Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him! But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, (literally, “he already stinks!”) for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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.”
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 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.” Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.”
Some Thoughts
Mary, Martha, the disciples, and the mourners get to see the rest of this story. Jesus enabled all of them to get to see the glory of God in raising Lazarus from the dead. In Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead, recall his empty grave clothes were left in the tomb, never to be needed or used again. In Lazarus’ case, he came out of the tomb wearing his grave clothes. Lazarus would need them again, not so with Jesus.
Notice Jesus’ words as he prayed . . . that they may believe that you sent me. The point in the raising of Lazarus was that Mary, Martha, and their friends would discover who Jesus really was, the one sent from God on a mission to bring redemption by ushering in the Kingdom of God. As a result of the raising of Lazarus, many more Jews put their trust in God. They had seen Jesus exercise power over death. Word spread. But this victory, while bringing joy to many, also was hugely significant in moving things ahead to the completion of God’s plan for redeeming the world. Some of the witnesses to the raising of Lazarus made a beeline to the Pharisees to tell them what had happened. The threat to their authority was growing.
Because of jealousy and Jesus’ challenge to the Jewish leadership’s status, power, and exposing their corruption, hatred from the Jewish leaders grew into a murderous plot. Because the status quo and positions of power and influence of the Romans were also being challenged by this itinerant carpenter from Nazareth, they, the Jewish leaders and Romans, joined together believing Jesus had to be killed.
On still a grander scale yet with the crucifixion and death of Jesus, it appeared that God’s master plan was going awry and that things were not going to turn out as they should have. If anything, we are shown again and again and again in the life of Jesus, that we can trust the Father regardless of how it looks at any given moment in our life. If we continue to trust, we will see the glory of God. The empty tombs of Lazarus and Jesus still speak.
Music: “Steal Away,” Mahalia Jackson and Nat King Cole None like her!
I can almost imagine Lazarus singing this song after being raised from the dead!
Bonus: The raising of Lazarus. from “The Chosen”
If you don’t know about The Chosen series, be sure to check it out. Start with Season One, Episode 1. Season five is in the theatres currently.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, here I am again praying with words, words, and more words. I seem stuck with the same ones all the time. I have trouble finding the right ones to express my love and complete gratitude for what you have done and continue to do on my behalf. Words are so limiting. If you had not done what you did on the cross, there would be no hope at all. I cannot begin to imagine what that would be like without you. I would be depressed and have to pretend that somehow life made sense but based on what I wouldn’t know. To keep sane, I wouldn’t think about it but live for the moment getting lost in basketball or music or technology or . . . anything. Thank you Lord, that is not the case. I very much connect with Paul Gerhardt’s phrase, “What language shall I borrow to thank thee dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?” I still don’t have words, but please listen to my heart, it’s trying to tell you what’s in there. This I pray as Jesus intercedes on my behalf, my loving Lord. Amen. ―Daniel Sharp
And after she had said this, [Martha] went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 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.
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.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Some Thoughts
Mary joins Martha in failing to fully grasp the power of the Son of God, even though they used his appropriate title. From their identical comments, “Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died,” they reveal a belief that Jesus needed to be physically present to do the healing, even though he at times had healed from afar. From Mary’s standpoint, Jesus needed to ask God for permission, failing to understand Jesus’ fully divine authority as God in the flesh. Jesus interacted with Martha with words. Now he interacts differently with Mary who fell at his feet weeping. Jesus’ response is somewhat of a surprise. Deep anger welled up within his own spirit in reaction to the response of the people’s mourning.
This shortest verse in the Bible is a kind of bottom line from Jesus’ perspective in this whole passage. Why did Jesus weep? He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew what was coming. The mourners visiting Mary and Martha, assumed he was weeping because of the death of his good friend. Or was he weeping out of pity for the sisters because of his empathy for their own sadness? But here, his weeping was of a different kind. Normal Jewish expression of sorrow at death would be a loud wailing which was the case of the sisters and those comforting them. The word used for Jesus’ weeping, dakryeino, is used only one time in the New Testament and it is here. The word is for a soft, subdued weeping. While those standing around seemed to think he wept because of the death of his friend, to me it seems more likely that his sorrow was for Mary, Martha, the disciples, and the world in general in not grasping who he was and what was his mission on earth. Three years in their midst, eating meals together, seeing all the miraculous works, hearing his teaching with such authority and still they missed it. Even when he told them point blank about what was to happen, they still didn’t understand. This community was so immersed in their own world, in their perception of Jesus, and in the limited view of their faith, that they were unable to understand and receive the Kingdom of God as proclaimed by the Son of God. They simply did not fully grasp who it was that was in their presence. Have you ever felt frustrated that someone you deeply loved, just couldn’t grasp the significance, and embrace the gospel and continue to resist? My guess is you’ve shed some tears over your loved one. Keep praying for the working of the Holy Spirit in their life. Our Savior understands. He is not willing that any should perish.
Music: “When Jesus Wept,” The Orchard Enterprises
William Billings was an early American composer at the time of the Revolutionary war.
When Jesus wept, a falling tear
In mercy flowed beyond all bound.
When Jesus groaned, a trembling fear
Seized all the guilty world around,
Prayer:
O Jesus who wept over the death of Lazarus, be with all who grieve. O Jesus who wept alone in Gethsemane, be with all who feel alone, all who face difficult decisions. O Jesus who cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” be with all who are tortured, all who are victims. O Jesus who offered up prayers with loud cries and tears, hear our prayers. O living God who knows all our pain and joy, be with us in our lives. Amen.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Some Thoughts
No more glorious words have been spoken since the beginning of language. Is there life after death? Without a doubt! Jesus’ words and life couldn’t be clearer evidence. Believe in him and live on, even when your earthly physical body doesn’t. You’ll get a body not subject to death because death has been defeated. Death is extinct! You’ll recall when Jesus was a baby, Mary and Joseph took him to the old priest Simeon. Do you remember Simeon’s words about his own death? They were, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace (NASB). He didn’t say die in peace. The Greek word is apoluo meaning to let go. On the Mount of Transfiguration a similar concept was expressed in speaking of Jesus’ “exodus” from this earth.
Upon our death, our bodies are instantly transformed. We simply depart or are dismissed (NIV) from this body. This truth was brought home to me so clearly when my mother died. I was present with mom when she took her last breath and departed this life. I was overwhelmed with the truth that mom just left. It was as if Jesus said to me, Mary is not here anymore. The shell of her body on the bed was where she used to be. In her last moments she reached up with both hands and said, “home,” the only word she said in her unconscious state. An instant later she was in the presence of her Lord and Savior.
This Jesus is the same “I AM” who spoke to Moses in the burning bush, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, the Way, the Truth and the Life. The power of Christ is not only in the resurrection but also eternal life. Martha’s comment from yesterday’s passage that everyone rises on the last day told us she was thinking only of the final judgment day. As we have mentioned several times. Most of the time Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man. Here Martha refers to him as the Son of God, believing in his divinity, recognizing who he is. Even at that, she did not fully grasp his power over life and death. Jesus and Martha were thinking on two different levels. Martha was thinking the biggest, end picture. Jesus’ thinking comprehended both the end but also its impact on the present circumstance.
Martha did what so many of us do; we think of the grand story of God and fail to grasp its impact on the present situation. That Martha hadn’t understood what Jesus was getting at is evidenced by her comment about not wanting to open the tomb because it will stink. We need to roll the stone away from our theological tombs more often and see the power of our great Savior working in the world in which we live right now. Faith in Jesus is always moving forward never pre-determining conclusions.
Music: “In Christ Alone” All Souls Orchestra Kristin Getty Glorious
This is a picture of the Body of Christ. The Brits sing again!
In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid, here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day, up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
Prayer:
You are God and we praise you; you are the Lord and we acclaim you; You are the eternal Father; all creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, cherubim and seraphim sing in endless praise, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might; heaven and earth are full of your glory.’ Throughout the whole world the holy church acclaims you, Father of majesty unbounded; Your true and only Son worthy of all worship and the Holy Spirit advocate and guide. Come then Lord and help your people bought with the price of your own blood; and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Amen. ― from Te Deum, 4th century
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Some Thoughts
Does it ever seem like all hope is lost? Martha, the more impetuous of the two sisters, was the one who went to meet Jesus. Apparently, with Jesus’ two-day delay, he wouldn’t have gotten there in time anyway since Lazarus has already been in the tomb four days. If he had been in the tomb four days that means he died the day the message of illness was on the way to Jesus since Jesus was a day’s journey away. Jewish burial was normally held as soon as possible after death, meaning Lazarus was put into the tomb the day he died. Jewish belief was that the soul of the deceased hung around for three days for some possible means of entering the body again. By the fourth day all color was gone from the body and it left with no hope of resuscitation. John was perhaps making sure his readers knew that Lazarus was dead dead!
Many of Mary and Martha’s friends had come to the house to console the sisters . . .and eventually became eyewitnesses to the raising of Lazarus. The funeral custom in those days would have been to come and sit in silence sharing the grief with the mourners. I must add a personal comment here. When my father was killed in a farming accident in 1972, many people came to our house to express their sympathy with us. The most comforting and helpful solace came from a farmer who stood quietly outside for a while and said nothing. As he left, he just came up and said, “I’m so sorry” with tears in his eyes. I remember it to this day many decades later. His being there and words were the greatest comfort. It’s called the ministry of presence.
Martha’s response is kind of a mixed faith. She had been around Jesus and seen him heal people before and wished that he had been there earlier because he could have brought healing to her brother. She believed in an eventual final resurrection, but that was of little consolation now. She knew Lazarus was dead. That was final. This kind of situation was one of those challenging times when we have solid faith in the biggest picture but are still in great pain for the present time. Martha reached out to the Lord and expressed her broken heart. Jesus did not rebuke her for her response of sorrow. Notice that Jesus never reprimands genuine anger or frustration from his children. We never need to fear in expressing our pain to the Lord.
We live in a culture which has its own kind of denial of death. Funerals have morphed into memorials which have become celebrations of life . . .except that the person is dead. We have a convoluted sense of the reality of death and an inability to know how to respond to it. We too often seek to avoid grieving and push to get back to normal. Judaism on the other hand, has a set time of grieving in a period called shiva which is seven days from the funeral, followed by another period, sheloshim, which counts thirty days from the funeral, which happens on the day of death, if possible, though sometimes it is delayed these days to allow people to travel for the service. Then there is also the marking of a year anniversary of the death called the yahrzeit.
We can have wonderful memories, but the truth is that person is gone from this earth and we will never see them again this side of glory. That is heart-breaking and happy talk doesn’t deal with the reality of loss. Embracing the truth of life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is what brings our only comfort in the death of a loved one. Never be afraid to express your true heart to the Lord in a tough time. Talk with the Lord and listen carefully with ears of faith. He understands better than anyone. He’s been through it. Sometimes there are surprises. Just ask Martha!
Music: “If Thou Wilt Suffer God to Guide Thee,” Calvin Alumni Choir
If You Will Trust in God to Guide You―Georg Neumark, 1641
If you will trust in God to guide you and place your confidence in him,
You’ll find him always there beside you, to give you hope and strength within.
For those who trust God’s changeless love build on the rock that naught can move.
Sing, pray, and keep his ways unswerving, offer your service faithfully,
And trust his word; though undeserving, you’ll find his promise true to be.
God never will forsake in need the soul that trusts in him indeed.
Prayer:
And now unto him who is able to keep us from falling and lift us from the dark valley of despair to the bright mountain of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy; to him be power and authority, for ever and ever. Amen.
Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Some Thoughts
That little phrase is far too often descriptive of my response to the way of the Lord. “But Lord, I thought that . . .” Here we see the single-mindedness of Jesus. A couple of months prior to the moment above, during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) in Jerusalem, Jesus and the disciples fled Judea and Jerusalem because the religious leaders attempted to stone them. Tension and hatred of Jesus was building ominously. Up to this point, Jesus had kept a lower profile and spent much time in the region of Galilee though it had become increasingly difficult to remain an unknown even there. Because of his growing notoriety, he stayed away from Jerusalem and the Jewish hierarchy of leadership. On this occasion he stayed east of the Jordan River out of Judea.
His response in this text of “there are twelve hours in the daylight” was his way of telling the disciples God, his Father, had given him a task to do. He was the Light of the world which he declared at the Feast of Dedication previously in the disciples’ presence. The disciples themselves were struggling in their own darkness trying to understand the Light who was among them. In their minds, why would Jesus go back to the place where they had nearly been killed? It didn’t make sense to them.
But the time was approaching for the completion of his earthly mission. The raising of Lazarus from the dead was part of his Father’s course of action to bring light. Jesus told the disciples plainly that he would wake Lazarus from his sleep. He did not explain more at this point. In Thomas’ final comment, he still doesn’t completely understand, but speaks for the rest of the disciples. Since their last time in Jerusalem ended in their leaving the city to avoid being stoned to death, we’ll go and die with you seemed a normal response. The next time you and I are tempted to respond, Lord, but I thought . . ., let’s listen to Moses’ words to the Israelites before crossing the Red Sea, be still and watch the mighty hand of God.
Music: “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” Deo Cantamus
Prayer: Lord God in heaven, who knows all things, who understands all things, who has power over all things, who has created all things, who sustains all things, who loves all things, who is over all things, who is everywhere present, who has been revealed in Jesus Christ, who is present in the Holy Spirit, who has given his written word, who has made provision for the restoration of the whole created order, grant us one more thing: faith to trust you when we cannot understand your ways in this world. This we pray through Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
(A side comment here. This week we will look at the account of Lazarus. This event happened shortly before Palm Sunday and was a major triggering event which stimulated the plot to kill Jesus. (John 11:51-53) As we move to the conclusion of Lent, our focus moves from more introspection and repentance in our own lives, to the events that led Jesus to Calvary. In the ancient church, yesterday, the fifth Sunday in Lent, was called the First Sunday of the Passion.)
Scripture John 11:1-6
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
Some Thoughts
Does it ever seem like God doesn’t do the right thing, or at least his timing is noticeably off? He clearly could do something and just doesn’t. In fact, sometimes it seems as if he deliberately ignores us. The Lord’s words in Isaiah 55 read for my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways. Then when that truth plays out in real life, we’re surprised.
Such was the case with Lazarus. He was at his home and very sick. Jesus was in another part of the country. His sisters sent word for Jesus to come, after all, Jesus had healed many people, why not their brother? Jesus was not mad at Mary, Martha, or Lazarus. They were all good friends and had honored him on various occasions. Yet, he enigmatically ignored their request and stayed two more days because, though they did not know it nor could imagine it, something better was in store.
Since when Jesus finally did arrive and Lazarus had been in the tomb four days, it is likely that Lazarus was already dead by the time Jesus received the first message given the travel time of both the messenger and Jesus’ travel time to Bethany. That something better was not the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead but the glorification of God and of Jesus as the Son of God, as the One who had the power over death. In the biggest picture of what God was doing, God’s timing was everything. The point in raising Lazarus was not that he brought him back from the dead as great as that was, for Lazarus eventually died again. The point was that even death submitted to the power of Jesus. For in between Lazarus’ two deaths, Jesus died once for all making Lazarus’ ultimate resurrection eternal.
Jesus’ glory continues for all eternity as the one who gained victory over death for everyone who believes, not just Lazarus. You may be going through the “Jesus stayed two more days” phase of your life and wishing he’d hurry up before it’s too late. Pray that God might be glorified in what is coming your way. As my father-in-law so often reminded us, “The Lord may tarry, but he is never too late.” Just ask Mary and Martha.
Music: “And Can It Be that I Should Gain,” the Brits SING!
Prayer: O Lord, let me not henceforth desire health or life except to spend them for you, with you and in you. You alone know what is good for me; do therefore what seems best to you. Give to me or take from me; conform my will to yours; and grant that with humble and perfect submission and in holy confidence I may receive the orders of your eternal providence and may equally adore all that comes to me from you.
Psalm 130 is one of the classic psalms of lament, faintly reminiscent of Jonah’s prayer. In these days of the Lenten season, repentance is a central theme. This psalm gives us a beautiful pattern of the process. In the opening plea, we read of a person in deepest despair. They have given up fighting the problem on their own and called to the Lord for help. The next sentence revealed something of the relationship between the psalmist and the Lord with the words “Hear my cry, Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.” To pray those words said something about the transparency of his relationship with God. The psalmist addressed the Lord in the same manner as if he were talking face to face with a friend. He addressed the Lord in the second person. Please listen and pay attention to what I’m saying. I’m hurting badly. He was not afraid to ask the Lord to pay attention.
He then admitted if the Lord kept track of all his sins in a book, he’d be dead He was not trying to hide anything before the Lord. Transparency is essential in repentance and confession. What followed was interesting. God offered forgiveness so we can learn to fear him. What does that mean?
Fear in this sense I believe follows along the lines of Martin Luther’s explanation. There is a kind of fear that is truly afraid of heavy punishment. This use of the word is not that kind of fear. It is more like that of a child having great love and respect for her parents and wanting to please them. She has a fear, not because she is afraid of punishment from her mother, but rather of not wanting to disappoint her. This fear grows out of great affection and sense of security. The next sentence affirms this love with the words “I’m counting on the Lord . . . I put my hope in his word.” We see this love and longing continuing in the next line mirroring the sentries’ longing for the end of night and the light of another day, a beautiful image for lamenting heart. The focus of the psalmist shifts from despair to the unfailing faithfulness of the Lord. Remember Jesus’ frequent use of the light motive?
The psalmist then becomes a preacher! To this point, he has been expressing his own heart. Now he speaks to the whole community. Having expressed his relationship to the Lord in the second person, he now preaches of God to the whole nation of Israel in the third person. And sure enough, he speaks of God’s great love and redeeming power, encouraging the nation to experience God in the second person intimate relationship. The very last sentence speaks a word of prophecy. God himself will redeem Israel and the whole world from every kind of sin―on the cross of calvary. This psalm is also known by its Latin name―De profundus, “out of the depths.”
Music: “Out of the Deep” Cambridge Singers
Prayer:
O thou great Chief, light a candle in my heart, that I may see what is therein, and sweep the rubbish from thy dwelling place. ―An African schoolgirl’s prayer
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
Some Thoughts
Here we see the jealous heart of the other self-centered brother. While the younger son grabbed what was his and took off, the older brother blamed his father for not being generous toward himself. This was a giant narcissistic party. Serving his father he called slavery. Was he glad to see his prodigal brother? Was he concerned about the time his brother had been away? He even distanced himself from his sibling with the comment “this son of yours,” a further dig at his father. Did he feel his father owed him something for his self-righteous faithfulness? In a nutshell, he was bitter his father had forgiven his brother. His proud heart was embarrassingly laid bare before us. The older brother was completely unaware of his own need for repentance.
When the younger son demanded his inheritance and left, the father let him go. He gave him that freedom. But here in contrast, the father pleaded with the elder son to rejoice with them in the joy of a repentant son. The elder son would not move on from his brother’s past. He was stuck in his own pride and therefore missed the joy of the present moment. The father even reminded him that he was also an heir. The father treated both sons with the same love. Remember this was not a parable about raising children (!), Jesus meant to show the Pharisees and us the nature of God the Father’s love for the repentant sinner.
The elder son had likewise strayed from the father even though he never left home. And he had not yet returned. The sadness in this parable is that this older son had not yet realized his own sinful heart and need for repentance. Interestingly, his parable is left open-ended. We don’t know if the elder brother repented and joined the celebration or continued wallowing with the pigs his self-righteousness. Since Jesus told this parable about the Pharisees, it is open ended as to whether the elder son ever repented. Some Pharisees repented and believed (Nicodemus) and others did not and remained prodigals.
Music: “Amazing Grace,” Il Divo When you get to heaven, you can sing like this.
Prayer:
Gracious Lord of joy and delight, grant that I may rejoice with those who rejoice, cheer for those who are cheerful, laugh with those who laugh, be happy with those who are happy, be enthusiastic with those who are enthusiastic, discover with those who discover new things. Forbid that I should ever withhold my heart’s embracing of another’s joy for some silly, selfish, or jealous reason. Your kingdom does not need more joy monitors. From sour-faced saints, good Lord deliver us! ―Daniel Sharp
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
Some Thoughts
This part of the parable is about restoration and forgiveness. Notice the father (God) barely responded to the son’s words of confession. He clearly received them and moved on. The father was not slow to accept the words of confession. No lectures on past failures, foolish decisions, personal greed, and so forth. The father called for the “best” robe, the robe of royalty. The best robe was the father’s own robe. The son was fully restored to the family. No penalty box necessary for you hockey fans.
He put a signet ring on his son’s finger to remind him that he was still an heir, implying he still had an inheritance despite what he forfeited. The ring was an affirmation giving him authority. The son remained an heir, even though poor choices, running from home, and wonton self-will had marked him a prodigal. He was given shoes for his worn, dirty, and cracked feet. Perhaps a reminder to stay on the right path? The father completely restored the son’s position and identity. This called for celebration. Do you ever think of God “rejoicing” over you when you turn from self-will to his will? We all have prodigal moments. But are there some prodigals you have been praying for for a long, long time? Keep praying. They may not have made it to the pig pen yet. Keep watching the horizon and get ready to run. Skip your speech and hug them like they’ve never been hugged! That’s how God loves.
Music: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” A hymn sing in England!! Note the broad cross-section of singers! Looks like the church universal.
Prayer:
Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’ Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience. Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and for evermore, Amen.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
Some thoughts:
We may think of this story as a parable about the two sons, but these words tells us it may be more about the boys’ father and his love for them. There is something here that is unique in all of Scripture. Something occurs in this parable that does not happen anywhere else in the Bible. Look again at the verses above and see if you can figure out what it is. Except for this parable, nowhere else does God ever “run” after his children. Jesus walked everywhere. God walked in the Garden in the cool of the evening (Gen. 3:8-10). The good shepherd went to find the lost sheep. He never ran to a situation. God walks beside us (Psalm 23:4). Sometimes he deliberately stayed where he was and made a point of not going after someone (when Lazarus died). God never runs after people. In Jewish culture, it was considered unseemly for an old man to run. Patriarchs did not run. Notice the father didn’t run after his son when he left but ran to his son in granting forgiveness.
In this parable by Jesus, the father, in self-humiliation for the sake of his lost son, ran to meet him. Jesus painted a picture of our heavenly Father and his love for his children. God does not force his way into people’s lives, but he is always near at hand ready to receive his own. He gives people freedom to receive or reject him. Those who truly seek, always find him. He makes sure of that.
Did you also notice that apparently the father was watching for his son’s return. He saw him “from a long way off.” The father was watching and waiting, hoping to see his son return (2 Peter 3:9 “God is not willing that any should perish”). Here is a beautiful picture of God’s love for the repentant person. The son had turned toward home and the father, filled with love, saw him and ran to him, put his arms around him and kissed him. God is patiently waiting for us to turn around when we launch down the road where the street sign says “Self”. There is not a bony fingered condemnation for our self-centered will, but a warm embrace to the repentant and a glad to have you back home. Can you offer this kind of love to someone today? Can you receive it?
Music: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” Fernando Ortega
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.
Some Thoughts
What was I thinking! Have you ever said that? When we first wander off the path, it’s hardly recognizable. We used to live in Seattle. We drove the 2,081 miles 30-hour trip (who’s counting) to the farm in Illinois every summer. There was a point in eastern Washington where the interstate highway I-90 splits. We could go straight and go the northern route through Montana or choose to make a slight veer to the south through Oregon and a day later be somewhere in Nebraska, hundreds of miles to the south of where we might have been. At the time of making the split, it didn’t seem like that significant, but it did set the course for the next several days. The longer we continued our course, the wider the separation.
When the prodigal son left home, all he could see was wealth and good times ahead! It was a much more exciting road than sitting around home. His father wasn’t that old. Why wait around for him to die. The prodigal’s chosen path, however, slowed down and became bumpier with more rocks and ruts. Finally, the ruts became more like a grave with open ends. A person immersed in sin is living outside of their true self (Romans 7:17-20). In the words of C.S. Lewis:
We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road, and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the progressive man (Mere Christianity, Book I chapter 5).
If you are in fantasy land or on the wrong road, turn around (Just to clarify, it is not a sin to drive through North Dakota, though it apparently is if you are doing 90 mph . . .there is nothing out there . . .another story.) The seed of humility in the son we mentioned yesterday began to grow. As he moved toward his true self, he recognized his sin against not only his earthly father, but against heaven itself. This is key. Like King David, he realized his sin was first against God, his heavenly Father, and then against his earthly father. All sin is first and foremost against our Creator. The prodigal repented and went back to the place where he got off track. Home. Notice how much more there is here than a simple “I’m sorry, dad.” There is a complete attitude and heart change. A complete change in direction. That is what happens in true repentance. Where is the path you are on taking you? You are on a path to somewhere.
Music: “Goin Home,” Sissel The song of every prodigal. Sissel does a beautiful and sensitive recording of this classic. I know you heard this song yesterday, it’s worth hearing again in this rendition. Trust me!
Prayer: Fix thou our steps, O Lord, that we stagger not at the uneven motions of the world, but steadily go on to our glorious home; neither censuring our journey by the weather we meet with, nor turning out of the way for anything that befalls us. The winds are often rough, and our own weight presses us downwards. Reach forth, O Lord, thy hand, thy saving hand, and speedily deliver us. Teach us, O Lord, to use this transitory life as pilgrims returning to their beloved home; that we may take what our journey requires, and not think of settling in a foreign country. ―John Wesley, 1703-1791
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”
Some Thoughts
When the “Trinity of Self” was worshiped, it rewarded the indulgent worshiper handsomely. Welcome to the world of “self” son. Should we be surprised that no one gave him anything? That is one of the sorry benefits of this kind of worship; you are on your own. Look with whom he was spending his time and money. This was not a community that was known for giving or forgiving, certainly not sharing. This was the gang of the Trinity of Self, the takers. You see, in this world, it is only a pretend community. That truth became particularly evident when everything headed south for the son.
He was not in Jewish country. He lost his inheritance in a Gentile country, grounds for excommunication. Feeding the pigs was the lowest, degrading job for a Jew, a kind of Jewish Skid Row. He was truly in exile from his father. He personified a disgusting fool. Look at all the people and corporations today who have squandered their wealth on irresponsible living, people with their hands out wanting their share of the stash. Observe all those living beyond their means expecting someone else to bail them out after all, you don’t need to make a payment now . . .or ever. Politicians make a living promising more and more appealing to the envious and greedy. Please note, we speak here not of those who have genuinely fallen on hard times not of their own making, but of those who are absorbed with self, pleasure, and instant gratification.
We see the seeds of humility being planted in the son’s soil of desperation. His loneliness became overwhelming and spurred him to change his course and repent. He began to doubt the value of this “Trinity of Self.” Look for people in your life today who may be in the son’s situation and extend a hand in whatever way to bring them encouragement and hope. There is a little ToS in all of us. Perchance you may even be that person who left home. Go back home. Ask your heavenly Father forgiveness. You won’t be disappointed at his response.
Music: “Goin’ Home,” Libera The voices of angels!
Prayer: Lord, I am blind and helpless, stupid and ignorant. Cause me to hear, cause me to know, teach me to do, lead me. ―Henry Martyn, 1781-1812
“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.”
Some Thoughts
We live in the prodigal’s era of a new trinity. Unlike the real Trinity, this one is not mysterious in the least! You can figure it out naturally and it is easily understood by even the smallest child. It is the trinity of “me, myself, and I.” Those four little, simple, short words speak volumes. The season of Lent is about helping us to recognize how often that idea slips into and shapes our lives and how we are very unlike Jesus. We live in a society, and, indeed in our own lives, where we are very aware of our rights. Look at all the lawsuits and testimonial commercials advertising how much money a certain lawyer got for them in their lawsuit. Be sure you get what’s coming to you and the so and so law firm will get you what you deserve. What strikes me is not that someone was injured and the offending party has a responsibility care for the injured. The focus is we’ll fight to get you the most money possible. It’s all about you! Where did we get this idea of my rights? I think it started in the Garden of Eden.
In this parable, the younger son was a rightful heir, albeit an impatient, self-centered, short-sighted one. He used another version of the personal trinity with four words. Give me my share. I’m embarrassed for him. It revealed so much about his heart. Like Adam, he used what his father had given him to rebel against his father. Notice the Father did not reprimand him, humiliate, or dishonor him in his foolish demand. He granted the demand, knowing full well the consequences of this immature, greedy, self-serving request. What the son was saying in another way was that he wished his father would hurry up and die. He cared so little for his father.
There are certainly many times when our heavenly Father does the same for us. He does not impose his will or force us in any direction. He lets the truthfulness of our heart’s motives reveal themselves to us and to him. It is one of the ways God teaches his children.
The father here likewise does not override the son’s stupidity and immaturity. Can you imagine a love like this so honoring and strong, knowing the foolishness that lies ahead, yet gives his children freedom to fail? There is no “thy will be done” in this son’s demand. As you pray today, be careful of what you ask for. In God’s gracious way, he may give it to you.
Music: “It’s All About Me,” Rob Still Rob was one of my IWS students and has captured today’s cultural mindset in a beautiful way!!! Right! (He’s doing a worship seminar in Hungry.) A little musical change of pace today! (The theme song of the Prodigal!)
Prayer:
O God our Father, help us to nail to the cross of thy dear Son the whole body of our death, the wrong desires of the heart, the sinful devising of the mind, the corrupt apprehensions of the eyes, the cruel words of the tongue, the ill employment of hands and feet; that the old man being crucified and done away, that the new man may live and grow into the glorious likeness thy Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. —Eric Milner White
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
“You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
Some Thoughts
We mentioned yesterday Jesus’ many references to images of light in various ways in his interaction with people. Here is a classic example. Again, a little context is helpful. In previous chapters (7-8), Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. One of the central themes of that festival was the lighting of the menorah and many more lamps creating great light in the Temple reminding the people of God’s presence, the Shekinah glory present in the wilderness Tabernacle and at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. This particular festival also had messianic implications in its anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.
It was during this Feast that Jesus told the people he was, in fact, the Light of the world which created a great stir among the Jewish leaders. In this context, he encountered the blind man and healed him (darkness to light). The leaders refused to believe what they saw, particularly since they knew this person had been blind all his life. They remained in spiritual darkness. The facts didn’t fit their mindset so they sought in various ways to explain away reality. The Pharisees questioned the formerly blind man to no avail. Some of the Jewish leaders were rational and wondered how an ordinary sinner in their view could do such a miracle. There was clear division and dispute among the Jewish leaders. Their solution was to throw the blind man out of the synagogue. But the problem for the leaders is that truth never goes away. Jesus found the man and asked him if he believed in the Son of Man. For Jews “Son of Man” was a loaded question because it had clear and direct implications to the Messiah (book of Daniel). Neutrality was not possible.
This interaction is very similar to Jesus’ concluding conversation with the woman at the well in John 4. The formerly blind man believed and worshiped Jesus on the spot. The spiritually blind woman believed and worshiped Jesus on the spot. The great irony in this account is that a man who was born blind both physically and spiritually gained physical sight (light) and spiritual sight (light). While the spiritual leaders born with physical sight were the ones who remained spiritually blind. In a way, the healed man is symbolic of all humanity. Everyone needs the illumination of Christ, the Light of the world.
