Harmony #105: Jesus and Peter: Why Our History Is Not Our Destiny (John 21)

John 20 ends with two verses that wrap things up pretty nicely for the book of John.

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

But then there’s John 21. Peter, the Rock of the early church, is clearly singled out again in a story that is not entirely flattering. It is presented as a story after the big story, and it is intensely personal. It’s not like the end of the LOTR when softly glowing happy people hug and smile and cry as they gently say perfect goodbyes. So, we have several questions to ask this morning: Why is John wrapped up this way? What do we learn about Jesus? And why does it matter to us?  Here is today’s text.                              

After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee[1], and two others of His disciples were together.

Only 3 disciples of the 7 who are present are specifically named. If we keep assuming details matter, it’s worth looking at why these three are highlighted. It’s like John is saying, “Hey! Focus!”

·  All three also offered a clear confession of faith at some point in the John’s record. (Peter in John 6:69; Thomas in John 20:28; Nathanael in John 1:49) 

·  All three were “wrestlers” or skeptics of some sort. Thomas is the infamous doubting Thomas (John 20). Nathaniel asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1) Peter had betrayed Jesus and is about to wrestle with shame (John 18).

·  Nathanial believed Jesus was the Son of God because Jesus gave him proof (John 1); Thomas believed Jesus had risen after Jesus gave him proof (John 20. We are about to see that Peter is back to his former job as a fisherman. Jesus is going to offer some proof that he still wants Peter to fish for people by going into all the world and preaching the gospel.  

John’s last story highlights what Jesus will do with the wrestlers and the doubters. It turns out that, just like the God of Jacob blessed Jacob when he wrestled, Jesus is going to bless the wrestlers yet again.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.  But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach.

 Darkness and daybreak set the stage for the story.  

John in the first chapter of his gospel wrote that “In him was life, and that life was the light of mankind; but the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” (John 1:5)

The symbolism of daytime and nighttime stands out at various points in scriptures, and it does here as well. In Scripture, Night often represents the downside or chaos of life. Peter denied Jesus in the dark just before daybreak. Peter went to the tomb “while it was still dark.”  Here, Peter is fishing in the dark. Here, “the day was now breaking.” Something new and beautiful is dawning.

 The disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch."

So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.[2].  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."  

So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. 

So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught."

Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three;[3] and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

This is the same sea on which Peter had tried to walk on the water and failed.  This time he didn’t even try to walk on the water; he just throws himself in. Maybe he thinks he can outswim the boat. Maybe he tried to walk on water again. I don’t know. Wither way, Peter’s enthusiasm is still there. Note the account says Peter pulled the net in by himself. Dude is pumped!

 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.  So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these other disciples love me?"[4]

He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You " He said to him, "Tend My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."

 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.’”

Three times before the crucifixion, hiding in the darkness, huddled around a charcoal fire, Peter had not loved Jesus more than anything else.  Three times, now, in the light of the morning, huddled around a charcoal fire, by a sea that reminds him of his previous lack of faith, as the day is dawning, he is offered redemption. 

“He does not say ‘Peter,’ but ‘Simon,’ using his former name, as if to remind him of what he was before his calling and to show him that he has fallen from the steadfastness of the rock.”— St. John Chrysostom, Homily 88 on John

Notice Jesus doesn’t act as if nothing happened. Peter needs to experience what’s called kenosis (self-emptying humility). Peter must be humbled before being lifted up. But Jesus is going to once again model the God Creed: lovingkindness over consequences 1,000 to 3.

The first two times, Jesus askes Peter if Peter has agape love for him. Peter responds that he has phileo love. The third time, Jesus asks if he has phileo love, and Peter says, “You know all things. You know that what I have is phileo love.”

The first and second time Peter responds with, “Lord, you know…”  he is referring to knowledge based on perception. But the third time, when Jesus “lowers the bar” and asks if he has phileo love, Peter shifts to a word that means experiential knowledge: 

“Lord, you perceive ALL things; you have experienced my life; we know each other; you have experienced what kind of love I have for you.” I have read a bunch of commentary on this:  Is Peter offended?  Defensive? Exasperated?  Embarrassed? Confused? My sense is that Peter’s last response is a statement of resignation. Jesus is not letting Peter avoid reality. Jesus does know what kind of love Peter has, and it is not yet agape love. Imagine this scene, If you will.

[Setting: sunrises reflects across a sea that brings up a lot of memories for Peter. Peter shifts uncomfortably, the warmth of the coals also stirring old memories. Jesus finally silences the other excited disciples and turns toward Peter.]

Jesus, gently:
Simon, son of John, you once said you would stay faithful even if everyone else – your friends here - fled. Now, I ask you, do you still want to say that you have an unconditional, unwavering, self-giving agape for me more than the other disciples?

[Peter swallows hard). (More than the rest of them? I said I would never fall away, even if they all did. But I fell first. I said I would lay down my life. But I ran. Three times I denied him. In fear—in pride? In weakness. In shame.

Peter, quietly:
Lord… you know that I phileo you. I care for you, I care about you. You’re very dear to me.

Jesus:
Yes, I do know that, Simon. I would like you take care of the Good Shepherd’s sheep.

[Peter, surprised and unsettled, looks down at the fire. He remember how cold he was around that other fire. He remembers the denials and the humiliation and shame that followed. Jesus wants him to lead others now? With that history?]

Jesus – slow to anger and abounding in love – breaks the circle’s silence:
Simon, son of John, again, do you agape me? Are you ready to give me everything and follow me in the path of cruciform love?

Peter: (Am I even capable of that kind of love? Could I have been truthful about knowing him even if it cost me my life?  Could I have stood with him before Pilate? Could I have walked with him to Golgotha? Agape would have. But I didn’t.)

Peter - honest and hesitant:
I think you know that I phileo you. We are deeply connected, like brothers. I know you have great affection for me, and I have great affection for you.

Jesus, strong and kind:
I do have great affection for you. In fact, I want you to be the one who tends my flock of disciples.

[A longer pause. There must be some mistake. This should be the strong, the capable, the dependable – someone who actually is a Rock. Someone whose agape love for Jesus is overwhelmingly strong.)

Jesus breaks the silence again:
So, Simon, son of John, you have phileo love for me, the love of a good friend?

Peter (voice breaking):
Lord… you truly know all things. You have been with me for three years. You know that I don’t yet agape you. What is it you would have someone like me do for you?

Jesus (tenderly):
I would have you, Simon, son of John, to feed my sheep.

Ever have a conversation with someone when your relationship is at its worst?  You have said things or done things that have given the other person every reason to push you away, and when you finally see yourself for the kind of friend or spouse or parent or child that you are, the last thing you have to fall back on is, “I love you, though. I really do.  I have nothing else to say. I’m not very good at it sometimes, and I know when I let you down or hurt you I really let you down and hurt you. But I love you.”  

If I am understanding this correctly, Peter says, in essence, “You have experienced that I am cowardly, and impulsive, and self-centered, and doubting…but I love you the best I can right now.” Then Jesus speaks to Peter’s future, one in which he will show the self-sacrifical, life-surrendering nature of agape love:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"

It turns out that Chapter 21 is a victory song to conclude the gospels. Here we are shown, through Peter, that our shortcomings and failures can be forgiven, and that Jesus wants us broken and imperfect people to follow Him and build His kingdom anyway.   

Peter stands in for all of us in this story. 

·  Peter, who was afraid of servant girls around campfires, will preach to the masses in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell like fire. 

·  Peter, who cut off a man’s ear, will heal a man crippled from birth. 

·  Peter, the coward, will be called by the apostle Paul a "pillar" of the Church. 

·  If tradition is correct, for nine months, in absolute darkness, the Peter who denied Christ out of fear of the fallout will endure monstrous torture manacled to a post.  He will convert his jailers and forty-seven others.

·  Peter, who once rebuked Jesus for saying the Messiah needed to suffer, will be crucified upside down, and (if tradition is correct) will even speak words of comfort to his wife as she goes to her death.

 Peter’s death will show to all of us that our history does not have to be our destiny. Morning is now coming to be, because the Light Of The World has come.

“The world and the church are littered with smashed lives and vessels ground beneath vengeful, judging feet… cross the line of shame (we think) and there is no way back… Not so because of Easter.  The veil of death is parted; through it a hand reaches out to Peter, shamed and probably resigned to former routines.  

Wherever and however it happened, Peter was turned from death to life. The God who had not abandoned Christ in death would not abandon Peter in his. Against all odds…God proposed to love Peter again…yes, he will follow as once he declared he would.”

We are called from that night where Peter, giving up and back in his old life, fishing in the dark, could catch nothing.  Now, as the light dawns on us, resurrection means we are able to receive the love God proposes us.” (William Loader)

What do I learn about Jesus?

HE CALLS THOSE OF US HIDING IN DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT.  

We all have a history of which we are ashamed. It has been this way since Peter. We didn’t deny Christ in the courtyard of the palace, but we have denied him with our tv’s, and our computers, and our budgets, and our priorities, and dating, and marriages, and family dynamics, and addictions, and words…. Jesus meets us in the darkness and calls us into the light of his truth, grace and healing.

HE WILL MAKE US FACE THE DEEDS WE DID IN THAT DARKNESS.

It is sometimes easy to put on a front that masks who we know we have been, but Jesus sees through masks. Anybody can come to church and talk it up, and impress people. And we might even believe our own PR campaign.  “Hey, I’m pretty good. Jesus is lucky to have me!”   

David says God desires a “broken and repentant spirit.”  If we want to fully follow Christ, and truly make an impact in His Kingdom, we must be willing to be broken. We must be willing to have the deeds done in darkness brought into the light of Christ. There is no other way.   

He might make this happen in front of other people, by the way. Peter wasn’t alone. Six of his best friends were there. I don’t think this is an accident. God designed His kingdom so that we do life in Christ with others. This is how testimonies work. 

HE WILL EMPOWER US TO FOLLOW HIM AND BUILD HIS KINGDOM.  

That last chapter of John is an encouragement to the church.  History is not destiny when Jesus enters the story.  Your story is not over, because Jesus is working in your life to shine His light into all the dark places, and take your weaknesses and fill them with His strength. 

____________________________________________________________________________

[1] This will include John.

[2] This mirrors the event when Jesus first called Peter as recorded in Luke 5.

[3] There is a lot of discussion about whether or not the specific number of fish matter. Considering how the Gospel writers use details, it’s tempting to think there is. If so, here is my preferred explanation. “The number cliii., is memorable. Jerome, on Ezekiel 47 : [9, 10, “There shall be a very great multitude of fish—their fish shall be according to their kinds”], “They who have written of the natures and peculiar qualities of animals, who have learned ἁλιευτικὰ, as well in the Latin as in the Greek language, of whom Oppian, a Cicilian, is the most learned poet, assert that there are one hundred and fifty-three kinds of fishes, all of which were taken by the apostles, and not one remained uncaptured; whilst both the noble and base-born, the rich and poor, and every class of men, are being drawn out of the sea of the world to salvation.” Comp. Matthew 13:47, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.”—οὐκ ἐσχίσθη, was not broken)  (Bengal’s Gnomen)

[4] “Peter had professed to be ready to die for His Master (John 13:37) and had declared that though all the rest might deny Him, he would never do so (Matthew 26:33). Jesus recalls this boast by asking him whether he now professes to have more loyalty and devotion than the rest.” (Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges)

Harmony #104: Believe, Belong, Behave (John 20:30-31)

The Apostle John concludes his gospel in this fashion:

“Jesus performed many other wondrous signs that are not written in this book.[1] These accounts are recorded so that you, too, might believe that Jesus is the Anointed, the Liberating King, the Son of God, because believing grants you life in His name.” John 20: 30-31

Actually, that sounds like a conclusion, but it’s not. There is an epilogue. We will look at chapter 21 next week. John had one goal in writing his gospel: to convince his readers that Jesus was God in the flesh so that they would believe, because believing in what Jesus did for us grants life to us. A couple questions come to mind:

· What life did he come to share?

·  How do we know we are living in it?

That life’s eternal expression will be life that finds it fullness in the New Heaven and New Earth. Throughout the New Testament, the writers cling to the promise of a heavenly reality that points us toward the day when we will see Jesus fully and experience Kingdom life fully.

But that life also starts now. When Jesus said, “the kingdom of Heaven is like…” he gave earthly examples about how life looks when God’s Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Life granted “in his name” happens now. We can participate now in a life in line with the character, nature and will of God. That’s a huge claim, but we can look at what Jesus said and did to get an idea of what that looks like.

·  preached peace, hope, love, gentleness, kindness, and forgiveness.

·  taught respect for authority even as he taught how to respond properly to corrupt or oppressive power.

·  called people away from sin and hypocrisy and into righteous integrity

·  taught generosity over greed.

·   preached repentance and modeled forgiveness.

·  claimed we could really know God and know the truth about how He wants us to live in holiness

·  said that knowing this could set us free from the bondage and wages of sin

·  argued that love included both justice and mercy working together for righteousness

·  demonstrated that God loves the world, not just one race, class, or sex.

·  treated even the most marginalized people with value, worth and dignity.

·  said the world was broken by sin, but He could fix it – at great cost.

·   explained that we were dead in our sins, but he could bring us back to life.

·   proclaimed we could be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven now and for eternity in the ages to come.[2]

This is good news, from top to bottom. The word got out relatively quickly. If we know anything about Rome or Babylon – or empires in general – the vision of the Kingdom lived rightly is really, really compelling.

In AD 100, there were about 25,000 Christians. In AD 300, there were about 20 million. As best I can piece together what historians have to say, the number of Christians went from about ½% of the populations they were in in AD 100 to 15% by AD 300.

Jesus was compelling (as revealed in the compelling presence of his transformed followers). But Jesus wasn’t the first thing outsiders saw. There was something about the life that He promised as expressed by his church body that drew people to join followers of Jesus and get introduced to Jesus.

In about 130 AD, Justin Martyr formalized what the early church was already noticing.  He noted that the Kingdom of God was exploding because followers of Christ were doing three very specific things: they were believing, belonging, and behaving[3] - three words we will need to clarify.  I want to revisit this today not as a formula that promises specific results, but as a general framework for how God intends to mold us into the image of Christ so that our life is truly ‘life in His name.’

BELIEVE

When we see ‘belief’ or “faith” in scripture, it might be helpful to substitute trust, reliance, or dependence. They were talking about placing our trust in Christ, about relying on him so much that we’re holding nothing back, and about a dependence that proves we’ve given up the need to control or be in control. So when we see John or Jesus talking about belief, they aren’t looking for us to merely agree with what they’re saying. They are pointing toward an entire reorientation of our life. Do we place our trust in the love of a crucified and risen Savior?

This belief /trust will only be as helpful as it is accurate. If we are really going to trust, depend, and rely on Jesus, we are going to want to make sure we have an image of Jesus that is true to the character and nature of God. In the years following Christ’s departure the early church revisited the teachings of Jesus and the writing of the apostles and agreed upon a number of things were crucial for Jesus’ followers to know so their faith would grow.

·   God is the personal Creator of the World

·    he Trinity reveals the relational, loving nature of God

·   God became human in Jesus Christ (the ‘incarnation’)

·   We learned what God is like in the most complete revelation in human history, because Jesus is God revealed, so God is just like Jesus.

·   Christ’s death and resurrection conquer the power of sin, death, Hades and the grave.

·   Jesus rose from the dead physically

·   Because of His resurrection, we can be raised to new spiritual life now and an embodied life in the New Heaven and Earth in the age to come

·   We experience salvation by His grace, not our works

Add all that to the earlier list of all the ways in which Jesus brings life. Here’s why believing all these things about Jesus to be true is so important: It is hard for our heart to embrace what our mind rejects. We may love someone or something we don’t fully understand, but it’s probably not possible to commit with genuine trust in a person or idea that our minds reject as untrue, unhealthy, or unsafe in some fashion.  If I don’t think the company I work for is a good company, it will be hard to emotionally really give my heat to my job.  If my mind harbors angry or resentful thoughts toward my wife, it will be hard for my heart to be for her. If I don’t believe that the revelation of Jesus in the Bible is true, why would my heart experience Scripture as comforting?

·If someone who was considering a relationship with someone who was not safe and good, we would never tell them to entrust their heart to that person. If I we don’t believe God is safe and good, why would we tell people to entrust their hearts to God?

Perhaps that is why Paul was so adamant when he wrote:

“I know (perceived; been made aware) whom I have believed (placed my faith in; trusted) and am persuaded (convinced; confident) that he is able to keep that which I have committed (entrusted; deposited) unto him...” (2 Timothy 1:12)

That sure sounds like his confidence in Jesus allowed him to entrust important things to him. That’s head and heart in sync.

If Truth is only some distant, abstract idea, it can become very cold and lifeless. Same with God. But God personalized himself through Jesus Christ. He made himself accessible and knowable by taking on a form we could understand. We obviously don’t experience him like Jesus’ contemporaries did, but John recorded all that he did so that his readers throughout the rest of history would be able to learn about Jesus so that they would but their trust and reliance on Him.

So believing – trusting, relying upon, leaning on – is the first part of following Jesus.

Belong

Step Two is a relational step. The opening line of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that God is “our” Father, not just “my” Father. We are raised from spiritual death to life in community. It’s easy to think of salvation as an act that pulls us into a vague spiritual family, but that was not God’s intent. We are drawn into a very physical, messy, beautiful and sometimes startling family of other people who are also trying to follow Jesus. A church building is where we meet, but the church – the real church – is composed of a community of Christ followers who commit to doing life together through thick and thin.

