Tag Archives: rulers

OBEY – RIGHT OR WRONG

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OBEY – RIGHT OR WRONG

“But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to inflict punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants who give their full time to governing.

“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, then pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.” Romans 13:4b-7.

Apart from it benefitting the whole of society when we obey the governing authorities, there is another even more important reason for believers to submit to the government, good or bad – because of who we are.

We have Jesus as our example. God wants us to respond to people and situations as His sons and daughters, not because of what people do to us. Just as we used to be reactive, now we are to be responsive. That means, as Jesus responded in every situation and to every kind of person as the Son of God, representing and being a mirror image of the Father, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, and submissive and obedient to His Father, so must we.

“In this world we are just like Jesus.” 1 John 4:17b.

According to Paul, our response is a matter of conscience. When we act like Jesus rather than rebelling and resisting because we don’t like or agree with the law or the treatment we are receiving, no matter how we are misused or treated unjustly, we will have a good conscience before God. Better to be unfairly condemned by others than to have our conscience condemn us because we have acted against God.

There is a second consideration – the matter of our tormentors. Will they misuse us and get away with it? What if God allows people to treat us badly because it is part of His discipline to refine our faith in Him? Peter speaks at length about the trials he and his readers were suffering at the hands of their persecutors, both Jewish and Roman. Why did God allow it to happen to them? 

Habakkuk struggled with the same problem. He could not understand why his people were wicked and yet, God sat on His hands. God’s response was shocking, to say the least.

“Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am doing something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves.” Habakkuk 1:5-7.

Habakkuk was appalled. “How can you do that to your people?” he protested. Again, God’s response was sobering but, in the end, satisfying. “Every person will carry responsibility for his own behaviour.”

“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright – but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.” Habakkuk 2:4.

What is God saying? You may be mistreated by godless people, but submit anyway; hang in there and continue to trust God. They will not get away with it. God is giving them an opportunity to do the right thing. If they do not, they will face His judgment for what they have done to you.

“God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8.

We can safely obey God, not matter what, and trust the outcome to Him.

Acknowledgement

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

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – TRUE GREATNESS IS SERVING

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TRUE GREATNESS IS SERVING

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45

How tenderly and patiently the Master dealt with His foolish disciples! It must have been disheartening for Him to go over the same ground again and again but He never gave up on them. He couldn’t because He had invested so much in these twelve men and, they would soon be left to take over His mission. Each one of them was hand-picked, even Judas, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and He had to trust the Father for the final outcome.

Jesus used this opportunity to teach them one of the most fundamental and crucial lessons of the kingdom – servant-hood flowing from humility. His own life was the visual aid for them. Day by day, encounter by encounter, incident by incident, they watched the way of the kingdom unfold in the life of their Master. He was the embodiment of humble servant-hood.

The disciples needed to correct their understanding of true greatness. They were constantly vying for position. They all wanted to be at the top of the pecking order in Jesus’ government. For that they were quite happy to climb on each other’s heads. This was evidence that the “yetzer harah”, the attitude of self first, was still their inner motivation. Something radical and life-transforming had yet to take place inside of them. Ezekiel called it “taking out the stony heart and replacing it with a heart of flesh”. How would that happen? The Apostle Paul referred to it as “being made alive”.

This would be part of the great work of the Holy Spirit who would, firstly, raise Christ from the dead three days after His crucifixion. Then, one by one, He would raise people from their spiritual death in their trespasses and sins, to new life through faith in Him. Jesus trusted that the seed of the Word He was sowing in them now would spring to life as the Holy Spirit quickened that word in their hearts through their human experiences.

The way of suffering was the pathway of learning. It was for Jesus and it would be for each one of them. Sonship involved discipline; training in submission, and their response of obedience would teach them humility.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – THE BATTLE IS ON!

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THE BATTLE IS ON!

“Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers and the others and said, ‘You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing in your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent Him back here with a clean bill of health. It’s clear He’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving of death. I’m going to warn Him to watch His step and let Him go.’

“At that the crowd went wild: ‘Kill Him! Give us Barabbas!’ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder).” Luke 23:13-19.

Pilate’s true colours begin to show in this exchange with the Jewish religious hierarchy. Their resolve to kill Jesus was pitted against his resolve to set Him free. Into the mix came Pilate’s fear of a riot in Jerusalem and underneath that, his fear for his own skin.

His first step towards defeat was his attempt to negotiate with Jesus’ accusers. He was the highest Roman authority in Jerusalem and he had the last word. Why did he try to enter into an agreement with them? He could have simply given them his verdict, released Jesus and that would have been that. But he did not. He tried to appease them by bringing Herod into the picture, (so much for Herod’s part in this ‘justice’ system!), and trying to convince them that he and Herod were in agreement regarding His innocence.

