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THE GOSPEL OF LUKE- NOTHING NEW

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NOTHING NEW

“The crowd asked him, ‘Then what are we supposed to do?’

“‘If you have two coats, give one away.’ he said. ’Do the same with your food,’ Tax men also came to be baptised and said, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’

“He told them, ‘No more extortion – collect only what is required by law.’

“Soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’ He told them, ‘No shakedowns, no blackmail – and be content with your rations.'” Luke 3:10-14.

So what was new about John’s message? Why all the excitement? Why did they come from far and near to hear him when everything he told them was written in their Law anyway? Had they slipped so far from the everyday requirements for living the best kind of life that they needed a revival campaign out in the wilderness to bring them back?

It doesn’t say much for their teachers either, does it? They were so busy preening themselves and devising new laws to “protect” their laws that the Law of God was obscured by rules so ridiculous that many of the ordinary people gave up trying. Like all the prophets before him, John’s message was no different, but the reason for his message was far more compelling.

“Repent!” he thundered, “for the kingdom of God is near.” What did that mean? Not the current “turn or burn” message! Not the “Be sorry for your sins and turn to God” insistence. That’s our interpretation of “repent”. “Teshuvah” meant “return” – come back to what you were – before Adam’s crazy, foolish choice – to what God made you to be in the beginning. What was that? Man made in His image to be one with Him.

“The Kingdom of God is near”? How can that be good news? I thought that the good news was that Jesus died for our sins that we can go to heaven when we die. How pathetic if that is the sum total of the good news! The really good news is that God is fixing everything that is broken and restoring everything to what it was before Adam blew it so that He can complete what He began.

Now that’s really good news! It means that we can play a part in restoring what Adam messed up. And Jesus got rid of all the obstacles that prevented us from taking part in the restoration process by paying our debt for us, releasing us from slavery to the destroyer so that we don’t have to be a part of the messing up side, ever again. We’ve changed allegiance and are now on God’s side, His restoration crew, doing things God’s way and in the process bringing heaven to earth like Jesus said.

John was showing them how that would be done. Give, share, be kind, be content, stop being greedy, selfish and self-centred. That would make Messiah’s task much easier if He came to people who were already prepared to receive Him by realising what He had come to do.

The trouble was that they misunderstood His real purpose. Restoration did not mean getting rid of the Romans so that He could rule over David’s kingdom. His plan went much farther back than that. Not get rid of the rule of the Romans – that was slavery on the outside, but get rid of the rule of sin – that was the core of the matter. Change the ruler on the inside. Get self off the throne and reinstall God’s king, Jesus, as rightful ruler of every heart.

When the old selfish, greedy disposition is changed from within, people will change, mothers and fathers will change, children will change, homes will change, families will change, communities will change, society will change, one life at a time. When Jesus returns to take His rightful place on the throne of earth, He will come to an earth where pockets of heaven are already here, practising what He came to complete.

That’s what it’s all about, really!

THE BOOK OF ACTS – HEROD’S STICKY END

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HEROD’S STICKY END

“At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. ‘Where is Peter? What’s happened to Peter?’ When Herod sent for him and they could not produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution. ‘Off with their heads!’ Fed up with Judea and the Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea.” Acts 12:18-19 (The Message).

Judgment on Roman soldiers who didn’t do their job was swift and sure. No commission of inquiry, no lengthy probing into the reasons why Peter had disappeared; the soldiers failed and they must pay for their neglect. Of course they had no answer for Peter’s disappearance. It was a supernaturally orchestrated escape, outside the power of the soldiers to understand or prevent.

In typical ‘Herod’ fashion, because his plan to entertain himself and his Jewish subjects by murdering Peter was thwarted, sixteen innocent Romans had to do instead of Peter. To cool his anger he took off for Caesarea for a breath of sea air!

“But things went from bad to worse for Herod. Now people from Tyre and Sidon put him on the warpath. But they got Blastus, King Herod’s right-hand man to put in a good word for them and got a delegation together to iron things out. Because they were dependent on Judea for food supplies, they couldn’t afford to let this go on too long. On the day set for their meeting Herod, robed in pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled with them a lot of hot air. The people played their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries. ‘The voice of God! The voice of God!’

“This was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod’s arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if ever there was one, he died.” Acts 12:20-23 (The Message).

God’s cup of wrath finally spilled over. Herod’s curriculum vitae was filled with acts of violence and arrogance that clearly indicate who he worshipped – himself! There was no-one quite like him in his eyes. He was so blinded by his self-importance that he didn’t even realise that the people of Caesarea were mocking him, not praising him. He absorbed their flattery like a sponge and displayed like a peacock.

How many times had God given Herod an opportunity to repent? He had had numerous encounters with God through Jesus and through His people but he was so filled with self-importance that he missed every one of them. Just one encounter with Jesus should have been enough to shake him off his pedestal. He was too blind to see his opportunities.

Others in Jesus’ earthly ministry had been transformed by their meeting with Him; Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, Nicodemus, the dying thief, a multitude of unnamed people who had been healed, the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery, and even the Apostle Paul en route to a mission of destruction in Damascus had met Jesus and never been the same again.

