Extreme Courage ...

There are stories of extreme courage when despite heavy risks, and personal danger, a person does what seems like the impossible.  When we hear of these stories, we picture men, in excellent shape, of a young age, able to perform at the peak of their fitness.  Sometimes the stories surprise us, when it is someone older who steps into the breach.  Children can only do so much, so few stories exist here other than heroic fights against disease, or the courage to stop a bully.  But what few of us imagine when the words extreme courage are uttered; is a mom, and a prostitute.  These two are hard to associate with the ideas of extreme courage.  Add to their pair, a servant girl, and then another.  Add to that group a cook, a maid, and a daughter with a famous name.  How could a band of women be associated with terminology we reserve for our military in action, and yet have no military association at all?

Courage begins with standing against the popular.  In a time when reputation is everything, and particularly so for a woman, courage begins with risking it to do what is right, instead of what is popular.  Religious association, being a student of the Word, is one way to help maintain both spirituality and reputation.  Being cut off from religious association for what you do, or what you say, is a recipe for ruin, and ruin on a public scale.  Could you face this, to do what is right?  To face it not boldly in arrogance of your beliefs, but in humility, seeking truth, unsure you have found it.  Courage for a woman in the time of Christ was to ignore the threats of the Sanhedrin to be cast out of the Temple forever, and serve at the feet of Jesus.  Courage was not defined as railing accusations against those still in the wrong, but humble service in the ministry of Jesus.  It was feeding them.  It was washing what needed to be washed.  It was caring, without arrogance and confrontation, all the while suffering the greatest loss a woman could suffer, her reputation damaged beyond repair, in a time when that was all she had.

Courage remains by loving those we should not love.  This was not a group of the holy, it was a group of the injured, the sinful, the untouchables.  Hookers are not often welcomed by women of any church.  Demon possessed hookers even less so.  But Jesus repairs a life, sometimes more than once, and those women never acquainted with such pain, are expected to accept, embrace, and love the reclaimed without limit or reproach.  Hookers, now former, are to love housewives, and vice versa, without a word of condemnation from either.  Hookers who know the hypocrisy of families where husbands cheat in secret.  And housewives who fear the unbridled sexuality of a prostitute will lure away that which should not be lured.  Now intermixed by a Rabbi who loves everyone, in a society that does not.  But not just the hookers are of ill repute.

The woman was alone at the well in Samaria because of who she was, and what she had done.  Her lack of commitment in marriage, her trivial treatment of the forever, had landed her many husbands, and now only a live-in lover.  She too was destined to join this band of women.  She too was to be reclaimed, and after the evangelism in her region which converted so many, would become yet another servant, of no reputation whose name we do not even know.  She too would be listed as only part of “many women” who served and ministered to Jesus and His disciples … as if this was all she did in the furtherance of the gospel, and the redemption of souls.  But acceptance into the collective of other women required forgiveness in the hearts of them all, not just in the heart of Jesus.

These women, one and all, sacrificed their reputations, whether by their deeds in a former life, or by their association with each other in the spirit of forgiveness and love.  And now they were willing, to a woman, to risk their lives in a display of courage the world had never seen.  An act so great, the Holy Spirit will not let Peter forget it.  In the brevity of Peter’s telling of the gospel at its end, Peter takes time to recall what women did.  When the courage of men failed, the courage of women did not.  When the followers of Jesus, His disciples, were scattered to the wind; the assembly of women began.  These women gathered themselves, and presented themselves in growing numbers at His trial.  It was not their voices calling for death in tones of hate.  It was their voices calling for mercy, as it had always been given to them.  But they were drowned out by the screams of evicted demons now bent on revenge.

But women of no repute, continued to assemble, and without fear, or perhaps without concern that it should cost them their very lives.  You cannot stamp out the message of Christ, until you kill all of His followers.  While men hid themselves in upper rooms afraid to see what would transpire, women were out in the places they needed to be.  They followed His procession up the hill of Golgotha in tears, and in association for all to see.  Peter recalls it to John Mark in his gospel in chapter fifteen picking up in verse 40 saying … “There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;” 

Notice Peter first points out that in this group of women is Mary Magdalene.  The Hooker is listed first.  The demon possessed former hooker is listed first, above all other women there.  Why?  Could it be that for whom much is forgiven, much is expected?  Could it be that the woman with the most corrupted idea of love had been reclaimed the farthest in what love is now.  Chief among sinners is listed first.  Reputations of those who follow her, of those who dare to be with her, are done.  Next Peter lists Mary the mother of Jesus, but in an unusual way.  Peter lists her by the names of the siblings of Christ.  So much for the idea of a perpetual virgin.  Mary was a normal wife and mother after the birth of Jesus.  James, Joses, and Salome (whose name was also given to the daughter of Herod Phillipi living with Antipas at the execution of John the Baptist).  These were the names of Jesus’ family at the recollection of Peter.  He would know.  The hooker and the housewife lead this assembly.

Mark continues in verse 41 saying … “(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.”  These women ministered to Jesus, to each other, and to assemblies so large they were hard to number.  They did this at the cost of their reputations, shunned by the religious leadership for association with Jesus.  Shunned by the public, for association with women of ill repute, hookers, divorcees, and such.  They lost what could not be replaced, and without a word of discontent.  For they had found something of far greater value, a vision of love and what love should be, that does not look for credit or disdain, only to serve. 

But this was no book club, knitting circle, or potluck.  They were assembled in the place of a skull.  They had no weapons, or skills to use them.  They were sheep.  They were witnesses to a fallen Lord now dead upon the cross.  They had no one to protect them, or give care should they be raped or killed without mercy from soldiers who paid no mind to the virtue of a woman.  They were Jews in front of Romans.  They were apostates in front of priests and rabbis who governed in absolute control over religious matters.   And their Lord was dead, unable to hear their cries, or offer assistance or love.  Everything they had hoped for was dead on that cross.  Everything they had dreamed of for the Jewish nation was lifeless on that cross.  Jesus hung naked before them, without a shred of dignity.  And they were there assembled as sitting ducks for a raging temple system, and Roman military to do with as they pleased.

