Harmony #7: Out With The Old, In With The New (John 2:13-22)

If we are like Jesus, zeal that our lives and our church become a holy space, “set aside” for God’s purposes, will consume us. So, what tangible Kingdom attributes should we be zealous to put in the courtyard of our church and our lives so that the church flourishes as God’s transforming presence is made manifest in our transformed lives? 

Sweep out Fear and replace it with Love – (agape) loving people sacrificially and freely  

• “Perfect love casts out fear (phobos, fleeing to avoid because of dread: involves the dread of punishment).” 1 John 4:18 This in reference to understanding God’s love for us and not fearing eternal judgment. But the very next verse says, “We love, because He first loved us.”

• “God has not given us a spirit of timidity or cowardice, but a spirit of miraculous power through God’s strength, agape love, and acting out God’s will through sound reasoning.” 2 Timothy 1:7

God’s love removes our fear; a different way of saying it is that the more we as children of God experience and understand God’s love – free; unearned; lavish in spite of being known; characterized by sacrifice; and in every way for us[1] – the more we can rest in the love of God. 

In the same way, the church is intended to be a community of people through whom God’s love is passed on to others. The more we experience and understand God’s love through God’s people – free; unearned; lavish in spite of being known; characterized by sacrifice; and in every way for us– the more we can rest in the love of those around us.

Sweep out Discord and replace it with Peace – bringing righteous order to sinful chaos

• “He is the embodiment of our peace, sent once and for all to take down the great barrier of hatred and hostility that has divided us so that we can be one. He offered His body on the sacrificial altar to bring an end to the law’s ordinances and dictations that separated Jews from the outside nations. His desire was to create in His body one new humanity from the two opposing groups, thus creating peace.  Effectively the cross becomes God’s means to kill off the hostility once and for all so that He is able to reconcile them both to God in this one new body. The Great Preacher of peace and love came for you, and His voice found those of you who were near and those who were far away.  By Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit. And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household. You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone. The building is joined together stone by stone—all of us chosen and sealed in Him, rising up to become a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14-22)[2]

I love this image.  A building is being created out of each one of us who are residents of God holy household. We are being joined together to be a sacred place where it’s obvious we live together in peace with the Spirit of God as the mortar that holds us together. To the outcast and wanderer, welcome. Join the family of God. No hatred and hostility should divide us, since the Great Preacher of peace and love came for us. 

Sweep out Merit and replace it with Mercy – giving grace (unmerited favor) wherever possible

•  Luke 6:36  “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

•  Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

•  Matthew 23:23  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

“The world will give you that once in awhile, a brief timeout; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life.”   Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

That image makes me happy; it’s an oasis of goodness in a world that is so broken. But we serve a savior who didn’t just dab mercy on us; he poured it out on us, covered us in it – and we are expected to be in the corner’s of the lives of those around us, ready to shower them with mercy when the fight is going the worst.  

I like this as an image to organize our time with others. What if we thought of everyone you talk with after this service as someone in need of a brief timeout from a life that’s beating them up, and what then need from you is for you to be in their corner dumping a Gatoraide cooler of mercy over them.

Sweep out Callousness and replace it with Kindness – treating others with goodness

• “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

• “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9)[3]

• “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35) 

I don’t know about you, but I find myself getting jaded and hardened if I’m not careful. There are so many things that make me want to develop a “thick skin” so life doesn’t hurt anymore. Callouses on our hands are a blessing when you do manual labor that rubs our skin raw; why wouldn’t callouses on our hearts be a blessing when we work with people who rub our souls raw? 

 Why not? Because we are called to be kind (combine some of the others in this list to get the idea: merciful, loving, gentle, and nurturing). The harder our hearts get, the harder it is to do those things. 

• I don’t want to merciful, loving, gentle, and nurturing to the person who passed me in the roundabout, or who constantly poses in front of the mirror at the gym, or the person next to me on the plane who can’t seem to stop saying the name of Jesus loudly, or…. But I must. 

•  I don’t want to be merciful, loving, gentle, and nurturing to the online troll who blows up what were meant to be thought-provoking conversations. But I must. 

• I don’t want to be merciful, loving, gentle, and nurturing to that person who unfairly judges my motivations or never gives me the benefit of the doubt. But I am told that I must pass on to others what Jesus gave to me.

I must pass on what Jesus did for me.  See the previous point about mercy.

Sweep out Fickelness and replace it with Faithfulness – having a consistently righteous character others can count on[4]

• “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity and dignity…” (Titus 2:7)  

• “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.” (Hebrews 13:18) 

• “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12)  

We often think of faithfulness in terms of actions, and that’s clearly not wrong as you see here. In Revelation, we talked about faithful endurance that had to do with living a godly life; in friendships, a faithful friend “sticks closer than a brother.”[5] I want to look at a different aspect: having a consistently righteous character others can count on. This is the” clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.”

This is not a demand for perfection. This is about the consistent presence of our lives. Maybe another word is integrity: our words, actions and attitudes are integrated so that they work together, and the testimony of our lives tells the same story over and over.   

A couple months ago, a person who has been a consistently righteous presence in my life had a noticeably inconsistent moment with me. But as I thought about it, I realized it was notable precisely because it was not the norm, and that I was blessed to have someone in my life whose presence is so consistent that inconsistencies stand out. This person apologized the next day, by the way – which did not surprise me at all. They have a consistently righteous character others can count on; they desire to act honorably in all things. 

Sweep our Error and replace it with Truth-telling – speaking honestly about…everything.

•  Ephesians 4:25   “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

There are lots of ways to talk about the devastation of falsehood. Today, let’s look at the practical trouble with the lack of honest truth-telling.

1.  When you consistently practice dishonesty, you eventually will lose touch with what’s true, and you will become an ‘unreliable narrator’ about the world. I have had several friend who, it became clear to me, just lied all the time, almost without thinking. It had just become part of who he was. He did it in the most ordinary of things even when it made no sense. At some point, I just stopped taking you seriously. I had no idea if anything they said was true. 

2.  If you are comfortable lying to others, you are almost certainly comfortable lying to yourself. “That was a good 1 hour workout!” No it wasn’t. It was 45 minutes of mediocre effort. “I got fired because my boss is a jerk!” Or – hear me out – you were late every day, did as little as possible, and undermined the boss around the other employees. Eventually you will become an “unreliable narrator” in your own life. You construct an image of yourself (for better or worse) that is totally at odds with reality. I read a book a while ago called I Wear The Black Hat (an image for bad guys). The author was challenging our image of ourselves. He asked a sobering question: What if we wear the black hat in our lives? We like to think we are the heroes in our own story, but….what if we are the villain (or at least more villainous than we think), and heroic people around us are picking up the slack?  “As each individual reads Scripture…they are Esther, never Xerxes or Haman. They are Peter, never Judas, never a Pharisee. They are Jews escaping slavery, never Egypt… [they have] no lens for locating themselves rightly  in Scripture or society.”[6] Truth about ourselves, not just others, matters.

3.  Finally, I think we tend to assume people are like us in a lot of ways. I found out a couple years ago that some people carry on conversations with voices in your head. Like, they go after it.  I had assumed everyone was like me: it’s quiet in there. They assumed everyone was like them. I am conscious of my weight (this goes back to my childhood), so I assume everyone else is conscious of their weight too. We often tend to project our interior life into the interior of others. And if you are a liar, the world becomes a very unsafe place because as far as you know, you are surrounded by liars.

The practical blessing of truth:

1.  You become more discerning about truth and become an increasingly reliable narrator of the world. This brings clarity, true knowledge, honest insight, etc. People increasingly give weight to your voice because they see your commitment to seeing the world as it is. Even when people disagree, if both parties know the other person is really committed to an objective view of the world, each voice has weight. (Quick note: if you change your mind on issues at times after studying and talking, that’s probably a good sign.)

2.  You are likely becoming an increasingly reliable narrator about yourself. You are able to look honestly at instead of away from the hat you are wearing.  Odds are good that you will become so committed to honest assessment that you ask others to weigh in on what they see in your life. This is both personal and relational gold.

3.  You won’t assume others are like you – because you have an honest view of the world.  And then you are at a much healthier place internally (not projecting onto others) and relationally (able to relate with a view of the actual reality of what people are like). 

Sweep out Pride and replace it with Humility – having a modest/honest estimate of ourselves[7]

• “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  (1 Peter 5:5)”

•  “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”  (Romans 12:3)

• But [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

When is it most obvious that God is at work in our lives? When our strength and skills fail – when what we bring to the table is inept at best and disastrous at worst -  and yet God brings something good from it. 

When is it most obvious that God is at work in our church? When our strength and skills fail – when what we bring to the table is inept at best and disastrous at worst -  and yet God brings something good from it. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain, right?[8]

If I can be transparent about pastoring for a moment. Most Sunday, something goes wrong here on a Sunday morning, from mechanical issues to computer breakdowns to awkward sermons (and sermon topics) to lack of smooth transitions to the worship team having to scramble with last minute sicknesses to nursery workers not being able to make it to somebody sticking their foot in their mouth in a conversation, and that someone is often me. And more often than not, it seems like someone is here really looking for be ministered to through whichever area is “weak” that particular morning.  And it feels like, “Well, we blew it.”

This used to eat me up. God has been working with me: “Let it go. My power is made perfect in these moments.” In other words, CLG is not going to flourish – really Kingdom flourish - because the preacher or the band or the Kid’s Ministry leaders or any of us navigating relationships are  knocking it out of the park; it will Kingdom flourish when the power of God builds this house. And that is comforting indeed.

__________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Romans 8:31

[2]  “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19 

 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God (sharing in the same nature their Father).” Matthew 5:9

 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace (wholeness, unity) and the building up of one another.” Romans 14:19  

[3] 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind.” 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:12-13  

[4] Verses about faithfulness to God: 1 Samuel 12:24  “Fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”

Revelation 2:10  “Do not fear what you are about to suffer….Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

1 Corinthians 4:2  “It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.

[5] Proverbs 18:24

[6] From Christiana Collins. I don’t know who that is, but it’s pretty good stuff.

[7]  “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.”  Proverbs 15:33 

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”  Proverbs 11:2

 “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Romans 12:16 

[8] Psalm 127:1

Harmony #6: Zeal For The House Of God (John 2:13-22)

Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables.[1] So he made a whip of cords (rushes) and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.[2] To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!”[3] 

A couple things to note:

• Selling these animals was actually a service to distant travelers who could not bring their sacrifices with them. All the merchants could recover their money and animals. Jesus didn’t take away their livelihood.

• However… the priests rented space rather than gave it, which drove up costs; the priests and Levites often resold animals offered as sacrifices back to the sellers, who sold them again; and the money changers often took a premium.[4]

• Finally, This market was in the temple courtyard, specifically, the areas set aside for Gentiles to worship. Gentiles couldn’t worship at the temple at the very place God has set aside for them to be welcome. This marketplace had become a place of greed and fraud, and it’s presence in the outer courtyard hindered worship.  

His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will devour me.”[5]

We should note that the goal of Jesus’ zeal was to purify, not ruin. Jesus removed the problem from the temple, but he didn’t ruin the people. He rebukes them, but he doesn’t destroy them. Why not? Because the goal wasn't to humiliate them or ban them from using the temple as God intended. It was “zeal for the house of God’ that consumed him, not “zeal for calling down judgment” on the defilers of the temple. The goal was to clean the temple. In fact, Jesus is going to tell Nicodemus right after this that “God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it.” 

So then the Jewish leaders responded, “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” 

The response of the Jewish leaders – the Pharisees – is interesting. They are more curious than anything. There is no record Jesus got in trouble for this, and it is not brought up at Jesus’ trial. It appears to track with what the people thought a prophet would do: protect the temple. Prophets had the authority to speak and act prophetically to cleanse the temple. They just asked for his credentials (a sign).

Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?” But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken. 

Jesus’ claim about being the temple shifted the focus of God’s presence on Earth away from a geographical place like the temple to the person of Jesus.[6] Also note: after the first miracle, they believed in Jesus. After the cleansing of the temple, the believed the Scriptures. I suspect that language is not accidental. We worship Jesus (not the Bible), but we trust the person of Jesus and revelation of God through Scripture that points toward or tells us about Jesus. That trust is foundational to our flourishing as followers of Jesus.

* * * * *

Jesus apparently cleansed the temple twice: the first Passover of his ministry (recorded only in John) and last Passover of his ministry. He bookended his life of ministry by focusing on His house and His people.  He never cleansed a Roman or Greek temple, though God knows they needed it. He didn’t cleanse a Samaritan temple, which was even worse to the Jewish people because their temples had incorporated pagan worship. The only temple he cleansed was the one where Yahweh was worshipped. The zeal of the Lord that consumed Jesus had to do with a zeal for the temple, God’s dwelling place.

God’s concern for the purity has always started with His people. Biblical prophets consistently spoke of God’s judgment on injustice beginning with God’s household. I’m going to walk us through some examples starting in the Old Testament and ending much closer to our time.

• Here is Amos, in a classic example of God addressing the need for purification among His own people. This is pretty typical prophetic language on this issue: Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.  Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.  Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:18-24)

• Ezekiel had a vision about how God felt about the corruption in the Israelite community. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you… Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it…”  The heavenly bearers of judgment on the unmarked were to “begin in my sanctuary” (Ezekiel 9:4-6; 11:12)

• When Jeremiah wrote about God’s coming judgment on the violent corruptions of the nations (not just Israel), we read this:“Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it….So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials…” (Jeremiah 25:15-18)

• Peter, writing several decades later, is one of several New Testament authors talks about it again. “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner… It’s judgment time for God’s own family. We’re first in line. If it starts with us, think what it’s going to be like for those who refuse God’s Message!” (1 Peter 4:12-13; 17-18, The Message)

• Augustine, in the 400s: “He then is eaten up with zeal for God’s house who desires to correct all that he sees wrong there. Let the zeal for God’s house consume every Christian wherever he or she is a member.”

• The Protestant Reformation (1500s) was all about this issue.

• The Great Awakenings (1700s, 1800s, some argue the Jesus Movement in the 1970s) were certainly about evangelism, but an awful lot of it was revival from within.

• Alexander Maclaren, (1826 - 1910) a minister in England for 65 years who was twice president of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and president of the Baptist World Congress in London in 1905, wrote a commentary I read a lot when I do sermon prep. Here is his commentary for this section:

A church as an outward institution is exposed to all the dangers to which other institutions are exposed. And these creep on insensibly, as this abuse had crept on. So it is not enough that we should be at ease in our consciences in regard to our practices as Christian communities. We become familiar with any abuse, and as we become familiar we lose the power of rightly judging of it.

 Therefore conscience needs to be guided and enlightened quite as much as to be obeyed.How long has it taken the Christian Church to learn the wickedness of slavery? Has the Christian Church yet learned the unchristianity of war? Are there no abuses amongst us, which subsequent generations will see to be so glaring that they will talk about us as we talk about our ancestors, and wonder whether we were Christians at all when we could tolerate such things?

They creep on gradually, and they need continual watchfulness if they are not to assume the mastery. The special type of corruption which we find in this incident is one that besets the Church always…It is all Christian communities, established and non-established churches, Roman Catholic and Protestant. The same danger besets them all. There must be money to work the outward business of the house of God. 

 But what about people that ‘run’ churches as they run mills? What about people whose test of the prosperity of a Christian community is its balance-sheet? What about the people that hang on to religious communities and services for the sake of what they can make out of them? We have heard a great deal lately about what would happen ‘if Christ came to Chicago.’ If Christ came to any community of professing Christians in this land, do you not think He would need to have the scourge in His hand… if Jesus Christ had not thus come, over and over again, to His Church, Christian men would have killed Christianity long ago...

We and our brethren, all through the ages, have been corrupting the Water of Life. And how does it come to be sweet and powerful still? That unique characteristic of Christianity, its power of reformation, is not self-reformation, but it is a coming of the Lord to His temple to ‘purify the sons of Levi, that their offering may be pleasant as in days of yore.’ So one looks upon the spectacle of churches labouring under all manner of corruptions; and one need not lose heart. The shortest day is the day before the year turns; and when the need is sorest the help is nearest...

I believe too, with all my heart-and I hope that you do-that, though the precious wheat is riddled in the sieve, and the chaff falls to the ground, not one grain will go through the meshes. Whatever becomes of churches, the Church of Christ shall never have its strength so sapped by abuses that it must perish, or its lustre so dimmed that the Lord of the Temple must depart from His sanctuary.[7]

God does not abandon His people. He intends the church to be a glorious bride (to use last week’s language), and to be salt and light in this rotting and dark world. So He’s going to do work in His people. And He intends for that salt to be salty, and that light to be bright.

When we (rightly) mourn and condemn the sin all around us, just know: God will deal with His children first so that when they go out into all the world to preach a gospel that transforms heart, soul, mind and strength, they are bringing the solution to the problem in word and deed, not adding to it.

How do we respond?

1. Identify what needs to get out of temple. [8] What most threatens to occupy the space God has set aside for His purposes in the church? What corrupting influences needs to be cleansed? I wrote down 5 things the broader church in America is wrestling with right now based on conversations and insight from those who study these things. Last night, at a wedding reception, Sheila and I sat with a young couple who live downstate who cited at least three of them for why they and many of their friends are struggling with church.  

