Hearing, Seeing, Believing

John 20:11, 25

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb...

So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."

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John 20 is about the resurrection of Jesus. But it's also about how we respond and arrive at our own belief in the resurrection. Two characters in particular are highlighted here: Mary Magdalene and Thomas.

Mary's reaction to recent events truly captures the emotional gravity of what has transpired. Facing the empty tomb and thinking that someone had stolen Jesus' body, Mary stood weeping, certainly holding her face with both hands, grieving deeply for this shocking loss.

We can imagine what Mary was feeling as she stood by the tomb. We forget that Jesus' death was such a shock. Just days before, he was welcomed to Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna. The King, the Messiah had arrived! He taught in the temple courts. He shared a meal with his dearest friends. Despite Jesus' own hints and predictions, the disciples had no idea what was coming.

Processing this shock and grief, Mary stood by the tomb, and the tears came fast and she let them escape freely. He's gone, she thought. He's really gone.

But she looked in the tomb one last time. What did she see? She was met by an unexpected sight indeed. First two angels addressed her. And then she was met by Jesus, though she doesn't recognize him, her grief and despair blinding her. And what do they each in turn say to her? They ask why she is weeping. They comfort her. And then Jesus opens her eyes by calling her by name. She hears this familiar voice she knows so well, calling her personally by name, and she believes.

In contrast to this intimate picture, John 20 next highlights the doubting response of Thomas. Following the encounter with Mary, Jesus appears miraculously in a locked room and presents himself to all the disciples - all except Thomas. Later, when told about this, Thomas is incredulous. He says he will only believe it if he can see and touch Jesus for himself.

Thomas's response is not unlike the objections we hear in our present day and age. When you share the good news of Christ's miraculous resurrection with 21st century Americans, you may find that our post-enlightenment culture refuses to accept any truth-claim that cannot be verified empirically.

There is actually some validity to this cultural intuition. While the Bible describes an open system where divine intervention is real and accepted, there is also an observable order to the natural world where rules of cause and effect are our default expectation. The scientific method was actually built on Christian assumptions, that natural laws implied the existence of a Law-Giver. Generally, we should base our beliefs on observable and verifiable fact, and various Scripture passages support this (cf. Deut. 18:20-22, 1 Cor 15:12-19, 1 Pet 3:15, 1 John 1:1).

But what do we make of John 20:29? Jesus presented his wounds to Thomas. We see the incredible humility of a holy God, who has already left heaven and suffered a criminal's death on our behalf, but is here condescending to the objections of a doubting friend. Jesus complies, proves his divine nature, and rightly receives worship from Thomas in response - he believes and proclaims that Jesus is in fact God the Creator in the flesh. And then, as he often does, Jesus concludes the episode with a word of explanation, and this one is especially pointed to all of us reading about it centuries later.

Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (20:29)

Have you believed? Though you cannot hear or see Jesus today, will you be blessed by believing the good news of the resurrection? There are facts and clues upon which to base your faith today. Have you searched the scriptures, passed down faithfully and accurately through the years? Have you trusted the testimonies of dear friends, or listened to the hymns and stories of old? Do you hear the ring of truth in a God who becomes man and suffers in your place? Will you receive this blessing and find life in his name? (20:31). He is calling - how will you respond?

The Seed That Dies

John 12:23-26

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

...............

We have reached a climax in Jesus' ministry. John has laid out the first half of his well organized narrative using seven "signs" which testified to Jesus' divinity and gracious character. We have seen water turned to wine, blind men receiving sight, and finally a dead and buried friend suddenly and inexplicably raised back to life in broad daylight. So many people saw this miracle that the news spread all over the countryside like a brush fire!

When Jesus reached Jerusalem, he was greeted with cheering crowds chanting wildly, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" This, along with the palm branches and donkey ride, amounted to a clear assertion of kingship, for each of these were symbols of Jewish royal coronation.

But not everyone was happy:

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
(John 12:10-11)

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
(John 12:19)

This climax of popularity was the beginning of the end for Jesus. First, the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Lazarus, trying to do away with the physical evidence that has inspired such adulation. If he's dead, maybe this Jesus fad will blow over. But, very quickly the target would be Jesus himself. The second half of John essentially begins here and will carry us through the passion narrative, to an old rugged cross, and finally an empty tomb. Even by the end of the chapter, many who saw his miracles still would not believe, and of those Jews who did believe, many preferred their reputations over being associated with Jesus.

Looking to verses 23-26, Jesus lays out a clear prediction of what lies ahead, showing us that, even in the midst of cheering crowds, inquiring foreigners, and the tugging temptation of popularity, he was still committed to his mission. He knew what it would cost.

Let's break down these verses and consider what they mean, for him and for us:

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."

First, Jesus is aware that his time has come. And though it will be the death of him, he calls it being glorified. What could that mean?

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 

Next, Jesus elaborates by describing a principle that will become fundamental to Christian belief and practice. He first describes the principle with a metaphor. A seed must be planted in the ground and essentially give up being a seed in order to become something else that bears fruit. The picture is completely clear, but Jesus takes a step further and becomes quite blunt about what he means.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

The seed must die in order to become a fruit bearing plant. And so must Jesus. He is going to his grave. What keeps him committed to this task is the absolute certainty of the fruit this cross will bear - the demonstration of God's love and the offer of forgiveness and new life for all who believe.

If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.

But the principle doesn't just apply to Jesus. (Gulp). It applies to us as well. If we are to accept him as Lord, we must walk this same road and face the same death ourselves. We must cease to be what we were before and this will feel like death. Yet there is fruit waiting to be experienced that will only come through this death. Our own new self, a resurrected life of faith.

If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

And if anyone serves him in this way, joining him in this path of death and resurrection, there is a final promise. The Father will honor him. What promise could be richer? What goal could be more motivating? Our Maker welcoming us home with honor and celebration, accepting us completely because we have become fully and completely identified with his beloved Son.

