True Godliness.

1 Timothy 6:1-10

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. – 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT

True godliness should make a difference in the way we live our lives. In this short series of verses, Paul addresses three different groups of people in the church in Ephesus. His point was to remind Timothy that the Christian faith was to be a practical part of everyday life. It was to make a difference in the way believers lived and interacted with the world around them. First, he addresses slaves – specifically those slaves who had come to faith in Christ and were now part of the body of Christ. Slavery was a huge part of the culture in Ephesus, with all kinds of slaves living and working in the community. Some had been sold into slavery. Others had been forced into slavery because they had been unable to pay their debts. And these slaves would have been of various backgrounds and cultures. There would have been both Jewish and Gentile slaves. But the ones to whom Paul is referring are believing slaves – those who had placed their faith in Jesus Christ and were now part of the local fellowship in Ephesus. Paul encourages Timothy to teach these individuals to show respect to their masters and to work hard. Paul doesn't spend time condemning slavery or attempting to disrupt the social fabric of his day. He doesn't condone slavery, but neither does he condemn it. He simply wants those who find themselves impacted by it to live their lives in a way that would honor God and illustrate godly behavior. In his letter to Philemon, a Christian slave owner, Paul was asking him to receive back Onesimus, a runaway slave who had become a believer. Paul encouraged Philemon, "he is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord" (Philemon 1:16 NLT). Faith in Christ does not always change our circumstances, but it does change the way we should live within them.

The next group Paul addressed were false teachers – those who were contradicting Paul's teaching and stirring up "arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions" (1 Timothy 6:4 NLT). These individuals were obsessed with arrogant and lacked true understanding. They had turned their back on the truth of God and were concocting their own version of the truth. And their motivation was purely selfish and financial in nature. Paul said, "to them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy" (1 Timothy 6:5 NLT). Their ministry was materially motivated. And their godliness was all for show.

But Paul had a different understanding of godliness. It was to be, in and of itself, the objective. It was not to be a means to and end. Godliness was not to be used as a device to gain respect, power, or financial gain. It was sufficient in and of itself. And when godliness was accompanied with contentment, it would prove more than profitable to an individual's life. That's why a godly slave could remain a slave and be content with his lot in life. Circumstances have little or nothing to do with godliness and should have virtually no impact on the degree of our contentment. Godliness is not dependent upon material possessions. The godly individual does not rely upon the accumulation of things to find contentment. Which is why Paul writes, "So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content" (1 Timothy 6:8 NLT). The motivation of the false teachers was money. The motivation of the godly is Christ.

Paul ends up this section talking about those who love money. Each of these three groups were part of the church in Ephesus. There were slaves, false teachers and lovers of money participating in the body of Christ there. And not all those who had a love affair with money were false teachers. There were obviously some who had much and wanted more, and there were those who had little and dreamed of having more. In both cases, the love of money would prove to be dangerous. "…people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction" (1 Timothy 6:9 NLT). Their lives are not marked by contentment. Godliness is not their goal, the accumulation of wealth is. God is not their provider and protector, money is. Paul does not condemn money or wealth. He simply points out that the love of it and obsession over it is potentially harmful for the believer. It can have devastating consequences on a believer's pursuit of godliness.

True godliness is accompanied by contentment. The desire for more of anything, other than Christ, can be deadly to the believer. The desire for something other than Christ for our contentment, joy, fulfillment and hope can also prove to be harmful to our spiritual maturity. Slaves needed to be content with their circumstances and live godly lives right where they were. The false teachers needed to be content with the truth of God's Word and the message of Jesus Christ, just as it had been preached, and live godly lives without expecting any financial reward in return. Those who loved and long for money were to be content with their current financial status and live godly lives regardless of how little or how much money they had. Godliness combined with contentment is the real currency of God's Kingdom.

Father, may we learn to pursue godliness more than anything else in this earth? We get so obsessed with changing our circumstances, thinking thatis the key to happiness and contentment. But the reality is that You are and have always been the only source of contentment for our lives. Help us to continue to discover that true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. Amen.

Giving God the Credit.

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NLT

There is no doubt that some among the believers in Corinth had been questioning Paul's authority. They had been spreading rumors that Paul was not really qualified to address the various issues he been writing about. Evidently, false teachers had been influencing the Corinthians, contradicting the teachings of Paul, and using as their basis of authority, forged letters of recommendation from Judea. In other words, they had papers to back them up. It appeared as if they were official representatives "true" apostles back in Jerusalem. The inference was that Paul was an imposter and charlatan. He was a fake. And all that he had been teaching was to be rejected as false and dangerous.

But Paul had no desire to play their game. He was not going to waste his time trying to prove his validity by producing letters written by men. He knew his calling and who it was that had issued his call. As far as Paul was concerned, the proof of his ministry's integrity was to be seen in the transformed lives of the men and women of Corinth. He knew that others could see the change and that was why the Corinthian believers were suffering persecution. Paul viewed their changed lives as "a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you" (2 Corinthians 3:3 NLT). The Spirit had clearly been at work in Corinth, opening the eyes of men and women as they had heard the gospel message proclaimed by Paul. This had not been the result of Paul's efforts, but it had been the work of the Spirit – from beginning to end. Paul didn't need letters of recommendation, because it wasn't his work to begin with. It was God's work. Paul had no delusions of grandeur. In fact, he fully understood that he was not "qualified to do anything" on his own. The work in Corinth had nothing to do with Paul's competence or credibility. It had everything to do with God and His decision to work through someone like Paul. "Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NLT). In essence, Paul was telling those who were casting aspersions on his ministry, to take it up with God. What Paul had been able to accomplish in Corinth had been a clear work of God, made possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. He had simply been a tool in the hands of God to accomplish His will.

How easy it is for us to believe that we are vital to God's plan. How quickly we can assume that God needs us to accomplish His will. We can find ourselves taking credit for what God has done and becoming prideful about our own competence and significance to His Kingdom cause. We want to boast about our credentials and brag about our qualifications. But Paul knew that he was nothing without the Spirit's work. He knew that he was not qualified or competent to do anything on his own. The ministry of life transformation and redemption was entirely the work of God, not man. Our degrees, diplomas, education, intelligence, gifts, abilities, talents and resumes mean nothing if God is not in it. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on Him. If lives are being changed as a result of anything we have done, it is because God has chosen to work through us. We are not accomplishing great things for God, but instead, He is simply choosing to accomplish His work through us, and oftentimes, in spite of us. God did not need Paul to accomplish His will. But He had chosen and commissioned him to spread the good news about Jesus Christ among the Gentiles. And God's Spirit had clearly worked through Paul, preparing hearts to hear and accept the gospel message. Paul didn't need any other proof than the transformed lives of the Corinthian believers. He knew that God was at work, because he could see it. Paul had no reason to brag, but he also had no reason to doubt. It could have been easy for him to question whether or not what he had been doing was truly of God, but the evidence was undeniable and irrefutable. Lives had been changed, and only God can bring about true, long-lasting life transformation. Only the Spirit can give life. So Paul was confident and content that what he was doing had God's blessing and complete recommendation.

Father, we need to look for life transformation. We need to learn to see where Your Spirit is at work in our midst. Too often we base our success based on our own qualifications and efforts. But the true criteria for success in Your work is changed lives. And only You can bring that about. Open our eyes so that we might see where You are at work. Don't let us focus on what we are doing, but on what You are doing through us. We can measure programs and we can count heads and think we are making a difference. But if lives are not being changed and if people are not being saved, our work is in vain. Remove from us any desire to please or prove our significance to men. Let us be content with the proof of changed lives as Your Spirit works among us. Amen.

The Reality of the Resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. – 1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT

The future resurrection of the dead may have been in question with some of the believers in Corinth, but Paul affirmed it's reality. His argument was that if there is was no such thing as a future resurrection of the dead, then Christ Himself was not resurrected. Their rejection of the doctrine of bodily resurrection had ramifications. It eliminated the possibility of Christ having been resurrected from the dead. "And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless" (1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT). And if there was no such thing as the resurrection of the dead, then Paul and the other apostles were nothing more than liars, having taught that God raised Jesus from the dead. Without the doctrine of the resurrection, there is no such thing as a risen Savior, forgiveness of sin, or an eternal estate. All it would leave us with is the present reality of this world, then death.

One of the things that jumps out at me in this passage is the danger of human logic and reason. When men begin to try and explain away what they see as difficult to understand, it almost always leads to heresy. The Corinthians were wrestling with their cultural concept of the dichotomy between the flesh and the spirit, the body and the soul. They had been indoctrinated with the idea that the body was material and therefore evil. But the soul was spiritual and therefore good. So the idea of a resurrection of the body was inexplicable to them. They couldn't fathom how that could be. So their human reasoning kicked in and they simply denied the possibility of a bodily resurrection. It didn't matter to them what God may have to say about the subject. They had reached their conclusion and were completely comfortable with it. But Paul wasn't. He wanted them to understand the dangerous ramifications of their human reasoning. By denying the bodily resurrection of the dead, they were denying the very thing that was the key to their forgiveness and future glorification: The resurrection of Jesus. When God raised Jesus from the dead, it was not just to prove His own power, but as a precursor of what was to come. As Paul said, "Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died" (1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT). Paul made a comparison between Jesus and Adam. When Adam sinned, he brought death (both physical and spiritual) to the world. When Jesus was raised from the dead, He brought new life (both physical and spiritual) to the world. Paul gave them a glimpse into the future when he wrote, "Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back" (1 Corinthians 15:23 NLT). He is referring to the Rapture of the Church. Paul goes into greater detail about this future event in his letter to the Thessalonian believers. "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT). Just a few verses earlier in this passage, Paul made it clear that when Christ returns for His Church, He will be accompanied by all the believers who have died. But then he wrote that all "the Christians who have died will rise from their graves." They will return in their spirit form, but will be reunited with their resurrected, renewed bodies. And those believers who are alive at the time of Christ's return will also be given new bodies. Paul addresses that a few verses later in this section of his letter to the Corinthians. "It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies" (1 Corinthians 15:52-53 NLT).

