What Kind of Messiah is This? Matthew 17:22-27

When Jesus had asked His disciples Who they thought He was, and Peter had answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus affirmed this answer!

On this truth, Jesus would build His church – the community of those who worship the true God, believing that Jesus the promised Savior will set all things right in this world, and that as Son of God, Jesus is the perfect revelation of God’s character and power.

The world does not need to be saved by anything or anyone apart from Jesus, and God’s priorities are not any different than those of Jesus.  But this grand identity seemed so contrary to the very humble life Jesus lived.  He did not act like a Person Who was bent on establishing an empire or taking over the world!

Perhaps it was because Jesus so completely declined the trappings of power and success that on the Mount of Transfiguration, God Himself, in a dazzling display of supernatural glory, personally affirmed that Jesus was His beloved Son.

After this awesome experience, however, Jesus and the disciples once again descend to a world that seemed far from being under God’s control!  At once, they are confronted by a mob of confused and disappointed people who had expected Jesus’ disciples to heal a demon-possessed boy, an act which they had not been able to achieve.

Of course, a word from the Master puts everything right… But is this really the way to save the world?

Matthew continues his account of this most counterintuitive campaign!

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(Matthew 17:22- can be found online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+17&version=HCSB.  In this post, we are using the Holman Christian Standard version.)

1)  (Vv. 22-23)  When Jesus had first announced that He would be rejected, suffer many things and die, His disciple Peter had objected.

So after a week of amazing events, Jesus decides to repeat this important information – what He had said the first time had not been a mistake!

“²² As they were meeting in Galilee, Jesus told them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³ They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.’ And they were deeply distressed.”

— Jesus reiterates that He is the Son of Man.

— And then He elaborates:  He will be betrayed, and He would be killed.

— But as before, He states that He will be raised up on the third day.

— The disciples were deeply distressed.  It seems that they now understood that Jesus would die… But they certainly don’t seem to understand that He would be raised up!  If they had, wouldn’t they have been amazed and relieved that He would be raised from the dead?

— I think, had they really understood what Jesus had said, they would have pursued this point:  how could a person be“raised up” after being killed?  What would it look like?  What would it feel like?

…But Matthew does not mention any further discussion.

2)  (Vv. 24-27)  Instead, he simply moves on to the next demonstration of Jesus’ miraculous power and divine identity as the Son of God:

“²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the double-drachma tax approached Peter and said, ‘Doesn’t your Teacher pay the double-drachma tax?’

²⁵ ‘Yes,’ he said.

When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, ‘What do you think, Simon? Who do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes from? From their sons or from strangers?’

²⁶ ‘From strangers,’ he said.

‘Then the sons are free,’ Jesus told him. ²⁷ ‘But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to them for Me and you.’”

— As they went into Capernaum, Peter encountered those who collected the temple tax.  Why did they approach Peter?  Had Jesus simply walked by a booth where it was customary to pay it?

— As Peter returned to the house where Jesus was, Jesus mentions the encounter first, an encounter which apparently, He had not humanly witnessed!

— Although throughout Scripture, we certainly see that God’s people are to offer financial support to the place of worship; so perhaps it was the label of “tax” which Jesus found so objectionable!

— We can surmise that Jesus usually did give money to the place of worship, because when these men ask Peter “whether” his Teacher paid the tax,Peter indicated that He did.

— Jesus assures Peter that taxes are for strangers and subjects of a kingdom, not for the children of the King!

— I believe He wants to dispel the notion that a tax is required to worship God or have a relationship with Him…

— But here, Jesus chooses to comply with a human custom and fight that battle another day.  Perhaps, just as Jesus had realized that accepting the title “Messiah” would confuse people, He also knew that contesting the manner in which the temple was supported would likewise serve to confuse rather than enlighten.

— He makes it perfectly clear thought that He – and the disciples too – were Sons, and they were not expected, out of their scarcity, to support their Father, the God of all!

— Jesus tells Peter to cast a fishing line into the sea, and to open the mouth of the first fish he catches.  There he will find a four-drachma coin, enough to pay the tax for Jesus and himself!

— And it happened exactly as Jesus had said!

— Clearly, this demonstrates that the provision for this tax came straight from God the Father’s wealth, not from anything Peter had produced through human effort!

Discussion:  The events of Matthew 17 seem to be a direct response to the revelation in chapter 16 that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.  The terms “Messiah” and “Son of God” simply didn’t seem to jibe with humble and unmaterialistic Teacher the disciples had observed for so long.

It seemed that all of Israel, themselves included, was expecting a different, grander sort of Messiah.  And as for the title of “Son of God”, it was incomprehensible to them that the Son of God would ever suffer at the hands of man or die!  We would expect someone with divine power to use it to avoid pain and suffering!

In chapter 17, we see Jesus affirming both His power and His identity – and also His decision to live a human life and set these rights and powers aside.  The point I take from this is that, just as Jesus set divine advantage aside, God also chooses to allow people the power and freedom to live their own lives and make their own decisions in this world…

Including that decision to follow Jesus and return the job of ruling the world to God’s infinitely able hands!

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Until next post,

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

Jesus, a Messiah Humble and Divine — Matthew 17:1-13

 

Jesus is an infinitely wise Teacher Whohas perfect understanding of His students – and Who also has all of reality at His disposal to illustrate His lessons!

His disciple Peter had hit upon the truth that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God, a truth with stunning implications!  If Jesus is the Messiah, there is no need to wait for another sort of Messiah to come: Who Jesus is defines“Messiah”, and what Jesus does defines the work of the Messiah. …And if Jesus is the Son of God, then He represents God and speaks for God – and God is not other than as Jesus has revealed Him.

Peter had articulated this great truth about Who Jesus is, His identity as the Son of God and Savior of the world– but did the disciples really understand all the implications of this?

It seems to me that they didn’t – because in practically the next breath, Peter is disputing Jesus’ claim that He would suffer and die, and return to life on the third day.  “Oh no Lord, this will never happen to You!”  Peter objects when Jesus describes the way this Messiah would conduct Himself in the world!

We think of suffering as something to be endured only by those who are too weak and helpless to prevent it.  But Jesus, the Messiah and the Son of God chose to suffer willingly.  This next demonstration will drive this point home: despite the humble way Jesus lived, Jesus the Son of God did indeed have all the power and all the glory they had ever imagined!

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(Matthew 17:1-13 can be found online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2017&version=HCSB.)

1)  (Vv. 1-3)  As Matthew gives his account, he recalls that it was six days after Jesus’ announcement that He was the Messiah that this amazing display of power and glory took place:

“¹After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. ² He was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light. ³ Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”

— Matthew states that this event was witnessed by Peter, James and John, so evidently, he is recording their account of what they saw.

— According to Jewish law, two witnesses were required to legally establish a fact.  Here, we have three disciples, so we know that any statement made by one could certainly be either corroborated or refuted by the other two who had been present.

— They state that Jesus was transformed in front of them.  His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light.

— As Jesus gleamed in dazzling brilliance, Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared and started talking with Him!

— In the study of Mark, we pondered how the disciples were able to identify these figures from the distant past, figures of which there were no photographs or portraits…

— It seems to me that perhaps, they were identified by what they said to Jesus.  Moses was the giver of the Law and Elijah was the great prophet.  If Jesus were discussing the Law and the prophets – two great realms of Old Testament teaching — Moses and Elijah would be the experts.

— We may not know how God revealed this knowledge to the disciples – but in the gospel accounts, no one disputes that indeed, Jesus supernaturally had a discussion with these two great spiritual leaders from Israel’s past!

— I am sure that whatever was said affirmed the teachings of Old Testament Scripture and affirmed Jesus’ identity as the long prophesied Messiah and the Son of the almighty God of Israel.

