The Words, not the Source [part 1 of 2] ...

High Priests of the ancient Jewish religion were always men, and men of the Levite tribe (with a few exceptions).  In fact, the priesthood overall was made up of men, scribes were men, and the Sanhedrin were men.  This was Jewish tradition since Moses until now.  If you were to seek out the word of God in the times of old, you would generally find it in men.  But that was then, this is now.  Not the days of you and I, but I am referring to the days of Jesus Christ.  In fact, one of the first people on planet earth to be told the good news of the gospel was a devout young woman named Mary.  She was told by an angel.  And it was confirmed by the Holy Spirit.  During the time of the silence of the father of John the Baptist, it was his very old wife Elizabeth, who had to recount the story of the gospel, and the role their son John (the baptizer) would soon play in it.  The coming of the Messiah was the bridge between the old religion and the new.  The need for Jewish sacrifice and symbolism was coming to an end.  The need for a singular Temple in which to perform rituals and rites was coming to an end.  And the need for the gospel of Jesus Christ was about to explode.  And the new gospel, the gospel of Jesus, was to include women in just as many proportions as it did men.  The new church was to look like the entire human family, not just the male side of it.

It is perhaps the most ironic phenomenon that during the time of Jesus, the Truth of the word of God could only be found from His lips.  Had you sought truth from the High Priest in the days of Jesus, you would have found only grievous errors, lies, hypocrisies, and a doctrine that would lead to the very death of Jesus the Son of God in a vain effort to preserve the ways of the past.  You would have been better off seeking truth from Mary the mother of Jesus, or Mary Magdalene the redeemed of Jesus, or Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus who sat at His feet, or Martha who served Him, or Joanna, or from any number of women who stood by Jesus throughout His ministry.  The woman at the well of Samaria who becomes one of the greatest evangelists recorded in scripture for the cause of Jesus Christ.  The woman who merely touched the hem of His garment for healing and started a trend in that day that would rival the greatest of social media trends in our own, and had nothing but her own personal testimony to see it spread.  The new church would be filled with women commissioned by faith, and by calling, to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And the only truth that mattered was the story of Jesus.  And the only power behind that testimony was what Jesus did for you.  “Who” you were, did not matter at all, “what” you said was the difference between the past and the future.

But this change in church composition, and roles, would put many a soul to the test both in those days and in our own.  Throughout all of time, listeners have been unable to shed their own bias to the hearing of the truth, because the source from which it comes is not appealing to them.  The priesthood could not accept the truth from the mouth of Jesus, because He came from Nazareth, looked too plain and simple, had no social elitism; seemed more like a hippie than the Son of God.  Jesus baptized.  Jesus preached.  Jesus did the things he should have needed clearance and endorsement of the church of the past to do, but Jesus had no such clearance or endorsement.  Jesus did His own thing.  And the church of the day refused to hear it.  And if the ways of the past would not hear the Truth from the mouth of Jesus the Son of God, why on earth would they hear it from the mouth of broken down fisherman, societal rejects, and God forbid, women?  They would not.  Is it any different today? 

But as further testimony to the truth of the Bible, its author’s reveal the humiliations of the truth in what they write, not just the glory stories where everyone was a hero, and no one made any mistakes.  The first gospel commissions would be examples of just such stories.  Luke offers us one couched in the greatest world event we will ever know, the resurrection.  Luke writes to his friend about what we believe and why in the last chapter of his gospel, the 24^th chapter beginning in verse 1 it states … “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”  When Luke uses the word pronoun “they” we get all warm and fuzzy and just assume this group is a mix of men and women, followers of Jesus intent on completing the preparation of Jesus’ burial that had been interrupted by the Sabbath falling on Friday evening at sunset.  But that is not quite true.  It was a group of folks, but it was only women, no men at all.  Firstly, men did not often prepare the dead as in Jewish tradition this was a very unclean work and required them to isolate themselves from society afterwards.  It was something like changing a toxic diaper that made you unclean for a while.  Women were just more willing to perform this duty, for love would drive them to it.

But the real truth behind the absence of men was set more in fear than anything else.  Now that Jesus was dead, killing his disciples, his closest followers in general was sure to be the next step of the angry Sanhedrin in order to stamp out all the loose ends and put the story of Jesus to death fully and finally, once and for all.  So the disciples were not out preaching in the streets, they were hiding in an upper room, afraid to venture one foot outside those shut doors.  Women faced all these same fears too.  And in addition, knew that if they were taken by enemies, they would be raped in the course of their torture, and still wind up enduring the same death their male counterparts would face in a situation like this.  Romans after all, had little sense of morality or respect, especially of Jews.  So when this company of women ventured out to complete the anointing of the body of Jesus, they had absolutely no idea what they would face or find in the process.  And what they found did nothing to calm their fears, at least at first.

Luke continues in verse 2 saying … “And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. [verse 3] And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”  First, these women had no idea there would have been such a great stone rolled in front of the tomb to seal it.  But there it was having been rolled away from the door.  The great iron chains that once bound it to the tomb were snapped like so much tissue paper.  The Roman seal that promised death to any who would dare to break it was snapped in two without any hesitation or thought for safety.  And beyond all this, there was evidence of a great company of soldiers here guarding this place.  The remnants of campfires nearby with coals still orange with glow of heat from them.  Scattered Roman weapons, shields, armor, and soldiers clothing scattered about as if the entire company were caught by surprise and had themselves fled in terror.  But there was no signs of a battle, just the great stone rolled away (something women could have never done), and evidence of a terror that sent Romans running for their lives.  Jews could never have done this.  Romans were used to fighting Jews, even Zealots.  If it had been a battle, there would have been at least some blood and much less fear.  But there was not.

