Tag Archives: Rejection

GOOD STILL SPEAKS…REVELATION – 11

Christian Life, ,

Revelation…one of the Holy Spirit’s greatest ministries is to reveal Jesus…that we may gaze…contemplate His glory and be changed into His likeness. 

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And so, in recent days, the Spirit still speaks…not so much to correct my waywardness…

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…but to reveal Jesus to me in ways I could never have discovered without His light.  

I will post again one of those rare and beautiful moments when the Holy Spirit led me deep into the heart of Jesus…not only that I might catch glimpses of His glory but also that His glory might spill over into my life…that I, and those who would learn from Him, might understand His ways and follow Him. 

Something caught my attention as I was pondering on a Scripture verse in Romans 8. I was searching the Scriptures to find out the real meaning of Jesus’ suffering. I had thought, in my ignorance, that what Jesus suffered was the terrible things that happened to Him when He was crucified, but then…the Holy Spirit began to show me from the Bible, that His suffering was much more than that. 

“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

Paul’s words puzzled me. What if I never suffer like some people suffer for their faith in Jesus? Does this mean that all the people, like me, who never suffer in this way, will not share in His inheritance or reign with Jesus?

So, I wondered, if I must suffer like Jesus suffered, what did He suffer? 

Then the Holy Spirit began to speak. The first thing He showed me was that Paul didn’t say that we must suffer FOR Jesus. He said that we must suffer WITH Jesus…alongside Him and in the same way.  Our identity and union with Jesus means that we have a part in what He suffered and in the way He suffered. 

This thought led me to the next discovery. How and what did Jesus suffer?

Isaiah prophesied…

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Rejection! He was rejected. He was dismissed and treated as though He were worthless…like rubbish to be thrown into the trash. This is the worst that one person can do to another. They cancelled Him! This must have been the nature of His suffering…so I thought. 

So, was it rejection that caused Jesus’ suffering? No, rejection was not the cause, as the Spirit began to show me, but the trigger…

…could it be that His suffering went deeper than than rejection?

Injustice! Was it injustice to reject Him? Why did they reject Him? Why did they crucify Him?

 Did Jesus suffer injustice? Yes, He did! Injustice of the worst kind because the religious leaders punished Him by crucifying Him for being who He said He was…the Son of God… 

…did He suffer because of injustice …or was it something else?

Jesus could also have responded to injustice in the same way as we do because He was human. He had the same human nature as we have…He could freely have chosen to respond in the right way or the wrong way. 

Hebrews tells us that…

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered…Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬, ‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now we are slowly getting nearer to the real meaning of Jesus’ suffering…not only what He suffered but also when and how He suffered.  When did Jesus suffer? He suffered when He was tempted! His suffering was not about what people did to Him. His suffering was about the way He reacted to what they did to Him. Jesus’ reaction was about revealing what was in Him when He suffered…in His humanity, especially in the way He reacted to injustice. 

Why injustice?

Why injustice? Injustice is the one thing that arouses our urge to retaliate. Everything inside us revolts against unjust treatment. “That’s not fair!” and hit back.  We retaliate because the other person treats us as worthless, has no regard for who we are… that we are people of worth, created in God’s image. 

This truth reaches deep into our souls, and affects us right from the moment someone says or does something unfair…even and especially in our early childhood. A child instinctively revolts!  A careless, unthinking comment can damage a child for life even if no harm is intended. 

Something like “You can do better…” when a child produces something imperfect, can cause a child to believe that the person was meaning, “You are not good enough,” or even, “You are not wanted.” From that moment on, a child might react to any words or actions that trigger the same belief even if the words are not true. Nasty words, rebellious actions, unruly behaviour…tell the story of retaliation against words or whatever has made them feel rejected by unfair treatment.  

People retaliate against injustice by punishing everyone around them, and especially those nearest to them…by bad attitudes and bad behaviour…or punishing themselves by actions and behaviour that cause harm to themselves. 

