R.P. Nettelhorst's Blog, page 35

Legalists

You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.

You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn’t matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

You also teach that it doesn’t matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar. Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there. To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God’s throne and by the one who sits on that throne. (Matthew 23:15–22)

Within a week of his crucifixion, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their legalism, which too often led them to violate the law rather than keep it. The Pharisees rightly recognized the importance of keeping their oaths. But then they lost sight of the simple fact that God wanted people to do what they say and to mean what they say. Instead, the Pharisees began wondering what actually constituted an oath. They defined it very carefully. If a promise lacked the right words, or was not spoken in just the right way, then the Pharisees had concluded that it was not an oath at all and not legally binding. Rather than worrying about the intent of the heart, they became obsessed with the outward form.

Jesus berated them for their concern with finding reasons not to be bound by the promises they made. God did not create the law in order to give employment to lawyers. We do not stand before God with our attorney finding loopholes in God’s commands so we can escape our commitments. There are no “technicalities” awaiting our discovery. The Pharisees, Jesus said, were blind and foolish. Too many of them had lost sight of what really mattered: love. Despite their intent to keep the law, they had become lawbreakers.

Jesus wants us to be focused on loving God and loving people, rather than seeking ways to get out of trouble.

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The Kingdom

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. (Matthew 13:47–54)

After Jesus gave his disciples a picture of the kingdom of heaven based on fishing, he asked if they understood him. They claimed that they did. Given their track record with most of the parables, we might be justified in holding on to a little bit of skepticism.

Jesus then said, “therefore.” Was he saying “therefore” in reaction to their affirmation that they understood, or was it in reaction to the parable he had just spoken? It was because they had just been instructed about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus was calling his disciples “teachers of the law.” He was letting them know that because Jesus had trained them, they were now responsible as instructors.

They called Jesus “rabbi.” What a rabbi did, besides officiating over a synagogue service, was to accumulate students—disciples—who would follow him and learn his ways. The point of becoming a follower of a rabbi was to one day become a rabbi oneself. In contrast, the disciples had been thinking primarily about Jesus becoming king. But Jesus never forgot that his disciples would become rabbis like him, instructing the church that would be founded on the day of Pentecost.

We have been called to become the instructors of others. We all have people that we spend time with, that we share our thoughts and feelings with. We are all rabbis to someone, whether it’s our children, our coworkers, or certain friends.

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Breaking the Rules

Jesus left and went into one of the Jewish meeting places, where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”

Jesus answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you lift it out? People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.

The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus.

When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all of their sick, but warned them not to tell anyone about him. So God’s promise came true, just as Isaiah the prophet had said,

“Here is my chosen servant!

I love him, and he pleases me.

I will give him my Spirit,

and he will bring justice to the nations.

He won’t shout or yell

or call out in the streets.

He won’t break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame,

but he will make sure that justice is done.

All nations will place their hope in him.” (Matthew 12:9–21)

Miracles will not convince people who have chosen to disbelieve. While the healed man and those who witnessed the healing praised God, the Pharisees, who saw the exact same miracle decided that Jesus deserved to die.

The law of Moses was very clear regarding the Sabbath. The one who worked on that day had to be put to death (Exodus 31:14-15). God had sent ancient Israel into Babylonian captivity for ignoring God’s laws and so the Pharisees had devoted their lives to preventing a recurrence. While rescuing an animal fallen into a ditch or saving a man’s life was acceptable on the Sabbath, the man Jesus healed was not in a life threatening situation. As far as they were concerned, Jesus could—and should—have waited until the Sabbath ended at sunset to heal him. The Sabbath was more important than a man’s comfort or discomfort.

God is at work in our lives every day. God grants us the freedom to either choose to live in the knowledge of his presence, or we can choose to pretend he’s not really there. We can choose to take God for granted, or we can glory in his provision. Whether we acknowledge God’s actions or not, God still acts. But God cannot make us—or anyone else—believe.