May those outstretched arms fill our longing hearts with the strength that we need to walk through painful days believing there is new life forevermore just around the corner. May we become identified with Jesus in his death that we to might see this seed burst forth with new life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 6:5-11)

Shades of Grief

John 11:21-27

Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” “Your brother will rise  again,” Jesus told her. Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am  the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me,  even if he dies, will live.   Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die — ever.  Do you believe this? ” “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah,  the Son  of God, who comes into the world.”

John 11:32-37

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet  and told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died! ” When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry  in His spirit  and deeply moved. “Where have you put him? ” He asked. “Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how He loved  him! ” But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes  also have kept this man from dying?”

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Grief. 

Each of us respond to suffering and loss in different ways. Even a response of faith will be expressed in a variety of ways, depending on the person and the circumstance. Martha and Mary lost their brother Lazarus, and their expressions of grief had similarities and differences.

Notice how they both approach Jesus with the same first statement: "If you had been here, he wouldn't have died!" This is a statement of faith in the power of this miracle working Messiah. But it is also a bold and assumptive statement. You could even read into this a kind of bitterness: "Where were you Jesus? Why didn't you get here sooner and save his life? Why were you absent in our time of greatest need? Don't you care?"

Are these not the very questions that haunt us when faced with a seemingly meaningless tragedy? Why would God allow this when he is supposedly able and willing to protect his children from harm?

Faith is mingled with painful unanswered questions.

Now notice the diversity in responses. Martha immediately corrects herself: "I know that God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus takes the opportunity to proclaim his own divinity yet again: "I am the resurrection and the life." This all but reveals the surprise ending and empty tomb just moments ahead.

Mary does not correct herself. She just weeps. She is overcome. She falls at his feet in uncontrollable emotion. She utters her honest question and her expression of faith is a physical collapse upon the friend she trusts so deeply.

And Jesus responds with tears of his own. This translation says he was "angry in his spirit and deeply moved." What was the object of his anger? Death itself had stolen his friend away from his loving family, and this enemy was provoking the deepest emotions of God you can imagine.

To one sister he gives a declaration of words. To the other he gives his bodily compassion. Truth is here proclaimed as both personal and propositional. We hear the word of promise, that resurrection power has arrived and will be ours as well. And we see the tears, the anger, the embrace, and the body of Lazarus once dead now risen and shaking off the grave clothes!

Grief and faith will be expressed in many ways, often together. Questions go unanswered. Fears rage and anger boils as our enemy Death continues on its unholy mission.

And there is Jesus - weeping, proclaiming, and raising the dead again.

In the Hands of God

John 10:27-30

My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish — ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.

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Assurance.

I believe that assurance and confidence in the truth of our salvation comes from simply answering these two questions:

1. What do you know about the reality of God and his love for you?
2. How do you know that this reality is true and is yours?

We all have asked these questions, but perhaps in different words. Am I alone in the universe? Does anyone care for me? Will justice ever be done for me? Will the wrongs be made right? Why should I trust God to protect me or rescue me from troubles? Why pray for help? Does he see me? Does he know me?

We can answer these with cliches, but that can soothe us for only so long. The human heart is restless and will not settle for cheap answers. Our minds search and test every truth claim, hungering for a solid foundation upon which to build a happy life.

Many today believe that no such foundation exists. That leaves them with a choice between despair or fantasy. Most choose fantasy - creating our own sense of meaning out of thin air or from very subjective and tenuous wishful thinking. There is no proof for a loving God, so I will find my purpose in my career, my art, my friends, my community, in nature, in politics, in charitable work.... All good things that bring joy, but none of them are ultimate and all of them leave us hungry still.

If we cannot quench this hunger with what we find on earth, isn't it entirely logical there is something more out there? As Lewis said, "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."

But what is this deeper world, what is it like, and how can I have assurance that it is real and that I can access it myself? Those are the key questions, and John 10 gives incredible answers.

What is the truth? Jesus is God, the final picture of God, completely one with the Father, the One who knows us completely, who has offered his life to bridge the chasm between us, and who has taken up his life again, risen from the dead to ensure eternal life for his precious children.

How do we know this is true and applies to me? His sheep hear his voice and answer his call. To those who hear that Jesus died and rose again so that they can have eternal life, to those whose hearts are compelled by that demonstration of love, they receive a promise of life that will never perish! He proved this love on the cross. He proved his divinity by rising again. These are historical facts recorded and preserved by martyrs and heroes of faith for over 2,000 years.

And the Spirit of God himself lives in those who respond to this message, continuing to affirm and bring confidence day by day. Confidence not in ourselves, or even in the strength of our faith. But confidence in the certainty and compelling power of a love unmatched and a promise that cannot be shaken.

No one can snatch his children from his omnipotent hand. This passage refers to both the hand of Jesus and the hand of the Father, as if two almighty hands were completely enfolding us. What could possibly harm or endanger us while we rest in these everlasting arms? Consider the finality and assurance of this promise and walk in the absolute freedom that it provides. A secure foundation. Eternal and unchanging.

Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath,  so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.  We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. (Hebrews 6:17-19)

Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh ), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.  Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:19-23)

Blamed or Beloved?

John 9:1-2

As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,  that he was born blind?”

...............

The disciples asked a very backwards question about the blind man, which revealed their theological confusion.

"Whose sin is to blame for this man being blind?"

If that reminds you of Job's foolish friends, then you are halfway to the point I'm about to make. It is very tempting for people, especially religious people, to jump to blame and sin when trying to understand just about anything. Plans fail, circumstances get hard, emotions get raw, relationships are strained, or some kind of suffering or disappointment arrives, and we are the first to say, "I told you so." I see my 5 year old do it all the time. And the rest of us have yet to grow out of it too.

Why do we do this?

Because we forget that we are image bearers before we are sinners.