Setting empire measures of success. Last week we talked about how God loves to use the “are nots” to confound the “are.” God specializes in using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. The success of the temple of God needs to be measured by the standards of the Kingdom of God. Worldly standards tend to involve two things when it comes to the success of organizations: how big you are, and how much money you have. Nothing wrong with either of those. If a church can be large and cash flush, more power to ‘em. It’s just not a Kingdom standard for success.

• Sometimes churches are big because they are crushing it when it comes to building a compelling community of truth and grace; sometimes they are big because they have light shows and free giveaways and a great coffee bar onsite; sometimes they are just situated in the right place at the right time. All kinds of reasons. Big is not bad, but it’s not automatically good.

• Sometimes churches are small because they have fallen out of the race through sin permeating the church, through bad leadership, or through the compromise of truth; sometimes a town died; sometimes the only people left after revival were those who were serious; sometimes they are situated in a place hostile to the gospel. All kinds of reasons. Small is not bad, but it’s not automatically good.

• Some churches have tons of money, some don’t, and the reasons for that are all over the map: what part of town is the church situated? What kinds of jobs to the congregants have? Are they recession-proof? What happened during COVID? Gas price hikes?

How does God measure success in his church, both globally and locally? That’s what I’m interested in. I would love to hear from you about this in Message+, but here’s a broad summary: Kingdom fruit. People being transformed into the image of Christ in whom the fruit of the Holy Spirit increasingly characterizes personal and corporate life.

Confusing empire power with kingdom influence. All throughout church history, whenever the church has become too deeply embedded within the halls of cultural power, it has compromised the church. It started with Constantine. He legalized Christianity, and under his rule persecution dropped dramatically. Christians began to have access to cultural comfort and wealth. It’s no surprise that they loved this change. Who wouldn’t? But almost right away, they began to passionately argue that things that weren’t okay for the previous 300 years were now okay. It turns out all those things were things that Constantine liked.

Their principle cracked; they began to love the power and comfort that came with cultural access and authority more than the power of God working through a faithful church. This pattern repeats over and over throughout history. The kind of kingdom influence that genuinely transforms cultures come from the ground up, not the top down. Christianity is a servant’s revolution.

In addition, we can take our cues from culture about how we ought to use power instead of looking to Jesus. Over the past few years, the very public reckoning in some areas of church life in America have revealed places where a love of and abuse of power looks like the world and not like how God intended his church to function. When the New Testament talks about those in positions of leadership or authority, it constantly stresses the servant nature of that position. In response to a couple disciples’ request to eventually “sit at his right and left hand” (places of authority), Jesus said,

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:20-28)

Fear of “them.” It usually sounds like this:  “If ‘they’ get their way, this is the end of…” And from that comes a whole movement based on fear often with an almost apocalyptic concern. Like Sam says to Frodo, “This is the end of all things!” But that is the exact opposite of what Scripture tells us God has given us: not a spirit of fear, but of “power, of love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

I have a concern that we look at whatever the latest challenge is to Christian life and teaching and respond as if we are thinking, “Well, looks like this one is bigger than God.”  Isn’t that functionally what we are saying when we panic in the face of cultural challenges? But as long as there has been a church, there have always been empire values that have pressed hard against the gates of the Kingdom. Sin has never stopped crouching at the door. This has always been true. Yet God hasn’t left his throne; He hasn’t abandoned his church; he hasn’t closed His Word or stifled his Holy Spirit. The church goes on. It has always gone on.    

Celebrityism. It is easy to fill the temple courtyard with people on pedestals. This, too, is as old of the church. Paul called out the factions and basically said, “Stop it! We don’t follow people!!”[9] We all have people we admire and trust; that’s not a bad thing. But they didn’t build the temple; they don’t set temple agendas; and they don’t get our worship or loyalty. There is something compelling about the idea that there is someone out there who I know is always speaking the truth, who always sees the world correctly, who whenever they speak or act, we can trust it’s good and true. But…that’s only Jesus. There is never a time we don’t filter people’s words, actions and character through the filter of God’s word.

We also have to be careful not to import celebrities from their cultural pedestal onto a church pedestal. Being a “big deal” in the eyes of the Empire carries no automatic weight in the Kingdom. It’s easy to think, “If we could get HIM or HER, then people will pay attention to the church!” And then it’s easy to think, “I want to be in small group with them, or sit nearby on a Sunday morning so we become friends.” Wanting to be their friend isn’t a bad thing in itself, but is a bad thing if it’s because you think they are cool or that somehow their friendship matters more than others.

 I think what God intends for the church is that we to know people with no concept of their standing in the world. If they have wisdom and righteousness, they have wisdom and righteousness. Hang out with them. That’s Kingdom life. #message+ #smallgroups  #potlucks #lobbytalk #coffee #hikingfishingBBQmoviesmealsetc

Consumerism. We live in a consumerist culture: we buy, we use, we discard. If we don’t like what we buy, we buy something else. Things are expendable. And you have noticed, people become expendable in a consumerist culture. We use and discard if they don’t make us happy. Churches can become expendable: we use and discard if they don’t make us happy. God and His kingdom can become expendable: we use the parts we don’t like and discard the parts we don’t until we created a space where (it turns out) God’s priorities and perspective perfectly align with ours. Huh. Church is a covenant community, and that’s a world apart from consumerism.

2. Pray for godly zeal.

 If we are like Jesus, zeal that our lives and our church become a holy space, “set aside” for God’s purposes, will consume us.

So, for what should we be zealous to remove and put in the courtyard of our church and our lives?  I mentioned some bigger picture issues to take out, and there are certainly more. I want to end by focusing on tangible Kingdom attributes that we are called to put in. And when God calls us, He equips us, so I know when can do this with His help. When we are zealous to see these things, the church flourishes as God’s transforming presence is made manifest in our transformed lives.

• Love – agape loving people well  

• Peace – bringing righteous order to sinful chaos

• Mercy – giving grace (unmerited favor) wherever possible

• Kindness – treating others with goodness

• Faithfulness – being a righteous presence others can count on

• Truth-telling – speaking honestly about…everything.

• Humility – having a modest/honest estimate of ourselves

• Generosity – giving to those in need

• Gentleness – strength under control in the service of others

• Self-control – not ruled by our appetites

• Prayer – regularly communicating with God

• Righteousness – doing that which God would approve

• Service – looking to serve rather than be served

• Nurture – caring for those who are hurting or broken

• Boldness – a fearlessness to do and say what is righteous

Help us, Lord, to play our part in this church becoming increasingly a holy community of love, truth, prayer, worship, repentance, forgiveness, justice and mercy – a place for people of all neighborhoods and nations, a place where the grace of Jesus’ saving atonement is central, a place where God’s name is honored in our words and actions and God’s presence is experienced as transformative, saving, and healing. May zeal for the integrity of your house, guided by your Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, consume us.[10]

 
________________________________________________________________________________

[1] “They transformed what should have been a place for worshipful prayer into a noisy market.” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[2] “John’s record of the temple cleansing immediately after the miracle at Cana (vv. 1–11 note) offers an important key to the whole of Jesus’ ministry. In these events are signaled replacement of the old order (water of ceremonial cleansing, Herod’s temple) with the new (the wine of salvation, Is. 25:6–9; the risen Lamb as the new temple, Rev. 21:22).”(ESV Reformation Study Bible)  This event is probably distinct from Jesus’ cleansing the temple at the end of his ministry (Matt 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46). (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[3] Malachi 3:1-4 “Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight…he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.”

[4] Benson Commentary

[5] Psalm 69:9

[6] “No two scenes can be more different than the two recorded in this chapter: the one that took place in the rural seclusion of Cana… the other that was done in the courts of the Temple swarming with excited festival-keepers; the one hallowing the common joys of daily life, the other rebuking the profanation of what assumed to be a great deal more sacred than a wedding festival; the one manifesting the love and sympathy of Jesus, His power to ennoble all human relationships, and His delight in ministering to need and bringing gladness, and the other setting forth the sterner aspect of His character as consumed with holy zeal for the sanctity of God’s name and house… they cover the whole ground of His character, and in some very real sense are a summary of all His work.” MacLaren’s Expositions.

[7] MacLaren’s Exposition

[8] This can be really personal as well as corporate. “Do you not know that you [the church] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you… For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) The church is “the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).  Believers are “a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5); “God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor. 3:17).

[9] 1 Corinthians 1

[10] Colin Smith, https://openthebible.org/sermon/zeal-for-gods-house/

Harmony 5: Water into Wine (John 2:1-12)

Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,  and Jesus and  his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.”[1]  Jesus replied, “Dear woman,[2] why are you saying this to me?[3] My time has not yet come.” His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” 

Now there were six stone water jars[4] there for Jewish ceremonial washing[5], each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and they did. 

When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!”[6] 

Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. After this Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

I could spend a lot of time on how, throughout church history, people found every minute detail loaded with meaning, and they may well be right. Check my footnotes. I just don’t have time to address everything. I am going to hit three bigger picture observations from this event.

JESUS SANCTIFIES THE ORDINARY

From the beginning, Jesus was not about spotlights, glamour, or show. He uses “the foolish things of the world” right out of the ministry gates. This is consistent with what Paul later writes to the church in Corinth.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish (uneducated) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak (without influence) things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly (lacking nobility) things of this world and the despised (without merit) things—and the things that are not [esteemed]—to nullify the things that are [esteemed], so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)[7]

Jesus uses the things that “are not”:

• servants, not prominent community leaders.

• clay pots, not silver bowls.

• water, the most basic liquid on the planet.

• a poor person’s wedding.[8]

• “Galilee of the Gentiles.”

• 5 recorded disciples, and he had to ask a couple of them to join.

• “They believed in him” after this, as if maybe not all of them were quite sure what they had signed up for.

 Jesus sanctifies the ordinary. This is the way of the kingdom. He calls ordinary disciples. He hangs out with the ordinary people in common places. He transforms ordinary things into extraordinary gifts. Jesus didn’t need movers and shakers, halls of power, mansions, a spotlight, or an honored place with the Pharisees.[9] In fact, he tended to resist all those things throughout his ministry. He sanctified the ordinary.

If you think of yourself as ordinary, don’t let that discourage you. Jesus intends to sanctify you. He will take the “are not” part of you and make something of it for your good and His glory.

JESUS PROPS UP HYPERLINKS (earthly realities analagous to heavenly realities)

Jesus brings wine to a wedding (two images LOADED into the New Testament in reference to the church – the bride – and Jesus – the groom. More on that later). The first thing official act John records is Jesus ensuring the success of an earthly institution that was going to be referenced to describe heavenly realities.[10]

Theologians use the word “accommodation” to describe how God communicates to people. He accommodates us by using language and imagery we can understand.  Think about how your language changes with your kids as they grow older. How you explain something to them when they are 3 is very different from when they are 8, or 15. The realities of the heavenly kingdom are often explained in the institutions, language, and images of earth. This is an accommodation to help us understand things about God and His Kingdom.

• God as a Father and Husband

• Church as a Bride or a Mother

• Christians as children of God, brothers and sisters with each other

• Marriage as a covenant of mutual love, care and respect.

I have been blessed to have those analogies bring an overall good response in me: Great dad and mom and extended family; I love being a husband a father; my sisters are amazing; marriage gets deeper and better the further it goes. None of these people or institutions have been perfect; sometimes it’s been really hard. I don’t want to make it glossy where its not. It’s just that when someone says to me, “God is our Father,” that brings me comfort, not anxiety, fear, or disgust.

We have hyperlinks embedded in us. We hear those words or think about those things, and we are taken to a place in our hearts and minds. We make a connection. I think we, as the people of God, have a vested interest in strengthen the integrity of these things so we and others don’t have terrible hyperlinks embedded in us. We do this by a) valuing them ourselves in word and deed, and b) bringing gospel health and healing in the culture around us through spreading the Good News of the life-saving, life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. 

• I am interested in the church teaching and modeling godly fatherhood (and a holy view of masculinity in general), as well as bringing gospel-centric stabilization to fathers and men everywhere. When people hear that God is a Father, I want to help “make straight the path” to the salvation and transformation Jesus offers rather than settle for potholes on the road to the Kingdom.

• I am interested in the church teaching and modeling godly motherhood (and holy view of femininity in general) as well as bringing gospel-centric stabilization to mothers and women everywhere. When people hear that church is their mother, I want to help “make straight the path” to the salvation and transformation Jesus offers rather than settle for potholes on the road to the Kingdom.

• I am interested in the church building holy marriages/families and then stabilizing marriages/families all around us. When people hear that the church is a bride with a divine groom, or God adopts as his children, I want the to help “make straight the path” to the salvation and transformation Jesus offers rather than settle for potholes on the road to the Kingdom.

This isn’t about political action, though surely God has ordained government to restrain evil and support what is good. I’m talking about first being salt and light, and then being scattered throughout our neighborhoods to bring gospel preservation and truth in what we say and what we do.

For that matter, this is true of the language we use to describe aspects of God’s character – and thus God’s action in the world. We, as followers of Jesus, have an interest in properly defining and living out things that are part of God’s nature and will for the world

• Love needs true definition and consistent incarnation so that when we talk about God’s love and our love for God and others, we bring gospel illumination to a very murky word. 

• Justice needs true definition and consistent incarnation so that when we talk about a just God’s justice, we bring gospel illumination to an often misunderstood word. 

• Mercy and grace need true definition and consistent incarnation so that when we talk about a God’s mercy and grace, people have already seen a gospel illumination in the mercy displayed by God’s people.

 In all these things, we have the opportunity to “make straight the path” to Jesus through our words and our lives.

JESUS: GROOM AND MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Jesus rebuked his own mother – respectfully – when she asked him to do something about the wine problem. Commentators, preachers and theologians disagree on what is going on here. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings:

1. When one person was unjustly bothering others, they could say "What to me and to you?" meaning, "What have I done to you that you should do this to me?" (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18 ).

2. When someone was asked to get involved in a matter that was not their business, she could say, "What to me and to you?"Or, "That is your business, how am I involved?" (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8).”[11]

 So did Jesus mean:

• “This is not our problem. If they run out of wine, they run out of wine.” That would seem at odds with Jesus’ character.

• “It’s not time for me to do miracles.” Which is basically what he told Satan in the wilderness when he didn’t do a miracle, so I struggle with that explanation.

• Some say he was just honoring his mother’s request – but then what happened to, “I must be about my Father’s business”? Or the times he tells people they must prioritize God over people, including their families?

 I have an opinion that I hold in an open hand. I think he is saying, “I am not responsible for thiswedding feast. I am not the master of ceremonies or the groom. Not yet.” Not yet. But that hour will come. After all, Jesus as the groom taking the church as His bride[12] is a primary image throughout the New Testament.

The Mishnah Kiddushin (where the Talmud deals with “dedication” or betrothal) talks about how a groom secured a bride. This is a different culture, to be sure, so whatever you think of the process, watch for the analogy.

·      The groom (and/or his father) traveled to the bride’s home to “purchase” her with a “bride price.”[13]

·      When the bride consented, the marriage contract, or ketubah, was established

·      The father handed the groom a cup of wine, which he gave to the bride and said, "This cup I offer to you."

·      If she drank it, they were betrothed. They had given their lives to each other.

·      This betrothal (kiddushin, meaning “sanctified” or set apart) made them legally husband and wife

·      During that time between betrothal and marriage, the groom would construct a home.

·      The groom would return for his bride without advance warning. The bride needed to be ready (see the parable in Matthew 25:1–15).

·      The groom’s arrival was announced with a shout, and the wedding feast commenced shortly.

·      On the 7th day of the wedding feast, the bridegroom lifted the veil of the bride. This moment of revelation was called "the apocalypse," or, "the unveiling." 

·      For the first time she was fully revealed to Him, and the marriage would be consummated.

So….

·      Jesus traveled to earth to “purchase” His bride, the church, for the price of His blood. Purchase from whom, you ask? Hmmm. Well, the Bible says that outside of Christ, “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (I John 5:19) We are in bondage to the Devil as “master” and at times even a “father” (John 8:44, I John 3:8), prince of this world (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:1-3) or ruler (John 16:11). I think this means we are born into (or have sold ourselves into) Satan’s headship as our abusive father/husband/master. Jesus offers betrothal that dissolves our ties to the ruler of the darkness of this world and makes us members of God’s household, no expense spared.[14]

·      Jesus gives a bride price: the Holy Spirit. The church consents.

·      The marriage contract is established; the church is sanctified, or set apart, exclusively for Jesus.

·      God the Father handed Jesus the cup of His suffering; Jesus says, "This cup I offer to you." #lastsupper

·      In communion, we symbolically accept His life and give him ours. We are betrothed (“sanctified”), but waiting for the final consummation.

·      During that time Jesus is “preparing a place” for us (John 14:2-3).

·      Jesus will return for the church (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The exact time of his arrival is not known (Mark 13:33). The church needs to be ready![15] “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19)

·      His arrival will be announced with a shout (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

·      In Revelation, "The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ” we see the "unveiling" of the Bride as she is received by Christ, the Bridegroom. 

·      The consummation for the church? “Then we will fully know as we are known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Final note. Seven blessings were pronounced at the wedding. The 7th Blessing summarizes the others, after which the bride and the groom share wine:

"Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, King of the universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant voice of bridegrooms from their canopies, and of youths from their feasts of song. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makest the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride."[16]

 We are closing with communion today. It was the betrothal ceremony initiated by Jesus 2,000 years ago. “This do in remembrance of me.” He is preparing a place; he will return, and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and His bride, the church, will begin. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

"Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, King of the universe, who has created joy and gladness, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who through your Son has made the way for bride, the church, to rejoice with the bridegroom – our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May our words and our lives fill the streets with the jubilant voices of joy and gladness.”