Their lives, their reclaimed virtue, their reputations were as vulnerable as it gets, and all of this was by choice.  For the women in this assembly could be in no other place.  They MUST be with their Lord, even if He dies.  Even if He is dead, these women cannot tear themselves away from their Lord.  That is faith.  That is a courage in spite of death or worse, that knows NO fear at all.  This is where a maid, and a cook, and a mother, and a hooker defy the entire Roman empire with steadfast steel in their bones.  This is where Truth stands against the corruption in hearts of religious leaders who wish to kill it.  This is where a housewife comforts a hooker, who reaches back to comfort her.  Jews are amazed by this.  Even in death these women do not flee, they remain.  Even when there is nothing more to gain for any of them, they do not flee, they remain, and they still love each other.  When hope is gone, the extreme courage of a woman is revealed.

This confounds the Roman soldiers in attendance.  Romans have seen families of victims come out to a crucifixion before.  But never does a mother welcome a prostitute in comfort.  Never does such an assembly of women seem to genuinely care for each other in love that defies explanation.  This is not some wailing performed by those hired to wail.  This is silent crying by those who love so deeply no sound can emerge from it.  This is not the noise of grief; it is a grief so profound it lacks all noise.  Where Romans who hate Jews would have been prone to move sin from the crucified to his entourage, no such inclination is present today.  The darkness, the earthquake, the plea of forgiveness from the cross itself, has dampened further ideas of evil in the soldiers at the cross.  These women represent only another marvel the Romans cannot understand.

It is not their perfection that defines this moment, it is their imperfection.  Mary Magdalene is still known for her former life, a hooker, with multiple demons.  She is present, but still imperfect.  She has not transcended as Enoch did, to a life ready for heaven.  She is in its process, but not at its conclusion.  But despite her imperfections, she is here, where she must be.  This is why it is courage.  Because risk is still present, perfection is not.  Damage is still present, immunity is not.  But despite the reality of this situation, a demonstration of true ministry occurs.  Love for each other in full display, even when Jesus is dead.  Love for each other, even when reputations are in the mud, and death is at the doorway, and Jesus will not be here to save them.  This is the moment Peter must recall to John Mark.  And by contrast, to further deepen his own shame.

Peter must faithfully recount the deeds of women, when his own stand in contrast as abject failures.  When our churches stand, and debate the roles of women in the gospel, we forget that in times like these, men fail, and women deliver.  Those who are in tune to the Holy Spirit, who become a vessel of the love of God, are those destined to preach the word.  This assembly was not preaching in word, but the lesson in deed has survived 2000 years, and will live on in infinity, because even when Jesus was dead, love lived on in His followers.  This love was not done in secret, or in a place of convenience, or in denial of who they served.  It was there when He was dead.  It was there when Hope was dead.  It was a courage that could never be mimicked again. 

To be embarrassed to be associated with Jesus in our day … is such a thing possible?  In our modern age when a co-worker, or associate, asks us if we are a Christian; is hesitation still possible from a thought to what our answer will mean to our reputation?  If the answer was not already apparent, the need for the question, is what will break my heart.  If my actions, my words, and my motives are not already in such tight alignment with His, that those who casually know me, must ask if I follow Christ, I still have far to go in my journey.  I want that answer brazenly self-evident.  I want a measure of love from God, to mimic the love of mothers, hookers, servants, and housewives in an age where extreme courage was defined.  To love like that before He had arisen, was proof, that His Father remained.  It was proof that Jesus provides us a connection to His Father.  We are not connected to only Jesus, but to the Holy Spirit, and to His Father.  This was reconciliation His death was to accomplish for us, and we need only do the simplest of things: to accept it.

Then watch what a reclaimed life looks like.  Watch how extreme courage becomes so common it can no longer be thought of as courage, but just as nature.  Witness how the love for a hooker becomes transcendent.  Love that is no longer a filthy thing, but a holy thing, able to flow from husbands and housewives alike without a moment of condemnation from anyone.  Watch how a risen Lord, who reclaims lives, can change how you love so profoundly that words lose their ability to describe it …

 

New Life ...

The Sabbath had ended while Jesus had rested from His work of our salvation lying in the tomb.  Even in death, the precepts of the law had been maintained.  But with the Sabbath over, and the first day of the week arriving, it was time to resume His work, and go about the business of our redemption.  The darkness was now to give way to a light as bright as the noon day sun.  Angels were sent from the throne of God, angels who had SO longed to intervene to protect their Lord from making the sacrifice He made for love of us.  These angels were now given leave to go before the Roman company who had been assigned to guard the tomb of Christ and roll away the stone, breaking the Roman seal, and preparing the way of the Lord’s awakening.  There would be no resistance.  Mere mortal killing machines trained and hardened in battle, brought up to believe in the reality of gods of war, watched in unison at these beings of light moving the giant stone as if it were a pebble in front of them.  The angels they saw had no fear at all, and seemed bent on reclaiming the dead man in this tomb.  No salary was worth a fight with supernatural beings of strength they could barely comprehend.  They watched, but could not resist.  They bore witness, and knew the penalty for failure, but unlike the Jews, they were unwilling to take on the God of the universe in a dispute.

Then the Roman company from their centurion to their lowliest foot soldier saw the impossible become possible.  The dead man awoke and walked out of His tomb in front of them all.  Many were sure to have recognized Him from the proceedings that they took place in just days earlier.  Some might have woven the crown of thorns; others might have struck Him and mocked Him asking Him to prove His divinity to them.  Still others might have helped drive the nails into His hands, or put the spear through His side.  It is likely these men would have been assigned this heretofore seemingly meaningless grave guard duty, both due to the convenience of Pilate, and to the designs of our God.  For you see, these men were to bear witness to the rebirth of new life.  Their requests for proof of the divinity of Christ were to be answered, in a way they least expected.  Their witness was not designed to be punitive to them.  Christ did not emerge from His grave bent on revenge on these who stood before Him.  He did not come out with sword in hand, nor give the attending angels a command to unleash their fury upon these wicked men.  Generally in a war, this was the custom.  The Romans knew what defeat looked like.  They had seen it in the faces of their enemies.  They knew the losing side lost their lives and their freedom.  And now facing these angels, and their Lord who had returned from death itself – it was the Roman company on the losing side of this war against evil.   But death was not to be their fate.  Like us, Christ was still and only keenly interested in their redemption.  He had just paid the penalty of their sins and ours.  Now was not a time to kill a “former” enemy, but instead to reveal the power of love, and the rebirth of new life.