The resurrection of our earthly bodies is a non-negotiable aspect of our faith as believers. God is not redeeming just a part of us, but all of us. He is going to restore ALL things, not just some things. He will redeem and restore what has been marred by sin, including all of creation and our bodies. All that God made in the physical universe He deemed as good. But it has all been damaged by sin. God will restore it all. He will bring back to life even those bodies that have been dead and buried for centuries. But if none of this is true, and there is no resurrection, then as Paul said, "Let's feast, and drink, for tomorrow we die!" (1 Corinthians 15:32 NLT). But Paul also warned the Corinthians to avoid people who thought that way. He wanted them to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the resurrection was a reality. Christ Himself was proof of it. And His own resurrection was ample evidence and assurance of our own future resurrection. It's going to happen. We don't know when or how, but it is going to happen. "So encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18 NLT).

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. We live in a world where everything is growing old, decaying, and falling apart. While I have Your Spirit living within me, my body continues to show the effects of sin. But there is a day coming when I will receive a new, resurrected body. You will make all things new, including my own physical body. Your work of transformation in my life will be complete and whole, because You don't do anything halfway. Amen.

The King And His Kingdom!

Matthew 25:1-26:5; Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2

"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne." – Matthew 25:31 NLT

One of the themes of the Gospels that most of us seem to overlook or simply ignore is that of the Kingdom of Heaven. When we think of the Gospels, we tend to concentrate on Jesus as the Savior of the world. Because we are 21st-Century believers living in a western context, the whole idea of a King and a Kingdom does not resonate with us. But we have to remember that the New Testament is in harmony with and a fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus was the one who had been promised by God to Abraham. "And the Lord came to Abram, and said, I will give all this land to your seed; then Abram made an altar there to the Lord who had let himself be seen by him" (Genesis 12:7 BBE). That word translated "seed" is important. It can be translated "seed, offspring, or even descendants." So it would be natural to assume that God is promising the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants. And that would be a right assumption. But Paul gives us an even better understanding of this passage. He writes, "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ" (Galatians 3:15-16 NASB). In other words, when God made His promise to Abraham, He was saying that, ultimately, He was going to give the land to Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, but also the Son of God and the King of kings. The land would belong to Him as its rightful ruler.

The Gospels are full of references to the Kingdom. In fact, when Jesus came into the world He was a fulfillment of countless Old Testament prophecies that predicted and promised the coming of a King, a descendant of David, who would sit on his throne forever. God had promised David, “Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you – a dynasty of kings!…Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for al time, and your throne will be secure forever” (2 Samuel 7:11, 16 NLT). But it had been hundreds of years since a descendant of David had ruled from a throne in Jerusalem. In fact, since their return from exile in Babylon, Israel had had no king at all. Then there was a 400 year period of oppression under a string of different countries, most recently Rome. The king who sat on the throne when Jesus was born was Herod, an Edomite, and not a descendant of David. But Jesus WAS a descendant of David. The lineage of Jesus found in Luke traces His line back to David through Mary. This establishes Jesus’ legal claim to the throne. The lineage found in Matthew traces the line of Jesus through Mary. This establishes Jesus’ hereditary claim to the throne. When Mary and Joseph obeyed the decree to go to their ancestral home for taxation purposes, they went to Bethlehem. "And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home" (Luke 2: 4 NLT). Jesus was of royal pedigree.

What did the angel tell Mary when he announced to her God's plan? “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:31-33 NLT). Her son would be a king. He would rule just like David did, but His kingdom would be everlasting. Some time after Jesus' birth, even the magi came looking for a king. "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:1-2 NLT). At the birth of John the Baptist, his father, Zechariah prophesied about the royalty of Jesus even before He was born. "Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David” (Luke 1:67-68 NLT).

Why is this so important? Because Jesus was not just born to be our Savior, but to be King. The reality is that, one day, He will be King over all mankind whether they believe in Him or not. Paul reminds us, "Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11 NLT). But we will not all worship Him in the same way. Some will be His loyal subjects. Others will bow in subjugation. Some will be citizens. Others will be slaves – the captives of war. Some will be welcomed into His presence. Others will be cast out. Jesus' redemptive work on the cross, made it possible for men to be restored to a right relationship with God, so that we might live in His eternal Kingdom, under the righteous rule of Jesus Christ, forever. He will be our Savior AND our King. In fact, He is our Savior and King even today. But the problem is that, too often, we want to welcome Jesus as Savior, but refuse to let Him rule in our lives. We accept His gracious offer of eternal life, but we want to be the ones who rule and reign over our own lives.

Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching about the Kingdom. It was going to be drastically different than the one the Jews were anticipating. They were looking for a conquering king who would establish His kingdom on earth and set them free from subjugation to Rome. But Jesus came to establish a different kind of Kingdom. He came to set them free from slavery to sin. He came to release them from captivity to Satan and to release them from the condemnation of death as rebels against God. So much of what Jesus said about the Kingdom had to do with His future return. He was going to come back. And when He did, He would set up the kind of Kingdom the Jewish people had long been waiting for. Jesus taught about His eminent return as King. But it would not take place until He had suffered and died, paying the penalty for the sins of mankind. He would have to redeem mankind before they would accept His rule over them. Without His offer of salvation, we would never accept Him as sovereign. But the whole story of the Bible is about the righteous rule and reign of God over His creation. Jesus was born as King and He was crucified as King. At His trial, the soldiers mocked Him as King. "They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove a thorn branch into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (Mark 15:17-18 NLT). On the cross, the sign that was nailed above His head carried the charge, "The King of the Jews." As He hung on the cross, the religious leaders mocked Him as King. "He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe in him!” (Mark 15:31-32 NLT). Jesus died because He was King. But He is coming again because He is King.

The Return of the King!

Jesus had taught His disciples that He would die, but He would rise again. He also told them that He would go away, but He would return some day. And when He did, He would establish His Kingdom once and for all. The Messianic Kingdom they anticipated would come, but not when they expected it.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” –  Matthew 25:31-34 NLT

The Gospels record the arrival of the King and the beginning of His Kingdom. They record Jesus’ teaching regarding the Kingdom. They contrast the false view with the true image of the Kingdom. They establish Jesus as the King. It was for His claim to be King that He died. And it will be as a King that He returns.

Father, too often I am more than willing to acknowledge Jesus as my Savior, but refuse to let Him be my King. I take on that responsibility, attempting to rule my life according to my own standards and in an effort to live life on my own terms. But He died that I might live, and do so as His subject, a citizen of His Kingdom, submitting myself to His righteous rule over my life. Show me how to live, not just because of Him, but for Him. Amen.

The True Heart of Sacrifice.

Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4

“I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, hsa given everything she has." – Mark 21:3 NLT

Jesus and His disciples are standing in the Temple grounds. He has just had a discussion with the religious leaders regarding His authority. Three separate times they have approached Him, asking questions designed to trap and expose Him. But Jesus has graciously and effectively handled all their inquiries, even taking the opportunity to ask a question of His own. There in the Temple courtyard, He is on enemy territory. This is the domain of the priests and religious leaders. He is on their turf. And yet Jesus has just warned the crowd to "Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they love to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished" (Luke 20:46-47 NLT).

These were not exactly kind and gracious words. I can't help but imagine that as Jesus spoke these words, He was able to look at the various priests, religious leaders, Pharisees and Sadducees walking around the courtyard in their flowing robes, trailing a retinue of dedicated disciples. But it is within this same environment, that Jesus points out the poor widow. While His disciples were probably enamored by the beauty of the Temple buildings and impressed by the pomp and circumstance of the religious elite, Jesus takes notice of the obscure and overlooked widow. Mark and Luke tell us that "he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box" (Luke 21:1 NLT). Jesus was people watching, but with a purpose. He was going to teach a lesson on giving for the benefit of His disciples. The process of giving in this context was a very visible one. The people lined up and one-by-one deposited their gift in the box. This would have been one of 13 different trumpet-shaped receptacles located around the Temple grounds. They were made of metal and the "dropping" of each person's gift would have made a distinctive sound. And of course, the more you gave, the louder the noise. So it would have been noticeable when the rich deposited their gifts. Those waiting in line or standing nearby would have heard the clanking of the metal coins as they were dropped into the container. To the untrained eye, it would have appeared that the wealthy were giving more than anyone else. But Jesus points out a very important point when it comes to giving. It is not so much the size of the gift, as it is the degree of sacrifice required of the one giving. Jesus points out that this poor widow, who only put in two measly coins, had actually given MORE than anyone else that day. Why? Because Jesus somehow knew that her gift represented the greatest degree of sacrifice. In spite of her poverty, she had given everything she had. Her gift was truly sacrificial and not superficial.

Jesus is not so much denigrating the gifts of the others as much as He is pointing out the true motive behind giving. Our giving is not to be for show. It should not be done to impress. But it should also not be done in such a way that it requires little or no sacrifice on our part. If you think about it, God does not need our money. He doesn't require our talents. When we give, whether it is our time, talents or treasures, we should do so as an expression of gratitude to Him for all He has done for us. He gave His Son so that we might have eternal life. But when we give to Him and we do it like the rich people Jesus saw – giving just a small portion out of their surplus – what does that communicate to God? We are giving Him something that costs us nothing. It is almost meaningless and of little value to us. But this widow gave all she had. She gave sacrificially and willingly. At the heart of true giving is sacrifice. It expresses to God that He has more value to us than whatever it is we are giving to Him. He is worthy of all that we have. He does not require that we give Him all, but He is not honored when we give what costs us nothing.