Sin is not fundamental to man's design, though it has become part of our nature after the fall of Adam. It is vital that we see man's nature as both noble and fallen, not one without the other. Though we now sin and live under sin's curse, the image of God is very much alive in fallen man, however distorted. Likewise, we don't have to attribute every calamity to some sinful root cause, like the false accusations of Job's friends. When we accuse in this way, we look more like the devil than our dear Savior, though he has every right to accuse and every ability to do so accurately.

Yet, he didn't.

Observe the Pharisees and Jesus in their response to this man born blind.

The Pharisees are obsessed with keeping the Sabbath rules and using the fine print of religiosity to try and entrap the would-be king of the Jews. So, they accuse the one-blind man of lying. They can only see sin and will stop at nothing until there is a plausible target for blame. Even when they can observe the evidence of his healing, along with clear character witnesses and eye witnesses to the event, they choose to deny the truth.

They choose blindness.

Jesus, on the other hand, returns to be with the man when he learns that he's been kicked out of the synagogue. He goes to comfort and befriend the outcast, not accuse him. And he reveals his true identity to the man, who responds in faith and worships him - another clear statement of Christ's claim to be divine.

Jesus offers himself, the source of life and joy, rather than the blame we deserve. We are beloved rather than blamed.

Lord, search my heart and help me to never jump to blame but to have eyes to see how you are redeeming every hard and frustrating moment each day. Let me love those in my path today, with patience and intentionality. And remind me of the only One who can really do this, who alone can fill me and empower me to do likewise.

A Fair Hearing

John 7:45-52

The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

...............

Nicodemus is a fascinating character in the New Testament. In chapter three of John's account, Nicodemus has a private evening conversation with Jesus, asking him questions and getting some surprising answers. Why did they meet at night? Probably because Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees, the group of religious leaders who were largely opposed to Jesus. During this late night conversation, Nicodemus is told that he must be "born again" in order to enter God's kingdom, which seemed to confuse him. The chapter ends without a clear picture of whether Nicodemus believed Jesus or not.

Now, in chapter seven, Nicodemus reemerges. Jesus does no miracle in this chapter. He is asked by his unbelieving brothers whether he will go to the Feast in Jerusalem. We are told that Jesus is already under threat of arrest and possibly death. He goes to the Feast privately, but is drawn into open debate about his authority. John records several responses from the crowd, some of whom deny this could be the Messiah, but some are becoming convinced by both the miracles and the teaching they hear. We also read that the Pharisees attempted to have Jesus arrested at this time, but the guards actually returned empty-handed simply because his teaching was so uniquely powerful!

In response to these guards, the Pharisees are dumbfounded. Who is this man? The religious leaders don't endorse this, so why is everyone so smitten with him? They curse the crowd for being so insubordinate.

And then Nicodemus speaks up.

Little Nicodemus who has met with Jesus in private, probably for fear of his colleagues finding out that he was interested in Jesus. He spoke up and asked his fellow leaders to give Jesus a chance to speak for himself. He called them to consider that their own law did not allow an accusation without first hearing testimony. But they were not interested in fairness. They didn't even answer his reference to the law. Instead, they just berated Jesus for being a Galilean. He was different, strange, not from around here. He therefore did not deserve to even be heard.

What gets in the way of us actually hearing Jesus speak for himself. Do we give him a fair hearing? Do we buy the stereotypes that others have told us? Do we associate Jesus with some foreign culture or strange zealous cult? Do we judge him by appearances? Have we really read and researched to understand the most accurate picture possible?

Are we like the Pharisees who judged him without a hearing? Are we like Nicodemus who wanted his friends and colleagues to give him a chance? Or, if we really heard Jesus, would we be more like the officers, unable to carry out our judgment because we have never heard anything like this before?

Who are you?

True Hunger and True Bread

John 6:53-58

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

...............

As we began reading John, we drew our attention to the theme verse in chapter 20 verse 31:

...these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Each chapter of John's account adds another layer of meaning to this twofold thesis, answering the two most important questions a person can ever ask:

Who is Jesus?
Why does that matter in my real life?

And chapter 6 is no exception. Here we see Jesus comparing himself to the manna that appeared each day to feed the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. He even calls himself the Bread of Life which has come down from heaven. What does this mean? What does this tell us about Jesus and about ourselves?

Well, it is safe to say that Jesus is not made of bread, and therefore he was not expecting anyone to eat him, cannibal-style. The crowd asks about this, either out of mockery or just willful ignorance. The context includes several references to the manna of old, clearly showing that he was speaking symbolically. He did the same in chapter 3, concerning the serpent which was raised up for Israel's healing. Jesus is saying something profound about himself, not that he is today's special on the dinner menu.

So, if not cannibalism, then what does the bread metaphor mean for us? It might be easy to say that Jesus should satisfy our soul's deepest need and hunger. But what is that hunger and how do we obtain or ingest this promised bread-like satisfaction?

First, what is this hunger that defines our human condition? It manifests itself in many ways: lust for material trinkets, cravings for control in our lives, desire for success or to always be right, longings for relationships, hunger for comfort and ease. These hungers are sometimes rooted in good desires, but they quickly become inflated into ultimate desires.

In his book Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller describes how our hungers can become idolatry:

"What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give."

Each of us knows what that idol is, what it is we hunger for most. What do you daydream about? If you have plans cancel and 2 hours of unexpected free time, how do you spend it? Could you stand before the Savior who died for you and tell him that he is your treasure? Is he the bread you hunger for?

So, what if we admit that we don't hunger for him? What if we admit that he doesn't attract us or seem to satisfy us like he once did?

Perhaps we are double blind: blind to our hunger and blind to his fulfilling richness. How do we open our eyes to see this richness and savor it again?

A typical church answer might be bible-reading and prayer - this is how to take in this bread and find satisfaction - and there is some truth to that. But, what if we've tried that and still feel hungry? What if we keep trying to pray and our minds are either distracted or simply unable to imagine something lovely about Jesus? What if the Bible is just words on the page?

