Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ephphatha

The term "ephphatha" is Aramaic. Mark gives us five more Aramaic terms. In 3:17 he calls James and John Boanerges which means sons of thunder. In 5:41 he says to the little girl, "talitha kum," little girl, I say to you arise. In 7:11 he records the term "Corban" to describe a gift designated to God. In 14:36 Mark records Jesus' words on the cross, "Eloi, Eloi. Lama Sabachthani" meaning "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" These exact quotes in Jesus' original language may indicate an eyewitness account, or merely a desire to give us a little more precise insight into the language of Jesus. (BTW, remember the rest of the New Testament was written in Greek.)

The word "Ephphatha" means "Be Opened!" and was spoken to deaf ears (Mark 7:34) as Jesus sighed. Oh, how Jesus wanted what was closed to be opened! Jesus didn't like closed doors. He did not like closed ears. And, he surely did not like closed hearts. In this case closed ears had the added consequence of closed mouths, or at least stammering mouths. How can the mouth form sounds it cannot hear? Not very well, of course. If you want someone to be able to open their mouths, then you must help them have open ears. Understanding should always precede speaking. This is good communication. Isaiah 35:5 prophesies that the Messiah will do this. But, he does so with such drama and intensity. I cannot think of this story without thinking of 2 Cor.6:11-13 when Paul was contending with the brothers and sisters in this local church over the matter of open hearts. Their hearts had been closed to him, and he pleaded (as did Jesus) for their hearts to be opened, and for them to extend again their affection for him. How being closed off from people you love hurts and causes a longing for a return to those times when it seemed things were more open! In 2 Cor.7:2 Paul pleads with them to "make room in their hearts for him." For some, there is no room in the Inn.

In our present story of the deaf and stammering man the Greek literally says that Jesus loosed the bond of his tongue. I like that. Loosing the bonds is what Jesus is about. To the attendants at the tomb of Lazarus Jesus commanded them to "Loose him" from the grave clothes he wore. Jesus too was loosed from the bonds of death itself as he came out of the tomb. We are all bound by something. We are all closed off in some way and need loosing. We all need to be set free. We all long to hear the words "Ephphatha" from Jesus' lips. BE OPENED! Our hearts and spirits can get closed off from God and others. We "shut down" in many ways because of the hurts we experience. If this fits you, stop right now and pray the Ephphatha prayer and receive the healing you need.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Sigh

There are so many interesting features to the story of the deaf stammering man on Mark 7, not the least of which is the "sigh" that Jesus let out. The scientist say the reason humans sigh is to reset the breathing patterns that are getting out of whack and keep our respiratory system flexible. That is a little too scientific for me, though no doubt a sigh might serve this physical purpose. I doubt the kind of sigh we see here originated in the lungs. This kind of sigh originates in the inner man. Notice Mark calls it a deep sigh. Life threatens to knock the breath from us, the breath of our souls. We despair to see what we see. We struggle with the experiences of life and express our difficulty through sighing. Jesus dealt with the effects of the Fall of man in every healing service. Damaged people came one after another after another to be healed. There was no end. The line stretched around the earth and back again. Was there no end of the sick people in Israel? It seemed that no one was untouched by the effects of sin in the world. For every physical defect Jesus saw He knew that the sin defects were even more serious. Jesus ministered to damaged people. Day in a day out ministry produces the sigh.

This word is used in a more intense way in Mark 8:12 in response the Pharisees who came to him seeking more signs in order to test Him. At their request Jesus gave this non verbal cue. He let out a deep sigh. "Why does this generation seek for a sign?" I personally don't see this as an angry sigh, but a profoundly sad sigh. How He wants them to "get it" and they do not. How He wants to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks and they would not be gathered. (Matt.23:37) It is the sigh before the cry. Paul says we groan or sigh awaiting the redemption of our bodies (Rom.8:23) along with the creation itself. Perhaps some of our natural disasters are no more than the earth sighing. Even the Spirit sighs with groans too deep for words (Rom.8:26) as he interprets to God what we cannot say. While in this body we groan longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling (2 Cor.5:2). Life tugs at our tent pegs, and we fear we will be left exposed and naked. We long for what is mortal in us to be swallowed up by life (2 Cor.5:4). This groaning is what God heard from Egypt when he delivered the Israelites (Acts 7:34) and it is what Christian leaders feel in their grief when their flock will not be persuaded by them to follow where they lead (Heb.13:17). When the sigh turns to complaint we are told to stuff it (Jas.5:9).

So much is spoken in this one word "Sigh" to help us understand Jesus and how He thinks. He is touched deeply by what he experiences in man. He is burdened like a horse whose load is sometimes too heavy and constant, and needs to let out a large sigh, expanding its chest to take in a large amount of air and then letting it out. For some reason we often feel better after the sigh. Perhaps we do reset the system taking in more needed spiritual oxygen to get us through another day of living in a Fallen world. Sigh.......

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Of Ear Wax and Spit

The story of the deaf man of stammering speech in Mark 7 is truly an interesting story of one of Jesus' healings. Jesus had a very elaborate "ritual" that he followed in this healing. He 1) took the man aside from the multitude; 2) He put his fingers in his ears; 3) He spat and touched the man's tongue with the saliva; 4) He looked up to heaven; 5) He sighed deeply; 6) And he spoke to the ears telling them to be opened; 7) He told them not to tell anyone. Is it just me or does this seem pretty odd to you? Let's just take two of the seven steps he followed. By the way, since we are big on finding patterns in the New Testament for the way things should be done (i.e. "approved examples"), how is this for a divine pattern for healing deaf people? But I digress.

When we were raising our kids we played the "wet willy" game. We would lick a finger and hold our children down and place the wet finger in one of their ears. I know, pretty gross. But, they loved it. Another similar game was to hold them down and blow on their stomach. I guess if you over think these things it is a little wired. But, can you even begin to imagine what Jesus did to this man, this deaf stranger? He stuck his fingers in his ears and wet his finger with his spit and touched his tongue. Sounds pretty offensive to me. Why would anyone stand still for such a ritual? Jesus has the man's ear wax on two of his fingers and the man has Jesus' spit in his mouth. If you are having some trouble with this picture right now, talk to Jesus. He did it. Touching some one's head and certainly any exchange of bodily fluids is a very intimate act. Remember Jesus did not have to do this in order to heal the man. This was not a prescribed procedure for healing deaf folks. It was a decision Jesus made. Remember there was another healing where Jesus made some mud from his spit and put it on a man's eyes. (John 9) I wonder if this flashed through Jesus' mind when the spit of scorn was streaming down his face on the way to the cross. Spit is not always a solution for healing.

I wonder if this method Jesus used is like his reference to the Gentile woman in the previous story when he called her a dog. Both seem offensive. Both required those seeking a miracle to stand and take it, and to not allow their sensitivities to be assaulted to the point of missing their healing. Think of it this way. Doctors often do some pretty disgusting things to help us maintain our health and to regain our health. They stick things in places that we don't want to think about. But, why? Of course for them it is the only way to heal us. This is their best practice. But, Jesus didn't have to stick his fingers in the man's ears and put his spit in the man's mouth. So why? Maybe, just maybe, because of the reason we are talking about it right now. There could be no mistake on how this man was healed. It was Jesus' fingers in his ears-no one else. It was Jesus' spit in his mouth-no one else. It was this intimate, invasive, uncomfortable, and humbling connection with Jesus that led to the man's healing. Am I willing to submit to such an intimate, invasive, uncomfortable and humbling touch from Jesus in order to be healed?