Father, too often I give to You out of my reserves or surplus. Or I give to you out of the dregs and leftovers of my time and energy. I give You those moments at the end of the day when I am exhausted and drained. I try to pray as I fall asleep, hoping that in some way that will honor You. I can so easily spend my money on my own needs and desires, giving to You something out of what I have leftover at the end of the month. Jesus pointed out this widow for a reason. It was not the size of the gift, but the heart of the one giving. May my giving, whether of my time, treasures or talents, be a holy sacrifice to You for all that You have done and continue to do for me. Amen.

From Darkness to Light.

John 12:20-50

"I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark." – John 12:46 NLT

When referring to Jesus, John used the metaphor of light throughout his gospel. He opened his account of the life of Jesus with these words, "… his life brought light to everyone.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it" (John 1:4-5 NLT). He went on to tell how John the Baptist, sent by God, told "about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony" (John 1:7 NLT). John the Baptist was to be a witness to the fact that "the one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9 NLT). It's interesting how John used this word picture of light penetrating the darkness when referring to Jesus. It paints a vivid image of the state of the world from God's perspective. Mankind was immersed in a suffocating darkness, caused by the presence of sin and the absence of truth. For more than 400 years, God had remained silent, no longer sending any prophets with any messages of either warning or hope. During the period of the kings and all the way up until the exile of Judah to Babylon, God had spoken regularly and relentlessly, calling His people to return to Him. He had given them warnings of what was to come, but also assurances that He would be faithful to them. He promised to return them to the Promised Land from their 70 years in exile, and He kept His word. But then the prophets ceased and God fell silent. For more than 400 years the world suffered without a word from God. Darkness reigned. The light of God's truth dimmed. Even God's chosen people became a shadow of what He had intended them to be. Their priesthood had become more political than spiritual. Their land was under constant attack and they suffered defeat at the hands of the Syrians, Egyptians and Romans during that time. They practiced their religion, but they did so, as it were, in darkness. They no longer heard from God. And over time, they became accustomed to the darkness. The became acclimated to their surroundings and learned to live without the light. Like Gollum in J. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, they grew comfortable living in an environment lacking in light.

But God was not going to remain silent forever. He was not going to allow the darkness to continue. As He did at the creation of the world, God would penetrate the darkness with light. "Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness" (Genesis 1:3-4 NLT). At just the right time, God caused His light to shine into the world again. The classic Christmas carol, O Holy Night, describes the scene quite beautifully.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

The prophet Isaiah predicted that this time would come. Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, he wrote hundreds of years earlier, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness,a light will shine" (Isaiah 9:2 NLT). He went on to describe the source of this light: "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NLT). Jesus Christ was the light of God penetrating the darkness that had engulfed the world and left men stumbling about blindly, attempting to grope their way toward a solution to their problem of sin, pain, and suffering.

Jesus made it perfectly clear why He had come and what was expected of those who heard His message. "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in men will no longer remain in darkness" (John 12:46 NLT). But John tells us the sad reality: "But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him" (John 12:37 NLT). Jesus had come offering them hope. He had come providing them with a way to reestablish their relationship with God the Father. He offered them light to help them navigate the darkness of this world, but they refused it. Jesus did not come to eliminate the darkness, but to illuminate it. Darkness is simply an absence of light. He came to provide light where there had been none. But this Light would not be with them forever. In just a few short days, His life and the Light would be extinguished. Jesus told them so. "My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light" (John 12:35-36 NLT).

But by the end of that week, the Light of the world would be snuffed out. His life would be taken. Better yet, His life would be given, because He died willingly and gladly so that men might have eternal life and a permanent source of Light for their lives. Jesus had promised, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life" (John 8:12 NLT). His death made it possible for men to live in His light permanently – even while surrounded by the darkness of this world. Jesus came into the world as the Light of the world. He died so that His light might shine in the lives of men, making them sources of light that might illuminate the darkness. One Light became many lights. Paul made this clear when he wrote, "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!" (Ephesians 5:8 NLT). We have the Light of the world within us, not just with us. He indwells us and illuminates our lives, not just our surroundings. And we have the capacity and responsibility to shine into the darkness of this world, making a difference, exposing sin, illuminating the way to the One who can make a difference in the lives of men. Paul went on to say, "For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible" (Ephesians 5:9-14 NLT).

Those of us who are in Christ, have Christ in us. We have His light shining in and through us. We are lamps in the darkness, providing hope by revealing the truth of God's transforming power in our lives. We are to shine as Jesus did. We are to expose darkness as He did. We are to illuminate the darkness, not attempt to eliminate it. When we live as children of the light, the darkness naturally recedes before us. Darkness cannot dwell in the presence of light. It diminishes as the light grows stronger. May we become increasingly bright lights in this sin-darkened world, "for light makes everything visible."

Father, thank You for illuminating the darkness of my world with the Light of Your Son. Now help me to live as a child of the Light in the world in which You've placed me. Help me to shine brightly. Help me to clearly point the way to You for those who still live in darkness and cannot see for themselves. May my life by a light on a hill, clear for all to see, and a magnet to those who desire to escape the darkness of sin in their lives. Amen.

It's Here, But It's Coming.

Luke 17:17-38

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It's over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” – Luke 17:20-21 NLT

The Kingdom of God was a popular topic among the people of Israel. They wanted to see His Kingdom reestablished just like it had been under David and Solomon – with a powerful king sitting on a throne in Jerusalem and no more foreign armies occupying their land. So when a group of Pharisees ask Jesus when He thinks the Kingdom of God will come, they are trying to get Him to reveal the plans for setting up His earthly reign as Messiah. They don't believe He is the Messiah, but they simply want ammunition to use against Him with the Roman government. If they can show Jesus to be an insurrectionist, then they can have Him arrested and get Him out of their hair once and for all. But as usual, Jesus gives them an answer they weren't expecting. He tells them that the Kingdom of God is already here. It can't be judged or predicted by signs or visible clues. The fact was that the King of kings and Lord of lords was standing right in front of them, but they didn't recognize Him as such. Their understanding of the Kingdom was completely different than that of Jesus. He didn't come to sit on a throne. He came to die on a cross and then to reign in the hearts of men. His Kingdom was a spiritual one, not marked by palaces, scepters, crowns and royal robes, but by humility, servanthood, sacrifice, grace, and mercy. There would be a military aspect to this kingdom, but the battles would all be spiritual, not physical. Jesus came to conquer sin and death, not the Romans. He came to wage war with Satan, not Caesar. They had placed their hopes on a physical kingdom. Just like their ancestors had done so many centuries before, they were demanding of God, "Give us a king just like all the other nations." They wanted an earthly king ruling in an earthly kingdom located in the city of Jerusalem. They were suffering from good-old-day syndrome, recalling the days of David with a mix of nostalgia and longing. They forgot that those days were also filled with trouble. David, while a good king and a man after God's own heart, was not a perfect king. Those were not completely peace-filled days. There were still enemies to fight. There was still the problem of sin and rebellion.

Jesus came to establish a different kind of kingdom. And His first coming, when He took on human flesh and was born as a child, was to establish His Kingdom in the hearts of men. The first thing He had to do was to establish His message. He spent time teaching the truths of His Kingdom. He gave them insights into the values of His Kingdom in His great Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7. Righteousness would be measured by a different standard in His Kingdom. The requirements for right standing with God would be more intense than ever before. Good behavior and good deeds would not be enough to earn favor with God. It would require a changed heart. Jesus had told the people that "unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!" (Matthew 5:20 NLT). Jesus was going to require a different degree of love, a higher requirement of sacrifice, a more intense measure of humility, and a non-negotiable mandate that all citizens of His Kingdom die to themselves. For all of this to be possible, Jesus told them that the true King, the one they were rejecting, would have to suffer before His Kingdom was established completely. He would have to die. He would have to conquer sin and death, and make possible a new way for men to be made right with God. He would pay the penalty for the sins of men and satisfy the just and righteous wrath of God. Those who accepted the generous offer of His life for theirs, would become citizens in His new Kingdom. Those who refused to accept His payment for their sins, would be left to bear the penalty for their sin on their own. And that is what Jesus deals with in His answer when He refers to "on that day." He lets these religious leaders know that there is a day coming when He will return again, and it is on that day that He will establish His physical Kingdom on earth. He WILL rule and reign from Jerusalem. He WILL sit on a throne and wear a crown just as David did. But He will be a perfect, sinless, completely righteous ruler. And when He comes to set up His kingdom, it will be too late to get ready for it. It will come with surprising swiftness and when no one expects it. People will be busy living their lives as usual, doing the things they always did. Then, suddenly, Jesus will show up in all His glory. And when He does, there will be a dividing between those who belong to His Kingdom and those who don't. Citizenship will be based on faith in Christ alone, not heritage, ethnicity, religious affiliation, or even external signs of righteousness.

Over in Matthew's account of this story, He records Jesus as warning His listeners to "keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42 NLT). We are to live in constant preparation for His return – a constant state of readiness and eager anticipation. Jesus shared this word of warning to His disciples, none of whom lived to see the day of His return. But He still wanted them to live as if it might happen in their lifetime. And the same holds true for us. When Jesus came, He made His Kingdom known to man. He provided a way for men to become citizens in His Kingdom through His death, burial and resurrection. But He is not done yet. There is a day coming when He will return to complete His Kingdom and reestablish the rule of righteousness on earth. We are to live with that time in mind. He is coming back. He is has one more thing to do. This world is not our home. This is not all there is. We still live in the now, but not yet. The best is yet to come. So we are to live with our eyes on the goal.