Note also that in giving the blind man sight, Jesus used a mixture of clay and saliva in restoring sight to this man much as God used the dust of the earth to create a human being in the Garden of Eden (Irenaeus’ observation). This man is the only blind person Jesus healed who was born blind from birth. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were so convinced and set in their ways, that they were willing to deny the reality in front of them in order to maintain their beliefs. What they saw didn’t fit with what they believed, so they rejected what they saw and remained in the dark spiritually though they claimed to be in the light. Their faith in Moses was not a living faith, for Moses had affirmed Jesus’ mission at the Mount of Transfiguration, though the Pharisees were unaware of that encounter. Jaroslav Pelican commented, “Traditionalism is the dead faith of living people and tradition is the living faith of dead people.” How true! The legalistic faith of the Pharisees died with Moses on Mt. Pisgah. But the grace of Moses’ faith clearly crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land and from there encouraged the Savior on his “exodus.” May we not be so certain in what we know that we miss the work of the Savior among us. He often works outside of our certainty.
Music: “This Little Light of Mine” Moses Hogan Singers
Prayer:
Give me grace, O my Father, to be utterly ashamed of my own reluctance. Rouse me from sloth and coldness and make me desire you with my whole heart. May my faith not be set in legalized stones but in living stones next to the Cornerstone. Teach me to love meditation, sacred reading, particularly Thy word, and a living life of prayer. Teach me to love that which must engage my mind for all eternity. Amen.
―John Henry Newman, Prayers for Easter, p.22, adapted D.S.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Some Thoughts
As we narrow in on Jesus’ life an the ominous weight of the cross draws nearer, we see more and more clearly how single-minded and centrally focused he was. His earlier words, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” was lived out in his words “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He had no home. When he was killed, he had nothing other than the clothes he was stripped of. When he died naked on the cross, he had nothing. He was destitute of everything but breath which would leave shortly. He came to this earth with nothing and he left with nothing. Jesus did not store up treasure on earth. What treasure he stored in heaven, however, is glorious beyond our imagination! His heart was not set on earthly things, but in people. Have you noticed in nearly every mention of Jesus in the New Testament, he is engaged with people, his greatest treasure? Even when it describes him as alone, he is talking with this Father.
Secondly, have you observed the number of times Jesus refers to the subject of light? Healing blind men, calling the Pharisees blind guides, blind fools, I am the Light of the world, Nicodemas’ coming to Jesus at night when it was dark, you are the light of the world, are just some of the instances where Jesus seeks to open the eyes of the blind and to bring Light to “people who walk in darkness.” The reference is to the “eyes of the soul.”
Finally, Jesus makes very clear that to follow him, people must die daily to themselves. Having it both ways is not possible because both masters want everything. They will not share. People serve God or something else. A legitimate question we might ask is, “How much of my life (my time, energy, thought, money) is going into things or pursuits that are of little eternal consequence?” In C.S. Lewis’ words of wisdom, “Do not live these days for things in your life that will end when you do.” If we measure “treasure” only in terms of money, pleasure, leisure, identity, or the material, we see how quickly it can all fade. When we are in the grave, none of those treasures matter in the least. Billionaires take not one cent to the grave.
Do you see in Jesus’ words, the point is not earthly treasures, but the affections of the heart? The quality of the treasure is indicative of the quality of the heart. The character of the heart is central, not the treasure. It is for that heart’s affection that Jesus went to the cross. Where is your heart’s affection today? That is the treasure you are accumulating. Hopefully, it doesn’t end when you do.
Music: “Be Thou My Vision,” Nathan Pacheco
Prayer: May God support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done! Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. ―John Henry Newman 1801-1890
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Some Thoughts
Fasting has long been a religious discipline in many faiths. In the Jewish and Christian tradition it is most often associated with repentance and humbling oneself before God. A Jewish fast would typically be from morning until evening, eating only after sundown. Fasting twice a week was common. We read in the Scriptures frequently of fasting in sackcloth and ashes. There was likewise a keen awareness of one’s mortality. The longing that comes because of a lack of food during a fast, reminds one of our complete and utter dependence upon the Lord for life itself.
There are positive benefits in the discipline. Fasting produces a longing that must be resisted while denying a need or wish. This act is symbolic of the discipline it takes to turn away from sin. True fasting is not simply a repudiation of a physical act. Fasting truly sharpens the mind, sensitizes one’s spirit to the Lord, and quickens spiritual perception. Feeding on Scripture instead of food is of great good. The practice often enables one to gain a clearer focus on what is significant, what is unimportant, and clarifies the clutter of the mind and soul. Fasting can be instrumental in deepening one’s understanding of an issue of concern. We often think of fasting as related solely to food. But fasting can also include abstaining from a particular habit or practice for a period of time. Fasting of some sort is a normal part of Lent. In a kind of reverse fast, one may also take on a particular spiritual discipline for a period of time.
Again, Jesus said when you fast not if you fast. Sometimes there are short total fasts for a day or two or more. On other occasions there are longer fasts, maybe from specific foods, or perhaps choosing to eat only one meal a day for the specific purpose of being liberated from a fleshly habit or desire. Fasting was a normal and regular part of the life of every major character in the Bible. If this is a new area to you, it will be worth doing your own Bible study on fasting, and then adopting it in some form. As you’ll find out, fasting was never intended to manipulate or gain favor with God. As Jesus pointed out, the whole purpose is to deepen one’s relationship with our heavenly Father. Clearly, Lent is not simply about giving up something for the season.
Try setting aside a regular time to fast during these days, perhaps fasting for one meal or one day a week for starters. Of course be sure that you don’t have a medical condition that would make fasting unhealthy or dangerous. Giving alms for the poor, prayer, and fasting, three of the central themes of this season, are three of the disciplines practiced regularly by our Savior. Maybe he knew something we don’t know.
Music: “As the Deer,” Masters Chorale
https://www.youtube.com/watc?v=oYNNIUtQ160Prayer: Come now, little man turn aside for a while from your daily employment, escape for a moment from the tumult of your thoughts. Put aside your weighty cares, let your burdensome distractions wait, free yourself awhile for God and rest awhile in him. Enter the inner chamber of your soul, shut out everything except God and that which can help you in seeking him, and when you have shut the door, seek him. Now, my whole heart, say to God, ‘I seek your face, Lord, it is your face I seek.’ ―Anselm 1033-1109
” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Some Thoughts
Right after Jesus talked about the importance of praying, he gave us an example. Notice his careful choice of words. He began, “Our Father in heaven . . .” He made a point of reminding us of the great reality of the moment. We are not simply saying words, we are talking to the Creator of the universe in real time. As we mentioned yesterday, there are a great many similarities between the Kaddish in the Jewish liturgy of Jesus’ day and the Our Father. You’ll note many, many prayers in the Old Testament begin not with requests but with an acknowledgement of the greatness of God. In the Our Father we are being reminded of whose we are (the Father’s) and at the same time reminding us of the existence of another world we cannot see. The Bible is the one book that presumes the reality of other dimensions and worlds outside the four dimensions in which we live. The writers never presume an allegorical or mythical mindset of heaven. Heaven is always treated as reality.
Perhaps it would be wise for us to think a little more carefully than we sometimes do in how we begin prayers. It might be that “God, we ask you to . . .” may not be the most thoughtful, respectful way to address our Creator. Our words belie our shallow understanding of the One we address. “God” is not meant as a punctuation mark. Notice the way Jesus addresses his Father in John 17. In that chapter John invites us to listen in on Jesus’ conversation with his Father. Jesus is always mindful of who he is and who his Father is. Certainly there are times when a prayer is as short and urgent as “Help, Lord!” Though Jesus is our friend, he is also our coming King, our constant Intercessor, our victorious Warrior, our compassionate Redeemer, our holy Savior, all of which do not make us equals. In his prayers, Jesus was ever aware of his own Father/Son relationship. Remember, we are praying to a Father in heaven who has adopted us as his children. That kind of awareness is perhaps something we can tune our hearts to in our prayers. As you pray this week, be very aware of with whom you are talking. Jesus always was.
Music: “The Lord’s Prayer” Andrea Bocelli
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, all the universe is yours. In its vastness you are everywhere present. No place is too far away to communicate. That you would interact with your creation is wondrous. Forgive us for those times we pray without thinking of the One to whom we are talking; for those times when we babble, lost in our words and our little world, oblivious to your grand design; for those times we drift off and forget we are praying; for those times when we tell you how to solve our problems and how to be God; and for those times when we are disrespectful and arrogant in our prayers as we seek to be clever or earthy. Teach us to pray as your dear Son prayed, for it is in his name that we offer this prayer. Amen. —Daniel Sharp
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Some Thoughts
Again in a plain, beautiful way Jesus simply comments “when you pray.” Prayer, our conversation with God, is a normal, daily part of the Christian life. When is a word of action. It occurs in time. It signals the beginning of an event. So in Jesus saying when, his full expectation is that prayer is a part of our daily lives. The hypocrites, who have turned praying into a show of spirituality, miss the heart of prayer, which is personal, intimate communion with God.
I couldn’t help but notice Jesus’ play on the word seen. Hypocrites were condemned for praying to be seen by others. Jesus then makes a point of praying in secret by going alone into one’s own room and shutting the door and praying to Father who is unseen. The humorous irony is that the unseen Father sees you and rewards you. The hypocrite’s shallow reward is from man, your eternal reward is from God.
Notice Jesus does not condemn many words, just words that are babble. The words we use are meant to be communion with God. Nor does he condemn repetition, only vain repetition. You’ll recall Jesus gave us a model prayer to pray (the Lord’s Prayer) . . . which is based on a Jewish prayer from the synagogue liturgy (Kaddish), a prayer still prayed today in Jewish worship. True prayer is not telling God what he already knows and our telling him what to do about it! True prayer is humbling ourselves before God in privacy and praying to our Father who knows what we need. In praying every day with the same request, we need to be careful not to do so with a detached heart in order to get through our prayer list. I’m talking to myself here!
Having said that, maybe you want to keep a prayer list or a prayer journal. It is very encouraging to be praying for some situation over a period of time and then see it come to fruition in God’s timing. While interceding for others is an important part of prayer, don’t neglect adoration, confession, and thanksgiving. I’ve noticed we’re very good at asking. In prayer we are turning to God in dependency as we turn from sin. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. One of the other important, though often neglected and difficult parts of prayer, is that of taking the time to listen to the Lord. My tendency is to be quiet a little bit and then get going. I’m still working on the listening part. There are a great many examples of prayer in Scripture to guide us along (Col. 1:9-14; Phil. 1:3-11; Dan. 9:1-19). Maybe during the Lenten season you’ll want to build a collection of all the prayers you can find in Scripture to deepen your prayer life as you learn from the saints.
Music: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” Alan Jackson
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, our Intercessor, may our hearts be open to you, to see as you see. May we be obedient to your voice. Help us learn to be quiet and listen to you. May your voice become more and more familiar to our ears. May our prayer life with you multiply many times throughout the day. We ask that today you’d bring to our minds those people who need prayer. May we be free to pray with those in need as we go through the mornings, afternoons, and evenings of our lives. In all of this, may you receive glory. Thank you for praying for us continually. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who with the Father and Holy Spirit is worshiped and glorified, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Some Thoughts
We don’t need big words to say powerful things. These words of Jesus have four or fewer letters and most have a single syllable. He couldn’t be clearer. Ours is a faith that expresses itself in actions. Giving to the needy is one of those expected actions that is done not to buy God’s favor, make him love us more, or earn salvation. We give to those in need as an expression of our loving relationship with our heavenly Father. Giving is what we do as Christians in expressing our love. Jesus was clear. He didn’t say if you give to the needy, but rather when you give to the needy. Giving alms (money, food, or clothing) is one of the three primary themes of Lent along with fasting and praying. Have you noticed that is exactly what Jesus did his whole life? He fasted regularly; he prayed often; he gave continually to all, especially to those in need.
In observing Jesus’ giving during his time on earth, I can’t think of one time when he gave money. The Bible doesn’t say anything about his bank account or if he even had one. When he paid his taxes, the coin was procured from the mouth of a fish! But in keeping with his words, Jesus did not broadcast when he gave to people so we don’t know about the money side of his life. He gave food to thousands when the five and four thousand were fed and clothing to the demoniac. What we do know is how much of his time he gave to people in need, all kinds of needs. His timing for giving was often guided by the needs of those around him. Jesus’ “when you give” seemed always to be tuned to the situation at hand. Also concerning the “when,” there is also no record of Jesus running anywhere. He often gave until he was exhausted and we are the beneficiaries. Not only is Jesus our model, but the Holy Spirit is also our source of strength to give. Does someone just need to be listened to? Expand your alms thinking. Ask the Lord to bring to mind someone you can encourage and give to in a practical way. It’s living the life of Jesus.
Music: “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus,” Simon Khorolskiy
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, our Sustainer and Provider, help us to be your hands and feet to those in need. You have given to us so lavishly in so many varied ways. Tune our hearts to your own generous heart that we may more and more see as you see and do something about it. May the gradual transformation of our being into your likeness lead to the transformation of our doing. Thank you for coming to us in our great need. You are our only hope and salvation. May we bring hope, the hope found in you, to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ―Daniel Sharp
I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever.
Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.
How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.
I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.
If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work. I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.
Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God.”
Some Thoughts
Have you ever noticed that many of the New Testament letters had to do with combating the heresies circulating in those days? (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, I Timothy, 2 Peter, Jude, John, and I, II, & III John!) Peter, Paul, Jude, and John all addressed the issue of false teaching about Jesus’ identity and what he taught. Notice also in this shortest book in the New Testament that John also stresses loving one another with discernment in the midst of confusing times. This is a striking letter in light of the 21st century church. But this is not the first time people have grappled and rejected the truth. Thomas Jefferson went through the Bible with a razor and cut out everything that had to do with the divinity of Christ or miracles and made up his own bible. It is a sad book. No hope, only moral teachings, no resurrection, no Pentecost, no Second Coming, no heaven, no sin, no relationship with God.
In our day, not only is there hostility toward Christianity in some places, but there is also conflict within the church itself. Denominations split over doctrine and interpretation of Scripture to the point where heresies have entered the church in some quarters. In some churches the Bible is viewed as non-authoritative and in need of being reevaluated and reinterpreted. Enlightened humans will decide what it says and means considering today’s culture. There are individual churches and some denominations which have reexamined marriage. In such places marriage is no longer between one man and one woman, there are other options. Gender is no longer simply male and female, there are additional choices. Killing children waiting to be born is re-interpreted to as a woman’s right to choose (notice a pregnant woman is not referred to as a mother-to-be). For others, Jesus is not the only way to salvation. Hell is more of an idea than a reality and so forth.
The divinely inspired words of the Scriptures span all of time. The challenge for us is to know what the Scriptures do in fact say, and most particularly, what did Jesus say regarding the Scripture of his day, the Old Testament. He freely quoted passages as God’s inspired word. He believed and taught every word of it as true. He fulfilled it. John points out here that we are to “remain in the teaching of Christ” that we might remain in relationship with both the Father and the Son.
Did you notice something else in this pericope? John wrote about loving brothers and sisters in Christ as an act of obedience to God’s commands. But in his next thoughts he reminded his readers to have nothing to do with those who taught heresy. Do not embrace their teachings. Do not encourage them. Love does not mean you agree with everyone in the name of love. Loving in a Christian manner is loving with discernment.
In our journey to the cross with Christ during this season, we can rest assured in the truth of his word and in Jesus’ view of the Scriptures. Such is the purpose of these daily devotionals, that we would spend time and encounter the Lord each day. Oh yes and remember to love your brothers and sisters in Christ and those potential brother and sisters.
Music: “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Fernando Ortega
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b0FTKMYGZ4
Make no mistake: if He rose at all it was as His body; if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle, the Church will fall . . . Let us not mock God with metaphor, analogy, sidestepping, transcendence; making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of earlier ages: let us walk through the door. ―John Updike
Prayer:
Lord God, your claims are absolute; we must accept them without bargaining. You are always right. Your demands are so full of blessings! I thank you for your severity as Redeemer, I thank You for never having allowed us to mingle the odor of death with Your perfume of eternity. I shall go towards You as towards my state of rest and my eternal life. In Your two hands You hold my being; and You are my reward, because the perfection of my being lies in You. Grant that I may love more and more of this life of faith, wholly irradiated by hope; grant that I may love this desert-place where You have put my soul, this immense plain with You in the center, where I stand always before You and someday soon, by Your Grace, by Your side. Amen.
Eventually [Jesus] came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”
Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone,“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Some Thoughts
My guess is that you have read this particular passage many, many times and have listened to more than one sermon addressing this account of “Jesus and the Woman at the Well.” What more is there to say? I have found so often in Scripture that God has more things to tell me about himself that further alters the way I am to live and be, even from passages I’ve heard many times before. This pericope is another one of those conversations with God. The familiar part is that Jesus had walked a long way out of the way resulting in his being in hostile territory. It was noontime. He was tired. A questionable Samaritan woman came to the well for water. They were alone in a culturally improper, inappropriate setting. That is the general situation, now some context.
Jesus had been in Judea and was traveling back north to Galilee. The main road from Jerusalem to the Galilee region ran straight through Samaria (presently included in the West Bank). Normally Jews avoided Samaria altogether and traveled on the east side of the Jordan River, the eastern boundary of Samaria, which was both a region and the name of the capital. Rather than going the usual eastern route, Jesus went straight through the middle of Samaria. Sychar was a little village just outside the capitol. The Samaritans were half-breed Jews, coming from the ten northern tribes who had intermarried with various nations who had invaded their land in the past. Some scholars believe that Samaritan Sanballat, who had given Ezra and Nehemiah such grief in rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem, was the one who built the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim.
In terms of religion, the Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch as their scripture and, like the Jews, were looking for the messiah. The Jews wanted nothing to do with Samaritans. They resented any blood relationship, which makes Jesus’ story of the “good Samaritan” even more pointed. Into this setting Jesus asks the woman for a drink. She was surprised and asked why he would ask her. He commented about living water. (Cisterns and wells had “dead” water. “Living water” was fresh flowing water. Samaria had no rivers and no “living water,” hence her comment.) She gave a little dig at him in her comment if he thought he was greater than our ancestor Jacob, reminding him that Jews and Samaritans had a common ancestor.
Then came Jesus’ comment about the husbands. What strikes me is her immediate comment suggesting he must be a prophet for only a prophet could know hidden truth. There was no way a normal person could know about her past. I think she realized she was talking to an authentic prophet and so asked him a question about the ongoing controversy of the day between the Jews and Samaritans, worship at Gerizim (Samaritan temple) or Jerusalem (Jewish temple)? Who’s right? A true prophet would know. Jesus’ response was salvation comes from the Jews, not the Samaritans. But Jesus continued carrying the conversation to an even deeper level to the heart of her question. Worship is not about a place but takes place in spirit and in truth. Worship is not a ritual. The doubting woman’s response was immediate. When the Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us. Then came Jesus’ most powerful response, “I AM the Messiah.” She ran to town to tell everyone what had happened. As a result, Jesus was invited to go into the town and many people became believers as a result.
Here are some things you may have noticed about Jesus in this encounter. He went out of his way into uncomfortable territory and crossed cultural barriers to meet someone who was socially unacceptable. He engaged her in her world. He asked something from her in starting the conversation. What followed were five questions from her. He led her into the truth. Though he knew her past, he did not condemn her. He went past her surface reactions and offered salvation and healing to her broken heart. He revealed himself to one who was truly open to the gospel. He forced nothing but responded to her questions. He followed up by staying more days in her town. Jesus has given us a model in sharing the gospel. Might we encounter a Samaritan man or woman today?
Music: “Jesus Messiah,” Gaither Vocal Band
Bonus:
Jesus and Samaritan woman from “The Chosen”
Prayer:
O God, who wouldest not [will] the death of a sinner, but that he should be converted and live: forgive the sins of us who turn to thee with all our heart and grant us the grace of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ―Early Scottish Prayer
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.”
Some Thoughts
One of the more familiar accounts in the gospels is the interaction between Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees and one of the esteemed seventy rulers (like a Jewish Supreme Court), and Jesus. His coming at night presents a picture of one who is in the dark spiritually seeking light, a common theme in John’s gospel. In this portion of their conversation, one thing you notice is Nicodemus’ struggle to think beyond a literal physical birth in trying to understand the meaning of a spiritual birth or being born again. Jewish leaders did not believe they needed to repent of their sin. Their way to salvation was through observing the law and the traditions. They didn’t need to be saved or born again. After all, they were God’s chosen people. So Jesus’ idea of being born into the Kingdom of God did not fit their theology. But Nicodemus was open minded toward Jesus, hence this meeting under the cover of night.
Jesus’ challenge to Nicodemus was if you won’t believe what I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe what I tell you about heavenly things? Jesus’ explanation was a magnificent account showing how earth-bound humans can be connected to heaven, to God, a relationship established through the action of the Holy Spirit resulting in a spiritual birth. No person has a spiritual birth simply as a result of rational thinking. The point Jesus was making was that human striving or effort will never get one into the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Spirit is the agent from above granting a new birth even as a person exercises faith. Baptism is the result of the gracious act of God and a believing human.
In Jesus’ words on entering the Kingdom of God, he said that it was necessary to be born of water and the Spirit. There has been much discussion through the centuries as to what born of water means. One thought was that it referred to John’s baptism of repentance. A second thought was that it refers to procreation and a third is that it alludes to Christian baptism, though that has not yet occurred at this point. Whichever view one holds, the main point is the activity of the Spirit in bringing new birth.
In giving added authority to his comment, Jesus then makes a once in eternity statement, “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned, but the Son of Man has come down from heaven!” In other words, there is no way humans can ever attain heaven on their own. In Jesus, earthly history and theology are melded into one. The Son of Man came from heaven, took on human flesh, died, rose again, returned to heaven awaiting his final return to earth. There is no religion in the world where the god became fully human, dwelt on earth, died, and rose again, and returned to heaven. Christianity is unique. Thank God today for your spiritual birth and continue to pray for those who have not yet been born of water and the Spirit. Be encouraged. Keep praying for the Nicodemus’ in your world.
While today’s music is often associated with Advent, it is music of the Incarnation and after all, Advent, Christmastide, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost are all part of the same story! The name of the group is perfect for today’s Scripture passage.
Music: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” Out of Darkness
Bonus:
Jesus interacts with Nicodemus in “The Chosen”
Prayer:
Gracious God, you brought Christ into the world to bear our afflictions, and by his stripes we are healed; we come with thanksgiving for his cleansing redemption. Purge the stain of sin within us and give us clean hearts, that we may serve you more faithfully. Renew right minds that we may enjoy the fruits of your Spirit and abound in the love, joy, peace, goodness, and faithfulness we find in the reconciling love of Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.
And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.”
So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.
Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.
After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared.
Some Thoughts
This passage from Exodus is the iconic picture of humanity! I’m going to back up a bit to bring this portion into context. The Israelites were freed from 430 years of slavery to the Egyptians a month ago. They had just left an oasis and were continuing towards the Promised Land, the land God had given them. These people, a million plus strong, were complaining about Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership. In the people’s words, we sat around in Egypt with pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted! They were slaves after all! They didn’t sit around at a barbecue in the evenings.
Complaining often blinds us to reality and tends to feed more complaining, which was true for these people. Moses was quick to remind them their gripe was against God, not against him and his brother. Moses wanted no part of the crabbing. The Lord then told Moses his plan which was to give the Israelites food one day at a time, just the amount they needed for that day. Then the day before the Sabbath, they should take a double portion because God would provide no manna on the Sabbath. God was resting from any work on that day and they should too. So far so good.
Then we come to the passage you just read. Aaron passed God’s words and plan along to the people. They had been complaining about meat and bread and God provided both, even with the same words of their complaint. (All the bread you want . . .) And the point? Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. And that phrase is the point. The awesome glory of God in the cloud was a visual, physical reminder to the people of God’s continuing presence with them. Notice God provided exactly what they needed and the amount they needed. They had to trust him for each day’s need. If they got greedy, the food spoiled. If they got lazy, they went hungry. And of course some people tried it both ways as the passage continues after the portion you read.
This account of the desert wanderings has a very clear point. We are to learn to turn to the Lord each day for sustenance. The purpose is to learn to rely on him for the immediate present. Don’t worry about next week. (Matthew 6:34, Jesus’ words, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”) Go to him daily for relationship and for nourishment. He will always provide. And quit complaining imagining things are better in another situation. Have you ever noticed that complaining is always self-focused? P.S. That entire generation to a person, hundreds of thousands of people died in the desert, never arriving to the place God had promised them. The Israelites turned what should have been an eleven-day journey into the Promised Land into a forty-year death march. And all because they could not trust the Lord one day at a time.
Music: “To God Be the Glory,” Sissel
If you let it keep running after this video, there are additional videos of her singing this piece at different years in her life. A gorgeous voice. Not to be missed.
Prayer:
Almighty God, forgive my doubt, my anger, my complaining, my pride, my greed, my selfishness, my sinful thoughts, my impatience, my laziness . . . Lord, you get the idea. I am a sinner through and through. Lord Jesus, help me learn to live with a grateful heart, a patient heart, a trusting heart, a clean heart, a tender heart, a truthful heart, a heart more like yours as you live in and through me. May I grow in holy living. By your grace and nourishment I will endeavor to continue the journey through the desert of this world until I cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, the Land you have prepared for all your children to dwell in your presence for the rest of Eternity. In the name of the one who is the Bread of Life, even Jesus my Savior. Amen. ―Daniel Sharp
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good news that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Some Thoughts
You may have often heard that God has a wonderful plan for your life. If you are like me, I find it easy to think of God’s plan in terms of specific things or events in my life. I’m not so sure this concept is always what God has in mind. Sometimes, yes, it appears to be the case. Maybe there was some event or action that you recognized had God’s hand all over it. But there are plenty of other times when it seems God’s plan is a complete mystery.
The pericope you just read is one of the clearest articulations of God’s purpose for his Son and for us. It tells us how God feels about human beings and how it is possible for humans to relate to God. His love for everyone and desire to forgive sin is clear. Christ will fulfill his plan and bring pleasure and glory to God as it comes to fruition. When there is a plan, it is important to know the end result when the plan is completed. What does it look like when it is finished? In these verses God gives us that picture. Those people who are his own are guaranteed an inheritance by the Holy Spirit in their lives. All the work of Christ happened so believers might offer praise and glory to God. All of this comes together under the authority of Christ at the right time. What detail, one that we wish were there, is missing in this passage? The timing of getting to the end of God’s plan. There is a reason.
As you read in the passage above, God’s plan is to fulfill his own good pleasure. If our desire is to bring glory to God in our lifetime, then we do want to be in accord with his plan. It is the only way glory will go to God. The italicized print clarifies the timing of such. My problem is I don’t know the timing and God isn’t telling me. Matthew Henry has two very pertinent quotes: “God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events and reserved for himself the knowledge of them, [why?] that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself and a continued readiness for every event.” And “Cast not away your confidence because God defers his performances. That which does not come in your time, will be hastened in his time, which is always the more convenient season. God will work when he pleases, how he pleases, and by what means he pleases. He is not bound to keep our time, but he will perform his work, honor our faith, and reward them that diligently seek him.” Well said, Matthew! Hang in there folks.
Music: “Abide with Me,” St. Olaf Cantori and Congregation
This is worth your 7 minutes and 12 seconds! THIS IS CONGREGATIONAL SINGING! Note the number of millennials in the congregation singing! Let’s hear it for the Lutherans!
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide; When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see— O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour; What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r? Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness; Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies; Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Prayer:
Almighty and ever-blessed God, I thank Thee for the love wherewith Thou dost follow me all the days of my life. I thank Thee that Thou dost inform my mind with Thy divine truth and undergird my will with Thy Spirit’s leading, and for all those little happenings which, though seeming at the time no more than chance, yet afterwards appears to me as part of Thy gracious plan for the education of my soul. O let me not refuse Thy leading or quench this light which Thou hast kindled within me, but rather let me daily grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord and Master. Amen.
When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.
That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city.
Some Thoughts
If you knew you were to die for certain in three weeks, what would you do? My guess is you could care less about the news or the weather or sports or finishing up the quarterly report. My guess is we’d call together the people we are closest to and love dearly and tell them what is most important to us. I’ve always been curious as to those things which were significant to Jesus as he neared the end of his earthly life. A quarter to one half of each gospel is devoted to the last six days of Jesus’ life on earth. Unlike us, he knew he was going to die and knew when he would die. This pericope gives us one of the early insights into Jesus’ perspective as to what was important to God.
God’s house, the Temple, was to be a place of prayer for everyone, not just the Jews. That was a surprise to everyone in Jesus’ day. It was to be a place of communing with God the Father, of intimate conversation with the Creator. It had become something else, a place of crass religious business. As you might guess, the merchants were not pleased that he called them out and destroyed their crass business. So the religious leaders and teachers, encouraged by the merchants no doubt, began to hatch a plot to kill Jesus, even though he was very popular.
Jesus’ heart lay with all people communing with his Father in prayer. I wonder if that is what happens when the body of Christ gathers for worship these days? Is worship in your church a place of communing with the Father as a congregation or do we have a “high five, yeah Jesus time?” Is catching up with others on the past week the highest priority? Do we acknowledge the presence of God in our midst at a conscious level? When was the last time the body of Christ was on its knees in repentance in awe of our life-giving Savior. Just asking. So, what would you say to your children, grandchildren, or nieces or nephews, or some other close friends as you came to the end of your life on earth?
My father finished lunch, went out in the barnyard to move a grain elevator, and a split second later was in heaven when a cable snapped. What are the most important things you want to communicate to your loved ones? What’s keeping you? You know, you are not guaranteed next week or even tomorrow. I know what was most important to my dad. He lived it and taught it.
Music: “Salvation Is Created,” National Lutheran Choir
Prayer
Almighty God, the giver of all life and breath and hope, I worship and glorify your holy name. The whole creation has come into being through your power; and I rejoice that your purpose for creation is a loving purpose. You revealed your love for me in Jesus Christ; and I am privileged indeed to have been brought to a living faith in you. Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have made myself and my feelings the center of my worship. With people in every corner of the world I join our offering of worship with the offering that rises to you constantly from earth and heaven. Blessing and honor and glory and power be to our God―Father, Son and Spirit―on this day and always; through the priesthood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
―Prayers for Sunday Services, p.40, adapted Daniel Sharp
You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”
Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”
And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Some Thoughts
In today’s passage, Peter reminds us that we are living stones, an actual part of the Temple in which Jesus is the cornerstone. This is not pretend faith. We are part of the real thing, a world that is bigger and extends beyond what you and I can see. It doesn’t feel like it, does it? As you are sitting somewhere reading this, my guess is that it doesn’t feel very spiritual. Us as living stones may seem more like a “theological principle” than reality is my guess. The truth is, we are part of another world. We’re so often caught up in this present world, that we forget about the biggest picture.
