Monthly Archives: October 2022

VENGEANCE DAY

Christian Life, ,

VENGEANCE DAY

“‘When you see soldiers camped all around Jerusalem, then you’ll know that she is about to be devastated. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills. If you’re in the city, get out quickly. If you’re in the fields, don’t go home to get your coat. This is Vengeance Day — everything written about it will come to a head. Pregnant and nursing  mothers will have it especially hard. Incredible mistery! Torrential rage! People dropping like flies; people dragged off to prisons; Jerusalem under the boot of barbarians until the nations finish what was given them to do.'” Luke 21:20-24 (The Message).

Why is it that this one city should have experienced more war and destruction than any other city in the world? What does Jerusalem have that makes it the focus of so much conflict? It has no strategic geographical significance, no major economic or industrial function, some historical and archaeological interest, perhaps, but not enough for nations to have fought over it for more than three thousand years.

Once again the issue is a spiritual one. Three major faiths claim Jerusalem as their own. Judaism claims it because Jerusalem was the City of David, their greatest king. It was the capital of their Promised Land and the Temple the symbol of God’s presence among them. Islam claims Abraham as the anscestor of their race; their great Mosque of Omar occupies the place where he offered his son and where the Temple once stood. Christians love Jerusalem because it was the city where Jesus was crucified and rose again.

Jesus’ answer to His disciples’ question,‘Teacher, when is this going to happen?’ takes in two major events, the destruction of Jerusalem under the Roman general, Titus, in 70 AD and the tumultuous events preceeding His return. It is not easy to separate these two happenings because, in His predicitons, they seem almost to run together. Perhaps He did this on purpose to prevent people from assigning dates to the ‘end of the world’.

When we read about the fall of Jerusalem, it fills us with horror because God appears to be cruel and heartless, subjecting people to terrible suffering out of revenge for not  taking Him seriously. But that is not God’s way. From the beginning of their history He made it clear that their protection lay in their trust in Him and obedience to His word. He showed His love for them rescuing them from slavery and by giving them a good land but they chose to reject Him and worship the worthless idols of the surrounding nations.

It was their choice, not God’s, that brought destruction on them. “‘Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when He led you in the way.'” Jeremiah 2:17 (NIV).

The Jews sealed their fate by thoughtlessly calling God’s judgment upon them at Jesus’ trial. “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood.’ he said, ‘It is your responsibility!’ All the people answered, ‘Let His blood be on us and on our children.!'” Matthew 27:24-25 (NIV).

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to claim His rightful kingship of His people, the sight of the city reduced Him to tears because He saw the outcome of their rejection of Him. “‘The days will come when your enemies will build an embankment against you and will encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.'” Luke 19:43-44 (NIV).

God’s word makes it clear that whatever fate we suffer is the end result of our own choices. He has given us the option to receive the mercy He offers us because Jesus died in our place. He honours our freedom to choose right up to the choice of our own destiny. For those who honour Him, there is mercy, forgiveness and a new life which never ends; for those who reject His offer, the eternal rubbish heap of wasted opportunity.

He forces nothing on us. It is up to us to choose.

WATCH OUT!

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WATCH OUT!

“With everybody listening, Jesus spoke to His disciples. ‘Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preen in the radiance of public flattery, bask in prominent positions, sit at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end.'” Luke 20:45-47 (The Message).

Why did Jesus issue such a strong warning to His disciples about the danger of coming under the influence of the religion scholars? These men had power because of their so-called ‘learning’ which they used to subjugate ordinary people and exploit them for their own ends.

When we examine His motive for warning His disciples, we have to ask ourselves, ‘Was Jesus jealous of their power? Was He trying to turn public opinion against them because of their opposition to Him or was He sincerely alerting His disciples to the danger of being impressed and coming under their influence?’

History would give His disciples the answer. Both their Master, and later they, would suffer at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus had no personal axe to grind with them. He knew them. He knew the depth of their hypocrisy that fooled ordinary people. He knew how dangerous their power was, how ruthlessly these men would use it to protect their own position.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834-1902) said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely…” How true this is when we see what power religious leaders have over the hearts and consciences of people. Terrible things happen because of the use of this power – massacres like the Inquisition – when millions of believers were slaughtered by the Church in the Middle Ages, the Crusades – the slaughter of Muslims in the name of Jesus, the Jim Jones suicides, the Waco Texas, tragedy, and many more.

Jesus neither pulled rank nor used emotion to persuade people to believe Him. He had one weapon that was infallible – the truth. Real power lies, not in intimidation, manipulation, or domination, which are the ways of the devil, but in revelation. God’s intention is not to enslave by fear but to set us free by the knowledge of the truth. 

“To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31-32 (NIV).

Jesus was so sure of the power of the truth of His words that He could say, “‘As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.'” John 12:47-48 (NIV).  

