jesus said, ‘Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.'” Luke 19:1-10 (The Message).

Another much-loved Sunday School story with so much in it that we can miss!

This incident epitomises the difference between the attitude of Jesus and the people around Him (and all of us as well because we are all infected with the same tunnel vision).

Zacchaeus was a man with a conscience who did bad things. He made a comfortable living preying on the public who hated him but could do nothing about it. However, there came a time when he became sick of his way of life and his alienation from his fellow Jews. How do we know that? What crook would climb a tree to catch a glimpse of a rabbi whose sheer goodness would be repulsive to him unless there was a deep-seated yearning to change?

Why did he climb a tree? Just to get a close-up view of Jesus, or because he was too embarrassed to get close to Him? What did he hope to achieve by getting a passing glimpse? To satisfy his curiosity or to fix in his imagination a picture of the person he would like to be? We don’t know but, once again, Jesus’ spiritual radar screen picked up the blip of a man who wanted to see Him.

As always, His response was immediate and, as always, He was not put off by the external trappings of the man’s life. He zeroed in on Zacchaeus’ heart and stopped under the tree. Knowing that Zacchaeus would feel too unworthy to invite Him home, He invited Himself, sweeping aside all the tax man’s false notions and emotions about himself. Jesus saw him, not as a rotten, thieving henchman of the Roman government as those around Him did, but as a son of Abraham!

Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus’ generous attitude towards him is startling. How could a greedy and conniving crook suddenly become generous and open-handed to the poor and to those he had outwitted? It just does not happen in the natural. Something had transpired in the man’s heart in his encounter with Jesus that radically and permanently changed his disposition.

Light had exposed and dispelled darkness and the result was transformation! His money, unlike the other rich man who refused to let go of his wealth even for the prize of eternal life, was tossed out of the way because it stood between him and Jesus and Jesus knew that Zacchaeus had been rescued from his self-destroying choices and was back on the path to the Father.  

There are so many beautiful lessons for those of us who are disciples of Jesus to learn. As disciples, we are called to be imitators of Jesus. Our first major lesson is to look at people through the eyes of our Master. To Him, they had no past. His atoning sacrifice took care of that. He never accused or blamed. He accepted and embraced every returning prodigal with generosity and compassion. They were lost sons coming home.

Secondly, Jesus never saw failure but always, potential. As a son of Abraham, this one-time criminal had a renewed calling: “…All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3b (NIV). With the Messiah in charge of his life, he could bless the very people he had robbed by sharing his faith and his wealth.

The crowd were indignant with Jesus for associating with a robber. Jesus was elated because the robber had returned home as a son!

TOO LATE

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TOO LATE

“When the city came into view, He wept over it. ‘If you had only recognised this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late. In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side. They’ll smash you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact. All because you didn’t recognise and welcome God’s personal visit.'” Luke 19:41-44 (The Message).

“To late!” These are the saddest and most terrifying words ever to fall on human ears! They have been said and will be said in every kind of circumstance, Sometimes they are no more serious than a missed appointment or a missed flight, and can be remedied with a little inconvenience.

But what about those who heard Jesus’ words and witnessed His tears on that day when He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to declare His right to rule over the hearts of people? Did they even understand or heed what He said?

This incident gives us a glimpse into the heart of God and into the absolute justice of His justice. Because He built into every human being the right and freedom to choose, it follows that every choice we make has consequences, and those consequences are the natural result of our choices.

We don’t like that because we don’t want to take responsibility for what we choose and what follows our choices. We prefer to blame someone else, usually God when some catastrophe overtakes us. A drunken driver causes a serious accident and it’s God’s fault, as though He were behind the wheel of the offending vehicle! An unwanted pregnancy follows irresponsible behaviour and the hapless girl cries, ‘Why did God let this happen?’ as though she were a helpless pawn in His hands!

Jesus saw the terrible destruction of Jerusalem, at the hands of the Romans, looming on the horizon and He wept at the horror of it, knowing that it was unnecessary and avoidable if only His people would have listened to Him, but now it was too late!