I believe God instilled this need for community deep within us. Dartmouth Medical School and the YMCA did a study called “Hardwired to Connect.”  Their conclusion was that “from the moment a baby is born, their brain is physically, biologically, and chemically hardwired to connect with others in relationship.”[4] That’s something God put in place in His image bearers.

Communities matter. Belonging somewhere matters. This is why Cheers, Friends and Big Bang Theory resonate with so many people. Almost every show or movie has a group that matters. The Avengers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. How To Train Your Dragon. Toy Story. I remember watching the Angry Birds movie with my kids and realizing that I was meant to feel bad for the really angry bird because everybody rejected him. The Joker movie with Joaquinin Phoenix put a magnifying glass on what happens when we have no friends. We are wired for community. That doesn’t mean being an extrovert is the default. It just means that we need other people in our relational village, large or small.

During adolescence, the brain seems most primed to address fundamental questions about life.  There seems to be a strong correlation between young people connecting with God and connecting with others.  One of Darmouth’s fascinating conclusions is that the healthier the human relationships, the healthier the God relationship. One Christian college teacher noted:

‘Some of my students were incredibly intelligent and even showed an interest in Christ, but they never seemed to make a breakthrough. I was trying to convince them of the evidence of Christ, and they just couldn’t get it. Looking back, I realize many of these students were emotionally wounded (or even abandoned) individuals who simply could not connect with what I was saying.”[5]

We are rational and relational beings – we think and we feel. Truth was meant to be given in the context of relationship so it sinks in not just intellectually but also emotionally. Paul noted in one of his letters:

“We cared so deeply for you that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

This does not mean we are forced into a decision about God by how others interact with us; we have free will, and we will answer to God for our choices, not the choices of those around us.  Nevertheless, people in our communities can have a profound impact on our spiritual formation.

It’s often noted that people associate God the Father with their parental figures in their lives. Personally, I have found this to be true. But that doesn’t mean I should settle for that because the image I pick up of the Ultimate, Perfect Parent is going to be distorted. Just because my view of God the Father was influenced by Leon my father doesn’t mean that my view is correct or complete.

One of the important things about Christian community is that we are surrounded by fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, who help, through their relationship with us, to give us a broader, deeper, more complete understanding of God as a relational God who draws us into His family.

Growing together like this – growing up together like this? – is a key component in spreading the good news of “life in His name” so that others are drawn to belonging to Christ and His Kingdom. One historian noted how this has looked practically throughout church history:

“Christianity revitalized life in Greek and Roman cities by providing relationships able to cope with urgent problems. To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments.

To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity. And to cities faced with epidemics, fires, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services.” ( Rodney Stark, “The Rise of Christianity”)

 Justin Martyr, whom I mentioned at the beginning, wrote to Emperor Antoninus Pius and described how the new Christian believers offered a spiritually and relationally compelling home:

"We formerly rejoiced in uncleanness of life, but now love only chastity; before we used the magic arts, but now dedicate ourselves to the true and unbegotten God; before we loved money and possessions more than anything, but now we share what we have and to everyone who is in need.

Before we hated one another and killed one another and would not eat with those of another race, but now since the manifestation of Christ, we have come to a common life and pray for our enemies and try to win over those who hate us without just cause."

So we begin with belief – trusting and relying on God -  and we add to it belonging – becoming embedded in a community of Christ followers who are not perfect, but who are being transformed into the image of Christ so that we increasingly “make real” to those within and without outside the church the abundant life that Jesus offers us by His grace.

If we do not send a message to others that they belong, that they have a place here, we will put a stumbling block in their way. One of the most important ways we build that faith of others is showing them that their trust in Jesus and his family is the right path, because his family demonstrates the love that drew them to Jesus.

Behave

“As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect (“mirror”) His glory even more.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

This is not “Behave!” like I would say to my students. This is short for “behavior.”  Just as Jesus embodied and lived the Truth, we should embody and live the truth. Our behavior will mirror what our mind and our hearts have embraced. It is in the behavior of our hands that we see what we believe in our head and love in our heart. Our lives will mirror what our mind and our hearts have embraced.

This is not to suggest we will reach perfection, or that the better we behave the more God is obligated to us. This also does not suggest that God’s love for us hinges upon our ability to be good. However, the Bible is pretty clear that our true beliefs and our true sense of where we belong are revealed in our commitment to embracing His plan for how we ought to live as a representative of Christ. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Or like a popular Christian hymn from the 60’s said, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”)

Let’s put “believe, belong, and behave” together for a moment to see how all three are inseparable is we are wanting to follow Jesus.

What if we believe - but we don’t belong? What if we decide that we don’t need a community of Christians to help grow our faith since we have our own thoughts or an internet bubble that affirms us? As a result, we get lost in our own interpretation of Scripture and judgment of those who disagree with us because we aren’t participating in the ebb and flow of community church life in which the unity around Jesus is found in diversity of opinion and experience.

Now, sometimes community doesn’t look compelling because the people around us are unhelpful jerks or feel unsafe. Churches are not exempt from that. If that’s, that’s heart-breaking. That’s a topic for another time. I’m talking more about rejecting community because of pride (“I don’t need to be around those losers”) or self-sufficiency (“I already have it all figured out – better than any of them, for sure.”

If this is the case, we will come across as proud, aloof or distant – because we are - and we will remain baffled about why other people find their church family so meaningful. We never fully dive into a church because there’s always something wrong with it. We never let “iron sharpen iron” because we bail when someone challenges anything in our lives, so our maturity and character-building stalls.  We never allow ourselves to be fully known and loved by others; our relationship muscle is never developed, and it impacts our understanding of and relationship with God.

What if  we believe and belong -  but our behavior does not consistently reflect God’s will for our lives?Let’s be clear - good behavior won’t earn us salvation or attract the love of God, who simply loves us.  We will, however, harvest a practical reality in our life from what we have spiritually planted. If we plant holy living, we will harvest “life in his name.” But if we plant sin, we will harvest life in our name, and that’s a terrible thing. We will continue to be damaged by our sin even as we harm those around us – because that’s the way sin always works. It’s never just me and my sin. It’s us and my sin. Our actions have a communal impact. We don’t live in a bubble. When our behavior puts the lie to the beliefs we say order our lives, practical, relational, and maybe even spiritual fallout follows.

We belong and our behavior aligns with God’s path, but we have no beliefs that ground our faith. We don’t actually believe Jesus is who he claims, or we dismiss the Bible’s teaching on our sin and our need for salvation. Then church just becomes a self-help club.

We might feel good – we might embrace life principles that work (the Bible is full of them) – but there is no saving faith; there is no transformation by the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ. There is just ordering your life to live well so we are happy. But that will crumble – not because God failed, but because God was never embraced.

But… when these three things work together, the glory of God and the goodness of a life lived “in his name” becomes clear to a world in desperate need of a Savior.

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved perfection (“I have not reached the final phase”). But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all the Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.” (Philippians 3:12)

It’s work, but Paul doesn’t seem put off by it. He seems excited about the fact that God has a particular goal in mind for who he wants Paul to be: in this context, God wants Paul to be transformed into the image of Christ, so that his mind thinks God’s thoughts, his heart loves what God loves, and his hands do the things God would have him to do.  And to Paul, that final phase is well worth the spiritual fight. If you read about who Paul was before his life was transformed by Christ, you know why he is excited about this.

If you have experienced spiritual transformation in your life, you know the hard work is worth it.  True spiritual progress and healing builds its own momentum.

·  Maybe you were always angry, or resentful, or greedy. But you believed that Jesus had the answer; you trusted him; you confessed and repented in a church community where you belonged, and you committed to behavior that aligned with God’s will for your life. As God worked in you, you began to see what life was like on the other side of the chains of sins, and the sweeter that life looked, and the true glory and trustworthiness of Christ emerged from behind the cloud of doubt and sin.

·  Maybe your life was a series of heartbreaks because you kept repeating patterns of sinful behavior that looked so appealing in the moment but always brought you crashing down in the end. But then with God’s help you committed to truly dedicating your life to His will and His path, and as hard as it was to break those old patterns, a peace and freedom opened up in your life that you had not experienced before.

Experiencing this changes us. We taste the freedom that comes with surrender, and our behavior increasingly mirrors what our mind and our hearts have embraced. That once again is not just for us; it’s a profound opportunity to spread the gospel.

"According to the early Christians, the church doesn't exist in order to provide a place where people can pursue their private spiritual agendas and develop their own spiritual potential. Nor does it exist in order to provide a safe haven in which people can hide from the wicked world and ensure that they themselves arrive safely at an otherworldly destination...

The purpose is clearly stated in various places in the New Testament: that through the church God will announce to the wider world that he is indeed its wise, loving, and just creator: that through Jesus he has defeated the powers that corrupt and enslave it; and that by his Spirit he is at work to heal and renew it." ~ N.T. Wright

In a world in desperate need of a Savior, where community and relationships are shallow and fleeting or destructive, and hypocrisy splashes across the headlines, our best witness for Christ will be full of true belief, genuine community, and a passionate commitment to living with holy integrity. And when this happens, we experience and we proclaim “life in his name.”

I want to end with a song that invites you to believe, and belong, and let your life be changed by Jesus.

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[1] “Look at the synopsis of the miracles which exhibit the omniscience and omnipotence of Jesus Christ in the Harmony of the Gospels… He gave proofs of His omnipotence when He converted the water into wine, John 2:6, etc.: Purified the temple, ch. John 2:13, etc.; Mark 11:15, etc.: Removed fever, ch. John 4:47, with which comp John 4:52; Matthew 8:14-15 : Cleansed the leper (Matthew 8:2-3), nay, even ten lepers at the same time, Luke 17:12, etc.: Healed those sick of the palsy, Matthew 8:5, etc., Matthew 9:2, etc.: Restrained and cast out demons, Mark 1:23-24; Matthew 8:28-29; Matthew 9:32-33; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 15:22, etc.; Mark 9:17, etc.; Luke 11:14 : Applied His healing power to diseases of years’ continuance, John 12:18; John 12:38; Matthew 9:20, etc.; Luke 13:11, etc.; John 5:5, etc.: Bestowed sight on the blind (Matthew 9:27-28; Mark 8:22-23; Matthew 20:30-31), nay, even on one born blind (John 9:1, etc.): Restored the withered hand, Matthew 12:10-11 : Commanded the wind and sea (Matthew 8:26; Mark 6:51), also the fishes, Luke 5:4-5; Matthew 17:27; John 21:6 : Fed abundantly at one time five, at another time four, thousand with a few loaves, Matthew 14:18-21; Matthew 15:34-38 : Raised the dead, Matthew 9:18, etc.; Luke 7:11, etc.: John 11:1, etc.: Gave to the disciples also power to perform miracles, Matthew 10:1; Matthew 14:28-29; Luke 10:9; Luke 10:17; Luke 10:19; Mark 16:20. To these are to be added, the cursing of the fig-tree, Matthew 21:18 : The efficacy of His word, I am He—let these go their way (His enemies fell to the ground, John 20:6), John 18:4, etc.: The healing of Malchus, Luke 22:51 : The miraculous feast, John 21:9. Very often crowds of sick persons were healed, Matthew 4:23; Luke 5:17; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Mark 6:5”  (Bengel’s Gnomen, biblehub.com)

[2] “And that believing ye might have life through his name: believers have their spiritual and eternal life through Christ; their life of grace, of justification on him, of sanctification from him, and communion with him; the support and maintenance of their spiritual life, and all the comforts of it: and also their life of glory, or eternal life, they have through, or in his name; it lies in his person, it comes to them through him as the procuring cause of it; it is for his sake bestowed upon them, yea, it is in his hands to give it, and who does give it to all that believe: not that believing is the cause of their enjoyment of this life, or is their title to it, which is the name, person, blood, and righteousness of Christ; but faith is the way and means in which they enjoy it; and therefore these signs are written by the evangelist for the encouragement of this faith in Christ, which is of such use in the enjoyment of life, in, through, and from him.” (Gill’s Exposition Of The Entire Bible, biblehub.com)

[3] I believe I first read about this in Josh McDowell’s book, The Unshakable Truth

[4] You can read a brief overview here: http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/winter03/html/vs_connect.shtml

[5] This is recounted in Josh McDowell’s book, The Unshakable Truth

Harmony #101: The Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35)

That very day two of them[1] were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and reasoning together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.  But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 

And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas (probably the father of James), answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"  And he said to them, "What things?" 

And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a genuine prophet[2] mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem/liberate Israel.” 

Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.  They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see.” 

And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart (and mind) to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into the ‘weight’ of his glory?"  And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

 It looks like Jesus kept pointing at the Old Testament saying, “Look, I am all over the place.” There could have been different ways in which Jesus did this. Here are two very common approaches, at least from the tradition in which I was raised (American Protestant Evangelicalism).

The first approach focuses on fulfilled Messianic prophecy.

·  From the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 – “The scepter will not depart from Judah... until he to whom it belongs shall come.”

·  Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 – “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

·  Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 – “But you, Bethlehem... out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.”

·  A prophet like Moses  Deuteronomy 18:15 – “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you.”

·  Light to the Gentiles Isaiah 49:6 – “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

·  Zeal for God’s house Psalm 69:9 – “Zeal for your house consumes me.”

·  The Suffering Servant Isaiah 53  – “He was pierced for our transgressions... by his wounds we are healed.”

·  Sold for 30 pieces of silver  Zechariah 11:12-13 – “They paid me thirty pieces of silver...”

·  Silent before his accusers  Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.”

·  Hands and feet pierced Psalm 22:16 – “They pierce my hands and my feet.”

·  Mocked and insulted Psalm 22:7-8 – “All who see me mock me... ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say.”

·  Cast lots for his clothing  Psalm 22:18 – “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

·  Not one bone broken  Psalm 34:20 – “He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

·  Not abandoned to the grave  Psalm 16:10 – “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”

Christian apologists have had a field day with this, and rightly so. God gave prophetic insight to the writers of Scripture, and it’s one of the tools in our Defense of the Faith toolbelt that is really helpful.[3]

 The second approach points out that Jesus lived in such a way that there was an obvious connection with Jesus and revered people in Jewish history. Tim Keller liked to call this the “new and better” approach.

• Adam brought death through disobedience; Jesus brings life and resurrection (Romans 5:12–21)

• Abraham was the father of many nations; Jesus brought blessing to all nations (Genesis 22; John 3:16)

• Joseph was betrayed and sold by his brothers; rose to save them. Jesus was betrayed by his people; brings salvation through resurrection

• Moses led the Exodus; gave the Law from a mountain. Jesus leads a greater Exodus; gives the Law of love (Matt 5–7; Heb 3:3)

• Joshua brought Israel into the Promised Land. Jesu sBrings eternal rest in the Kingdom (Hebrews 4:8–9)

• David was a Shepherd and King; defeated Goliath. Jesus is the Good Shepherd; eternal King who conquers sin and death

• Elijah performed miracles; raised the dead. Jesus performed miracles, raises the dead – and raises himself.

• Elisha healed the sick; multiplied food; helped outsiders. Jesus heals the sick; feeds thousands; welcomes Gentiles

• Jonah spent 3 days in the fish; preached to Gentiles. Jesus 3 days in the tomb; brings mercy to all (Matt 12:40)

• Isaiah described the Suffering Servant; Jesus embodies the Suffering Servant

• Melchizedek was a priest and king; offered bread and wine. Jesus is the Eternal Priest-King; offers His body and blood (Hebrews 7)

Add that to the fulfilled prophecy, and you have an even more compelling way to look at Jesus as the one prophesied and foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

There is a third way, a Christological or Christ-centered reading, that’s going to expand this even more. Some call this an Emmaus Road reading of the Old Testament. This reading insists that if Jesus is using the Old Testament to point to himself, he is likely showing how God is just like Jesus. God has always been just like Jesus, because, as Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) With this addition, Jesus was prophesied, foreshadowed and revealed all along.

When people ask us what God is like, systematic theology has given us a lot of definitions: omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, etc. When Moses asked to see God, God Himself tells us what God is like:

"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and faithfulness, maintaining loving kindness to thousands of generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty absolved; visiting the consequences of the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6–7)

I mentioned several week ago that the point of the contrast between loving kindness for 1000 generations and just consequences for 3-4 generations is the contrast. What is God like? 1000 to 3, God favors lovingkindess. 

As I have said before, the “generational” language this was a Hebrew idiom, a way of speaking which notes the ripple effect of our choices. John Walton, for example, notes that “third and fourth generation” was like saying that the consequences of sin don’t last forever—but they are real and impactful for a time.  It wasn’t about guilt being inherited so much as patterns and consequences of sin carrying downstream effects—economically, socially, and spiritually. God does not make our actions consequenceless - but God is abounding in loving kindness and mercy to help us even in the midst of the messes we have created!!!

You will see this kind of “God Creed” language a lot in the OT.

·    Numbers 14:18: "The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished..."

·    Nehemiah 9:17 "But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them."

·    Psalm 86:15 "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

·    Psalm 103:8 "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness (love, mercy, favor)."

·    Psalm 145:8 "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."

·    Joel 2:13 "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."

·    Jonah 4:2 "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."

This is the God Creed, over and over. I wonder if Jesus was walking these men through how they could see this over and over, and then see it again in Jesus. Next week I am going to tiptoe with fear and trembling into the Old Testament to show how an Emmaus Road reading works on specific situations in the Old Testament. Today, let’s just look at how God’s language describing himself clearly applies to Jesus.