Beyond all of this, these women entered the tomb to do their work, and did NOT find the body of Jesus within.  What could have possibly happened?  Who could have done this, to take a dead body, even the body of Jesus, and for what purpose?  Hadn’t Jesus suffered enough, hadn’t they?  Their minds raced as Luke continues in verse 4 saying … “And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: [verse 5] And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?”  While their minds yet raced about where was Jesus, and why; all of the sudden two great men appear before them in shining garments.  These were no Romans.  Romans do not appear out of thin air.  These were no members of the Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin have never worn robes of brilliant white light.  These were something way more than men, they were angels, perhaps cloaked to look as harmless as angels are capable of looking, but still pretty intense to a group of women already expecting the worst.

But then the words of the angels reach into their hearts and sound like deep music from within them.  The truth matters, the words matter, the source not so much.  Jesus is plainly gone.  And the angels have asked them, why do you seek the living among the dead.  This means Jesus is not dead.  This means Jesus is alive.  But how could this be?  Luke continues with the testimony of angels in verse 6 saying … “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, [verse 7] Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. [verse 8] And they remembered his words,”  Jesus is not here.  He is RISEN.  Those words sink deep into the hearts and minds of every woman in this company.  They drop the spices prepared for His burial.  They don’t need them anymore.  Then the angels remind them of the very words of Jesus Himself about all of this.  He will be delivered to the cross, and be raised again on the third day.  Today is the third day.  Today Jesus has risen again.  The greatest news that could ever be told to human ears happens first NOT in the upper room to his cowering disciples.  But instead in an empty tomb where women have braved their own fears to come and finish the work of love they must do for the body of their Lord.  But there is no body here.  There is only the trumpeting of angel voice in their very souls proclaiming a Risen Lord.  After Lazarus they each know what this means.  Jesus is alive.  Jesus said all this would happen.  Their minds open up and they remember every nuance of His voice when Jesus uttered these very words.

The gospel starts here in an empty tomb.  The first commission begins here with a group of nothing but women.  They set out for the upper room.  But Mary Magdalene tarries.  Luke misses this part of the story, but the heart of Mary breaks at all of this and she begins to weep.  The news is just too much.  It is just too good.  Seeing a Man she mistakes as the gardener she begs to know from Him where they have moved the body.  Fear prevents her from believing what angels have already told her.  But the Man is Jesus and He calls her by name.  Now it is beyond real to her.  Now, nothing can make her doubt ever again.  Jesus tells her not to touch Him just yet, because He has delayed ascending to His Father at this point, to see if the sacrifice is enough.  He delayed for love of Mary.  He delayed for love of each of us.  He would have stopped to heal our broken hearts as surely as He longs to heal them today.  The news is solid.  The news is good news therefore gospel news.  Mary leaves the garden racing back to the upper room.  She will be behind the group, but has the same story to tell, this time from Jesus Himself.  The new church will begin with women.

Luke picks up again in verse 9 saying … “And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. [verse 10] It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.”  Note what Luke states, they returned from the empty grave and told the whole story to the other eleven, AND to all of the rest.  It is here where Luke finally reveals it was “other women” who were with them at the grave.  We have no idea how many men and women were back in that upper room.  There could have been many.  We do know some of the women by name that gave this testimony.  Once again, the first carriers of the gospel bore a message from angels, backed by personal testimony of sight and sound.  And once again they are not believed by the men closest to them.  The men who heard the same words as the women did by Jesus Himself.  The men who saw the work of Jesus alive in these women, as Jesus had been alive in themselves as well over the last 3-4 years.  As Joseph the fiancée of Mary was ready to put her away until an angel spoke directly to him, so now the disciples were no more inclined to hear the words of these women and their testimony of this gospel, and of the truth, because of their own bias.

They resisted because these were women.  Luke says in verse 11 saying … “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”  Imagine, the gospel rejected, by those who should have been the first to accept it.  Because it looks to them like the idle tales of women chattering.  Some girl’s dream who is just unable to face the hard truth of the death of Jesus, which the men all had seen albeit from a distance much farther than that of the women.  But the gospel begins in humility.  The gospel grows in humble soil, and is stamped out upon the rocks of our pride.  You must humble yourself to hear the message of God to your soul, as that message may come from someone else, someone you deem unworthy, or not good enough to carry it.  But on the heels of the group of women who have brought this testimony to all this assembly of people comes Mary Magdalene running as fast as her feet would carry her.  She is ablaze.  She is on fire.  She repeats the story of the other women and now adds a new personal chapter of her own.  For she has met Jesus risen for the grave for herself.  She heard His words to come to tell them all.  She knows He is alive.  She has just spoken with a risen Jesus.  And she will not be dissuaded. 

While there are far more than 2 witnesses to all of this, the personal testimony of Mary Magdalene has begun to kindle a fire in the room.  Luke continues in verse 12 saying … “Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”  Peter cannot take this anymore.  He decides to run to the grave and look at these things for himself.  John goes with him.  And they find exactly what the women have said, exactly as they have relayed it.  Except there are no angels in this place now.  Where the women went away with a gospel commission, Peter and John go away empty now wrestling with their own doubts and faith and memories.  The gospel begins in humility.  The women were humble enough to heed the words of the angels.  The men do not expect to find those words to be true, even though every evidence is as the women described it.  A great stone rolled away, something the women could never have done.  Great chains of iron that once bound the stone to the grave broken like tissue paper.  A Roman seal promising death, broken in half without a moment’s hesitation.  A camp deserted in fear outside the tomb with Roman leftovers everywhere.  An empty tomb with grave linens not scattered about, but folded neatly and left on the bench within the tomb itself.

