Three Witnesses and You ...

Your ideas, your perspective influenced by your own history, give you a unique take on any story you may become familiar with.  The core elements of the story may be the same.  But what you pay attention to, the things that are important to you, or that you zero-in-on during the revelation of the story – well those come from who you are, and what matters to you.  You notice subtle things that might have gone un-noticed by others.  Again, the core elements of the story being the same for everyone.  Your unique perspective of the story is something to cherish.  It does not belittle the story, it rather amplifies it.  And sharing your perspective with others, you are bound to pick up new things, that they paid more attention to, that may have slipped by you.  A sharing of perspectives then, adds to the wealth of the story, without tearing down the core elements of it.  This is what is meant by the phrase “the body of Christ” as it refers to His church.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses.  We all have different perspectives.  Jesus is the same.  But what we see in Jesus, is often a function of what we are looking for, and how Jesus uniquely helps each of us.  Jesus is still True.  But how we see Jesus may differ widely, because the difference between you and me may also be a wide one.

Unbelievers will sometimes take our differences in perspective as reason to say Jesus is not true at all.  But that is like saying that a story reported by CNN, MSNBC, and FOX must also not be true at all because those networks come from different perspectives and often report widely different conclusions based on the same set of facts (the story itself).  That is ridiculous.  We all know there is a story out there.  And in the case of our news networks, we tend to have one we prefer, and one we do not.  We tend to side with the network we prefer more, and take the one we don’t with a grain of salt.  The story is there, the set of facts is out there, but how it is reported, and how it is received is more a function of who we listen to, and what we believe to be true.  I would bet, that if you personally were exposed to the entire core set of facts about a given story, you would see some elements of it reported by CNN, different ones by MSNBC, and still others reported by FOX.  None of the networks are lying per se, but their perspectives will certainly alter what conclusions they draw; and therefore what they would like you to draw with them.  But the Truth is bigger than CNN, bigger than MSNBC, and bigger than FOX.  And in the case of Jesus Christ, way bigger than all our news networks, and way bigger than us.

So given this, I would like to focus on a story recorded in three gospels.  You will hear it from three different authors, that is three different witnesses.  The core elements of the story are the same.  But how it is reported is different.  Perspectives of the authors were different.  And to be fair, what you or I pay attention to is likely to be different still.  These differences in scripture are not proof that the Bible cannot be true.  Far from it.  Instead they prove the reality of the Bible in reporting a story where the core elements are true, but the three authors were not copying each other, or lying, that any story like this took place in the first place.  They simply come at it from three different perspectives.  And you or I, the readers, are likely to gain different insights because what Jesus means to us, will likely cause us to focus on a unique insight from the same story in the first place.

The core elements are these.  A person who is mighty, and valued, and important has a need.  The influential person is not a Jew.  This person knows someone he loves who is sick and he needs Jesus to heal him.  The influential person does not feel worthy enough to have Jesus come under his roof.  So he asks Jesus to simply speak the words and the one he loves is healed and made whole.  This example of faith in Jesus by someone who is NOT a Jew, is an example of faith in peoples like ourselves of a future much different than the past.  If you have been a Christian for some length of time, you will likely recognize some version of this story from the New Testament.  Some folks call this a “Centurion’s Great Faith”.  Others might call this “Jesus Heals an Official’s Son”.  But even these titles are examples of perspectives.  While we take a second look at this story try to keep an open mind to absorb an even greater understanding of the story from 3 different witnesses.  The scriptures can be found in Luke 7:1-10 … Matthew 8:5-13 … and John 4:43-54.

Backstory:  

o   Matthew - records this incident right after a healing of a leper.  He then puts Jesus simply entering Capernaum. 

o   Luke - records this incident right after the greatest sermon ever preached.  He then puts Jesus simply entering Capernaum. 

o   John - records this incident right after an unpleasant greeting in His home country.  But John adds that Jesus attended a feast in Jerusalem, then travels to Cana (where Jesus had previously turned water into wine).

 

Protagonist: 

o   Matthew - identifies the influential person as a Roman Centurion and offers no more than that.  Matthew records the encounter as a one-on-one with Jesus.

o   Luke - identifies the influential person as a Roman Centurion.  Luke differs from a one-on-one encounter, saying that the Centurion sought out the elders of the Jews to go to Jesus to ask Him for the healing.  Luke adds that the Jews did this, because the Roman was responsible for building a Synagogue in their area for them to worship in, and they believed the Roman loved their nation.  Luke continues that on hearing this Jesus begins to make His way towards the Roman Centurion’s home. 

o   John - identifies the influential person as only a Nobleman.  John does not seem to see anything noticeably Roman about this person at all, and he too records a one-on-one encounter between himself and Jesus.

 

Victim: 

o   Matthew – identifies the victim as a servant of the Centurion who is sick of the palsy and grievously tormented. 

o   Luke – identifies the victim as a servant who was dear to him, but sick and ready to die. 

o   John – identifies the victim as a son of the Nobleman who was sick and at the point of death.