Monday, February 25, 2013

Details

In transitioning to a new section in Mark 7 and Matthew 15, there are subtle details that raise questions about the mind of Christ. I find myself asking "why did Jesus do this or that" or "why did Jesus say this or that?" The answer is not always clear. People and Jesus do things for reasons. This may not seem significant, and perhaps it is not compared to other matters in Scripture, but it is interesting. If you put Matthew and Mark's accounts together we see something of the route Jesus took from one place to another. His beginning point was the region around Tyre in Phoenicia. This is the northwest corner of Israel along the Mediterranean Sea. It was primarily a Gentile area. Tyre was the southernmost major city of the region, and Sidon was the northernmost major city of this area. Jesus' destination was the east side of the Sea of Galilee. So he wants to go southeast from where he is but instead he travels almost due north, and then takes a sharp right turn through the mountains to THE mountain, the highest point in Israel, Mt. Hermon. Mt. Hermon is over 9000 ft above sea level. This is not a major mountain in the world, but in that region it is the highest. So when Matthew said in Matthew 15:29 that Jesus went up to the mountain, the mountain was Mt. Hermon. After leaving there he took another right hand turn and traveled south to the Decapolis (the ten cities) which is on the east side of the Jordan. If this is confusing get a map of this area during the time of Christ.

Having traveled to the holy lands and seeing Mt. Hermon I am more aware that not only is this not the most direct route to where He was going, but it is a difficult route. For Jesus and His apostles this would not be easy, and it would take some time to walk, and climb. This would be like walking through the Smokey Mountains. Again, why would he do this? What motivated him to take such a roundabout way to get to his destination? Was he trying to avoid large cities and crowds so that he would not have to face unnecessary controversy? Was he just wanting to spend some time in the mountains with His apostles? Was he killing time so that he would not be killed prematurely? All of these have merit, but how can we be sure? When Jesus called his apostles to come follow Him they had no clue where it would take them. But follow they must, even  in the details that may seem so, well, "detailed" to us.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

A Faith Answer

Jesus is looking for faith answers. These are responses that reveal our faith in Him. These do not always come in simple confessions that Jesus is Lord or that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, these may not really be faith answers, but rather expected answers. We sometimes say what is expected of us instead of what our faith demands. In reading Matthew and Mark about the Gentile woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, we see her faith answer and Jesus' response to that answer. Her answer was "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." This is a faith answer. His response was "Because of this answer go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." And, again, "O woman, your faith is great; be it done to you as you wish."  This is only the second time Jesus tells someone they had great faith, and both were Gentiles. So what was it about this answer that caused Jesus to call it Great Faith?

First, she was not offended by His answer. Remember we just had the story earlier in Matthew 15 and Mark 7 about the Pharisees and scribes being offended by what Jesus said to them. Surely it is no accident that the next story we have has a completely different outcome. It is as if Jesus said, "Let me show you how someone should respond to me when they could be offended by me." The contrast is stark. The woman could have obtained an attorney to sue Jesus for racist insensitivity. "I'll teach Him to call me a dog!"  She could have walked away in a huff and said "forget you." So many people today never put their faith in Jesus because they do not like being called a sinner or an adulterer or a fornicator or a thief or any other type of sinner. Instead of humbling themselves before the Healer, they would rather criticize his bedside manner as being too harsh or too insensitive. Second, this woman's faith was great because her need outweighed anything else. She knew her need was great and there was no where else to turn. Just as Peter had proclaimed in John 6 that Jesus had the words of eternal life and there was no where else to go, this woman knew no one else could cast out this demon. The Pharisees did not think they needed anything from Jesus. They thought they had eternal life. So their answers were not faith answers. We only exercise faith when we know who has the words of eternal life. This woman also knew she did not have to have the entire slice of bread, crumbs would do. In fact, there is no indication that Jesus even knew her name. He called her "woman." She needed no recognition or special place in the kingdom. She needed one thing: for her daughter to be healed.

Thirdly, great faith was indicated in her persistence. She did not give up. She was not put off. She was not deterred. She came for an answer from Jesus. She had to have it for her daughter's sake, and she got it, and Jesus honored her for it. It reminds us of the persistent widow story in Luke 18. This Gentile woman living in a remote area of Israel far from the temple, and never having studied in a synagogue demonstrated that faith answers can come from the most unexpected places.
(BTW, in a previous post I indicated that Jesus went to her house. On second read, I was wrong or only assumed that he did.)

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Crumbs

Still in the story of the Gentile woman who's daughter is demon-possessed, there is a very interesting twist that involves the spirit and the letter of the law. The letter of what Jesus says is found in two statements. "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  That sounds pretty exclusive. Only means only, doesn't it?  His mission target was laid out as were other aspects of the mission. For instance in the next chapter (Matt.16) Jesus told his apostles that he MUST go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, at which Peter rebuked Jesus and told Him "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you." You remember the counter-rebuke of Jesus calling Peter "Satan" for not minding the things of God, but the things of men. Well, isn't our present case the same? It is God's will for Jesus that He go ONLY to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Doesn't that prevent Him from going to others, to Gentiles and Samaritans? Well, He has already gone to the Samaritans (John 4). He has already told His apostles to go ONLY to the towns of the Jews (Matt.10) which is consistent with God's will for Jesus' earthly ministry. God sets the parameters of the mission. God commands and Jesus is to obey. Jesus came to do the will of His Father who sent Him, not His own will, right? So why didn't Jesus just explain this to the woman? He tried, it seems.

Next He says, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." That pretty much settles it. "It is not good." The word "good" has three meanings: 1) Good as to quality and character; 2) Good as to its effect or influence (useful, profitable); 3) Good in the moral sense, i.e. virtuous. So in which sense is it not good for Jesus to give this women the children's bread. I don't like my choices. Since Jesus does give her bread He is going to be guilty of violating one of these standards of goodness, and that prospect does not seem good to me. Was the pressure too great for Jesus? Was the woman too persuasive (you know women can be persuasive!)? Was Jesus caving? How could Jesus say something was "not good" and do it anyway? I recall when Jesus asked if it were lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath day, to save life or destroy? (Mark.3:4) But what was the higher "good" in this case, i.e. to not give the children's bread to a Gentile, or to heal a little girl who was suffering? Wow!  Is Jesus trapped? Does He follow the letter or the spirit of the law?

The answer comes in two ways. The word ONLY can mean primarily. Jesus did come primarily to the Jews, and his ministry was primarily to them, but not exclusively. The mystery of Jews and Gentiles being one in Christ( Eph.2-3) and Jesus bringing both parts of His flock together (John 10) was certainly in the will of God. But God's strategy was the Jew First (primarily) and also the Greek. The second key to understanding this passage is that the woman did not expect the loaf but the crumbs. She understood, it seems in some way, that Jesus' primary mission was not to her. So instead of asking for the Jewish share, she asked for crumbs. It was NOT GOOD to give her the loaf, but it was GOOD to give her the crumbs, and the crumbs of Jesus are sufficient to heal her daughter. Jesus certainly was within the spirit of the law, and did not get trapped by the letter of it.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Food

In the midst of Jesus' response to the hand-washing matter with the Pharisees, and his subsequent explanations with his disciples, Mark throws in a parenthesis of implication. It says, "Thus he declared all foods clean."  Clearly someone inferred by what Jesus said that he was making a pronouncement by implication that all foods were OK to eat, and that Jewish dietary laws were rendered null and void. So what did Jesus say that led to this conclusion. It was the part where he said that it is not what goes into man that makes him unclean or defiles him. Paul reaffirms this teaching in 1 Tim.4 when he discussed those who tried to make abstinence from certain foods and marriage a condition of salvation. He says regarding food, "...which God created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer." (By the way, why do we only pray before meals? Why don't we also read the word of God? Families used to do both at meals. We preserved one tradition and dropped another showing we pretty much follow what we want and leave behind what we don't want.)  In a day where we are "food obsessed" for health purposes it would be easy to equate what and how much goes into our mouths with spirituality. Not only did Jesus say all food is good but that man is not "defiled" by the eating of it, even with unwashed hands. I am not advocating for gluttony or a lack of concern for taking care of the temple of God by controlling out intake of food, but I am saying just as the Pharisees had turned their priorities upside down we can too.

