Kenneth Winter's Blog, page 10

Suddenly He Appeared

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This Sunday we will celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the grave. Sin and death were conquered. The victory that the religious leaders and Satan thought they had achieved on Friday was overturned once and for all. Jesus revealed that He had been the One who was victorious on the cross, and the empty tomb was His proof, just as He had told His disciples. And yet, somehow, they had forgotten. Somehow, they were not looking for Him to arise from the dead. Somehow His return had been unexpected. If it was true of those who walked with Him physically for three years, what can the rest of us learn from them?

This was the first time that all of Jesus’ apostles had been back together since the night of His arrest, with the exception of Judas Iscariot (the betrayer) and Thomas (the one called “the doubter”). But others had also more than likely joined them. His mother, Mary, was surely there, as were His brothers at their mother’s prompting. Bear in mind that until that night, His brothers had not believed Him to be the Son of God. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were probably counted among them, together with others who had traveled with Him. It was a roomful of His closest followers.

They had secretly gathered, and the door to the room was locked.(1) The room was abuzz with the reports of His resurrection. Mary Magdalene had told the group about how Jesus had spoken to her as she stood outside the tomb. John shared how he and Peter had witnessed the empty tomb, and his belief that Jesus truly was the Son of the Living God. Jesus’ aunt Mary, together with Joanna and Salome, relayed their encounter with the angels in the tomb, and then how Jesus had appeared to them on their way to report to the apostles. Then Peter told them how Jesus had appeared to him earlier in the day. Finally, Clopas and his companion had just returned from Emmaus and were telling “their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road.”(2)

The disciples’ heads were spinning. They were hearing these reports from brothers and sisters they respected, but the idea of Jesus returning from the grave was still hard for them to believe. How could it possibly be true? Jesus had been subjected to unspeakable brutality and had died on the cross. They had witnessed it, albeit from a distance after they scattered. Could this be a part of the religious leaders’ plot to not only murder Jesus, but to defame His teachings and His miracles? Was this all a part of the plan to now draw out His close followers and arrest them as well? At that moment, there was still more fear than faith present in that room.

Then all of a sudden – Jesus appeared – out of nowhere! He didn’t knock on the door. There was no fanfare leading up to His arrival. He just suddenly appeared in the middle of a locked room. i would venture to say that some of these guys were ready to jump out of their skins! And if we had been there, we would have been ready to do the same. Some of them thought they were seeing a ghost.(3) So, it is no wonder that the first words out of Jesus’ mouth were “Peace be with you!”(4)

In essence He was saying, “Be at peace, the One – the only One – who can make sense of it all is now in the room!” He calmed their fears and gave them assurance. He ate a piece of broiled fish to assure them that He wasn’t a ghost.(5) He showed them the wounds in His hands, His feet and His side to prove to them that He who was dead was now alive. The work that the Father had given Him to do was now complete. Gradually the disciples’ fear and anxiety turned to peace and joy!

Allow me to conjecture that at some point, Jesus’ and Peter’s eyes knowingly locked for a moment as they saw the rest of the disciples gradually and finally coming to that place of peace. Peter had experienced that same emotional roller coaster earlier that day – and, more than likely, his had been to an even greater degree.

Then for a second time, Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you.”(6) But this time it wasn’t a word of peace just for them, it was a word of peace for all of us. Jesus had repeatedly told His disciples that He would, in fact, be killed, and be raised on the third day.(7) But when the day arrived, none of them seemed to remember. They were so caught up in their sorrow, tragedy and fear that they forgot His promise. The first, and perhaps only one, to believe He had risen (without first seeing Him) was the apostle John. He had believed when he saw that the tomb was empty.(8)

Jesus has told us that He will return.(9) This time, it won’t be on the third day. It will be on the day the Father chooses.(10) We will not know when that will be. It may be in some of our lifetimes, or it may not. But until then, we are to walk in peace, knowing that the One – the only One – who can make sense of it all has sent His Spirit to walk within us, before us, beside us, and behind us! And just like those gathered in that upper room, He has told us to go forth and share that peace – His gospel – with a world that desperately needs peace. As the Father had sent Him, He was now sending the disciples … and us!(11)

We would do well to learn from those apostles … as well as the one who was missing. We aren’t given any explanation as to why Thomas was not in the room that night. John is the only Gospel writer who gives us that report. Surely, Thomas didn’t have a more pressing appointment. i can’t help but wonder if perhaps he was so ashamed that He had abandoned Jesus the night of His arrest that he couldn’t face anyone else. i wonder if his shame and grief led him to isolate himself from everyone else. And when He heard that Jesus was alive, his disbelief was compounded by the guilt he felt. After all, if it was true, how could he possibly face Jesus?

Just like those men and women, have we allowed disbelief or shame to keep us from anticipating His return? Are we watching for His return with anticipation or have we allowed ourselves to no longer even expect His return?

The fact is – He will suddenly appear, just like He did on that Resurrection Sunday night in the upper room. Let’s not be surprised by His appearance. Let’s be expectant. And let’s be faithful to tell others about His soon coming return.

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As i have previously mentioned, i have written a short novel about one of those eyewitnesses – Mary Magdalene. It’s a first-person eyewitness account of what she experienced and witnessed. The book is entitled A Witness Called Mary. It’s the ninth book in my series, The Called. i invite you to consider her story – the part you may already know – and the portion that could have been. The book released two weeks ago through Amazon in paperback, large print and for Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain a copy.

Also, portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross , chapter 58.

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(1)  John 20:19-29 (NLT)

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” He said. As He spoke, He showed them the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again, He said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),  was not with the others when Jesus came.They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” He said. Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.”

 

(2)  Luke 24:35 (NLT)

(3)  Luke 24:37

(4)  John 20:19 (NLT)

(5)  Luke 24:42-43

(6)  John 20:21 (NLT)

(7)  Matthew 16:21 (NLT)

(8)  John 20:8

(9)  John 14:3

(10) Mark 13:32

(11) John 20:21

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

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A Fresh Encounter

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They knew Jesus better than most everyone else. John had been one of the first to follow Him. Peter had been the only one to walk on the water with Him. And when most everyone else had abandoned Him, Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of His cross and on the third day led several other women to anoint His broken body. Their love for Him had never been shaken … and yet, the faith of even these had waivered.

Mary Magdalene arrived at the place John and Peter were staying. She was not announcing the resurrection of Jesus. She believed Him to be dead. “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”(1) she announced with great despair.

She was the one from whom Jesus cast out seven demons.(2) Some teachers and scholars also believe she was the woman who knelt at the feet of Jesus and anointed His feet with perfume and her tears, wiping them with her hair.(3) She was someone that we all need to aspire to be – someone who was saved by Jesus, and never got over it! She was eternally grateful to her Lord for His compassion and deliverance. Perhaps it was that deep-seated gratitude that had now possibly led her to even question why the Father had not delivered His Only Son from the cross.

The apostle John often referred to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved.” He would later write, “We love Him, because He first loved us.”(4) After Jesus died on the cross, John sought out Peter. He did not go to Bethany to join the other disciples; he sought his friend whom he knew was distraught by grief and remorse over his denial of Jesus. The writer of Proverbs says, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”(5) John didn’t write-off his friend because of his failure, rather he “stuck” with Peter because his love for his friend demanded it. He was heeding Jesus’s words in the upper room to “love each other.”(6) But by John’s own admission, even his faith in Jesus had faltered.(7) Jesus’s body had been laid in a tomb.