Father, keep us focused. Don't let us get distracted by all the things this world tries to offer as poor substitutes for Your Kingdom. Don't allow us to buy into the lies of the enemy and settle for less than the best. While You rule and reign in our hearts, there is a day coming when Your righteous Son will rule and reign on earth – literally, not figuratively. And at that time, He will make all things right. Sin will be done. Death will be defeated. Sorrow will be no more. The world will be returned to its pre-fallen state and we will live in perfect harmony with You.  Amen.

True Belief = True Freedom.

John 8:31-59

"But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free?’" – John 8:33 NLT

It would appear that there were those in the crowd that day who believed in Jesus. John records, "Then many who heard him say these things believed in him" (John 8:30 NLT). Jesus turned His attention to those very people, saying, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32 NLT). That is when their belief began to be tested. Jesus' reference to freedom struck a nerve with them. As proud descendants of Abraham, they viewed themselves as free men, not slaves. While they may have been under Roman rule and subject to their heavy taxations and constant military presence, they saw themselves as free. But Jesus shattered their outlook by breaking the news to them that they were slaves to sin. Anyone and everyone who sins is a slave to sin. The fact that they were descendants of Abraham didn't change that fact. The very fact that their own religious leadership were trying to kill Jesus was proof of their sinful natures. There were those in the crowd that day who were plotting and planning His death, in spite of the fact that Jesus had come from God and was speaking the words of God. Jesus was offering them release from slavery to sin, but they couldn't believe it. Jesus knew that their real problem was that they were children of Satan himself. They were listening to his lies and believing his propaganda against Jesus. As the "father of lies," Satan despised the truth and did everything in his power to stifle it and replace it with his own version of the truth. Jesus came speaking the truth of God. But the people couldn't and wouldn't believe Him. They tried, but Jesus told them, "You don't listen because you don't belong to God" (John 8:47 NLT).

Angered by His words, the people showed their true colors, saying, "You Samaritan devil! Didn't we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?" (John 8:48 NLT). One of the signs of true belief is confession of sin. Jesus offered freedom, but in order to enjoy the benefits of that freedom, you had to first understand and acknowledge that you were enslaved to sin with no hope of escape. But that acknowledgement came hard to these people. They were prideful and arrogant, seeing themselves as the chosen people of God. They understood themselves to be the apple of God's eye. They had the Temple, the sacrificial system, the Law of Moses, the covenant promises made to Abraham and David, the hope of a future Messiah – and yet, here stood that very Messiah right in front of them, but they would refuse to listen to Him, believe in Him, and obey His words. Jesus made it clear to them that He was greater than Abraham. "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM" (John 8:58 NLT). By referring to Himself as the great I AM, a name used by God Himself when He met with Moses at the burning bush, Jesus is claiming His divinity. He is declaring Himself to be God. And the people react accordingly. Not in belief, but in anger and rage. They pick up stones to kill Him. Their true natures were revealed. Their true condition was made evident. They were still slaves to sin. They were still operating under the influence of Satan. They were rejecting the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And they would never experience the freedom Jesus came to provide.

Father, there are those who claim to believe in Your Son, but they refuse to acknowledge their own sinfulness. Somehow they believe that they deserve to be saved. They have somehow earned the right to spend eternity with You based on their good behavior, godly heritage, or status in life. They are good people and they count on their goodness to save them. But to be set free, we must first recognize our slavery to sin. We have to understand that we can't earn our way into heaven. None of us deserves to stand in Your presence. But Jesus, Your Son, offers us freedom from sin by exchanging our sinfulness with His own righteousness. It is His goodness, not our own, that grants us entrance into Your presence. Yet the enemy continues to try and get us to accept another version of the truth. He offers up logical-sounding lies that allow us to rationalize our sinfulness, but that leave millions enslaved and hopeless. Open their eyes so that they might see the truth, recognize their sin, and accept Your Son's offer of freedom. Amen.

Forgiveness Should Be Contagious.

Matthew 18:1-35

"Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt." – Matthew 18:27 NLT

Leave it to Peter to ask the question that everyone else is probably thinking, but no one is brave enough to ask. "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" (Matthew 18:21 NLT). Now we have whether this was just a hypothetical question or if Peter had someone in mind. Chances are, as much as he and the other disciples argued about who was the greatest, there could have been more than a few of them he felt like he needed to forgive. But regardless of his motivation, Peter pops the question to Jesus, and I feel pretty certain that he thought he was going to get an affirmative response from Jesus, along with a commendation for his forgiving spirit. After all, Peter probably thought seven times was way more than enough times to forgive anybody.

But Jesus surprised Peter by saying, "No, not seven times, but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:22 NLT). By my math, that is 490 times and that's an awful lot of forgiving! And before Peter can recover from his shock and ask another question, Jesus launches into a parable about the Kingdom. He tells the story of a king who had a servant who owed him a great deal of money. So much so that the servant was totally incapable of paying back the debt. The king, operating fully within his rights as king, ordered that the servant be sold into slavery in order to satisfy at least a part of what he owed. On top of that, the king ordered that his wife and kids be sold as well, and everything he owned be liquidated to pay against his debt. Of course, the man was beside himself and begged the the king for time. He vowed that he would somehow pay back the debt, in spite of its insurmountable size. Jesus says that the king was "filled with pity for him." The word he uses literally means "to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion." The king looked at the man's hopeless situation and his complete incapacity to do anything about it, and instead of doing what He was totally justified in doing, he ordered the man's debt completely paid. He forgave him of his entire debt. He walked away a free man. What a relief. What a burden lifted. What an incredible, gracious, unmerited gift. This guy should have been on cloud nine. He should have run home and grabbed his wife and kids and shouted for joy.

Instead, Jesus said, "he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He basically owed him the equivalent of about three months wages. About this time in the story, you would expect that this servant is going to excitedly and eagerly offer this man the same treatment he had received from the king. But no. He "grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment" (Matthew 18:28 NLT). Shocked and surprised, the fellow servant begged for more time. He vowed to pay the debt in full. But the first servant refused to listen (and forgive), having him arrested and thrown in prison until the debt could be paid in full. At this point, Jesus has the disciples hooked. They are totally engaged with the story and enraged with the actions of the ungrateful servant. So when Jesus continues the story and says that a group of fellow servants witnessed all that had happened and reported it to the king, the disciples were probably nodding their heads in agreement. And then the king called the servant back into his presence, they were probably beside themselves with joy. He was going to get exactly what he deserved! But Jesus was reserving the real message of this story for the end. The king addresses the man and says, "You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Should you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?" (Matthew 18:32-33 NLT). Then the king had the man thrown into prison where he would be tortured until the day his debt was paid in full. And the inference is that, because of the size of his debt, that day never came.

Jesus concludes his story with the following statement: "That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart" (Matthew 18:35 NLT). Like Jesus had done so many times with the Pharisees, He had used a simple story to point out a major truth to the disciples. He was exposing a principle of the Kingdom. We are all debtors to God, owing Him a debt we could never pay. We owe Him righteousness and complete holiness, and it is beyond our ability to come up with. And the penalty is death. But when we come to Him, acknowledging our debt, confessing our sin, and accepting the payment of His Son's life in place of ours, we receive complete forgiveness. Our debt is wiped clean. He showers us with undeserved mercy and grace. And as a result, we should be willing to do the same to those whose debts to us are miniscule in comparison. This passage is not teaching that we can lose our salvation if we refuse to forgive others. It is simply stating that those who have been forgiven much and recognize the magnitude of the gift, will automatically be willing to forgive others. Their hearts, transformed by the presence of the Spirit of God, will want to extend to others the very grace, mercy and forgiveness they have received.

Father, we can be so unforgiving at times. We act as if what others do to us is of earth-shattering consequences. And as a result, we withhold forgiveness from them. We seem to want to make others suffer for what they have done to us, when we have received nothing but forgiveness from You. Never let us lose sight of the sheer size of the debt we owed. It was insurmountable and we were totally incapable of ever paying it back. But You forgave us. Not only that, You paid it in full by offering the life of Your Son in place our place. May we learn to forgive as we have been forgiven. Amen.

Wrong Priorities.

Luke 9:46-62; John 7:2-9"And Jesus' brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and to to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! Youcan't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!’" – John 7:3-4 NLT

Jesus had all kinds of followers – from faithful to flaky. There were the curious and the committed, the miracle seekers and the down-and-outers. He had those who wanted Him to start a rebellion, others who were looking for a free meal, and some who were like rubber-neckers at a car wreck, just attracted by the excitement of it all. But as Jesus' time on earth began to draw to a close, the call to commitment for His followers was going to increase dramatically. Things would begin to heat up and, as a result, many of His followers would choose to drop out. Even the twelve who Jesus chose could prove to be a challenge and a disappointment at times. One minute they're healing the sick and casting out demons in the power and authority of Jesus, then they suddenly find themselves unable to do so, and instead of turning to God in prayer, they simply turn the person away. When they see someone who isn't part of their entourage casting out demons in Jesus' name, instead of rejoicing, they get jealous and demand that he stop. When they are passing through a Samaritan village with Jesus and the citizens refuse to welcome them, they ask Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven to destroy them. These men could be exasperating at times. They spent more time worrying and arguing about who was the greatest than listening to what Jesus was saying about His upcoming death, burial and resurrection.

Jesus' own family members offer us another insight into the kinds of "followers" He had. John makes it clear that Jesus' brothers didn't believe in Him, but they were all for Him becoming famous. They simply saw Jesus as their ticket out of the obscurity of Nazareth. So they pushed Him to take His miracle show on the road and head to the big time in Judea. They wanted Him to go where the crowds were. "Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!" (John 7:3 NLT). These guys were more like PR consultants than true followers. They didn't actually believe Jesus was the Messiah, but they couldn't deny that He could do miracles. They had known it since the day He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, an event they probably attended. For them, it was all about the miracles and making a name for Himself. In essence, they told Jesus, "if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem" (NET Bible notes). The Greek word they used actually means: the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. They wanted Jesus to make a name for Himself and as far as they were concerned, the best way to do that was to head for Jerusalem. "You can't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!" (John 7:4 NLT). And Jesus' family members were not alone. There were others, including the disciples themselves, who wanted Jesus to become famous. They wanted Him to set up His kingdom and establish His authority, with them serving alongside Him, sharing in His power and prominence.