Did you notice how obedience to God’s word enters in here again? How often have you heard, “But I don’t feel like it.” Obedience doesn’t rely on feelings at its core. In the Hebrew mind, doing is the evidence that one has heard. Think of the Shema. If there is no action, one has not heard. Look at all the examples in the Scriptures. Action is the evidence that you have heard. In their growing up years, we sought to impress this concept upon our children― “Time to go to bed . . . ok, I heard you dad . . . Are you in bed . . . I’m going . . .” with varied results!
The mercy here is that we are God’s chosen children. He called us out of our bondage to sin and now we are marked with his identity. The season of Lent is concerned with God’s recovering and restoring a people for himself. We are a part of a great human exodus, an exodus from slavery to sin to freedom from sin, from darkness to light. Sadly, there are always those who wish to remain in Egypt under the yoke of slavery to sin. But we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. The Tabernacle in the wilderness is us, the place of God’s dwelling. Can you doubt we are living in a wilderness? You and I are parts of God’s physical kingdom on earth. We didn’t used to be, but, having come to faith in Jesus, now we are living stones in his earthly Temple. So, do the work of a priest today. Bind the broken-hearted, support the weak, honor all people. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t really matter how you feel. Do it!
Music: “Miserere Mei,” Tenebrae Choir
This is a setting of the confessional Psalm 51
Prayer:
Go forth into the world in peace, be of good courage, hold fast to that which is good, render to no one evil for evil, strengthen the faint hearted, support the weak, help the afflicted, honor all people, love and serve the Lord rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, and may God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you now and always. Amen. ―1928 Book of Common Prayer
Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven. “This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendantsbeyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.
Some Thoughts
As the Lenten season begins to point more specifically toward the cross, we come to this familiar story of Abraham and Isaac. There are so many familiarities and Christological types in the First Testament. Another way to look at these accounts is what the Scriptures call shadows. Abraham was a type of God the Father figure in that he did not withhold his son, his only son whom he loved. We are reminded of Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration when the Father spoke from heaven “this is my beloved son, my chosen one, listen to him.” Isaac was a type of Christ figure. He was the chosen one rather than Ishmael. As Jesus carried the wooden cross on his back for his sacrifice, so also Isaac carried the wood on his back for his sacrifice. A lamb was eventually sacrificed in place of Isaac, but Jesus, as the Lamb of God, laid down his life as our sacrifice. There were two servant witnesses who accompanied Abraham and Isaac but did not observe the eventual sacrifice. There were two thieves who bore witness to the crucifixion of Jesus. (Jewish law required the testimony of at least two witnesses to verify the truth in any situation. Deut.17:6)
The sacrifice of the ram took place on Mt. Moriah, which can also be a region, the eventual site of Solomon’s Temple as well as Golgotha. A donkey went with them reminding us of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The sacrifice was offered on the third day. As it turned out, Isaac, was in effect, raised from the dead on the third day. As God the Father raised Jesus on the third day, so Abraham believed God would raise his slain son (Heb.11:19). I’m not making this up! The one performing the burnt offering was also the one who slayed the sacrifice. A burnt sacrifice was consumed completely by the fire, unlike other types of sacrifices which often had some portion of the sacrifice go to the priest. This sacrifice was to atone for a sinful state, rather than for forgiveness of a specific sin. The sacrificial victim was to be in perfect health at the onset of the prime of its life. While the sacrifice of the ram was a substitute in place of Isaac Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was in our place. Indeed, as the Scripture says, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Abraham returned home with his son. And we await the return of our Father in heaven with his Son. The ultimate sacrifice has been completed. So where does this account register with us today? What difference does it make? What happened to Abraham in the story, happens to each of us every day if we will recognize it. While certainly not as dramatic, the core principle certainly presents itself. When God called Abraham, his response was “Here I am.” The Hebrew word is hineni. The closest we can get in meaning in English is readiness, alertness, attentiveness, very responsive to instructions. I think of asking your dog if he wants to go for a walk! Imagine God asking you that question every morning. Do you want to walk in my path today? He does. And we have a choice to die to ourselves each morning. Will I rely on my own insight in every situation that arises? Will I listen for God’s voice today? Will I trust God when a situation looks impossible? Will I be obedient to what God shows me even if it doesn’t make sense to me? Will I act on what God shows me? Jesus is our perfect model.
Music: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” Massed Choirs, Weston Noble,
-Isaac Watts
When I survey the wondrous cross
On with the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.
See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down,
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
(This may well be the grandest hymn in the English language.)
Prayer:
You are God and we praise you; you are the Lord and we acclaim you; you are the eternal Father; all creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, cherubim and seraphim sing in endless praise, Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; Heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you; the noble fellowship of prophets praise you; the white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the whole world the holy church acclaims you, Father of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit advocate and guide. To you eternal God, three in one we give you praise. Amen.
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.
Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.
As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Some Thoughts
What would have it been like for you as one of his disciples to travel with the famous Jesus? He was a rock star. Great crowds of people showed up wherever you all went. You saw his miracles with your own eyes. You lived and travelled with him. He even gave you power to do a few miracles yourself. Now as Peter, James, or John, you were a part of his inner circle yet you couldn’t quite figure him out. Where was he headed with his mission? Sometimes you were almost afraid of him or fearful of asking him to clarify what you didn’t understand. This was a pretty heady time for you as a very ordinary blue-collar disciple. The only really unusual thing was that he chose you to follow him in the first place. And now you have this unusual experience.
Jesus often referred to himself in the third person as the Son of Man. In fact, just before the passage of Scripture you just read, he had asked the twelve disciples this pointed question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Peter (of course) answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then told the three not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. To a disciple, this must have seemed to be a very strange request.
A short time later Matthew recorded an event called the Transfiguration. Jesus took his inner circle, Peter, James, and John with him to a mountain top. There is speculation as to on which mountain this occurred, though Mt. Tabor is assumed to be the location according to tradition. This unique event affirmed three things: the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, his relationship to the Old Testament greats, as well as the Father’s affirming of his mission.
The presence of Moses and Elijah may seem a curious pair at first. Why these two men? Moses died 1400 years earlier and Elijah around 850 BCE. Moses led the first exodus of Jews from the bondage of slavery to freedom in a shadow of what was to come. We learn from the Synoptics that the conversation among Moses, Elijah, and Jesus concerned Jesus’ own “exodus” from this world, that’s the word Luke used (Luke 9:31). The Transfiguration showed that Jesus was the new and better Moses leading all peoples enslaved to sin to a path to eternal freedom. Moses died looking into the Promised Land and was buried by God himself in an unknown grave. Moses was held in highest esteem by the Jews, as the one who received and represented the Law, after all, he had talked with God directly and represented the very best of tradition and truth under the Law. In contrast, Jesus fulfilled the Law, died and entered a known grave, overcame death, rose again, and opened the way for all to enter the Promised Land.
You’ll recall Elijah did not die, but rather was taken by a chariot of fire straight to heaven. He was viewed as one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. He was the prophet Malachi announced would appear to prepare the way of the Lord (Malachi 4:5. Note that Malachi also pairs him with Moses and the Law in the previous verse). The Transfiguration fulfills Malachi’s prophecy concerning Moses and Elijah. Here the disciples saw two very noteworthy, prominent Old Testament figures in Moses and Elijah appearing from that Promised Land. They apparently came to comfort and give solace to Jesus as he prepared to give his life as the ultimate Lamb of God in freeing all peoples from the bondage of sin. When the cloud lifted the disciples saw only Jesus indicating that the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) had been fulfilled as only Jesus was left standing in shining brilliance. Their work was finished as Jesus embarked on his. Clearly, Peter’s suggestion of building three equal booths was inappropriate. The disciples were witnesses to the brilliance of the event and the affirmation of Jesus as God spoke from heaven.
Then we read further that Jesus told these three to say nothing of what they had seen and heard. Why? It was not yet God the Father’s timing. Why did these three get to see this event and not the other disciples? It appears Jesus was grooming them for leadership after he was gone. After the resurrection and ascension, Peter and John did assume significant leadership in the early days of the church. James was killed early on (Acts 12:2). Peter later referred to seeing Jesus’ glory (2 Peter 1:16-21) and cited the experience as giving him greater confidence in the truth of Jesus as the Son of God as they led the early church. Remember, the disciples were trying to understand Jesus’ mission.
What does this have to do with Lent? We can always have great confidence in the great and detailed care God gave in bringing redemption to all tribes, tongues, and nations. His plan begun before the dawn of creation, came to a pivotal point in the Transfiguration, and continues to this day. It will culminate in the Lord’s Return which will usher in the heavenly realm for all eternity . . . and all Jesus’ disciples worldwide will be there!
Music: “Sanctus,” from Requiem Durufle Robert Shaw Festival Singers
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest.”
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, until the day when we see Thee face to face in all Thy glory, when we don’t have to come down the mountain but dwell in Thy presence forever, when we see what we’ve never even conceived, when we hear music that our ears have never even imagined, when the whole world sees the glory of the glorious Son of God, until then may we be faithful. May we not keep quiet, but go into all our world preaching the great Good News of redemption in Christ in deeds, in words and in demeanor. Amen.
“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.
“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.
“O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”
I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the LORD my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given.And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.
“A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.”
Some thoughts:
The reading today is the concluding portion of Daniel’s prayer to the Lord. Daniel had been given a vision concerning the time to come. Interestingly, the message was given by the angel, Gabriel, the same angel who would hundreds of years later speak to Zachariah and Mary. Here again is news concerning the Messiah and Jerusalem. This task seems to be Gabriel’s job. The understanding of his message has been subject to a wide variety of interpretations. Our interest is with his prayer.
This prayer gives us much insight into the act of prayer itself, one of the key themes of the Lenten season along with fasting, and giving to the poor. Notice several things in Daniel’s words: 1) We are reminded of God’s covenant promise to his people. In prayer it is always good to begin with reiterating the great truths about God. It puts our heart and mind into the right context for the rest of our prayer. [cf. Yesterday’s devotional] 2) Daniel confessed his own sin as well as the sins of his people. Moreover, he did not say we’ve made mistakes; we’ve used bad judgment; we should have been wiser, we misread the situation. His words were: we were wicked; we rebelled; we turned away; we did not listen. There is complete admission that we have been in the wrong.
In looking at today’s pericope we read the expression of a truly repentant heart and one of the most touching passages in Scripture. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name. Note the thrice appeal. There are few three’s in the Bible, this is one of them. It is worth reflecting on these appeals in light of the Trinity. We also see that the fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much (James 5:16). Daniel’s prayer moved heaven itself. What does all this tell us? Prayer is effective in the courts of heaven and on earth. There are times when God is moved to action by our prayers. Gabriel’s words to Daniel were the moment you began praying, a command was given. Prayer is not limited to earthly chronological time. Keep praying God’s timetable. In his prayer, Daniel was given God’s perspective on the situation since he had been reading Jeremiah’s prophecy prior to beginning this prayer (Dan.9:2-3). As you pray today for those things on your heart, listen for God’s perspective in the Scriptures. What has he put on your heart. Pray for that. You may have to sit, be quiet, and meditate on his word.
Prayer: God of compassion, you are slow to anger and full of mercy, welcoming sinners who return to you with penitent hearts. Receive in your loving embrace all who come home to you. We confess that we have been wayward children. We have disobeyed your commands; our ears have been deaf to your call; our hearts have been cold to your love. In thought, in word, and in deed, in attitude we have hurt others and dishonored your name. Our sin is against you. Receive us yet again as your beloved children, not because we are worthy but for the sake of him who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen. -Anonymous
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Some Thoughts
Asaph, the author of this psalm had nearly given up on God. His words? This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me. Have you ever felt that God is working against you? There is no worse feeling than concluding that someone has given up on you . . . especially when it’s you. It’s even worse when that someone is God. What’s the use? It’s over. We’ve made too big a mess. It can’t be fixed. Even in that state, if we’re honest, we’re hoping for a deep down miracle of someone changing their mind about us or that the situation will miraculously turn around or melt away. “The Most High has turned his hand against me . . .” Is there a way to be convinced that God hasn’t slammed the door on us?
There is the famous little three letter word “but” followed by “recall”. Yes, in those moments of greatest doubt and discouragement, let history come to the rescue. History is much longer than the time you are in and may also provide a better perspective than you have in this moment. Why do you think that throughout the entire Old Testament God continually reminded the people to recite their history? I’m indebted to Dennis Prager for this thought. Memory permeates faith. No memory, no faith. Memory permeates gratitude. No memory, no gratitude. God commanded that his people remember certain feasts for that very purpose (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles).
On top of that, God has selective memory and so should we. He cannot remember sin, but he does remember his covenant. In moments of greatest doubt go to what you know is true from the past. The psalmist writes “I recall all you have done O Lord.” Truth filled history adjusts and corrects current perspective. The psalmist lets God’s past action permeate his mind. “I cannot stop thinking about . . . they are constantly in my thoughts.”
There is another thing to note about this psalm. Our passage begins with verse ten. The first nine verses you haven’t read are a cry from one who feels forgotten by God. Verse ten, our beginning sums up the first nine verses. Once the psalmist moves from his perspective to God’s history things change. The last four verses which we do not have, name specific acts of redemption of the people’s history with God
The next time you are low and are convinced God has forgotten you, stick a big “but” in the middle of your thoughts. Then shift your thinking and remember God’s actions toward you in the past. Let his past work in your life permeate your mind. As you remember God’s actions, you’ll most likely hear his voice talking to you reminding you what is true. God will never forget you.
Music: “Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy,” Fernando Ortega
Prayer:
Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought can drag downwards; unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can wear out; upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
Some Thoughts
You have read at different times in the First Testament how the pagans worshiped in “high places” and on hilltops under spreading trees. Why? The reason is in order to be closer to the gods! This idolatrous cultic practice on mountains had an unhealthy attraction for God’s people. The opening of this psalm could be read as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer. Your help does not come from gods worshiped on mountain tops. Your help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth and the mountains!
This psalm is an underscoring of Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Though this great Creator God created all that exists, he is still concerned and cares about you. He is always tuned to his creation for he never slumbers or sleeps. Think about it. Our God is always awake dialed into everything going on in his creation in all parts of everywhere in the known and unknown worlds since before time began. It’s exhausting even thinking about it. And God does all of this without expending himself in any way. He never tires. He never has a pause. He watches over nations and over you and me right now.
The sun and the moon were objects of cultic worship in those days and in our day in New Age thought as well, so the psalmist makes clear the Lord is master of both sun and moon. They have no power as gods in any way. You need not fear them. The Lord’s eye is on you at all times and in all places.
On a little different note, this psalm is similar to many Hebrew psalms in that it is antiphonally conceived. The poetry of the psalms is not of words rhyming, but of parallel thoughts. The speaker in verse one asks a question. Another speaker (verse two) answers the question. Sometimes the response adds to or restates the first idea in different words (v.3 & 4) or adds information or explanation (v.5 & 6 and 7 & 8). If someone is with you as you read this, you may want to go back and reread the psalm antiphonally. For several thousand years these particular verses have been heard as people ascended to Jerusalem to worship on Mt. Moriah.
The people traveled to Jerusalem to the Temple to worship God, the Temple being located on Mt. Moriah. God’s Holy Name hovered over the Ark in the Temple. God’s presence had come down to the people. Jesus was crucified and gave his life on Mt. Moriah. Yes, our help comes from the Lord. The people didn’t go to the mountain to get close to god, God came to the mountain to redeem the people.
Whatever it is going on in your life today notice God and the verbs in this psalm. “Help comes from the Lord; He will not let you; he watches over you; he watches over Israel; Lord himself watches over you; Lord stands beside you; Lord keeps you from all harm; watches over your life; Lord keeps watch over you. Do you get the idea that God is looking out for you? Rest well in his peace.
Music: “He Watching Over Israel,” Robert Shaw
Prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.
―My bedtime prayer in my childhood. (I always slept well!) Daniel Sharp
Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. No one else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.”
So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning, he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped. And he said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions, for they represent the terms of the covenant I am making with you and with Israel.”
Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.
Some Thoughts
In Hebrew the Ten Commandments are simply called “The Ten Words.” These are the only things we’ve ever had in God’s own handwriting. They were designed to be memorized―ten words, ten fingers. Easy to remember. There are some significant things to note here. There were two sets of tablets that went into the Ark of the Covenant, one to remind the people of what God said and one to remind God of his covenant with his people. These words were given specifically to God’s Covenant people as indicated in the preface. I am YHWH, your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Memory is so key to exercising faith.
Like Moses’ previous trip up Mt. Sinai to meet God, we are reminded of God’s holiness with the prohibition of anyone or any animal entering the holy ground. God descended in a cloud, the cloud being a biblical indication of God’s presence (E.g. a pillar of fire and cloud to lead Israel, a cloud at the Transfiguration, a cloud at the Ascension). In the Scripture preceding this pericope, Moses had a rather pointed conversation with God regarding God’s presence among his people. Moses asked God to show him his presence (Ex.33:18). (This is the place where God hid Moses in a crack in the rock and he saw the backside of God as God passed by.) Moses desperately sought God’s presence with his people.
To better understand “The Ten Words,” it would be better to view them as God’s description of what a community in covenant with himself should look like. This covenant relationship with God dealt in reality. Daniel Block writes, “We should interpret this document not as a law code but as a foundational covenant document, intended to create a picture of life within the community of faith governed by covenant principles.” (For the Glory of God, p.85) Our response to the Ten Commandments should grow out of our relationship with God rather than attempting to look at them as simply a set of legalistic rules to follow. This perspective does not lessen their force or impact, but it does put them into a context of relationship with God, their original context and purpose.
What does all this have to do with Lent? In this season, “The Ten Words” admonish us to treat others with great care. Contrary to our world with its great concern with marches for “my rights,” have you noticed the concern of “The Ten Words” is for others to be treated fairly, treated well, and with selfless compassion. The first four are concerned with treating God, the next six are for treating others. Notably missing is treating ourselves. Apparently, contrary to all our private wishes, we are not the center of the universe! Again, as we journey to the cross with our Savior, who, out of his great love put aside his rights and privilege and lay down his life that we all might have life. Where can you lay down your life for others today?
Music: “Go Down Moses,” Sam Robson God is in the business of redeeming his people, then and now.
Prayer:
Why is it, Lord, that we think trying to keep rules is enough? It’s so easy to be a Pharisee and feel good about ourselves because we haven’t done anything terrible, at least terrible in our eyes. We look at other people and we aren’t as rude as that driver, or as foul mouthed as that co-worker, or as self-centered as our neighbor. We don’t talk about ourselves all the time when we are with others. We’re doing OK. We do break the Ten Words occasionally, but not too bad and so far have avoided the really bad ones. But Lord, our hearts are dull toward you. Too often we read the Bible more from obligation rather than to converse with you or to hear your voice. We may pray when we think of it, but we seldom encounter you in our prayers. Lord this prayer is more me than I wish. God of mercy, forgive my foolish ways. May my heart burn for you. Don’t let me stay the same, please. Help me to live our covenant as you summarized in the two greatest commandments, love you and love my neighbor. May my living out our relationship express our being of one mind, your mind living in and through me. In my Savior’s glorious name. Amen.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.
And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
And in another passage God said to him,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Some Thoughts
Yesterday we spent some time underscoring why Jesus had to take on human flesh in order to accomplish his ultimate purpose. Today we read further of his unique position as a human being to bridge sinful humans and a holy God. As you read this, Jesus is our flesh and blood in heaven right now. The perfect, sinless human Son of God is in heaven interceding on our behalf. What is more is that he is our High Priest. There are some things we need to be reminded of in regard to this position.
The High Priest must be appointed by God. Aaron, Miriam, and Moses did not make a family decision that Moses would be the leader, Aaron would be the priest, and Miriam would lead the music! There was no election and no lobbying for positions. God chose the person and God gave the qualifications. Such was the case with every high priest. The high priest must be a Levite and from the lineage of Aaron. He had to be a male and one of the people . . . another reason for the humanity of Jesus. The position was for life.
As you know, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies one day a year after having offered sacrifices for his own sin, the sins of his family and then for the sins of the people. On the Day of Atonement, only the high priest could offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. The people could not make sacrifices on behalf of themselves. In Jesus, whose earthly descendants were from the tribe of Judah, we have a High Priest who was named to this position by God even though he was not of the lineage of Aaron, but in the order of Melchizedek.
A brief word about Melchizedek may be helpful. His name means “king of righteousness.” Melchizedek was not a Jew, in fact there is no record of his ancestry, no beginning no ending of his life. He was king of Salem (Jerusalem= king of peace). He was also a priest of God Most High. In Melchizedek’s blessing of Abram, whose descendant centuries later was the God appointed high priest, Aaron, indicates the superiority of Melchizedek ranking above Aaron’s priesthood. The fact that Abram also paid a tithe to Melchizedek demonstrates the same truth.
In Jesus’ case, the high priestly position in the order of Melchizedek is for all eternity. Jesus’ role as an eternal high priest fulfills the Old Testament Law perfectly. Because of his humanity, Jesus is the perfect High Priest because he understands the challenges humans face regarding the temptation to sin since he himself faced everything we face. We are invited to come to him again and again with our struggles and intercessions knowing he understands perfectly. Have you noticed how Jesus never presumes anything in relation to his Father? Because he is the Son of God, he never says, “Because I’m who I AM, I get a pass. God’s rules don’t apply to me.” As the Son of God, he always submits to his Father. Our big brother doesn’t pull executive privilege. Remember, you have a high priest who continually intercedes on your behalf and a priest who will hear your confessions day or night. Ask the living Christ in you this day to shape your heart and mind even as he prays for you.
Music: “I Need Thee Every Hour,” Sam Robson
I know I’ve used this one in other years. Sam communicates our need for our High Priest interceding on our behalf beautifully.
Prayer:
O God of my delight, Thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul. Here I obtain mercy in time of need, here see the smile of thy reconciled face, here joy pleads the name of Jesus, here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit, anoint the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, gather manna from thy Word, am strengthened for each conflict, nerved for the upward race, empowered to conquer every foe. Help me to come to Christ my High Priest, my Intercessor, as the fountain head of descending blessings, as a wide-open floodgate of mercy. I marvel at my insensate folly, that with such enriching favors within my reach I am so slow to extend the hand to take them. Have mercy upon my deadness for thy name’s sake. Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal. Strengthen me that I may cling to thee and not let thee go. May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings from thy hand. When I advance not, I backslide. Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done. Impress on my mind the shortness of time, the work to be engaged in, the account to be rendered, the nearness of eternity, the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit. May I never forget that thy eye always sees, thy ear always hears, thy recording hand always writes. May I never give thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart, the spokesman of my lips, the lamp of my feet.
―The Valley of Vision, p.150, adapted Daniel Sharp
God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.”
He also said,
“I will put my trust in him,”
that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
Some Thoughts
We’ve seen pleas on commercials for people to adopt homeless pets. Adoption is a unique process and a wonderful old concept. One may adopt a dog, but by adopting you don’t become part of the dog’s family pedigree. You can love a dog, but you can’t become a dog. When you get sick, you don’t go to the vet. And the dog, in spite of what some people think, can’t become human!
I don’t know if you’ve ever given it thought as to why Jesus became a human being. In all other religions, the god remains distant, separated from this world. There is no relational, personal, or physical human dimension in any of these gods. Face-to-face encounters are not possible. One of the great challenges to those of the Jewish faith is the reconciling of God who is Spirit with a human Jesus who claims to be God incarnate, God with human flesh, and not just human flesh, but also completely human in every way. The above Scripture is profound. If God were not completely human in every way, then the sacrificial death would be a faux sacrifice. A spiritual god dying a spiritual death would not solve the human problem.
Looking at things from the human side, if humans were to become brothers and sisters of our Lord, then the Lord would truly have to become one of us in order that we might be able to be adopted. Dogs and people are not of the same family. Heaven and earth are not of the same family unless . . . heaven condescends to earth . . . unless the spiritual takes on flesh and blood, born of a virgin woman. The conception had to come from God the Spirit in order to unite the two worlds.
The glorious truth is that now, death is forever defeated as, by the power of God, the God-Man, Jesus was raised from the grave destroying the devil’s power over death. Notice also this passage has no bearing on angels which are not human beings. This comment reflects a clarifying factor for the Jewish readers who held angels in highest esteem. The portion you read is part of a larger discussion the author is writing regarding the superiority of Jesus over angelic beings. In this season we are reminded anew of the humanity of Jesus and his dealing with all the temptations and struggles of this life of ours. He knows; he’s experienced it. He is able to help us, even this day. He’s adopted us into his family and signed the papers with his blood.
Music: “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” Fernando Ortega
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who has taken up our humanity to be seated at the right hand of God the Father, we bow before you again this day with hearts filled with gratitude. That you have willingly laid aside the glories of heaven to become one of us in human flesh for the purpose of restoring the whole world, is truly more than we can ever comprehend. It is beyond our imagination or conception as to what the heavenly realm is like as we have only veiled and shadowy thoughts at this point. We can only think like humans but it is still hard for us to truly grasp. Maybe when we are in heaven with you, we may have greater understanding and comprehension of your great love. But as one of your followers, Jesus, in your humbling to become one of us as our brother, we offer our deepest gratitude for adopting us into God’s immortal family. All praise and glory to you, one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen. ―Daniel Sharp
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Some Thoughts
Yesterday we heard Jesus’ words regarding one who would cause another to sin and how it would be better for that person to be drowned in the depths of the sea. In the passage you just read, we see the devil occupying that position as one tempting Jesus to sin. This was not Satan’s first attempt to thwart God’s plan of redemption, though his goal and his tactics are always the same . . . bring death and separation from God. In the Garden of Eden the temptation concerned food (the fruit of the tree) the physical need; testing God’s word (Did God really say?); tempting to distrust God; and worship (“you will be like God”); self-rule. The devil’s desire to be God and to be worshiped, “I will be like the Most High,” got him kicked out of heaven (Is.14:13-14; Ezek. 28:14-17).
The Second Adam, Jesus’, food was nourishment from the word of God (1 Cor. 15:45-49). To Jesus spiritual sustenance was more important than physical satisfaction as was trusting his Father for daily bread. Jesus always did his Father’s will. Secondly, rather than frivolously test God, Jesus trusted God’s word of protection. And finally, rather than worship the devil, Jesus would not live apart from his Father’s will and humbled himself and worshiped and served his Father in obedience. The First Adam in the Garden fell and did something to us, he brought death. The Second Adam triumphed over the devil and did something for us, he brought eternal life. Remember, the devil’s ultimate goal is to drive a wedge and separate you from God. Anything to accomplish that is fair game, even good things.
The devil is relentless both then and now. He tried to kill Jesus at his birth. He tempted Jesus in this passage. Through Peter’s words, he sought to convince Jesus not to give his life as a ransom for sin eliciting Jesus’ strongest rebuke to Peter, “Get behind me Satan!” (Matthew 16:23). Perhaps the final time of testing Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus sweat great drops of blood coming to his conclusion, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Once again, as he had throughout his earthly life, Jesus submitted to his Father’s will. Would that we had as much love for the Father. Make no mistake, the devil continues to create as much havoc as possible on this planet and seems to be doing a good job. In our world of competing ideas, values, and viewpoints, remember Jesus’ words above all other words, “It is written . . .” Stay in the Scriptures each day as you converse with the Lord. It behooves us to know “what is written.”
Music: “What Wondrous Love Is This,” Chelsea Moon with Franz Brothers
Prayer:
Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart which no unworthy affection may drag downwards;
Give me an unconquered heart which no tribulation can wear out;
Give me an upright heart which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.
Bestow on me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ―Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”
Some Thoughts
It’s important to know something of the context of this passage from Matthew. Just prior to this time Peter, James, and John had been with Jesus on the mountain when he was transfigured in their presence and the four of them were joined by Moses and Elijah in a most remarkable encounter. On the way down the mountain, Jesus told them to say nothing about what they had experienced.
I have to wonder if they kept their mouths shut. Peter, as well as the brothers James and John, apparently spent more time with Jesus than the other nine disciples. When you recall that James’ and John’s mother asked Jesus if her boys could sit on his right and left sides in the kingdom and the negative reaction that followed from the rest of the disciples, we may get the idea that there may have been some jealousy and rivalry among the men from time to time. At this point they still did not fully grasp Jesus’ mission on earth.
We then come to the passage you just read and their question to Jesus as to who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Notice how Jesus defined greatness. The disciples were ambitiously thinking position and power, responsibility and authority will define greatness. Dismissing those attributes, Jesus defined greatness along the character side of things: transparency, humility, repentance, dependance, and trust as to keys of greatness. And this mind set simply marked entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus pointed out that the disciples clearly need to repent of their heart attitudes. He taught it is childlike faith which establishes greatness. Have you noticed how Jesus is always more interested in character and actions of the heart than he is in position or power?
This is a season for us to examine our own hearts. What do we give great value in our own lives? Is it our position, our reputation, our knowledge, our resources, our prestige, our goals, or our family? Jesus is most interested in your heart attitude toward him. He confronted the disciples more than once on this issue. He also made it very clear that to cause another person with a childlike, humble, trusting heart to fall into sin is very grave to the point of your being better off dead. This day give yourself to transparency, humility, repentance, and trust to the Lord as you interact with all those with whom you come in contact. One of simplest, most profound summaries of childlike faith is: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
Music: “Jesus Loves Me,” Whitney Houston
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we have to admit that sometimes, like the disciples, we chase work, ambition, success, pleasure, and a host of other things and neglect a childlike faith. Humility is hard for us. What if people don’t notice what we’ve done or given? All too often we do things so we can tell others what we’ve done. Forgive our childish ways and give us child-like innocence. But we do love you and just get off track from time to time. We know you love us in our unfaithfulness and pride, because your word tells us you are faithful even when we are faithless toward you. We confess our tendency to drift from a dependent, tender trust in you. Forgive our foolish ways as we seek once again to draw near to you this day. In the name of Jesus who is strong when we are weak. Amen.
When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.
Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Some Thoughts
One of the central themes of the Lenten season is that of repentance; in fact, it should be a central theme of the Christian life. You have just read the tail end of a familiar story, with three characters: the narrator, God, and the beleaguered prophet Jonah. God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. To Jonah’s great disappointment, the people listened to his message and repented en masse . . . even the animals wore sack cloth! There are several interesting questions here: Shouldn’t Jonah have been pleased that the people repented? Do animals live in spiritual darkness? What’s the point of the withering plant? Why did Jonah so resist his mission from God? Those would be interesting discussions, but the question I want to reflect on is in the very first verse we read, “When God saw what they had done . . . he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” Does an omnipotent God change his mind? And what are the ramifications? What does that say about God?
One of the principles of Scripture in dealing with a question like this is to ask, are there any similar situations in other parts of the Bible. There is the instance of Noah and the flood where God regretted that he had made man and wiped out all the people save eight and started over. Think of Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments and the Israelites worshiping the golden calf. God told Moses he would wipe out Israel and start over with Moses himself and rebuild the nation. Moses argued with God on behalf of the people and God changed his mind (Ex. 32:14). Notice God is not afraid when we push back. The Hebrew expression, nihem ‘al, is “to regret, to change one’s mind.” In these passages in both Exodus and Jonah, it is a case of God’s changing his mind from negative to positive. In Noah’s case, God’s regret did not lead to his changing his mind to destroy what he had created and start over from a man he viewed as righteous. A final judgment for all creation lies ahead following Christ’s return.
