Monthly Archives: August 2023

ARE YOU CRAZY?

Christian Life, ,

ARE YOU CRAZY?

Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. Luke 6:20-23

What is He talking about? He almost sounds like some sort of killjoy; only happy when everything goes wrong; glad to be miserable!

This would sound crazy if it came from anyone’s lips but Jesus’. What is He getting at? You cannot go very far into the gospels before you realise that Jesus lived in the environment of God’s kingdom. Don’t get me wrong — He was a very down-to-earth person, in touch with reality, especially the need of the people around Him, aware of their suffering and full of compassion for them.

But He also knew that there was no permanent solution for them in the present world system. He could heal them now but they would be sick again. He could raise the dead but they were destined to die again. As long as the world system they were in prevailed, there would always be sorrow, sickness and suffering, because it is an imperfect fallen world and will remain that way unless God intervened.

The good news is that the present world system, with all its sin and imperfection, is temporary. He had come from the Father to get rid of the obstacle to restoration and reconciliation, the huge debt of man’s sin. God had set the course for restoring everything that was broken, distorted and out of joint and it culminated in Him. What God started in Genesis 1 and 2, He would complete according to Revelation 21 and 22.

Through Jesus, God provided the forgiveness that restored the broken relationship between Him and His estranged sons and daughters, but there was also the matter of choice. Would they want to come back to the Father’s house? How did the lost son in the far country come to his senses? He looked at his circumstances, starving and looking after pigs, and realised that he had been much better off at home.

Jesus said that it is very difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. Why? Is it because they have money? No. It’s because they use their money to satisfy their own need. Money is a good servant but a bad master. Wealth is good if it is used to serve others but bad if it feeds greed and selfishness.

Therefore, according to Jesus, loss and hunger and persecution are not blessings in themselves but they are if they create an awareness that life is much more than what we eat, what we drink and what we wear. Life is transient, like mist that is here in the morning but gone by midday. It is foolishness to place our faith in and live for what is passing away.

God allows these kind of circumstances into our lives to draw our attention to a kingdom that is permanent and eternal; a way of life that echoes the eternal character and values of the Father. Greed and selfishness belong to this transient, imperfect world and will eventaully go out with the trash. We might be ridiculed and sidelined if we side with Jesus now. His way may seem puny to those who believe in control and force and power, but in the end, He won then and He will win again.

If you open up to Him, He will change you heart and set you on a course of generosity and unselfish service that will bring you joy and the realisation of who you really are, a son or daughter of God, created in His image to be like Him.

YOUR CUP OF SUFFERING

Christian Life, ,

YOUR CUP OF SUFFERING

Suffering is a mystery to many people. When things go wrong in our lives, we cry out, “Why me?”  Is suffering someone else’s fault? Is it punishment for my sin? Is the devil attacking me? The accuser is always standing by to pile guilt on us for what we or someone else might have done or claiming his right to power over us.

There are no answers to this question outside of God’s Word.

Firstly, we must clear our minds of the lies the enemy uses to make us feel helpless and afraid in times of distress.

1. God will never punish you again for the sin He has already laid on Jesus.

2. Jesus has promised to be with you always. He is in you through the presence of the Holy Spirit. He will never leave or forsake you.

3. God works in all things for your good. He is Lord in all your circumstances, not the devil.

4. Satan may desire to attack but he can only do what God permits. He is only able to do to us what we fear or what we believe he will do.

CATEGORIES OF SUFFERING

1. Common to all on a fallen planet

Adam’s sin brought alienation from God and death upon the whole human race. We are all part of the consequences of Adam’s sin.

Some people think that they became exempt from trouble when they believed in Jesus, but this idea is contrary to the Bible. We live on a planet corrupted by sin and we only leave sin and its consequences behind when we die.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

2. Consequences of our own sin

Not only do people sin against us, but we sin against ourselves and others. However, our sin is firstly against God because, by sinning against another we have disobeyed God’s instructions to love one another. All sin is disobedience, and we are, therefore, guilty of sin against Him.

“Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”

Psalms 51:4 NLT

We participate personally in Adam’s sin when we actively engage in anything that falls short of God’s glory. Our sin has consequences.

“If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.”

1 Peter 4:15 NIV

3. Called to suffer for our faith in Christ.

Jesus warned that our union with Him will inevitably call down the wrath of unbelievers on us because they hate God and all who belong to Him. The whole world is divided into two camps, those who are for and those who are against God. There is no neutral ground, and those who are God’s enemies hate God’s children.

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is working against me.

Matthew 12:30 NLT

“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

2 Timothy 3:12 NLT

“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

1 Peter 2:20-21 NIV

PURPOSE

1. To grow and strengthen our faith

Any kind of suffering will either make us bitter or better. We are called to trust God in all our circumstances, not to get out of them but to be purified from the doubt and unbelief that insult God and question His faithfulness to His Word.

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV

2. To develop perseverance, character, and hope

God uses all our trials to build strength of character, endurance, and perseverance. Only those who become more resilient under testing will make it to the end.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:2-4 NIV

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Romans 5:3-4 NIV

3. To have done with sin

When all is going well with us, it is easy to become complacent and indulgent towards our sinful old nature. Suffering makes us aware of the cost of sin in our lives.

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”

1 Peter 4:1-2 NIV

4. To share in God’s holiness

God is preparing us for an eternity in His presence where no sin is tolerated. Jesus has made us holy through His suffering. We are to work out this holiness in our attitudes and behaviour by the way we refuse to tolerate sin in our lives and choose to live the way Jesus taught us, by His grace.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?… They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:7, 10-11 NIV

5. To share in Christ’s inheritance

We are called to suffer with Jesus as well as to suffer for Him. We must have the same attitude He had. He never complained or resisted the suffering He was called to endure.

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps… He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

1 Peter 2:21, 23 NLT

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Romans 8:17 NIV

6. To correct our perspective

If we remember that God is preparing us for an eternity with Him, our suffering will take on an eternal perspective that will keep us focused on our destination, not on the present.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV

7. To conform us to the likeness of Jesus

Suffering is never needless or coincidental. God is always at work in everything to restore the image of His Son in us. Suffering is not about our outward circumstances but about our attitudes and responses, and results in inward transformation.

God’s purpose is to teach us submission and obedience to Him as true sons, motivated by our love and trust in Him.

“… For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Romans 8:29, NLT

8. To keep us humble and dependant on the Lord

Suffering exposes our weaknesses and drives us towards God’s grace.

“… So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

2 Corinthians 12:7

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

9. To remind us of our mortality

We must never fall into the trap of believing that we are here forever. We are pilgrims passing through, and what we are learning and becoming now is preparing us for our destiny in God’s eternal kingdom.

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”

1 Peter 2:11 NLT

10. To expose our hearts

Bill Johnson, of Bethel Church fame, once said, “Jesus loved to offend the mind to expose the heart”. How true this is in the issue of suffering!

This is another very important reason for suffering, to test our commitment to trusting God. We say we trust Him when all is well but what happens when things go terribly wrong? Job experienced this test big time!

When hardships and suffering come our way, our attitude towards God is brought to the surface. Even our question, “Why?” reveals an unconscious note of resistance or even rebellion which reveal a subtle suspicion or mistrust of God’s love.

Jeremiah’s question exposed his attitude of mistrust of God in his suffering.

“Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”

Jeremiah 15:18  

God’s response was, “If you take back those words, Jeremiah, then you will still serve me… Change your attitude, Jeremiah because, if you don’t, I am finished with you.”

“This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”

Jeremiah 15:19

This is how seriously God views our mistrust in Him when things go wrong.

ATTITUDE

1. Suffer in a way that pleases God

In what way must we suffer that pleases God?

The Bible clearly states that it is faith in God that pleases Him. When we continue to trust Him in the most difficult and painful of circumstances, He responds to our prayers, and provides all the grace and strength we need to endure.

