Jesus' Commandments: Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6)
The Sermon on the Mount gives some of Jesus' most profound teachings, and some of the hardest ones to live up to. Being meek, merciful and peacemakers seem to be the easist ones to prefer, while the "harder ones" talk about being poor in spirit, pure in heart, persecuted, etc.
I think this one is harder than it at first seems. What does it mean to "Hunger and thirst" after righteousness? It's much easier, I think, to conceive of hungering and thirsting after eternal life...or forgiveness of sins. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is almost too much to conceive of asking of ordinary people. I think it goes beyond desiring what God offers us to desiring God Himself. It's much easier sometimes to want what's on the Master's table than to want the Master Himself, isn't it? Like if you've been gone on a business trip and your children's first words aren't, "Daddy" or "Mommy" but, "What did you bring me?"
Despite this, it's a familiar image in the Old Testament. Psalm 42:1-2
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” Psalms 42:1, 2.
The psalmist longs to be in the presence of God. When we consider how separated Old Testament worship kept everyone from the manifest presence of God, (even the king), his expectation is remarkable. Everlasting life (Daniel 12) was the expectation. But the idea of seeing God is rare. (See Job 19:25-26) David was certainly given more insight than most:
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.” Psalms 63:1, 2.
I do believe it's because of his longing for God that he was given this hope. (Ps. 16:11, 17:15)
The Bible says that God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Those who are seekers...I know you've known this type... are like Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Looking always for significance, for value, meaning and virtue in the things one does and contemplates. With the means to explore and learn and try everything available to a man, Solomon concludes that everything under the sun is "vanity," or emptiness. I think God has allowed a core of dissatisfaction to be found at the bottom of every pursuit other than Himself.
Joseph Addison wrote, "The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for." If you work for that which fades, if you love that which is unworthy, if you hope in a lie--you have wasted your life. As the the Rolling Stones sing, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" -- or U2, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The French philospher Blaise Pascal described it in terms of a hole in our hearts, a God-shaped vacuum, which can't be filled by anything but God.
Jesus constantly used our short-sighted ambitions--to slake our thirst, to fill our bellies--to point us to something greater:
He tells the disciples to "labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that which endures unto everlasting life." (John 6:27), which reminds them of Isaiah 55:2 - "Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which doesn't satisfy? Hearken diligently to me and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."
This passage in Isaiah pictures God inviting all who thirst, to "come to the waters....without money and without price." It's a welcome to free salvation, and Jesus applies it to Himself when He says:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39)
He was saying He was the source of living water, just as he had told the woman at the well in John 4. When she protests that he's asking her to give him water, He opens the conversation up to the eternal realities behind our earthly quests for satisfaction: "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'give me a drink,' you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water."
She keeps on talking about literal water, missing his point, until He reveals who He is. But what's interesting is that the disciples showed just about as much discernment as she did when they tried to get him to eat and he responded with, "I have meat to eat that you know not of." They were confused and asked each other, "has anyone brought him something to eat?"
So he has to explain, "My meat is to do the will of Him Who sent me, and to finish the work."
Which highlights an important point about hungering and thirsting for righteousness. If we look at it exclusively as longing for and awaiting our ultimate destiny with God in heaven, we miss the whole reason why God didn't take us on to heaven when we received Christ: we have work to do--real, meaningful work.
1 Corinthians 3:7-15 talks about being co-workers together with God. It's not that any of us are any big deal, because it's God who brings spiritual life and growth, but still we have a service and obligation both to Him and to others for which we will receive rewards. As 2 Corinthians 4-5 puts it, we have been left in these rough jars of clay to endure the persecution, struggle and trouble of this world so that the light within--the enlightening, empowering Holy Spirit--might be shown to greater effect.
Eternal rewards will result from the temporary challenges we overcome through Him. And we have been saved not simply to enjoy our security in hope, but to finish His mission here on earth. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) John 3:16's summary of the Gospel implies that the best way to love Him is to spread His love for others.