2)  (Vv. 4-6)  The disciples were overcome with awe!  Peter doesn’t know what to do or say (as it tells us in Mark 9:6)!  But then, something even more remarkable happens!

“⁴ Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it’s good for us to be here! If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’

⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: ‘This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him!’

⁶ When the disciples heard it, they fell facedown and were terrified.”

— Why would Peter suggest building tabernacles?  Perhaps, just as the Tabernacle in the past was the house of God’s presence, where His people were to go to especially remember and celebrate Him, Peter wanted to commemorate how Moses and Elijah had been present on that very spot!

—  As we reflect on how our God is present at all times and places, I think we can acknowledge that the truth of the Old Testament Scripture is also eternal and ever present.  We can recall the truths revealed by Moses, Elijah and every other Scripture narrator at any time and place!

— As Jesus was talking with Moses and Elijah, they were discussing eternal truth, revealed to Israel, truth of a sovereign and almighty God Who had guided Israel from its earliest days.

— But in addition to reviewing the Old Testament truths –apparently confirming, but not adding new information to Scriptural teaching – we have the voice of God Himself, announcing that Jesus is His Son!

— A bright cloud covered and surrounded them and the disciples were utterly terrified!  No one dared doubt that this was supernatural power!

— A Voice spoke from the cloud, announcing that Jesus is the Son of God, that God is delighted with Him, that the disciples should listen to Him!

— Perhaps this command by God to listen to Jesus was the point of this amazing encounter.  The truth is that, in many ways, Jesus was much different from the expectations people had for the Messiah.  This Voice, associated with the God of Israel, was to help them understand and believe.

— And, hearing from God’s very mouth that Jesus was His Son, there could be no room for doubting anything Jesus had said!

3)  (Vv. 7-9)  Undoubtedly, this sort of supernatural display was what the unbelieving Pharisees kept urging Jesus to produce — but Jesus specifically told His disciples not to tell others about what they had seen:

“⁷ Then Jesus came up, touched them, and said, ‘Get up; don’t be afraid.’ ⁸ When they looked up they saw no one except Him—Jesus alone. ⁹ As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’”

— The disciples had been awed as they saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus – but having heard the voice of God, they were utterly terrified!

— But Jesus comes to them and touches them and urges them not to be afraid – now, it is “only” He, their Friend.  While God almighty is utterly overwhelming, Jesus the Son of God is human, approachable, our Friend!

— Jesus had lived a very humble life and taught in a very humble way, and He had just announced to His disciples that He would die a painful and humiliating death… But He wanted His disciples to understand beyond a doubt that He was not weak; He was meek. 

— Jesus chose to present Himself as the lowly “Jesus of Nazareth” rather than as the brilliant, overwhelming Figure on the Mount – but indeed, this vision revealed His true identity, a divine identity which no circumstance or humiliation on this earth had any power to alter!

4)  (Vv. 10-13)  As they all head down the mountain, the disciples ask a seemingly random question… But what is random is not recalled, and this question and Jesus’ answer was remembered and recorded, therefore it was relevant to the disciples and relevant to us:

“¹⁰ So the disciples questioned Him, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’

¹¹ ‘Elijah is coming and will restore everything,’ He replied. ¹² ‘But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’  ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.”

— Obviously, the disciples had just seen Elijah and Moses, but what is on their minds was the teaching of the Pharisees:  apparently, the Messianic doctrine they taught was that the prophet Elijah would come before the Messiah, Who would set all things right in the world.

— We realize that “Messiah” envisioned by the Pharisees was far from the reality of Who Jesus was and how He exerts His authority in this world.  He would not come in force and oust the Romans, for example!  In the same way, they were mistaken about the “coming of Elijah”.

— Jesus’ disciples were still trying to wrestle with the great truth that Peter had stated:  Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the Son of God; therefore we should not be looking for a different sort of Messiah or a different sort of manifestation of God’s power on earth.

— So the question the disciples pose to Jesus is a basic one:  what is the role of Elijah in the rule of Christ on earth?

— In v. 11, probably for the sake of discussion, Jesus is restating the teaching the disciples had heard from the Pharisees:  “Elijah is coming and will restore everything.”

— …Because in v. 12, He presents some contrasting information:  “‘But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him.  On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him.’”

— I understand “Elijah” to be the prophet of God’s truth.  God has spoken truth – Who He is, His sovereignty, His holiness, His righteousness —  to Israel many times.  Elijah the prophet spoke truth, as did Moses, David, many other prophets… and most recently, John the Baptist.

— But as Jesus says, the message of the prophets, the truth about God — His sovereignty, His holiness, His love – has fallen on deaf ears.  People have not responded in belief…  Indeed, believing the message of the prophets certainly would have restored all things on earth!

— And these “unbelievers of truth” have done “as they pleased” with God’s prophets; meaning they have ignored, mocked, persecuted and killed them!

— There is no doubt that Israel had heard the truth proclaimed throughout history and with great power.  And the disciples certainly knew that John the Baptist had proclaimed truth in their day.

— “Elijah” had come, and now Jesus, the Messiah, states that the rest of the teaching will be fulfilled.  He, the Messiah, is now present… But unlike the “messiah” imagined by the Pharisees, He will not come in physical force.  Like so many other representatives of God’s truth, He would be persecuted, rejected and put to death.

Discussion: If merely hearing truth had been enough to save the world, certainly after all the ministry of the prophets, the world would have been saved!  But as we observe, the world which Jesus entered was very much lost… and He, the Son of God, would be disbelieved and mistreated just as the prophets had been. 

Somehow the world could be reached in only one way:  Jesus the Son of God living among us, willingly submitting to the worst treatment this world could dish out, dying, forgiving us, returning to new and victorious life on the third day!

There is nothing we need to know about God that Jesus did not fully reveal to us.  Due to His great love, great understanding and great sacrifice, finally we are able to believe!

May we all live as Jesus did, as grateful and faith-filled citizens in the kingdom of a righteous and almighty God, as children of our good and loving Heavenly Father!  May we put all the sins and failures of our God-denying past behind and walk in new and victorious life!  God rules!

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Until next post,

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

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The Concerns of God — Matthew 16:21-28

In Matthew 16:16, Peter makes the fundamental confession of faith in Christ, the truth on which Christianity is built: “¹⁶ Simon Peter answered (Jesus), ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’”

By claiming that Jesus is the Messiah, Peter identifies Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, the One Who will rule the world in truth and righteousness and bring God’s glorious vision for humanity to its perfect and final state.

By claiming that Jesus is the Son of God, Peter states that Jesus fully reveals the character of God in tangible, human form.  As the Son of God, Jesus represents God, speaks for God, and gives humanity the opportunity to interact with God.

If Jesus is the Messiah, we can stop wishing for a Messiah or looking for someone else to save the world.  If Jesus is the Son of God, the physical manifestation of God and how He works in this world, we can stop wishing for a different sort of “god”, who would act in a different sort of way!

But as we have pointed out at other times, the work of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, had to include His death on the cross – and His resurrection… because the world which had only heard teaching and seen miracles was the very much lost world that crucified Him.  Even the disciples, who had heard all the teaching and seen all the miracles, had no response apart from helpless terror and utter defeat.

The cross is critically important, and from this point on in Jesus’ ministry, He focuses on preparing His disciples for this event they simply can’t comprehend!

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(Matthew 16: 21-28 can be read online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16&version=HCSB. We are using the Holman Standard Christian version in this post.)

1)  (V. 21)  Jesus is the Messiah and He rules the world.  He is the Son of God, the sovereign Ruler of all reality… But what He tells His disciples next is completely incompatible with everything they understand about either the Messiah or God Himself!

