The Good Fortune of Others ...

Cancer still kills.  On the 29^th of May, my wife took our dog Oscar to the vet to see what could be done to help a pain he had developed in his leg.  Oscar never came home again.  It was not just some ordinary ache or pain, or even a case of treatable arthritis.  Instead it was the same aggressive cancer that killed his sister Layla only a few months ago.  It seems Oscar had it as well, for perhaps even a longer period of time, he simply had a higher tolerance for pain, so we never knew.  We were not prepared for this loss.  As is often the case, death comes and interrupts, what you were thinking.  And we did not lose Oscar without prayer, I had been praying for him since his sister got sick, never knowing just how much he needed that prayer, and was being sustained by it.  But cancer still kills.  And I have lost more than just a family pet, I have lost a nurse dog who stood beside me, and leaned against me anytime I was too shaky to attempt standing.  He would steady me as I moved.  One of the side effects of my medication is a shaky short-term memory, so when I would forget to take my medicine, Oscar would come and remind me.  He only did that when I needed it.  Otherwise he was content to sit on my feet while I work, even closer when it rained.  My dogs were very obedient, even learning to go to the bathroom on command.  They were full of love, and were fierce protectors of my family.  I cannot imagine life without them, and so will be looking to reclaim them once again in a Kingdom yet to come.

For now, while my life yet goes on, I will begin my search for another Akita breeder and hope I can do as well despite my doubt that will ever be possible.  These two have set the bar quite high.  It is somewhat ironic that my wife spends her career helping those with cancer.  It is her passion, even if there is no way to translate it to the animals in our circle.  Very often she brings home the need of a given patient and their family for prayer, as science has only been able to go so far.  And cancer still kills.  So we pray for them.  I seldom know their names, as HIPPA must be maintained.  But she knows them, and God knows them.  What I know, is that “horse lady” is in full remission.  But a “young man” recently died, an atheist his whole life, until a series of encounters with a few Christians including “horse lady” as they both got treatment.  There will be a star in her crown, even if she does not know it.  The “young man” came to know Jesus before the end took him.  “Frank” who chose to tell me his name, believes in God so strongly that he prefers to live on prayer, even more than treatment.  Much to the frustration of his Hindu cancer doctor.  But Frank still lives.

And it occurs to me, not all my prayers are answered.  As not all the prayers of those in that cancer treatment center are answered as they asked them.  And I wonder, do the families of those who have suffered loss, take great joy in those who still remain?  Or does our own loss so cast shade in our hearts, that the blessings of others are not cause for celebration, but only of mystery.  Why them, why not all?  Can we truly find joy in the good fortune of others, or is our joy constricted only to the good fortune poured out upon us?  For me, it brings me extreme comfort to know the blessing of remission for the “horse lady” my wife is so fond of.  And amazement with even greater joy, to know that Frank lives what he believes even against the advice of medical science.  That could not have been an easy decision for him or his family.  It could still go south, but then, it already could have gone south.  So each day that Frank lives, is a testimony to the love of God for a man I have never met.  And Frank’s life will lift up my faith, no matter the outcome, it already has.  It continues to, and I will continue to pray for him, because he needs it, as do I.

I wonder then, if it is different for you, if you are young enough, or blessed enough, not to have suffered many losses so far.  In those instances, I wonder if the good fortune of others, is something you take great joy in or not?  I fear sometimes we are so busy, that what joy our neighbor experiences never even touches our doorstep.  We post a like on Facebook, and continue to scroll.  In real life, our neighbor is not someone we socialize with, and so hear their happy and sad stories only on rare occasions.  But you would think the church might be the one place where the joy and the sadness come together for the sharing with the rest of the body of Christ.  I don’t think it is.  We have very structured worship services.  We ask for participation in the joy, and offer no venue for the sadness.  We do hold the funerals from time to time, so the ultimate loss might be shared.  But prior to that it is made of prayer requests, and brief 30 second explanations of what might be profound struggles we deal with.  My wife is terrified that without Oscar I am going to wind up falling through our glass tables, or will continually forget my medicine being distracted by work at home.  Those are real fears for her.  But the church as it sits, is not the place for her to share them.  It would take a weaving of personal conversations there with people who take a personal interest, otherwise she might come and go, and no one be the wiser.

That is how the modern church is today.  We ask for believers to come and share their joy.  To participate in worship music.  To try to get a sense of the positive from having gone to church.  We mask the sadness, and ignore it.  And then we wonder why people lose interest in coming.  Does church offer a place to meet the need?  What if your problem is ongoing?  What if you are struck down by inabilities that shape the very fortunes of your life?  Luke in chapter thirteen of his gospel letter to this friend Theophilus about what we believe and why tells of a woman who suffered for 18 long years without the ability to fully extend her body.  She was perpetually hunched over, severely.  Yet she still struggled to go to synagogue every week.  She sought God.  Even if the church, governed by the iron hand of men, was not a friendly venue for a woman to find God.  Even if her fortunes were judged as punishment for her vast sins, by an angry God.  She was at best a cautionary tale.  A horror story parents told their children would happen to them, if they did not obey.  But that was not true.  And Jesus had something to say about the image of an angry God, and the insensitivities of men who thought they ruled the church which He founded.

Luke picks up in verse 10 saying … “And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.”  You will note, the failure of the church both then and now, does not prevent our Lord from going to meet us at church on His Holy Day.  This is yet another of the many texts that show Jesus attending church on the Seventh Day Sabbath He ordained for such joyous occasions.  Not only attending, but teaching, the true image of His Father and our Father God.  Imagine what it must have been like to hear the Truth of God right in front of your eyes and ears.  Way better than any worship music.  Way better than offering calls, and children’s stories, and a regimen that does not have the time for an individual.  When Jesus spoke, He spoke right to your heart.  He cut through the noise of life’s distractions and reminded you what Love was.  He reminded you why you were not only worth saving to God, but that God had made it His number one mission to save you, despite anything you encountered in life. 

Your fortunes are not governed by disease, or bad luck, or natural consequence.  They are a tapestry, woven together, to save you as well as everyone you encounter.  My wife told me how much her “young man” hated God when he entered that cancer treatment area of the hospital.  He encountered other patients, some of them Christian who died before he did.  But what they said lived on in his ears, and their lives became a celebration in his own heart.  They did not pass without meaning, but instead their passing offered him a greater perspective on the next life possible with a loving God.  It was only then that his encounters with the “horse lady” would seal the deal.  And now his own life remains a testimony to the all the medical staff who knew him, touching their hearts and lives, and standing as a firm candle to the light of God.  I wish our churches had time for sharing like this with each other, beyond the greetings of hello and goodbye, but real time to listen, and comfort, and pray.  That kind of real sharing might do more than rekindle interest in going to church on Sabbath, it might change the body entirely for the better.