Jesus says to us, I am the Bread of Life. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Do we want that? Do I want to live forever? Do I daydream about heaven? Do I have vivid imaginings about finally seeing a bright new earth in 20/20 vision - no more glasses, no more fog!

Jesus links the satisfying nature of the bread to a promise of resurrection, and I think that is the key here. We are dead in sins and craving filth like the foolish prodigal son, while all the while our loving Father waits with a home, a family, a fattened calf, and a welcome party in our honor! His robe and his ring he will place on our undeserving bodies as we finally admit we are empty and hungry.

Admit it. You're hungry, you're weak, you're lost in the dark. And your greatest need can be met only in the One who shaped your heart and died to bring you to Himself. Accept it. Cherish it. And then you can learn each day how to eat new manna, just as the Israelites had to gather it day after day.

Look for it and you will find it. In His word, in the smile of a dear friend, in the gift of each breath.

And believe, for that is the work which he actually says to do in this very chapter (6:29), and everything hinges on it. Believe that heaven awaits and all you have to do is admit your brokenness and take what is offered. Believe in the holy God who became a simple man and entered into our messed up world. Be captivated by such love that went to such lengths for such ungrateful men. Believe it and pray that daily bread of forgiveness and a forgiving heart - to accept him and become more like him.

Believe it, and it's yours.

The Well That Satisfies

John 4:13-15

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

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Time for some honesty.

There are many times and many days when I do not see Jesus as very satisfying. I may hear someone talking about the Bible or Christian life and it sounds like religious jargon. All talk. All abstract concepts and theological acrobatics. On these days I am tempted to find my comfort and satisfaction in whatever my eyes and ears crave. I know that the source of all pleasure is God, but I prefer his creation over the creator. I scan the internet for whatever is new and shiny. I get lost in a new song or film or game or tech gadget. These things appear more tangible, more immediate, and more fulfilling than going to God via prayer or scripture reading. Seeking him seems less like a priceless privilege and more like a tedious effort.

In John 4, a Samaritan woman just wants some water. A simple basic human need.

Jesus sees more.

He sees before him a human being made in His image. He sees her birth, childhood, adulthood. He sees her broken past and hopeless present. He sees that she has been thirsting for more than water.

That woman was not unlike myself. She had 5 husbands, probably in a tireless effort to quench that deep deep longing for companionship that cannot be met by anything in this life. She thought the "next thing" would finally meet that need. The grass was always greener on the other side, and she did not hesitate to jump the fence and put her hopes in the next best thing. But, what she really needed, more than anything else she was thirsting for, more than another husband or another drink from the well, was to be fully known, fully understood, and to connect with the One who knows her true self.

You see that as the chapter progresses. When Jesus tells her about the adultery he sees in her life, that is the point where she is taken aback. She may have been surprised by his willingness to talk with her, but his prophetic omniscience was unbelievable. That was the thing that she went on to tell the whole neighborhood about, and it's what convinced the whole town that Jesus was the Savior of the world:

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him....Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:28-30, 39-42)

Being fully known and understood is what we really thirst for, even if that reveals our deepest fears and sins. That is what can satisfy and cause us to believe. And that is what Jesus offers. Not only that, but he approaches us and initiates that relationship, seeking us out even while we cling to earthly wells. He knows all about that and still wants to claim us as his own.

And we must respond to his initiation with worship. As Jesus answered this poor woman's questions, he called her to worship God in spirit and in truth. This transcends the trivialities of which temple site (or music style) is right or wrong. Jesus was calling her to connect with him personally, not just religiously. He was the omnicient God almighty right there in the flesh. He knew the real truth about her. And that's how we need to see him and approach him. As real people, with real struggles and temptations, seeking a real savior who really wants to know us and welcome us into his family.

That is a deep well that truly satisfies.

Jesus the Craft Brewer

John 2:9-11

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

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Sex and alcohol. Two of our favorite things in life.  Two things we might be ashamed to admit are on our minds pretty much all the time.  And they were God's idea.

Sex. In this case marriage, but we all know what happens on the wedding night. And here's Jesus having a good time at a wedding party. John records it in such a casual way, as if no one should have thought otherwise. Why not be at wedding? He invented it!

Alcohol. Yeah, he made that too. When the grapes grow plump and crisp on the vine. When they are crushed into tart flowing juice. When they are left to ferment and age into the finest of flavors. Or when he just says the word, and creates it from water. Again, recorded very casually by John, but it is meant to reveal his glory.

So, what does this tell us about Jesus? He's got joy in bucketfuls! There is no pagan god or myth who could compare to this real life Bacchus. He was no stranger to a social occasion, or to the cup of good fellowship. His mirth overflowed and was contagious. He blesses the bliss of a young couple's love.

And he crafts a microbrew of the finest order to sustain the party a little longer. He is God, the maker of all things, including sex and alcohol.

What does this passage say about us? Their response to his glory was to believe. They saw this first sign, this miracle, and the only logical response was to acknowledge this man is God, the Creator in the flesh.

How will I respond? The irony is that we often take the good gifts of sex and alcohol and make them our gods, rather than letting those things inspire faith and gratitude to the One who made them. Romans 1 spells out the tragedy of this in stark contrast to John 2:

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:24-25)

When the created thing tempts us, we must see our Creator behind it and worship Him as the source and director of those good things. I say director because he has not given us sex and alcohol to use in whatever way we wish, but he has left us directions on how to use these gifts to maximize our enjoyment of them and maximize his recognition as the Giver. As Lewis so wonderfully expressed via the devil Screwtape:

"I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His [God's] invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden" (44)

So, the application here is for us to enjoy sex and alcohol. Seriously. Just enjoy it in a way that is most redulant of its designer. Drink responsibly! Marry your lover and enjoy! The joy you share can put a smile on God's face when you choose to enjoy them rightly.

The Definite Article

John 1:1-3, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

...............