“²¹ From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.”

— Whenever we consider Jesus’ life, and especially, His final days of ministry in Jerusalem and the Crucifixion which followed, we must remember that this is the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

— While throughout the ages, many people have suffered unfair treatment and wrongful death, we must remember that Jesus was no victim!  He chose to allow the people of this world to do exactly as they pleased and express exactly what was in their hearts.

— Matthew recounts that Jesus was specific about who would persecute Him:  the elders, the chief priests and the scribes – the very people one would expect to be enlightened and aware of God!

— When we consider Jesus’ ministry up to this point, however, this is not a surprise – we never see a favorable response to  Jesus’ teaching or reasoning from the religious community.

…And this despite the fact that He affirmed and never discounted the teaching of Old Testament Scripture.   Jesus did not teach anything apart from the sovereign God and His holy and righteous character, and the need to live lives consistent with this truth.

— Continued opposition by religionists who were blind to Jesus’ miracles, impervious to reason, and completely prejudiced against Jesus and anything He might do or say, should not have been a surprise to the disciples – but the news that He would be killed shook them up.

— And the statement that He would be raised the third day seems to have completely eluded them!

2)  (Vv. 22-23)  Jesus accepted that the death and resurrection of the Son of God is what it would take to save the world.  As a completely human man, however, He certainly knew how awful this suffering would be.

And His disciple Peter absolutely couldn’t understand why this should happen!

“²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, ‘Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!’”

²³ But He turned and told Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s.’”

— In our fairy worlds, where evil fails and right prevails after a skirmish or two, the hero always wins, avoiding death and living happily forever after!

So, in Peter’s mind, death is ultimate and he cannot fathom a story of triumph which involved Jesus the Messiah dying!

— Jesus seems to affirm that, according to man’s concerns, Peter was right!  As the Son of God and the Savior and Ruler of the world, Jesus certainly had the power and the right to command respect, to enjoy prosperity and pleasures of this world – and to allow His disciples to share in these with Him!

— But the very suggestion that these things would be the objective of His life or the focus of His ministry offended Him – and did not represent the purposes of a holy and righteous God.

— Jesus always lived to serve the concerns of God, His Heavenly Father.  And the concern of God is that people know the truth about His sovereignty over all creation and His great love for them, human children made in His image created to have friendship and fellowship with Him!

— It was to serve God’s purposes that Jesus lived and died as He did, so what are some purposes Jesus’ life achieves?

* As the Son of God, Jesus demonstrated the perfect and holy character of God.

* He demonstrated the sovereignty of God over all circumstances and natural phenomena.

* He separated the holy God from the unholy institutions of our society and revealed wickedness, oppression and falsehood for what they are.  Jesus is the definition of holiness, and to do other than what Jesus did is to be other than holy!

* He demonstrated life after death – and life beyond the goals of a materialistic world.  To crucify the idea that this world is all there is, Jesus Himself was crucified – and then was resurrected to a new and more glorious life.

* He demonstrated a life of submission, obedience, faith and peace with God.

* But most of all, by His willingness to come and be our Friend, and to personally suffer death so we could understand truth that gives life shows how deep the love of Jesus the Son and God the Father is for us!

3)  (Vv. 24-26)  Jesus did not come to the world to pursue the concerns of man, but the concerns of God, His heavenly Father, and the Creator of all.  To follow Jesus is to choose the concerns of God over the concerns of man:

“²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. ²⁶ What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?”

— If we are “with” Jesus, it means that we have the same priorities and goals He has.

— And these goals do not involve personal comfort, personal achievement, or personal prestige in this world!  As much as we may appreciate these things if God chooses to grant them, pursuing them cannot be the point of our lives, nor should we assess our lives in these terms!

— Our “cross” is the challenge to demonstrate God’s holy character in whatever circumstances He places us.

— When we live to please God by demonstrating faith and obedience to Him, our former priorities become peripheral, and we will indeed stop focusing on those temporary things which once seemed so important.

— We will lose our old way of thinking and acting, but gain the wonderful peace and joy of being the good and righteous people God created us to be, trusting in His power to make our lives better than we could ever imagine.

— Indeed, what good is anything in this world if we have no joy or peace?

4)  (Vv. 27-28)  There is a reality beyond the world we have been born into, that realm we have perceived through our senses from the moment of birth… And Jesus assures His disciples of that reality:

“²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done. ²⁸ I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.’”

— Jesus promises that He will “come”, that there will be a time when we perceive Him and the glory of His Father in a more complete way than we do right now.

— Jesus promises to reward us.  Each of us makes many private and often unrecognized decisions each day, but God Who knows all will certainly acknowledge our every act of obedience and love.

— Jesus promises that we will see His kingdom, His righteous and holy work to transform this world – and that some of us will see this work before “tasting death”.

— And all who believe are promised eternal life, life where all is finally as a holy, righteous, loving God created it to be!

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How fitting that this passage of God’s promise and Jesus’ sacrificial love  leads us into Easter!

May we be encouraged as we remember Jesus’ willingness to suffer death, God’s glorious power which raised Him from the dead, and the love and concern for our souls that led our God to die for us!

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

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“I’ll See it when I Believe it!” Matthew 14:22-36

What does it take to convince people that Jesus, the Son of God, speaks truth and is the sovereign Ruler of all reality?  What does it take to convince us that we don’t need to be afraid?

In Matthew 14, we see a series of crises – circumstances to whichthe natural human response would be to yield to worry and despair.

— John the Baptist was a respected prophet, a believer that Jesus was the Son of God, a minister of truth, and a physical relative of Jesus.  The fact that he would be put to death by heathen Romans – that God would permit it and Jesus didn’t stop it – surely must have filled the disciples with anxieties and doubts.

— When, after seeking solitude to process this horrible event, the disciples go with Jesus to a remote spot, only to be greeted by the same mob of unseeing, unhearing and unresponsive people they had just left, I’m sure more ministry was the last thing on their minds.  I imagine they were overwhelmed by the events of the day, impatient with this unexpected demand on Jesus’ time – and maybe even disappointed in themselves for their impatience!

When Jesus suggested, “You give them something to eat,” I’m sure they felt frustrated and inadequate to address an overwhelming need.

— And, as we see next, this terrible day ends with a terrible night, where the disciples, able seamen, find themselves in a storm that is too much for them to handle.

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(Matthew 14:22-36 can be read online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14&version=HCSB.  We are using the Holman Christian Standard version.)

1)  (Vv. 22-23) The account continues with Jesus making the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side of the lake:

“²² Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. ²³ After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.”

— If Jesus made the disciples get into the boat, it sounds like this was His idea and explicit instruction.

— But apparently, the disciples didn’t protest this… at least not at first.

— Jesus dismissed the crowds – as surely He could have before He and His disciples even journeyed to this remote spot.

—  Jesus is not subject to the pressures of either individuals or crowds.  In every situation, He obediently submits to whatever God presents to Him.

— Finally, Jesus went up to the mountain to pray.  As evening came, He was up there alone.

2)  (Vv. 24-26)  But the disciples were not thinking of God as they battled a terrible storm:

“²⁴ But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. ²⁵ Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. ²⁶ When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost!’ they said, and cried out in fear.”

— The wind was against the disciples and they could not make any progress toward their goal.

— They had started out before evening, but at 3 in the morning, they were still battling the storm.

— …And to add to exhaustion and frustration, when they looked up, they saw a figure approaching them on the water!  They were terrified!

— They knew perfectly well there was no natural explanation for this!

— They had been challenged by the weather, but when they saw the figure, they were undone!  They cried out in fear!