Luke continues in verse 11 saying … “And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. [verse 12] And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. [verse 13] And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”  Hold the phone.  Stop the sermon.  Interrupt everything.  Through the crowds that gather, in the very back of the synagogue in the places set aside for the women, (so that they do not disturb the men, because it is only the men who matter), is a woman unable to straighten herself up.  You do not see her head bobbing up and down with all the others.  Instead you catch a glimpse of it at waist or knee level of the others, intently listening, but unable to move well.  And she had been like this for 18 years.  But this was not a genetic disease.  It was an actual demon inhabiting her and causing her great misery.  This demon thought if her misery was high enough and struggle hard enough she would not even try to go to church.  But she did.  And this week she was hearing about the Love of God in words so clear, they cut her like a knife.

But then the unexpected happened.  Jesus stopped everything, and called to her.  Just His voice, gave her strength she had never known.  She obeyed without question and went to Him.  And He told her, “Woman, that art loosed”.  With that, the demon was sent spiraling out of this church and far far away.  The woman remained, but the years of damage to her body had now taken their toll.  So Jesus reaches out and puts His hands upon her.  He helps her up, and His creative energy flows through her, correcting bone, muscle, and joint.  She is restored to what she was intended to be.  This is the testimony of salvation for us all.  First to rid us of the devil in us.  To take the burden of sins from us and loose those chains that bind us.  Then to restore what has been made deformed over so many years.  To restore us to what He intends for us to be.  That is the very nature of salvation.  And when you finally allow yourself to experience it, through the submission of your will to Jesus, you will explode, like this woman exploded, no longer silent, but glorifying God for all to hear.  Her joy could not be contained.  It could not be pushed back into the rear of the building and muffled so as not to disturb the men.  It was right there in center court, loud for all to hear, and God was lifted up in praise that could not be denied, for she had been saved in spirit, heart, and body.

All of this in the middle of church, in the middle of church service.  Jesus made time for this woman’s grief and sadness.  He stopped teaching to demonstrate healing.  The needs of the one sheep, the least sheep in the flock, became more important to him, than the other 99.  Jesus wants the full 100 to be restored.  But alas, the elders who value tradition, reverence, and rules, did not share in the good fortunes of this woman.  They did not join her praise to God, but rather became angry at all this flaunting of so many years of established tradition and male dominance.  Luke continues in verse 14 saying … “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.”  How many times have I heard that.  How many times has true “ministry” been criticized because it dared to be seen on Sabbath in His church.  True “ministry” looks too much like real work.  Why not wait till the other six days of the week to conduct it.  Why attempt it when Jesus is there in the building.  And today we make “work” our excuse not to minister, so that we can hurry up and leave to go to the nearest restaurant where we have no problem being served by those who would benefit from time away with our God.  But this leader of the synagogue not only did not share in the good fortune of this woman, he actively condemned it, and condemned Jesus for creating it.

Jesus responds in verse 15 saying … “The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? [verse 16] And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? [verse 17] And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.”  Jesus knows it is “work” to feed the livestock, but he also knows it is work that cannot skip a day.  It is ministering work that reflects a love for our animals.  I never actually thought it was work to take care of my dogs.  Oscar was so close in my heart, he was like another child, with special needs and rewards that only he could offer.  His hunger was never something to be categorized as work to me, it was only hunger, and needed to be addressed.  And his love for me was never in question.  People sometimes have a hard time loving others like that, myself included.  But Jesus was making a greater point.

Why did this woman suffer in this synagogue for 18 years, instead of only 1 week?  Why didn’t the leaders of this church lay hands upon her, and call for Father God to heal her, and drive out the demon within her?  They did not, because they cared not.  Women were just not that important to begin with.  These leaders were too timid to publicly demonstrate their lack of faith, never believing it was even possible.  And they did not visit her on the other six days they recommended for this kind of work either.  No, instead they were content to let her suffer and blame her for her suffering.  Has anything changed?  If God is supposed to be praised in our services, don’t you think we could offer those in need, and those who are suffering a reason to experience new joy.  Why instead do we mask their suffering, and pretend it should not exist.  Why not uncover their suffering, and offer the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to see it removed, once and for all.  Isn’t that what church is supposed to be all about?  If you want to see explosive joy today, get off your butt, and interact with God, to bring Jesus into the life of the suffering, so that they have reason to explode in praise to God.  When Jesus pointed these things out to the leaders there, they were ashamed.  As should we be.  If we are content to see the suffering, continue to suffer, we should also be ashamed.  For we know the cure, we know the medicine, it is Jesus Christ and Him alone.

But there is hope.  For the believers who knew this woman, and attended church with her, shared in her joy.  And they too began to praise God.  An act of Love as demonstrated by God Himself, to interrupt even church for the sake of one in need, touched the hearts of those in attendance.  News of it would spread far and wide.  Relieving suffering was even more important to God, than delivering His own sermon and Truth.  He could take the time out to see suffering relieved.  The sermon would be waiting till He was finished changing lives.  That was the priority of the Son of God, and His Father, and His Holy Spirit.  Why is it not ours?  Why do we so value and treasure structure in church, that we make no time for those in real need.  If we cannot demonstrate the love of Jesus in real time, to real people, we are nothing more than noise.  We need to adjust how we think about church.  We need to adjust our ideas about why people praise, and become more active in giving them reason to.  Let our own tapestry make more of a difference.  And as my wife reminds me, take joy in the lives of others, even when you have suffered loss in your own.  The families of patients who have passed on, still celebrate the lives of those who have not.  Those families have suffered horrific loss, yet they can share joy with others who have not.  Not all of them Christian.  So should we do any less?  Would that in church we grieved more together, and then sought the Lord to relieve our grief, until we have reason for overwhelming joy.  It has happened before.  It will happen again.

 

An "OMG" Grouper Bao ...

We are lucky enough to have a restaurant in Orlando called King Bao in our downtown area.  I am further lucky to have discovered it through a local food delivery service called Bite Squad.  The food is inexpensive and the taste is awesome.  My favorite, as you might have guessed from the title of this BLOG is the “OMG – meaning Oh My Grouper” Bao.  It is an unusual bread (referred to as a bao, but is kind of a soft thicker tortilla) with white fish lightly fried in Tempura batter, with homemade tartar sauce, shredded scallions, and some kind of coleslaw underneath this magic concoction.  To understand just how good this is, you have to know I do NOT eat fish, generally ever.  But for this, I have learned to make a blissful exception.  To be truthful, I could have never imagined any kind of fish dish tasting just this good.  But then, maybe that is just a sign of my aging memory and imagination.  As I continued to read the gospel letter of Luke this week, I encountered another story that occurred which may have been just as heavenly a dining experience to have been a part of.  It turns out Jesus may have made the first ever OMG bao’s, and His would have rightly been called “Oh My God” bao’s, because He was God and they were divinely made.