Each soldier present was to bear witness that death could be overcome by the power of God.  Death was slave to the love of Christ.  Death would not be the permanent condition we find ourselves in.  We can be reborn.  We can come back to life, the life of love Christ intends to give us NOW, and at the end of all things.  New life is to be His gift.  He brings it with Him as He emerges from the grave.  He does not look upon those who wounded Him with hatred, but instead with love and peace, and charity.  The gaze of His eyes, melts the hearts of men who have known only killing, hatred, and the sure knowledge of a certain violent and early death.  The most hardened among them, now see themselves and the deeds they have done in the light of Truth, and the light of His love.  They, like us, recognize the enormity of the pain they have directly caused this Lord because of the deeds we all do by intent.  They, like us, know they deserve death and the pain that precedes it.  But they, like us, see no revenge or anger or punishment in His eyes, instead they see only the most burning love and care and concern, and desire to heal, revive, and resurrect them into a new life.

 Where in any other circumstance, a failure of a mission this size, would have resulted in a mass desertion and exodus to flee for their lives.  In any other circumstance, if they had been taken by surprise by a Jewish mob and had failed at their mission, they would have faced certain death by their masters and commanders.  But not here, not now.  Instead they return to Pilate to bear witness to what they have seen.  And Pilate KNOWS they are telling the truth.  For He too has born witness of the Truth.  He now agonizes over his own role in the condemnation of the son of the only God.  He now shares their collective grief over his acquiescence to the Jewish religious leadership in condemning innocent and divine blood to a death, even if it was only short lived.  He knew before; this was wrong.  He knew before; a God stood before him.  And now 100 soldiers speak in unison and without inconsistency about the arrival of dead bearing new life into the world.  His soldiers are all accounted for; none were killed by this God upon His awakening.  The angels took no revenge.  This was unexpected.  This was different.  The testimony of the soldiers was of the love in the eyes of Christ.  There was a complete absence of hate, a complete absence of malice, a complete absence of self.  The risen God seemed only to long to ease the pain and guilt of this company of men.  Not only for their recent atrocities committed against God Himself, but for the entirety of their lives unto this point.  Christ wanted to free them from their past.  Like us, He wanted to bring the freedom that love offers, and the new life that is the hallmark of this freedom from the past.  He brings us freedom from the people who we have become.

The soldiers face no death sentence for their failure.  Pilate will take no further steps to make the priests happy and continue a war against God.  Pilate instead releases His men and looks to ponder the meaning of the response of love against all the hate he has witnessed.  The priests however, now fully realizing they have lost everything, STILL cling to their desire to maintain religious power over the people.  So they attempt to bribe the soldiers with silver and gold to keep them from talking, or if they speak, to lie and say the followers of Christ simply stole his body in the night.  But their attempts at bribery are misguided.  To admit that kind of failure would be to invite a death sentence for sure.  To wallow in the ways of death, and lies of the past, is to only embrace death.  But the Truth is liberating.  The Truth was believed by Pilate, and could not even be denied by the priests.  The Truth presented the opportunity for something new in their future.  Each of them now had reason to seek out more about this new Truth.  Each of them now wondered how their own lives might be irrevocably altered by their encounter with God.  These men would now take a story into the world and plant seeds with many that would be harvested by the power of His Holy Spirit in later days.  Rome itself would be altered.  Rome itself would be changed.  Rome itself would see love bring a new life.

John, in his gospel, was unaware of these events.  Perhaps he had been busy moving Mary, the mother of Jesus, into his home after the burial.  Perhaps he had been a while getting to the upper room to seek sanctuary from the anger of the priests and leaders.  It was not John, nor any of the others, who would first go to attend to their buried Lord.  Instead it was Mary Magdalene.  The former prostitute and now ardent disciple herself, would find no shame in seeking to attend her fallen Lord.  Mary knew that a company of rough and vile men awaited her at the grave site.  But Mary had spent a lifetime dealing with rough and vile men.  She imagined she could handle herself well enough to do what needed to be done in checking on her Lord.  But John records in his gospel in chapter 20 in verse one … “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. [verse 2] Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”  Notice Mary did not enter the tomb.  Instead, expecting to find a company of 100 Roman soldiers, she finds none.  Expecting to find a great stone and unbroken Roman seal upon the tomb, the stone has been moved and the seal has been broken.  She immediately assumes, the Romans must have moved Him in the early hours.  She assumes He has been stolen and who knows what they are doing to Him now.  So she runs to tell the others the bad news.

John writes out the response he and Peter had to the news of Mary beginning in verse 3 … “Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. [verse 4] So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. [verse 5] And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.”  The adrenal glands of John kicked in to overdrive and he simply out runs Peter to get to the tomb.  But they are not so hyped up as to overcome his fears about encountering the dead, and so John stops at the door of the tomb.  That was close enough for him at the moment.  He continues in verse 6 … “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, [verse 7] And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. [verse 8] Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. [verse 9] For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. [verse 10] Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.”  Notice again, when Peter arrives he sees the grave clothes folded and laid nearly inside the tomb.  John now enters and confirms what Peter has found, no body, and grave clothes folded neatly.  At this point both disciples believe what Mary has said, they have taken His body, and they have no idea where He is now.  The thought of resurrection has still not entered their minds.  And they have missed the obvious clue – if the Romans had taken Him, why would they be so careful as to fold the grave clothes and leave them neatly behind?  The Romans after all, had torn his clothing into 4 parts, and threw dice for His cloak.  Romans were least of all, clean and neat.  But in any case, what was clear, was that Christ was no longer in this tomb.