Jesus switched the focus from intake to output. It is not what goes into a man that defiles him but what comes out of a man. By saying this Jesus is teaching that the heart is the seat of desire, and desire is the manufacturing plant of sin. James says as much in his anatomy of a sin. He says, "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then, when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (1:14-15) This thing James calls lust or desire is the beginning stage of sin. It is not sin itself but conceives sin. Man has sexual desire implanted within by God Himself as a means of both expressing love for one's married partner and for the procreation of the species. But, this same desire that accomplishes their wholesome and essential functions can be directed toward someone other than a spouse and now desire has conceived sin. This sin left unchecked can produce death in the person instead of life that was intended by the desire. This is what Jesus is saying defiles men. This originates in the heart. This comes out in actions and words.

Granted, childhood obesity is a serious matter in our society. But, Jesus would say that our society has a much more serious problem. The appetite that originates in the stomach is not our greatest enemy. It is the appetite that originates in the heart.

Silence

How do we interpret silence? We have a hard enough time interpreting what a person says. But silence? It is hard to read. What does it mean? Why is the person not saying anything in this situation? So we begin to infer from the silence and think we know what the person is implying by it. We are often wrong. In the story of the Syrophoenecian woman in Matt.15 and Mark 7, the apostles were faced with the silence of Jesus. The woman was a Gentile, a Canaanite. To the disciples this was an important piece of their interpretation of Jesus' silence. Look who is crying out to Him. Look at this crazy Gentile woman. Three strikes. So Matthew says, "But He did not answer her a word." (15:23) Silence. What could this silence mean? The disciples had to conclude something. They had to take the entire context into consideration. Perhaps they remembered Jesus' instructions in Matt.10:5-6, "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." That's it. Jesus doesn't care about the Gentiles. He came only to save Jews. But, didn't Jesus speak words of life to a Samaritan woman (Jn.4) and stay in Sychar, a Samaritan city for a couple of days teaching those people? Confusing. What was Jesus' will? What is the truth? Do we have anything to do with Gentiles or not? So far the evidence seems conflicted. So what does the silence mean? The disciples showed their hand when they came to Jesus and kept asking Him to "Send her away, for she is shouting out after us." (15:23)

There you have it. Their request reveals their interpretation of Jesus' silence. Surely His silence means He is annoyed by her request. Perhaps they believed as the blind man did in John 9 that God does not hear the prayers of sinners, and surely this Gentile woman was a sinner, and perhaps the demon-possession of her daughter even proves this woman is a sinner. When a person has bad theology in their heads it is hard to interpret silence. But, interpret they did, and concluded that it meant that Jesus did not want anything to do with this crazy Gentile woman.

But, perhaps the silence was meant to accomplish other spiritual purposes. Perhaps it was there to allow the disciples time to draw their own spiritual conclusions so that Jesus could show them when he did speak that they were not equipped to interpret His silence. When Jesus did speak it seemed that their conclusions were confirmed. "Let the children  be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." (Mark 7:27) There you have it. It is not good to help this woman. She is a dog to Jesus. Case closed and their interpretation of His silence is confirmed. Not so fast. As she persisted and answered wisely it was revealed that Jesus was not ignoring her and not setting a precedent on how we are to handle crazy Gentile women. He was allowing time for this woman's great faith to be revealed. Jesus not only granted her request to heal her daughter but he actually went into her home to do it. I guess that kinda blew their interpretation of His silence out of the water. It seems we are no better at interpreting the silence of God than the apostles were. So maybe we should not try.

Monday, February 18, 2013

The Complicated Heart

As we have seen, Jesus often begins with the Jewish leaders who have come to confront and trap, proceeds to the crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd and are extremely fickle in their allegiances, and ends up with his devoted band of disciples who want to "get it" but are often slow to learn. It pains me to think that the Son of Man had to work within such conditions as this. The very people He came to reach were either gunning for Him, too focused on earthly things to see and hear, or, as in the case of His own disciples, spiritually challenged. Jesus is like a inner city school teacher walking into a classroom with little discipline, little motivation, and little academic background, and seeking to produce dedicated students who will go out and change the world. Can our task be less daunting?

Peter spoke up and asked for more understanding about the parable of plants not planted by God, and about blind men leading blind me. (See Matt.15.) This was one of those parables meant to instruct but not sufficient in and of itself to really get the job done. Every parable needed explanation. Peter got that much, and asked for the explanation. Jesus was eager to supply it. Jesus kept it very simple. You eat something with unwashed hands, it goes into the stomach and is eliminated in about 24 hours. Process completed. But, what originates within the heart (cardia) comes out of a man and defiles him. Jesus gives a list of evils that originate in the heart, i.e. evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, slanders. It reminds us of the works of the flesh Paul outlines in Galatians 5 or the list of sins of the Gentiles in Romans 1.

Listen carefully to me. The heart (cardia) Jesus speaks of is like the physical heart that pumps our blood and is one of two major organs that keep us alive. This heart of the inner man is the center of some very complicated processes, just as the physical heart is. There are many things associated with the heart, i.e. foolishness and wisdom, repentance and unrepentance, circumcision and uncircumcision, love and hate, wholehearted obedience and blatant disobedience, sorrow and joy, good and evil desire, faith and unbelief, the motives of man, secrets and full disclosure, softness and hardness, sincerity and duplicity. Hearts are to be searched and tested. They are to guarded and purified. Hearts are key to the proper functioning of the self, the integrated man who is spirit, soul and body. These same apostles along with Paul will come to know and understand much about the heart of which Jesus speaks. God help us to keep our hearts in the condition that will make us spiritually healthy and able to serve You. Amen.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Offending a Weed

Do weeds have feelings? What right do we have to say that this plant is a weed and another is a flower? How insensitive we are to classify a plant as invasive and good for nothing and needing to be pulled up. Honestly some weeds are pretty. Who decides anyway which plant is good and which ones are bad? Jesus seems to have a way of making the Pharisees and their lawyers mad. He really hurt their feelings when he disputed their washing theology. Isn't one theology as good as another? If they wanted to believe that hand-washing was essential to salvation then who cares? What harm could it do? Was it really worth Jesus commenting on? All weeds are not equal. Some are not only invasive but poisonous. Whey not let poison ivy take over your yard, and let your grand kids play in it? You know why not. Remember Jesus also said they were the blind leading the blind. So why not just let a blind man take another blind man over the cliff?

We live in a day of political correctness (PC). We don't want to offend anyone, unless they are conservative Christians. Then, it is OK. We tip toe through life trying not to say anything that will upset someone. We try to make everything sugar coated so it goes down easier. But that is not really true. There is much in the talk of the day that is offensive or causes shock. We even had a trial recently in Tampa where a "shock jock" radio personality named Bubba Love Sponge said some horrendous things about another less shocking jock and won his case. It seems we are very selective about who can say what when and where and to who about what. The rules are hard to follow. Also recently Dr. Benjamin Carson spoke at a Prayer Breakfast with our president present and was roundly criticized by some and wildly praised by others for speaking up, even on the subject of political correctness.

