One Child

Imagine thirty years after Jesus' death and resurrection this 40 year old man shows up at a church in Antioch. No one knows him, but he is welcomed as a brother. Casual exchanges are made. "Where are you from? Do you know so and so? How long have you been a Christ-follower?" Then, the man says, "You remember reading about the discussion the apostles were having about who is the greatest? And, do you remember what Jesus did to explain to them that it is the humble who are made greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Well I am that young boy who Jesus took into his arms, stood before the apostles, and served as an illustration of the basis of true greatness." How the conversation would  have erupted!

As was often the case with Jesus, he made some profound points with a natural visual aid, and put the disciples in mind of the realities of the new kingdom they were entering. This kingdom must have seemed strange indeed. Why didn't Jesus grab a Roman soldier and stand him in their midst? A little child, really? I wonder if this was Peter or Andrew's son or daughter? Jesus made four solid points to teach us about greatness in the kingdom. His first statement is "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."(Mk.9:35) Oh how man wants to be first! First in line, first in a race, first one to own something new, first to accomplish something, first to invent something, and on and on it goes. If we can't be first, then we will tell folks we were "one of the first." The Greek word for first is protos from which we get prototype. We want to be the model that everyone else seeks to be like. We seek to be the standard. So we argue a lot about who is the greatest so and so? The greatest recording artist of all time, the greatest sports figure, the greatest president, the greatest business leader, the greatest explorer, the greatest expert in a field, the greatest doctor, the greatest preacher!!!! Did I say preacher? I grew up with that argument going on within our brotherhood. Usually it was Gus Nichols' name that came up or perhaps Marshall Keeble. I met them both. I held a song book for brother Nichols and preached in the same pulpit as brother Keeble. (What does that make me?)

But Jesus says whoever wants to be first shall be last of all and servant of all. By whose standards? That's the point. Who determines who is the greatest at something? Boy do we keep stats. Sports stats are an industry all to itself. Why? Because the stats tell the tale. But, have you noticed that stats can be interpreted in lots of ways and in lots of combinations? So whose conclusion is correct? There is only one opinion that matters. First, there is only one who is first. There is only one prototype. Everything else is an imitation, and in my case a cheap one at that. Jesus is the first. He is the model. He is the standard. We all merely try to attain to this stature (Eph.4). He set the standard by becoming a servant to all. So we have our picture of greatness: one child.

Pecking Order

In Matthew 23:37 Jesus compared the Jews to chickens that He sought to gather under His wing. In the 1920's a German named Schjelderup-Ebbe coined the term "pecking order." He observed the social interactions of chickens and concluded that they ordered themselves regarding dominance and leadership and that this was "accomplished with the beak." The one who "ruled the roost" would peck his way to the top. There was some pecking going on among Jesus' apostles. They had barely been together as apostles for six months, and they were only six months away from carrying on the work of Jesus without Him. Another name for pecking order is selfish ambition. This sin is spoken of several times in the New Testament. Moses contended with this many times during His ministry. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and even Aaron and Miriam challenged Moses' authority. Selfish ambition is named as a work of the flesh in Gal.5:20. In Phil.1:17 Paul says some preach Christ out of selfish ambition, and not sincerely. A key verse is Phil.2:3 where the saints are told to do nothing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Jesus' half-brother, James, speaks of harboring bitter envy and selfish ambition in one's heart, even boasting and denying the truth (James 3:14). The truth is found in who God created us to be. James tells us that the presence of envy and selfish ambition produces disorder and every evil practice (James 3:16). Note that the cousins of selfish ambition are vain conceit and bitter envy.

Usually the world seeks to establish a pecking order by determining who has the biggest, most powerful, and richest beak. In the case of the apostles they thought power and kingdom wealth was just around the corner. However, persecution and death are coming. When someone is trying to kill your group, do you really want to be the top chicken? Had they fully grasped what lay ahead they might have nominated someone else to be greatest instead of volunteering for the job. But, selfish ambition is powerful. Why do we like to be on top, in control, calling the shots, making things happen? Why is "importance" important to us? It goes back to self-worth and well being. In our minds our worth and our OKness is measured by where we are on the social ladder. When I walk into a room what do people think of me? Am I simply there or do people think I am there, and a certain feeling pings in their hearts because of it? We all want to matter. We want to count. I keep thinking of Joseph and Daniel who both rose to near the top of the pecking order in their day, but without any apparent selfish ambition. (Although Joseph couldn't resist messing with his brothers.)

Are we Ok with God establishing the pecking order, appointing people to positions of authority, and then our assuming our place in this order, being cooperative and compliant and supportive? I don't see it very often. We seem to want autonomy. We want to reserve our right to order our own lives regardless of how this affects others. James was right. This leads to disorder. I fear the kingdom of God is in a state of disorder because most are not content to follow God's appointed leaders (Acts 20:28; Heb.13). And, often these leaders are not willing to humble themselves to serve as little children. Jesus knew the future of His kingdom depended on His followers to care more for others than they did for themselves.

Status

Our next section in our pursuit of the mind of Christ is recorded in Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48.Take a moment to read these please. The location of this is in the house in Capernaum, assuming it is Peter and Andrew's house. Leading up to this scene is Jesus with Peter, James, and John on the long trek up and down the mount of Transfiguration, preceded by the discussion about who people say He is, the correct answer of Peter, and the rebuke of Peter. Jesus has a discussion with Peter, James and John on the way down Hermon about his death, burial and resurrection. On arriving at the base of the mountain Jesus confronts the most horrible scene of his ministry, the boy who has a particular malevolent demon, and the nine's inability to cast him out. Now on the way back to Capernaum He discusses with the twelve more about his death, burial and resurrection. On arriving back in Capernaum Jesus and Peter handle the tax matter. Now our current scene.

The scene seems to have unfolded thus: 1) The disciples were quietly discussing who is the greatest "on the way". I assume on the way from Caesarea Philippi back to Capernaum, a considerable distance. 2) Jesus knew what they were thinking in their heart. 3) He brings it up and asks them what they were saying "on the way." 4) Initially they kept silent. 5) Finally someone tells him-perhaps knowing that He already knew. 6) Jesus addresses their question by calling a little child as an illustration. Now how might the discussion have been going? Peter: There were some pretty wild things happening on the mountain while I was with Jesus, but I can't tell you about them. Others: Sure Peter you always think you are the special disciple. He never called one of us Satan. John: Well, I was up on the mountain with Jesus too and Jesus told me He loved me. James: Come on John, He tells everyone He loves them. Peter: You "nine" are losers. You couldn't even cast out one little demon. Others: Well Peter I didn't see you stepping up to get rid of it. Peter: Well He didn't pay your temple tax. Far fetched? I think not. Pretty petty? Yep.

So what is this "greatest" thing about? Only Matthew tells us about it being kingdom related. "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" But "greatest" how? Rank? Apostolic power or credentials? As in who is closest to Jesus? Or the best exorcist? Or who has the most knowledge? Who is the "right hand man?" Later James and John lobbies Jesus for seats of honor for her sons. Do they have visions of Joseph or Daniel, men who enjoyed important roles in foreign governments? "Greatest" implies status, a word of Latin origin meaning to stand. All cultures put special importance to who is close to the seat of power and authority. Who does the president talk to? Who has the most influence with the king? Who has his confidence? Why are we surprised these men with feet of clay who are beginning to understand the greatness of the kingdom of heaven and the greatness of Jesus the Messiah would have such a discussion and have such a desire to be the greatest too? Status in Jesus' circle rears its head. Jesus must stomp on its head quickly lest this idea destroy His kingdom.

Of Sons, Strangers, Exemptions, and Offense

(From my journal April 27, 2013). Sons, strangers, exemption and offense. In Luke 23:2 Jesus was accused of not supporting paying Roman taxes, even through he had specifically said, "give Caesar what is Caesar's." (Lk.20:20ff; Matt.22:15ff) He knew this was a very controversial subject just as its is today. We always fight against excessive taxation or taxation without representation. Our revolution was built on that. Taxes are one of the issues that can be a rallying point for insurrection. Jesus was not looking for insurrection but for resurrection. He was the Son of God-the whole world belonged to Him, He was Creator. The temple bore his name, He indwelled it. The rituals of the temple were made to Him. They were gifts to Him. Should be buy His own gifts? Just as earthly taxes were collected to support the king and his family and his kingdom, and they did not have to contribute to it, so it was with Jesus as Son-not stranger.