 

The Request: 

o   Matthew – records the interaction by the Roman stating his own unworthiness for Jesus to enter under his roof.  The Roman states that he has men under his own command, that obey his orders and do what he says.  He asks Jesus to merely give orders for his servant to be healed and he will be.

o   Luke – records that since Jesus was traveling to the Centurions house after the elder’s first encounter, the Centurion sends friends out next to tell Jesus not to trouble Himself.  For the Roman is not worthy to have Jesus enter under his roof, nor was the Roman worthy of coming to Jesus himself to ask this.  It is at this point that like Matthew’s version, the Roman’s message through his friends is the same about giving orders and they will be obeyed.

o   John – records the Nobleman coming to Jesus in person asking Him to heal his son.  However in John’s version the Nobleman is requesting for Jesus to come heal his son in person.

 

The Response: 

o   Matthew – records Jesus marveling at the Roman’s faith.  Jesus says about it “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great a faith, no, not in Israel.  And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Then Jesus tells the Centurion to go his way, as he has believed, so be it done unto thee.

o   Luke – records Jesus marveling at the Roman’s faith.  Jesus says to the people following …”I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” 

o   John – records the incident differently, he has Jesus saying “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”  But Jesus tells the Nobleman to go his way. For his son liveth.

 

The Results: 

o   Matthew – records the servant was healed in the self-same hour. 

o   Luke – records the friends of the Centurion returning to find the servant whole who had been sick. 

o   John – records the Nobleman returning to a healed son.  He then asks the servants about what time did the son begin to heal (what hour).  They tell him it was about the seventh hour of the day.  This act converts not only the Nobleman, but his entire household.  And John records it as the second Miracle that Jesus did in Galilee.

 

There are some subtle and some distinct differences in these 3 versions of the same story in the life of Jesus and the life of this influential person.  First it is possible that a Roman Centurion was also a Nobleman with some degree of wealth and influence so perhaps that is less of a difference than first thought.  Luke adds the context of having this Roman building a Synagogue for the people.  Next it is possible that the victim was either a son, or a servant loved as much as a son might be.  So again, perhaps less of a difference.  Whether the Roman personally interacted with Jesus as Matthew and John state, or whether he sent emissaries to interact with Jesus on his behalf; what is common is a great feeling of unworthiness on his part.  Luke extends this unworthiness not to even encounter Jesus personally.  In all three cases, this man of influence realized his wealth did not make him a saint.  Perhaps it only added to his own unworthiness.   What is also common among all three stories is that Jesus need only speak the words to have the servant/son healed and he was.   

Matthew reminds his audience (the Hebrews) that they will not be alone in the kingdom of heaven.  There will be many of us there from the east and west as well.  Jesus reminds his audience in both Matthew and Luke that this faith was very great, and it did not come from a Hebrew.  John uses this incident to remind his audience (the Greeks) that entire households were converted from a single encounter with Jesus.  Not just the poor and desperate, but the wealthy and influential as well.  The core elements of the story remain largely the same.  You have heard the story from the perspective of three different witnesses.  But what about you?  What does this story say to you?  What do you get out of it?

For me, it tells me of faith coming from unexpected places, from a people or person, I might have otherwise thought would never be even interested in Jesus, let alone have so much faith in Him.  Keep in mind Romans were hated in their day, with reason.  Yet here is one in perfect submission to Jesus Christ.  This story also tells me that birthright (that is, being raised in the church) is not the same thing as a living faith that grows everyday.  This was a Centurion who had this faith, not a Rabbi, not even a disciple.  This story reminds me that as close as we get to Jesus, the more unworthy our assessment of ourselves becomes.  As we see His perfection, we begin to see our own unworthiness more clearly.  It is easy for me to generalize and think of myself as a good person.  But when I see through the mirror of Jesus, I realize I am not worthy of His forgiveness or His love.  Yet He offers me both anyway.  I realize too, there are too many things in my home that might keep a perfect God out, and worse, too many things in my heart that do the same.  This Roman Centurion seemed to understand this truth better than I do.

I so appreciate having the perspectives of these three witnesses on this incident.  I love the additional context each of them offer.  It renews my faith in scripture, and adds to the beauty of my Lord.  I hope when you read your Bible, you always do it through the lens of Jesus Christ, and through that lens find the love God offers you, and me, everyday.

  

One For The Road ...

There comes that time, when something appears bound to end, that we begin to crave just one more of it, before it is completely gone.  For some, this happens in a bar at closing time.  For others, this happens near the end of a relationship that for some unexplainable reason is about to end.  For a lucky few, it happens in my daughter’s Bible school class, where the participants wish we just had ten more minutes to keep talking and learning any fine Sabbath morning.  But whatever context you are most familiar with, the sentiment, the feeling is the same.  We look back at something, and begin to relish it, cherish it, perhaps more at the end of it, than when it was just “there” and we took it for granted.  At that moment of realization, we desperately reach out to cling to it, even if just for one moment more.  If your most familiar context for this happens in a bar, there is a place that can offer so much more happiness, and that can last so much longer.  And if you find the context that serves you best is in the form of romantic relationships, there is a way to base them in the cement of faith, rather that the shifting sands of human interests.  And for those unlucky few, who search for this in church, but rather than wanting to stay longer, are burning up the aisles to get out faster – there is a way to “do church” that is so much better than perhaps you do it today.