If Luke's gospel is primarily concerned with how to know the truth (epistemology), then it is equally fair to say that John's account of the life of Christ is all about the question of what or who is ultimate in the universe - what is above and behind the physical reality we see around us (metaphysics). I can say this with confidence because of the two purposes statements that bookend his account.

In the beginning...

The opening statement of John should give you pause and draw immediate associations with Genesis 1. This is not unintentional. John is bringing up ultimate questions about the nature of existence, of reality, of who or what is the first cause of all that we experience in the world. And the answer is something he refers to as the "Logos" or "Word."

What is the Logos? Aside from how the word was used by other Greek philosophers of the time, there are several clues in this text as to what John means.

1. The Logos is eternal.
2. The Logos is with God.
3. The Logos is God.
4. The Logos became man.
5. The Logos is the Son of God.
6. The Logos is God.

One thing I can agree with Jehovah's Witnesses about is that the rest of the Bible hinges on how you translate John 1:1. Is there a definite article in the passage, making it clear that Jesus was not merely a god, but was in fact THE God of the universe? Unfortunately, JW's ignore the manuscript evidence and deny that Jesus was uniquely God. The reality is that John used the definite article to clearly identify Jesus as the eternal, pre-existent, sovereign God and Maker of the universe.

Why does this grammatical debate matter? Because words matter. You cannot have meaning without them. And everything about John 1 is pointing to Jesus' unique deity, which makes the incarnation all the more unexpected and amazing. This eternal Logos became flesh and made his dwelling among us. But we don't have to rely on this passage alone. John's other bookend seals the deal.

...Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God...

Near the end of his account, John gives a direct answer as to the purpose of his book, and it is clearly meant to answer the question of ultimate reality. Who is God? What is His nature? Who is man? What is man's nature?

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (20:30-31)

If a book of the Bible gives you a clear thesis statement, or two bookend statements like this, it is your joy and responsibility to see every passage of the book through that lens. In other words, every chapter of John exists to answer these metaphysical questions about God and man. Every verse will point us to who Jesus truly is (the divine savior of man) and who we are in relation to him (made personally and uniquely in His image).

It is my hope to respond to each chapter of John's gospel account in this way. I pray that I see His power and person more clearly, and that by doing so I may believe with more certainty and "have life in his name."

Provision of the Richest Kind

Psalm 34:8-10 ESV

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 
Oh, fear the Lord , you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!  
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

...............

No lack.

Its hard to imagine what that is really like. In our day, we get into conversations with friends and coworkers about winning the lottery jackpot. Everyone daydreams about what it would be like to be independently wealthy, free to purchase any desire. Or, if we are being extra spiritual, daydreaming about having sufficient resources to give generously or invest in some meaningful dream project. It is enticing to fantasize about what it would be to have no lack.

But believers are abundantly aware that God's promise of provision is often realized in times and ways that run counter to our daydreams. Psalm 34 seems to promise that those who fear God will taste, see, and experience a rich blessing of protection and security in this life - something like immediate deliverance from inconveniences and obstacles. Some churches in the prosperity gospel movement even make these very promises, regularly leaving confused, disappointed, and faith-shattered people in their wake.

How does Psalm 34 and the rich promise of provision fit with other passages of Scripture which clearly highlight the afflictions of the righteous? In other words, how can I personally have much hope in this life that God will protect me when godly men and women are regularly persecuted, mocked, and struggling with the daily trials of life in a fallen world? The story of Job and his mistaken friends shows the folly of thinking the righteous will never suffer. The words of Jesus even include seemingly contradictory promises: that we will undoubtedly suffer if we are truly faithful and unashamed of the gospel.

Fortunately, this psalm itself contains several clarifying verses that keep us from taking verses 8-10 out of context. For one, the preceding verses put this promise in the context of a particular deliverance in the life of David, rather than a general guarantee that goes without exceptions:

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.  
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
(34:6-7)

For another, the subsequent verses admit clearly that the righteous are bound to suffer, even while God's promise of nearness and deliverance is true:

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
(34:18-19)

So, if the Lord is promising to be near, to show up and do something to rescue those he loves, how can this good God allow "many afflictions" to continue haunting us? What good are such promises, which seem either empty, or at best simply too little too late?

The Christian knows the answer is in Jesus. Among world religions, even those that claim divine incarnations, there is no other faith that has a suffering God right in the center. No other faith can claim that God is "near to the brokenhearted" in the way that Jesus embodied - a Savior who wept over the death of friends, who bore the insults of fools, who was betrayed by all those he trusted. When Hebrews says we have a high priest who can sympathize with our every weakness, that is no exaggeration (Heb. 4:15).

Could it be that our lottery-winning fantasy of comfort and ease is missing the obvious? What could protect and provide for our deepest desire more than having the nearness of God himself, present in our very being by His Spirit, bringing sweet fellowship and rich satisfaction, in spite of any trial or weakness? While the trials of life "slay" the enemies of God and leave them "condemned," (34:21) those same trials pass over the believer as he clings to the Mast who is ever-present and faithful in the storm.

I pray that I can trust the promise of provision as completely true, but maybe not true in the small trivial way that I expect. Maybe it is true in a much richer more eternally valuable way. Maybe it is the riches I need most, the treasure where neither moth nor rust destroy. Lord, give me eyes of faith to see this provision in every trial and claim the riches of your presence and love as my very own.

*Here is an article describing the common phenomenon of lottery winners regretting their dream-come-true.

From Doubt to Certainty

Luke 24:11, 52-53

But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them...

And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

...............

We have reached the end of Luke's gospel account, and in many ways we are seeing the culmination of his opening thesis:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.  (1:1-4)

Luke promised certainty, and he aimed to use eyewitness accounts and structured writing in order to achieve that end. Now after 24 chapters, we have traced the life, work, trials, and death of Jesus with incredible degrees of detail and order. Luke has delivered as promised, but this final chapter reveals that doubts are persistent things, even for those who were closest to Jesus. We already saw how his followers and enemies alike abandoned him in his hour of greatest need. In chapter 24, they will need some final evidence to take them from doubt to certainty.