Sons were recipients. Strangers were contributors, even slaves. This is how the system worked. Some had privilege, some obligation. In John 10 Jesus made a distinction between strangers who care nothing for the sheep and the shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep. David as shepherd-king was more like the type of king God wanted. He cared for his people and sacrificed for them. When the temple was built it was David who was the first to give out of his vast supply for its construction. The word for "exempt" is eleutheros, freedom as opposed to slavery. "Slaves or free" is a common phrase (1 Cor.12:13; Gal.3:27). Exempt-1 Cor.7:39. The widow is free to marry whomever she wishes in the Lord. She is exempt from the bond of marriage which obligated her as long as her husband was alive. Unrestricted/unfettered-1 Cor.9:1. Paul asks, "Am I not free?" Contextually he is free to marry and take compensation. Just as Jesus was free from obligation to pay a temple tax because of his status and identity, Paul was free from the expectations of others. But he gave up his exemption, just as Jesus gave up His exemption. John 8:36 and Romans 6:20 proclaim a Christian exempt from the domination or power of sin. We should live as free or exempt, as sons, not slaves or strangers!

1 Peter 2:16, Act as free men and do not use your freedom (our word) as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. And in the next verse Peter says "Honor the king" and in verses 13-14 we are told to submit to the governing authorities, human institutions, for such is the will of God. Even harsh treatment (2:20) should be endured finding favor with God. Peter is teaching here what Jesus modeled before him in Matthew 17. The only offense we want to give is the cross not our insurrection.

Shekalim

Shekalim was the tax paid for the regular day by day sacrifices and shewbread and other necessary items for the temple. It was an annual tax usually paid in March, actually on the 15th (sound familiar?) In the temple area there were several collection boxes for various things, two of which were for the temple tax. One was labelled "Old Shekel" for back taxes and one "New Shekel" for current taxes. In 1960 4500 coins were found at Mt. Carmel that were likely from Jesus' day and associated with the temple tax. Tyrian coinage was used, made of almost pure silver, and the half shekel weighed 14.2 grams. If one paid with the half-shekel there was an 8% handling charge or commission called agio which was a denarii. Since Jesus paid for his and Peter's tax with one coin it was a full shekel and he avoided paying the commission. It is also reasonable to note that the reason Jesus had not previously paid the tax is because he was only in Capernaum in the spring on the Sabbath, and Jews don't handle money on the Sabbath (John 6:4,59).

This story is where we get the idea of churches being tax-exempt since we are sons of the King. However it seems to me that if we really wanted to follow the example of Jesus we would pay the tax anyway. But, who wants to go there? I really doubt Jesus was thinking about giving us an argument for avoiding corporate church taxes in this story. We really should be careful how we handle the words and example of Jesus. Jesus is really teaching us something much more important and it is not what we can "get out of" but what we can "get into."

Remember that Jesus was just recently glorified on Mt. Hermon with Moses and Elijah. He was proclaimed the Son of God by God Himself. He was shown to be greater than Moses and Elijah. He also demonstrated in His dominance over a very stubborn demon that this hidden world was subject to Him. Jesus clearly was great in all ways. Now note what is coming up next in the narrative of Jesus' life, i.e. a discussion among the disciples as to who is greatest in the kingdom. (Matt.18)  So here we have Jesus, Peter and the tax-collector in the middle of these other events talking about a half-shekel temple tax. The tax man sees them enter the city and checks his rolls and makes a beeline to Peter's house. Jesus asks, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or strangers?" Simon answered correctly. The sons are exempt. Jesus instructed Peter to do what he "legally" did not have to do in order to do what he "legally" needed to do to be a part of the community of the world in which he lived. It is similar to what Jesus says in Matthew 23 about obeying those who sit in Moses' seat. We are sons of the king but we live in the realm of the world, and we must comply with the world's rules so as not to give unnecessary offence, and to become stand-out weirdos who always seem to be rebellious, making points in ways they do not need to be made. The greatest serves and pays taxes. Notice Jesus calls Peter by his pre-disciple name, Simon, perhaps the name on the tax roll. If your name is on the roll, then pay. Don't pull out your post-disciple name and claim exemption. By the way the so-called Peter fish that is served in Galilee today is not likely the same kind of fish Peter caught. There are two other candidates, the catfish and the Barbel which is like a carp. The catfish is unclean since it has no scales. Both are bottom-feeders. Could there be a connection between bottom-feeders and tax collectors? Must be a mere coincidence.

Matthew's Tax Story

Matthew, the ex-tax collector turned apostle, is the only writer to record this story (Matt.17:24-27). This is a story we must not rush into. This is not simply "Jesus paid taxes, thus I pay taxes." There is a lot going on here. Remember we are searching for the mind of Jesus. How does Jesus think? What exactly is He teaching us? I have broken the story down into five points:

• The nature, practice and history of the temple tax.
• Peter's quickness to bind Jesus to the tax by saying "Yes."
• Jesus' question about sons and strangers, and how this relates to His sonship.
• The idea of "offense" since Jesus often cares little about offending authorities on earth.
• The  way Jesus chose to get the money to pay the tax.

A good place to begin is Exodus 30:11ff and 38:26. God's original intent in Moses' Law was that all sons of Israel over 20 years of age would pay a half-schekel of the sanctuary tax as a contribution to the Lord to prevent a plague because of numbering the people, to make atonement for themselves, for service for the tent of meeting, and a memorial for the sons of Israel to the Lord. There is a lot going on with this tax or contribution. In Moses' day there were 603,550 men 20 years and older numbered. If each one contributed the equivalent of two days wages we would have 1.2 million in days' wages, or at 10 hours per day, over 12 million man-hours of income. This is a huge amount. With that kind of money floating around you can bet corruption is not far away. (I am reading a book right now about the amount of money we have spent in Afghanistan over the years in non-military aid, much of it going into the pockets of greedy and corrupt people who grow poppy/heroin that kills people around the world.) Where there is money there is corruption. This might have something to do with this discussion. Where was Jesus' tax money going? Was it really "to the Lord?"

For Matthew who had participated in the Roman counterpart to this corrupt system it had to be interesting to him how Jesus handled these tax-collectors. I think it had to be humorous to him where Jesus got the money to pay the tax, i.e. from the mouth of a fish. We have a lot of unpacking to do in this story to get at the heart of what is going on. But, for now, let's all take away from Matthew's tax story that the sons of the kingdom often intersect with the sons of the world. Jesus will teach us something about how to manage this encounter.

Mysterious Deposit

Were you ever given something and you didn't really understand exactly what you had? Every so often I will watch the show about the folks who take their "treasures" to have them appraised to see if they are in fact "treasures" or merely junk. Some come away very happy because they find out that that the vase they brought in is worth real money. Most go home disappointed to find that what they thought was going to fund their retirement would not get them a happy meal. On that day in Galilee about six months before Jesus' death Luke tells us that Jesus said, "Let these words sink into your ears..."(9:44) I like the picture of something "sinking into one's ears." A message has to sink into the ear before it can sink into the heart. The old saying "in one ear and out the other" means the message did not "sink" but merely flowed on through. Ground that holds the water can produce a crop. Sandy soil that allows the rain to flow through is not nearly as productive. On that occasion Jesus was pouring death, burial and resurrection into their ears. He was strategically placing this message there and He wanted it to "sink in." Now the implications of the death, burial and resurrection were profound. Read Romans and you will see this. They were not getting all of that on this occasion. They did get enough of it to be "deeply grieved." (Matt.17:23) At this point Jesus was intentionally concealing some of what He was saying from them so they might not perceive it.(Luke 9:45) Perhaps if they did they might bolt too early. It was scary enough that they were afraid to ask Him what it all meant. (Mark 9:32; Lk.9:45)

This idea of deposit or sinking into captured my attention. God and Jesus were about placing things where they wanted them. A lamp was to be placed on a lampstand, not under a bushel. (Mt.5:15) God placed His Spirit in His servant, Jesus. (Mt.12:18) There are many texts where we are told God will place Jesus' enemies under His feet. (Mt.22:44) Sick folks were strategically placed near Jesus or one of the apostles for healing. (Mk.6:56; Acts 5:15) Jesus placed His hands on children to bless them. (Mk.10:16) Several times the New Testament speaks of the foundation and cornerstone that has been placed or laid. (Lk.6:48; Rom.9:33) Several times the Bible speaks of laying down a life for another. (John 10:11, 15; 15:13) The word is used to describe Jesus being laid in a tomb. (John 20:15) God Himself arranges or places the members of the body of Christ as he desires. (1 Cor.12:18) The word of reconciliation has been deposited into us. (2 Cor.5:19) Paul was placed into service. (1 Tim.1:12) Jesus was appointed or placed as heir of all things. (Heb.1:2) Money was laid at the apostles feet and it then belonged to the Lord. (Acts 4:35,37)

When God puts something in its place He expects it to stay there until He moves it. I am a creature of habit. I put my car keys in the same place every night. I do not like it when someone decides to help me by putting them in a "better place." God puts His things where He wants them to be. In this case Jesus wanted His message of death, burial and resurrection to be in the ears of His disciples. We normally put important and valuable things in places we consider safe and secure. Was the gospel safe and secure in the ears of His disciples? Even though at that point they did not fully understand, they would when the Spirit was sent. (1 Cor.2:12)  Just as Elizabeth stored the words about her son John in her heart (Lk.1:66) until it was revealed what manner of child he would be, the disciples stored the gospel in their hearts until they witnessed it unfold and were taught by the Spirit what it fully meant. This is why we too need to let His words sink into our ears so that one day they may sink into our hearts.