The short answer to all of this, is Jesus.  The gospel of Matthew concludes by making this point very well in chapter 28 in the last few verses, picking up in verse 16 saying … “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. [verse 17] And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”  Talk about a one-for-the-road situation.  Matthew makes the point that Judas is gone, by subtling stating the number of the remaining disciples.  But what Matthew omits, is the number of women disciples who were likely there at this same mountain as well.  Jesus had summoned all of them there to say His temporary goodbyes.  This was about 40 days after His resurrection.  And if you believe the risen saints who were the first fruits of His Kingdom walked the earth for 40 days and not 3 days, they would have been gathered there as well.  The point is that this was not just an isolated event for only the eleven main disciples to share, but for all those who deeply loved and believed in our Savior to share.  Keep in mind it was the women who FIRST received this very invitational message.

But then, as often happens in matters of religion, particularly before the entrance of the Holy Spirit, the devil tempts us to doubt.  This is another one of those situations, it is hard for those of us, who have never even seen the beautiful face, hands, and feet of Jesus to understand.  Despite all the evidence, the personal and up-close evidence, doubt reared its head in not just one disciple, but in “some”.  How does this happen in those who knew Him best, and knew Him longest?  How are we able to sit at the feet of Jesus (in our day at church, or perhaps at a parent’s knee) and still come to doubt, what we have always known was the truth of our beliefs?  They had Jesus in person.  We have Him enumerated throughout an entire collection of works we call the Bible.  And yet both of us are subject to the weakness of doubt.  We look at them in no small amount of contempt, and ask, how is that possible, given where you were, and what you witnessed first-hand?  These disciples saw the miracles we wish we could see.  They experienced first-hand what it was like to move through time and space across the Sea of Galilee after Jesus calmed the storm.  Those were first-hand accounts.  As were the healings, and casting out of demons, they had first-hand exposure to doing themselves.  They even saw the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

But now, in the final moments they would ever spend in the physical presence of Jesus who was leaving for heaven.  Knowing He was crucified.  And seeing Him risen.  Some doubted.  Is it any different with us?  Do we spend precious moments we have on earth, taking a “for granted” stance about them?  Instead of appreciating the brevity of our lives, and therefore taking the most care to enjoy our moments in the love of Jesus – we doubt where Jesus has brought us.  We let doubt seep in, and start raising the banner of circumstances for our victories, or worse claiming self-made victories in our past.  Our journey with Jesus is not about what “we” have done or not done.  It is about allowing Him to guide us, remake us, and lead us to where we are.  That journey happens outside of the written Word, and inside of the reformation of our particular hearts.  It is a real-life thing for each of us.  And that real-life experience then amplifies what we read of the stories of others who have encountered Jesus in the written Word.  One does not contradict the other, but both amplify the impact of Jesus in our lives.  If the Bible is still just a story book for you, and Jesus is still someone you have never met; there is still time to correct those positions.  Meet the One, then see the other go from story book, to His Word in printed form.

Jesus does not immediately address the doubt of His own disciples.  But He does communicate what He must.  Matthew picks back up in verse 18 saying … “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”  There has been a change of ownership of our world.  Adam was its caretaker, until he surrendered it to Satan, when he broke trust with God.  Satan made the argument that it was impossible for man to keep God’s Laws.  But Jesus came, lived, died, and was ressurected in perfect harmony with God’s Law of love.  As such, because Jesus surrendered His own will to the will of His Father – His Father “gave” Jesus “All” power in both heaven and in earth.  There will still be opposition to the will of God in our world.  But that opposition will come from an angry tenant, not from the landlord.  The landlord of our world is now Jesus, whether we like that or not.  This new fact, of which Satan is well aware, makes that angry tenent even more angry.  Satan looks now to shred this planet, and shred as many of us as he can, before the landlord (Jesus) throws him out, and remakes the place all over again.  Satan knows his time is short, he knows he is on a clock.  And each second that ticks by is one more second closer to his demise.  So each passing second only serves to increase his desperation at shredding us all.  Ironic, that Satan sees time more acutely, than we do, when our life expectancy is far more brief.

Jesus continues in verse 19 saying … “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [verse 20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”  These are the last two verses in the book of Matthew to his contemporaries, to his Jewish counterparts.  That was the focus of the ministry of Matthew, and of the audience of this book.  Jews would understand perfectly the concept of baptism.  Matthew takes this concept and enumerates through the words of Jesus an alteration to its historical context.  Instead of baptizing for repentance only, they would add, doing it as a public sign of accepting not only Jesus, but God the Father, and the Holy Spirit as well.  Our God, better described as three-in-one – three entities in perfect harmony, with unique roles, unique personalities, but perfectly aligned in goal and practice to redeem we who were lost.  That was something new to the Jews who would read this.  Using baptism as a public statement of accepting the role of Jesus in this trio of God was something new.  Even the introduction or better stated re-introduction of the Holy Spirit as part of the baptism statement was something new.

But Jews who understood the need for baptism understood why this might make sense.  And while Matthew was targeting his Jewish contemporaries, he was not ONLY targeting them.  For us Gentiles, the right of baptism would be equally valid and equally meaningful as our next author of study Luke, would begin to chronicle.  Matthew also knew his Jewish contemporaries would easily understand the next words of Jesus as well.  “Teaching them to observe”, was a concept deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.  The Jewish mind at that time and place would easily grasp this idea because it was one they were intimately familiar with.  The “art” of study of all things religious made sense to the Jewish mind.  Switching from naked tradition as taught by the Pharisees, to Jesus who rooted His teachings in the same scriptures, but from a motivation of love for others – was a radical change, but still a familiar idea to the people of God at this time and place.  Most Christians seem to forget that Christianity itself started as a Jewish religion, founded by Jews, whose leader was and is still a Jew, and whose first practioners were ALL Jewish.  It was only later that this new Jewish faith, became inundated with Gentiles from around the then known world.