Jesus is Compassionate

·      In Matthew 14:14, when He sees a large crowd, “he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”  

·      In Matthew 15:32, He had “compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat,” leading to the feeding of the four thousand. 

·      In Luke 19:41–42, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, longing to gather its people “as a hen gathers her chicks,” as they prepared to follow the way of the Zealot to bring about the kingdom of God on earth. 

Jesus is Gracious (showing favor)

·      In Luke 15:1–2, Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners, followed by parables like the Lost Sheep and Prodigal Son (Luke 15:3–32), which is surely not coincidental. They both illustrate God’s loving and gracious pursuit and embrace of the lost.

·      Jesus showed grace to the woman caught in adultery. He welcomed tax collectors and Zealots into his band of disciples.  He cast demons out of those who scared everybody else away.

Jesus is Slow to Anger

·      After explaining the parable of the Sower, Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” (Mark 4:13). Then he explains it 

·      In Luke 9:51–56, when a Samaritan village rejects Him, the disciples suggest calling down fire, but Jesus rebukes them, choosing to move on peacefully, demonstrating restraint. 

·      In Matthew 18:21–22, when Peter asks how often to forgive, Jesus teaches forgiveness “seventy-seven times,” reflecting God’s patient forbearance with us.

Jesus is us Abounding in loving kindness for thousands of generations (vs. a punishment for guilt for three generations)

·      In Matthew 5:43–48, Jesus teaches, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” reflecting God’s expansive love.

·      He showed love beyond just Israel: he healed a Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11–19) and praised the faith of a Canaanite woman. He engaged the Samaritan woman at the well – who went and brought her whole village back.

·      The parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15–24) depicts God inviting the marginalized and outcasts to His feast, illustrating His expansive love.

·      Luke 23:34, while being crucified, Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” extending redemptive and hopeful love even to those who crucified Him. 

Jesus is Abounding in Faithfulness

·      Despite temptation and suffering, Jesus remains faithful to His purpose. In John 17:4, He speaks of “finishing the work [God] gave me to do.” 

·      Even when he knew Judas would betray him, he “loved him until the end.”

·      Paul will later say of Jesus, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

Jesus is Just (does not leave the Guilty Unpunished)

·      Jesus holds religious leaders accountable for their hypocrisy. In Matthew 23:13–36, He pronounces “woes” on the Pharisees for their injustice and spiritual neglect, warning of judgment. 

·      He weeps for Jerusalem and warns the women on the way to the cross of the impending doom coming to Jerusalem and the Jewish people because of the Zealot love of the sword.

·      And then, in a cross-centered twist, Jesus Himself takes on the punishment for humanity’s guilt on the cross (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). His death satisfies justice while extending mercy, reconciling both facets of God’s love.

Jesus forgives Wickedness, Rebellion, and Sin

·      In addition to multiple times where Jesus told people their sins were forgiven, the crucifixion is the ultimate act of forgiveness, where Jesus takes on the sin of the world. Colossians 2:13–14 reflects this: “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us.” 

·      He restores Peter. Tradition says Pilate and his wife became followers of Jesus, as well as some of the soldiers who crucified him. If the Easter view of the “harrowing of hell” is correct, Jesus presented himself as Christ Victorious to Judas before his Resurrection. We will read in acts that Jesus directly confronts and saves Paul, killer of Christians.

* * * * *

As the “exact representation of [God’s] being” (Hebrews 1:3), Jesus reveals a God who is compassionate, gracious, and just—perfectly aligning with the Old Testament God Creed and confirming that God is indeed like Jesus. So I’ve been thinking about that this week. I don’t have to wonder what God is like. I know what Jesus is like, and God is just like Jesus.

I’ve also been thinking about this: I want to be more and more like Jesus. I assume you do to  If that’s true, are we actually looking more like Jesus?

Compassionate. Do we see people -even whole crowds of people - and weep for them if they are hurting; do we give provision if they are lacking? Do we do this even if they are bad or wrong or hurtful or sinful?

Gracious (showing favor). Do we eat with today’s tax collectors and sinners? Do we push away those exposed and maybe lost in their sin or do we draw them into healing community? Do we bring healing and hope to those who have scared everyone else away?

Slow to Anger. Literally, “slow to flare the nostrils” like an angry bull. Do we ever see Jesus angry? Yes. Do we ever see him blow a gasket? No. His anger is not impulsive; it’s purposeful. It wasn’t merely reactive; it was redemptive. It wasn’t bitter; it was burdened. For Jesus anger was never vengeful or chaotic; it was always purposeful and hopeful, pointing toward a better and more holy way. His anger was not a tool to belittle shame, or control people; his goal was to convict with a godly sorrow that brings repentance. He sought to correct them toward righteousness.

Abounding in loving kindness (devotion, loyal deeds) When we are angry, does it last for a moment compared to our loving kindness? Do we show loving kindness to just those who are nice to us, or to everybody? Do we offer a Great Banquet on behalf of Jesus? Who all is welcome at our table both literally and spiritually? Is it every kind of person?

Abounding in Faithfulness. Will we love each other until the end? Will we love our neighbor until the end? Will we join in the search for the lost sheep until we find them? We will refuse to give up hope in the restorative power of Jesus in any situation or with any person?

Not Leaving the Guilty Unpunished (Justice) Do we call out hypocrisy and injustice to bring about integrity and justice? Does it begin at home – in the house of God? Does zel for the purity and holiness of the house of God consume us as it did Jesus? Do we have hearts burdened for justice in our community and our country? Then, do we step into the places where people are experiencing the consequences of “justice rolling down” and introducing them to the lovingkindness of Jesus in our words and our lives?

Forgiving Wickedness, Rebellion, and Sin. I’ve been wondering: if Jesus himself didn’t come to condemn the world[4] but to save it, maybe we should lead with what’s been modeled. The idea is not original with me.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

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[1] One of them likely being Luke himself.

[2]  This has been considered as a Hebraism: "Who made thee a man prince (i.e. a mighty sovereign) and a judge over us! Exodus 2:14. And, the battle went sore against Saul, and the men archers (the stout, or well aiming archers) hit him, 1 Samuel 31:3.” (Adam Clarke)

[3] Many will note that not every passage seems to have been written consciously as a prophecy about Jesus; often they are about somebody else. Yet that very person was a foreshadowing of the true and greater person of Jesus. Either way, it’s pointing toward Jesus, and the New Testament writers have no problem pointing to those passages as prophecy.

[4] Jesus once said,“Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:31-32) What seems to be condemned here is the World Order and the power of Satan behind it, which was judged and condemned on the cross. We see the same idea elsewhere in John: “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” (John 16:7-11)

The Week After Easter

For those of us who are followers of Jesus, Resurrection Sunday is the day in which it all comes together. The bodily resurrection is foundational to the hope of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15 (New English Translation)

 Now I want to make clear for you brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 

 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 

Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also... 

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised… 

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  

The resurrection changes everything. We are not condemned to remain in our sins; more than that, we are being made alive in Christ. Our history is not our destiny. We followers of Jesus are now “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world.” (2 Peter 1:4). It was always God’s plan to conform His children to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

Resurrection Sunday reminds us that God has the power to stamp us with the image of Christ-like, cruciform love. We celebrate that on Easter. We post about it. We fly our Jesus flag high, as we should. He is risen! 

Then we go home. We return to work.

A month passes.

And I wonder—does the power of Resurrection Sunday linger? Do the claims we make on Easter translate into daily life with family, friends, co-workers? How often does our worship reflect a lifestyle of surrendered devotion, reminding everyone we meet that God is transforming us into the image of Jesus?

There’s a show called Severance in which employees undergo a procedure preventing them from recalling their work outside the office—or their outside lives while at work. They functionally live two separate lives: their Innie (inside work), and their Outie (outside work), with no awareness of connection between them.

If we aren’t careful, we risk living a spiritual life of Severance—walking into church, flipping a switch, saying and doing all the right religious things. Then leaving, flipping another switch, and practically becoming a different person in allegiance, priorities, and conduct. James calls this fresh and salt water flowing from the same spring (James 3:11). Jesus called it hypocrisy when confronting the Pharisees—who tithed very precisely in the temple yet practiced injustice throughout the week.

So I’ve been thinking about integrity—about consistency—about what it looks like when my life reflects the Christ-conforming power of cruciform love every day, not just on Easter Sunday. I invite you to contemplate this with me.

Let’s walk through some Christ-like qualities we celebrate at Easter. These are the things we love about Jesus—the perfect expression of God’s love. Since we’ve seen these attributes reflected in Scripture and history, let’s revisit them this morning. Because the power of Resurrection Sunday is meant for every day, not just one

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In the (day, week, rest of the year) after Easter…..

Will we speak truth with grace? Nathan spoke hard truth to David not just to condemn, but to call him back to life (2 Samuel 12:1–13); Jesus protected the woman caught in adultery, then gently called her to transformation (John 8:1–11). Peter boldly preached at Pentecost, calling out sin but offering salvation (Acts 2:36–41). How will we speak truth to those around us with such grace that it draws them closer to Jesus?

Will we display a love for compassionate justice? The prophets cried out for widows, orphans, and the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8); Jesus said God sent him “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4). How can we advocate for a more just world with the same compassion Jesus showed?

Will we "see" those struggling around us? Hagar called God “the One who sees me” when she was comforted in the wilderness (Genesis 16:13); Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and called him by name (Luke 19:1–10). Peter and John stopped to heal a lame man others ignored (Acts 3:1–10). Who in our life might feel invisible, and how can we show them they are seen and loved by God?

Will we seek reconciliation where there is division? Jacob sought reconciliation with Esau to restore a broken relationship (Genesis 32:22–33:11). Jesus prayed for unity among His followers, asking that they be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:20–23). Where is division in our life or community, and can we appropriately help move ourselves and others toward reconciliation?

Will we look to help "the least of these"? Boaz welcomed an impoverished outsider, Ruth, and made room for her and her widowed mother-in-law (Ruth 2); Jesus welcomed little children, lepers, outcasts, and the poor (Mark 10:13–16, Luke 17:11–19, Luke 4:18–19). Tabitha served the poor and clothed widows (Acts 9:36–43). How can we serve someone society overlooks, treating them as we would Jesus Himself?

Will we call out hypocrisy, deception, and evil? Amos called for justice to roll like a river (Amos 5:24); Jesus wept over Jerusalem’s blindness and called out the Pharisees’ hypocrisy (Matthew 23, Luke 19:41–44). Stephen confronted the Sanhedrin at the cost of his life, and even as they stoned him, he forgave them (Acts 7:51–60). Where do we see hypocrisy or injustice in the world around us, and how can we confront it with courage and love?

Will we offer spiritual and practical hope to the hopeless? Elijah offered bread and a godly presence to the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17); Jesus gave well water and living water to the Samaritan woman at the well. Paul brought hope to a jailer about to take his own life: “Believe in the Lord Jesus” (Acts 16:25–34). Who in our life appears to be hopeless, and how can we offer them both practical help and the hope of Jesus?

Will we offer gospel-centered peace in the midst of strife? Isaiah’s vision of swords beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4) offered a foretaste of the peace Jesus brings; Jesus calmed the storm and the disciples:“Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). The church faced persecution with prayer and unity, not retaliation (Acts 4:23–31). In a world full of conflict, how can we bring the peace of Christ to those around us?

Will we forgive those who wrong us? Joseph forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery; the father of the prodigal son welcomed his wayward child with open arms (Luke 15:20–24); Jesus on the cross said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Who has hurt us, and what does it look like to forgive them as Jesus forgave us?

Will we welcome the “other” without fear? Israel was to “love the stranger, for you were once strangers in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19); Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, and praised a Roman centurion’s faith (Matthew 9:10–13, Matthew 8:5–13). Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch on the roadside (Acts 8:26–39). Who feels like an outsider to us, and how can we welcome them into the family of Jesus with the love of Jesus?

Will we listen to those who need to be heard? God heard the cry of His children in Egypt (Exodus 3:7-10); Jesus heard the questions of Nicodemus and the cry of blind Bartimaeus: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Who around us is longing to be heard, and how can we listen with the heart of Christ?

Will we speak for those who need a voice? Moses spoke for God’s people in slavery in Egypt; Jesus spoke up for the children, for the Samaritans the disciples wanted to firebomb (Luke 9), for the unclean nobody wanted to touch. Who in our orbit needs an advocate, and how can we speak up for them with boldness and love?

Will we mourn with those who are mourning? The psalmists cried and waited in the dark (Psalm 42, Psalm 88); Jesus cried at Lazarus’s tomb, even though He knew resurrection was coming (John 11:35). The church gathered to mourn the loss of Stephen and Tabitha (Acts 8:2; 9:39). Who is grieving near us, and how can we sit with them in their pain, reflecting Jesus’ compassion?

Will we practice generosity without expecting reward? The widow gave her last two coins, trusting God’s provision (Mark 12:41–44). Jesus multiplied loaves and fish to feed thousands, expecting nothing in return (John 6:1–14) and gave his life willingly even for those who would reject him. How can we live generously, trusting God to provide, no matter the response?

Will we practice patience with those still on the journey? God stayed with a rebellious Israel in the wilderness; Jesus kept restoring Peter (John 21:15–19). The apostles worked with new believers, teaching them gently (Acts 15). Who in our life needs our patience, and how can we walk with them as Jesus would?

Will we embody humble service in leadership? Gideon led Israel humbly, trusting God’s strength (Judges 6:11–16). Jesus took on the form of a servant, teaching that true greatness lies in serving others (Mark 10:42–45). How can we lead others by serving humbly, thinking of how to serve rather than be served?

Will we live with gratitude in all circumstances? Paul and Silas sang praises in prison (Acts 16:25). Jesus gave thanks before breaking bread, even on the night He was betrayed (Luke 22:17–19). In what difficult situation could we be choosing to give thanks, trusting God’s goodness even in the midst of difficulty?

Will we work to restore what has been broken? Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 2:17); Jesus healed broken bodies and hearts, declaring, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). What broken relationship or situation beckons to us to be a part of restoration built on Jesus’ love and grace?

Will we disciple others with patience and humility? Moses guided Israel despite their complaints (Numbers 11:14–17). Jesus walked with His disciples, explaining truth step by step (Luke 24:27). Who needs our patient discipleship, helping them grow closer to Jesus through our faithful presence?

Will we offer generous hospitality? Abraham welcomed strangers and entertained angels (Genesis 18:1–8). Jesus dined with sinners and outcasts, creating space for transformation at the table (Luke 5:29–32). How can we open our home or heart to someone new, showing them Christ’s hospitality?

Will we stand firm when challenged? Daniel refused to bow to Babylon’s idols (Daniel 6:10); Jesus did not waver before Pilate, declaring His kingship (John 18:36). When our faith and trust in God is tested, how can we stand firm while showing Jesus’ love to others?

Will we persevere in prayer for others? Moses interceded for the Israelites; Jesus interceded for His disciples and all believers, even in His final hours (Luke 22:31–32). Who needs our persistent prayers, and how can we commit to lifting them up regularly?

Will we love others well even when they are hard to love? Joseph forgave his betrayers and provided for them in famine (Genesis 50:20–21); Jesus knelt to wash His disciples’ feet—even Judas’ (John 13:1–17). How can we love someone difficult in our life with the selfless love of Jesus?

Will we live with hope? Ezekiel saw dry bones rising again (Ezekiel 37); Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). The apostles faced death singing hymns, confident in resurrection hope (Acts 16:25; Acts 20:22–24). In what area of our life should we be clinging to the hope of Jesus, trusting He is making all things new?

Once again, will we live in hope? Not because the world is easy, but because Easter means the worst thing is never the last thing, and because God’s promise is to “make all things new” (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:5). How can we live each day with the hope of Easter, sharing that hope with those around us?

The empty tomb isn’t just a story we tell once a year—it’s the reality that shapes who we are and how we live. Jesus, the risen King, invites us to embody His cruciform love, not just in our words but in our actions, not just on Sunday but every day.

Rather than settling for severed lives, let’s pursue integrated lives inside and outside these doors, a life that looks the same all week and all year long.

May we leave here today committed to being people who make the practical, day to day impact of the resurrection real: through our cruciform love, our service, our forgiveness, our hope.

He is risen, and that changes everything.

______________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER THIS WEEK/MONTH/YEAR

Where might I be living a “severed” life? Are there areas where my Sunday faith feels disconnected from my Monday actions?

Which aspect of Christ-like love feels most challenging right now? Is it forgiving, speaking truth with grace, seeing the struggling? What’s one practical step I can take this week to grow in that area?

Who in my life needs to experience the hope of Easter through me? Is there someone I can listen to, serve, forgive, or pray for in a way that points them to the reality of the risen Jesus?

How can I cultivate resurrection hope daily? What practices—prayer, gratitude, serving others, or something else—can help me stay anchored in the truth that “the worst thing is never the last thing”?

Harmony #96: Which Jesus Would We Choose? (Matthew 27:15-31; Mark 15:6-20; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-19:16)

Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, who came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom.

(During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they requested. At that time they had in custody a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas, who had been thrown into prison with other rebels for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder.)

Pilate said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. When I examined him before you, I did not find this man guilty of anything you accused him of doing. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing deserving death. It is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover.

I will therefore have him flogged and release him. ”But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the crowd and persuaded them to ask for Barabbas to be released instead and to have Jesus killed. So they all shouted out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas for us!”

 Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted to release Jesus, for as he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream about him today.”[1]

Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ, the king of the Jews?” (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.) Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”

Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” So Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call king of the Jews?” They all shouted back, “Crucify him!” and kept on shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”

A third time Pilate said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done wrong? I have found him guilty of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release him.” Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) and called together the whole cohort. They stripped him and flogged him severely.

Then they put a purple cloak on him, and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, and kneeling down before him they mocked him, paid homage to him, and saluted him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head and face.

Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation against him.” So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!”

But when the chief priests and their officers saw him, they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” And their shouts prevailed. [2]

* * * * *

PILATE AND HIS WIFE

This is a church history footnote which could be an interesting study if you feel like it.  The view of Pontius Pilate split into Western and Eastern traditions. The Western tradition sees Pilate as a villain, plain and simple. At minimum, he is complicit in evil by his lack of backbone.

In Eastern traditions, however, Pilate and his wife (Procula, or Claudia) will eventually become Christians themselves. Origen taught that Claudia became a Christian after the Resurrection because of that dream. Tertullian wrote that soon after the crucifixion, Pilate converted to Christianity and tried to convince Tiberius to follow suit. Irenaeus said there was even an icon of Jesus painted by Pontius Pilate.

Some traditions claim that Claudia died as a martyr. In the Ethiopian and Coptic church, Pilate and his wife are revered as saints. [3] The Ethiopian tradition even has a feast day for them on June 25.

One reason I like this tradition is because I like being hopeful. I don’t need a villain in Jesus’ story to die a villain. I don’t even want that to be true. I love that part of church history that takes one of the most widely condemned people in the story (Pilate) and closes the story with redemption. Even if it is just tradition, it reminds us of why Jesus died, and who Jesus died for, and what God offers to all of us: salvation, redemption, hope.

JESUS AND BARABBAS

Barabbas, a Zealot, was guilty of murder and insurrection (Mark 15:6; Matthew 27:15; John 18:39). I think we might be sympathetic to some degree if we had been Jewish at that time.

He grew up under the boot of Roman Empire. How much humiliation had he and his family gone through? How many Zealot friends did he see crucified (as that was the punishment for insurrection)? He was going to fight these oppressors.[4] The people probably saw him as a man who acted on his convictions. Turn the other cheek? No, thank you. [5] It was time to pick up a sword and fight.[6] That’s what a Savior would look like.

And we get it to some degree, don’t we? Braveheart? Rob Roy? The Patriot? There is an appeal to hero who rides in (on a horse, in those three movies) to free people from tyranny and oppression, to stop injustice, to make things right. Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ depicted Barabbas as a crude, almost beastly man. I doubt that’s what was happening. Barabbas was likely much like William Wallace to many of them.

So, standing in front of the crowd, on a stage filled with Roman oppressors who had already killed thousands of their Jewish family, are two people named Jesus.

The first is Jesus Barabbas, literally “son of the father.” (‘bar’= son and ‘abba’ = father). He is the alpha male; the fighter; the zealot, the embodiment of Jewish nationalism and patriotism, one who raged against the Roman machine.

The second is Jesus, the Christ, also a Son of the Father: advocate of turning the other cheek; promoter of the power of love over the power of the sword, insisting that in his kingdom, love was the weapon that defeated enemies. To many of them, Jesus Christ must have seemed weak, maybe even cowardly. “If the Roman soldier asks you to carry his load one mile, carry it two.” (Matthew 5:41) What? That’s not the way to promote the Jewish cause!

The differences between the two could not have been more glaring.

• Barabbas promised a victory for God’s people on the world’s terms and in the world’s way. We will look at where that goes.

• Barabbas was committed to waging war against Rome with the tools of Rome: the pax Romana, peace by the sword. They hated it when it was used against them and loved it when they could use it against others.

• Barabbas’ creed was likely something like this: “Hate your enemies and do anything it takes to defeat them.”

Meanwhile,

• Jesus promised an everlasting victory for a spiritual kingdom that would transform the world with the power of Heaven. The means – love -  might not feel comfortable or powerful in the moment, but it will bring Jesus’ vision of Kingdom life as we participate in God’s plan to reconcile all things to himself. (Colossians 1:20)

• Jesus would “overcome the world” (John 16:33) not by taking the lives of others, but giving his life for others. “This is my body, broken for you.” (Luke 22:19) The cross is not just the source of our salvation, it is the shape of our lives in and for the world. We followers of Jesus are a cruciformed people called to display cruciform love.

• Jesus, on the cross, asked God to forgive those who killed him rather than directing his followers to get their vengeance. He was fighting – and winning - the greatest fight of all on their behalf already.[7] And – get this – something far more important would happen to their enemies then vengeance. They would be transformed into brothers and sisters in Christ.

But…it’s so easy to default to the world’s terms and the worlds’ way. Consider God’s chosen people in the Old Testament.

They had the 10 Commandments. They had the tabernacle. They had the prophets, judges and kings. They were equipped to be a ‘holy’ (set apart) group that demonstrated what an ‘abundant life’ looked like when with God’s image bearers aligned their hearts and hands with His plan. This was God’s plan for revealing Himself to the world! Yet they kept failing to live as God’s holy people because they kept embracing the idolatrous ways of the cultures around them. Read the prophets. Not only did their witness crumble; the community of God’s people fell into ruin.

When Jesus showed us God’s plan for God’s community of people should be present in the world, he was showing us the path of life. The problem with the way of Barabbas is that it doesn’t lead to life.  

 Remember, we harvest what we plant. (Galatians 6:7) If the way of the world’s order is what we plant – if we follow Barabbas and follow a template established by the Empire - we shouldn’t expect a different harvest. The root determines the fruit. If wise choices are justified by “her children” (her legacy, Luke 7:35), surely foolish and destructive choices is revealed by its legacy as well.

This is what happened with the way of Barabbas/Rome. Rome wiped out the Zealots and the people around them and destroyed the Temple when the Zealots used the way of Barabbas one time too many.

“The Great Revolt of 66-70, followed some sixty years later by the Bar Kokhba revolt, were the greatest calamities in Jewish history prior to the Holocaust. In addition to the more than one million Jews killed, these failed rebellions led to the total loss of Jewish political authority in Israel until 1948.”[8]

That’s the fruit of the Barabbas root. I was reading an article called “Why We Still Choose Barabbas Today.” A phrase stuck with me.

“Every time we choose Barabbas, some innocent soul somewhere ends up on a cross.”[9]

The author was not suggesting that when innocent people die they are just like Jesus. The author’s point was that the way of Barabbas always leads to innocent people paying the price. This is often referred to as “collateral damage.” In times of actual warfare, the unfortunate reality is that innocent people get hurt. Even the best and most well-intentioned attempts to keep civilians safe often fall short. Those who fight guided by Just War Theory seek to avoid this at all costs.

But in spiritual warfare – when Kingdom and Empire clash with ideas, and ideologies, and politics, and culture wars -  if we are truly following the path of Jesus, there will be no collateral damage. If every gift that comes from God is good (James 1:17), and we pass on the gifts that are given to us, then everything we pass on will be good. That’s part of the beauty of Jesus’ way. Here’s an easy test to see if we are following Jesus Barabbas or Jesus the Christ.

If the way in which we engage with people on behalf of the Kingdom results in collateral damage, we have strayed from the way of Jesus and into the way of Barabbas.

But if what we are doing is helping people to get out of the suffering or harm they are experiencing and protecting them from new damage, both practically and spiritually, that’s going to be the way of Jesus.[10]

The transforming, overwhelmingly powerful truth that Jesus revealed was the way to and of God the Father. The revelation of God as Jesus showed us the way God desires His people to be present in the world. The lesson culminated when, on the Cross, Jesus revealed definitively what God’s love and identity looks like: cruciform (“cross”), kenotic (“emptying”) love.

“It means God, in Christ, humbled himself, emptied himself of all status, safe places and physical power to selflessly reach out to the lowest levels of human existence. In an act of downward mobility he never used physical force or power in bringing the gospel to all, even to slaves, and in doing so he was crucified.  

The gospel of mercy and love, of downward empowerment, caused havoc in the worldly empires simply because it contradicts the value system of this world. Leaders and crowds can't take it. They prefer to crucify it or send it away!”[11]

Jesus entered our world and showed us the way his power should be used: he served others, ate meals with outcast sinners, empathized with the poor and the powerless, sought for and saved the lost, refused to break a bruised reed, challenged hypocrites who burdened others and distorted people’s view of God, healed the broken in body and soul, forgave and restored repentant sinners, and searched for every lost sheep until he found it.

Jesus’ power is seen in things Barabbas dismissed. It is the power of love, the embrace of grace and mercy, the emptying of self, the working for the good of others. For followers of Jesus, being "in Christ" means that this cruciform shape takes shape in us.

The secret to being present like Jesus in the world is likely going to mean being the kind of people considered weak in the eyes of the world:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Following Jesus means joyfully and relentlessly serving friends and enemies with sacrificial love in response to how Jesus served us.[12]

 * * * * *

We get the same question that the Jewish people got 2,000 years ago: who do we want? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus the Christ?[13] Charita Goshay has an interesting perspective on how embracing the way of Barabbas allows us to avoid the Kingdom of Truth in which Jesus is King.

They chose Barabbas because he demanded nothing from them; no self-examination, no repentance, no acts of mercy or forgiveness. Jesus, on the other hand, made folks uncomfortable. He was a radical who stood religion on its head by publicly exposing the religious hypocrisy while treating women, the poor and the powerless as people worth loving. He ate with crooks, talked to Samaritans and had the effrontery to heal on the Sabbath and forgive people of their sins. 

The crowd shouted for Barabbas that day because truth demands certain things from us. It calls us to grow up, to stretch and reexamine our innermost motives and to make sacrifices when we’d rather not…We might be required to change some things, and well, who needs that?

 We want a truth that doesn’t require anything of us. We prefer Barabbas because he doesn’t call us out. He lets us do what we want. Truth points out things that we’d rather not hear. It makes us defensive, angry and irrational until the next thing we know, we’re rooting for Barabbas with no idea how we lost our way.[14]

 We must love Gospel truth, because Christianity was designed to be the conscience of the culture, speaking truth to power, backed up by a witness in words and actions that is consistently faithful to the way of Jesus. Christians are meant to bring the salt of truthful, just and merciful love to keep the culture from decaying into deceit, injustice and mercilessness. Christians are meant to live in such a way that everything we do shines a gospel light of self-giving, cruciform love into the self-centered, unloving darkness of the broken empires in which we live.

When Satan tempted him with that power of earthly thrones, Jesus flatly rejected it. He had a better plan. He offered a vision in which power serves others out of cruciform love: the ‘haves’ (with finances, reputation, resources, etc.) take care of the ‘have nots’ (just like God gives us provision from His abundance); the healthy of all kinds take care of the sick of all kinds (just like God has done for us); the strong use their strength to take care of the weak (you see the pattern here), and the truth-tellers speak healing and hope-filled words that first illuminate and then dispel the darkness of deceit.[15]

So that we don’t get confused about which path we are on, let’s look at the truth of Jesus’ Kingdom so that we are clear about the difference between the way of Jesus Barabbas and the way of Jesus the Christ.

Barabbas was a violent revolutionary on behalf of God’s people; Jesus is the suffering servant so that all people may become God’s people (Isiah 52-53).

Barabbas hated his enemies enough to kill them to bring about God’s kingdom; Jesus loved his enemies enough to die for them to expand God’s kingdom. (John 3:16)

Barabbas wanted to destroy the lost (Romans); Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

Barabbas wanted to condemn and punish the world around him; Jesus did not come to condemn the world (it stood condemned already): he came to solve that problem and save it. (John 3:17)

Barabbas chose a solution where power bullies and coerces; Jesus chose a solution where power invites and beckons. (John 1:39)[16]

Barabbas decided that the Kingdom ends justified using Roman means; Jesus showed that the means of bringing about the Kingdom of God are inseparable from the end result of the Kingdom of God. (#sermononthemount, Matthew 5-7)

When the disciples wanted to call down fire on Samaria, they were following the way of Barabbas. (Luke 9) When they were sent there to evangelize instead, that was the way of Jesus. (Luke 10)

When Peter pulled a sword to protect Jesus and fight for the kingdom of God, that was the way of Barabbas. (Luke 22) When Jesus died on the cross to further the kingdom of God, that was the way of Jesus. (Matthew 27)

When we demand honor and prestige, that’s the way of Barabbas. When we stop pursuing honor and prestige and instead eagerly ‘esteem others better than ourselves,’ that’s the way of Jesus. (Philippians 2:3, for example)

When our priorities are formed by the demands of the powerful, that’s the way of Barabbas. When our priorities are formed by the needs of the powerless, the “least of these” found in the highways and byways and from which Jesus invites them to feast at his table, that’s the way of Jesus. (Luke 14:23)[17]

Whenever we abandon cruciform love as the heartbeat of everything we do, that’s the way of Barabbas. Whenever we embrace cruciform love as the heartbeat of everything we do, that’s the way of Jesus.[18]

There is a price to doing this. It’s not for the faint of heart. We will have to take up a cross and know the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering to know the power of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10). The cross testifies to the price of following Jesus into a life of cruciform love.

But, the way of Jesus is the only way for followers of Jesus.

When God wanted to confront the powers and principalities of this world, He died as an act of love. It was the most powerful thing that has happened in the history of the world. Evil, death, hell, the grave: all of it defeated through the power of Jesus’ cruciform love.

And if the power of the cross is the greatest, most profound, most sweeping power in the world – well, then being like Jesus to present Jesus to the world is the most powerful thing we can do to in a world groaning under the weight of sin-filled brokeness as it awaits God’s redemption. (Romans 8)

And because the most powerful act in human history is a man laying down his life for his enemies in an act of cruciform love, every time I am led by the Holy Spirit to respond in worship with my cruciform presence in the world, that is the most powerful thing I can do as I join in Jesus’ mission.[19]

The all-powerful God in Christ has leveraged His power for us, by his love, so that our love for our enemies would be stronger than our desire to destroy them, and thus reveal the cruciform love of Jesus.

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we proclaim. This is the way of Jesus.

 ________________________________________________________________________
[1] From Pulpit Commentary: “In the whole history of the Passion of Christ no one pleads for him but a woman, the wife of a heathen governor, the deputy of the emperor of the world."

[2] “The most that we can say for Pilate is, that he was disposed to justice, but was not inclined to hazard his comfort or safety in doing it. He was an easy, pliable man, who had no objection to do a right thing if it should cost him no trouble; but he felt no disposition to make any sacrifice, even in behalf of innocence, righteousness, and truth.” (Adam Clarke)

[3] An author wrote on The Byzantine Forum: “I attended an Orthodox icon blessing in a private home once where there was also an Ethiopian Orthodox priest. So I took that opportunity to ask him if he and his Church really venerated "St Pontius Pilate?" To which he answered enthusiastically, "Yes, of course - don't you?"

[4] This section is considerably influenced by “Jesus or Barabbas – which “son of the father” are we following?” from One Lord One Body Ministries.

  https://onelordonebody.com/2013/08/10/jesus-or-barabbas-which-son-of-the-father-are-we-following/

[5] I’m thinking of a recent hockey game where the Canadian fans booed our national anthem because of the tension between the U.S. and Canda, and the American hockey players promptly started a brawl with the Canadian hockey players. Social media loved it. “America is back!” That may be, but it’s not looking like the way of Jesus.

[6] In 2021, a prominent speaker at a Turning Point USA conference said, in reference to how Christians should be fighting the culture wars, “We’ve turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. OK?” In his report for Relevant, Senior Editor Tyler Huckabee wrote that [the speaker] “is more correct than he probably knows here. Christianity is a poor device for gaining worldly influence.”

[7] I am passing on things I learned in “Who do you want: Barabbas or Jesus? Power and empowerment in theological education.” Stellenbosch Theological Journal

[8] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-great-revolt-66-70-ce

[9] Thanks to thoughtful insight found “Why We Still Choose Barabbas Today” at https://goodfaithmedia.org/why-we-still-choose-barabbas-today-cms-15823/

[10] I am borrowing thoughts articulated well “Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ?” at  https://www.thebanner.org/departments/2015/12/jesus-barabbas-or-jesus-christ

[11] “Who do you want: Barabbas or Jesus? Power and empowerment in theological education.” Jurgens Hendriks.

[12] A theologian and author named Marva Dawn says that the "tabernacling" (dwelling) of God that takes place in our weakness creates the openness for the power of the Holy Spirit to operate through us. "Dying to ourselves, dying to our attempts to use our own power to accomplish God's purposes are all part of the gospel of grace - the end of ourselves and therefore the possibilities of new life with Christ, in vital union to him."

[13] HT to “Why We Still Choose Barabbas Today.”  https://goodfaithmedia.org/why-we-still-choose-barabbas-today-cms-15823/

[14] HT to “Even Today, We Are Still Choosing Barabbas.”  https://www.tmnews.com/story/news/2021/04/04/commentary-even-today-were-still-choosing-barabbas/44030405/

[15] History reveals over and over that whenever Christianity seeks to join the gatekeepers exercising power in Empire culture, it stops being salt and light. (The Sanhedrin were a prime example of this in Judaism in Jesus’ day). Why does this happen? It stops speaking truth to power because it is the power, and self-reflection is uncomfortable.  It doesn’t see the decay embedded in the world order because it is using the tools of the world order, and it’s so easy to let the ends justify the means. It doesn’t effectively shine gospel light into the darkness because its compromised gospel light grows increasingly dim, and it gets harder to separate what’s dark from what’s light.