Men left that place WITHOUT the gospel, because up to this point men had refused to embrace the gospel.  The women carried it.  The men did not.  The new church was here.  It began on Friday when the whole sacrificial system was fulfilled and torn down in the death of Jesus Christ.  It rested on the Sabbath day as Jesus had created and once again did; even in the work of our salvation, He rested.  And now on Sunday, the third day of the new church, Jesus rises and leaves the tomb with neatly folded clothes.  A robe of light will now once again cover our Lord.  In the new church, not like in the old one, the first folks to carry the gospel will be a company of women.  And the first soul to see a risen Jesus, even before Jesus resumes the work of our salvation and verifies the sacrifice with His Father God, is Mary Magdalene.  Mary is given the first gospel commission by Jesus Himself.  She is ablaze.  She carries fire in her testimony because it is a personal one to her.  No one can make her doubt ever again.  But whether we believe the message of God carried through her is up to us.

Are you ready to hear what God is trying to say to you, ignoring the source, and closely examining the words for the Truth He is trying to convey?  I don’t care what you believe about whether women should be pastors or not (despite my belief that Jesus is very clear about this).  Nor do I ask what you believe about any particular doctrine of your church or mine.  But I do ask - are you hearing the message of God that is intended specifically and only for you at this very moment of your life?  You were not meant to drift from day-to-day, following proscribed patterns of prayer, and fellowship, and study, but only to keep drifting from one day to the next.  Doing what you do, over and over again, but never really hearing what God wants you to do, what God will enable you to do if you but seek Him, and follow His instruction in your life.  To let God lead, we must start in humility, abandoning our ideas as the foolishness they are, and letting God retrain us how to think, how to love, and what to want.  In the process of our transformation will come a work each of us is intended to perform.  It will be different for each of us, as we are all different from each other.  So I cannot tell you what your work will be, but I can tell you, that you have one, and when you find it, and follow it, you will never be happier in your life.

Scripture offers us guardrails.  But only a personal relationship between you and Jesus will get you into the process of transformation, and engaged in the work of your particular life.  And if God sends you a message, meant just for you, examine the words, not the messenger, and find the peace Jesus has in store for you, even if in the middle of the raging seas well beyond your control.

And Luke was not yet done with the story of our first church and what it means to discard the messages Jesus has sent us …

 

Ships Passing in the Night [part 1 of 2] ...

Have you ever been close enough to meet someone, but were unaware they were so close?  Friends, maybe family, maybe even celebrities that turn out to be very close to a place you were, at the same time you were there, but neither of you knew about it, and so no meeting occurs.  The analogy of ships passing in the night with neither aware that they did comes to mind.  Often timing is everything, but timing without awareness can mean a lot less.  Take Herod the Great for instance.  Most of what we know, or remember about Herod, is his wickedness in ordering the slaughter of male babies in Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s  birth.  But did you ever wonder why Herod gives that order for babies up to two years of age?  Seems like a new-born would be easily distinguishable from 1-year-old, let alone a 2-year-old.  Easy baby math, if the kid walks he is not a new born.  If he talks, he is far from a new born.  Seems more likely then, that  between the timing of the actual birth of Jesus, and the timing of when that order went out, there may have been a chunk of time in between.

Luke gives us a hint of this in his gospel letter accounting of some of the events around the birth of Jesus.  He begins with moving the players into place.  Picking up in chapter two, and verse 1 it says … “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. [verse 2] (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) [verse 3] And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.”  Caesar Augustus was actually Octavian the son of Julius Caesar, and coincidentally a continued friend of Herod the Great.  Herod was a bit of a survivor, having begun his friendship with Mark Antony, and then able to continue it when Octavian defeated Antony once and for all.  Herod had been named king of Judea in Rome by the senate years before, and re-confirmed by Octavian later, along with granted Roman citizenship for he and his children.  Herod was one of the only folks who really wanted to rule Judea and was given an army to do just that.  He did.  And once taking command he proceeded to tax the people to begin some fairly large construction projects of his own.  He builds the “second temple”, or as it was known then “Herod’s temple”, and known now as “the Temple mount” which survives even still.  But he also builds a fortress with a great palace in it (from which to rule) called Herodium about 12 miles south of Jerusalem.

But Herod did not govern Syria independently at that time, which is why Luke mentions the governor Cyrenius.  I am sure Herod’s old friend Caesar Augustus did not actually care “how” the taxes were gathered in the provinces, only that they were.  The idea of sending each Jew back to the city of their lineage could have come from anywhere – either Augustus, or Cyrenius, or even crafty old Herod (whereby he could develop an accurate census at the same time).  But all these were the machinations of men, men who sought power and wealth, and cared not for the salvation of Israel, or any other people for that matter.  Taxes were painful.  Nobody liked them.  And the people were not only taxed by Rome, they were also taxed by Herod (who had the army and backing of Rome).  So whether this caused hardship to you or not, if you did not pay, you could be enslaved twice over.  It was to avoid this outcome, that Joseph would take his now very pregnant wife on a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  Without this painful motivation, they would have stayed put, at home (and prophecy would have been denied).  But it was not denied.

Sometimes the pain in our lives comes, not to torture us, but that the greater will of God might be fulfilled.  Luke continues in verse 4 saying … “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) [verse 5] To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.”  This was no easy decision.  Traveling on the dusty roads between cities was never easy, and when you are 9 months pregnant, even less easy.  Mary could lose the baby.  Worse, she could need to deliver the baby on the road, with no one within screaming distance to help – let alone fresh water, or blankets, or things to dress a new born in.  To obey Caesar, was to incur risk, and hardship.  To disobey Caesar was to live in hiding of the edict, perhaps hiding forever, and if discovered, to be enslaved or murdered on the spot.  It was a hard decision, but to obey, is what he would choose.