Given this new turn of events, the disciples are all more depressed than ever.  Peter and John return to their homes, but Mary is so heartbroken she does not even have the energy to do that.  Instead she can move no further, she can take no more, her grief is just too much, and she slinks down to the ground, right where she is and begins to weep.  She sobs for the sadness at the separation from her Lord, the source of life and love.  This is a pain that Christ knows all too well Himself.  For upon the cross, while carrying the stain of our sins upon Him, He too was forced to be separated from His Father for the first time in the history of the universe.  That separation broke His heart and killed Him.  So Christ knows what Mary is feeling.  Despite the universal importance of His mission of our redemption, of even Mary’s redemption, He must delay His work and see to the needs of the former prostitute who lies weeping without shame upon the ground in front of His empty tomb.  So with the universe still hanging in the balance, Christ MAKES time for Mary.  Nothing is more important to Christ than the object of His love and affection, even when the needs of the many seem more important to us, the needs of the one were what His love was all about.  Were we to see it rightly, we would share His priorities and attend to the one sheep in need, with Him in this effort, not waiting for Him to return to the ninety nine.

John records in verse 11 … “But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, [verse 12] And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. [verse 13] And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.”  Angels were first dispatched to see to the needs of Mary, and when she sees them she reveals her grief is still founded on the idea that Christ remains dead, and has simply been moved to a place she is unable to find.  Mary again is missing the obvious in front of her.  She is conversing with two angels in an empty tomb.  But her grief is clouding her judgment and her sadness is overwhelming her reason.  John continues in verse 14 … “And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. [verse 15] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”  She is so grief struck that she does not recognize Jesus though He is standing right in front of her.  She is so overcome with her own beliefs that even upon hearing his voice she thinks He is the gardener, not her Lord.  Sometimes when we become so certain of our scriptural understandings and beliefs in our doctrines, we too are unable to perceive the Lord when He is right in front of us.  We become so dogmatic that we miss His voice, miss the clues, miss the angels, and see only what we believe that denies us the access to the God we profess to follow.  Like Mary we are distracted and overcome by what we think.

Even now, she believes perhaps the gardener moved Christ, or at least might have some idea about where the Romans might have taken Him.  John continues in verse 16 … “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”  Jesus does for Mary, what He must do for ALL of us; He breaks through her stubborn thinking and calls her out by name.  He reveals Himself to her, despite what she believes, despite what she is so sure is the truth, and instead reveals the Truth of Himself to her.  He undoes her entire belief system in a single instant, and reveals to her that New Life is found only within Himself.  The entire sacrificial system and its meaning to Mary is at an end in that instant.  The debates of the Pharisees who spend a lifetime considering the meaning of a given passage of scripture pales in comparison to an instant in front of the living God.  We need not be scholars to experience Christ, in fact, it might be a detriment to think ourselves so wise in the ways of the scriptures.  Better to be Mary, overcome with sadness at the thought of separation from Christ, and as such given a personal revelation of Jesus Himself.  Jesus calls Mary out of the history of her beliefs, and instills within her the only truth that matters, Himself.  Jesus reveals to Mary and us, that salvation is found in Him alone.  He must be our leader.  He must be the cornerstone of our beliefs.  He must bring to us the new life, if new life is what we are to experience.

But then John reveals how much Jesus cares for the needs of just one woman who seeks Him with the entirety of her being.  Jesus proceeds to tell her in verse 17 … “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. [verse 18] Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.”  Jesus reveals to her, that He has delayed the very work of our salvation to make time to see her and comfort her.  She must not touch Him as yet, because He can carry no stain of our sin before He sees if His sacrifice was enough for our redemption with His Father.  Even though He is unsure if because of carrying our sins He may never again be fully reunited with His Father, He still pauses to see to the needs of just one aching soul.  Instead, He bids her to tell the disciples the incredibly good news of salvation and new life He brings.  He is ALIVE. 

The first gospel commission is given not to men, but to a woman, a woman who had formerly been known as the greatest of sinners, a woman who before had been possessed of demons, and known of many a lustful man.  This woman’s former life was as bad as it gets.  But not her new life.  Her new life was to begin with a direct calling and mission and message from the Son of God Himself, to His most ardent followers.  Mary was to be the first one to carry the gospel to the church itself.  Mary was to be the messenger to those who would later call themselves leaders.  Mary would minister to them.  Mary would be first to lead them.  Mary would attempt to inspire hope in them with the Truth of Jesus Christ.  Christ did not send Mary to His followers because she was a woman, but because she was there, she cared, and she ached to see Him again.  She was willing.  She was faithful.  She obeyed.  And neither did Christ discriminate against her because she was a woman.  Debate over – our sex and our past has nothing to do with our fitness to minister for Christ.  When we are called to new life – ALL can serve as He wishes.

And Mary did as Jesus asked.  She returned to the others and began to share the good news.  But the men she ministered to, held to their own stubborn beliefs.  They would not be convinced by the emotional ramblings of a woman with such a checkered past.  They instead would cling to the grief they held on to.  They would refuse to be made free by the truth of the gospel which Mary would share.  It was not that these men did not hear her testimony; it was that they refused to believe it in their own hearts.  Had they been willing to hear the message of the Lord from the vessel He had sent, there would have been no need for Christ to personally appear to confirm the truth of what Mary had relayed.  But men, then and now, are stubborn.  Men refuse to believe that a woman could be called upon by God to deliver so important a truth.  Further, even today, we believe that the misdeeds a person has engaged in disqualify them from being a vessel of messages of truth.  We associate the person with the message, instead of separating the truth of what they say from the weaknesses of their lives.  Mary was speaking the truth given to her by Christ Himself.  She could not undo what she was, but through Christ, she was called to be something else.  She delivered His message; that He was ascending to His God and their God.  He was ascending to His Father and their Father.  We were being elevated to be considered family with God Himself.  This was incredible news, both then and now, yet men would not hear it from the mouth of a woman.