Though more complex than we have space for here, we need to avoid extreme interpretations. God changing his mind does not mean he is out of control nor that he is surprised by what happens. We must likewise not assume the two instances we cited are merely hypothetical. While God is sovereign above all and immutable in his character, omniscient, and unchanging, he is likewise dynamic and relational and loves his people with great passion. His heart can be broken (Gen. 6:6). According to Scripture as evidenced in these situations, when people repent and turn from their wicked ways, God can change his response. What does that say to us? Earnest, fervent prayer moves the heart of God when people pray for those threatened with judgment. Pray for repentance throughout the land.
O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate world. O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your world—the creation that you made—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your whole created order, forgive our determined rebellion and repeated rejection of you. We have greatly sinned and repent of our evil ways. We have not loved as we ought; we have not valued babies waiting to be born; we have failed to care for the poor as we should; we have twisted the clear truth of your word to satisfy our own bent desires. We have become arrogant. O Lord, hear, O Lord forgive. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ―adapted from Daniel 9. Daniel Sharp
This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son.
In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,
and he was shown to be the Son of God
when he was raised from the dead
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Some Thoughts
What is your purpose in life? Why are you on earth? To enjoy life? Live comfortably? Stay healthy? Make enough money to retire? Advance in your occupation? Find someone to love? Get married? Have children? Have a great career? It’s Lent, a time to reflect on how life is going in relation to our journey with Jesus on his way to the cross, namely living and dying to self, day by day. In the words of Irenaeus (130-202 AD) “The Son of God became what we are, that we might become what He is.” In his opening statement, Paul makes clear to the Romans his calling by God and his purpose in life, namely that of preaching the gospel as a servant of Christ. He then quotes what some scholars believe may have been a hymn or creed of the early church. The parallel structure of the Greek writing is decidedly different from the rest of this letter as noted above. Paul had not started a church in Rome at this point and actually did not know the people he was writing to so he laid out the gospel in his salutation.
I want to focus a bit on the very last part of this passage: “you who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.” As followers of Christ, we are called to be a holy people. P.T. Forsyth commented, “The miracle of the Incarnation is not [merely] the Word made flesh, but the Holy made sin for us.” He was our sin dying on the cross. Part of the focus of the journey of Lent is that we might grow in holiness, not only individually but corporately as the body of Christ, that our churches may also grow in holiness. Christianity is not “Jesus and me.” We are his Body, the Church universal through the ages. Just as we do not become more humble by our human effort, we cannot become more holy by trying to be holy. It is only when we are filled with the mind of Christ living in us that true humility and holiness flourish. We are all called to be his holy people. Absorb him in his word each day and we will increasingly, in the words of Irenaeus, “become what he is.”
God, my God, I am all weakness, but Thou art my Strength; I am ever anew bowed down by any trial, but Thou can and wills to lift me up. Let me not fail, O God my Strength; let me not be discouraged, O God, my Hope. Draw me each day, if it be but a little nearer unto Thee; make me, each day, if it be but a little less unlike Thee; let me do or bear each day something, for love of Thee, whereby I may be fitter for Thee. Let no day pass without my having done something pleasing unto Thee. Thus alone would I live, that I may live more unto Thee, becoming more like unto Thee; thus would I die, longing to love thee more. Amen.
―Edward Pusey, 1800-1882, Prayers Ancient and Modern, p.88.
Today marks the beginning of Lent, a forty day, six-week period leading up to Easter Sunday. Six weeks is forty-two days, but since Sundays were not fast days, that leaves only thirty-six fast days so four more days were added, thus Lent always begins on a Wednesday, Ash Wednesday.
The Lenten season while reflective is not morbid. Prayer, fasting, and giving to those in need are themes, but the heart of the focus is on Jesus’ journey to the cross and his taking on our dust and solving our mortal problem, our death. “From dust you came to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). As C.S. Lewis commented, “100 percent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased.” Well, yes and no. You will die physically at some point, but that’s not the end. God has the last word and it is not death for those who die in Christ Jesus. A better word for Christians is departure. You depart this life for your life beyond death. The daily devotionals over the next six weeks will reflect on these truths.
It is important to understand the meaning and purpose of this season. For some people being reminded about death and having to “give something up” are their primary thoughts regarding Lent . . . and are two good reasons to think about something else. The root of the word “lent” simply means “spring” new life, buds, blossoms, the end of the long winter. Sounds more like life than death to me. Though observing a season of fasting and prayer were practiced regularly during the first centuries of the church, the days prior to Easter were initially devoted to the final preparations for those being baptized into a new life in Christ. The primary time for baptisms in the early centuries of the church was on Easter Sunday. As Christianity was made legal, by the fourth century we began to see more widespread evidence of a six-week period of preparation for Easter by the whole Christian community, with fasting, almsgiving, and prayer being key elements (Matthew 6:1-13). You see, Lent is not a Roman Catholic thing or having to give something up as many people believe. It is a time of taking spiritual inventory in our walk with Jesus as we look to him.
The heart of the Christian faith is our participation in the life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus as Lord. While Advent is concerned with the final Judgment, the Incarnation, and the birth of Jesus in history, this season points us to the price paid for our redemption. During these coming days may we grow spiritually through repentance, prayer, fasting, giving, and reflecting on our walk with Christ and his incomparable demonstration of his love for all he created. We might even think of it as a spiritual spring cleaning to a degree.
A short word about the Scripture passages themselves. The Bible was written originally without chapters and verse numbers. With that in mind, I left out the verse numbers so that it reads a little differently. I find it easier to grasp the whole thought this way. I trust you will find the same. The translation I used is the New Living Translation. The music we have chosen comes from a wide variety of sources and ensembles simply reflecting the wonder and creativity of God’s handiwork. No music you hear or see is original, the composers and musicians have merely arranged the musical notes God made.
One final word, feel free to pass the link along to family, friends, and co-workers around the country and the world who may benefit from these devotionals. The link to subscribe is: sharpdevotional.com. It’s that simple and thank you for subscribing and passing the link along! Then they will receive the emails in their boxes each morning at 5:00 EST. Of course subscribing is free.
March 5, Ash Wednesday
*Be sure to read the Preface if you haven’t.
Scripture: Joel 1:1-2, 12-17
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Some Thoughts
Have you noticed how many things are bad for your health or you should be doing what you are not doing? Whatever is the best for you or your health, you are not doing it and need to change your ways. That’s called advertisement! We’re told that sugar is not good for you, so you need to get this product. You also need to drink a gallon of water a day. Some form of cholesterol is good for you but there is also bad cholesterol. Some forms of fat are beneficial and other forms are detrimental. Bottom line: if you do this and this, you’ll live longer. According to yearly studies, the five leading causes of death in 2024 were: heart disease, cancer, accidents, respiratory diseases and strokes. While I’m all for good health and living as long as possible, I have my own unofficial study as to the three leading causes of death. Number three is disease, old age is number two, and the leading cause of death, (tada!!) . . . is life! Life brings on death 100% of the time without fail. But good news! There is a cure. The season of Lent addresses the problem.
On Ash Wednesday we are reminded at least once a year of the ultimate statistic and this absolute truth, you will die. The actual number of deaths per 1,000 people is 1,000. The passage we read in Joel gives warning that the final day on earth does come, but also that life continues after death. Life in this world is not all there is. Joel urges his people and us to repent and turn to the Lord while there is still time. “Tear your hearts, not your garments.” One of the demonstrable signs of repenting and mourning was the tearing of garments (E.g. Esther 4:1). The prophet gives an impassioned plea for his people to turn their hearts to the Lord. The Lord wants your whole heart. That is also our plea as we begin this season of Lent. Let us come to our Savior with pliable, humble hearts, tuned to the fragile nature of this life and to the reality of our own mortality. Let go of anything that would hold us back. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Do not live these days for things in our life that will end when you do.” Praise be to Christ who assures us of life everlasting when we do in fact return to dust on this earth. For the believer, unlike the Garden of Eden, this time our dust will rise from the grave to be transformed into a glorified body and soul which lives forever having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We’ll say more about Lent in the coming days.
Music: “Ye People Rend Your Hearts and If with All Your Hearts” Andrew Haji
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life through your Son Jesus Christ. Lord God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
We come to the day known as Epiphany, the revealing of Christ to the nations. Epiphany is an older holiday than Christmas Day. When “a light goes on,” we say someone has had an epiphany. New light is shed on something that was previously not seen or recognized. Throughout the Old Testament, it was clear that God would bless his people as they exercised obedience to the law. He had made a covenant with his people. He also said that through Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. From time-to-time non-Jews, had a role in the unfolding of God’s plan (E.g. Rahab). But clearly the thinking of the Jews was that God was a God for the Jews. The Gentiles were outside the fold. To be accepted, Gentiles had to submit to Jewish law and practice. This was an issue of discussion in some of the epistles in the New Testament (Acts, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews).
So the visit and worship of the Gentile magi was an epiphany to the Jewish people and everyone else. Non-Jews kneeling and paying tribute to the Messiah, the King of the Jews was revolutionary. The reality set in. Jesus had come as King and Savior for all peoples and nations. The promise to Abraham 2,000 years earlier that all nations would be blessed through his descendants was now a reality. If you read the additional Scriptures listed above, you will see how this visit of the magi was prophesied hundreds of years earlier. God provided a GPS star to guide the magi.
People have surmised there were three wise men based on the three gifts, but as you read, the Scriptures do not specify how many there were or how soon after the birth they arrived. Jesus is referred to in Matthew as a child rather than a baby. It seems most unlikely for a number of reasons that the visit was on the night of Jesus’ birth. Matthew also calls the place of the visitation a house rather than a manger. The fact that Herod’s order was for two years old and younger would seem to mean that there was some delay between the birth and the visit.
Christianity is the most inclusive faith in the world. Jesus Christ came for every human being, every tribe, every nation, all peoples, all culture. Jesus is the Light of the world, the epiphany for all who would believe. In him is no darkness at all.
Music: “We Three Kings of Orient Are” Kings College
Almighty and everlasting God, the Brightness of faithful souls, fill the world with Thy glory, we pray Thee, and show Thyself, by the radiance of Thy light, to all the nations of the world, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. —Gregorian Sacramentary, A.D. 590
Postscript:
Thank you all for being a part of these past thirty-five days. I trust that the Scriptures have encouraged you in your walk with the Lord as we looked into the Old and New Testaments. But most importantly, I trust you have drawn closer to our great God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that he has spoken through his words and communed with you day by day. My heart’s desire is that you have established a pattern of opening the Scriptures every day and searched the mind and heart of God that you might grow ever deeper in your love and obedience to our Lord and King. Hopefully Avent to Ashes will be out before long. I’ll keep you informed.
32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 72; Joshua 1:1-9
Some thoughts
As we have entered a new year while still celebrating the twelve days of Christmas, the last couple of days our Scripture passages have directed our attention to living out our faith. The first part of the chapter looked closely at Moses’ exercise of faith, and then touched on Rahab, a less noble person. Today we have a short and interesting list of people who were also commended for their faith. If you know their stories, you are surprised to see some of their names. Samson was pretty much an impatient playboy. Gideon was a chicken. Jephthah made a rash, foolish promise, which resulted in his daughter’s death. Barak was a wimp. What a class of champions of faith! There is hope for us.
[One of the beauties of the Scriptures is that the writers didn’t sugarcoat anything. Such writing speaks of the authenticity of the people and of faith. Christianity is very believable unlike myths in Hinduism for example where elephants hold the world on their backs while standing on the back of a turtle.]
The writer of Hebrews then moves on to the description of courageous saints who died horrible deaths for their faith. Their love for God and hope for heaven was greater than longing for this world. What is straightforward is that anyone, regardless of status or circumstance, can exercise faith in God. Each of those named earned a good reputation for exhibiting faith. What is abundantly clear is that having faith does not guarantee earthly blessing. Things may not turn out well in this life. The ending is not the point of faith.
Faith does not come in amounts; it is not the determiner of the outcome. Faith cannot be in faith but in another. If it were, then the amount of faith shown would be the determining factor. In other words, the person exhibiting faith would be in a controlling position to affect the result. The controller and mover in faith, however, is not a human being. It is God. And we want it that way. Our faith is in the One who knows the beginning from the end and, a most important thing to always keep in mind, as the writer reminds us, God had something better in mind for us.
Another note, “perfection,” as it is used in Hebrews, does not mean flawless but rather maturity, completion, or reaching a desired goal. Based on all he has written in the previous chapter (the Bible was not broken into chapters), the author says THEREFORE, since all these people are great witnesses to faith, hang in there and keep going with your eyes fixed on Jesus who is the ultimate demonstration of faith and the point the author is driving at.
This translation uses the word champion in referring to Christ’s mission on earth (v.2). Another translation (NIV) uses a more descriptive word, pioneer. Jesus was the pioneer and perfector of our faith. The image is that of a ship in dire fatal trouble and the “pioneer” is the one who takes a rope and jumps overboard and swims to shore to establish a way for those on the ship to follow to make shore safely. Jesus has paved the way to salvation. The truth that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God guarantees our inheritance in heaven. That is why our faith is in Christ alone.
O Lord, Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service, to thy glory. Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from thee, but may rely on thy Spirit to supply every thought, speak every word, direct every step, prosper every work, build up every mote of faith, and give me a desire to show forth thy praise, testify thy love, advance thy kingdom. May thy fear be my awe, thy triumphs my joy. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. —The Valley of Vision, p.112
PS. The “Twelve Days of Christmas” ends today. This evening is known as “the Twelfth Night.”
23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.
24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 72; Exodus 3:1-5
Some thoughts
Have you noticed something interesting here? Moses thought it “better to suffer for Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt.” This was 1400 years before Christ! Did Moses know about Christ (from the Greek Christe meaning the anointed one—Messiah)? Let’s take a step back and walk our way through this passage. The Jewish people held Moses in the highest regard as the first prophet. After all, he was the one who spoke to God on their behalf. He was the one to whom God gave the Law on Mount Sinai. He was the one who led the greatest event in the Old Testament, the Exodus. God’s hand was clearly on Moses . . . from the very beginning. His parents were godly people who heard the voice of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God revealed to them that Moses was an unusual child. Their conviction was so strong, they defied the law of the land—which was to kill all Jewish baby boys. (Remind you of king Herod?)
Moses learned of the Lord from his parent’s faith and his true identity in spite of being raised in a pagan society. Then we come to this verse about “suffering for the sake of Christ.” At this time in history, Egypt was a world power in military might and wealth. Moses, the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, chose to leave that world of fame and power to identify and suffer with his own people. Rather than look to this world, Moses kept his eyes on the one who is invisible, his God, believing in the ultimate redemption of the promised Messiah.
Moses was an Old Testament Christ figure. The parallels were everywhere. Pushing forward by faith keeping his eyes on the invisible God is the point the author of Hebrews is driving at. The people to whom he is addressing were sorting through their own faith in the midst of rising persecution. He is seeking to encourage them through these examples. He takes the most esteemed person, Moses, followed by one of the more infamous persons, Rahab the Gentile prostitute, and ancestor of Jesus. The Scriptures always remind us of her former profession (James 2:25, Matthew lists her in Jesus’ genealogy). Why bring that up again? It is to remind us that anyone at any station in life can be redeemed through God’s grace. And that a troubled past does not short circuit a fruitful and significant future. God is never done with his children. By way of faith in God, the past does not define the future.
Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give me an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow on me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. —Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274
13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.
22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 72; Genesis 28:10-22
Some thoughts
Sometimes when we exercise faith, we believe it will come in our lifetime. That’s natural. The core of faith, though, is in the abstract if you will. Think about it. I have faith that someday, I will have a child. When I am holding that child in my arms, I cannot say, “I have faith that someday I will have a child.” It makes no sense; the child is in my arms. I am not exercising faith. Faith always involves not having the thing for which you have faith. That perspective comes out in the first verse of today’s reading. The people mentioned in the earlier part of this chapter, Abel, Enoch, Noah, as well as Abraham, and Sarah were exercising faith beyond their immediate moment. Though promised a whole nation and millions of descendants, when Abraham and Sarah died, they had exactly one son, hardly a nation. One kid, that was it! Yet they believed and took God at his word.
When Abraham offered Isaac as a blood sacrifice on the altar in Genesis 22, don’t you wonder what he was thinking? Honestly, was Abraham going to slit Isaac’s throat as a sacrifice because God told him to? Really? Two thousand years later, the writer of Hebrews, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us exactly what Abraham was thinking at that life and death moment in verse nineteen. If he went through with what God had told him to do, namely kill Isaac as a sacrifice, he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead, because Isaac was a promised child, promised to Abraham and Sarah by God. Abraham had absolute faith in God keeping his word. Abraham acted in faith doing what God told him to do. In theory Abraham did sacrifice Isaac, it’s just that God intervened in the process. What is also apparent is that the faith exercised by Abraham carried on to his son, Isaac, his grandson, Jacob, and his great grandson, Joseph. The story of God’s promise of the land of Israel being given to Abraham’s family carried on because Joseph requested his bones be carried back to Israel when living in Egypt. Some 600 years after Abraham, the bones of Joseph were carried back and eventually buried in Israel following the great exodus.
What is hoped for, does not always happen in our lifetime. The issue is faith in a faithful God who has never not kept his word. Trust him each day with your own life for this coming year.
Music: “He Is Born, the Divine Christ Child” Roger Wagner Chorale
Prayer:
O faithful Lord, grant us, I pray Thee, faithful hearts devoted to Thee, and to the service of all men for Thy sake. Fill us with pure love of Thee, keep us steadfast in this love, give us faith that worketh by love, and preserve us faithful unto death. Amen.
11 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying— “he disappeared, because God took him.”For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 20; Genesis 12:1-7
Some thoughts
The passage you have just read, I would guess you’ve read many times. I know I have. We’ve probably heard a dozen sermons on it. Yesterday we focused in a bit on “faith” and then today this passage comes up in the lectionary. [By the way, for the most part this year we’ve been following the Revised Common Lectionary Year B for those of you who care.] I had the thought, what more is there to say here, and I asked the Lord for help. I read it again and lo and behold some thoughts emerged, things I had never seen before.
One of the principles I fall back on in studying Scripture, is this simple question. “Why are those words there in that specific place? What’s the connection to the words around them?” The first verse helps with the definition of faith. Faith is a certainty of something when we cannot see it, or when it has yet to happen. Faith is a complete confidence; in another way we’d say, “You can bank on it.” We believe there is zero chance it won’t come to pass. The writer then gives a short example. He hearkens back to people in the past who had faith in something that had not yet happened. From the perspective of the writer and the reader of this epistle, they both knew how things had turned out. And so the writer said these people were exhibit A of what faith is.
I would expect him to then move right into the list of examples of Old Testament saints, but he doesn’t. Why? That was my question and the thought that captured my interest. Why this verse? Why these words? Why here? Before listing people of faith, he goes to the foundation of faith. In the opening chapter of Hebrews, he reminds us of the various ways God has spoken to people through the ages but that now he has spoken through Christ, the one through whom he created the universe. Why say that? He is using Christ creating the universe as the ultimate example of faith. It was created from nothing that can be seen. The reference harkens back to Genesis 1:1. There was a moment when the universe was unseen, when it did not exist. Now it does. You can see it. In Christ creating the universe, we can see both the before and the after of faith from the vantage point of the reader.
I think the author is also underscoring the centrality of Christ in the exercise of faith. He then moves on to the example of Abel. What struck me in this verse is the use of the present tense, “he still speaks.” Faith is ever living; there is nothing static about it. It is not a “one and done” operation. The end of the sixth verse is an assuring promise from God that dare not be overlooked. “Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Our God is perfectly faithful. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends; his mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lam 3:22-23). Faith in what Jesus has done brings everlasting life.
Music: “Mary’s Boy Child” Andy Williams (!) Back when you could understand the words, when there was a melody, and a beautiful voice to listen to! The “old” people will remember him! For those of you who never heard of him, you have been introduced. People weren’t in such a hurry in those days. Andy passed away in 2012 at the age of 84 in Branson, Missouri.
Prayer:
Teach me, O God, not to torture myself, not to make a martyr out of myself through stifling reflection, but rather teach me to breathe deeply in faith.
31 “But when the Son of Mancomes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
As we have mentioned previously, we miss the entire point of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, if we think of it as a one-day event. B.C. and A.D. should remind us of the significance. The nativity of Jesus was a day, in a way, that set earth’s time clock in motion. What do we mean? Jesus’ arrival on earth put God’s redeeming and restoration plan in action. What had been faith before (looking forward to the coming of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament), now had action, in other words, now had works—the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. Then with the Ascension of Christ, the earthly works of Jesus were completed. So, we move back into the faith portion of earthly time, that is, we await the return of Christ at the end of the age, the action phase to come.
Near the end of Jesus’ earthly presence, he told the people very clearly what that action would be at the end of time. The passage you just read occurred two days before he went to the cross. It is an urgent message to be heeded. Our culture and our world are leery of a final judgment, but it is coming in Jesus’ own words. We always look for an exception, for extenuating circumstances, a second or third chance, or any kind of a delay. (E.g., a tax extension, late payment plans, interest free for one year, no money down for three years, LOA, unusual circumstances, an extenuating situation, etc.!) We have a hard time with a final, FINAL anything.
In this pericope, there is no ambiguity regarding finality. Jesus, the King of kings, is returning and there will be judgment by the perfect, righteous, just Judge. There is no hint of “do-overs!” It is equally clear that faith and works are connected. True faith, a gift resulting from God’s grace, results in action on our part. Jesus gives abundant examples of works resulting from faith. Faith in Christ results in the continuing transformation of our heart, which reveals itself in response to others out of love for Christ. We live in the “faith” time in which our “works” have eternal significance at the Day of Judgment. One day in time God became a child and entered the presence of the people he created. One day yet to come, those people who have become the children of God, who have repented of their sin and put their trust in Jesus alone, will enter eternally into the very presence of God and the earth alarm clock will ring and we’ll wake up to a new heaven and earth.
Music: “Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light” Robert Shaw Chorale
O Lord, Thou knowest my great unfitness for service, my present deadness, my inability to do anything for thy glory, my distressing coldness of heart. Help me to be diffident watchful, tender, lest I offend my blessed friend in thought and behavior; I confide in thee and lean upon thee and need thee at all times to assist and lead me. O that all my distresses and apprehensions might prove but Christ’s school to make me fit for greater service by teaching me the great lesson of humility. —The Valley of Vision, p.99
22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord— “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. 30 I have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared for all people. 32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
From my perspective, this passage is one of the most poignant and touching in Scripture. Simeon had served the Lord a throughout his life. The Holy Spirit was upon him and he was “righteous and devout.” What finer thing could be said about anyone? The fact that he was looking for the Messiah tells us much about his knowledge of the Scriptures and the leaning of his heart. In this case, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would not die [allowed to die] until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. It doesn’t necessarily mean he was an old man, though one might conclude such. Put yourself in Simeon’s place. Would the Messiah be a mature man, a boy, or perhaps even an infant? God’s hand was on Simeon and led him to the Temple on a particular day.
That day was exactly forty days after Jesus had been born. And according to Jewish law, it was the day for the rite of purification and presenting the child at the Temple to redeem the firstborn. At every point along the way, Mary and Joseph were devout Jews following every aspect of the law. Jesus was raised within the law, which would be congruent with his fulfilling the law. Can you imagine Simeon’s joy as he began to realize the identity of the nearly six-week-old baby boy in the arms this young couple? The words he uttered surprised Jesus’ parents. They were prophetic words regarding their newborn. He would be the glory of Israel revealing God to all nations and at the same time cause many to reject God’s plan of redeeming and restoring creation. He will cause people to confront the truth of their own hearts in relation to God. Apparently, their son has come to offer salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike, in fact, to all nations!
Will people bow to God and repent of their sin and seek forgiveness or stand in defiance of the Lordship of Christ in their lives? In a similar way, we are all in Simeon’s position. I’ll frame the question this way, (v.25) Are we righteous and devout and eagerly waiting for Jesus to return and rescue this fallen world? Yes, we can die in peace when we have seen God’s salvation in our own lives, a salvation freely offered to all who would come.
Music: “Lord, Now Let Your Servant Depart in Peace,” Robert Shaw Festival Singers
—in Russian. The solo you hear is the setting of Simeon’s response v.29-32. Even if you don’t understand Russian, you’ll be able to follow the text! Do NOT miss this. It is the most exquisite, beautiful recording in this whole Advent study. Be very quiet and listen to the low basses all the way to the end! Find a quiet place and close your eyes as you listen. Let your heart sing with the soloist.
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. Jesus is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Amen.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 20; Isaiah 26:1-9
Some thoughts
In the preceding verses, Paul is writing about the difficulties he has been dealing with in preaching the gospel. He’s been hunted, perplexed, troubled, and at times, in despair. He has faced eminent death on more than one occasion. But he continues in his ministry so that God will receive more and more glory. Troubles apparently can be instrumental in producing glory to God! To us mortals, that seems odd.
What strikes me in the above discussion is that the very same thing could have been said about Jesus’ life as a baby in Mary and Joseph’s escape to Egypt. The same thing could be said in their return to Israel. Herod’s crazy son was ruling so they headed to Nazareth in the north, where it was farther from Jerusalem and a safer place to live and raise their son. On many occasions, the religious and political leaders sought to bring grief and trouble to the adult Jesus, yet he remained faithful, determined to bring glory to his Father. He saw the eternal always.
Paul lived with the same perspective, understanding the eternal nature of this life. I go back to it again, Jesus’ arrival in the manger was God’s arrival from an eternal, unseen world. It was not simply the miraculous birth of a baby to be celebrated one day of the year. Jesus opened the door to eternity, to heaven, to an entirely different and unseen—for the moment—world. Though our bodies are living, they are also in the process of dying, our spirits, however, can be continually renewed by the Holy Spirit day by day . . . forever. That part of us doesn’t age but it can mature. The source of that renewal comes from another eternal world. In the mix of the present and the timeless are “troubles!” As we view them from the “other world” perspective, we realize they won’t last long. From the eternal view, our life on this earth is a very, very short though eternally significant time. The earthly troubles we endure have the unusual attribute of being able to produce an eternal glory for God that far outlasts this time-bound life. Today make an effort to fix your gaze on things that cannot be seen, they will last forever.
May Jesus Christ, the king of glory, help us to make the right use of all the myrrh that God sends, and to offer to him the true incense of our hearts, for his name’s sake. Amen. —Johann Tauler 1300-1361 A.D.
41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”
With Christmas celebrations a few days in the past, most people are still in that wonderful holiday mood with New Year’s Eve just around the corner and all the parties and football bowl games underway, we’ve moved on from Advent and Christmas. It’s over for another year. Time to take down the lights and tree and put things back into storage. If that was all there was to Christmas, how very, very sad. Perchance our world has missed yet again an opportunity to grasp the reality of the Nativity and Christmastide. What I have described is in truth, the world of many of the people all around us. Christmas is a holiday, a time for parties and a little break from the routine of work. Perhaps it’s a chance to get out of town for a few days or get together with family.
In the passage you just read, Jesus was in the midst of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and he wept over Jerusalem. Why? In the people’s enthusiastic over-the-top celebrating, they completely missed the significance and meaning of celebration. Hours later the Jewish people rejected him as their Messiah. This was the moment of final rejection. That moment had arrived. Jesus would go to the cross. The nation had issued its verdict on the Son of God. Rejection. With great sadness, Jesus foretells the utter and complete destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Romans.
Perhaps you are thinking, “What a downer and what does this have to do with Christmas?” People then did not recognize Jesus for who he was in his day. They presumed to know what God the Messiah should be like and how he should act. Jesus did not fit that mold, hence he could not be the Messiah. I fear today in a post-Christian culture, things are worse in a sense. Jesus, if he was a real person, was a good moral teacher who died a long time ago. This business of Jesus being God, Savior, and Redeemer who died in my place for my sin isn’t even on people’s radar. For much of our culture, the birth of Christ is a minimal part of Christmas, if at all. Pray for our world. Pray for the people around you. May you be a light in a dark world this day. Look for places to shine the light of God’s love. It may even be during half time of a football game.
Music: “Angels from the Realms of Glory” Sissel and Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior of this world, we pray for the reconciliation of all those people who have no knowledge or interest in reconciliation with you. You love them as much as you love me, for you so loved the world that you gave yourself to redeem us. Break the hard hearts; woo the sinner; heal the broken-hearted; bring health to the diseased soul; restore the wanderer. Father, bring back to the fold those who have drifted from the truth chasing empty vapors of their own making. In their longing to find themselves, may they find you and thus themselves as you designed them to be. And good Lord, may we not only weep for the lost and floundering, but for the proud and sure-footed, helping them realize they are on sifting sand, not the Solid Rock. Holy Spirit, continue pouring your life into our trusting soul. We pray this in the name of the babe of Bethlehem, even Jesus, our Lord. Amen. —Dan Sharp
2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother.22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 148; Isaiah 49:13-23; Matthew 18:1-14
Some thoughts
The account you just read is one of the darkest moments in Scripture, the result of a sick, evil, and twisted soul. December 28th in some traditions is known as the Feast of the Holy Innocents, commemorating King Herod’s ordering the killing of all boys in Bethlehem two years old and under. It comes as no surprise that the devil would try to thwart God’s plan of bringing redemption and restoration to human beings and the whole created order. His first attempt in the Garden of Eden was successful with the fall of Eve and Adam. God’s Son was a different story.
A bit of background on King Herod may be helpful. An Edomite, he was a descendant of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. The Edomites but fell into pagan fertility worship. The Edomites were often at war with Israel. Herod was hated by the Jews as a traitor in that he sought favor with Rome by controlling the Jewish nation, while remaining loyal to Rome. He was a complicated, insecure man. He was clearly paranoid, killing one of his wives, two of his sons, and two sons-in-law among others whom he saw as threats. It was said his brother escaped being “killed by dying on his own!”
This Herod the Great learned that a king of the Jews was to be born in Bethlehem and he sought to solve the problem of a would-be challenger to his throne. He ordered the murder of the infant boys in Bethlehem two years old and under. What he had not realized was that he was dealing with God as a baby. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus evidently stayed in Bethlehem for a period of time after the birth. You read one night God visited Joseph in a dream and told them to leave for Egypt. They left that very night. What has always impressed me was that Joseph did not wait around. God spoke, he acted immediately.
You know the rest of the story. (It is puzzling to me that we easily condemn Herod as a crazy evil man in ordering the killing of the babies, yet there are millions of abortions in our day and many in our culture don’t bat an eye. Our courts and individuals defend the right of one human to take the life of another waiting to be born.)
Jesus was born into a stressful, uncertain world. Evil abounded. The devil tried again and again to abort God’s plan to bring life and healing to a fallen world whether it was at his temptation in the wilderness, Peter’s interference wishing Jesus to avoid the cross (“Get behind me Satan.”), Judas’ betrayal, or the Garden of Gethsemane. The great irony is that the devil tried to kill Jesus at his birth via King Herod and throughout his lifetime on earth. The devil’s wish came true, Jesus did die, not because he was killed, but because he chose to give his life as a ransom for many. And then for the devil, the worst possible thing happened, Jesus rose from the dead conquering death, sin, and his evil for all eternity! Eternal life is offered to all, via the atoning death of the Son of God man. Glory to God!