Luke continues in verse 6 saying … “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. [verse 7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”  No one knows why the relatives of Joseph (presumably being from Bethlehem would have meant he had some kin in this town) did not take Joseph and Mary in.  Even if one did not have sympathy for Joseph (bad planning and all), he was with a severely pregnant wife.  Most hearts melt at helping the pregnant lady, especially the hearts of other women who could sympathize.  But none did.  The inn was full.  So were the homes of the relatives.  It might have been that gossip being what it is, the relatives of Joseph still believed Mary’s “miracle” pregnancy was actually just more of a conventional one where she cheated on him.  Joseph may have forgiven her this.  But his sanctimonious relatives might still be holding a grudge.  They may not stone her in deference to Joseph, but helping her out, was a bridge too far.  Hard to imagine there were people who thought of Mary as nothing more than a common whore, a slut, who did not deserve their help, but it may have been just that.

Meanwhile, the birth of Jesus is not just the event to end all events in this world – it is the event to end all events in the entire universe.  Angels knew this.  We may be blind to it, even cruel to it.  But those who loved their Lord were not so.  And their tongues needed the release of praise.  They chose those who were already awake.  Luke continues in verse 8 saying … “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [verse 9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.”  Imagine the life of a common night shepherd.  You are used to looking through the dark, to try to ward off wolves, coyotes, even lions from time to time.  You are used to the quiet sounds of sheep grazing, or lambs cooing.  The gentle refrain of hooves over rocks, or of nearby water flowing in creeks.  Bugs who sing at night are your constant company.  And without the pollution of our days, nor the constant lighting we are accustomed to, the stars provide a panoply of the power of God’s creation on display.  This is the life you know, the sounds and sights you know.  So when Gabriel appears in a dazzling light you have no words to describe, what is common is no longer common again.

Luke continues in verse 10 saying … “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. [verse 11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [verse 12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”  This was the news the angel was dying to share.  This was the late breaking CNN bulletin that would have interrupted any regularly scheduled show in any time from then to now.  The Savior is born.  The Messiah has come.  He is in Bethlehem.  (No need to guess where).  He is in a manger (really strange place for a newborn, especially a king, but OK).  And he is wrapped in swaddling clothes, perhaps they had found a mid-wife after all who was both kind and prepared.  The Shepherds were being told all of this, not to just hear it, but to take action based on it.

Luke continues in verse 13 saying … “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, [verse 14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. [verse 15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”  In my mind, the inspired refrains of George Frederick Handel’s Messiah echo over and over again – Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth.  Good will … the song echoes triumphant, but in pale comparison to the harmony and beauty of perfect angel voices singing with a passion we do not understand still, but will someday.  The sky breaks forth.  The darkness is rolled back seemingly from one horizon to the other.  But not just laterally, vertically as well.  It is as if the shepherds are to see Jacob’s ladder ascending up to heaven.  And in this 3-dimensional display for the ages, singing breaks forth from a number of perfect beings too many to imagine counting.  That sound would be one, no shepherd would ever be able to match again.

The shepherds decide to move.  Not a one of them will stay with the flocks.  They will leave the safety of the flocks to the angels that have just appeared to them.  For every shepherd to a man seeks first the discovery of Jesus, more than all the earthly wealth their flocks might ever provide.  And while they love their sheep, as every good shepherd does, they are bound to love their Messiah even more.  And I believe not a lamb was lost that night, even if left alone, or rather, left to the care of angels who tarried to protect the innocent, so that these men could share in history’s greatest event.  But not only these men are moving on this night.  Luke does not account for them, but Magi from the east have been following a star in the heavens guiding them to a manger in Bethlehem.  The Magi likely did not encounter the shepherds until the manger itself.  Ships passing as it were.  But at the feet of Jesus, all are welcome, both the poor, and the learned.

Luke continues in verse 16 saying … “And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. [verse 17] And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. [verse 18] And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. [verse 19] But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. [verse 20]  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”  The shepherds both come to the feet of Jesus, then leave to wake up the whole region to the truth they have been told, and have witnessed for themselves.  They return with still others eager to see (even if the message came from a shepherd they knew, instead of an angel they did not).  Mary treasured all of this, laying up these events in her heart to ponder over the course of her life.

Bethlehem was a buzz with activity this night.  But all this activity did not reach the ears of Herod.  Herod was blissfully sleeping at home in his palace of Herodium, confident that the wise men, the magi, would be returning to him soon, with the precise location and names of the family of Jesus.  Herod claimed he would use this information to worship as well.  But the only worship Herod had in mind was the worship of self, and power that self had long fought for.  Herod was in no mood to share a kingship with any other Messiah.  Herod was a king.  Herod was a Roman citizen.  Herod was a long-time friend of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and now even Octavian called Augustus Caesar.  Herod was plugged into Rome.  Herod was well connected, well-armed, built many well-loved construction projects.  Who was this bastard baby to even think about replacing Herod as king?  Better one baby die, than risk upsetting the fate of an entire nation.  So Herod slept soundly, awaiting only the news of where, so that the one might die, a sacrifice made for all – even if only the sacrifice Herod imagined, not the one God did.

And the night continued on …

 

The End of Fear and Uncertainty ...