100 Roman soldiers knew the truth.  Mary had heard the most incredible message from the mouth of Christ Himself.  101 people had seen the risen Lord, alive and walking among us.  The first fruits of His kingdom had given the message of His divinity throughout Jerusalem for 3 days.  The priests knew the truth.  Pilate knew the truth.  But those men who SHOULD have known the truth, and been the first to embrace it, were not convinced by the testimony of others.  They would not hear the message of the one who God had called to take them the good news.  Instead, like the Pharisees, and like us, they clung to their own understanding of scriptures, and what they had witnessed, and refused to accept the testimony of another on the topic.  They, like us, judged the messenger as unworthy, and so refused to accept the truth Christ was trying to share with them and bring them joy in the process.  They, like us, had preconceptions about the roles of women and men when it comes to the preaching and teaching of the gospel.  As such the one who was willing, and the one who was chosen, was ignored by those who thought themselves as leaders and not followers.  They chose to cling to their sadness instead.  So like He had done for Mary, Christ would now need to wipe away the preconceptions of His own followers, and reveal to them, as to us, the Truth of Himself …

 

Book of Signs - Samaritans (witness number six) ...

Those people.  Those folks who obviously do not have the truth, refuse to accept the light, choose to live in darkness.  You know the types, living fast and loose, ignoring all the rules, playing by their own ideas.  They claim to know the Lord, but really, how could they?  After all, they refuse to accept our doctrines of truth, therefore – they remain “those people”.  So am I referring to Catholics, or Baptists, or Adventists; perhaps it depends on who you are, and who “they” are.   For the Jews, “those people” referred to the Samaritans.  The historical tribes of Benjamin and Judah split with their other ten brothers just past the reign of Solomon many years earlier.  The northern kingdom of ten tribes had a dilemma, in that temple worship was conducted in Jerusalem.  This required them all to travel down there, and make southern kingdom priests fat with tithes and offerings; so one of the northern leaders decided to erect an “alternate” worship location.  Obviously it did not contain the Ark of the Covenant, or for that matter any other historically valuable artifacts of the temple worship system, but it was a place the northern tribes could gather without having to go to Jerusalem in the south to worship.

Of course the net result of trying to provide a “human” based alternative to the ideas that God had blessed, was inevitably decay.  It was not long before northern tribes were engaging in worship that had nothing to do with the God of Israel, and everything to do with the gods of sex.  Promiscuity, then and now, has been the downfall of many a believer.  The surrounding nations had seemingly awesome sexual practices wrapped up in their own ideas about worship.  They often included orgies, and sanctioned prostitution.  Going to “confess” in one of their temples usually meant paying the priest to have some “quality” time with the temple prostitutes.  And minus birth control, this often resulted in babies, many, many, babies.  Well, being the proprietor of a “worship” system that sells women to men, you don’t need too many boy babies, but you do keep the new crop of girl babies because they can grow up and become part of the revenue stream.  So, what to do with the boy babies?  Sacrifice to the gods of course, toss them in the fires of Molech, or Baal, or pick your fertility god that demands blood for his favor.  And so, the northern tribes participated in the sexual promiscuity of the surrounding nations, and did nothing when the fruits of their encounters were tossed into the fires, or turned into a new generation of sex slaves.  Isn’t life outside of God’s plans just grand?  Not for the kids I would guess.  And when life reached this point of depravity, God could just not take it anymore, and Israel would be invaded by a foreign nation.

Only after Israel repented, did the invasion cease.  But it would not be long before, the lure of unlimited sex, replaced the memory of a foreign invasion, and the cycle would begin all over again.  Most every historically wicked king, came from the northern tribes.  Ahab and his queen Jezebel came from this place.  So for the Jews in the south, who by the way, were not exactly squeaky clean themselves, when it came to sexual promiscuity, or walking away from the practices of God; the people of the north became known collectively as Samaritans.  Samaritans were looked down upon.  Samaritans were to be avoided at all costs.  An upstanding Jew does not want to find himself having anything to do with “those people”.  Samaritans had chosen to walk away from the light.  Samaritans had chosen to blend themselves with the surrounding nations, thus polluting the bloodlines of Abraham.  Samaritans were blatant about it.  Samaritans were “lesser” Jews, and generally “lesser” people.  It was against this historical and social context, that Christ travels directly in to the territory of the Samaritans.

What on earth could He have been thinking?  His disciples were not priests or leaders, but they were not ignorant of what the appearance of traveling into Samaria on purpose would look like for their leader.  They followed Christ where He went.  Perhaps if He was traveling to Samaria, it was to give “those people” the long awaited judgment for the wickedness of their past.  Samaritans had it coming after all.  Perhaps before we chase out the Romans, we start with purifying those errant, stubborn, stiff necked wicked workers we know to be Samaritans.  So if this was to be Jesus’ first trip to clean out the wickedness of the Samaritans, they would gladly go along and watch “those people” get what’s coming to them. 

Christ found himself by a well that Jacob dug a long time ago (no small feat in times past).  The discovery of water in a generally arid land is a pretty big deal.  How do you know where to look?  How do you know that the hole your digging would not just lead to more dirt?  So when Jacob is blessed to find water, he changes the economy of the entire area.  With water comes life.  With water comes commerce and trade, and income.  With water nearby, a city or community can begin.  So it was where Jesus had found himself.  His disciples were sent into the nearby city to purchase meat, as they were all hungry and tired from their journey there.  I’m certain they were not too happy to have to go “deal” with the Samaritans to buy food.  But better they should do it, than see their precious Master, tarnished by an encounter with “those people”.  And off they went.

But as Jesus is sitting there, a local Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water.  At this time in history, women usually went to the well in groups, for social as well as practical purposes.  You are less likely to be hassled or robbed in a group, and it’s a good chance to catch up on all the local gossip.  But this woman came alone, likely because of “who” she was.  Even within “those people”, the town slut, was to be avoided.  Perhaps she knew better than to hang out with the other women that might see her as a threat.  Perhaps she just ran out of water that day, and needed more.  No matter the reason, she went to find water.  For with water, life is possible.

In the Gospel of John chapter 4 and verse 7 Jesus says to her … “Give me to drink.”  What!?  Really?!  A Jew is going to ask for water from a Samaritan woman, and inevitably drink from the same cup she uses.  This is unheard of.  “Those people” know what to expect from the Jews.  They know who they are.  And they know from personal experience, no self-respecting Jew, has anything to do with them if it can be avoided at all costs.  But here is Jesus with no bucket, and no cup, asking water from a Samaritan woman, of her.  In verse 9 she gets over her surprise and states the obvious … “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”  What’s the matter Jesus, did you forget the rules?  You guys don’t ask anything of us.  You should know that, we do.

