Addressing Apparent Truths

At times it is logical to form an impression or conclusion about someone that while partially true and based in fact can lead us to an inaccurate and destructive conclusion. A partial truth can be just as deceptive and dangerous as an outright lie. Jesus came to reveal not only outright lies, but partial truths that can also deceive us.

When he addressed the demonized man in Capernaum’s synagogue he did just that. The man with the demonic spirit revealed what might have been the people’s view of God. If Jesus was from God had he come to destroy them? The people didn’t view God as necessarily benevolent, but as a judge ready to condemn them for their misdeeds. Their history with God in the desert was a violent one and the people at that time lived in fear of who God was. When they had disobeyed by worshiping an idol, the judgment was severe. From their perspective God was severe, harsh and dangerous, best left alone for others like Moses and the prophets to deal with, while they went about their religious responsibilities. Even up until their own time, God was shrouded in mystery. The High Priest could only enter God’s presence in the Holy of Holies, the inner most part of the temple in Jerusalem one time a year, on the day of atonement. With his question posed to Jesus, the demonic spirit played upon these fears in the people implying that since Jesus was from God, he was there to judge and destroy them. Jesus immediately confronted that lie and cast out the lying demonic spirit. However, Jesus’ actions and authoritative words caused even more amazement/fear to rise up in the people.

To create fear was not Jesus purpose, he came in order to set people free and correct the misconceptions that the people had regarding who God is. The Greek term for salvation is used in three different contexts and translated with three different words. It is used how it is often translated in English to save someone from their sins and bring them into a right relationship with God. However, it is also translated as healing someone from a physical ailment, as in the case of the woman who reached out and touched Jesus’ cloak and was healed. Finally it was used in the case of freeing individuals from demonic spirits. In other words, Jesus did not come to destroy man, but he came to help people in whatever need they had and reveal to them that this was God’s heart toward them.

A Surprising Need for Freedom

When Jesus addressed the people of Nazareth in the synagogue he received an unusual reaction. Understandably, they were surprised when he applied a prophetic declaration from Isaiah to himself and in so doing indicated that he was their Messiah. They revealed surprise and wonder, because Jesus had grown up among them. Some of them knew him when he was a boy, even though he had been born while his parents were away at Bethlehem and had been gone several years. They had seen him and understood him to be a good son of Mary and Joseph the carpenter. But now he claimed to be the Messiah! They had heard what Jesus had already done in other parts of Galilee, particularly Capernaum so they expected he would do the same and possibly more for his hometown. Instead he shocked them with statements taken from the Old Testament that demonstrated that prophets were never honored where they had grown up, among their family and friends. Elijah stayed with a widow from the foreign city of Sidon during the three and half year drought and famine, not among one of the many widows that were in Israel. Elisha healed a leper from the foreign and historic enemy, Syria, rather than a leper from Israel. In so doing, Jesus uncovered a secret issue of pride in their hearts and it provoked them to anger and rage. These people were not naturally violent people; they were not criminals or gang members. Rather they were normal, up-standing, church-going people, who were so angry that they tried to murder Jesus by pushing him off a cliff! This episode from Jesus’ life reveals what may be hidden in the human heart. A murderous rage can emerge when an uncomfortable truth is revealed; a truth that had been denied to others and even to themselves, but could not do so any longer. What was hiding in the hearts of the apparently upstanding people of Nazareth, could also hide in anyone of us. Jesus came and sent his Spirit to address such issues in our lives so that we might be set free. The questions is for us, will we acknowledge our need for freedom and let him accomplish his surgery upon us?

Knowing Jesus

How do we know we belong to Jesus? John, whom we also identify as “the Baptist”, was a prophet in the mold of the Old Testament. Theologians consider him to be the last of the Old Testament prophets. In his message to the people he was blunt and even harsh. To the people who came out to him to be baptized, he bluntly called them “a generation of vipers”. Even with such blunt harshness, the people came to him in droves and considered him a prophet. He called them to change their lives, to live a life that reflected repentance and warned them not to depend on the fact that they were descendants of Abraham because God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones. John’s words are worthy of consideration. John warned the people not to depend upon a connection that did not produce in the individual, actions consistent with that relationship. In those days, both John and later Jesus, pointed out the hypocrisy of the way religious people lived. While the religious people identified with Abraham and Moses, their lives did not reflect the way that Abraham and Moses had lived. In other words, their actions denied the relationship that they claimed. The same came be true today for those of us who claim to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is more than believing a certain set of doctrines or adhering to a certain theological position. Following Jesus implies a relationship with him that has impact on the way that we live our life. Does the way we live our life reflect more the values of the world that ignores Jesus, or the way that Jesus lived and taught? It is a question worth pondering.