How much of your life is curtailed because of fear?  How many things do you avoid, or risks you refuse to take, because the fear of the loss that might come to pass, is just too great for you?  The thing we call life, the way we define our existence, is so often ravaged by our fears.  We construct a box for ourselves to live within, hoping that if we stay confined to our box, we will be safe.  But inevitably life has a way of knocking down the walls of any box, and when the reality of those challenges present, its most devastating side effect, is to deepen the fear that governs how we live at all.  Imagine for a moment if you had taken every risk you were ever presented with, but imagine that they all worked out positively.  It is as if your brain won’t let you imagine that outcome.  Surely the nature of a risk, is that not all of them work out the way we want, so imagining they do is nearly impossible.  It presents a “too good to be true” scenario.  And yet, your mind is much more comfortable imagining every risk would have worked out badly.  And that kind of imagination, governs what you have done, and what you will do.

That kind of risk avoidance, that is so easy to imagine going badly, and so difficult to imagine working out the way we want, leaves a footprint in how we live.  It confines our actions, and stunts our imaginations.  It pushes us to want a life we can define, and predict, with relative certainty will go the way we want.  You call that common sense.  An outside observer would call it moved-by-fear.  So to get you to look beyond.  To get you to examine what life may have to offer beyond the limits and history of your fear, you must ignore your fears.  This is especially true in matters of religion.  Nearly every time an Angel is commissioned to communicate with mankind, the first few words are generally, “fear not”.  There is a reason for this.  Confronted with the supernatural, with the out-of-bounds, something beyond the limits you set for yourself and your ideas about life … the first human response is one of fear.  Not joy, not rejoicing (imagine it, most of the news they have to say is usually always good, sometimes really good), not even curiosity.  The first human response is fear.

Having an Angel appear in your real world, knocks the wall down of the nice little box you construct for yourself.  Thus, the message of the good news they bring must wait, while first they re-assure our fears.  And these messages are most often reserved for believers, for people who have chosen to believe in our God, in His Word, and the history of communication between God and man it has presented.  Even behind the lives steeped in belief, remain human fear, human uncertainty.  And this condition is not meant to be permanent.  It is not even meant to be how we live today.  Consider as an example, the slightly misplaced argument that toddlers have on the playground about “my dad is bigger than your dad”.  The real notion behind it, is that the toddler is asserting his/her own security based on the idea that their dad is big enough to ward off any threat.  The toddler is comfortable looking to daddy to protect them, care for them, and generally be a fence between themselves and evil.  While slightly misplaced, the basis of this argument is sound, if we were to apply it to God instead.  Even daddies need that analogy.

Security enables us to feel better.  Certainty, a hedge against the downside of risk, allows us to live life in a completely different way.  When you are not scared about eating, about making a living, about God taking care of the things, the burdens, you usually take upon yourself; something wonderful happens.  You begin to let go of the fear, and start to really live, outside of the box, outside of the boundaries you used to place upon yourself.  Your existence begins to change because the way you think about your existence begins to change.  It is in a sense self-fulfilling, but it cannot begin or be effective, without an outside assurance that will cover the fears we face, and hedge the risks we no longer fear to take.  What our “Daddy” can do for us in this regard, is something He longs to do.  It is how we live in the eternity of heaven.  And it can begin right here and right now, if we will only let Him do it for us.

Jesus Himself gives us the roadmap for this.  Matthew continues recording His Sermon on the Mount in chapter six of his gospel.  Jesus has just concluded a snippet about true currency valuation, and what relevance money has in the light of eternal things.  But before humans can let go the fear of using our money differently, we need assurances too many of us ignore.  Yet here they are.  Picking up in verse 25 Jesus continues saying … “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”  This is radical reprioritization.  We spend our lives working to feed our families, put a roof over their heads, and clothes on their back.  From the extreme rich, to the very poor, the mechanics remain the same.  Yet here is Jesus putting an abrupt halt on everything we value, on our entire economic structure, and furthermore saying “take no thought” for it. 

This is beyond a general admonition not to have fear regarding it.  This is nothing even remotely related to having balance between responsibility and spirituality.  This is a one-sided, completely weighted statement, that passes up any boundary we are comfortable with.  “Take no thought” means past not worrying or stressing, don’t even think about it.  We can be that certain in how we live, that God Himself is looking after our lives, that we need not even think about what we eat, or wear.  The question is not whether I shop at Saks Fifth Avenue, or Walmart, for my clothing.  The proposition Jesus makes, is that my body is the important thing to God, and God will take care of clothing it.

Jesus continues in verse 26 saying … “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”  Jesus has a point.  Birds wake up every day, and go eat.  The bird never has to worry that they will not find food.  They simply look, and there it is.  God does the worrying.  God provides for the feeding.  The bird is just living his life, he is not obsessing about whether he has a full pantry of food at home, or whether his canned goods supply are adequate to withstand the next hurricane disaster.  The bird just wakes up and eats.  Mom’s bring home food for their little birds.  There is never a worry about this kind of thing.  If you took the evil of predatory creatures out of the equation, birds would thrive.  You don’t see them going extinct because of lack of food.  Even though they still have to contend with what man does to their natural habitats, with pollution, with weather events just like we do.  Yet after a hurricane, when the storms roll away, there are the birds.  They just wake up and eat and live without a thought about it.

Jesus drives home the point in verse 27 saying … “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”  This is not just a frustration the shorter population faces.  It equally applies to health issues you have almost no control over.  Think about it, as you read this, your local hospital is filled with people in varying degrees of need.  This is true all over the city, country, and world in general.  Wealth is no barrier against being there.  Youth isn’t either.  Fitness despite all its other benefits does not shield you against cancer.  And our thoughts about what we want, and our fears about what we want to avoid, do nothing from keeping any one of us from becoming the patient in the bed right next door.  If we cannot control our bodies by sheer force of will, why do we take on the fear and stress over them as if we could.  The stress does not fix the problems, it only makes them worse.  There is a better solution.