His approach through reason met with a barrage of violent opposition. The bottom line was: ‘We want Jesus dead. Justice does not come into it any more. Even if we have to trade His life for a dangerous man’s, we will bulldoze you into agreeing to the death sentence.’

And so, spurred on by their religious leaders, the mob began their campaign of intimidation. Their first weapon was unrestrained behaviour coupled with volume and vehemence. They also had a big gun – the practice of releasing one prisoner at Passover. The other gospels state that the initiative came from Pilate. He offered Barabbas, knowing that he was a violent criminal, and hoping that the mob would choose Jesus because He gave no evidence of being dangerous in spite of their accusations.

That plan did not work. In fact it only seemed to add fuel to the flames. Instead of appeasing them, he added to his problem by offering to release into society a man who had already taken lives. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to put the brakes on. Even his offer to have Jesus beaten was a pathetic substitute for what they were demanding.

Behind this tussle between civil and religious authorities lay the real battle, but we must never think that it was war between two evenly matched powers, God and Satan. Amazingly, the scales were tipped against Jesus from the beginning and He knew it. He was also a willing party to it because God’s passion to rescue mankind from the devil’s clutches had to be satisfied through Jesus’ sacrificial death, blood for blood, an innocent man for the guilt of mankind because that was the only way for the debt of man’s sin to be paid.

“‘This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead…'” Acts 2:23-24a (NIV).

Peter was there and he saw it all. Could there be any clearer statement than his? “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV). After all, there was no contest. It was Pilate’s decision and he was responsible for it, as were those who yelled for Jesus’ death. But God had the last word and, through Jesus’ death, exposed and vanquished the devil once for all! 231

The Way Up Is Down

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THE WAY UP IS DOWN

Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10: 42-45).

Here’s another teaching of Jesus that did not sit well with His disciples. They belonged to the way of thinking that said, ’The way up is to stand on other people’s heads.’ Even as relatively uneducated men, they knew that this is what worked in the world.

But as usual, Jesus viewed life from another perspective. He took the inner life into consideration because it was the inner life that effected the outer life. It’s all very well climbing the corporate ladder by standing on other people’s heads, but what does that do to a person’s inside? Does it produce peace in the heart and harmony with one’s fellow human beings? I don’t think so. When one person gets ahead at the expense of others, it leaves a trail of disgruntled and discontented people.

The world views great people as those who are at the top looking down on others. Position, wealth, fame, prestige, popularity, visibility – these are all the qualifications needed to get to the top and to occupy the highest positions in society. ‘Not so you,’ said Jesus. ‘Things work differently in the kingdom of God.’

What prompted this discussion in the first place? James and John. They so badly wanted the places of honour next to Jesus when He took up His reign that they came and requested it outright, much to the annoyance of the other disciples. Why were they angry? Did they think that the brothers were being ‘unspiritual’ by asking for these positions? I don’t think so. I think they were fed up with them because they got in first. This kind of thing did not make for unity, did it?

People of the world and those who are citizens of God’s kingdom ought to have completely opposite views of greatness. For the worldly person, greatness is about what people think of me. I am great if other people look up to me as someone who has made it for whatever reason, or someone who has power to control other people. Wealth and position buy that control, and it makes me feel great when I can order others around especially when I know that they are afraid of me and will do what I tell them even though they might hate me because of fear.

Have you noticed, in your reading of the gospels, how people responded to Jesus? Did He lord it over them? What was the one thing the religious leaders kept on questioning Him about? What was it that the common people could not understand? His authority. Although He insisted that His authority came from God, they refused to believe Him. ‘He must be acting for the devil,’ the Pharisees decided, although that made no sense.

Strange, isn’t it, what people will believe when they refuse to give God the credit for what puzzles them. Take the origin of the universe, for example. Satan has successfully persuaded the majority of people in the western world to believe that it all just “happened” by chance. How much intelligence does it take to realise what nonsense this kind of thinking is? And yet people believe and accept it because “scientists” say so and they should know. Why? They do not want to believe that God created the heavens and the earth. If they do, they are accountable to Him. Bottom line. So they argue Him away – but He will not go way.

True greatness comes, not from climbing up but from bending down. The truly great person is the one who bends down low enough to lift others up. Worldly greatness stands on the head of others. True greatness in the kingdom of God sits down side by side with others. What happens on the inside of a person who bends down low enough to lift another up? Peace and joy. Satisfaction that I have done something good for someone else. And the outcome? Harmony. Togetherness. Bonding.

That’s what God’s kingdom is all about. Doing whatever it takes to restore harmony. Even if it means dying. It cost Jesus His life but was it worth it? A million times, yes. It’s the only way to live, really live!

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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