Think about it! A careless comment to a young child spoken even without intention to wound, can be a deep hurt that lodges in the soul and colours everything that is said to or about him/her. From that moment on, the child behaves, and usually overreacts, in a way that retaliates to the perceived hurt. Everything is viewed through the original wound. 

“You can do better,” is interpreted as, “You are not good enough…” or “You are imperfect,” or ”I reject you because you don’t measure up to my standard.” Whatever the statement, it is filtered through, “You can do better.”

So, we come to the issue of Jesus’ attitude to retaliation. His life was peppered with rejection. How did He react? Did He defend Himself? Did He hit back? Did He take revenge? No! He refused to retaliate to injustice. He practised self-control…self restraint. He said “No!” to the temptation to vindicate Himself by punishing Himself or others…and therein lies the temptation and the suffering. He always spoke the truth, not out of emotion or out of what others thought or said about Him, but out of who He knew He was…the Son of God. 

Consider these words that preceded Jesus’ greatest act of humility as the Son of God. He did the opposite of what any of us would do. 

“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Only someone who knew who he was could do that!

Imagine how difficult it must have been for Him to stay silent during His trial, when His judges accused Him of blasphemy and many other trumped-up charges. He had every reason to defend Himself, but He did not. Before the Sanhedrin…before Pilate…

“Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus was silent and made no reply….”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭60‬-‭62‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

He only responded to the one question He was obliged to answer…and He did so with the truth that sealed His fate. 

“Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Mark 14:62-62 NLT

Jesus answered this question…not in defence but in testimony. I AM! That was the last straw for His accusers. 

“Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!” Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭63‬-‭65‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peter summed up Jesus’ attitude throughout His trial. Jesus was not looking for a way to wriggle out of His predicament. He willingly submitted to the Father’s purpose because He was a son who always submitted to and obeyed the Father… and because He knew the outcome. How He reacted to injustice during His last hours was a testimony to His victory over sin in all its forms, throughout His life. 

Peter holds up Jesus’ example as a pattern for believers to follow…the only and effective way to respond to injustice…

“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.”

This is the way we suffer with Jesus, by adopting His attitude and doing what He did. 

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 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 sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭24‬

The key to the victory over the onslaught to our identity depends on which way we are looking. Inwardly…we are insulted…we retaliate. Upward…we are untouched. We entrust to the Father the right and power to take revenge because He is just

and He will act for us. 

Paul affirms Peter’s counsel with a 

command…

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭19‬, ‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Only by grace and through the power of His Spirit can we follow Jesus’ example. Retaliating to injustice has set the world on fire…everywhere! Refusing to retaliate stops the downward process in its tracks and puts the fire out. 

So, why do some people speak and behave in cruel and unjust ways towards others? They are inadvertently giving evidence to their own deep hurt that festers inside themselves, and shows on the outside that their lives are poisoned by their own unresolved rejection. 

What is the solution? Cut off the root by honest confession to God and the choice to trust Him for vindication… and the flow of poison will cease. 

Do not retaliate! Retaliation in all its forms…anger, bitterness inside or revenge outside, will effectively disqualify you from inheriting the nature of Jesus when you see Him face to face. Confirm His nature being formed in you in this life by entrusting yourself to Him who judges justly. Then you will receive your inheritance in the life to come…the glory of Jesus!

There it is! Shining the light on Jesus, the Holy Spirit revealed to me one of the deepest insights into the character of Jesus I have ever understood… and one of the hardest lessons for me to learn…that I might also share in His suffering…and the glory…and the inheritance to follow. 

To be continued

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 22

Bible Study, ,

Before we continue to the conclusion of this letter, we must ask, in what way is Jesus the model we are to follow? Since it was the issue of suffering that tempted the readers to return to Judaism, we must examine the nature of the suffering that tempted them to give up and go back.

We will find, in the life of Jesus, what His greatest test was in the course of His life on earth. The readers of this letter faced the same test above all other temptations, not to sin as in giving in to fleshly lusts but to sin by turning their backs on Jesus, their only hope of salvation.