There was hardly a day that someone didn't come up to Jesus and offer to follow Him. That was a common occurrence for all rabbis. Luke records three such incidents. As Jesus and the disciples were walking along one day, an individual approached Jesus and said, "I will follow you wherever you go" (Luke 7:57 NLT). But Jesus made it clear that following Him would be costly. The life of a disciple would not be easy. Jesus then invites another person to follow Him. This man initially agreed, but then said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father" (Luke 7:59 NLT). That sounds like a valid and reasonable excuse, but it would appear that the man's dad was not dead, but that the man was asking for a leave of absence from following Jesus until some time in the future when his dad actually would die. Jesus tells him his priorities are out of whack. He says, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead" (Luke 7:60 NLT). This man's father was not physically dead, but he WAS spiritually dead. The greater priority was telling him and everyone else about the Kingdom of God. Finally, a third individual approached Jesus and said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family" (Luke 7:61 NLT). Again, sounds like a reasonable request, but Jesus knew that this man would never come back if he went home. The pull of family, the pressure of other commitments, and the distractions of every day life would keep him from following Jesus. Following Him required all-out commitment. You couldn't be half-hearted and there was nothing part-time about it.

The day was coming when all of His followers, including His own disciples would flake out on Him. He would later tell them, "All of you will desert me, For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’" (Mark 14:27 NLT). Peter would vehemently deny it, claiming, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will!" (Mark 14:29 NLT). When Jesus would break the news to Peter that he would not only desert Him, but deny Him three times, Peter would angrily respond, "No! Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" (Mark 14:31 NLT). And Peter was not alone. Mark tells us that all the others agreed with him. And we all know how that story worked out. Following Jesus is costly. And the closer Jesus got to the cross, the more costly it would become. He would become famous, but not in the way His brothers were thinking. He would provide one last miraculous sign, but it would be His own death and resurrection. He would bring judgment on all those who rejected Him, but that is reserved for a future time, yet to come. Following Jesus requires that we set our priorities aside and embrace His instead. He was and still is focused on the spread of the message concerning His Kingdom. "Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:60 NLT). That task takes precedence over all else. It will require commitment, dedication, determination, perseverance, focus, faith, and the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He alone can help us put our hands on the plow and not look back.

Father, there are so many things that distract us from following Your Son. The cares of this world can overwhelm us and pull us away from the task at hand. We can get so busy building our own little kingdoms that we lose sight of the fact that we are to be spreading the news regarding the Kingdom of Your Son. Help us remain faithful. Keep us from looking back or longing for something other than Him. Make us faithful, persevering followers of Jesus. Amen.

How Much More Proof Do You Need?

Matthew 16:1-4; Mark 8:10-13

“When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.’” – Mark 8:12 NLT

Rarely did the Pharisees and Sadducees ever agree on anything. They were both religious parties of the Jews, but they disagreed about a number of things and disliked one another very much. But they shared a common enemy: Jesus. And on this occasion they joined forces in order to trick and trap Jesus. Their life ambition was to eliminate Jesus as a threat to their way of doing things. His arrival on the scene had disrupted their way of life. He had stirred things up with His message about the kingdom and his constant use of miracles. The people were flocking to Him in droves and they didn't like sharing the spotlight with anyone. And Jesus hadn't done Himself any favors with the way in which He talked about these men. He was unrelenting in His criticism of them, exposing them as hypocrites, charlatans, and unworthy of trust or admiration.

But the one thing that meant more to these men than anything else was the concept of authority. In their religious world, you had to have authority to say or do anything. And authority was passed down from one influential rabbi to another. They put high stock in tradition and deemed it necessary for anyone who wanted to make a statement about anything, to have received authority to do so from someone other than themselves. As far as they were concerned, Jesus had no authority. He had sat under no one's leadership or tutelage. He had not apprenticed with any known rabbi or religious expert. Much of what He was saying and teaching was heresy to them because it was new information. He was teaching things they had never heard before. And He had no authority to do so. That's why you see them constantly confronting Jesus about where He got His authority to do what He did. And that's what was driving them on this day. Mark tells us that when they arrived, they "started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority" (Mark 8:11 NLT).

It is interesting to note that Jesus had already claimed to be the Messiah. He also claimed to have been sent by God, His own Father. He had healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead. But that was not enough proof for these men. They had already attributed Jesus' powers to Satan, not God. They considered Him a blasphemer for claiming to be the Son of God. The healings he performed were not enough for them. They wanted more. They wanted a sign from heaven. More than likely, they were looking for signs like Moses had given the Israelites in Egypt. They probably wanted to see Jesus bring down fire and brimstone on the Romans. They would have loved to have seen Him strike dead all the firstborn males in all the Roman households. They wanted a sign from heaven – from God Himself. Then that would prove Jesus' authority. But they really never expected Him to be able to pull off such a feat. Because they didn't believe He was who He said He was. Honestly, Jesus had already done more than enough to prove who He was and to demonstrate His authority. And He wasn't going to do anything more. He would not give them the kind of sign they were looking for because that is not why He came. He did not come to set them free from Roman rule. He came to set men free from slavery to sin. And for that to happen, Jesus had to die. And the amazing thing is that even after Jesus had died and was miraculously raised back to life by the power of God, these very same men would deny the veracity of the disciples' claim that Jesus was alive. They would go out of their way to disprove it and discredit the disciples.

Jesus refused to give them the kind of sign they were looking for. And the one sign that should have proven to them once and for all that He was the Son of God – His resurrection – they would eventually choose to ignore and deny. To their own detriment. Refusing to recognize Jesus' authority is a dangerous thing. Denying His God-given right to rule and reign in the lives of men is an unhealthy game to play. But like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day, there are thousands upon thousands of people doing just that today. They refuse to acknowledge Jesus' authority over their lives. They can't bring themselves to believe that Jesus has authority over sin and death. They struggle believing that Jesus alone has the authority to set them free slavery to sin. "So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake" (Mark 8:13 NLT).

Father, it is so hard to understand why so many still reject Jesus' authority over their lives today. But I know it happens. Their hardened hearts blind them to the reality of who He is. They stubbornly refuse to acknowledge His God-given authority and His power over sin and death. And as a result, they remain in their sins, unforgiven and unrepentant. Open their eyes Father. Help them to see. Give those of us who know Your Son the courage to speak openly and honestly about what we know and what we have seen. But only You can open the eyes of men and soften their hearts to see the truth. Amen.

Silly Rituals. Serious Business.

Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.” – Mark 7:6-7 NLT

The Pharisees took themselves way too seriously. But in reality, they were silly. They had become so wrapped up in their "age-old traditions" that they lost sight of just how ridiculous it all appeared. They had all kinds of cleansing ceremonies they went through before they could eat. Mark tells his primarily Gentile audience just how silly it all was. "The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions" (Mark 7:3 NLT). Notice he makes a point of saying that this was required by their ancient traditions, not God. He goes on to say that "Similarly, they don't eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of the many traditions they have clung to – such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers and kettles" (Mark 7:4 NLT). They had convinced themselves that all this madness somehow made them clean and acceptable before God. They lives in fear that they could have somehow become defiled by coming into contact with something unclean of unholy. But they gave no thought to what was going on in their own hearts. Jesus makes this distinction quite clear. When they confront Jesus and demand to know why His disciples don't follow their traditions, Jesus pulls no punches. He quotes the prophet Isaiah who was quoting God Himself. "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God" (Mark 7:6-7 NLT). This was God speaking against the city of of Jerusalem and the people of Judah. Their religion had become routine. They were going through the motions. They thought that offering sacrifices was enough. But God was more concerned about their hearts than their offerings. And Jesus was more concerned about the hardened hearts of the Pharisees than He was their silly ceremonies for staying clean.

Their real problem was that they gave more credence to their own rules than God's commands. They came up with all kinds of convenient work-arounds and loop holes that allowed them to ignore God's commands and do what they wanted to do. And Jesus made it clear what they were doing. "And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition" (Mark 7:13 NLT). Their rules trumped God's laws. Their silly rituals held more sway in their lives than the righteous demands of a holy God. And not only that, their rituals were worthless. They didn't even accomplish what they hoped they would. Because the only impurity God is concerned about is that which is on the inside. God is obsessed with clean hearts, not clean hands. Jesus tells the crowd, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you" (Mark 7:20 NLT), not what comes from the outside. It is that which comes from a person's heart that defiles him, and no amount of ceremonial hand washing is going to fix that problem.

These men had focused on the wrong thing. They were wasting their time obsessing over the externals, when inside they were corrupt, selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and in direct opposition to the will of God. They refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. They credited His power as having come from Satan. They called Him a drunk. They ridiculed Him and tried everything in their power to discredit Him and, ultimately, would go out of their way to see that He was put to death. Their example of ceremonial hand washing and ritualistic cleansing was sending a wrong message to the people, and Jesus cleared it up. He made it painfully obvious that these men were far from pure and anything but holy. And the list He gave was more than likely one that applied to these sanctimonious religious leaders. "For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you" (Mark 7:21-23 NLT). Interestingly enough, there is no recorded response from the Pharisees. No rebuttal. No defense. No denial. The conversation simply ends. Which speaks volumes. Jesus knew their hearts better than they did. And while they were content to play their silly games and pretend that they were holy, Jesus was letting them know that God takes holiness seriously and saw the true condition of their hearts.