[16] Google “the invitations of Jesus”

[17] Think of the classic “quarter of the vulnerable” in the Old Testament around which Jewish society banded together to care for: widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor. 

[18] Jesus told two of His disciples who wanted to take action like Barabbas (Luke 9:55, 56) that they didn’t know what “spirit” they are of. Jesus doesn’t want us becoming like the world while challenging the world order.  Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister deeply formed by biblical ethics. He once said, “But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

[19] I am paraphrasing some comments found at https://restorationlex.com/blog/choosing-barabbas-a-response-to-the-capitol-insurrection/. One money quote from the article: “The response to this moment is to remember who we are: the people of Jesus. Together, we are the politics of God in this world. As Stanley Hauerwas has said: “The church…stands as a political alternative to every nation, witnessing to the kind of social life possible for those that have been formed by the story of Christ.”

Harmony #94: Do You Know Jesus? (John 18:13-24; Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22)

Head’s up: the ‘harmony of the gospel’ approach is going to make it look like there are 6 times Peter denied Jesus. Some thinks that’s what happened (3 before the rooster crowed, 3 times after); others think that the listing of individuals in one account and crowds in a different account just meant the individual asked the question for the groups. I just don’t want you to be confused when we read six denials of Jesus.

They brought Jesus first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish leaders that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.) Simon Peter and another disciple followed.

(Now the other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.)[1]But Simon Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door, and brought Peter inside.

The girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” He replied, “I am not.” (Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire they had made in the middle of the courtyard, warming themselves because it was cold.) JnThe high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

 Jesus replied, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple courts, where all the Jewish people assemble together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. They know what I said.”

When Jesus had said this, one of the high priest’s officers who stood nearby struck him on the face and said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”  Jesus replied, “If I have said something wrong, confirm what is wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?” Then Annas sent Jesus, still tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas, in whose house all the chief priests and elders and experts in the law had come together. And Peter had followed him from a distance, all the way to the high priest’s courtyard. After going in, Peter sat down with the guards warming himself by the fire, waiting to see the outcome.

The guards said to Peter, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” Peter denied it: “I am not!” [Meanwhile] the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find anything. Many gave false testimony against him, but their testimony did not agree.

Finally two came forward, stood up and gave this false testimony against Jesus: “We heard this man say, ‘I will destroy this temple of God made with hands and in three days build another not made with hands.’ ”Yet even on this point their testimony did not agree.

Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned Jesus and said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God, the Blessed One.” [2]

But Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then? Jesus said, “You have said it yourself, I am. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[3]

Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need further witnesses? Now you have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?” They all condemned him, and answered, “He is guilty and deserves death.”

Now the men who were holding Jesus under guard began to mock him and beat him. Some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to strike him with their fists. And some slapped him, saying repeatedly, “Prophesy for us, you Christ! Who hit you?” They also said many other things against him, reviling him.

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s slave girls came by. Seeing Peter as he sat in the firelight warming himself, she stared at him and said, “This man was with him too! You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus of Galilee.”

But Peter denied it in front of them all: ”Woman I don’t know him!” Then he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed. When Peter went out to the gateway, another slave girl saw him and said to the bystandersc there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene. He is one of them too.” But Peter denied it again with an oath, “I do not know the man!”

Then a little later, one of the high priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the orchard with him? You are one of them too.” Then Peter denied it again and said, “Man, I am not!”

After about an hour, the bystanders again came up to Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are also a Galilean—even your accent gives you away!” Then Peter began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”

At that moment, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed a second time. Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice today, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down, went outside and wept bitterly.

When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law. Then they led Jesus away to their council, the whole Sanhedrin, [where] they plotted against Jesus to execute him. After forming a plan, the whole group of them rose up, tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

* * * * * 

I’m going to do a shapshot approach today. Four snapshots in this story that I hope coalesce into a unified picture. We will start with the Sanhedrin, and end with Jesus.

SNAPSHOT 1: THE SANHEDRIN

Though they were the ruling body for the Jewish people, they did not seem to care about following the law. They didn’t like Jesus. They wanted him gone. They would do what it took to get what they wanted. 

• Trials were supposed to be conducted during daylight, not at night.

• ·Unless they met in the Hall of Hewn Stone, in the temple area, their verdicts were not binding.

• ·They allowed of false/contradictory witnesses. By their own law, the case should have been thrown out.

• ·A death verdict was not to be carried out until a night had ended.

Multiple sources from the period (the gospels, Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, writings from the Pharisees) agree that a corrupt priesthood controlled Jerusalem in collusion with Rome and abused its power against others. Their treatment of Jesus fits their usual behavior toward those who challenged their authority.[4]

A commentator named Poole noted,

“Nothing is more common than for persons overzealous about rituals to be remiss about morals.”[5]

I have a less fancy way of saying it: the Sanhedrin had a very human problem: it’s too easy to let the ends justify the means. It’s too easy to think that if our cause is righteous, we can baptize anything in the service of that cause and call it righteous as well. And that’s just not the way it works.

Even if Jesus had been an imposter and blasphemer, they would not have been justified in the approach they took. Why not? Because not only does the means impact what we achieve in the end, the means determines who we are in the end. Both the means and the ends reveal us for who we really are.

The Sanhedrin can’t be taken seriously as the lawkeeping body of leaders and break the law themselves, because they automatically become a law-breaking body of law-keeping leaders. The Sanhedrin can’t claim a righteous ruling after using unrighteous means like false witnesses and improper means. That kind of leaven spoils the whole loaf.

If the Sanhedrin wanted to truly lead God’s people in God’s ways to fulfill God’s plans, they needed to lead by example in words and actions. If they didn’t commit to that, they would get confused about God’s ways and God’s plan, and just like that they would be leading God’s people somewhere that God did not intend, following a God that is increasingly created in their image.

Our reminder: we must live with integrity. We must stay in the path of Jesus; aligned with the heart, mind, and footsteps of Jesus; so that we can be God’s people leading others in God’s way to fulfill God’s plans.

SNAPSHOT 2: THE SERVANT GIRLS

In Matthew, the first servant girl said, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” The second girl said to other people who were standing around, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” John writes that one asked a question to Peter: “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” The Gospel writers did not give unimportant detail. There is something we are supposed to learn about that fact that it was servant girls identifying the followers of Jesus.

The text isn’t clear if they were curious, or accusatory, or even hopeful. Maybe they wanted more information about Jesus and saw somebody who could answer their questions. Maybe they were Sanhedrin spies, looking out for people who might fight for Jesus (like Peter did). Maybe they though Jesus was going to fight, and were wondering where the army was. We don’t know. We just know they asked, and Peter was not about to give away his relationship with Jesus.

But the servant girls are important. So, here’s what I wonder. How would they know who had been with Jesus? They didn’t have Instagram posts or wanted posters or polaroids. How would they have found out?

I’m going to suggest that they had spent time around Jesus. Maybe they were part of the 5,000. Maybe they heard the Sermon on the Mount. Maybe they were occasionally part of the large crowed of disciples that consistently followed him. I don’t know, and the text doesn’t say.

I just suspect they had seen Jesus before, because they recognized His disciples. And this leads me to an interesting thing about the life of Jesus as recorded by the Gospel writers.

Virtually every time the writers record Jesus encountering women, Jesus validates and values women. In a time when both Jewish and Greco-Roman culture did not generally value women, Jesus did. For example, in Jewish culture, women could not testify in religious court because they were considered unreliable narrators, untrustworthy in their perspective.

But here are several servant girls who a) had apparently spent time with Jesus, b) who might not have been as embarrassed as Peter about having been around Jesus, and c) whom readers would have to seek out to ask if this story was true, thus treating them as reliable narrators of the truth. 

Our reminder: over and over, Jesus elevated those in the culture around him that were often overlooked, dismissed, or even despised: tax collectors, Samaritans, the sick and crippled, servants, women and children, those caught in sin, the list goes on. 

Isaiah pointed toward Jesus when he wrote, “A bruised reed he will not break" (Isaiah 42:3). This just means that God will not crush those who are weak or vulnerable; rather, he will gently care for them. Jesus was full of compassion for the weak, the outcast, the powerless, and the hurting. 

May we follow in that path of Jesus on our way to fulfilling the plan of Jesus.

SNAPSHOT 3: PETER

Since we focused on Judas last week to talk about Jesus’ love remaining steadfast throughout the worst things we can do even against Jesus himself, let’s look instead on what it looks like for followers of Jesus to deny that they know Jesus.

How can we communicate that we don’t know Jesus? Through our words and actions. Peter obviously used words. We often say that actions speak louder than words. Peter’s words were plenty loud; Peter’s action in the Garden might have been louder. Using a sword to defend Jesus, thinking His kingdom was an earthly kingdom that wanted us to kill others as a way to usher it in? Yeah, Peter really didn’t know Jesus.

If we use our words to deny our relationship with Jesus, we have betrayed Jesus. But we do this with our actions as well.

• If we refuse to help the needy – the hungry, thirsty, sick, naked, imprisoned, to quote Jesus - we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

• If we use our words to gossip, slander and wound instead of speak life and truth, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

• If we take advantage of our employees, we communicate with every paycheck and belittling experience that we really don’t know Jesus.

• If we use people sexually, financially, relationally, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

• If we refuse to love our neighbors as Christ loved us, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

• If we refuse to commit to honoring, serving and loving our spouse, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

Our reminder: being truthful and faithful to Jesus – showing people that we know him – includes our words and our lives. We want it to be obvious to those around us that we are following the path of Jesus to fulfill the plan of Jesus.

JESUS

When Jesus ‘turned and looked’ at Peter, the words the writers chose are so great.

“It implies more than a casual glance, suggesting a deeper level of observation or contemplation. In the New Testament, it is often used to describe moments of significant insight or recognition, where the observer perceives something profound or meaningful. The act of looking intently was not merely a physical action but was also linked to mental and spiritual insight.” (Strong’s Lexicon)

Oof. Jesus looked deep into Peter’s soul in the moment of Peter’s greatest betrayal. What will Jesus do? He will forgive and restore Peter, of course. And Peter will love Jesus because Jesus first loved him.

A year or two later, John and Peter healed a lame beggar outside the temple in the name of Jesus. They were arrested and brought before Annas and Caiaphas. By this time Peter was a changed man. He had been teaching and preaching, and bringing in followers of the "Way" of Jesus. Here’s what happens in Acts 4 following the healing of the lame man.

“The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day….[6]

The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel:

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.  Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.

So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it… They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

Jesus loved Peter until the end. Jesus did not give up on the one who betrayed him so deeply. When Jesus rose from the dead, the angel said to make sure Peter knew. Jesus gave his life so that greatest moments of failure in people like Peter can become their greatest platform for ministry. Don’t ever believe that Jesus has given up for you. He is here to make broken things whole and dead things come to life.

He loves you until the end.

_______________________________________________________________________________

[1] This un-named disciple is likely John. James and John were Jesus' cousins, related to Zacharias, one of the priests who served in the temple, and possibly had been introduced to Caiaphas…John had to intercede with the servant girl and vouch for him. (“Did the High Priest know John the Apostle?” http://rolinbrunoauthor.blogspot.com)

[2] According to Old Testament law, a Jew must testify when put under oath by the high priest (Lev. 5:1).

[3] Jesus likely alluded to a Messianic prophecy from Daniel: “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.” 

[4] HT NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[5] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[6] Hey! They are following their own law!

Harmony #46: The Meeting of Misery and Mercy[1] (John 7-8:12)

Jesus moves around the Galilean countryside to avoid Judea, because there were Jews there who wanted to kill him. His brothers try to convince him to do a bunch of public miracle, and Jesus declines. His brothers leave for the Festival of Booths, and eventually Jesus slips in. When he gets there, the Jewish leaders are looking for him and the crowds are divided about who he is. Jesus eventually heads to the Temple (Sadducee territory) and starts to preach. The people are amazed at his ability. Jesus say,

I do not claim ownership of My words; they are a gift from the One who sent Me. If anyone is willing to act according to His purposes and is open to hearing truth, he will know the source of My teaching. Does it come from God or from Me?  If a man speaks his own words, constantly quoting himself, he is after adulation. But I chase only after glory for the One who sent Me. My intention is authentic and true. You’ll find no wrong motives in Me… (7: 16-18)

The people are like: I think this is the guy they want to kill, but nobody is challenging him. Do they think he really is the Messiah? But, he’s from Galilee so….maybe not.

You think you know Me and where I have come from, but I have not come here on My own. I have been sent by the One who embodies truth. You do not know Him.  I know Him because I came from Him. He has sent Me. Some were trying to seize Him because of His words, but no one laid as much as a finger on Him—His time had not yet arrived.  (7: 28-30)

Meanwhile, some of the crowd was thinking he might be the Messiah. So the Pharisees and temple authorities sent officers (Roman-backed muscle) to arrest Jesus. They don’t. We will see why in minute. On the last day of the festival, Jesus speaks again.

If any of you is thirsty, come to Me and drink. If you believe in Me, rivers of living water will flow from within you [a reference to Isaiah 41]  Jesus was referring to the realities of life in the Spirit made available to everyone who believes in Him. But the Spirit had not yet arrived because Jesus had not been glorified…  (7:37-39)

Rumors spread. Some want to arrest him, but no one does. The officers who failed to arrest him say,

We listened to Him. Never has a man spoken like this man. (7:46)

The Pharisees were like, “You are stupid, and this is why we are under God’s curse. (7:49) But Nicodemus (that Nicodemus) said,

Does our law condemn someone without first giving him a fair hearing and learning something about him? (7:51)

 Cue the episode with the woman caught in adultery, which in this context definitely reads like a set-up to find a way to condemn Jesus.

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  He awoke early in the morning to return to the temple. When He arrived, the people surrounded Him, so He sat down and began to teach them. While He was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman who was caught in the act of adultery; and they stood her before Jesus.

The Pharisees said, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  Moses says in the law that we are to kill such women by stoning. What do You say about it?’ This was all set up as a test for Jesus; His answers would give them grounds to accuse Him of crimes against Moses’ law. Jesus bent over and wrote something in the dirt with His finger. They persisted in badgering Jesus, so He stood up straight.

Jesus replied, ‘Let those among you who have not sinned cast the first stone.’[2]  Once again Jesus bent down to the ground and resumed writing with His finger. The Pharisees who heard Him stood still for a few moments and thenbegan to leave slowly, one by one, beginning with the older men.

 Eventually only Jesus and the woman remained, and Jesus looked up. Jesus said, ‘Dear woman, where is everyone? Are we alone? Did no one step forward to condemn you?’ The woman replied, ‘Lord, no one has condemned me.’ Jesus said,‘Well, I do not condemn you either; go, and from now on sin no more.’

Again, Jesus spoke to the crowds. ‘I am the light that shines through the world[3]; if you walk with Me, you will thrive in the nourishing light that gives life and will not know darkness.’

__________________________________

In the story of the Woman Caught In Adultery, we see Jesus embody God’s perspective on how to balance judgment and mercy.[4] We will first look at the context of the story, then at the person of Jesus, and finally why this story matters to us. Let’s start with some background.

·      This happened on the day after thcelebration of the Feast of the Tabernacle/ Feast of Booths. The Jews lived in huts during this time to commemorate how the Israelites lived in tents during the Exodus.

·      Moses had commanded that during the days of this Feast the law be read, so this was an annual, purposeful focus on the Law of God.

·      The main purpose was to thank God for his provision during the past in the wilderness wanderings (Lev 23:39-43) and in the present as seen in the harvest just completed (Deuteronomy 16:13-15).

·      The people were reminded of their profound dependence upon God for provision. They would recite Psalm 118:25 every day: “O Lord, defend/rescue/deliver us, and prosper us.”

·      They had a ceremony in which four different types of plants were brought to the altar. These four plants symbolized four different kinds of Jews.  One plant had a good fragrance and a good taste, symbolizing knowledge of the Torah and good deeds. One only had fragrance (only good deeds); one only had taste (only knowledge of the Torah), and one had neither. 

·      There was a series of water offerings each morning in the temple, commemorating the provision of water in the wilderness. When Jesus tells them to come to him to drink (7:37-38), he is linking himself to God’s provision in the Exodus.

·      Menorahs would be lit in the House of Water Drawing, which was in the Court of Women in the temple. People would dance and sing, “Blessed be he who hath not sinned; and he who sinned and repented, he is forgiven.”[5]

·      Jesus' proclamation that he is the light of the world (8:12) linked him to the feast's lamp-lighting ceremonies that commemorated the pillar of fire during the Exodus. The morning that Jesus is challenged is the morning that four festival lamps in the court in the Temple ("The light of the world") were put out.

So Jesus claimed to be the Water and the Light while quoting a revered Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, all to show that he is the Messiah for whom they have been longing. The good news was that the God whom they worshipped during this feast was with them. Many of the people were starting to believe. The Pharisees want to kill him; they think he was blaspheming. But to kill him they need a formal trial and a Rome-sanctioned execution.[6]

So the next morning, on the Sabbath, they meet Jesus in the temple. The temple area was about 35 acres, and in the middle sat a courtyard surrounded on three sides by a large, covered walkway that connected the temple court to Herod’s garrison. His soldiers patrolled the courtyard by walking on top of the covered walkways in case anything bad developed. Josephus noted that during feast days, an entire legion (over 4,000 men) would patrol the temple area.

