Loyalty, Betrayal, and the Wise and Loving Life

This week, our focus is on Matthew 26:1-5; 14-18 and the character of Betrayal and restoration.

Kathy and I have become occasional, and in Kathy’s case, reluctant, watchers of the television show, “Agents of Shield.” [1] 5432f52971f7fIt currently appears that Agent Ward has betrayed his colleagues, and especially “Skye,” who is emotionally attached to him and to whom he is also emotionally attached. It turns out that Agent Ward is not really a loyal agent of Shield; he has betrayed Shield, his team, and his love, having been an agent of the enemy, Hydra, all along. In addition,

A scene in which Skye confronts Agent Ward mesmerized me. She was really mad. Her love for Grant Ward has turned to disgust at who Ward really is and what Ward has done. She turns him into the police, she berates him publically, and she finally reveals that she would rather die than give Ward what he wants from her. The actress who plays Skye does a wonderful job of portraying the anger and fury one feels at betrayal.

Today, we are visiting about the subject of betrayal, forgiveness, restoration, and the life of wisdom and love. Betrayal is a feature of fallen human existence. Everyone to some degree feels betrayed by someone during the course of life. Lovers, spouses, business partners, friends, fellow church members, sooner or later all feel betrayed to some degree at some point in life. Worse, we all betray someone who is entitled to our trust to one degree or another at some point in life. It can be a big betrayal, or as small as disclosing some trivial secret. Therefore, we need to understand how to be delivered from betrayal.

This week, I wrote a  meditation for Facebook and to be included  in the bulletin that says, “There is no worse experience than the experience of being betrayed. The experience of being betrayed is unbelievably painful–and so is the shame and guilt of being a betrayer. The betrayed needs to be delivered from the anger that comes from being betrayed, and the betrayer needs to be delivered from the shame and guilt of betrayal. Judas dies because he cannot escape his guilt. Peter is restored because he can accept forgiveness and change.” This points out an interesting fact: Everyone involved in a betrayal needs a kind of deliverance.

Text and Prayer.

Briefly, our  occurs on Wednesday of Holy Week. Jesus has entered the city of Jerusalem. He has confronted the priests, Pharisees and Sadduces. He has cleansed the temple. The leaders of the people have had enough and are looking for ways to get rid of  him. Just before today’s text, Jesus has made his prophesy of the end of the Jewish Temple and of the Final Judgment. You can imagine the fear and anger of the religious leaders. Jesus has now finished his active ministry. All that is left is his betrayal, arrest, trials, suffering, and death. This is how Matthew describes what comes next:

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”  

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over (Matthew 26:1-16).

Prayer: Faithful God: You are eternally faithful to yourself, to your promises, to your creation, and to your people. We, however, are not always faithful to you, to creation, or to other people. Forgive us. Come and allow us to sense your presence and your healing power in our meditation. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Character of Betrayal.

There is no sadder figure in American history than the figure of Benedict Arnold. Arnold was a brave, skilled military leader, pershps the best combat general serving under General Washington. Washington respected and admired Arnold. images-3
Unfortunately, Arnold could be abrasive and made enemies in the Revolutionary Army. Other men were promoted above him. He began to be resentful. In addition, he lived beyond his means and engaged in practices that the Continental Congress found objectionable. He was court marshaled. Even then, Washington protected him and gave him a very mild reprimand. He wanted to save a good general’s career. Unfortunately, Arnold had married an English sympathizer, who led him into treason. He proposed handing over West Point, where he was in command, to the British. When the plot was uncovered, Arnold fled to the enemy lines and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he’d been promised by the British. He died in London, in relative obscurity. Today, to call a person a Benedict Arnold is to call that person a traitor.

What makes people so deeply hate a betrayer? I think it is the fact that betrayal involves a breach of trust personally, publically, financially or otherwise. We can only be betrayed by people with whom we are friends, partners, spouses, lovers, fellow soldiers, etc. Those who can betray us owe us a duty of loyalty. We are relational people. We need relationships; however, we can be hurt in relationships. Because vulnerability is a part of any deep relationship, betrayal is especially terrible.

When a spouse, partner, or public servant betrays our trust, it strikes at our sense of security in a deep and terrible way. We are filled with a kind of fear and horror that we can be so vulnerable.  The result for the betrayer is either shame or a slow journey into a deep lack of character. A betrayer cannot be trusted by anyone. The result of any betrayal is deep anger and pain among all those involved, and especially for the one betrayed.

Judas the Betrayer.

With this background, let’s look at the man we call Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of the original Twelve Disciples. He must have had a good mind and some kind of financial expertise, because he was made the treasurer of the Twelve and was responsible for the common purse they kept. He was with Jesus  from the beginning of his ministry. He heard Jesus’ powerful teachings. He witnessed Jesus’ many  healings and mighty deeds of power. He saw demons cast out. He experienced Jesus’ prayer life and love for people. Judas is a reminder that going to church, being surrounded by Christian brothers and sisters, participating in Christian activities, and even experiencing the blessings of the Christian life, does not guarantee faith nor does it guarantee we will not betray Christ and our faith.

Everywhere Judas is mentioned in the Bible, he is spoken of in a negative way. How could Judas have betrayed Jesus? Judas, like us, probably didn’t set out to become evil. John indicates that he was greedy and took money from the common purse (John 12:6). I imagine it began innocently.
images-4He would take a few shekels into a city to buy food and forget to put the change back in the common purse. Off on an errand, he bought a few personal items without reimbursing the little group of disciples. Gradually, ever so gradually, Judas began to lose his moral bearings. He first became a thief, and then became a betrayer.

Like the other disciples, Judas expected Jesus to be a messianic King. He expected Jesus to overthrow Roman rule and reestablish the kingdom of Israel. He expected to be part of the leadership of a kingdom that would never end—at least not in his lifetime. As Jesus moved closer and closer to Jerusalem and to that last Passover, Judas, like the other disciples, was probably disturbed by Jesus’s prophecies that he would be betrayed and die a terrible death. As Holy Week went on, Judas could see that the religious leaders and powerful people were lining up support to get rid of Jesus. I suspect Judas did not want to die.

Knowing that someone was going to betray Jesus, and that sooner or later Jesus and his followers were going to come to a bad end, Judas decided that those who came to a bad end would not include him. Eventually, he went to see the religious leaders and cut a deal with them—Jesus for safety and thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15). At that moment, Judas walked over a line. He might have just quit and gone home. He might have stood up and spoken against what Jesus was doing. Those would have been honorable courses of action. Betraying Jesus was an act of moral cowardice.

Judas’ life is a reminder to all of us. Very few people set out to betray a spouse, or lover, or a friend, or a business partner. It happens slowly, one compromise at a time. There is a kind of slow moral slide. A lunch that should have been avoided, a deal that should never have been done, a present that should never have been accepted, a word that should never have been spoken. That is how betrayal begins. Then, one day, we’ve done something and become someone we never intended to do or become.

Judas, Jesus and Peter.

It appears that Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed and that Judas was the betrayer. imgres-4The New Testament clearly records that Jesus identified Judas as his betrayer, and that Judas left the meal before it was over (Matt. 26:23-25; John 13:18-30). We know this to be true because Judas had to go to the high priests home and get the military officials who would actually arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-44; Luke 22:47-48; John 18:1-4). Confronted by Jesus and his understanding of what he was about, Judas walked over the boundary line between good and evil, became a true servant of evil, and betrayed the Messiah.

There was another person present that night who would betray Jesus. We are going to hear his story in a few weeks when we talk about disappointment. Peter was there when Jesus prophesied that all the disciples would desert him and he would die abandoned and alone. Filled with pride, Peter told Jesus that he would not desert the Messiah even if everyone else did so (Matt. 26:33). Jesus knew otherwise. He told Peter that, before the rooster crowed in the next day’s dawn, he would betray Jesus (v. 34). Sure enough, that evening, filled with terror, Peter denied the Lord three times.

The Bible tells us that, after Jesus was betrayed, Judas regretted what he had done. Apparently, he tried to give the thirty pieces of silver he had received back to the High Priest and Sanhedrin. When they refused to take the money back, Judas committed suicide (Matt. 27:3-5). In Mark’s rendition of the first Easter, the Angels tell the women to go tell the disciples, and Peter, to meet him in Galilee (Mark 16:7). Peter, you see had abandoned Christ.  He was a deserter, no longer a disciple. Nevertheless, at the end of John, we see Peter speaking of his leadership with the risen Lord (John 22:15-19). images-2

Both Judas and Peter were betrayers of the trust Jesus placed in them. Both owed him loyalty and were unfaithful. Why did Judas commit suicide and Peter become the chief of the apostles? I think the answer is this: Judas, filled with pride, shame, and guilt, could not go to the Lord and asked for forgiveness and be restored. Peter repented of what he had done, accepted his guilt and shame, asked for forgiveness, and was restored. The big difference between Judas and Peter is not what they did, but how they reacted to the love of God.

Everyone Needs Deliverance from the Deliverer.

Everyone needs deliverance from betrayal and its consequences. There are people whose lives are ruined because of a betrayal. Some of these people are the betrayer who never repents and turns his or her life around. Others are the betrayed who never release the anger and pain and whose lives are twisted by desire for revenge. Both betrayers and the betrayed need their own deliverance.

Wednesday evening someone shared with our group the following story. A loved one was betrayed by someone who could not overcome an addiction. The loved one ultimately died. It was a young, tragic, and unnecessary death. Naturally, the family had a hard time forgiving the one who betrayed their daughter. The person who was an addict ultimately became sober and embarked on a new life. The parents, however, still had to cope with the loss of a daughter. One day, in a conversation, the addict said that, “The one thing he could do was to provide a sober parent for their child.” In that moment, a healing began. I want to share with you just a little bit of an email I received this week:

“Then I told our Bible study what you said to me, something I’ll never forget that a changed me. You told me that the one thing you COULD do for [our daughter] was to be a sober dad for [our granddaughter], that you being [her] dad was the one thing she wanted more than anything, which was so true. That stuck with me from that moment forward. It was a beautiful thing to say & gave me a lot of comfort. Then we were able to spend Christmas together and talk about things regarding …. I’ll be honest, at first I had to pray every day for God to change my heart so I would love you & care about you, that I would let go to all that stuff in the past between you & [our daughter]. And God did – and you did. I’m so grateful that [we] are working together to parent [our granddaughter] and to raise her. I never would have thought. I didn’t know you well and didn’t understand how deeply devoted you are to [her] and that you did love [our daughter] … I wanted you to know how I feel and how grateful I am for everything that is happening…. “ [2]

I wanted to share this with you for a reason. The healing that began on the phone call did not make what happened any less tragic. It did not excuse past behavior. It opened up the potential for a new future.imgres

Our deliverance does not eliminate the past or all the consequences of the past. It does not eliminate the need to change or make amends. Instead, it provides a point for a new beginning. It provides a way to healing and wholeness again for both the betrayed and the betrayer, so we can experience that healing and wholeness in this life as far as possible and not be trapped in the past and its pain.

The spouse that cannot forgive a betrayal, the parent or child who cannot forgive a past betrayal, the business partner who cannot forgive a past betrayal becomes trapped in the past they cannot forgive. Such persons need a healing.

The person who betrayed that person, if they cannot repent and turn their life around, and accept the forgiveness of God, becomes trapped in the past as well. Like Judas, they commit a kind of emotional suicide, and morally,  spiritually and emotionally hang themselves on the rope of their past betrayal.  It is only when a betrayer (and we) repent, forgive, accept forgiveness, and make amends for the past  that we receive the healing and  new life that Christ offers us.

Amen

Copyright 2016, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] See, Marvel: Agents of Shield: Season 1, (ABC Studios, Marvel Studios, 2013-2016).

[2] Personal Email, February 18, 2016. Used by Permission.

Deliverance and our Deliverer

Those who love military history may remember an event known as, “The Great Raid.” [1] God is involved in a great rescue operation. He wants to deliver us from our captivities. He wants us to join him in his Kingdom of Light to which he draws us by his love. Happy Valentines Day!

imagesIn January 1945,121 volunteer U.S. Army Rangers, with a few “Alamo Scouts”  and  Filipino freedom fighters, conducted a rescue mission to save more than 500 allied survivors of the Bataan Death March. Early in World War II, the Bataan Peninsula fell to the Japanese. About 500 American and Allied soldiers were eventually sent to the Cabanatuan prison camp. The conditions in the camp were terrible. There was disease, malnourishment, brutality, and torture. By early 1945, it was clear that the Japanese were losing the war, and the Philippines were certain to be conquered by American forces. The Japanese High Command ordered that the prisoners be killed if there was a danger of their liberation. After an early atrocity at another camp, the Allied High Command determined to rescue these prisoners. I don’t have time to tell the entire story. However, on January 30, 1945, 513 prisoners were rescued. I do want to mention that Lt. Col. Henry Mucci was in overall command; and Capt. Robert Prince led the raid.

During the raid, many prisoners could hardly believe they were being rescued. One prisoner resisted even when he was told the rescuers were Americans. The prisoner, who had not seen an American uniform since 1941, said, “No Yank ever wore a uniform like that!” One prisoner said the following: “I think I was the first American out of the prison camp. First thing I knew I was standing outside with a big yank. His name was Capt. Prince of Seattle Washington, and the first thing I did was grab the captain and hug and kiss him right there.” You see, after so many years in a living hell, he had been rescued, and he was thankful for his deliverance!

Prayers for a New Church

The letter of Paul to the Colossians is one of the letters called “Prison Epistles.” Somewhere around the year 60 A.D., while Paul was in prison in Rome, he wrote a letter to the church at Colossae, a small city in what we know today as Turkey.imgres-2 The little church had some problems, and so Paul set out to write them a letter. Paul begins his letter by thanking the Colossians for the faith, hope, and love they are sharing throughout the world (Col. 1:3-7). Then, he prays that they will receive spiritual wisdom (v. 9), that they will live a life worthy of Christ (10), and that they will have the strength that only the Holy Spirit can give so that they might be empowered to live the Christian life in difficult circumstances (v. 11).

Our text picks up as Paul is giving thanks for the Colossians:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:9-14).

Let us Pray: O God, our Deliverer: this Lenten season we pray that you would come by the power of your Holy Spirit that each one of us might experience your saving grace in the new and precious way. In Jesus Name, Amen

The Gospel of Deliverance.

Sometimes, we have too small a view of our salvation. We reduce the gospel to a way to experience heaven when we die. Unfortunately, this is not what Jesus or the apostles meant by Good News. Did you notice that, in what I read to you a few moments ago, Paul tells the Colossians that they have become citizens of the “kingdom of light,” having been rescued from the kingdom of darkness (Col. 1:12-13). It is as if the Colossians had been trapped in a dark world in which there was no light. God by his mercy has rescued or delivered them from their dungeon and brought them into the Kingdom of Christ—a heavenly kingdom—a kingdom described by John as being like the city as beautiful as a bride descending to dwell in among men (Rev. 21:1-3; 22:1-5).

The British scholar, N. T. Wright, has written a new book entitled, “Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What Makes It Good.” [2] imgres-3In his book, Wright emphasizes that the Good News is not just about getting forgiven for being a sinner and going to heaven when we die. The Good News is that a New King has come to establish a New Kingdom, and we are called to give up our citizenship in our earthy kingdoms of darkness and become citizens of this New Kingdom. Jesus was not killed by the Romans for claiming to be God; he was killed by the Romans for claiming to be a king (See, Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:17-18).

Wright describes what Jesus was about as follows:

“Jesus wasn’t content to leave existing structures in place and start of a nice, quiet unobtrusive movement somewhere else. He didn’t want the rest of the world to go on with its idea of kingship while he started a sect, a separatist movement that wouldn’t challenge that notion. That might have been the effect of allowing human rulers to keep the word “king” while choosing a different slogan altogether. What he was doing was far more radical. Not only was Jesus plugging into the ancient scriptural promises that spoke of God coming back at last to be king of his people and the whole world. He was insisting that this kingdom of God, this new reality, the heart of his good news, was a different sort of rule based upon a different sort of power. And that it was designed to challenge the present powers of the world with a new kingship that would trump theirs altogether.” [3]

Like all kingdoms, Jesus did not expect his kingdom to be established without trouble. This is why Jesus foresaw his death (Matt. 26:2). The struggle for the Kingdom  is also reflected in Paul’s letter to Ephesians when he says:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:10-18).

The rulers of the people and Pontius Pilate did not understand exactly what Jesus was about; they could not understand the true nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. However, they correctly understood that Jesus intended to found a Kingdom that would eventually supplant or at least threaten their kingdoms. Religious leaders, for religious reasons, and political leaders for political reasons couldn’t really tolerate his claim of Jesus. And that’s why he was crucified. The rulers of this world, the powers and principalities, also resist our entry into God’s Kingdom of Light and our spiritual growth after we enter God’s kingdom.

What does this mean for us? It means that right now, today, we are called to follow a new king. We are called to resist our culture, our natural impulses, our friends, and/or impulses when they would lead us into a kingdom of darkness instead of the kingdom of light. We are not just called to be saved; we are called to be changed and to change. We care called to become new people fit to inhabit a New Kingdom of Light and Love.

The First Conquest: the Conquest of Self.

As Paul lets us know in Colossians, the first step in becoming citizens of the Kingdom of God is to be delivered by Grace from the Kingdom of Darkness (Col. 1:13). [4] The word “deliverance” has gotten a bad name among Christians because some people, when they talk about deliverance, only want to talk about demons. The word “deliverance” is used over and over again in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The words used for “salvation” or “rescue” in Hebrew and Greek can, and often are, translated “deliver”. [5] The word used in Colossians also carries the connotation of been moved to another situation or place.

In the Old and New Testaments, God is often seen rescuing his people. God delivers the Jews from captivity in Egypt and delivering them into the Promised Land. God rescued David from the hands of his enemies and delivered the Kingdom into his hands. God rescued the Jews from captivity in Babylon and delivered them home to the Promised Land. In the same way, in the New Testament God rescued Jesus from the grave restoring him to an eternal life. God delivers those who are sick from their diseases to health. God delivers the demon possessed from their demons to sanity. God is a God of deliverance, which means that God is in the business of moving people and nations from one state to a better state!imgres

The delivering power of God means that we can and should pray to God for deliverance—to be rescued from our captivity to dark powers in and around us and delivered to a better state! We should pray to God to be delivered from our captivity to our secret sins, to our character flaws, to our brokenness, and to our unwillingness to change. Wednesday night, we had an Ash Wednesday service, during which we talked about the meaning of Lent and the meaning of the ashes. The ashes remind us that we are finite, mortal, flawed, sinners in need of salvation and a Savior. The good news we celebrate is that Christ is a conqueror who can deliver us.

Coming into the Kingdom.

Several months ago, I used an illustration that we have been learning in Salt & Light. [6] Imagine a throne. The throne symbolizes your life. In the beginning, most of us want to sit on the throne of our lives. We make mistakes, we betray others, we commit injustices, we do immoral things, we hurt ourselves, and we suffer. Then, imagine a second throne. You’re still on the throne, but somewhere sitting at your feet there is God. God is there to help you manage your life when you get into trouble. Most Christians spend most of their lives in exactly this situation. Finally, imagine Christ on the throne of your life and you sitting at Christ’s feet. Now, you are part of God’s kingdom, filled with the wisdom and love of God, you live in fellowship with God, the world, and others. You are in a better place.

A week or two ago, I came up with another illustration. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I think it’s a good day to share with you. Imagine a huge heart. imgres-1 Inside of that heart, there are three interlocking circles representing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit bound together in eternal, unending, self-giving love. Imagine yourself far away from that heart. This is life lived without any relationship to God. Then, imagine yourself right at the edge of the heart with, perhaps, one arm kind of holding the heart in case you need it. That’s most of us: we want to be near God, we want to be able to touch the heart of God when we really need to, but we don’t want to get too close. Finally, imagine yourself being drawn inside the heart until you are surrounded by the love of God. Imagine your entire personality being permeated and changed by that transforming love. That’s what being in the kingdom of God means. [7]  To be in God’s Kingdom is to be drawn into the place of deep love and peace we have always dreamed of experiencing.