There is a sob in Jesus’ voice as He warns of the ways of the hypocrite. ‘Be careful,’ He said, ‘not to be taken in by the image they portray. The real test is in their fruit.’ Their fruit was fear, slavery to the rules and ritual they imposed on the people because they were the ‘educated ones’, but they distorted the understanding of God until He appeared as a slavedriver, not a loving Father.

Any spiritual leader who rules over people instead of connecting them to Jesus, is as suspect as the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ warning is as relevant today as it was then. Whoever he/she is, should a Christian leader tie people to himself and his teaching and not to Jesus, he/she is suspect and dangerous. Stay away from him/her.

How can we identify them? Simply by measuring them against our infallible test – the Word of God, both Jesus, the living Word, and the Bible, the written Word. Jesus said, “‘Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'” Matthew 11:29 (NV). Any yoke that teaches anything not of Jesus is a yoke of bondage!

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

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WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

“He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, ‘Jesus the Nazarene is going by.’

“He yelled, ‘Jesus! Son of David!  Mercy, have mercy on me!’

“Those ahead told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, ‘Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!’

“Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, ‘What do you want from me?’

“He said, ‘Master, I want to see again.’

Jesus said, ‘Go ahead — see again! Your faith has saved and healed you.’ The healing was instant. He looked up, seeing — and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.” Luke 18:35-43 (The Message).

This story is a wonderful illustration of how faith interacts with the power of God. Luke has not identified this insignificant blind beggar, but we know from the other gospels that his name was Bartimeus. From God’s point of view he had a name; he had an identity; he was a person of value who had a disability which made him an outcast of society, but not of God. He was worthless to people, a parasite, but not to Jesus.

To the untrained ear, the sound of his voice begging for handouts mingled with the shouts of the rest of the crowd and was lost in the din, but not to Jesus. He always hears the cry of the needy raised in hope and expectation.

Bartimeus was tiresome; he refused to be put off by the heartless people around him who ordered him to shut up. Why should he? He had a sudden hope and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity to be freed from his blindness be lost because of other people. Instead of keeping quiet, he yelled all the louder. It’s no wonder Jesus heard him! He didn’t hear his voice as much as He heard his heart.

Isn’t that just like Jesus! The gospels record many similar incidents — Jesus responding to a heart cry. The outer covering of the crying heart didn’t matter to Him — lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, blind, lame, sick, deaf, rich, poor, Pharisee or sinner; He heard and responded to them all.

The interaction between the blind man and Jesus was very simple — no long prayers, no beating about the bush, no reasoning or explanations, just a simple question, ‘What do you want from me?’ and an equally simple response, ‘Master, I want to see again.’

Interaction over, transaction done! ‘Go ahead — see again!’  

How tragic that we, in the tradition of those who have gone before us, are perpetuating the terrible distortion of the gospel, which we call Christianity. We have turned this simple exchange between Jesus and us into a rigmarole, with religious paraphernalia, elaborate rituals, and teachings that twist and distort the simplicity of a partnership with Jesus in submission to Him and in the company of His redeemed people. 

When I watch some of the goings-on on so-called Christian TV, sadly I ask myself, ‘Is this why Jesus came?’ and my heart bleeds for the people who are sucked into the deception and who are missing out on the beauty and simplicity of a union and communion with Jesus that shifts all the weight of living onto His shoulders.

Jesus sternly rebuked the disciples for getting between Him and the little children whom mothers had brought to Him for His blessing. Being drowned with a millstone around their necks was a better option than to hinder anyone from coming to Him, He said. What about the leaders who mindlessly perpetuate all the nonsensical practices that take ordinary people’s attention away from Jesus? He came to set us free, not to tie us up in endless deviations from His pure and simple truth.

My plea to the people of God is this: Don’t let people shut you up and keep you away from getting close to Jesus. All that matters is that you and He keep interacting so that you can walk close to Him in the confidence that you are hearing and listening to each other.

He will do the rest!  

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

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WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

“Peter said, ‘Master, I’m ready for anything with you. I’d go to jail for you. I’d die for you!’

“Jesus said, ‘I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me.'” Luke 22:33-34 (The Message).

We like to pick Peter out for being cocksure of himself but I don’t think we are any different. There was no problem with his sincerity. He loved the Master and would willingly have given his life for him — in his mind — but, in the real situation, at the mercy of ruthless Roman soldiers, it was a little different.

Peter did not know what it was like to be in that kind of situation. Perhaps even more important was the fact that dying for Jesus then would be pointless. He would be dying for a friend but not as a witness to the truth to which he was testifying. His opportunity would come later when he would give his life for what he believed and preached, that Jesus is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead and is the author of eternal salvation for all who believe in Him.

Peter had a whole lot of living to do and learning the truth about Jesus and the resurrection because that became the pivot of his life and message, and the reason for his obedience and courage, even to the point of dying the same cruel death as his Master.