Jesus responds in verse 10 … “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”  Here Jesus says something often overlooked, he prompts her that if she knew “the gift of God”.  The gift of God is salvation from WHO we are.  It is not the Samaritan in her, Jesus wishes to change.  It is the bondage to sin He wishes to free her from.  The gift of God is freedom from evil.  That gift is on the table for this woman who stands before Him.  Next He eludes to the idea, that “who” He is, is someone she would be thrilled to encounter.  For Christ has something for her, that no other man could ever offer her; Christ is offering her “living water”.  With water comes life.  Christ is offering her a renewal from within.  He is offering her a life free from the slavery of evil, and in its place a well spring of “living water” that will not run dry, expire, or go away.  It is a guarantee of salvation, from “who” she is, not because of being a Samaritan, but because of being bound to sin, and self-service.

In verse 11 she replies … “Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? [verse 12] Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?”  She does not understand what He is referring to, and again is pointing out the obvious.  You have nothing to draw with, and it is a miracle to find water anywhere out here.  Could it be, you are able to do miracles, greater than finding a well in a desert?  Jesus tries again in verse 13 saying … “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: [verse 14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”  Again he puts freedom from evil on the table for this woman, a gift of Salvation that will see her fully and finally saved from herself.

Again, she misses the point, but the idea that she would never have to come to this well again and draw water sounds appealing.  At least then, she does not have deal with the other town’s women.  She does not have to be the butt of their jokes, or try to keep her private social life hidden from view.  After all, if one is to avoid a public stoning, one must be delicate and secretive about one’s indiscretions.  So in verse 15 she responds … “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”  Jesus responds to her again in a way she does not expect.  In verse 16 He says … “Go, call thy husband, and come hither.”  The gift of salvation is not exclusively just for you either.  Instead bring those who you love, your family, those you care about, and let’s have everyone enjoy what I am offering.  Here is Jesus asking not only to deal with her, and frankly to give her a gift, for no apparent reason.  Now here is Jesus inviting her to bring her family here and He will share this gift with everyone.  Here is a Jew actually asking to deal with even more Samaritans.  This is truly a unique encounter.  But, technically she has no husband at the moment, so …

In verse 17 she states the facts … “I have no husband.”  No need to discuss my past, and in my present, things are not where they should be, so she will keep this plain and simple.  Jesus replies … “Thou hast well said, I have no husband: [verse 18] For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.”  Busted!  Despite the fact that I have never met this man, he knows my entire history.  He knows things I have kept hidden from everyone.  He knows things frankly there is no way He could know, without divine intervention.  Therefore He must be a prophet.  It has been a long while since there was a prophet in Israel.  It has been a long while since there was someone who spoke for God, and relayed the messages of truth God needed to tell the people.  Since she has obviously found one, let’s get right down to the most divisive question of the day, the one that has separated Jews from Samaritans from the beginning.

In verse 20 she asks … “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”  Upon this question, hangs the entire basis of separation from the Jews from her perspective.  The sexual promiscuity is something both have been guilty of in the past, but the fundamental religious differences are enough to keep one group of believers referring to another group of believers as “those people” for eternity.  How poignant that in the Christian world of today, we are no better than our Jewish spiritual forefathers.  Because one group of believers who accept the salvation of Jesus Christ does not precisely agree with every other doctrine we hold sacred, each group of believers sees the other as “those people”.  Each Christian denomination looks upon its contemporaries as spiritual Samaritans.  Our doctrines have divided us, no less than this single question divided Jew from Samaritan.  She simply wants to know from God through the mouth of this “prophet”, who is really right.

In verse 21 Jesus answers her … “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.”  Heresy!  Had the Jewish leaders been standing nearby they would have likely stoned Jesus on the spot.  How on earth could Jesus deny that Jerusalem was “the” place to worship God?  The woman had to have been completely surprised by this answer, as Jesus did not state the historical Jewish position, nor did He concur with her forefathers.  In effect, Jesus was saying, both groups had it wrong, and that soon something completely different was going to take place.  Were Jesus here today, I wonder if His answers to our doctrinal differences would be any different – you both have it wrong.  Christ was trying to tell this woman that the divisions between the Samaritans and Jews over the location of worship were meaningless.  The “where” is less important than either of them think.  The “who” matters more.

In verse 22 Jesus goes on to debunk the claims of her forefathers … “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [verse 23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: …”  Jesus is saying the claims of her forefathers had no basis in reality.  The Jews knew what they worshipped for their system of worship pointed forward to salvation.  But that is not the point.  The real meat and potatoes is in verse 23, the hour is coming, and frankly is here, when “true” worshippers shall worship in spirit and in truth.  What the Jews had missed was true worship.  Doing it in the right place, was not as important as doing it in right way.  Not just through the forms and rituals, but in the hearts and minds.  This was the key to true worship that Jesus was trying to share with both Jew and Samaritan.

Jesus continues … “for the Father seeketh such to worship him. [verse 24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”  It is the inside that counts.  It is the heart and the mind, the will and the emotion, the desire, this is where real worship comes from.  It comes from a renewed life, from a life that has been set free from the pain and bondage of evil.  This is what the Father is longing to give to the world, and what results in true worship.  How can we worship a God, who we have allowed to do NOTHING for us?  Our gratitude for temporal blessings is pale and empty.  It is not temporal blessings alone that God is longing to bestow on us, He is longing to show us what real freedom is like.  He is longing to re-create the core of who we are, changing and restoring our desires to be what they should be, instead of what we have made of them.  He longs to break our chains to self and the pain that comes from serving self, and show us the freedom of what it really means to truly love someone else.  It is this freedom that makes us grateful.  Our wealth, our health, our families are nothing next the freedom God offers to us from within.  Only then can we truly appreciate how much we love our families, how great it is to be healthy, what a wonderful opportunity our wealth allows us to share with those in need.  Before we are made free, we turn all these blessings inward, and treat God like a Santa-Clause, instead of a liberator.  Jesus cuts through the non-sense of a form of religion and zeroes in on the heart.