Jesus suffered in two ways, according to Scripture. First, He was rejected by His own people.

Isaiah 53:3 NIV
[3] “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

John 1:10-11 NIV
[10] “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. [11] He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

The Hebrew word for rejection, “chadal”, comes from the root meaning “vacant”. To call and treat someone as vacant is the worst form of insult. This attitude calls in question the very essence of who that person is, a human created in God’s image. In this case, mere humans were treating Jesus, the Son of God, as vacant, empty, and utterly worthless. Everything humans did to Jesus was the fruit of that rejection.

Jesus came to earth to redeem sinful humanity from slavery to the very choices and behaviour that caused their enslavement. To do this, He had to allow Himself to be sacrificed for us. He had to subject Himself to being treated as “vacant”, to give Himself for the very people who dismissed Him and His mission with contempt.

So, the second part of His suffering was temptation. In what way was Jesus tempted?

Since the issue, for the readers of this letter, was giving up, was the greatest temptation Jesus ever suffered, in the face of rejection, the temptation to give up, to abort His mission and return to the Father empty-handed?

At the start and at the finish of His public ministry, Jesus was under severe pressure to give up on His Father’s will for Him…which was to go to the cross. In the wilderness, the devil tried to get Him to break the unity between Father and Son by acting on His own. Jesus resolutely stood His ground by putting Himself under the authority of the Father and His Word.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, faced with the horror of His impending death, again Jesus was under pressure to give up. His own people’s rejection would inflict on Him the worst that humans could do to another human, let alone to their own God. The struggle was so intense that perspiration poured from Him like blood from a mortal wound.

Luke 22:44 NIV
[44] “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was LIKE drops of blood falling to the ground.”

How did Jesus react to this pressure? What did He do with the temptation to take the easy way out?

1 Peter 2:23 NIV
[23] “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.”

Hebrews 2:17-18 NIV
[17] “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. [18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Jesus’ experience was suffering of the worst kind. Insulted by His own people, knowing that He would be flayed to within an inch of His life, tortured, and crucified, He had to choose…to give up or to go on?

What was Satan’s motive behind the temptation to give up?

There was one overriding consideration, one thing Jesus would never betray…the love that bound Him and the Father together. To His enemies, He testified…repeatedly,

John 14:30-31 NIV
[30] “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, [31] but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

Satan was desperate to get Jesus to break with the Father. If He could get Jesus to act alone, He would win the greatest victory of all…destroy the unity in the Trinity! His aim? To replace Jesus as king!

Jesus refused to give up. His love for the Father despite His suffering would be the very testimony to the world that He had overcome the devil! Love was the superglue that held Him to the Father’s will. Nothing, not even the worst that man could do to Him, could break that bond.

And so, for us the test is…how strong is the love that binds us to Jesus? The way we handle this test will determine the reality of our love.

1 John 4:10, 19 NIV
[10] “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…
[19] We love because he first loved us.”

Peter failed in the moment of his testing.

This “good news” is about the power of real love, the power of God’s love for the world that gave His Son, in the first place, to die despite what the world did to Him. The power of Jesus’ love for the Father kept Him steadfast to the end…and for us, God’s love for us and our response of love for Jesus is the same superglue that holds us to Him as it held Father and Son together.

John 17:23 NLT
[23] “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

Love and unity…the key to perseverance that guarantees our victory.

The Holy Spirit in us is the guarantee that love for Jesus will keep us glued to Him no matter how badly we are treated because of Him and how much we are tempted to abandon our loyalty to Him to save our skin.

Romans 5:3-5 NLT
[3] “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. [4] And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. [5] And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

This is the pattern, the model we are to follow.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
[1] “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. [2] We do this by KEEPING OUR EYES ON JESUS, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Those who went before us clung to the hope of reaching God’s heavenly city. They refused to give up despite their suffering.
We, too, have that city in view, a celestial city that will be our eternal dwelling place with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, if we don’t give up.

To be continued…