“So, if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

1 Peter 4:19 NLT

2. Have the same attitude as Jesus had

Jesus had the attitude of a true son, always submissive and obedient to the Father.

“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Mark 14:36 NLT

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

1 Peter 2:21, 23 NLT

3. Trust God for His grace in your suffering

“… So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NLT

4. Keep your eyes on the goal

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

Suffering will have a new meaning when we take the long look, remembering that we are only travelling through, not permanent residents of this imperfect world. We are being prepared for a glorious future where there will be no more pain or suffering.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:3-4 NLT

Years ago, as a young believer, I read a book by Paul Billheimer entitled “Don’t Waste Your Sorrows”. I have long since forgotten the content of the book, but the title is enough good advice to remind us of the meaning and purpose of our sorrows as we navigate life on this fallen planet.

So I say to you, as you contemplate God’s answer to the problem of your suffering, “Don’t waste your sorrows” Falling in line with God’s Word has eternal benefit by embracing, not fighting what comes your way.

“So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

WRITTEN IN THE DUST

Christian Life, ,

WRITTEN IN THE DUST

“As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.”

John 8:3-6 NLT

I am indebted to Pastor Ken Legg for his teaching on this passage of Scripture.

Jesus and His opponents were locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse. His claim to be the Son of God had sent His enemies into a frenzy of murderous hatred.

On this occasion, recorded in John 7, during the Feast of Tabernacles, the religious leaders instructed the temple guards to arrest Him, but the guards returned empty-handed. Why? The temple guards were overwhelmed by Jesus’ words. “No one ever spoke like this man, ” they responded.

The high priest had concluded the Feast of Tabernacles with the water ceremony, pouring water on the ground from a large pitcher. The water disappeared into the hot soil, never to quench the thirst of any thirsty person – symbolic of the failure of Isreal’s religion to satisfy. Jesus, in response, called thirsty people to come to Him and He would give them living water.

The religious leaders had failed to arrest Jesus, so, incensed by His invitation, and intent on their purpose to silence Him, they set a trap to catch Him out as a law-breaker.

They brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. What would He do as a Rabbi with authority? Would He uphold the law or apply His  yoke of mercy in defiance of the law? 

They gathered around Jesus, clamouring for His response. Jesus knew the Scriptures. Silently, He bent down and wrote on the ground. What did He write? Many have guessed, but perhaps God’s Word itself provides the answer.

Look at Jeremiah 17….

“10 “I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”… 13 Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10, 13 NIV

Was Jesus acting out Jeremiah’s words by writing their names in the dust?

Why did Jesus write their names in the dust?

“The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot.“ Proverbs 10:7 NIV

He was warning them of judgment. There are only two places in Scripture where the names of people are written.

The Lamb’s Book of Life – (the palm of God’s hand) is an indelible record of the names of the righteous.

The dust of the earth – is a transient record of the names of the ungodly. Just as their names would disappear from the dust, so these men would perish and be forgotten.

Jesus looked up at them. His action and His gaze said it all. “I know you.” In that moment, their guilt was exposed, and they slunk away, mortified and convicted but even more determined to silence Him.

What was the outcome for the woman? With the witnesses gone, Jesus could apply His yoke of mercy.

This story reminds me of another encounter Jesus had with a loose woman. He met her at a well and offered her living water. To her, he was just a man. She was interested and fascinated until He revealed the shocking truth… “I know you.”

Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, who shrank from Jesus’ disclosure, the woman of Samaria, finally convinced and with excited joy, rushed back to the village to share the news with her fellow villagers.

“29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”

John 4:28-29 NLT

The Scriptures assert,

27 The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.

Proverbs 20:27 NLT

“13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:13 NIV

David, in Psalm 139, reveals the wonderful purpose of God’s intimate knowledge, to protect, guide and bless.