Peter had been the only one to raise a sword to defend Jesus the night of His arrest. But Jesus had told him to put away his sword.(8) Up until that moment, Jesus had prevailed in every situation. He had never been defeated by any argument or any circumstance. Demons had crumbled before him. The religious leaders had always backed away in defeat. Even storms had been stilled at His command. And yet, Jesus was now being tied up, arrested, and taken to stand trial, ending in His crucifixion. Peter’s belief had been shaken to its very core.

This band of three made their way back to the garden tomb. Mary was convinced the religious leaders had taken Jesus’s body and hidden it. That thought added to her grief. So, she let John and Peter run on ahead back to the tomb. She wasn’t in any hurry to see an empty tomb. Her thoughts were now even more consumed by her grief.

Peter and John weren’t truly expecting the resurrection of Jesus any more than Mary Magdalene was. They probably thought that she had made a mistake in what she saw. Perhaps, she had gone to the wrong tomb. They weren’t running to the tomb expecting to find Jesus alive. They were expecting to uncover Mary’s error and find His body.

John was the faster runner. He arrived at the tomb before Peter. Don’t forget, John was the younger of the two. But John stopped at the doorway looking in. Peter was never one to assess a situation before taking action, so he charged past John and entered the tomb. They both saw the linen wrappings neatly rolled up.

But the two men reacted quite differently. John tells us that “he saw and believed.”(9) Though John couldn’t yet prove that Jesus was risen, He believed it with all his heart. He believed that Jesus had risen according to the Scriptures, and he believed once and for all that Jesus truly was God in the flesh. He had a fresh encounter with the Living Lord Jesus by faith in that empty tomb. He didn’t need to see to believe; rather, he knew that believing was seeing!

Peter, however, was not convinced. He walked away unsure. He returned to where he had been staying … uncertain and confused. He wanted for Jesus to be alive, but if He was alive how could Peter possibly face Him after having denied Him. Peter wouldn’t know the answer to that quandary until sometime later in the day.

About that time, Mary Magdalene arrived back at the tomb. She remained outside weeping. Then “as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb” for the first time. She saw two angels who asked her why she was weeping. “They (the religious leaders) have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him,” she replied. She then turned and saw Jesus standing there. But due to her grief, she did not recognize Him. Thinking He was the gardener she again sought an answer from Him as to where His body was laid. At that moment, Jesus spoke her name and she knew!

It wasn’t her physical encounter with the sight of Jesus that awakened Mary to His presence, it was His voice. The same voice that had spoken and set her free from the demons that held her captive now set her free from the doubt and grief that blinded her. It is worthy to note that though Mary was the first person to whom Jesus appeared that day, she wasn’t the first to believe in His resurrection, neither was she convinced by sight … she was convinced by His spoken word.

We do not know any of the details surrounding Jesus’s appearance to Peter. We only know that it occurred sometime later that day. Luke and Paul bear witness to the occurrence of that face-to-face meeting,(10) but the content of the encounter was kept private. It was a very personal encounter of healing that took place between Peter and his Lord. Jesus would later correct Peter in the presence of the other apostles along the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus knew that before correction could take place, healing needed to occur. And that healing needed to occur before they were together with the other disciples.

Jesus knows that in our lives as well. He knows when He needs to correct us. And He also knows when He needs to heal us. He knows the “what”, the “how” and the “when”. And He will take the same care with us in our encounter with Him as He did with Peter. It’s called grace. It’s called mercy. It’s called love.  And we would do well to show that grace, mercy and love to one another.

In some respects, as followers of Jesus, we are in the same place as John, Mary and Peter. We have heard the reports that the tomb is empty! And the truth is that if the work had stopped at the cross, we as His followers would be the most pitiable – and the most sorrowful. Because we would be following a dead savior. And a dead savior isn’t really a savior at all. He would have set us up to fail. He would have set a standard that we by no means could reach, and He would have failed to make a way whereby we can be saved. As we go through the pain, suffering and death of this life, we would be doing so without hope.

But the tomb IS empty. Jesus arose from the dead!  And He desires that we each have our own personal encounter with Him. More than likely, our encounters will look different – but the encounter will always lead to the same reality. We have the reports of the many witnesses as recorded in Scripture. Like John, our eyes have been opened to that reality by faith. And “the day” isn’t over – soon that faith will become sight! Like Mary, we have hope because we have heard His voice speaking to us through His Word. Like Peter, we have assurance because we have felt His loving embrace drawing us close.

As Resurrection Sunday approaches, go back to the empty tomb and experience a fresh encounter with Jesus!

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As i shared last week, i have written a short novel about Mary Magdalene. It’s a first-person eyewitness account of what she experienced and witnessed. The book is entitled A Witness Called Mary. It’s the ninth book in my series, The Called. i invite you to consider her story – the part you may already know – and the portion that could have been. The book released last week through Amazon in paperback, large print and for Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE  for more information on how you can obtain a copy.

 

Also, portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross , chapters 56-57.

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(1)  John 20:1-10 (NLT)

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.

(2)  Luke 8:2

(3)  Luke 7:38

(4)  1 John 4:19 (KJV)

(5)  Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)

(6)  John 13:34 (NLT)

(7)  John 20:8-9

(8)  John 18:10-11

(9)  John 20:8 (NLT)

(10) Luke 24:34 and 1 Corinthians 15:5

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

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Not Until They Came

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Have you ever done something because you knew you were supposed to do it, even though you didn’t really know why you were doing it? Or maybe you thought you were doing it for one reason, only to later discover that God obviously had a completely different reason in mind. If that’s the case, you’re in very good company!

Throughout His earthly ministry, there were a number of women who traveled with Jesus and His disciples. Some were members of His extended family or the families of His disciples, such as Salome (the mother of James and John, and the wife of Zebedee) and Mary (the mother of James the Less, and the wife of Clopas). Some of the women had been healed by Jesus, or were those from whom He had cast out evil spirits, including Mary Magdalene(1) and Joanna (the wife of Chuza, the household manager of Herod Antipas).(2) These, and many others, “were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples.”(3) Mark lists Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James) and Salome as coming to the tomb the Sunday morning after Jesus was crucified.(4)

Luke indicates that Joanna was also there. (As a footnote: Luke is the only Gospel writer that includes Joanna, not only at the tomb, but also at other parts of his account. He is also the only Gospel writer that includes details of what occurred in the court when Jesus was brought before Herod Antipas. Given the role of Joanna’s husband, she was probably one of Luke’s eyewitnesses.) Luke also says that there were other women, so there was at least one other unnamed woman in the group.(5)

These women were unable to make the needed preparations for the burial of Jesus’s body before sunset on Friday. They just didn’t have enough time between the time He died and the time that sunset occurred. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had been able to make quick arrangements, but before the women realized what was happening, the sun was setting, and the Sabbath was beginning. But i hope you see the sovereign hand of God in their delay. The Father’s plan  was perfect. He had ordained for Joseph and Nicodemus to bury His Son’s body, but He had a different assignment for the women. He didn’t need for them to be at the tomb when Jesus body was placed. They were to arrive at the tomb for a totally different purpose!