The disciples of Jesus were very concerned that Jesus was offending the Pharisees. Remember Jesus was not attacking their families or their looks or their race or their rights. He was merely speaking truth to power. He was telling them what God had to say about their theology. I think God has a right to correct a person's theology since theology is the "study of God." Jesus is not just another voice in a broad discussion on the subject. When he speaks up everyone else should go silent and listen. He is THE expert. His word is the last word on the subject. We are not Jesus' referee throwing the flag when He says something we do not like. If He says a group is a weed and blind, then you can be sure that both are true. Stay clear or you might get something that will make you itch or worse, i.e. fall into a pit.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Spiritual Contamination

The matter of washed or unwashed hands had far reaching implications. Remembering we are triune beings, body, soul, and spirit, and that what might soil the hands does not soil the spirit is important to know. Ceremony was so important to the Jews (and many other religions including much of Christianity) that is was easy for a person to begin to think that ceremonial cleansing rituals had some moral effect on a person's relationship with God. It is difficult to think some believed that their relationship with Deity was obtained and maintained through meticulous hand-washing. So Jesus gives them a principle. The answer to mindless traditions is understood principle. In Matthew we have: "Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." (15:11) In Mark we have: "There is nothing outside the man which going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defiles the man." (7:15) Both statements carry the same principle, i.e. external contaminates of a physical nature cannot corrupt the man, the integrated being made of body, soul and spirit. However, the things that come out of a man's mouth and life are defiling of the man because they rise from the heart, the very seat that makes a man who he is. The reason this understanding is so important is because it makes the clear distinction between what we can wash and what we cannot. A man can wash his hands thinking this will make him morally and spiritually clean, and go about deceived, yet proud that he made himself righteous. Or, a man can admit that no amount of outward cleansing will ever make him morally pure or holy. This kind of cleansing must be provided by God and with an agent capable of true moral cleansing, i.e. the blood of his only Son.

This hand-washing matter struck at the heart of the gospel. This is why we must be careful in the way we understand baptism. Many of the critics of water baptism being associated with forgiveness of sins or cleansing of the heart fear it because of what Jesus said here. How can some physical act from the  outside affect any cleansing on the spirit of man? It is a valid questions and should not be dismissed. It has to be answered. The answer was provided by Peter. who spoke of baptism's focus. He compares baptism in water to Noah's experience of water which separated him and his family from the evil corruption of the world which was being destroyed in the flood. "And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:21)  Peter understood that baptism in water and the cleansing provided on the outside on the body had no effect on sin, but the appeal that sprang from a person's heart when being baptized did have an effect. That appeal was made to God for a good conscience. Sin corrupts the conscience. It must be cleansed in order for the whole man to be saved. The question is not whether God has to do this, an operation that can only be performed by God, but when does he do it. He can just as easily do it in connection with some outward symbol as not. But, the one being cleansed must not attribute his cleansing to the outward act in any part of it, but to the One who makes us holy and righteous.

Physical cannot touch spiritual. Fornication corrupts not because of the dirtiness of the physical act, but because it originates in the heart. That is why we must not think that merely changing some one's behavior will save them. Outward righteousness was what the Jewish enemies of Christ had. It was the internal cleansing they needed which is invited by a repentant, contrite, and faith-filled heart. This is what Jesus is saying. He who has ears to hear let him hear.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Sweet Understanding

It is a simple phrase yet profoundly Jesus: "Hear and understand." This is what Jesus tells the crowds as recorded in Matt.15:10 and Mark 7:14. He has turned from the Jewish leaders who have so much difficulty understanding anything outside of their own preconceived ideas, their traditions. Jesus recognizes that these leaders have "over thunk it." They have constructed intricate systems of man-made traditions and it makes perfect sense to them so that His pouring new wine into these tired and dry wine skins will simply cause them to burst. But, Jesus hopes that there may be some in the crowd less entrenched in the traditions and more honest in their need for sincere and simple faith in One greater than themselves that he entreats them to "hear and understand." Let the word "understand" sink in. I had one tell me recently, "I just do not want to be misunderstood." The Animals sung it decades ago, "Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood." Why is that so important to us? Because we were made to know and be known. Our well-being is tied up in being understood.

The word Jesus uses means to "send together." It is a place where things come together, a junction. In electrician lingo it is a junction box. In train lingo it is Petticoat Junction, where the trains come together. In spiritual lingo it is a place where we truly understand what Jesus is saying, we GET IT. Oh that we all could just GET IT! But not any ole "it" but the "it" that Jesus is teaching us. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul says, "For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know fully just as I also have been fully known."  To be "fully known" is what we want and need. We already are understood by the only One who can completely understand us, our Creator. Our quest to know Him even as He knows us is what should drive the Christian. This is the quest for eternal life (John 17:3).

How Christians need to stop and listen! How Christians need to sit for long periods of time at the feet of Jesus, ask Him questions, take notes, consider carefully His words, and not assume that we already GET IT. A fresh gaze is needed daily. Small bites of truth should be consumed and digested so that it becomes a part of our being and thinking. This business of communication is God's means to connect with man. Communication precedes communion and communion precedes community. The bond between us is our  common understanding of spiritual things. This understanding is sweet.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Hand Me Down Traditions

From what Jesus says in Mark 7 and Matthew 15 I glean that the traditions we have to avoid are those that nullify or invalidate the word of God. If a tradition keeps us from doing what God tells us to do then it is a bad tradition. If the tradition promotes the word of God then it is a good tradition and can be maintained or swapped for one of equal value in upholding the word of God. We cannot avoid traditions. They are simply the way we do things, the way we put a truth or principle into action. You do it a few times the same way and you have a tradition. However, even a good tradition can grow threadbare like hand-me-down clothing. It can loose its meaning over time. It may have served the word well for awhile, but has come to be meaningless ritual. This is a problem because we get attached to worn clothing. Worn clothing is comfortable to those who have worn it. It is familiar and safe. It has worked for a long time and served one well. But, new folks have not worn it and do not necessarily even like it. It might not be their style. The problem is that the church is a body and we all have to wear the same shirt in a local congregation. There may be slightly different hand-me-downs in a youth group from the non-youth group, but since we are a coherent unit, a church with a common fellowship we will wear the same clothing. But what is comfortable for some is merely threadbare to others, see through and in need of some serious mending or perhaps replacement.

But, when someone begins to tinker with the tradition our sense of well-being is threatened. We don't feel right doing it some other way. Now, some traditions handed down are just bad traditions. In my opinion the hand-me-down pope tradition was a bad idea. It might have been meant originally to serve some good purpose, but it actually nullifies the word of God regarding the Headship of Christ and the priesthood of all believers, both pretty foundational truths. Another problem with the hand-me-down papacy is that the pope has the ability within the Catholic system to codify traditions making it mandatory for every good Catholic to follow them, and making them essential to a Catholic's salvation or well-being. So what would happen if the Catholics just decided not to replace Benedict, and do away with the papacy and the priesthood, and place the responsibility for faithfulness back on the priesthood of all Catholics to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling?

Another reason hand-me-down traditions are held on to is because they have become excuses or reasons for disobeying what God says to do. Paul says in Romans 1:18 that the Gentile "holds the truth in unrighteousness." We have to do so if we are bent on sinning. Raw sin is hard for us to swallow. We mix it with some justification and it goes down easier. Any reason to sin is better than no reason other than we just want to. So traditions often serve as a reason to sin or to ignore what God says to do. Someone suggests that we might want to become more obedient to God by doing this or that, and we say, "We can't do that because that is not the way we do it." Case closed. Don't bring it up again. Let's be careful not to nullify the word of God for the sake of our traditions. Occasionally the hand-me-downs need to be taken out and inspected. We might find that they are so threadbare that our tush is showing.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Nice!

Jesus says, "You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition." (Mark 7:9)  This was a tongue-in-cheek compliment. Jesus acknowledged how clever the Jews were at this kind of thing. They didn't just blatantly break the commands of God. No, they had to make it look like they couldn't keep the commands because of a higher commitment, no less a manufactured one. The example Jesus uses is how they managed to set aside the command to honor their fathers and mothers, and not speak evil against them. The command included taking care of mom and dad in their old age. Paul addresses this in 1 Timothy 5 regarding a widowed mother who is over 60 years of age. The kids should take care of her so she will not have to be cared for by the church. Some of the Jewish leaders created a "tax loophole" to avoid having to provide social security for mom. They simply dedicated their extra money to God calling it Corban. Since this money is dedicated, it can't be spent for mom's assisted living facility. Mom is out of luck, and the kids get to decide how they can best spend God's money, usually on themselves. Nice! Jesus must have chuckled to Himself at how clever man can be in trying to get out of obedience.