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Cost

Jesus went to the home of Peter, where he found that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served Jesus a meal.

That evening many people with demons in them were brought to Jesus. And with only a word he forced out the evil spirits and healed everyone who was sick. So God’s promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,

“He healed our diseases

and made us well.”

When Jesus saw the crowd, he went across Lake Galilee. A teacher of the Law of Moses came up to him and said, “Teacher, I’ll go anywhere with you!”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn’t have a place to call his own.”

Another disciple said to Jesus, “Lord, let me wait till I bury my father.”

Jesus answered, “Come with me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:14–22)

After Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, crowds of people came to be healed. Many of those who came wanted to become his followers, believing that the Messiah would solve all their physical, financial and political problems. Jesus had to correct their misconceptions.

First, a teacher of the law approached Jesus. Such men were respected and prosperous. Jesus warned him that there were no material benefits for following him. Next, a man asked Jesus if he could follow Jesus later, after he buried his father. Was the disciple’s father a corpse awaiting burial? Unlikely. The Jewish people usually buried their dead immediately, within hours of death. Rather, the father was very old, and so the man wanted to wait until after his father had finally died, so he could take care of the obligations for proper burial and the distribution of the inheritance. So Jesus told him that there were plenty of people that would be able to see to those end of life details. But deciding to follow Jesus was not something that could wait.

Jesus did not tell these two individuals that they could not follow him. Jesus simply clarified how much it would cost. As high as that cost might have seemed to those two men, the price we pay for following Jesus is actually a bargain. We gain far more than just petty physical rewards or wealth that fades and can’t possibly last: we gain eternity.

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Sex and Lies

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:27–37)

Jesus pointed out that even if we avoid actually breaking any of the ten commandments outwardly, there is still the little matter of what is going on in our skulls. We must be careful, however, not equate mere temptation with actual guilt. It is one thing to be tempted, it is another thing to have sinned. Jesus himself was tempted, but without sin.

There is therefore, more to what Jesus said than simply warning against being tempted by another person. The problem Jesus confronted was not just sexual desire. Rather, the issue was misplaced sexual desire combined with making plans. Adultery is the desire to steal someone who is not and never can be ours. Adultery, by definition, is an act counter to love. Rather than being concerned about others, the adulterer is concerned only with his or her own satisfaction, regardless of the cost to his own spouse, the spouse of the other person, and the friends, family, children and loved ones of everyone involved. Adultery is a remarkably selfish act.

It is one thing for us to be tempted. It is another thing altogether for us to begin planning to do it.

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Dogs

Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn’t think he would be found, but he couldn’t escape notice. He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet, begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter.

He said, “Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there’s any left over, the dogs get it.”

She said, “Of course, Master. But don’t dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?”

Jesus was impressed. “You’re right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone.” She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good. (Mark 7:24-30)

There is no pattern to how Jesus relieves people of demon possession. There isn’t a special ritual that must be performed in order for a demon to be successfully expelled. In fact, the only thing that all the demon expulsions of the New Testament have in common is one thing: the involvement of Jesus. The method of expelling demons, however, varied from situation to situation. Sometimes we see Jesus talking to the demon, getting its name. Other times we see him rebuking the demon. But with the Greek woman from Tyre, Jesus never even sees the little girl who was possessed, nor does he talk to the demon. Instead, all his attention is directed toward the little girl’s mother, with whom he has a discussion about whether he should even bother to help her at all.

He makes no gestures, he utters no words of rebuke to the demon. Instead, he simply granted the mother’s request. Jesus tells her that the demon is gone and her daughter is fine.

God is not limited in how he solves the problems facing people. He can do it with a word or with no words. The reality is that Jesus can do whatever he wants to do. He is not limited by his location, by his proximity to the problem. There is not a formula for solving the problems, either. Jesus isn’t waiting for us to utter a certain phrase before he acts. He isn’t waiting for us to get to a special place, to do or not do a special thing. When Jesus agrees—or more accurately, when we agree with Jesus—then Jesus will simply do what he wills.