O God who art from eternity unto eternity, and art not at one time in one place because all times and places are in Thee, I would now seek to understand my destiny as a child of Thine. Here I stand, weak and mortal, amid the immensities of nature. But blessed be Thou, O Lord God, that Thou hast made me in Thine own likeness and hast breathed into me the breath of Thine own life. Within this poor body Thou hast set a spirit that is akin to Thine own Spirit. Within this corruptible Thou hast planted incorruption and within this mortal immortality. So from this little room and this short hour I can lift up my mind beyond all time and space to Thee, the uncreated One, until the light of Thy countenance illumines all my life. Almighty God, who didst raise from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ and didst set Him at Thy right hand in glory everlasting, I thank Thee for this hope of immortality with which through many ages Thou hast cheered and enlightened the souls of Thy saints, and which Thou didst most surely seal through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen —John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, p.65
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7 So we have these three witnesses— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree.9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.
11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
The debate as to Jesus’ identity continued during the years following his death, resurrection, and ascension even to this day. Put simply, was Jesus God or not. Despite the massive amount of evidence that he was indeed the Son of God, many of the Jewish leaders simply could not or would not accept that God, the Messiah, had come in human flesh.
One of the heresies confronting John and the early believers was put forth by a man named Cerinthus. In a nutshell, he taught that Jesus was a normal human being born to Mary and Joseph. He was wiser and more righteous than other men. He further taught that “the Christ” descended on him at his baptism and left before his crucifixion. There are additional apostasies, but you get the idea.
In this passage written most likely in the 90’s A.D., the old disciple writes convincingly in addressing some of the heresies. First, he defines who are true Christians and how they are to love God by obeying his word. How do you love God? Obey the Scriptures. He then takes on the fallacies directly by arguing evidence. He introduces two actions in proving Jesus as God’s Son, in his words, “by water and blood”—water at his baptism, and his shed blood on the cross. Water and blood have a speaking voice. Then, he adds the witness of the Holy Spirit. What is John driving at?
All Jews knew one must have at least two witnesses to confirm a truth (Deut.19:15). In this case, you have three witnesses, all of whom agree (v.8). Let’s take a step back and look at each one. At Jesus’ baptism, do you remember what happened? As Jesus came out of the water, the Spirit of God descended like a dove from heaven and a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” The Holy Spirit descending and the voice of God gave affirmation at the baptism of Jesus calling Jesus his Son. Hence, both the water and the Spirit gave evidence as to Jesus being the Son of God. What then is the significance of the blood? How does it testify to the identity of Jesus? Again, think through what happened at Jesus’ crucifixion. At his death, when he was speared, out came water and blood, but what else happened? The curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, from heaven to earth. Who tore the curtain? None other than God the Father, testifying that the sacrifice of the blood of his Son was accepted, completed.
Through the Spirit, the water, and the blood, God testified regarding his Son. Did you also notice God the Father’s affirmation in each instance? To reject God’s testimony about his own Son, is to call God a liar as John puts it. And then John draws the bottom line for his readers and for us regarding the future, “He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” What John has done for us is to give us a very down-to-earth way to describe the theology of the Incarnation. The birth of Jesus has truly mind-boggling ramifications!
Almighty God, we invoke Thee, the Fountain of Everlasting Light; and entreat Thee to send forth Thy truth into our hearts, and to pour upon us the glory of Thy brightness, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Sarum Breviary, 1085 A.D.
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
8 Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
4 But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. 5 Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. 6 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. 7 Many evilspirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 148
Some thoughts
Several years ago we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. One of the things our family did was to watch the movie, Luther, with Joseph Fiennes and Peter Ustinov. (By the way, I would highly recommend it if you haven’t seen that version.) One of the most powerful lines in the film is when Luther responds to his spiritual mentor who has asked him to back off because what he was doing was splitting the Roman church. In Luther’s words, “Did you not think there would be a heavy cost?”
On this first day after Christmas, the Early Church marked it with what is known as the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of Christianity. If we take seriously and grasp the significance of God’s coming to earth to bring restoration to a fallen world at the most extreme cost of his Son, why should we think there would be no earthly cost to us to stand against evil? The irony is that while the gift of salvation is free, that free gift can bring with it persecution, imprisonment, ostracizing, ridicule, or death. In fact, Jesus told his disciples there would be persecution (Jn.15:20-21). What does this have to do with Christmas? Martyrdom reminds us of the greater significance of the birth of Jesus. His birth changed the universe and all humanity. It was not a one-day event. It restructured all of time. It disturbed and challenged human being’s self-rule.
A few more words about the Feast of St. Stephen. This day is also known as Boxing Day in the British Empire. The idea being it was a day to collect alms for the poor among us in honor of Stephen’s martyrdom. As the story goes . . . in the 10th century Good King Wenceslas, the Duke of Bohemia, risked his life on this day to feed a peasant who was gathering wood on this particular freezing cold night the day after Christmas. The idea carried on with the giving Christmas boxes to the poor and needy, or in our day, small gifts to tradesmen who service us throughout the year (Letter carriers, lawn care people, hairdressers, etc.)
Music: “Good King Wenceslas” Traditional Choir with text
Father of Jesus, cause me to be a mirror of thy grace, to show others the joy of thy service. May my lips be well-tuned cymbals sounding thy praise. Let a halo of heavenly-mindedness sparkle around me and a lamp of kindness sunbeam my path. Teach me the happy art of attending to things temporal with a mind intent on things eternal. Send me forth to have compassion on the ignorant and miserable. Help me to walk as Jesus walked, my only Savior and perfect model, his mind my inward guest, his meekness my covering garb. Let my happy place be amongst the poor in spirit, my delight in the gentle ranks of the meek. Let me always esteem others better than myself and find in true humility an heirdom to two worlds.
2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things, which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Additional Scriptures: Matthew 1:18-24; Isaiah 9:6-7
Some thoughts
And so we read the story of the birth of Christ again this year. I used the King James Version because that is probably the most memorized version. If you haven’t memorized it, let me encourage you to do so. I want to make a few comments about the context of the passage without destroying your image of what happened. The story has been so romanticized through the years. Mary and Joseph’s ancestors on both sides of their family were of the lineage of King David (c.1000 BC). That means their ancestry had been traced back a thousand years even without Ancestry.com! How do we know? Their genealogy is in the Bible (Matthew 1 Joseph’s and Luke 3 Mary’s). That is important because Jesus was to be born from the line of King David and the tribe of Judah. In passing, it is interesting that a previous king in Joseph’s line had acted toward God in such an egregious manner that God brought judgment on his line declaring that no king would ever come from his line confirming that Joseph could not possibly be the father of Jesus.
It is quite possible that Mary and Joseph had relatives living in Bethlehem since that was the birthplace and home of King David. Most likely Mary and Joseph had made the roughly 90-mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem several weeks prior to her delivery. Times were slower back then. Often whole groups of people would travel together for community and for safety. It would have been natural for Mary and Joseph to stay with their extended family. Bethlehem was undoubtedly flooded with people from all over returning to their families of origin.
The use of the word “inn” is an unfortunate translation of the text. “Lodging space” would have been more accurate. There was a Greek word for “inn” and Luke did not use that word here, though he did use it in the story of the good Samaritan. Homes in this era often had living spaces on a second story for the family with space for a few animals on the ground floor. Since the lodging space in the home was apparently full of other family, Mary and Joseph moved to the space where the animals were kept, a humbling way for the King of the Universe, the one he created, to enter this world.
I realize these are not particularly inspiring words for a Christmas day! There is a point. With this rather mundane description of the setting pictured in your mind, I’d like you to imagine yourself in the story that night. Tonight, go outside in the dark by yourself, hopefully away from lights if possible. Look up into the sky and visualize thousands upon thousands of angels singing “glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth (and here is that phrase again) to those with whom God is pleased.” Remember the words at the Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary? Let the message soak in. The working of God appears in very ordinary mundane settings for those who see it.
Music: “Messiah” Voces8 This video recording is outstanding! Do not miss it!
George Herbert (1593-1633) A Christmas Poem
The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymne for Thee?
My soul’s a shepherd too; a flock it feeds
Of thoughts and words and deeds:
The pasture is Thy Word; the streams Thy grace,
Enriching all the place.
Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers
Out-sing the daylight houres;
Then we will chide the Sunne for letting Night
Take up his place and right:
We sing one common Lord; wherefore he should
Himself the candle hold.
I will go searching till I finde a sunne
Shall stay till we have done;
A willing shiner, that shall shine as gladly
As frost-nipt sunnes look sadly:
Then we will sing, and shine all our own day,
And one another pay:
His beams shall cheer my breast, and both so twine,
Till e’en His beams sing, and my music shine.
Prayer:
Almighty God, we give Thee thanks for the mighty yearning of the human heart for the coming of a Savior, and the constant promise of Thy Word that he was to come. In our own souls we repeat the humble sighs and panting aspiration of ancient men and ages, and own that our souls are in darkness and infirmity without faith in him who comes to bring God to man and man to God. We bless Thee for the tribute that we can pay to him from our very sense of need and dependence, that our own hearts can so answer from their wilderness, the cry, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” In us the rough places are to be made smooth, the crooked straight, the mountains of pride brought low, and the valleys of despondency lifted up. O God, prepare Thou the way in us now, and may we welcome anew Thy Holy Child. Hosanna! Blessed be he who cometh in the name of the Lord. Amen.
—Samuel Osgood, 1862 Prayers Ancient and Modern, p.360
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Additional Scriptures: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:46b-55; Romans 16:25-27
Some thoughts
After some 400 years of silence from God in terms of revelations from the prophets, there was a little stirring in one instance . . . and not from a prophet. The news was that an old priestly couple became pregnant, after barrenness their entire lives! Something mysterious had happened in the Temple because the old priest Zechariah couldn’t talk. There was a game of charades when he came out of the Temple (1:22) and they knew that something unusual had happened.
Elizabeth went out of social circulation for several months. About this same time the angel Gabriel made another unique visit to the young girl, Mary, as described in your reading. Indeed, God was on the move after those years of silence. You know the story well. Put yourself in Mary’s place. Something strange is going on with your old relative Elizabeth. You are glad for her, but this whole thing is a little odd to say the least. Now an angel just shows up when you are by yourself, minding your own business. You are engaged (abiding by the covenant of marriage in this culture) to Joseph.
The Bible says that Mary was “confused and disturbed.” My guess is that that is an understatement. Despite what we might think, the appearance of an angel was very, very rare. Confusion and uncertainty would be a normal response. Then there is the comforting phrase, “you have found favor with God.” Can you imagine how humbling that would be? God finds favor with me? What do you think that meant?
God, the Father, said something similar at Jesus’ baptism. “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” It would seem that finding favor has to do with an obedient heart to the will of God. After telling Mary she had favor in God’s eyes, Gabriel went right ahead with the details of his message. You are going to give birth to the Son of the Most High God. I’m surprised she didn’t pass out or pinch herself to make sure she was conscious and not dreaming. I think we have a little clue as to Mary’s maturity because she didn’t doubt Gabriel’s words for a moment and asked a very logical question. “How’s this going to happen? I haven’t slept with anyone.” Again, the angel didn’t mince words. The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and you will conceive and perfectly holy baby boy. This child will be born without sin. He will be the Son of God, not the son of Joseph. Since you are dealing with God, nothing is impossible. I’m inclined to think that maybe Mary didn’t know about Elizabeth’s pregnancy based on Gabriel’s comments in verse thirty-six. That may have been said to give Mary a little more confidence. At any rate, Mary’s response gives further insight into why she was favored by God. Unlike Zechariah’s reluctance to believe Gabriel when learning of his son John, Mary simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you said about me come true.” She had complete faith and trust in God. If an angel came to you with a message from God, what would he have to say about God’s view of you? Mary is a model. An obedient heart to the will of God seems to be the central point.
Lord God, our Father in heaven, on this night of nights, when a baby’s cry pierced the universe, a Father’s heart was touched as reclamation and restoration moved to planet Earth. We have but a faint inkling of the magnitude of your grace and love. Our words of gratitude seem so thin. Singing them helps a little bit. The condescension involved is more than we can imagine. The Son of God humbled himself and took the form of a human being born in the flesh like billions of other humans. I am dumbfounded, though profoundly grateful, that you had to learn to crawl, walk, and talk just like we do. As we remember your arrival this night. We thank you by endeavoring to be obedient and walk in the path you have prepared for us. Receive our worship through Jesus Christ our Lord, who became a child that we might become the children of God. Amen.
13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Luke 1:26-31
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Some thoughts:
This pericope from Isaiah is perhaps one of the best-known prophetic texts in the Old Testament. The context is this: Israel was fearful of an attack from Damascus, the capital of Syria (some things never change.) Through Isaiah, God sent a message to the king of Judah with the encouraging words that the kings he feared would be deserted and that God would be with Judah both in presence and protection. Once again, while this prophecy had immediate meaning for Israel’s history (Hezekiah was a godly king born about this time), it also spoke prophetically of the birth of the Messiah.
Note also the mention of the royal family of David in both passages. As we have said so many times, note the significance of every phrase. Then there is the phrase “God sent the angel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee.” It was prophesied that the Messiah would be a Nazarene. The childhood home of Jesus was also declared long before his birth. What is interesting here is that on several occasions, women who were barren were visited by an angel to announce they would become pregnant and bear a son, a divine intervention on their behalf: an angel appeared to Sarah (Isaac), an angel spoke to Manoah’s wife (Samson), and the angel Gabriel to Zachariah via Elizabeth (John the Baptist), Hannah –though not via an angel, but prophesied by Eli (Samuel), and Gabriel to Mary (Jesus). Every single one of those five boys played a significant role in God’s greater story of redemption culminating in Jesus’ birth. All are mentioned as heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter eleven. Their mothers were great women who put their trust in God in improbable situations and God honored their faith in a most powerful way. Though you may not be visited by an angel today, (there’s always a chance), may you exhibit the same trust in God as these women as your life unfolds. When the message came, they trusted the word, though none were pregnant at the moment they were told. Nothing was different. They simply believed God’s word then things changed.
Music: “Mary Did You Know?” Mark Lowry and Voctave
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the Author and Giver of all life, we realize you visited these ordinary women in a very unique way in granting them the gift of becoming mothers to some very unique boys. They trusted you against all odds. For we realize Lord, that with you there is no such thing as “odds.” You are sovereign in the lives of your children. You clearly leave nothing to “chance” because it doesn’t exist in your world. Forgive us when we lack faith in you and in your sovereign will. Sometimes you bless barren women with children and sometimes you bless them in remaining barren. In either circumstance, what you ask of us is faith in you and your wisdom. Lord Jesus, we give you our trust this day. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
Some thoughts:
In the opening of his book John defines the Word, in Greek logos, as the human being Jesus. In Greek thought, logos was the rational principle guiding the universe and making life coherent. It was a reason, a theory connecting word with structure. Moreover in Jewish thought, logos was the word of the Lord, an expression of God’s wisdom and creative power. At the time of John’s writing, the Christian perspective was that logos was viewed as coming from God and having his personality (John’s perspective).
The logos is God. The word was God (John 1:1). This idea of the logos, as described by John, was revolutionary of the greatest order. In Greek thought the sphere of God, the spiritual, mythical world was separated from the mundane world of humanity, which they called ‘flesh’ (sarx). John wrote that Christ became sarx! In other words, logos became human! Do you see how utterly astonishing this was for the Greeks and the Jews? Jesus was and is 100% divine and 100% human. It is beyond comprehension that the Creator would do this and outside of anything human beings could conceive of. Notice John begins where his audience understands (logos and sarx) and moves from the known bridging to the unknown making the connection between the two. Often when sharing the gospel, we may have a tendency to begin from our territory rather than where the people’s understanding lies and help them bridge the gap to the gospel.
The word used for dwelt (or in this translation “made his home among us”) is tabernacled. The Old Testament Tabernacle in the desert was a type of Christ which is why such great detail was given to Moses in its construction. The coming of Emmanuel (“God with us”) meant, among other things, God was very serious about communicating with us in ways we could understand. In that sense, there is no mystery. This Logos has revealed God to us in the clearest way possible. He humbled himself to become one of us. It is still astounding.
Music: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” Caitlin
Let all mortal flesh keep silence and with fear and trembling stand
Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descended, our full homage to demand.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be aware of your dwelling place in me this day. May I never become inoculated to the wonder of your Incarnation. In the Savior’s name, Jesus, Amen. -Dan Sharp
40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him. 44 Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.
47 “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. 48 “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? 49 This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”
50 Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. 51 “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”
In this portion of Scripture, Jesus is interacting with the people and the religious leaders. It’s important to know the context and something of the Jewish festivals to gain a fuller understanding of the undertones of the interaction. This whole setting is during one of three major Jewish Feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles, occurring in the early fall. It is one of the pilgrimage festivals so there will be Jewish people from near and far countries. It is important to understand that a “Festival or Feast” is a type, a rehearsal for a later greater celebration in which the Messiah will lead to the ultimate consummation of the celebration, a Feast yet to occur! In each of the chapters of his gospel, John makes a single point identifying Jesus as Messiah and God’s Son. Each chapter reveals another aspect of Jesus’ authority.
Now let’s look to the festival itself. During this seven-day celebration, water was taken in pitchers from the Pool of Siloam and carried in a joyous procession to the Temple each day. Prayers were said asking God to send rain in the winter season to ensure a good harvest. The eighth day was the “Great Celebration” and culmination of the whole feast. Gold and silver pitchers were used. Water was poured over the altar as the Levites sang joyously. It is at this point with hundreds of people from everywhere crowding around the altar that Jesus stood and shouted these words, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will from his heart.’”
Normally rabbis were seated when they taught. There are several places in the Old Testament that make the same declaration. Remember, the Jews knew their Scripture and recognized the implications of what Jesus had just said. How do we know? Their next words were quoting Moses’ reference to the coming of a [super] Prophet in the book of Deuteronomy (chapter 18). Other people said he was the Messiah. They knew Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth and assumed he was born there. They also knew the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. I’m kind of curious why no one asked him, “Jesus, where were you born?” They also missed the connection that the Messiah would be a Nazarene (one from the town of Nazareth (Judges 13:5, Isaiah 9:1-2, and Matthew 2:23). The people were divided as to the identity of Jesus—like today. The Temple guards though, were taken with Jesus’ comments. Jesus was the living water (Woman at the well. John 4). But in this case, he was speaking of the future pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (fifty days after his resurrection).
As often happens weak leaders will ridicule crowds that don’t agree and then speak confidently in crowds who embrace their own viewpoints. But the leaders read the situation exactly wrong. Nicodemus, who had a one-on-one encounter with Jesus earlier (John 3), spoke wisely as his advice was to simply listen to what Jesus had to say. The next we hear of Nicodemus was that he was one of the two men who put Jesus in the tomb after the crucifixion. He apparently came to faith. One of the things that strikes me most in this passage is the phrase, “We never heard anyone speak like this!” The message of the gospel is unlike any cultural narration going on today. It was revolutionary then and it is revolutionary today. Look for a chance to share the “good news” today. The people around us are thirsty for the authentic life-giving water.
Music: “In the Bleak Midwinter” Robert Shaw Chorale (You may want to let this just run as more beautiful carols follow!)
Eternal Light, before whom all darkness is light, and in comparison with whom, every other light is but darkness, may it please Thee to send forth Thy light and Thy truth, that they may lead us. Purify, we pray Thee, our souls from all impure imaginations, that Thy most beautiful and holy image may be again renewed within us. Till this most blessed day break, and shadows fly away, let Thy Spirit be continually with us, and my we feel the powerful effects of Thy Divine grace constantly directing and supporting our steps; that all our endeavors, throughout the whole remaining in part of our lives, may serve to promote the honor of Thy blessed Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Robert Leighton 1611-1684, Prayers Ancient and Modern
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”
God also said,
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”
6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
7 Regarding the angels, he says,
“He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.”
8 But to the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. 9 You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
10 He also says to the Son,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. 12 You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”
13 And God never said to any of the angels,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 89:1-4; 19-26; 2 Samuel 6:12-19
Some thoughts
Once again, the richness of this passage is too much! The unidentified author of Hebrews wrote to the Jewish community who had become believers and were trying to understand their Jewish faith in relation to Jesus. The writer begins with establishing the preeminence and superiority of Jesus over every being, those seen and unseen starting with the angels. In the Jewish mind, angels were the most exalted beings for their role in God’s revelations to his people throughout the Old Testament, though they were not worshiped. In verse five the writer contrasts Jesus’ position with the Father to that of the angels. Jesus is his Son; the angels are not.
It is important to note that Jesus did not become the Son at the exaltation for he was involved at the creation. The Son has always existed, though not always in human flesh—until the Incarnate birth. Virtually every verse in this Hebrews passage is a direct quote from some portion of the Old Testament. The author is putting together his argument on helping the Jews understand the position of Jesus in relation to the First Testament, by showing how Jesus is actually present in these Old Testament passages, that is, the pericopes are talking about the Son. The fact that Moses said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him” carried great weight with the Jewish community for Moses was the greatest of the Old Testament characters (Deut 32:43). He was the one who talked with God directly and received the Law. In addition, the Father asked his Son to sit at his right hand, a position reserved for the Son of God alone.
In the rest of the book, the writer goes on to show Jesus as superior to Moses (Prophets), superior to the priesthood, and his ministry superior to the old covenant. In every way, Jesus is the preeminent Prophet, Priest, and King. As we have said before, do not be shortsighted in thinking Christmas is simply about the birth of a special baby born in Bethlehem. Hebrews gives us a bigger picture. The nativity is not a birthday party for Jesus. The Son of God has no birthday since he has always existed. Please put the manger in context and try to grasp the impossible. The Creator of all that is seen and unseen, all that has existed or ever will exist, One who has never not existed and will never die, has condescended [that word is so inadequate] as the Son of God, to take on human flesh and be born in a manger into a sinful world to bring a costly redemption to that world out of love for people, many of whom reject his love. But because of this incomprehensible expression of love, he makes it possible for the whole created order to be redeemed and live in fellowship with God forever. No, it’s not about a birthday party. It’s about doing away with birthdays forever as his children live in God’s presence throughout eternity as a result of the superiority of the Savior.
Music: “O Magnum Mysterium” Los Angeles Master Chorale
Thou Great I AM, fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at the thought of a Being with whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, a mighty God who, amidst the lapse of worlds, and the revolutions of empires, feels no variableness, but is glorious in immortality. May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives; that, while all creatures are broken reeds, empty cisterns, fading flowers, withering grass, he is the rock of ages, the fountain of living waters. Turn my heart from vanity, from dissatisfactions, from uncertainties of the present state to an eternal interest in Christ. Let me remember that life is short and unforeseen and is only an opportunity for usefulness; give me a holy avarice to redeem the time, to awake at every call to charity and piety, so that I may feed the hungry, clothe the naked, instruct the ignorant, reclaim the vicious, forgive the offender, diffuse the gospel, show neighborly love to all. Let me live a life of self-distrust, dependence on thyself, mortification, crucifixion, prayer.
1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
Additional Scriptures: II Samuel 6:1-11; Psalm 89:1-4; 19-26
Some thoughts
There is so much packed into these four verses, we’ll have to make only a few observations. [These four verses are actually one sentence in Greek.] The whole pericope is an expansion of the third and fourth words, “God spoke.” Unlike any other deity, our God speaks to humans. Buddha is silent. Mohammed is silent. Allah is silent. Remember how Genesis begins? In the God created . . . and God said. God sustains everything simply by the power of his word, then and now. God is a living uncreated spiritual Being in the person of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God. He is not an idea, a force, a higher power, or a concept. He speaks creatively as we are reminded in the third verse of the Bible. In the Old Testament he spoke through dreams, visions, mighty acts, stories, commands, angelic appearances, a donkey, and even appearances of God himself (theophany). The prophets were his messengers speaking the words of God to the people.
The writer of Hebrews then brings things current in stating “and now in these final days,” referring more to the time of the writing of Hebrews, God has spoken to us through his Son. Can you think of a better way to communicate with people except to become one of them? What would be the best way to communicate with a dog? Become a dog yourself. God condescended from the glories of heaven as the Son took on human flesh. We then learn a little more about the Son and consequently about the character of God. Put simply, the universe was created through the Son.
The late Stephen Hawking commented the universe created itself and could not have been created by a god because there was no time for a god to exist because there was no time before the Big Bang. There is a fatal flaw in his conclusions. The God of the Bible exists outside of time altogether. An eternal God, the God who was, and is, and is to come, is not bound by chronos, measured time. Here we read he works in time while remaining outside of it.
Two words are used in this section that are used nowhere else in the New Testament. The words are “radiates” and “expresses.” The former includes the idea of an intense brightness, reminding us of the Transfiguration account. It is the brightness of God’s own glory, the manifestation of his presence. The source of this radiant brightness is in Jesus himself. His glory expresses God’s glory, as they are one in the same, the very character of God, further affirmation of the deity of Christ. There is so much more here, but we need to stop. A simple point is, in the birth of the divine baby in Bethlehem, God spoke to all people and to all of creation, “I have come to make all things new.” How we long for the next advent of the Savior when we will experience the fulfillment of God’s plan of restoration of the whole created order. That will be a Word and a brilliance, no one will miss.
Music: “Go Tell It on the Mountain” Home Free and Texas Hill
Prayer:
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. —The Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:14-19)
9 As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by “rising from the dead.”
11 Then they asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?”
12 Jesus responded, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted.”
The context for what you just read is helpful in gaining insight into the Scripture. Jesus, Peter, and the brothers James and John had been together on the Mount of Transfiguration. The three disciples had just encountered a most amazing sight. They were present in a meeting between Jesus, Moses-who had died 1400 years earlier, and Elijah-who had died 700 years earlier, and Jesus who had never died! Moses was the receiver of the Law. Elijah was the representative of the prophets. The Scriptures tell us they “meeting” and discussion concerned Jesus’ “exodus.” Moses was very familiar with an “exodus” and Elijah’s “exodus” was in a chariot of fire!
A cloud came down and enveloped all six of them. To make matters even more wondrous, God the Father in heaven spoke audibly and addressed the disciples. Talk about a life changing experience! The cloud lifted and Moses and Elijah were no longer there, only Jesus. What was being said by this action? Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. He was the quintessential Prophet, superseding Elijah, the greatest Old Testament prophet. The ministry of Moses and Elijah was finished, hence the visual and the auditory affirmation of the superiority of Jesus from God the Father.
This is the backdrop for the passage you just read. It seems a little strange to us, but Jesus told the three disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen until he had risen from the dead. Why? Something to think about, if the disciples had broadcast what they had seen and heard, the natural conclusion may have been something like this. He is greater than the Law and the Prophets. The Messiah, as a political and military leader, is here to lead an overthrow of the Romans. I don’t know that that is the case, but in having them wait to talk about this encounter until after the resurrection would make it very clear that the overthrow of the occupiers was not his goal or purpose. His “war” was on sin and rebellious hearts in the work of establishing his Kingdom.
The disciples go on to ask another question about the necessity of Elijah preceding the Son of Man, the name Jesus used for himself. John the Baptist was a “type” of Elijah, both of whom suffered in their missions. They were forerunners of Jesus’ suffering. Jesus reminded them that Elijah had already come and many rejected his message proclaiming the coming of the Lord. One of the things I’m frequently aware of as I read Scripture in describing the blindness of people regarding the working of the Lord, is that I am “those people.” All too often there is a dullness in my spirit that does not see God at work in the world in which I live. Jesus came quietly to Bethlehem, and he comes quietly today. You can talk about him now. “He is risen!”
Music: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” Royal Albert Hall, London 5,000 singers
Prayer:
O God, Thou injured, neglected, provoked benefactor, when I think upon thy greatness and thy goodness, I am ashamed of my insensibility, I blush to lift up my face, for I have foolishly erred. Shall I go on neglecting thee, when every one of thy rational creatures should love thee, and take every care to please thee? I confess that thou hast not been in all my thoughts, that the knowledge of thyself as the end of my being has been strangely overlooked, that I have never seriously considered my heart-need. But although my mind is perplexed and divided, my nature perverse, yet my secret dispositions still desire thee. Let me not delay to come to thee; break the fatal enchantment that binds my evil affections and bring me to a happy mind that rests in thee, for thou hast made me and canst not forget me. Let thy Spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ, for I am slow to learn; and hear thou my broken cries.
17 “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ 23 Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’
24 “Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today.25 You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 125; 2 Kings 2:9-22
Some thoughts
Have you ever been in a situation where you wondered about something, analyzed it, studied it, got other’s opinions, and were dead wrong in your conclusion? I know the answer is yes. We simply didn’t have enough information, or we had a pre-determined conclusion of the way we wanted the situation to come out. Such has certainly happened to me. In Peter’s sermon to the Jews in this passage, he reminded them of the message of the prophets regarding the Messiah, whom they had killed. He made a strong plea for the people to repent of their sin and receive the Messiah. The message resonated with the people and 3,000 came to faith in a day.
Now he speaks to another crowd. In case these people had forgotten, Peter tied the powerful and familiar passage in Deuteronomy in which Moses, the greatest man of the Old Testament in the Jew’s eyes, clearly identified the Prophet, which God will raise up from the Jewish people. The admonition was to pay careful attention to this Prophet from God and hearken to his every word for he was the Messiah. Peter again drew on their knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures in that he reminded them of the second prophet, Samuel, and his message as well as the covenant God made with Abraham that by extension included them. As to be expected the religious leaders opposed Peter’s message that through Jesus there was resurrection of the dead. The truth went against the grain of the Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection or in Jesus as the Messiah.
Once again, this situation is not unlike the world in which we live. Any number of people all around us reject Jesus’ atoning death for their sins. They hear some second-hand information about Jesus and form an opinion, a comfortable undemanding position, something they can live with and not have to change. You may have seen the yard sign with the phrase “science is real” and I’m thinking, “but the Creator of science isn’t?” The owner of the yard sign has put their trust in science and rejected God as is apparent from the rest of the information on their sign. However, we have since discovered some things about science in fact are not true. But this person stands by their sign being unwilling to change. By dismissing the whole idea of Jesus as the Son of God and his atoning sacrifice on their behalf, the unbeliever finds it easy to go on living their life in continued separation from God. The sad thing is this was a friend who has since passed away. The birth of Jesus upsets the apple cart, then and now. Ultimately it involves yielding my will to the Savior and bending the knee to the King of kings.
O God, who art faithful and just to forgive us our sins, mercifully grant unto us that we may be delivered from the bondage of our sins and may one day rejoice in perfect liberty in our very Fatherland, which is in heaven. Amen. Roman Breviary
18 Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!” 2 So Elijah went to appear before Ahab.
Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria. 3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the Lord. 4 Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules.” 6 So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” he asked.
8 “Yes, it is,” Elijah replied. “Now go and tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
9 “Oh, sir,” Obadiah protested, “what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab? 10 For I swear by the Lord your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time he was told, ‘Elijah isn’t here,’ King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. 11 And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’ 12 But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life. 13 Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’ Sir, if I do that, Ahab will certainly kill me.”
15 But Elijah said, “I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day.”
16 So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”
18 “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.