What do you do when the truth isn’t credible?

The birth of Jesus recorded in Luke revealed a dilemma for Mary and Joseph; who is Jesus, Mary’s baby? The truth was that Mary had become pregnant, not by Joseph, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. In their world, as today, this is not a credible explanation. This reality left Mary and Joseph with a dilemma, do they insist on the truth and be considered demented laughing stocks or do they let people believe the logical conclusion, that Joseph was the father of Jesus? The rest of Luke’s gospel indicates that the latter was the approach they followed. Luke later mentions that Jesus was “thought to be Joseph’s son.” Twelve years later at the temple, Mary chastised Jesus for staying at the temple telling him that she and his father, meaning Joseph, had been worried about him. Jesus on the other hand took a different approach. His response here and later was to affirm that God was his father. He told Mary that she should have known that he had to be in his Father’s house, not Joseph’s house, but God’s, the temple. Luke comments that Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus had said to them. His comment is thought provoking. Both Mary and Joseph had received an explanation from the angel Gabriel on who Jesus was. Both Mary and Joseph knew that Joseph was not Jesus’ father, so the question remains, why didn’t they understand Jesus’ words that he had to be about his Father’s business? If it was difficult for Mary and Joseph to comprehend what Jesus had said, imagine how difficult it would have been for others to do so.

Nevertheless, while the truth, for many people was impossible to believe, John would reveal later that Jesus’ affirmation that God was his father was one of the reasons that the religious leaders plotted to kill him. Others would consider him out of his mind, even some family members came at one point to take him away, because they thought he had lost his mind. In other words, Jesus would eventually die because he refused to deny the truth of his identity. Mary’s practice of presenting Jesus as Joseph’s son could have caused her to forget who Jesus really was and possibly created an obstacle for her other children who Scripture tells us didn’t believe in Jesus during his lifetime, although later two of them, Jude and James, would later become leaders in the church.

Mary’s example while logical, is in contrast to the way Jesus lived. Both of them cause us to reflect on how we will live. When we choose not to live authentically, we run the risk of believing a lie and leading others to do the same. On the other hand, living out the truth can be costly, so we have a choice. We can either let people believe what they will and not correct them with the truth, as Mary and Joseph did, or we can pay the price and walk in the truth as Jesus did. Scripture teaches us that the way of living a free life is to walk in the light (truth) as Jesus walked in the light. In that way, while we may be ridiculed, which by the way, Jesus said we would be, we live in the freeing knowledge that we are living authentic lives as Jesus did.

Kingdom Energy

The Lord’s Prayer ends by declaring that God’s kingdom, power and glory will last forever. That means that Jesus’ kingdom is fundamentally different than the present world. To last forever, Jesus’ kingdom must run with different physical laws than the world that is passing away, wearing out, and running down. In the world, even though energy is neither lost nor gained, it does get transferred into non-reusable forms like heat. When I was twelve, I received a new Schwinn 3 speed bicycle. My parents gave me a headlight that was powered by a small generator, which in turn was powered by the back wheel. I loved riding as fast as I could to see how bright the light would get. I asked my dad why we didn’t put little generators on everything so that we could power the world. That was when I got my first lesson on the Laws of Thermodynamics. As its used, energy gets transformed into less usable forms. For example, the energy used to pedal my bicycle was transferred to light, heat from the light, and friction in the generator. Not all my energy was transferred efficiently to light, but some was expended in heat and friction.

