Laurie Larsen's Blog, page 2

Jesus as the Ultimate Project Manager

Are you a fan of the phenomenon called The Chosen?  It’s a streaming television series, working on its fifth season and it’s unbelievably popular.  It paints the story of Jesus’ ministry on earth and it puts into action the stories we read about in the gospels.  As an artistic format, it’s a great supplement to reading the Bible because we actually get to know the characters, spread over hours of viewing time, and I believe the results are biblically accurate.

I bought a book from The Chosen group called A Blended Harmony of the Gospels. We all know that the four gospels of the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – were written by different people.  In a previous two-part blog series, (here and here) I researched and described each author, and we know that two of the books were written by members of Jesus’s Twelve, and two were written by men who came later and only heard about him through eye-witnesses to him.  Some gospels feature stories repeated more than once, and some gospels tell stories that are not repeated otherwise.  Or the stories are a little bit different – the details vary. 

A Blended Harmony of the Gospels is one book that includes all the information presented by the four gospels.  It accounts for differences in details, and when there are stories told more than once, it consolidates them into one story.  Unlike the Bible, there are no chapter or verse numbers.  It reads more like a novel or a historical account.

As I was reading it a few key points jumped out to me.  I jotted them down and after looking them over it dawned on me that by following Jesus’ example, we come up with a pretty solid guide to managing efforts or situations in our own lives.  Here, let me show you what I mean:

One thing that stood out to me when reading the blended gospels is how often Jesus loved to go to the ocean.  

It doesn’t surprise me that this point caught my interest because guess what: I love to go to the ocean too!  Some people are mountain enthusiasts, some love the forests or lakes.  But for me, it’s always been the ocean.  As a child, my parents, who were ocean lovers too, made a dedicated effort to get our family to the ocean every summer.  Fortunately, my husband is an ocean lover too, and was on board when I wanted to carry on that tradition with our kids.  Now, retired from the day job and able to live wherever we want, we live just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean in beautiful South Carolina.

Going to the beach is a regular part of my schedule now.  I go because I love it – the beauty of the waves, the sinking and rising of the sun on the horizon, the wildlife I see along my walk – crabs, seabirds, sea creatures that get washed up along the shore, the seashells that fill up my pockets when I spot unique ones I’ve never collected. 

That sound the ocean makes as the tide roars in and out.  A phrase always runs through my mind, “The ocean’s gonna do what the ocean’s gonna do.”  I’m not sure where I came up with it, but it reminds me that we are not always in charge.  There are things we can’t control, and the ocean is one of them.

It’s a great place to pray.  As I move my legs to hike through the sand, my heart pumping, my eyes feasting on the beauty around me, my mind is free to focus on prayer.  I give thanks to the Lord for his creation, and for the glorious set of circumstances that allowed me, a land-locked Midwesterner for the majority of my life, to end up here – exactly where I want to be.  I run through problems or issues with him and talk through options. I plan the future, I ask for forgiveness, I praise him for everything I can.

When I’m done with my walk, I’ve accomplished so much – exercise, yes.  But I’ve enhanced my spirit and my mood, and I’ve hopefully resolved whatever issues were running around my head.

Another thing Jesus did – Jesus went away from his demanding work to be alone and pray.  This reminds me of when I was in the thick of a very exhilarating, demanding, often stressful but always rewarding career. I spent over twenty years in leadership at a major Fortune 50 company, and in that length of time, corporate direction evolves.  Priorities change, processes change, technology changes.  One thing that doesn’t change is the need for those of us leading the show to think.  To meditate. To address problems and to decide which way to go to avoid the next round of problems.

Jesus was a leader of the highest degree.  His three-year earthly ministry could be seen as a project to bring improvement to the status quo.  He was the project manager, God was his sponsor, and his disciples were his core team.  His stakeholders and consumers were all the people he encountered each and every day while out preaching.  And he had critics too, a very outspoken set of them in the Pharisees and Jewish leaders of the day who opposed him.

I’m certainly not comparing my own leadership role to Jesus’s!  But go with me here – there are some similarities, aren’t there?  There were times in my own career that I felt so burdened with the daily meetings, the project schedule, the budget concerns, the change in requirements, the loss of key people – in other words, the day-to-day grind, that I forgot to go away from the work to be alone and think things through.