Jesus continues in verse 28 saying … “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: [verse 29] And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [verse 30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”  Ok Macy’s, your entire value proposition has just been cut to the ground.  And so has yours Walmart.  Jesus asks us to simply look at the beauty He has created around us in nature.  Beauty that occurs whether we encourage it or not.  If God offers us the beauty of Roses, and Lillies, and Tulips and Trees; He takes care of things that have a short span of time here in the world, and things that last.  Flowers cannot just transplant themselves to find better foods.  Nor has a tree ever been given this kind of option.  The Sequoias have been there for quite some time, and yet still they grow, their beauty a remarkable thing.  If God so takes care of the transient things, why would He not take care of you?

Jesus summarizes His thoughts picking up in verse 31 saying … “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [verse 32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [verse 33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Your thoughts, your worries, your pursuits are either wasted in the temporary things of this world, or founded in the eternal things of God that matter.  Jesus tells us here that what we eat is not worth thinking about, food will be there.  He tells us what we wear is not our concern, God will make sure we have something, and that it lasts.  Following this advice may not offer us a wealth of new clothing every season, but it will meet our needs.  Following this advice may not have us eating at Morton’s every night, but it will have us eating to meet our needs.  And trusting God, to provide these things, is to just test what He provides.  His gifts are amazing.

What should be our focus is seeking His kingdom, the thing that lasts and matters.  The rest of the temporary needs will be met.  Jesus concludes this line of thinking with a more realistic and somber thought continuing in verse 34 saying … “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”  The problem is not our food, or clothes.  It is our priorities.  It is our faith or trust in God.  It is our inclination to focus upon ourselves and begin to indulge the evil that lays in wait all around us.  THAT is the real problem.  That is something we can have a little stress about.  Because the problem there is not half so much about what surrounds us as what lies inside of us.  Our refusal to trust.  Our refusal to change how we live, and who we rely upon to support us.  We take on burdens that do not belong to us, and in so doing continue to entertain fear, and uncertainty, that otherwise could die a permanent death.

How great could be our Christian lives and experience if we could think differently about who takes care of us, and who is there to meet the risks, and solve the challenges.  A sense of self-reliance is our biggest handicap.  Atheists must rely upon this as it is all they have.  But Christians should be able to rely upon something more, to a point where we literally … take no thought.

And the Sermon was far from over …

 

The Past is Prologue ...

The Revelations of Jesus Christ to his servant, the prophet John continue with events so close to the return of our Lord, they can nearly be seen already.  To say these events occur in the last days would seem obvious.  But when trying to pinpoint a more precise timeframe, one need only look at the sequence of events in terms of what has been completed already, and what is still left unfulfilled.  The sequence of seven that is the method of these revelations since the start of this book is once again to be employed as the last plagues of God’s judgments are poured out upon the evil in this world.  But to gauge where we are today consider the previous sequence’s.  The messages to the seven churches show you and I to be living in the days of Laodicea the last church before He returns.  The sixth seal has been opened.  The sixth trumpet has been sounded.  The history of the great disappointment, and work of the two witnesses is in our past now.  The plan of the enemy in raising three beasts to war against the lamb has seen us witness the rise of the third beast.  The ability to conduct commerce to be tied to the compulsion of conscience on a worldwide basis is something only our country has the power to implement.  And we are fast on our way to seeing it done.  Our direction in that regard has already been set; all that remains is to see our direction achieved.  Whether by those atheists, or believers of other religions who deny Christ altogether; or by those zealous fundamentalists Christians who believe only their version of doctrine is correct; the compulsion of conscience and attacks of our identity as followers of Jesus Christ is certain to be seen in our near future.

What remains undone to place us along the timeline of events that John has revealed to us is … the completion of the latter rain in the harvest described by the work of the Lamb and the fourth angel in the prior chapter.  The fulfillment of His work within us in the sealing of the 144,000 first fruits who have a special mission in the last days of our world’s history (likely tied closely to the work of the fourth angel).  The worldwide implementation of the Mark of the Third Beast which will restrict commerce unless we forfeit our identity as individual followers of Jesus Christ.  After which follows the seven last plagues which fall upon the evil in this world about to be described, as well as the work of the fifth and sixth angels who see a harvest of blood reaped among the wicked through these events.  These sequences conclude with the “seventh” church, or seal, or trumpet, or angels mission, or plague all being the culmination of His return and the beginning of our reunion with our Lord and our God. 

We, you and I, live perilously close to the end of all things.  While for believers to have thought that the last days have been with us for hundreds of years prior to now is also true.  In no other time has our country been in the position it is in today financially and with its ability to influence the financial systems of the entire world economy.  Our worldwide network of computer systems are now the backbone of immediate controls of wealth from every nation on the planet, and no nation can survive financially without participation in these systems.  In no other time has our nation had such a tremendous momentum to tie politics to fundamentalist beliefs in the right wing of the Republican party, or such fervor to see religion denied altogether from far left wing of the Democratic party.  Regardless of which political power triumphs, the ultimate compulsion of the conscience and attack on our identity as followers of Jesus Christ alone is imminent.  People today have more of a desire to look to men to find salvation than to submit to Jesus Christ.  Believers of all religions are more willing to follow their human leaders, than to seek Christ with a submissive heart and allow His transformation to be completed within them.  Instead we would rather follow the Pope, or Joel Osteen, or the Dali Lama, or a Cleric, or Rabbi, cult leader, or local pastor – most of all the man in the mirror; than to trust in ONLY Jesus Christ to save us from ourselves.