The story picks up in Luke’s gospel chapter nine in verse 10 saying … “And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. [verse 11] And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.”  To set the backstory, Jesus in the earlier verses had just sent His disciples across Israel carrying the gospel message of salvation and life through the true Messiah, Jesus Christ.  This was the time now when the disciples were returning and Jesus intended to take his crew into a private place outside of the city of Bethsaida to talk over how their respective trips and experiences had gone.  But this plan was interrupted by the people, who figured out where Jesus was going.  And they went there in droves to meet Jesus and be with the man, the Messiah, they had heard about from the lips of the disciples.  The news of Jesus was everywhere.  So sick and well, many gathered to be with Him.  And Jesus being Jesus, He would not turn any away.  He healed all those who needed healing, and began to speak to everyone about the Kingdom of God.

Luke continues in verse 12 saying … “And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.”  When Jesus speaks, the concepts of time just seem to melt away.  Not like our churches where checking the watch is an every-30-second activity.  The sermon in this desert place was the highlight.  You did not need worship music that drolled on for hours, or children’s stories set aside from the main message.  No offering calls.  No missionary reports.  All of that was deferred in order to hear the words of Jesus.  In those words were the children’s story, the stories we could understand.  In those words were the road map to our salvation, to our happiness, to an end to pain and death.  People lost all track of time until the day was nearly gone.  Only now do the disciples remember it is way past breakfast, lunch, and fast approaching dinner.  No one has eaten.  And this crowd is huge.  The people will need time to walk to find food in nearby suppliers, if those suppliers could even be found, especially for a crowd this size.

Jesus has other ideas.  Luke continues in verse 13 saying … “But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. [verse 14] For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. [verse 15] And they did so, and made them all sit down.”  A few things of note; first, these same disciples were just returned from their own respective mission trips across Israel where they were fully dependent upon God for what they themselves ate every day.  The charity of people served that purpose.  And they all were given power by Jesus to heal and perform miracles.  So perhaps they should have suggested something like this ahead of Jesus having to do it.  But alas, even those closest to Jesus do not always see what should have been obvious to them.  When we look through the eyes of human limitations this is often the case.

Second, 5,000 men sitting down in companies of fifties, was not ALL the people sitting in those groups.  It was also meant to include wives, daughters, mothers, and the children at large.  So entire families would have been sitting together, even if only the head male of the family was included in the informal census of who was there.  You can pick your own number then for the total number of people who needed to be addressed, but if I were guessing, I would say something like 20,000 if you included everyone.  Keep in mind, in these days women were not usually included in any kind of numbering scheme.  And children may been considered too young to make the normal part of numbering.  Suffice it to say, this number was huge, as just the original 5k men would reveal.  And for practical purposes far too large a crowd to buy food for everyone.  Many would have gone hungry if they had tried to solve this problem themselves.  And Jesus did not need to rely upon money to solve His problems (both then or now), faith would be His currency.  Faith that His Father cared about our hunger even more than we do.

Third, other gospel’s tell us of the original 5 loaves of bread (likely unleavened, that pretty much resembles a thicker tortilla) and 2 small fishes (not a bass or swordfish or salmon for example) came from a small child’s lunch (whose mother was perhaps the only one who liked to make sure her boy was prepared for any eventualities).  He was glad to share it.  And so the love of a well prepared mother, and very willing young boy was the source material for would come in any case.  Luke continues in verse 16 saying … “Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. [verse 17] And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.”  And here is where the miracle begins to take place.

In my original imagination, I think of Jesus reaching into the basket of the boy’s lunch and pulling out some fish and bread and placing it in an empty basket for one of the disciples.  Jesus keeps doing this until the basket is filled, and then that disciple heads out to one of the groups of people to begin food distribution.  The idea though is that Jesus is the one who keeps digging his hands into that boy’s lunch box and filling up empty baskets for the disciples until everyone finally gets fed.  But given the number of people and the lack of quantity a human can place in a basket each time they dig in – this approach could have taken all night to get it to the people who were already hungry.  I now imagine it differently.  I imagine a group of empty baskets placed around each of the companies of 50 men.  After the blessing of Jesus, I imagine fish and bread appearing in each empty basket until it is nearly overflowing.  The baskets are passed through the respective companies until everyone has not only eaten, but eaten till they are completely filled.

And my new mind, does not just imagine a simple fish and bread, as prepared by a boy’s mother for lunch.  I imagine OMG bao’s as prepared by the mind and abilities of Jesus Christ Himself.  Gordon Ramsay has nothing on Jesus for how food could and should taste when done exquisitely.  And why not?  Do we imagine Jesus was a dull cook, only providing base nutrients to this crowd, uninterested in how it tasted at all?  Why?  Jesus created us with the ability to taste in the first place.  If you think that ability is trivial just get a head cold and lose your ability to taste any food for a few days, and tell me how pleasant that was.  On the contrary, I will bet that the Author of taste buds has excellent ideas on how to tantalize them that are well beyond anything we could imagine.  And picture this, that same Author of our senses is the same One building heaven for us right now.  We may not eat meat in heaven, at least meat that comes from the butchery of animals.  But perhaps my steaks will grow on a steak tree, and taste just as good as anything good old black angus could have provided in this world.  This very story negates the process we think about where it comes to fishing and preparing to get to a final product.  Maybe Jesus will provide an OMG bao bush right in my backyard that only needs to harvested and eaten without a single creature being harmed in the process.  Maybe a pizza tree.  And who knows just how good a grape itself will taste in heaven, whether in fruit form, or in juice form.  Why would we limit God to our own ideas about what kind of food He can make, and how it will taste, and how it will be provided?  That is just our own stunted imaginations not a limit to power and love of our God.