3)  (V. 27) And when these disciples, in helpless humility, cry out, desperate and without a hope, Jesus answers:

“²⁷ Immediately Jesus spoke to them. ‘Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’”

— Knowing that this supernatural figure was their friend Jesus made all the difference!

— And Jesus’ presence is what encourages us and gives us hope.

4)  (Vv. 28-29)  What happens next is hard to explain!  Peter, wanting more “proof” that this was Jesus, makes an illogical request!

“²⁸ ‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter answered Him, ‘command me to come to You on the water.’

²⁹ ‘Come!’ He said. And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus”

— Of course, we know that the true Jesus Who had complete power over all nature, could enable His disciple Peter to come to Him on the water…

— But ifthis were not Jesus – the very fact Peter seems to be questioning – what reason would anyone have to believe this would end well!?

— Jesus patiently invites Peter to come…

— I give Peter a lot of credit for following through and getting out of the boat!  Miraculously, Peter walked across that water!

5)  (Vv. 30-33)  But Peter’s faith didn’t last long:

“ ³⁰ But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ ³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

³³ Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, ‘Truly You are the Son of God!’”

— Peter stopped focusing on Jesus and started focusing on the strength of the wind…

— Like any of us, when we start thinking about the problems that confront us and our own weakness, we forget how able God is and our faith falters.

— As fear replaced faith, Peter found himself sinking into the swirling sea.

— And perhaps, at that moment of desperation, he knew that Jesus was His only hope.

— When Peter cried out to Jesus, Jesus reached out and rescued him.  As they walked back to the boat, Jesus chides Peter for doubting, abandoning his brave plan.

— When Jesus got into the boat, the wind immediately ceased.

— The disciples realized in a fuller way than ever before that Jesus was the Son of God, and they worshiped Him!

6)  (Vv. 34-36)  When they got to Gennesarat, apparently, the people of that area, unlike those of Nazareth, had been ableto understand the true power of Jesus!

“³⁴ Once they crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. ³⁵ When the men of that place recognized Him, they alerted the whole vicinity and brought to Him all who were sick. ³⁶ They were begging Him that they might only touch the tassel on His robe. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.”

— These people knew without a doubt that Jesus had God’s supernatural power to heal.  Immediately, they sent word to everyone in the area.

— And whoever in faithtouched even the tassel of His robe in faith was made perfectly well!

Conclusion: What did it take for Jesus to convince people that He is sovereign – and that we can trust Him? If He is Lord at all, He is Lord of all. Jesus did not use His power to make His own world easy.  He did not rescue His cousin or oust the Roman government…

But the fact that He could feed people in an empty desert, override the powers of nature at will, and heal every disease and solve every problem presented to Him should be enough to reveal that He is able.

We often thing that the main obstacle to believing God is the fact that we must have faith… But even when Jesus demonstrated tangible proof of His power and love, some were still not convinced.  Perhaps, faith starts when we are willing to believe.

May we all have hearts that are open to our loving Heavenly Father.

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Until next post

Peace

“Deus Regit – God rules!”

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The Sin of Denying Reality — Matthew 12:15-32

As Jesus, the Son of God and rightful Ruler of the world traveled throughout His realm, He was often challenged by those who presumed to have authority.

In the first fourteen verses of Matthew 12, the Pharisees challenged Jesus’ authority to state what type of Sabbath observances honored God.  The God Who desires mercy not sacrifice would not want people to go hungry during this day, nor would He want one suffering from a physical condition to continue to suffer.

“…It is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath,” Jesus taught (Matthew 12:12b).

Of course, it is one thing to claim to have authority as the Pharisees did – but quite another to demonstrate authority, which is what Jesus did when He miraculously healed a man’s paralyzed hand.

To me, this seems like a completely convincing display of sovereign power over physical reality, but we will see today that these Pharisees were more interested in preserving the appearance of authority than being honest about reality.

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(Matthew 12:15-32, from the Holman Christian Standard version, can be read online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12&version=HCSB.)

1)  (Vv. 15-16)  Large crowds of people followed Jesus, and He healed every disease.  But He made no friends among the Pharisees.  Being aware of their murderous intentions, Jesus left that area:

“¹⁵ When Jesus became aware of this, He withdrew from there. Huge crowds followed Him, and He healed them all. ¹⁶ He warned them not to make Him known

— The NIV renders v. 15 a bit differently:  “¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place.”

I think it is important to understand that God’s timing, not the Pharisees’ intentions, dictated what Jesus did.

— Jesus told the crowds not to publicize what He had done.  When we studied Matthew 8, we discussed this same curious instruction.

* We know that physical disease is not the main problem which faces humanity, nor is physical healing the solution.

* We also know that Jesus is indeed the sovereign Ruler over all reality, but that He rules in a very different style than our earthly governors. … Forcibly overthrowing the existing government was not His objective.

— So although it may seem counterintuitive, we can understand why Jesus might want to minimize the distraction and misconception public displays of power could cause.

2)  (Vv. 17-21)  Jesus wished to demonstrate that He had not come to take over the world by force.  Matthew cites the prophet Isaiah, who foretold a gentle and peaceful “Servant of God”:

“ …¹⁷ so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

‘¹⁸ Here is My Servant whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom My soul delights; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear His voice in the streets. ²⁰ He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick, until He has led justice to victory. ²¹ The nations will put their hope in His name.’”

— The holy and merciful God finds great delight in His Servant Who proclaims justice to the nations.

—  Although this is a “Capital S” Servant – Jesus the Messiah – I think we can understand that the way Jesus serves God is the way any true servant of God carries out the mission of his Master:

* God is served when Jesus and His followers proclaim truth and justice to the nations.

* Jesus – and true followers of God – do not bring God’s message to the world by causing revolutions and riots in the streets.

— Jesus would not take power into His own hands, not even to the minimal degree of breaking a bruised reed or snuffing out a barely smoldering wick.

— These external changes will not occur until the world has come to embrace justice.

— …And the prophet Isaiah affirms that a time will come when the nations do accept and embrace the name of Jesus!

3)  (Vv. 22-23)  After pausing to reflect on the Messiah which God had predicted, Matthew continues his account of Jesus among the people:

“²² Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see. ²³ And all the crowds were astounded and said, ‘Perhaps this is the Son of David!’”

— Another man with an incurable condition was brought to Jesus, and Jesus completely restored this man who was demon-possessed, blind and mute.

— There can be no doubt that Jesus had demonstrated supernatural power; the crowds were astounded!

— Their thoughts immediately go to hopes for the Messiah:  “Perhaps this is the Son of David.”

— But the fact that they bring David, a political ruler, to mind means that they are thinking in terms of a political Messiah who would overthrow the existing government.

— And their “perhaps” indicates that they are still uncertain about whether Jesus is the Messiah. Like John the Baptist in Matthew 11, they are expecting the Messiah to do things which Jesus had not done.

— In Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus clarified to John the Baptist that His ministry fulfills the prophesied work of the Messiah.

… And in Matthew 12:17-21, Matthew clarifies to us that Jesus’ ministry demonstrates the prophesied methods of the Messiah.

— People did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah because their ideas about the Messiah were not based on Scripture.

4)  (Vv. 24-26)  Jesus had to correct the image the people had of the Messiah… But in the case of the Pharisees, He had to address outright baseless rejection… masquerading as a kind of warped logic:

“²⁴ When the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.’

²⁵ Knowing their thoughts, He told them: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?’”

— When the Pharisees observe Jesus’ power over demons, the “conclusion” these masters of logic and Old Testament Scripture draw is that Jesus had used demonic power to drive out demons!

— Does any sort of power increase by acting against itself? How would Satan’s purpose be served by restoring health and sanity to one who had been in complete bondage?