Into this venue, the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery for judgment. They most likely bring her into the Court of Women. If all went well, they might be able to trick Jesus into ordering capital punishment, and then Rome would take care of their problem because at the time the Sanhedrin needed Rome’s permission for capital punishment. If that didn’t happen, they figured they could show how much more they knew about the law with the hope that this crowd of simpletons would finally reject him as Law Breaker and so reject him as the Messiah.

This seems like a win/win for the Pharisees. Jesus gets arrested or his lack of knowledge of the Law gets him rejected. Things do not go as planned.

·      As has often been noted, they only brought the woman. That’s unusual to say the least. Even then, it took two to tango, and the Law demanded that both be brought to the trial.

·      A formal accusation required two eyewitnesses. There was no circumstantial evidence allowed in a case like this. The eyewitnesses would have warned couple ahead of time about the consequences of their action, the couple had to acknowledge this, and then the witnesses had to watch them do it. Odds are really good those standards were not met. I suspect Jesus (and perhaps the whole crowd) realized this.

·      The death penalty was virtually obsolete in Jewish culture by the time of Jesus[7] (in fact, that sentence was highly unusual ever since the time of Moses). Over the centuries, the Sanhedrin had increasingly made the standards incredibly high because they believed the Law was meant to teach, not kill.[8]

·      Remember: the Sanhedrin needed Rome’s permission.

·      A legit trial had to happen in front of a duly constituted court, which included over twenty Sanhedrin leaders who sat in a semicircle so they could be sure they were all paying attention. If capital punishment happened outside of a court ruling, those who administered the punishment were considered murderers.

·      The Talmudic Sanhedrin trecate (treatise), written before the time of Christ, clarified Deuteronomy’s command that the eyewitnesses should start the stoning (thus the “cast the first stone”).[9] There apparently aren't any eyewitnesses – or at least the text does not record their presence.

·      Capital punishment could not be carried out on a day sacred to religion – and this was a Sabbath.

So, following a celebration in which the people prayed for God to save them, and in which they celebrated the combination of Law and Good Deeds, Jesus will show what it looks like when their longings are fulfilled. He begins by honoring the Law.

When an accusation was brought, a priest was required to write the law that had been broken, along with the names of the accused, somewhere where the marks were not permanent – which was usually the dust on the floor of the temple. Early Armenian translations of this passage claim that is the proper understanding of this passage[10] - that Jesus wrote first the name and crime of the woman in the dust on the temple courtyard floor.

After Jesus writes, he says,  “Let those sinless of the same crime (which should be one of her eyewitness accusers) cast the first stone.”  It’s a brilliant response. First, I suspect it reminded the crowd of the song that had been sung in that very court - “Blessed be he who hath not sinned; and he who sinned and repented, he is forgiven”. If so, Jesus’ comment reminded them of their sin and chastised them for wanting to do something that is at odds with what they just celebrated.

After Jesus says this, He begins writing again; considering the Armenian texts as well as the fact that everyone will eventually leave, it seems reasonable to speculate that he wrote the names and crimes of the Pharisees who broke the law, which was all of them.

Surely his audience remembered Jeremiah 17:13:

"All those who leave your way shall be put to shame (publicly embarrassed), those who turn aside from my ways will have their names written in the dust and blotted out, for they have departed from Yahweh, the fountain of the waters of life."

By writing, he points to himself as the Baptizer of Israel, and to the Pharisees as those whose name will be blotted out.[11]

And that was that. The crowd melts away. Jesus asks, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” She replies, “No one, Lord.” Jesus responds, “I don’t condemn you either [that is, I am not an eyewitness against you], but stop your sin.”

No one could say Jesus was a Lawbreaker, but He refused to use the Law as a tool of oppression and shame. Going back to the symbols of the previous week’s festival: He had the fragrance of the Law and the taste of good deeds.

And then, just in case the crowd was missing all the ways Jesus was proclaiming himself to be the Messiah, the Savior they longed for, he immediately says, in a courtyard in which the menorahs and the “light of the world” festival lamps had been lit and then put out,

“I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

___________________________________________

How do we balance judgment and mercy? How should we treat sin – and sinners – in our midst of our church community?[12] This question ought to matter to all of us, because no one in this room is exempt. You will sin; you will have to deal with the sin of others. We are all going to be in the place of either the Pharisees or the woman who sinned at some point in our life. So what do we do? How do we learn from this story?

We look to Jesus for our example.

We must exercise righteous judgment of sin and show mercy and grace to those who sin.

This is not always easy.

If we aren't careful we can get so caught up in condemning the sin that we forget to love to those who sin. Religious Pharisees think mercy is a sign of moral weakness. They think people should get what’s coming to them – especially people whose sins are so visibly public. They appoint themselves as moral watchdogs in the church trained not simply to be truthful and challenging but to tear the sinner to pieces. Their goal is not to point people who deserve judgment toward the mercy found only in Christ. They might never say that out loud, but their goal is suffering, not sanctification; punishment, not restoration.

When we look to Jesus, we see that our goal should be not to shame, humiliate, or drive to despair those around us who are caught in sin; our goal should be to bring to repentance and restoration those who have fallen. We may need to start by calling sin what it is in the lives of those who refuse to see it in themselves (as Jesus did with the Pharisees). But even if we do that so the self-righteous and proud are humbled – even if we are the self-righteous and proud who are humbled by our honest brothers and sisters in Christ - we must never lose sight of the goal of the Great Physician: to heal the sin-sick soul. The great commentator Matthew Henry wrote,

“In this matter Christ attended to the great work about which he came into the world, that was, to bring sinners to repentance; not to destroy, but to save. He aimed to bring, not only the accused to repentance, by showing her his mercy, but the prosecutors also, by showing them their sins; they thought to ensnare him, he sought to convince and convert them.”

If the first thing we have to be careful of is too much judgment of sin, the second thing is becoming so focused on extending mercy to the sinner that we forget there is a just judgment for sin. This story if often cited as an example of why we shouldn’t exercise judgment, That badly misses the point. Jesus absolutely judged. When Jesus wrote in the dust, he (presumably) wrote that they were all lawbreakers. He didn't let the Pharisees off the hook. He didn’t say to the woman, “Hey, it’s no problem. Go do what you want.”  He said, “No one hear can formally accuse you, but…stop sinning.” He didn’t try to contextualize her situation. He didn’t say, “You’re perfect just the way you are.” In his mercy, he gave her the same kind of truth he gave the Pharisees: she had sinned, and she needed to repent.

Telling the truth about sin is not a bad thing. Offering sincere, honest, biblically sound judgment about sinful actions is not a sign that you are mean; it is a sign that you understand the importance of walking in the way of Christ.

Love actually requires honest judgment. Why? Because sin destroys. Someone talked last week in Message+ about people who are the “casualties of sin.” Right. It eats away at your peace with God, with others, and within ourselves. Sin corrodes relationships, it distorts love, it sows something we are going to reap, and “the wages is sin is death.” A holy, loving God must use judgment in the service of justice so that evil does not have the last word. For all of us who have experienced the sin of others crush our lives, it is heaven’s promise that evil will be held to account.[13] 

But we have to be careful. If we don’t confront sin in love, we will be abrasive and mean (see 1 Corinthians 13).  And if we don’t do this with an eye on the sin in our own lives, we will do this with a kind of pride that God despises.

Here’s the reality: all of us have hurt others with our words, our attitudes, our choices, our violence. A holy, loving God cannot let that evil go unaddressed. We long for justice when it’s meant for people who have done us wrong, but if God’s justice were to rain down on us all and give us the justice we deserve right now, we would all beg for mercy. There is no one righteous (Romans 3:10). If Jesus were here, and we all demanded that sin be addressed, we would all walk away as Jesus wrote in the dust on the floor of this church.

Here's the tension we must embrace: We should long for God’s justice (as we see the devastation of sin and the need for someone to hold people to account) but we should also crave God’s mercy (as we see our own sin, condemnation and need for a Savior).

When justice and mercy work together, just judgment drives us to our knees at the foot of the Cross; mercy reaches down from that cross and pulls us to our feet. This is where we look back to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), the embodiment of God’s justice and mercy.

It is on the cross that God’s holy justice was perfectly satisfied while His holy mercy was perfectly displayed.[14] Someone has to pay the price for sin, and God in his mercy said, “Let it be me.”  This included the woman and her accusers - and all of us. The Israelite prayer, “O Lord, rescue us, deliver us, save us,” has come true; Jesus has come so that the world through him might be saved. 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

[1] This is how Augustine described the story of the woman caught in adultery

[2] “ αναμαρτητος, meaning the same kind of sin, adultery, fornication, c. Kypke has largely proved that the verb αμαρτανειν is used in this sense by the best Greek writers.” (Adam Clarke)

[3] “So in Bamidbar Rabba: "The Israelites said to God, O Lord of the universe, thou commandest us to light lamps to thee, yet thou art THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD: and with thee the light dwelleth."’ (Adam Clarke)

[4] Your Bible may note, “Many early manuscripts omit 7:53–8:11.” Eusebius, the first historian of the Church, claimed to have learned the story from Papias, who lived from about 60 AD to about 130 AD.  Augustine thought the early church removed the story out of fear that adultery would be encouraged by Jesus’ display of mercy. Whatever the reasons, the event is alluded to very early. It appears to have been widely known and accepted in the early church, and it soon appears in the canon.

[5] http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/john_gospel/Chapter%208.htm

[6] At times, Rome allowed the Sanhedrin packed with their picks to use capital punishment. At the time this happened, the Sanhedrin needed Rome’s permission.

[7] (Mishnah Makkot 1:10): “A Sanhedrin that puts a man to death once in seven years is called destructive. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah says: even once in seventy years. Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Tarfon say: had we been in the Sanhedrin none would ever have been put to death. Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel says: they would have multiplied shedders of blood in Israel.” Read a good article here: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-death-penalty-in-jewish-tradition/2/

[8] http://www.reformjudaismmag.net/02summer/focus.shtml

[9] “With reference to two offenders subject to this penalty, the Pentateuch says, "Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people" (Deut. xiii. 10 [A. V. 9]), and again (ib. xvii. 7), "The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people." (Sanh. vi. 4; 45a et seq.; Sifra, Emor, xix.; Sifre, Num. 114; ib. Deut. 89, 90, 149, 151). “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_and_corporal_punishment_in_Judaism#In_Rabbinic_Law

[10] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/john-8.html

[11] The Bible does not connect those dots, but considering the audience and the context, it seems likely.

[12] I realize the ‘church’ had not started yet, but the religious Jewish community is probably the closest comparison we have before the NT church community began.

[13] So is there any place for judgment and justice when God extends mercy? First, the Bible clearly teaches that there will be practical consequences to our actions. Forgiveness does not necessarily negate the fact that we will reap what we sow. The woman’s adultery may still have ruined her marriage even thought the forgiveness of Christ was available to her. Second, there are consequences to our actions within God ordained systems of government. Those harmed by rape may extend forgiveness, but the rapist will still go to jail – and rightly so. Finally, there is an ultimate day of judgment when we will all give an answer to God for what we have done. It’s possible to the first two forms of judgment can be avoided depending on the nature of the sin, but no one will escape the final accounting.

[14] Read “The Only Thing That Counts” for a better understanding of why Jesus needed to die in order for God’s justice to be satisfied. http://clgonline.org/the-only-thing-that-counts-galatians-51-8/

Harmony #28: Wisdom And Her Children (Luke 7:24-35,16:16; Matthew 11:7-19)

Today’s passage contains a number of statements that can make you shrug you shoulders and go, “Well, they sure had an odd way of saying things back then,” and move on.  I will try to explain them as me go through the passage, but we are going to land on the subject of Wisdom and her children.

* * * * *

 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?  What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look, those who wear fancy clothes and live in luxury are in kings’ courts!  What did you go out to see? A prophet?

Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you the truth, among those born of women no one has arisen greater (Authoritative? Excellent? Weightier?) than John the Baptist.

JOHN WAS ‘BORN OF WOMAN’? AREN’T WE ALL?

Think of what Jesus said to Nicodemus: he had to be born a second time, “of water and the spirit.”[1] It’s a distinction between being a child of humanity and a child of God.

* * * * *

Yet the one who has the lower rank and influence in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.[2]

WHAT’S UP WITH THE GREATER/LESSER LANGUAGE?

We aren’t supposed to created hierarchies in the Kingdom, right? “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”[3] The greatest among us are those who serve.[4] So what’s going on here? John introduced a kingdom that he would not get to see inaugurated. And as great as John was, it is greater (think ‘more spiritually formative’) to participate in the kingdom than to announce it. Those who come after John are able to understand and appreciate more fully the mission of the Messiah and participate in this new covenantal community that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring about. To enjoy the blessings of the kingdom is greater than to be the forerunner of the King.[5]

* * * * *

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. For all the prophets and the law prophesied and were in force until John appeared; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is pressing into it. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

HOW IS THE KINDOM OF HEAVEN SUFFERING VIOLENCE, AND WHY/HOW DO FORCEFUL PEOPLE TAKE IT?

First, notice the timetable. “From the days of John the Baptist until now.” It’s a very specific block of time. John’s ‘days’ are apparently the time he spent declaring who Jesus was. When he went to prison, that stopped. Also, it’s a little ominous, as if John’s ministry was done (and it was, as he would be executed shortly). Something has been happening in that year or so. Three possibilities, and commentaries are divided on this.

•  First, those opposed to Jesus and His kingdom are doing their best to destroy them both.

• Second, those who were ready for the Messiah and his Kingdom responded vigorously to the announcement and strained every spiritual muscle to enter.[6] Luke 16:16 phrases it,“every one is pressing into it.” It’s as if the Kingdom is being stormed (in a good way). If that’s the case, Jesus may be referring to people who actively followed Jesus rather than waiting for the kingdom to come their way.[7] According to Chrysostom (400s), this is about those who have such earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him.[8]

• Third, it may refer to the Kingdom breaking into the world “violently,” that is, with great power and force. It’s an image from sheep spilling out into the fields when they are released from their pens in the morning.[9]

 I could see making a case for all three; I most favor the idea that “everyone is pressing into it,” which is Luke’s paraphrase. I think the next thing Jesus says, in which he challenges “this generation’s” lack of response to the message of the Kingdom, suggests it’s not about persecution as much as the lack of response to the Kingdom (through Jesus) breaking into the world.

* * * * *

 Now all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s way was just and righteous, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism [of repentance]. However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God’s counsel against themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.[10]

[Jesus continued,] “To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.’

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated/justified by all her children, [shown to be right] by her deeds.”

WHAT’S WITH THE FLUTING AND WAILING?

The basic point is this: they refused to properly mourn when called to repentance, and they refused to properly celebrate when they see the Kingdom of God being offered to all. [11] 

• It was easier to demonize John than to take seriously his message that they were sinners who had broken God’s law and were in need of repentance. #causeformourning

• It was easier to villainize Jesus than to take seriously his message that God values and loves everyone, and that God offers His Kingdom to the outcasts and the law-breakers. #causefordancing

The Pharisees didn’t like how John was bringing others to God, and they didn’t like how Jesus was living out the values of the Kingdom of God.

• They weren’t happy with the somberness of the kingdom, represented by a self-disciplined lifestyle and rhythms of repentance, which suggested they were failing to keep the Law.

• They didn’t like the joyous grace of the kingdom, represented by Jesus’s fellowship with the marquee sinners of their time, in which he modeled grace to the lawless.

WISDOM IS JUSTIFIED BY HER CHILDREN

This is another way of saying, “By their fruit you will know them.” Those who have been given true, life-changing spiritual insight validate it by their actions—their “children.”[12]Wisdom (God’s way, Luke 7:29-30) is vindicated (shown to be right) by the followers of John and Jesus who embraced God’s way. Jesus is challenging their alleged wisdom by asking what kind of children/disciples/people their wisdom produced.

In Matthew 23, Jesus will tell the Pharisees they are making disciples of hell rather than heaven. In his speech to them, he points out what characterizes them and their deeds - the ‘children,’ as it were, of their way:

2 The Pharisees and the scribes occupy the seat of Moses. 3 So you should do the things they tell you to do—but don’t do the things they do. 4 They heap heavy burdens upon their neighbors’ backs, and they prove unwilling to do anything to help shoulder the load. 

 5 They are interested, above all, in presentation: they wrap their heads and arms in the accoutrements of prayer, they cloak themselves with flowing tasseled prayer garments, 6 they covet the seats of honor at fine banquets and in the synagogue, 7 and they love it when people recognize them in the marketplace, call them “Teacher,” and beam at them... 

13 Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees. There is such a gulf between what you say and what you do. You will stand before a crowd and lock the door of the kingdom of heaven right in front of everyone; you won’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from doing so. 

14 Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees. What you say is not what you do. You steal the homes from under the widows while you pretend to pray for them. You will suffer great condemnation for this. 

15 Woe to you Pharisees, woe to you who teach the law, hypocrites! You traverse hills and mountains and seas to make one convert, and then when he does convert, you make him much more a son of hell than you are. 

16 Woe to you who are blind but deign to lead others. You say, “Swearing by the temple means nothing, but he who swears by the gold in the temple is bound by his oath.” 17 Are you fools? You must be blind! For which is greater: the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, “Swearing by the altar means nothing, but he who swears by the sacrifice on the altar is bound by his oath…”

23 So woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You hypocrites! You tithe from your luxuries and your spices, giving away a tenth of your mint, your dill, and your cumin. But you have ignored the essentials of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness. It is practice of the latter that makes sense of the former. 24 You hypocritical, blind leaders. You spoon a fly from your soup and swallow a camel. 