12 baskets of fragments remaining is not a testimony to dull food nobody likes.  It is a testimony to a hungry crowd over-filled until they could eat no more.  And the excess from that feast will go to the poor in the surrounding towns and villages distributed by those who now leave to go home after the beauty of this day with Jesus.  The idea that this day ends with Jesus providing a master class on how to prepare white fish and bao’s was not all that would be remembered.  The words of His sermon would echo in the minds and hearts of the people long after this.  In later days the disciples would harvest thousands of believers in a day because of the seeds sown at this very gathering, that echoed and spread throughout the land.  Delicious food.  But better words.  This was church reconceived.  Heal everyone first.  There would be no disease or deformation that could not be healed and remade by the power of our loving Creator God.  Speak to the hearts.  Feed them all.  And love would echo in tangible demonstrations far after the day was gone.  Jesus made church about meeting the needs of people all the time, and anytime or place He was.  What I would do to have been a part of this day.  I hope to taste His cuisine in those days to come in the city He builds now for us all.  I can’t wait to taste a bao that my Jesus makes for me, and I wonder if it might come on a bush, or from a basket once again.

 

Misplaced Priorities ...

A magician uses the art of distraction to make the illusion more realistic.  A beautiful assistant, or magic words said at an opportune time, are all meant to draw the eye and allow other actions to remain as concealed as possible.  This is done by intent.  But what happens when the focus is meant to be on one thing, but is drawn to something else no matter what you do?  How frustrating is it, to try to explain something to a friend, and have the friend focused on what you are wearing, or the bird outside the window, anything but on what you are saying?  Imagine the patience of Christ, to attempt to explain to us how salvation works, and have us focused on anything but that topic.  An excellent example of this phenomenon was relayed by Peter to John Mark in his gospel chapter eight.  Most Bible’s rightly classify the first section of verses with the header “the Feeding of the Four Thousand”.  This would be an excellent summation.  It also has the benefit of keeping the event distinct from the prior feeding of the Five Thousand (though both events only seem to count the adult males in the crowd, the women, children, and old folks make greatly inflate the total number of people at both events).

As we begin to read, we expect to see a story about a miraculous feeding of at least Four Thousand men, plus women and children.  Our attention is rightly focused there, as that is exactly what Peter will describe.  But there is far more buried in these verses.  There are several points that are concealed here if anyone just takes the time to look.  We will give these verses a second look and discover perhaps the greatest frustration of Jesus Christ while here on earth working in ministry to save us all.  Peter begins by recalling the facts of this event in verse 1 recounting to John Mark and saying … “In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, [verse 2] I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:”  It is right here.  In the first 2 verses of this section.  Yes, having a large multitude gathering around Jesus is nothing new.  His fame is widespread no matter how He may attempt to conceal the fullness of who He is.  People want to do more than be healed, they want to hear Him speak.  And of course the compassion of Christ to sympathize with our human weaknesses is ever present, so wanting to feed this crowd is not new either.

But the biggest mis-direct, the biggest illusion of these verses, is the focus on the food.  Peter is recalling a gospel, a letter of good news to the readers of his day.  What is completely absent in the story he is relaying, is … “what” Jesus had been saying or preaching for the last 3 days!!  Imagine the sermon it must have been to so captivate the multitude of this size, that no one even thought of food up till now when it was time to go home.  This crowd had fasted almost without knowing it.  This crowd has been so captivated by what Jesus said, that they literally forgot about hunger, and stayed there riveted to listening to Jesus.  They may have slept at night, but there was no thought of supper, or of breakfast when they awoke, they only craved to hear the words that came out of Jesus’ mouth.  And you and I have NONE of them recorded here.  Instead, we are treated to a story of miraculous physical feeding, and completely MISS the 3-day sermon that was so good, no one thought of feeding themselves.  They came to the edge of the Sea of Galilee and Jesus gave them a tutorial on the mission of salvation, but our story remains on the food.

John Mark continues recording the words of Christ to this situation in verse 3 saying … “And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.”  Many of these listeners did not go home during the 3-day sermon because home was a long journey off.  Jesus knew if He released this crowd without feeding them first, they could be overcome by their natural human weakness, and may not make it home again.  From the perspective of Christ this was not just a casual need the crowd had developed it was a critical one.  But despite it all, despite the sermon that so moved a crowd that it would forget its own hunger; and despite the miracles Jesus had performed before, and the miracles the disciples had joined Him in, they still thought of solutions only in human context.  So they respond in verse 4 saying … “And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”.

Where is the Denny’s out here?  Where is the iHOP?  How do you (Jesus) think you are going to feed a crowd this size, in this place?  Or in other words, you are talking non-sense.  The crowd is just going to have to gut-it-out, go home, and fix food when they get there.  They all knew this would be the case.  They made their decision to stay and listen to Christ without bringing sufficient food with them.  It is their collective fault they are hungry now.  If hunger were so important, they could have simply gone home, and re-located Christ at another time, in another venue.  But here we go again.  The sermon Christ was preaching about was so revolutionary, so radical, so filled with the love of the Father God … that not one of the crowd made the choice to let food or bodily needs supersede listening to Jesus.  What on earth did Jesus say?  Don’t you want to know?  Have you ever been to church and heard a sermon so good, you would be willing to stay there for 3 days to hear more?  Why is Peter telling us about the food, instead of the content of the sermon?

Jesus, as always, does not see human limitations to solve human problems.  He responds in verse 5 saying … “And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. [verse 6] And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.”  Jesus feeds this crowd because He knows their needs, way better than they know them themselves.  But there is more, as there usually always is.  The story continues in verse 7 saying … “And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. [verse 8] So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.”  The bread this crowd ate, could have been all there was, it would have met the basic need.  But Jesus does not just meet our basic needs, He goes well beyond that, and satisfies us as no other love could.  He offers fish to the crowd as well.  And when the meal is ended, Peter recalls how not a single person was still hungry, and left overs were collected throughout the multitude (presumably for the poor as the last event happened).

This section of verses concludes with the logistical details.  John Mark transcribes beginning in verse 9 saying … “And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. [verse 10] And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.”  The crowd was large, and right after this event concludes, Jesus takes his boat to a far corner of the seashore near a place called Dalmanutha.  But the sequence of events is not over yet.  On arrival in the new venue, the Pharisees come to tempt Him, as did Satan in the wilderness, to use His power on something that would benefit Himself.  They intimate, that if Jesus will perform a miracle, they will believe He is the Messiah and the Son of God. 

This is in effect a trade.  You perform, and I will believe.  It is a very similar claim that atheists make with glee today.  If a 50’ Jesus appears at the Superbowl on the 50 yard line, and performs a miracle, “then” the atheist will believe.  But in reality, it is an empty promise.  No miracle, would be believed, because the choice to believe has already been discarded.  A 50’ Jesus would be attributed to special effects in the video control room, or mass hysteria based on a release of hallucinogenic drugs to the crowd if witnessed in person.  The beneficiary of the miracle, would be said to have nothing wrong with them in the first place, and like a beautiful assistant for the magician, just a pawn in the deception offered.  Any miraculous event would be simply explained away using science no matter how absurd the premise must be.  For this is what already happens with the origins of life, and the complexity of our design.  How would another miracle ever trump that one?  The Pharisees had no intention of believing or holding up their end of the solicitation.  And Jesus had no intention of violating the principles of “who” He is, by using His power for a shortcut, or benefiting Himself.