The justice of God’s judgment lies in the choices we make. He is not like a heartless tyrant who feels nothing for those he oppresses. He always makes our options clear to us and warns us of the consequences if we choose our own way. The Bible is littered with warnings about the consequences of disobedience.

God treats us like responsible people. He does not beg or cajole. He tells us the truth and warns of the consequences of disregarding His words with the understanding that we listen to Him and heed His words because He does not lie and is true to His own nature.      

Israel was a nation with a tragic history of the consequences of defying God’s warnings. Through the prophet Ezekiel He had this to say to them: “The word of the Lord came to me, ‘Son of man, this is what the Lord says to the land of Israel: The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. The end is now upon you and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. I will not look upon you with pity or spare you…Then you will know that I am the Lord.'” Ezekiel 7:1-4 (NIV).

Only once in history did God come to earth in person to show us what He is really like. He created man in His own image to represent Him on earth but man chose his own way and created a false and distorted picture of God. Throughout history, man made up false religions and worshipped idols that show what man is like.

This was Israel’s opportunity to come back to the truth so that God’s people could become His true representatives again. But they blew it, preferring their own way to the way of truth Jesus taught and demonstrated. They killed him for it, not realising that His very death was the crown of His revelation of God’s true nature. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16,17 (NIV). 

So what option does God have but to give us what we choose? That’s the justest justice ever! Right down to our eternal destiny He says, ‘These are the facts. These are the options. You choose.’

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM

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UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM

“Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened. ‘Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.'” Luke 22:24-26 (The Message).

Would they ever learn? Three years with Jesus, watching, listening and even imitating Him had not yet convinced them that He had no intention of overthrowing Roman occupation and setting up a renewed Davidic kingdom. What more did He need to do to get the message past their misplaced expectations?

Vying for position in His kingdom was an old story. It cropped up regularly and now that it was becoming clear to them that this new kingdom was just around the corner, it became even more urgent that they sort out who would occupy the most important positions in Jesus’ “cabinet” – or so they thought. 

How patient Jesus was! Once again He had to explain to non-comprehending, thick-skulled, ambitious, so-called “disciples” that His kingdom was not just another earthly system to control and regulate people, not even one as glorious as the kingdoms of David and Solomon. He was operating in a realm which functioned deep within the inner workings of human beings, exposing the source of the unseen power that influenced them to be who they were.

He had come to take back the authority and power to return His estranged people to fellowship with the God who had created them and designed them to be mirror images of Him. Satan had derailed God’s plan by deception but, by giving His own life as a payment for man’s going astray, Jesus was on the brink of restoring man to God and putting him back on course to compete the Father’s plan.

This was the kingdom He was talking about, but this kingdom’s values were opposite to the values subscribed to by the world’s systems. At His trial, Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ and Jesus replied, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ John 18:33, 36 (NIV).

So, what does God’s kingdom look like?

Firstly, it a system that rules by choice, not force, by obedience, not coercion and by truth, not deception. We are in it because we chose to believe the truth and God responds by supernaturally setting us free from our slavery to the devil, and relocating us to His kingdom which He rules by truth and love. Every time we choose to obey God, His Holy Spirit enables us to do what we have chosen to do.

Secondly, the values of God’s kingdom reflect His nature and are opposite to the world’s ways. As Jesus had painstakingly taught them, true greatness lies, not in lording it over people but in serving them. He showed them how by giving His life for them. Our needs are met when we meet the needs of others; we receive by giving; we live by dying; we are happy when we make others happy; we find life by losing it; we lead by following. It all becomes real when we “just do it”.

The disciples did not get it until after Jesus’ death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, who did exactly what Jesus promised He would do. When He took up residence inside them, He brought into sharp focus everything Jesus had taught them. All the seeds of His word which had lain dormant in their hearts, sprang to life and began to grow and bear fruit.

As believers, we must swim against the current of world systems where power lies in force. The power of God works within in us, changing us as we believe and respond to His truth and choose to follow and obey Jesus. Eternal life is a dynamic partnership between us and God, drawing us into union with Jesus and teaching us how to be sons of God.