Response to Grace.

If we truly understand what God has done for us in Christ and what God wants for us, we will be overcome by the love of God. I hate to use two military illustrations in one sermon; however, as we celebrate Christ as deliverer, I think the movie, Saving Private Ryan has an important message. [8] If you remember, at the very beginning of the movie an old man is walking down the rows of a cemetery in Normandy, France. He finally finds one grave. He stands there, and then collapses in tears. images-1The man is James Francis Ryan. In the movie, Capt. John H Miller, played by Tom Hanks, and a small squad of men are asked to rescue the last surviving son of a woman who is already lost three children in the Second World War. Capt. Miller is not particularly anxious to set out on this mission, but he goes, and in the end saves Private Ryan. During the final moments of the rescue operation, Miller is killed. In his last moments, Miller asks Ryan to earn his rescue.

God has decided to mount a rescue operation. He has decided to deliver us from our sin, from our brokenness, from our poor thinking and foolishness, and from all of our brokenness into his Kingdom. In order to do this, he had no choice but to send his Son, his Only Son, his Beloved Son. It so happens, that his son, like Captain Miller was killed in the operation. That’s how much God loves us.

Now, we have a choice. We can deny the whole story and live on the basis of our own desires. We can just fondly remember what Jesus did on the cross, only really responding when we are in trouble. Or, we can allow ourselves to be drawn into the heart of God, trusting that the same God who sent his Only Begotten Son to give us eternal life can be trusted to save us from ourselves and deliver us to a much better place.  God can be trusted to rescue us from whatever keeps us from experiencing the joy of his Kingdom of Love and to deliver us into that place where we can experience the life of which we have always dreamed.

Amen

Copyright 2016, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] You can learn more about the Great Raid at wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Raid. The quote below is from an interview with Captain Prince in his 85th year, as he remembered the raid. Several movies have been made about the raid, including one called, “The Great Raid.” Captain Prince was 25 when he led the raid.

[2] N. T. Wright, Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What Makes It Good (New York, NY: HarperOne, a division of Harper Collins, 2015). In this section, I am drawing heavily on this book.

[3] Id, at 63.

[4] As I point out below, the word translated “rescue” in Colossians can be and is sometimes translated “deliver” in the King James, Revised Standard, New King James, and other versions.

[5] There are several words used in the Old Testament for “deliver.” God is often characterized as the deliver of his people (See, Psalm 91 for example). In the New Testament, there are also several words translated as “deliver,” which can be used for both physical and spiritual deliverance. “Sozo,” which means “save” can also mean “rescue” or “deliver.” In Colossians1:13, “errusato” means rescue or deliver by moving from one place or condition (dominion of darkness) to another (the kingdom of light).

[6] For those who have missed it, Kathy and I are writing a new discipleship curriculum we call “Salt & Light. Last spring, we had a preliminary class. This year, we have a draft curriculum and are going through it with three different groups at Advent Presbyterian Church. We hope to complete the writing portion of the curriculum before the fall of 2016.

[7] In the Greek, there is a form called, “the spherical dative.” This tense is used when, for example, Paul speaks of “being in Christ.” The notion of the spherical dative is one of being surrounded by, in the sphere of the power of, the object. By the power of God’s Grace, which is his self-giving love,  a Christian should be drawn ever deeper into the sphere of the power of God, surrounded by the wisdom and love of God.

[8] Saving Private Ryan, wr. Robert Rodat, dir. Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Tom Sizemore. (Amblin Entertainment, Dreamworks, 1998). The movie is based on a true story from the Second World War. The Niland brothers were four siblings from New York. Although two brothers survived the war, there was a time when the Allied Command believed only one brother had survived the war. They therefore had what they assumed was the final surviving son, Fritz, sent home.Bob Niland was killed at D-Day. Preston Niland was also killed on D-Day. The final brother, Edmund, was missing and presumed dead, but was in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

The Power of Prayer and Preparation

As we end this five week look at the Great Commission and its implications for our discipleship, we are focused on prayer and preparation for the future. It will help if you read Acts 1 either before or after the blog.What's Next Logo

Just about twenty-six years ago, Kathy and I were at an awkward stage of our marriage. When we married, I was a lawyer. For many years, we thought, argued, and prayed about going to seminary. However, the circumstances and time never seemed right. Then, in mid-January 1990, Kathy announced that she was ready to go to seminary and thought now might be the time. There were obstacles, like winding down a business, and selling a house, but we were pretty sure it was the right thing to do.

You can’t just decide to go to seminary and go when you have a business, children, a house, debts, and other obligations. Therefore, we were not finished praying and preparing for what was to come next. In fact, we entered a period of six months of extreme prayer and a lot of preparation! Life did not stand still because we had made a decision. We still had four children, family, a church, and other obligations.

As I remember, it began kind of slowly as we told a few friends and family about our decision. However, it got really busy really fast. We began praying about where to go to seminary. Over the next four months or so we visited seminaries, and applied to seminaries and workout financial details. In addition, there were clients to turn over to someone else, and the need to earn a living for the next six months! Our home needed to be sold or leased. We needed a place to live and schools for our children. Finally, it seemed certain that the best alternative was to attend Union Theological Seminary in Richmond Virginia. Seven months after we began, we left Houston for seminary.

Today, we are talking about the disciples and how they faced the interlude between the time that they received the Great Commission and the time they actually began accomplishing it. Our goal is to understand how we can wisely and productively use the “in-between times of life” while we are waiting for what comes next.

Commissioned to Wait.

Luke begins Acts by advising us that in the Gospel of Luke he told the story of what Jesus began to do before he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:1-2). In Acts, Luke tells the story of what Jesus continued to do through the disciples and the church after he ascended into heaven. Luke begins by briefly reviewing what Jesus did during the forty days between the time he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. This time was spent assuring the disciples that he was alive and teaching them what they would need to know to be witnesses of the resurrection (vv. 3-6).

On one occasion, he told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the gift God had promised them: that the Father was going to send the Holy Spirit (vv. 4-5). The disciples, still believing that Jesus might create a physical new Kingdom, asked him if this was the time when God would restore Israel (v. 6). Jesus replied with these words:

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-9).

Luke goes on to tell us that, after he said this, Jesus was taken up before their eyes (Acts 1:9). wniebowstapienie-panskieNow, the disciples had received both the promise of the Holy Spirit and their commission to witness to what God had done in Jesus Christ. Still, there was waiting, praying, and preparation ahead of them.

Let’s Pray: God of power and might: we ask that you would come upon us this morning with the power of your Holy Spirit that we might deeply understand the importance of our cooperation in receiving your grace. Enlighten us, Change our hearts and conform our wills to Your Divine Will. In Jesus name, Amen.

Background to the Wait.

For the past five eweeks, this blog has been looking at the Great Commission as it appears in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and now Acts. Our theme has been, “What’s Next?” This is not only the theme for this initial series of blogs this year; it is our theme for the entire year of 2016. We are looking forward to what God is going to do next in our lives, families, neighborhoods, community, churches, and relationships.

Jesus was with his disciples for three years. He preached, taught, healed, cast out demons, and was the undisputed leader of his followers. Naturally, on a purely human level, the disciples relied upon the physical, human presence of Jesus. That’s why they were so fearful and confused when he died. They had been followers; now they had to learn to be leaders.

If Jesus had risen from the dead, stayed one day, and ascended into heaven, I honestly doubt the Christian faith would have made it. It’s a human tendency after a miracle to begin to explain it away in our minds. It’s natural to begin to wonder if you have misunderstood. It is natural to say, “I must have been dreaming; God would never do anything like this!” Therefore, Jesus took forty days to be with his disciples, assure them that he was alive, teach them the final lessons they would need to be his witnesses, and prepare them for the future.

The disciples, as they left the mount of the Ascension and returned to Jerusalem, were entering their final time of preparation. Soon, they would go into the entire would sharing the Gospel. Now, however, they must wait just a little while longer, putting to work what Jesus had taught them, and waiting for the gift of the Spirit.

It would be nice if the time between the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises were instantaneous. However, it is rarely the case. There is always a time between our assurance that God has a future for us and the time in which we are actually empowered to enter that future. The big question then is, “What shall we do while we wait?” It is important how we spend out time as we wait for what comes next. We need to learn to wisely spend our time as we wait for what comes next.

Praying in the Future.

Luke tells us that the disciples returned to the city of Jerusalem to the Upper Room where they were staying (Luke 1:12-13). They were not alone. Mary Magdalene and the other women who had found the empty tomb, Mary the mother of Jesus, and his family, were also present (vv. 13). They did not, however, just sit around and wait for the Holy Spirit. We are told that they spent their time worshiping in the Temple (Luke 24:53) and praying (Acts 1:14).wait-forty-days

God wants many good things for all of us; however, there are things that we could have but will not have unless we pray. Is one of the mysteries of life that God, who already knows what we need before we ask him, still desires us to ask and pray (Matthew 6:8). Because God wants to have a relationship with us, God wants us to communicate with him about our needs. He wants us to open our hearts to his Spirit. Prayer does change things, and one thing it changes is our hearts.

The fact is that our spiritual relationship with God is no different than our physical relationship with friends and family. If we want to have a strong relationship, we have to communicate with our family and friends. Study after study shows that the single biggest problem with human relationships is a failure to communicate. Some of you may remember the movie Cool Hand Luke. Luke repeatedly tries to escape from prison. On the first such occasion, the prison warden others the most famous line in the movie: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate”. [1] The warden was an evil guy, but he spoke an eternal truth: If we want to enjoy the full future that God desires for us the first thing we have to do is communicate with God and pray. With God and other people, a lot of problems come from a failure to communicate.

Preparing for the Future.

The second thing we have to do is prepare. As Acts tells the story, at one point during the ten day period before Pentecost, Peter stood up and spoke to the apostles. It seems that Peter had been contemplating the teachings of the Old Testament and thinking about what to do next. He concluded that, in the Old Testament, it was prophesied that, when the Messiah came, he would be betrayed (Acts 1:15-20). Peter quotes a number of scriptures in support of his idea. Then, he recommends that a replacement for Judas be elected (vv. 21-22).

You may ask “Why did Peter think this?” In my mind, the best answer is pretty simple: there were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve disciples, one to act as a representative of each tribe. If God was going to reconstitute Israel, as the disciples hoped, it makes sense that there ought to be a full complement of twelve disciples to do the job! [2]

It’s really interesting how exactly the disciples replaced the Judas. It shows their complete reliance upon God. First of all, the disciples accepted the leadership of Peter. They accepted that it was necessary to choose someone who had been with Jesus from the time of John the Baptist until the Ascension. Jerusalem56Having accepted Peter’s leadership, two names were proposed to the group, Barsabbas (called Justus) and Matthias. Then, the entire group prayed over the decision. Finally, they cast lots, leaving the final decision to God. Matthias was chosen (vv. 23-26).

This often overlooked passage tells us a lot about what we should be doing while we are waiting for God. There are always practical things we can do to get ready for the blessing God has for us. We can study our Bibles and ponder any biblical teaching we need to know to make a decision. We can think about what exactly we might do to accomplish our goal. And finally, as we make decisions, we can trust God.

Any elder who has participated in a serious decision in our church will tell you that we follow this model in making decisions. When faced with difficult problems we never act quickly. Instead, we pray, sometimes for hours (and sometimes for longer than many of the elders wish)! We also discuss the problem, hoping to come to a solution with which everyone agrees. This isn’t always possible, but it’s always our objective. These practices of praying, meditating, thinking, and preparing as we wait are ones we can all follow in our daily lives as we make decisions and move into the future.

Remembering Whose in Charge.

The story of the ten days between the commissioning of the disciples and the ascension of Jesus into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit is a story of obedience. It is a story of the Twelve showing that they were ready to be leaders by putting into practice what they had learned from Jesus. They trusted God. They prayed to God. And then, they prepared for the future as best they knew how.

Lent is a period of time in which we meditate on our brokenness, our sorrow, our shortcomings, even our sinfulness. We don’t meditate on this so that we can feel bad about ourselves. searchWe meditate to prepare for Easter Sunday morning and our celebration of God’s victory over sin and death. I hope that this Lenten season we will all take the opportunity to pray for the forgiveness and healings we need from God and prepare for the future God has in store for us.

We are not finished with 2016 nor are we finished with asking the question, “What’s Next?” Now, however, we are moving into a new part of our journey: For the next several weeks we’re going to ask, “What changes do I need to make to receive the future God has in store for me?” and “How can I become spiritually ready for what comes next?” These too are questions worth asking. The next few blogs will be more painful than those we’ve had recently. They force us to consider who we really are and what needs to change in our lives so that we can experience the Spirit and the power of the resurrection.

Amen.

[1] See, Cool Hand Luke, wr. Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson; dir. Stuart Rosenberg; starring Paul Newman, George Kennedy, and Strother Martin (Jalin Productions, 1967). The sadistic warden, in response to Luke’s escape, speaks the line. Some commentators have seen Luke as a kind of Christ figure and the warden as a kind of devil. However, the quote is true about many human relationships. George Kennedy won an academy award for his acting in the movie and Newman was nominated for an award.

[2] The number twelve is important to the disciples and important in Jewish history. Originally there were twelve tribes of Israel. By Jesus’ day, ten were lost. One expectation was that the Messiah would reconstitute Israel—meaning that the Twelve Tribes would be restored. This is probably one of the expectations that the disciples had of Jesus. It is clear that this expectation continues to be a part of the early church’s hope. In Revelation for example twenty-four elders bow down before God (Revelation 4:10 and before the lamb (Revelation 5:8).

From Word to Worship to Witness

Today, we are looking at Luke 24:36-53. There is a mystical quality to all life transforming experiences. They are not ordinary. We should not, therefore, expect that our experience of the Risen Christ would be on the level of our experience of a Diet Coke. It is deeper, more central to who we are and will be. It is mysterious and sacred–and in being so such an experience is transformative.

What's Next Logo I would like to begin by sharing a story about a young man named, “Frank.” Frank was born into a prosperous, business family. His father dreamed that Frank would be a businessman and take over the family business. As Frank grew up, there was reason to believe that his father’s dreams would come true. Frank was a natural businessman. He was also extremely likable. Frank was kind and gentle with people. There were stories of him chasing down some of his father’s customers just to treat them fairly or give them a gift. Frank’s father did not particularly like the part of Frank he regarded as overly generous; however, he did like Frank’s business skills.

Friends and neighbors used to say that Frank could get away with almost anything because he was so likable. He was also handsome and attractive to the girls. In the end, Frank became something of a party boy. He drank too much, he partied too much, and he spent too much time chasing girls. Along the way, Frank began to dream of glory and decided to be a military person. It’s at this point that Frank’s life began to go astray.

He participated in a small battle, and ended up a prisoner for a year or so. He decided to make the military his career. Along the way to rejoin the army, he had a dream. In his dream, Christ appeared to tell him that he was going in the wrong direction. He returned home feeling foolish. Later, he heard God’s voice tell him to build his church; however, mistakenly he felt it was to rebuild a particular church, and to fund his enterprise he used his father’s money. His angry father disinherited him. Most of the people of his hometown loved him, but they had come to see him as a bit unstable.

At this point Frank began to truly and from the heart seek God’s will for his life.  Eventually, St. Francis of Assisi found his destiny to renew the church. [1] Giving up everything for Christ, he spent the rest of his life sharing the gospel in building the Roman Catholic order called the “Franciscans.”

From the Word to Worship

Luke contains a complete account of the resurrection of Jesus and of the events of the first Easter. Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women went to the tomb. They found the tomb empty, and an angel told them that Jesus was alive. The angel went on to tell them that Moses, the author of the Torah, the Prophets, and other writers of Scripture had foreseen the events of his death and resurrection. Later that day, Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus, and began to explain to two disciples the meaning of the events they had witnessed in Jerusalem. Once again, Jesus explained that his death and resurrection were a part of God’s plan. The two disciples ran to tell the Twelve, who did not believe their testimony. Then, Jesus appeared among them.

This is how Luke tells the rest of the story:

imgres-2While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.  He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:36-53).

Prayer: Come Spirit of the Risen Christ that we too may see you and hear you speaking to us from your Bible. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

The Personal Word.

imagesThe story of St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most precious stories in Christian history. Scholars point out that St. Francis was never studious. Of course, growing up in a Catholic country, he went to church. As the son of a well-to-do businessman, he went to school and he learned to read and write. However, Francis never demonstrates a desire for abstract knowledge. He was fundamentally a social and practical person. He wanted to make things happen and enjoy being with people. Francis was what we would call, “a people person.”

I suspect that Peter and the apostles were pretty much like Francis. In fact, I’ll bet they were more like St. Francis than like your pastor. These were fishermen, tax collectors, and small businessmen. Yes, they went to their little synagogue in Capernaum or wherever. Yes, they could read and write. Yes, if they were required to, they could read a bit of a scroll during a worship service, but, they were not scholars.

Their conviction that Christ had risen from the dead was not based upon something they read; t was based upon something they experienced. The Gospels are unanimous that when Jesus was arrested the disciples deserted him. In addition, they were afraid they would be arrested too. When the women came to announce that the tomb was empty, they had a hard time believing it. Peter had a hard time believing it even after seeing the empty tomb (Luke 24:12). The first Easter evening, they gathered together to discuss the day’s events. While they were there, they were confronted by the Living Word of God, the risen Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. Even then, they didn’t believe right away. He had to speak with them, show them his wounds, and even eat a little bit of food before they could see that he was indeed risen from the dead.

At the end of Luke, Jesus has ascended to heaven. There is no seeing the physical Jesus anymore. However, we can and do experience the living Christ in our hearts, minds, and spirits. As I mentioned last week, Mark ends by telling us that the disciples went into the entire world and Jesus went with them (Mark 16:20). In other words, Christians have always experienced the presence of the risen Christ. I’m not going to give you my testimony this morning; however, I believed in the risen Christ on the basis of my experience as and before I learned all the Bible and theology I know today. The experience of God is as important today as on the first Easter Sunday. [2]

The Written Word.

imgres-3This does not mean that the Bible is not important, nor does it mean that we do not need to read our Bible in order to be the disciples God wants us to be. Notice that, immediately after Jesus proves that he is risen, he teaches the disciples from Scripture. In Luke 24:44-45 we read: He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. This is the exact same experience the women had and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus had earlier in the day (Luke 24:6-8; 25-27). Their experience needed to be supplemented with knowledge.

As Protestants, we believe that anyone can read Holy Scriptures on their own and grasp its meaning. We live in a country in which there are almost as many Bibles as there are people. However, most people rarely if ever read the Bible. Even fewer actually study the Bible. When Jesus taught the disciples from Moses, the Prophets, and Psalms, he was leading them into the deepest mysteries of Scripture. As Jews, they believed that God would send them a Messiah. However, they did not understand that the Messiah would suffer and die, that he would be a man of sorrows acquainted with grief, that he would be crucified as a criminal and outcast, and that his kingdom would be a kingdom of the Spirit and not an earthly kingdom. Many people have the same misunderstanding today.

There are similarities between contemporary Americans and the ancient Jews. We are an optimistic society. Most of us, even secular people, believe that hard work, healthy habits, and self-sacrifice will lead to a better life. Some people believe that government will create this better life, and some people believe it will be created by private industry, but almost everyone believes in a kind of earthly  kingdom that meets our human expectations and desires. [3]

Just as the Jews were wrong, when we reduce the gospel to a political, social, or personal agenda we are always wrong. In a culture like ours, we need to be prepared to show people the error of expecting God’s kingdom to be just like our kingdom only wealthier, politically stronger, and more defensible. His kingdom is the kind of kingdom only God could create. it is a kingdom that can only created by love.