John Mark records the interchange in verse 11 saying … “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. [verse 12] And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. [verse 13] And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.”  Now keep in mind, Peter has just gone through the trouble of telling us about a miracle of feeding the Four Thousand.  Jesus “could” have simply pointed to what He had already done, and said for the Pharisees to take their evidence of a sign from those actions.  But He does not.  Instead He declares that there will be “no sign” for this generation and then He left this area.  The miracles did not stop after this event.  So Jesus could not have been referring to Himself displaying supernatural acts of love to those in need.  No, this declaration had to have been for something else, for something deeper.  Perhaps, the great “sigh” that Jesus suffered in His Spirit, was due to the mis-direct of the Pharisees, and Peter, and You and I, always focusing on the food, and not the revival of our souls.  Perhaps His frustration, was that after a riveting 3-day sermon, that captivated the crowd, we have only the story of the feeding, not that salvation tutorial.

But there was still more to be learned from this experience.  John Mark continues transcribing the events continuing in verse 14 saying … “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. [verse 15] And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. [verse 16] And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.”  This had to have been the final straw of frustration for Jesus Christ.  The leaven of the Pharisees, or the additional ideas that came from their interpretations of scriptures, had led them to believe they did not need a Messiah to be saved.  They especially did not need this Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ.  Being leaders in the “right” religion, and having the Bible in its current form, was still NOT enough for these men to be saved.  They were lost, because they rejected Jesus Christ who was right in front of them.  Their interpretations of scripture did not lead them to love others, it led them only to wish to retain power over others.  Are we different?

The leaven of Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, who justified the taking of his brother Phillip’s wife, and while He was willing to embrace the message of John the Baptist, he fell short when the influence of his wife came into conflict with it.  Herod would rely upon the forgiveness, without wishing for the reformation that would change the behavior requiring forgiveness.  Herod, in a different way, would find himself having in common with the Pharisees, the conviction that he could save himself.  He too would not need this Messiah, or any Messiah.  He too, though considering himself a member of the “right” religion, and being a student of scriptures, would not find himself led to love others.  Instead he too, would wish only control over others.  Both groups would “leaven” the bread of salvation, by refusing to love others, or be changed into people who sought only this kind of love.  Yet the disciples missed the entire salvation perspective on this.  They saw only a missing quantity of physical bread.

Jesus responded in perhaps His most frustrated manner saying in verse 17 … “And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? [verse 18] Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? [verse 19] When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. [verse 20] And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. [verse 21] And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?”  These questions go unanswered in this gospel.  Peter recalls these events but does not record how Jesus answered these deeper questions.  Instead he leaves this rebuke as it stands in scripture.  But the rebuke is for us as well.  How do we read the entirety of the life of Christ, and still refuse to be changed into someone who loves others?  We have eyes, ears, and a basic understanding, but we allow ourselves to be misdirected to see the food, instead of the change.

We should be craving the sermon, the words of Christ, that would rivet us to stay at His side for three days and not even think about food.  It should be Jesus asking to feed us, because we forgot the need, rather than fitting Jesus into our schedule and never seeming to have as much time for Him as we do for the restaurants and home cooked meals we enjoy.  We think ourselves devout if we squeeze in a 2-minute prayer before we eat, especially when done in a public place, in front of an audience.  But to consider spending 72 hours at the side of Christ, engaged in loving others and making a difference in their lives with nothing to gain in our own, is a new concept for most of us.  Instead of public prayers of thanks for food we have not yet eaten, perhaps we should be inviting people to join us, that would be truly thankful, because they have not the means to do so on their own.  Then when we ask the Lord to bless our food, He will have already done so.  It is the change of heart we need.  When our hearts are changed by His so great love, living this way, will not be a stretch, it will be natural and normal.  Perhaps then, we can avoid our misplaced priorities …

 

The Origin of Light (witness number fifteen) ...

It is said that Light has properties of both particles and waves, it is both.  But to determine the origination of light, not just the source it appears to emanate from at the moment, but its universal genesis, is a more difficult proposition.  How, when and where did light separate from darkness?  Trying to determine the origin of thought is equally perplexing.  While we understand the mechanics of how our brains work, how a thought is constructed is another matter.  And for as much as we have learned about life, we remain unable to prevent its demise, or bottle it, or use our knowledge to bring about something that was dead.  We can use life to make life, but remain unable to create life from something that does not already have life within it.  So to the scientific mind, that does not accept the premise of divinity, there are a great many things that remain an undiscovered mystery.  And for those who refuse to share a commonality of belief, even the language we use to communicate is less clear, and makes it harder to share concepts and ideas.  A refusal to believe makes it much harder to learn.

As the trap to kill Christ for His refusal to condemn Mary Magdalene caught in adultery before the people had failed; the conspirators had left, but the crowd remained.  It was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to continue speaking to this crowd of witnesses, about the origin of things that would change their lives.  John’s gospel account continues in chapter eight and verse 12 saying … “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  If this had been all that Jesus had said to His listeners it may have been enough.  For His central point had been revealed, most of what would follow was a response to the Pharisees who remained in the crowd and had kept silent during the failed attempt to trap Christ with His love for redeeming Mary over following their ideas of the law’s requirements. 

Jesus had told His listeners, “I am the light of the world”.  The origin of light, the thing that drives darkness away, the focal point upon which we focus and find only light, life and truth is in fact Jesus Christ.  Notice that Christ did not hold up the scripture and say “these documents” are the light of the world.  Nor did Christ hold up the laws of Moses, or the Ten Commandments, and offer them as the light of the world.  It is not because those documents are any less “true”.  It is not because they had lost their relevancy.  It was because ALL of them were testimonies of “who” was to come, of “who” was to fulfill them, of “who” was to meet the hopes and dreams of everyone contained in them from Adam to the people sitting in the Temple on this day.  All of scripture pointed to a “who”, and that WHO was Jesus Christ.  It is NOT to be your understanding of scripture that will be the source of the light you encounter.  It IS to be your understanding of Jesus Christ that will determine the light you find in your life.  The Bible is a supporting document for the truth of Jesus Christ, not the other way around.