So working to satify our hunger and thirst for rightoeusness inovlves the present intimacy of adoration of Him, the duty and intimacy of being about His continued mission on earth WITH HIM, and the hope for ultimate intimacy with Him and enjoyment of HIs approval.
All of these things add to the ultimate blessing. Jesus said, "for they shall be filled." When does food taste best? When you're very hungry, even the plainest fare has such flavor that you want to draw out the experience. When you're very thirsty, water has flavor that it never had before, and seems to energize your whole body.
When we make an effort to get to know Him better now through worship and reflection on His virtues, when we experience Him daily by committing ourselves to His mission, when we anticipate Him by treasuring heaven rather than earth, the ultimate fulfillment will be that much sweeter.
I can think of two people in scripture who are inspirations to me, reminders to really anticipate this fulfillment: Joshua and Mary of Bethany.
Joshua was Moses' understudy. During the wilderness wandering, when they set up the "tent of meeting," (before the Tabernacle was officially constructed) God's presence was there. Both Moses and Joshua went in there to meet with God. Moses had to go back out to deal with the people to carry out the Lord's instructions. But Joshua, the Bible says, "would not depart from the tent." (Exodus 33:7-11) Revelation 3:12's promise reminds me of this when it says, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Revelation 3:12.
Mary of Bethany had a similar heart. She, her sister and her brother were among Jesus' best friends. One one of His visits, her older sister was furiously working to serve Jesus and the disciples, frustrated that Mary only sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him. But Jesus told Martha that Mary's single-minded devotion to Him was more important. (Luke 10:38-42)
As Jesus told the woman at the well, God seeks that kind of worshipper, those who worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) God seeks thirsty seekers. It's as if we chase Him, we think, until He catches us: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Think of it like this: the ones who think they're OK...the ones who're comfortable and self-satisfied, or self-righteous, who think they've got it made... well, in Jesus' day, those weren't the ones who followed Him. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," He said. "Those who are well need no physician, but those who are sick."
The last invitation of the Bible is only for the thirsty: “The Spirit and the bride say, “come!” And let him who hears say, “come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17) This is the call to salvation, but I think the whole message of this attitude is to remain thirsty for Him, to never get enough of Him.
This week, remember Jesus' words and this invitation. Does it stir your anticipation? That's hope. Does it inspire your love for Him? Is there a duty to be done in the meantime? Romans 13:11 tells us that "now it is high time we awaken out of sleep, for now our salvation is NEARER than when we at first believed!" These are the essentials of happiness, a wise man said, and the very meaning of Paul's saying, "for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
Jesus' Commandments: Meekness
Continuing our series on the Attitudes Jesus taught us to have, called the "Beatitudes," for the Latin "beatitudo," or "blessed," the word that starts each pronouncement, we reach Matthew 5:5,
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.
Again, "blessed" is a statement like, "Joyfully serene," indicating joy in spite of circumstances...and because the definition of "meekness" has changed so much over the years, it's important to also define Jesus' use of this word. The modern dictionary definition is:
quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; overly submissive. Docile, spiritless, tame.
While the older definition is more like "courteous" or "gentle."
I heard it described once in a memorable way: "Power under control." Jesus, of course, is the One Who confronted the Pharisees with stinging hyperbole like, "generation of vipers! Whitewashed tombs! Blind leaders of the blind!" and overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple--and He described Himself as: "meek and lowly of heart." (Matthew 11:29. So "docile and spiritless" certainly don't fit.
But isn't it ironic that we're never more like the supreme Judge and Ruler of the universe than when we submit to authority, when we are humble, when we don't demand our rights..?
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ
Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became
obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under
the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians
2:5-11)
As Jesus was praying with the disciples, on the night that He was betrayed, Peter draws his sword and cuts off the High Priest's servant's ear with it. As part of Jesus' protest, He states, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) There's lots of power there. In fact, a single angel practically decimated the Assyrian army that was besieging Jerusalem, killing 185,000. (2 Kings 19:35) Just imagine what 36-72,000 of them could have done. Of course, it's a little silly to even imagine this kind of thing, because the Bible tells us "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) and that it's in Jesus Himself that "all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17) The Bible calls mens' challenge against God a "vain thing," something earning the Lord's derisive laughter. (Psalm 2:1-4)
But the Bible is clear that Jesus' sacrifice was planned from before creation. (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:19,20; Revelation 13:8) and that the works of ungodly men were according to the plan and foreknowledge of God. (Acts 2:23) So Jesus' submission to men was really submission to His Father.