At this point the Holy Spirit has now grasped hold of the heart and mind of the woman at the well.  It does not matter to God that the Samaritan doctrine is not pure by Jewish standards.  It does not matter to God, that this particular Samaritan is no saint, and has a checkered past, where her secret life of chains to sex has always kept her in bondage.  God was not looking for perfection first, He was looking only for someone who would allow Him to fix the broken wreck of their lives, and offer them the perfection He so longs to give.  This woman now, has embraced this longing, and has decided to open herself to her Lord.  And so, the Holy Spirit is already hard at work within her, revealing to her, this is no ordinary prophet.  He is something more.  Should she dare bring it up?  Should she dare reveal what she is thinking?  Could this be the one who all of Israel and the world has so longed to see?

In verse 25 she hopes against hope and says … “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”  No one has ever taught the doctrines of the heart that Jesus has just revealed to her.  In a few sentences He has destroyed the division between Jew and Samaritan.  He is willing to ask water of her, knowing full well who she is.  He still wants to offer her a living water she can barely grasp the concept of.  And now the Holy Spirit is prompting her as to who He really is.  Jesus Himself responds … “I that speak unto thee am he.”  Praise God.  It is God who she has been talking to.  She knows more about the Messiah than most of her Jewish contemporaries.  She knows He is not just man, but God in human form.  She has been conversing not with a mere prophet, but with the Son of God, who has personally promised to save her from herself.   A one-on-one audience with the Son of God, who despite her sin, has promised to save her.  He did not care that her doctrine was less than perfect.  He did not care that her past was less than stellar.  He only thinks to love her, and redeem her, and offer her a freedom from within that will never run dry, or expire.  Here life is transformed.  Here is living water enacted from within.

Water at the well is no longer important to either of them.  The woman appears to have forgotten Christ’s original request, drops her pot, and runs to the city to share what has just been revealed to her.  A transformed life CANNOT be silent.  A transformed life MUST share immediately the awesome news of what has just happened.  She needed no commission from the church to begin a formal class on how to witness to others.  She needed no ordination to become a formal minister destined to reach the lives of others.  Instead she drops what she is doing, and does the only thing that now fully consumes WHO she is.  She runs to the town, to tell everyone who will listen, the news that the Messiah is here.  Not just here on earth, but here in their town, at their well, waiting to offer every one of them, the same gift of transformation that now compels her to seek an audience with as many as will listen to her.  She is no longer hiding from the shame of who she was, salvation is bigger than that.  Salvation is more important than pride, or shame.  It is life altering.  And this is something the transformed life MUST share with others.  It is too important to sit still, let others do it, or wait for approval on.  It must be shared in real time with real people, right now, and right here.  This is what it truly means to witness.  It is to testify of a personal experience.  If it has not happened to you yet, you have nothing to say yet.  When it does, you will not be able to keep your mouth shut.

The passion of her testimony reveals the work of the Holy Spirit to those who she talks to, and it yields results.  For her this is no numbers game about how many converts she can add to the rosters of a church.  It is a reaction to a life altering experience which she is literally driven to share.  Those who hear her words, and see her passion, are not complacent, but are curious.  How could this person be so bold?  How could this person be so changed, unashamed, and on spiritual fire?  Her words could not be ignored, because they were more than theory and speculation, they were more than intellectual debate and thesis.  They were based on a passion that comes from having a life altering transformation with the only Son of God.  And in verse 30 are perhaps the most precious of results … “Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.”  They acted.  They listened and they acted.

Many Samaritans believed simply because of the words of this woman.  Her testimony was so powerful it was compelling, authentic, and true.  After speaking directly with Jesus they reach the same conclusion, and have him stay with them for two more days.  Two more days of interrupted time with the God of the Universe, and the Savior of mankind; and in verse 41 it says … “And many more believed because of his own word; [verse 42] And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”  Samaritans knew something the Jews had completely missed.  Samaritans knew a truth the very disciples of Jesus had completely missed.  Christ was not only the Savior of the Jews, He was the Savior of the world.  He was there to save them too.  Two days with Christ turned an entire field ripe for harvest, a harvest of souls for the kingdom.  When He left that city, they did not all start heading off to Jerusalem to observe temple rituals.  This was a doctrinal truth from the Jewish perspective.  Instead they did something even more important; they worshipped in Spirit and in Truth.  Messiah had come to Samaria, and did not walk away empty-handed. 

It was more important to Christ to redeem a single lost Samaritan woman, than it was to worry about her doctrinal purity, or personal weaknesses.  A belief in His ability to save her from herself, would reveal truth to her that neither Jew nor Samaritan had ever understood before that encounter.  An understanding of scriptures could not save her, but an acceptance of Jesus would lead her to a deeper understanding that she could have previously never imagined.  It is Jesus who saves us, not our doctrines, our education, or our ideas about truth interpreted from the scriptures.  It is Jesus alone.  This was the beauty of the gospel brought to “those people”.  As it turned out “those people” were actually His people.  He would save them like He saves us, despite what we think we know.  It is our arrogance to think we know the whole of truth, and that only our interpretation could be correct or complete.  It is Christ that reveals what is truly important.  It is Christ that alone is truth.

But this encounter, not only had a profound effect on the Samaritan community.  It also affected the disciples.  In verse 27 John records … “upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman:”  Here they had gone into town so that Christ would not have to sully Himself with dealing with Samaritan men, but they return to find Him speaking with a Samaritan woman no less.  They were too timid to give voice to their prejudice, but they were thinking it.  Deciding to just eat, they offer Him meat, but Jesus is no longer hungry.  Instead He will try to teach His disciples that the redemptive work of God means more to Him than even His basic human needs.  To do the will of God, is more invigorating, more rewarding, and more fulfilling than anything else on earth, even basic human functions.  In verses 33 through 38, Jesus elevates the conversation by reminding his disciples they are to work the harvest of souls.  From the eye of God, the fields were ripe and ready for harvest.  Christ would sow the seeds, and they would work the fields later.  What Jesus was saying to those who would follow Him, was … there is no such thing as “those people.”