Father, You can see into our hearts and You know things about us that we don't even know ourselves. Forgive us thinking that the silly religious rituals we go through somehow make us right with You. Keep us focused on our own hearts and never let us forget that only You can cleanse the heart. We simply need to confess our sin and allow You to forgive and cleanse. You are in the heart transformation business. Don't let us settle for the anything less. Amen.

A Transforming Touch.

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56

"But Jesus said, 'Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.'" – Luke 8:46 NLT

Jesus and His disciples had just sailed back across the Sea of Galilee to the village of Capernaum. Before they could get out of the boat they were surrounded by a crowd of people who had been waiting for Jesus to return. Among them was Jairus, a leader in the local synagogue. He made his way through the throng of people surrounding Jesus and fell at His feet, begging Him to come and heal his 12-year old daughter, who was near death. As they made their way to the man's home, the crowd followed, pressing in on Jesus. They were all there for a variety of reasons. Some were simply curious. Others hoped to receive healing. Still others, influenced by the rhetoric of the religious leaders, were there because they hated Jesus. But one woman in the crowd was desperate and determined to see if this man called Jesus could help her with a very serious problem. Imagine the scene, as hundreds of people crowded around Jesus, jostling Him, bumping up against Him. Everyone wanted to get a close look at Him. And somehow this very ill woman was able to make her way to His side, close enough to touch the hem of His robe. That was all she dared do. She didn't dare do what the leader of the synagogue had done. She probably did not feel worthy. But she was driven by hope. She had heard about Jesus. And Mark tells us, "she thought to herself, 'If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed'" (Mark 5:28 NLT). Driven by need, motivated by desperation, and encouraged by hope, she touched the robe of Jesus and was immediately healed. After 12 long years of suffering and countless trips to doctors that had left her financially destitute and worse off than when she started, she was healed. With just a touch of the robe of Jesus, she had received the miracle of healing. And Jesus knew exactly what had happened. He had felt healing power go out from Him. So Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" (Luke 8:45 NLT). Interestingly, the word Jesus used for touched is one that can be translated, "to fasten oneself to." It carries a sense of intimacy and closeness. Her touch was different than all the others who were bumping up against Jesus, even reaching out to touch Him just to say they had. Some in the crowd had viewed Jesus as a celebrity. This woman saw Him as a source of hope, help and healing. And when she touched Him, she did so fully intending for something unbelievable to happen. And it did.

There are so many times that each of us come into touch with Jesus. We read about Him in the Word. We hear about Him through a sermon, Bible study lesson or small group study. We spend a great deal of our lives "bumping" into Jesus, but never expecting anything to happen as a result. We are part of the crowd that follows Him and even says we believe in Him, but we rarely receive anything from Him. Maybe it is our seeming lack of need or our failure to believe that He can do anything to help us. We come into contact with Jesus, but walk away unchanged. And the problem lies not with Jesus, but with us. We don't reach out to Him expectantly, because we fail to believe He has the power to heal us or help us. The woman in the story had spent twelve years of her life reaching out to everyone but Jesus, and now she was desperate enough to try Him instead. Jesus told her that it was her faith that made her well. Yes, it was His power that healed her, but it began with her belief that simply reaching out to Jesus would make a different in her life. Her touch became the conduit of healing. Her faith as expressed through her intentional touch of Jesus changed her life forever. She chose to "fasten herself" to Jesus. So should we.

In the time it took for this miracle to happen, a tragedy occured. Jairus' daughter died. A servant arrived with the news, but Jesus was not deterred or downcast. He simply said, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed" (Luke 8:50 NLT). Like the woman in the crowd, Jairus had a choice to make. He could have doubted Jesus' words and given up all hope. But he chose to believe and then put that belief into action by walking alongside Jesus to his home. Matthew records that Jairus, upon hearing of his daughter's death, told Jesus, "you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her" (Matthew 9:18 NLT). Which is exactly what Jesus did. He took the little girl by the hand, commanded her to get up, and she did – fully alive and fully restored. Jairus had chosen to believe. He ignored the circumstances and "fastened himself" to Jesus. He counted on Him to solve his pressing need. And Jesus did. He always does. He longs to feel healing power go from Himself in response to the faith of His followers. He longs to respond to the faith of His disciples when they choose to fasten themselves to Him even in the face of insurmountable odds. Are you willing to reach out and touch Jesus today? He is waiting.

Father, the power of Your Son has not diminished. He is just as powerful as He has always been. He still longs to transform our lives. But we must be intentional about fastening ourselves to Him. Give me the faith to believe like these two people did. Help me to see my need and to reach out to Jesus in desperation, but also expectation. He still helps and heals today. Amen.

Go and Tell.

Luke 8:26-39

"The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 'No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.' So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him." – Luke 8:38-39 NLT

After the demons left the two demon-possessed men and fled into the herd of pigs, sending them running wildly off the edge of a nearby cliff, that's when the real action began. The disciples stood amazed and afraid. The herdsmen, who just watched their livelihood get wiped out, took off at a run for town in order to tell everyone what had happened. In no time, Jesus was surrounded by villagers eager to see for themselves what had happened. They wanted to verify that what they had heard was true – the two men (at least according to Matthew's account) were no longer demon-possessed. These two men had been a fixture in the lives of these people for years. They feared them and stayed as far away from them as possible. Both of the men were more than likely from the nearby village and their neighbors had seen them make the transition from normal, healthy boys to crazed, demon-possessed lunatics living in a graveyard and terrorizing the community.

When the villagers arrived, they found the man who had the many demons and was known as Legion, "sitting at Jesus' feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid" (Luke 8:35 NLT). Not amazed, but afraid. A similar response to that of the disciples when Jesus calmed the sea just a few hours earlier. Luke records that when the disciples had seen Jesus calm the waves and the wind, they "were terrified and amazed" (Luke 8:25 NLT). At the witness of the power of Jesus, the villagers and the disciples reacted in fear and terror. They didn't know what to do with what they had seen. In this case, the villagers wanted Jesus to leave, "for a great wave of fear swept over them" (Luke 8:37 NLT). Rather than worship, they wanted Him to leave. They wanted life to go back to the way it was before. It didn't matter that there was a miracle sitting in their midst in the form of two totally healed, demon-free men. They wanted Jesus gone.

But there was at least one individual who reacted in faith and not fear. One of the men who had been healed asked Jesus if he could go with Him. His life had been radically, unalterably changed by an encounter with Jesus, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life serving and following Him. But Jesus denied his request. Instead, He told the man to "go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you" (Luke 8:39 NLT). Jesus made him a missionary to his own people. The area in which this all took place was on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, in a region that was primarily Gentile. So Jesus commissions this man (and more than likely, his companion) to return home and spread the news of what God had done for him. This man had had an encounter with God Himself – in the form of Jesus, the Son of God. Now he was to go and tell what had happened. And he did. Mark tells us, "the man started off to visit the Ten Town of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed at what he told them" (Mark 8:20 NLT). There is no greater tool for proclaiming the power of God than the lips of the one who has experienced that power first-hand. Our testimony of transformation at the hands of God is undeniable and irrefutable. Yes, people can doubt it, but they can't disprove it. There were probably those who would deny that this man had ever been demon-possessed, but he would always know the truth. His zeal and unwavering knowledge of what had happened to his life would always be there. And the same should be true of us. Our greatest witness of the power of God is what He has done in our own lives. Jesus is telling us to do exactly what He told this man to do: "Go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you." Go and tell. Just share what Jesus has done. Give testimony to the fact that you have been and are being transformed by the power of God. And this testimony should be an ongoing and a growing one. Each day, we should have new news to share regarding God's power in our lives. It is not just about a point in time when we accepted Christ as our Savior. That is just the beginning. Our testimony is a work in progress. God is always doing something in our lives. His power is always available and at work behind the scenes. Sometimes we just don't see or recognize it. But we must look for it and then tell everyone we meet about it. Go and tell – spread the news of "everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been" (Mark 8:19 NLT).

Father, too often I fail to recognize Your power in my life. And as a result, I fail to tell anyone else about it. First of all, help me to see it. Secondly, help me have the boldness to talk about it to others, regardless of how they might receive it. I want to go and tell more regularly and faithfully. You have done so much for me and shown me so much mercy over the years. I have a story to tell that is growing with each passing day. May I begin to tell it to all with whom I come into contact. Amen.

How's Your Hearing?

Mark 4:1-34

"If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!" – Mark 4:23 NET

As in Matthew's account of this same event, Mark records the words of Jesus carefully. And there is a special emphasis placed on listening and hearing. Jesus even starts off his first parable with the command, "Listen!" Then two separate times He uses the interesting phrase, "If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!" Inferred in this statement is the fact that one can hear and not really listen. Anyone with small children can attest to the reality of that fact. And yet Jesus seems to be demanding much more than simply listening. His real point of emphasis seems to be understanding. When talking about the mystery of the Kingdom of God, He tells His disciples that they have been given permission to understand was He is saying. Which is why He takes time to explain to them more fully the meaning behind His parables. But then He quotes from the writings of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, and says about the others who have heard Him speak, "When they hear what I say, they will not understand" (Mark 4:12 NLT). They will hear and, more than likely, listen intently, but they will fail to understand, and as a result, they will fail to believe.

It is interesting to note that in His parable about the seeds and the soils, in each case, they all represent individuals who hear the same message. But the condition of the soils, or their hearts, has a direct impact on the viability and success of the seed. For some, their hearts are like hardened footpaths where there is no place for the Word of God to take land. They hear, but Word simply sits on the surface, where it soon disappears. Others hear the message gladly and it seems to make a difference, but their problem is that their hearts are shallow, and there is no way for the Word of God to take root. At the first sign of problems or persecution, they give up. And there are those who hear, but their hearts are filled with the cares and worries of this life. They are enamored by materialism, wealth, and the things of this world, so the message is slowly crowded out and, eventually, forgotten. But there will be those few who hear, listen, and understand. Their hearts provide a fertile soil in which the message can take root, grow, and produce fruit in their lives.