The evidence needed for true faith is a balance of both reason and experience, with the foundation of both being God's Word. In other words, faith starts with the God who is there and is not silent, and we take hold of this faith by reason and experience. In this chapter, the experience is seeing, hearing, and even touching the risen body of Jesus, which displays his deity and power as well as his closeness and love.

And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (24:38-39)

In the same chapter, we see Jesus explaining his death and resurrection to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (24:27)

Now, both the reasoning and the sensory experience were grounded in God's Word, without which we would have no basis to trust our senses or our rationality. In other words, to think and to feel and come to truth about reality, there must be an infinite personal God from whom these human capacities derive. We are made in his image, and he designed us to both think and feel to understand the world around us. But only in the context of his personal involvement in our lives, through His Spirit and by his written word.

In my life, I have swung back and forth between these two ways to know truth. I became a Christian at age 16, coming out of typical teenage angst and being introduced to God's love in a very emotional way, via Pentecostal worship. All I knew at that point was that God was real, present, and the only source of unconditional love. But I couldn't prove anything about him besides the feeling I had.

Years later, I arrived at Seminary searching for more solid answers. Previously, I had approached the Bible as a mystic source book, reading to find hidden meanings in the obscure details. Now, I learned about systematic theology, where the whole bible is broken into exhaustive categories and put in logical order. I read Romans for the first time, learning that my peace with God was not merely a peaceful feeling, but really a peace treaty, signed in the blood that was shed at the cross, in real space and time (Rom. 5:1). God's love for me was objective and as unchanging as the historically documented cross and empty tomb.

But as the pendulum swung, I began to lose my urgency in prayer. The dynamic relational aspect of my walk with God had been downplayed as I became more interested in philosphical arguments and proofs. I was forgetting that, while Truth is propositional, Truth is also a Person.

The disciples were still struggling with doubt when Jesus showed up in his resurrected glory. By the end of the chapter they were worshiping with joy and blessing God in the temple! What changed them was a Savior who explained the Truth and embodied the Truth, engaging both their hearts and their minds.

I pray that I continue to grow on this journey to love my Savior with both my mind and heart. He is worth explaining and defending intellectually. And he is worth seeking personally as a friend and father. Luke's gospel account leaves us with both challenges. Will we heed the historical claims of Jesus' deity and atoning death? And will we respond to the Truth with worship and joy in the context of a dynamic relationship?

Paradise!

Luke 23:35-43

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

...............

The rulers. The soldiers. The crowds. His closest friends. And now a condemned thief.

All betraying, murdering, and mocking the Son of God. Save yourself! they all cried, as if they deserved to be shown proof of his majesty and power. Surely the pride of man that began with Adam seeking to have knowledge like God's is now culminated in this humiliation of God hanging powerless on a tree. All thanks to the cruel wisdom and power of men.

Except, there were some unlikely friends at the cross. A man from the council named Joseph, and a handful of women, made sure that Jesus' body was cared for and respectfully buried. A centurion standing guard over the execution proclaimed Jesus' innocence, surely a sign that some grasped the injustice being committed. 

And the thief. Certainly the boldest of these friendly characters, the thief saw the absurdity of mocking this innocent man, especially when the thief was getting exactly what he deserved. 

But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

The second thief responded with fear of God when everyone else, even Jesus' disciples, were either running away or openly mocking this Savior. They mocked him even while admitting he had saved others by powerful acts and signs. How their pride constrasts so starkly with the fearful humility of the second thief!

And then Jesus responds to the thief's simple faith with one of the most precious and profound gifts he could utter:

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise

Paradise! Reunion with our Maker! Final peace with God! Given simply and freely to a bleeding criminal. All he had to do was ask for it and be willing to associate himself with this foolish-looking Savior.

Today, we Christians are called to follow in this man's footsteps. Two passages in the epistles specifically call our attention to Christ's ultimate sacrifice: Phillipians 2 and Hebrews 12. These chapters highlight that Jesus humbled himself as a servant, died an unjust death for us, but also that he was motivated by the joy of Paradise set before him. And both passages go on to challenge us to persevere in trials and not give in to our temptation to grumble and complain. In closing, read these two other chapters and see how the apostles interpreted and used the story of the crucifixion to turn our eyes away from earthly pains toward eternal joys in Paradise. I pray that I could have the faith of that thief, who took an opportunity for mocking and grumbling and chose instead to ask for Paradise.

Philippians 2:5-16

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

The Weeping King

Luke 19:37, 38, 41

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives— the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it...

...............

What are things that make me weep?

Exhaustion, weariness, frustrated plans, shame over my own sin, sympathy for a friend who is painfully sick or mourning the loss of family. These are all fitting things to weep over.  But, how frequently do I weep for the spiritual condition of my city? For the blindness that causes people to curse God or simply ignore his kindness in their lives.

Why does a king weep?

In Luke 19, Jesus enters Jerusalem with a throng of supporters declaring his coming kingship. Luke describes this crowd by citing their eager expectation of an immediate political regime change (19:11). We then see the symbols of the donkey and the palm branches, traditional elements of coronation ceremonies in that culture. And the Pharisees demand that Jesus put a stop to what they see as treason and blasphemy and insurrection! But Jesus accepts the adoration, for it is perfectly fitting - a foretaste of his eventual exaltation.

Eventual.

In the meantime, he must face the cross and death and the penalty of mankind's sin - all for a wicked, ungrateful, and blind generation. That's enough to make a king weep, which is exactly what he proceeds to do.

He weeps for one reason: their judgment is coming, and they are too blind to see that he himself is the way of escape. The time of his visitation is arrived, but they bicker and quarrel. The Creator himself has come down and revealed the beauty and power of heaven! And they sell animals in the temple for a quick profit. The pathway to peace is among them, but they choose strife, pride, envy, greed, and violent abuse of enemy and friend alike. 