If we are to find light, so that we can “see”, we must follow not after our own understanding and our own wisdom, or scientifically proven conceptual ideas, but instead we must follow after Jesus Christ.  ONLY through the illumination of Jesus Christ, can the scriptures be understood.  ONLY through the prism of His light, through the lens of perfect love, can the words recorded and ideas presented in the written word begin to make perfect sense.  Trying to read the Bible without first “following” Jesus Christ and submitting our wisdom to His, is like trying to read a book in the dark.  The eyes cannot see, and the brain cannot interpret.  In point of fact, the God of the Bible, is more important than the testimony of the Bible.  This was never more poignantly true, than when that testimony has been misconstrued and misunderstood.  The Pharisees present in this crowd had misapplied the scriptures to keep power and wealth reserved to themselves.  In so doing they had abandoned love, and the God of love, who now stood before them, offering to re-open their eyes from the darkness they chose to wallow in.

From the Pharisees point of view, nothing was more important than the law Moses had brought down from Mt. Sinai.  This was the basis of study they had spent their lives engaged in.  Scripture had been long debated among them, though some ideas were not universal.  Some of their number believed in the literal resurrection at the end of days, while others believed when you died you slept forever, never to exist again.  These kinds of divisions over understanding are common, even today, when the most important premise of love is not sought first.  In any case, Christ, by all indications, valued love over the law.  So from their point of view, He could not be source of light, because He was in conflict with the “light” they believed they already knew.  In verse 13 they challenge Him saying … “The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.”  First, they point out to the listening crowd that the religious leadership of the organized church of the day, has NOT sanctioned what Christ is saying about Himself.  And then they further state, that “what” Christ is saying about Himself is not the truth.

In verse 14 Jesus responds … “Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.”  In effect the Pharisees were blinded because they sought to use scripture to accomplish an end, and did not love first.  In looking away from Christ as the Messiah, they looked away from both Christ and His Father.   So to know the perfect love that existed in heaven and was the foundation of scripture was not something they were going to perceive.  Jesus continued in verse 15 … “Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. [verse 16] And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.”  First of all Jesus says to them, that they evaluate life based on what it looks like to them.  How things appear to the Pharisees is how they are, including all their predispositions and prejudices, not unlike us.  Second Christ says to them, that His role and His mission is NOT about judgment.  It is about redemption.  But thirdly, if He were to judge, His judgments would be true, not because He is alone, but because He is ever in concert with His Father in ALL things.  This means that Father and Son work together for our redemption, and that our redemption was the primary goal of both of them, not just of Christ.  It also means that if we are to be evaluated by God, we will be evaluated by both Christ and His Father, not just the one or the other.  Those today who believe God can be found outside of Christ are ignoring that Christ is also God.  There is no path to God, outside of God.  This was a concept the Pharisees would refuse to believe or accept.

Jesus now turns the tables on His accusers and quotes their laws back to them beginning in verse 17 … “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. [verse 18] I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.”  Jesus offered Himself as one witness to the truth of what He said.  So far, they had never caught Him in a lie, nor would they.  Nothing He had ever said could be disproven, or even factually disputed using the scriptures as a basis.  Christ disagreed with their interpretation of scripture, but they did this among themselves for centuries.  As His second witness, Jesus offers His Father, as evidenced in the miracles He performed, that would have been impossible without Divine blessing.  After all, none of them had fed 5,000 men plus women and children.  None of them had ever restored a crippled man completely to full health and vigor before.  None of them had turned water to wine.  These deeds bore the witness of the Divine.  None of these deeds had been done to enrich Christ, or make Christ more wealthy or powerful.  All had been done as gifts to those who received them.  The facts were in evidence.

So the prosecutor decides to ignore the facts that were common knowledge and demand a personal appearance answering in the start of verse 19 … “Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? …”   If Jesus was going to claim to be the Messiah sent of God the Father, let Him produce God the Father in person as a witness.  They did not see Him in the crowd that day.  Nor would they.  Had God the Father appeared in that instance to testify of His son (as He did in the form of a dove descending on the head of Jesus at His baptism, and stating in a plain voice from heaven about how loved His Son truly was); the Pharisees would have still refused to believe.  They did not believe it the first time.  This is the same cry for “proof” that Atheists demand today, that even if answered would never be enough.  The Pharisees of His day would have claimed it was Satan that appeared masquerading as God.  The Atheists of our day would claim it was some sort of mass hysteria or mass hallucination or CGI trickery if merely seen on TV.  When one refuses to believe, no amount of “proof” will ever shake them from their refusal.

Jesus offers his response picking back up in mid verse 19 … “Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”  This was more than a statement about the parentage of Christ.  This was a statement about where their lifelong study of scripture had led them to the wrong conclusions because their motives and premise were not the right ones.  If they had understood the love of the Father as revealed throughout the Old Testament, they would have seen this love reflected in the person of Jesus Christ.  Every story of redemption throughout the Old Testament showed that when man recognized and admitted that he could not save Himself, God intervened and saved Him.  Every story that chronicled man’s attempts at saving himself, ended badly, or worse ended violently.  When man attempts to get involved with his own salvation the results are horrific.  But when man allows God to handle it, the outcome is assured.  This lesson was lost on the Pharisees.  They saw only their own importance.  And so those who should have been most alert to the Messiah, and should have been the first to recognize Him and follow Him, looked away from the source of light, preferring to wander in darkness.  They did not know God the Father, so they did not recognize God in the person of Jesus Christ.  All their accumulated study and knowledge did nothing to alert them to the light that stood before them now.  Power was more important to them.  Humility was absent from them.  And missing the light of the world was the result.

John footnotes his story at this point, noting that Christ was teaching in the treasury, to those who were there.  The leaders were none too happy with Him, and would have killed Him on the spot, but the divinely appointed hour was not yet come.  So they left Him alone.  But His sermon was not yet over …

Stubborn Love (witness number thirteen) ...

The Feast of Tabernacles, or booths, or tents with organic roofs if you prefer, was a several-day time for celebration and reaching out to God.  The brothers and sister of Christ planned to go, and in the beginning of the gospel of John chapter seven, they suggest that if Christ is really doing all these things people report about Him, that He ought to go to the Feast as well and let His disciples see Him publicly do them.  Perhaps they reasoned such a public display might win Him back those disciples who had left Him at Capernaum when He announced He was the only path to His Father God.  Perhaps they reasoned that to build an army large enough to take on Rome, He would need more followers and this might be an excellent opportunity to drum up support from around the nation, as many would be traveling to Jerusalem for this feast.  But no matter their logic, verse 5 reveals a sad and painful truth … “For neither did his brethren believe in him.”  Oh, his family knew He was special.  They knew He worked miracles as they had witnessed these things.  But the idea He raised in Capernaum, was that He descended from His Father God to save us all, and salvation would only be found in believing in Him – this was a bridge too far for them at the moment.  So despite knowing the religious leadership was looking to kill Him, they suggest He ought to go confront them in their home turf, perhaps this would test His divinity, and either prove His claims, or put the subject to bed.