Herod’s meeting with Jesus when He was on trial for His life had left him untouched – just as arrogant, blind and wicked as before. Why? He was too enamoured with himself to need another God to worship. When he foolishly accepted the title of “God”, it put the signature of God Himself to his death sentence. In one swift action, God showed him who was God.

How many times does God give us opportunity to repent and how many times do we miss it because we are too full of ourselves to recognise God’s grace. Pharaoh had at least ten opportunities and he threw them all away. The list of Bible characters who signed their own death sentence is endless.

But others saw and seized the chance to lay hold of God’s mercy. One man immediately comes to mind — David. In spite of a list of heinous sins; lust, adultery, trickery, murder and lies, his immediate response to the prophet Nathan’s challenge was: ‘I have sinned!’ He could not escape the consequences of his choices but he was restored to fellowship with God who was more precious to him than life itself.

What opportunities to experience God’s forgiveness and grace are we missing because we are blinded by arrogance or no sense of need? We must be careful that, like Herod, we do not miss our last opportunity to repent and the hammer falls!

“Meanwhile the ministry of God’s word grew by leaps and bounds.

“Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the church in Jerusalem, went back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called Mark.” Acts 12:24-25 (The Message).

Barnabas and Saul — up to this point Saul was still the learner. Barnabas had been the teacher and initiator and Saul the follower. His apprenticeship would soon come an end and he would become the strong leader of the missionary enterprise that would take the gospel into the heart of the Roman Empire – the very household of Caesar.

Barnabas and Saul fulfilled their commission to take help to the church in Jerusalem. They quickly returned to Syrian Antioch which was fast becoming the new centre of the church, away from Jewish persecution and far more open-minded than the Jerusalem church which was still Jewish at heart.

Another character enters the story — John Mark, a relative of Barnabas. His name has already popped up in Luke’s record, as though he was known to his reader. Who was John Mark? Traditionally he was the unknown youth who fled naked into the dark during Jesus’ arrest. His mother’s home was a gathering place for the church in Jerusalem, where they prayed when Peter was in prison at the hands of Herod.

 

He was also traditionally the author of the second gospel, having at some stage either accompanied Peter or laid his hands on a copy of Peter’s memoirs which he used as a basis for his gospel story. He had a chequered career as a companion of Barnabas and Saul for a short time on their first missionary journey, and a quitter who was the cause of a serious rift between Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Mark were later reconciled and he became a valuable asset to Paul in his ministry.

Who Killed Jesus?

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WHO KILLED JESUS?

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on Him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on Him. And they began to call out to Him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’

Again and again they struck Him on the head with a staff and spit on Him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. (Mark 15: 16-20)

Imagine the scene! Jesus was a stranger to the Roman soldiers. O, they may have heard about Him, even encountered Him in Jerusalem, but what did they know about Him as a person? What had they heard about Him? Anything suspicious, or sinister and evil that prompted their vicious attack on Him? No, only good, except perhaps from the religious hierarchy who were so prejudiced against Him that there was no end of their criticism and lies about Him.

So why did they behave in this atrocious manner towards Jesus when they had no axe to grind with Him? Were they simply giving vent to the basest in their human nature? Were they trained to hate by their role as Roman soldiers? Had they picked up the offence of their Jewish subjects and used the opportunity to sympathise with their Jewish allies in the Sanhedrin? Were they using the opportunity to discharge their hatred of the Jews on this innocent Jew who did not fight back?

As we go through the story of the crucifixion, it does not take us long to realise that every section of society was against Him. Those who masterminded the plot, carried out the mockery of a trial and stirred up the crowd to condemn Him; the mob who arrested Him and treated Him like a common criminal; the Roman soldiers who mocked and abused Him; the crowd who yelled for His death; Pilate who sentenced Him on to death on behalf of Rome in spite of His innocence; those who carried out the sentence with callous contempt – they were all representative of the human race for whom He paid the ultimate price.

Before we protest our innocence, we must remember that we are all part of the reason why He was there. None of those who were physically involved in His murder can carry the blame alone. They stand for every member of the human race who was condemned to death for treason against the God of heaven.

Jesus’ response stands in sharp contrast to the behaviour of those who had anything to do with Him during the final hours of His life. Why did He not resist? Why did He not defend Himself? Why did He not protest His innocence and fight to preserve His life? Why did His disciples and those He had ministered to for three years not stand up for Him and challenge the authorities for the illegality of their actions? Why did He not prove His power by calling for heavenly backup as He could have done? Why the foolishness of the cross?

There was only one way to defeat the devil and expose the treacherous deceit he had perpetrated on the human race. His modus operandi for perpetuating evil was through hatred, retaliation and revenge. You hurt me, and I will hurt you back. You hit me once and I will hit you ten times. By swallowing the devil’s lie in the Garden of Eden, mankind through Adam, has destroyed the unity God intended between us and Him. True to his fallen nature, he has kept sin going and escalated it from one generation to the next.