“Things whatsoever that I have commanded you”.  This phrase in other gospels might find its closest expression in “Love one another, as I have loved you”.  We will be known as followers of Jesus, as Christians, by how we love one another.  When asked which commandment of the Law was greatest, Jesus summarized saying Love God first with all your heart, then love each other as you would love yourself.  That is to say, love the life of others so much you would lay down your own life for them.  That kind of love, that kind of self-sacrificing love.  It starts with loving God.  We know from practical experience that by allowing God to remake us, He puts His love inside of us for others.  Only then are we able to love them, to the extent that Christ would have us love them.  But in all these references whether by example of Jesus Himself, or by His teachings, we find that love itself is at the center of everything.  Love to God.  Love to others.  In that is the fulfillment of ALL of the Law, and of the prophets.  These were the teachings of Jesus we are commanded to observe. 

What we were NOT commanded to observe, are the unique interpretations of scripture that each denomination currently holds.  Those interpretations are meant to bring you closer to God.  But they are decidedly NOT on the Jesus-said-so list.  Love is.  Love is the only thing that is.  This is why it is so unfortunate when entire groups of Christians, decide that other groups of Christians are both wrong and evil, because they hold different interpretations of the same scriptures we all read.  Who is wrong, and who is not, is not important – if you believe we all seek the same Jesus, who alone is responsible for saving us, and leading us, into His truth, in His way, in His time, and in a manner that each one of us can comprehend and over time assimilate.  If you trust Jesus with your own salvation, then you must trust Jesus with mine.  We do not need to educate each other.  We need to love each other, and let our combined education flow from Jesus and the Holy Spirit as they see fit.  We are to be led by God, not to try to do the leading.  It is the interjection of unique doctrines, and interpretations into these verses than begin to make them of none effect.  If we boiled our teachings down to the same Love that Jesus asked of us, our differences would become meaningless.  For our journeys lead to the same place.

And what we seem most to forget about these words of Jesus written down by Matthew is the last phrases.  “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  We are NOT alone.  We never have been.  We are not just accompanied by our guardian angels who keep us safe from the unseen war that rages around us.  But we are accompanied by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit who is everywhere at once, and with each of us, as we have permitted Him to be.  The eye of God Himself is on each of us.  He does not watch with pen in one hand, and tablet in the other, recording each and every wrong doing we embrace, by choice or by accident.  That list only has meaning if we reject His love.  It would serve as evidence to other humans who will one day ask “why is so-and-so not with us here in heaven”.  Then the list will be produced that shows an entire life of rejected love, the rejection of God’s love.  But for those who embrace God, that list has ALREADY been wiped clean by the blood of Christ and tossed into the deepest recesses of black holes the universe has to offer.  So when God Himself looks at us, he does not see the plethora of what is wrong with His child – He sees the infinite potential He could do and will do for that same child.

That kind of parental love is something we should understand.  When my parents looked at me at 2 years old sitting in the kitchen with gold paint everywhere.  They were surely not happy about my artistic skills.  But they did not love me any the less.  They cleaned me up (that was pretty rough).  They cleaned up what I had done (again no easy feat).  And they loved me each and every day after that.  Neither wanted a repeat of my golden paint fiasco, so paint cans were sealed tight, and moved beyond my reach.  They gave me a set of finger paints that were safer for me to use, and caused much less permanent damage.  This is the love of a parent.  Encourage the art, remove the danger, love the effort.  Would God look at us, at you, any different?  Would He not act as much as He could to take you out of the danger of your life.  Remove the desire to injest that which you should not injest.  Remove the desire to engage in what you should not engage.  He cannot prevent you from running away from Him or His wisdom.  But He can and does clean up your mess, clean you up, and love you everyday.  His efforts with you are the efforts of a parent who deeply loves their 2yr old.  And He looks to make the life of that toddler better every day.

This is what Jesus being with us, is like.  A Friend to talk to.  A Savior who cleans the mess.  A Creator who re-creates who we are, so that the future messes seem to just disappear.  And through all of it, love is at the center of it all.  We don’t need to know everything.  But if we are to have just one more for the road, let that one thing, be more of His love …

 

Point / Counter-Point ...

In the old days of Saturday Night Live (SNL), they used to run a skit entitled Point / CounterPoint during their weekend update news segment.  The humor came not from the topics they discussed, but from the incredibly rude and horribly anti-politically correct language they used to discuss them.  The name calling was most of the fun for viewers, and generally so distracting, that it was hard to pay attention to any real debate or substantive statements made during the verbal brawl.  Humor aside, for any point-of-view, you can bet there is a different point-of-view, a competing point-of-view.  And in the decades that have passed since this skit was in its prime, the name calling and personal attacks, have moved from a clear attempt to illicit laughter, to mean-spirited attacks meant to illicit tears, and break any thought of self-esteem in the other party.  What has changed is how we see each other, and worse, what motives we ascribe to each other.  And when one side believes it has the only truth, it is easy to see any other side as not only wrong, but evil.