They apparently were able to prepare some of the spices and ointments on Friday, just before the Sabbath.(6) They were then able to purchase those that they still needed, and make their final arrangements after dark on Saturday night. But they would need sunlight to do what they needed to do, so they waited until Sunday at sunrise. As the women were walking to the tomb, they realized that the stone would be too heavy for them to roll away in order to gain entry. Remember, this plan was unfolding quickly. They hadn’t been able to think through all of the details. Fortunately, however, the Father had been planning the details for eternity, and He had not forgotten anything!

At this point, let’s synchronize the chronology of this account as recorded in all four Gospels.(7) As the women approached the tomb, they saw that the large stone had been rolled away from the entrance. Apparently, Mary Magdalene hurriedly left the other women to go and alert Peter and John. Meanwhile, the other women entered the tomb and encountered the angels who declared to them that Jesus had risen from the dead. i am not sure what the Greek word is – but apparently the women “freaked out!” They fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered. Remember, Jesus had tried to prepare them. He had told them He would rise again. But even these, His closest followers, couldn’t quite believe it. They had all been there when Jesus called Lazarus to come out of the tomb, but they weren’t expecting Jesus to call Himself out of the tomb. Let’s be honest – would we have expected it?

Now remember, the night of Jesus’s arrest, the disciples had all scattered – except John and Peter. John and Peter had stayed in Jerusalem – they had gone to Caiaphas’s home. The rest of the group took off – and probably went to Bethany (where they had been spending the night earlier in the week). Mary Magdalene apparently headed into the city to find Peter and John. The other women apparently headed toward Bethany, where they had probably been staying as well. Mary Magdalene found Peter and John and told them that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. She was certain that the religious leaders had taken Jesus’s body. So, all three of them headed back to the tomb.

We’ll pick up on this narrative in next week’s post, but before we do, let’s remember what has taken place. Jesus has completed the work that He had to do while His soul and spirit were absent from His physical body. He has completed the work of redemption and He has set the captives free! Jesus had told the Pharisees that He would give them the sign of the prophet Jonah(8) – He would rise on the third day. He had also told them that if they destroyed “this Temple” – His body – that in three days, He would raise it up.(9) He had completed the work that the Father had for Him to do within the timeframe that the Father had set for it to be accomplished. And the Father’s timing is perfect!

What has the Father promised you that He will accomplish in and through your life? What has He revealed as a promise from His Word that you are holding by faith, but have not yet experienced by sight? Allow the experience of these women to be a reminder that what He promises, He will accomplish. And He will accomplish it in His timeframe! He won’t be late – but He also won’t be early. His timing is perfect. And it will probably occur when we are focusing elsewhere on a task that is before us. The women came to anoint the body of Jesus, never expecting that He had risen. Most often His answer will come at a time and in a way that we least expect it. (By the way, so will His return. That’s why He has told us stay alert!(10))

Hold this truth in the light of His resurrection – what He begins, He completes(11) and what He promises, He fulfills. As Moses said, “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?”(12) No, He hasn’t! And the empty tomb is proof! Trust Him … because you probably won’t see the answer or know the reason until you have done what He’s told you to do.

One more thing – i have written a story about Mary Magdalene. It’s a first-person eyewitness account of what she experienced and witnessed. The book is entitled A Witness Called Mary. It’s the ninth book in my series, The Called. i invite you to consider her story – the part you may already know – and the portion that could have been. The book releases this week through Amazon in paperback, large print and for Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain a copy.

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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross , chapter 55.

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(1)  Luke 8:2

(2)  Luke 8:3

(3)  Luke 8:3 (NLT)

(4)  Mark 16:1-8 (NLT)

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body.   Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid His body. Now go and tell His disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you before He died.” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.

 

(5)  Luke 24:10

(6)  Luke 23:55-56

(7)  Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20

(8)  Matthew 16:4

(9)  John 2:19

(10) 1 Thessalonians 5:6

(11) Philippians 1:6

(12) Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

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Who is Greatest?

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The age in which we live often prompts us to ask the question, “What’s in it for me?” We can, at times, find ourselves preoccupied with making sure that we are receiving our just rewards for our effort. We can even do so as it relates to our relationship with God. We can become preoccupied with the benefits of our salvation and disregard why He has saved us – His mission, His purpose and His glory. We can become preoccupied with the blessings we expect from Him and lose sight of the honor and worship that is due Him through our lives.

Sadly, we’re not the first ones to get our view of what it means to follow Jesus upside down. For example, Jesus had just washed His disciples’ feet. He had just declared that one of them was going to betray Him. And yet, the Gospel according to Luke tells us, all the disciples could seemingly think about was their position in the Kingdom.(1) This wasn’t the first time. It had occurred several times before.(2) Even the mother of James and John had asked the question to Jesus.(3) But no matter how many times Jesus answered them, they kept coming back to the same question.

Now bear in mind, they had all given up their homes and their careers to follow Jesus. By this time they truly believed Jesus was the Messiah, and that He would come into His Kingdom. And they wanted to know – “what’s in it for me?” After all, they thought, “we have served faithfully. Aren’t we assured positions of honor in the Kingdom?”

Perhaps the topic arose as they were discussing which disciple was going to betray Jesus. Or perhaps it arose as they discussed the seating arrangements around the table. Jesus had just given Judas the piece of bread dipped in sauce that was befitting the guest of honor. Then Jesus had apparently sent him off on an important mission. Perhaps Judas would have the greatest position in the Kingdom. Alas, whatever prompted the discussion, it ensued.

There actually is an appropriate context for this discussion as Jesus would bring them back to toward the end of this particular passage. But the way the discussion started was just flat out soulish! It was framed in the way the world would look at position, instead of a Kingdom point of view. Jesus again brought them back to the reality that in the Kingdom, “those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” Notice that He said, “like a servant”. That indicates that we are not just to serve, but we are to serve in the posture of humility of a servant and with the selflessness of a servant. Instead of the greatest being “the big man” sitting in the seat of honor, it is the servant humbly serving all those in the room. Jesus was again totally redefining “greatness”. He wasn’t telling them not to be great – or – that they wouldn’t have positions of greatness in the Kingdom, He was redefining what that meant!

In the day of the apostles, as well as in our day (because it has not changed), greatness is defined by position, power, influence, wealth and recognition. It is an elevation of self. It is an “all about me” focus and goal. It’s the game of Monopoly – whoever has the most wealth at the end of the game wins. But Jesus was telling them that self, or selfish ambition, is the enemy of servanthood. It is the exact opposite of greatness in the Kingdom.

Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.”(4) He is our model. He – who deserved the greatest that the world possibly could have offered – served. He – who was worthy of all accolades and honor – was a servant of all. He – who was worthy of all comfort and adoration – endured trials and aspersions for the sake of the gospel, and served. He who endured loneliness and being misunderstood – all for the sake of the gospel – served. He – who gave even His own life for us and for the sake of the gospel – served. He who is the greatest in the Kingdom is the Servant of all, and he or she who would be honored in the Kingdom must likewise be a servant of all.