__________________________________________________________________________

[1] Ancient commentators speculated this was the wedding of John the Baptist or another near relative - which is why Mary would know of this hugely embarrassing shortage of wine, and perhaps explaining why a shortage of wine was a problem for Jesus to help solve. Also, notice Mary does not ask for a miracle. She asks for Jesus to help solve a problem. Some think Mary may have been hinting they should leave: “A question of great interest arises - What did she mean by her appeal? Bengel suggested that Mary simply intended: "Let us depart before the poverty of our hosts reveals itself." (Pulpit Commentary)

[2] This is a respectful way of addressing a woman within that culture.

[3] What do you have against me? What is there between us? What do we have in common in this matter?” It’s “a phrase that emphasizes distance and often hostility.” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible) It was a Hebraic idiom that means in essence “What do we have in common?" Demons spoke similar words when confronted by Christ ("What business do we have with each other, in Mk 1:24+, Mk 5:7+). (Precept Austin)

[4] “That there are six (one less than the perfect seven) indicates that the Law, illustrated by water being reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life. This water is changed into wine, symbolizing the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life. The overabundant gallons of wine illustrate the overflowing grace Christ grants to all.” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[5] Those pots were to be used for washing for ritual purity. “To employ waterpots set aside for purification for non-ritual purposes violated custom; consistent with Jesus’ values elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus here values the host’s honor above ritual purity customs.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament) 

[6] "The Old Covenant is the inferior wine: Jesus is the good wine.

[7] “These verses should serve as a rebuke to Christians who curry the favor of prominent and well-known personages and show little or no regard for the more humble saints of God.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[8] Most commentaries speculate that the hosts had cut it close on the wine to save money.

[9] If you find yourself chasing and clinging to the powerful, beautiful, famous people in the spotlight of culture or church, that’s not a spotlight found in Scripture. Be careful. God’s favor is not on the boastful and proud.

[10] Earthly marriage and weddings are important enough to prop up, even if they are only echoes of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb and the wedding of Christ and the church. 

[11] Explanation from the NET Bible

[12] For example, Revelation 21:2, 9–10;  19:7; 22:17. “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” (2 Corinthians 11:2–3).

[13] When a dowry is paid, it is paid by the bride’s family. This did not happen in Judaism.

[14] “Betrothed to God at a Price.” https://www.patheos.com/blogs/beyondalltelling/2019/04/betrothed-to-god-at-a-price/2/

[15] In Revelation 19:1-9 : “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

[16] Translation from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/313725/jewish/The-Seven-Benedictions-Sheva-Berakhot.htm

Harmony #4: “Stay and Follow” (John 1:35-51; 2 Peter 1:3-9)

When we read about the calling of the first disciples last week, Jesus used two key phrases:

So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), “Where are you staying?” Jesus answered, “Come and you will see...”On the next day Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 

We talked about the “come and see” part last week. Today will focus on the following, which I am going to call “stay and follow” so it matches with “come and see.” J  Last week we talked about the challenge of sprinting toward Jesus when faced with choices so that we increasingly reflect His character. When that happens, people who ‘come and see’ Jesus aren’t soured on Jesus by what they see in the people of Jesus. In addition, there is an increasing number of people are having such a bad experience in churches that they are leaving church so they don’t leave Jesus.

Today, let’s talk about what it looks like to follow Jesus well so that rather than being roadblocks on the way to the cross, we are “‘preparing the way for the Lord, and making straight paths for him.”[1] Our text is from 2 Peter 1:3-9. 

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature. 

 To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love.  

For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with and true knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Anointed;  but if you don’t have these qualities, then you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your past sins have been washed away—2 Peter 1: 3–9

  To [share in the divine nature], you will need to add/supply/equip (epichoregein)…”

Epichoregein comes from a word that means "the leader of a chorus." Greek plays needed ‘choruses’ – groups that gave commentary and filled in the plot line for the audience. This was expensive. Wealthy people would voluntarily fund these choruses at great cost. Epichoregein eventually became associated with other generous and costly things: equipping an army with supplies; equipping a soul with virtues.

Peter said for Christians to equip their faith in this way: be lavish, be generous, overwhelm your faith with the following gifts that will enable your faith to flourish. It’s like they are singing along with your life, constantly giving commentary and filling in the plot lines. There’s a great line in Hamlet when Hamlet turns to his cousin – who won’t stop talking – and says, “You are as good as a chorus.” That’s what we want our virtues to be in our life. This adding/supplying/equipping language reminds us that Christians cooperate with the grace of God.

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).

It’s a sanctifying faith in which our human wills cooperate with the divine will. Think of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (five wise and five foolish) going to a wedding. Only the five with oil in their lamps end up going. A German theologian named John Bengal wrote:

"The flame is that which is imparted to us by God and from God without our own labor; but the oil is that which a man must pour into life by his own study and his own faithful effort, so that the flame may be fed and increased."

The list here is the oil which we pour onto the flame God has given us. These lists were a common literary tool (often for memorization purposes) in the ancient world and the early church. [2]

FIRST STEP: FAITH

The list begins with faith: “trusting, holding to, and acting on what one has good reasons to believe is true in the face of difficulties” (Tim McGrew) Maybe think of it this way: Faith is a lifestyle of confident trust. Each step we take in this list moves us into sharing more fully in life in and with Christ.

It’s worth noting that faith is not a feeling, though feelings can and do accompany faith. Faith is a life orientation, a purposeful allegiance, a world’view’ that orients our world’do’ (@ copyright 2022 J) It has to do with things to which we trust the weight of our lives (like this chair, and your chair). We do this all the time with physical things: ladders, cars, airplanes, skyscrapers, etc.

A number of years ago, I went out on my deck one spring to find that a portion of it had sagged about a foot down the house wall. Turns out whoever built it hadn’t fastened it right. So I fastened it, propped it up, etc. When I walk out on my deck now, I put my weight on it.

We also do this with people. Maybe a friend, a counselor, a doctor, a spouse, a parent. We lean on them; we sag on them; we trust who they are, and what they say and do.

Faith has to do with trusting Jesus such that we put the weight of our life on him.

SECOND STEP: VIRTUE

The word is arete, which is virtue, courage or moral excellence. It was used by the Greeks to describe land which is fertile; it also described what the gods did (or were at least supposed to do). It was used to describe people who had the moral backbone not to back down in the face of difficulty.

Our lifestyle of confident trust must be joined with a commitment to moral excellence as seen in the character of God and the person of Jesus, and it must be held tightly in the face of challenges or persecution. We want the land of our life to be fertile soil in which good things grow.

When we tilled our garden this year, my wife and I both commented on how rich the dirt looked. Well, yeah. We put stuff in it last year: compost, manure, leaves. We made it fertile so things would grow.

We start by trusting Jesus; from that, we look to the virtuous character of Jesus as a standard for the soil of our lives, and we take what God has given us and work into the soil so that good virtues grow well.

THIRD STEP: KNOWLEDGE

The word is gnosis - practical knowledge, or practical wisdom.

Worth noting: this comes after virtue. Knowledge in the hands of non-virtuous people can be disastrous. This is why the phrase “Knowledge is power” always made me uneasy. It was posted everywhere to encourage people to get an education. Well, sure, but if you educate a moral fool, you just give power to a moral fool. Knowledge itself is not enough. It is meant to be given to a virtuous person. If you want to be known for your knowledge, please desire to be known for your virtue first.

Key takeaway, though: knowledge matters. We don’t all have to know the same things or know the same amount about the same things. That would actually be quite boring. But we should have a habit of studying God’s two main revelations to us: His work and His Word. His work is general revelation (God’s creation); His Word is special revelation (the Word of God in print and in Person). From both of these we learn more about our Creator, as well as his design and purpose for us.

Don’t we study words and work all the time? When I first came on staff here, I needed to know how to be in a leadership position in the church. Ted hired me to be youth pastor; I had been helping Anne as an assistant when she led youth. I listened to Ted and Anne’s words – and watched their work, both of which happened because I spent time with them. I got to know them. I still do this with those in leadership in this church and others because I still need to learn. I listen to their words and watch their work.

Spend purposeful, focused time learning to know God through His Word and His work.

FOURTH STEP: DISCIPLINE

A person full of virtue and knowledge will know the importance of and see the appeal of self-control. The Greek word used here, egkrateia, is what happens when reason fights against passion and prevails. This is a realistic view of life. Being a Christian does not necessarily remove our passions; it tames, orders and directs them.  As we become a servant of Christ, our passions become a servant of us.

For example: I’ve told my boys that the best way to deal with sexual desire isn’t to try to pretend it’s not there or to get rid of it. God made you to have sexual desire. The passion is not a problem; it’s a gift meant to lead toward great pleasures within covenant marriage. The question is this: is your passion directed in the service of God? Is it ordered toward the good? What does it look like to harness that energy in the service of God and His world? It’s more than just this area, of course.

• There is a holy and a sinful form of anger.

• There is a holy and a sinful form of sorrow.

• There is a holy and a sinful form of happiness.

• There is a holy and a sinful form of longing.

• There is a holy and a sinful form of desperation.

• There is a holy and a sinful form of a work, and play, and relaxation….

Jesus did not come to obliterate our desires; he came to redeem them. And part of that redemption involves putting banks around the raging rivers of emotions that want to flood the world so that we bring life to the world rather than ruin.

FIFTH STEP: ENDURANCE

Cicero defines patientia, its Latin equivalent, as "the voluntary and daily suffering of hard and difficult things, for the sake of honor and usefulness."

Odds are good that if you have faith, virtue, true knowledge and self-control, endurance [or steadfastness] will follow. A dude from Alexandria named Didymus wrote of Job (and this combines what we looked at in the self-control section):

“It is not that the righteous man must be without feeling, although he must patiently bear the things which afflict him; but it is true virtue when he deeply feels the things he toils against, but nevertheless despises sorrows for the sake of God.”

The Greek word used here (hupomone) is more than endure, though. It is full of anticipation and hope. Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). This is what we are talking about.  There is no moment in life that does not contain hope, either for this life or the next.

Maybe recovering from surgery is a good analogy here. The pain…the physical therapy…the need to stop doing certain things you love…. We set them aside for what awaits on the other side: (hopefully) health. We pay the cost because of the greatness of the reward that awaits.

SIXTH STEP: GODLINESS

The word use here, eusebeia is hard to translate, apparently, but it’s about the closest you get to a word that could be translated as religion, worship, or piety.  Basically, it is simultaneously worshiping God and serving others. It reminds me a little bit of the Hebrew word shalom, which includes peace with God and others.

To the Greeks, Socrates embodied this (for historical context, Socrates died about the time the Old Testament ends). A writer named Xenophon describes as follows:  

"He was so pious and devoutly religious that he would take no step apart from the will of heaven; so just and upright that he never did even a trifling injury to any living soul; so self-controlled, so temperate, that he never at any time chose the sweeter instead of the better; so sensible, so wise, and so prudent that in distinguishing the better from the worse he never erred."

Okay, that is definitely an exaggeration, but you get the idea of what the Greeks thought of when they thought of this word. Even pagan cultures had a notion of what true religion was supposed to accomplish in a person.

I don’t want to re-preach last week’s sermon, but we saw it there in the early church. God intends righteous words and righteous lives to be inseparable. God intends knowledge of what’s holy to translate it into actions that themselves are holy. 

SEVENTH STEP: FAMILIAL AFFECTION

Philadelphia literally translates as “love of the brethren.” If people are generally seen as a nuisance that get in the way of the projects that are really important to us, something is out of tune. I’m not so sure this means that we super-duper like every individual person as much as it means we ‘have affection for’ the community of God’s people (which will include trying to like them as best we can with God’s grace).

Epictetus was Stoic philosopher who would have been a contemporary of Peter. He is famous for saying that he really had an impact on the world because he didn’t get married and produce snotty-nosed children. He once said,

"How can he who has to teach mankind run to get something in which to heat the water to give the baby his bath?"

Peter sees it differently (and these are my words, not his):

“How can those who want to teach mankind not run to do things just like that?” 

I think this has to do with a mindset, a posture, an orientation of actively pursuing being in community with others. I thought of this Wednesday night at the park. There were people who knew each other well and others who didn’t, but they wanted to be together and get to know each other. That desire to know and be known by others oriented them in a particular way. Now, you don’t have to be at the picnic for that to happen J It just an example that stood out to me Wednesday night.  

* * * * *

So far, the list is about who you are called to be, because that is really important. It finishes with what we are supposed to do as a result of being a particular kind of person.

EIGHTH STEP: LOVE

Agape love is a deliberate choice to work for the highest good of another, engaging in sacrificial action toward that goal. It comes from our will, not our emotions or feelings (though emotions and feelings may be a part of it). It is deliberately and sacrificially loving the unlovable when there is nothing that makes us want to love. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, (Gal. 5:22) a sign that we are sharing in the divine nature.  

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) 

There is a phrase I like: “If God calls you, He will equip you.” God calls us to agape love, yes? He has given us the equipment we need.

• faith (a lifestyle of confident trust)

• virtue (moral excellence)

• knowledge (practical wisdom)

• discipline (self-control)

• endurance (hopeful patience)

• godliness (worshiping God/serving others

• philadelphia love (affection for others)

He has equipped us in this way to allow us to “share in the divine nature” – which, I think, finds its culmination in agape love as an expression of genuinely knowing and becoming like Jesus.

“For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with and true knowledge (epigenosis) of our Lord Jesus the Anointed.”

No matter who you are or where you are in life, if you are on this path, you life is not useless and unproductive, but fruitful. These spiritual graces can be added to faith in any circumstance by anyone, and you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with and true knowledge of Christ.

Now, let your chorus sing as that it points toward the Composer and Conductor who makes all of this possible.

______________________________________________________________________________________

[1] What Isaiah prophesied John the Baptist would do (Mark 1:3).

[2] You see lists several other places in 1st century church writings: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23); righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11);  faith, self-control, simplicity, innocence and reverence, understanding, love (The Shepherd of Hermas)

Harmony #3: “Come And See” (John 1:35-51)

The next day John was standing there with two of his disciples. Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?”

So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), “Where are you staying?” Jesus answered, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated Christ). Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

On the next day Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” (Now Philip was from Bethsaida , the town of Andrew and Peter.) Philip found Nathanael (Bartholemew?) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!” Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth—you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Come and See

If you’ve ever had someone try to explain a new game to you, eventually they probably say something like this, “Let’s just start to play. It will make sense once we get started.” And sure enough – often, it starts to click when you actually begin to experience what before had just been theoretical.

I’ve discovered it’s one thing to know about a sport and another thing to know a sport. I know basketball because I have tasted and seen that basketball is good. I know about football, but I don’t know football. I know about pickleball, but I don’t know pickleball. And all of you pickleball fans are like, “Come and see. Play it once, and you’ll know why we show up places at the crack of dawn.”

That’s the idea, I think. Jesus says to those looking and wondering, “Come and see.” Then that becomes the approach they pass on to others. There is a reason for this.

• If you just see Jesus but don’t draw closer, it will be just head knowledge and not heart investment.

• If you just draw closer but don’t actually want to see Jesus clearly, you may well invest your heart - but in false image of Jesus.

“Come and see” is a call to learn and know who Jesus is , as well as what it means to follow him. “Taste and see,” said the Psalmist, “that the Lord is good.”

A couple truths follow from this.

Following Jesus means not following …not Jesus.

Brilliant insight, I know, but we have to leave one thing to go to another thing. Have you seen those videos where two people are with a dog, and they suddenly sprint in opposite directions to see which one the dog follows? Eventually the dog always chooses one.

That’s the idea here. You can’t serve God and ____________. The Bible uses language of loving and imagery of clinging to describe what it’s like to attach ourselves to God. You can’t love/cling to God and something else. We are called to be ‘all in’ for Jesus. This reminds of marriage language – the ‘leaving’ a family and ‘cleaving’ or clinging to the spouse. You have to leave one to cling to the other – and that’s an exclusive kind of clinging. It’s different from all our other attachments.

Jesus specifically highlighted one particular thing we can’t love along with God: mammon/money/material things. But he also uses language of things we love vs. things we hate as a way of saying (as his audience would have understood) that loyalty demands preferential allegiance in all areas of life. At the end of the day, when our loyalty options sprint in different directions, we can’t choose both. Our loyalty will be revealed by that to which we give preferential allegiance in terms of time, money, study, emotional investment, formative influence, etc. We can’t share preferential allegiance with God and….

• Money. Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” was both a winning political insight and a sad reflection of human motivation.

• Family. If it’s Jesus vs. family pressure, it’s got to be Jesus.

• Friends. Who will you follow when there is a fork in the road of righteousness vs. unrighteousness?

• Vocation. If your work makes you compromise your faith, your choice has already been made.

• Culture. All cultures have beastly values motivated by a dragon.

• Politics. There will always be sketchy things at odds with the Kingdom and the King we serve.

• Organizations. Denominations and conventions do not deserve allegiance. The SBC is making this abundantly clear right now, though picking on them alone would be timely but unfair.

There will be something or someone that we treat as ultimate, and God has made it clear that He has no interest in sharing that space with other things. When it comes to our primary, life-orienting allegiance, Jesus demands exclusivity.