This phenomenon did not start with us.  It began in heaven of all places.  God was truth, He is still is.  He has a way of doing things that works, it is also the best way.  It turns out, His ways, are the only ways, that can avoid pain, and even death.  These ways of God were not developed to be punitive.  They were developed because He loves us, He loves the entire universe.  And who would not want more joy, instead of more death?  It is rather a silly comparison.  But Lucifer did just that.  For every way God naturally followed, Lucifer looked closely and set up an alternative way of doing things.  Most of them involved loving self, instead of loving others.

As an example, God creates monogamy to foster intimacy, so that 2 people can come to know and love each other in a way so strong, no one else could come close to understanding it.  Within the bounds of this kind of intimacy and vulnerability and trust, procreation becomes a by-product.  Satan looks at all of this and offers instead his alternative, his counterfeit.  He offers the momentary high of biology.  Reducing others to meat sacks of mutual consent.  Not pursuing intimacy but destroying it altogether, until people mean nothing, and are only objects that can provide a moment’s pleasure.  To have children in this venue, is a risk to be avoided.  A punishment for not thinking ahead and being careful, while you pursue an endless line of self-worth-destruction in the form of others for a moment’s pleasure.  It turns out the “alternative” is not just “different”, it sucks.  It is not happiness packaged in a different way, it is pain, wrapped up to look like happiness, but with no fulfilling characteristics at all.  In short, it is a lie.  But then, when you choose to deviate from truth, where else would you expect to wind up, but in a lie.

And so what started in heaven, by no means ended there.  Satan has been creating counterfeits, and telling lies about God since the very beginning, with no intention of ever stopping, until he is stopped once and for all at the end of all things.  Satan ascribes his own motives on to God, hoping you will believe the worst about God, and nothing about the devil.  Where it comes to the Word of God, Satan has been lying about that since Moses first picked up a quill and parchment to begin writing it down.  Matthew, in his gospel to his contemporaries, in chapter 28 records one really significant case of “point / counterpoint”.  And honestly if I had been Matthew, I might have seen the wisdom of opening by talking to Satan, and saying something like the old SNL skits started … “Satan, you ignorant slut”.  Might still be good for a laugh, but in this case, it is also true.  Instead Matthew takes us back, picking up in verse 1 saying … “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

The women of cast-iron-faith, are again first to go to Jesus, even though He is dead.  They have no reason to do this, at least no logical reason.  Dead is dead.  When a Messiah is killed, that is pretty much the end of it, at least it has always been so.  But for these women where love drives their faith, something naws at them.  They remember His words.  He predicted that He would rise again on the third day.  There is a nagging hope within them that defies logic, and will not go away, and will not be silent.  So women do what men continue to be too afraid to do.  They travel to his burial site, in spite of the fact they are sure to encounter the 100 Roman soldiers, and who knows how many temple guards sent as well.  These women of cast-iron-faith are sure to be surrounded by the enemy, and make no mistake, the enemy sure looks to be in charge.  They have the swords.  They have the spears.  And they have the anger that will not go away.

Matthew continues in verse 2 saying … “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. [verse 3] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: [verse 4] And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”  Here is where a hundred Roman killers are made as scared as a flock of sheep.  All their spears and swords, and pent up cruelty, are worth nothing against a single angel of the Lord.  The stone which took several men to put in place, is rolled away like so many paper towels in a kitchen.  The seal is broken without so much as effort.  But this angel is not there to kill lost souls the Lord was sent to redeem.  The Romans keep their lives.  And the angel takes no threatening posture with his own sword drawn and ready.  Instead he hops up on the stone he rolled away and sits down like a teenager might do.  From here he casually begins talking to the women.

Matthew continues in verse 5 saying … “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. [verse 6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. [verse 7] And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”  The first evangelists of the Christian faith are commissioned.  The first preachers of the gospel are commissioned.  And they are ALL women.  This had nothing to do with a preference by God, for one sex or the other.  But it had a great deal to do with who faced their fears and went to seek Jesus, despite it not making sense or being logical.  When loves drives the motives, miracles happen.  When love is not in the motives, miracles are prevented.  Women were here.  So women were commissioned.  God works with whoever comes to Him.  He makes no distinction of the sex, or age, or color.  He loves us all.  He will work with us all.  Who of us, will come to work with Him?

The entire gospel message is summed up in what the angel has said.  Jesus is risen.  Go and tell, in this case his disciples.  These women must preach to the future preachers, because the future preachers are hiding allowing their fear to overcome their faith.  They heard the same words of Jesus regarding his resurrection at the same time the women heard them.  But nothing was nawing against the hearts of the disciples except the fear of self-preservation.  Fear can be drowned-out by love, and it cannot be drowned out without it.  When love is an after thought, fear can hold sway.  And so it did.  Love, as what men think of love, was in the hearts of the disciples.  But the Love of Jesus was not there just yet.  Later when that love of Jesus did enter the disciples, they feared nothing, and endured everything for the cause of Christ.  But now, the early adopters, were the women of cast-iron-faith, tempered by the furnaces of love.

Matthew continues in verse 8 saying … “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. [verse 9] And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. [verse 10] Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”  And just in case you could doubt the word of an angel of God, we have his words reaffirmed by the Jesus they all knew, up close, and in person.  This was the point of the gospel.  This was the love of the gospel made manifest.  Jesus takes the time to personally greet His new evangelists, to appear FIRST to the women.  This was I believe a reward for their faith.  Faith that drove them to move, even when it made no logical sense at all.  Faith that drove them to hope, because they remembered the words of their Lord and trusted in His Truth.  The “Point” goes to God.