What was the solution? Wickedness could only be brought to an end by one who had no sin of His own, and who absorbed everything the human race could throw at Him without retaliation, and with love and forgiveness.

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. ‘He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.’ (1 Peter 2: 23-24)

Who killed Jesus? We all did because:

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa. 53: 6)

We cannot distance ourselves from those who treated Him with cruelty and contempt and crucified Him. We were there, siding with them because it was our sin that brought Him to that moment. And it was our sin that His death paid for so that we can go free.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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His Royal Robe

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HIS ROYAL ROBE 

“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

“‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another, ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’ This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.” John 19:23, 24 NIV.

Of course, if the soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothing, it meant only one thing. He was left undressed.

He was suspended on four nails, lifted up and hanging on a cross, stark naked except for the thorny crown on His brow and the coating of blood that had congealed over His broken flesh. He had not only faced the agony of crucifixion after the horror of flogging; He now also endured the embarrassment and shame of nakedness; everyone around the cross and the passers-by could gaze at Him.

What did they see?

There were no garments to hide what the Roman soldiers had done to Him. His body was bloodied and broken beyond recognition. His face was bruised and swollen from the soldiers’ abuse; they had hit Him in the face with their fists; there were bald and bloodied patches on His cheeks where they had ripped out His beard. They had mocked Him and spat in His face. They had jammed a crown of thorns on His head, the vicious barbs piercing deep into His flesh, leaving rivulets of blood mixed with spittle streaming down His face, and into His eyes and mouth.

But, according to Jewish culture, it was not a sin to be naked; it was a sin to look at a naked person. The Jews, therefore, would have turned their faces away. It was the Roman soldiers who would have gloated over the spectacle of His naked body hanging from their torture stake; and gazed at their handiwork!

How many Scriptures were fulfilled in these two verses!

“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” Psalm 22:18 NIV

“…His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness…” Isaiah 52:14b NIV.

“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6 NIV.

“Like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised and we held Him in low esteem.” Isaiah 53:5b NIV.

“They will look upon me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Zechariah 12:10 NIV.

Even the Father could not look upon His naked and ruined Son. Jesus’ broken body bore the brunt of all human sin — summed up in the hatred that was visible for everyone to see. God turned His face away and tore His garment — the great veil in the temple that hid His glory from the eyes of the people — and mourned for His Son.

But Jesus wore His wounds and His nakedness like a royal robe. It was not in shame but in triumph that He hung on the cross. His body proclaimed to the world, “Look what you did to me!” but His spirit remained pure and unstained by sin. Every blow to His body and every mocking word to His heart could not entice Him to hate. To His dying breath He loved them — “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

The Power of “I AM”

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THE POWER OF “I AM”

“When He had finished praying, Jesus left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and He and His disciples went into it.

“Now Judas, who betrayed Him, knew the place because Jesus had often met there with His disciples.  John 18:1-2 NIV.

Gethsemane! It was almost as though Jesus and Judas had arranged to meet there.

No doubt Jesus had not discussed His next move with His disciples. He gravitated to the olive grove after the Passover meal almost from habit. Perhaps He felt claustrophobic after sitting for hours in the smoky Upper Room. He felt the stuffy heat of the enclosed room and the events of the next few hours closing in on Him. He needed the space and the cool, refreshing night air of the garden.

Judas had made a calculated guess as to where Jesus would go. He had slipped away from the group around the supper table to buy supplies, so John thought, or even to pop something into the offering box for the poor. But why at this hour of the night? No one suspected that he had left to commit a deed so heinous that no one would credit a human being for doing it to a fellow human being, least of all to one’s own rabbi.

Judas’ real reason for leaving was to tip the high priest off about Jesus’ whereabouts. Perhaps he was lurking in the shadows when the little group made its way through the darkened streets towards the outskirts of the city. He may have followed at a distance until he was sure of Jesus’ intention and then hurried off to Caiaphas to offer his services as a guide for the arresting party.

“So Judas came into the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘I am He,’ Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing with them). When Jesus said, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” John 18:3-6 NIV.

Only John recorded this remarkable incident. Why was it important to him? The purpose of his gospel was to present Jesus as the Son of God. During the course of His disputes with the religious leaders, Jesus had already made it clear to them that it was He who had interacted with His people during the Old Testament era, revealing Himself to Abraham on many occasions and to Moses at the burning bush as the “I AM” and claiming the title, “I AM” in His “I Am” sayings.

But, according to John, He not only claimed the title but He also showed His enemies the power of that name. He was not merely saying, ‘I am the one you are looking for,’ but ‘”I AM”, Yahweh, the God of Israel.’ This was important because Jesus had made it clear that His crucifixion was not the choice of the religious hierarchy or the Roman government but a voluntary sacrifice planned by both the Father and the Son.

“‘I AM the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep… The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.'” John 10:14, 17-18 NIV.

Not only were His enemies to know who they were dealing with but also that they had no power to arrest Him. He would voluntarily hand Himself over to them and submit to everything they did to Him because He chose to submit, not because they had power over Him. . He could free Himself from their clutches at any time, but He didn’t because He chose to lay down His life for His sheep