Seeing Jesus means looking away from…not Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

This word translated as “fill” here comes from logízomai:

• the root of the English terms "logic, logical"

• properly, compute, "take into account"

• reckon (come to a "bottom-line")

• reason to a logical conclusion (decision).

The things Paul listed are supposed to be the thing on which we build a firm foundations that properly organizes how we conclude we ought to live in the Kingdom of God. In order for that to happen, the virtuous things in the list need to carry the weight of our spiritual, mental and emotional formation.

It’s worth noting that Paul – who wrote that verse – was clearly versed in Greek and Roman culture and entertainment. We have no idea how much of it he was forced to be aware of and how much of it he freely chose. We just know he wasn’t isolated from his culture. The early church records show that Christians used Greek and Roman stories (like Aesop) as part of the training for their kids. So this isn’t necessarily building a wall between us and culture, but when there aren’t walls, we sure need to talk about fences.

It’s so hard, in a world that demands our attention constantly, to keep our focus on Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith, to make sure He is the one who gets the first and last word in anything that is meaningfully formative in our lives. I think the first fence we must build is an awareness that culture has its own list of “whatsoevers” with which it wants to fill us: “Whatsoever things are…

• Mammon (money and things = the good life)

• Sexy (value wrapped up in being physically desirable)

• Scandalous (love of gossip)

• Self-expressive (I can do/be/say what I want all the time everywhere)

• Adrenaline-building (the good life must always be exciting!)

• Anger-inducing (cancel culture, for example, thrives on the next outrage)

• Performance-based (we earn our value; so do others)

• Fear-mongering (Chicken Little Syndrome - “Life as we know it/our culture/our world is going to END if we don’t deal with…”)

• Reputation protecting (coverups, dishonesty, gaslighting to save reputation and power)

…think on these things.”

But we don’t have to go straight to culture to deal with these issues. Do you remember when Jesus told the Pharisees they were making disciples of hell? The Pharisees, who tried so hard to get every last detail right? The Pharisees, who missed the mark so badly that Jesus told them they were actually accomplishing the exact opposite of what they thought they were?

Can we be honest? People haven’t changed over time. You bet the Romans had issues – but the Pharisees were throwing stones from a glass house. We have to be careful. Church culture can have its own list of “whatsoevers” on which it causes follower of Jesus to dwell that can also lead away from Jesus: “Whatsoever things are…

• Luxurious (prosperity gospel: wealth = God’s blessing/approval)

• AMAZING (only extraordinary people and events have an impact)

• Flashy (the spectacular vs. acts of service to build the kingdom)

• Performance-based (downplaying grace – and the gift of rest)

• Adrenaline-building (our faith is only alive when we feel all the feels!)

• Anger-inducing (“Can you call down fire on the Samaritans?” )

• Fear-mongering (Chicken Little Syndrome - - “Life as we know it/our culture/our world/the church is going to END if we don’t deal with THAT!”)

• Reputation-protecting (coverups, dishonesty, gaslighting to save reputation and power)

…think on these things.”

Can we chat about the state of the church in the United States? I am not picking on us, by the way. I am feeling this because of recent headlines about things happening in the American church, and we are part of that broader community, so….

When Jesus invited people to come and see him, the moment he got disciples, the folks were going to see the disciples too. Hanging out with Jesus included hanging out with the people who followed Jesus.

When people “come and see” Jesus, what will they see in the followers of Jesus, in the family they are now supposed to enter and in which they are intended to flourish? Does it look like a new kind of Kingdom with a glorious King, or does it remind them of the Empire which they just left?

The Southern Baptist Convention made headlines this week because of decades of responding badly to abuse within the circle of SBC churches as well as in leadership. By “badly,” I mean 700+ leaders guilty of moral and legal crimes, and the SBC as an organization shaming victims, covering it up, not reporting crimes, moving perpetrators on to new congregations.

Now, those on the outside looking in are saying, “Come and see? No thanks. I see Jesus, and I like Jesus, but I also see the people of Jesus, and I’d like to keep my distance.”

Many on the inside are saying roughly the same thing. Russell Moore, who was President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2013 to 2021 and currently works for Christianity Today:

“If people reject the church because they reject Jesus and the gospel, we should be saddened but not surprised. But what happens when people reject the church because they think we reject Jesus and the gospel? People have always left the church because they want to gratify the flesh, but what happens when people leave because they believe the church exists to gratify the flesh – in orgies of sex or anger or materialism?

That’s a far different problem. What if people don’t leave the church because they disapprove of Jesus, but because they’ve read the Bible and have come to the conclusion that the church itself would disapprove of Jesus? That’s a crisis… What they are really asking is about integrity – about whether all of this holds together.

Challenging an evangelical movement about conduct that is “not in step with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14 ESV) often prompts a charge of fostering disunity…Yet unity is not silence before injustice, or the hoarding of temporal influence, but a concern for the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church – provided that the scandal they encounter is the scandal of the cross rather than the scandal of us.”

We may say it’s not fair – we were supposed to see Jesus, not the flawed follower of Jesus. But we are ambassadors; we are “the hands and feet of Jesus,” a phrase full of promise – and peril. “We are the only Bible some people will ever read,” is a great motto when things are going well and a damning indictment when they are not.

So is there anything we can do so that when anyone in the church or outside of the church is here to see Jesus, we help to clarify their vision rather than cloud it? Yes.

I just bought a book by Alan Kreider called The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. He’s looking at the first few centuries of the church and asking how it grew so, well, improbably? Here’s a summary of a much more complex answer:

“The Christians’ focus was not on “saving” people or recruiting them; it was on living faithfully—in the belief that when people’s lives are rehabituated in the way of Jesus, others will want to join them.”

I don’t think he means to say they didn’t spread the good news of Jesus. I think he is just stressing that the first Christians understood that living was witnessing, and that inconsistent living would drown out even the most passionate words. When we become someone new in Christ - and then live as someone new in Christ - there is something really compelling about the Kingdom community – and thus the King. And this is, indeed, what happened in the early church. From the Epistle to Diognetus which was written in 130 A.D, concerning followers of Jesus:

They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring.

They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life.

They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers.

When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word -- what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world.

Tertullian, a North African scholar who lived from around AD 160-225:

"We are a body knit together as such by a common religious profession, by unity of discipline, and by the bond of a common hope. We meet together as an assembly and congregation, that, offering up prayer to God as with united force, we may wrestle with Him in our supplications. This strong exertion God delights in.

We pray, too, for the emperors, for their ministers and for all in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the prevalence of peace, for the delay of the [return of Jesus]. We assemble to read our sacred writings . . . and with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, we make our confidence more steadfast; and no less by inculcations of God’s precepts we confirm good habits….

On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he be able: for there is no compulsion; all is voluntary. These gifts are . . . not spent on feasts, and drinking-bouts, and eating-houses, but to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents, and of old persons confined now to the house;such, too, as have suffered shipwreck; and if there happen to be any in the mines or banished to the islands or shut up in the prisons, for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of God's Church, they become the nurslings of their confession. But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us.

See, they say, how they love one another, for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred. See, they say about us, how they are ready even to die for one another, for they themselves would sooner kill."

In 256 Cyprian wrote this to his his people:

“Beloved brethren,[we] are philosophers not in words but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth; we know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them; we do not speak great things but we live them… It [is] not at all remarkable if we cherish only our own brethren with a proper observance of love.” Instead, Christians should do “more than the publican or the pagan.” They should exercise “a divine-like clemency, loving even their enemies . . . and praying for the salvation of their persecutors.”

Alan Kredier imagines Cyprian warming to his point in this way:

“You Christians, you are my people and flock, you know the mercy of God, and you demonstrate this by providing visits, bread, and water for other believers who are suffering. I praise God for your faithfulness. Now I am calling you to broaden your view, to exercise ‘a divine-like clemency’ by loving your pagan neighbors.

Visit them, too; encourage them; provide bread and water for them. I know that in recent months some pagans have been involved in persecuting you. Pray for them; ‘pray for their salvation,’ and help them. You are God’s children: the descendants of a good Father should ‘prove the imitation of his goodness.’”

___________________________________________________________________________________

I posted this in the wrong format. Here are footnotes that went with the original.

“Come … and you will see,” he replies. This language is consciously designed to describe discipleship: to “follow” (Gk. akoulotheo), to “come and see,” and to “stay, remain” (Gk. meno) each describe aspects of discipleship. (NIV Application Commentary)

Andrew is constantly bringing someone to Jesus (John 6:8; 12:22).

“Cephas” is Aramaic, and “Peter” Greek, for “rock.” Nicknames were common, especially to distinguish various persons with the same name (such as Simon; cf. Mark 3:16–18), although adding the father’s name (“child of”) could serve the same purpose (for Simon’s father, cf. also Matt. 16:17; John 21:15–17). Rabbis sometimes gave characterizing nicknames to their disciples (m. Avot 2:8). In the Old Testament, God often changed names to describe some new characteristic of a person (Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joshua; as a negative declaration see Jer. 20:3). For this naming, cf. also Mark 3:16; esp. Matt. 16:17–18. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary On The New Testament) “Neither Petros in Greek nor Kephas in Aramaic are usual names but are actually nicknames (like the American “Rocky”), which often point to some feature of a person’s character.” (NIV Application Commentary)

 Nathanael is not listed among the apostles; in all three Synoptic stories Batholomew is listed with Philip (Matt. 10:3). But Jesus had other disciples  (Luke 10) who worked with the Twelve; Nathanael may have been one of them. (NIV Application Commentary)

The joke on Galilee started in the time of Solomon. From 1 Kings 9: 10-13 (keep in mind that Galilee and Nazareth are in the land of Cabul): “Now at the end of the twenty years…King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre… so Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them. “What are these towns you have given me, my brother?” asked Hiram, and he called them the Land of Cabul, as they are called to this day.” Also, this: “By 724 BC, Assyria had captured northern Israel.  In its place, a wave of Gentile immigration repopulated the region, bringing with them a legion of pagan idols and ways of life. ‘The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria [the capital of Northern Israel] in place of the sons of Israel.  So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.’  (2 Kings 17:24) For this reason, the region took on the name Galil ha’Goyim (Galilee of the Nations or Galilee of the Gentiles). These Gentiles incorporated Jewish customs into their own pagan practices, developing a range of superstitions and false doctrines.” (“How Can the Messiah Come from Galilee?” https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/can-messiah-come-galilee/

Jesus plays on the Old Testament Jacob, or “Israel,” who was a man of guile (Gen. 27:35; 31:26); see John 1:51. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary On The New Testament). In the language here, there is an evident allusion to the ladder that Jacob saw in a dream, and to the angels ascending and descending on it, Genesis 28:12. “What Jacob had dreamt was in Christ realized. “(Expositor’s Greek New Testament)

Psalms 46: “Come and see what the Lord has done, the amazing things he has done on the earth.” Psalm 66:5: “Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.” John 4:29, the Woman at the well: “Come, see a man…”

“Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

That his name was Paulus means, as a Jewish man, he almost certainly had a Roman mentor. It’s one reason he was primed to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He knew Gentiles.

 I’m not picking on CLG. I’m looking at church history, the American church in the headlines, etc.

 “The number of Americans now affiliated with a church is just 47 percent. What’s significant is not just the low number, but also the speed of the plummet – from 69 percent twenty years ago to 47 percent now. And the numbers are even worse than they appear. Generation X is less affiliated than Baby Boomers, Millennials less than Gen-X, and Generation Z looks likely to be even less affiliated than them all… the most reliable studies available show us that as little as 8 percent of White Millennials identify as evangelicals, as compared to 26 percent of senior adults. With Generation Z, the numbers are even more jarring – with 34 percent (and growing) identifying as religiously unaffiliated.” http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/witness/integrity-and-the-future-of-the-church

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.

____________________________________________________________________________

[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

Gospel Harmony #1 In The Beginning Was The Word - John 1:1-18

We are going to begin a journey through the life of Jesus as presented through the 4 Gospels. It’s going to take a while J. I am going to take the approach of harmonizing the four accounts in what’s called ‘harmonizing’ the accounts into a unified story.[1] You can find a good “harmony of the gospels” version online called the The NET Bible Synthetic Harmony of the Gospels Study Edition.[2]

There is an upside and a downside to this approach. The upside is getting all the details from all the writers into one spot, because they often add unique details that help to provide fascinating insight. [3]

The downside is that each author has a particular audience and a particular focus, and thatinsight from looking at each kind of particular storytelling can be lost in the background. [4]

 I will do my best to incorporate the uniqueness of the perspectives as we go through this.

* * * * * 

We are going to start with Genesis. Sounds odd, but John’s account – the last on written, the one stressing the deity of Jesus – starts not with a genealogy of Jesus, the Son of Man, but the identity of Jesus, the Son of God. So that's where we will start.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.[5] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.  He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; however, the only God, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.  -  (John 1:1-18, ESV)

* * * * *

“When time itself began, the Word (Logos)[6] already was. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

1. The Word (God the Son) was both with and is God (The Father). Neither of them ever came to be. They just are[7].

2. There must be some sort of plurality in God. This is referencing the notion of the Trinity, of 3 persons with 1 essence. Yes, it’s mystery, but we’ll look at it more in a little bit.[8]

3. The meaning of “ in the beginning with God” in Greek suggests The Word was “front and center” during Creation.[9]

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.[10] What was made had life in it, but THIS LIFE was the light of men: the light that shines in the darkness[11], and that the darkness does not understand or comprehend, and has not overcome.[12]

The Word created everything that had a beginning. This is what philosophers call a claim to First Cause. Paul makes this point in Acts 17:24 when he was finding common ground with the Greek philosophers.[13] A basic claim of Christianity is that God made everything and set it in motion. If we stop there, then this is the God of Deists, who winds the clock of the world and just lets in run without really caring or interfering after that. But John doesn’t stop there. God’s personhood makes Him inevitably personal, and as he will show personable persons relate to others.

The ‘light’ reference seems to be a riff off of Genesis 1. “Let there be light” is more than just a command for physical light to dispel darkness; the “light” of Christ dispels spiritual darkness, moral murkiness, truth in all its forms. Jesus’ light would bring clarity, reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness. It would also be this light that his followers would reflect, however dimly, to point a dying world to the source of light.[14]

Adam Clarke suggests a reference here to Genesis 3:20, when Adam called his wife's name Eve, חוהchava, ζωη, LIFE, because she was the mother of all living. Then Jesus was the seed of LIFE (the woman) that was to crush the head of the serpent (the Satan/evil/death) and give true life to the world.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all[15] might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light[16], which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world[17].

John introduces another John, John the Baptist. John the Baptizer had his own disciples – we see later the there were people who were known for receiving “the baptism of John” vs. the baptism of Jesus. But John was not about John; he was about Jesus. It’s a good reminder for all of us who ‘prepare the way of the Lord.” It’s never about us. It’s always about Jesus. In fact, if we become the focus, we have undermined the message.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know know him (through personal experience). He came to his own, and his own people did not associate with or come along side him.  But to all who did receive him – who actively took hold of him[18], who had confidence in his character and reputation (name) -  he gave the right to be born/regenerated as children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of the will of God.

to become the children of God. Same root word for all the things that “came into being” at the beginning of this section. This, too, is a new creation, but a spiritual one.

not of blood…will of the flesh… will of man – John: “For all of you in the back, I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING WE DO!!!”

the will of God  - through his own unlimited power and boundless mercy, prescribing salvation by Christ Jesus alone).[19] Salvation is a free gift from God. We have earned nothing. God extends to us his grace. That is our only hope.

Anyone who did receive Jesus (trusted in him, relied upon him, believed in him, took hold of him) – these were His. [20]

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us[21], and we have seen his glory[22], glory as of the only Son begotten from the Father[23], full of grace and truth.[24] (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he existed before[25] me as the first and foremost.[26]’”)

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” – The eternal God stepped into time. The immaterial became material. The limitless took on our limitations. The light that John the Baptizer had spoken of stepped into our darkness. The creator entered his creation without fanfare or ceremony.

“How can the godhead be in the flesh? In the same way as a fire can be in iron: not by moving from place to place, but by the one imparting to the other its own properties but without undergoing itself any change. It causes the iron to share in its own natural attributes. The fire is not diminished, and yet it completely fills whatever shares in its nature. So it is also with God the Word. (Basil the Great)

Literally, he tabernacled among us. The original word signifies building a booth, or setting up a tent or temporary hut. While the disciples had the fullest proof of his Divinity by his miracles, they had the clearest evidence of his humanity by his ‘pitching a tent’ with them, eating, drinking, and conversing with them.[27] 

The disciples saw God’s glory revealed in Jesus (see 2 Cor. 3:6–18).

1.    First, there was His moral glory, a perfect life and character manifested in His life in exquisite balance.

2.    Second, there was miraculous glory revealed was through his signs (e.g., John 2:11)

3.    Third, there was the visible glory which took place on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1, 2).[28]

4.    Fourth, there was his covenantal glory revealed on the cross, his ultimate act of love and the ultimate expression of God’s heart for people (12:23–33). The Law was full of truth, but it didn’t “lean toward us” like Jesus did. The law was intended to make clear the tragedy of sin and convict us of our trafficking in it (Romans 4:15; 2 Corinthians 3).  Christ brought grace to absorb and cover the condemnation hanging over our heads (Romans 5:15-21; Galatians 3:10). 