I wouldn’t be surprised as you read the above passage you were wondering “what does this have to do with Advent?” At first, I wondered the very same thing. We are aware that an “Elijah” type was to be the forerunner to the Messiah. Elijah was representative of all the Old Testament prophets. (At the Transfiguration he represented the prophets and Moses represented the Law.) Like all the prophets, he was involved in challenging the leaders of the nation in their rejection of God’s rule. All three of today’s passages allude to battles between good and evil. The common thread in each of these pericopes is that God protects his people.
In this passage, Elijah, whose name means “my God (El) is Yahweh (jah),” confronts King Ahab with his rebellion against God. Like today, the truth of God often disrupts the plans of self-focused people. In this case, was Ahab not only absorbed with his Baal worship, but he was also evil through and through. John the Baptist confronted Herod Antipas with the same message: what you are doing is wrong. Repent of your ways.
Likewise, the birth of Jesus brought a threat to Herod the Great, the father of Herod Antipas. The status quo was challenged by the Truth. Like Elijah’s message to Ahab, the power and truth of the gospel means people cannot go on living their lives as they decide or wish. They do answer to one greater than themselves. But the old self will not go down without a struggle. We are foolish if we think we don’t have that battle. The devil’s prime strategy is to persuade us, we are not even in a battle. Advent and the eventual coming of the Savior are about a radical re-ordering of life and society. John’s message did so in the time of Christ and is in that process today. The message of the prophet is to change your ways and follow the way of the Lord. To do that, one must let go of self-rule. That is the same challenge through the ages from the time of Ahab to this morning, December 16!
Prayer: (A prayer regarding the challenge of submitting.)
O Changeless God, under the conviction of thy Spirit I learn that: the more I do, the worse I am; the more I know, the less I know; the more holiness I have, the more sinful I am; the more I love, the more there is to love. O wretched man that I am! O Lord, I have a wild heart, and cannot stand before thee; I am like a bird before a man. How little I love thy truth and ways! I neglect prayer, by thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly, by knowing thou hast saved my soul. Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite, who sins more safely because grace abounds, who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them, who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved, who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholy.
My mind is a bucket without a bottom, with no spiritual understanding, no desire for the Lord’s Day, ever learning but never reaching the truth, always at the gospel-well but never holding water.
My conscience is without conviction or contrition, with nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution. My heart is without affection, and full of leaks. My memory has no retention, so I forget easily the lessons learned, and thy truths seep away. Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace.
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”
24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
Additional Scriptures: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:4b-55
Some thoughts
We saw early on that the Season of Advent was about watching, waiting, and paying attention as we await the Lord’s return. Through parables and stories, Jesus told the people to prepare for his return. In this pericope, we see the care to detail as God’s plan unfolds. It says simply “God sent a man.” He names the man. He gives the man specific instructions about what he is to do. He is to point to the Light. In addition, God used Old Testament prophets to foretell of this person. So when John the Baptist arrived on the scene and began fulfilling his God-given task, the Jewish leaders had questions. “Who are you?” was their question. It was a question much deeper in scope than simply a name as is borne out in John’s responses.
The Pharisees and priests were looking for the Messiah. They were watching, waiting, and paying attention to the Scriptures. Much of what they saw in John fulfilled what they read in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Scriptures. So, John’s first response was simply, “I am not the Messiah.” The next question concerned Elijah. There was some thought among the leadership that since Elijah had not actually died but went to heaven in a chariot of fire, that he would come back to earth to announce the coming of the Messiah. So again, to this question, John answered, “No.”
Then the first question was asked in another way. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” In Deuteronomy 18:15, the first prophet, Moses, spoke of another Prophet who would rise up from among the Jews to speak the very words of God. This Prophet was understood to be the Messiah. How do we know this? In Acts 3:22-23 Peter quotes Moses in the passage from Deuteronomy and proclaims Jesus to be the Prophet to which Moses referred. The priests were spot on with their question about the Prophet Moses wrote about and dead wrong in their conclusion that Jesus was not that Prophet.
Back to our passage. To the Prophet question from the priests and Levites, John again answered, “No.” John only wanted to be known as the voice pointing to the Lord’s coming. Authority was important to the Jewish leadership and so their next question to John was about the authority to baptize. Despite their watching, waiting, and paying attention, the leadership was still missing it. In John’s words, “right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.” They had in their minds an image of what the Prophet, the Messiah should be and do. Jesus did not fit that image. Eventually, some of the leaders did discover the Christ, the Messiah (Nicodemus). I’m wondering if we also sometimes fail to recognize God’s working among us. [We do.] We may be surrounded by people who do not recognize the Savior. You and I are the present-day John the Baptists. John pointed people to Jesus. Can you point someone in that direction today? Look for the opportunity.
Music: “Angels We Have Heard on High” Home Free
Prayer:
Thanks be to thee, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which thou hast won for us, for all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for us. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, may we know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day. And may ours be a voice crying in the wilderness, “This is the way. Walk ye in it.” Richard of Chichester 1197-1253, altered.
Scripture: Habakkuk 3:13-19 (This is a portion of a prayer that Habakkuk sang.)
13 You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones. You crushed the heads of the wicked and stripped their bones from head to toe. 14 With his own weapons, you destroyed the chief of those who rushed out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be easy prey. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high.
16 I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 126; Matthew 21:28-32
Some thoughts
There is uniqueness about this passage of Scripture in that specific directions are given that it is to be accompanied by stringed instruments. Clearly, not all music was sung unaccompanied. Now to reflect on the text itself . . .. With the wave of crises over the last several months—Maria, Irma, Harvey, wildfires in California, a mass killing, NFL troubles, North Korea, [This definitely dates when I wrote this—2017.] We have traded those difficult events and circumstances for a new set of troubles in 2024—Ukrainian/Russian war, immigration problems, Middle East conflicts with Israel, street violence, new hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. The rest of the world continues to have its own significant troubles. Evil is clearly very present in this world. There is an element of uncertainty in our society. Our day is not so different from the days of Habakkuk. In chapter two he writes, (v.18) “What good is an idol carved by man . . . how foolish to trust in your own creation.” Our world is filled with carved idols. One of the idols is “I have my own truth, you have yours” so who are you to criticize my truth. In the words of Groucho Marx, “I have my own principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.” That would be our world.
Habakkuk sheds perfect light on how to read the situation. The importance of knowing history is again borne out here. He remembers and recites God’s actions from the past. God, you rescued your chosen people in referring to the destruction of Egypt’s army as it chased down the Israelites as they fled through the Red Sea. (v.13-15). The whole prayer, which is chapter three, reiterates the power and workings of God in protecting and providing for his people. In the close of the chapter, Habakkuk reaffirms his trust in God. Note the verbs in his response. “I trembled, my lips quivered, my legs gave way, I shook.” Then his trust in God rises to the surface with the words, I will wait quietly. Notice then how he describes wait quietly. There are three “even though’s.” The outward situation remains unsettling, (like today). Yet he says “I will rejoice. I will be joyful in God. The Lord is my strength!” The Lord makes him as sure footed as a deer running up a mountain. As a follower of Christ, do not sing the tune of doom and gloom. The Lord is your strength today and enables you to run up the mountain . . . accompanied by stringed instruments no less! Habakkuk most likely had seen these goats himself.
God, my God, give me heart to thank Thee; lift up my heart above myself, to Thee and Thine eternal throne; let it not linger here among the toils and turmoil’s of this lower world; let it not be oppressed by any earth-born clouds of care or anxiety or fear or suspicion; but bind it wholly to Thee and to Thy love; give me eyes to see Thy love in all things, and Thy grace in all around me; make me to thank Thee for Thy love and Thy grace to all and in all; give me wings of love that I may soar up to Thee, and cling to Thee, and adore Thee, and praise Thee more and more, until I be fitted to enter into the joys of Thine everlasting love, everlastingly to love Thee and Thy grace, whereby Thou didst make me such as Thou couldest love, such as could love Thee, O God my God. Amen. E. B. Pusey 1800-1882
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 126; Habakkuk 3:2-6
Some thoughts
The conversation today is about pressing on. If I’m honest, I admit there are times when I’m too tired to press on. I just want to rest. This “pressing on” is not about those times. Here, we are talking about following Christ relentlessly. It’s about looking to the future and progressing. I once had a professor say that “excellence is not a state of being, it’s a process of excelling. Am I improving?” In this pericope, Paul freely admits he has not arrived, because frankly, we never do in this life. Our pressing on is part of a bigger working of God.
Habakkuk writes of the powerful moving of God in the world concluding God is the ETERNAL ONE (v.6) You see, the pressing on of each of us is a small part of the biggest pressing on that God is doing. Our God is always pressing on. Maybe instead of saying pressing on, we could say vibrantly living, dynamically moving. How do you think he created the Universe? Not by sitting back.
Psalm 126 picks up the same theme in another way. The people plant in tears and reap in joy. They weep going only to return singing for joy. We plant in faith looking to the future for the harvest to come. As a young boy on the farm, and now as an “older boy” from the farm, I remember firsthand the joy of my dad and grandpa during the harvesting of the corn, wheat, and soybeans. The Lord was faithful in harvest again this year. From time to time, I’d hear them whistling! We knew well the long months between planting in mid-April and harvesting the end of September. Like farmers, we live with anticipation of what is to come. Press on in godliness, holy living, and dynamic whistling! The King is coming for the final harvest!
Music: “Come, Ye Thankful People Come” Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra
O Lord my God, be not Thou far from me; my God, have regard to help me; for there have risen up against me sundry thoughts, and great fears afflicting my soul. How shall I pass through unhurt? How shall I break them to pieces? This is my hope, my one only consolation, to flee unto Thee in every tribulation, to trust in Thee, to call upon Thee from my inmost heart, and to wait patiently for Thy consolation. Amen.
2 I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.
2 Then the Lord said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
4 “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. 5 Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.
The season of Advent is about waiting with anticipation of Jesus’ return and the fulfillment of God’s ultimate restoration of all creation. In the previous chapter of Habakkuk, the bad guys were getting away with murdering people who were better than they were. This injustice grated on Habakkuk. In his frustration, he asked eleven questions of the Lord! In a nutshell, the bad guys are getting away with murder. When are you going to do something about it? Ever felt that way?
He was trying to reconcile how a holy and just God would punish Judah with people that were more pagan than his rebellious chosen people. That was chapter one. In chapter two, Habakkuk responds to God with great wisdom. He decides to wait to see what the Lord will say. Wise idea and good advice. Unlike Job’s questioning of the Lord, where the Lord doesn’t answer but asks Job more questions, here, the Lord responds.
Before we deal with the Lord’s response, I’d like us to reflect on Habakkuk’s questions. We are not in a situation greatly different from his. People to stand for Christ are mocked by those in our culture who have made themselves the arbiters of truth and have established their own moral code of conduct. As flawed as Christians are, they have been made righteous by the blood Christ. In our day, the double standard towards believers is common. In a godless society, perverted justice is the rule and is always hungry for more. Each twisted step is never enough. So when the Lord responded to Habakkuk’s questions, we have an opportunity to find the mind of the God. The Lord made is answer very plain. Verse three of chapter two is the theological description of Yogi Berra’s “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over!” The Lord’s justice will most surely come and when it does, it will be definitive. The proud ones always trust in themselves and their bent perspective. Eventually the sin will catch up and pay a heavy wage. We have plenty of current examples. The righteous, those made righteous by God, live by faithfulness to God. Their eyes remain on the Father, not in complaining about the crooked people around them. The Lord sees the evildoers. Evil is insatiable for power, for control, for self, for dominance. One of the themes of Advent, is about waiting in faithfulness and not fretting about the people who seemingly “get away with it.” Put simply in God’s words, “They won’t.” Wait with your eyes fixed on our coming Savior.
Music: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” Instrumental
O God, give us patience when the wicked hurt us. O how impatient and angry we are when we think ourselves unjustly slandered, reviled, and hurt! Christ suffers strokes upon his cheek, the innocent for the guilty; yet we may not abide one rough word for his sake. O Lord, grant us virtue and patience, power and strength, that we may take all adversity with good will, and with a gentle mind overcome it. And if necessity and your honor require us to speak, grant that we may do so with meekness and patience, that the truth and your glory may be defended, and our patience and steadfast continuance perceived. In Jesus’ name. Amen. –Miles Coverdale 1488-1568 (Reformer and translator of the Bible into English in his day)
5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 27; Malachi 2:10-3:1
Some thoughts
This pericope is the very familiar account of the angel Gabriel telling the old priest Zechariah that he will be the father of John, the forerunner of the Messiah. What happens is truly a miracle but, to me, there is something even more wonderful about our God that unfolds in this event. Some background will help frame what happens a little more clearly. First of all, as you know, not anyone could become a priest. You didn’t audition for the job. You had to be born into the right family, the family of Levi. (That is one of the reasons genealogies are so important in the Bible and why such great care was taken in recording them.) All the way back in I Chronicles 24:10 we find that Abijah was one of the twenty-four descendants of the two remaining sons of the high priest, Aaron. (Nadab and Abihu offered unholy fire and died.) Abijah’s was the eighth of the twenty-four lots. Aaron was God’s chosen priest and established the protocol for priestly duties. Aaron and Moses were of the tribe of Levi but not all Levites were priests, just those who descended from Aaron. Why is this significant? God chose to work through the priestly line to bring the prophet who would announce the coming of the Messiah king. As it turns out both father and mother were from the priestly line of Aaron. In other words, John the Baptist was purebred priest!
There were many priests in each of the twenty-four orders. Lots were drawn to determine which man would serve in the Temple. The privilege to serve may come only once in a priest’s lifetime and so was a great honor. Though they had prayed for children, Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless. When his name was drawn for this honor, my guess is many of his friends were waiting outside for him to finish his duties. When he delayed in coming out, they figured something was amiss. What had happened? Somehow Zechariah communicated the appearance of an angelic visitor. An angel in the Temple was unsettling to say the least, but the message was even more startling. Zechariah and Elizabeth were to become parents of the forerunner of the Messiah! The Scripture also tells us that the baby (not a blob of cells) was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in utero.
Our wonderful God worked through an ordinary occurrence, rolling the dice to select a person for a specific task (!), and accomplished his will in a most remarkable, miraculous way. Yet all the details were in perfect order. A prophet who was from the priestly line announced the coming of King Jesus, the One who was the Prophet proclaiming the kingdom of God is among you, and the ultimate Priest who continually intercedes on behalf of his children, and the return of the coming King. Look today for God’s hand in the ordinary things of your life. They may become extra ordinary. God is in the details, even in the roll of the dice. [This pericope is not to be read as an affirmation of gambling!!]
Music: “Comfort Ye & Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” from Messiah Nicholas Sharratt
Almighty Lord our God, direct our steps into the way of peace, and strengthen our hearts to obey Thy commands; may the Dayspring visit us from on high, and give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; that they may adore Thee for Thy mercy, follow thee for Thy truth, desire Thee for thy sweetness, who art the blessed Lord God of Israel. Amen.
2 But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. 3 All who remain in Zion will be a holy people— those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living. 4 The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment. 5 Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land. 6 It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 27; Acts 11:1-18
Some thoughts
Throughout the Old Testament it seems that a good deal of the time Israel was in trouble both with their neighbors and with God. During those times, God gave them prophets to point the way of faith. When the above passage came from Isaiah’s mouth, Israel was in rebellion toward God. Isaiah warned Israel to change her ways and predicted Israel would be carried off into exile. In this passage, he talks about the remnant who would return after the exile. You have undoubtedly noted in v.5 his reference to “the cloud during the day and the smoke and flaming fire at night,” a clear reference to God’s leading the Israelites in the desert in the time of the forty years of wandering in the desert. Quite often events in the Bible foreshadow later occurrences. An incident is a partial picture, often of a later greater event. When we speak of the unity of Scripture, this is a small part of what we mean. The whole story of the Bible is connected as God unfolds his master plan.
Moving back to verse two we read “In that day, the branch of the Lord . . .” To what day and to what branch are we referring? In one case we are talking about the actual return from exile and the branch being the restored Israelite remnant (a shadow). On a more ultimate level, we are foretelling the day of the Lord when all of creation will be restored. The “branch” in this case also refers to the Messiah, the Branch of the Lord. In the eleventh chapter, Isaiah writes (v.1) “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot−yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.” Here again, we apply what we have so often heard, “the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible.” On a still larger picture yet, do you see we are the people in exile living in a corrupt fallen world as were the Israelites. We too await the final coming of the Messiah to establish in eternal Kingdom. It will be a beautiful and glorious day. The Advent season is about looking forward to that day. Stay under his cloud today. He is our shelter from the heat of conflict and unpredictable storms of the day as we wait for his return.
You are holy, Lord, the only God. And your deeds are wonderful. You are strong, you are great. You are the most High, you are almighty. You, holy Father, are King of heaven and earth. You are Three and One, Lord God, all good. You are our protector; you are our guardian and defender. You are courage, you are our haven and our hope. You are our faith, our great consolation. You are our eternal life, great and wonderful Lord. God almighty, merciful Savior. –St Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226 A.D.
7 But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. 8 Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. 9 In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right. 10 Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord’s majesty. 11 O Lord, they pay no attention to your upraised fist. Show them your eagerness to defend your people. Then they will be ashamed. Let your fire consume your enemies.
12 Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you. 13 O Lord our God, others have ruled us, but you alone are the one we worship. 14 Those we served before are dead and gone. Their departed spirits will never return! You attacked them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten. 15 O Lord, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great. You have extended our borders, and we give you the glory!
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 27; Acts 2:37-42
Some thoughts
There are so many powerful themes in these words from Isaiah. He was preaching to a persecuted people. His words were to encourage repentance and righteous living. He paints a picture of a smooth path for the righteous. We may read this and conclude something is wrong. The righteous do not have a smooth path. They are under great stress from their enemies. So, what is going on? The trouble is, we quickly look at a situation from our human perspective and draw our conclusions not only about the circumstances, but also about God. We assume we see all that is. If we had all knowledge, that would be true. Since we are not omniscient, we must acknowledge the One who has all knowledge. We want to put v.7 in human time; God puts it in eternal time. I’ll go with the eternal, it lasts a lot longer!
In the meantime, v.8 gives us guidance for the “human time.” Put simply, live in obedience that God may be glorified. Did you notice that in v.9 there is no time we are not to be seeking God? The latter part of that verse clues us in on God’s timing for dealing with the wicked. It also tells us of the character of our Lord. He is kind and patient with those who rebel. In Hebrews we read “God is a consuming fire.” Here in Isaiah, we read of God’s fiery judgment of the wicked. Isaiah then turns our attention back to the obedient faithful in acknowledging God as the sole provider and the one who is worshiped. In the end, time runs out and judgment comes for those who have rebelled, ignored, or defied God. Those made righteous by the grace of God enjoy his eternal favor. You see, we are the ones Isaiah is speaking to! Don’t fret over the evildoers. Earthly time will run out. Judgment follows. In the meantime, stay on God’s path; it gets smoother. God said so.
Music: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (in German) Ensemble Amarcod
O Lord, this is all my desire−to walk along the path of life that Thou hast appointed me, even as Jesus my Lord would walk along it, in steadfastness of faith, in meekness of spirit, in lowliness of heart, in gentleness of love. And because outward events have so much power in scattering my thoughts and disturbing the inward peace in which alone the voice of Thy spirit is heard, do Thou gracious Lord, calm and settle my soul that by subduing power which alone can bring all thoughts and desires of the heart into captivity to Thyself. All I have is Thine; do Thou with all as seems best to Thy divine will; for I know not what is best. Let not the cares or duties of this life press on me too heavily; but lighten my burden, that I may follow Thy way in quietness, filled with thankfulness for Thy mercy, and rendering acceptable service unto Thee. Amen.
1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written:
“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. 3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”
4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
Mark opens his book announcing the “Good News,” in Greek, evangelion, from which we get “evangelical” among other words. It is frequently translated gospel. From the very beginning of his writing, Mark identifies Jesus as Messiah, the anointed one in Hebrew. In the earlier Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were all anointed with oil indicating God’s presence, blessing, and authority with that person. That is why people were to take the words of the prophet seriously. God was literally speaking through the prophet’s mouth. Israel had been looking and waiting for a descendant of King David, the Messiah, the anointed one. This pericope is not so much about John the Baptist as it is about Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. Mark builds the case for Jesus’ identity by quoting two of the most prominent Old Testament prophecies in Malachi and Isaiah. The early church referred to itself as “the Way,” perhaps in reference to this Isaiah quote.
John generated great interest from the public. There had been no prophet of God for nearly 400 years and now the prophet John, like Elijah of old, appeared out of the desert with a call to all for repentance and confession of sin. His baptism was an outward sign that the people had repented and turned to God for forgiveness. Huge crowds came out to see and hear John’s message. The Scriptures tell us that all of Jerusalem and all of Judea, roughly 2700 square miles, (Mediterranean to Dead Sea to Sea of Galilee) came out to see this prophet from the desert.
As you know, the early weeks Advent focus on the ministry of John the Baptizer and his message of repentance in preparation for the coming kingdom of Jesus. We likewise await this advent of Christ some 2,000 years later. We are this day closer to that glorious event than was John. The core of his message was repent, certainly an apropos message for all of us today. With a heart of repentance we await the coming, the advent of our Savior. Do we live with an expectation of the imminent return of the Lord? What difference will such thinking make in our life?
Music: “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” Fernando Ortega
I wonder Lord, if I had lived in the time of John the Baptist, if would have travelled out into the desert to hear him? My life is so filled with distractions now. I have trouble staying focused when I pray. I don’t seem to be able to do the necessary things. I wind up wasting time and doing trivial things. To be truthful, I sort of avoid being alone with you at times. It’s kind of embarrassing to be transparent. Maybe part of me thinks you’re tired and disappointed with such a fickle follower. Father, take me in your arms and let me hear John’s voice again. Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen. –Dan Sharp
27 Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him.28 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”
29 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”
31 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 32 But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. 33 So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Yesterday we wrote about how Jesus was Prophet, Priest, and King. One of the things prophets did was to proclaim the truth. Often that got them in hot water. In this case, this conversation took place during Holy Week. A little context will help us grasp the significance of this interaction with the religious leaders. Previously Jesus had cleansed the Temple of moneychangers. He had healed a blind man. He had forgiven people of their sins. The religious leaders came from three groups of people, the teachers (scribes), priests, and elders. They were the religious authorities. It is important to note this authority to interpret the Scriptures was given to very few persons. Such a status did not occur until the person was at least thirty years of age. Only the most brilliant ever attained this position. Typically, these persons had memorized the entire Old Testament. Jesus was perceived as such a person. Therefore, the religious leaders came at Jesus again and again demanding proof of his authority, particularly since it countered their interpretations.
This passage is another example of the conflict. In discussions among rabbis the normal pattern was to answer a question with another question. [That was the pattern here as well.] The question of the rabbi who responded to the initial question needed to demonstrate, not only an answer, but also a grasp of the implications of the first question. You see how insightful Jesus’ question was. He forced the religious leaders to confront the choice between a prophet speaking God’s truth from heaven (John) or simply view John as an ordinary man speaking human ideas. Public opinion was in favor of the former, John speaking God’s truth.
The leaders were unwilling to believe John because it would destroy their position and they would have to acknowledge Jesus was the Messiah. They were also unwilling to go against public opinion, which would expose them as religious bigots. So, they refused to answer Jesus’ question. Jesus followed with a parable in which he further exposed their hypocrisy. Do you look at these religious leaders as hard-hearted people protecting their position by refusing to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ? How often does the authority of Jesus in your life cause you conflict? (Just following the rabbi’s pattern!) If the Lord always agrees with you, you are in trouble!
O Lord, let me not henceforth desire health or life, except to spend them for Thee, with Thee, and in Thee. Thou alone knowest what is good for me; do, therefore, what seemeth Thee best. Give to me, or take from me; conform my will to Thine; and grant that, with humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may receive the orders of Thine eternal Providence; and may equally adore all that comes to me from Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,
“Look, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.”
The passage you have just read must remind you of several other passages of Scripture that pick up several of these same themes. Throughout the Bible, God spoke and led his people by prophets like Isaiah, priests like Moses, and kings like David all of which God chose. There is a larger truth in this passage than the immediate situation. Prophets received direct messages from the Lord. As God speaks to Jeremiah he says, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” It was King David who wrote those words in Psalm 139 some 300 plus years earlier. God knew them before they were born, and he knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb! In Jeremiah’s case God had a specific mission for him to speak to the nations on God’s behalf. The same can be said for Isaiah (Is.49:1). One didn’t decide to be a prophet, God called them from before birth to the task! Some were willing; some were not (Jonah!). Jeremiah’s response was very similar to that of Moses at the burning bush. Moses, when called to speak on behalf of the Lord, made the same claim to the Lord. “I can’t speak for you.” Whereupon God ordained that Moses’ brother Aaron be his spokesman. God gave his word to Moses, who then passed it on to Aaron, who spoke to the people. Isaiah, who likewise reflected reluctance to be God’s mouthpiece to the people. Moses was afraid. Jeremiah was afraid. Isaiah was afraid. In each case God’s promise was that he would be with them. “Emmanuel,” God with us. Like Isaiah, God reached out and touched Jeremiah’s lips putting his words in the mouth of his prophet. When called by God, the response of each was the same. “Here I am” were the words of Isaiah, Jeremiah in contrast to Moses’ words “Who am I to go?”
Finally, the passage closes with the call to the prophets to confront nations and kingdoms with the evil and idolatry residing among the peoples. The word from God was to repent and be healed. At this point you are probably wondering what all of this has to do with Advent! Throughout Scripture there were three distinctive leadership roles in which God interacted with his people: the Prophet, Priest, and King as we’ve just seen. They were never combined. In fact, King Saul was removed as king because he assumed the role of priest. This passage in Jeremiah is a “shadow” of One who will be Prophet, Priest, and King, even Jesus the Messiah. Except the role of this Savior was determined before time and for all eternity. The Prophet speaks to you in his Word. The Priest intercedes on your behalf as you read this. And the King has yet to come to rule his people (you and me) and set up his eternal Kingdom. For that we wait!
Music: “Ideo Gloria” St. Malachay’s Choir, Scotland
Prayer: Jesus’ high Priestly prayer from John 17:1-5
Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. 2 In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. 3 Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”
4 “O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. “For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. 5 I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces— to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light. 6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; I Thessalonians 1:2-10
Some thoughts
Do you ever wonder what the heart of God is like? We know many of the characteristics of God. He is holy, just, righteous, loving, all knowing, and so forth. But what is his heart like? Is he emotionally and personally connected to people, to you? These words of Hosea are most intriguing. You just read that God has “torn us to pieces, now he will heal us.” In a short time he will restore us (why?), so we can live in his presence (v.2). We have a clue here as to God’s heart toward you and me. He wants us to live in his presence . . . on his terms.
From our point of view, it means repentance. His presence is holy. We are not. I’m not sure we always realize this truth. I fear holiness isn’t that big of an issue for us. But something has to be done. God’s “tearing” is a way of waking us up to realize our need for repentance and the significance of holiness from God’s perspective.
Hosea writes of the importance of pressing on to “know him.” How do you and I press on? We absorb his words. We read elsewhere that the “word of the Lord is sharper than any two-edged sword.” God’s word brings us truth, his truth which inevitably exposes our need for repentance. Hosea is very blunt here. God’s prophets came to “slaughter you with my words!” God wants their undivided love, not simply obeying the sacrificial law. God is after their heart, not their religious actions. The actions follow, but are not a substitute for the heart, fully abandoned to loving the Father. Where is God tearing you? He’s after your undivided heart.
Music: “What Child Is This” Jerry Palmer, Don and Wendy Francisco (instrumental)
Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee; Thou only knowest what I need; Thou lovest me better than I know how to love myself. O Father, give to Thy child that which he himself knows not how to ask. I dare not ask either for crosses or consolations; I simply present myself before Thee, I open my heart to Thee. Behold my needs which I know not myself; see and do according to Thy tender mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or raise me up; I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them; I am silent; I offer myself in sacrifice; I yield myself to Thee; I would have no other desire than to accomplish Thy will. Teach me to pray. Pray Thyself in me. Amen —Francois de la Mothe Fenelon, 1651-1715
Mobilize! Marshal your troops! The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem. They will strike Israel’s leader in the face with a rod.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. 3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. 4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. 5 And he will be the source of peace.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 79, Luke 21:34-38
Some thoughts
This passage from Micah is one of the most familiar prophetic passages in the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures begin with verse two. Israel was under a vicious attack from the Assyrians to the north. Though crushed in defeat, God preserved a remnant of his people Israel. Being struck in the face with a rod was a sign of further contempt (v.1). The nation was being purified. The prophet proclaims that a future ruler will come from the tiny village of Bethlehem. Ephrathah was the ancient name of Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11). It was also the birthplace of King David. The phrase “one whose origins are from the distant past” suggests this is an unusual king, suggesting a divine-human ruler, the Ancient of Days.
Often in prophetic literature there is a more immediate fulfillment, a kind of “shadow” of the future. Then there is the final fulfillment, which completes the prophecy. Often, we are living between the two, awaiting the completion of the proclamation. Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David, did rule Israel when they returned from the Assyrian captivity, but no peace followed. A greater king was needed. This king would be the source of peace. The only king who ever brings peace is King Jesus! The Prince of Peace came to earth in the fulfillment of Micah’s words, and he brought another prophetic message from heaven itself. You can read his words in the above passage from Luke’s gospel. His words? “Don’t let your hearts be dulled by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware.” Jesus is where you will find your peace today as well as in eternity.
Music: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” Sara McLachlan
Poem of George Herbert: This is the latter part of a poem entitled “Peace.” Note: Bethlehem means “house of bread.” It was Jesus who said, “I am the bread of life.”
6 “In that coming day,” says the Lord, “I will gather together those who are lame, those who have been exiles, and those whom I have filled with grief. 7 Those who are weak will survive as a remnant; those who were exiles will become a strong nation. Then I, the Lord, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever.” 8 As for you, Jerusalem, the citadel of God’s people, your royal might and power will come back to you again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem.
9 But why are you now screaming in terror? Have you no king to lead you? Have your wise people all died? Pain has gripped you like a woman in childbirth. 10 Writhe and groan like a woman in labor, you people of Jerusalem, for now you must leave this city to live in the open country. You will soon be sent in exile to distant Babylon. But the Lord will rescue you there; he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.
11 Now many nations have gathered against you. “Let her be desecrated,” they say. “Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem.” 12 But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts or understand his plan. These nations don’t know that he is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor. 13 “Rise up and crush the nations, O Jerusalem!” says the Lord. “For I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves, so you can trample many nations to pieces. You will present their stolen riches to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.”
As mentioned a couple of days ago, one of the central themes of Advent is the return of the Lord and the establishing of his eternal Kingdom. To most of us, that almost sounds like the plot of a novel, something mildly interesting, but not something with which we have a very strong connection. Some insight into the context of this passage may help bring us from casually reading about something that happened a few thousand years ago to grasping a better understanding of the ways of our God. It can help move us to better “understand his plan (v.12).”