But I found another "nice" nugget in this study, totally unexpected. Jesus quotes from Exodus 20, the ten commandments. The Jews were commanded to "honor father and mother." The word for honor is kabad a word used at least 10 times in the book of Exodus. Several of the times it is used it is translated hardened since the word means heavy. To honor someone or some thing is a heavy responsibility, not to be taken lightly. When we honor our fallen soldiers at Arlington, the services are heavy or solemn, not to be taken lightly or made a joke of. We visit the tombs with reverence and respect. But, in Exodus Pharaoh often hardened his heart toward the commands of God. He should have been "honoring his heart toward the commands of God" but rather he was "hardening his heart toward the commands of God." Honoring and hardening is the same word in the Hebrew. Clever! Nice!  But, here is what I saw in Exodus 14:14. Pharaoh hardened (chazaq-different word) his heart yet God was honored (kabad). God was able to turn one's hardness toward his commands into a way to be honored, and certainly Pharaoh indirectly brought honor to God by his stubborn heart as God showed his power over him.

In the same way, the hardness of the Jewish leaders toward the commands of God, even toward the very Son of God, was turned to honor as God used their very hardness to bring about the salvation of the world. Nice!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Neglecting and Transgressing

In Matthew 15:3 Jesus asks, "And why do you yourselves transgress the commandments of God for the sake of your tradition?" In Mark 7:8 Jesus says, "Neglecting the commandments of God you hold to the traditions of men." In one we have "transgressing"(parabaino=going too far) and the other we have "neglecting" (aphiemi=to send away, even forgive). Tradition is pitted against commandments. Commandments are from God and traditions are from men. Traditions are not wrong per se. But, when they compete with the commands of God and cancel them out, taking precedent over these commands they are dangerous. This is a hard teaching. The application of this is very tricky. The Jewish leaders had constructed a very elaborate system and the average person could no longer tell the difference between a command and a tradition. The leaders often were not about trying to find ways to be more faithful to the commands of God by considering the spirit of the command, but to find ways to avoid having to obey the command. Commandments can be costly. They found ways to give God a cheap substitute for the real thing. They knew God wanted a pure heart. Perhaps he would settle for clean hands.

John uses parabaino in 2 John 9, "Anyone who goes too far, and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son." Boy, has this passage been abused! Almost anything we disagree with gets tagged as "going too far." But, look at the context. Some were saying Jesus did not come in the flesh. They may have had some good motives for this. We don't want to think of Jesus having to live in the same sin-prone fleshly body as we do. But, this teaching not only went too far, it also cancelled out a very important and essential truth, i.e. that Jesus had to come in the flesh, die in the flesh, and be raised in the flesh in order to be our eternal redemption. Here a tradition cancelled out an essential teaching of God. We must not play games with such texts to justify our condemnation of a "tradition" that is harmless and does not invalidate a command of God.

Much more serious are traditions that we see today constructed to justify sin. The command of God is not to commit fornication, i.e. sex outside of marriage. The tradition that is common today is that it is alright to have sex outside of marriage if 1) you love the person; 2) you intend to be married one day. When we do this we go too far. We neglect and transgress the command of God for the sake of our human tradition. TV church is another one of those "traditions" that is becoming common. It cancels out Real church. Or, promising my kids I will take them to Disney World on Sunday cancelling out meeting with the saints. I fear we are creating a whole new set of traditions to avoid what God actually tells us to do. Think about it.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Man's Mandates

In quoting Isaiah, Jesus says that vain worship consists in "teaching as doctrine (teachings) the precepts (entalama) of men." (Mark.7:7) Jesus fought this battle consistently throughout His earthly ministry, and there is no reason to believe we must not continue the same fight. However, caution is in order lest we simply switch our man-made mandates for those of others. We rightly reject the precepts and ordinances that religious systems impose on men as a means of their salvation. We who teach others must also teach ourselves. We must not come up with our own list of man-made rules and make them essential for salvation. These rules are meant to control men and their behaviors. They do almost nothing to bring about holiness. Paul uses the same word in Colossians 2:20-23:

"If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees such as 'Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!' (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) in accordance with the commandments (entalama) and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence."

Here is your Pauline commentary on Jesus words in Mark 7. The entire context of Colossians relates to this. What are we talking about, really? We are seeking a binding, permanent relationship with God. But we are consistent law-breakers. So let's understand this whole deal. Someone comes up with the bright idea that in order to bring chronic law-breakers closer to a holy God we must make up more laws for them to keep. That ought to do it, right? If we break ten rules, lets make ten more, and that should do it. There is one more twist to this. The ones making the rules think they are OK already and only need to make more rules to keep the rest of us in line. So now not only is the whole "plan" crazy, it creates a system by which we are controlled by the new law-givers. If God had wanted to save us by law-keeping, He would have sent another Moses to give us more laws. Instead He sent one like Moses who came and kept all the laws that were already in place, died for the ones we already broke, and gave us His own righteousness. I like God's plan better.

But what of the commandments of God, and there are plenty of legitimate commands? A command is much easier to follow when I am not depending on the keeping of it for my salvation. Now my command-keeping, summed up in love for God and love for neighbor, is a response to the relationship secured by the one who sinlessly kept all His Father's commandments on our behalf. That is the principle Jesus is going to war over.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Massaging God

I love massages. Massage loosens a person up. It relaxes them. It makes them pliable and able to move more freely. You come in all tense and leave happy. Man can get very up-tight and tense. Stress builds up in our muscles. We need some soothing music, some incense, some dimmed lighting, some special aromatic oil, a nice bed with the donut hole for our face, some strong warm hands that know where and how to manipulate soft tissue. About an hour later we are good. Are you ready for where this is going?

The text is Mark 7:7, "But in vain (maten from masso) do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men." The word "vain" is from the root word "masso" from which we get massage. It means manipulation, to handle or squeeze, to knead like in kneading bread, even to chew or gnaw (See Rev.16:10). This is serious stuff. Do we really want to try to manipulate God? We often talk about "massaging" difficult people. When we need to get something from someone who is difficult we have to schmooze them. We have to "work" them to loosen them up so they will be willing to comply with our wishes. We butter folks up like a massage therapist does by slathering oil on our sore backs. We look for people to say, "Oh that really feels so good. Don't stop." You get more favors from people who feel good than from those who are cranky.

Is this how we look at God, i.e. that he is cranky and needs to be buttered up, loosened up, manipulated, kneaded like bread, shaped and formed so he will be more willing to help us. Do we put into place forms and rituals and precepts and rules that will cause God to say, "That feels good. Don't stop. I'll give you what you want?" Jesus calls this vain worship. The word worship here is sebomai meaning to revere, adore or fear God. It is used most often of God-fearing Gentiles or Greeks (Acts 13:43,50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7,13). Reverence for God must be sincere or it is not reverence, it is manipulation. This is what was missing from these Jewish folks. They did not honor God from the heart. They counted on "going through the motions" to satisfy a cranky God so he would bless them for another few days. They were no better than the idol worshippers who placated their so-called gods. Many Gentiles broke free of this game and became genuine God-fearers. Jesus is hoping his own people will do the same. God does not need a massage. He is not tense nor cranky. He wants a sincere and pure relationship, worship characterized by spirit and truth, not ritual and rules.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

The Tradition Cage

How would one capture and put the Lion of the Tribe of Judah in a cage? We seek to cage things we fear, animals, criminals, those with mental diseases, anyone who might hurt us. Most of our laws are meant to cage people, i.e. to prevent them from hurting others. This is what the gun control debate is about. We spend lots of energy trying to protect ourselves from others. There is a fine line between fear and respect or reverence. If we are afraid of God then we will try to protect ourselves from him. Most idol worshippers did that. They were afraid of their gods and established elaborate rituals, incantations, special words to say, and the like to cage their gods. They knew that a god who could make your crops grow could also hurt you. But, if you could find the right rituals, rules and traditions to follow, this god could be pacified and controlled. How silly! Yes, but real. The Jews were doing the same thing. Remember at Sinai, the mountain was on fire, shaking, billowing smoke. The Jews were fine with Moses and Joshua going up to speak with God, but they were terrified. They began to formulate very strict ways to containing this God. As long as He stayed on the mountain it was OK, but they did not want to take Him home. Just as I am content to look at rattlesnakes in a cage, don't ask me to establish a close, personal relationship with one.