Jesus implores them to "Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (Mark 4:24-25 NET). He is telling them to judge what they are hearing Him say carefully. They must not measure or judge His message by the old standard of the Law. He is warning them to listen intently because He is presenting them with new information regarding the Kingdom of God and how they might have a place in it. The old message of inclusion based on inheritance is no longer valid. Just being born a Jew is not enough. Being a descendant of Abraham is not a guarantee of a place in God's Kingdom. If they will listen to what He is saying and discard their preconceived notions of what it means to be included in the Kingdom of God, they will be given even more understanding. They will receive even more insight into the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdom. But for all those, like the Pharisees, who hear, but refuse to listen and understand, because they are using the wrong standard of measurement, "even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them" (Mark 4:25 NLT).

From our vantage point this side of the resurrection, so much of this makes sense to us. But we have to remember that this was all new information to the disciples. It was radical and revolutionary. It did not gel with their understanding of God, His Kingdom or the Messiah. It wasn't what they had been taught growing up as young Hebrew boys. Everything Jesus said seemed to be controversial and contradictory to what they had been taught to believe. But He encourages them to listen. He tells them to give up their old standard of measurement or belief and to hear what He is saying and understand the truth for the first time in their lives. And while so much of this makes no sense, Jesus tells them that His Kingdom will grow. Like a farmer who plants his seed and then waits for harvest, the disciples will learn that the message they have heard and soon will share with others, will take root in the lives of others and grow – all because of the work and power of God. But it all begins with listening, hearing, and understanding. The more intently they listened, the more they understood. The more eager they were to understand, the more carefully Jesus explained everything to them. Which begs the question, how well are we, as His disciples in this generation, listening to His words and understanding what He is trying to teach us?

Father, hearing can be hard sometimes. There are so many distractions, so much noise. And there are times when I am hearing, but not listening. You are speaking, but I am too busy listening to other voices. But even in those times when I do listen to You, I can easily fail to understand because what You say does not fit in with what I want to believe. I am using the wrong standard of measurement. I am judging Your Words by the world's standards. I want pleasure and happiness, and Your desire is for my holiness. Give me ears to hear, listen and understand. Soften my heart so that the Word always finds fertile ground in which to take root, grow and produce fruit in my life. Amen.

A New Family.

Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21“Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." – Matthew 12:50 NLT

Jesus had a family. He had a mother and step-father. He had brothers and sisters. And He cared for them deeply. Yet in this passage it would be easy to conclude that Jesus had a less-than-expected love for His family based on His seemingly callous statements. But Jesus is making a statement about the Kingdom He had come to establish. In His spiritual realm, there would be new relationships forged that would be as important and binding as those of flesh-and-blood family. In accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, an individual becomes part of a much larger family or community, made up of all believers – of every language and culture. This new family expands the sphere of relationships and increases our responsibilities to include all those who share a common belief in Christ. It does not negate our love for or responsibility to our earthly parents or siblings. No, Jesus is saying that, as believers, we become part of a much larger family – the family of God.

In that new family there will be personality conflicts and relational issues. There will be the occasional disagreement or fight. At times, one of our new brothers or sisters will hurt or offend us. And we will do our fair share of hurting as well. But God has placed us in this new family so that we might live experience the oneness and unity He, Christ and the Holy Spirit enjoy. He has called us to live in unity and love. We are called to use the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control – in the context of our new family. We are commanded to love one another, pray for one another, bear one another's burdens, serve one another, be patient with one another and more. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul tells them, "You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT).

We are to love our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. But we are also called to love our spiritual family. It is within the context of our new family that the power of God is revealed as we live in close community with those with whom we have little in common except our common love for the Lord. Paul went on to beg the Ephesians "to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future" (Ephesians 4:1-4 NLT).

We are members of God's family. An amazing concept to grasp. But what a difference it will make when we do.

Father, thank You for my earthly, physical family. They are a blessing to me. But thank You also for placing me in Your family. Help me to see my brothers and sisters in the family of God the way You do. Help me to view them with the same love and affection You feel for them. Expand my love to include my expanded family. Amen.

How's Your Eyesight?

Luke 11:24-26, 29-36

“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness." – Luke 11:35 NLT

There were times when Jesus seemed to talk in riddles. Of course, when He used parables, they could be very confusing and difficult to understand, but that was His intent. He was actually hiding truth from those who refused to believe in Him. But there were other times when He just seemed to be teaching or speaking and the analogies or metaphors He used seemed somewhat obscure and their meanings were not exactly clear. The passage for today is a perfect example. Luke records that right after Jesus talked about "the sign of Jonah" and the refusal of the people of Israel to believe in Him, Jesus broke into a short discussion on the lamp and the eye. He makes that very familiar statement, "No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts in under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house" (Luke 11:33 NLT). I can't tell you how many sermons I have heard on this verse that have tried to make it all about sharing your faith. I am not against us sharing our faith, but I don't think that is what this verse is about. I don't believe that was the message Jesus was trying to convey. Because He goes on and describes the eye as a lamp that provides light to the body. What is He talking about? What's the point of this message?

I think the key to understanding this passage can be found in the original language in which these words were recorded. In the New Living Translation, the eye is described as being either "good" or "bad." Those two words can mean a lot of different things in English. But in the Greek, the word translated "good" is a word that means "whole." In other words, it is complete, healthy and able to do its job well. A whole eye is a fully functioning eye, doing what it was intended to do, without any flaws or defects. But a bad eye is literally a "diseased" eye. In an ethical sense, it is blind and unable to do what it was intended to do. It is no longer whole or healthy. It may appear to be a fully functioning eye, but it is incapable of providing light to the rest of the body. So what's the point? What is Jesus trying to say? If we keep the context in mind, Jesus has been addressing the unbelief of the Pharisees. Rather than see all the signs and miracles that Jesus had performed as evidence of His claim to be the Messiah, they chose to write it off as the result of Satan. When Jesus refers to a light that is placed on a stand where everyone can see it, He is most likely referring to Himself. He elsewhere refers to Himself as the Light of the world. "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life" (John 8:12 NLT). Earlier in his gospel, John speaks of Jesus in these same terms. "The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it" (John 1:4-5 NLT). Jesus is the Light sent from God, like a light set on a stand where it can be seen by all. Jesus words and works were clearly visible for all to see. The problem was not with Jesus, but in the ability of the people to SEE Him clearly. In verse 34, Jesus makes a transition and describes the eyes of the people like a lamp that provides light to their body. A good or healthy eye will allow light in so that the entire body can benefit from it. But a diseased or partially blind eye will fail to recognize the light, and instead, will tend to mistake partial darkness for light. Which is why Jesus says, "Make sure the light you think you have is not actually darkness" (Luke 11:35 NLT). The Pharisees were guilty of failing to see Jesus as the light. They refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah. Instead, they mistook the darkness in their own lives – their feeble attempts at self-righteousness – as light. And as a result, the Light of Christ was not able to penetrate their lives and expose the dark, sin-filled recesses.

They came asking for a sign. Yet Jesus had come like a light clearly displayed on a lamp stand for all to see. The problem was not with the Light, but with their capacity to see.

Father, there are countless millions of people today who still fail to see the Light of the world, Your Son, even though He shines clearly in the lives of those whose lives He has transformed through His redemptive work on the cross. These people are blinded by their own self-righteousness. They are attempting to earn favor with You based on their own merit. But the light they think they have is actually darkness. Open their eyes Lord so that they may see the truth and experience the life-transforming light of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Someone Greater.

Matthew 12:38-45

“The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here – but you refuse to repent.” – Matthew 12:41 NLT

"Show us a sign!"

"Do something miraculous that proves who you say you are!"

"We won't believe in you until to convince us you are really from God."

That's the attitude of the religious leaders who confronted Jesus on a regular basis. The bottom line was that they refused to accept His claim to be the Messiah. They couldn't bring themselves to believe He was the Son of God and the long-awaited Savior. Yet they had seen and heard about the many miracles Jesus had performed. There is not doubt that they had heard rumors about Him turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana early in His ministry. He had healed a man of leprosy. He had healed the servant of a Roman officer – long-distance – by just speaking a word.  Early in the account of Matthew, he writes, "And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed – he healed them all" (Matthew 4:23-24 NLT). Word got out. Crowds followed Him wherever He went. And in those crowds were the Pharisees. The truth is, these men didn't try to discount the fact that Jesus had done all these things. No, instead, they wrote them off as having been done in the power of Satan. They accused Jesus of getting His power from the enemy, not from God. So it wasn't that they refused to believe in His miracles. They refused to believe in who He said He was. So when they come asking for yet another sign or miracle to prove His authority to do the things He did, Jesus responded with words of warning.

He accused them of being an evil, adulterous generation. They were unfaithful to God. Here was the Son of God standing in their very presence, but they refused to believe in Him. They would ultimately reject Him and have Him crucified. Which is exactly what Jesus is talking about that the only sign they will receive that they might believe would be His own death and resurrection. But even that would not turn their hearts toward Him. The people of Nineveh, an evil Gentile nation, repented when they heard the words of the prophet Jonah. But the people of God, the Jews, would not repent even after hearing the words of the Son of God. The queen of Sheba was amazed at the wisdom of Solomon, but Jesus is far greater than Solomon and these men refused to hear a word He said.