Jerusalem is the unique city in the entire world. It was common in the ancient Near East that when a city was defeated, it was either entirely destroyed or in some cases assimilated. If demolished its identity was entirely lost. Not so with Jerusalem. Though destroyed at times, it survived as the most important city in the world. (Some of the stones put in place by Solomon at the building of the Temple around 1,000 BC are still in the same place!) God spoke through his servants and prophets not through nations.
In this passage, Micah is prophesying that the Israelites will be sent into exile and suffer in Babylon because they have ungodly leadership and are being disciplined by God. When they have humbled themselves before God and repented of their ways, God has promised to restore them and to restore his city, Jerusalem. Micah foretells that many nations will rise up against Jerusalem only to be defeated and disciplined by God. Sometimes we may think of all of this as an interesting story. The Bible says not a word about the city of New York, London, Rio, or Tokyo. It does say a great deal about Jerusalem. Since we “don’t know the Lord’s thoughts or understand his plan,” it behooves us to pay attention to what he says about his city. He has a plan for his people and for his city. He is not done with Jerusalem. Read the Revelation passage above to see what lies ahead. It’s not a novel!
Music: “The Holy City” the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Oh my Creator, are you leading every man of us to greater godliness? Or is this only a metaphysical idea for which there is no evidence? Is man only a constant repetition of himself? You know that through all these twenty horrible years I have been supported by the belief that I was working with you who were bring every one of us…to perfection. O Lord, even now I am trying to snatch the management of your world from your hands. Too little have I looked for something higher and better than my own work—the work of supreme Wisdom, which uses us whether we know it or not. Lord, help me to know your thoughts and understand your plan. In Jesus’ name. Amen. –adapted from Florence Nightingale
O God, pagan nations have conquered your land, your special possession. They have defiled your holy Temple and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. 2 They have left the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of heaven. The flesh of your godly ones has become food for the wild animals. 3 Blood has flowed like water all around Jerusalem; no one is left to bury the dead. 4 We are mocked by our neighbors, an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? 6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on kingdoms that do not call upon your name. 7 For they have devoured your people Israel, making the land a desolate wilderness. 8 Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. 10 Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff, asking, “Where is their God?” Show us your vengeance against the nations, for they have spilled the blood of your servants. 11 Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.
12 O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times for the scorn they have hurled at you. 13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation.
Have you ever been happy when bad guys got what they deserved? And likewise, I’ve been frustrated when they “got away with it!” This psalm addresses the nations, cultures, and people who reject the rule of Christ. God’s plan is that people would submit to the rule of Christ in their lives even now. Whether it’s the people or the actual land, Israel has been and still is a place of unrest and turmoil.
There is another “land” that is under current attack by those who despise Christianity. Make no mistake; Christianity is rejected by some in this world as bigoted, narrow, and intolerant. This psalm describes our world accurately. Christianity is mocked, scorned, and derided (v.4). We are, as a secular culture, in need of repentance (v.8,9). Asaph pleads with the Lord to pay back the mockers and cynics seven times. Seven reflects perfection, completeness. So the writer asks God to pay his adversaries back “in full.” (v.12)
Within all of us, there is a sense of justice, a jealousy and longing that God would be honored. The unrepentant arrogant will receive justice. The repentant sinner will receive forgiveness and mercy. Living a life of repentance, obedience, and humility brings glory to God. He will take care of those who reject him, if not in this life, when he returns to reign in power and set up his kingdom. Every knee will bow before the King of kings and Lord of lords. Our God is merciful and just. The cross is the proof that God’s justice extends to all, even to himself in that his own Son embraced our sin and stepped in and took our punishment to the point of death.
Music: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Casting Crowns
Prayer: (Based on a prayer of a Chinese woman who had just learned to read.)
Gracious Lord, we live in a world estranged from you. Their eyes and minds are fixed on their phones and other devices. Often the people around us give scarce attention to you or to your Scriptures. Put simply, reading the Bible is not part of their life. They are in certain danger of judgment. In the words of this Chinese woman:
“We are going home to many who cannot read. So, Lord, make us to be Bibles so that those who cannot read the Book, can read it in us.” Lord Jesus, we are the only “Holy Book” many people will read today. May my life reflect Jesus. Amen. –Dan Sharp
Fall is just around the corner as the summer vacations come to an end (except for retirees!), school begins, and we enter into all the fall activities unless you live in the southern hemisphere in which case spring is coming in a couple of weeks. In a few more months we’ll be in the season of Advent. You are saying don’t rush me!
While you may not be thinking of Advent and the Christmas, I have been. Normally, I’d be writing like crazy at this point. But things will be a little different for you this year as you have been a subscriber to the sharpdevotionals.com. The daily emails will not be available this year but do not worry, we have something better in response to several of your suggestions.
I’ve been writing since last spring working on the first of four devotional books that will eventually cover the entire Christian year. The first one, Advent to Ashes, volume 1, is completed and at the publishers currently in the layout process having completed all the editing. We are aiming for a mid-November release. I am about a third of the way through Volume 2, Ashes to Pentecost.Advent to Ashes covers the first Sunday in Advent to the day before Ash Wednesday, March 9th.
Since both Advent and Easter have varying start dates depending on the year, I’ve taken that into account and written accordingly. The earliest date for Advent is November 27th and the latest date for Easter is April 25th meaning the latest possible date for Ash Wednesday is March 10th. With that in mind, I’ve written daily devotionals in Advent to Ashes from November 27th through March 9th. There is an index in the back of the book for every year between 2025 and 2075 telling you when Advent starts and when Easter occurs, so you’ll always know when to begin. This year Advent begins December 1st and Ash Wednesday is on March 5th. Put simply, no matter the year, there will always be a devotional for the day with some you will not read depending on the year. The format is the same with Scripture, commentary, music via printed QR code in the book, and a concluding prayer. All of the content material is either new or major rewrites. I will certainly let you know when the book releases. The book will be available on Amazon. There will be an E-book version available on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play.
Thank you all for your faithfulness in reading the Scriptures. My heart’s desire is that these books will help you continue hearing God speak through his word daily as a part of your life and journey with the Lord. I would be grateful for your passing the word along.
The joyous celebration of Easter Sunday yesterday marked the end of this year’s Lenten devotionals, though Lent actually ends on Maundy Thursday. Since you are used to receiving emails from me, I thought I’d add one more day and bring you all up to date on the book project I’m working on.
A few weeks ago I signed a contract with Covenant Publishing who reviewed the manuscript which is currently in the hands of their editors having been accepted by their editorial board. I continue to edit the manuscript as well. We are aiming to have the book available in time for this coming Advent in 2024. Pray to that end, it could be close as 8-10 months is the usual time it takes for a release date.
A word about the book itself. This is actually the first of four volumes I’m planning on writing. The goal is to write a devotional for each day of the entire year.This volume will cover every day between the first Sunday in Advent to Ash Wednesday. Volume II Ash Wednesday to Pentecost, Volume III Pentecost to Rosh Hashanah, and Volume IV Rosh Hashanah to Advent. The books will be in both paperback and e-book editions.
Since Advent and Easter are not set dates (like Christmas), I have figured out how to make it all work no matter when those seasons begin. I have the starting dates for Advent and Easter every year between now and 2075! As a result, there will be more than 400 daily entries in the four volumes! You will never be without a daily devotional.
The format will be very similar to the devotionals you receive, but in addition there will be a QR code for each day along with the URL link for the music entries. There is new material and much rewriting, re-working, and updating of some previous entries. There is also some new music. The book will include topical, scriptural, and music indices in addition to the Advent and Easter calendars from 2025-2075.
Well that gives you an update of where we are in this process and we’ll be in touch along the way. I’ll appreciate your passing the word along. Thanks so much.
28 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Some thoughts:
These are Jesus’ words to you and to me as he returned to heaven. “As you are going [the sense of “go”] make disciples of all the nations [and people around you], baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Until I return.]
Music: “Messiah” Voces8
Prayer:
Lord God of all that was, is, and will ever be, the moment we have longed for has come: the night of our desires is here. What greater occupation could there be than for us to proclaim the power of your Resurrection! This was the night when you shattered the gates of hell and mortally destroyed the devil, and then you took up the victory banner of heaven. This was the night when you set us among the stars. When your mother Mary gave birth to you, she was overwhelmed with joy at your beauty. Now we are overwhelmed with joy at your power. The blood which flowed from your side has washed away our sins forever. Your body rising from the tomb has promised us eternal life. Eternal are the blessings which in your love you have poured upon us.
To you Lord Jesus Christ we give our deepest praise, love, and gratitude. These things we pray through Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God for now and forever. Amen.
—from Guideposts Prayers for Easter, p.66, adapted Daniel Sharp
Thank you all for this journey through the Lenten season concluding with the Resurrection, but remember, there is so much more. It didn’t all end there. Forty days later Jesus ascended to his Father in heaven in a glorified physical body where he sits at his Father’s right hand interceding on our behalf. At a time known only to the Father, Jesus will return to bring to final completion and restoration of the entire created order. He will establish his Kingdom and he will reign forever and ever . . . and we’ll be there!
The daily devotional book: Advent through Ashes continues to make great progress. We’ll keep you informed. At this point it looks like it will be in 4 volumes and cover each day of the year and be flexible enough to adjust whenever the various seasons start!
This is a day of holy quietness and reflection. Change what you would normally do on a Saturday. Skip shopping and running errands. Stay home. Like at creation, God worked the six days of creation and said his work was finished. On the seventh day he rested and blessed the day calling it a holy Sabbath. The work of Jesus on earth likewise was completed on the sixth day of the week as he uttered, “It is finished” and then he rested in the tomb throughout that Sabbath day. It was a quiet day and I am sure an unbearably sad and mournful day for the disciples and followers of Jesus. From their standpoint, the ministry of the past three years was a total failure, plus their leader was dead.
Though he was in the tomb, God in Christ was accomplishing the culmination of his time on earth, gaining the victory over sin, death, and evil forever. Satan was crushed, destroyed forever. The below passages of Scripture and similar passages telling God’s Redemption Story are read on Holy Saturday evening in what is called an Easter Vigil service. It was (and is) a special service awaiting the morning of the Resurrection. It began with these readings, baptisms, communion, and culminating in a resurrection service. Read, listen, and reflect today on the Savior’s great love and sacrifice for you and his whole creation. The Brahms Requiem is the music for today and follows the Scripture readings.
God Creates: Genesis 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
The Man and Woman Sin: Genesis 3
3 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 Then he said to the woman,
“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said,
“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment
20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live. 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
God Provides Deliverance for His People: Exodus 14:10-31
10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Escape through the Red Sea
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. 18 When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”
19 Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. 20 The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.
21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!
23 Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. 24 But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. 25 He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
26 When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.
29 But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. 30 That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Exodus 15:20-21
20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. 21 And Miriam sang this song:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”
Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation: Isaiah 55:1-11
55 “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. 4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations. 5 You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
The Resurrection: Luke 24:1-12
24 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
Sin’s Power Is Broken: Romans 6:1-11
6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
The Brahms requiem is unique in that he chose to use texts that point to the resurrection rather than the usual requiem mass texts.
Music: “Brahms German Requiem” UCLA and Angeles Chorale (in English)
Prayer:
You are the Great God-he who is in heaven.
You are the creator of life; you make the regions above.
Scripture: Psalm 22 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.
6 But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, 8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”
9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. 10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.
11 Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. 12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! 13 Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. 14 My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. 15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. 16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have piercedmy hands and feet. 17 I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. 18 They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.
19 O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid! 20 Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs. 21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen.
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. 23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.
25 I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. 27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. 28 For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations.
29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. 30 Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.
Some thoughts:
In what is a strikingly descriptive psalm, David describes his own predicament. Yet as he laments his own people’s rejection of him as king, he paints a perfect picture of the rejection of his prophesied descendent, the Messiah. This Old Testament account of Israel casting off David as king is a foretelling of what Israel would do 1,000 years later with the King of kings. Jesus’ plaintive plea opening this psalm expresses his humanity so clearly. We do not know that he did not quote more of the psalm. So much of this psalm describes in specific detail Jesus’ experience as he hung on the cross. The Son of God called out to God the Father for relief, and none came, yet the Son continued in faith and total commitment through horrible physical, mental, and spiritual torture. He willingly bore the weight of the sin of the entire world for all time!
Note David appeals to God’s past action in helping Israel (v.2-5). He does not doubt God’s character even when God is silent. I don’t know if the religious leaders and elders knew it, but they also ironically quoted this psalm. Verse eight of Psalm 22 is remarkably like Matthew 27:41-43.
The latter part of the psalm shifts focus beginning in verse twenty-two. In times of great stress, remembering and recounting God’s past faithfulness and history of providing occurs over and over throughout the Scriptures. Here David writes of a day yet to come and of future generations, including us, who will hear of the greatness of the Lord and bow before him. The complete fulfillment of these words has yet to happen. Make no mistake. The magnitude of this day when Jesus took all sin upon himself, the weight of all sin ever committed since the beginning of creation, changed eternity for all who would put their trust in him. Stop and think. The weight of all sin that ever existed being placed on one person is incomprehensible. Only the Son of God could bear that burden and he did so willingly. What God had in mind until humans hopelessly destroyed it, was now again made possible, namely the restoration of what God’s desire was from the beginning . . . perfect communion with his creation, the original state of Eden. The price of sin was paid in full. There is no other hope. Hallelujah! The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane made possible a return to the Garden of Eden. Full communion with God is again possible. The impossible debt is cancelled forever!
Music: “Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs” from Messiah or listen to Part II of Messiah
“He Trusted in God” Voces8 and Academy of Ancient Music
Because of Good Friday, the following prayer is possible. All glory to God.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Thou wast poor and in misery, a captive and forsaken as I am. Thou knowest all man’s distress; Thou abidest with me when all others have deserted me; Thou doest not forget me, but seekest me. Thou willest that I should know thee and turn to thee. Lord, I hear thy call and follow thee; do thou help me. —Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945
From the Good Fridayliturgy, Orthodox
Today he who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross.
He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.
He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.
He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon his face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails.
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
Some thoughts:
These are words we hear every time we observe the Lord’s Supper. Paul takes care to pass along the very words he received from Jesus. Have ever given thought as to why Paul included “on the night he was betrayed”? Jesus clearly knew what Judas was going to do as recorded in John’s gospel. Knowing this fact and seeing how the Lord went ahead without pausing on his mission makes his actions all more commanding yet. “This is my body, which is given for you [you too Judas].” The juxtaposition of the two phrases is so powerful and a beautiful picture of the depth of Christ’s love for his disciples and us—for we have likewise betrayed our Savior.
Then there is the sentence “Do this to remember me.” We may be inclined to read it and go on, but there is something worth noting in the word “remember.” At its Greek root is the word anamnesis from which we get amnesia. Anamnesis in this case means a recalling of a past action, which brings it into the present moment. The worshiper experiences the present action of Christ in the receiving of the bread and cup.
“The anamnesis is not a simple intellectual function; it is an action. It has an incomparably wider spectrum, which includes the element of thought and makes it an existential, personal event. As members of the eucharistic community we recall again to consciousness the economy of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Christ, his ascension, and Pentecost. We live them. We share in them. We do this not through our own human abilities but through the grace of the Holy Spirit, through the uncreated energy of God which accomplishes the sacraments.” (Anastasios, “Together on the Way:2.2 Anamnesis” Dec.4, 1998, WCC)
The past action has entered the present. The power and action of Christ at the Maundy Thursday Upper Room is brought into the present. The effect is current and one into which we have entered. This “remember” is very different from remembering something that happened last week for example. The New Covenant which Jesus instituted on that night is current in its impact and life on this night. Notice also how the past, the Lord’s death, is brought into the present and the future (“until he comes again”) is also brought into the present. There is also a word for that concept, prolepsis, but that is for another time. Never underestimate the power of the Lord’s Supper on the “night he was betrayed.” This is a most holy wondrous night.
Music: “Ubi Caritas” Paul Mealor
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, who on that treacherous night, did display unending, unconditional love and proclaimed the fulfillment of a New Covenant of grace, we can find no words to express our love and gratitude for the difference your action makes in our lives today so many years later. We are nourished by the bread and the cup, your life-giving body. We live into that holy night rejoicing in the power unleashed by the Holy Spirit. This day we reflect on your love which culminated in your death on the cross to bring redemption to the whole world and all of creation. Receive this our prayer through Christ our Lord, who reigns with you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. —Daniel Sharp
21 Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”
22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” 25 So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27 When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” 28 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once.
Some thoughts:
This pericope is filled with so much richness. Put yourself among the disciples. The hand selected twelve are having a meal with rabbi Jesus with whom they have been traveling and living together the past three years. They are sharing what turns out to be their last meal together, though the disciples don’t know it at this point. In Middle Eastern custom, the host will in some cases, dip bread in a bowl and give it to the honored guest. At any rate, dipping food in a common bowl is a sign of close friendship. The concept even carries over to today. The disciples would not have thought anything unusual for Jesus to do this and then give the sop to Judas. Jesus told them that one of them would betray him, yet they wondered what he meant.
Betrayal is based on deep trust. The betrayer must have gained complete trust in the one who is to be betrayed, which is probably why the betrayal by Judas didn’t compute with the rest of the disciples, though Jesus certainly knew what Judas was about to do. Remember, John wrote this gospel after everything had happened with Judas.
Second, recall at Jesus’ temptation, the devil left for a more “opportune” time. Here was an opportune time. Satan entered the body of Judas, a singularly rare occurrence in all of Scripture where this truth is stated so bluntly. Judas was truly possessed by the devil. Jesus, knowing fully what Judas was about to do, told him to get on with it quickly. What must Judas have thought knowing the one who had just washed his feet also knew of his mission of betrayal? The devil is relentless in his attempts to cause sin to abound in people’s lives believers and non-believers alike as evidenced throughout the world today.
There is a third interesting observation. You’ll recall in the plagues of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. The ninth plague was the one of darkness which fell over the whole land. The final plague resulted in the death of all the firstborn throughout the land except where the blood of the lamb had been applied over the doorposts at the homes of the Israelites. Following receiving the sop from Jesus, Judas went “out into the night,” out into darkness. As in the Exodus, what followed Judas’ going out into the darkness was the death of the Firstborn of all creation (Col 1:18), the Lamb of God, whose spattered blood on the doorposts of people’s hearts covered their sins for all time as they were spared an eternal death. Those not covered by the blood of the Lamb, suffer that same fate as the Esyptians. Then at the death of the Lamb, like in Egypt fourteen hundred years earlier, darkness again fell over the land as God brought about judgment and laid claim to all the firstborn who had been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The final atonement was made, death was destroyed, defeated, annihilated forever! Once again, the devil failed in his attempt to thwart the plan of God to redeem and restore his fallen creation. As John had earlier written, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” . . . ever.
Music: “Agnus Dei” Samuel Barber, Vlaams Radiokoor (Flemish Radio Choir)
“Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.”
“Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.”
“Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”
Prayer: O God my Father, let Thy Holy Spirit rule in my heart. As I pray, let not any room within me be closed to keep Thee out. O Light that never fades, so let me open to Thee the windows of my heart, that all my life may be filled by the radiance of Thy presence. Let no corner of my being be unillumined by the light of Thy countenance. Let there be nothing within me to darken the brightness of the day. Let the Spirit of Him whose life was the light of men rule within my heart till eventide. Let me not be holding some undertaking on which I dare not ask Thy blessing. O Holy Spirit of God, let me not return to evil thoughts and worldly ways, but let that mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen. —John Baillie, from A Diary of Private Prayer and unknown source, adapted Daniel Sharp
20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.”
Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.
34 The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”
35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. 36 Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”
After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.
Some thoughts:
Some insight into Jewish festivals will help us understand the significance of this passage. Passover, as you know, was one of three pilgrimage festivals which required every male to come to Jerusalem for its celebration, though women were included. Passover lasted one day and was immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Leaven always represents sin in the Bible. On the day of Unleavened Bread, our sinless Savior was buried. The Feast of First Fruits immediately followed on the first day of the week (Sunday) following the Sabbath and marked the beginning of the seven weeks of seven leading up to Pentecost. A green shock of barley was waved before the Lord on that day since this was the very beginning of the harvest season, which culminated seven weeks later at Pentecost. The dependency on the Lord God for a fruitful harvest was central in the celebration.
So, when Jesus referred to a kernel being buried in the soil and dying in effect and then producing a stock of barley which produces many kernels, he was in effect proclaiming what he was the “kernel to be buried” and what the result will be, “a plentiful harvest of new lives.” Jesus went on to say that anyone who loves being above ground (loves this world) rather than dying to themselves and being “planted,” will lose everything eternally. That is why baptism by immersion is a symbol of being “buried in Christ.” Apart from John who died of old age, all the rest of the disciples died as martyrs.
Jesus then asked the very real question, “Should I pray that the Father would save me from this ordeal?” Notice the phrase, “when I am lifted up from the earth.” God the Father then raised his Son from being “planted” in the tomb and in that resurrection, Jesus leads forth all of those who have died in Christ. The prince of this world, Satan, is eternally, permanently defeated. Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:20 that “Jesus was the first fruits of them that slept. Jesus was the first one to lead a great harvest of God’s people who will be resurrected from the dead at the end of the age. God’s redemption works through these great festivals and brings the certainty of the resurrection through the defeat of sin, death, and evil. Every phrase that Jesus speaks has ultimate implications for you and for me.
Music: “Since by Man Came Death” Academy of St. Martin in the Field
“Goin’ Home” Sissel
Prayer: O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good. Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen. —A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p.59
42 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. 4 He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”
5 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, 6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.
8 “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. 9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
Some thoughts:
As we enter this most significant week in the history of the universe since the dawn of creation, we look at the remarkable words of Isaiah the prophet written 700 years before Christ. He describes the Messiah’s ministry in fine detail. In Judaic interpretation there is much vigorous debate as to the identity of the servant. Suggestions range from Cyrus, Isaiah, Messiah, and the most common interpretation being the nation of Israel as a whole. Christianity interprets the servant as Jesus, the Messiah based on Jesus’ own interpretation of the passage since he said the prophecy refer to himself! Let’s walk our way through the passage.
While the Bible never uses the word “trinity,” it nevertheless teaches one God consisting of three persons. The first verse is a classic First Testament example. The “I” and “my” in the opening sentence refer to God the Father. The “he” in the second sentence refers to Jesus and the Spirit in the third sentence refers to the Holy Spirit. Three persons one God. As a reminder, note the text is LORD, that is YHWH, one God. So, here is an Old Testament example of referring to the trinitarian God.
God speaks through Isaiah concerning his servant, Jesus. God’s plan of redemption first appears in the Garden of Eden. Bear in mind the divine Word, the Logos, is with the Father in heaven as Isaiah writes this. The Father is affirming the Son. He promises to give him strength to bear up against what is coming. Have you noticed this affirmation from God the Father also repeats itself several times when Jesus is on earth seven centuries later with the identical words? (Lk 3:22, Mt 3:17, at his Baptism; Mt17:5 at the Transfiguration; and Jn 12:28-29 during the first days of Holy Week.) I’d like to enlarge a bit on this last reference.
In John 12:27-30, Jesus utters these words, “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father bring glory to your name.” These words were spoken only a few days before his crucifixion. In response to what Jesus said, a voice (God the Father) spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name and I will do it again.” The people present thought an angel had spoken while others thought it was thunder. Jesus’ response was, “It was for your benefit [people], not mine.” I mention these affirmations of the Messiah’s mission to earth to point out the involvement of the Trinity in all aspects bringing redemption to a very broken world.
Being empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Servant Savior will bring justice to the nations. He will speak tenderly. He will help the weak and give hope. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not fail or faint in dealing with injustice. This glorious day is yet to come. You note the central theme in this portion of Isaiah’s writing has to do with injustice. The people of Judah were cheating and taking advantage of the poor. The wealthy and power-grabbing ruling class was crushing the ordinary people. It would seem that the same problem remains in our world today.
In the next section Isaiah reminds the people that they are dealing with God the creator, the giver of life, their protector and provider. He will guide and guard the Servant Savior. He will be a light to guide the nations. In Luke 2:32, Simeon speaks these very words when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus for his Presentation at the Temple forty days after his birth. “He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Once again, we see connections between the Testaments.
When Jesus began his Galilean public ministry in his home synagogue in Nazareth, he quoted this very passage in Isaiah: “You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons” (Lk 4:18-19) thus identifying for the people of Nazareth that the hometown boy is the long-prophesied Messiah from the scroll of Isaiah! The Nazarites wouldn’t believe him and tried to stone him for blasphemy.
Isaiah concludes this portion of our reading with the statement of a true prophet of God. “Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the truth before it happens.” Seven hundred years later, every word he spoke came to pass verbatim! That is the test of a true prophet of God. What do you think the odds are of those things he prophesied that have yet to be fulfilled will come to pass?
What strikes me in this passage is the “affirming personal care” that is reflected from the Godhead as the Son of God dwelt in human form. It wasn’t as though Jesus said, “I’m going on a redemption mission to earth, and since I’m God, there will be nothing to it. I’m God after all.” Were that the case, we could hardly identify with Jesus, and he surely could not feel the pains and weaknesses humans grapple with. In this portion of Scripture, we see once again how very human Jesus was but also how very understanding and tender the Father is now and how present the Holy Spirit is to help and comfort us in our lives. As with Jesus, God is for us.
Music: “The Blind Man Stood on the Road and Cried” Josh White (singing begins at :45)
Prayer:
O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Be thou exalted over my friendships. Be thou exalted above my comforts. Be thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase; let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, “Hosanna in the highest.” -A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p.108
12 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.
12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,
“Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
15 “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.”
16 His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
Some thoughts:
Just to give us a little context, we retrace recent events. Jesus had raised Lazarus within the last week to ten days. Many people, both friends and the curious, came to see both Jesus and Lazarus. Jesus was staying just outside Jerusalem in Bethany. The day when the above passage occurred is today, Palm Sunday.
Like an out-of-control forest fire, word has been circulating about Jesus’ raising a man from the dead. Meanwhile as religious tensions are rising because of the perceived threat that Jesus presented to their power, the Pharisees and Sadducees are plotting to do away with Jesus and with Lazarus as well. At this point Jesus knows this will be his final week on earth. His life and mission since his birth have been pointing to these very days. You’ll notice all this coming week that Jesus is completely in control of everything. Even in knowing what lies ahead, there is resolve and anguishing moments but no fear. To prepare for his entry into Jerusalem, he sends two disciples (Peter and John according to tradition) to get a donkey, one on which no one had ever ridden. He tells them where to go and what to say, and it happens just as he said. You know the story quite well.
I want to make a few observations. In his ride down the Mount of Olives, Jesus was announcing himself as Israel’s king. Notice, Jesus asked for a donkey. When kings rode donkeys, they were coming in humility, peace, and reconciliation. When they rode horses, they were coming to do battle, to fight a war. A donkey was a royal, peaceful limousine as it were. Donkeys are humble servant animals. (You’ll recall Jesus was later in the week to wash the feet of the disciples as a servant.) In fact, the First Testament prophet, Zechariah, prophesied (9:9-10) that Israel’s king would enter Jerusalem on the back of a donkey―a donkey’s colt. What is often overlooked is that the passage goes on to say that your king will remove battle chariots and war horses from Jerusalem and destroy all weapons used in battle, and he will “bring peace to the nations.” The people missed the last part of the prophecy. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world.
King David, an ancestor of Jesus a thousand years earlier, had exited Jerusalem as king on a donkey, fleeing before his son. Incidentally, his son, Absalom, who was attempting a coup, rode into Jerusalem on a mule, an animal for war. Now the true King of Israel, of King David’s royal line, enters Jerusalem again on a donkey, the same road by which David had fled a 1,000 years earlier. What is interesting, at some point in the future, the King of kings will again return to set up his eternal kingdom. This time he will be on a white horse as he comes to rule (Rev.19:11) and destroy the forces of evil forever. Jesus’ Palm Sunday trip down the Mount of Olives and the place of Christ’s Ascension is also the ultimate place of his final Return at the end of the Age. This road on the Mount of Olives is one of the most significant geographical places on the planet. I remember walking down that road in 1996 being aware of these very things!
As Jesus rode down the hill, great crowds gathered singing “hosanna!” (meaning ‘salvation now’) while waving palm branches as was typical in celebrating a hero. The people were undoubtedly hoping and believing that this Nazarene rabbi would lead a revolt against the Roman occupation. 160 years earlier against the Seleucid (Hellenistic) occupation, the Maccabees brothers engineered an overthrow. There was success in that earlier revolt, though latter Israel was again overrun by foreign powers. The people’s hope was that Jesus would set up his own kingdom ousting the hated Romans. Palm branches were waved as a symbolic sign of defiance. This fact was not lost on the foreign occupiers and added to the tensions of the Passover celebration.
The historian, Josephus, writes that at Passover there were some 2 ½ million Jews in Jerusalem, double the size of Rome! Even if he exaggerated, there was a massive swell in the Jewish population. Pilate, the Roman prefect, struggled to keep things under control. The war horse he rode was a show of force in great contrast to the donkey Jesus rode! The political climate was tense on several fronts. So the Romans were justifiably nervous as they were significantly outnumbered as well as intensely hated.
The people sang these glorious words to a victorious king from Psalm 118. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!” What the people didn’t realize is that Psalm also has these prophetic words, “Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar,” words that would later in the week be fulfilled as Jesus was bound and crucified as the sacrificial Lamb of God. (v.18) It is prophetically ironic the people shouting these texts from the First Testament did not realize the full extent of what they were saying. Within a few days undoubtedly a number of them were yelling “crucify him!” Jesus did not conform to their expectation as to what he should do regarding the Roman occupation.
The Triumphal Entry is a kind of picture of our response to God all too often. We are in a difficult situation wanting release from an imposed stress or an outside pressure, and we pray that God will in effect do our will and get us out of our plight. When God doesn’t do what we think he should or in our time frame, we crab, we doubt, and we get angry at God or each other. Don’t forget. The point in the Triumphal Entry is not the people’s response, but rather the magnificent, costly unfolding of God’s plan to bring healing and restoration to all people. It was not about the people then, and it is not about us and our wills now. Moreover, we need to be careful we don’t dictate how and when God should act. Rather, we should kneel in the Garden of Gethsemane with our Savior praying, “Not my will, but thine be done.” It has a much better outcome. And let’s be the servant donkey, carrying Jesus to the world! Remember, it was about Jesus, not the donkey! He is unfolding his plan for us.
Music: “Ride On King Jesus” Moses Hogan Singers
Bonuses!
“Ride on King Jesus” Jessye Norman
“Hosanna to the Song of David” Cambridge Singers
Prayer:
O Christ, the King of glory who didst enter the holy city in meekness to be made perfect through the suffering of death: give us grace, we beseech thee, in all our life here to take up our cross daily and follow thee, that hereafter we may rejoice with thee in thy heavenly kingdom, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit world without end Amen.
12 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.
