Tag Archives: appointed

Unlikely Ones

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UNLIKELY ONES

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him (Mark 3: 13-19).

How well did Jesus read these men? Why did He choose men who, from our point of view at least, seem so unsuitable? Why did He include a guy like Matthew – a thief and a sell-out to Rome? What about James and John? They had no idea how to show compassion. Weren’t they the ones who wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village for not offering Jesus hospitality? Of what use where they to Him with an attitude like that?

And Simon the Zealot? He was a political activist – the last kind of person Jesus needed in His band. He had enough trouble trying to convince the rest of them that the kingdom of God was not a restored Davidic kingdom, without having a stirrer in His group. And as for Peter! Jesus didn’t even connect him with Andrew his brother because they were two completely different characters. He was very good at putting his foot in his mouth every time he opened it.

Who was Bartholomew? Was he the Nathaniel of John’s gospel? Thomas? He was famous for his scepticism and pessimism. Philip at least tried to believe, now and then, but his puny efforts didn’t get him very far. James son of Alpheus didn’t even make a blip on the radar. And Judas Iscariot? Was he Jesus’ biggest mistake?

Luke even tells us that Jesus spent the night in prayer before He chose His men. That makes it even worse, doesn’t it? He and the Father were in it together. And of course the Holy Spirit was there because He was the one who was on Him from His baptism, leading and empowering Him to do what He did. So the Trinity were all in agreement that these were the men whom Jesus was to train to be disciples and to take over from where He left off when He had fulfilled His mission on earth.

How did Jesus propose to train them? They were not even schooled in the Beth Talmid – “discipleship school” of their day. They were drop-outs from elementary school because they didn’t have it in them to become rabbis or disciples of rabbis. They were raw labourers of one kind or another. Jesus chose a “hands-on” method of honing these rough guys to become just like Him.

The essence of a disciple was to become a replica of his rabbi – not just learning and teaching what he taught but being like him in every way. He had to stick close by him, day and night, learn his language, and copy his gestures, his actions, his words and even his thoughts and attitudes. That took very close association. It must have been tough for both rabbi and his disciples to be so “joined at the hip” that they could not escape each other. No time out for a breather! Not even a moment to let their hair down and be “normal”.

In those two little words “with Him” lay the key to their mission. Unless they learned the lessons from their association with Him, every moment, every situation, every event, every incident, absorbing His actions and reactions, soaking up His attitudes and emotions, listening to His words and His heartbeat, they would never become true followers. Jesus was to be to them like a fish in a fishbowl, exposed every moment from every side. Not only were they expected to watch and listen to Him – He also invited them to scrutinise Him. What other human being would have the courage to do that – to make himself completely vulnerable knowing that his followers would pounce on every flaw and hold him accountable – because they were supposed to replicate him.

How do the so-called “disciples” of Jesus measure up today? How much time to we take to be “with Him”? If that is the key to being a true copy of our rabbi, how badly do we misrepresent Him because of our pathetically impoverished knowledge and understanding of who Jesus really is? His penetrating question to His disciples was “Who do you say that I am?” That was the crux of their confession. If we are not convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, we may as well pack our bags and go home.

It was exactly because of who He is, that He could choose them (and us), not because of who they were but because of what they would become through Him. No other rabbi could offer them that! That’s why He can be so confident when He calls, “Follow me,” because He knows what can happen if we do just that – stick with Him, listen and learn.

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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From And For The People

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FROM AND FOR THE PEOPLE

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sin, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God just as Aaron was. (Heb. 5:1-4)

What makes the difference between a high priest and the rest of the people and what gives him the right to carry the office of high priest?

He is ‘called by God’. He is set apart by divine appointment to stand between God and the people and to offer sacrifices on their behalf – sacrifices acceptable to God because He prescribed what was to be done and how it was to be done in order to forgive their sin and to bring His people near to Him.

What qualified him to be a high priest? He was chosen from among the people. That meant that he had to be one of them. He had to be human, subject to the same sins and weaknesses as they were so that he would not consider himself better or a cut above the rest. Why was this? He needed to be gentle with his fellow sinners because he walked in their shoes. He needed to approach God with his people on his heart, not as a judge but as one of them.

He was also chosen to represent the people to God. He was the go-between, standing between his sinful compatriots and a holy God to bring blood to atone for their sin. Before he could atone for the sin of anyone else, however, he had to remember that he was also guilty before God. He also need blood to cleanse him from the guilt and pollution of his own imperfections before he could represent the nation to God.