 

Resolved Whores ...

There are those that teach the Bible says we should give unto others, in order that we might receive for ourselves.  On subscribing to this philosophy, we begin to believe that by giving our offerings, tithes, or performing other “good works” that the blessings of Heaven are poured out on us and that we will become rich as a reward for our generosity.  The book of Malachi describes this a bit.  And to an extent this phenomenon is true, but the cause and effect have been distorted, and in the mean time we have eagerly learned how to be whores.

Women in particular, are quite resistant to the idea that they might be called whores with accuracy.  When a woman marries for money, others are quick to point out it is only another form of prostitution (a legal one).  But the idea that a seemingly faithful woman, who has not strayed out of her marital vows, and whose reason for marrying was indeed love – to be called a whore is a quite unpleasant thing.  Men, in general, are more accepting of being called this term, merely writing it off to the “error of their youthful pursuits”.  But to tell a man that he may be actively selling his love or his honor for money, would not go down so smooth either.

But how do you ask, can an entire generation be classified under this cruel kind of banner?  Well it begins this way … First, I am not referring to physical sexual fidelity.  Sexual expression, as we have discussed in prior blogs, is really at heart an expression of supreme intimacy with another person, a unity of mind, body, and soul.  This is the kind of unity God would like with each of us (the unity of mind and soul – not so much body).  God’s love for each of us is unconditional and complete.  He reaches out to us before we are even aware He is there.  But our God is not a pimp, nor a “john” walking the streets looking to score.  He does not offer us blessings in exchange for our performance (or good works).

In point of fact, our God offers us blessings in spite of what we deserve.  The sun and the rain fall upon the wicked and righteous.  God pours out His love on each of His children, despite whether they may love Him or not – the fact is, He loves them.  Ever wonder why it seems that the wicked prosper?  How do all those fat-cats on Wall Street get there?  How do all those rich Saudi oil princes get so rich?  We may not like those folks too much, after all their wealth is earned by our collective sweat, but God still loves each of them.  He works hard with each “rich” person in the world, just like He works hard with you or me.  When someone like a Warren Buffett, or a Bill Gates decides to give back – the impacts are felt globally.

But the best part about Warren or Bill giving back is that they have no expectations of getting even richer from their charity.  They are truly giving money away, not expecting to see it again.  It is not a bribe to the man upstairs, in order to gain favor, or worse, get rich quicker – it is a true gift back to the world, and those in need.  Those who pursue scripture as a giant vending machine in the sky, are completely missing the point on how blessings are gained, and what it means to be truly rich, truly free, or truly loved – they are in point of fact – resolved whores.  They resolve only to give when they can gain, or as a means of it.  They are selling their love to a God who is refusing to buy.

So then, what is the motive to ever give?  The reason why this idea is so popular from Christian pulpits that you must give in order to receive, is that ministries rely on donations.  If a minister told you to stop giving, he would be holding a gun to his own ministry’s head.  If he told you that God would bless you regardless of your worthiness, and regardless of your giving level, you might get greedy wouldn’t you?  After all this is what the Israelites did with all their blessings in the olden days, they just kept on accumulating.  The whores of old had ambitions of becoming bankers.  Instead of giving back, they took the blessings and used them to earn even more wealth and more blessings and became even richer as a people – kinda like us today – we try to use each gift to make us wealthier and invest little in giving back to the world.

But again I ask, why give at all?  Christ told the rich young ruler to sell ALL that he had, give it to the poor, and come follow Him.  Why sell everything?  Wouldn’t he then be poor himself, destitute of all the world’s wealth, is not this counter-intuitive?  The rich young ruler thought so and went away sad, he would rather keep his wealth, than become the 13^th apostle.  Amazing the pull of wealth on the soul.  Maybe this why we should start looking as wealth as more a burden on us in a spiritual sense, and less of a blessing in itself.  With wealth comes ease, complacency, and perhaps even increased selfishness.  Yet Christ’s own words contained a blessing that was consistent with the rest of scripture, he said if the rich man sold ALL his stuff, he would have – “treasure in heaven”.  This was promise of true wealth, this was a promise ALL of us greedy folks can sink our teeth into.  Was Christ referring to golden crowns adorned with diamonds the clarity of the sun, with more carrots than Bugs Bunny might enjoy?  Was Christ referring to a social structure in heaven where wealth would designate prominence even in a heavenly kingdom as some might enjoy here on earth?  What kind of treasure was He referring to?

A widow gave 2 mites (or think of it as two pennies) in church.  Her gift was small, but it was ALL she had, and as such Christ declared she gave more than all those around her who were giving massive sums into the till.  Her treasure was her.  The rich man’s promised treasure was the widow, and the poor people whose lives would be changed by the rich man’s generosity.  There would be PEOPLE in heaven because of the changes they would see in the life of the rich man who gave it all up to be with Jesus.  He would have had a ministry of his own.  After the death and resurrection of Christ he would have been one of the 12 who would have had great deeds, great works, and a great testimony.  His wealth would be measured in souls, in heaven, where only PEOPLE matter.  This is the only true wealth.

The reason to give, is not to receive, the reason to give is the reward in the giving.  Christ does not PROMISE wealth in this world, but in the next.  Christ places value on the only world that matters, the one that lasts.  He points our focus from off of ourselves and on to others.  He echoes the entire governmental structure of heaven by serving others Himself, and asks us to join in this work.  The serving is the gift.  The giving is the reward.  The blessings that come from this are in the heart of the giver and in the soul of the servant.  They can ONLY be understood by those who give.  It is the internal transformation of the core of who you are that takes place when you give to another without expectations of reward.  The happiness you bring to others, echoes in your own heart and mind.  The change you bring to another’s life may wind up being what was needed to point that person back to God and thus you connect them with the source of all saving love.

To join Christ in this work through giving, through serving, you learn how to truly love – not simply to be whores.  Resolve not to do, but to give up to Christ.  Resolve not to perform, but to be willing to be used by God.  Resolve not through the power of your character or stubborn ability to get things done, but commit to Christ to rely on His strength, on His promises, on His mercy.  It is only Christ on who you can rely.