“You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head…  9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me… 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Psalms 139:5, 9-10, 17-18 NLT

This revelation of God’s knowledge should lead us to pray, with David…

“23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Psalms 139:23-24 NLT

WHO WILL MOVE THE STONE?

Christian Life, ,

WHO WILL MOVE THE STONE?

“As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.”

Matthew 27:60-61 NLT

It was early morning on the third day. Sabbath had ended, releasing those who passionately loved Jesus to pay their last respects and say their final goodbyes to Him. Only one obstacle remained… the stone.

“Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

Mark 16:2ff

The women who hurried to the tomb in the cool of the morning had one thought in their minds… the stone. How would they move the stone? Three or four of them would not have the strength to shift that enormous weight even one centimetre. They would eventually have to abandon their mission and return home without closure, forever denied their final glimpse of their beloved Master.

Imagine their surprise, even shock when they arrived at the tomb! In the early dawn light, they were confronted by a gaping hole where the stone had been.

“But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.”

Mark 16:2-4 NLT

How could that happen? Soldiers were supposed to have been guarding the tomb.

“The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So, we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.”

Matthew 27:62-66 NLT

According to Matthew, an earthquake blew the stone clean out of the way, leaving the entrance unobstructed and open for anyone to enter.

“Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.”

Matthew 28:1-2 NLT

But guards had been posted at the tomb to stop the disciples from trying to gain entrance. The other gospels merely state that the stone had been rolled away. Imagine the soldiers sleeping through the commotion while a group of disciples heaved and struggled to move the stone, a few inches at a time!

“As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” So, the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.”

Matthew 28:11-15 NLT

No, it seems that only a supernatural power could move that stone without disturbing the guards or… they had long since fled when things began to happen that frightened the wits out of them!

So, despite the cover-up story, which seems far-fetched and devoid of truth, the stone which blocked the entrance to the cave where Jesus’ body was entombed, was miraculously missing. All the women’s concerns were for nothing. Their greatest obstacle was gone. They had free access to the body of Jesus, so they thought.

They scrambled through the entrance, clutching their bags of precious ointments and spices, only to stop short in utter disbelief. Not only was the stone gone but so was the body they had come to anoint.

“But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

Luke 24:1-3 NLT

John centres on Mary, Mary Magdalene, who passionately loved Jesus… not in any romantic way….but with a love born of faith in a Redeemer. Jesus had delivered her from the cruel bondage to demonic tyranny. How could she not believe and trust Him implicitly for her whole being and her whole life?

“Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

John 20:1-2 NLT

These accounts, focusing on different people caught up in these devastating events, all centre in two “impossibles”, the immovable stone… in the way, and the body of Jesus… missing, but… without lifting a finger, both obstacles were miraculously gone.

The stone blocking their access to Jesus had melted like wax in the sun. The dead Jesus, from whom they had come to take their final leave, was alive, no longer entombed in a rocky cave free to be with them forever.

The great initiators of false religion were alive, but now they are dead, and their tombs are here for anyone to see. Jesus, who was dead for three days, is alive and His empty tomb is the silent witness that He rose from the dead and is alive forever. He invited the Apostle John in his vision on the Isle of Patmos,

‘… I died but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.’

Revelation 1:18 NLT

So, what’s the “stone” in your life that you think is immovable? Is your “Jesus” still dead in the tomb, unable to do a thing to help you? It’s time to confront the truth, not the facts.  How do we know that Jesus is not there? The stone…. remember? Is the tomb empty or is His body still there?

Where is Jesus now?

“When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”

Mark 16:19 NLT

“Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”

So, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, the place of authority and power. He reigns over all things… that means over you and me as well. All our situations, circumstances, and … everything,… are under His control. No stray “coincidences” escape Him. He knows about our “stones”. He is here, there, everywhere, through His Spirit. Not dead! Alive… forevermore.

Is your “stone” still blocking the way to Jesus? It’s not there, just a phantom of your unbelief.  Call on His name. He’s there.

WHO IS THE HIRELING OF JOHN 10?