Jesus weeps for them, even as they stand rightly condemned before his holiness and authority. The king has come down from his throne to die like a lamb for those who barely pay attention or notice.

Do I weep for those not worthy of tears? If not, then do I really know the heart of God?

Disaster, Demons, and Death

Luke 8:24-25

And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"

.................

Just in case there was any question as to Jesus' infinite power, Luke here provides a triumvirate of evidences to illustrate that Jesus is nothing less than omnipotent.

Disaster. When Jesus calmed the stormy sea, the appropriate reaction seems to be utter amazement. The disciples marveled that this man who walked among them could control nature merely with his words. This was no magic trick. The Maker of the sea and wind was standing here in the flesh, as if he had stepped right out of the Genesis creation story. Jesus was and is completely sovereign over nature.

Demons. But he is also sovereign over an unseen spiritual world. Verses 26-39 describe one of the most bizarre conversations ever recorded. Jesus approaches what we would consider a raving lunatic and proceeds to speak with a Legion of demons that are oppressing him. And it is not Jesus who shudders, but the demons who plead for mercy and try to bargain for a less horrible fate. Jesus was and is completely sovereign over the spiritual realm.

Death. Not impressed yet? Well, take a moment right now and visualize your last few moments alive. You know they will one day come, and you will eventually have to face the point of no return - a dark veil over which lies some unknown void. Will there be something on the other side of that last breath? Is there anything else in all the world that we have LESS control over? Death is completely unavoidable... Or is it? This passage concludes with an event even more remarkable than Jesus' clash with disaster or demons. Here, Jesus encounters the hopelessness of a young child's death and almost casually decides to rewind it.

And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping."  And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise."

Child, arise. Two words. Two words to undo death. What remains the most troubling, terrifying, uncontrollable enemy that mankind has ever known, he undoes with two simple words. This is the gospel. Death is overcome, the grave is emptied of power, the wages of sin are being paid for by this humble and powerful Savior.

Now, will we believe and find our strength in Him?

Parenting the Messiah

Luke 2:52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

...............

The first two chapters of Luke provide some details about the birth and childhood of Jesus that were left out of Matthew's account: the foretelling and birth of John the Baptist, the songs of Zechariah and Mary, the blessings of Simeon and Anna, and the story of the 12 year old Jesus talking with the leaders in the Temple in Jerusalem. What struck me about these passages is what they reveal about Mary and Joseph as parents:

1. Jesus' parents offered him to the Lord. The custom of presenting your firstborn son at the Temple stretches back at least as far as the story of Hannah, who presented her son Samuel to the Lord at birth. Samuel went on to faithfully serve as a prophet in the time of King Saul and King David, revealing how pivotal a role his mother played in "lending" him to the Lord. The practical application for parents today: humbly offer your children to the Lord's purposes, for this will set a foundation for a lifetime of Christlikeness. Our children ultimately belong to God, not to us.

2. Jesus' parents earned his respect and submission. Verse 51 is amazing to think about - Jesus was submissive to his parents. But, this submission was earned by Mary and Joseph, not enforced or demanded. When they realize their son was missing, and find him in the Temple, Jesus receives a scolding. He responds with what may not appear to be a very submissive answer: "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49 ESV) But again, we must remember that our children are the Lord's first and ours second. Jesus was insisting on the primacy of his relationship to his Father in heaven and the business of serving him first. I would say that this passage, along with the several references to Mary treasuring things In her heart, actually speak to the fundamental care Jesus received from his parents, which in turn earned his trust and respect, rather then demanding it.

3. Jesus' parents contributed to a balanced, comprehensive vision of maturity. The final verse is such an easy to remember summary of the parenting mission. Wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with man. These goals encompass the dreams of every godly parent: intellectual maturity, physical care, spiritual growth as God's child, and social/emotional maturity in relation to other people. It's hard to think of a better parenting mission statement, and we have ample evidence that Jesus' parents were pivotal in the achievement of these goals, however imperfect they were as parents.

I pray for the humility, compassion, and balanced vision exemplified in this passage. May God have mercy to grant my children wisdom, stature, and favor with Him and others. Amen.

King or Fool?

Mark 15:37-39

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

................

We began our journey through the Gospel of Mark with the clear and simple proclamation: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). We have traced the life of Jesus in quick broad strokes, seeing his teaching and healing ministry, his rejection by religious leaders, and especially Mark's emphasis on the kingdom of God. This kingdom was taught in parables, perpetually misunderstood even by Jesus' closest followers, and eventually proved so radically different than expected that Jesus is left alone to face his executioners.

In chapter 15, we see our king finally crowned and hailed and recognized by the crowds and the Roman authorities - but all in mockery. The governor, Pilate, hears the charges and is amazed at Jesus' confident silence. He asks if he is truly the king of the Jews, to which Jesus says, "You have said so." We know from the John's account that this conversation also included Jesus describing his kingdom as "not of this world" (18:36). The arc of this story has gone from announcing the kingdom of God, through dozens of stories and lessons about its true nature, to finally this climactic conversation with the Roman authority. And the world is about find out what kind of king Jesus really is.

This king was condemned by a crowd who cried out "Crucify him!" This king was beaten ruthlessly and mocked by the Roman guard. This king was led out of town and hung by nails to be slowly tortured to death over a 6 hour timeframe. This king watched men haggle over his clothes while gasping for his last breaths. This king continued to be mocked while he hung there in utter humiliation.

"So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him." (Mark 15:31, 32 ESV)

I am struck by how matter-of-fact this chapter is. There is very little theological abstract material here. Just the brute reality of a jail cell, a braided lash, a crown of thorns, a rough-hewn cross of wood, and a few metal spikes. The jeers of the religious leaders are amazingly petty and trite, much like their hardened hearts. The most profound statement in the chapter comes from an unlikely theologian - the centurion.

"Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Whether this soldier had known of Jesus' teaching and healing, or whether he simply marveled at the tearing of the temple curtain, here we have a simple proclamation of faith from a witness of Christ's death. Nothing could be more miraculous than the seed of faith emerging from the rough soil of the human heart, especially among the close thorns and rocky soil of such mockery and punishment. The kingdom of this man must be madness! Not to this soldier. He believed. He believed this was the Son of God!

We are called to this kind of faith. Faith to believe in a humiliated king who reigns over a foolish kingdom. But when the beauty of this kingdom captures your heart and imagination, you will find its foolishness incomparable to its riches and glory. When the story of this sacrificial hero who came to lay down his life for an undeserving world finally grips your heart, you will bear that humiliation and take up your own cross with pride, because you know that it is truly the Son of God whom you serve.

But none of that would matter without what happens next...

Forsaken by God

Psalm 22:1, 2, 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest...

...I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

...............

My God, my God...why have you forsaken me?

Alone.
Abandoned.
Unheard.
Unremembered.
Forsaken.

Today we resort to curse words as a cheap substitute for honest reflection. When I feel abandoned by God due to some horrible circumstance, do I really dig deep and share my darkest fears and complaints with God or anyone?

Am I willing to be this brutally honest?
Like David?
Like Jesus?

And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him....And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:24, 25, 34)

Have I ever felt this separation from my Father and wept from the crushing weight of it? Or can this only be felt by one who has treasured God in a profoundly intimate way, like this second person of the Trinity, who had enjoyed perfect fellowship with his Father stretching back through all eternity past?

He bore this sorrow so that I would not have to.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13, 14)

He was not only cursed for us, he traded our sin for his righteousness.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

He not only took our curse and our sin, but he bore our sorrows and gave us peace with God by being crushed on our behalf.

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4, 5 ESV)

Words fail.

But Psalm 22 gives us an example of how prayer can lead us out of this pit of despair and toward faith in the God who can redeem us out of every hopeless situation.

Honesty.

It starts with honest reflection on where we are and how it feels (22:1-2, 6-8, 12-18). God can handle our honesty, and the model of many of the lament psalms urges us to be real with Him.
Recollection. Then we must recall - call to mind - what we know is true about God and how he has proven trustworthy in the past (22:3-5, 9-11).

Notice how honesty and recollection were interwoven in this psalm, swinging back and forth, showing how this recollection is really a vicious battle of the mind. Choosing the truth may take time and effort, but it will be worth it for what it produces - faith.

Faith.

To finally emerge from the battle of the mind with a simple cry for help is itself an act of faith (22:19-21). And once there is a wedge of faith, the door to seeing God at work opens wide and leads to praise.

Praise.

The cry for help will eventually be met with an answer from God, who is utterly faithful to his children, though not always in the ways or times that we expect (22:22-31).

Notice that this praise is cooperate and invitational. David, and ultimately Jesus, emerged from their darkest hour filled with contagious praise for the faithful God who restored them. They cannot help but call others to join in celebrating.

I will close by quoting the other New Testament passage that refers to this Psalm. Hebrews tells us that Jesus went to the cross and emerged from the empty tomb in order to be our worship leader - he alone can lead us to the throne room of our Father and represent us in song and adoration. Let us call to mind the eternal chorus that awaits us in heaven, especially when we feel utterly forsaken and alone:

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,

"I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise."

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:10-12, 14-18 ESV)

Loaded Questions

Mark 12:12, 13

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.

...............

Here we find Jesus in a perfect storm of circumstances. Fortunately, Jesus exemplifies complete confidence in God, even when he knows that his enemies and even his friends will soon be turning on him. It is in this context that Jesus is confronted with three loaded questions and demonstrates several traits that can help us when our faith is questioned:

1. Answer with Discernment. "And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" (Mark 12:14 ESV). Mark has already told us that these religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus with a loaded question. By making Jesus take a stand on a hot button political issue, they were looking to discredit him and stir up the Roman authorities against him. And they start their question with flattery! It takes real discernment to know others' motives and not run headlong into a semantic trap. (However, you may also discern good motives, as were apparent in the scribe in verse 28. Here we see Jesus being sensitive to the context and encouraging the seeds of apparent faith in the scribe).

2. Answer with both Love and Firmness. Jesus would have been perfectly justified in disregarding these duplicitous questions altogether. Instead he condescends to answer even the petty question from the Sadducees about marriage in the resurrection. Petty questions about religious minutiae drive me crazy, but time after time Jesus (and later Paul) patiently redirected people to what is fundamentally important: the big picture of God's redemption through his Son. But coupled with love must be a direct firmness in correcting obvious errors. Calling out dangerous lies that threaten the core truths of the gospel is in fact the most loving thing you can do in this situation: Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? (Mark 12:24 ESV).

3. Answer with Scripture. The verse quoted above also points to the most powerful lesson that can be taken away from this chapter: be unashamed of basing your answers on the eternal truth of God's revealed Word. Our culture is far from the first century Jewish context, where revelation was respected as a viable source of truth. But even in a purely postmodern context, the simple statement of truth from the Bible can be unexpectedly powerful and convicting. After all, what was it that ultimately convinced me of God's love and truth? Was it not the plain statement of the gospel: that God's Son loved me in his sacrificial death, proved he was God by rising from the dead, and offers new life in the Spirit both now and in eternity? These truths are not the result of observing nature or mere abstract reasoning. The core of the gospel must be our ultimate answer, and it must always be rooted in Scripture to have any lasting affect on the human heart (see Heb. 4:12).

Lord, help me to walk in your Spirit by displaying these Christlike traits in my daily conversations. Help me to properly discern each situation, answer with both love and firmness, and be unashamed in my hope that is revealed in the written word of God. Tame this tongue, Lord, and let it serve to spread the life-changing grace of the gospel. Amen.