“The word was made flesh. That physician made a salve for you. And because he came in such a way that by his flesh he might extinguish the faults of the flesh and by his death he might kill death, it was therefore affected in you that, because the word was made flesh, you could say, ‘And we saw his glory’.” (Augustine)

For from his fullness and abundance we have all received (laid hold of) grace upon grace as He leans toward us, freely extending to give himself to us.[29]For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

When God revealed his glory to Moses in Exodus 33–34, he revealed that He was “abounding in [covenant] love and [covenant] faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6). The Law unpacked reality, and surely there was a form of grace in that (even just a revelation of truth about God and the world is a good thing). But the NT is clear that the Law was incomplete and lacking; God’s people had been waiting for the fullness of grace and truth embodied in Jesus.

“The law threatened but did not bring aid; commanded but did not heal; made no but did not take away our feebleness. Instead, it prepared the way for that physician who was to come with Grace and Truth. He is the kind of physician who… might first send his servant so that he might find a sick person bound [aware of his sickness]. [The sick person] was not healthy; he did not wish to be made healthy and just in case he should be made healthy, he posted that he was so. The law was sent; it bound him.” (Augustine)  

“The word of God became flesh so that we might see that once the wound and the medicine; what had fallen into death and him who raised it to life; what was overcome by corruption and him who chased away the corruption; what was trapped in death and him who is superior to death; what was bereft of life and The Giver of Life.” (Cyril of Alexandria)

No one has ever seen God (the essence of deity; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known (explained and interpreted him).  -  (John 1:1-18)

Throughout history, God has revealed aspects of his character and nature so that people could understand in some small degree. Not until Christ did this revelation have any fullness. All of God’s attributes, the fullness of his character, the depth of his true nature – all in Christ.

 * * * * *

Let’s wrap this up with some implications of the Incarnation:

Value/Worth of Humanity

“Do not be amazed then that you are made a son or daughter by grace; do not be amazed that you are born of God according to his word. The Word himself first chose to be born of man so that you might be born of God unto salvation.. God had a reason for wanting to be born of man, because he considered [you] as someone important.” (Augustine) 

“It is similar to when a great King has entered into some large city and taken up residence at one of the houses there. Because of his dwelling in that single house, that city is deemed worthy of high honor. No enemy or bandit any longer descends on it and subdues it. On the contrary, it finds itself entitled to total protection because the King has taken up his residence at a single house of there. So too, has it been with the monarch of all. For now that he has come to our realm and taken up residence in one body among his peers, from this time forward the whole conspiracy of the enemy against humankind is checked, and the corruption of death, which before had prevailed against them, is done away with. For the human race would have gone to ruin if the Lord and savior of all, the Son of God, had not come among us to meet the end of death.” (Athanasius)

 The Great King took up residence in the world because He so loved the word, and would not leave it to ruin. The whole conspiracy of the enemy against humankind is checked, and the corruption of death, which before had prevailed against them, is done away with. The Great King so loves you that He offers to take up residence in you would not leave it to ruin. He intends for the whole conspiracy of the enemy against you to be checked, and the corruption of your soul unto death, which without Him will prevail against you, can be done away with.

Hope

“The word was made flesh in order that the flesh might begin to be what the Word is.”(Hilary of Poitiers)

We are not God; we will not become God. But the Bible insists that we can increasingly be shaped into an image that reflects or reveals Him with increasing glory not just in eternity, but beginning now. Every Christmas, we sing, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” Is there any greater compliment that can be given to us, than when we here, “You’re beginning to look a lot like Jesus.”  In is there any greater hope than that is available to us?

Mission

“The Christmas spirit is the spirit of those, who like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor—spending and being spent- to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care, and concern, to do good to others—not just their own friends—in whatever way there seems need.” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God)

On this night of the Humble One, Let us be neither proud nor haughty.
On this day of forgiveness, let us not avenge offenses.
On this day on which God came into the presence of sinners,
Let not the just man exalt himself in his mind over the sinner.
On this day on which the Lord of all came among servants,
Let the lords also bow down to their servants lovingly.
On this day when the Rich One was made poor for our sake,
Let the rich man also make the poor man a sharer at his table.
On this day a gift came out to us without our asking for it;
Let us then give alms to those who cry out and beg from us.
This is the day when the high gate opened to our prayers;
Let us also open the gates to [those who] have sought forgiveness.

Today the deity imprinted itself on humanity, so that humanity might also be cut into the seal of deity.” (Ephrem the Syrian)

 In other words, as we become like him, we….become like him. His Incarnation is a model for our incarnational living. We must go and ‘pitch a tent’ among those who need to see Jesus.

COMMUNITY

And in the Incarnation the whole human race recovers the dignity of the image of God. Henceforth, any attack even on the least of men is an attack on Christ, who took the form of man, and in his own Person restored the image of God in all that bears a human form. Through fellowship and communion with the incarnate Lord, we recover our true humanity, and at the same time we are delivered from that individualism which is the consequence of sin, and retrieve our solidarity with the whole human race. By being partakers of Christ incarnate, we are partakers in the whole humanity which he bore. We now know that we have been taken up and borne in the humanity of Jesus, and therefore that new nature we now enjoy means that we too must bear the sins and sorrows of others. The incarnate Lord makes his followers the brothers of all mankind. ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

_________________________________________________________________________

[1] Chart courtesy of https://slidesharetips.blogspot.com/2020/06/what-are-gospels-about.html.

[2] https://bible.org/assets/pdf/Peyton_GospelHarmonyV.2.pdf

[3] https://www.stevethomason.net/2021/03/24/where-did-the-palms-and-hosanna-go-in-luke/

[4]  https://slidesharetips.blogspot.com/2020/06/what-are-gospels-about.html

[5] “His Word exists and is forever with the Father, as radiance accompanies light.” – Athanasius

[6] “In several passages in the writings of John ὁ λόγος denotes the essential Word of God, i. e. the personal (hypostatic) wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in the creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah and shone forth conspicuously from his words and deeds.” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

[7] Hint: This is why God called himself “I Am” in the Old Testament, and it is also why Jesus called himself “I Am” in the New Testament.

[8] “All three Persons of the Godhead were involved in the work of creation: “God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). “All things were created through Him (Christ) and for Him” (Col. 1:16b).” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[9] “arxḗ – properly, from the beginning (temporal sense), i.e. "the initial(starting) point"; (figuratively) what comes first and therefore is chief (foremost), i.e. has the priority because ahead of the rest ("preeminent").” (HELPS Word Studies)

[10] Origen wrote of evil as “the things are not” or as “nothing”, since evil is the negation or the corruption of the good; thus, evil is not included in “all things.”

[11] “Metaphorically, used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery.” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

[12] Adam Clarke’s preferable translation of this phrase, emphasizing two kinds of life: common, animating physical life vs. spiritual life.

[13] “The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth…”  Adam Clarke notes, “The Platonists make mention of the Logos in this way: - καθ' ὁν, αει οντα, τα γενομενα εγενετο - by whom, eternally existing, all things were made.”

[14] “In the NT, the manifestation of God's self-existent life; divine illumination to reveal and impart life, through Christ.” (HELPS Word Studies)

[15] Literally, every single part which makes up the whole, in this case - humanity.

[16] “Alēthinós) sometimes carries something of the Greek meaning of 'real,' but it is the real because it is the full revelation of God's faithfulness." (HELPS Word Studies) 

[17] The ordered ensemble of the cosmos in its entirety. This is about creation, not worldview systems.

[18] “…emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.” (HELPS Word Studies)

[19] HT Adam Clarke

[20] “This provides the initial definition of "believe" by equating it with "receive." When we receive a gift, we demonstrate our confidence in its reality and trustworthiness. We make it part of our own possessions. By being so received, Jesus gives to those who receive him a right to membership in the family of God.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[21] “This separates Christianity from Islam and Judaism. The Jerusalem Talmud says, “If man claims to be God, he is a liar” (Ta’anit 2:1), while the Qur’an says, “Allah begets not and was not begotten” (Sura al-Ikhlas 112).”  https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-shocking-implications-of-incarnation/

[22]  Literally means "what evokes good opinion, i.e. that something has inherent, intrinsic worth." (HELPS Word Studies)

[23] The only incarnation, the only human born by a woman through the power of the Holy Spirit. One of a kind.

[24] Reality; the opposite of illusion.

[25] “Before” is “first (foremost) meaning "what comes first" (is "number one").” (HELPS Word Studies)

[26] Literally, he “I AM” before John, who was born first into the world. It’s a reference to Jesus’ eternal existence.

[27] Adam Clarke. Also, “Here is also here an allusion to the manifestations of God above the ark in the tabernacle: see Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89; and this connects itself with the first clause, he tabernacled, or fixed his tent among us. While God dwelt in the tabernacle, among the Jews, the priests saw his glory; and while Jesus dwelt among men his glory was manifested in his gracious words and miraculous acts.”

[28] HT Believer’s Bible Commentary.

[29] Explanation in HELPS Word Studies: Grace is “leaning towards to share benefit."

New Heaven And New Earth (Revelation 21-22)

The Bible is unified story that  points toward the same conclusion. Jackson Wu[1] offers a great, simple visual: 

There’s a far more complex one out there that shows all the cross-references as the Biblical narrative unfolds. This is from Chris Harrison.[2]

What we see in the final chapters of Revelation is the end to the unified story the Bible has been telling. One way we know the story is unified – and that this is the appropriate end – is the way the Fall in Genesis is reversed. From a chart found in Biblegateway commentaries:

So, as you might expect, there are sooo many hyperlinks in these last two chapters (I am including the first 10 verses from Chapter 19 as well) not just from the Bible overall but from within Revelation itself.[3]  

In addition, John has not stopped recapitulating; 19:1-10, 21:1-8 and 21:9 – 22:5[4] all seem to be part of the same story with different perspectives and details. So, once again, I am going to try to intertwine the visions so that we don’t get distracted by thinking, “Hey, I just read that!” or “Why is this happening again?” I will try to note clearly where each passage originates. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

19:1-8 The scene changed. After this, I heard the great sound of a multitude echoing in heaven.  “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power[5] truly belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments. He has judged the great prostitute, Babylon, who polluted the entire earth with her seductive, idolatrous immorality,[6] and He has vindicated the blood of His servants, which she shed.”

Again praise spilled from heaven. “Praise the Lord! Babylon will never rise again. The smoke rises from her ruins forever and ever.”[7] And the twenty-four elders and four living creatures[8] fell on their faces and worshiped God who reigns on the throne. “Amen, Praise the Lord!”

 A Voice from the Throne said,  “Give praise to our God, all of you, God’s servants, all who reverence Him, small and great.”[9] [10]And I heard what seemed to be an immense crowd[11] speaking with one voice—it was like the sound of a roaring waterfall, like the sound of clashing thunder, saying,

“Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the All Powerful, reigns supreme. Now is the time for joy and happiness. He deserves all the glory we can give Him. For the wedding feast[12] has begun;[13] the marriage of the Lamb[14] to His bride has commenced, and His bride[15] has prepared herself for this glorious day.[16] She had been given the finest linens to wear[17], linens bright and pure, woven from the righteous deeds of the saints.”[18]

21:1 I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new[19] because the heaven and earth that had been passed away, and the sea was gone[20], completely.

21:9-27 And then one of the seven messengers in charge of the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came over to me and said, “Come with me, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He took me away in the Spirit and set me on top of a great, high mountain.  As I waited for what I thought was a bride, he showed me (also 21:2) the holy city[21], Jerusalem,[22] descending out of heaven from God,[23] prepared like a bride on her wedding day, adorned for her husband and for His eyes only. 

 It gleamed and shined with the glory of God; its radiance was like the most precious of jewels, like jasper, and it was as clear as crystal. It was surrounded with a wall, great and high. There were twelve gates.[24] Assigned to each gate was a messenger, twelve in all. And on the gates were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons.  On the east wall were three gates. On the north wall were three gates. On the south wall were three gates. On the west wall were three gates [twelve in all]. And the city wall sat perfectly on twelve foundation stones, and on them were inscribed the names of the twelve emissaries (disciples) of the Lamb.[25]

My guide held a golden measuring rod. With it he measured the city and the gates and the walls.[26]   He measured the city with his measuring rod, and the result was that its length and width and height are equal: [27]  1,444 miles, a perfect cube.[28] And my guide measured the wall; it was nearly 72 yards high, in human measurements, which was the instrument the guide was using. 

The wall was made of jasper, while the city itself was made of pure gold, yet it was as clear as glass. The foundation stones of the wall of the city were decorated with every kind of jewel: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.[29]  The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate expertly crafted from a single beautiful pearl. And the city street was pure gold, yet it was as transparent as glass.[30]

And in the city,[31] I found no temple because the Lord God, the All Powerful, and the Lamb are the temple. And in the city, there is no need for the sun to light the day or moon the night[32]because the resplendent glory of the Lord provides the city with warm, beautiful light and the Lamb illumines every corner of the new Jerusalem. 

And all peoples of all the nations will walk by its unfailing light, and the rulers of the earth will stream into the city bringing with them the symbols of their grandeur and power.  During the day, its gates will not be closed; the darkness of night will never settle in. 

The glory and grandeur of the nations will be on display there, carried to the holy city by people from every corner of the world.[33] Nothing that defiles or is defiled can enter into its glorious gates. Those who practice sacrilege or deception will never walk its streets. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life can enter.

22:1-5 My heavenly guide brought me to the river of pure living waters,[34] shimmering as brilliantly as crystal. It flowed out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle and dividing the street of the holy city. On each bank of the river stood the tree of life, firmly planted, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and producing its sweet crop every month throughout the year. And the soothing leaves[35] that grew on the tree of life provided precious healing for the nations.

 No one or nothing will labor under any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will sit prominently in the city. God’s servants will continually serve and worship Him. They will be able to look upon His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads.  Darkness will never again fall on this city.[36] They will not require the light of a lamp or of the sun because the Lord God will be their illumination. By His light, they will reign throughout the ages.

(21:3-6)And I heard a great voice, coming from the throne: “See, the home of God is with His people.[37] He will live among them; They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them. The prophecies are fulfilled: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; Mourning no more, crying no more, pain no more, for the first things have gone away.” And the One who sat on the throne announced to His creation, “See, I am making all things new.” [38]

The Anointed One said, “Write what you hear and see, for these words are faithful and true (also 22:6). It is done![39]  (22:12-14) I am the Alpha and Omega, the First One and the Last One, the beginning and the end. See, I am coming soon, (also 22:7,12) and I will bring My reward with Me and pay back every person according to the deeds he has done.  

The one who remains true to the prophetic words contained in this book[40] - those who wash their garments[41] - will truly be blessed. I will see to it that the thirsty drink freely from the fountain of the water of life[42] and enter the city through its gates.  (21:7-8/22:14-15) To the victors will go this inheritance[43]: I will be their God, and they will be My children. It will not be so for the cowards[44], the faithless, the sacrilegious, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all those who deal in deception[45] in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. 

The Guide said, (22:6)“These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God who inspired the prophets, has sent His heavenly messenger to show to His servants what must soon take place.” 

(22:8-11) I, John, am the one who heard and witnessed these visions. And when I heard and witnessed them, I fell prostrate at the feet of the heavenly guide who showed them to me.  But he refused.

(also 19:10) My Guide said, “Stop it. Don’t you see? I am a servant like you and your brothers and sisters, all who hold fast to the testimony of Jesus and keep the words contained in this book. Address your worship to God, not to me! For the testimony about Jesus is essentially the prophetic spirit.”[46]

Write this down: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.’ What I am telling you are the true words of God.” Do not seal up the prophetic words contained in this book for another day, for the finale is near. Let the one given to evil continue down evil’s path and the one addicted to filth continue to be its servant. But let the one who is righteous journey along the righteous road, and let the holy continue in holy ways.[47]

(22:16-21) Then Jesus said, “I, Jesus, have sent My messenger to show you and guide you so that you in turn would share this testimony with the churches.[48] I am the Root and the Descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star. 

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”[49] And let everyone who hears these words say, “Come.” And let those who thirst come. All who desire to drink, let them take and drink freely from the water of life.[50]

Beware, everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book. Know this for certain: if anyone adds to the prophecy of these words, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.[51]  And if anyone subtracts from the prophecy of this book, God will remove that person’s access to the tree of life and to the holy city which are described in this book. 

The One who testifies to these realities makes this promise: “Yes. I am coming soon.” To which we say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” 21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus [the Anointed One] be with all [the saints]. Amen.

____________________________________________________________________________________

So many places to go with this. I will go to four of them, in honor of the shape of the city. 

First, the glorious goodness of God’s faithfulness.

God might have abandoned his creation in disgust because of Babylon’s wickedness, just as he might have abandoned the Israelites in the wilderness because of the golden calf. But out of sheer mercy [and grace] he will come to dwell with his people, and that mercy will flow out to flood the whole world. Creation is not abolished but fulfilled, not thrown away and replaced but renewed from top to bottom. (N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)

What we see happening in the end for the cosmos we see happening now in all of us. God might have abandoned us in disgust because of our sin and our following after our own idols, but he hasn't. Out of sheer mercy and grace he dwells with us, first in the Incarnation of Jesus and now through the Holy Spirit that not only dwells with us but makes a temple of us. We are not thrown away; when we enter the Kingdom through the work of the King we are regenerated in the “now” and will be replaced from top to bottom in the “not yet” – mortal putting on immortal, corrupt putting on incorrupt.[52]  To quote Mercy Me, that’s not just good news – it’s the best news ever.