Delivered Into

A small section of transition is found in Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43-45 (read it, please). Jesus is traveling with his apostles south from the region of Caesarea Philippi to the regions of familiar Galilee. The experiences of the past couple of weeks were some of the most dramatic and memorable of Jesus' ministry. Now he begins his trek toward Jerusalem and death and resurrection. It seems from the text that he stays in more remote areas wanting to spend some quality time with the apostles, teaching and telling them of the things to come. He is only about six months away from his crucifixion, and so it must be the Fall of the year. It is not clear if he allows His disciples to go see their families who lived in the area (all but Judas' family who were in Judea). Though not the first time he taught them about death, burial and resurrection, He does impress on them the seriousness of what will soon happen. (See Matt.16:21-26 and Matt.17:9-13)

In our present context the three synoptics use the same phrase, i.e. "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." He will be taken into custody, arrested. Remember they have just witnessed a really bad demon obey Jesus immediately. His power was unmistakable.So how could any man take him into custody? We will come back to that. Remember Samson. When he had his God-given strength no one could take him in. He was unarrestable. It was only when the outward source of his strength was taken away, his hair, that he was as weak as a child. Yet, while in custody he killed more than when free. The apostle Paul was also delivered over to the the Romans (Acts 28:17), and yet the gospel was not chained. In Matthew 11:27 Jesus says, "All things have been handed over to Me by my Father." The one to whom all things have been delivered is to be delivered into the hands of men. How can this be?  How can mere men arrest Jesus? Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. All power and authority are His. He rules all men. He is power incarnate. Yet, He will be delivered? Such a plan seems so backward. Generals do not surrender. Captains go down with the ship. Jesus will be delivered. But how? Paul tells us in Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

Do you see this? Jesus' own Father turned Him in. Judas may have been an instrument to identify Jesus, but it was God who delivered Him up to the hands of men. Peter says in Acts 2:23 that Jesus was delivered up by the "predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God." The Deliverer will be delivered up. God Himself was to turn His own Son in. Did this give Satan hope that perhaps God was rejecting His own Son and might be looking for another to take His place? God turned Him in so He would not have to turn us in.

Stubborn Will

Mark says the demon that was ravaging the little boy could only be cast out by means of prayer. Matthew, if we accept the extra verse in chapter 17, adds fasting to prayer. Now my premise is that the demon or evil/unclean spirit is the spirit of an unregenerate man who died and for some reason roams the earth indwelling the body of another. Why is this person not contained in a secure place until the resurrection? I have no idea unless it has something to do with the power of his will. Can a person escape from God's secure holding cell? Does Satan negotiate with God to have them released into this custody? The rich man of Luke 15 wants a temporary release to be able to visit his brothers to warn them not to live as he did. His request was not granted. All of this is not clear. But, we do have a particularly tenacious and violent spirit indwelling a little, defenseless child, unwilling to leave. You know the story. The nine disciples could not budge him. Their combined will and faith was no match for this one spirit.

They could not wait to ask Jesus why they could not cast out this spirit when others easily left at their command. Surely they invoked the name of Jesus. Surely they expected something to happen. Was their faith small because Jesus was on the mountain and they did not know what had happened to him (in the same way the children of Israel did not know what happened to Moses)? So when asked, Jesus replied that such a spirit comes out only by prayer (perhaps fasting as well). Since casting out an evil spirit is a battle of the wills, the will of the demon and the will of the one who is seeking to cast him out, it is fitting that our "wills" are expressed in some way. Did the demon appeal to his father Satan to help him be able to stay at home in this body? This "person" who is indwelling the boy seeks to keep body, soul and spirit together, even if the body he seeks to keep is not his. The strongest impulse of the will is survival and well-being. This demon is comfortable inside this little boy and has found a way to maintain his well-being while tormenting another.

Now it must be noted that the disciples and subsequently Jesus were not trying to convert this demon. Evil spirits who have detached from their own bodies at death do not have another chance at salvation. The prayer was for the boy and his family. It was for the evil spirit to move out. The rich man of Luke 15 wanted a weekend pass to warn his brothers to repent. None was given. But, somehow these demons that roamed the earth did get out of Hades, not to warn others, but to torment the righteous. They seem to want to challenge the very will of God. In this we see the nature of the battle. The will of God versus the will of man and of Satan. There is a tug of war going on. Jesus tells us that for us to be successful in waging his war we better be people of prayer. Prayer grows our faith. Prayer is the environment in which small faith becomes big faith. Direct communication with God reassures us that God is involved in not only standing up against the stubborn will of the world, but our own stubborn will. Our will is broken on our knees. The will of the world is broken on our knees.

Tribute to Jimmy Hines

A slight detour will be taken to offer a tribute to a man who studied and lived out the mind of Christ, influencing countless people as he moved through one phase of life to another. From his earliest days at Dasher Bible School his reputation grew. By the time I was born Jimmy Hines was a legend. His leadership in the 1949 Georgia state basketball championship propelled him to local stardom. However, this was all against the backdrop of a rough and tumble boy from the streets of Atlanta who came under the discipline of Lacy Elrod, and had some stump-digging blisters to prove it. While in Dasher Jimmy met Sarah Dennard and a lifetime romance began. Four children were born, one tragically taken too young, businesses built, and political influence secured in the state of Louisiana. When I became aware of the name Jimmy Hines in my days at Georgia Christian School it was always spoken with a bit of awe. When his daughter Brenda came to GCS in the Fall of 1968 and Jimmy was Chairman of the Board I began to see and know this family for myself. Some six years later I was now Jimmy's son-in-law, and not a little intimidated by him. By this time he was at the height of his business career with his main pursuits in Costa Rica. Within a couple of years most was lost and he began rebuilding, living in Miami, Orlando, (short stint in Bradenton) and Melbourne before moving back to Louisiana to be close to family. I will not attempt to tell you all of what occurred during the years I called him father-in-law, and knew him best.

But, what I will tell you that I considered Jimmy Hines one of three life-mentors alongside my father and Jon Hazelip. We had to learn to know each other and at times it was not easy. Of course, I was now a competing man in his daughter's life. I know he taught me much. One of the strongest and most enduring lessons was to look at problems as opportunities. He taught me to shrink problems down to size so I could tackle them. He taught me perspective. Things that seemed huge to me he would says "It's not important." Things I worried about, he spent his time with me showing that there is always another move on the board, just look carefully at the board. He never seemed to get stuck in Can't. He always looked for a way to move forward or to walk away if the pursuit was hopeless. But, this "can do" attitude was never of human origin. It was always rooted in faith. He never, at least with me, said he could do anything in his own strength. He always included Jesus in his plans.

Much of what others debated he ignored. But, he was serious about such matters as spiritual warfare. He studied Satan. He wanted to know how he operated so he could through the teachings of Jesus not be outwitted by him. I seriously think Jimmy saw much of his life as a personal battle against Satan. From his earliest beginnings on the streets of Atlanta seeing one man after another come and go from his mother's life, and seeing Satan take one family member after another down, he seemed determined not to become one of Satan's victims. He fought for his own life and the life of his family and friends. His weapons were gifts (how man fruit baskets did he send out?), wisdom, counseling, encouraging words, phone calls, and preaching and teaching. He served as board chairman of two schools, an elder in several churches, a mentor to many, and loving father, husband, and paw paw. He was bigger than life. Any arena he stepped into was changed by his presence and this right up to the room he died in. He controlled the room. He was in charge and he died with dignity and with love.

Jimmy Hines will be missed. It is good that he has a large family of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, because I think it might take all of us to fill his shoes. But most importantly, he died in the Lord, and those who do so can rest in their reward. Goodbye Jimmy. You taught me to say, "I love you."

Wrestling with Evil

In our story of the only son of his father who is plagued with an evil, unclean spirit, a demon, I found two more symptoms of his condition, making it a total of 15. Add to the list that the boy was also deaf, not just mute (Mk.9:25) and that he was thrown into convulsions (Mk.9:26). Let me repeat that this is perhaps the worse case of abuse by evil that Jesus has seen in his time on earth. This confrontation of pure righteousness and pure evil was like the shoot out at the OK Corral with the exception that Jesus was much better armed than the evil demon. Here is how the wrestling match occurred.