If I had done that, removed myself from “the crazy” for a little while, I could probably identify some key problem areas that weren’t clear to me when I was in the thick of it.  I could ruminate about problem solving, identify options.  How to change what we were doing that not only wasn’t solving problems, they may have been making things worse. 

I like to think that Jesus saw the value in this method too.  He often walked away from his disciples and the people leaning on every word to be by himself and pray with his ultimate sponsor, his Father. 

Another method Jesus used that stuck out to me was: he understood his scope.  Project leaders always have to nail down what is in scope, and what is out of scope because of this little thing we like to call “scope creep” – if your effort isn’t clearly defined, you’ll continue to take on more and more work and ultimately nothing will ever get done.

What do I mean by Jesus understood his scope?  Yes, he knew that he was God’s son and God’s will was to place him there on earth at that particular place and time to make revolutionary change. He would become the sacrificial Lamb on earth to take away the sin of the world.  And he would let people know that by accepting Him as their savior and asking God’s forgiveness for sins they would be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven so that they might live with God eternally.

Big order!  But a verse in Matthew (15:24) gives us a clue that Jesus understood his own scope of this incredibly big job.  In the New Living Translation it reads, Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

Jesus’s earthly ministry was focused on the people of Israel – in other words, the Jews.  What we discover later in the Acts of the Apostles, is that Jesus’s promise of salvation was not just intended for Jewish people – but for Gentiles as well – in other words, non-Jews. Everyone!  God has opened up the doors of the Kingdom to any human who believes in him.  He’s a loving and inclusive God who wants all his sheep saved.  But Jesus, in his limited time on earth, and to clearly define his scope, he limited his teaching to Jews.

What are the big “projects” you’re facing in your life?  Are you caught up in the daily whirlwind, just going through the motions that you’ve always done? Maybe it’s not the best way.  Jesus’ lessons in project management can be applied to any major effort you’re facing in your own life.  Just make sure you regularly communicate with your sponsor for regular feedback and direction setting!

 

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, thank you for the wealth of lessons and learnings that we find in the Bible.  And thank you that certain lessons speak loudly to us when they apply directly to our lives.  Please illuminate the learnings you direct us to so we can absorb and execute as you would have us do.  Amen.

 

Will I Still Be Married in Heaven?

During my journey reading the Bible in a year, when I came across a verse that generated today’s topic, it blew my mind!  I talked to my husband about it as well and similarly, he found it hard to believe as well!

I titled this essay with a question so let me just answer it straight away:  Will I still be married in heaven?  The answer is … NO.

What??  How about if I prayed to God to help me find the right mate, how about if I got married in a church, blessed by a clergy member, how about if we’ve lived a God-filled marriage?  Then, will we still be husband and wife when we both go to heaven?

And the answer is still … NO.

Mark 12:25 says: (Jesus is speaking …) “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage.  They will be like the angels in heaven.” (NIV)

Luke 20:34-35: Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” (NIV)

That sounds pretty indisputable; there will be no marriage in heaven.  But why?  Think of all the funeral services you’ve been to, and the deceased will be joining their spouse in heaven because they were both faithful followers of Jesus.  That’s one way that we, as close friends or family members can find some comfort in their deaths, is knowing that they will be reunited as man and wife in heaven.

Hope Bolinger, in her Crosswalk article Will I Still Be Married to My Spouse in Heaven, offers this insight: God designed marriage. Essentially, we marry on earth to be a reflection of Jesus Christ and the church. By marrying, we avoid sexual sin, and we produce offspring to fill the earth.

But in heaven, temptation doesn’t exist and neither does sin, eradicating those two purposes of human marriage. Third, earthly marriage is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the Church. But in heaven, we are all part of Christ’s collective bride as the Church. Why settle for a reflection when we have the best kind of marriage at our fingertips in heaven: the marriage of Christ and his Church?

To help us absorb this spiritual concept, let’s think about this: why do two people get married in the first place? 

·        They love each other and want to devote themselves to monogamous love.

·        They want to have children and raise a family.

·        Marriage allows them to combine income and savings, buy property together, leave property to each other in the case of death.

·        They can take advantage of tax benefits.

·        Marriage prevents loneliness and the unwanted reality of being alone in life.