Second, God’s global invitation into the Kingdom should inform our presence in the world.

John’s readers may find it hard to see in their neighbors on the street anything but cold, hostile stares and the threat of informing the authorities. They may be so aware of the present rule of the dragon, the monster and the false prophet that all they want is to escape, to be rescued, not to hold out to their neighbors God’s repeated and generous invitation.

But see they must, because the mercy of God is vast and his invitation wide as the world. Because he is who he is, the creator whose purposes are gloriously fulfilled in the slaughtered lamb, he will go on inviting and welcoming and pouring out the water of life for all the thirsty.

 (N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)

Revelation paints in vivid color the terrible nature of evil: it is abusive, self-destructive; callous, greedy, dehumanizing, deceptive, false. It destroys peoples and cultures. It ravages the world. This is why Revelation calls everyone to salvation. You can join Babylon and beasts in their destruction, or sit at the table at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

This Revelation should simultaneously open our eyes and break our hearts. Those under the deceptive sway of dragons, beasts, and false prophets need the gospel, not hostility. Those in bondage need rescuing, not hatred. Those dying for a drink of Living Water need people carrying buckets of it them, not withdrawing in fear or shaming them for pulling water from the wrong well. 

We’ve all been there, right? We are hardly in a position to point fingers. We are, however, in a position to hold out to our neighbors God’s repeated and generous invitation. And who is our neighbor? Everybody.

Third, Revelation reminds us to be a particular kind of people in a particular kind of community.

This is the message of Revelation: the loving, liberating, life-giving Lamb who is Lord invites any and all to become part of his community of disciples, his faithful bride, and thus enter into God’s new creation. Revelation is, at its core, an evangelical book, a word of good news, an invitation to follow the Lamb into the new creation.

This is an invitation to a deeply rooted public discipleship of faithfulness, hope, and love in the middle of a sometimes hostile world that follows after other lords and gods. Christian churches and individuals are called to bear witness to God’s present transcendent reality and reign, as well as God’s future… renewal and final victorious rule in which there will be true life, peace, and justice for all.

(Uncivil Worship And Witness: Following The Lamb Into The New Creation, Michael Gorman)

We are called to be deeply rooted disciples in a community that previews the renewal of all things. I think church communities should give people a glimpse of heaven. That can’t happen without deeply rooted disciples: rooted in Jesus; in Scripture; in accountable community; in humility, repentance and forgiveness; in the hard but glorious work of loving God and loving others. It is from good roots that good fruits come.  

Finally, the city is the bride. That stupendous city descended from heaven is the church.  It wasn’t created in that moment. It was the bride of Christ that has been preparing herself for 2,000 years with what she had been given. So…that’s a vision of us – and all who have gone before and will come after us - as we move into the New Heaven and New Earth. 

But the passage says the bride prepared herself with what she has been given. The bride doesn’t look amazing because on her own. We know this, right? Read church history. Read the headlines about scandals just in the American church right now. The bride’s got some issues. She might be clothed with the “righteous deeds of the saints,” but let’s be honest, we didn’t make those on our own power. 

The bride looks glorious because the King, in His mercy and love, has clothed her in the garments of the kingdom.  All we have to do is put them on. So, what has God given the church?[53] I looked up passages in which the Bible talks about “putting on” or “being clothed.” Here’s what shows up. Here’s what God gives us to put on as we prepare.

·      compassion

·      kindness

·      humility 

·      meekness

·      patience

·      forgiveness 

·      love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

·      holiness

·      truth

·      righteousness 

·      peace

·      salvation

·      the word of God

So, friends, let’s prepare ourselves. Let’s put on the clothing that befits the bride of Christ. Let’s take the time “now” to point toward the “not yet.”  Let’s even now be the preview of coming attractions, where all us can see even now that God’s plan for renewal is being fulfilled in our lives as we speak, and that the renewal we experience even now is simply a foretaste of glory divine in the world to come.

* * * * * * * * * *

[1] https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu/2019/01/09/all-stories-within-grand-biblical-story/

[2] https://www.chrisharrison.net/index.php/Visualizations/BibleViz

[3] For example, the last chapters highlight the contrast between the church imperfect (1–3) and the church perfected. Whereas 1–3 focused on the churches’ weaknesses during the Church Age, 21:9–22:5 points toward the church’s perfected state for all eternityhttps://daretoventure.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2017/10/20171022-Eternity-Study.pdf

[4] The bride of v. 2 is developed in vv. 9–11; the tabernacle of v. 3 is developed in vv. 22–24; the water of v. 6 is developed in 22:1; the fate of the sinners of v. 8 is developed in v. 27.  (Ibid)

[5] See also 4:11; 5:13; 7:10; 12:10 for the same praise.

[6] The new Jerusalem is the antithesis of Babylon. Babylon is the great harlot, a beast; it is infested with demons; it is drunken and murderous. It is a culture of death. Jerusalem is the bride of the Lamb, full of the presence of God; it provides healing and is lacking all pain, tears, and death. It is a culture of life. The culture of the beast has been replaced by the culture of the Lamb; a culture of death by a culture of life; a culture of insecurity and fear by a culture of peace and trust. “Reading Revelation Responsible: Uncivil Worship And Witness: Following The Lamb Into The New Creation, Michael Gorman)

[7] Alludes to Isaiah 34:10 (of Edom); Revelation 19:3 (of Babylon). “Goes up forever and ever” is variously interpreted as a) never ending or b) rising so high into the sky it disappears. Broadly speaking, it signifies a permanent end. They will not live again. 

[8] See Revelation 4:4, 6. 

[9] “The Hallel is the name especially applied to Pss 113-118. They had a special role in the Feast of Passover. Most Jewish sources associate the Hallel with the destruction of the wicked, exactly as this passage in Revelation does…Two texts in the great Hallel (Pss 113:1; 115:13) are unmistakably cited in 19:5.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[10] All socio-economic distinctions are dissolved in worship (11:18; 13:16; 19:18).

[11] Likely the redeemed multitude in Revelation 7:9.

[12] #laodiceans (3:20).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)

[13] “This supper has already begun in the Eucharist, a foretaste of the Kingdom (see Mt 26:29; Lk 13:29; 22:30).“ (Orthodox Study Bible)

[14] See Isaiah 54:5–8; Hosea 2:19, 20; Ephesians 5:26, 27).

[15]  “Marriage is a symbol of the union of God with His people (see Is 54:1–8; Ezk 16:7–14; Hos 2:1–23), of Christ with His Church (Mt 22:1–14; 2Co 11:2; Eph 5:22–32). Jesus, the Passover Lamb (1Co 5:7) also the divine Bridegroom (Mt 22:2; 25:1–13).” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[16] “John later identifies the bride as the new Jerusalem, God’s people (21:2–3; cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25–27).” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[17] “Believers’ righteous deeds do not merit salvation but serve as a fitting, necessary response to and evidence of God’s “righteous acts” (15:4; cf. Eph 2:8–10; Phil 2:12–13; Titus 2:14).” (NIV Biblical Application Study Bible)

[18] “The church that suffered and remained pure is now prepared for a time of glorious celebration…God and His people are about to become one. The marriage feast has been arranged at great expense, and the festivities are about to begin..” (commentary from The Voice translation).

[19]  (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13).

[20] “This world of ours, made restless and stormy by the lives of men (and hence, figuratively, called the sea) will have passed away.” (Augustine) 

[21]  “A bride-city captures something of God's personal relationship to his people (the bride) as well as something of their life in communion with him and one another (a city, with its social connotations).” (Expositors Bible Commentary)

[22] “Just as Babylon represents the people of Rome and not simply its location, and just as “Jerusalem” in the OT usually includes the people and not simply the site, the new Jerusalem undoubtedly includes the people of God. This new Jerusalem is like God’s bride Israel in the OT (Jer 2.1; Hos 2.19–20) or Christ’s bride the church (2 Cor 11.2; Eph 5.23).” (NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible) 

[23]  “It is a maxim of the ancient Jews that the tabernacle, the temple, and Jerusalem itself came down from heaven. Midrash Hanaalem, Sohar Gen. fol. 69, col. 271, Rab. Jeremias said, "The holy blessed God shall renew the world, and build Jerusalem, and shall cause it to descend from heaven." Their opinion is, that there is a spiritual temple, tabernacle, and spiritual Jerusalem; and that none of these can be destroyed, because they subsist in their spiritual representatives.” (Adam Clarke)

[24] The visionary city seen by Ezekiel likewise had twelve gates, three on each side, which were named after the twelve tribes (Ezek. 48:31–34). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament) 

[25] The church was the finished structure to be “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). The twelve tribes and the twelve apostles represent the collective people of God Rev. 4:4). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament) 

[26] Measuring signifies security and protection as well as  “securing something for blessing. Ezekiel's elaborate description of the future temple and its measuring was to show the glory and holiness of God in Israel's midst (Eze 43:12). The measuring reveals… perfection, fulfillment, or completion.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).

[27] The early church fathers saw this cube shape as showing a perfectly balance four-fold gospel (Apringius of Beja), the permanent and unchangeable blessing of the saints (Oecumenius), “nothing is marked by inequality” (Primasius), stability and solidity (Andrew of Caeserea), perfectly stable in faith, hope and love (Bede). (Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture).

[28] The previous use of 12, 144, and 1000 in Revelation plus the unreality of the precise measurements point to a figurative understanding. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)  “The city is about the same size as the then-known Hellenistic world, suggesting it ​represents​ ​the​ ​redeemed​ ​of​ ​all​ ​nations.” https://daretoventure.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2017/10/20171022-Eternity-Study.pdf  “12,000 (stadia) and 144 (cubits; 21:16–17) both recall the number of God’s servants …The numbers are being reused to speak of the people of God, because the temple is the body of Christ…. guess what you have in ratio proportion? The Most Holy Place of the old temple (1 Kings 6:20) . [N]ot only will God live with his people in Jerusalem, not only will the entire city be like a temple, but it will be like the Most Holy Place.” (Michael Heisser)

[29] Isaiah described the future Zion as a city similarly (Isa. 54:11–12), as did the extracanonical book of Tobit (Tobit 13:16–18). The square breastplate worn by the high priest contained twelve precious stones, each engraved with the names of one of the twelve tribes (Ex. 28:17–20; 39:10–13). The Septuagint reading of Ezekiel 28:13 gives a virtually identical list as that of the breastplate’s twelve stones. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)  Michael Heisser disagrees: “The list in Revelation 21 of the gems is entirely consistent (not partly, but entirely consistent) with the description in Ezekiel 28, where what is being described is not a person (the high priest); it’s a place. And the place is Eden.” 

[30] “The ancient Jews teach that "when Jerusalem and the temple shall be built, they will be all of precious stones, and pearls, and sapphire, and with every species of jewels… In the midst of it is the tree of life, the height of which is five hundred years; (i.e., it is equal in height to the journey which a man might perform in five hundred years…”  Sepher Rasiel Haggadol, fol. 24, 1. (Adam Clarke)

[31] “The huge cubical city encompasses the whole people of God. In some sense it is the people of God.” (IVP New Testament Commentary)

[32] In a genuinely new Heaven and Earth, there will be planetary bodies. John is making a theological point J“Even while on earth [Jesus] shone with Uncreated Light (Mk 9:2–8; 2Pt 1:16–18).” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[33] “John receives a vision of social life, bustling with activity. Elsewhere in Revelation, the "nations" are the pagan, rebellious peoples of the world who trample the Holy City (cf. comments on 11:2; 11:18)… But here they stand for… the redeemed nations who follow the Lamb and have resisted the beast and Babylon (1:5; 15:3; 19:16; 2:26; 5:9; 7:9: 12:5). (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[34] “Joel declared that on the Day of the Lord a fountain would flow out of the Lord’s house (Joel 3:18). Both Ezekiel and Zechariah saw waters of life flowing out of the eschatological Jerusalem (Ezek. 47:1–10; Zech. 14:8).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament) 

[35] “The fruits and leaves of the tree are completely and universally therapeutic, reversing the effects of the fruit of the tree of disobedience (Gn 3:6).” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[36] “No more idolatry, no intellectual darkness; the Scriptures shall be everywhere read…and the Spirit of God shall shine and work in every heart.” (Adam Clarke)

[37] Yet another example of the “now” and “not yet” of Revelation. “The OT also prophesied that God would dwell with His people. The Immanuel prophecy (Is 7:14; Ps 45:5–8) is fulfilled in the Incarnation (Jn 1:14; 17:22), but comes to completion when God will fully dwell (lit., “in-tent”) with His people, restoring the paradise of old (Gn 2; Lv 26:11, 12; Ezk 37:26, 27; Jer 38:33; 2Co 6:16).” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[38] I am making everything new (Isa. 65:17) refers primarily to the final renewing at the End. But the present tense is used and it is worth reflecting that God continually makes things new here and now (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:16–18; 5:16–17; Col. 3:1–4; etc.). https://daretoventure.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2017/10/20171022-Eternity-Study.pdf

[39] Using the same word that declared the judgment of the world finished, God proclaims that he has completed his new creation: "It is done" (16:17) (Expositors Bible Commentary)

[40] He who overcomes takes us back to the messages to the seven churches.

[41] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8).

[42] See also the tree of life (Rev. 2:7), crown of life (Rev. 2:10), and book of life (3:5).

[43] “And since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Gal. 4:7)   “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). 

[44] One list has “dogs,” which seems to be kind of a catch-all word for all these things. HELPS Word Studies: “kýōn – literally, a dog, scavenging canine; (figuratively) a spiritual predator who feeds off others. A loose dog was disdained in ancient times.”

[45] These vices are associated with a context of idol worship in both the OT and the NT as well as in Revelation.

[46] “Prophecy,” says C. C. Ryrie, “is designed to unfold the loveliness of Jesus.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[47] “Many will be purified, made spotless and are refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked” (Dan. 12:10).

[48] After the new Jerusalem descends there appears to be no difference between heaven and earth. Perhaps…there is already a sense in which God’s people experience the heavenly city…And this of which they now experience a foretaste…will be perfectly realized hereafter. Heaven will, so to speak, come down to earth. (www.daretoventure.org)

[49] “There are two ways of understanding this verse. First, it may be a gospel appeal throughout, with the Spirit, the bride, and the hearer urging the thirsty to come to Christ for salvation. Or the first three uses of the word come may be prayers for Christ to return, followed by two invitations to the unsaved to come to Him for the water of life (salvation) and thus be ready for His return.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[50] The promise to quench the thirst of the saints (Rev. 7:16; 21:6) is finally realized. 

[51] Moses also warned hearers of the Law not to add to or subtract (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32);

[52] 1 Corinthians 15: 53-55

[53] Colossians 3:12-14, Ephesians 4:24, Ephesians 6:13-18  

The End Of All Things (Revelation 19:11- 20:15)

Revelation is “A revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 1:1) “If anyone asks, ‘Why read the Apocalypse?’ the answer must be, ‘To know Christ better.’”[1] Too much of a focus on anything less will rob us of the goodness of the message of Revelation. I say this because today’s passages have been interpreted…a lot of different ways. We must be consistent with our interpretations when reading Revelation. We tend to play “duck, duck, goose” with Revelation: “Figurative, figurative, LITERAL.” I am no exception. I have found myself revising numerous sermons in this series because I would think, “Anthony, that’s not how you used that image last week.” So, here is A WAY to understand Revelation that I have been using so far:

• Numbers are figurative. Weigh them, don't count them. That includes the 1,000 years that show up today.

• Sun, moon stars are heavenly beings

• Mountains are nations; the sea is people of all nations

• Fire/blood/winepress[2] have been icons that when you click on them lead to  the grim reality of God’s judgment. Sometimes more than one image is used at the same time (like today’s passage) 

• The Beast, the False Prophet and Babylon have been corporate rather than individual, though individuals have embodied them throughout history. They are systems, empires, worldviews.

• The catastrophic physical calamities have been about spiritual, economic, and political realities.

• Recapitulation has been a thing; we saw the end of the world multiple times; we are about to hear about Armageddon again two more times (from two different perspectives) in Rev. 19 and 20.

We are going to pick up Revelation 19, beginning in verse 11. Verses 1-10 will show up next week when we get to Chapter 21. Once again, I am going to let the next few pages be the original text (mostly from The Voice translation) with its myriad of footnotes. We are going to skip to page 6 for a version/translation/commentary by yours truly that seeks to combine all the…stuff. All the things. 