In nuclear fission, energy is released through the division of atoms, but in nuclear fusion, energy is release by uniting atoms. In fact more energy is released by combining atoms, than in nuclear fission by dividing them. That is why scientists hope to develop nuclear fusion to solve our energy problems. However, this may be a glimpse into Jesus’ kingdom physics. Like nuclear fusion, a multiplication of energy takes place, as in the multiplication of the bread through Jesus’ word, a little was multiplied, but more was left over in the end than the disciples began with. In the present world, this doesn’t make sense, but in Jesus’ kingdom it makes perfect sense. Therefore when we align our life with Jesus, a shift takes place as we begin to see Jesus’ kingdom principles take effect; we discover that he supplies more than we need and surprisingly there are still left-overs.

Dealing With Affluence

For those of us who live in the developed world, we have the challenge of dealing with our affluence. It is important for us to recognize the dangerous snare that the so-called American Dream lays out for us. While the American Dream promises comfort and an appearance of security, it has a high cost of superficiality and complacency. Jesus warned his disciples that we cannot serve two masters, God and money, because we will love one and hate the other (Matthew 6:24). Paul was even more pointed in his warning, declaring that those who desire to get rich, which is at the core of the American Dream, will fall into temptation which will lead them toward destruction. Paul even declared that some leave their faith in Jesus because they become so enamored with the attraction of riches (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

With this in mind, we are not surprised when we read Jesus’ teaching to the disciples that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven (Luke 18:24-25). To the disciples, Jesus’ words meant that no one could enter, but Jesus gave hope. With men, it is surely impossible, but with God, all things are possible (Luke 18:27). Chapter 19 of Luke demonstrates this very fact. A wealthy tax collector, Zacchaeus, gave away his wealth to the poor and restored what he had stolen, plus interest. Zacchaeus was a very wealthy man who entered the kingdom, not by his own power, but by God’s transforming love, revealed to him in Jesus.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus indicated why it is so difficult for the wealthy to enter into the kingdom. Jesus declared blessed those who are poor in spirit, hungry, sorrowful, and ostracized—but he declared woe upon those who are wealthy, well-fed, happy, and well-spoken of by all (Luke 6:20-26). Those who he referred to as blessed have a constant motivation to do what Jesus said. They ask, seek, and knock because they have need to seek out God, but those who have the woes of worldly blessings have no such need and, therefore, live in complacency (Luke 11:9-13). In other words, those who seek and achieve the American Dream may live in comfort and apparent security, but because of their affluence, they may mistakenly think that they have no need for God—and they may then refrain from seeking him out. According to Jesus, this is a woeful state in which to live. Paul gave us the key to living whether in plenty or in want to learn to be content, because in our dependence upon Jesus we know that we can do all things. (Philippians 4:12-13)

Misguided Leadership

Pilate’s condemnation of Jesus reveals what happens when personal interests interfere with the practice of justice. Individuals in power may have more of a desire to maintain or enhance their position, rather than doing what is right or just, because it could conflict with their a desire to maintain or promote their position. It is rare to find a leader of people who will truly practice what is true and right, particularly when that practice will jeopardize their position of power, because the desire for self-preservation is so strong. Although Pilate found nothing in Jesus to convict him of anything, much less the death penalty, he went forward with the will of the religious leaders out of fear of their accusation that if he let Jesus go he was no friend of Caesar. Ironically the religious leaders claimed to have no king but Caesar and portrayed Pilate’s attempt to release Jesus as being against Caesar. However, within a generation, the religious leaders would lead a rebellion against Caesar leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Titus. Foolishly Pilate tried to preserve his political position and condemned Jesus. Within a few years Pilate was recalled to Rome and never reinstated as governor. The contrast between Jesus and Pilate is stark. Pilate condemned Jesus through an act of self-preservation, while Jesus sacrificed himself to do what was right and just. Pilate’s story is a tragic one, while Scripture declares that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and tongue confess that he is Lord. The question remains for us is whose example will we follow?

Free-Will or Fate

At times people wonder if they truly have free will, whether they make their own decisions or if they are just robots making decisions that fate or a higher power has predetermined. In John’s Gospel we see an incident that gives us a glimpse into how both free-will and a predetermined plan work together. The gospel writer John relates an incident at the time of Jesus’ arrest that sheds light on the dilemma (John 18:12-14). The man who held the yearly title of high priest the year Jesus was arrested was named Caiaphus. He was no friend of Jesus and considered Jesus to be a threat to the Jewish people. He plotted with others to arrest Jesus and in his plotting declared that it was better for one man to die than for the entire Jewish nation to perish. Ironically, Caiaphus in his opposition to Jesus and therefore in opposition to the God whom he thought he was serving had declared God’s plan for Jesus to die to accomplish the redemption of all men. Caiaphus made this declaration out of his free will; God did not force him or coerce him to make it. The fact that he was in opposition to Jesus indicates that he would not have made this declaration to promote Jesus’ in any way shape or form, yet by operating in his free will he furthered Jesus’ mission while outwardly being opposed to Jesus.