As Jesus approached the scene, the father with his son separated from the crowd and went toward Jesus. This is a good first step for all who would be healed. Separate from the crowd and go toward Jesus for your healing. Jesus wanted to have some privacy in casting out this demon, so he went into action quickly before the crowd of curiosity seekers got there. When people are going through deliverance too often there are folks who just want to see a show. Jesus was not about performing for the crowd. Thirdly, Jesus "rebuked" the spirit. Jesus brought His authority to bear on this situation. We too much seek to help people with the rebuking authority of Jesus. Fourthly, Jesus not only commands the spirit to leave, he forbids him from returning to the body of this boy. Surely this was a great comfort to the father to know that this was over. As an aside, it seems that some spirits were "deaf and dumb" spirits. It seems that this means that the spirit made the person deaf and mute, thus isolating the person from the outside world. Was this a means of control so that the only voice in the head of the person was the demon's voice? This boy could not hear the comforting words of his father. He could not communicate his pain in this situation. Too often those who are traumatized have no voice and are so cut off from others that they cannot hear. When Jesus spoke he did not speak to the boy, he spoke to the spirit.

Fifth, when Jesus was driving out the spirit, the spirit decided to get one last punch in by throwing the boy into a terrible convulsion. The spirit did not leave peacefully. This spirit detached from the boy violently. It is my experience that when you try to help those who have been traumatized that the traumatic memories do not let go easily. Often the counseling is dramatic and involves a struggle for deliverance. Perhaps this is why we often do not go there. "Letting go" is painful. But, hope is present because we do not wrestle with evil alone. The power of healing is in the room. Jesus is there and He is able and willing to restore our ability to hear and talk. When we hear Him and find our voice healing can begin. Jesus taught us to pray, "Deliver us from evil." Evil will not let go willingly but if rebuked by Jesus it will let go.

Twins: Willing and Able

(Straight from my Journal today-this is raw thought.) Perhaps at this point in this man's life he was just out of expectations that anything could or would change. Does one ever say to Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us?" (Mk.9:22) Of course he can. A leper came to Jesus once and said, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." (Matt.8:2) On this occasion Jesus merely said "I am willing." So in these two "if" statements we have "willing" and "able," the twins of faith. Can I believe that God is both powerful (able) and good (willing)? We see Jesus' response to that. "If you can!" You can hear the inflection in His voice. It is like "I can't believe you just said that." But desperate people who have been here and there seeking help may not know absolutely when they find the real Doctor that healing will follow.

Jesus puts down what seems like a rule or a maxim. "All things are possible to him who believes." Now if I take this in  the immediate context of an exceedingly cruel case of child-demon possession-an extreme case of demonic abuse of a child-a demon that must be cast out violently-is this possible for me t do if I have enough faith? This has never been tested in my life and I pray it never will be. But if I start from this "thing" since Jesus said "all things" where do I go? How far, what kinds of things? Frankly I don't know how to apply this passage. I do come away with this: More faith is better than little faith. Remember Jesus' initial response was "unbelieving generation." Another thing I see here is that my increase in faith does not give me more power. My greater surety of faith is in the One who has the power to do anything. My faith opens up a world of possibilities, whereas my lack of faith closes down or limits the possibilities. I don't think this "rule" is unqualified. If it were then God who can do anything would be subject to whatever we might think up to do. He is not a slot machine to be manipulated by faith. But God does honor faith and bless efforts to accomplish things that are in accordance with His will. He is both willing and able to do His will in His way. It is we who seek that will and way, and try to conform to it.

So is this really a rule or simply a truth that applied to this man in this situation since Jesus has already determined what His will would be and His power to do it was not in dispute. The man did not want at this point for his faith to be an impediment to the healing of his only son. His response was immediate. He cries out as an almost last desperate cry between him and the Savior-"I do believe; help my unbelief!" This is one of the most humble and real statements ever said to Jesus.

Jesus' Frustration

What rattles Jesus? Money changers in the temple? Pesky Pharisees? Faithless disciples? Jesus is no robot or Mr. Spock. He "feels" and is affected. He gets frustrated. After his transformational experience on the mountain He comes down to face a chaotic situation. There is a contest between a powerful foe, a demon that is severely abusing a child, and nine disciples. How many disciples does it take to drive out a demon? Ever thought who this demon is? All demons are not the same. Demons are called spirits. They are not fallen angels. Spirits belong to people. I believe demons are the spirits of dead and evil people who roam the earth under the control of Satan to terrorize the vulnerable under certain conditions. So who is this dead-person demon? From the way this demon is treating this child this spirit must have belonged to a sadistic monster, perhaps a child-abuser. Could this be Herod the Great's spirit still preying on innocent children as he did after the birth of Jesus? Could he be still at it? Did Jesus know the name of this demon? But, regardless of who this demon is, Jesus clearly expected his disciples to deal with it.

Jesus' response includes calling his generation faithless and perverted. His disciples were caught up in the spirit of the age. They were tempted to unbelief. They were tempted to turn away, to stray, to change course. Does anyone see the similarity between Moses being on the mountain of Sinai getting the Law, and the chaos going on in the valley with the children of Israel making idols and acting perverted? I do. Remember Moses was on Mt. Hermon too. And another law was being handed down on this mountain. It wasn't "Listen to Moses," it was "Listen to My Son." The Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus. Jesus replaced the Law. He now is the Law. He is the standard who perfectly fulfilled the Law. His disciples were not making idols while He was on the mountain, but they were cowering before a ferocious demon. And are there not demons associated with idols? (1 Cor.10:19,20) Moses was so frustrated in his day that he broke the tablets that contained the ten commandments.

But perhaps one of the most severe things Jesus ever said to his apostles was "How long shall I put up with you?" He had already asked "How long will I be with you?" He knew it would not be long, and He would go away, and send the Holy Spirit, but "put up with" them? That sounds pretty harsh. The word is "endure." Persecution is to be endured. (1 Cor.4:12; 2 Thess.1:4) The Hebrew writer asked that they "endure" his word of exhortation (Heb.13:22) Sound doctrine is to be endured. (2 Tim.4:3) Paul is surprised that Christians put up with abusive Christian leaders who preach a different gospel. (2 Cor.11:4, 20) But, the most parallel to our text is Acts 18:14 where the proconsul Gallio was having a hard time putting up the the Jewish leaders. They frustrated him. Our Jesus is full of faith, can do anything, and is the one who gets things done. He is out front and leading, and he expects us to fall in and keep up. He is on kingdom business and He is ready to get the job done. It frustrates Him when those he trained and gave authority and power gets intimidated by a demon or an enemy or a difficult situation. We must be careful not to test the patience and endurance of God.

Advocate and Expectations

The father of the demon-possessed and much abused boy has caught my attention. Who is this man who fights for his son? This is a mighty advocate. Were he alive today and rich he might fund research to prevent this from happening to other boys and girls. He might lobby his politicians to write legislation to prevent this horrible tragedy. He might establish an Exorcism Institute to train disciples how to be more effective in driving these demons out. When people live with pain and trauma and difficulties day in and day out, they not only want help, but they want to prevent and cure. So much progress has grown out of the soil of pain. Again, we must look at the three accounts of this story to see this father's approach to the disciples.

First, note that he says to Jesus that he had approached Jesus' disciples. He says "Your disciples." These are not just any disciples. These are Jesus' disciples, and as such there is a higher expectation of them than the disciples of the scribes and Pharisees. Since Jesus was able to cure all manner of maladies, surely He had trained His disciples to do the same. So the expectation was high that he had come to the right people to get the job done. But, second, note that in each of the three accounts, there are three slightly different versions of what the man said to the disciples. In Matthew he said he brought his son to the disciples. In Mark he says he told them to cast it out. In Luke he says he begged them to cast it out. Perhaps slight differences, but differences all the same. They are compatible, but also escalating in nature. A parent who is desperate for healing for their child begins by bringing that child to the hoped-for healer, then telling the healer to heal, and then begging the healer to heal. I get the impression the father became more and more persistent. The harder the disciples tried, the more insistent and frustrated the father became.

So what of today? Fathers and mothers bring their children to Christ-followers for healing and cure and training and saving. "Fix my child," they might say. "I don't know what to do any more, and I need help, and you are Jesus' disciples so you must know what to do and how to fix them, and I am desperate. Help!" As His disciples is it reasonable to expect ourselves to better equipped to cast out the demons that indwell our children than the schools, the psychological community, the medical community, or the politicians? Should the church be a place of healing? Should those who bring their children expect it? What happens when we are not able to do it? Should this father have had the faith himself to cast the demon out? Could this matter have been handled in the home and family? We will be seeing Jesus' response to all of this soon, but for now we are observing human nature. Desperation breeds advocacy and advocacy breeds expectations, and sometimes expectations fall short of the desire outcome, until Jesus shows up.

Desperation Incarnate

Jesus was Salvation Incarnate. As He came off the mountain Jesus stared into the face of Desperation Incarnate. When a man's son is in the clutches of evil and it will not let him go, the tug of war that ensues is a royal battle. Who among us would not fight for our children? Who among us could stand idly by and watch the constant pain and suffering of our child? In this story, we get a very detailed picture of chronic suffering and desperation, none worse found anywhere in Scripture. Perhaps the only story that comes close to the type of detail we see here is the crucifixion of God's only Son. In this story we see the suffering of another man's only son. Look at the detailed description of what this boy went through. Put yourself in the shoes of this father and mother. I have identified no less than thirteen terms that paint the picture of this boy's condition.