Now for the counterpoint.  Time for the ignorant slut to spin his lie.  Matthew continues in verse 11 saying … “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. [verse 12] And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, [verse 13] Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. [verse 14] And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. [verse 15] So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”  The lie has teeth.  It spreads.  It makes common sense.  It is more logical, and therefore more believable, than say a miracle.  Occam's Razor would side in favor of the lie.  The soldiers risked their lives to spread it, for sleeping on duty, would get them placed on crosses of their own.  The priests vouching for them with Pilate, would be the only way, they “might” escape that fate.  Counterpoint goes to Satan.

And in this situation, ascribing evil motives to the alternative story to the resurrection is understandable.  After all, Satan is evil.  And he has nothing but evil intent.  God’s story is the story of your redemption, and re-creation.  It is the story of your personal reconciliation with God.  You get to go home.  You get to hang out with God, eat dinner with Him, listen to Him, talk to Him, laugh with Him.  God is not just about sitting on a distant throne in heaven, you are a thousand miles away from.  He is about getting close and personal with you, being with you.  God being God, He can do that with you, at the same time He does it with me, and so on, and so on.  Everywhere at once.  This is not a “thousand mile away” proposition.  It is about going home, to be “with” God.  Never parted again.

And what does the counterpoint offer?  Meaninglessness.  Your life is a random accumulation of circumstances that mean nothing.  You mean nothing.  You are all alone.  You will die alone.  And no one will care.  In a thousand years, or ten thousand, you will be a speck in a memory long forgotten.  Your pain, your joy, are all random, and mean nothing.  Your suffering means nothing.  In short, in the counterpoint proposal, you have no meaning to anyone, so … why live?  Take the yoke of morality off of you and swing for the rafters.  Be Hitler if it pleases you.  Or be Gandhi.  But no matter.  Both are dead now.  So what difference do either make?  Counterpoint has NOTHING to offer you, it is based on lies, that would rob you of infinite joy, and infinite life.  It is meant to deceive you, and distract you, to keep you from a faith that overcomes fear, because it is driven by love.  And love does matter.  In the here and now, and throughout the eons of time, love will always matter.  Do not let the lie, rob you of your meaning.  Do not let logic, rob you of the love you have coming, and the love you are capable of sharing.  There is no alternative to truth, only lies that lead to pain.

The gospel allows us to see each other, past the struggles with evil, and to what potential He would bring in our lives.  Instead of ascribing any motives to our brothers and sisters, what if we just loved them unconditionally instead.  What if our love for them, looked like God’s love for them?  Might that offer a reason to seek Jesus in the first place?  The Truth is revealed when Love is revealed.  The Truth is not revealed by debate, by words, but by love in action.  Because of Love, I care more about you than I do about convincing you of anything I believe – except to seek Jesus in everything.  My doctrines can wait.  If my doctrines are truth, then I can trust Jesus to reveal them to you in His time, in His manner, and in the way in which you will come to need to hear them.  That is a wildly different approach, than me trying to cram what I believe down your throat, all the while showing as little concern for you as I do the mosquito biting my arm.  And becoming frustrated if not angry with you, when you refuse to see things the way I do.  That kind of doctrine-based approach to evangelizing should go the way of the dodo-bird.  It does not work, and it does not last.  My beliefs are not as important as my love.  And how I can benefit you will be more determined by how much I love you, than what I esoterically believe about anything.

God has the point.  Satan has nothing.  You can see the truth of it, when you look at the life of Jesus Christ.

 

By Far, the Stronger Sex ...

Remember those “He man” bubble gum comics back in the day?  For those of you asking what is bubble gum, just try to humor an old man.  Way back in the 1950’s version of America, when men were men, and women were … let’s just be kind and say the object of men’s affection.  Yes, we all know they were considerably more than that, I’ll get there.  The comic strip of the day pictures a 90lb weakling, who goes to the beach and gets sand thrown in his face, by the big muscular strapping “He” man of the day.  Should you identify with the 90lb weakling, all you needed to do, was respond through correspondence (yes, snail mail, it was a thing), and the company who created this awesome advertisement, would send you a gallon of it’s patented muscle growth formula which you could presumably add to your diet.  The results, as also pictured in the comic strip, would be that you would now be bigger than the other guy, get the girl, and live happily ever after.  And yes, all this was packaged with huge chunks of bubble gum with certainly enough sugar to cause an elephant really nasty weight gain.  Just about everything you need to know about the perfect vision of America in the 50’s can be summarized through this ad.  Easy to see, it was wrong about nearly everything.

For starters, my wife married me for my brains.  I had hoped it was for my sense of humor, but she has none, so that makes sense.  If it had been for my body, she got “JIPPED” (another ancient word meaning she suffered a huge disappointment in expectations, it was a thing.)  My body went from bone skinny, eat 3 large pan pizza’s at Pizza Hut and not gain an ounce, literally – to – eat water, gain 20 pounds.  Look at a candy bar, gain 20 more.  You get the idea.  Right now I am proud to say I maintain my weight within a 10 pound range, I am considerably less proud to let you know the baseline of my scale before we start talking about the 10 pounds.  So why does she continue to stay with me after three plus decades and counting?  You could be cynical and say it is for my money.  To which, I would fall on the floor laughing, asking what money?  Yes I have been a millionaire before, and yes, I have been bankrupt before too.  I have had long stints of executive work, and few fairly long stints trying to create my own business that just never got anywhere (turns out I am not a sales man).  So if my wife expected me to be rich, or to be a “He” man, she never came close to getting either.  So much for why women choose men, and even more a mystery, why they stay with them.