I looked up and saw that heaven had opened.[3] Suddenly, a white horse appeared. Its rider is called Faithful and True,[4] and with righteousness He exercises judgment and wages war.  His eyes burn like a flaming fire, and on His head are many crowns.[5] His name was written before the creation of the world, and no one knew it except He Himself.[6]He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,[7] and the name He was known by is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, outfitted in fine linen, white and pure, were following behind Him on white steeds. [8]From His mouth darts a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 

He will rule over them with a scepter made of iron.[9] He will trample the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God, the All Powerful.[10] And there on His robe and on His thigh was written His name:[11] King of kings and Lord of lords.[12] Then I looked up and saw a messenger standing in the sun; and with a loud voice, he called to all the birds that fly[13] through midheaven. The Heavenly Messenger said, “Come. Gather for the great feast[14] God is preparing for you  where you will feast on the flesh of[15] kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the rich and powerful, the flesh of horses and their riders[16]—all flesh—both free and slave, both small and great.”[17]I looked down, and I saw the beast I had seen earlier and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered together to wage war against the One riding the white horse and His heavenly army.[18] 

The beast was soon captured along with the false prophet, the earth-beast I had seen earlier who performed signs to deceive those who had agreed to receive the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its detestable image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.  And all who remained met death at the blade of the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One riding on the white horse. All the birds feasted fully on their flesh.[19] 

Then I saw a messenger coming from heaven. In his hand was a key to the abyss and a great chain that had been forged in heaven. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years with the great chain.[20]The messenger cast him into the abyss and locked it and sealed him in it so that he could not go about deceiving the nations until the 1,000 years had come to completion.[21] Afterward he must be released for a short time.[22] 

Then I saw some thrones, and those seated in judgment were given the right to judge. Standing there were the souls of those who were beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and the word of God. They had refused to worship the beast or its detestable image and had not received the mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands. They had come back to life and reigned with the Anointed One, our Liberating King, for 1,000 years.  Now as for the rest of the dead, they were not given life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are the ones who take part in the first resurrection.[23] Over these, the second death has no power;[24] they will serve as priests of God and His Anointed, and they will reign with Him for 1,000 years. 

When the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison.[25]And he will crawl out of the abyss in order to deceive the nations located at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog[26] as Ezekiel described them, in order to rally them together for one final battle. They are in number as the grains of sand on the shore. 

They marched in unholy array over the expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.[27] As they laid siege to the city, fire rained down from heaven and incinerated them. And the devil who had deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet[28] had already been thrown; and the unholy trio will be tortured day and night throughout the ages.[29] 

The scene changed.[30] I saw a great white throne, and One was seated upon it. The earth and heaven receded from His presence; there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in front of the throne. Some books were opened. Then another book was opened; it was called the book of life. And the dead were judged according to what had been recorded in the first books; these were the records of everything they had done.[31] And the sea surrendered its dead.[32] Death and Hades gave up their dead as well. And all were judged according to their works. 

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.[33] This is the second death, the lake of fire.[34]  And everyone whose name could not be found among the names written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. And they will have no rest, day or night.[35] 

* * * * *

So here is my version, in which I stand on the backs of 2,000 years of commentators. I mean, it’s not all of them, but it’s a good representation of common themes. My goal is not the details (though I hope to get them right), but the message that transcends and illuminates the details. In other words, don’t miss the forest for a few distracting trees J 

[Note: we are apparently seeing the final confrontation twice. The first one focuses on Jesus as the Returning King and feels like the start of the movie where you give away what’s about to happen, then something like “Three Weeks Earlier” appears on the screen. That’s kind of how Chapters 19-20 feel. So I am going to try to tell them as a synchronized story, which means I’m combining what I understand to be the narrative of the two stories. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO TAKE THE PLACE OF THE ORIGINAL J It’s only to make the reading less confusing.]

* * * * * 

Then another messenger came from heaven with a key to the abyss, the home of chaos and evil, and a great chain that had been forged in heaven made of Jesus resurrection power. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and thoroughly bound him with the chain to suppress his power in the world. 

The messenger cast him into his abysmal home of chaos and evil and locked it, sealing him in it so that he could not stop the spread of the gospel to all the nations for 1,000 years[36] – that is, until God’s timetable had been completed, and Satan must be released from the abyss (but not unbound) for a short time. 

Then I saw that God had placed people on thrones of judgment. In front of them were the souls of those who were killed because of their testimony of Jesus and the word of God, as well as those who had paid any price by refusing to worship the beast or its detestable image, and who had not been marked as “beastly” by the allegiance in their hearts and the actions of their hands. 

Their souls were alive (#firstresurrection), and they were reigning with the Lamb, the King of Kings, while Satan was bound and the gospel flourished in the world. Blessed and holy are the ones who take part in the first resurrection as they await the reuniting of soul and body after the final judgment, when all things are made new.  

Over these, the second death – not the first, physical death, but the spiritual death that follows final judgment[37] – will have no power; they serve as priests of God and His Anointed, and they reign with Him as the gospel spreads through and flourishes in the world. 

When the time of Satan’s bondage and the gospel’s spread is completed, Satan will be released from the abyss (though not from the chains of Jesus’ resurrection power) and will deceive all the nations in order to rally them together yet again for one final battle. His followers are numerous, as numerous as the sand on the shore of the sea of humanity from which the beasts had arisen. These citizens of the city of Satan – anywhere Rome and Babylon are central - marched  over all the earth and surrounded the city of God – the church.[38]  

I looked up and saw that heaven had opened – another vision was beginning. Suddenly, a white horse appeared that looked like the horse with the false Christ-pretender from the Seven Seals. But this rider was different. This rider was Jesus, the Faithful and True.  

He comes to exercise righteous judgment and to bring an end to all unrighteousness. His eyes burned with righteous anger, and he wore…all the crowns, from everywhere, from all the kings, from all time. Only He knew His secret name, which was written before the creation of the world. 

Dressed in a robe dipped in the life-blood of his sacrifice,[39] He finally revealed His name: The Word of God. The armies of heaven, outfitted in purity as if in fine, clean linen, were following behind Him on horses just like His. From the mouth of The Word of God darted…well, the Word of God, a sharp sword of Truth with which to strike down the false foundations of nations. 

He had an iron scepter befitting all-powerful king. Like all royalty,  inscriptions that define Him were written on His robe and on His thigh, but they surpassed the inscriptions on the statues of emperors or rulers: “King of kings and Lord of lords” belongs only to Him.  

Like Isaiah prophesied concerning the ‘winepress’ of the wrath of God[40]  the  ‘grapes’ of evil will be harvested from the earth, then drained of life and destroyed.[41] [Babylon’s] sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup....” (Revelation 18:5-6; 20)  

With a loud voice, an angelic messenger standing as if in the center of the sun called to all the carrion birds that fly through midheaven. “Come. There is about to be a war, so all you eaters of the dead be prepared to feast at the winepress: on kings, captains, the rich and powerful, horses and their riders, free and slave, small or great - all those who helped the Beast (made up of the Romes and Babylons in the world) commit evil against God, His world, and His people.” 

As they laid siege to the global church, God’s judgment rained down on them from heaven like fire and destroyed them.[42]  The earthly empires stood no chance, and the Beast was soon captured along with the False Prophet (remember, this is the spirit of anti-christ, of religious deception, of idolatry masquerading as holiness, who was able to perform signs and wonders, just like Pharaoh’s magicians, to deceive those who had agreed to be marked by their allegiance to the beast and those who compromised true faith to worship its detestable image.)  

The Beast (Global Systems hostile to God’s people) and the False Prophet (Religious Idolatry and Deception) were thrown into the lake of judgment[43] that burns with fire and sulfur, so that they would be completely consumed.  And as the One riding on the white horse spoke the sword of God’s Truth, the people who remained saw the lie that sins brings life turn into the truth that the wages of sin is death  

Just as Satan was defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his followers' testimony (12:7-9, 11), this battle was won by the blood of the Lamb and the Truth of The Word. The carrion birds, the scavengers who feed on death, feasted until they could hold no more. 

And the devil who had deceived them was exiled to a lake of fire[44] and sulfur (God’s judgment)[45] where the Beast of Empires and the Second Beast, the False Prophet of Idolatry had already been thrown; and this anti-trinity will pay the price of their evil throughout the ages. 

[now we move to the Final Judgment]

The scene changed. I saw a great pure and holy throne, and One was seated upon it. Even the earth and heaven receded from His presence; there was no place for even things as grand as them in His presence. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in front of the throne. Some books were opened. 

Then another book was opened; it was called the Book of Life. It contains the names of all saved by grace (Ex 32:32; Is 4:3; Dan 12:1, 2)— God's mercy through the Lamb who was slain for their sins is far greater in comparison than the frailty of their works. 

And the dead were judged according to what had been recorded in the first books; these were the records of everything they had done without the blood of Jesus on the doorpost of their lives.[46] Everything that held the dead – the Sea[47] and Death, which between the two of them accounted for all the bodies; Hades, which held their souls -  gave up their dead, and all were judged according to their works. 

Then Death, Hades, and everyone whose name could not be found among the names written in the book of life were given to what looked like a Lake of Fire: God’s eternal judgment. This is the second death, where both soul and body meet their eternal death. 

* * * *

I like puzzles. To use a puzzle analogy, the point is to see the Big Picture once all the pieces are together, but if some key pieces look out of place, it’s distracting at best, maybe confusing, and we might even fight over where they go! -So let’s see if we can find how some of these pieces fit into the Big Picture in a way that makes the whole come to life.

First, “The Millennium itself is one of the most controversial questions of eschatology (the doctrine of the last things)…there are problems with [all] views… responsible Christian scholars vary in its interpretation according to their convictions and presuppositions.”[48] I think it’s fair to say the timing of the tribulation and the question of whether or not Christians will have to endure it rank pretty high too. Here are 4 key ways Christians have thought about this.

Michael Heisser describes himself as an “eschatological system agnostic.” I like that term. Revelation is the kind of book that defies airtight theories. I’m thinking of a book title to highlight the problem: The Last Word on Eschatological Details (5th Revision).[49]

Second, I find it helpful to remember the “now and not yet” aspects seen in Revelation already. 

• In some sense the Millennium began at Jesus’ resurrection (Satan is restrained now, the Gospel is flourishing in the world now, the saints in heaven are ruling and reigning now) with a fullness yet to be experienced (we have not yet seen Satan destroyed, or the Kingdom inaugurate fully and perfectly in the world). 

• It sure seems like tribulation has always been with us (the now), which is not to say it won’t get worse (the not yet). What’s the take away from both of them? 

• The now: “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Revelation is not about being taken out of this world but about faithful, obedient discipleship characterized by love in this world.[50] It is meant to enliven Christians in the midst of persecution and chaos, to help them patiently endure persecution and struggles both within and without. 

• The not yet: Revelation 21-22 (next week).

Third, the return of Jesus, the Second Coming, uses the term parousia. This was the word used to describe Roman generals returning from battle. They literally would ‘descend from the clouds’ as they crossed the tops of mountains before being received with great pomp and circumstance as a returning, conquering King. John has been digging Rome and Emperors for the whole book; here is just another reminder that all earthly kings are pretenders to the throne. Jesus is King, and he’s coming back in glory. 

Fourth, at this last battle in Revelation 19, there is no literal, physical war for those present at the Second Coming to join. The heavenly armies just sit on their horses. All the actions belong to the Lamb Who Was Slain, who rids the world of evil through his own blood and a sword of Truth (19:15).[51] 

The symbol of the beast can open our eyes to systemic and structural evil in our world. Sometimes injustice or suffering may make it appropriate for us to use the rage passages [of Psalms] in prayer. But we must always return and worship to the central motif of the Lamb. The example and teaching of the Lamb must cover the lives of believers. Then the rage we bring to God and leave at the throne of grace will find its proper place.[52]

We can be distracted by the looming threat of a guns and mortar war and forget that our battle has been ongoing: we don't wrestle with flesh and blood, but with spiritual forces, and our solution has always been the spiritual armor of God. (Ephesians 6)

Fifth, Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing for reading it: “Blessed is the one who obeys the words of this prophecy.” In other words, in light of the not yet, how should we live now?

You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and eagerly hasten toward its coming…But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” (2Peter 3:8–15)

We can be the voices naming that which is Beastly in the world, and calling out the false prophets who want to convince us that evil is good, that darkness is light, and that the wages of sin are anything other than death.

We can be the ambassadors of the Lamb Who Was Slain, representing the One who is Faithful and True by being faithful to the truth, and by walking in the way of the Lamb rather than the way of the Dragon.  

We can, in this Church Age, live in the ‘now’ of Christ’s Kingdom (wherever we are on this unfolding historical map). We can taste and see that the Lord is good, and that His mercies are new every morning, and that the goodness of which we only catch a glimpse now are just a teaser trailer for what awaits us in the New Heaven and New Earth. 

We can have confidence and peace now in the midst of any circumstance knowing it hasn’t surprised God. Covid? Not a surprise. Elections? Not a surprise. War? Not a surprise. Opposition to our faith? Not a surprise Your current circumstance? Not a surprise. Be at peace. 

The King is coming, and He is going to make all things new.

____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Reading Revelation Responsibly

[2]  Like the fire and hail from the First Trumpet angel, or the fire from the mouths of the two witnesses.

[3] Emperors or various kings would have special ceremonies for their parousia (coming into a city). The king would have a specific crown that was only used for victory marches; citizens would be dressed in white robes and yelling deification names to give him honor. The parousia of Jesus brings about the final conquest of the devil and his forces (1 Cor. 15:23–24), the final judgment of the world (1 Cor. 4:5), completes the redemption of the redeemed (1 Jn. 3:2; 1 Thes. 4:16–17; Heb. 9:28), brings history to its fulfillment (Rom. 8:19; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1) and establishes the public vindication and glorification of Jesus (Mk. 14:62; Rev. 1:7). (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/the-parousia-getting-our-terms-right/)

“His robe is dipped in blood (19:13) even before he engages his enemies. The blood, therefore, is his own. Christ’s victory over his enemies… transpires through his death.” (Michael Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly)

[4] The rider on the white horse in the first seal (6:1-2) was introduced with exactly the same words (6:1; 19:11). If the rider in chapter 6 represented either false prophecy or the spirit of antichrist, it is appropriate that the rider here represents both true prophecy ("the testimony of Jesus") and Jesus Christ himself. (IVP New Testament Commentary)

[5] His crowns indicate that he is king of all (vv. 12,16).

[6] “This is a reference to what the rabbins call the shem hammephorash… the name the Jews never attempt to pronounce… they all declare that no man can pronounce it… and that God alone knows its true interpretation and pronunciation. (Adam Clarke)

[7] His bloody robe (see Gn 49:11; Is 63:1–6) unites Christ's sacrifice on the Cross with His righteous war (v. 11) and judging of sin (see 14:14–20). (Orthodox Study Bible) “The blood mentioned in connection with Christ in the Apocalypse is always his own life-blood (1:5; 5:6, 9; 7:14; 12:11.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[8] There are three OT allusions to the warrior-Messiah in this verse: he strikes down the nations (Isa 11:3ff.); he rules them with an iron rod (Ps 2:9); he tramples out the winepress of God's wrath (Isa 63:1-6)…Here his sword is the power of His Word (1:16 and 2:16)… the instrument of both his judgment and his salvation (Mt 12:37; Jn 12:48). (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[9] The promise in v. 15 echoes the earlier description of the male child born of the woman and caught up to heaven (12:5). (IVP New Testament Commentary)

[10] In Semitic thought, name expressed being. In this case, Faithful and True (see 3:13), Word of God (v. 13; see Jn 1:1, 14), KING OF KINGS (v. 16; see 17:14) AND LORD OF LORDS(see Dt 10:17; 1Ti 6:15). (Orthodox Study Bible)

[11] Ancient nations adorned the images of their deities, princes, etc. with inscriptions, expressing either the character of the persons, their names, or some other circumstance which might contribute to their honor, on the garment, or the thighs. (Adam Clarke)

[12] The Parthian ruler was called the “great king” and the “king of kings…” (Ezr 7:12; Eze 26:7; Da 2:37). Scripture applied similar titles to God (Dt 10:17; Ps 136:3; Da 2:47; Zec 14:9; 1Ti 6:15). (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[13] This is according to a Jewish tradition, Synopsis Sohar, p. 114, n. 25: "In the time when God shall execute vengeance for the people of Israel, he shall feed all the beasts of the earth for twelve months with their flesh and all the fowls for seven years." (Adam Clarke)

[14] See Ezek. 39:4

[15] Very similar list to Revelation 6:15

[16] The only fate considered worse than death itself was death followed by lack of burial. In Eze 39:17 – 20: God invited beasts and birds to devour the flesh of the end-time army. (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[17] Recalls the graphic prophetic curse against Gog (Ezek 39:4, 17–20; cf. Rev 20:8).

[18] This is the gathering which was initiated by the three unclean spirits like frogs “which go out to the kings of the earth” (Rev. 16:14+) (Precept Austin)

[19] No battle is fought. John may be indicating that the battle has already been fought and won by the death of the Lamb (5:5, 9) just as Satan was defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his followers' testimony (12:7-9, 11). (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[20] “Satan’s power to influence the nations is suppressed….The present spread of the gospel to the nations, as initiated in Acts, is the result of a restriction on Satan’s power to deceive.” (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[21] “Thousand” is often used in the Scriptures to denote a long period of time, a great quantity, completion, perfection, thoroughness (Job 9:3; 2Pt 3:8).” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[22] “Satan was bound at the completion of Christ's saving work (Mt 12:28, 29; Lk 10:17, 18; Jn 12:31, 32; Col 2:15). He is not totally inactive (Acts 5:3; 1Co 5:5; Eph 6:11), but he cannot keep the gospel from the nations.” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[23] “The first resurrection (v. 6) is the heavenly life of souls who have died in Christ before His Second Coming… These righteous spirits (Heb 12:23) await only the reuniting of soul and body after the final judgment (21:1).” (Orthodox Study Bible) 

[24] “The first death is bodily death…The second death is ultimate and spiritual in character. Likewise, the first and second resurrections may be preliminary and ultimate, respectively. The first is spiritual, the second is of the body. (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[25] Some of the early church fathers, Augustine included, thought that when Satan was cast into the abyss, it was into the hearts of those who were evil. When his is released, it is seen by those in whom Satan dwells terrorizing the people of God. 