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Obedience

On that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?”

And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:35-41)

The disciples went from being afraid of a storm to being afraid of Jesus. After leaving a crowd of people, Jesus and his disciples got in a boat and headed across the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is a harp-shaped, freshwater lake in the northern part of Israel about seven hundred feet below sea level. Thirteen miles long, It is surrounded by hills over a thousand feet high. Because of them, abrupt temperature shifts occur, leading to sudden and very violent storms on the lake. Just such a storm blew up while Jesus and his disciples were attempting to cross the water.

The storm scared the disciples. They were experienced fishermen who had spent their lives on the lake and they knew that many men had perished in its deep waters. But when they awakened Jesus, rather than joining their panic, he simply made the storm stop.

Where they had been terrified of the storm, they suddenly became terrified by Jesus. The disciples knew from the Old Testament that only the creator of the world had the ability to start and stop storms. For the disciples, it was their first realization that Jesus was more than human. Jesus wondered at their lack of faith. The disciples realized with his spectacular miracle that Jesus had good reason for his wondering. Faith comes from understanding, from knowing, who or what we are putting our faith in. Fear was the beginning of such knowledge for Jesus disciples. The longer they were with Jesus, the more their faith would grow. The same will happen to us, too.

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Encouragement

When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

and he will prepare your way before you.’“ (Matthew 11:1-9)

Did any prophet prosper? Was any prophet widely praised in his own lifetime? John the Baptist had proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus proclaimed that John the Baptist was the Elijah that everyone had been hoping would usher in the Messiah’s coming.

John was in prison awaiting his inevitable execution. Did he begin to wonder if perhaps he’d made a mistake? John was a man, no different than any other human being. It is only natural to imagine that your problems might be God’s way of telling you that you’re going the wrong way.

But Jesus reassured John, as he reassures us. Look at the bigger picture, beyond today’s trials. Did you hear from God? Is God at work? Did God’s people, doing God’s work, ever have an easy time of it? Can you tell from trouble or its lack that God is in it? Certainly not. John had done precisely what God had wanted him to do. He was in the center of God’s will. And yet he was in prison and would soon die for a frivolous reason. God’s will is more than the sum of our own experiences. And it is not just about us.

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Patience

Love is patient and perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4, 7). But human beings are very poor at judging what is actually in their best interests. We become overwhelmed by the gratification of our pleasures today and fail to reckon with whether it’s really in our best interests tomorrow. We’ll eat the cake now and regret the weight gain later. Patience is the ability to recognize what is actually in our best interests. Patience comes from realizing that waiting is not a punishment and that what we endure now will only benefit us later. “And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne!” (Hebrews 12:1-2 CEV)

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It’s Not Their Job

The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”

The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

What does Jesus want us to do? Once we know, we shouldn’t worry about what our neighbor is doing or not doing. Just because Jesus has us doing something and just because it is vitally important, doesn’t mean that we need to force someone else to join in our task.

Mary and Martha, with their brother Lazarus, lived in Bethany, a village on the slope of the Mount of Olives, barely two miles east of Jerusalem. They became good friends with Jesus.

But Martha makes at least three mistakes in her relationship with her sister. First, if she wanted something of her sister, then she should have talked to her sister. Why go to someone else? Second, Jesus may have been a man, but he was not Mary’s brother or father or any other male relative. Based on the prevailing custom of the time, Jesus had no authority over Mary’s behavior. And finally, Martha was the one who believed that there was work that needed to get done around the house. Well and good, but why should Mary have to have the same concerns that Martha did?

What was more important than whatever Martha was doing was the guest that she was ostensibly doing it for. Martha forgot that Jesus was more important than the preparations. Mary, in contrast, had chosen to focus her attentions on the guest, rather than on preparations for the guest.

While people might appreciate the meal and a clean place to be, what they really appreciate is the time they spend with us. People matter more than anything else.

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