The Kingdom of God is not just like the best earthly kingdom we can imagine only better. When Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate, and was accused of opposing Caesar, he replied that his kingdom was not of this world. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to bring his kingdom into this world; it just means there’s more to God’s kingdom in this world will ever know or experience. The Kingdom Jesus began is a kingdom that can only be built on the foundation of the Gospel and a group of people (us) who are trying to live on the basis of the love and wisdom of God, empowered by the Grace of God shown in Christ.

The Disciples Witness.

After Jesus explained from the Scriptures that God’s Messiah was going to look a lot more like Isaiah’s suffering servant then King David, he told them something else. He told them that they are going to be his witnesses. In other words, they are going to tell the world what they have seen and heard over the past three years. They are going to testify to his teachings, his miracles, his healings, his sufferings, his death, and his resurrection. They are, however, not going to do this right away. Instead, they are to go back into the city of Jerusalem and wait for God’s power, the Holy Spirit, to come upon them. In other words, they are going to wait for what comes next.

imgres-4In Christian circles, when we use the word “witness,” we often think that we are to tell people about what the Bible says about Jesus. This is only partially true. In trials there are two kinds of witnesses. First, there are “fact witnesses.” These are witnesses that have some direct information about what happened. They may have seen the car wreck or witnessed the robbery. Fact witnesses tell the jury what they saw and heard. Second, there are “expert witnesses.” Expert witnesses  explain something complicated to the jury. For example, a black powder may have been found at the scene of the crime. An expert witness who is a chemist will testify that it was gunpowder. Or, perhaps the defendant claims he or she was insane at the time of the crime. Expert witnesses who are psychologists or psychiatrists will testify concerning whether the person was sane or insane.

When it comes to testifying about Christ, we need to be both kinds of witnesses. We need to be able to say what it is Christ has done in our own lives. On the other hand, all of us some of the time, and some of us even more of the time, need to be expert witnesses. That is to say we need to study our Bibles and know just a little bit, or even a lot, about what the Bible says.

When lawyers choose witnesses, they always ask whether the witness is believable (or credible) and compelling. Believable means that the story the witnesses telling could be true. Compelling is different. Compelling means that there’s something about this person that will persuade the jury. When Jesus says, “Go into the city and wait to be clothed with power,” he’s really saying to them, “You won’t be compelling unless you have the power of my spirit. Therefore, wait for me to come.” When it comes to the Gospel, no one is compelling without the Holy Spirit.

Worship and Waiting.

3e4ef97Our text ends with Jesus ascending into heaven. Then, we are told, Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:52-53). What began with a personal encounter with the living God, and was strengthened by studying the word, ends in wonder and in worship. We are told that, while the disciples waited for the power of God to come, they were continually in worship. Worship is not a duty. It is a response to the love, grace, and power of God. When we capture a vision of the Risen Christ, we are empowered, even compelled to worship.

The spirit comes to those who worship God as they wait. Those who fail to be captured by the wonder of Christ will not worship the Risen Lord. Yet, those who do not worship often slowly lose contact with the Risen Lord. This is a mystery.

What's-NextAs we wait for what’s next in our lives, the lives of our families, the life of our church, and the life of our nation, we should think about today’s text. We should wonder at the risen Christ. We should ponder all that he is done for us personally. We should study our Bibles. And perhaps most importantly, we should worship God daily, sometimes here at our church, and sometimes at home. We should wait expectantly for the compelling power of the Holy Spirit to come into our lives.

Amen.

Copyright 2016, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] This basic story of Francis of Assisi is based upon materials that can easily be found on the Internet and in several biographies of the saint. I’ve changed certain minor details to hide the punch line.

[2] I’ve told many people the following story. Years after I became a Christian I spent a good deal of time with people who did not necessarily believe most of what orthodox Christians believe. It was not my knowledge that enabled me to sustain my faith during that time; it was the experience of answered prayer and fellowship with Christ in the Christian community that sustained my faith. Others have had similar experiences.

[3] This point is made powerfully in lay language in W. T. Wright’s new book, Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What Makes it Good (New York, NY: Harper One, 2015), 109ff. In the modern world, we are all subject to a culturally reinforced worldview that considers progress to be an automatic result of human striving. Recent history casts doubt on this view. What is needed is a new kingdom not the result of human striving and schemes.

What is Next? Healing and Wholeness

As anyone who reads the footnotes to this blog can see, rarely have I struggled and researched a text as diligently as Mark 16:9-20. This is a hard text and controversial in the history of the Church. I could have avoided it in this series on the Great Commission as it appears in the Gospels and in Acts, but I did not want to do this. I think it has something to teach us. Before I begin, I want to repeat a point made in the sermon: The Bible is the Word of God and can be relied upon to teach us about God and about how we should live and worship. God bless. Chris What's Next Logo

Today, we are in the third blog taken from a sermon series concerning the Great Commission as it appears in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts. Cindy began the Preaching series with a sermon called, “Breathe,” taken from John 20, where Jesus breathes on the disciples, giving them the Holy Spirit, and says: “As the Father has sent me so I send you” (John 20:21). Last week, I preached a sermon from Matthew 28:16-20, where we find the Great Commission in its most common form:

“Therefore, go into all the world making disciples from all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you, even to the ends of the age (Matthew 28:16-20).

Last week, we focused on 2016 as a year in which, like the disciples after the resurrection, we are waiting for what God has for us in the future. We also talked about the importance of worship, discipleship training, and service to others as we wait.

Today, we are talking about healing and wholeness. Let’s face it, we can’t move in to a new, better future unless we change; and to change, we need to experience the power of God. images-2 Scripture promises that, as we go into the future, we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the lives of others. God promises to be with us, empower us, and protect us on the journey of discipleship and disciple making.

The Great Commission and a Prayer.

Bible Scholar John MacArthur preached through every verse in Holy Scripture. He saved today’s lesson for last, because of its difficulty! [i] If you open your Bible to Mark 16:9 – 20 will probably find it set apart from the rest of the gospel. You may also find a note that says something like, “These verses are not found in the most ancient manuscripts.” Many pastors never teach on this text. When we decided to do a series on the Great Commission, I might have skipped these verses from Mark; however, as I thought about the verses and read them, I felt there was a message for us to hear. Therefore, hear the word of God as it comes to us this morning from Mark 16:9-20:

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it (Mark 16:9-20).

Prayer: Lord God of Scripture, who sent us your Son, Jesus, the Word of God in human form, as we think about this ending of Mark, especially today, please let all that is said and heard be according you to your will. In Jesus name, Amen.

Understanding a Hard Text.

Mark is almost certainly the oldest of our Gospels. [ii] It may even be a translation or transcription of the teachings of St. Peter by John Mark. Much of Mark is incorporated almost verbatim in Matthew and Luke. After Matthew and Luke were written, because of their superior literary qualities, many people preferred them to Mark. [iii] Therefore, Mark fell into disuse. This was before anything like our modern Bible existed. There were various books and letters being passed around in scrolls and codexes. As a result, it is possible that the original ending of Mark was lost. It’s also possible that the ending of Mark was originally just as it ends in Mark 16:8, with the women trembling in fear, astonished by what they had seen, but afraid to tell the apostles. Finally, it is possible that, after Peter was martyred, Mark had to flee and never completed his manuscript. No one knows.

Although Mark 16:9-20 is found in the King James Version and in most older translations, these verses are not found in most of the oldest Greek manuscripts. [iv] This allows me to talk a little bit about the Bible and how it was put together. The earliest Western translation of the Bible is a Roman Catholic translation made by Jerome about the year 382 A.D. Western translations of the Bible from Jerome until modern times were based on this text. Jerome’s text, as revised over the years, is often called the “Received Text.” [v] That text included Mark 16:9-20, although Eusebius (265-340 A.D.) and other ancient writers had their misgivings about its inclusion in the Bible.

When King James of England had the Bible translated into English, the Received Text was the basis for his translation. In modern times, however, many older Greek texts of the Bible have been found. Neither Jerome nor other older translations had access to these texts. Today, most translations, including the NIV and NRSV, are based on the corrected text. In particular, there are two codexes dating from between the year 325 to 350 A.D. called the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus that do not contain the long ending of Mark. Therefore, today, most translations are based upon a corrected text that does not include Mark 16:9-20 except in footnotes or with qualification. [vi]

In all probability, at some point after Mark was written in the first century A.D., an early transcriber felt the book needed a more complete ending. If you go through Mark 16:9-20 verse by verse what you find is that Mark 9:16-20 summarizes Mary Magdalene telling the apostles of the resurrection, Jesus’s appearance on the walk to Emmaus, his later appearance to the disciples, and his giving of the Great Commission. All of these are found somewhere in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Most of what the author has done is to simply summarize what is found elsewhere in Scripture.

The hardest part of the text has to do with the so-called, “signs and wonders,” especially the handling of serpents and drinking of poison. Many of you know that at the end of Acts, Paul is bitten by a snake and protected by God from the consequences of its poison (Acts 28:1-6). I believe this is the incident being referred to in the handling of serpents. In addition, in the early church, there were stories of Christians drinking poison without harm. [vii] These stories, which date from an early period, are the source of the comment about drinking poison. At this point, I want to conclude by saying that these verses are not telling us what Christians should do or experience in the future as much as they are telling us what in fact Christians experienced in the early church: the protection of God in difficult circumstances.

In summary, we have at the end of Mark is a description of the appearances of Jesus to the disciples, his commission to go into all the world, and an assurance that, if we are faithful to Christ, we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s protection along the way.

Finally, whenever I teach on a hard text like this, I think it’s important to assure our congregation and readers that these kinds of issues do not impair the authority of Scripture in our lives or church. [viii] The Bible cannot be read without reading any passage in the context of all of the passages that deal with the same subject matter. You have seen how this text is more or less a restatement of teachings found elsewhere in Scripture, or in one case, in early Christian literature. The Bible is without error in all that it teaches us about faith and about how we should believe. [ix] Minor textual problems, and that’s all they are, do not impact our assurance the by the Holy Spirit we know that God is a God of love, that God sent his son to die for our sins, that we have a way of reconnecting with God by the power of the cross, and about the power of the Holy Spirit we can live a new life. The Bible continues to be our inspired guide for faith and for living.

Learning from a Hard Text.

What can we learn from this hard passage of Scripture? This text is not a direction for disciples to handle snakes or drink poison as some sects have done. It is a promise that those who spread the gospel will be protected and their testimony will be confirmed by the power of God. 3e4ef97As such, it is an encouragement for the church in every age to experience the power of the Gospel and the protection of God by bolding proclaiming and living out the promise of the resurrection in the power of the Spirit. What this passage asks of us can be summarized as follows:

  1. Believers should proclaim the Good News of the risen Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God into the world accompanied by a call to repentance and new life.
  2. Signs of the truth of our message and protection will accompany our faithfulness to the Great Commission from evil.

We know from Acts that the early church experienced the presence and the power of God in the lives of Christians and in the life of the Church (See, Acts 2:42-48). I have been a pastor long enough to have seen the power of God to heal people, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Some of you have experienced the ability of God to perform miracles in your own lives. Perhaps more importantly, we have seen the power of God to protect our church, our families and our friends.

Are the Signs and Wonders Today?

On Wednesday evenings, we have a Bible study that examines the text of the next week’s sermon. This past Wednesday night, I told the group the following story: when I was a relatively new pastor in Brownsville, Tennessee, morning I received a call to go to the local hospital. One of my members, an elderly lady in her late 90s, was dying. Her family lived in Dyersburg. They been notified, but it would be sometime before they arrived in the hospital. The staff wanted me to come and pray for her, because they did not think she would live long enough to see her children and grandchildren.

I went over to the hospital and sat for a while, I think until the family came. Before I left, I said a simple prayer thanking God for her life and asking that God would heal her. I happened to know that her goal was to live to be 100 years old, and I ask God to hear that desire of this elderly lady. Then, I went back to the office. That evening, on my way home, I decided to go to the hospital to see if she was still alive because no one had contacted me to tell me that she had died. When I walked in the room, she was sitting up in bed talking to the family. She lived another few months and died just a few days short of her 100th birthday. I can think of a lot of explanations for why this lady recovered, and I imagine antibiotics had something to do with it, however, I believed then and believe now that God answered this prayer. It was a sign to me and to her family of the goodness and love of God.

What is Next?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to our staff, Bible studies, disciple groups, and leadership groups about our hopes and dreams for the year 2016. Each time, I’ve expressed my hope that at the end of 2016 every member of Advent, our visitors, and others will sense that the Holy Spirit is present among us in a new and special way. It would be a wonderful thing if at the end of this year we can all look back and see healings in our minds, our spirits, our emotions, and even our bodies. It would be a wonderful thing if we all could all look back on 2016 as a year during which we made contact in a new and special way with the living God.images-1

I have been a pastor of Advent for over sixteen years. That’s a long time. It’s long enough to know people pretty well. It’s long enough to know something about their struggles, hopes, and dreams. It’s long enough to know about secret sorrows and unspoken sins. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all could arrive at December 31, 2016, or the Christmas Eve service a few days earlier, and look back on this year as the year in which we overcame some problems that had been plaguing us for a long time? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could sense that our families were more whole, our neighborhoods more stable, our community more hopeful, our lives more permeated by the love of God?

I would like to repeat for all of us what I have said often recently: What I would really like to see and pray to see in our church is a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 2016. Experiencing the power of the Spirit is more important right now than any program we could begin or any ministry or mission we could undertake. We don’t need new programs; we need  new outpouring of the Spirit of Christ.

Amen.

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

Endnotes:

[i] John McArthur, “The Fitting End to Mark’s Gospel: Mark 16:9-20” (June 5, 2011). You can find this sermon or teaching moment on the Internet. It is well worth listening to whether you agree with McArthur or not. I frequently do not, but he is a great Bible student and teacher. He makes a very impressive defense of Scripture though he does not believe Mark 16:9-20 is in the original text.

[ii] The Gospel of Mark has an interesting history. For many years, most people thought that Matthew was the oldest of the gospels. Then, scholars noticed that vast amounts of Mark were included in Matthew and Luke. Therefore, they concluded Mark must be a primary source for Matthew and Luke. There are other reasons to believe this is true, one of which is that Matthew and Luke appear to edit Mark to clean up tis grammar and often simplify, leaving out details they felt unnecessary to their Gospel presentation. The Greek of Matthew and Luke is much better than the Greek of Mark. In the history of the church, Matthew and Luke have been more often used and often the preferred gospels over Mark, which meant that Mark was not used as often, and may have fallen into disuse once Matthew and Luke were available. Nevertheless, Mark is important because it is most probably the oldest Gospel, and seems to have been John Mark’s transcripts of the teachings of the Apostle Peter. Papias, an early church father (70-163 AD), reports that John Mark wrote the gospel from Peter’s teaching and preaching. This might explain its relatively simple Greek: A fisherman from the Galilee may not ever have learned to speak or write Greek in a classical style, even after many years living in the Gentile world. William Barclay, “The Gospel of Mark” in The Daily Bible Study Series Rev. Ed. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975), 1-9, 369-371. The Greek of Mark may be the Greek of a Jewish fisherman who was never completely fluent in Greek.

[iii] Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the so-called, “Synoptic” (or “See Together” Gospels). They are similar and portray the story of Jesus as a journey from his birth to death in Jerusalem. John is very different and relies on a different literary structure. Because much of Mark is repeated in Matthew and Luke, it is not surprising that they eclipsed Mark once they were written.

[iv] The undisputed portion of Mark ends with these words: “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” (Mark 18:8). This verse is followed by two different endings, which are not found in the most ancient manuscripts. Mark 16:9-20 is one. The shorter ending reads, “But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after these things Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.” There are basically three possible reasons for the way Mark ends (Mark 16:8). First, the original ending may have been lost as the Gospel was used less often and copied less often in the early church. Second, Peter may have died, and/or Mark been forced to stop writing after verse 8, so that the Gospel never had another ending. There is no way to know which of these is true. Finally, it is possible that Mark deliberately ended his Gospel with the women fearful and silent. Having described the resurrection and the instruction of the angels to go and tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee, he may have simply stopped. There is no way to know; however, I do not find the last explanation convincing. What is known is that the current ending, which occurs in the Latin Text and in the Authorized Version in English (King James), is not in the most ancient manuscripts. Neither the Codex Sinaiticus (circa 350 AD) nor the Codex Vaticanus (circa 325 AD) contain the disputed ending. Without going into too much detail, Mark 16:9-20 are also in a different style and voice and omit words and stylistic preferences that characterize all the rest of Mark. It also contains words and phrases not common in the rest of Mark. It seems to reintroduce Mary Magdalene, as if we have not already heard of her part in the story in 16:1. William Hendrickson, Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Hendrickson, 1975), 682-693.

[v] Received Text” or Textus Receptus” is the name given to Greek New Testament texts from which the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale and the King James Version were made. Desiderius Erasmus, who we know as “Erasmus,” a Renaissance scholar, created a then new Greek New Testament text in 1516. It was based on the Latin Vulgate and then current Greek texts. It is not precisely the same as the texts primarily used today, though it was the text from which the New King James Version was created. It is my view that the differences among various texts are incidental and do not in any way impact any core Christian belief or practice. I could as easily serve a church that used the New King James Version as one using the New International Version or other modern translation.

[vi] Modern translations are based upon the Nestle Aland corrected Greek translation, Novum Testamentum Graece. The Nestle-Aland text is also the standard for academic work in New Testament studies. This text is periodically updated, and translators normally use the most current update of the corrected text. It is important to note that both conservative and liberal scholars support the Nestle Aland text. It is also important to note that there are scholars who defend the inclusion of Mark 16:9-20 in translations. As I mention above, in my view this academic dispute is immaterial for Christian faith and morals. Finally, it is important to note that it is conservative scholars that place the most impetus in revising the Greek text, since the belief in the literal inerrancy of Scripture is always phrased, “in the original autograph,” in other words, “As originally written in the first Greek text.” Thus, the search for text most like the original is basic to this theory of the authority of Scripture.

[vii] There are old stories in non-Biblical literature alleging that John and others were forced to drink poison, but not harmed. Eusebius recounts that “[Papias] also mentions another miracle relating to Justus, surnamed Barsabas, how he swallowed a deadly poison, and received no harm, on account of the grace of the Lord.” James E. Snapp, Jr. “The Authenticity of Mark 16:9-20” (Unpublished, 2007) found at www.textexcavation.com/snapp/PDF/snappmark.pdf (January 21, 2016) says, “Something similar is related in the career of Moses (Exodus 15:23-25) and in the career of Elisha (Second Kings 4:38-41) which may be significant since, just as Elisha succeeded Elijah who ascended, the believers succeed Jesus who ascended. An overlapping idea is also present in Numbers 5:16-28. But the closest parallel is in the story about Justus (who is mentioned in Acts as taking part in events in the first half of the first century) which was related by Papias.”

[viii] In looking at passages like Mark 16:9-20 believers have an opportunity to think more deeply about what we mean by the “Authority of Scripture.” When the Authorized Version was created, we did not have access to the number of manuscripts of the New Testament we possess today. As archeology began to uncover ancient copies of the Bible, what is called “Lower Textual Criticism” began to develop. The idea was to examine the various texts available and discern the best possible translation from them. Both conservative and liberal scholars practice Lower Textual Criticism. As indicated, the oldest manuscripts do not contain Mark 16:9-20 schweizer-apotheke.de. Therefore, in most modern translations, they are either omitted or placed in brackets. As such, most Biblical scholars to not regard them as authoritative as is the remainder of Mark. As seen above, however, these verses are not contrary to the teachings of Scripture and in fact draw upon Scripture for their teachings. The Gospel of Christ, the reality of the resurrection of Christ, and the commission of the church to share the Gospel, as well as the promise of presence and protection along the way are all contained in these verses. There is nothing contrary to the teachings of Scripture contained in them, provided they are properly understood in the context of the remainder of the Biblical witness. As with many things, it is best not to concentrate on details, but on the great themes of God’s wisdom and love for the world, the salvation offered by Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit in thinking about hard passages. Scripture is designed to teach us about the nature of God, of humans, and about how we humans ought to behave. Mark 16:9-20 contains nothing contrary to the call to share God’s love with the world in the power of the Spirit and expect God’s presence and protection along the way. While it would be a mistake to base any crucial teaching or activity of the church on Mark 16:9-20, such as mandating the drinking of poison or handling of snakes, it can be used to confirm what we already believe based upon the testimony of Scripture as a whole, such as teaching the power of the Gospel and the protection of God’s people.