Given how much I love my wife today, you could say that is the reason.  You would be right … today.  But for as much as I love her now, I have wounded her far greater in those three decades.  She swallows her pain, forgives me, moves on, finds herself on her knees with Jesus – and is now living with those answered prayers.  Who has the strength to do that?  Not men.  We throw in the towel the minute the going gets rough.  We don’t have the stamina to deal with pain that lasts for years, let alone months, or days.  Sure men can gut it out, man up, and face a lot of mess.  But most of the mess we face, is the mess we make.  To have the iron will to forgive, to choose to forgive, to live without the past clogging your every day of the present – that takes strength.  Inner core strength.  Not the kind that nets you a six-pack abs, but the kind that nets you answers to prayers you pray for as long as the pain lasts.  That is nothing like a “He” man at all.

One part of that ad that was so mistaken, is that the girl does not go home with you because you are bigger than the next guy.  If she does, brace yourself, she will be moving on inevitably, because there is always another guy bigger than you.  She might just as willingly have gone home with you, when you were the 90lb weakling who put his faith in God, and bases his commitments in the concrete of faith, rather than the strength of will that is defeated in the moment.  That kind of strength in commitment, to follow Jesus, not to try to lead Him, is a strength we all need.  But I find women have it.  Men are still looking for it.  Here is a case in point.  Matthew records the aftermath of the death of Christ in his gospel in chapter 27.  There are almost no men mentioned, one or two at most.  Keep in mind Jesus had 12 male followers at the time.  One hung himself, so down to eleven.  One in extreme grief for letting faith go, when challenged by a mere servant girl, who accused him of nothing more than association with Jesus.  Three times he denied that.  He is now consumed by shame, not showing an ounce of strength.  And he was supposed to be the little rock.

Matthew does not record it, but John the beloved was there through all of this.  And Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin would play a role.  But the ones with cast iron faith, were the women.  These women risked their own lives, and virtue, just by being at this scene facing all of these cruel men who raped women without even a second thought.  It was part of their training, and expected of them when they conquered a people.  There was no respect of women.  Women were objects at best.  They could be bought or sold, raped or forced into marriage, no choices left to them of any kind.  This was their lives at the time.  Yet their faith in Jesus was so strong, their love for Him so unmutable, that they refused to be anywhere else.  Now I ask you, who is the stronger sex?  The one who can defeat you at arm wrestling, or the one who can love you when everything else in your life fails, and fails again.  These women remained in place with Jesus AFTER He has died.  He was dead.  No arguing it.

Matthew picks up in verse 55 saying … “And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: [verse 56] Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.”  Notice Matthews carefully chosen wording, he states, “many” women were there watching from afar.  Many, is a whole lot more than you can say for the men, down to John, possibly Matthew as he is writing this.  How many women does it take to outnumber the 12 minus one?  And if they did outnumber the men, are we certain we give the fairer sex its due for being the stronger sex?  And look at what Matthew casually weaves into his description of these “many” women.  That they ALL ministered unto Jesus, and you can imagine the rest of His followers as well.  These women, the many, were all silent disciples already playing a ministering role, that is a supportive role, to the best of their abilities while all the events of Jesus’ life played out.  They followed Him.  They believed in Him.  They were forgiven and set free by Him.

Mary Magdalene probably was forgiven the most by Jesus.  Jesus removed demons from her seven times.  She was the known prostitute who was prostitute no longer.  Mary the mother of James and John, had once asked Jesus for primary positions for her sons.  Jesus had to defer those positions to the will of His Father.  But she felt comfortable enough with Jesus to make the ask.  And Jesus loved her enough to share the Truth with her in His answer.  Jesus’ mother was also there.  Likely His sisters as well.  Then there was Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus who of the women there, likely had the most hope in what would take place.  For they had seen the words I am the Resurrection and the Life, play out in the raising of their dead brother Lazarus.  Probably also in that crowd was the woman at the well in Samaria, who became the first notable evangelist, converting nearly her entire region by pointing them to Jesus.  By contrast was the woman who had hemophilia and merely touched the hem of His garment.  No one had ever tried that kind of crazy thing before but it worked.  And from then on, everyone lined the roads, doing it as well, and finding the same positive results.  These were women of cast iron faith.

They were there because of the Day of Atonement.  They had traveled to Jerusalem in part for tradition and in part to see Jesus be crowned king as everyone was sure would happen.  But alas, a twist of events brought on by the betrayal of Judas, and the hatred of the men who were religious leaders, and now they were there to witness the object of their divine love up on a Roman cross.  And now dead.  But these women had what men do not.  They were not alone.  They drew strength and encouragement from each other, even though their hearts were breaking.  Tears flowed, yet strength remained.  Jesus was dead, yet still they persisted.  Men did not.  Men were logical, once death sets in, the story was over.  But women were strong enough to peer through the tears and wonder with hope “if” the story was truly over.  Mary and Martha had seen it keep going.  It is certain they shared that hope with the others.