• Lunatic (Matt.17:15) Do you see luna in the word? It means moonstruck. This is probably the superstitious meaning of it. Mark 4:24 translates it epileptic. Though this disease was probably unknown then by any scientific means, it was know through experience.
• Very Ill (Matt.17:15) The Syrophoenician woman of Matt.15:22 says her daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. "Cruelly" is the same word. This is no minor condition.
• Often falls into the fire (Matt.17:15); Mark 9:22) Marks says the demon throws him into the fire. Surely then there are burn marks on the child. The constant fear of him being around an open fire must have been relentless.
• Often falls into the water (Matt.17:15; Mark.9:22) This too is a life-threatening problem. Has the boy taken in water? Has it taken its toll on his lungs?
• Possessed with a spirit which makes him mute (Mark 9:17). This is a "dumb spirit."The boy cannot talk and express his pain. He is isolated by the spirit robbing him of speech.
• Seizes him (Mark 9:18). The episodes are uncontrollable. There is a feeling of helplessness against a strong power.
• Dashes him to the ground (Mark 9:18). Literally it tears him, breaks him, lacerates him, also meaning to convulse. It is the word used for the bursting of the old wineskins in Matt.9:17 or of the swine who can turn and rend you in Matt.7:6.
• Foams at the mouth (Mark 9:18). This frothing can be caused by many internal disorders.
• Grinds his teeth (Mark 9:18). Means to creak or a grating sound. This is usually associated with intense pain as one clamps his jaws together.
• Stiffins out (Mark 9:18). This could mean wastes away, shrivel up, to become dried out. It is used of the withering grass in James 1:11. This could be dehydration due to a lack of food and drink. It could be the lost of elasticity of the skin and joints.
• Suddenly screams (Luke 9:39). Is there anything worse than to hear the screams of our children when we know they are in severe pain? Nothing tugs at our heart more than this. Did not God hear the screams of His only Son on the cross?
• Mauls him (Luke 9:39). Some translations say "bruises him." It literally means to be broken or to deprive one of strength, to debilitate. This was a debilitating condition.
• Scarcely leaves him (Luke 9:39). The condition is chronic since childhood. Years of suffering like this is the picture. There is no relief, no respite, no break from having to care for this child and to keep him alive.

Surely this is one of those moments in Jesus' life when he comes face to face with the horrible effects of sin and evil. How could Satan do such a thing to anyone, much less a child? This is the face of mankind into which we as God's people must look. The man comes to Jesus and says, "Teacher I beg you to look at my son.." The world begs us to look at its sons and daughters traumatized, beaten, bruised, abused, neglected, and ravaged by sin! We need to hear the cries of Desperation Incarnate!

Failure!

The new scene is recorded in Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43. Stop and read it, please. Ok, what do we see? After some extended absence on the mountain with the three apostles, Jesus comes back into town, perhaps Caesarea Philippi. It was the day after Jesus discussion about resurrection and restoration as he came down Mt. Hermon. A crowd had gathered around the nine left behind. By this time some local scribes became involved in some argument with the nine. Nay-sayers are drawn to failure like vultures to a carcass. It is always a good place to pick up converts. Deal hunters flock to dead people's estates. Church leaders flock to the problems of other churches thinking they need to offer the remnant a place to escape. This was a great opportunity for the scribes to offer some Jesus followers an invitation to come back to the fold of traditional Judaism. In the middle of this confusion was a desperate man with his only son who was in great distress due to a demon. It seems the man comes looking for Jesus, finds only the nine disciples, settles for their exorcism skills, is disappointed when they fail, and is now caught up in a crowd who likes a good show. Jesus and the three have visions of transfiguration fresh in their heads, and discussions of resurrection and restoration on their lips. But, reality greets them. Failure!

As Jesus and the crowd approach one another, the excitement must have grown in each heart. The crowd had a new element come into play. The man of the hour was here. They surely thought, "This is going to get interesting." The scribes may have had a bit of fear and heartburn at seeing Jesus. Taking on nine failures was one thing, but here comes the champion, like David entering the battle with the Philstines. Surely their bravado shrunk. And, what might the disciples have been thinking. Perhaps mixed feelings seeing Jesus. On the one hand they may have thought, "Yeah...Jesus is coming to save the day." On the other hand, they may have thought, "O, if only we could be here with a perfectly healed boy in front of us, and Jesus could see how 'good' we are, even when He is gone." But, it was what it was. There was one other player who saw Jesus coming, and he was the one whose voice rose above the crowd, rose above the scribes, and rose above the disciples. It was the father of the boy.

The voice of an excited crowd, an arrogant band of scribes, and a failed band of disciples was drowned out by the voice of a desperate man who wants his son back. Jesus will deal with his disciples later. But, the squeeky wheel will get the grease, first things first, priorities. The father approaches Jesus, taking the three witnesses of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with three questions. First, there is the what. What does the man want? Matthew 17:15: Mercy. He wants mercy. He is looking for compassion and healing and relief and wellbeing for his family. Second, there is the who. Mark 9:17: "Teacher, I brought YOU my son." The man didn't know Jesus was out of town. He didn't know he would have to settle for faithless and unprepared apostles. He was looking for Jesus, and now that Jesus has showed up surely his hope revived. Thrid, there was they why. Luke 9:38, "Teacher, I beg YOU to look at my son. for he is my only boy."  Let the words "my only boy" ring in your ears. Do you hear the voice of God to Abraham echoing, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love...?" Does Jesus understand something about "only son?" Perhaps Jesus hears His own Father's voice in this man's plea. So the stage is set. The drama is unfolding. What will emerge out of this failure. Will Jesus be able to snatch victory out of defeat? Wait and see.

Restoration

(Journal Entry 4/11/13) For "restoration" to come there was the deliberate (on God's part) send of a preacher to 1) call people to repentance; 2) to announce the coming of the kingdom; 3) to introduce Jesus; 4) the baptize; 5) to confront Jewish leaders to come to the same humility and repentance; 6) to die and suffer. But an honest look at John's ministry shows he did all these things and no large continual following resulted at first. It wasn't until Jesus also suffered and died and rose that significant kingdom growth took place. It seems to me(and this is a hard distinction to make) that restoration is primarily a work of God. He sends Jesus. He chooses the apostles. He does signs and miracles. He teaches and preaches. He suffers and dies. He is resurrected. He ascends. He sends the Holy Spirit. He builds His church. But, where are we in restoration? We are the receivers of it, not the ones who bring it about. If God is at work to bring His people together in unity and to knock down the denominational barriers we have erected and sustain, then we must ask "are we willing to cooperate with God?" But notice what Jesus says-Elijah did come and restore all things-it happened in Jesus' day-But they did to him whatever they wanted. Where is the neat package of everything falling into place and the kingdom of God being the predominate force on earth? Where is the visible, organized, coherent successful group conquering the world under the banner of the cross? Later in ihe middle ages Christians decided to help God by taking up swords and launching the Crusades.

It seems to me the phrase "putting all things under His feet" is appropriate here. Hebrews 2:5-8 speaks to this. But verse 8 says "For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to Him. But now we do not see all things subjected to Him." There is a gap between what is and what we see. If we wait till we see fully to put our efforts as subjects of the kingdom into the kingdom what is the difference between us and those on the fringes of restoration? Restoration is continual. If we admire the reformers and restorers of the past then why have we quit working to for reform and restoration? What will it look like in our day? Hopefully it will have the flavor of John and Jesus and not some subsequent reformer.

Acts 1:6-8--The disciples had restoration of the kingdom to Israel on their mind. Jesus told them this was God's business, not to be shared with them. They were told to receive power and to become witnesses. We have our restoration task or assignment: Receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses in the world. (Let me drive this point home. If we long for restoration of the kingdom to be what God wants it to be in our circle of influence then we must become single minded and accept the place in this equation that He assigned to us. The power of the Spirit, and all He is assigned to do on our behalf must be accepted. This will involve His work of guiding us into all truth, to testify to Jesus, and to help us understand what God has freely given each of us (John 14-16; 1 Cor.2). Secondly, we too must preach the gospel. We must teach, teach and teach some more. Kingdom restoration hangs on these two things. But don't make the mistake of going on what you can SEE, but what God's word says is real. All things are already subject to Him. We are simply going out and informing people that Jesus already conquered them and everything in their lives they are trying to conquer. They simply need to receive the Holy Spirit and become His ambassadors.)