It’s interesting that Jesus did not rebuke them regarding the question of position in the Kingdom, He only rebuked them for their worldly perspective. In spite of their weaknesses and failures, Jesus extended grace and affirmed them for having stayed with Him until the end (though they didn’t realize the “end” had come). Jesus knew that He was entrusting these remaining eleven disciples with the “keys of the Kingdom”. He was entrusting them with His mandate and commission to make disciples of all peoples. They were to be bridges through whom His Holy Spirit would work to draw all peoples unto Himself.

They had a significant role in the Kingdom. And just as the master had entrusted his servants with talents to invest for the sake of the master’s business, Jesus was entrusting these men with “talents” to be invested for the sake of the Kingdom. He assured them – that just like the returning master had said to his faithful servants – if they were faithful with what He entrusted to them, they would receive positions of honor in the Kingdom. As a matter of fact, He told the apostles that they would “eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”(5)

If we are His followers, we, too, have been entrusted with the “keys of the Kingdom”. We, too, have been commissioned to make disciples of all peoples. We are to be His ambassadors of reconciliation(6) – the bridges – through whom His Holy Spirit works, as He draws all peoples unto Himself. And when Jesus returns there will be an accounting we will need to make to Him, of what we have done with that which He has entrusted us.

Let me hasten to add at this point, lest there be any confusion, we are not earning our “place” in heaven. Our place in heaven has been extended to us through the grace of God, sealed by the shed blood of the Son of God, and has been received by faith through the forgiveness of God. There is nothing we can do to merit or earn our place in heaven, We do however “earn” our position in heaven. We will be rewarded for faithful stewardship of the time, talent and treasures with which God has entrusted us for His Kingdom purpose. Our motivation is not the “position” we will receive. Our motivation is out of love for our Master, and a God-given desire to honor Him and obey Him. It is our expression of worship unto Him. And yes, just like the master in the parable, He will reward His faithful servants.

So the question before us today is not who will be the greatest in the Kingdom? The question for us in this hour must be, how can i be the greatest He has called me to be for His Kingdom. Oswald Chambers said it well – how can i be “My Utmost For His Highest”? And that will only occur if we follow Him as faithful servants of the Servant.

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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross , chapter 33.

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(1)  Luke 22:24-30 (NLT)

Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. You have stayed with Me in My time of trial. And just as My Father has granted Me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

(2)  Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46-48

(3)  Matthew 20:20-28

(4)  Luke 22:27 (NLT)

(5)  Luke 22:30(NLT)

(6)  2 Corinthians 5:20

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

Apart from Jesus

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The events that unfolded that night in the upper room before Jesus’ arrest, as recorded in John’s Gospel, were not happening “to” Jesus.(1) The plan of redemption had been set in motion by the Father before the beginning of time. Jesus had always known what was going to occur. He knew when He called Judas Iscariot to follow Him as one of His disciples, that Judas would betray Him.

For there to be a cross, there needed to be an arrest. For there to be an arrest, there needed to be a betrayal. For there to be a betrayal, there needed to be a betrayer. But please do not misunderstand – Judas did not betray Jesus because God put it in his heart. Rather, Satan put it in his heart! But God knew Satan would do so … and He knew Judas would make that choice.

But even with that foreknowledge, John tells us that Judas’ action still caused Jesus to be deeply troubled. i don’t believe, at that moment, that He was troubled about the betrayal itself; i believe He was troubled about Judas. Jesus loved Judas. Jesus had walked together with all of His disciples for over three years. They had walked together intimately. They laughed together. They cried together. Jesus poured His life into each of those men – including Judas. Yes, He knew that Judas was about to betray Him. But He also knew, that soon after, Judas would hang himself, stepping into a Christless eternity in the torment of hell.

As Peter would later write,  the Lord “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”(2) “Everyone” includes Judas. In spite of what Judas was preparing to do, Jesus never stopped loving him. Judas chose to turn away from Jesus, but Jesus never chose to turn away from Judas. Jesus extended His love, even when it was not returned. i don’t know about you, but i know i will never have that kind of love that keeps loving even in the midst of betrayal … apart from Jesus.

There are three more observations regarding the interactions Jesus had with Judas that night in the upper room. First, Jesus had just finished washing the disciples’ feet.(3) He had washed the feet of ALL His disciples – including Judas. After washing their feet, Jesus said, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done.”(4) Jesus washed the feet of one whom He knew was going to betray Him that very night. That was a part of the example to follow! i don’t know about you, but i know i will never have that kind of servant’s heart … apart from Jesus.

Second, Jesus treated Judas as the guest of honor. It would have been the custom for the host of a special feast to take a piece of bread, dip it in sauce and present it to the guest of honor. Jesus was not giving the piece of bread to Judas solely to signify to John who the traitor was. He was extending honor and grace to Judas even up to the last moment. Jesus extended His grace, even when He knew it was about to be rejected. i don’t know about you, but i know i will never extend that kind of grace … apart from Jesus.

Third, John writes that as soon as Judas had eaten the bread Jesus had given him, Satan entered into him.(5) By turning away from his Lord, Judas opened his heart to Satan. It is a reminder to each of us that there is no place of neutrality. If we do not turn to Jesus, we are, in fact, turning to Satan. There is no middle ground. Just ask Judas.

Fourth, when Jesus declared to the disciples that one of them would betray Him, John records that “the disciples looked at each other, wondering whom He could mean.”(6) But what is telling is that apparently only Peter and John took the initiative to ask Jesus who the traitor was. That would indicate that each one thought it might be the other, or each one thought it might be himself. But apparently, except for John and perhaps Peter, no one suspected Judas when he got up to leave. So each of the other disciples, apparently believed that any one of them was capable of betraying their Lord, including  himself.

That needs to be a sobering reminder to each one of us. Those who at that time had the most intimate relationship with the Savior did not see themselves as being incapable of betraying Him. Before we rush to passing judgement on Judas, we too need to make a thorough examination of our own hearts, lest we fall into the same pit. Each and every one of us is capable of betraying our Savior by our word, our action or our inaction. Don’t think that you’re beyond betraying Jesus. It has been said that we are all one step away from stupid! And this kind of “stupid” is a character issue; it is not a knowledge issue. It is only by His grace and by the power of His Holy Spirit that we can possibly remain faithful to the end. Don’t take that for granted. The disciples knew they were vulnerable, and so are we. Our faithfulness is fragile … apart from Jesus.

One more thing, at the end of this same passage, we are given a very practical example of this same truth about faithfulness. Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him before the night is out. This comes on the heels of Peter declaring that He will follow Jesus anywhere – even to death. Peter believed he was incapable of such a thing. After all, he was Peter, the one on who’s declaration Jesus said He would build His church. He was Peter, the leader of the other disciples. He was Peter, the first to boldly declare Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He was Peter, one of Jesus’ most intimate followers and friends. If anyone had the right to say he would be faithful, it was Peter. And yet, he was the one who before the sun rose would do exactly what Jesus told him – he would deny his Lord.

Jesus knew that left to our own devices we would fail – just like Judas and Peter. That is why He sent His Helper – His Holy Spirit – to live within us to empower us to walk in His way, evidencing His character – His love, His servant’s heart, His grace and His faithfulness. But we would also do well to heed His warning – “apart from Me you can do nothing!”(7)

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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross , chapter 32.