25 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You remove fine layers of film and dust from the outside of a cup or bowl, but you leave the inside full of greed and covetousness and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee—can’t you see that if you clean the inside of the cup, the outside will be clean too? 

27 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like a grave that has been whitewashed. You look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside you are full of moldering bones and decaying rot. 28 You appear, at first blush, to be righteous, selfless, and pure; but on the inside you are polluted, sunk in hypocrisy and confusion and lawlessness.

29 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build monuments to your dead, you mouth pieties over the bodies of prophets, you decorate the graves of your righteous ancestors. 30 And you say, “If we had lived when our forefathers lived, we would have known better—we would not have joined them when they rose up against the prophets.”  

31 In doing this, you make plain that you descended from those who murdered our prophets. 32 So why don’t you, [the children], finish what your forefathers started? 33 

Yikes. These are some sketchy children.

•  Mean (won’t help other bear their burdens)

• Ignored the heart of the law (justice, mercy, faithfulness)

• Proud

• Hypocritical

• Blind/Confused (not as smart as they thought)

• Greedy/self-indulgent

• Whatever the opposite of love is (Indifference? Hate? Callousness?)

Jesus told them he would send them prophets and teachers to call them to repentance. John the Baptist once called them a brood of vipers who needed to flee from the wrath to come and called them to repent (Matthew 3:7-8). They were having none of it. And… they were known by their spiritual children.

Meanwhile, the writer of Proverbs had already given an image of what Wisdom (and her children) looked like. The book of Proverbs spends a lot time discussing Wisdom and Folly, both personified as women, specifically in chapters 1-9.[13] In Proverbs 31, we see Wisdom personified in its fullness as a woman whose flourishing brings about the flourishing of those around her. Most of her description is found earlier in the book when describing Lady Wisdom. She’s what some have called “Lady Wisdom In Street Clothes.”[14]

Though I grew up in a church tradition that read this as a passage about “the ideal woman,” I don’t believe this is meant to be read that way. See all my footnotes for more information. This is a reminder for all of us to be the groom in this parable, making a covenant to cleave to Wisdom, the wife (and mother) in this poetic image.[15]

[Side note: I suspect a lot of the material imagery functioned as ‘hyperlinks’ to the first audience, as in they often symbolized something more than just the physical thing itself. For example, you will see that she makes different garments out of flax and wool. She knew the Law: “You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together." —Deuteronomy 22:11]

Who can find a truly excellent woman of valor and strength? One who is superior in all that she is and all that she does? Her worth far exceeds that of rubies and expensive jewelry. She inspires trust, and her husband’s heart is safe with her, and because of her, he has every good thing.

Every day of her life she does what is best for him, never anything harmful or hurtful. Delight attends her work and guides her fingers as she selects the finest wool and flax for spinning. She moves through the market like merchant ships that dock here and there in distant ports, finally arriving home with food she’s carried from afar.

She rises from bed early, in the still of night, carefully preparing food for her family and providing a portion to her servants. She has a plan. She considers some land and buys it; then with her earnings, she plants a vineyard.

She wraps herself in strength, carries herself with confidence, and works hard, strengthening her arms for the task at hand. She tastes success and knows it is good, and under lamplight she works deep into the night. 

Her hands skillfully place the unspun flax and wool on the distaff, and her fingers twist the spindle until thread forms. She reaches out to the poor and extends mercy to those in need. She is not worried about the cold or snow for her family, for she has clothed them all in warm, crimson coats.

She makes her own bed linens and clothes herself in purple and fine cloth. Everyone recognizes her husband in the public square, and no one fails to respect him as he takes his place of leadership in the community.

She makes linen garments and sells them in the market, and she supplies belts for tradesmen to carry across the sea. Clothed in strength and dignity, with nothing to fear, she smiles when she thinks about the future.

She conducts her conversations with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is ever her concern. She directs the activities of her household, and never does she indulge in laziness. Her children rise up and bless her. Her husband, too, joins in the praise, saying: “There are some—indeed many—women who do well in every way, but of all of them only you are truly excellent.”

Charm can be deceptive and physical beauty will not last (#LadyFolly), but a woman who reveres the Eternal(#LadyWisdom) should be praised above all others. Celebrate all she has achieved. Let all her accomplishments publicly praise her. (#justifiedbyherchildren)

Wisdom is grounded in reverence for God. And in that reverence, we are guided into a life righteousness and goodness. When we covenant with God and thus his wisdom, we flourish as God intended, which is to say for our good, the good of those around us, and for God’s glory.

And our hope is this: that the unfindable wisdom of God (Proverbs 31:10) has been found. In Proverbs, Lady Wisdom is not one the simple seeks. Instead, she seeks the simple, the fool. She shows up at the markets (Prov. 1:20), at the crossroads (Prov. 8:2). She enters the world of man and summons mankind to walk in her ways.

And it is here that this woman first drives us to Christ. Lady Wisdom is not Jesus. But her personified quality drives us to what Jesus Himself incarnates. For Christ “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24) has “become to us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30). He is hope incarnate, He is life incarnate, He is truth incarnate – and He is wisdom incarnate...

And now as believers, we drop all our capacity to ever be Lady Wisdom – to ever be infinite or perfect this side of glory. For wisdom has come. Wisdom has come bringing the way of life, the pathway of hope for sinners and fools, like you and me.[16]

__________________________________________________________________________________________

[1] John 3:5

[2] “Those who are in the kingdom, who are brought nearer to God and have clearer spiritual knowledge of God, have higher privileges than the greatest of those who lived before the time of Christ.” (Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges)

[3] Matthew 20:16

[4] Matthew 20:26-28

[5] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[6] HT Believer’s Bible Commentary

[7] HT IVP New Testament Commentary

[8] Orthodox Study Bible

[9] Orthodox Study Bible

[10] “The counsel of God toward them was the solemn admonition by John to "repent" and be baptized, and be prepared to receive the Messiah. This was the command or revealed will of God in relation to them. When it is said that they "rejected" the counsel of God, it does not mean that they could frustrate his purposes, but merely that they violated his commands.” (Barne’s Notes On the Bible)

[11] “John wore camel-hair clothes and ate locusts and honey (Mark 1:6). As a lifelong Nazirite, he didn't drink alcohol (Luke 1:15). The Pharisees and scribes rejected him for his extreme asceticism (Luke 7:33). Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 5:27–32). The Pharisees and scribes reject Him for being a glutton and a drunkard (Luke 7:34). They reject the message that they're sinners, and instead look for faults in the messengers who tell them the truth.” https://www.bibleref.com/Luke/7/Luke-7-30.html

[12] Tony Evans Study Bible

[13]Wisdom claims an origin with Yahweh before creation (Proverbs 8:22-31). She also offers the tree of life (Prov. 3:13-18).

[14] https://www.theologyofwork.org/key-topics/women-and-work-in-the-old-testament/lady-wisdom-in-street-clothes-proverbs-31

[15] An approach similar to mine is to see the “Proverbs 31 woman as a human model of personified Wisdom…that canonized her as a role model for all Israel for all time.” See “The Proverbs 31 ‘Woman of Strength.’” https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/proverbs-31-woman-strength/

[16] “Proverbs 31, the Incarnation, and Women (and Men) of God.” https://gentlereformation.com/2020/12/22/the-proverbs-31-woman-the-incarnation-and-freedom-for-women-of-god/

Gospel Harmony #2: The Baptism And Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-4:11; Mark 1:9-13; Luke 3:21-4:15)

Now in those days, when all the people were baptized, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” So Jesus replied to him, “Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.”[1] Then John yielded to him. After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water and praying, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son; in him I am well pleased.”[2]  So Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years old.

 Why did Jesus need to get baptized? I think Jesus is honoring the system God has in place for humanity. If Jesus would have dismissed it as unimportant, and we are to follow the model of Jesus, well…. So he is first following the pattern God gave to his people. Second, I think he entering into the symbolism of or foreshadowing his death and resurrection.  

“His immersion typified His baptism in the waters of God’s judgment at Calvary. His emergence from the water foreshadowed His resurrection. By death, burial, and resurrection, He would satisfy the demands of divine justice and provide a righteous basis by which sinners could be justified.” (Believers Bible Commentary)

When we take communion, we talk about how it a) ‘remembers Christ’ and b) reminds us of our participation in the story in the sense that we, too, should be ‘broken and spilled’ out for others to point toward the Savior who gave His life so we could live. Baptism is similar. We commemorate what Jesus did for us, and we show our commitment to dying to the old us and rising into the new us, which is made possible through Jesus’ work.  

Temptation of Jesus  (Mt 4:1-11; Lk 4:1-15; Mk 1:12-13)
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led—driven[3]—by the Spirit into the wilderness with wild animals[4] to be tempted/tested[5]. After he fasted forty days and forty nights[6], eating nothing, Jesus was famished. 

The devil, the tempter, came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’“[7]

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point[8] of the temple[9], and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ [10]” Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 

Then the devil led him up to a very high mountain and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.[11] And he said to him, “To you I will grant this whole realm—and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.[12] I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.”[13] 

 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from Jesus until a more opportune time. Then angels came and began ministering[14] to his needs.[15]

Three points of note, like every good sermon :)

First, Jesus triumphed in the test. That’s a necessary characteristic for God to deserve our worship and allegiance. In fact, there’s good reason to believe that what Jesus successfully resisted is meant to highlight his ability to do what Israel could never do. Jesus' numerous quotes from Deuteronomy in response to these wilderness temptations recall another time and place where God's chosen people met testing in the wilderness and failed.

• Israel (called “son” in Exodus 4:23) was led into the wilderness after its “baptism” in the Red Sea.

• Forty years vs. forty days (a time of testing)

• Israel demanded physical bread in the wilderness; Jesus offers bread for the souls of those in life’s wilderness.

• The Israelite’s worshipped a nation’s idol for help; Jesus rejects the allure of nations as his worship and service remained true.

• They had tested God at Massah (Ex 17:1-7). Jesus refuses to demand God's protection on his own terms.[16]

As the New Covenant people of God, we will journey into the wilderness of this fallen world after baptism as we struggle towards the Kingdom. We should expect to face what Israel and Jesus faced, but we have the power of the one who overcame the test to strengthen us. 

Second, Jesus dominates Satan. It’s not a narrative full of tension. They aren’t dualistic universal powers evenly matched. When Jesus says, “Alright, time for you to go,” Satan goes. The angels weren’t letting out their breath: “Whew! That was a close one! ” It’s a good reminder for us about where the powers of evil rank in the universe. This is not to say Satan is to be taken lightly. Satan claims to in some sense own the nations, and both Jesus[17] and writers of Scripture refer to Satan[18] and other princes[19] who do indeed have some kind of power in the nations[20] (didn’t Revelation make that clear)? But a prince is not a King.

Immediately after his trial in the wilderness, Jesus begins to proclaim that the kingdom of God is at hand, and He begins casting out demons, the servants of Satan. You can already visibly start to see Satan’s power coming undone in spite of his claim to the kingdoms of the world.

Third, Jesus was tempted as we will be. [21] Because I am working on the assumption that this 40 days mirrors Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness, I am looking to read the temptations through that lenses.

• The Stones/Bread incident has something to do with the importance of valuing God’s spiritual nourishment over physical provision.

• The Temple ‘testing of God’ has something to do with wanting the signs more than the Giver of the signs.

• The Ruling The Nations incident has something to do with what god we turn to when the going gets tough, and because what we worship dictates how we worship, this is going to look at ends and means.

Now, let’s chat. Evil is what happens when Satan (who does not create anything) takes a good thing God created and distorts it. That’s all he can do. He seeks to disorder what God ordered. When we are tempted, we are usually tempted to take a good thing God created and use it in a way that distorts its purpose in us or in the world. Let’s look at these temptation one at a time to see how this works.

Turn Stones To Bread Test

Pleasure is from God; wanting to be free of pain is normal; wanting to be comfortable rather than uncomfortable is understandable. Pleasure isn’t the problem – we are going to have it relentlessly in eternity.[22] I think God’s original intent absolutely included the space for us to simply enjoy His good creation. It’s the disordered love of pleasure, the worship of pleasure, the gnawing fear that I might not be as comfortable as I want to be and so I will do ANYTHING to keep my comfort, even stop doing a spiritually important thing for a physically pleasant thing such that I am choosing happiness over holiness.

Controlling circumstances can be a good thing if we are talking about having agency as people with free will. We can choose good friends; get out of bad situations; be responsible. That’s all good. That kind of agency is a gift from God. It’s the desperate need to control and manipulate so everything around us is always on our terms that becomes the problem.

Rule The Nations Test

Power is not a bad thing. God has power, and that doesn’t count against him. In fact, gentleness is only possible for those who have power. We are told to be gentle, not to become powerless. Having self-control (power over self) is a fruit-of-the-spirit power. Being able to lead is a good thing. If you are a righteous person, having clout in the world gives you opportunity to do amazing things. Think of what Daniel and Joseph and Esther accomplished. Power is not the problem. The problem is when it begins to corrupt – and unless we are God, in inevitably does. Study after study has shown that our brains literally change when we have power: It damages our prefrontal cortex (so we lack empathy), leads toward rule-breaking (“This doesn’t apply to me”); it stifles generosity.[23] What God gave us to steward the world becomes the thing that hurts the world.

Controlling others even has its place (#parents #law enforcement #referees). Anytime we draw boundaries in our lives that determine how people can interact with us, it’s a form of control, and is often very healthy. Proverbs, for example, is full of descriptions of wise rulers.[24] But when that control manifests in our family and friends as bullying, unhealthy coercion, a demand that others ALWAYS SHOW UP ON OUR TERMS and only do things like we want them done – well, now our power has a problem. Jesus called this “lording over others.” [25]

Dive From The Temple Test

As for controlling God – well, there’s not two sides to that coin. Satan’s temptation here was, “Force God to act to prove He’s watching and He cares.” Yeah, that’s not how it works. “Don’t tempt God.” God obviously does miracles. We know this from the Bible, and many of you can testify as to some way in which it has been clear that God has moved miraculously in your life. But these are gifts, not obligations.

• Job shows us: “You give and take away; blessed be your name.”[26]

• Jesus shows us: “Let this cup pass, but not my will, but yours be done.”[27]

• Paul begged for a thorn in the flesh to be gone, but God’s response was, “Check out my grace,” and Paul said he would gladly glory in his infirmities to the power of God grace could rest upon him.[28]

 We pray boldly for God to intervene in the world, but if God never what we think should be done, He would still be God, worthy of our worship.

Anytime we want to test God to make Him prove Himself on our terms, we are in trouble. Anytime we demand the God keep showing up in spectacle, we are missing the point. Israel had miracle after miracle, and it did not strengthen their faith. They just wanted more signs and wonders, as if God had to continuously earn their admiration and loyalty. At some point, the awe of seeing God at work turned into a demand to see God at work in ways that benefitted them – and now we tie back into the sinful flex of power (trying to control God) and the inordinate love of pleasure (to make my life easier).

* * * * *

 I think we have to ask a key question whenever we are tempted or tested: “What will it cost to get and keep what I want?” With Jesus, the cost was obviously right in front of him: he had to acknowledge Satan as the one from whom all blessing flow:

“I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.”

Jesus' reply rejects the offer totally: 

"Worship the Lord your God and serve him only."

Jesus is certain that only One deserves his service: God. By putting worship and service together in the verse, Jesus makes it clear that our allegiance and our actions are inevitably intertwined, and both are meant to honor God. So let’s go over the three temptations.

If it costs holiness to get happiness, it’s too much. “I just want to be happy.” I get it. I, too, want to be happy. At what cost?  If you have to stop doing a spiritually important thing for a physically pleasant thing, it’s too much. And…will I really be happy if I am pursuing happiness outside of God’s design? Happiness is a hard taskmaster, giving what C.S. Lewis called “ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure.” Holiness is demanding also, no doubt about it, but the rewards are real, eternal, and lasting.

If it costs good means to achieve good ends, it’s too much. I noted earlier that the Ruling The Nations incident has something to do with what god we turn to when the going gets tough, and because:

• what we worship (ends) dictates how we worship (means)

• the means will determine who we are in the end.

• We can’t separate where we end up from how we get there. (Perhaps Moses striking the rock to get water is a good example here. He accomplished God’s end goal with disobedient means – and God did not separate those two things. It was an act of disobedience.[29])

“[George] Barrett characterizes this "the old but ever new temptation to do evil that good may come; to justify the illegitimacy of the means by the greatness of the end.”[30]

In Christian circles, there has been a lot of discussion in recent history of a “third way,” which is really just a refocus on 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be ready to offer a defense, humbly and respectfully, when someone asks why you live in hope. Keep your conscience clear so that those who ridicule your good conduct in the Anointed and say bad things about you will be put to shame.” This “third way” has focused on presenting a winsome, engaging faith that stresses the core of the gospel as it walks between political and social polarities. This approach engages and speaks truth, but really tries hard to not throw extra road blocks into the road on the way to the cross. You don’t call names; you don’t insult; you don’t misrepresent others (because you don’t want to be misrepresented); you love and pray for your enemies instead of vilify them.