Expectations

This Transfiguration Experience triggered another discussion in these three apostles, one having to do with "restoration." It is true that we idealize "restoration." We long for the good ole days, the way things used to be, when life was simple and predictable and purer. Everything was laid out in order and a person could neatly fit into the mold. Somewhere along the line life gets complicated. So a company hires a new CEO who will get them back to where they once were. Or, a school hires a new coach who will return them to the glory days. Or, a church will bring in a new preacher who will get them back to where they once were. There were glory days in Israel's past. The days of Moses and Joshua, David and Solomon, and the days when prophets roamed the earth. Many in the "church" do that today with some glory days of our past, the days of Campbell, Lipscomb, or Lucas. Many of you reading this have no idea what I am saying here. But some of you do. For you the names might be King, Reagan, or Graham. But, there is a sentiment that "those were the days" and we are all Archie Bunkers just trying to fit into this new day when everything seems upside down. Well I am sorry to break your bubble but the good ole days were not as good as we remember them, and even for the Jews of Jesus' day they tended to fix their minds on what they considered the most positive aspect of the good ole days. It might be that during the days of King David, the nations respected them, i.e. meaning they didn't mess with them because David was a great warrior. Or it might be the days of Solomon when the nations envied them for all their wealth and wisdom. But the days of the first temple was filled with slavery, hedonistic lust, and making deals with idolatrous nations through contracted marriages. What followed this golden age was the ripping apart of the kingdom.

So as the apostles came down from the mountain they talked about restoration. "Why is it the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Elijah's visit on the mountain no doubt prompted this question. It made these three amateur theologians think of scribal discussions they had heard in the Synagogue on Saturdays. "Doesn't it say somewhere that Elijah has to come first before this golden age comes again?" They may have been thinking of Malachi 3-4 or Isaiah 59. They knew enough to be dangerous. Since this discussion was wrapped up in the resurrection, guess what they talked about after Jesus' resurrection. That's right, restoration (Acts 1:6). Even then they had no idea of what this restoration was going to look like. It wasn't until the sending of the Spirit and the proclamation of the gospel in Acts 2  that they began to see the purely spiritual nature of this kingdom Jesus told them was near.

We are still the same kind of people the three disciples were. We long for a day when everything falls in to place, everything is made right, we wake up in a perfect family, church, nation, or job and everything is beautiful. Everyone does what they should and everyone prospers. Take a closer look at even the word "restore." It is a returning--re-turning, turning again. Both Malachi and Isaiah relate the turning to fathers and children (offspring). Restoration is a return to core values and core practices and putting first things first. It is about sincere devotion and consistent living and teaching our children. It is about being in the trenches doing the hard work of helping each person within our circle of influence "know the Lord." It is not about ribbon cuttings, grand openings, new buildings, launching ships, or celebrating our new quarterly earnings. It is about getting our hearts right before a holy God, and leading others to know Jesus and God. It is a gospel mission. It begins with me and my house. (More to come)

Seized

The word seized found in Mark 9:10 regarding the discussion or debate Peter, James and John had about Jesus' reference to the resurrection is interesting. It is a fairly common word found 15 times in Mark alone. It might refer to Jesus taking someone by the hand (1:21; 5:41; 9:27), arresting or taking someone into custody (3:21; 6:17; 12:12; 14:1,44,46,49,51), and observing or holding on to a tradition or law (7:3-4,8). There is a funny story regarding this word, probably told by Mark about himself but without identifying himself by name. In Mark 14:51 there is a disciple after the arrest of Jesus who is running away, but he only wearing a linen sheet over an otherwise naked body. Some men seize the sheet, and he can only get away by allowing the sheet to be stripped off, leaving him streaking through the night. I guess if you are going to get seized you better have worn your underwear (and it should be clean too).

So Jesus has told them not tell anyone about what they saw on the mountain until after the resurrection of the Son of Man. These three latch onto this word (logos) and debate it as they are coming down the mountain. This is not the first time they have heard Jesus mention the resurrection. In fact recently near Caesarea Philippi Jesus told them he must suffer, be killed, and be raised on the third day (Matt.16). When Peter reacted strongly to this, he was rebuked. This must have been fresh on their minds. So what was the discussion about? Did they sign debate propositions? What truth were they seeking? I don't know but they had SEIZED the word. They were locked into the discussion. They were fully engaged in this matter. This is where Jesus wants these men to be, i.e. talking about something that makes a difference. So much of our conversations make no difference. So much of what Christian people talk about is so unimportant. But a conversation about the resurrection is right on. It is exactly what they needed to be discussing.

What types of things did the Jewish leaders talk about? Matters of the law, traditions, rabid rabbis like Jesus, political moves, how to get folks to do what they wanted, or how to shut people up. And when resurrection came up they did not understand what Jesus was saying. But, these apostles are now fully engaged in the right discussion. In our families and in the church we need to be having the right kinds of discussions. I fear we are talking about the wrong things. A man called me recently and said he wanted to come to visit Central before he moved out of state so he would know if he wanted to recommend that people attend our church. I wonder what kind of discussion he wanted to have. Was he looking to see how large we are, or how we sing, or who passes out the Lord's Supper, or how much money we take up and how we spend it, et... I wonder if he wants to have a conversation about the resurrection? Spending time with Jesus changes a person's topics of conversation. Do we really talk about what Jesus talks about? Check yourself and I will check me.

Vision

As Peter, James and John came down the mountain with Jesus, and Moses and Elijah had gone home, there was a conversation about three things, i.e. silence, resurrection, and Elijah. Regarding keeping quiet, Jesus commanded these men not to tell anyone until after His resurrections which was months away. Do you have any idea how hard this would be for these men? Surely they would be asked by the other apostles what happened on the mountain. If they told them they could not tell them, it would just add to the mystery. We are curious people, and we want to know people's secrets. But, commonly held secrets bind people together. Shared experiences bring people closer, normally. But, in this case it may have given rise later to the question of who is the greatest. Surely these three felt special to share such a "vision" as this.

Matthew records Jesus as saying, "Tell the vision to no one..." When I see the word "vision" I tend to want to classify it and make a distinction between a vision and a dream or a prophesy, or the like. I get the idea that a vision is something special given by God to communicate some direction to man, like painting a picture in the sky or in our minds that we are supposed to go reproduce in real life. Much in life has come about because someone has claimed that God gave them a vision. Of course if it is from God then I must work to make it real. But, in this case the vision Jesus is speaking of is not something these men are supposed to reproduce in life as in having glowing faces every day. The vision was real. It really happened, and the reason it is called a vision is because the apostles saw it. We tend to think in "vision statements" describing what we think God wants us to make happen. But, this vision was about describing what really happened and drawing out of it the truth God was revealing through the vision as Peter did later in his epistle. If you look up "vision" in a concordance you will find the places in Scripture according to the particular translation that describes something seen. In Genesis 46:2, God spoke to Jacob in visions (like seeing the ladder up to heaven). In 1 Samuel 3:1 we are told that during the days of young Samuel visions were infrequent in Israel, but God spoke to the boy during the night. Job had visions in the night (4:13). Isaiah speaks of drunk priests and prophets who see visions (28:7), perhaps like pink elephants. The people of Isaiah's day did not want the prophets seeing visions, instead they wanted them to tell them illusions (30:10). Ezekiel speaks of those who had visions of peace, and there was no peace (13:16). Daniel was a master of interpreting the visions of the mind and dreams (1:17).

Paul had a vision that he could not tell that led to his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor.12), and he warns of those who stand on their vision and inflate it to make themselves look special and important and wise (Col.2:18). Joel told us that young men in the new order would see visions (Acts 2:17). It seems to me that visions are tricky things, easily manipulated by men for their own purposes. My advice is be careful when someone says they had a vision. It is better to say my vision is such and such and quote a Scripture that clearly teaches what God has said His will is for us. This is God's vision for His people. Jesus Himself was the vision that day. When the bright light faded, and the heavenly guest went home, and the cloud lifted, and God's voice stopped echoing off the rocks, and the disciples' mouths closed, there was Jesus, the heavenly vision of what God desires all of us to become.

Clouds, Touch, Alone

When I was a boy out on Route 2 south of Valdosta, GA. I might be at home alone when a storm would blow in. I can see it like it was yesterday, me standing on my front porch of that little run down house looking out into my front yard up at the 40 foot pecan trees swaying in the wind. The sky was dark, and there was inside me an ominous excitement about it all. Lightening would strike and thunder would roll, and the hair on my arms would stand up from the static electricity in the air. I often thought during those storms that Jesus must be coming. I let my imagination run wild. I expected to see Him split through the clouds at any minute and land in my front yard. What is it about weather or climatic changes or extraordinary experiences that seem to attend God? Jesus walks by on water during a storm causing the disciples to fear thinking He is a ghost. There goes that hair on the back of the neck. Or, standing at Mt. Sinai watching this mountain moaning under the unseen hand of God, striking fear into the hearts of men who want to run, not worship. Or, what of God coming to Elijah in the storm, fire and earthquake, but finally in a still small voice? Or, what of Jesus on Calvary coming under darkness from the 6th to the 9th hour?