Jesus, reading their intentions, responds in verse 6 … “Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. [verse 7] The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”  Christ points out, that the thinking His family shares regarding His ministry is the same one the people and leaders cling to.  They look for a deliverer from Rome, from poverty, from oppression.  Because their thinking is in line with popular thinking, even with that of the religious leaders, they are not hated by them.  But Christ is, because instead of aligning Himself with these goals and ideals, He points out that the source of the problems of Israel is not found in Rome, but in the hearts of each person there.  It is the evil within us, that is the root of our problems.  It is our slavery to self-service that is the core of the evil that enslaves us.  We are powerless to defeat it, and equally consumed by it, blinded by it, and do not enjoy having it called to our attention.  This is particularly true, when we are unable to cast blame back on the person who brings it to our attention.  Often when confronted by someone else about the evil behavior we are engaged in, our first thought, is to defend ourselves, by pointing out the evil our accusers do as well.  We feel successfully defended if we can point out bigger sins in our accuser, than in ourselves.  But when the perfection of love reveals to us our error, we are unable to successfully “blame” it.  In the mirror of Christ, our selfishness is revealed, and we are unable to blame “the mirror”.  In that instance, the evil of selfishness, we embrace, we are stuck with.  And for some, hatred of this revelation follows.

Even here, Satan is offering Christ, “an easy way out”.  To win the love and respect and belief of His own family, all He needs to do, is give a little on the idea of reducing Rome’s power over them.  OK, so maybe we don’t overthrow them completely, but at least you could send a little plague their way, and cause them to reduce their presence in Judea.  But love does not manipulate to gain its objective, and love is not interested in control, but in choice.  The love of Christ was ever based in truth, and so He could not align with the near sighted goals, even of His family.  He must instead stay true to the will of His Father, who longed for an end to evil, the evil within us, not the evil around us.  As for the timing of going to the feast, Christ continues in verse 8 … “Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. [verse 9] When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. [verse 10] But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.”  Christ tells them to ahead and go to the feast, that he will be staying put for a while as His time is not yet fully there.  I would guess, His family interpreted this to mean, that His time to raise an army, or confront the religious leaders, was not just yet.  Though Christ may actually have been referring to His death and sacrifice for us, as not quite being the time.  In any case, He delayed His trip, and went there secretly.

The salient question then, is “why?”  Why on earth go back to Jerusalem, even in secret, when you know the leaders there are intent on killing you for the deeds you do, and the words you say?  Why put your own life at risk?  Surely the disciples, at least the original 12, did not need further “proof” you were the Messiah, they already declared they believed it.  Surely the people of Jerusalem had heard about Christ, as verses 11 thru 13 reveal, He was quite the topic of conversation at the feast this year.  So it was not as though Jesus needed a campaign of public awareness.  One could argue that He went to save Mary Magdalene from being stoned for adultery which would happen soon.  But then, that entire scenario was constructed to trap Christ, more than to punish Mary, had He not gone to Jerusalem, she might have been safely unmolested in her sins.  So “who” was Christ there to reach?  Who was He so stubbornly intent to love?  I submit, He was there to try again, to reach those leaders who were intent on killing Him.  I believe He went back, again, to reach them, His most ardent enemies.  He did not return in a spirit of confrontation.  Nor did he return in fame, carrying with Him a great crowd to protect Him, and display to the proud leaders, their inability to do anything about Him.  Instead He returns alone, anonymously, and looks to teach His doctrine of love to any who might listen.  Verse 14 states … “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. [verse 15] And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?”

Deja vu anyone?  When He was only twelve years old, He taught the leaders in Jerusalem for 3 days, having never had a “formal” education.  Here He was again, teaching the people, and the leaders, doctrines and scriptures, without the benefit of a long career of reading and study in the formal religious training schools of His day.  Christ knew scriptures the leaders did not believe Him capable of knowing.  Perhaps He quoted scrolls only few had had access to read.  Perhaps He cited little known prophets, or obscure references that only a man of deep education could possible know.  In any case, it was the religious leaders who appreciated the miracle they were witnessing.  He was doing something, saying something, teaching something, He should not have been able to teach.

Jesus knows what they murmur and responds in verse 16 … “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.”  Therein is found two key truths.  The first, truth is not found within us, but in Him that sends us into the world.  In the case of Christ, the doctrine of love He was teaching came from God His Father.  In our case, the doctrine of love we bear witness to, the doctrine of love that transforms us into a new creation; does not originate within us, but comes from the Christ who saves us from ourselves.  The second truth, is that doctrine that is used to glorify the messenger instead of the message, is not truth at all.  Those conference leaders, or pastors, or evangelists, or television spokesmen, or laymen, or just ordinary Christians intent on witnessing – who look to present themselves as models of achievement, or sources of truth and understanding, reveal they know little of either.  Even the precious truth of salvation, is not intended as a vehicle for us to prop ourselves up, and try to become “proud” in the victories He has bestowed upon us.  The gospel at its core is not about pride, but humility.  It is not about our fame as His messengers, but about our work done in anonymity.  Christ, who was God of all, was the chief servant of all.  Who are we, to model ourselves differently than our leader?

Jesus continues in verse 17 … “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. [verse 18] He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.”  Christ was not looking for fame, as the greatest religious scholar of His day.  He was not looking to replace the Rabbinical schools with new leadership.  He was not even looking to replace the High Priest with Himself, or His own appointees.  Instead, He was looking only to teach truth and love, and reach those who would listen.  The fears and insecurities of the religious leaders should have been put at ease, as Christ was no real threat to their organization or authority.  But those fears could not rest, because the message of truth and reform that comes from love placed within us, might truly undo the financial empire they had built around the forms of religion.  Instead of abandoning misconceptions and misinterpretations of scripture that Christ revealed and embracing a new knowledge of old truth that might have truly revolutionized the teaching in Israel, they chose to meet truth with hate, and respond to love with intent to kill it.  There would be no fundamental overhaul of doctrine that might actually change the world.  Instead there would be a perpetuation of existing thinking, even if it had to kill God to accomplish it.