So while the delay in His return and the messages of warning cries about its nearness have persisted so long we have become hardened to them; the events needed to transpire to see the end emerge have crept up upon us like a thief in the night.  We sit now on the edge, on the precipice of the end of all things, and yet go about our lives with no sense of urgency or even joyous anticipation.  We marry and divorce with no thought other than to find what pleases our hearts as they are.  We attend our churches and try to find food in our sermons, but we tire of the idea of living as if tomorrow may be our last day, and today our last opportunity to see love reflected through us, inspire another to find Jesus and their salvation.  We have come to a point where prophecy is only decried by extremists wearing sandwich boards on the streets and in electronic forums predicting nothing but doom and fear as the reasons to seek God before it is too late.  But these revelations were not given to us to inspire fear; or as an attempt to use fear to bring us back to God.  In fact, quite the opposite.  The revelations were provided so that as events unfold they would NOT surprise us, or cause us fear.  We can be prepared for them both mentally, and spiritually.  We can take heart knowing that while danger and attacks are employed by the enemy of souls, the ultimate triumph of the Lamb is foretold in the same passages – both within us, and external to us.

All of the revelations described in this book, were intended to be of a redemptive nature.  Even what follows of the plagues in this chapter is to give comfort to those who accept His redemption and refuse this final mark against our identity as followers of Jesus Christ alone, that all is not lost.  The judgments of God against evil and the pain it has so long caused, are NOT poured out upon His servants in these last days.  For God is not indiscriminant in pouring out the cup of His wrath, His wrath is reserved against evil alone, and is reserved only for those whose choice He must respect to remain apart from the salvation He offers.  Unlike His enemy, God does NOT compel the conscience of men.  He offers them salvation, through the power of His love, but He does not force them to take it.  If we choose to remain true to our love of self, we will ultimately be allowed to make this choice, and remain aligned with the ranks of His enemy.  It is for those who make this choice, who the following passages will inspire fear.  Those who have elected to be saved from the love of self, will see only His protective hand in the final sequence of events in this world’s history.  Like Noah before them, they will find grace and protection from the Lord during the destruction that lies all around them.

So John begins in verse one saying … “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”  John does not specify if the voice who begins these plagues is that of God, or of the Lamb, or of an Angel, or one of the 4 beasts in front of the throne.  We assume it is the voice of God, because no human was allowed entry into the temple while the plagues are to be poured out as we learned in the previous passages.  John continues in verse 2 … “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”  What is past is prologue.  Egypt, due the hardness of the heart of the Pharaoh, suffered plagues and judgments from God because Pharaoh thought of himself as god, instead of submitting to the power of the only true God.  So now after the Mark of the Third Beast has been universally implemented which places the time of these plagues very close to when we live, the first vial of His wrath contains noisome and grievous sores to be poured out on those who have accepted this mark.  The men of our day accept no god greater than themselves.  They would rather worship self, or other men, than to worship Christ alone.  They would rather declare against Jesus and remain able to conduct commerce and live, than to risk starvation, persecution, and death by the majority who bare the mark of the beast.

Pharaoh refused to accept the supremacy of a god greater than himself.  He and his nation bore the consequences.  Now, the men of our day, will refuse once again to accept toleration of the voices of dissent among them.  They will choose to compel the conscience of others, and in so doing raise themselves to the level of “god”.  They will force a choice to deny personal and individual worship of Jesus Christ alone, and instead demand we follow the edicts of mankind.  In so doing they mimic the Pharaoh of old and share in his fate.  What is past is prologue.  When Satan came to tempt Christ, he came in the disguise of angel of light.  When men propose the choice to submit to their edicts, or follow conscience to serve Jesus Christ, they will also take on a disguise.  They will carry with them the wisdom of the majority in matters of doctrines and beliefs.  They will use scripture to “prove” their doctrinal positions are the only correct ones to take. 

Islamists often quote the Bible today to attempt to show they are not completely unaligned with the history of other “prophets” of God.  However, they do not accept the divinity of Christ, as that would prove the undoing of their entire religion.  The Jewish faith of today, still adheres to the scriptures of the Old Testament, but they cannot accept that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.  Catholics still believe the Pope has equality to God upon this world, and thus has authority to dictate practices he believes are scripturally based.  Protestants believe in a scriptural morality that would see those who dissent die, rather than to pollute the faith.  And atheists do not accept any god greater than the man who stands in the mirror.  To find any of these groups, or all of them united in purpose to see individual worship of Jesus Christ ended can be no surprise.  All of these groups can present excellent arguments and facts to support their various positions.  All of them tell elements of truth, and can cite our own scriptures, in an attempt to dissuade us from our various and personal beliefs.  But for all the strength of their arguments, their goal remains the same, to attack our individual identity as followers of Jesus Christ alone.  Whether we share some basis of belief or doctrines with any of these groups or ideas, it cannot excuse a wholesale denial of allowing ourselves to follow anyone other than Jesus Christ alone.  It is not the Protestant doctrines that save me, it is Jesus Christ alone.  It is not the Pope, or a cleric, or Rabbi, or a local pastor, or the majority opinion of any group, it is Jesus Christ alone.

Should we find ourselves in sympathy with those who would seek to compel the conscience of others, we have found ourselves on the side of the Beast and the enemy of souls.  For compulsion is not the way of Jesus Christ.  No matter how devout our faith in a given doctrine of scripture, there is never a reason it needs to be advanced at the point of a sword.  The punishment of the wicked must be left to God, not to us.  We are commanded only to love them, to love specifically those who hate us and would seek to kill us.  We do not show love, when we inflict persecution, and death, in order for their “greater good”.  That is not love.  That is the tool of the enemy.  It is not love we show when we kill our enemies “in order to defend ourselves, or our faith”.  It is what it is.  It is pain and death, and a vain attempt to advance scripture at the point of a sword.  It is blasphemy to think ourselves and our ideas as equal to God, to believe we can take life or allow it to persist based on an acceptance of our ideology.  It is the devout thinking of the Pharisees that took this idea and used it to crucify Jesus Christ.  Lest we think we are different, we are not.  What is past is prologue.  We should learn from history, that compulsion of morality can never be achieved.