So it is Peter, James and John's time. A bright cloud overshadows them. Did you see this? It is a "bright" cloud, not a dark one. It is meant to encourage not provoke fear. It is meant to convey hope. But in spite of this, these disciples are afraid. One minute they are ready to build a temporary hotel for Moses and Elijah, the next minute Moses and Elijah have disappeared, and there alone stands Jesus. Matthew tells us that Jesus comes to them, touches them, and says "Arise, and do not be afraid." With the cloud lifted, Jesus touches them. Let that sink in. What would you give to have Jesus touch you? What would it be like for Him to put His hand on your shoulder, to give you a high five, to lift your chin? The touch of the Master was what most men during that day longed for.

All three writers make the point, "Jesus Alone." With the cloud lifted and the words of God ringing in their ears, there was Jesus alone. The word is monos. It means unaccompanied. He had no escort. There was no second fiddle. He did not share the spotlight with anyone. He stood on the summit of Hermon, the highest point of Israel alone. Saul was head and shoulders above his subjects. Jesus was 10,000 feet above His. "Alone." No peer. No one who can share His place. "Alone." There is "no one else." "No other foundation." He must walk now down into the valley alone, by Himself, and up another hill called Golgotha, alone. Moses won't be there. Elijah won't be there. The disciples won't be there. But, not alone alone (John 8:16,29; 16:32).

The Real Star

Peter didn't know what he was doing. He and his companions were terrified. They awoke from a dead sleep to see Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. How did the disciples know it was Moses and Elijah? Some speculate the recognition had something to do with dress, mannerisms, appearance, or the like. This does not seem likely to me. Surely these sleepy-eyed, unlearned fishermen were not up on their prophet-profiling. It is more likely that Jesus said, "Guys, come here I want to introduce you to a couple of my friends." Remember recognition might have been made harder since this holy Trio was aglow with glory. So when you meet Moses and Elijah do you shake their hands? At what point do you close your mouth? Well obviously Peter has a little trouble with this. Not only that but there was some indication that Jesus' friends were getting ready to leave Mt. Hermon and travel back home. Did Elijah bring his "wheels" (his chariot of fire)? Peter had to think quickly to try to keep this Summit going, especially since he had slept through most of it already. Maybe it was getting uncomfortable on this mountain, and Peter thought he might erect a temporary three room hotel for the Trio. This would surely keep them around. Besides, wouldn't you have a couple of questions to ask Moses and Elijah. Was Peter and the others getting just a little too much star-struck by the presence of these OT greats? Was Peter wanting their autograph? Was Peter wanting to tell all his friends who he got to talk to on the mountain?  Was Peter beginning to get a little too in awe of some lesser lights, while the very Son of God was there? Matthew, Mark and John all record three different designations by which Peter addressed Jesus, i.e. Lord, Rabbi, and Master, not Son of God.

Moses and Elijah represent the Old Covenant, those of the past who testified to the coming of the Son of God, and those who longed to see what the apostles were experiencing daily. Perhaps Moses and Elijah were the ones in awe of Peter, James and John wishing they could switch places and stay with Jesus a little longer. But, they were not there to be honored by men. They were not there to be preserved and housed. The system they represented was one of schoolmaster to bring the Jews to Jesus. Here stood the Promise and the schoolmasters on one spot. Peter was tempted to glorify the schoolmasters instead of the Promise (Read Galatians). Isn't this the way of man? We want to hold on to the past, the traditions, the ancients, those God used to help us find Jesus, and miss the Jesus they pointed us to. Men honor other men, the Campbells, Stones, Luthers, Calvins, Grahams, and build tents to house them (churches with their names on them, schools dedicated to them, books written about them). We long to sit at the feet of these men and ask them questions about their experiences, when the Jesus to whom they were pointing is now among us.

While Peter was getting into his construction project to keep Moses and Elijah there, he was interrupted. It is almost like God Himself is saying, "Excuse Me Peter, let me remind you in whose presence you stand. Don't get so goggled-eyed at Moses and Elijah. You are in the presence of true, eternal, enduring greatness--My Son, Jesus." So the booming voice of God breaks into the scene and proclaims, "This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him."  Moses and Elijah disappear, and Jesus is left before them. God Himself jerks these men back to reality. There is none greater. The King of kings, the greatest prophet, the new covenant maker stands before you, and in Him who came and tabernacled for a while among you is grace and truth (John 1). God knows how to make His point. Perhaps three humbled apostles had a new appreciation of Jesus as they went down the mountain.

The Summit

The Transfiguration story has always fascinated me. This Summit had seven participants, one breakout session, a frantic organizer and one keynoter who spoke for less than 10 seconds and said more than those who preach for hours. Moses and Elijah join Jesus in glory. What a sight it must have been for these sleepy eyes to see Moses and Elijah carrying on a conversation with Jesus about departures. The departures of these two OT giants was most notable. Moses took off from Mt. Nebo and was interned by God Himself, with no gravestone. There was even some fight between Michael and Satan over his body. This windswept mountain with a view of Israel across the Jordan is visited regularly by tourist and pilgrims to this day. And, the take off point for Elijah was east of the Jordan across from Jericho near where John the Baptist baptized. I have been to both places and know the spiritual devotion evoked knowing you are standing on the place of such departures. Both Moses and Elijah left behind two successors, Joshua and Elisha, just as Jesus was leaving behind Peter, James, and John. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah knew what it was like to train disciples to carrying on the work. I can't help but wonder if they were talking about this.

But Peter perhaps gives us the greatest insight into the "why" of this Transfiguration Summit. Take a moment to read 2 Peter 1:16-21. Peter relates this Summit in the context of explaining the sureness of the revelation from God concerning His Son. Peter and the rest did not make it up. They were not that clever. They spoke about the "power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is not a coincidence that this is what Jesus was talking with His apostles about right before the Transfiguration Summit (See Matt.16:27-28; Mk.8:38-9:1; Lk.9:26-27). Moses could speak to his prophecy of a prophet like himself that would arise from among the people (Deut.18) and Elijah could speak to his being the prototype of the forerunner of Jesus (Malachi 4:5-6). But the keynoter was God Himself who spoke with authority and said, "This is My Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him." Peter says he heard this utterance while with Him on the holy mountain. Jesus is hosting this Summit to give opportunity for the prophetic word about Him and His ministry to be made absolutely sure. Just as God confirmed Jesus at His baptism with similar words, so now near the end of His ministry He is confirming again in the presence of two of His OT prophets the certainty of Jesus as Lord. This is the "lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart." (2 Peter 1:19)

There is continuity of the plan of God throughout the history of God's people. The glorified Jesus, Moses and Elijah shared the stage for a short time, connecting 1500 BC, 900 BC with 33 AD. With Peter, James and John there we are insured that this same plan goes forth into the future. Unbeknownst to them their names will become as familiar as Moses and Elijah's names. These apostles will become just as important in the continuation of the plan as Moses and Elijah were in their days. And, the link, the connector is Jesus Himself. What a Summit! I wish I had been invited. Oh, BTW, the frustrated organizer was Peter who wanted to set up some tents to keep this Summit going. He found out he was not in charge. We like him need to be content to pass on what we hear and see without having to be in charge of anything.

Sleeping Through Transformation

I have to write next about the "Summit on the Summit," but today our focus is on this transfiguration of Jesus, a unique event in His earthly ministry, though perhaps common-place in the other realm from which He came. First, let us make sure we connect this to what Jesus was talking about 6-8 days earlier. He was telling them about the coming of the Son of Man in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Surely the anticipation of this coming with such visual effects excited the apostles. Surely they speculated on what this would be like. Now a mere week later, three of them are going to get a taste, if they can stay awake. Luke tells us Jesus came up the mountain to pray, and it was during this prayer that transfiguration happened. But, the disciples were snoozing, just as they would do on the other special occasion in the Garden. The elite three were weak in the flesh. If we are going to be transformed body, soul and spirit, we are going to have to bring this body part of our being into some disciplined submission. The body likes to sleep and eat and "you know what." How many glorified moments on the gridiron have I missed because I was snoozing in my recliner? How many once in a life time moments have I missed because I needed to raid the frig at the wrong moment? Thank God for instant replays!

So what was this "transfiguration?" Matthew and Mark concentrate on His face. Matthew mentions His clothing, and Luke only His clothing. They are comparing the light to the sun and a launderer's work at brightening clothing. Detergent manufacturers have been trying to duplicate this ever since. I heard a teeth brightening commercial recently that speaks of making these pearly whites six shades brighter in just five minutes per day. We want brighter in less time, and cheaper. I Corinthians 15 talks about our transformation in a moment, the twinkling of an eye. This is changing of our bodies to immortal ones. But, what of spiritual transformation? 2 Corinthians 3 tells us about that, and it is not instantaneous. It is from one degree of glory into another as we behold as in a mirror the face of Jesus. Based on the glow of Moses' face on his mountain 15 centuries earlier, we reflect the glory of the Lord.  But what if we are asleep? How can we grow if we are asleep? How can we change if physical rest is more important to us than transfiguration. For me my disfiguration needs some transfiguration.