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(1)  John 13:21-38 (NLT)

Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and He exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray Me!” The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom He could mean. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s He talking about?” So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when He had dipped it, He gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out into the night. As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory, and God will be glorified because of Him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, He will give His own glory to the Son, and He will do so at once. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for Me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with Me now, but you will follow Me later.” “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.” Jesus answered, “Die for Me? I tell you the truth, Peter — before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know Me.        

(2)  2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

(3)  John 13:1-20

(4)  John 13:15 (NLT)

(5)  John 13:27

(6)  John 13:24-25 (NLT)

(7)  John 15:5 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

The Hour Will Come

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God’s timing is perfect. It always has been and it always will be. He is eternal. He’s not constrained by such things as time or space. He created it all. Time is as much His creation as we are. He can turn it backward, as we see recorded in the days of the prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah.(1) And just as easily as He could have turned time forward, He can make it stand still, like He did on the day He gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites.(2)

He does everything according to His own perfect timing. He chose to create heaven and earth, and all of its inhabitants within six days. He put the rotation of the earth, the sun and the moon in motion to create a day in time through each rotation. He determined that each orbit of the earth around the sun would equate to one year with four seasons. He created time, as He did all of His creation, for His purpose and to bring Him glory. And nothing and no one can frustrate His plan, His purpose, or His timing.

God created man, and from him woman, to worship Him. He created them as man and woman in order to procreate and multiply into a multitude of people who would worship Him. And He knew, even before creating that first man and woman, and choosing to give them a free will, that they would sin against Him. Therefore He also knew before He created them – and before He created time – that He would need to make a way for His creation to be redeemed. As a result, everything – including time – was created by Him with His plan in mind.

The apostle Paul writes, “But when the right time came, God sent His Son.…”(3) The “right time” means the timing was as God ordained it to be. There are many who have tried to answer the question as to why Jesus came to earth as a baby at the moment He did. Some have pointed to the unification of the world under Roman rule. Prior to the Romans, the Greeks had set the stage with a common trade language. Others have pointed to the growing existence of even pagan worship that emphasized the need for blood sacrifice. But the problem with all of that is that it is man’s conjectures.

The reality is that only God knows the reason for why that time was perfect for the Son to be born. But we can know that it was the Father’s perfect timing – because that is the only way in which He does things.

Repeatedly throughout the Gospels, we observe the religious leaders making feeble attempts to arrest Jesus or stone Him, and He just disappears before their eyes. And why was that? Because His hour had not yet come!(4)

By the way, the Father has ordered every millisecond leading up to Jesus’s return as well. As Jesus said, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows.”(5) But, again, we can know that His timing will be perfect!

Just like God ordered every millisecond leading up to His Son’s birth, He ordered every moment from His birth to the moment in the upper room when Luke records, “When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.”(6) On that particular night in the upper room two thousand years ago, at the beginning of Passover, the hour had come.

Hold onto this truth about time and timing. We have a tendency to grow impatient as we “wait” on God for answers to our prayers. We like to place deadlines on God – those we deem to be real based upon influences outside of our control, as well as deadlines that we sometimes contrive to “test” God. Remember He controls the timing – and He knows His purpose for His “seeming” delay. He will accomplish His purpose in His time.

Here is what God Himself has said, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah:

“I am God, and there is none like Me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”(7) 

And He will do so according to His perfect timing!

Jesus was reclining at the table that night. This was the moment of peace and calm before the storm. It is very similar to the night Jesus was sleeping in the boat in the midst of the storm. Jesus knew all that was about to unfold, and yet there He reclined. You and i would have been anxious, at the very least, if not outright panicked. But as the Son of God, He knew that nothing was about to occur that was not in accordance with the Father’s plan and timing. And as the Son of Man, He knew that the next twenty-four hours were going to require tremendous physical strength and endurance. So He availed Himself to the rest that the Father now provided.

Grasp this truth! In the midst of our life journeys – as we take up the cross and follow Him – there will be moments of rest in the midst of, or in preparation for, great activity. Let’s be careful not to rest when we are supposed to be active, and let’s not be active when we are supposed to be resting. Let’s be faithful to avail ourselves to the time of rest that the Father has provided. Unlike Jesus, we don’t know what is ahead – but the Father does – and He will provide a time to renew our strength in preparation for us to endure.

That brings me to what i believe is the most important truth of that particular moment in the upper room. His apostles were there surrounding Him. He was in their midst. They were enjoying the intimacy of His presence. At the most critical twenty-four-hour period in human history – and most likely heavenly history – Jesus was right there with His own.

He was preparing to pour into them, nurture them and encourage them. He knew what they needed to hear from Him. He knew that the very foundation of their belief in Him was about to be shaken. He knew the tragedy and despair they would experience. But He also knew the victory they would witness and experience on the other side of their pain. So He was going to spend every moment He possibly could preparing them to walk through the hours and days ahead.

We need to take confidence in that same reality. No matter what lies ahead, the Master is right there with us. And He will not leave us nor forsake us – not ever! He knows the victory on the other side of the pain.

i don’t know what that hour may be for you … or for me. It will more than likely look different for each one of us. But i do know that as we follow Him, a difficult hour – or quite probably, a number of difficult hours – will come when we encounter something in our path that He has permitted for His purpose and His glory. In that hour … trust Him in the timing … rest in the intimacy of His presence … and know that He is walking with you every step … and every moment … of the way!

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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross , chapter 29.

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(1)  2 Kings 20:9-11

(2)  Joshua 10:12-13

(3)  Galatians 4:4 (NLT)

(4)  John 7:30

(5)  Matthew 24:36 (NLT)

(6)  Luke 22:14 (NASB)

(7)  Isaiah 46:9-10 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Angela Waye on Lightstock

Revival Over Capacity

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i came across this picture earlier today on the internet. Regrettably i don’t know who took the picture, so i am unable to acknowledge them as the source. But i do know that it was a traffic sign placed by state troopers on a highway outside of Wilmore, Kentucky. Safety concerns have developed regarding the town of Wilmore, with its population of 6,000 people. It’s the home to Asbury University and Seminary.

You are probably aware that something has been taking place for the past couple weeks on this campus of 1,600 students. Some would call it a revival; others would call it an awakening. i’ll leave it to the theologians to decide what to call it. (However, for the purpose of this post, i’ll use the term “revival” since that is the way it has been publicly referenced.) What i do know is that on February 8th young men and women began to sense the Spirit of God moving in their hearts. Dr. Kevin Brown, the president of the university has said, “We are experiencing an historic moment at Asbury University. Since our regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, there have been countless expressions and demonstrations of radical humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender unto God.”

As news spread about what was taking place, people began to flock to Wilmore from as far away as Hawaii. The infrastructure of the town has been overwhelmed by the magnitude of visitors resulting in the safety concerns … and the traffic sign. And it’s the statement on the sign that has gotten me to thinking – “Revival Over Capacity.”