In Matthew 15 and Mark 7 Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 to make his point about their use of traditions. Reading the text in Isaiah we have "Because these people draw near with their words and honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,...." (NASB) He goes on to say that the only solution to this wrong headed way of drawing near to Him, he will have to deal marvelously with them while destroying the wisdom and discernment of their wise men who got it all wrong. But, notice the phrase: "their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote." The word "reverence" is yirah a word meaning fear of God. This fear is essential to a proper relationship to God, but is subject to being distorted. When this happens the entire relationship is distorted. In Isaiah 11:2,3, a messianic prophecy, Jesus is described one who has the spirit of the fear of the Lord in which he delights. Jesus had it on right. He understood the proper way to reverence His Father. His fear of God drew Him into close personal relationship that honored the Father.

However the Jewish leaders were busy building cages to contain God. They wanted Him around to show off to others, but they didn't want to get too close to Him. So systems were put in place. They contained God in rituals and formulas. They also wanted to lead others to do the same. It was all about lip service. If we don't say God's name we are safe. He won't bite us. If we wash our hands, He won't bite us. If we swear using the right words He won't bite us. Jesus saw through this and knew that it was not God who was in a cage, it was the ones who built the cage. In trying to contained God they had contained themselves and shut themselves off from God. They were the ones captured and penned up, serving time. (More to come)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Diagnosing Impurity

The discussion of traditions and cleanness seems strange to modern ears. However, we just aren't familiar with the specific topic. We certainly are very aware of the thinking behind this Matt.15 and Mark 7 discussion. Perhaps if we can understand the dynamics of this discussion, we will be able to make some application to discussions we have. So here goes. Let's do some diagnostic work.

In the discourse between Jesus and the Jews' experts in law, there was a direct association between "unwashed" and "impure." A similar discourse in the first century centered around the correlation between being "uncircumcised" and being "unclean." Both had to do with the body of man. There is something that is wrong with the body, i.e. dirty hands and uncircumcised "you know what." This contamination of body was somehow, in their minds, contaminating the rest of the man (soul and spirit). But, we must keep in mind that this discussion is really not about germs. I am sure there were plenty of germs in the marketplace. When you get a lot of people together in close quarters (i.e. the cab of an airplane) you stand a much greater chance of picking up someone else's uncleanness. So we normally associate public places as more unclean than private places. But "germ" theory came much later. And I do not believe this discussion was about Jesus trying to change the practice of the experts. Here is what this exchange was about:
  • What does God demand regarding uncleanness under the Law?
  • How does something regarded as unclean cause the person who comes in contact with it to become unclean?
  • Should these leaders be imposing a rule on others, trying to get others to conform to their sense of "holy", and making it a salvation issue?
I would point out that Peter was one of the accused. He obviously did not always wash his hands before eating. But, Peter was a stickler for Jewish ceremonial law. Read Acts 10-11 and Gal.1. Peter never ate anything unclean, even when God told him to. And, Peter had a lot of problems being around unclean Gentiles. So Peter was not unsympathetic to the idea of unclean things corrupting the person. Peter's sense of "well-being" was affected in both cases. He was not OK with eating pork, even when God told him it was OK. He was not comfortable in hanging with the Gentiles, even Gentile Christians, even when God told him it was cool. It goes back to what makes a person have well-being. We must be careful not to connect our well-being (I believe well-being and OK are defined by the more divine words Eternal Life) to anything as trivial as washed hands. It is surprising how someone who possesses true eternal life can be messed up so much over ceremonial questions as if if we nail down every action we will somehow become MORE OK. OK is OK. We are either OK or not OK, but a little hand sanitizer is not going to improve our relationship with the God of the universe. We need a much deeper cleansing than that to come into his presence. We have more to do in unpacking this text.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Tradition

The Challenger Deep study is moving to a new section of the life of Christ (John 7:1; Matt.15:1-20; Mark.7:1-23). In some ways I am reluctant to be led there. Though "tradition" is not inherently a bad word, it can accumulate a lot of baggage, and I (and you) are not immune from it. Tradition can be and often is a barrier to a pure understanding of Christ and His teachings. Living out the spirit and intent of the Law is harder to do than living out the jot and tittles of the Law. It is easy to grab a teaching, put my mark on it, codify it, and apply it in a certain way, and make my brand the exclusive brand. It is like wheat. Wheat is wheat. But, what happens when I take the wheat in my hand and mix it with my secret ingredients, produce a recipe, bake it up, and tell you this is true bread. Any other formula is inferior bread, thought the essential ingredient is still wheat. The thing we have to be careful of is changing the essential ingredient by adding another ingredient in such a way that renders the essential ingredient no longer effective.

Jesus is still in Galilee because he knows they are looking to kill him in Judea. A delegation of Pharisees and scribes come north to see him. They have a critical and burning issue to discuss with Him. This is serious stuff. It could sink His entire ministry. It could bring the plan of God to a screeching halt. This issue is so earth shattering that Jesus' whole plan is in jeopardy. What could be so serious to warrant such a meeting. Here it is. They observed some of His disciples failing to wash their hands before they ate. Yep. That's it. I told you this was serious. I told you this could alter the course of the world. Unwashed hands. Now there is an issue! Really? Are you serious? They traveled 50 miles in two days to discuss THIS? I guess you had to be there in their shoes to understand why this was so important to them. Their well-being was wrapped up in keeping the traditions. Did you hear me. Their well-being, their sense of homeostasis, their being OK and feeling secure was tied to hand-washing before eating. It reminds me of those who have OC tendencies, i.e. Obsessive Compulsive tendencies. Some have to touch lampposts, or not step on cracks in the sidewalk, or check the iron ten times before leaving home. I am not making fun. This is a serious disorder and can be enslaving and crippling. I have great sympathy for folks who have it. I had dear friend in Boca Raton who had this disorder. Jeff would sometimes sit for hours outside my office running through routines in his head before he could come in to talk with me, and when he did it was grueling to watch him try to communicate.

Here is what I think is the critical matter here (and we will discuss this further), i.e. that traditions become harmful when our sense of well-being is bound to them. Jesus came to teach us that our well-being, which he calls Eternal Life (Zoe), is bound to His work and His gift. When we think our eternal life is dependent on the dotting of a "i" and the crossing of a "t" spiritually, then we have missed the essence of eternal life. Chew on that as we will explore together this section of Challenger Deep.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Pause

Stopping to check the compass is a good idea from time to time. Pulling out the map and taking some bearings is helpful if we expect to arrive at our destination. There have been two influences that led me to begin this morning time of writing we call a BLOG (too close to blob for my taste). The first was a work by George Barna on the seven spiritual tribes in the U.S. He researched to see who we are spiritually. One group was named "casual" Christians and another were called "captive" Christians. I did a series of messages each Sunday on that theme, from casual to captive. How do we go from being merely Christians on the surface to being Christians whose maturity runs deep and is demonstrated in ways that does justice to the Christ who lives in us? About this same time, I began a personal, morning study I called The Challenger Deep which was to concentrate on the mind of Christ. His mind is deep, just as Challenger Deep is the deepest point of the ocean, over 36,0000 ft. down. I likened myself to stepping off into this crevasse and floating down to explore all the wonderful aspects of the infinite mind of Jesus, my Lord. I have been on that journey each morning for almost three years. I have filled eight journals of what I have seen within my travels, and I have a lot more to go.