After almost three years, 36 months, 252 weeks, about 1700 days, about that many hours, I am beginning to experience transformation. Each day I sit here and look into the sun-glowing face of Jesus as one might go to the beach to sit in the sun for a tan. The rays from His face fill my mind and heart. I think. I concentrate. I search. I ask questions. I struggle with words. I consider why Jesus did this or that or said this or that, and not something else. I stare and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord (Psa.27:4) in His temple. Little by little, step by step, I feel my body, soul, and spirit being healed, transformed, and integrated into a wholeness, and I am more and more at peace. Forgive the "i's" in this section, but if transfiguration is going to occur in me and you, we have to put the self into it. I must be awake, paying attention, listening intently, and absorbing Him, His words, His actions, His character, His beauty. Yes, "Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen In Me." "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from your deadness (and sleep) and let Christ shine on you" to paraphrase Paul (Eph.5:14). My morning alarm which signals me to meet with Jesus is preparing me for the last alarm, the trumpet blast, that will signal me to meet with Him in the air, and forever be with Him through blessed eternity.

The Lost Week

Moving on to another section (Matt.17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36), I am confronted with a new thought, i.e. a lost week in the ministry of Jesus. Now, I know we "lost" much of Jesus' childhood from 2-12, and much of his teen and young adult years, 12-30. But, since His ministry has started I don't recall this kind of gap of 6-8 days. Matthew and Mark says "6 days later" and Luke says "some eight days after these sayings." Since we do not know what "later than what" is and since there may be some consideration between coming to the mountain and climbing to the summit, not much should be made between six and eight. Most think the mountain was Hermon in northern Israel now shared by Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The summit (actually there are three summits) is 9, 230(2) feet, the highest point in Israel. We don't know if Jesus took them to the summit. If He did, this was a real climb, and shows some real strength on the part of these men. All three synoptics agree that Jesus was accompanied by Peter, James and John, and no reason is giving for these three being chosen. They did have this privilege on at least two other occasions, at the raising up of Jarius' daughter (Mk.5:37; Lk.8:51) and at Gethsemane (Mt.26:37; Mk.14:33). We know that many ancient temples are found on this mountain. We also know that there is a myth that an oath was made on the mountain by some fallen angels to accept the consequences for marrying the sons of men.

But back to the so-called lost week. I don't like that. I don't want to lose a week of the life of Jesus. I want to know what He was doing and saying. I know John tells us that many more books could have been written, but why do we have to have a gap of a whole week? What insight is missed? What truth is buried in time? What example is gone forever? What Sunday School story will never be put to flannel graph? What scene will forever be left out of a film on His life? What was He doing? And why did He keep me and you out? Did he escape for a week out of sight of all human beings? Were there no eyewitnesses to record the events of this week? Did He tell the disciples to keep quiet and they actually did? Just as two lovers do not want to be out of each others presence for long, I feel empty that I cannot journal my thoughts about this lost week. I am sure He had a good reason for leaving me and you out of it, but I don't like it. Why didn't the Holy Spirit give us a peak into this week?

In some ways I am very happy that I saw this, and that my reaction is as stated. I could have said, "Good, one less week to have to study and to journal about!" "I can finish my Challenger Deep study a little sooner." But, I don't feel that way. It is like being told there is a section of the temple that is off limits to me. There is a door that is locked. There is a part of the tour that I can't take. There is a secret I cannot know. Will I get to ask Him about this lost week one day? Will he tell me what I missed? So for now I will have to be content with picking up the story on the mountain without knowing how He got there. I just pray there are no more gaps in the story. I don't want to miss anything.

Kingdom Dynamics

It is in the more obscure-to-us statements of Jesus that produce not only intrigue but indicators that Jesus is up to more and on different levels than where we function. Jesus is our King. We are the kingdom. He tells us most of His business, but there are things he does not expect us to be involved in. We have our job to do, and it parallels His. The Kingdom business is unified. It all works together to accomplish God's will on earth. So when Jesus talks about "coming in His Father's glory with holy angels taking vengeance on folks with power and authority in His kingdom" it is a sit up and take notice event or series of events. (See last blog on this.) But I have noticed there are other statements by Jesus and His apostles that are similar, though they all have to be looked at in their context. But, the similarity of them makes the point that Jesus is up to something that is pretty significant, a sit-up-and-take-notice happening. Let's look at some.

In Matthew 12:25 Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God coming upon people when He casts out demons by the power of the Spirit of God. Kingdom-coming is with power. There is authority. There is an unmistakable intention to let the world know who is in control, who is King, and which Kingdom is going to win, and whose side we need to be on if we hope to be winners. In the text that is clearly talking about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, Matthew 24:30, Jesus tells of "the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." (Josephus reports this sign as a light or star in the shape of a sword hanging over the city.) For all those who mocked and scoffed and ignored and tried to exert their own power and authority, Jesus clearly has the last word, and His power and authority is established. Those with Him won, and those against Him lost. In another text in Matthew 26:64 as Jesus stood before the high priest He said, "...nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest lost it and tore his robes. The picture could not be clearer. This little two bit self-appointed peep squeak of a priest was no match for Jesus. These statements put things in their proper place. In John 1:51 to Nathaniel who was impressed with Jesus telling him what He saw while Nathaniel was under the fig tree, Jesus said, "Truly, truly I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." For whatever else it means it is meant to depict Jesus' unique position of authority. One more. To the fickle, bread-seeking crowds who stumbled over His words of discipleship in John 6:62 He says, "What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?" In other words, "they have seen nothing yet."

Jesus throws out these statements throughout His ministry because people needed to know that if they miss and misunderstand His first visit, there are going to be additional visits that they will not be able to miss. In Luke 19:44 Jesus says the reason Jerusalem will be destroyed is because the Jews did not recognize His first visitation. And, Peter tells his readers that they must be careful to glorify God on the day of His visitation. It seems that if we miss Jesus' coming, all we have to do is wait, and He will come again, and perhaps again with increasing evidence of His power and His authority. That last coming is really going to be something.

Militancy

Take a look again at Matthew 16:27-28; Mark 8:38-9:1; Luke 9:26-27. Christianity is lived out today in the US in sterile environments. There is Sunday School, AC, dressing up (somewhat), ritual, pot lucks, small groups, and the like. It is all very non-militant. This is why our text is even more dramatic for me. I have wrestled for two days with this text. I am still not convinced I totally get it. But, one thing I am sure of Jesus is not talking about "sterile." Jesus is talking about "coming" within a generation in some bold and dramatic way to accomplish some kingdom business. Now He is certainly engaged presently in our story in some pretty bold and dramatic kingdom business, but I get a sense from Jesus' words that what is coming is much more militant. Jesus' words take me to many potentially relevant texts: Daniel 2, 7 & 9; Matthew 23-24; Acts 1-2; Phil.2:11; Rev.14:10. Since he says this "coming" will happen before some who stand there will die, we can take the Second Coming off the table. The idea of "coming" occurs in various Old Testament texts to indicate some visit by God into human history for a very specific purpose, often a very militant purpose. At any rate Jesus is painting a picture for his followers of a future "campaign" that is not at all Sunday School quality. This kingdom business will be dangerous and powerful.

I have debated whether Jesus is referring to the Pentecost beginnings of the kingdom/church at the pouring out of the Spirit and the preaching of the gospel for the first time after His death, burial and resurrection or whether He is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. I don't like it when presented with an either/or proposition when it is not essential to choose between the two. Why can't the answer be both/and? Why can't this be the opening campaign of the kingdom being directed by our commander-in-chief from heaven at the right hand of God, a campaign that commences in Jerusalem in AD 33(?) and ends in Jerusalem in AD 70? Surely Daniel saw this connection in his 70 Week prophecy, as he spoke of the last week. There is the cutting off of the Messiah outside the walls of Jerusalem and the end of sacrifices when the temple was destroyed. If we take the entire 70 weeks, we have the beginning at the rebuilding of the temple after the exile and the ending at the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish system as prophesied by Jesus (Matt.23-24). If this is right, Jesus is depicting Himself as a militant leader who will conduct a campaign that will include bloodshed and evangelistic fervor.

Now I am not suggesting that we as ambassadors of reconciliation take any "militant" matters into our hands as some of our spiritual ancestors did during the Crusades. But I am suggesting that Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever, may still be doing kingdom business that involves the rise and fall of nations for the the purpose of expanding His kingdom. I am suggesting that our bold piece is to spread the gospel in connection with whatever Jesus is doing on another front, so that by the concert of the two we might see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our spiritual warfare and evangelistic campaigning should be the norm of the kingdom. We are with Jesus on the advance, not in retreat. Our world today is no more hostile than the day in which the kingdom began. Our charge into it must be no less dramatic and forceful as we do our part to expand the borders of a kingdom that will never be destroyed and which will destroy all other kingdoms.