Again, by contrast, the wisdom of this world tells us practially from birth to demand our rights, to think of ourselves first, to be dominating and assertive. We see now that those kinds of attitudes actually take us in the opposite direction of the greatest leader the world has ever known. Our flag is "Don't Tread On Me!" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/image:gadsden_flag.svg)
I think it's interesting that Jesus had a lot to say about this kind of thing. The disciples John and James, through their mother, asked if they could occupy the supreme positions of authority in Jesus' Kingdom.
“What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant
that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your
right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You
don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them.
“Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,”
they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed
drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is
not for me to grant. These places belong to those for
whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the
ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two
brothers.” (Matthew 20:20-24)
Of course, why wouldn't they be indignant with them? It was a secret move to shut the rest of them out. Jesus reminded them that the great ones among them eed to become servants. The chief ones had to learn to serve the rest, just as Jesus Himself didn't come to gather underlings for His own comfort, but to serve us all, in a way:
“Jesus called them together and said, “You know
that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their high officials exercise authority over them. Not
so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be
first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many.”” (Matthew 20:25-28)
Jesus served as an example not only in obedience to the Father, but in the washing of the Disciples' feet...
"...He got up from the meal, took off his outer
clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After
that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash
his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that
was wrapped round him. He came to Simon Peter, who said
to him, “lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus
replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but
later you will understand.” “no,” said Peter, “you
shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “unless I
wash you, you have no part with me.” “then, Lord,”
Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and
my head as well!” Jesus answered, “A person who has had
a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is
clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”
For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was
why he said not every one was clean. When he had
finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and
returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have
done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘teacher’
and ‘lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now
that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you
an example that you should do as I have done for you. I
tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his
master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who
sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be
blessed if you do them.” (John 13:4-17)
It's really easy to forget this. Because we often feel we're not being recognized, in Christian circles...that no one appreciates us, or that we should be given roles with more authority...but we're never more like Jesus, we're never more appreciated by the One Who matters, than when we're serving others out of love. Everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. (luke 18:14) In God's "career-advancement" program, the way Up is Down.
Jesus often taught profound lessons by using simple stories. Here's a great one:
And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests
when He noticed how they had been picking out the
places of honor at the table; saying to them, “when you
are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take
the place of honor, lest someone more distinguished
than you may have been invited by him, and he who
invited you both shall come and say to you, ‘give place
to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to
occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and
recline at the last place, so that when the one who has
invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘friend, move up
higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all
who are at the table with you. “For everyone who exalts
himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself
shall be exalted.” And He also went on to say to the
one who had invited Him, “when you give a luncheon or a
dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or
your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite
you in return, and repayment come to you. “But when you
give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the
lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do
not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid
at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:7-14)
The last part says it all: when you do service to others who aren't in any position to do you favors, it's God Himself Who will repay you! In other places in the Bible, it says He is the advocate of the widow and the orphan, meaning the most powerless people in their society, He takes it personally when they are offended--or when they are aided. I'd like to point out one more thing before we close. I keep saying that when we take on an attitude of meekness, we are becoming more like Him. To underline that point, I'd like to return to one of the first passages I quoted, about Jesus being the Anointed One. It's one of the most quoted Old Testament passages by the New Testament writers for that reason, because it pictures Jesus' Anointing and Sonship:
"You are my Son," says God the Father, "this day have I begotten you." (Ps. 2:7) "Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession."
Ultimately, He is the Meek Who will inherit the earth! We inherit through Him: (Psalm 37:9) ...those who wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth" "The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11)
Won't it be wonderful to enjoy this battered old world in peace--without fear that a war will break out! How delightful to think of all nations coming to Jerusalem to hear Jesus Himself teach the Law to them! (Micah 4:2) That's when everything will be set aright--and He will get the praise He deserves!