My first reaction is – i hope so! If it truly is God’s activity – which i believe it is – then to a great degree, it will be beyond our capacity to fully understand or define. Let’s face it – His thoughts are not our thoughts; His ways are not our ways.(1) The testimonies from students and faculty indicate that this activity did not flow out of the preaching of a big name preacher or the leading of a famous worship leader or band. It flowed as a result of a movement of the Spirit of God in and through ordinary young men and women. i don’t use the word “ordinary” pejoratively; as a matter of fact, i use it with the full acknowledgement that God most often works through ordinary men and women to accomplish His purpose.

Think about the group that was gathered in the upper room that day two thousand years ago. It was an unremarkable group in the eyes of most of the city’s residents – fishermen and carpenters with a few other ordinary people thrown in. They were simple folk; they were from Galilee.(2) That’s partly what drew everyone’s attention. Even the religious leaders who attempted to refute what was taking place were surprised by the fact that these were “ordinary men who had no special training” – other than the fact they had been with Jesus! (3)

It is telling that the very first thing that happened after the Holy Spirit arrived that day was that people from fifteen different language groups and three continents who were gathered in Jerusalem heard the disciples praising God in their own language – simultaneously. The disciples were not yet preaching the Good News; they were praising God for what He had just done in their own lives and in their midst. Theologians have debated for almost two thousand years as to whether the disciples were divinely and instantaneously enabled to speak in those different languages, or if the people’s ears were simultaneously attuned by the Holy Spirit to hear in their own language. Or was it a combination of both? Regardless, it was quite a feat! It was beyond the capacity of everyone – except God. And the fact that it was the first evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence reinforces the primary purpose for which He was sent – to draw all people to worship God and bring glory to His Name.

Though that initial multitude was gathered in Jerusalem, the activity of God through His Holy Spirit was not to draw everyone to Jerusalem; rather, it was to move in such a way that His Gospel and His Spirit spread to the ends of the earth.

So, how do we pray about what we have seen in Wilmore, Kentucky and on the campuses of several other schools in recent days. We pray for a fanning of that flame. We pray for a movement of God that is not limited to one campus or one place. We pray for a movement that spreads across the globe – in the hearts of His people that leads to the salvation of the lost.

So, after further reflection on the question of whether revival is beyond our capacity, i must say – i hope not! The apostle Peter pointed those who gathered that day in Jerusalem to the prophecy of the last days as recorded by the prophet Joel in their Scriptures. Joel was writing that the day of the Lord’s return would be heralded by the pouring out of the Spirit of God. This should not seem strange or contrary. They were witnessing the fulfillment of the beginnings of that prophecy.

The day was coming when all of this would be fulfilled, but on that day, they were seeing a glimpse of it. As the people looked and stared at a group of Galileans, they would have been incredulous. The announcement that the Holy Spirit who Joel was writing about was now being poured out upon these Galileans would have been incredible to the Jews, because they thought God’s Spirit was only given to a few select people.(3) But here were one hundred twenty of the followers of Jesus – men and women – enjoying the blessing of the same Holy Spirit who had empowered Moses, David and the prophets. The last days had dawned with the arrival of Jesus – and they would come to a climax with His return. The arrival of the Holy Spirit affirmed that they had entered into the first days of the harvest – the last days as foretold by the prophets.

Joel says that one feature of the last days will be the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on people of every kind – men and women, young and old, high and low. God's people will be clothed with power; they will receive power. And the main effect of this power seems to be bold, prophetic speech. Believers of all kinds are going to be so gripped by the Spirit of God that they see the greatness of Jesus and the purpose of Jesus with extraordinary clarity, and speak it with extraordinary boldness. The people were seeing that take place before their eyes – from Galileans no less.

And i pray, that is what we are witnessing today. i pray that we don’t squelch it with criticism, caution or cynicism. Or attempt to put our fingerprints on it with a man-made imitation. Rather, i pray that we will all demonstrate the open-heartedness – and open-handedness – of the students at Asbury – to see a movement of the Spirit of God in and through our lives. And that it might be a movement that can only be described as “revival over capacity!”

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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Until He Returns , chapters 5 and 6.

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(1)  Isaiah 55:8-9

(2)  Acts 2:7

(3)  Numbers 11:28-29

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo source unknown

What If?

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By all appearances they were faithful men. They were two of Moses’ most trusted leaders. Aaron was his brother. Hur was his brother-in-law. These were the two who had lifted up Moses’ arms that day on the hill overlooking Rephidim – the day the Amalekites were defeated. These two were probably the closest of Moses’ inner circle. If anyone had seen the hand of God moving on behalf of His people throughout the exodus from Egypt and the journey through the wilderness, it was these men. Aaron had been designated by God Himself to be Moses’ spokesperson to the people. Both men had been near Moses’ side at every critical juncture in the journey thus far.

This was their opportunity to shine. Moses had put them in charge over the people while he ascended the mountain to meet with God, and Joshua had accompanied him for a portion of the way. As Moses was leaving, he told the people that if any questions arose or problems developed while he and Joshua were gone, the people should inquire of these two men.

Few of us can imagine what it was like for them to be suddenly placed in that position of leadership over more than one million people. Though the people had recently pledged to trust God, this was still the same group of grumbling and complaining people who had been ready to stone Moses just a few weeks earlier. So, there is no question,  Aaron and Hur had their work cut out for them.

Moses hadn’t given them any indication of how long he would be gone. i doubt that either of them ever thought it would be forty days and nights. After all, it only took God six days to create the world. Surely it wouldn’t take longer than that to explain how to obediently walk in it. i would imagine that when the hours turned into days and days became weeks, they probably started to wonder when, and perhaps if, Moses would return.

Then came the decisive test for Aaron and Hur. The people had grown impatient and anxious. They were now grousing that Moses and Joshua had disappeared and most likely would never return. Perhaps Moses had decided to go on to the promised land and leave the people behind. Or maybe Moses and Joshua had been killed by one of the lightning bolts the people kept seeing up high in the mountain. Whatever had happened, the people decided Moses was not coming back and the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses was not reliable – despite everything they had seen to the contrary.

They needed a leader who they could see, and they most definitely needed a god they could see. So they were looking for a leader who could point them to just such a god – a god they could look upon and touch and carry around with them – a god who would appear before them and meet their demands. Any old god would satisfy them, as long as they could see it.

This was the critical moment in Aaron and Hur’s leadership. They had a choice to make. They would either lead the people to trust God and follow Him in faithfulness, as they knew they should – OR – they could cave in to the pressure and lead the people where the crowd wanted to go.

The two men had seen Moses face similar moments. They had seen him call out to God for wisdom at each point. And they had seen God answer. They had seen the Red Sea part. They had seen water pour forth from a rock. And yet, they did not call out to God.

Perhaps they thought God was busy talking to Moses, so He wouldn’t hear them. Or perhaps they thought they couldn’t interrupt Him. Or maybe they thought only Moses could talk to God. Or maybe they feared that Moses had truly been zapped by a lightning bolt and turned into a crispy critter. How could they trust a God who would do something like that?

So instead of trusting the One who had delivered them time and again – instead of calling upon Jehovah – they did the worst possible thing a leader can do. Instead of looking to God and leading the people, Aaron and Hur turned from God and followed the people – all the way to disobedience!

i can’t help but wonder … what if?

What if … instead of caving into the pressure, they had called out to God and faithfully led the people? What if … they had chosen to be faithful over being faithless? Yes, it would have taken courage. They were being confronted by an angry mob. Perhaps they feared for their lives. Perhaps they decided this would only be a small compromise. They could appease the people and then lead them back on the right path when things were calmer.