[ix] The official statement of the faith of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, to which our congregation belongs, upholds the Westminster Confession of Faith, which reads in part: “The whole purpose of God about everything pertaining to his own glory and to man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either explicitly stated in the Bible or may be deduced as inevitably and logically following from it. Nothing is at any time to be added to the Bible, either from new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we do recognize that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for a saving understanding of the things which are revealed in the word.” The Westminster Confession goes on to teach: “The meanings of all the passages in the Bible are not equally obvious, nor is any individual passage equally clear to everyone.15 However, everything which we have to know, believe, and observe in order to be saved is so clearly presented and revealed somewhere in the Bible that the uneducated as well as the educated can sufficiently understand it by the proper use of the ordinary means of grace.” What we have done today is to see how God has worked and how to properly understand a difficult text. To properly understand Holy Scripture, we must allow the Holy Spirit to illumine our understanding, reading the text in context with other relevant passages of Scripture. This is especially true of hard texts. See, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Governing Documents: Constitution: Volume 2: Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms in Modern English (Livonia, MI: Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 2014), Chapter 1: Holy Scripture.

 

 

What Comes Next?

Dear Reader. This post was supposed to be the post for last week. Unfortunately a minor health issue delayed it one week. I don’t suppose it is too late to make good New Year’s resolutions!!

What's Next LogoThere are times in life when we wonder, “What’s next?” Do, you remember times in high school or college, when you wondered what your life would be like in a few months. Would you go to college? Graduate school? The military? Work? Many young men and women, when their tour of duty in the military is over, wonder if they will reenlist or go back to civilian life. There are times in anyone’s career when you wonder, What’s next? Will I get a promotion? Stay in my current job? Find a new job? At times human beings wonder, We will I get married? Have a family? Achieve my life goals? One way or another we all ask the question, “What comes next?”

As mentioned above, New Year’s is a time when Americans ask the question, “What comes next?” The notion of New Year’s resolutions is that each year we should try to make our lives better. In order to change, we have to ask, “What comes next?” or perhaps more importantly, “What do I want to come next?” Positive change does not happen automatically. We have to think about how we should change and how we are going to make that change happen.

Over and over again this year, I will return to the theme, “What Comes Next?” 2016 will be a year of change. Election years are always times of potential change, and 2016 is no different. This year, we will all ask the question, “What comes next for our government?” and “Who do I think can best lead us in the right direction?” This Lent, we are going to ask the question, “What do I need to be delivered from in order to receive the blessings Christ has for me?” There will be other posts during the year that focus on some aspect of the theme, “What’s Next?”

All of these posts have in common a theological theme we will touch on today: All positive change begins by asking the Living God to enter our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, and then trusting God’s Spirit to guide us into the future.

The Great Commission

If our senior year in High School leaves us uncertain about the future, we can only imagine how uncertain the disciples felt about their future as the Gospels reach their conclusion. For three years, the disciples had followed Jesus. Then, in rapid succession, Jesus was arrested, tried, crucified, died, and rose from the dead. We can imagine that the disciples were in a state of shock! Things had happened so quickly. They were trying to acclimate themselves to a new reality.

They now knew that, in some mysterious way, Jesus had conquered death. In addition, they now knew that Jesus’ ministry was not over. He had been appearing to them and teaching them. Then, Jesus told them to meet him in Galilee (28:10).imgres As Matthew tells the story, they met him there and were given a clear understanding of what they were to do next. Not all the disciples completely understood or believed. Some doubted (Matthew 28:17).

Here is how Matthew puts it in his Gospel:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:16-20).

Prayer: God of Change: As we enter a new year and a new time, we do pray that you would please be with us by the power of your Holy Spirit. Give us the wisdom to discern where you want us to go next and who you want us to be. Perhaps more importantly, give us the power of your Spirit so that we can be the people you call us to be. In Jesus Name, Amen.

How in the World Did I Get Here?

how-did-i-get-here-dorothy-wizrd-of-ozI suppose that most of us remember Judy Garland in her most famous role as Dorothy, a little girl blow by a tornado over the rainbow to the Land of Oz where she meets a wicked witch and a strange and silly wizard. As the movie opens, Dorothy is having problems with her family and with a mean neighbor. She dreams of a better world, and Judy Garland sings the most famous song of her career, Over the Rainbow, which goes in part like this:

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that you dreamed of once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of really do come true.

Someday I’ll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where trouble melts like lemon drops
Away above the chimney top—that’s where you’ll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
Oh why, oh why can’t I? [1]

Dorothy runs away from home, gets caught in a tornado, and ends up in Oz. After her adventures with the Wicked Witch, she decides she wants to be home in Kansas. We are sometimes like Dorothy. We dream of a new world, a better family life, a different career, basically a life without troubles. We think we get our wish or we begin to, but then, when trouble comes, we wonder how we ended up where we are. We need to be sure we choose wisely when we choose what is coming next. We need God’s wisdom to choose wisely.

Cultural analysts tell us that we are in a period of rapid cultural change. Those of us born before about 1960 can often look around at the world we inhabit and wonder, “How did we get here?” imagesThe disciples probably felt like this. After the resurrection they had entered a new and scary world. Their world would never be the same.

Life is Full of Changes

Most people, most of the time, want stability. We all know that history involves changes, that progress involves changes, but we want that change to occur during someone else’s lifetime and at someone else’s expense. I happen to be one of those people. I like stability: old pathways, old homes, old clothes, and old ways of doing things. Change does not come easily for me, but I have learned that we all must be willing to change and follow God into the future.

The disciples could not be faulted for wanting things to stay the same. Now that Jesus had been raised from the dead, why couldn’t he just stay with them, continue doing the teaching, the healing, the dealing with demons, the confronting authorities while they watched and cheered him along? However, the death and resurrection marked a new era in the lives of the disciples (and us). Jesus was (and is) going to be present, but now by the power of the Holy Spirit. From now on, the disciples were going to conduct the mission and ministry of the Jesus. They were going to teach, preach, confront authorities, cast out demons, and make new disciples. Jesus was going to give them the wisdom, love, and power to do this work, but they were going to be on the front lines.

When Jesus met his disciples on the mountain, a new era began. Now the disciples would make disciples. Now the disciples will baptize new believers. Now, the disciples will teach new believers how to behave as Christians. Jesus will be with them as they go, but in a new way. He promises to be with them (and us) always—even to the end of the age. There is a lot in that promise! The promise is not to be with the disciples for a few years while the church gets started. The promise is not to be with the church during good times or bad times. The promise is to be with us always by the power of the Spirit.

Embracing Positive Change

Jesus began his ministry proclaiming the Kingdom of God. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God is near, is present with him, and is coming in the future (Mark 1:13-14; Luke 17:20-21; Matt. 25:31-34; Rev. 22:1-5). The kingdom of God is like a thief in the night (I Thess. 5:2), like a bridegroom delayed to come to find his bride (Matt. 25:1) like a pearl of great price (13:45-46), like a mustard seed (13:31). The Kingdom of God is the place where God rules and where the peace, wholeness, happiness, blessedness and joy that God wants for the entire world and everyone in it is perfectly realized. The kingdom of God is both inside of us and coming into the world around us, because God intends to share his wisdom, love, and peace with everyone.

I don’t know about you, but a good amount of the time it is not clear to me that the kingdom of God is present inside of me. It is easy to see that if the kingdom of God is going to come into the world, I need to change. I need to become more like God the Father, more like Jesus, more filled with the Spirit, more loving, more merciful, more concerned about others, more willing to sacrifice, less self-centered—you get the idea. The kingdom of God involves change; and, we should embrace that change, not fight it.

This does not mean that we Christians should embrace change for change’s sake or changes that are not according to God’s will.  Christians should not just be blown along the path of cultural change following every fad and hoping for the best. There is good and bad change. We still must be wise. We should resist bad change and we should facilitate good change. There is a proverb that says that one of the characteristics of the righteous person is that they resist evil (Prov. 28:4). When change is negative, we don’t need to change.

However, when healthy, moral, and wise change breaks into history, we Christians should be a part of accepting and facilitating positive change. In a new era, in a new time, in a new kind of culture, Christians should be bold in the face of evil and bold in working for the coming of Kingdom of God. This means that we need to equip ourselves to face a new would and to share God’s wisdom and love in that new world.

What Comes Next?

Late in November, we had a staff retreat and discussed what we ought to have as a theme for our church in 2016. After talking about several ideas, the group settled on “What Comes Next?” We are in changing times. We are in a changing city. We are in a changing nation. We are in a changing world, and we must decide how we will live and what we will do in the face of all that change.

There are some constants. We should love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and all of our souls, and all of our minds, and all of our strength. We should love our neighbor as ourselves—the Great Commandment (Matt. 23:36-40). We should go into the entire world and make disciples—the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20). However, we need some additional guidance if we are to actually accomplish these things. We have to have a way to practically reach our goals.

UntitledTherefore, we have a subtheme for the year, which is a theme we have had for several years. We call it, “Worship Plus Two” or “Worship + Grow + Serve” or “Worship + Grow + Serve = Blessing.” The idea is to focus our energy on being regular in worship, being in one activity that helps us grow as Christians, and serving the Lord in some capacity inside or outside of the local church. For all of us, the answer to the question, “What’s Next?” is that our lives would be a lot better if we worship regularly, grow, and serve in 2016. Worship, growth, and service are a very good answer to the question, “What should I concentrate on in 2016?”

Since the beginning of Christian history, Christians have gathered together on the first day of the week to worship God. Worship is the fundamental act of the Christian community. A Christian who does not attend worship is like a football player who never attends team meetings. There is no way to be a good player and not attend team meetings.

If we are to make disciples, we have to be disciples. None of us, not event the pastors, know all we need to know about the Christian life. All of us need to be formed by discipling opportunities. Therefore, the second thing we should all do is find one way to grow as a disciple, and do it. Join a Bible study. Make a retreat. Attend Sunday School. There are a lot of ways to grow.

Finally, the words of the Great Commission were to “Go” and share the Gospel. Going means serving others in word and deed. It can be within the local church, in a mission, or in community service. The point is to put our faith to work in serving others and sharing God’s love with others.

We do not have to do this alone or under our own power. Jesus is coming along on the journey. He promised to be with us, and he will be. Jesus has promised to be with us to the end of the age. He has promised to be with us whenever two or more of us are together. He has promised to be with us in easy and hard times. He will be with us, an it is his presence that gives us the courage to go into the future in faith and with courage whatever comes next.

[1] There are several versions of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Most recently, the Ukulele player, Israel Kamakawaitoole, did a version that has become famous. The lyrics I quoted are basically those Judy Garland made famous, with a few changes. Harold Arien, Composer, E. Y. Harburg, Lyricist, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (1939).

Copyright 2016, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

Disciples Like the Wise Men

This week is the last of the “A Disciple Like…”  posts from Matthew 2:1-12. Beginning next week I will be expanding on a theme introduced this week, “What’s Next?” As the wise man says at the end of the post this week, if we come to Christmas, remember and recall the birth of the Babe, and then return to our daily lives unchanged, it is too bad.

It may be a good thing that I have come to visit you just after your Christmas holidays. In my day and time, most people never took a vacation. From the day you were old enough to work until the day you died, you worked. During a substantial part of your American history, it was true of your nation as well. People who are born on farms, and consume almost all of what they grow, work all their lives.

imagesOne reason I think you are such lucky people is that you have the freedom to travel. Many of you traveled during the Christmas holidays. You went to the beach or went on a cruise or went to New York City, or went to visit relatives. Hopefully, you had a good time. One reason people travel is to relax.

Some people travel because it’s their business to travel. Such people travel because they have to in order to make a living. This kind of travel is not relaxing. It’s also not very likely to make a big difference in your life. Your pastor, when he was in business, liked to tell his wife that conference rooms in Houston or Dallas, Texas, or New York all look exactly the same. The ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch taste exactly the same.

Finally, there are those who travel to broaden their horizons. In my day, very few people could travel just to learn something new. Fortunately, I was one of those people. My name is “Casper,” and I was one of the Wise Men. I’ve come to tell you about the most amazing journey of my life; and, I’ve had a number of amazing journeys.

In my day, we traveled by foot or by camel. This means that we saw from the ground every foot of ground and every city along our journey’s path. I sometimes think it’s too bad that you modern people can get up in the morning and fly in a day to someplace like the Grand Bahamas. We would have walked down to the Gulf Coast, traveled across the Gulf Coast to Florida, and then taken a boat to the Bahamas. My trip would have taken months or a year. By the time I had returned to Memphis, I would’ve seen and heard a lot more than you ever see or hear on a trip. We had more time to think than you do.

The Biblical Story

Here is my story the way it appears in your Bible:

searchAfter Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route (Matt. 2:1-12).

Prayer: God of Wisdom, Come to us with your Holy Spirit so that we may become wise in the ways of Jesus, what Paul called “Wise unto salvation.” In. In Jesus name, Amen

 The Story of the Wise Men

As I mentioned a moment ago, my name is “Casper,” and I was one of the Wise Men. [1] Most people think we Wise Men came from the East, somewhere near modern Babylon or Persia. Many scholars believe we were Medes (what have become the modern “Kurds”), because the Medes were a warlike people who, after the Persians defeated them, became scholars and counselors to the Persian kings. They studied the stars just as we Wise Men did. The Greek term is “Magoi” or “Magi,” which has become “magic” in your language. We however were completely opposed to magic. We were mystics, scientists and mathematicians, we studied the stars, and we counseled kings and rulers in the ancient Middle East.

imgresYour tradition holds that there were three of us, Melchior, our leader, who was Persian, Balthazar, who came from Babylon, and myself, Casper, who came from India.  [2] So you see, I came the greatest distance of all to see Jesus. I traveled from India, through what you call “Pakistan” and “Afghanistan,” into Iran (what we called “Persia”), on to Babylon (in what you know as “Iraq”), and then all the way to Jerusalem in Judea. Along the way, Melchior and Balthazar joined me in the journey, for they too had seen the unusual star in the East. [3] Our journey took a long, long time.

When we began our journey, we assumed it would end in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital city of Palestine, the seat of the Jewish King Herod, and the city founded by Israel’s greatest king, David. When we arrived in Jerusalem, we made inquiries concerning the birth of a prince to King Herod (Matt. 2:1). It turned out, however, that Herod had no new child.

When Herod heard that we were asking about a child king of the Jews, he summoned us! I can tell you we were very scared when this happened. Herod had a bad reputation for killing anyone who threatened him. We were afraid that he might even kill us. Nevertheless, he welcomed us as if he were glad to see us. He called a conference to which we were invited. His chief priests, the teachers of the Jewish law, who were expert Bible students, Herod, and the three of us all sat down to discuss our story and its meaning.

You might think everyone knew that the Messiah was going to be born in Bethlehem. Just ask yourself just how much knowledge do most of your presidents have about your Bible? Herod was a king not a scholar. In addition, in our day we didn’t have search engines on computers or libraries full of books indexed by chapter and verse. It took a while, but eventually Herod’s advisors determined that your Old Testament says that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem in Judea (Matt. 2:3-6; Micah 5:2).

That very evening, we received another request to come and see the King. He asked us when the star appeared, and then requested that we  go to Bethlehem and see if there was a child there meeting the requirements to be a Messiah (Matt. 2:7-8). Finally, he asked that we might report back to him if we found such a child, so that he could come and worship him as well (Matt. 2:8) Quite frankly, we didn’t believe that King Herod had any intention of worshiping anyone but himself.

After meeting with the king, we began our journey towards Bethlehem. The star seemed to move and guide us until it came to rest over a place where we found a woman and a small child (Matt. 2:9). [4] We met the child’s mother, Mary, and bent over looking at the child sitting in her lap. I cannot explain to you what we felt in that instant. We immediately bowed down and worshiped the child.imgres-1 Then, we gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

You Christians believe that these gifts were prophetic. Gold is a symbol of wealth and power, for the Messiah was to be a king. Incense is burned in some of your churches even today as a symbol of God. The Messiah was to be the Son of God. Finally, myrrh was a spice used in the ancient world for embalming. It is often a symbol of suffering and affliction. It turned out that the Messiah was a “man of sorrows, acquainted with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). It’s funny, we might have brought the first two gifts as a part of some kind of a plan; however, that final gift was such that we had no idea what we were doing. It was only years later, after Jesus died on the Cross, that people understood the significance of the myrrh. [5] Jesus we learned was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

We stayed in the little town for a few days. One night, we had a dream that we should not go back to Herod and tell him where the child was (Matt. 2:11). I’ve already told you that Herod had a bad reputation and we were afraid for the child. [6] We didn’t believe that a carpenter, his young wife, and a newborn baby were a big threat to Herod, but Herod might. Finally, our business was not to change the future but to observe, discern, and report. We had no interest in whether Herod the Great or Jesus bar Joseph was the king of Judah, though we hoped that this Jesus would be the long awaited Messiah and the Great King for whom many others and we longed. [7]

Therefore, when the time came for us to leave, we sent no message to Herod and returned home by a way that avoided Jerusalem (Matt. 2:12). I have sometimes regretted this, because Herod became worried about our failure to notify him of the whereabouts of the baby.  Therefore, Herod, because he did not know who the child was, ordered every young male child under two years old in the city of Bethlehem killed (vv. 13-18). [8] If we had just sent a message that the child was not in Bethlehem, we might have saved a few young lives.

What’s Next?

What's-NextWell, that’s my story, or at least the part of the story that appears in your Bible. There are lots of traditions about we three wise men. One tradition holds that we became Christians, and our bones were eventually taken by Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great, to Constantinople and from there our bones were taken to Milan, Italy, and then to a church in Cologne, Germany, where you can see them today. Another tradition reported by Marco Polo holds that we were buried in Persia. My favorite tradition, about me, is that I returned to India and became a king. I was visited there by Doubting Thomas, who founded the church of India. I was baptized and became a Christian. The question behind all of these legends is a question you need to ask yourselves: were we changed by our visit to see the baby Jesus? [9]

If you’ve traveled, I’m sure you know this: it is easy to go on a trip, see a strange and unusual site, feel that your life ought to be changed, but return home unchanged until the feeling is only a memory. I traveled throughout the ancient world. I saw great poverty and human suffering. But, when I got home, other business was pressing, and I did nothing. I’ve seen great palaces and temples like the palace of Herod and the Temple he built in Jerusalem. They were magnificent. But my life was not changed.

The journeys that really matter in life are not vacations. A week at the beach, a week in the mountains, or week in a cabin doing nothing, rarely fundamentally changes anyone’s life. When vacation is over, we go back to our daily life, doing what we normally do, and occasionally wish we were back at the beach, or in the mountains, or in our little cabin. But we do not really change. The journeys that matter are those that change our lives.

You’ve just finished your Christmas season. In your country, Christmas comes just before New Year’s, when you ponder resolutions about the year to come. I am sure that many of you have already made New Year’s resolutions. (Since ten days have past, I’m sure you’ve already broken some of them!) Your pastors told me that your theme for 2016 is “What is Next?” I can’t tell you what to do because of Christmas and your annual trip to the manger in Bethlehem, but if I were you I think I’d ask myself, “Should I really leave the manger in Bethlehem for another year and not be changed?” and “If I am going to change, how?”

[1] The Greek text uses the term “Magoi.” Historically, the Greek word “Magoi” referred to Median wise men. Although Magi became associated with Zorastrianism, they emerged before that religion was founded. In Latin, the word is “Magus,” from which the English word “Magic” comes. The wise men were not, however, astrologers. I am partially reliant upon William Barclay, “The Gospel of Matthew” in The Daily Bible Study Series, Rev. Ed. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1932, 1975) for this and other of the information contained herein.