But to avoid being eaten by dogs, which is what happens to bodies after their crucifixion, logistics must now be made most important.  Matthew continues in verse 57 saying … “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: [verse 58] He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.”  Christ would not be eaten by dogs in a mass grave.  He would be buried because of the humility and courage of Joseph, who would make no profit from this.  Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin.  His money would buy him a certain degree of favor with greedy men.  But to align himself with Jesus would make him an immediate outcast with them.  Further, Joseph’s act of kindness, would continue to fulfill prophecy, so Joseph would be even less popular with religious leadership now.  And Pilate, who could not wash the guilt from his mind and soul, consented knowing it would anger the priests.  Pilate being blissfully unaware he too was helping to fulfill prophecy about the burial of Jesus.

Matthew continues in verse 59 saying … “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, [verse 60] And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. [verse 61] And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.”  Matthew talks about Joseph wrapping the body of Jesus in a clean linen cloth.  But to do that, the body would have to be wiped away of all the blood first.  The crown of thorns would have to be removed.  The cross taken down, and spikes removed from His hands and feet.  Any ropes untied.  And hardest of all, His back which had so many chunks of meat removed from it by the cat-of-nine-tails whip with the glass shards tied in the ends would have to be carefully wrapped to try to keep what was left of Jesus in place.  Joseph was one man.  He likely had servants to help.  But the other hands that helped in this horrific process were the hands of the “many” women who were there with tears flowing.

Cast iron faith that can prepare the body of Jesus for burial.  They were burying their Messiah.  There would be NO Roman overthrow, as all this blood was witness to.  Their own persecution was to continue throughout the days of their lives.  Lost hope.  Lost dreams.  Yet still, love demanded they be here, and do what must be done, to give honor and love to their Lord.  If you ask me, it is these women who have earned the place on the right and left hands of Jesus in His Kingdom when it comes.  They did the hardest work anyone will ever have to do.  They did it with broken hearts.  And they did it with love, because of love, because love can make cast iron faith in a woman, if she lets it.  The body is then carried to a new tomb that has never been used before.  Another detail of the prophecy.  Jesus is carefully laid inside, and then a large stone is rolled in front as the door.  The women are there the entire time.  They have seen and helped with every detail.

By contrast, witness the groveling of men at the time.  Matthew continues in verse 62 saying … “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, [verse 63] Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. [verse 64] Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. [verse 65] Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. [verse 66] So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”  First, Friday the day is over, and Sabbath is here, it will continue until sundown.  Priests had made a ton of rules about what can and cannot be done on Sabbath.  They include rules about how many steps can be taken, as well as million other harsh and stupid regulations none of them based in any kind of love for God, or man.

Yet against their own statutes the Priests go to Pilate and beg for a Roman seal, and a Roman guard to watch over the dead body of Jesus.  Only now do they fear the disciples might regain enough courage to steal the dead body of Jesus and try to make up a lie about it.  So Pilate grants them a Centurion, likely the same one who was there at the moment of Christ’s death.  But there is more here than may at first meet the eye.  Centurion is not just a rank, it is an indicator of how many men are under his command.  Chances are good there were a hundred men assigned to this grave guarding duty.  After all, it would be a good break from all the other ugly things Roman soldiers are assigned to do.  There would be only as many as 12 men in opposition, unarmed men, who generally were fishermen and tax collectors, so the odds would be highly in the Romans favor.  Romans would not just send 5 or 6 guys to face 12.  They would send 100 to overwhelm 12 should a skirmish take place.  And with that many, it would be a cake walk.  You could effectively relax for a Saturday and Sunday (the weekend as we know it).  Not likely to be fighting.  Not likely to be facing anything unusual.  Even if Jesus was the Son of God, He was dead now.

But who was there intermingled with these wicked soldiers?  Mary Magdelene and the other Mary, sitting against the grave.  Mary Magdelene was likely not afraid of men like this.  She had seen and serviced her fair share in the past.  She may even know some of these men personally.  Romans did have coin after all.  But neither she nor the other Mary who had always minded her virtue were inclined to forfeit any of it now.  They remained heart broken.  But somehow unable to leave the scene of the continuing crime.  Women with cast iron faith, who even now, had the courage and strength to be in a place long abandoned by male disciples.  Those male disciples would not risk getting anywhere near a Roman soldier as they were paranoid and sure they would be arrested and killed just like their Master, maybe even worse.  Yet the women who faced the same risk, made entirely different choices.  Choices steeped in love.  Love that built a cast iron faith, that could not be shaken by Roman cruelty, or Roman steel.

Who then, by far, is the stronger sex?  And if we can recognize this, it does not diminish our masculinity.  It informs and educates it.  We can cloak our masculinity in the same love, that builds the same faith it does in women.  Our strength can be measured in our commitments made in the concrete of faith, rather than the quicksand of our will.  Our love can be measured as the only yardstick worthy to be used, never again to use the number of pounds we benchpress in a gym.  Our bodies to be given in service of others, not the vanity of self.  And what will emerge is not a confusion of the sexes, or the roles of our sex, but the unity in which both of us come to the cross, do what must be done, in spite of broken hearts and lost dreams.  Yet still in the back of our minds, a nagging hope, of knowing what the words “I am the Resurrection and the Life” mean.