And what has changed?  The original claimant of the Christian faith in Catholicism has amassed wealth, art, as well as political power and influence such as the world has ever seen; though Christ craved none of these things, shunning them all, instead serving in humility until His death.  He needed no spectacle, no pomp, no gold, no flowing robes of brilliant color – He only sought to teach love and truth.  Protestant Christian denominations have little more to say than their Catholic counterparts.  While not steeped in the gold and art of spectacle, protestant churches strive equally for a place in the halls of power and legislation.  They maintain elaborate organizational hierarchies, that are more intent on maintaining “their” particular brand of Christianity, than about serving in humility, poverty, and love.  Today’s American churches look to invest themselves in politics, in order to make legal, the teachings of morality they believe.  In an effort to defend themselves against the unbelievers, they would make themselves, the arbiters of morality and enforce it with controls of the government and effect of law.  In short, our religious leaders seem very preoccupied with leadership and the preservation of church influence, than with the simplicity of love and transformation it offers.  Were Christ to enter our pulpits of today, and advocate abandoning our doctrinal uniqueness, our wealth, power, influence, and spectacle – would we too reject Him, and look to kill Him to preserve what we have built?

Jesus knows His teaching will be met with hatred, by those who wish to preserve their influence and wealth over accepting the truth He espouses.  To them he says in verse 19 … “Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?”  Here Jesus cites their “go to guy” and questions the motives that would kill love rather than accept it.  Rather than have their innermost motives reveal, they accuse Christ of being crazy saying in verse 20 … “The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?”  Had Jesus not been trying to win over those that hate Him, and attempt to undo their hatred, He could merely have responded to them by name.  He could have said … well, Bob over there is thinking he should stone me, and George in the red cap, is planning to knife me when nobody is looking.  He did not.  He does not reveal the individuals who seek His death to the rest of the crowd that might have decided to do something to prevent that from happening.  Again, Christ does not act in a manner that would preserve His own life, or incite the people to take “righteous” action in killing those who were intent on killing Him.  Love does not meet evil with equal evil; it meets evil only with more love.

Instead, Jesus will try again, to correct the misinterpretation of teachings on keeping Sabbath holy, that the people suffered from.  This time, He will point out an inconsistency that they allow for one kind of medical procedure to take place “lawfully” on Sabbath while decrying another.  He says in verse 21… “Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. [verse 22] Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. [verse 23] If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? [verse 24] Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”  If circumcision is allowed on Sabbath which does not accomplish any kind of healing, why is restoration on Sabbath something to be considered unlawful?  The ‘work’ of recreation is not something that takes the Sabbath off.  The ‘work’ God does to restore us unto Himself, is actually enhanced by the Sabbath.  For one day, we make a choice to focus our time and attention on just hanging out with our God.  Instead of all the things that vie for our self-centered vision of the world, we make a conscious effort to focus on God, and in so doing, service to others that mimics the behavior of God.  And Sabbath becomes something new entirely.  When love replaces our other motivations, obedience is truly possible.  While love is superseded by other motivations, obedience is not possible.  Unconverted, unchanged hearts, could not understand this.  But there were others who were listening that could.

There were some in that crowd that recognized the truth of what Christ was saying.  In verse 25 it reads … “Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? [verse 26] But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?”  These people knew, the religious leaders did seek to kill Christ.  They could see some of these very men in the crowd on this day at the temple.  Here was Christ in plain sight, teaching and answering them, and none of the men bent on killing Him, were doing anything about it.  Perhaps then, the religious leaders, KNEW, this was indeed the Christ.  Perhaps this is the reason they took no action.  Perhaps the truth of what He said, was true after all.

But almost as quickly as they had the thought that perhaps this was truly the Christ, doubt entered in.  In verse 27 they stated … “Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.”  This was a shot at the parentage of Jesus.  Jesus after all, from their perspective, came from illegitimate parentage.  Mary was found pregnant, before Joseph married her.  People knew it.  They might also have known, that Joseph’s first reaction was to put her away privately and not follow thru with the wedding.  But knowing that, they would have also known, that Joseph did follow through because of a message from an angel.  They would have also known, that the angel visited Mary, and told her she was chosen among all women from the house of David.  They would have known that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus escaped the carnage of Herod to the new children in Bethlehem when they fled to Egypt on the word of an angel.  They would have known Jesus was raised in Nazareth when His family returned from Egypt.  They had heard many things.  What they chose to believe was at issue here.  Belief after all, is a choice.

Jesus declares in verse 28 … “Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. [verse 29] But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.”  Christ points out to them the truth they also know.  The truth of the 3 wise men who bore gifts and followed a star from the east to the night of His birth.  They knew of the angelic host, who tore the night sky open with brilliant light of daylight and sang anthems to announce His birth.  They knew of the shepherds tending flocks by night, who also bore witness to the miracle of His entry into the world.  And more importantly, these same men bore witness to His miracles, His love, His healings, and His truth.  If they were to persist in refusing to know, it would be God they were refusing to know.  For God was the God of love, and Christ was love revealed to the world.  They had lost sight of the idea that God was a God of love.  Instead they had cast God the Father as a God of vengeance, justice, and punishment.  Christ aligned with none of these ideas.  They missed all the elements of redemption from the Old Testament witnesses, and focused only on the violence.  They missed all the tender mercy and love God had shown throughout all the stories of the Old Testament, and instead glorified the violent acts of men who thought to “help” God out in each of those situations.  As such, they did not know God at all, nor could they recognize Him in the form of His Son who bore witness of what it means to love in this world.

The reaction of those men, who did know the truth, but refused to accept it was swift and intense.  Verse 30 reads … “Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.”  The only thing that prevented the death of Christ on that very day, in that very minute, was the preordained timeline God had established.  Angels literally had to restrain those who would have put an end to Christ on the spot.  They did this, because love had not yet been fully revealed.  We were to have yet a little more time with Christ among us.  We were to yet have a little more chance to see what it means to love like God loves.  When hatred is embraced however, and love is rejected, the only response left is one of murder.  Those who think the nature of evil is not so bad, those who believe not all evil is the same, forget the lessons written here of love rejected.  Murder was their response.  Death is the ultimate path and destination of every evil, no matter how small or innocent it looks.  It is the reason there is only one result, for there can be only one result, when one turns away from life and love, it is misery and death.  Thus the supernatural prevented, what evil would have determined. 

The bright spot in this otherwise dark storm however, was that not all the listeners were so determined to reject the truth of the words of Christ.  Verse 31 reads … “And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?”  Common sense won out, in those who were willing to use it.  It was painfully obvious to those who were not so consumed with hate as to ignore it.  Christ was teaching truth and love.  He was reciting texts and doctrines of love that He had never been formally educated to present.  He was working miracles in the plain sight of the people.  Who would ever come, that would do MORE, than He was already doing?  Healings, feedings, teachings, and packaged in humility, truth, and love – what more was there to wait for?  This had to be the Messiah.  This had to be the one they had so long waited for.  The intent of Christ to reach even His most ardent enemies had some limited success; for there were among the people those who made a choice to believe.