— The conclusion that this was a demonic healing which had increased the presence of evil is completely contrary to the impression of those who had observed the miracle and rejoiced in the goodness of the One Who had done it!

5)  (Vv. 27-29) Jesus then spells out the motivation behind this absurd conclusion:

“²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁸ If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

²⁹ How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.” 

— It is common knowledge that driving out demons is the work of sovereign God.

— If the Pharisees were to drive out a demon, they would do so in the name of God…

— But the reality is that the Pharisees didn’t and couldn’t drive out demons by any method!  Had they to be able to do this, how was it that Israel was filled with people who had found no relief from their ministry?

— Jesus plainly states:  the Pharisees do not want to admit that Jesus drove out demons through the power of God because that would mean that Jesus had God’s approval and God’s affirmation.

— The Pharisees did not want to acknowledge that Jesus comes in the power of God, and that He teaches truth with the authority of God.

— It is obvious: the only way a demon-possessed man can be healed is if Someone more powerful than the demons overcomes these these forces of evil.

6)  (Vv. 30-32)  Jesus then gave a very stern warning to those who, against all logic, insist on denying His authority:

“³⁰ Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters. ³¹ Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.”

— When Jesus clearly reveals truth, ignoring it is not a valid option:  one either accepts it or rejects it.

— It does not matter whether rejection takes an active or passive form.  If we choose not to do right, we have chosen what is inferior and wrong.

— God can and does forgive every kind of sin.  He can reclaim the most devastating wreckage we have made of life – but there can be no remedy if people defiantly refuse to admit that there is a problem!

— Denial of truth, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit of Truth, is the one thing which absolutely precludes agreement and fellowship between creature and Creator – both in this age and the next.

— In v. 32, Jesus seems to be saying that humanly speaking, some may fail to understand Who He is or what He is doing.  Ignorance can be remedied — but defiant, irrational and baseless rejection cannot.

Reflection:  If there are problems anywhere in our lives, let’s be honest with our Creator and confess that we have failed.  How many of us truly achieve the excellence, perfection and joy God has promised us?  How often do we experience abundant life?

1 John 1:8 tells us, “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

But 1 John 1:9 assures us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

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Until next post,

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

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Jesus Proves that God Forgives Sin! — Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth so that we could know that this world is ruled by God Most High, Who has absolute power over all reality.  God is absolutely righteous, holy and just – but many people before Jesus’ time did not comprehend just how much God understands and loves human beings!

Jesus taught that God is our Heavenly Father Who raises us, His spiritual children, to grow in faith and truth.  Like an earthly father, God always acts in power, wisdom and love.  Jesus was so devoted to this message of salvation that He was willing to put aside all divine advantage, live on earth as a human, and even suffer, die and demonstrate victory over death – all so we could finally understand and believe!

Matthew continues his account of how Jesus communicates this message of truth to many people, in many different ways and circumstances.

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(Matthew 9:1-8 can be read online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%209&version=NIV.)

1)  (Vv. 1-2)  Jesus had shown supernatural power – as well as human compassion – when He calmed a terrible storm, and when He freed two demon-possessed men from the spirits which tormented them.

The onlookers – the disciples on the lake, and the villagers at the Gadarenes – were all convinced that they had witnessed something completely supernatural.

Jesus then returns to His own town and His ministry continues:

“¹Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to His own town. ²Some men brought to Him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’”

— A paralyzed man had been brought to Jesus, and undoubtedly, those who brought him believed that Jesus could heal his paralysis.

—  But Jesus does not respond to this situation the way they had been anticipating:  “‘Take heart, son,’ He tells the man; ‘your sins are forgiven.’”

— What would the outcome of this discussion have been, had no one raised any further questions?

— For one thing, this would have been a complete rebuttal of everything the Pharisees taught about illness!  In Jesus’ day, illness and disease were thought to be the just consequence of sin – therefore, a hurting person “deserved” this “punishment from God”.

— The sick, crippled and infirm were barred from temple worship because they were “sinners” — unclean”, in a state of being “unacceptable” to God.

— When people recovered (or when Jesus healed them), they showed themselves to a priest, offered a sacrifice, and, after demonstrating this “proof” of “God’s forgiveness”, they were readmitted to temple worship.

— Had this man remained crippled – as many people remain subject to chronic disease – Jesus’ pronouncement would have removed the spiritual stigma that physical conditions had in that culture!

— Wouldn’t it be a relief to know that, when we suffer any bad circumstance, it is not because God is angry with us or has rejected us, but because He has his purpose and His time and He can bless us with peace and joy – in spite of these problems!

2)  (Vv. 3-8)  Of course, we know that this “audience” wasn’t about to accept Jesus’ mere pronouncement about metaphysical and unobservable realms!

“³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is blaspheming!’

⁴ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?  ⁵ Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Get up and walk”?

⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So He said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, Who had given such authority to man.”

— It is only right that intelligent people should doubt statements about things that cannot be observed, when they are uttered by those who have no demonstrated authority.

— Scripture gives many warnings about false prophets and private interpretations – God’s Word is clear and consistent with itself and we are not to blindly follow those who claim to have received “special revelations from God”…

— But, given this standard, were these Pharisees any more qualified to make pronouncements about unobservable realms?

— They are offended that Jesus would dare counter their teaching or call into question their authority!

— Jesus affirms that it is easy to make statements about things that cannot be observed… But Jesus wanted people to realize that He did have God’s authority to state that God forgives sin.  He commands the paralyzed man to get up and go home!

— There is nothing apart from God’s power that could have cured this incurable condition!  As the man stood up and walked – completely cured – we know that, by enabling this supernatural healing to occur, God is also affirming Jesus and everything Jesus taught.

— The people who were watching were filled with awe!  Not only had Jesus graciously healed a man afflicted with an incurable condition, He also taught with authority that God forgives sin – and that physical conditions and circumstances have nothing to do with God’s love for us!

— In v. 8, it says the people “praised God Who had given such authority to man.”… This verse seems a little vague!  It seems to me that the “man” was in fact, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ!

Conclusion:  It was Jesus Whom God affirmed as His Spokesman to the people of this world!  And the message that this approved Spokesman brings is the gospel of God’s love for us!   God forgives our sins, He has all power over everything seen and unseen,  past, present and future!

This is the Gospel that brings us peace and frees us from the fear we feel about a holy God Whom we know we have disobeyed.  It frees us from the dread of what the future might hold – when we know we cannot control our circumstances… and that we deserve the just consequences of the wrong and foolish things we have done!

As we begin the 2014, let us remember that God loves us and He forgives our sins!

— Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— I John 1:9 tells us, “⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

— Psalm 103:12-13 tells us, “¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

Jesus has the authority to state that God forgives sin!  God proved this when He caused a paralyzed man to walk!  And the same power, authority and forgiveness would be demonstrated when humanity put Jesus to death on a cross – and God restored Him to life!

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Until next post,

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

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A King with Supernatural Powers – Matthew 8:18-34

Matthew began his gospel by establishing Jesus’ royal “credentials” – Jesus’ kingly genealogy, the supernatural events of His birth, God’s supernatural affirmation during His baptism.  But Matthew is quick to share Jesus’ teaching given at the Sermon on the Mount, which demonstrates that Jesus is nothing like earthly sovereigns who maintain their domains by physical force.

After Jesus has taught the people about the Kingdom of God, He descends from the mountain and begins showing God’s compassion for suffering people and His power to intervene in our circumstances and solve our problems!

Matthew continues his gospel by showing us more of what Jesus did and taught, day in and day out, as He, Son of the Sovereign God, lived a human life among humans.

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(Matthew 8:18-34 can be read online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%208&version=NIV.)

1)  (Vv. 18-20) Apparently, people realized that Jesus was no ordinary Person, and that Jesus could provide knowledge and a new life they could not find anywhere else.