So here we are. I have through this blog asked you to share in this journey. I am glad you are looking in on it. But, there is no way I could begin to bring you into what I am seeing. I am getting a new view of Jesus. I am seeing Him in new ways, some familiar, but others strangely new. Jesus does not act predictably. His thinking is much different than mine. His words are sometimes cryptic. He is defined by irony and paradox and metaphor and similitude. He employs all the figures of speech to guide us to His point. He cuts to the heart of things and the hearts of people. He does not chit-chat. He grabs a person and dives deep, not letting them up until they are about to explode. He is intense yet incredibly patient and loving. He is always at work. He is constantly taking stock of where He is relative to the will of His Father. His intimacy with His Father is no less than amazing. His demonstration of dependence, reliance, trust, and loyalty is classic. Jesus sees things. He knows things. He perceives life clearly. He attacks at the right spot. He stays as long as He should and goes when He should. His view is always on the eternal, never on this world. Jesus is the most amazing, challenging person who ever lived and who I have ever known.

You and I have one earthly life (psuche) to live. If we plan not to waste it we must devote our lives (psuche) to chasing after Life (zoe). This can be no casual pursuit if we hope to explore the depths of Challenger Deep. There awaits below that surface a whole world of mystery and inviting danger. If you want to really live join me. Over the next several months I want to expand my teaching ministry to bring together several platforms from which we can explore this infinite mind of Christ. I am still waiting on the Lord on this to see fully how He wants me to set this up, the logistics of it. But, I am convinced He wants me to share comprehensive "teachings" to help others GET IT. Please pray about "GET IT" Ministries, a blending of evangelism and spiritual growth. Thank you for following the ramblings of a man who wants to know the mind of Christ and live as His captive.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Extra: Go or Be

This is an extra. Sometimes discussions with those I love prompt in me a need to write something a little off my normal trend. This one of those times.

Where are people getting the idea that you don't have to go to church? This myth is floating around and many are catching it like the flu, and spreading it to others. Well sometimes we just need to go with the flow on things. So, I am going to agree: No one has to "go to" church, but you do have to BE the church. Our thinking is so worldly like Nicodemus thinking had to go back into his mother's womb. He was thinking of a place to go, but Jesus was thinking about BEING born again. (John 3) It is like the woman at the well questioning Jesus about the place of worship, Gerazim or Jerusalem. She was thinking of a place to go and Jesus was thinking of a state of BEING a worshipper. (John 4) Are we so worldly in our thinking that we do not understand the nature of the church he built (Matt.16:18) and purchased with his own blood? (Acts 20:28)  There is nothing in Scripture that makes church a place to go. There is everything in Scripture that makes the church something to BE.

Church is ecclesia-the called out ones. We have to BE called out. Out of what? Out of darkness into light (Col.1:13). This is the kingdom of the Son He loves where redemption and forgiveness of sins are found. Keep reading. He then turns to the nature of Jesus Himself. Creator. Sustainer. Head of the body, the church. This is what Christ BE. (Sorry for the grammar.) But, we BE in relationship to Him. We are the ones created, the ones being sustained, and the body directed by the head. We--not me-together with others we are the body. 1 Cor..12 makes clear the body cannot be one part. It is many parts working together. We must BE together to work together. Read all of 1 Cor.12. Don't say you don't need the other parts of the body. That is like a hand not needing a foot. We are ONE. At least that is what Jesus prayed we would BE. (John 17)  How can a family BE a family without BEING with the family? How can a business BE a business without employees showing up to BE with the business? How can we do any of the things we are told to BE--singers, encouragers, builders, teachers, brothers and sisters without BEING with others? We don't just BE the church on Sundays inside a building, but we are the church there. The church loses its sense of BEING when the members stop gathering. But, it is not about "GOING." It is about BEING.

"And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42) "And those who believed were together.." (Acts 2:44) Were they "going" or BEING? Come on people. This is Church 101.

Pseudo Options

The literal Greek is "not also ye wish to go?" This is what Jesus said to His twelve apostles. The context is that a large crowd of thousands weighed Jesus in the balances and found Him wanting for their purposes. Jesus didn't measure up upon closer inspection. How absurd that the creature would pass judgment on the Creator. But, they did, and decided they had other options. The text doesn't tell us what they thought these other options were, but they must have been going somewhere. Back to the synagogue? Back to work? Back home? Is a synagogue, a work place or a home really an option without Jesus? An "option" for what? The text says, "words of eternal life." You don't find that just anywhere. But, Jesus knew human nature. When one leaves, another is emboldened to follow, and then another, and another. Mobs are formed by opinion leaders, and deserters inspire other deserters. We do have influence on others. The gravitational pull of walking away from Jesus that day was strong, and Jesus wanted to know if His own apostles were caught up in it. The draft of others can pull you along. Everyone can't be wrong, right? Think again. Didn't Lincoln say it: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time?"

Peter spoke up, of course. Bless his heart. He did not see another option. "To whom shall we go?" That was the first of three conclusions that Peter drew. There are no other viable options. All other so-called options are pseudo options. They have an appearance of wisdom (Col.2:23) but no power. We need to consider our options carefully. Life is short and taking the wrong road can lead us far off course. We may never find our way back. Options are not always what they are cracked up to be. Choose wisely. But, Peter had two other truths on straight that day. Peter affirms that Jesus has the words of eternal life. This term "life" is zoe and is found 32 times in the book of John. This is definitely a major theme, and the reason the book is written, i.e. that you might have life and have it to the full. (John 20:31) This the full and abundant life that the evil one tries to steal. (John 10:10) It is Jesus Himself. (John 14:6) It is the light that enlightens every man. (John 1:4) They don't sell this at Pubix.

The third truth that Peter proclaims is that Jesus is the Holy One of God. This is messianic. Most notably in Psa.16:10 and quoted in Acts 2 regarding the Father not allowing the Holy One to see decay, speaking of the resurrection of Jesus. "Holy One" is connected to life. Isaiah also connects Holy One to rejection and being despised, just what Jesus was experiencing that day. (Isa.1:4; 5:24) Mark tells us that the demons knew Jesus was the Holy One. (1:24) Peter and the demons had something in common, the knowledge of the Holy One, that the crowds missed. There is gospel in these three truths: There are no other options; Jesus has the words of eternal life; and Jesus is the Holy One of God. All are exclusive so that He may be inclusive.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Backing Away

The ending of John 6 is distressing. Jesus has preached his heart out. He has poured his soul out. He has put the word out. He has explained, demonstrated, exegeted, and illustrated, and still folks are walking away. He is standing at the front of the line asking folks to line up behind Him and they, like five year olds the first week of school, seem not to understand the idea of forming a line. He speaks of unbelief, withdrawl, and betrayal. This is not a happy moment in the life of Jesus. But, he knew this was going to happen. He knew who would believe and who would leave. (This is not Calvinism. Not addressing this now.)  How could anyone not want to walk with Jesus? The coming to faith process is a God-process involving God's Spirit, God's Son, God's word, God's drawing, and God's granting. But, it is also a man-process involving hearing, understanding, believing, obeying, and following. God's gravitational pull is strong. So when folks back away we can see how strong human ignorance and human will can be. The forces of heaven were at work that day, but for all God threw at these hearts, only a few stayed. Most walked. Most backed away.