Peter did not even know that his brash words were prophetic. He did indeed go to jail and to death for Jesus but it was because of his choice to follow Him and not because he was the victim of Jewish leaders’ prejudice. Peter learned his lesson well. He had to go through his own ‘Gethsemane’, humiliating and painful as it was, to be equipped to be an apostle of the good news.

Our own failures and weaknesses seem so drastic and final that we think that they disqualify us from being Jesus’ disciples, and we run from Him in guilt and shame. God has a very different view of our failures. These are the very experiences that equip us to be witnesses for Him.

To what are we really witnessing? Not to our strengths! If we never failed, we would not need the grace which God freely gives to us because of Jesus. This is the marvel and miracle of the gospel. Jesus came to earth because of who we are. There is nothing in us to commend us to God. God’s verdict: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV).

At best we are foul. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6 (NIV).

Jesus did everything necessary to recue us from our pitiful condition. He paid our debt, washed us clean and presented us to God as His own beloved sons and daughters and gives us the grace to live for Him in His strength, not ours.

We are fools if we think we can do it by ourselves. Peter learned that and so must we if we are to be witnesses of how big He is, and not of how big we are. It only takes our considered decision to follow Him to brings God’s grace into action that energises us to do what we have chosen to do. The choice is ours; the strength is His and we do it together.

We have a union with the Holy Spirit who lives in us so close that, whenever we decide to obey, His power activates our choice and we do it through Him. “I have been crucified wih Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me, The life I live in the body, live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV).

Is that not a better option than being self-confident and falling into a deep, dark hole of guilt and shame because I thought I could do it by myself?

WHO WAS ON TRIAL?

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WHO WAS ON TRIAL?

“When it was morning, the religious leaders of the people and the high priests and scholars all got together and brought Him before their High Council. They said, ‘Are you the Messiah?’

“He answered, ‘If I said yes, you wouldn’t believe me. If I asked you what you meant by your question, you wouldn’t answer me. So here’s what I have to say: From here on the Son of Man takes His place at God’s right hand, the place of power.’

“They all said, ‘So you admit your claim to be the Son of God?’

‘”You’re the ones who keep saying it,’ He said.

“But they had made up their minds. ‘Why do we need any more evidence? We’ve all heard Him as good as say it Himself.’ Luke 22:66-71 (The Message).

This has to be the strangest court case in history! Jesus was the prisoner and yet His subtle answer to their question and their attempt to force Him into incriminating Himself, exposed their guilt, not His. Their charge, punishable by death according to their religious law, was blasphemy. For them His guilt was cut and dried, if they could get Him to make a confession. ‘If you are claiming to be the Son of God, say it.’

The only witnesses they could produce contradicted one another and, according to Mark’s account, brought an accusation so feeble that their testimony was dismissed. All they could bank on was that Jesus would admit guilt to their charge by His own confession.

His counter charge was: ‘If I am not the Son of God, prove it.’ As the members of the High Council, it was their duty to uphold justice and to do this, they had to provide evidence to support their charge, but they could not produce at least two reliable witnesses.

Jesus turned the tables on them by His reply to their question. ‘If I said yes, you would not believe me. If I asked what you meant by your question, you would not answer me.’  He dug underneath their hypocritical “justice”, exposed their motive and revealed their wicked hearts. They were not after the truth. They were after an excuse to condemn Him.

Instead of giving them a direct answer, He made a statement which they were forced to weigh up for themselves. Their response would be the verdict on themselves, guilty or not guilty. Their refusal to drop the case drove them deeper into guilt and His resurrection three days later finally sealed their doom.    

Once before, they were caught in the same dilemma when they came to Him with a trick question, ‘Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?’  His answer took them by surprise. They were expecting Him to get Himself into trouble either with Jewish or Roman authorities. Instead, He put them in their place by reminding them of both their civil and religious responsibilities. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” Luke 20:25b (NIV).

Motive and responsibility – Jesus was big on both these issues. Why we do things is just as important as what we do. Taking responsibility for what we do and why we do what we do is the essence of maturity. Adam and Eve tried to play the “blame game” but it did not work with God. Man has been doing the same thing ever since and it still doesn’t work.

Even though Jesus was found guilty, condemned and crucified, He was the judge in the end, and His accusers the condemned. Yes, Jesus was guilty as charged, guilty of being who He said He was, the Christ, the Son of the living God, and He not only claimed it, He proved it by rising from the dead.

Those who tried and condemned Him were the guilty ones, guilty of prejudice, injustice and treason because they betrayed the God they claimed to serve and condemned to death the Son of God because they refused to recognise and believe in Him.

Since the resurrection proved, once for all, that Jesus is who He says He is, we are driven to respond to Him, either to bow to Him as Lord, or to reject Him and sea lour fate with those who forfeit the right to share in His kingdom forever.