[2] There is no assurance there were three wise men. The tradition that there were three relates to the three gifts (Matt. 2:11). In Eastern Orthodoxy, the number is twelve, and art has rendered three, four, eight and twelve. The Bible does not say. The names of the three are also not scriptural. There are variants of these names mentioned in ancient writings—and from the variants some have discerned nationalities. I have arbitrarily chosen a tradition that holds they came from Persia, India, and Babylon. However, because of the connection with the cult of the Magoi, it is likely that they were all Median (Kurds).

[3] The exact explanation for the star is impossible to determine. The best explanation may be that this was not a natural but a supernatural star. Some hold it was a comet, perhaps Halley’s comet. Others hold that it was a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. Finally, around 5-2 B.C. “Mesori,” Sirius, the Dog Star, rose with unusual brilliance. “Mesori” means, “Birth of a Prince.” In my view it is interesting to speculate concerning the identity of the star, but we can never really know for sure.

[4] The Bible does not say that Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when the Wise Men found the child. It is inferred from the rest of the story. Other suggestions have been made as to where they may have been, but the story indicates Bethlehem, which makes the most sense.

[5] The Biblical text records that the gifts were gold and frankincense and myrrh (Matt 2:11). The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold (a symbol of wealth and kingship), frankincense (a symbol of the divine), and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=meaning%20of%20gold%20frankincense%20 and %20n myrrh&esth=1 (downloaded January 7, 2016)

[6] My use of the word “might” is probably an understatement. Herod was notoriously cruel and paranoid. He murdered even members of his own family out of the fear that they would supplant him. Although the “Murder of the Innocents” is not mentioned outside of Matthew, it is consistent with all that is known about Herod.

[7] In the ancient would at the time Jesus was born, there were many people who believed in the coming of a great king would bring a Kingdom of Peace in which war and other curses of the Roman world would disappear. It is likely that the Wise Men would have had such hopes. This explains their motivation to make the long trip. It was about more than a Jewish king, but about a universal, King of Kings, which Jesus was.

[8] See note 6 above. This is the slaying of the Innocents recorded in Matthew 2:13-18. Because of the small size of Bethlehem, and the fact that Herod only killed males two and under, it is no surprise that there is no secular record of this event. That Herod had already decided to kill the children of Bethlehem is indicated by his question concerning when the star appeared. He was trying to fix the approximate time of the child’s birth.

[9] Neither the Bible nor secular history contains any clear answer to the question of what happened to the Magi. We have only tradition to go by. One tradition holds that St. Thomas met, converted and baptized them and that they are buried in what is now Iran. I have adapted the ending to give a bit of this information to the congregation and reader.

“When Quirinius was Governor of Syria”

As we begin a new year, I am publishing a poem I began in 1991 and only completed this last year. A friend who is a poet inspired me to finish what I began long ago. Next week, the subject will be the wise men, so I thought that this post might introduce the subject matter.

Not two weeks ago, we all read these words,

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while imgresQuirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son” (Luke 2:1-7).


The poem is a meditation on what might Quirinius have thought if the Wise Men had stopped and visited him first. Happy New Year to all of you!! 
Chris

When Quirinius Was Governor of Syria

A bright day for traveling, but foreboding warns—

The transit of Magi may be a vile omen.

I sent them on to Herod, confident his fear and paranoia

Will unravel the mystery of a messianic child-king.

 

Octavian: Friendship did not send me here

To oversee an unpopular tax at your empire’s edge,

With Varus barely competent, and Herod “the Great,”

Your lap dog perched upon his throne by a razor’s edge.

 

With no legitimate claim to rule, only convenient friendship,

Force of arms, and a conniving mind, devious and twisted,

A man lacking any genuine principles or honor,

Herod rules because he flatters Rome and enlisted our aid.

 

We can trust Herod no further than our leash extends:

The Arabian revolt, and his actions then, shows

He will honor us, then another, then us again

If it serves his dark purpose or strategy.

 

Nicholas of Alexandria defended his most recent

Scheme—and if death does not interfere,

There will be another duplicity, another scheme,

Intrigue upon intrigue, until he lives no more.

 

Worse, his “people” loath and hate him, for his blood

Is only half Jewish, and that half open to question.

Therefore, this visit of Wise Men sparks my fear

That to overthrow this usurper may be Heaven’s plan.

 

(Not that this would be too cruel a fate—

That this Idumean upstart, a vassal king

Who treats his pigs better than wives or children

Should be replaced is not too terrible a thing.)

 

I warned our “friend” and “king” by a secret message,

Sent with the Star Followers from Chaldea far to the east,

Knowing full well Herod’s mad cruelty

Will cause the death of at least one small child.

 

These Median wanderers and their speculation

Concerning a Jewish King born in the Palestine, the home

Of Rome’s most stiff-necked subjects, easily moved to insurrection

Assures some child will die when Herod hears their reading of the stars.

 

Someday, I fear, Herod’s “friendship” notwithstanding,

We will raze their temple, disbursing Jews among the nations–

These Jews with their One God, making of them and example

Of our powers of domination and willingness to subdue revolt.

 

Octavian: I watch these Wise Men fade into the autumn sun

As I watch my life fade into that autumn which leads

All men to another world, deep beneath earth where Hades

Rules, and we are but slaves and shadows of the night.

 

My heart is desperate within me, and wishes it were not so,

But I see no place for light beyond this darkness we inhabit.

How could any light of Olympus follow this life of maintaining

An empire doomed to fall, only when we cannot know.

 

My career, our friendship, even this empire Rome created

And I serve, is founded on power, deceit, and force of arms.

I am honored for my defeat of the Homonadenses—

A victory no one will recall within a generation of my death.

 

I have served as commander, governor, tutor, counselor,

Friend of Caesar and loyal servant of Rome,

All this is but a cloud, a spider’s web of fate

My glory and honor will last no longer than my life.

 

All this for you, Octavian, Augustus, Son of Caesar (that

Child of ambition that broke our Republic and left

Us with this “empire,” vast, unstable, and expensive,

Certain to doom our ancient character though endless war).

 

Old friend, we are not the powers we think we are,

Only servants, I think, of silent powers of the air,

Powers we believe we control, but which in fact

Control us, and our destinies, and wish us death in the end.

 

No, I cannot write this to you old friend;

It would be my certain death now and not tomorrow.

Yet, how I wish I might write to you this word of my heart

That together we might find our way out of history’s trap.

 

Now, they are gone, these pilgrims, gone to seek a God/Man,

This anointed Messiah for which the Jews so anxiously wait.

Would it be, I wonder, such a bad thing if this King of Kings

Came in fact, and we all gave up our pride and bowed down?

 

Gone our wars, gone intrigue, gone the lies of diplomacy—

All that I have spent my life doing and achieving

Swallowed up in a victory of a King of Peace:

Foolishness, of course, but if true, then what?

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

Notes:

  1. I suppose this poem may have been inspired by some memory of T. S. Eliot’s poem, “Journey of the Magi.” It began in a November day of 1991 as I sat in the Union Theological Seminary library studying for final exams. It was cold and the leaves were swirling outside. Suddenly, I was overcome with the transience of empires. The first lines were written that day. About six or so years later, in Brownsville, Tennessee I worked on it again, recognizing that it needed much work. Recently, inspired by a friend, I began again. That day in Richmond, I did some research on the figure Quirinius, who Luke says was governor of Syria, when Jesus was born (Luke 2:1).
  2. Pubilius Sulpicius Quirinius (51 B.C.- 21 A.D.) was a friend of Caesar Augustus. Born of an aristocratic family, he was a good administrator and daring military leader. 0cb88fad3af86f7c2155168e176c2ec7Luke has been questioned as to the veracity of his account because Quirinius did not actually become governor until 6 A.D. However, he held official posts in the region from 10 B.C. until about 7 B.C., which puts him in the region at or about the time of Jesus’ birth. He was an excellent soldier, capable administrator, and friend of Caesar. Census’ were taken about every fourteen years, and scholars believe that one might have been taken in the year 8 B.C.—a time when Quirinius was present. His role during this period was probably that of an extraordinary legetate with Quinctilius Varus as the Governor, who was not as capable as Quirinius. Varus appears in the poem as a figure Quirinius does not think capable. Quirinius ended his political career during the reign of Tiberius and died a trusted advisor and friend to Caesar. I have completely made up the notion that the Wise Men met him in Syria, though the trade routes might have taken them in that way. I have also made up the notion that by this time, Quirinius was a world-weary servant who knows only too well the vagaries of history.
  3. Herod the Great (74 B.C.-4 B.C.) was a friend of Octavian and the Roman government, to whom he owed his power.Roman-King-Herod-the-Great He was capable, brilliant, ambitious, and over time, cruel and mad. The title “Great” comes from his great building projects, which included the Second Temple, Caesarea Maritima, Masada, and Herodium, where he died. Herod was of both Jewish and Idumean descent. Because of this, he had no real claim to the Jewish throne and was hated by the Jews. He was viewed as a half-breed. His cruelty and murder of his wife, mother-in-law, and three sons caused Augustus to famously say, “It is better to be a pig in Herod’s household than a son.” Although Herod was a client king of Rome and generally loyal, he was not above minor challenges to Rome’s authority. One of these minor disloyalties is referenced in the poem.
  4. The Magi were probably historically of Median origin. Babylon and the region of Chaldea were famous for its wise men. The Medes were a warlike people, but after their conquest by the Persians, the ceased to have military power, they turned to scholarship and wisdom. Thus, the term “Wise Men” is not entirely without foundation. These Magi studied the stars and believed in the powers of their astrology. They were sought after as advisors.search
  5. As Rome grew, it became increasingly unstable militarily and economically. The empire founded by Julius Caesar and solidified by Augustus Caesar ended the Roman Republic and the virtues of the early Roman State. It’s stable years did not last for long, and by 64 A.D. when Nero allowed the burning of Rome, it was on a long slide towards is fall, which is ordinarily placed around 410 A.D. The idea of the poem is that Quirinius could already see the problem with the Empire and its likely fall. Historically, this is probably not accurate, but poetically, it is sound. In any case, if he could have seen this future, he would have been correct.

 

A Disciple Like the Shepherds

I wish everyone who reads my blog a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Most of the time this blog is dedicated to advancing an understanding of the wisdom and love of God for ordinary life. First John tells us both that “God is Light” and “God is Love”. In Centered Leading/Centered Living, I call these twin qualities,  “Deep Light” and “Deep Love”. God’s wisdom is beyond our created wisdom, and God’s love is beyond any human love. Instead, God’s Divine Love is the deep ground of all truth and truly unselfish, self-giving love. Next year, for at least part of the year, I will be centering attention on this wisdom and love as it might impact our citizenship, at least that is the plan. With that, here is the next installment of the “A Disciple Like….” series. For now, let us listen again to a familiar story of how the Wisdom and Love of God came to dwell with us full of Grace and Truth…..

angelshepherdGood evening. My name is Jacob Ben Jesse. I don’t appear in your Bible, at least by name. However, I was one of the shepherds present on the night the Lord Jesus was born. My story begins in around the year 4 to 6 BC. Way off in Rome, the greatest of the Roman emperors, Caesar Augustus, was the ruler of a vast empire. The village of Bethlehem was a small and insignificant part of that empire, just as my nation, which was known as “Israel,” was also a small part of Augustus’s empire.

Some things never change. You have a saying that, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” We’re all going to die someday, and governments never seem to have enough money. As the Roman Empire grew, its need for taxes grew and grew and grew. In my day, just as in your day, many people tried to avoid taxes. I think you have a saying called, “Flying Under the Radar,” and another phrase called, “The Underground Economy.” In my time, a lot of people try to avoid paying taxes.

Eventually, Caesar Augustus declared that the entire Roman Empire would be taxed. In order to be certain that Rome collected all of the money it was entitled to collect, Augustus had a census taken. The idea was that if the tax collectors knew the name of each and every individual and where they lived, they would be able to collect all of the taxes due. Therefore, Caesar decreed that everyone should go to his or her own hometown and register to be taxed (Luke 2:1). [i]

I don’t know whether or not Caesar’s plan was successful, but I can tell you was one of the best things that ever happened in our little city of Bethlehem! Hundreds of people had to come to our town! The inns were filled to the brim. People had to be turned away. Every restaurant was filled. People like my landlord, whose sheep I tended, were able to sell all of the mutton and milk they could produce for weeks and weeks and weeks. I don’t know whether Caesar had all the money he needed, but in our little town of Bethlehem times were really good.

You’ve already heard that on the first Christmas, a man named Joseph and his betrothed wife, Mary, came to our little town so that Joseph, who was of the house and lineage of King David, might be registered in David’s hometown. When they arrived, there was no place for them to stay. One innkeeper, who could see that Mary was about to have a baby, took pity on them and allowed them to stay in a little cave in the side of the hill that he had turned into a kind of barn. It was there in his barn, on a cold winter night, that Jesus was born. [ii]

Here is how Dr. Luke records my story in his gospel:

images-2And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told (Luke 2:8-20).

Prayer: God of Wonders: Take us now to the greatest wonder of all, to the night you came to be one of us. Allow us to sense the majesty of your decision to come and take on human flesh, that we might see and know how to live a divine life. Amen.

 The Story of a Shepherd.

Well as I said, my name is Jacob, and I was a shepherd boy in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. As a boy, I was proud of being shepherd in Bethlehem. Actually, as a little boy I didn’t just dream of being a shepherd; I dreamt of being a shepherd who became a king! Every little boy in my village knew the story of King David. Just like your little boys play cowboys and Indians or soldiers, we played being King David! Our favorite story was about the time he took his slingshot and defeated the giant Goliath (I Sam. 17:1-58). imgresWe practiced for hours and hours slinging rocks at trees and boulders and wild animals, hoping we would grow up to be just like David.

Like my friends, however, I did not grow up to be a king. I grew up to be a shepherd. You would think that in my day being a shepherd would be an honored profession. After all, our great ancestor, Abraham, was a shepherd. His sons and their children: Isaac, Jacob, Jacob’s twelve sons, and all those who went into captivity in Egypt, were shepherds. However, in my time people looked down on shepherds as common working people. That is too bad.

Perhaps it was in Egypt when being a shepherd fell into disrepute. You see, the Egyptians did not like the smell of sheep. (Many people in your society today have the same experience.) Therefore, no Egyptian wanted to be a shepherd. One reason the Egyptians allowed my family to settle there during a great famine was that we were shepherds and could meet their need for mutton, goat’s milk, and wool.  I think perhaps that old Egyptian prejudice wore off on my people over the 400 years they were in captivity.

When we returned to the Promised Land, and after we captured it, the great warriors and lords of my people divided the land of Israel among themselves and became farmers, what you could call “Landed Gentry.” Over the years, they too began looking down upon shepherds. By the time Jesus was born, mostly, we shepherds didn’t own the land nor did we own the sheep. We tended sheep for a landlord.

Nevertheless, my job was not unimportant. Today, there are not many wild animals in the land of Israel. In my day there were lions, bears, wolves, and wild dogs. All of them preyed upon sheep. Our job was to watch over the sheep and to be sure that they were safe. In addition, because sheep are not very bright, we were responsible to move the sheep safely from place to place so they could eat fresh grass. Finally, sheep are domesticated animals, and they sensed that we cared about them. [iii]

Your pastor once worked for a farmer way down in Texas on the weekends. The man who owned the property, and the hired men, actually named the cows and sheep and could tell them by sight! We shepherds could do the same thing in my day. Like any good shepherd, we knew our sheep. The Lord Jesus was not a shepherd, at least not a professional shepherd. He was the Good Shepherd who takes care of his flock (John 10:1-16). Perhaps he learned what it meant to be a Good Shepherd by watching shepherds just like me.

One night, as we were watching our sheep, singing songs together, and telling stories, the most amazing thing you can imagine happened (Luke 2:8-20). It was one of those beautiful dark, dark nights in which the sky is perfectly clear. The moon had not risen, but the stars shone in the sky like tinkling white Christmas tree lights in your day. In my day and time we thought of the stars as being alive. (In fact, we thought of them as angels.)

images-1We were sitting looking at the sky when all of a sudden it was as if the sky opened and one of the stars came to us as an angel of the Lord (v. 9). Naturally, just like everyone else who sees an angel, we were afraid. But the angel said to us, “Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for the world. Today in the city of David a savior is been born. He is Christ, the LORD” (v. 10-11). [iv] The angel then told us that, if we were to go into the town of Bethlehem, we would find a baby lying in a manger, which would be a sign that the Messiah had come (v. 12).

Suddenly, it was as if the sky was torn apart again, and heaven itself came to earth! A great company of angels suddenly appeared praising God and singing, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those upon whom his favor rests” (v. 13-14).

Just as Mary and Joseph were obedient to the message they received from an angel, so were we shepherds. We decided to go off to Bethlehem and find this manger and see for ourselves whether what the angel had said was true (v. 15). When we arrived at the little cave in Bethlehem where Jesus was born, we saw a child lying in a manger just as we were told (v. 16). imagesImmediately, we began to go throughout the village of Bethlehem and spread the Good News about this child (v. 17). Everyone who heard us was amazed. No one expected such news to be communicated through a bunch of shepherds! I don’t know why, because David was Shepherd, and a Prophet, and a King—just like the man Jesus of Nazareth. Who better to reveal to people the Son of David and Good Shepherd than a group of Shepherds?

Being a Disciple Like the Shepherds Today.

When our night of excitement was over, we returned home giving glory to God for all that we had seen and heard (v. 20). In fact, for the rest of my life I was willing to tell everyone I met about this boy, Jesus of Nazareth, whom an angel proclaim to be God’s Good News to us and to the entire world. I understand that almost no Christians in your society ever share that Good News with their friends. I know that a lot of years have passed, but people in your day, I think, have the same kinds of problems people had in my day. They need to hear the Good News just as much as we did.

There are still uncaring emperors far away in Rome, or whatever you call your capital city. I am sure there are still taxes, and they are still too high. There are certainly still evil people like my nation’s king at the time, Herod the Great, who care about nothing but money and power. There are still people who grow up in dysfunctional families. There are still people who are deeply disturbed and even mad. There are still criminals and highway robbers. There still wars and rumors of wars. I think people in your day need to know about this Son of David, who is a Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace just as much as we did (Isaiah 9:6-70).

That first Christmas, we didn’t go home and pour ourselves a glass of wine, eat too much, and open presents. Instead, we shared the Good News that Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God had come! I was young that night, so I lived to see that boy Jesus do miracles, teach with the power of God, cast out demons, be rejected by his own people, die a terrible death, and rise from the dead. All that I’ve seen in all that I know has not changed what I know and believe: One night more than 2000 years ago I went and saw a baby in a manger, and it changed my life forever.

Amen

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[i] Critical scholars have sometimes doubted Luke’s account. This is another instance when careful study and giving Luke a bit of grace shows he is accurately recording the facts as he knew them. First of all, while no record exists of this particular census/registration, there are Roman records of censuses taken in the way Luke records. While Quirinius was the legal governor somewhat later than the Luke indicates, he was in the region at a time when a son of Caesar was governor. History indicates that Quirinius, a friend of Augustus, successful soldier, and good administrator, was present and probably “governed,” meaning he did the day-to-day work. Later, he was appointed governor after Herod’s son, Archelaeus, was removed. Likely as not, Caesar appointed Quirinius because he was experienced in the job and understood Jewish politics from his earlier stint in Syria. http://www.biblehistory.net/newsletter/quirinius.htm (downloaded December 21, 2015). See also, William Barclay, “Luke’ in The Daily Bible Study Series Rev. Ed. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975), 20-21.