But the problem with compromising on faithfulness is that it always leads downward on a slippery slope. It is fitting that they shaped the gold offerings into an image of a calf. i don’t know a lot about cows, but everything i do know tells me that they do not rank very high on the animal intelligence scale. i mean, what do cows do all day? They stand around and chew their cud. (No insult intended to the cows!)

Whenever we stop worshipping the God who created us, we start creating a god to worship in our own image. A god who stands around chewing his cud probably fit the image of the people pretty well. And the greatest tragedy was that they offered sacrifices to it and worshipped it. They stopped looking to the God who is and started looking to the god they had created.

The results of Aaron and Hur’s faithless leadership were significant. Their actions to placate the people led to the deaths of thousands – some by the sword, others by a plague. Apparently, Hur was one of those who died (there is no further mention of him after this incident). Whereas God chose to allow Aaron to live – with the knowledge of what his faithlessness had caused others. i’ll let you decide which of the two men suffered the greater consequence.

A day that should have been one of rejoicing – Moses returning with the tablets bearing the words of the ten commandments written in God’s own hand – instead, became a day of sorrow. All because of a decision to be faithless instead of being faithful.

Each of us faces the same choice. The cause may be different. More than likely we’re not being challenged by a million angry people. And the impact from our wrong choice may not be the lives of thousands. But when we are faced with the choice of being faithful or being faithless, there will always be an impact … on our lives … and on the lives of those around us … and close to us.

Faced with the choice, let’s learn from Aaron and Hur. Faithfulness will always prevail over the ways of faithlessness. Call out to God before you make the choice. Trust Him to accomplish whatever He has promised – no matter how things may appear to be around you. He has not abandoned you, nor forsaken you. The God who led you this far in your journey, will be faithful to lead you on and out. So, allow me to suggest there is only one option. What if … we resolve to choose faithfulness!

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Portions of this post are taken from The Journey Begins, chapter 47, entitled “Any Old god Won’t Do” This first book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is also available through Amazon in print or for your Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE for more information on this book.

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(1)  Exodus 24:14, 18; 32:1-4 (NLT)

Moses told the other leaders, "Stay here and wait for us until we come back. If there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur, who are here with you." …Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. …When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. "Look," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don't know what has happened to him." So Aaron said, "Tell your wives and sons and daughters to take off their gold earrings, and then bring them to me." All the people obeyed Aaron and brought him their gold earrings. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded and tooled it into the shape of a calf. The people exclaimed, "O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!"

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

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A Journey on the Damascus Road

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SPECIAL NOTE : As i prepare this post, we are all hearing the tragic reports of the devastation and loss of life in Turkey and Syria resulting from the powerful earthquake. If you are like me, you are wanting to know how to respond and assist in this crisis. There are two ways we can help immediately. The first is to pray . Pray for the thousands who have lost family members and friends. Pray for the tens of thousands who have sustained injuries. Pray for the countless thousands who are feeling lost and hopeless, and those who have no place to go. Pray for the local churches and believers, as well as international partners, as they endeavor to respond as the hands and feet of Jesus extending His love and care. And give as you are financially able to support the relief efforts. Our family chooses to give through Send Relief, because 100% of those gifts go directly to help the people affected by the tragedy. https://www.sendrelief.org/projects/turkey-syria-earthquake/

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A religious zealot by the name of Saul set out on a journey that day.(1) It was a journey of his own choosing. He was on a mission – his own mission. No one had told him to go. He had to solicit letters of endorsement to provide to the synagogues in Damascus so that he could obtain their cooperation. No one gave him those letters. He had to solicit them.

There are two possible reasons for his actions. One possibility is that he had become so caught up in the rhetoric of the religious leaders that he truly had developed a deep-seated hatred for these followers of Jesus. He had guarded the cloaks while the others had stoned Stephen.(2) Since that day he had begun to make a name for himself as a persecutor of Christ followers there in Jerusalem. He had become a part of the threat that prompted the believers to scatter. As he saw it, the believers were a threat to the very fiber of the established religious community, and he saw this as a holy war to eliminate their influence. As such, he was willing to go fight battles that even the religious leaders themselves had no interest in fighting. They were content to be rid of the many believers who had fled from Jerusalem; Saul, however, was not.

A second possibility was his own selfish ambition. Saul apparently was a good student and a quick learner. He was probably a graduate of the university in Tarsus – the greatest Greek university of the day. He was a student of Gamaliel, considered by most to be the greatest Hebrew scholar of the day. He obviously aspired to become an influential religious leader himself, perhaps even the high priest. This ambitious young man saw this journey to Damascus as a way to prove himself to the religious leaders and garner their support so that he might more quickly rise in the ranks of leadership.

Thus, either his hatred or his ambition – or both – created an eagerness in his heart to “kill the Lord’s followers”. He was on a mission to kill them. Let there be no confusion – Saul was not pursuing God. He was declaring war on God. And yet, God in His sovereignty, in His mercy, and by His grace was Himself pursuing Saul – not for his defeat, but for his transformation.

As he approached Damascus at midday, suddenly he saw a bright light from heaven that caused even the sun to pale. He could not stand in its presence and immediately he fell to the ground. As he did, he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus speaking to him. Though his companions heard the sound of someone’s voice, they could not distinguish what Jesus was saying, and they were not blinded by the light. Without Saul having any awareness, the Father had ordered his steps that day to have an encounter with the Living Lord Jesus. None of his companions shared in that encounter – it was a personal encounter between Jesus and Saul. It was not a gradual encounter; it was sudden and momentary. In a brief moment, Saul knew four things.

First, he now knew firsthand that Jesus was alive. He had refused to accept the testimony from the believers about the resurrection of Jesus. His disbelief had been central in his persecution of the believers. But now he knew that Jesus was alive.

Therefore, second, he knew that he had been wrong. He had denied Jesus and been a part of murdering innocent Christians. He was immediately overcome by his sin. There was no hiding his sin in this light. There was no denying his sin. Jesus had just totally illuminated all the darkness of his sin. He had no choice other than to repent – which was no small thing for this self-righteous Pharisee.

Third, he knew that everything about his life had to change – his mission, his pursuits, his ambition and his values. He knew everything had just changed. He could no longer chase after anything in his life that he had been pursuing – everything had been made different. He no longer sought the approval of others (the religious leaders); He sought the approval of only One (Jesus). He could no longer do anything he had been doing – all of his so-called good works and attempts at legalistic self-righteousness were all as filthy rags. He could no longer walk in those rags. He must now walk in the righteousness of Christ. His circle of friends (albeit probably a small circle) would have to change. The very ones that to this moment he had been persecuting would now become his circle of friends. He was a new person – the old had passed away.(3)

Fourth, not only had his life just been transformed, but so had his purpose. This Hebrew of the Hebrews would become the apostle to the Gentiles. This one who had made it his life focus to scatter and persecute the sheep would now be a shepherd. This enforcer of the law would now be a proclaimer of grace. He had now been transformed into a vessel of honor to be used by the Master.(4)

Saul had set out on his journey to arrest others, but instead, Jesus “arrested” him – capturing His heart and soul. He had set out in a religious pursuit, but instead, he had gained the righteousness of Christ – all because of the grace, mercy and sovereign purpose of God! His had been a journey totally contrary to God’s purpose, but now God had transformed the purpose to align with His sovereign plan.