Some thoughts:
This is a most interesting passage as all four gospels record an anointing of Jesus. Without going into great detail, it would appear there is more than one anointing. Luke’s account clearly seems to have occurred early in Jesus’ ministry since the location, the one anointing, the one objecting, the context, and Jesus’ response are completely different from the other gospels (Luke 7:36-50). Remembering the gospel writers had different audiences in mind, they had different emphases. In addition, they did not always record events in chronological order. For example, the above passage tells us Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover at Lazarus’ home. The next verse says a dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. The passage does not say the dinner was prepared the same day Jesus arrived though that may have been the case. Other scholars have interpreted the dinner as being six days before Passover, hence the designation of Lazarus Saturday. Matthew and Mark record the anointing two days before Passover. They also mention the anointing included Jesus’ head, while John and Luke only record Jesus’ feet being anointed. Remember Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience and his citing anointing on the head was significant because Old Testament kings were anointed on the head and Messiah means ‘the anointed one.’ Matthew was concerned with helping Jews make the connection between Jesus as the prophesied Messiah. You begin to see the point in endeavoring to harmonize the various accounts! With some of these various interpretations in mind, let’s look at the anointing itself.
What do you do for the person who brought your dead brother to life? It doesn’t happen very often . . . ok, never. You have a party honoring the one who restored your sibling’s life. That is apparently what Mary and Martha did for Jesus in response to his raising Lazarus from the grave. As usual, Martha was busy serving. And once again, Mary was with Jesus. I have to smile reading this passage. You’ll recall an earlier occasion with Mary, Martha, and Jesus (Lk.10:38-42). Martha was busy preparing a meal and crabbing to Jesus that her sister wasn’t helping but talking with Jesus. In this pericope, we read once again, Martha is engaged in serving and Mary is tuned to Jesus. I see a family dynamic pattern here! The Bible is so real and covers up nothing. Sibling rivalry has been around a long time!
During the meal in the presence of Lazarus and the disciples, Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of very expensive perfume from the essence of pure nard. To give us a better understanding of the value of what Mary did, nard is a product of fragrant roots of a plant of the honeysuckle family grown in the Himalayan mountains between 11,000 and 17,000 feet. You can imagine importing the perfume to Judaea from there would not be cheap. It was worth an entire year’s wage. Now put yourself in Martha and Mary’s home at the party. Can you imagine the aroma of a twelve-ounce bottle of potent perfume filling the air? My guess is that for the following days leading up to the crucifixion, Mary was reminded of the anointing of Jesus as the perfume lingered in her own hair having wiped Jesus’ feet. If it is the same anointing, according to Matthew (26:7) and Mark (14:8), she also anointed his head with the oils running down on his garments. During the coming days, my guess is that Jesus also was reminded of this loving act as the aroma lingered with and on him as well.
Into this beautiful, honoring, loving and tender moment, Judas is the rude crude bull in the China shop. Mary is devoted to the Savior and Judas is devoted to Judas the greedy thief, the betrayer. As we trace the few references to him, he was clearly operating in a different world. I am surprised he was given responsibility for taking care of the money set aside for the disciples since John knew he had sticky fingers. At any rate he makes a crass comment and is rebuked quite strongly and sharply by Jesus. It was not that Judas misunderstood Jesus and his mission; Judas was inherently an evil at the core thief who cared not the least for the poor. He also seemed to be disillusioned and rejected the nature of Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus’ rebuke of Judas in this case is unlike his response to the disciples on an earlier occasion when a “woman of ill repute” anointed his feet, and he gave them an explanation of the implication of what had happened (Luke 7:36-50). In this case, Jesus’ words to Judas were very different . . . with a curt, “Leave her alone.” (Mt.26:10-13) I can’t recall anywhere else in Scripture where Jesus spoke that harshly to a person one on one. He was harsh with groups of people (Pharisees), but never with a one-on-one conversation that I remember. In his following comments, he was certainly not advocating that we don’t need to care for the poor, but rather drawing attention to the significance of his coming death. Mary had expressed extravagant devotion and gratitude to Jesus by what she did, even as she anointed him for his burial.
This portion of Scripture concludes with the spiritual “rubber-neckers” crashing the party to see the “man who did it” and the guy he raised from the dead. It kind of reminds me of the people who slow down to see how bad the wreck was. They don’t really care about what happened, they just want to see the unusual, the spectacular. With the astounding resurrection of Lazarus from the dead, the priests decided this man of miracles was becoming far too popular as more and more people were slipping away from their teachings and believing in Jesus. Hence, he needed to be eliminated. The triumphal procession into Jerusalem, merely confirmed their suspicions and accelerated their murderous plans.
What can we take from this pericope? Don’t be half-hearted or measured in your devotion to the Lord. Mary gave of herself to Jesus at great personal and material cost. She knelt at his feet, the act of a slave. She let her hair down, a very unsocially unacceptable act, to wipe his feet, a very personal act of devotion. (A short time later, Jesus was to do a similar thing in washing the feet of the disciples in expressing his servitude to and love for them.) She did not care what anyone else thought. She expressed her love and complete devotion to her Lord with unrestrained abandon. Judas, on the other hand, was concerned with himself and earthly material—money, money in relation to himself since he stole. Mary anointed Jesus for his burial. Devotion to Jesus carries into eternity. Judas’ betrayal yielded a different eternal story. May we express devotion to Jesus with innocent extravagant abandon like Mary.
Music: “Jesus Shall Reign” Grace Community Church
Prayer:
O Lord, let me not henceforth desire health or life except to spend them for you, with you and in you. You alone know what is good for me; do therefore what seems best to you. Give to me or take from me; conform my will to yours; and grant that with humble and perfect submission and in holy confidence I may receive the orders of your eternal providence and may equally adore all that comes to me from you.
―Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Eerdmans’ Book of Famous Prayers, p.56.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
Some thoughts:
Here we see the heart of the other self-centered brother. While the younger son grabbed what was his and took off, thinking only of himself, the older brother blamed the father for not being generous toward him, thinking only of himself. This was a giant pity party. Serving his father, he called “slavery.” Was he glad to see his little brother? No. Was he concerned about the time his brother had been away? No. Did he feel his father owed him something? Yes. His heart is embarrassingly laid bare before us. Then the father does something with the older son he did not do with the younger. He pleaded with him. Why? When the younger son demanded his inheritance and took off, the father did not plead with him not to go. He gave him that freedom. But here, he pleads with the elder son to rejoice with them in the joy of repentance.
The elder son could not let go of his brother’s past. He was so consumed with himself. Though he was the elder brother, in some ways he was the more immature of the two, for he had not yet “come to his senses.” He remained the childish, reluctant, and joyless joint heir of the wealthy father, a sad place for an heir to be.
What is the bigger picture here that Jesus is getting at? Remember he told three the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Those listening to him were a large crowd including tax collectors and other well-known sinners plus Pharisees and teachers of the religious law who were annoyed because Jesus associated with sinners in their eyes, failing to recognize their own sinfulness. In the parable of the two sons, the prodigal son represented the tax collectors, prostitutes, and such. The father represented God and the elder son the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Like the elder son, the Pharisees complained that they had kept the law to the nth degree and Jesus wasn’t giving them any credit but was embracing and forgiving the sinners and not honoring them. They were intent on distancing themselves from sinners as evidenced in the phrase “Yet when this son of yours . . ..”
It occurred to me that the father raised two rather self-centered boys. Had he failed as a father? He gave his sons freedom to fail, and both were self-focused. How did he raise such selfish boys? Then, I remembered in this parable, the father is a portrayal of God. We are the sons in this story! It’s a commentary on the Father’s great love. All of his children are prodigals. It is not a commentary on God’s failure as a parent, quite the opposite. It tells of his great love and eagerness to forgive and restore wayward and rebellious children to the point of going to the cross.
Music: “My Song Is Love Unknown” Sylvia Burnside
Prayer: Gracious Lord of joy and delight, grant that I may always rejoice with those who rejoice, cheer for those who are cheerful, laugh with those who laugh, be happy with those who are happy, be enthusiastic with those who are enthusiastic, discover anew with those who discover new things. Forbid that I should ever withhold my heart’s embracing of another’s joy for some silly, selfish, or sanctimonious reason. Your kingdom does not need more “joy monitors.” From sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us! Amen! —Daniel Sharp
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”
Some thoughts:
This part of the parable is about restoration and forgiveness. In it we learn something of the father’s heart and focus regarding his son’s escapade. Notice the father [God] barely responds to the son’s words of confession and in fact cuts off his son’s forgiveness speech in the middle. The father then negates the son’s “hired hand” self-designation by calling for a rich ceremonial robe which would be given to an honored guest, giving the son a ring an heir would own, and sandals which only a free man would wear. There is no dwelling on the son’s past foolishness, poor decisions, personal greed, moral failure, and so forth. No “I’m glad you finally learned your lesson! What have you learned from your mistakes? It’s about time you wised up.” None of that.
The father completely restored the son’s position and identity. His coming home called for a celebration! I wonder if the calf was being fattened in anticipation of the son’s returning home. The father’s love for his son never wavered even while the son was deep in debauchery. The father’s words focused on the bottom line of what had taken place. He did not dwell on the surface events of the past, but went to the heart of the issue, the restored soul of his son. Sons and daughters need their father’s affirmation. Notice his words of ‘dead and alive’ and ‘lost and found’ also apply to one’s life before and after coming to Christ. You’ll notice the father’s celebration here affirms Jesus’ words in the lost sheep parable of the great joy in heaven over a sinner who repents and returns to God.
Repentance brings God joy (Zeph 3:17). Do you ever think of God “rejoicing” over you when you turn from your self-will to his will and repent? Are there some “prodigals” for whom you have been praying a long time? Keep it up. They may not have made it to the pigpen yet. Keep watching the horizon and get ready to run! Your heavenly Father did that for you.
Music: “And the Father Will Dance Over You” New England Conservatory Alumni Choir
Prayer: Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’ Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience. Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work now and forevermore, Amen. —Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997, from Eerdmans’ Book of Famous Prayers, p.99
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
Some thoughts:
We may think of this story as a parable about the two sons, but these verses tell us it may be more about the boys’ father and his deep love for his children. The father is the God figure in the parable. Jesus is teaching the people and us about the nature of God’s great compassion and mercy. There is something here that is unique to all of Scripture. An action happens in this parable that does not happen anywhere else in the Bible. Read the above verses again and see if you can figure out what it is. Except for this parable, nowhere else in Scripture does God ever “run” after people. He does call people to come to him and as the Good Shepherd he goes after his lost sheep. In a patriarchal society it would be considered undignified for the father to run toward anyone.
Jesus walked everywhere. He never ran to a situation, quite the contrary. Remember Lazarus, Mary, and Martha? When Jesus heard the news about Lazarus, he stayed two more days. God never runs after people. He is near to people. He loves people dearly. He is always ready to respond to people. But he does not force his way into people’s lives. He gives them freedom. But here is a beautiful picture of God’s love for the repentant person. The son had turned toward home and the father, filled with love, saw him and ran to him, put his arms around him and kissed him. Some commentators have surmised that perhaps the father went every day to watch and wait for his son’s return. The Savior is patient toward the lost.
God is patiently waiting for us to turn around when we get on the wrong road. He does not impose his will on us. Have you thought how hard that must be for God? Think of your own children making terrible choices. How hard is it to not intervene and take over their life? The father is not pointing a boney-fingered condemnation of the son’s stupidity, but rather offers a warm embrace and expresses great joy in having the repentant son back home. The son doesn’t need to hear how foolish he was. He already knows it which is why he came home. The father even calls for a party and great celebration. Can you offer this kind of love to someone today? As you do, you are reflecting your Father’s heart.
Music: “The Love of God” Gaither Vocal Band
Prayer: Bring us, O Lord God, at the last awakening in to the house and gate of heaven, to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no fears nor hopes, but an equal possession; no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity, in the habitations of thy majesty and thy glory, world without end. —John Donne, 1571-1631
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home to his father.
Some thoughts:
What was I thinking! Have you ever said that? When we first get off the path, it’s hardly recognizable. We used to live in Seattle. We drove to the farm in Illinois every summer. There was a point in eastern Washington where the interstate highway split. We could go straight and go through Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota or choose to make a slight veer to the south and a day later be somewhere in Nebraska, hundreds of miles to the south of where we might have been. At that moment of making the split it was hardly noticeable, but it did set the course for the next several days.
When the prodigal son left home, it seemed to him like a great leap into freedom and the training wheels came off the bike! “I can do what I want. After all, it’s my adventure and I have plenty of money!” As he continued down the path, however, the folly of his course become very clear. If you are in fantasyland or on the wrong road, turn around! (Just to clarify, it is not a sin to drive through North Dakota, though it is if you go too fast thinking there is no speed limit (another story!)
“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.” —C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p.36
“When he finally . . . came to his senses” is a testimony to God’s grace. Notice the prodigal’s father does not intervene in his son’s poor decisions. The seed of humility in the son we mentioned yesterday finally began to grow. He recognized his sin was against heaven as well as his earthly father. Notice he mentioned heaven first. All sin is ultimately against God and secondarily against others. This realization is an indication of truly understanding the significance of his previous choices. He repented went back to the place where he got off track which was home. Notice how much more there is than a simple “I’m sorry.” We see in the prodigal a complete attitude and heart change giving evidence of true repentance. Where is your path leading you today?
Music: “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” Moses Hogan Chorale
Prayer: Fix thou our steps O Lord, that we stagger not at the uneven motions of the world, but steadily go on to our glorious home; neither censuring our journey by the weather we meet with, nor turning out of the way for anything that befalls us. The winds are often rough, and our own weight presses us downwards. Reach forth, O Lord, thy hand, thy saving hand, and speedily deliver us. Teach us, O Lord, to use this transitory life as pilgrims returning to their beloved home; that we may take what our journey requires, and not think of settling in a foreign country. —John Wesley, Eerdmans’ Book of Famous Prayer, p.64
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
Some thoughts:
Welcome to the world of “self” son! Should we be surprised that no one gave him anything? Look with whom he was spending his time and money. This was not generally a community that is known for giving or caring about others. No, this was a crowd of self-focused takers. It became particularly evident to the prodigal when everything headed south. Friends of this caliber and character bail as soon as another’s money runs out. The same thing happens today with people and corporations who have “squandered their wealth on wild living.” How many heirs of fortunes, “lottery winners,” and professional athletes are dead broke after a few years of squandering great wealth?
A kind of severe famine has likewise arisen in the prodigal’s country. Have you ever noticed how often a bad decision escalates into even more disasters? A bad tree can’t produce good fruit (Matt 7:18). But as is sometimes the case, here we see the seeds of humility being planted in the son’s soil of desperation. The seeds sprouted as starvation brought a dose of reality and he decided to look for work. Imagine, . . . work! He got a job feeding pigs. Think about the parable Jesus is telling. Pigs were unclean to the Jews. The son’s job was the lowest of the low. He was on a Jewish skid row. He was eating the same pods as unclean animals! (These were not snow pea pods from P.F. Chang’s!) His loneliness was so overwhelming it spurred him to action. This whole parable centers on a wayward heart which had to make it all the way to the bottom and finally being so alone broke the self. The prodigal finally had enough of, no, was sick of himself and decided to act.
Look for people in your life today who may be in the son’s situation and extend a hand in whatever form to bring encouragement and hope. It’s not time to judge, but time to love and encourage. The prodigal didn’t need to be told he had played the fool. He needed to be forgiven. Don’t be the “no one gave him anything” person. God may use you to play the prodigal’s father in another’s life today. Or perchance you may be that prodigal person. If that is the case, go back home. Ask forgiveness. You won’t be disappointed at the response.
Music: “Father of My Heart” Fernando Ortega
Prayer: Lord, I am blind and helpless, stupid, and ignorant. Cause me to hear, cause me to know teach me to do, lead me. —Henry Martyn, 1781-1812
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
Some thoughts:
This is the third of three parables Jesus told to demonstrate God’s love for the lost, in his giving freedom (prodigal), and the great joy in finding the lost, whether a lamb or a coin. In this parable, the younger son represents the tax collectors and other outcasts, and the older son the religious leaders. Now to the parable . . .
Those four little, simple, short, one syllable words, “I want my share,” speak volumes. A shorter version is, “I want.” And the very shortest version is, “I!” The season of Lent is about helping us to recognize how often that priority of self, guides, shapes, and rules our lives in contrast to Jesus’ giving of himself in his journey to the cross. We live in a society and in our own lives, where we are very aware of our “rights.” Look at all the lawsuits in the media and lawyer commercials on television. It is quite easy to be conscious of me. Where did we get this idea of “mine?” I think we know.
In this parable, the son was a rightful heir, albeit an impatient, self-centered, shortsighted one! I’m embarrassed for him. Notice the Father did not reprimand him, humiliate, nor dishonor him in his demand even though the son was rude and disrespectful of his father. He gave the son what he demanded, knowing full well the consequences of his foolishness.
There are certainly times when our heavenly Father does the same for us. He does not impose his will or force us in any direction in honoring our freedom of choice. Thankfully in his wisdom, God does not always give us what we want or ask for. But here the father does not override the son’s greed, foolishness, and immaturity. There is no “thy will be done” in the son’s demand! Can you imagine a love like this that it is so honoring and strong that God gives the freedom to be foolish? And then welcomes home the fool? As you pray today, be careful of what you ask for. In God’s gracious way, he may give it to you or not. May our words be, “Lord, I want your heart . . .” rather than, “I want my share.”
Music: “The Prodigal Song” Cory Asbury
Prayer: O God our Father, help us to nail to the cross of thy dear Son the whole body of our death, the wrong desires of the heart, the sinful devising of the mind, the corrupt apprehensions of the eyes, the cruel words of the tongue, the ill employment of hands and feet; that the old man being crucified and done away, the new man may live and grow into the glorious likeness thy Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. -Eric Milner-White, 1884-1964
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.11 The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. 12 No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
Some thoughts:
This passage of Scripture marks the end of a very long wait for the children of Israel. Most days are pretty ordinary which is good. If every day was a drama, we’d wear out! Then there are those days when something of greater significance occurs. This was such a day for the Israelites. There is also an interesting play on words here. The phrase used by God is “I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” The Israelites were camped outside of Jericho at a place called Gilgal which sounds like the Hebrew word galal, meaning “to roll,” indicating that this was the place where God would roll away the reproach of Egypt . . . forty years after the fact.
The great Exodus is an Old Testament type of the redemption story. God’s message to Joshua, “I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt” is an interesting choice of words. For in the New Testament, it was God who rolled away the stone which covered the entrance to Jesus’ (Joshua in Hebrew) tomb. Jesus led the ultimate exodus from slavery to sin by his victorious resurrection thereby opening the way to the ultimate promised land, that of seeing him face to face. God rolled away the shame of our slavery to sin at the tomb of his Son.
The provisions God had supplied in the past (manna) had come to an end in their new setting.
The phrase “and it was never seen again” was another way of saying it’s over and done with, what was necessary then is no longer now, the forty-year miracle is over, and we are in a new chapter. The celebration of the Passover reminded them again how God had brought them out of slavery. The past was past. God continued to supply for their needs, but now the provisions came from their current home. The same holds true as believers look forward and dwelling in God’s presence eternally. In one sense we are all still in the desert relying on daily manna from the Lord. We need to feed on his Word daily. The day is coming when we will be with him in heaven. This is all to say, though God may linger, teaching, disciplining, and training us in the meantime, he is always faithful to the end. Remember his words, “Today I have rolled away the stone.” That day was not ordinary, it made all the difference all the way to today! The greatest day is yet to come.
Music: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” Sam Robson
Prayer: Heavenly Father, your love, timing, and care for your children are perfect . . . always. Forgive us when we doubt your love, are frustrated at your timing, and wonder if your care for us is really the best. We forget you swell in eternal time. You are utterly faithful in ways we never experience except with you. May our “experience with you” become more and more ordinary in that we would consciously live with greater and greater awareness of eternal time as we look forward to celebrating the “todays of the rolled away stone” with you in the heavenly realm. This we pray in the name of our faithful Savior, Jesus the Christ.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Some thoughts:
Earlier in this psalm David confessed his sin and focused on his guilt and his desire for the joy of salvation to return. He wanted the Holy Spirit to remain with him. Did you notice how this portion begins? The “then” refers us back to what was just written. David wants to teach others so they may benefit from his sad experience. Rebelling and rejecting God’s laws brings separation and disaster. After moving through all his thoughts and feelings, David comes to the place of naming his sin of having murdered Uriah and asking God’s forgiveness. The naming of sin . . . even audibly at times can be very helpful. The “shedding of blood” is also an expression to include any injustice toward another, not simply his murdering of Uriah.
Here King David writes of his return to joy in the Lord. His mouth is again open to praising God. He makes a beautiful distinction. David had brought hundreds of sacrifices. The burnt offering was a type of sacrifice for atonement, the forgiveness of sin. It also represented the giving of one’s whole self to the Lord. From the early sacrifices of Cain and his bother Abel, God’s words to Cain were, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” The communion of the worshiper and the Lord was the central significant factor. While offering of the Old Testament sacrifice was necessary and of a significance of the first order, the whole point was the heart of the worshiper. Cain’s heart was dark with respect to the Lord, his brother’s, humble.
Have you noticed the qualities of the heart God is looking for? A truthful heart, a humble heart, a transparent heart, a relentless heart. Honestly, how truthful, humble, transparent, and relentless are you with the Lord? As you pray, ask the Lord to reveal his perspective on your heart.
Music: “Psalm 95 ‘Come Let Us’” Half a Mile
Prayer: Take, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will, that you dispose of me. Give me only your love and your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask. -Ignatius Loyola 1491-1556
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Some thoughts:
David was aware of his fickle faith. He knew he needed the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life continually. In the Old Testament era, the presence of Holy Spirit would “come upon” a person for a specific task or reason such as ordination for an office. For example, David received the Spirit of God when he was anointed king and the Holy Spirit departed from King Saul for his disobedience when David was anointed (I Sam 16:14). When Saul disobeyed, his reign was ended, the Holy Spirit departed.
In this portion of the psalm David asks for a pure heart. David was very aware of the Spirit’s departure from Saul and asked to be spared from the same fate as the result of his sin with Bathsheba. He had acknowledged and confessed his sin earlier in this psalm. Now he asks the Lord to help him have a steadfast spirit. Like David, we all want to be consistent in our walk of faith. Yet we are “prone to wander” as the song says. It seems our old nature keeps creeping back, trying to get its gnarly foot in the door of our house. The key is the presence of the Holy Spirit within us recognizing when the door is being pushed agar. With the advent of Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit is available to all believers who put their faith in Jesus for their salvation, a major change from the First Testament. As was the case with king Saul, people are warned in the latter Testament not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
As we continue through this Lenten season, let the Holy Spirit guide us. Ask him to watch the door of your house and keep you alert throughout this day. Live consciously in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Talk with him as you go about your business. Seek the mind and heart of the Lord as you move through the day. At the end of the day, notice what has happened. Something will happen; God is not distant. God is looking for a willing spirit in you. He will sustain you,
Music: “Psalm 51” Praises of Israel (In Hebrew with subtitles)
Prayer: As the wind is thy symbol, so forward our goings. As the dove, so launch us heavenwards. As water, so purify our spirits. As a cloud, so abate our temptations. As dew, so revive our languor. As fire, so purge out our dross. –Christina Rossetti 1830-1894
(Note the use of symbols for the biblical symbols for the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, baptism of Jesus, Transfiguration, Pillar of fire in the desert wanderings, Manna from heaven-dew, etc.)
6 But you [God] desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. 9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
Some thoughts:
Imagine! God wants us to tell the truth even from the womb, (can also mean “inner parts.”) David prays for wisdom from the beginning of life. Then he says, “Purify me from my sins” the literal translation reads “purify me with the hyssop branch.” You’ll recall it was a hyssop branch that was used to put the blood on the door posts at the great exodus from Egypt (Ex 12:22). Here David may be alluding to that event in asking God to pass over and wash him clean by the blood of the lamb, even as the Israelites were spared as the angel of death passed over them. David desires the joy of a clean heart, of being forgiven. His desire is to be guilt free. He does not want to be reminded again and again of is past sins—that’s one of the devil’s joys, throwing past failures in our faces again and again. When you are haunted by past confessed sin, recognize where those thoughts are coming from; it’s not the Lord. It is also David who wrote, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12)
Why is it that we can so easily live in duplicity? There is either a stubbornness, pride, or arrogance that has trouble admitting when we are wrong or have failed. We have a dozen reasons why it was not our fault; why we can be excused for missing the mark; or why we should be granted leniency in this circumstance. In this Scripture passage, the “inner parts” can also be translated “inner being,” in other words our heart, our soul. The Lord wants us to be truthful with ourselves. Why are we reluctant or even afraid to face the truth? When the truth penetrates as to who we really are from God’s perspective, look what follows! Our heart gets a lesson in wisdom and God cleanses our sin completely.
Look what this pericope tells us about God. He wants us to be honest with him, complete transparency. Desire truth. And these are acts God can do on our behalf: teach us, cleanse us, wash us, crush, or break (discipline) us, completely remove our sin, like an ink blotter soaks up and removes ink. All of this is the action of God on my behalf when I am truthful with God. He is the one who does the washing. We physically revive. For unconfessed sin pays a heavy physical and spiritual toll. It eats away at us. Our relationship to God deadens. Confession gets a load off our chest. It is freeing. When that happens, joy returns. Jesus dealt with the truth all the way to the end of his earthly life with the result ending in the greatest joy ever. Are you telling God the whole truth about yourself today?
Music: “Come Let Us Reason” Ken Medema
Prayer:
Dear God, make me think about what I’m doing with my mind, with my body, with my habits, with my study, with my friends, with my hopes, with my parents, with my faith, with life. Amen. —Carl Burke
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Some thoughts:
With a verse like that, what chance do we have?! As a friend of mine said, “There is very little ‘original’ sin!” From the beginning we were sinners. Did you have to teach your children to say “MINE!” I rest my case. You may have a translation that reads “In sin did my mother conceive me.” The translation above is a far better, more accurate translation. Conception itself is not sin, it’s the beginning of life! But sin is present from conception! This passage means that everyone is part of the fallen human race. No argument there. David writes in another Psalm (143:2) “for no living thing is righteous before you.” No one has ever gotten it right with a single exception. We are not getting better as a human race. Being good is helpful, but it does not solve the sin problem.
Knowing what is right to do surprisingly does not equate with doing right (James 4:17). Our society and culture cling to the hope that with more education, more money, more studies, more time, more love, less hate, we’ll progress as a people and as a culture. Instead, our education has contributed to our problem, in fact, it is the problem, more money has made things worse, our studies are studying fallen human’s material rather than God’s material, the Bible, time is not a friend when one is heading down the wrong road, and our love and hate are self-selected missing the entire point. Do we need any more convincing that sin abounds in sinners?
My brother-in-law tells of an incident when he was flying from LA to San Francisco. He struck up a conversation with the man he was sitting beside. He asked the man how he would sum up the human situation in one sentence. The man’s response was “We are all part of the problem; we are all part of the solution.” Though the man never asked my brother-in-law for his sentence, he told him anyway! His answer? “We are the problem; there is one man who is the solution, and his name is Jesus.” It is only through Christ that we are given the solution to our sin problem.
God of mercy, you sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost. We confess that we have strayed from you and turned aside from your way. We are misled by pride, for we see ourselves pure when we are stained and great when we are small. We have failed in love, neglected justice, and ignored your truth. Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin. Return us to paths of righteousness through Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen. —Worship Source Book, p.563
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Some thoughts:
Have you ever thought, “Sure I messed up, but it’s not that big a deal. No one got hurt too badly. I’ll just keep a low profile and things will get back to normal. I’ll eventually feel better in my heart. Just give it time for the guilty feeling to go away.” King David would not have gone along with such thinking! Though we go on with life and try to lose guilt by getting busy in the next thing and hoping others will calm down, that method of dealing with my sin does not really work. How do I know this is the truth, . . . personal experience. All sin matters to a holy God.
David thinks, “I know my sins and they won’t go away. They wear on me. I think about them sub-consciously and I can’t get rid of them.” Have you had times when a relentless “cloud on a string” followed you day after day? It didn’t go away, did it? David’s key in dealing with the mess he was in, was acknowledging that his sin was not only against a man but also against God. Confession to others we have sinned against and asking their forgiveness is important. But David also confessed what he had done was wrong in God’s sight, the only one who’s sight ultimately matters.
As we reflect on our own journey with the Lord during these days of the Lenten season, are we cognizant that the sin in our lives, while at times is against other people, is also ultimately against God? Is confession to the Lord for having sinned against him also a part of our prayer? It was so with David. In his words, “against you, you only, have I sinned.” David makes clear that he adopts God’s view of his wrongdoing. As we deal with tempting situations, looking at them from God’s viewpoint, is a great clarifier. Since all sin is against God, he is the only one who can solve our unsolvable problem. He alone paid the penalty. His forgiveness is the one that counts the most.
God of compassion, you are slow to anger and full of mercy, welcoming sinners who return to you with penitent hearts. Receive in your loving embrace all who come home to you. We confess that we have been wayward children. We have disobeyed your commands; our ears have been deaf to your call; our hearts have been cold to your love. In thought, in word, and in deed we have hurt others and dishonored your name. Receive us yet again as your beloved children, not because we are worthy, but for the sake of him who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen. —The Worship Sourcebook, p.562, adapted Daniel Sharp
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Some thoughts:
What words of pleading. Mercy is not something to be assumed nor guaranteed. Control of the situation is gone. The penitent has nothing to offer. Having been responsible for carrying out a murder, King David pours out this confession to God. In pleading for mercy, he appeals to God’s own character of unfailing love and great compassion. Though David was guilty of a treacherous crime, his past walk with God had shown him God’s character firsthand. It is to this character of God that he appeals in three different ways. He asked to have his sin dealt with. Blot out my transgressions, wash away all my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin. He places no blame elsewhere. David’s words were “my transgressions,” “my iniquity”, and “my sin.” He took full ownership of his past actions. I am not sure how much we realize the significance of God’s character of mercy as shown toward us. We live because God is merciful not wishing anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). How easy it is to assume God’s mercy, not realizing the heavy price paid by God to make mercy toward humans possible.
Our sin is not something that goes away nor is it anything we can remove ourselves. Notice David’s choice of words. It is God who has to blot, wash, and cleanse out of love and compassion for the sinner to be freed from the weight of their sin. Yet, how many people continue to carry their past sin, or the sins of generations past even as part of their identity. David will have none of it. In this prayer David is learning to be merciful himself.
In an almost incomprehensible way, we see this “unfailing love” and “great compassion” of this psalm played out in the Jesus’ embrace of the hard wood of the cross as he takes ownership of all of our sins and the sins of the whole world as he expresses mercy toward a fallen and sinful world. As a result, God has shown us mercy and blotted, washed away, and cleansed us from our sins. Thanks be to God! Let us show God’s mercy toward those around us and may it be part of our character.
Music: “What Wondrous Love Is This?” Robert Shaw Chamber Singers
Prayer: Forgive them all, O Lord: our sins of omission and our sins of commission; the sins of our youth and the sins of our riper years; the sins of our souls and the sins of our bodies; our secret and our more open sins; our sins of ignorance and surprise, and our more deliberate and presumptuous sins; the sins we have done to please ourselves and the sins we have done to please others; the sins we know and remember, and the sins we have forgotten; the sins we have striven to hide from others and the sins by which we have made others offend; forgive them all for his sake, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, and now stands at thy right hand to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. —John Wesley, 1703-1791