Jesus' Commandments: Mourning
Whenever you read Jesus' statement, "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Does it seem to prescribe a sour, sorrowful attitude as a key ingredient of spirituality? Does it paint a picture of the Puritanical Christian life in cold grays and blues? We like the statements about the merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers better, don't we?
I hope to be able to share at least 4 benefits to mourning in this life--in a joyful way. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 that the heart is made better by sorrow...and that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning.
Again Jesus reminds us of the upside-down nature of our present world. It may initially sound depressing, as if God is a killjoy, but it is manifestly true that the surest path to ruin is to seek our own happiness first and foremost.
Luke 6 has a slightly different version of the Beattitudes, and this version shows us the eternal perspective side of things:
"blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh," and its counterpart, "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep." (Luke 6:21,25, compared to Matthew 5:4).
We're to reflect that comfort and joy are coming for disciples who weep now. Jesus isn't saying it should be our aim to be sad all the time for sadness' sake! But that this world is going to bring us sadness--persecution, tribulation, sorrow, sickness and death--and that must not stop us in our mission--because it is the mission that will bring ultimate joy.
One more thing to note is that the sorrow itself brings us more grace here in this life; because He brings us personal comfort:
“praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-6)
He's the God of all comfort! I once heard this passage summarized in an interesting way: "God never wastes a hurt."
There's another thing to remember about the effect of mourning on our relationship with God, if we respond in the way He wants us to. It develops our relationship when we unload our sorrows to Him. You know, He doesn't want us to just mope quietly. We can be prone to fatalism, especially if we have a very high view of God. "Whatever happens is going to happen anyway. I might as well deal with it. God means it for my good."
But when you read through the hymnbook of Israel, the Psalms, you realize David was not a fatalist. He groaned to God, he cried out! He made emotional challenges to God Himself! Not in a disrespectful way, but sometimes in surprising ways: "Why have you forgotten me?" (Psalm 42:9) "Why do you cast me off?" (Ps. 43:2) "Why are you sleeping? Why do you hide your face?" (Ps. 44:23,24), "Will the Lord cast off forever? Wil he be favorable no more? Has God forgotten to be gracious?" (Ps. 77:7)
God knows what we're feeling anyway. He wants us to open up to Him and talk to Him about it from the bottom of our hearts. This passage about "mourning" uses a word which doesn't describe an inner, hidden emotion, but one that is open and manifested---one that you can hear. God listens to our cries! In fact, David said He keeps a record of them. (Psalm 56:8)
No one was more acquainted with grief than the Man of Sorrows, our Lord Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 53:3) In Him, we have a High Priest who empathizes with us--in His life, He suffered everything we suffer--and at His death took on ALL our sufferings and sorrows (Isaiah 53:4)--and remained without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
There's an old song about prayer called, "Just a Little Talk with Jesus" that urges us to "tell Him all about our sorrows." These are the things real relationships are built upon. Who, having an intimate friend, would not tell him or her about their deepest sorrows? Those who love you want to hear you express them in your own words.
To summarize, we have many reasons to have a contented serenity, or blessedness, when we reflect on sorrows that occur in this life:
Because it makes us long fo the comforts of Heaven.
Because it ensures our comfort in heaven will be all the sweeter.
Because it equips us to comfort others here on earth.
And because it gets us more grace; more comfort from God in the here-and-now. Intimate, personal attention from the God of the Universe.
Jesus' Commandments: Spiritual poverty
The "attitudes" expressed in the Sermon on the Mount are deliberately given to crush spiritual pride...for in successive steps, he shows us the uncleanness of our hearts compared to the standard of God's perfection in word, thought and deed.