We serve a God who doesn’t need to resort to fate or determinism to accomplish his purposes. Caiaphus demonstrates that even in his free-willed opposition he promoted God’s plan and purposes. His story should give those of us who follow Jesus great comfort and freedom in knowing that even those who oppose Jesus will in their own free will support Jesus’ mission.

Jesus’ Power and Protection Revealed

John 18 records an amazing account of Jesus’ revealing his power to those who had come to arrest him. When Judas and the crowd came into the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went to meet them, asking them who they were looking for. In response he declared to them that he was the one they were looking for, but he did so in a unique way. Back in John 8, Jesus had declared that “before Abraham was, I am”, to which the Jews picked up stones to kill him. They did so because Jesus used God’s personal name revealed to Moses in Exodus “I am”. His name was considered so sacred that by the time of Jesus they would not even pronounce it. In Hebrew it was the verb which in English is translated “I am”. In Hebrew we think it was either “Jehovah” (King James Version) or “Yahweh” (modern translations). When they came to arrest Jesus, he again used the same way to reveal himself “I am”. When they heard this they fell backwards and to the ground. The revelation of Jesus’ identity as Jehovah/Yahweh was so powerful that they were cast to the ground. However, John revealed that Jesus didn’t do this to reveal his power, although it was revealed, but to protect his disciples, fulfilling what he had prayed in John 17:12 that none who had been given to him by God the Father had been lost, except for Judas who betrayed him. They came for Jesus and left with Jesus, but left all the other disciples alone, when they could have arrested them all as a group. Jesus’ powerful and protective nature was revealed in this incident. In John 10 he had revealed himself as the Good Shepherd who lays his life down for his sheep. In Psalm 23:4 David had written of the Lord/Jehovah/Yahweh that his rod and staff comforted him. The rod and staff were used by shepherds to protect their sheep from predators. Jesus’ action here reveals that as he protected his disciples at the time of his arrest, his power is there to watch over those who follow him today.

What’s in a name?

What’s in a name? Well, that depends on whose name it is. For most of us a name is how we are called, given to us at birth by our parents. Typically, we are known by our first and last name; some, however prefer their middle name, while others hesitate to let that second name be known. However, in Scripture the word “name” has a much broader context and significance. In his final prayer before his arrest, Jesus prayed for his disciples and all those who would believe in him. In John 17:12 he made a curious statement regarding his name. He declared to God his Father, that he had kept the disciples in God’s name, which God had given to him. Jesus’ words here are unusual and indicate that Jesus is referring to more than a word that is used to identify someone when speaking of them. That being said, there are several ways to understand the word “name”. First, when the disciples went out and healed in Jesus’ name, we understand that they healed with the delegated authority of Jesus. Associated with this, being baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, indicates that the individual associates with that name. Second, to name someone meant to exercise authority over someone. God gave to Adam the authority to name the animals, implying that he had dominion over them. Knowing someone’s name implies a certain level of relationship, which carries with it a certain responsibility in that relationship. When the demons declared that they knew who Jesus was, Jesus commanded them to be silent, because they had no relationship with Jesus.

So, when Jesus declared that he had kept the disciples in God’s name, there was much meant by him. He had kept them in relationship with God, he had delegated authority for them to operate in Jesus’ and God’s name. In his prayer, Jesus revealed the foundation of the Gospel, relationship with Jesus and God the Father. So often people assume that being a Christian is merely holding a certain set of beliefs, when Jesus indicated that being a Christian is being in relationship with Jesus and His Father and being known by their name. Being known and identifying with their name, also carries a certain level of responsibility to live in a manner worthy of their name. Since in John 17, Jesus prayed for not only his disciples but for all who would believe in Jesus, that responsibility also falls upon those of us who identify with Jesus as the early disciples did.