The high priestly office was ongoing because death brought an end to the ministry of one man, and the office had to be handed on to the next and to the next as each succeeding generation passed on. It was, therefore, an interrupted function. No one was able to carry on standing before God for his people indefinitely.

How frustrating for God’s people when a kindly and sympathetic high priest died and was replaced by a man who did not carry the weaknesses of his people on his heart! The people were at the mercy of those who represented then, good or bad. This office was both a blessing and a curse for them, depending on the qualities of each man who stood before God for them.

In the same way, Christ did not take on Himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to Him, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’ And He says in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb. 5: 5-6)

What was the writer trying to prove? Jesus was fully qualified to take on the office and function of high priest for His people. He was one of them – born and raised as a Jew. He was appointed by God to be high priest, not of the tribe of Levi who had to pass the office on because of death. He was of the order of Melchizedek – a mysterious figure who appeared on the scene briefly during the time of Abraham. We shall learn more of him as the letter proceeds.

Why Melchizedek? He was both king of Jerusalem and priest of the Most High God, and Jesus was to be both king and high priest, both offices to be fulfilled in one man which was forbidden of the Levitical priests. Jesus was both the Son of God, making Him eligible to be a priest and a descendant of David, putting Him in line for the throne of David.

Why was this so important to these Jewish readers? As true Jews, they had to be sure that Jesus was no usurper. He had to have the qualifications laid down in God’s word to fulfil the offices of king and priest, of which Melchizedek was the forerunner. Did He qualify? Yes. Was He eligible? Yes. In every way Jesus was superior to the Leviticus priesthood, and fully qualified and competent to represent His people to God.

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.

 

Appointed To Be The Son

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APPOINTED TO BE THE SON

He also said, ‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish but you remain; they will wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.’

To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’?

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Heb. 1: 10-14)

God spoke, yes! He spoke through the prophets and through His Son, but there is also no doubt that He spoke to the Son. Why was it so important that He speak to His Son? What did He say? The writer used seven quotes from the Psalms to authenticate His Son and to set Him apart as superior to the angelic beings.

1. He is superior to angels in His status as a son. He shares the nature and essence of the Father. He is an exact replica of the Father, revealing the Father to the human race in human form. He is also the Father’s heir – the right of a son to receive everything that belongs to the father. As God’s Son, it is His role to ‘continue the house’ through His own life and through those who would believe in Him (verse 5a).

2. He is connected to the Father by the intimate father/son relationship. As a son, Jesus is submitted and obedient to the Father. As His Father, God is the one who has strength and authority and supports and upholds His Son and delegates His authority to the Son (verse 5b).

3. As God’s Son, He is the object of the angels’ obeisance. They bow to Him as superior to them in both essence and function. At His birth they announced His arrival on earth, and called all mankind to worship Him. (Verse 6)

4. Angels have an inferior role and position in God’s unseen realm. They are spirit beings who serve God around the throne and across the universe (verse 7).

5. By contrast, the Son rules on the throne of God’s kingdom with justice and righteousness which are the hallmarks of His reign. God’s nature, among many other attributes, is joy, The Son manifested that joy in His human nature by being the most joyful person who ever lived. He was ‘anointed with the oil of joy,’ the Jewish way of expressing the exuberance of His joyful nature (verse 8, 9)

6. The Son is eternal. Unlike the universe which He created and which is running down like a clock and will soon be spent and discarded, He is ‘olam – to the horizon’ which never ends. The universe is temporal – it will come to an end, but not the Son (verse 10-12).

7. Jesus is at the Father’s right hand – symbolic of the seat of power and authority. To no angel did the Father ever give the mandate to rule, as He did to the Son. Angels have no greater role than to serve (verses 13, 14).

As the Son of Man, Jesus came to serve, but He came to serve as the Son. In His service He enhanced and furthered the work of the Father. As a twelve-year-old He declared that He was to be about the Father and, at the end of His earthly life, He affirmed that He had completed what He had come to do (John. 17: 4).

In spite of the evidence of Scripture, there are those who deny and reject the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. It is this fact upon which the whole of Christianity rests. If Jesus is not the Son of God, everything He said and did falls flat. The entire superstructure of our faith stands or falls on this. Is He indeed, the Son of God?

There can be no greater authority than God the Father Himself. It is He who spoke the words of affirmation and authority, both in the testimony of Scripture and from His own mouth at the moment of Jesus’ baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration. What did He say?

As soon as Jesus was baptised, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’ (Matt. 3:16, 17)

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. . . While he (Peter) was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’ (Matt. 17: 1, 2, 5)

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.