They were masters at looking spiritual and living lives that appeared to be righteous. But their hearts were empty. They saw themselves as right before God's eyes simply because they were descendants of Abraham and were members of God's chosen people – the Jews. But Jesus informs them that their future was bleak because they were turning their backs on the very one who could transform their lives and make them right with God. Their attempts at "cleaning house" on their own and making themselves presentable to God were going to prove futile. They would end up worse off in the end. All because they refused to repent. All because they were unwilling to believe.  And yet, today there are those who continue this tradition of rejection and refusal to believe. They just can't seem to accept who Jesus claims to be. They have heard the message. They have even seen His miraculous work in the lives of friends and family members, but it is not enough. They need more proof. They require more evidence. When they are told about Jesus death, burial and resurrection, they write it off and label it as myth. It is too hard to comprehend. It makes no sense rationally or scientifically. But in the end, it is the only proof God is going to give. The resurrection of Christ is the only evidence they are going to receive. He is alive and at work in the lives of millions of people on the earth today. He is transforming lives daily. He is ministering constantly. And yet, in spite of all He is doing, millions continue to reject Him. But there are millions who are also turning to Him. The Gospel continues to spread. The message of salvation through Christ continues to be preached. And the mercy and grace of God through Jesus Christ continues to be freely offered to all who will receive it.

Father, we will always have those stubborn, hard-hearted individuals among us. But don't let us lose faith or grow weary telling the message of Good News to all we see. Because You are still redeeming lives and restoring the lost to a relationship with You. We are the best advertisement of Your transforming power. May our lives reflect Your resurrection power and prove that Jesus Christ alive and well and at work in our lives today. Amen.

No Neutral Ground.

Luke 11:14-23

“Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working for me is actually working against me.” – Luke 11:23 NLT

This is Luke's version of the incident we looked at yesterday. Jesus had just healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind and unable to speak. The people who witnessed the event were amazed. But according to Matthew's account, the Pharisees accused Jesus of getting His power from Satan. Notice that they didn't attempt to deny the validity of what Jesus had done. They couldn't. They had witnessed it with their own eyes. They knew the people could and would easily refute any attempt on their part to deny that something miraculous had just happened. So they resorted to discrediting Jesus' source of power. They refused to believe He was from God, so that left them with only one option. He must be from Satan. Jesus obviously had power, so He was getting it from the enemy. If they could get the people to believe that, surely they would turn on Jesus and His ministry would fade away into oblivion.

But Jesus quickly exposed the fallacy of their premise. It made no sense for Satan to cast out his own demons. Why would the Prince of this world aid and abet God? Would possible benefit could Satan get by casting out a demon from this man and releasing him from a life of blindness and muteness? As Jesus was prone to do, He quickly turned the moment into an occasion to expose the hearts of the Pharisees and religious leaders. Luke reminds us that "He knew their thoughts" (Luke 11:17 NLT). He didn't just hear what they said, He knew the thoughts behind what they said. Jesus knew that these men were against Him. They stood opposed to Him and His ministry. They refused to believe that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. As a result, they spent all their time trying to discredit Jesus, trap Him, trick Him, expose Him and get rid of Him. And Jesus makes it very clear that the real enemy in this story was them. If anyone was working in allegiance with Satan, it was this very same, self-righteous men. Jesus said, "Anyone who isn't with me opposes me" (Luke 11:23 NLT). This statement presented Jesus' listeners with a problem. If He was who He claimed to be and what His miracles seemed to prove Him to be – the Messiah – then He was from God. He was the messenger of God doing the very work of God. And to oppose Him was to oppose God. Yes, the Pharisees had offered up another option, that Jesus was in league with Satan himself. But now they were faced with the challenge of choosing which option they would embrace. Jesus makes the decision even more difficult by adding these words: "and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me" (Luke 11:23 NLT). The choice was theirs. And it would have eternal implications. Was He the Son of God? Was He working on behalf of God as He claimed to be? Jesus easily refuted their argument that He was receiving His power from Satan. That choice made no sense. But if He was casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God had truly arrived among them, and He was proof.

In the world in which we live, there is a battle going on between the Kingdom of God and the forces of the enemy. It is a real battle with real casualties. Satan has never let up in his quest to dethrone God and destroy His creation. Jesus Himself told us that "The thief comes only to steal and killand destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10 NLT). Satan hates God. He loathes Jesus. And as a result he has an insatiable desire to destroy all those made in the image of God. He is out to steal, kill and destroy us. And the world he rules, according to Jesus, hates us. Every day of our lives we have a choice to make, whether we will love God and live according to His will, or whether we will love this world and allow it to influence our beliefs and behavior. We must daily choose to work with God and His cause. To not do so is to stand in opposition to Him. Remember when Jesus had informed His disciples that He was going to have to go to Jerusalem, be betrayed, tried and killed? Peter rebuked Jesus and told Him that these things could not and would not happen. He literally said, "Heaven forbid, Lord!" In other words, may God Himself stop what He intends to do. Peter was in essence denying God the right to be God. Jesus' response was harsh, but it reveals the seriousness and danger of opposing the will of God. "Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's.'" (Matthew 16:22 NLT). Peter was standing in opposition to Jesus. He was opposing the will of God. Why? Because He was seeing things from his limited, human perspective. And we can be guilty of the same thing. So we must walk carefully. We must choose wisely. We must evaluate our circumstances from a heavenly perspective. We must learn to ask, "What is God doing here?" "What is His will in this situation?" In opposing Jesus and His intent to obey the will of God for His life, Peter had become an unwitting ally to the enemy. May we constantly strive to work with God and not against Him. To do so, we must always be seeking to know what it is He is doing in this world and in our lives. We must always assume that God is in control and is using any and every circumstance for our good and His glory, whether we like it or not. He is sovereign. He is God. And we must always choose to work with Him and His Son, never against them. 

Father, it is so easy to stand against You and not even know we are doing it. We can oppose Your will for our lives by simply rejecting what You allow to come into our lives as uncomfortable, unwanted, and even unnecessary. We can refuse to listen to and walk in Your plan for our lives because we have better plans. We can reject Your way for our own. And when we do, we stand opposed to You. We end up working against You, not with You. Help us to see life from Your perspective, not ours. Show us how to seek Your will and live in it, regardless of whether it is pleasant or even makes sense at the moment. Amen.

The Kingdom Has Arrived.

Matthew 12:22-37; Mark 3:20-30

“But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.” – Matthew 12:28 NLT

The utter blindness of the religious leaders towards Jesus and His claim to be the Messiah seemed to be limitless. It didn't matter what He said or did, they refused to recognize the power and authority that oozed from every pore of His being. His very words had power. At His command the seas calmed, the lame walked, the blind gained sight, the demon-possessed were set free, water turned to wine, and the dead rose from the grave alive. He miraculously fed 5,000 people with a meager meal that was barely enough for a single boy. He walked on water. He forgave sins. He taught with a power and authority that no one had ever seen before. Thousands flocked to see Him. And yet the religious leaders were blinded by their own arrogance, pride, self-righteousness and greed-driven ambition.

Their logic was illogical. The conclusions they reached were far-fetched and made no sense given the overwhelming evidence. How in the world could they seriously believe that the reason behind Jesus' ability to cast out demons was that He was demon-possessed Himself? They had just witnessed Jesus and His encounter with a man who had three strikes against him. He was blind and mute. But as if that wasn't bad enough – he had a demon. But none of that was a problem for Jesus. He simply healed him. The crowd was amazed and began to wonder if He really could be the Messiah. But the Pharisees reached a different conclusion, saying, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons" (Matthew 12:24 NLT).

It's absolutely ridiculous to think that these men could have witnessed something so amazing and still have written off as a trick of Satan. In essence, they were attributing to the enemy what was an obvious work of God. Which is why Jesus warned them about blasphemy against the Spirit. He tells them that to attribute to Satan anything that was a work of God through the Spirit was unforgivable. It was dangerous territory. But they refused to believe that God was at work in their midst and that the Kingdom of God had arrived. Their very words revealed the true nature of their hearts. And God was going to hold them accountable for both their words and actions.

But the real point is that Jesus clearly claims to be stronger than Satan. That is the reason He was able to cast out demons with a simple command. He gives them a much more logical conclusion to reach. "But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you" (Matthew 12:28 NLT). Why? Because only God would have the kind of power to defeat Satan. "Only someone even stronger – someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house" (Matthew 12:29 NLT). Which is exactly what they had just watched Jesus do. But they couldn't bring themselves to see it or admit it. And so they would miss out on it – the Kingdom that is. They had the very Messiah of God standing in their presence. They were witness to the power of God working right before their eyes. But instead of confess Jesus as the Messiah and His power as coming from God, they attributed it all to the enemy. They gave Satan credit for what had been done by God. Not the wisest move in the world.

And yet, how often do we fail to see God at work in our midst? How many times have we been blind to the working of God in our lives, even occasionally blaming the enemy, because things didn't turn out quite the way we had hoped. Jesus was not what the Pharisees expected. He did not come in the manner they supposed He would. He didn't look like they thought He would. He didn't teach and speak in a way that tracked with their conclusions and their own dogma. He was not only a disappointment, but a nuisance. So they plotted to get rid of Him. They looked right past the evidence because it failed to prove or support what they were wanting to see. And we can be guilty of the same thing. We can refuse to see Jesus working in our lives because He doesn't do it the way we want Him to. When He doesn't keep our agenda, we can easily become blinded to His presence in our lives. Just like the Pharisees. But the Kingdom has come. And He rules and reigns according to His terms, not ours. He does as He wishes. He works in our lives according to His plan. His power is on display every day for us to see, but we can easily become blind to it. The proof of who He is is all around us. May we open our eyes and see His power at work and praise Him accordingly.

Father, forgive me for failing to recognize and acknowledge the power of Your Son at work in and around my life. I know there are times that I give Satan more credit than I do Jesus because things don't appear to be going the way I wanted them to. But He is King. He is sovereign. He is in complete control. He is stronger than Satan and He has tied him up and plundered his house. May I see that increasingly more clearly with each passing day. Amen.