[ii] Once again, there is no historical information to put the time of Jesus’ actual birth in winter, though as I noted in an earlier sermon, taking the stories of Elizabeth and Mary together, a winter birth is not impossible. Christmas was first celebrated on December 25 in 336 A.D., a long time after Jesus was born. Pope Julius I officially set December 25th as the date for Christmas. There was a winter holiday celebrated during this period of time, and many people think that this winter solstice celebration is the cause of the date. The Jewish festival, Hanukkah, also occurs at this time of year. No one can know for sure, and the Bible does not say. It is not important. What is important is who the man Jesus was and what he did and taught.

[iii] See, “Shepherds” in Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary Ronald F. Youngblood, ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1986, 1995), 1164-1165). When I was young, I had a good friend who kept sheep near Cisco, Texas. He was a wonderful person. His hired men often named the animals and recognized them by sight. I could never accomplish this feat.

[iv] This phrase would be “Messiah God” in Hebrew. The term “Christ” is the Greek term for “Messiah,” or “Anointed One,” in Hebrew. The two accounts, Mary’s in Luke and Joseph’s in Matthew are remarkably similar in their common details. Both agree that the boy was to be named “Jesus,” would be a savior, and would be known as the “Son of God.” (For a human being “Son of God” and “God with us” have similar meanings.)

A Disciple Like Joseph

Good morning! My name is Joseph. I was the husband of Mary and the earthly father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not surprising that my story was left until the last Sunday before Christmas. Scholars know more about many other characters in the Bible than about me. There are even people, like Herod the Great, who plays a part in my story, about whom we know a great deal more because they are historical figures. There are only a few references to me in the Bible. In my opinion, that is as it should be, for I am one of those people who are satisfied to work behind the scenes.

I was a carpenter (Matthew 13:33; Mark 6:3). [i] imgresThe first chapter of Matthew is written to show that Jesus was descended from Abraham, and thus a true Jew, and from David, our greatest king. I am the last person mentioned in that genealogy. It is from my line that Jesus was legally qualified to be the Messiah. [ii]

David lived 1000 years before my time. He had thousands of descendants, many of them more prominent than me. The fact that I lived in Nazareth in Galilee, far from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish culture, indicates that I was of an obscure branch of David’s the line. So many years had passed, and there were so many descendants of David, that, although my family was proud of its history, no one expected anything special to come from me or almost any other member of my family. We were a bit like Americans who can trace their family history to someone like Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. It was a matter of family pride, but most family members did not behave anything like David, just like most people descendent of your great families don’t necessarily continue on their values, their character, or their strengths.

The Situation.

Here is the way my story is told by the apostle Matthew:

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife (Matthew 1:18-24).

Prayer: Eternal God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, please come today that we might learn from the example of Joseph to be better disciples of you today and every day of our lives. In the Name of the Word Made Flesh we pray, Amen.

A Kind Reaction

In order to understand my story you need to know something about my world. In your day, couples marry for love. In my time, marriages were arranged. Generally speaking, the parents of a young man approached the parents of young woman and contracted for a marriage. If a man were older, and perhaps married before, he might contract for a bride himself. A contract was reached specifying a dowry price to be paid to the woman’s parents, among other matters. Sometimes, it took as long as seven years for a husband to earn enough money to pay the dowry and marry his wife. As many of you may remember, in the Old Testament, Jacob worked seven years to marry Rachel (Gen. 29:20)!

Most young people had marriages contracted long before they actually married. Men in my culture waited to marry until they could pay the dowry and support a wife. Most women in my time were contracted to be married about the time they were able to have children. In other words, they were quite young—in their teens. Once a marriage was contracted, the couple was “Betrothed.” [iii] This could last a long time.

I was, therefore, considerably older than Mary. [iv] Before we could be married I had to save enough money to have the right to marry her. Now here’s a funny fact about our system: once a marriage contract was signed, the couple was actually legally married. If a couple were to begin living together during this period, the husband had no right of divorce. However, if a husband found a character defect in his wife during the period of betrothal, he could divorce her (Exodus 22:13-19).

This is the exact situation I faced. During our time of betrothal, Mary came and told me she was pregnant. She explained that she had been faithful to me; however, an angel had appeared to her and explained that she was to have a child by the power of the Holy Spirit who would be the Messiah of Israel (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35). What the angels said, had come true!

Being a practical man, I didn’t believe a word she said. As a devout Jew, what my people called “a righteous man,” I knew my rights under the Law of Moses. I had the right to divorce Mary. Nevertheless, I loved Mary and did not want to publicly humiliate her. I wanted a divorce, but I did not want to hurt Mary (Matt. 1:19).

Supernatural Intervention.

I have always thought of myself as a kind man and a careful thinker. I don’t make decisions easily. Most of the time, I pray long and hard before doing anything that I think might hurt another person. Day after day, night after night, over and over again, I went over in my mind my options until I finally decided that I would “put her away privately” (v. 19). That is a fancy way of saying that I decided to divorce her without publically disclosing her infidelity. I didn’t want to be married to Mary; but I didn’t want to hurt her.

imgres-1One night, as on so many nights, I fell asleep pondering the problem. That night I had a dream in which an angel of the Lord appeared and told me that I should not be afraid to take Mary as my wife because her story was true. The angel told me that Mary was carrying a child by the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 20). I was to name the child “Jesus,” which, as you learned last week, is the Greek term for “Joshua” which means “God our Savior” (v. 21-22). In addition, the angel told me that this was happening to fulfill a prophecy, and that my son was to be known as “Immanuel,” which in my language means “God with Us” (v. 22-23). In other words the angel told me almost exactly what the angel told Mary: our son was to be the Savior of Israel and God present in our history—the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

Mary had spoken the truth: Our child was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I did not divorce her. Instead, I brought Mary home as my wife (v 24-25). As I look back upon my life, I realize that from my very birth God had been acting to do something special. Mary was the virgin who would conceive and bear a deliverer for my people (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus, my son, was to be the fulfillment of all the prophecies and promises of a coming Messiah.

The Rest of My Story.

In due course, I had to go to Bethlehem to register to pay my taxes to Caesar. Because of the rumors surrounding Mary, I took her with me. It was in Bethlehem, the home of King David, that our son was born (Luke 2:1-7). This also fulfilled a prophesy of our prophet Micah (Micah 5:2). You will hear that story later on this week. Next Sunday, you’ll hear the story of how we presented our child to be circumcised after he was born (Luke 2:21-39). Right now, I want to continue with the way Matthew tells the story.

imagesThe birth of Jesus was not the only time the Lord spoke to me. I had several visions that impacted my life and the life of Jesus. One day, three Wise Men appeared where we were living. They had seen a special star, a star associated with the birth of the King of the Jews (Matt. 2:1) and gone to Jerusalem to see King Herod, but he had no new child. His advisors had told Herod and the Wise Men that a King of the Jews, the Messiah, was to be born in Bethlehem in Judea (vv. 2-10). After bowing before Jesus and giving him gifts, the Wise Men returned home.

When the Wise Men told me they had visited King Herod, my blood ran cold. I knew Herod would certainly try to kill anyone he felt might threaten his kingship. It wouldn’t matter that I was an obscure carpenter married a common country girl. The Wise Men were also concerned: They had a dream in which they were told not to return through Jerusalem, but instead to go home by “another route” (v. 12). [v]

After they were gone as I worried and wondered what to do, once again, an angel of the Lord appeared to me. This time I was told to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt (v. 13). I was obedient to the angel, and for some years we lived in Egypt (v. 14). It is a good thing too, because Herod killed all the children of Bethlehem around my son’s age (vv. 16-18). [vi] This event is known to you as the “Slaughter of the Innocents,” one of Herod’s worst crimes.

Then, after Herod died, an angel appeared and told me to go back to Israel (v. 20). My intention was to take my son, who was to be known as the “Son of David,” to Judea, King David’s homeland. However, I was warned by God in a dream not to go there because Herod’s son was ruler in Judea—and just as mad as Herod himself and just as likely to harm Jesus. Therefore, we went to Nazareth in Galilee (vv. 22). This also fulfilled a prophesy of the Old Testament. [vii]

imgres-2When Jesus was twelve years old, we took him up to the Temple in Jerusalem, as was our custom (Luke 2:41-42). Jerusalem is a crowded and busy place during festival times. Mary and I had already left Jerusalem when we discovered he was not with our traveling party (v. 43). We thought he was with relatives, but he was not.

It took us three whole days to find him! We were frantic. When we found him he was in the temple courts talking with the teachers of the law. When we rebuked him, he looked puzzled as if we should know that he should be in the Temple. To be quite frank, we thought our son was going to be some kind of the king, and we didn’t expect to find in the Temple courts talking with the religious leaders of our people. When we complained about his behavior, he looked at us with puzzlement and said something like, “Did you not expect to find me in my father’s house?” (v. 49). Actually, we did not expect to find him in the Temple. We expected to find him running around in the streets playing! When we brought him home once again he was our son, Jesus, a person everyone loved and respected because he was such a fine boy (v. 52).

The Measure of the Man.

imgresI did not live to see my son’s public career as a teacher, Rabbi, healer, and Messiah. I died before my son. Frankly, I’m glad I was spared seeing his final moments. While alive, I early on realized that my first job was to be a father to Jesus. Jesus worked beside me from the time he was able. He ran errands. He did odd jobs. He grew up strong. I like to think that in watching me, and how I treated other people, he learned to be honest, straightforward, kind, and gentle. I hope I modeled for him a kind of discipleship that is diligent, kind, and honest.

That is not so say that I was not religious. My dreams show that I had a mystical bent even though I was a practical person. I was diligent to dedicate Jesus, to take him to the synagogue, to attend religious festivals in Jerusalem, and to model for Jesus what it meant to truly worship the God of Israel. I prayed often in front of my son, and he knew what it was to be a man of prayer. I read the Law of Moses, and I taught it to my son. In fact, I think that this is the most important contribution I made to his life.

I hope as you think about me you’ll remember me as a simple, good, thoughtful, ordinary man trying to raise a family and provide for them. I hope you will remember that I was first and foremost a workingman, but that I did not ignore spiritual things. Most of all, I hope you will remember that I was obedient to God when he spoke to me. Not all disciples are called to be pastors and prophets. In fact, most people are called to be an everyday disciple just like me.

Amen

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs

[i] In Jesus’s time, this could mean that Joseph was a workman who built homes, framing and acting as a stonemason, or, perhaps I owned my own business and had a small carpenter’s shop. The Bible doesn’t say.

[ii] Under Jewish law, inheritance was through the father. Thus, Jesus’ legal claim to the Messiah and King of Israel was through his father’s line, even though he was not the biological son of Joseph. Under Roman law, this was similar. For example, Caesar Augustus (born “Gaius Octavius”) was the heir of Julius Caesar. Although he was not his son Augustus was made heir to Caesar under Roman law. Augustus was the Son of Julius Caesar’s sister. Like Julius Caesar adopted Octavius, Joseph adopted Jesus as his son, making Jesus, technically, only the adopted son of David.

[iii] Most marriages in Biblical times were arranged between the parents of the bride and groom. In fact, on occasion the bride and groom might not even know one another. A betrothal could occur at any time, even years before the marriage, since the bride and groom would have to be of marital age before the actual marriage could occur. Betrothal occurred once a marriage contract was signed. In this contract, among other matters, a dowry would be agreed upon. This amount would have to be paid by the groom or the groom’s family to the bride’s parents. Once the betrothal contract was signed, the bride and groom were legally married and only death or divorce could end the marriage. When the dowry was paid, the groom would come and consummate the marriage in the bride’s home. A special cloth would provide proof that the bride was a virgin. If she was not, the groom did not have to accept the bride and could divorce her. After consummation, the bride was then taken to the wedding feast, and the couple celebrated their marriage. The bride’s parents kept the “proof of virginity” in case of a later dispute.

[iv] Scripture does not say whether Joseph was older than Mary. It is an inference both from Jewish marriage customs (grooms were almost always older than brides) and from the fact that Joseph is not mentioned in the Gospels after the events of Luke 2:41-52. When Mary and Jesus’ sisters and brothers come to see Jesus in the Gospels, Joseph is not mentioned (Matthew 12:46-50). The theory that Joseph had died by the time Jesus was an adult is given further credibility by the fact that Jesus, when He was on the cross, made arrangements for His mother to be cared for by the apostle John (John 19:26-27). Joseph must have been dead by the time of the crucifixion, or Jesus would never have committed Mary to John.

[v] Most scholars believe that the Wise Men were from what is today Iraq. In my view, the Wise Men probably took a northern route from what is today Iraq through northern Syria, then down to Jerusalem and then south to Bethlehem. In the ancient world, this route through the “Fertile Crescent” was the most traveled trade route From Mesopotamia to the Holy Land. I think going home, in order to bypass Jerusalem, they the southern route from Bethlehem to the Jordan River (Jericho) then north up the Jordan Valley to Syria, and back into Mesopotamia.

[vi] What is known as the “Slaughter of the Innocents” is recorded in Matthew 2:16-18). This event is only mentioned in Matthew; however, Bethlehem was so small that the murder of a few children under two years old is unlikely to have caused much contemporary comment. Herod was guilty of worse crimes.

[vii] There is no specific Old Testament prophecy that is fulfilled. This may refer to the use of the term “Branch” (“Nazor” in Hebrew). If so, then it fulfills Isaiah 11:1. It might also be that this refers to Jesus being a Nazarite, who abstains from drinking wine and cutting his hair, though I think this unlikely. See, The Harper Collins Study Bible (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins, 1993), note on Matthew 2:23b.

A Disciple Like Mary

By now, I’m sure most of you are confused over who is actually preaching this series of sermons! Therefore, let me introduce myself: my name is “Luke” and I am a physician. I never met the Lord Jesus during his time on earth. Instead, I was introduced to Jesus by the apostle Paul. The book of Acts indicates that, on his second missionary journey, I joined Paul is one of his helpers. [1] I am the only non-Jewish writer of the New Testament. I’m pretty proud of this.

Some people think that I grew up in the city of Antioch and became acquainted with Paul when he ministered in that city. No one really knows, and I cannot remember. I was a medical doctor (Colossians 4:14), and many interpreters of your Bible have noticed that I have a great interest in medical matters. In addition, it’s been noted that I have a great interest in the miracles of Jesus, in his concern for the poor, and in his ministry and interest in Gentiles. My gospel, Luke, is filled with illustrations of my interest. [2]

searchAt the beginning of my gospel, I indicate that, although many other people wrote Gospels, I decided to make a careful investigation of the life of Jesus and the birth of the church and to record this for a gentleman named “Theophilus,” which in Greek means “lover of God.” My gospel is for every person who loves God (Acts 1:1-5). In my gospel, I also indicate that I was relying upon eyewitness testimony (Acts 1:2). I don’t remember exactly whom I interviewed in writing my book. It may have been Mary, Zechariah, or Elizabeth, or all three, although many people believe that I interviewed Mary.

The Visitation.

Once again, because in your church it’s customary to read Scripture before a sermon, I want to read you just a little bit from my book beginning with chapter 1:26:

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38).

Prayer: God Who Speaks in His Word and Mighty Deeds: we come to you today asking that you would be with us by the power of your Holy Spirit that we might be filled with your spirit as was Mary in be the source of blessings for others.

Mary of Nazareth.

As I said a few minutes ago, I was a medical doctor, so naturally I was  interested in the stories that passed around among early Christians concerning the circumstances of Jesus’s birth. I have delivered a lot of babies in my day and knew a good bit about what you call gynecology, so I wanted to understand the way in which Jesus ws conceived and was born.

Many of you know that Paul was, for a time, imprisoned in Caesarea by the sea. Your pastor had a chance to visit Caesarea this summer. It is still a beautiful place. In my day, however, it was even more beautiful than it is today. Herod the Great, who you have heard many bad things about, was a complicated person. One of his good qualities was that he was one of the great builders of the ancient world. He built the last Temple in Jerusalem. Masada, Herodium, and Caesarea were among the most beautiful cities ever built. Caesarea was a seaport because it had a wonderful harbor. In addition, it was the headquarters of the Roman government during the time of Jesus and for many years thereafter. The apostle Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea for a time before he was sent to Rome (Acts 23:23ff).

While Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea, I had a great deal of time to begin work on what would become my gospel, Luke, and my story of the early church, Acts. Caesarea is close to the Galilee, where Nazareth is located. And so during this time I interviewed people who remembered the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of those stories, which many people believe I received from Mary herself, is the story of the visitation of the angel Gabriel.

imgres 3.43.08 PMIt goes like this: In the spring of year in which Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel went to Nazareth, which was a town in the Galilee to a young woman, a virgin, who was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, who was himself a descendent of King David. The virgin’s name was Mary. [3]

The angel began by telling her that she was “highly favored” (Luke 1:28). When Mary showed the same signs of trouble and fear that often accompany the coming of an angel, the angel reassured her telling her not to be afraid (v. 29). Then, he gave her amazing news: Mary was to be the mother of a child she was to call “Jesus” (v. 30-31). The name Jesus is the Greek form for Jesus’ name in Hebrew, which was “Joshua.” The name “Joshua” is important in Hebrew. “Joshua” literally means “The God Who Saves.” Joshua was the name of Moses his assistant, who was the greatest military leader of his day and led the Jews in conquering Israel after their wandering in the desert. [4]

Even more amazingly, the angel told Mary that this child would be called, “the Son of the Most High,” which was a Hebrew name for God (v. 32). He was also to receive the throne of his ancestor David and reign over the house of Jacob, or Israel, forever (V. 32-33). Mary’s son was to commence a kingdom that would never end! To any Jew, this would mean that he was to be their long awaited Messiah.

Just as Zechariah had a hard time understanding how he was to be a father, Mary had a hard time understanding how she could be a mother since she was a virgin (v. 34). The angel explained that the power of God was going to overshadow her and she would be with child (v. 35). A short time later, Mary discovered that she was pregnant.

You can imagine that this event was not without its problems. (Next week, Joseph is going to be here to tell you about his problems with the announcement. I was never able to interview Joseph because he was dead by the time I wrote my gospel.) This particular announcement, and the reality of her pregnancy, resulted in a substantial amount of gossip in the little town of Nazareth. Under Jewish law she might even have been stoned. Therefore, after a short while she made arrangements to visit her relative, Elizabeth, whose story you heard last week.

Mary and Elizabeth.

imgres-7Last week, you heard the story of Elizabeth. As Zachariah told the story, you learned that, when Mary arrived at his home, John the Baptist leapt in the womb of Elizabeth, recognizing the power of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the child Mary was carrying. Then, suddenly, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and shouted out a blessing to Mary. The end of that blessing is important in understanding the character of Mary the mother of Jesus: “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (v.45). Everyone I spoke to in writing my gospel emphasized that Mary’s defining characteristic was her humble faith in the God.

In response to this blessing, Mary spoke the words that Christians call the “Magnificat.” [5] Here is how I recorded it:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him,  from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things  but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel,  remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors” (Luke 1:46-55).

I am not a Jew, and so I copied this particular passage, exactly as it was given to me. Scholars note that, while it is written in Greek, it bears the signs of having been spoken in Aramaic, the language of Jesus’s day. It is extremely Jewish. [6] The entire passage is designed to show how, through generation and generations of Jews, God was faithful to Abraham and his descendants (v. 55). It speaks of God as a Savior, a reference both to the Jewish notion that God will send a Savior, and to the name, “Yeshua,” the name of Jesus (v. 47). Mary also repeats that God has blessed her in her humiliation (v. 48). She recognizes that God, the Mighty One, does miracles (v. 51). And then she prophesies that the coming of Jesus will bring with it a change in the world. Those who ruled by force of the sword will be cast down. Those who are hungry will be fed. Those who are humble will be lifted up. God is doing a new thing in Jesus (vv. 51-54).

At this point, I’m going to stop my story of Mary and the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Eve, you will hear from one of the shepherds. He will tell you the rest of Mary’s story.

The Life of Mary Was Not Easy.