Recently, a new movement has challenged this because (as the argument goes) the other side it making it really hard to play nice, so it’s time FOR CHRISTIANS to take the gloves off and play mean. It’s too much. We could win a cultural battle and lose a spiritual war. It’s too much.

If it costs the humility and service of the cross to get the glory of the spectacle, it’s too much. Jesus came to serve. When Jesus said he would draw all people to him when He was lifted up, this was about his crucifixion. Jesus told his followers to ‘compel’ people into the kingdom through sacrificial love, not coercive power. We are supposed to be ambassadors who show the richness of a kingdom where everybody totes around a cross, wears a yoke, washes each other’s feet, gives a coat to those who steal our sweatshirt, and ‘esteems others better than themselves.”[31] Christianity was always meant to change cultures the same way God changes people: from the inside out, through radical love and service to “the least of these,” not through lights and glitter from the stage of a church or in the halls of power. 

Israelites demanded signs over and over[32]; the disciples wanted Jesus to call down fire on the Samaritans[33]; the Jewish people expected a Messiah who would overthrow Rome and put them in control. All of these were rebuked. Revelation showed us that the power of the Lion shows up in the sacrifice of the Lamb. If we want to see the glory of God more clearly, I think we are supposed to pray to see the sacrificial love of the Lamb more clearly. If we want those around us to see the glory of God more clearly, I suspect they will see it when the sacrificial love of the Lamb is displayed in our lives.

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness when he was full of the Spirit. Expect the wilderness. When the Holy Spirit takes us there – and he will – it’s purposeful. Stand on God’s word. Resist the devil. Look to the One who perfectly withstood the test to empower you through the Holy Spirit.

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[1] Righteousness is ‘a condition acceptable to God (Strong’s) or “what is deemed right by the Lord” (HELPS).

[2] “All three members of the Trinity were evident. The beloved Son was there. The Holy Spirit was there in dove form. The Father’s voice was heard from heaven pronouncing His blessing on Jesus.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[3] “The verb “drove” is strong, giving the idea of divine and scriptural necessity. (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[4] “This detail emphasizes that the wilderness is [thought to be] a place of curse where the devil is master (Matt. 12:43; cf. Eph. 2:2). (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[5] Same word as when Jesus showed us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation/testing”.

[6] “Possibly a symbolic reference to the forty years of Israel’s wilderness experience (Deut. 1:3).” (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[7]  All of Jesus’ quotations in this narrative come from or around Deuteronomy 8.

[8] “Josephus speaks of the dizzying height of this location. A later rabbinic tradition (which may or may not go back to the first century) says that “when the King, the Messiah, reveals himself, he will come and stand on the roof of the Temple.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Of The New Testament)

[9] The passage quoted (Deut. 6:16) again recalls Israel’s experience in the wilderness. (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[10] “Ps. 91 is an exhortation to trust in God; Satan attempts to replace trust with a test, casting doubt on God’s faithfulness.” (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[11] Luke’s oikoumenē (“inhabited world”), often used of the Roman empire, gives this temptation a stronger political flavor and so stresses Satan’s offer of messianic rule over the nations (cf. Ps. 2:8). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Of The New Testament)

[12] “The devil’s claim to possess delegated authority over the world fits Jewish ideas prevalent in Jesus’ day about the devil’s rule over the wicked nations (Jn 14:30; Eph 2:2; 1Jn 5:19;  the spirit of falsehood noted in the Dead Sea Scrolls). Nevertheless, the devil’s authority was limited; authority to delegate ultimately belongs to God (Da 4:32).” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[13] “I can give it to anyone I want” (4:6). Similar arrogant boasts were made by the Caesars. The emperor Nero once said, “I have the power to take away kingdoms and to bestow them.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)

[14] From diakonos, from which we get the word deacons.

[15]  Angels accompanied Israel in the Exodus (Ex. 14:19; 23:20; 32:34; 33:2)

[16] Many have also made correlations with Jesus as the second Adam being successful where Adam failed. https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/how-does-jesus-temptation/

[17] Jesus calls Satan the “prince of this world” in John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.

[18] Ephesians 2:2

[19] Daniel 10:13

[20] 1 John 5:19

[21] The ‘self-empowerment’ list is from https://gralefrittheology.com/2015/05/17/how-the-temptations-of-jesus-relate-to-everthing-about-you-society-and-the-world/

[22] Psalm 16:11

[23] https://www.businessinsider.com/what-power-does-to-your-brain-and-your-body-2017-12#powerful-people-who-make-more-money-live-longer-healthier-less-stressful-lives-8

[24] Proverbs 20:26, 28:16, for example.

[25] Matthew 20:25

[26] Job 1

[27] Matthew 26:39

[28] 1 Corinthians 12

[29] Numbers 20

[30] Wikipedia, of all places, which has a nice summary of this episode in the Biele. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temptation_of_Christ

[31] Philippians 2:3

[32] 1 Corinthians 1:22

[33] Luke 9:51-56

Seeing, Being, Doing, Becoming (1 John 2:28 – 3:3)

So now, my little children, abide and endure in Him, so that when He is revealed when he returns, we will have trusting confidence and not have to shrink back and hang our heads in shame before Him. If you know that He is just and faithful, then you also perceive[1] that everyone who lives faithfully and acts justly in conformity to his will[2] has been born into a new life through Him as one of his children.[3] 

 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the people of the world do not comprehend us is that they do not know him. 

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see[4] him (spiritually perceive him) as he is.  All who have this hope in him purify themselves from moral defilement[5], just as he is pure[6].

Seeing – Being – Doing – Becoming

There is something about this pattern embedded in what we know about life starting with when we see something. 

• “I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool. I’m your buckaroo; I want to be like you.” “Watching You,” Rodney Atkins

• “You, I wanna be like you, I want to walk like you, talk like you, too. You’ll see it’s true, and ape like me can learn to be human too.” – “I Wanna Be Like You,” The Jungle Book

• See someone working (fireman, when I was a kid) and we want to be like them (brave, strong, capable) and do what they do (put out fires and save lives).

 We SEE them; we want to BE like them so we can DO what they do and BECOME a particular kind of person. This is the pattern John unfolds in this chapter. 

• We SEE Jesus (the previous verses from last week’s message show us how Scripture allows us to do this with the guidance of the Holy Spirit)

• We want to BE with him by being born into new life in God’s family

• We want to DO things in conformity with his will

• We will increasingly BECOME like him 

 See. Be with. Do. Become like. That’s the order, the progression. So let’s look at these one at a time.

SEEING 

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.[7] But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 

 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (from that veil).[8] And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

In other words, “the more clearly we see him, the more we become like him.”[9] The Israelites in Paul’s day saw God through the Old Covenant in the Old Testament (“when Moses was read”), but they did not have the Holy Spirit’s illumination for what they were reading. The people of New Covenant do, and as we read “with unveiled faces” we are transformed into his image as we contemplate his glory. Jesus himself established this pattern after his resurrection when he was on the road to Emmaus with two guys who didn’t recognize him:  

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself… “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:27-32)

Of course, Jesus was still there in the flesh, and so while he started with Scripture, he made sure they recognized him in the flesh later.  I mean, when Jesus was here, he was always the finale. But once he ascended, we see the pattern he used continued in Acts when Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch: 

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35)

In this case, Jesus was not there in the flesh for the Big Reveal; instead, the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scripture. 

God has ways of making his presence known when there are no Bibles around.[10] But when you have access to a Bible, study the Jesus in Scripture. The Holy Spirit will do the work of turning knowledge of Jesus into an encounter with Jesus, but we need to see the Jesus we are encountering. 

I recommend the Bible (obviously), The Jesus I Never Knew (Phillip Yancey), The Chosen (TV series), the Bible Project videos, and Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Kenneth Bailey), The Case For Christ (Lee Strobel) and Advent: The Once and Future Coming Of Jesus Christ (Fleming Rutledge) as starting points.

BEING

Tertullian noted that under the reign of Tiberius, children were sacrificed to Saturn; across the empire, children were killed “by drowning, or by exposure to cold and hunger and dogs.” [11]How different is God the Father, who has “lavished” love on his children (3:1) 

•  “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4)

•  “transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

•  “children of God” (John 1:12–13; 1 John 3:1-2).

•  brothers and sisters of our Savior (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11-12) 

This is about identity. This is about our new state of being once we are in the family of God. He has lavished us with the privilege of being in his family. We are now a child of God and a spiritual brother or sister of Jesus.  If we have become something new, it’s because we first saw and responded to the One who can make us new. “I see who you are; now I want to be near you. If I am in the family, I want to bear the family resemblance.”

We can’t be another Jesus – there is only one God/Man – but we can be like him through a process called sanctification.  We’ve talked before about the image of baptism as similar to when a cucumber becomes a pickle. A cucumber is immersed in brine and ferments; over time, a cucumber becomes a pickled cucumber, but we just call it a pickle because that’s its primary identity now.  

When we commit our lives to Jesus, we ferment “in Christ” – we read the Word, the Holy Spirit works in us, we are in a family of God’s people, the power of God our Father and Christ our brother does a supernatural work in us.  In this state of being – in this new identity - we find rest, confidence, stability, purpose, dignity, value, hope, love. The first answer to the question, “Who am I?” is, “I am a child of God, invited into His family by great grace and at great cost because God wants me as His child.”

DOING

We do what we are. A cucumber does what a cucumber does (ever seen Veggie Tales?); pickles do what pickles do. We do what we are. 

·      If you fish a lot, it’s because you are a person who fishes a lot.

·      If you watch sports a lot, it’s because you are a person who watches sports a lot. 

·      If you find that you argue a lot…

·      If you give to others generously and quietly…

·      If you say things that tear people down…or build them up…

·      If you pray for your enemies or curse them…

We do what we are. Luke wrote that there is a treasury in our hearts, and we bring forth good or evil things from it.[12]

But now we are children of God. The lavish love of the Father moves God’s children to purify themselves, “just as he is pure” (3:3) because we want to do everything we can to honor the family. If we will do what we are, then if our hearts have been made newly righteous at salvation by God, we will do the things that people who love righteousness and holiness do. This is what it means that by our fruit we will be known.[13]

The Old Covenant Jewish worshipers went through purity rituals before approaching God or entering His temple.[14] Notice how the practice of purification continues in the New Covenant, but in a different way and for a different reason. 

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.”( 1 Peter 1:22)

Now, we don’t purify ourselves in order to be worthy to approach the house of God, because we are already in the family of God. We purify ourselves because we are in the house of God, with his family, and we don’t want to track dirt into his house and get his family grimy.[15]

There is a huge difference between creating our spiritual identity by what we do vs. displayingour spiritual identity by what we do.  We can create a cultural identity by what we do – we can be known for something – but in the Kingdom of God, our identity is given to us, not created by us, and what we do displays that identity.  

•  I don’t try to love my enemies because I want to be a child of God; I do it because I am a child of God. That is what children of God are intended to do. 

• I’m not honest on my taxes, or kind to my wife and kids, or forgiving to those who wrong me, or gentle with my speech, or generous with my money, or careful with my sexual purity because I want to be a child of God; I do those things because I am a child of God, and that is what children of God are intended to do if they want to bear their Father’s image as He intended.

 A word of caution here. We want those outside the family of God to live as if they are in the family of God. Often this is because we see the wages of sin with clarity and our hearts break, or we have so experienced the goodness of the path of righteousness that we want others to experience it. Fair enough.

We want to live in a culture that shares our family values. They don’t. Why? They aren’t in the same family. What is the solution? They must see Jesus. Right now, that’s through His Word and through His people. 

If there is a cucumber side of you that feels like you were born to help bring order to that cultural chaos through politics or activism of some sort, cool.  It’s not like we can’t seek to offset the effects of sin while introducing people to Jesus. But don’t forget that your primary identity is that you have been pickled into the Kingdom (man, I love that I get to use that phrase in a sermon.) 

Right now, if I would ask the people who know you, “Talk to me about that person,” would their first, gut-level response have something to do with the new, pickled you – that is, the child of God soaked in the brine of the Word and the Spirit and the blood of Jesus, who is now characterized by Christ in you – or the cucumber you? 

I can think of a number of things that I increasingly worry characterize how people might identity me. I have been involved in a lot of things I am passionate about as a teacher, a blogger, and pastor who loves engaging the church and the culture in the pursuit of truth. 

But if my legacy among those who know me well starts with anything other than the equivalent of, “That dude loved Jesus and it permeated everything he was and everything he did,” what am I doing? 

You are welcome to say anything else at my funeral eulogy. You can say how much I bugged you, or how I talked about Crossfit too much, or how unorganized I was, or how I picked too many arguments, or how I imperfectly tried to start conversation on politics and ethics and cultural issues. You can say I talked too much instead of listening. You can say that I let you down or failed you, because if I haven’t already I will, and you can be honest in my eulogy. You can be nice, and talk about whatever cucumberish things you admired about me, and I mean, that would be cool too. 

But none of that matters if my legacy as a child of God is not defined by being known primarily as a child of God who saw the Father, and wanted to be in His family, and then lived as a child of God that just kept looking more like his Father.   

Everything else fades away. Only what’s done with Christ and for Christ will last. 

BECOMING

What are we becoming? There is coming a day when Christ will “transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philemon 3:21) and we will be as fully as possible like him, because we will fully and clearly see him as he is. That is who we are intended to become.  There are a lot of ways to talk about heaven. Here is one way. In heaven,

• We will see God fully and clearly. 

• We will be completely in His unfiltered presence. 

• We will say and do (doxology and worship[16]) whatever we say and do in the New Heaven and New Earth in perfect accordance with what God made us to do.

 The hard, messy work of sanctification will be over because our transformation into the image of Jesus will be complete. Finally J

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[1] There is a change of verb from ‘if ye know’ (ἐὰν εἰδῆτε) to ‘ye know that’ (γινώσκετε ὅτι). The former means ‘to have intuitive knowledge’ or simply ‘to be aware of the fact’ (1 John 2:11; 1 John 2:20-21): the latter means ‘to come to know, learn by experience, recognise, perceive’ (1 John 2:3-5; 1 John 2:13-14; 1 John 2:18). ‘If ye are aware that God is righteous, ye cannot fail to perceive that &c.’ Comp. ‘What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt understand (get to know) hereafter’ (John 13:7); ‘Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou perceivest that I love Thee’ (John 21:17): and the converse change: ‘If ye had learned to know Me, ye would know My Father also’ (John 14:7; comp. John 8:55).  Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges

[2] díkaios (an adjective, derived from dikē, "right, judicial approval") – properly, "approved by God" (J. Thayer); righteous; "just in the eyes of God" (Souter).  See 1343 ("dikaiosynē). ["Righteous" relates to conformity to God's standard (justice). For more on the root-idea see the cognate noun, 1343 /dikaiosýnē ("righteousness").] 1342 /díkaios ("righteous, just") describes what is in conformity to God's own being (His will, standard of rightness); hence "upright."  HELPS Word Studies

[3] gennáō – properly, beget (procreate a descendant), produce offspring; (passive) be born, "begotten." HELPS Word Studies

[4] horáō – properly, see, often with metaphorical meaning: "to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (with inward spiritual perception). HELPS Word Studies

[5] 1 John 3:3. The duty which our destiny imposes. ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, “resting on Him,” i.e., on God as Father. Cf. Luke 5:5 : ἐπὶ τῷῥήματί σου, “relying on Thy word”. ἐκεῖνος, Christ; see note on 1 John 2:6. ἁγνός also proves that the reference is to Christ. As distinguished from ἅγιος, which implies absolute and essential purity, it denotes purity maintained with effort and fearfulness amid defilements and allurements, especially carnal.

[6] hagnós (an adjective, which may be cognate with 40 /hágios, "holy," so TDNT, 1, 122) – properly, pure (to the core); virginal (chaste, unadultered); pure inside and out; holy because uncontaminated (undefiled from sin), i.e. without spoilation even within (even down to the center of one's being); not mixed with guilt or anything condemnable. HELPS Word-studies

[7] “Some think that Moses’ veil was to protect the Israelites from being harmed or frightened by the brightness. More likely, the veil was to keep them from seeing that the glory was fading away because of the temporary and inadequate character of the old covenant (Ex. 34:29–35). By contrast, Paul needs no veil, for the glory of the new covenant ministry does not fade away.” (ESV Reformation Study Bible)  The Old Covenant offered transient glory. (King James Study Bible Notes)

[8] “Wherever this Gospel is received, there the Spirit of the Lord is given; and wherever that Spirit lives and works, there is liberty, not only from Jewish bondage, but from the slavery of sin - from its power, its guilt, and its pollution.”  (Adam Clarke)  Charles Stanley adds we are free from struggling to “become righteous through self-effort.”

[9] Expositor's Greek Testament.  The Orthodox Study Bible adds more detail:

The work of the Holy Spirit brings liberty (v. 17), freeing us to behold God and have open access to Him. Created as the image of God, we see His uncreated image, the Son, the glory of the Lord (v. 18; see 4:4–6)… through the Son's deified humanity (see 1Co 13:12; Jam 1:23–25… in the power of the Spirit. As we behold Him, we become what we were created to be. 

[10] “When Muslims Dream Of Jesus.” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/muslims-dream-jesus/

[11] Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament

[12] Luke 6:45

[13] Matthew 7:15-20

[14] John 11:55 and Acts 24:17-18

[15] “Only he who habitually does righteousness is a true son of the God who is righteous; just as only he who habitually walks in the light has true fellowship with the God who is light (1 John 1:6-7).” Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges 

[16] Hat tip to last week’s message :)