John continues in verse 3 … “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”  The parallels between the second plague and the second trumpet sounding in ages past are undeniable.  Both are poured out against the sea.  The sounding of the second trumpet affects a third of life in the sea, whereas this plague appears to affect the entire sea.  It is not immediately apparent how the alteration of water into blood would result in the deaths of all those on the sea at the time.  But consider the effects of the difference in buoyancy between water and blood.  Could metal ships and submarines that use water as coolant still function if blood were introduced instead?  Could steam be produced from blood as it is from water?  The ocean life that lives in the sea, would likely also die.  On a worldwide scale this plague would certainly cause a level of devastation like none we have ever borne witness to.

John continues in verse 4 … “And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. [verse 5] And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. [verse 6] For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. [verse 7] And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”  The third plague turns what is left of the world’s water supplies to blood.  All of the fresh water has been turned.  Egypt witnessed this plague as well.  The corollary to the winepress of the wrath of God which produces blood instead of grape juice springs to mind. The wicked are offered blood to drink, as they have seen fit to believe that the killing of saints, and prophets, were in the best interest of everyone.  The “purification” of the church has seen any who dissent give their lives violently for the cause of Christ.  In vain efforts at keeping church doctrine pure, countless saints and prophets who actually serve God were murdered.  In changing the water into blood and offering it as drink, God shows His supremacy to the men who cling to the ideas of control they have embraced.  They have none.  They never did.

It is not dissent the makes doctrine impure.  It is dissent that causes us to learn, to grow, and to either deepen in our faith and beliefs, or to alter and expand them to embrace greater truth.  Dissent is not our enemy, nor those who will not comply with our majority view.  It merely represents a different position in the journey to the perfection Christ brings about.  Over time, incorrect thinking and beliefs are altered by the power of His love and grace to the point where truth is better understood, and embraced.  This process is inevitable.  But it happens on different timelines, as each of us are unique.  He must bring it about in our lives in the ways in which each of us respond to His love.  He knows us better than we know ourselves, and MUCH better than we know each other.  We must allow Christ the freedom to change each of us, in His time, and in His manner.  To seek to accelerate the process through force is nothing but folly.  We cannot compel others to stop believing what they believe, and we need not do so.  Christ will take care of the incorrect thinking and beliefs of others.  This is the process of salvation.  Our “job” is merely to love them through the process, and to realize this process is also going on within us.  It may well be “we” who are changed in matters of belief and doctrinal persuasion over time, to believe otherwise is arrogance and pride.

John continues in verse 8 … “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. [verse 9] And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.”  The fourth plague in our day could be easily attributable to global warming, or global climate change; but as scientists point out, these changes take place over very long periods of time.  The plagues that are falling upon the wicked are thought to happen in fairly rapid sequence and with worldwide dimensions to their scope.  This plague in particular only affirms the pattern set by Pharaoh of old, in that repentance is not sought.  Instead blasphemy occurs.  We think ourselves equal to God, and therefore deny His power in the genesis of this plague, or any other.  Despite all the miraculous events that occur during these plagues, atheists do what atheists always do, they look for a scientific explanation that negates the need of God.

But blasphemy is not the exclusive province of the atheist.  It is shared in hearts of those who prefer the wealth of this world to the humble service found in the next one.  Many who still carry the name of “Christian” will suffer under the weight of these plagues.  This will only serve to intensify their passion to weeding out and killing the voices of dissent.  They believe that until every soul who refuses to follow their majority view is killed, the plagues will continue.  They must all be found and slaughtered, offered as human sacrifice to the vengeful god they serve in order that relief is found.  The fact that those who do NOT bare the mark of the third beast, are NOT suffering from any of these plagues has been lost on them.  They believe it must be Satan protecting his own, instead of God who alone has the power to perform these plagues, protecting His own.  They like the Pharisees of old, accuse the divine protection and healing that comes from God as coming from demons.  What is past is prologue. 

Suffering does nothing to inspire the wicked to change.  This is the mistake even Christians have so long made in their evangelistic efforts.  Fear has been presented as a prime motivator to bring people to Christ.  But fear and punishment do not deter evil in the slightest.  If anything, evil is fed off of fear.  The first words of Christ to His servants all throughout time have generally been … “do not be afraid”.  Christ does not look for us to fear Him, rather to respond to His so great love.  His first concern in almost every dialogue is for us to lose our fear.  We cannot think well when we are afraid.  We do not reason well, and it is impossible to love under the threat of fear.  The reason for these revelations of great plagues upon the evil of this world, is that our fear is to be completely negated.  When all these events unfold we will be fully aware, and the peace of Christ will be our pursuit.  While the wicked carry sores upon them, our bodies will not.  While the wicked are offered only blood to drink, we will find water to sustain us.  While the sun bares down in scorching heat upon the men of this world, for only a miraculous reason, we will find none of its ill effects.  For we know that our God is God.  Like the children of Israel who awaited in eager anticipation to leave what they knew of slavery and find God in a promised land, so we too will wait eagerly knowing these plagues only mark a timeline for His imminent return to take us away, home to be with Him forever.

But three more plagues are to mark that timeline, for what is past remains prologue …