Many of you know, that in the Gospel of John, Jesus gives “the disciple Jesus loved,” or John, his mother to take care of after he was gone (John 19:25-27). There is a tradition in the Catholic Church that John made good on his promise. Tradition holds that Mary lived in Ephesus while John was the bishop there. There is also a tradition that Mary was buried near the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, as we all know, Mary’s life was not always easy. All of her life people gossiped about her and about her son and about the circumstances of his birth. We know from the Gospels that she was alive during Jesus’s ministry, and that Jesus’ family did not always understand who he was or what he was doing (Mark 3:31-35). Like us, she had to maintain her faith in the midst of her doubt and the doubt of others.

images-1Mary lived to see both her husband and her son die. To lose a husband is a terrible thing, and to lose her firstborn son worse yet. In addition, her son did not die peaceful death but a terrible, torturous, painful death. Then, at an age when most women want to settle down into the home where they raised their children, surrounded by family, friends, and memories, Mary had to leave her home. Remember, that in Acts we learned that after the new church was formed there was a time of persecution and the church was scattered (Acts 8:1). Perhaps it was at this time that Mary left Israel with John and began her life as a pilgrim. Many people think she did not die in Nazareth surrounded by family and friends, but far away in Ephesus, where John was a bishop.

The Life of Faith.

images-2The story of Mary teaches us a lesson that American Christians, and really all Christians, need to remember: The life of faith is a blessed life—but that does not mean that it’s always an easy life. So often we look at times of stress and discouragement as times when we are not being blessed. Often, that is true; however, sometimes our hard times are the source of blessing for others. Mary’s life was not easy; but it was blessed. Her humble faith blessed her family, her son, her church, and even the entire world. Wouldn’t it be great if we all had that kind of faith? Amen

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] In Acts 16, Paul has a vision while on this missionary trip. Up until Acts 19:10, the narrative is in the third person plural (“his companions”). Then suddenly the narrative shifts to the first person plural (“we”). Most scholars believe this indicates the point at which Luke is relying on his memory and journals for the narrative and not third person accounts. Therefore, it was at this time Luke probably joined Paul.

[2] The major source for the historical information in this sermon comes from William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke” in The Daily Bible Study Series, Rev. Ed. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1932, 1975), 1-16. See also, Robert H. Stein, “Luke” in the New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), 35-88.

[3] Jesus birth cannot be exactly determined. Luke states that is was while Augustus was Caesar and Quirinius was Governor of Syria, during a census of that time (Luke 2:1). Though there are problems, somewhere around 6-4 B.C. fits these dates. One tradition is that Jesus was conceived in our March, “The sixth month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, which would comport with a December birth. No one knows.

[4] Joshua means “Jehovah Saves” (or YHWH saves). When Moses was near death, he chose Joshua to lead the people of Israel, which he did until his death according to the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament.

[5] In Latin, the first words of the poem are “Magnificat Anima me Dominum” or “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Since St. Ambrose translated Luke from Greek to Latin, the passage has been known by this name. The song is part of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Roman Catholic tradition and is sung and said in Protestant churches as well.

[6] See for an example, John Noland, “Luke 1:9:20” in The Word Bible Commentary Vol. 35A (Waco, TX: Word Press, 1989), 74-77. The terms, “Most High,” “Lord,” “God my Savior,” and the reference to David, as well as the form and the theology of the passage, point to an Aramaic/Jewish basis for the text.

A Disciple Like Elizabeth

Once again, I am embarrassed to say that, for the second week in a row I have been too lazy to write a blog. Fortunately, Zechariah, the Father of John the Baptist, who spoke at our Arlington campus last week, came to Cordova this past Sunday and I asked him to be a guest speaker. Here is approximately what he said:

Good morning! Let me introduce myself. My name is “Zachariah.” Last week, I was in Arlington, and your pastors asked me to come again to Cordova and talk about my wife Elizabeth. As you learned last week, I lived during the reign of Herod the Great, King of Judea (Luke 1:5). I was a priest and a descendent of Aaron (v. 5) As a priest, my job was to offer sacrifices and perform Jewish religious ceremonies. We priests maintained the Temple as the center of the Jewish religion.

My wife, Elizabeth, and I lived a few miles out of Jerusalem in a small place, where I had a plot of land and also worked growing food for our family. Elizabeth and I were both raised as devout Jews. We tried as best we could to obey the laws of Moses (v. 6), which is why we are referred to as “righteous” in your Bible. We were not perfect, but we tried to obey the instructions of Moses.

Unfortunately, we were childless (v. 7). As was common in our society, our friends and neighbors considered us to be cursed by God. Perhaps it was because our neighbors sometimes spoke of our parents or us as having committed some sin deserving punishment that we were so anxious to fulfill the law. Your pastors have told me of well meaning Christians who feel that serious disease is connected to sin and judgments. Unfortunately, as I have learned, the world is not that simple.

I cannot tell you how much I loved and respected my wife. She was always a source of help to me. Both of us had grown up in priestly families, and therefore, she understood my job and its demands (v. 5). She bore the gossip of our neighbors with fortitude and hid the sorrow in her heart from everyone but me. She was always diligent in prayer for our nation and looked forward to the day when God would send his Messiah to save us.

Elizabeth Meets Mary—and John Leaps in the Womb.

imgresMost of you know a little bit of her story, and it is the most well known part of the story that I want to read to you this morning. Hear the Word of God as it comes from the Gospel according to Luke:

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:39-45).

 

Let us pray: God of Miracles, who can bring life from death and barrenness, come with your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Life, that we may grow into your image. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

 

What Happened.

As was mentioned last week, on one occasion when I was on duty in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to me and told me that my wife and I would have a child whose name would be John. You would think that, as a priest, I would have received the message with faith. Instead, I doubted. I was old and beyond the age when I expected to have children, and Elizabeth was barren and also beyond the age where she could have children. There seemed to be no hope.

imgres 9.37.35 PMThe angel did not appreciate my lack of trust in God; therefore, he told me that I would not be able to speak until the child was born. I went home speechless and unable to communicate. Fairly soon thereafter, Elizabeth told me that we were going to have a baby! At that point I knew that the message of the angel was true.

It was at this time that I realized the importance of faith and trust in God. I also realized that mere religiosity is not enough in the life of faith. Going to church, going to the temple, attending Bible studies, going to youth group, and the like, are no substitute for the adventure of the life of faith. During all this time, my respect for Elizabeth grew and grew. Unlike me, she never doubted the message of the Angel. She also never tried to impress our neighbors by holding over them miraculous circumstances of her conception.

For five months, she stayed indoors. During those months and months thereafter, I had a lot of time to watch Elizabeth and think about my life. To tell you to the truth, I had come to feel sorry for myself. I came from a prominent family, had an enviable job, and was a property owner. I loved Elizabeth and chose her. Nevertheless, as the years went by and I realized I might never have a son and heir, I was sometimes filled with regret. I’m not sure that God appreciated my feelings.

Who Elizabeth was Like: Sarah and Hannah

 One reason I feel ashamed of my lack of faith when the angel Gabriel announced the birth of our son is that I should have known better. As I mentioned earlier, I was a religious professional. I knew the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah, who though they were old and beyond the age of having children believed the promises of God and received Isaac after 25 years of waiting (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-1-6; 18:1-16; 21:1-7). I also knew the story of Elkanah and Hannah, who were barren and could not have children, and yet received the child Samuel, who became a great prophet and judge over Israel, in answer to their prayers (I Samuel 1:1-2:11).

I think that like many people, I assumed that answered prayers happen to someone else, not to me. I never thought of myself as a hero of the faith like Abraham. I thought of myself as an average Temple functionary who went to work in the morning and came home at night living out his days in relative obscurity. I wasn’t ready when God called me to experience the adventure of faith. Elizabeth, on the other hand, believed the promise and quietly went about her business until God fulfilled the prophecy that we would have a child. She was the real hero faith in our family.

The Great Meeting.

imgres-1Without any question, the greatest event in my wife’s life, and the birth of our son John, was a meeting she had with Mary, her relative, when both were pregnant. After Elizabeth’s seclusion, when she was able to have guests, she received a note from Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph the carpenter in Nazareth, asking if she could come for a visit. Her note contained a most amazing story. Mary believed that she was with child by the Holy Spirit! Elizabeth promptly responded, inviting Mary to come to our house for a visit. Immediately, Mary made plans to visit us (v. 38).

When Mary arrived, she called out to Elizabeth as she was entering our home (v. 40).  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, she felt John the Baptist leap in her womb (v. 41). Suddenly, she was filled with the Holy Spirit! (v. 41). In a loud voice, which was unlike Elizabeth, she cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child that you will bear!” (v. 42). Elizabeth could hardly believe that Mary was the mother of the Messiah and that the mother the Messiah had come to visit her! (v. 43). Elizabeth went on to tell Mary that God would bless her because she had believed the voice of the angel and agreed to be the mother of the Messiah (v. 45). You see, faith is an essential part of receiving God’s blessings.

Mary was so encouraged by these words that she began to speak a song that you Christians call, “The Magnificat.” Here is some of what Mary said that day:

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his Name. (Luke 1:46-49).

In this great song of praise, Mary worships and thanks God for blessing her.

Mary stayed with us about three more months, after which she returned to Nazareth. At this point, all that was left of our story was the birth of our son, John, which you heard about last week. The most amazing part of that story is the fact that I, who am not a prophet nor a poet, was able to sing what is been called the “Song of Zechariah” praising God for the birth of John, who would fulfill the role of Elijah in the coming of the Messiah, and for the deliverance of my people that would come to the hands of the Son of David, who I now believed would be the child of my wife’s relatives, Mary!

Lessons we Can Learn.

I have been in heaven for many years now, but I lived long enough to know that many other strange things happened surrounding the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. By watching my wife, and thinking about all that I have learned during these years, I’ve come to some conclusions about what it means to be a disciple of God:

  • First of all, I have learned that it is important to be open to God. If we do not open our hearts to the voice of God we will never hear the voice of Angels or, more commonly, the quiet voice of God speaking in our hearts.
  • When we hear the voice of God speaking in our hearts, whether in words or in silence, it is important to obey. God honors us when we respond to his voice, sometimes even if we don’t really understand what he’s saying.
  • When I watched my wife so filled with the Holy Spirit upon her meeting with Mary, I realized I had not placed much emphasis on asking the Spirit of God to come in to my life and transform me. Elizabeth was able to recognize the Messiah because she was filled with the Holy Spirit. I wasn’t able to recognize the voice of God in the message of Gabriel because I was only religious.
  •  Finally, the reason you have this story is because Mary, Elizabeth or I (I can’t remember which on of us now) told and retold the story. Eventually, a man named Luke interviewed one of us, or someone to whom we told the story, and wrote it down in your Bible. That is why my story is in your scripture today. It is important to pass along the stories of our faith.

Conclusion.

 I understand your church desires to share gospel from generation to generation. I am sure you can achieve this because throughout the more than 2000 years since my story occurred, people have told what happened to Zachariah and Elizabeth to their children. Of course, we are only a small part of the Big Story God has been telling ever since he called Abraham and Sarah to leave their home and go to a land he would show them. It is a story of how God blesses those who trust and obey him. None of us is completely obedient. The only one who was completely obedient was Jesus who went to the cross so that we might be restored to fellowship with God. My story is over; but your story is still being written. I hope you will tell it to others. They need to hear it. Amen

Copyright, 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserv ed

A Disciple Like Zechariah

Normally, there is a difference between the sermon of the week and the blog posted for the week. This week, this was not possible due to Thanksgiving and the fact that I was at Advent @ Arlington, where there was a guest speaker, Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus. I tried to take good notes, and here is approximately what was said:

Good morning! Let me introduce myself. My name is “Zachariah.” Many of you have never heard of me, for I am primarily known as the father of John the Baptist. I’ve come here this morning to help you understand a little bit more about my walk as a disciple of God, which I hope will help you in your discipleship walk.imgres

Your pastor told me that you have the custom of reading scripture before the sermon, and so I am going to read you my story before I tell it to you. Here is how the Gospel of Luke tells the first part of my story:

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time” (Luke 1:5-20).

Prayer: God of Miracles: Come to us today and open our hearts as we hear the story of the birth of John the Baptist. Convict us. Convert us. Make is wholly your people. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Zechariah: A Committed Disciple

On the surface, you may not think that we have much in common. I lived long time ago during the reign of Herod the Great, King of Judea (Luke 1:5). I was a priest and a descendent of Aaron (v. 5) As a priest, my job was partially to serve in the temple courts. I offered sacrifices and performed Jewish ceremonies. We priests maintained the Temple as the center of the Jewish religion.

My wife and I lived a few miles out of Jerusalem in a small place, where I had a plot of land and also worked growing food for our family. My wife’s name was Elizabeth. Elizabeth and I were both raised as devout Jews. We tried as best we could to obey the laws of Moses (v. 6), which is why we are referred to as “righteous” in your Bible. We were not perfect, but we tried to obey the instructions of Moses. Unfortunately, we were childless (v. 7). As was common in our society, our friends and neighbors considered us to be cursed by God.

Encountering an Angel

One day, when my team of priests was on duty at the temple, I went in to burn incense on the altar of God (vv. 9-10). [1] Outside, there were a number of worshipers praying (v. 10). As I began to burn the incense, an angel from God appeared to me, standing right beside the altar upon which I was burning incense (v. 11). When I saw this magnificent being, unlike anything on earth, I was filled with fear (v. 12). The angel, recognize my fear and said, “Do not be afraid Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give you a son and you are to name him John” (v. 13). The angel went on to tell me that this son of mine was going to be a joy not just to me, but all the people of our country (14-15)

By the time the angel finished, it was obvious to me that he was talking about a mighty prophet, because he said that my son was to never drink wine or any fermented drink and would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God (v. 15). My son was to go before the Lord God in the spirit and power of our Prophet Elijah, and turn, the hearts of children to their fathers and the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of righteousness (v. 17). [2] My son was to prepare the way of the Lord, which I took to mean that he would be the one to announce the Messiah in the Spirit of Elijah as foretold by our prophets.

Human Unbelief

This is where you and I may have more in common than you suppose. As a Jew, I knew all about the miraculous birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah in their old age (Gen. 16:1, 17: 1-21; 18:9-15; 21:1-8). I also knew about the birth of the Prophet Samuel, despite the infertility of his mother, Hannah (I Samuel 1:1-20). Therefore, you would think that I would understand the power of God to open a barren womb. Nevertheless, I replied to the angel indicating that this was not possible, since I was an old man and Elizabeth was beyond the childbearing years (v. 18).

The angel must have realized my wavering faith. He announced to me that his name was “Gabriel,” which means “one who stands in the presence of God” (v. 19). He told me that he had been sent specifically to me, and since I did not accept the promise of God as it had been given to me, I would be silent until the day my child was born (v. 20). Then, the angel disappeared.

Outside the temple, the crowd was amazed. They realized that something had happened in the temple, because I kept trying to tell them about the angel by making signs but I couldn’t speak (vv. 21-22). imgres-1When I returned home I stayed there for a time, since my time of service in the Temple was completed that very day. Elizabeth became pregnant just as the angel had foretold, and she was very happy (23-24). For five months after she became pregnant, Elizabeth remained in the house (v. 24). Mary, the mother of Jesus, visited her during the time of her pregnancy (vv. 39-56). Since I could not speak, we learned to communicate through signs and writing. Eventually, I was able to let her know that our son should be named John.

God is Faithful to His Promise

When the day came for our child to be born, sure enough, we had a son (v. 57)! Everyone in the community was glad for us, because they realized that God had opened up Elizabeth’s barren womb and showed mercy to us, removing the curse that left us childless (v. 58). It was a miracle and everyone knew it.

On the eighth day, as is customary among my people, friends and family gathered to circumcise our child. All of our friends and relatives wanted to name him “Zechariah” after me and over thirteen important people in our nation’s history, including the prophet Zechariah, who wrote one of the most important books in your Bible (v. 59). [3] However, Elizabeth spoke up and said, “No, he is to be called John’” (v. 60). No one in our family had ever been named John before. After arguing for a while, they came to me and asked what I wanted to name the child. I wrote down “His name is John” (v. 63). At that very moment, I was able to speak and began to praise God. Our neighbors and family were filled with awe (vv. 64-5) and people talked for days about what happened in our household. It was obvious to everyone that this was going to be a special child (v. 66).

Song of Zechariah

imagesAs I began to speak, I was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy (v. 67). This surprised everyone. I was not a prophet; I was a priest. I was never gifted with the ability to foresee the future or speak inspired words. I sacrificed animals and performed religious rites. Yet, in that moment I was able to speak the very words of God to those around me. I began to praise God and thank Him, because I knew that in my son, John, was someone special. I knew that John, being a Levite like his parents, would not be the Messiah. But I did believe that John was to announce that God had provided for the salvation of our people in the birth of a son of David, someone from the house and linage of King David. I eventually came to believe that Messiah was Jesus, who was the son of Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary.

I had no way to speak about the coming of the Messiah except that for me it meant my people would be saved from all of our enemies and God’s kingdom would be established, a kingdom of holiness and righteousness. As I looked down my son, I began to praise and prophesy about him. Here are the exact words that I said:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us  in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies  and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear  in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:68-79).

These words of mine have become famous as “The Song of Zechariah.” Priests, monks, nuns, and others repeat these words every day all over the world. Although I did not believe Gabriel when he first appeared to me, God was gracious and showed mercy to me and, through Elizabeth and me, to all of my people—and even to you.

My Closing Words

As I said in the beginning, I am more like you than you might imagine. Although I was a religious leader and trained to serve God in his temple, I still had to learn what it really means to have faith. Like many of you, I thought faith was an idea or some belief I accepted as true. Like some of you, my faith was something I believed I had inherited from my parents and their parents. It was not until the angel appeared to me, not to Abraham or to someone else who would have to have faith, but to me, did I come to understand what faith is.

During those long months of silence, I had plenty of time to ponder what it means to have faith. I realize that faith was not about what we know but about trusting in God, so that what we believe in becomes present to us in our hearts even though we may not yet have received what faith promises (Hebrews 11:1-2). I can’t tell you how many times during the nine months Elizabeth was pregnant I could hardly believe that the promises of God were true. However, in my silence, and in my thinking, I came to trust God.

There was a second thing I realized as a result of what happened to me. I was a priest. Naturally, as a priest I spent a lot of time at the Temple. In addition, I knew all of the liturgies, the customs, the sacrifices, and the holidays of my people. When the Bible describes me as a “righteous person” part of what they mean is that I was able to live as Moses had asked that priests live. However, in my moment of testing, when an angel of the Lord appeared to me personally, all of that did not help me believe. I have come to understand that rites and rituals, as important as they are, are no substitute for faith. It’s important that we bring our children to church, or in my day the Temple, but Temple or church attendance is no substitute for faith. It’s important that we try to do the right thing in life, but moral behavior is no substitute for faith. Faith is a living relationship with the living God. It changes everything. It certainly changed my life.

Amen

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] After many generations of descendants of Aaron, there were too many priests to have all of them working in the temple at the same time. Therefore, there were twenty-four “divisions” or teams of priests who took turns serving in the temple. It was a great honor to burn incense during this service, so this was a day of honor for Zechariah. See, William Barclay, “Luke” in The Daily Bible Study Series Rev. Ed. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975), 9-10.

[2] The phrase “wisdom of righteousness” is important, for it is one of the places in Scripture were it can be seen that the ancient Jews did not see the teaching of Moses as something different (religious truth) and separate from the kind of wisdom that brings success in life. True wisdom is found in the “Torah,” or “instruction,” “teachings,” or “law” of God.

[3] See, Harper’s Bible Dictionary Revised and Updated (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins, 2011), among other sources.

A Disciple is Thankful

imagesA great quality we can develop as Christians is thankfulness. In one of his earliest letters to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “We always give thanks to God for you and pray to God for you” (I Thessalonians 1:3). In his last letter, he writes to Timothy, “How I thank God for you, Timothy” (2 Timothy 1:3). In between, Paul often—almost always—gives thanks to God. In Ephesians, he says, “Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Paul learned to be thankful in all situations and conditions of life (Philippians 4:11-12). We live in a land of unbelievable prosperity; but few are thankful, truly thankful, to the One who made it all possible. This is too bad because thankfulness is a virtue and a gift of the Spirit of God.