Apologetics, ,

WHO IS THE HIRELING OF JOHN 10?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So, when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:10-13

Times without number, I have heard preachers, teachers, and every other category of believer in Jesus, refer to the devil as the one who comes to “kill, steal, and destroy”. Never once, in all my Christian experience, have I ever heard or read a query to this interpretation.

Yet, when I read Jesus’ words in John 10, nowhere does He refer to Satan in His teaching about the hireling and the Good Shepherd. His debate was not with the devil whom He could vanquish with the Word, but with the religious leaders who twisted the Word to suit their own purposes.

In His teaching on the Good Shepherd, Jesus contrasted Himself with the “hireling” who had no interest in the sheep but in what he could gain from shepherding them. When danger or difficulty came, the hireling abandoned the sheep to save his own skin. No mention of the devil here!

By contrast, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, not only takes good care of the sheep whom He knows by name, but He also sacrificed His own life for His flock.

Who, then, was the hireling? Surely, Jesus was referring to the religious leaders, with whom He continually contended because they cared more about themselves than about God’s people. He called them “hypocrites”, play-actors who played the role of “shepherd” to impress their audience.

Matthew 23:2-7; 13-36 is a painful exposure of those who masquerade as shepherds but behave as hirelings. On many occasions, Jesus pointed out their dishonest use of the Law.

“For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’  But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’  In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents.  And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”

Mark 7:10-13 NLT

These religious leaders were so dishonest that they refused to weigh all the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah and the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. They rejected His claim that His authority came from God. Instead, they crucified Him as a blasphemer because He claimed (and proved by the Word, His works, and the witness of the Father) that He was the Son of God.

Yes, Satan was behind their attitudes and behaviour but, in the end, they made their choices and were the greatest threat to Jesus’ mission. They influenced the people against Jesus despite all the miracles He did for them. Although they made the decision to crucify Jesus, they were ultimately accountable to God, the highest authority, for what they had done.

“Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.” Matthew 27:20 NLT

‘Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!” And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

Matthew 27:24-25 NLT

Peter laid the guilt for Jesus’ death squarely at the door of the Jews, including all those, led by the religious leaders, who had clamoured for His death.

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.”

Acts of the Apostles 2:22-23 NLT

Nowhere did Peter on the day of Pentecost, give credit to the devil for having Jesus crucified. It was the human will by human hands that killed Him. What of today?

There are many “hirelings” in places of leadership in churches across the world today, people who are filthy rich at the expense of the  “sheep” who depend on them for care and guidance. These are the ones who kill, steal and destroy since those who follow them are robbed of money, wisdom and life itself.

Unfortunately, these hirelings are often difficult to identify because they masquerade as shepherds or, as Jesus said, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. We can identify them by their fruit.

I am very wary of those who get people to give either by offering them a reward or by making them feel guilty if they don’t give. Many great so-called compassion ministries are built on the money the big names get out of their followers while they gather wealth for themselves.

Three things motivate the hireling that contradict what Jesus taught about the way of God’s kingdom; fame, power and money. Look for these “fruits” in the lives of false shepherds and stay away from them and their teachings.

The tragedy is that, though these false shepherds will take the rap for what they have done, the sheep who blindly follow them will also be lost because they have exchanged the truth for lies.

God holds every individual responsible for what he/she believes and how his/her belief system directs their lives. He has given us the New Covenant in His Word to show us how and provide everything we need to live godly lives.

“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 NLT

No one can hide behind ignorance as an excuse. We are told to test everything and hold fast to what is good.

“Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”

1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 NLT

Jesus warned us that deception will be the greatest threat to believers as time draws to an end. Fear and deception are the devil’s most effective tools, and hirelings his most efficient allies in his quest to draw people away from simple faith in Jesus.

So, my beloved friends, beware of the hirelings who are everywhere and out to lure you away by their smooth-tongued and convincing words that twist God’s Word, pander to your flesh and set you on the path to destruction.

Remain “in Christ”, abide in Him and in His Word. He is your only place of truth and safety.