We call them "beatitudes" not in shorthand for "beautiful attitudes" but in recognition that each one begins with the phrase "blessed are" which is beatitudo in Latin. So calling them this is similiar to what the ancient Jews did when they referred to Deuteronomy 6:4 as "the great sh'ma" (because in Hebrew, it begins, "Sh'ma Yisrael," "hear, O Israel")
For example, our the passage I want to talk about now is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)
The word "blessed" is full of meaning. Because it has almost lost its meaning in our day, it is sometimes translated "happy" in modern translations. It carries with it the idea of joyfulness not dependent on circumstances. Serenity. So one way to paraphrase it would be:
"Joyfully serene are those who recognize their spiritual poverty before God, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
When you think about it, it's a most ironic statement. But it echoes one of my favorite passages on repentance, Hebrews 6:1, which tells us that the foundation of Christianity is repentance from dead works, a recognition that good works are totally unable to gain us favor with God.
Favor with God is given as a gift; we can't earn it...Jesus already did that for us. Hebrews 10:14 says, "by one offering he perfected forever those who are sanctified." We are fully at rest in Him, as there is nothing we can do to earn God's favor.
It's because we recognize the fact of our need for Him and inability to be virtuous on our own that we are given the Kingdom.
Even among His followers, and after 2000 years of impact on the world culture, Jesus' words have the power to upset all of our assumptions.
The Pharisee who prayed, "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." Would have seemed to have built up a great deal of favor with God to if we had known him. But he 'prayed to himself,' according to Jesus.
The tax-collector, despised as a sell-out to the occupying Roman Empire, whose humility wouldn't even allow him to draw close, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:9-14) This one whose spiritual poverty was not hidden, was the one who went away justified, according to Jesus.
I once heard a wonderful song at a funeral. I recognize it as a superb testimony to God because our tendency to lionize the deceased was reversed because of the man's choice of songs for his funeral: "Only the Sinner," by Josh Bales. Here are the lyrics:
Only the sinner, only the weak
Only the man who lies and steals and cheats
Only the woman who runs around
Only the child with a selfish mouth
Only prostitutes and murderers
And crooked business men
Only those who have no alibi
Only those who cannot hide their sin
Only the dirty
Never the clean
Only the beggar men
Never the king
Only the messed up
Never the made, the made
Only the sinner
Jesus saves
Never the righteous, never the good
Never the man who does all the things he should
Never the rich, no never the strong
Never the woman who never breaks the law
Never the healthy, never the wise
Never the man who claims to have some alibi
Only the dirty
Never the clean
Only the beggar men
Never the king
Only the messed up
Never the made, the made
Only the sinner
Jesus saves
We're very likely not to evaluate ourselves as God does. For instance, Jesus dictated letters to 7 churches in the book of Revelation. Among those churches were one which thought it was very rich, and had need of nothing. But Jesus called them wretched, miserable, poor blind and naked (Revelation 3:17)
There was another very poor church, whose members were persecuted and slain for their testimony. And Jesus says, "I know your works, your tribulation and your poverty....(but you are rich!)..." (Revelation 2:9)
The poor church was really rich, and the rich church was really poor! We fool ourselves if we think this kind of thing isn't still going on today. We must beware when we think we're doing all right spiritually, because it may be that we are impoverished....but...and I say this with joy...it's also possible to be mistaken and underestimage the great rewards that await us in His Kingdom.
Let me challenge you to practice spiritual humility this week--recognize that without Him we can do nothing. (John 15:5) Our humility before God, our honesty about ourselves before Him...will translate into humility and honesty before others as well; and that's one of the attitudes which will begin to point to His work in our lives.
Jesus' Commandments: Repentance
After Jesus' baptism and temptation in the wilderness, His first words which sort of launched His ministry were, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17) This is a very authoritative statement, of course. And we can't help but think, when that sentence is yanked out of its context, of the guy standing on the streetcorner with a billboard, declaring that his listeners are all going to hell.
I think Jesus' emphasis was quite different, though. He was always surprising those who paid close attention. The truth is, His teachings are still surprising today. The Pharisees we like to critique would have been the most upstanding citizens available. The good and faithful, who would have seemed a real contrast to he fishermen, political dissidents, tax collectors and ne'er-do-well's Jesus allowed to hang around him. They were convinced they had figured out all of God's demands which would result in their being welcomed into eternal life with eternal rewards. They believed all the "right things," in contrast to the Sadducees, who didn't believe in Angels, spirits or resurrections.