Thankfulness in All Circumstances

Our text for this blog is from Second Timothy. Second Timothy is not a book many of us read; however, it is a surprisingly important letter. While researching this passage, I came upon the following quote from John Calvin:

“This book has been more profitable to me than any other book of Scripture—and it is more profitable to me every day. If anyone examines this book carefully, there can be no doubt they will experience the same effect.”  [1]

 

Second Timothy is very likely Paul’s last letter. imgres He was in prison, probably in Rome, where he would soon be martyred. [2]  Almost alone and nearing the end of his life, he wrote this letter to Timothy. Timothy was an important person in the New Testament Church. He is listed as the co-writer with Paul of Second Corinthians, Philippians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, and Philemon. In addition, two letters, First and Second Timothy are addressed to Timothy. These two pastoral letters contain Paul’s most intimate conversation about the church and its leadership.

Many Christians believe Paul converted Timothy’s family.  At least be discipled Timothy. Timothy joined Paul during his Second Missionary Journey (Acts 16:1-3) and was a partner of Paul’s from that time foreword. During the Third Missionary Journey, Timothy was active in helping the Macedonian church (Acts 17:14). When Paul went on to Athens, Timothy later joined him there (18:5). Timothy was with Paul at least a part of the time he was imprisoned in Rome (Col.1: 1; Phil. 1:1; Phile. 1). At the end of Second Timothy, Paul gives his most touching personal invitation for Timothy to come quickly before winter (4:21). Paul seems to foresee that his death is immanent, and most scholars believe Second Timothy to be his last letter. Timothy was like a son to Paul, a son in Jesus Christ.

Here is how Paul begins the letter:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God (2 Timothy 1:1-8, NIV).

Paul: An Apostle of Thankfulness

Second Timothy really is a wonderful book. Throughout the book, it is obvious that Paul is suffering. He is a prisoner in Rome, and many people he knew and loved have deserted him (4:9), betrayed and harmed him (4:14), and are ashamed of him (1:8). He is so beaten down that he believes that his life is being poured out like a drink offering  (4:6). He knows that he will soon die (4:17). imgres-1Nevertheless, Paul is thankful for Timothy, for Christ, for the church, and for what he has been given to do by Christ.

This thankfulness of Paul is not a new thing. Paul is almost always thankful. I read the beginning of First Thessalonians at the beginning of this sermon. Most scholars believe that First Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul’s letters. In between First Thessalonians and Second Timothy, we have thirteen or so letters of Paul. Of those letters, Paul expresses thanksgiving in some way in all but three. [3] Most often, Paul ties thanksgiving with his prayers for the people of the church, as if Paul’s thankfulness derives from his prayer life—something we might emulate. [4] Prayer almost always results in thankfulness.

Paul is thankful in prison, in times of stress, when he is abandoned, when the Gospel has been betrayed, and because he has developed this quality he can say, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). We need to develop this kind of thankfulness.

Real Blessings

There are things that may appear to be blessings that are not really blessings at all. So much time in our culture is spent on thinking that blessings are things or accomplishments, or pleasurable experiences. It is a blessing to have some things, but there are things that are not blessings at all—food is a blessing, but too much food is not, wine is a blessing, but too much wine is not, physical health and the ability to exercise is a blessing, but too much exercise is not. Money, possessions, pleasure—all the things that our society worships—are not necessarily blessings. In fact they can be the reverse.

In connection with Salt & Light, I’ve been doing a study of blessings and what constitutes the blessed life. imgres-2I think almost everyone wants to live the blessed life, but few people in our day and time have any idea what it means to be blessed or to live the blessed life. Blessings and the blessed life have their root in God. Over and over again in the Old Testament fellowship with God, following God, and imitating God are connected to blessing and the blessed life. Listen to how Psalms begins:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalm 1:1-3, ESV).

 

God is the source of blessings, which is why we have a hymn entitled, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” [5] God is the author not just of some of our blessings, or of our spiritual blessings, God is the fount of every blessing. It is God who created the world, gave us the gift of life, sustained us until today, sent his Son to show us the way to fellowship with the Father, and gave himself for us on the Cross.

We live the blessed life when we live out the life of a disciples and are thankful for God, for the Good News that God loves all human beings and wants them to live with him forever, for the gift of life, for our families and loved ones, for our faith, for the fellowship we have in our church and in the Christian community, for the sense of purpose in life, for the hope we have because of the cross of Christ and for the promise of the resurrection. The blessed life is a thankful life!

Consequences of Losing our Thankfulness

One of the saddest things about our nation is the loss of thankfulness for our ancestors, for the faith that sustained them, and for the blessings we have even though we do not have everything we could each imagine having. Recent disregard for our Constitution and for the sacrifices others made for our freedoms because of perceived flaws in their beliefs or behavior are symptoms of this lack of thankfulness for the past achievements of our ancestors, as we have the capacity to do better, which it is likely we do not!

As we have become increasingly secular, increasingly materialistic, increasingly hedonistic, and increasing therapeutic as a society, we have become obsessively self-centered and increasingly unbalanced. 5-Unhealthy-Reasons-for-Staying-with-a-Narcissist-RM-722x406During a conversation this week the pastors were talking about our increasingly narcissistic society—a society in which everyone is focused on themselves and they desires. A narcissistic, self-centered society cannot possibly be a happy, blessed, our even stable society. [6]

You might ask what would a narcissistic society look like? The answer is, “It would look a lot like our society.” The consequence of losing our humility and our sense that our blessings come from God results in a culture of self-centeredness, in which people seek their own happiness at the expense of others. A narcissistic society is a society alienated from God and from others. A narcissistic society is one in which there are many broken relationships as people focus on themselves. A narcissistic society is a society in which there is discord caused by various class and social conflicts as each part of society feels “entitled” to more. A narcissistic society is a society in which there is violence, both domestic and social, caused by the anger at not having others recognize our “right” to money, power, and pleasure. A narcissistic society is a society very much like the one we are creating and have been busy creating for many years.

Conclusion: Salt & Light

article-2234781-16151600000005DC-3_634x473When I was writing this month’s church newsletter I mentioned that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have unusually fond memories of Thanksgivings as a child, a youth, and an adult. It so happens that my most vivid memory is of Thanksgiving 2000, my father’s last Thanksgiving. It was not a perfect day, but we had a nice meal, talking, and played our traditional hard fought game of World Domination. My brother, as usual, won.

I mentioned another memory in the newsletter. This is a memory of a picture I saw at a family reunion many years ago of my Shepherd uncles and part of my Mother’s family celebrating Thanksgiving 1945. The picture was taken of my mother and her cousins. It is an old black and white photo. The men are still in their uniforms. It was a cloudy day. The farmland is cold, dark, and bleak. However, the smiles on their faces say it all—they are just so thankful that the war is over and the family is together again.

IMG_0009My mother was born in 1921. She grew up in a home in which she was abused by her mother. By the time she was eight, our nation was in the midst of the Great Depression. By the time she turned twenty-one, America was in World War II. When the boys got home, that is by Thanksgiving 1945, it was pretty obvious that the world was not going back to the way it once was. Of the six young people in the picture, exactly one would be able to survive on the family farms. The rest would leave and start over.

The suffering was not over: there would be Korea, health issues, accidents, Vietnam, several recessions, the drug culture, and children who fell into bad habits. Nevertheless, I cannot remember a Thanksgiving in which both my parents were not thankful. At the end of Mom’s life, she was still thankful despite all the bad things she endured.

My mother and father were not overtly religious most of the time, but inside they had a deep and abiding faith that kept them thankful and going on. We need to develop these same qualities in our day. Like Paul, we need to develop a thankfulness that is not dependent upon current circumstances. We need to remember that true blessings may take a generation or more, even many generations, to fully emerge. We need to remember that we are only tenants of this good earth, not its permanent owners. We need to remember that our hope is with God, who we will enjoy forever. In remembering our blessings, we will become a truly thankful people.

Copyright, 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved


[1] John Calvin, “Commentary on Second Timothy” in Calvin’s Commentaries vol. 21 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Reprinted 1993), 183 n. 1. This is a good place to note that I believe this letter to be apostolic and that conviction has grown during my twenty-five years of ministry. It is a personal letter to a young disciple by an aging mentor and bears the imprint of the relationship of Timothy and Paul on almost every page.

[2] See, Thomas C. Oden, “First and Second Timothy and Titus” in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1989), 12.

[3] This is not the place to get into the scholarly debate about whether Paul wrote all the books attributed to him. Even in the ancient church it was not clear that Paul wrote Hebrews. In my mind, the debate is bound to be inconclusive and is not productive, since we can never really resolve the issues. Only in I Timothy, Galatians, and Titus is there no expression of thanksgiving.

[4] See, Romans 1:8; I Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 4:15; 9:12; Ephesians 1:15-16; Philippians 1:3-6; Colossians 1:3-6; I Thess. 1:2-3; 2 Thess. 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 1:3-5; Philemon, 1:4.

[5] “Robert Robinson, wr. “Come, Thou Fount of every Blessing” Nettleton in The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration (Waco, TX: Word Music, 1986), 2.

[6] A narcissist has an excessive interest in his or her self. The result is selfishness; a craving for satisfaction of one’s own ego needs to the detriment of others, a craving especially for power, pleasure, or plenty. Such people have little empathy for others. There have been many books written about the increasingly narcissistic nature of our culture.

Are You Ready: Wise and Foolish Disciples

I’ve mentioned before in this blog that this summer we returned home only to find that lightning had struck our house! In the end, we replaced a number of appliances. However, before we replaced the appliances we tried to have them fixed. In order to have them fixed, we called repairmen. My father was pretty handy around the house, and fixed almost everything that was broken. Unfortunately, I did not inherit his talent. Therefore, whenever anything breaks we have to call the repairman. Whenever we call the repairman, he or she will say something like, “He’ll be there sometime between 8 AM and Noon Monday or Tuesday of next week.” Most of the time, this doesn’t bother me because Kathy stays home and waits for the repairman to come; however, that is not always the case. After hours of waiting hoping the repairmen will come early, there’s always the temptation to run an errand, or walk around the pond, or do something to eliminate the boredom. Sure enough, if I ever fall victim to these temptations and do something besides wait, that is the exact time the repairman comes and I miss him.

imgres-1This weekend, we had a men’s retreat that focused on what we do in the “dash” of our lives. The dash metaphor is taken from the fact that tombstones list our day of birth and our day of death with a dash in between. Yet, those two dates matter much less than what we do in the meantime—in the dash so to speak. [1] The life of a disciple is similar: from time to time, and at the end of our lives, we do experience the presence and power of God. There are times of great spiritual excitement and growth. They are great. However, we also spend time waiting—and that time makes up most of our lives, indeed the most important part of our lives are spent in the dash. A part of the difficulty of the “dash” is that we must remain faithful at times when God may seem absent or uninterested.

Are you Ready?

Luke 12:35-48 is a difficult passage. The first five verses are about servants generally. The second seven versus are a response to a question asked by Peter (v. 41). Both passages emphasize the importance of diligence in a servant, though the second part deals with leaders as much as with disciples. With that background, here is our text for the week:

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked (Luke 12:35-48).

The Importance of Wise Diligence

Downton Abbey is not as popular as once it was, but for the time it was necessary for me to schedule my Sunday night Bible study so that we could be home in time to see each episode! As you probably know, Downton Abbey is the story of the wealthy Crawley family through several generations in the early 20th Century. My two favorite characters are Mr. Carson, who is the head Butler, and Mrs. Hughes, who is the head housekeeper. The two of them symbolize the dignity and efficiency of British butlers and housekeepers at the height of the British Empire. Their quiet love for each other, diligence, and loyalty to their employers have been my favorite part of the story. [2]

Jesus told many parables in which he speaks of good and wise servants, comparing them wicked and foolish servants. For example, Jesus tells parables that are designed to show us that scribes and Pharisees, who claimed to be serving God, were not good servants. He told parables in which wicked servants kill the master’s son (Luke 20:9-19). He told parables in which wise servants faithfully invest the master’s money (Matthew 25:14-30). Today’s text is a parable about what it means to be a faithful disciple of Jesus, and to take seriously our responsibilities for other disciples.

imgresIn the ancient world, for a man do physical work, he had to grab the edge of his robe and tie it around his waist. This was known as, “girding your waist.” In the New International Version, this idea is translated, “Be dressed and ready for service.” I happen to like the older translation better, but the idea is the same. In order to do any kind of work, we need to be dressed and ready to work. A wise servant is ready at all times to meet any legitimate request from his or her employer, or in Jesus’ day, “Master.” In this particular story, like the Parable of the Ten Virgins, we are reminded that Jesus may need us and come to us at any time (Matthew 25:1-13). Therefore, we should be about our masters business and ready to serve him at any time. Spiritually speaking, this means that we need to be filled with God’s Wisdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we will not be properly equipped to serve Christ.

The Importance of Being Filled with the Spirit

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, and in today’s parable, Jesus urges believers to keep their lamps burning. In the ancient world, lamps were often shallow bowls made of pottery. (Our church’s Salt & Light logo incorporates that ancient symbol in its flame.) Because lamps were small and shallow, it was necessary to keep them filled with oil. Without oil, a lamp would go out and leave a person in the darkness at an inopportune time.

images-1From ancient times, oil has been a symbol for the Holy Spirit. In other words, this parable begins by teaching us that a servant is diligent and wise because he or she remains filled with the Holy Spirit. Discipleship is not a matter of works, although it involves doing good works. Discipleship is a matter of grace as God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, works in our lives empowering us to live the Christian life.

There is an element of discipline in discipleship; however, more important than discipline is a disciple’s continued attachment to the master by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 13:5). Our attachment to God is through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit that comes into our lives as we believe in God and open our lives to the enlightening and empowering grace of his love and wisdom. We simply cannot live out the Christian life without the Spirit of God helping us. When we attempt to do otherwise, we always fail.

The power to live out the Christian life comes from God by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am sure that we’ve all had the experience of beginning a Christian work by the power of the Holy Spirit but ending up trying to do it our own power. It never works. We always burn out. It is only when we come back to God and allow God to fill us again so that we find the ability to continue. This week, we had another retreat. A member and I went to Alabama to spend two days at a convent. My special prayer was that God fill me with his Spirit again because you cannot live the Christian life successfully on your own.

The Reality of Accountability

The hardest part of this text for modern ears involves the passages relating to the master’s judgment. [3] Jesus describes the faithful and wise manager as one the master finds diligently serving his fellow servants when he returns. Jesus also describes two other kinds of servants:

  1. First, he describes a servant who notes that the master has taken a long time in returning, concludes the master will not return, beats the other servants, and eats their food (Luke 12:45). In very harsh language, Jesus says the master will simply cut such a person to pieces in the judgment (v. 46).
  2. There is a second kind of servant, however. This servant is simply clueless. This kind of servant never bothered to learn what the master wanted and so does not fulfill the master’s bidding. The servant is also punished, though not as harshly (v. 48).

It is not a good idea to focus on the punishments. Jesus is using a form of hyperbola common in Scripture to emphasize that unfaithful, harsh, lazy, and foolish servants will not be rewarded for their behavior. This passage, like the passage in which Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven should not be taken literally, but should be taken as a way of Jesus emphasizing the importance of what he is saying and the dangers of disobedience.

imgresNot long ago, Kathy shared with me a graphic that describes what are sometimes called, “Carnal Christians.” On throne of the Carnal Christian’s life is him or herself. Jesus is present only on the periphery of the Carnal Christian’s life. He or she may attend church or Bible studies, they may be active in some areas of service, but their faith is not central to their life. It is simply one among many ways such a person finds fulfillment. In many ways, the Carnal Christian is no better off than an unbeliever: out of fellowship with God, such a person is also out of fellowship with other human beings and with nature. They are even out of fellowship with their own deepest needs. The result is discord, frustration, alienation, and broken relationships. The random dots in the illustration represent the disorder of the Self-Directed Life.

There is a natural accountability in life. If we do not put Christ at the center of our lives, inevitably we put our selfish desires and ourselves on the throne. When we do this, we suffer the consequences. It is not that God is judging us, like a harsh unfeeling human judge. Instead, we are simply receiving the consequences of our own decisions. The judgments of the unfaithful servants are just what happen when we do not really and truly follow Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Blessing of Wise Disciples

The element of God’s grace, and the blessing of wise and faithful servants, is emphasized in two places in today’s reading. In the first half of our parable, when the master returns and finds his servants waiting for him, instead of asking them to serve him, he has them recline at the table for a banquet, and then unexpectedly serves them (Luke 12:37)! We would imagine that the reason the servants were awake late when the master returned from the wedding banquet was to serve the master! It turns out, however, that God, after returning from the wedding banquet of his church, blesses his servants, the members of that church and serves them.

In the first part of the parable, Jesus returns to a metaphor he often uses. The Kingdom of God is like a Great Banquet in which a master invites everyone to attend and blesses everyone who attends, rich or poor, deserving or undeserving, socially acceptable or not socially acceptable (Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24). All those who respond to the master’s invitation are invited to the banquet and the master serves them.

In the second half of the teaching, when the master returns and finds his servant faithfully serving others, he blesses such a servant and puts him or her in charge of everything that he possesses (Luke 12:44). This is reminiscent of the Parable of the Talents, where the faithful servants are put in charge of even greater things because of their faithfulness in smaller things (Matthew 25:14-30).

On a basic level, our text is about disciples, and especially Christian leaders, faithfully living out the task of being a disciple, bringing others to Christ, and discipling them—undertaking the task of feeding God sheep. Historically, it is about the failure of the scribes, the Pharisees, and the priests to properly feed the people of God (Matthew 21:33-46). Christ desires his servants, the Church, to do a better job. [4]

The Christian church has always seen today’s text as concerning the return of Christ and the final judgment. However, on a deeper spiritual level, this parable is about the coming of Christ into our lives at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. It is about the little judgments that we all receive due to our unfaithfulness. It is about always being ready to give account of ourselves in every circumstance.

imgres-1Once again, there is a counterpart to the little graphic that I mentioned earlier. In this graphic Christ is on the throne of our lives. As a result, our lives are well ordered spiritually, and we are filled with the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, and the other gifts of the Spirit (See, Galatians 5:22-25). Just as the judgments of life are the natural result of unfaithfulness to God, the blessings of life are the natural result of our faithfulness to God. When we are filled with God’s spirit and living wisely on the basis of God’s love shown to us in Christ, we are blessed and we will naturally share this blessing with others.

There are two endings to today’s parable: The first half ends with Jesus saying, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Luke 12:40). The entire teaching is with Jesus saying, “From everyone who is been given much, much will be demanded; and from one who has been entrusted with much more will be asked” (v. 48). Both of these our reminders of what God will do for us if we faithfully live out our calling to be Spirit empowered followers of Christ.

Copyright 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] See, Linda Ellis, “The Dash” (1996). The key part of this text goes like this:

“For If our hearts are full of love/throughout our journey here,/we’ll be loved by all who knew us/and our memory they’ll hold dear./And when we die, these memories/will bring grateful, loving tears,/to all whose lives were touched/by the dash between our years.”

This is a poem I recommend everyone read. it can be found in numerous places on the internet. The founder of our church often reads this poem at funerals, which is where I first heard it.

[2] See, Downton Abbey, Masterpiece Theatre, BBC J. Fellows, R Eaton, N. Marchant, & G. Neame (Executive Producers (New York: PBS, 2010- Present).

[3] The second half of the parable, involves Jesus responding to Peter’s question, Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” (v. 41). In response, Jesus turns his focus to a chief steward who is left in charge of the household and is responsible to feed the other servants.

[4] In other words, those who have received the forgiveness of sins, been baptized, received the Holy Spirit and been instructed in the ways of God ought to faithfully proclaim that Gospel and help others receive the benefits of God’s wisdom and love.

Christian wisdom for abundant living