Let's be clear. This scene in John 6 is about loyalty to Jesus. Most of the disciples walked away from Him and his offer of true bread. But, they also walked away from the twelve. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and the rest were watching all this unfold too. They had passed out the food Jesus created. They were involved in helping these people be seated in groups of 50. Surely, the disciples who were from the same region as this crowd knew many of them personally. They had done life with them even before they knew Jesus. They had traded with them, visited in their homes, attended synagogue with them, and walked the streets with them. These were friends. These were relatives. They had a personal attachment to those in this crowd. They watched as their master and teacher Jesus labored to teach and persuade these folks with little results. This was not just another day for the disciples. They knew they were being asked to go share the same message with others, and to gather disciples together into community. If Jesus couldn't hold a crowd without some miracle how were they supposed to do it?

I heard a phrase in school that explained how careful we must be not to draw "rice Christians" to our foreign churches. The phrase simply meant that many will come as long as we feed them rice. How do we draw people simply because they love Jesus and His church? Where are those who come and stay simply because He has the words of eternal life, and simply because we need one another, we are family? What if things had been different that day? What if the thousands who no longer walked with Jesus had come back the next day, and the leaders of these people had said, "Jesus we get it. We know you are the Son of God and that you have the words of eternal life. There is no where else to go. And we want to come sit at your feet and learn and follow and go out and teach others until we see the entire world filled with your teachings and all men will be given the same opportunity we have had to be saved?"  But, they didn't. They backed away, and returned to their self-made existence. What a great salvation was missed that day! What a great opportunity to become a mighty army for God!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Jesus, being his profound self, says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh (sarx) profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." (John 6:63)  Let the words "profits nothing" sink in. Vain. Meaningless. Worthless. No Point. For Nothing. Pointless. Useless. What's the Use? Doesn't Matter. Forget It. So What? Life can become "so going nowhere" it seems. Why should any of us care? What difference does it make? "The flesh profits nothing." Compare this with what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:32, "If from human motives (Literally "according to man") I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'" Put yourself in Paul's shoes. He has to ask himself the question as a lion is charging him, "Tell me again. Why am I doing this?"  If there were no resurrection, no next life, no point, then he would be crazy to be lion fighting. He might as well eat, drink, and be merry now because it makes no difference what we do.

The man who was doing well in the market said, "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.'" (Luke 12:19) If this life is all there is then why not kick back and just enjoy life. Keep reading the story. "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'" (Luke 12:20-21)  The word for flesh in John 6:63 is sarx. It is the part of man that wars against the Spirit (Romans 8). Flesh is the seat of earthly desire. It is the appetite of man. It wants. It graves. It envies. It lusts. It is what corrupts body and soul and causes the spirit of man to shrink. It has to be killed just like a cancer. However, it will never totally die. It can only be shrunk down to size, and be controlled by a man's spirit, which is being controlled by the Spirit of God.

If flesh is allowed to dominate one's life, the outcome will be without profit. The flesh counts for nothing. We must learn to make choices based on spirit since Jesus' words are spirit and life, instead of flesh, since "the mind set on the flesh is death." (Rom.8:6) If we really valued life and peace as we should, we would go to war against lions and against flesh. Both will consume us. But, eternal life is worth going to war over. If we are unwilling to do that, then we might as well order up another batch of pizza and wings, pop a top of brew, and party down every day, for all that is left to do is die. I prefer to be drawn along in the stream of the spirit that causes me to really live!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

The IF in LIFE

Jesus was getting down to the close of his wonderful sermon on John 6. Most were choking on the meat by now. They are called "his disciples." They are not doing well in school. They are actually failing, and ready to drop out. Instead of walking across the stage to receive their paper and move the tassel, they are tripping over everything in sight. It is not a pretty sight. The entrance to eternal life is right before them. They are so close and yet so far away. The finish line is in sight and they can't manage to stay on their feet. They are choking on His words. So Jesus challenges them as he always does. "If you can't handle what I am telling you, what are you going to do when you witness my departure back to heaven?" We undervalue the ascension of Jesus. It stands in the shadows of the death, burial and resurrection. But, imagine Jesus proving that he actually did come down from heaven, sent by the Father. Watching him blast off into space would be pretty convincing. We think a Cape Canaveral launching is pretty spectacular, imagine watching a person with no jet propulsion rising up through clouds and disappear from sight! We are spiritual wimps. We can't handle the words of Jesus. God help us when he actually comes back again in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who know not God and do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess.1:8)

Jesus is watching people respond to his words. He so wants them to "get it" and to seize the great opportunity they have been given to pass from death to life. He has labored to teach them about true food and drink, about the difference between this present life (soma and psuche, body and soul) and eternal life (zoe), and to make it clear that He is the source of life. But they are so stuck in this world with its attractions and distractions that they are missing their turn off which will take them over the bridge to an entirely new life. They are rolling up on the stumbling blocks and crashing. They think he is crazy or worse, demon-possessed. They feel so justified in rejecting the Son of God. They feel so wise(1 Cor.1). They think they have it all together when the only one who has it all together is standing right in front of them. His words are spirit and life. Only His words are spirit and life. This is a sad scene. So many could have been spared. So many that day could have had life. Look at LIFE and you will see right smack dab in the middle of it a big fat IF. That is what many of them will be saying one day. IF only I had listened.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Spacey Noodles. Ugh!

There are some songs that come on my Pandora radio list that are so obnoxious and grating that I have to forward to the next song. One of them is Spacey Noodles. What is that supposed to mean? I cringe when it comes on. If you like this kind of music there is something seriously wrong with you. You might want to get that checked. We all have our "fingers-on-the-blackboard" experiences. These are things that cause us to stiffen up and get hard. In fact in John 6:60 Jesus' listeners said, "This is a hard statement; who can listen to it?" It was a skleros logos, logos meaning word and skleros meaning hardness, as in sklerosis (sclerosis) of the liver or heart. Remember Jesus is called the Logos in John 1:1ff. He is full of grace and truth (John 1:16-17). But this gracious and truthful Lord could speak and some would cover their ears just as the Jewish leaders did in Acts 7 when Stephen spoke truth to them. They also ground their teeth and became violent. Jesus and those who teach his truths often set people off. People often "take it wrong."

Jesus is laboring in preaching to them about LIFE, true food, and things that matter. He is explaining what will not satisfy and what will. He so desperately wants to communicate to them this new manna that the Father has sent from heaven. He is straining to get across realities that can change his hearers' lives forever. And what does he get? "This is too hard to listen to." Like the winds of James 3:4 Jesus was drying these folks out, and causing hardness to begin setting in. In Acts 26:14 Jesus asks Saul (Paul) if it is HARD to kick against the pricks or goads. The shepherd would goad his flock forward by poking them a little in the rear end. Some might resent the poke and kick. They were being oppositionally defiant. If you don't understand that concept ask any teacher what it means. The servant who buried his talent in Matthew 25:24 considered his master to be so harsh that he was fearful and would not act. The master told him that if he were actually as harsh as he perceived him to be it should have motivated him to act, to try to multiply his investment.

Some take any expectation as a threat to their own autonomy. If we see ourselves as the final arbiter of our lives, then we might kick against those who seek to move us or persuade us. There is no more submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. I do it My Way. The way to prevent becoming dried out by even true statements given by God's servants is to tune your ear to really listen, to understand, to accept, and to obey, putting it into practice. There are two types who hear truth. There are those who are reserved, guarded, reluctant to let it penetrate and change them. Then, there are the refreshing souls who will listen carefully, ask questions, get to the point of understanding, and will eagerly apply the teaching to their lives in practical ways, and be thankful for the teacher who brought words of life to them. These are the kind who get it.