As Jesus prepared to leave the area, some  realized that following Him would be a rare opportunity… But just as quickly, they came up with some “practical reasons” why they could not:

“¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’

²⁰ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.’”

— A teacher of the law realized that Jesus understood and taught the law like no one else!  He announces that he will “follow Jesus wherever He goes”.

— But here, it is Jesus Who points out that “following” does not mean maintaining every other part of life exactly as it is!  Following Jesus will completely change our other priorities!

— Most basically, we all have our homes, where we return for rest and security after we have gone about the day’s business.

— While we may take our homes and our other circumstances for granted, Jesus reminds this teacher that “leaving everything” even involves leaving those things we rely on for our security.

2)  (Vv. 21-22)  Another would-be follower brings up the obligations we feel towards those around us:

“²¹ Another disciple said to Him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’

²² But Jesus told him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’”

— Some teachers have pointed out that this disciple’s desire to “bury his father” did not necessarily mean that the man had died!  Rather, this follower may be saying that after his father dies, he will follow.

— Again, this is a matter of convenience and priorities.  As long as “following Jesus” is subject to conveniently fitting in with all of the other details of our lives, it is obviously not our first priority – and this sort of “discipleship” will never amount to anything!

— Jesus tells this follower to “let the dead bury their dead”.  I think we can understand from His teaching elsewhere that it is God’s intention for Christians to love and care for their parents!  As Jesus hung on the cross dying, He made provisions for the care of His mother!

— But, we place care and concern for others in our life under the umbrella of following Jesus!  If our greatest priority is to obey God and please Him in all we do, He will reveal what we should do for parents – and others.

— What does not work, however, is to state that we cannot “obey God” until we no longer have these other responsibilities!

— Whatever responsibilities we have in this life should be done in a spirit of obedience; not in a spirit of being distracted from God’s presence or His desire to express His character through us in the things we do and say!

3)  (Vv. 23-27) So some were not true disciples – but those who were disciples revealed themselves by following Jesus as He got into a boat and headed for another area.  And, what they were to experience shows that following Jesus is often very different from anything we could expect!

“²³ Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’

²⁶ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!’”

— These disciples had faith to leave their familiar circumstances behind…

— But very quickly, this faith was put to the test!  A furious storm suddenly came up and they panicked!

— But a God Who is able to provide in any circumstance is able to protect in every circumstance!  A God Who could not protect the disciples in this storm could not offer any true protection from the challenges of the future either!

— Jesus wanted His disciples to realize that God’s sovereignty has no limits. He gives them a question to think about:  “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

— But, even before receiving a response from these panicked followers, He steps in and calms the storm with a mere spoken command!

— The disciples realized that Jesus was no ordinary man!  The Son of God has all the power of the sovereign Creator – and everything in creation is subject to His command!

4)  (Vv. 28-31)   By this time, the disciples had certainly seen many things to help them realize that Jesus, the Son of God, had supernatural power over creation.  There is no way to explain this next incident apart from acknowledging this power!

“²⁸ When He arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met Him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ ‘What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?’

³⁰ Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, ‘If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’”

— As Jesus and His disciples entered the region of Gadarenes, they were encountered by two violent demon-possessed men.

— No one in the community could control them – and they certainly couldn’t cure them!

— If Jesus were a mere teacher, would the demon-possessed men have asked Him “what He wanted with them”, or called Him “Son of God”?  Why would they have thought that a teacher would “torture” them before an “appointed time”? 

— Would they have even known anything about Jesus?  This region was across a large lake from where Jesus had been staying and teaching.

— The demons, speaking through the men, beg to be sent into a herd of pigs. 

5)  (Vv. 32-34)  I suppose it could be reasoned that insane people might say anything, regardless of how irrational. But how could insane ravings account for what happens next?

“³² He said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.”

³³ Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.”

— There is no question of whether Jesus has power over the evil spirits which controlled these men!  With a mere word, Jesus orders the demons out – and their immediate compliance demonstrates absolute submission to the authority of Jesus, the Son of God!

— Without supernatural power, the pigs certainly wouldn’t have spontaneously stampeded into the lake.  The townspeople were certainly convinced that this was a supernatural event!  The “whole town” went out to meet Jesus – and to beg Him to leave their region!

— They may not have known that Jesus was good – but they certainly believed that He had supernatural power!

Conclusion:  Jesus taught  spiritual truth. But in addition to teaching truth, He also shows His disciples that He and God His Father have sovereign control over every circumstance on earth.

Jesus healed many people.  He spoke and the winds and waves suddenly calmed.  He had absolute control over evil spirits and could free people from spiritual forces which had overwhelmed them.

All those looking on are our witnesses.  They realized that Jesus had sovereign and supernatural power!

So whenever we feel tempted to worry, we should remember Jesus’ question to His disciples: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

As Paul proclaims in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us!”

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Until next post,

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

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A King Walks among Men — Matthew 8:1-16

In his gospel, Matthew is giving the account of a King.  He begins the book by giving the genealogy, and then there was a supernatural announcement of His birth… But it soon becomes clear that Jesus is not going to be the sort of king that Caesar was.  He will rule the world, but not by controlling people externally.  Instead, He will win our love and respect and we will choose to trust and honor Him.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows that what matters to Him, to Creator God, and ultimately, to us —  is living in peace and integrity. Appearances – external actions which people see and judge, are often misleading;all that truly matters are the inner and hidden thoughts and motives that are the cause of everything we do.

After teaching this truth, Jesus the King, goes down from the mountain to mingle with His subjects – and we will observe what this King does during His visit.

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(Matthew 8 can be viewed online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%208&version=NIV.)

1)  (Vv. 1-4)  As Jesus spends time with people, we see that His focus is always on the people, and never on any “necessity” of life, such as food, clothing, shelter or occupation.

As Jesus is walking among the people, He is approached by a man with leprosy… It is interesting that this man realized that Jesus was an extraordinary Person; and he made an extraordinary request:

“¹ When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed Him. ² A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’

³ Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ He said. ‘Be clean!’  Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”

— The man makes a statement based on faith: believing that Jesus is the Son of God, he states that because God has power over all things, God – and His Son Jesus – had power over this miserable disease.

— “If You are willing,” he states, “You can make me clean.”  Jesus is willing. He commands the man to “Be clean”, and every trace of the disease immediately vanishes.

— The healing of this man depended on Jesus’ will… Although we are far from having the God-enabled supernatural powers that Jesus did, it occurs to me that, actually, God gives us authority over many circumstances in our lives.

— Do we will to take care of the problems that surround us?  Our spoken word may not have power to alter realty, but are we willing to do what we can do to make things better?  And are we willing to pray to the God Who does have power?

— Jesus told the man not to reveal his healing to the masses… But he was to show himself to the priests “as a testimony”, and to give an offering for his healing, as prescribed by Moses.

— These two instructions may not necessarily be related.  It seems that Jesus was not seeking publicity for this miracle… But He is identifying this miracle with the God of Israel, Whom was worshiped in the temple.  By sending the man to the priests, He seems to be giving “their” God the credit and seeking their affirmation of this miracle.

2)  (Vv. 5-9)  Jesus is no mere earthly King.  Unlike any mere human, He has absolute authority over all reality — a gentile Centurion will demonstrate this!

“⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, asking for help. ⁶ ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.’

⁷ Jesus said to him, ‘Shall I come and heal him?’

⁸ The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes; and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’”

— As with the man with leprosy, this centurion understands that Jesus has all power.

— He approaches Jesus with a statement of fact: his servant is suffering with paralysis, a desperate physical problem.

— But this information would have been pointless without the assumption that Jesus could do something about it!