[26] “Jewish writers typically used the invasion of Gog to predict the gathering of all nations against Israel. (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[27] “There are only two cities or kingdoms in the Apocalypse: the city of Satan, where the beast and harlot are central, and the city of God, where God and the Lamb are central. This city…Wherever God dwells among his people, there the city of God is (21:2-3).” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary) “The city is Christ’s church.” (Augustine)

[28] “That the beast and false prophet are [thrown into the lake of fire] does not argue for their individuality, since later "death" and "Hades," nonpersonal entities, are personified and cast into the same lake of fire (v.14).” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[29] Postmillennialism: the return of Christ will not take place until the church has set up the kingdom of God on earth. Premillenialism: Christ’s return will be followed by the binding of Satan and a thousand-year reign of saints before the final judgment. Dispensationalism: divides history into seven dispensations, with the final one culminating in a kingdom centered in a renewed Jerusalem with a rebuilt temple. Amillennialism: the thousand-year reign is happening now during the Church Age in some fashion. All affirm God’s victory, and the future reign of the saints with Christ. (Asbury Bible Commentary)

[30] The vision shares features with Ps. 7:6–8; 47:8, 9; Dan. 7:9, 10 and other Old Testament judgment scenes (cf. Matt. 25:31–46). (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[31] The books of judgment (Dan 7:10) contain a record of deeds, which will judge people (Ps 61:13; Jer 17:6). The Book of Life contains the names of all saved by grace (Ex 32:32; Is 4:3; Dan 12:1, 2)—not that they have no works, but that God's mercy is far greater in comparison.” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[32] “Many Gentiles believed that those who died at sea were barred from Hades because they were not buried.… Some apocalyptic writings expected Hades to return what was entrusted to it when the dead are raised for judgment.” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible) However, Augustine notes that the “sea”, in Revelation, has always meant the nations. He thinks that when the Sea gives up its dead, it’s the spiritually dead from the nations who had not yet physically died. Later, John will say “there is no more sea.” I always thought that meant “no more chaos,” but might it mean “no more distinct nations of earth?” Hmmm…..

[33]   A river of fire flows from God’s throne in Da 7:10, an image that is heavily developed in later Jewish tradition. Most relevant… is the Jewish image of fiery Gehenna (Gehinnom), where many Jewish teachers believed that the wicked would be either tortured or consumed.” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[34] “Death, the “last enemy that will be destroyed” (1Co 15:26), and Hades, the intermediate state between death and resurrection, will end.” (Orthodox Study Bible) 

[35] How Revelation 14 describes it.

[36] “A thousand-year Messianic age can be found in rabbinic literature… but [John’s]  main point was highlighting the temporary binding of Satan until the final judgment.” (NIV First Century Study Bible) There is no record in Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture that the Early Church thought this to be a literal 1,000 years. Almost to a man, the early church fathers thought this 1,000 years were either a) the time between the Resurrection and the Second Coming, or b) the span of Jesus’ incarnate life during which the gospel spreads and Satan’s power and deceit is limited.

[37] “The first death consisted in the separation of the soul from the body for a season; the second death in the separation of body and soul from God for ever. The first death is that from which there may be a resurrection; the second death is that from which there can be no recovery. By the first the body is destroyed during time; by the second, body and soul are destroyed through eternity.” (Adam Clarke)

[38] “The worldwide city of Christ is to suffer at the worldwide city of the Devil.” (Augustine)

[39] Quick note: According to the excerpts in Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture, all of the Early Church Father’s thought this blood was Jesus’ own. Some modern commentators think it’s the blood of those God judges in the ‘winepress’ of his wrath – which, as I read it, has not happened yet in the narrative. 

[40] Interesting: the judgment is here a winepress, in a couple verses, it will be a fire. We saw this in Revelation 14: “ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.  Another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes off the vine of the earth, because its grapes are now ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth and tossed them into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” Both capture the point that judgment is coming; both are images, ‘icons’ on which to click.

[41] “Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:13b-14)

[42] Interesting perspective from Caesarius of Arles, which will show the kind of interpretation the church fathers offered: “Either they will believe in Christ through the fire of the Holy Spirit, and they will be spiritually consumed by the church, that is, incorporated into the church, or they will be consumed by the fire of their own sins and they will perish.” (Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture: Revelation)

[43] (Is. 66:15, 16; Joel 2:3). 

[44] Fire is frequently associated with all-consuming judgment (Is. 66:15, 16; Joel 2:3).

[45] So far in Revelation, all fire has represented judgment and not actual fire. I’m trying to stay faithful to that framework.

[46] My image to link it back to Exodus, which has happened a lot in Revelation. 

[47] Augustine thought this meant that, since the sea represented nations, the Sea gave up the living who were spiritually dead, and Hades gave up the physically dead. 

[48] Expositor’s Bible Commentary

[49] Got the term and the book idea from Michael Heisser, on the Naked Bible Podcast

[50] Michael Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly

[51] Michael Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly

[52] Seven Deadly spirits: The message of Revelations letters for today's Church, T. Scott Daniels

Everybody Yokes (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

As we noted last week, when it comes to being ‘strangers and aliens, we must CULTIVATE IT (so we are always aware we are ‘set apart’). This week, let’s focus on how we OWN IT (to avoid compromising our life and our allegiance) USE IT (to motivate us toward loving engagement.) 

Have you seen those TV commercials where the punch line is, “Want to get away?”  The ads resonate because we’ve all been in situations like that. I remember in Bible College leading hymns in chapel one morning, and when I started leading the second verse, I started singing from the wrong page.  Yes, I wanted to get away.  

But those ads make me think of a more serious reason that we might want to get out of a particular situation. Do you ever look at the world around you and think that you just want to get away from all the junk that's going on?

• the horror that is happening in Ukraine

• the weariness of the world after 2 years of COVID and all the accompanying grief and loss, as well as the controversies

• the increasing coarsening of our culture 

Sometimes I want a break. Sometimes I want to go somewhere free of all the brokenness in the world. It wears me down. Jesus once said of those who follow God,

“The world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14)

I grew up in a church community that took that verse seriously. We retreated from the world. Heaven was my home anyway, not this place. The best we could do was quietly try to fly under the radar and pray the world passed by our community without leaving any traces it had been there. We wanted to get away, and for the most part, we did. And yet that’s only the first half of Jesus’ statement. He goes on to say:

“I do not ask that you [God] take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15).

The prayer of Jesus was not that His people get removed from their context, but that while we are in the midst of a broken world, we will be kept safe from spiritual destruction.  Growing up, the world may not have left much of a trace on our community – but we didn’t leave much of a trace on them either.  We are supposed to have an impact! Paul wrote in Ephesians,

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the lightconsists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)”. (Ephesians 5:8-9)

The whole reason God declared Israel holy was to reveal Himself to the world through them. God set them apart for His divine purpose so the nations in spiritual darkness would receive the light that revealed what Yahweh was like. 

• "…I shall submit you as a light unto the nations, to be My salvation until the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

• "I the LORD have called unto you in righteousness, and have taken hold of your hand, and submitted you as the people's covenant, as a light unto the nations." Isaiah 42:6

• "And unto your light, nations shall walk, and kings unto the brightness of your rising." Isaiah 60:3

Paul, in Galatians 6:16, refers to followers of Jesus as the “Israel of God.” Now, the church is the light unto the nations. If we are going to live as children of light, we have to go to dark places. 

Jesus showed God’s plan on how to change the world by moving into a darkened world that needed light – in His case, a Jewish community whose leaders were making “disciples of hell” while  living under the shadow of a very pagan Rome.  Jesus didn’t show his people how to circle the wagons; he showed them how to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. 

How do we do this well? That can be hard.  The line between “in” and “of” can be confusing.  I read this poem by John Fisher years ago:

“The Ins And Outs Of It
” 

"In it, not of it," the statement was made

As Christian One faced the world, much afraid.

"In it, not of it," the call was made clear,

But Christian One got something stuck in his ear.

"Not in it, or of it" was the thing that he heard.

And knowing the world was painfully absurd,

He welcomed the safety of pious retreat,

And went to the potluck for something to eat.

Now Christian Two, he knew what to do,

He'd show those fundies a thing or two!

How will the world ever give Christ a try

If we don't get in there and identify?

So "In it, and of it," he said in his car,

As he pulled in and stopped at a popular bar.

"I'll tell them the truth as soon as I'm able

To get myself out from under this table."

Now along comes Christian Three jogging for Jesus,

In witnessing sweats made of four matching pieces.

His earphones are playing a hot Christian tune

About how the Lord is coming back soon.

"Not in it, but of it," he turns down the hill

And stops in for a bite at the Agape Grill.

Like the gold on the chain of his "God Loves You" bracelet,

He can have the world without having to face it.

While way up in heaven they lament these conditions

That come from changing a few prepositions.

And Jesus turns to Gabriel, shaking His head.

" 'In it, not of it,' wasn't that what I said?"

- John Fisher

 The church in Corinth had “in it and of it” problem. In his first visit to Corinth, Paul had apparently warned them about associating with people who were defiantly and proudly sinful.[1] Unfortunately, they did not understand what he was trying to say. 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul clarified his command from his previous visit: “I didn’t mean people who aren’t following Christ. You would have to leave the world.” In other words, of course you are going to have friends and relate to people who don’t agree with you or live like you.  You live in Corinth.  You are in Corinth.  In his second letter, he gives them a little more clarity on how not to be “of” Corinth:

“Don’t be unequally yoked[2] with unbelievers. What common interest can there be between goodness and evil? How can light and darkness share life together? How can there be harmony between Christ and the devil? What faith do those who believe have in common with those who do not? What common ground can idols hold with the temple of God? For we, remember, are ourselves living temples of the living God.”  (2 Corinthians 6:14 - 7:1)

The yoke referred to here was one used by farmers. They would hook up two oxen for plowing a (hopefully) straight line. There were good combinations and bad.  If one ox was stronger or taller, it would overpower the other, and the line would curve. But if they were the same, their strengths balanced each other out, and they moved steadily toward a common goal. 

Now, Paul already made clear to the people in Corinth that he was NOT telling us to withdraw from culture or from people who are not followers of Christ. We cannot accomplish the mission that Jesus started if we don’t have a vital presence in our community.  Jesus himself did not pray that we would be removed.  This isn’t a moratorium on relationships. The early church had a huge impact by simply being a Godly presence in their cities. #saltandlight. 

And yet Paul also highlights a crucial reality: Everybody yokes.

 All people attach themselves to a person, organization, worldview or movement.  Sometimes - perhaps often if all is well - there are common temporal community goals toward which we can legitimately partner with those who do not share our allegiance to Christ: helping the sick, feeding the hungry, housing the refugee, keeping our water clean.

Other times, this kind of coalition is not possible. Some people will walk with us on a path paved with the values of the Kingdom of God, but some will attempt to pull up those pavers or pull us onto a different path the leads to a different Kingdom altogether. 

Everything with which we yoke works with us or against us as we move toward a goal. 

If we are not alert, we will often unconsciously yoke poorly and compromise the Christian integrity of our lives. We become comfortable in a world that is not our home, and eventually we will live by the standards of the world. 

• We hear message after message about how money and things will lead to the good life, and they are ours to do with what we want– and if that begins to feel comfortable, we will begin to yoke with a world that is remarkably at odds with every biblical principle about how to use and view wealth and things.[3]

• We hear over and over that we should follow our heart or be true to ourselves, when biblically speaking those are both terrible ideas. We are to make sure our heart follows God’s heart; we are supposed to be true to Christ.  I don’t yoke with the philosophy of Titanic; I yoke with the philosophy of Jesus. 

• Our culture tells us we are free to do anything we want and nobody should tell us what to do, but those are not biblical notions. Biblical freedom is freedom from the enslavement of sin and into the freedom to follow Jesus. God absolutely tells us what to do and who to be, and we are embedded in a community of God’s people who are supposed to speak into our lives not just to encourage us, but to reprimand us in line with God’s Word. I am guided toward what I ought to do all the time by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the counsel of people around me who care about me. It’s life in the Kingdom of God.  I am yoked with a King; I live in a Kingdom, and that King gets to tell me what to do. 

• Our culture tells us it’s our right right to say virtually anything we want to say; the Bible tells me the tongue is a fire, and my words have the power of life and death, and that I dare not have bitter words come out of my mouth.  I am yoked with a Holy Spirit whose fruits include patience, kindness, and self-control. 

• Our culture insists on the right to pursue happiness; the Bible tells me I have the responsibility to pursue holiness, which may or may not lead to happiness. 

Be careful who shares your spiritual yolk.

During the Roman persecutions we have been reading about in Revelation, Christians were commanded to cast a little incense on the altar of a pagan god. They refused to do it, and many were killed; those who didn’t certainly suffered economic hardship.  Just a little incense. No big deal, right? This was a question of yoke. It was a question of spiritual partnership, of allegiance.

• Who gets our conscious, deliberate yoke? (What orders our life: how we think about issues, what we prioritize, etc.)

• Whom do we most want to please/ are most willing to offend? We have traveling companions; who are we most willing to push away, and who do we invest in the most to keep them close?

• As we plough a trail through the world, whose trails does it most look like?

Who gets to share our yolk as we plough through life?  

This question is not meant to make us disengage. Paul was not exhorting people to stay away from, ignore or hate people with whom spiritual yoking was not a good idea. Not at all. If anything, we ought to be going into fields full of crooked lines and ploughing straight ones. That we cannot spiritually yoke with people both we and God love should motivate us to live as faithful ambassadors in a world in desperate need of the gospel. Here was God’s direction to the Jews in Babylonian exile:

“Build houses—make homes for your families because you are not coming back to Judah anytime soon. Plant gardens, and eat the food you grow there. Marry and have children; find wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, so that they can have children. During these years of captivity, let your families grow and not die out. Pursue the peace and welfare of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to Me, the Eternal, for Babylon because if it has peace, you will live in peace.” (Jeremiah 29:5-11)

That’s a very specific order for the Israelites, so let’s consider how this command has played out over church history in other situation. I’m reading now from manuscripts that have survived from the times of the early church. 

The Epistle to Diognetes, c. AD 130

For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity…  

But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life.  

They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring.  

They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all.  

They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life. They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored and yet in their very dishonor are glorified.  

They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life. 

 They are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word -- what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world.”

From the Apology of Tertullian, AD 197

“We are a body knit together as such by a common religious profession, by unity of discipline, and by the bond of a common hope. We meet together as an assembly and congregation, that, offering up prayer to God as with united force, we may wrestle with Him in our supplications…  

We pray, too, for the emperors, for their ministers and for all in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the prevalence of peace, for the delay of the final consummation. We assemble to read our sacred writings . . . and with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, we make our confidence more steadfast; and no less by inculcations of God’s precepts we confirm good habits. 

Though we have our treasure-chest, it is not made up of purchase-money, as of a religion that has its price. On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he be able: for there is no compulsion; all is voluntary. 

These gifts are . . . not spent on feasts, and drinking-bouts, and eating-houses, but to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents, and of old persons confined now to the house; such, too, as have suffered shipwreck; and if there happen to be any in the mines or banished to the islands or shut up in the prisons, for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of God's Church, they become the nurslings of their confession. 

 But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another, for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred. See, they say about us, how they are ready even to die for one another, for they themselves would sooner kill.”

Clement, describing the person who has come to know God, wrote,

“He impoverishes himself out of love, so that he is certain he may never overlook a brother in need, especially if he knows he can bear poverty better than his brother. He likewise considers the pain of another as his own pain. And if he suffers any hardship because of having given out of his own poverty, he does not complain.”[4]

Sociologist Rodney Stark:

 ". . . Christianity served as a revitalization movement that arose in response to the misery, chaos, fear, and brutality of life in the urban Greco-Roman world. . . . Christianity revitalized life in Greco-Roman cities by providing new norms and new kinds of social relationships able to cope with many 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 attachment. 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, fire, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services. . . . For what they brought was not simply an urban movement, but a new culture capable of making life in Greco-Roman cities more tolerable." [5]

They lived in Rome, but they were not of it Do you see the patterns?

• Followed the customs they could, but offered new norms.

• Valued families 

• Protected the vulnerable

• Practiced Generosity/Charity 

• Provided health of all kinds 

• Lived with chastity/sexual restraint

• Surpassed Roman law

• Responded to evil with good

• Suffered hardship with integrity

• Formed tight communities

• “See how they love one another.”

• Preached the gospel in word and deed

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the lightconsists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)”. (Ephesians 5:8-9)

[1] I Corinthians 5:9-12  “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked person from among you.”

[2] 2086 heterozygéō (from 2087 /héteros, "another of a different kind" and 2218/zygós, "a yoke, joining two to a single plow") –different kinds of people joined together but unevenly matched; hence "unequally yoked" (not aptly joined). (HELPS Word Studies)

[3] One example of how we take economic ideas for granted: did you know the concept of retirement is only about 100 years old? Yet now we order our lives around it. I’m not saying that makes it wrong; it's just a concept we take for granted that Christians for 2,000 years did not. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/how-retirement-was-invented/381802/

[4] http://earlychurch.com/unconditional-love.php

[5] Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity, Princeton University Press, 1996, page 161.

https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/what-were-early-christians-like-11629560.html