What is Revealed and What is Not

Psalm 19:12-14

Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

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

I once had a roommate who noticed something about me and told me about it (sounds like a roommate, right?).  He told me that I seemed to struggle with guilt over sins that I hadn't even committed.  I was always questioning myself, hoping that my introspection would reveal some hidden corner of my life that contained some sinful thought or deed.  Further, I would sometimes just assume that I was sinning in some way, without even having a specific insistence I could put my finger on.

My roommate told me that such an attitude was actually not portraying much confidence in God's ability to convict me of sin.  In other words: "Don't you trust God enough to let him do His job - to convict you of hidden sin? If you know you have committed a sin, just repent and pray and turn to Christ; If not, then stop worrying about it."  Boy, did I need that kick in the pants.  And, Psalm 19 gives us a wonderful example of David's trust in the God who faithfully guides and convicts his children.

Verses 1-11 describe how God has revealed himself and his expectations - first through the natural world, then also through his written word.  The natural world "pours" forth speech concerning the majesty and holiness and creativity of God.  The written word reveals the specific nature of God and guides his children in everything pertaining to life and godliness (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-4).  In other words, it's God's job to reveal himself and his character.  He is more trustworthy than anyone to let us know what He expects of us.

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deut. 29:29).

This is challenging and encouraging.  It is challenging because we naturally cringe at many of God's clear expectations and commands in Scripture.  Carrying our cross, imitating God incarnate, laying down our lives, praying without ceasing, preaching the word, loving our enemies - these are not always so convenient in a fallen world that considers the cross of Christ to be foolishness.

But, Psalm 19 is also encouraging, especially for those prone to unhealthy introspection.  David considers first the clarity of God's self-revelation in nature and in Scripture, then what does he do?  He prays to God to convict him of hidden sin and save him from presumptuous thinking.  He also is concerned about the thoughts and meditations of his heart, which are potentially sinful and corrupt.  But, I believe David's prayer reflects a heart that trusts God to do his work of penetration and conviction (cf. Heb. 4:12).  Therefore, if God is silent and does not bring any of our hidden sins to light, then guess what?  There's nothing there to worry about.

At least, not for right now.

(I have a feeling that there may always be more hidden sin in us while we live this fallen life, but God, in his mercy, only reveals it to us in manageable portions, so that we do not despair, but continue to trust in the transforming Spirit of Christ, who will not rest until he has conformed us to his image.  See Romans 8:28-29)

Not Who They Expected

Mark 8:29-32

And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

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

Mark 8 continues the itinerant healing ministry of Jesus and his followers, but also contains a couple important stories that reveal the confusion of the disciples.  The first, in verses 14-21, shows that the disciples could not understand even a simple metaphor and were more quick to think about their stomachs rather than the battle between truth and lies, between Jesus and the Pharisees.  Mark ends this passage with "Do you not understand?" - a scathing, unqualified critique of the disciples' obvious disconnect, despite how familiar they were with Jesus and his teaching.

The second story is related above and presents an even more scathing rebuke to Peter and the other disciples. The fact that Peter rebukes Jesus (who he truly believes is the Messiah) is absurd enough, but Mark inserts a little parenthetical statement that makes it even more ridiculous - "And he said this plainly."  Jesus was not being cryptic here or speaking in parables; he was making a clear prediction of how He would be rejected, killed, and raised from the dead.  Peter makes a willful decision to demand his own version of "Jesus," in place of this inconvenient self-description. "The Messiah can't be rejected and killed! He's the king of Israel. I'll set Jesus straight." Bad idea.

Jesus replies to Peter pretty harshly for at least two reasons.  One, Peter's rebuke was in front of others, so Jesus responds in kind, for the sake of Peter, but also for the sake of the other followers.  Peter's misconception had to be stopped before it spread, not unlike the "leaven" of the Pharisees he had recently warned them about.  But, more importantly, the second reason this rebuke was so harsh, was that Peter's denial here struck at the heart of the gospel itself, the very heart of the message of God's kingdom - namely, that God has arrived, not to condemn the world, but to lay down his life as a ransom for many.  The world didn't need another Alexander the Great or Caesar; the world needed someone to pay for the wages of human sin.  Only a divine savior could deal with the infinitely dark consequences of human rebellion and sin.  Only God in the flesh could rescue mankind, open the eyes of the blind, and miraculously give new hearts to a world that was so fallen.  And Peter didn't like it.

Let us be mindful that the gospel message continues to be a radical challenge to our common sense, both inside and outside the church.  People in the world are offended by the crucified Christ, insisting on their own goodness and resistant to anyone who tells them of their desperate need for a Savior.  People in the church continue to resist the cross-bearing nature of discipleship - the fact that Jesus didn't model an easy or convenient way to fix mankind. It will take blood. It will cost you your life.  I pray for myself, that I am careful not to resist the heart of the gospel, that I take up my cross today, whenever the opportunity arises, so that people will see God's determination to redeem a people for himself.

And let's not forget, it doesn't end with death:

...and after three days rise from the dead.