— Jesus asks if the centurion wanted for Him to go and heal the servant.

— The man’s response is humble; of course he wanted Jesus to heal the servant, but it seemed extremely audacious for an “unclean” Gentile to ask the great Jewish Teacher to come to his home!

— Perhaps a flash of insight struck him at just that moment:  if Jesus could do anything, then a physical visit, and all the awkwardness involved, wasn’t necessary at all!  The centurion realized that he gave commands all the time, and his soldiers carried them out whether he was present or not. If Jesus had true authority, He could do the same!

3)  (Vv. 10-13)  Jesus commends this man for understanding the meaning of  authority – and believing that Jesus the Son of God indeed had authority over every illness, regardless of His physical location:

“¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those following Him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that moment.”

— The centurion had great faith in the simple reality that Jesus had power over all.

— And apparently, many in Israel did not.  The failure to grasp this simple principle deprived them of the joy and peace of realizing that God exists and that He is in control of our lives.

— The result of ignorance is not bliss, but sadness, hopelessness and distress.

— Jesus uses the term “subjects of the kingdom” to describe these unbelieving Jews… but I think we can understand that He is referring to those who had easy access to all the accounts of what God had done throughout their history, who certainly should have believed.

— God doesn’t force anyone to believe – and our culture and religious training can only offer exposure to truth and opportunities to believe.  Ultimately, we each must decide whether we are going to depend on our own strength and wisdom or rely on God.

— The centurion believed that the Son of God could heal his servant, and at that very moment, the man was healed.

4)  (Vv. 14-15)  Jesus was always able to heal wherever there was a need:

“¹⁴ When Jesus came into Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on Him.”

— We assume that Peter’s mother-in-law desperately wanted to be able to attend to her guests.  Had there been any way to “tough it out”, she would have; but she was seriously ill with fever.

— According to Matthew, there wasn’t even a discussion:  Jesus perceived the situation and wordlessly touched this woman; suddenly the fever left and her strength came back!

5)  (Vv. 16-17)  By evening, many people in the community had realized that Jesus could heal, and people with every sort of problem and sickness were brought to Him:

“¹⁶ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

— Jesus did indeed have the power and desire to heal people.

— He healed every disease and drove out every demon.

— Matthew points out that the prophet Isaiah had taught that the Messiah, that perfect Ruler, would “take up” our infirmities and “bear” our diseases.

—  In Isaiah 53, the prophet describes a Ruler Who was not immune to our troubles or above the suffering that dogs every human life.

— But not only did Jesus share in our human sufferings, as the Son of God, He also heals and gives relief!

Conclusion:  As the King walked through His domain, He could have done a number of impressive things, but what Matthew recalls is that He supernaturally healed the many suffering people who came to Him in need.

He is willing to heal.  His authority is absolute and transcends His physical presence.  He understands and sympathizes with every suffering person.

Although Jesus is much more than a Great Physician, this was the means He chose to show power and compassion that extends to every part of human life.

Like the centurion, we should observe this wonderful and amazing power and realize that no problem in our lives or in our world is beyond the healing touch of Jesus!

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Until next post,

Peace

“Deus regit – God rules!”

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A More Powerful Truth — John 11:28-44

When we understand that God is truly sovereign over absolutely everything in our world, in our lives, and how no part of our experience is more permanent were more powerful than God, we can put our every concern in His hands and have complete peace.

Last post, we began studying John 11 and the death and resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus was completely aware of the desire of the Judeans to kill Him. He was completely aware of the details of Lazarus’s deteriorating condition. And He knew exactly what would happen. No detail surprised Jesus/God or presented any challenge to Him.

In v. 15, Jesus states that it was for the disciples’ benefit – and ours too – that Lazarus had died. It is for our benefit that Jesus demonstrated that He can overcome physical distance and even physical death at the merest word.

In vv. 25-26, Jesus gives the great statement which is the antidote to everything in this world could ever worry us:

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die…”

And in v. 27, we see that Martha acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God – as the fulfillment of everything God had promised through Scripture for the peace and prosperity of His people.

Today we continue, as Jesus talks with Mary about her dead brother – and the God Who is more powerful than death.

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(John 11:28-57 can be read online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2011&version=NIV.)

1)  (Vv. 28-31) Although Martha had immediately gotten up to meet Jesus, Mary had stayed behind in her home. But when Martha returned and told her that Jesus had asked for her, Mary immediately got up:

“²⁸ After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. ‘The Teacher is here,’ she said, ‘and is asking for you.’ ²⁹ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. ³¹ When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.”

– I don’t know why Mary had not gone to meet Jesus when Martha had – who knows, perhaps she had even lost faith…

– But when Martha told Mary Jesus had specifically asked for her, this changed everything! Immediately, she jumped up and rushed to meet Him!

2)  (V. 32) And we see that she says exactly what Martha said:

“³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’”

– Again, we see that both Mary and Martha believed that Jesus’ physical presence was necessary in order for Him to perform physical work – such as healing.

– And we also see that they both believed that death was final.

– But as John 11:15 mentions, it is much to our benefit to understand that neither of these statements is true!

3)  (Vv. 33-37) … But we must understand that this experience – although tremendously beneficial to Mary, Martha, and everyone else throughout history who would hear of it – was extremely painful.

“³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ^{34 ‘}Where have you laid him?’ He asked.

‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.

³⁶ Then the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’

³⁷ But some of them said, ‘Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’”

– When His children suffer, our loving Heavenly Father suffers too.

– We know that these close friends had been devastated when Jesus had not come immediately, and when Lazarus had finally died.

–… And perhaps, it had been the perception of His desertion, even more than the death itself, which had hurt them.

– All this suffering and ignorance grieved Jesus, Who loves us just as much as it is possible to love – and He wept.

– Those looking on had various mistaken ideas: they thought Jesus wept tears of helpless grief – as they did.  And, like the sisters, they too believed that death was ultimate – and completely permanent.

4)  (Vv. 38-43) … Then Jesus finally puts an end to all misery and misunderstanding – about the permanence of death, about any limitation of His presence or power, about any doubt of His concern and compassion:

“³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ^{39 ‘}Take away the stone,’ He said.

‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for He has been there four days.’

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.’

⁴³ When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’”

— There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lazarus had died and that death was permanent.  Opening the tomb, they knew, would be pointless — and extremely unpleasant!

– But the power of God has no limits! And these people were about see this glory displayed!

– This entire situation was allowed for the benefit of everyone: so we all can know that God is sovereign, that Jesus Christ was sent by God, He is approved by God, and tells us truth about spiritual realities we cannot see.

– And then, Jesus demonstrates the authority of the sovereign God Who has power over all creation: He commands the dead man to come out of his tomb —and he does!

5)  (V. 44)  When the Creator of all reality speaks, there is no drama – all creation immediately complies:

“⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”

– When Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth, he did.

– And it is almost comical that Jesus caps this astounding display of the power of a sovereign God by issuing the most obvious and mundane of instructions: He tells the people to take the grave clothes off the now-living Lazarus!

Conclusion: Although it is true that God very seldom reverses physical death – or any of the other natural processes in this world – it is very important for us to realize that He and He alone has ultimate power over every detail of our lives.

At God’s word, any problem can simply disappear. And Jesus assures us that our ultimate destiny is not death, but eternal life in that place of beauty and perfection, together with our Creator and Heavenly Father.

In John 9, Jesus tells His disciples that a man was born blind, not because of his personal sin or the sin of his parents, but so that “the works of God could be displayed in him” (Jn. 9:3).

God loves us – and He certainly has power over everything. In all things, His great love and great power will be displayed.  In the end, we will all worship Him, overcome with amazement at His wisdom, His holiness, and a love we cannot begin to comprehend.