And the same is true for us. The journey we are currently on may have begun out of our own selfish desires or ambitions. Or it may have been driven by our rebellion against God. Or it may have begun as a result of someone else’s rebellion. Or it may have arisen due to a circumstance that we had no control over. The journey may in fact be a path in a relationship or a decision that left unaltered will result in us being led away from God – and the best that He desires for us.

The fact of the matter is that whatever prompted the journey, God can – and will – use the journey for us to have a fresh encounter with Him and to experience the transformation He intends for our lives. It was a personal journey that day for Saul – hopefully his traveling companions were transformed on another day. It’s a personal journey for each of us as well. He is going with us – on our Damascus Road – every step of the way. We would do well to follow Saul’s lead. Listen to the voice of Jesus – and do whatever it is He tells us to do.

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Portions of this post are taken from Until He Returns , chapter 23, entitled “A Damascus Road Encounter.” This sixth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is also available through Amazon in print or for your Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE for more information on this book.

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(1)  Acts 9:1-9 (NLT)

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them – both men and women – back to Jerusalem in chains. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

(2)  Acts 7:58

(3)  2 Corinthians 5:17

(4)  2 Timothy 2:20-21

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Pearl on Lightstock

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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It was the day after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He knew that in four days He would be nailed to a cross. There was much He wanted to teach His disciples in those remaining days – and there is much He wants to teach us through them.

He and His disciples had more than likely been lodging with Lazarus, Martha and Mary in Bethany the night before. On that Monday morning they were headed to the temple in Jerusalem.(1) En route, Jesus was hungry. Apparently, Martha hadn’t fed them breakfast that morning. Or more likely, He had forgone breakfast to spend time with the Father in prayer. He saw a fig tree beside the road and it was in “full leaf”. Both Matthew and Mark in their Gospels tell us that Jesus “went over to see if He could find any figs.”(1)

Let’s stop and consider that for a moment. Jesus knew whether or not that tree had figs on it long before He walked over to see it. Our God is all-knowing. Jesus Himself had taught, “What is the price of five sparrows — two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.”(2) There isn’t a detail that escapes His view or His knowledge. Just as Jesus knew everything about each of the men that accompanied Him – the one who would betray Him, the one who would deny Him, the one who would doubt Him – He knew there was no fruit on that fig tree.

He knows all things past, present and future. So, if He was hungry, why was He walking over to a fig tree that He already knew was barren? And secondly, Jesus had turned a little boy’s lunch into a feast for thousands. If He was hungry, why didn’t He just turn some of the leaves of that tree into fruit? Something tells me that there was a whole lot more to what happened that morning than what meets the eye!

Allow me to share a fact about fig trees before we move on. In that part of the world, fig trees produce leaves in March/ April, then bear mature fruit twice each year – the first at the beginning of June, and the second from August through October. Since this event would have taken place during the March/ April timeframe, Mark rightly records that “it was too early in the season for fruit.”(1) By the way – Jesus knew that!

But, during this time of year, as fig trees are becoming fully leafed, they produce a crop of small knobs, called “taqsh” (pronounced “tuhk-wAAsh”). In essence, they are a forerunner to the mature figs and drop off the tree before the “real” fruit is formed. Most often, back then, the taqsh were left to fall off the tree, but on occasion they would be eaten by hungry peasants. If, however, there were no taqsh, it was an indication that there would be no figs. So, it would have been evident to anyone who inspected the tree closely that the absence of taqsh meant there would be no figs when the time came.

Thus, the example of the fig tree proved to be a lesson to be learned. From a distance, the tree gave the outward appearance that it was healthy and growing. It was pleasing to the eye, and all indications were, that in its time, it would produce a bountiful harvest. But Jesus knew, and on closer inspection He showed the disciples, that the tree was not healthy. God created the tree with a singular purpose – His purpose – to bear fruit. He didn’t create it to be a fruitless tree. And though harvest time had not yet arrived, it was obvious by the condition of the tree that it would be fruitless.

In a parallel passage, Luke writes that as Jesus “came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep.” He knew that “It is too late, and peace {was} hidden from {their} eyes. Before long, your enemies… will crush you into the ground… because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”(3) The Father had created and called His people, Israel, to bear fruit to His glory – to bear witness to His Majesty and to worship Him through their very lives. And yet, they had rejected Him. They had turned their focus upon themselves to the point they no longer even recognized Him – when He stood in their presence. Though the city appeared on the outside to be bountiful and healthy, Jesus knew all too well that the nation – God’s people – would be fruitless. But the lesson did not stop with them.

In just a few days from then, as we see recorded in John 15,(4) Jesus would teach the disciples that each one of them was to be a branch – attached to Him, grafted into Him – the Vine. Their purpose as a branch would be to bear fruit – fruit that brings glory to the Father, fruit that remains, and fruit that multiplies. He would remind them that a branch cannot bear fruit on its own. It can only bear fruit when it is attached in a healthy way to the vine. The life and sustenance for the fruit to be borne can only come from the vine. The branch’s role is simply to remain connected to the vine in order for it to be used to bear fruit. If the branch pulls away from the vine, it will become fruitless.

That picture of the branch and the vine is a picture of how we are to walk with Jesus. He said, “Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”(5) We were created – and we have been redeemed – in order to be used by our Master to bear fruit. We don’t produce the fruit; He does! But in His sovereignty, He has chosen to use us as the branches through whom He produces His fruit. We are to be prepared in season and out of season(6) to bear fruit – whether it is March/ April, June, August thru October – or any moment of any day. That is true for us as individual followers of our Master, and it is true for us as local churches.

Regrettably, too many of us as followers, and too many of us as local churches, look like that fig tree. On the outside, we present with a full crop of leaves, seemingly healthy and growing. But our Master knows all too well, that our lives are fruitless and not producing a harvest.

Jesus has called us to turn from ourselves, take up the cross and follow Him – which includes being branches that remain in Him – healthy branches that are usable by Him to bear His fruit.

So, what does the Master see in our lives? Are we healthy growing branches with leaves and taqsh or mature fruit? Or are we branches that appear to be healthy but are truly barren?

The good news is that, unlike that fig tree, He has made a way for us to become fruitful. He has made a way for us to become fruitful branches. All that is required is for us to turn to Him by faith and choose to allow Him to graft us into His Vine. He’s done all the work. He’s the Master Vinedresser. It’s already done, if we will but receive it. Let’s not miss the lesson Jesus is teaching us of the fig tree!

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Portions of this post are taken from Taking Up The Cross , chapter 2, entitled “Created to Bear Fruit.” This fifth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is also available through Amazon in print or for your Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE for more information on this book.

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(1)  Mark 11:12-14 (NLT)

The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so He went over to see if He could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard Him say it.

(2)  Luke 12:6 (NLT)

(3)  Luke 19:41-44 (NLT)

(4)  John 15:1-17

(5)  John 15:5 (NLT)

(6)  2 Timothy 4:2

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Antonio Gravante on Lightstock