It's not that clear from the context if this is what was going on here, but often the Pharisees would come to Him with some example or controversy to try to trip Him up. It may have been the case here as well:
“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”” Luke 13:1-5.
It seems Jesus turned the question around on them. They probably wanted Him to criticize the martyrs or the Roman leadership. He told them the condition of their own heart was such that similar unexpected death and judgment would fall on them unless they repented.
The fact is, this is the case with all of us. We're born sinners and our first sin against conscience confirms it. We judge others, then violate the same standards. We perceive the eternal nature, wisdom and power of God from creation itself, then imagine Him to be some creature like ourselves.
Then, we have a tendency to think He grades on the curve. Comparing ourselves to others just like ourselves, we reason that He will either have to condemn everyone or else wink at a certain level of sin. (Always something a bit more serious than our estimate of our own!) Surely, our good works will outweigh our bad.
Hebrews 6:1 implies that a TURN (repentance) of this attitude is the very foundation of Christian teaching when it mentions "repentance from dead works." Repenting from our sinful acts is not the point so much as repentance from our assumption that our works will earn us the Kingdom! In Isaiah 64:6, God calls all OUR "righteousnesses" FILTHY RAGS.
Once we recognize God's goodness and patience to us in spite of the fact that we've only been heaping up iniquity all our lives and estimating it to be shares in the bank of heaven, repentance, then a proper grieving (2 Corinthians 7:10) and realistic faith in God, can start.
Judas Iscariot recognized that he had betrayed an innocent, and even felt regret...but that he didn't fully turn to and trust God is apparent from his suicide. Yet Peter himself denied the Lord 3 times, returned to fishing as a career, but was sought out and restored by the Lord when he grieved and recommitted himself. Jesus even told him that his ministry would lead to his (Peter's) death (see John 21:18-19).
Ironically, it's not only before our initial conversion where we often have trouble with "dead works' but also before our rededication. Don't we often want to "clean up our act" before going back to church, or praying regularly? We who have understood and responded to the Gospel ought to know better--if we wait for that, we'll never come.
Repentance is said to be a change of heart which leads to a change of life. A Christian's repentance shouldn't be a one-time thing, there ought to be a life of continual repentance--because we of all people can't say we have no sin.
“but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9.
In Romans 8, we are promised that NOTHING in all creation can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus. Let's commit today to let nothing keep us from walking closely with Him. Not shame, opinions of others, time spent living for ourselves, not even misplaced notions of trying to repair the breach from our side.
He LOVES us and HIS direction for our life is better than anything we could ever come up with. When we pray for His Kingdom to come on earth, as it is in heaven, we should be realigning with His purposes and proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven in our lives and the lives of others.
New Study
Hi!
It's been a while since I've made a new post, mainly because we've been going over the material on this site together
again.The reason is that our group has members we didn't have last year, and all of Dr. Douglass' material has been beneficial for our study.
Now, however, we've reached the end of the study with the new group and I have decided to create some new curriculum, based on Jesus' Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20:
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20.
Of course, when Jesus made this command, there WAS no New Testament, and the disciples ONLY had His teachings to go by. Still, it's very important that we as disciples really get the spirit of the Source, the Lord Jesus. And there's no better place to do that than the Gospels.
One thing it's important to remember when going through the Gospels is that Jesus taught under spiritual conditions we don't share. Not only was the New Testament not yet written, but Galatians 4:4 and 5 remind us that He ministered under the Law to those who were under the Law. Romans 6:14 tells us that WE are not under the Law. 2 Corinthians 3 demonstrates that there's more to that than may at first be apparent. Jesus, as a teacher under the Mosaic Covenant, pointed the way to the New Covenant, but it was not yet in effect until after His resurrection.
Still, the directive for discipleship under the Great Commission is to teach them to obey ALL things He commanded. That's why it is so important that we know and apply what He commanded if we want to be His disciples!
May His Word have its intended purpose in us!