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When Jesus did not immediately rush to restore Lazarus to health, it was because there was something more important His friends needed to know, a more powerful truth: Jesus was not confined to healing the merely ill – nor limited to healing only when He was physically present; God has all power over death and life, and He is present and active at all places and times. There are absolutely no limits on what He can do – and absolutely no limits to His love for us!

Until next post,

Peace

“Illum oportet crescere – He must increase.”

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Our Great Creator makes all Things Right — John 9:14-41

Jesus healed a man who had been blind since birth. But, when the Pharisees asked the man what sort of Person had healed him, he did not immediately identify Jesus as God, or the Son of God – despite a miracle which could certainly have had  no earthly source; rather, he identified the Man Who had healed him as a prophet.

Many Bible teachers consider this to be a weak answer – but a prophet is one who speaks with God’s authority, and it seems to me that this man was almost more impressed with what Jesus had said than with the miraculous healing itself!

So we will review this “preamble” to the miracle.

John 9:1-3 reads:

“¹As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’”

³ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”

–  As we discussed last post, Jesus’ disciples ask a question that reflects the commonly-taught belief that bad circumstances were the consequence and the punishment for bad choices.

– … But Jesus, speaking with the authority of God, asserts that this is not so – the man had been born blind, not because he or his parents were being punished for sin, but so that God could display His glorious work!

–  I think we should take a closer look at this. In this day and age, most people would not be as callous as these Pharisees, when it comes to something beyond human control. Today, most people would sympathize with, rather than condemn someone who was a victim of circumstances.

– … But this sympathy usually does not extend to people who fall victim to their own bad choices! If a student doesn’t prepare and ends up failing a test, there isn’t much sympathy. When a person is careless and suffers loss due to not valuing what they have, there isn’t much sympathy there either. And in countless other situations, the world exercises the prerogative to judge the person and pass off the consequences as “just what they deserved”.

– I don’t know however, that Jesus is making that distinction! When He says that neither the man nor his parents sinned, surely He does not mean that, unlike all other families on earth, this family lived in sinless perfection! Rather, He means that these bad circumstances were not intended to punish , but to reveal God’s work.

– Yes, in a way, our selfish inclinations, and our tendency to do what is wrong rather than what is right are just as much a “circumstance” as anything else! And the consequences we experience are certainly part of God’s good world. It is God’s grace that leads Him to correct and restore those who live far from truth.

– The blind man stated that Jesus was a prophet – because the truth Jesus taught about God was very different from the mean-spirited theology of the Pharisees.

–…I think we can state this teaching of Jesus as a general principle:

All evil in this world, whether the direct consequence of human action or not, allows God to display His wonderful wisdom and perfect love, as He makes all things and all people into the beautiful creation He has conceived in heaven.

Today, we continue this dialogue with the Pharisees. Needless to say, they were not pleased with anything Jesus had taught or done – and they were especially angered that He had disregarded their teaching regarding the Sabbath.

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(John 9: 18-41 can be viewed online at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%209&version=NIV.)

1)  (Vv. 18-19) The man had been miraculously healed! But as amazing as this transformation had been, Pharisees couldn’t believe –because they didn’t want to!

“¹⁸ They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ ‘Is this your son?’ they asked. ‘Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?’”

– The Pharisees were most reluctant to believe a miracle had happened at all – even after seeing the man and hearing his story, they still insisted on verification from his parents.

–… And demanded an explanation!

2)  (Vv. 20-23) It is interesting that the man’s parents give more allegiance to the religious establishment which had done nothing but condemn them, than to the One Who had healed and redeemed!

“²⁰ ‘We know he is our son,’ the parents answered, ‘and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or Who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.’ ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’”

– These parents willingly confirm the fact that their son had been born blind, but now could see.

– And they obviously knew Who had healed him…

– But they didn’t want to accept the consequences of stating truth which the Pharisees did not want to hear!

3)  (Vv. 24-27) The Pharisees strongly urge the man to reconsider his story, warning him that they had condemned Jesus as a sinner:

“²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. ‘Give glory to God by telling the truth,’ they said. ‘We know this Man is a sinner.’

²⁵ He replied, ‘Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’

²⁶ Then they asked him, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’

²⁷ He answered, ‘I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples too?’”

– It seems that Jesus’ actions certainly spoke louder than the Pharisees’ words!

– In fact, by continuing to pass judgment on Jesus, even after God Almighty had affirmed Him, the Pharisees do nothing except demonstrate that their words are completely empty!

– The man did not need to know anything except that Jesus had had the supernatural power to heal him – and had also graciously freed him from a lifetime of insult and condemnation!

– The Pharisees continued badgering the man, hoping to intimidate him into changing his story… But this was a witness they could not rattle!

4)  (Vv. 28-33) It is unreasonable indeed that the Pharisees would expect this man to reject the One Who had healed him of a lifetime of blindness! Yet, they bring up a division that does not even exist: they state that believing in Jesus is incompatible with following Moses:

“²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, ‘You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where He comes from.’

³⁰ The man answered, ‘Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. ³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’”

– The man, unlike his parents, is willing to boldly confront hostile Pharisees.

– He makes the point that no circumstantial detail about Jesus’ origins could possibly alter the fact that miracles can be done only by the power – and approval – of God Almighty!

– The man, formerly blind, states some obvious truth: “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

5)  (Vv. 34-38) The Pharisees’ final argument is that the man himself had no authority to speak – his blindness tangible proof of his “sinfulness”!

“³⁴ To this they replied, ‘You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!’ And they threw him out.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’

³⁶ ‘Who is He, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in Him.’

³⁷ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.’

³⁸ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped Him.”

– The Pharisees have nothing but contempt for this man – contempt apparently justified by their own mean-spirited religion. They throw him out of the temple.

– Jesus finds the man and asks an interesting question: does he believe in the “Son of Man”?

– And of course, what is interesting is this title Jesus gives Himself: Why would anyone include this most obvious of information – that they were the son of humans…

Unless there were something unusual about that!  “Unusual”, as if it would be unusual for God to take on human form!

– So what Jesus seems to be asking is whether the man believes in “the God Who Came In Human Form”.

– The man seems to understand exactly what Jesus is asking. And he seems willing to believe in a God in human form – perhaps, he understood that that was exactly Who had healed him!

– Of course, when Jesus reveals that it is He, the man gratefully believes and worships Him!

6)  (Vv. 39-41) Is any person truly unable to recognize truth? At the end of this conversation, Jesus makes some concluding observations:

“³⁹ Jesus said,‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’

⁴¹ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’”

– It is true that Jesus – and our responses to Him, His work, and His teaching – cause us to examine ourselves.

– Jesus had made a blind man see… But then He claims to have made seeing men blind!

– And the Pharisees nearby certainly understood that He was referring to them!

– To be blind is to be incapable of seeing even what is most obvious.

– Of course, the teaching of Jesus did not cause the Pharisees to become blind so much as to reveal that they were already incapable of responding to the most obvious truth – that He could do nothing supernatural apart from the affirmation of God.

– And the Pharisees object to this!

– So Jesus clarifies: the Pharisees are not truly incapable Friesen – it is simply that they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge obvious truth.

– No one is guilty of rejecting what they cannot comprehend – but we are all fully guilty of rejecting what we comprehend fully well!

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Does anyone have supernatural power to heal – or power to do anything else – apart from the will of our Sovereign Creator?

When we acknowledge that God affirmed Jesus Christ, then we know that we can believe everything Jesus taught. Like the blind man, we can be very grateful that God does not allow bad circumstances in our lives to punish us, but to demonstrate His wonderful power and amazing grace.

Until next post,

Peace

“Illum oportet crescere – He must increase.”

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