 

Assuming all those points are accurate about earthly marriage, let’s go back through them with a heavenly lens.  Would those points still exist in heaven?  Would any of them exist in heaven?

No.  In heaven we don’t create new children, have income, pay taxes, buy property and no one is lonely! 

So maybe marriage on earth doesn’t exist in heaven because it’s simply not needed in heaven.  It’s an earthly construct that doesn’t translate to our heavenly existence.

Hmmm, okay, I’m starting to see this.  But I have some questions:

I may not be married to my spouse in heaven, but will I still have a special love for him and is it reciprocated?  In Hope Bolinger’s previously referenced article, she says, “You will still love your spouse because the very nature of God is love. He fills heaven with his glory (Ezekiel 1). In new un-sinful bodies and becoming more like Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), we will love in heaven more than we ever loved on earth. You will live with your beloved husband or wife forever in heaven. The two of you will continue to grow together in love, understanding, happiness, and joy to all eternity. Death has no power over what God has joined together.”

I like that.  But … What about other family relationships?  Will my children still be my son/daughter? Will I still be their mother in heaven? I’m not aware of any Bible verses that address this specific question. More than the question of marriage in heaven, I believe this answer is up to a higher level of interpretation.  John MacArthur, in his book The Glory of Heaven, addresses it this way:

“We will be reunited not only with our own families and loved ones, but also with the people of God from all ages. In heaven we will all be one loving family. The immense size of the family will not matter in the infinite perfection of heaven. There will be ample opportunity for close relationships with everyone, and our eternity will be spent in just that kind of rich, unending fellowship.

“If you're worried about feeling out of place in heaven, don't. Heaven will seem more like home than the dearest spot on earth to you. It is uniquely designed by a tender, loving Savior to be the place where we will live together for all eternity and enjoy Him forever--in the fullness of our glorified humanity.”

Wow.  After reading these paragraphs, I breathed a big sigh of relief! Because by worrying about will I be married in heaven, will I be a mother, etc., I think we’re missing the whole point! 

Let’s focus on the things we are certain of:  there will be immense love in heaven, there will be no pain, there will be no deprivation, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will be there for us to experience all the time.  Everything we love about life on earth? Something like it or even better will be in heaven.  Everything we hate about life on earth?  It won’t exist there, my friends.

You remember the 1988 single by performer Bobby McFerrin?  It started with a peppy, carefree whistle, then added some a capella vocal rhythms, until finally Bobby’s Jamaican-accented voice, Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

That’s the message I want you to take from this essay today. First of all, we don’t know exactly what heaven will be like, because we are interpreting the Bible and not all of us have the same interpretation. But one thing we can all count on is that heaven will be wonderful, and infinitely better than earth.

So, don’t worry, be happy.

Dear Lord, please help us to focus on your promise of a loving, happy, beautiful after-life in heaven for those devoted followers who will join you there.  Help us to remember that just as your devoted apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully.” Amen.

 

You Ever Feel Like Somebody’s Watching You?

 

If you’re anywhere near my age group, you probably read that essay title and thought, “That sounds familiar.” 

You’re right, the phrase is a song lyric from a 1980’s pop song by the artist Rockwell. It could be considered a one-hit wonder, but it was certainly a well-supported hit!  Pop superstars Michael and Jermaine Jackson sang back-up on this quirky, eerie tune released by Motown. 

I chose that title because it accurately describes what Jesus encountered continuously during his earthly ministry. People were always watching him, and listening to him, and trying to understand him.  And criticizing him, and judging him, and trying to trap him.  My focus will be on the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day.  Let’s take a look at a couple examples.

Luke 5:29-31 (NIV) Then Levi (the tax collector) held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

So, Jesus is criticized and judged for socializing with people who are not currently following the rules of the Jewish faith. 

Luke 5:33 (NIV) They said to him, “John (the Baptist)’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

So, Jesus is criticized for allowing his disciples to seek nourishment while they are walking miles on foot, ministering to people.

Luke 6: 1-2 (NIV) One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

So, Jesus is criticized for allowing his disciples to help themselves to natural, unprocessed food while walking through a field when they were hungry.

And one more example of being watched on a Sabbath: Luke 6:6-7 (NIV) On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

I ask again: have you ever felt like someone was watching you?  I have. I spent over two decades in my career as an IT Professional in a management role. I provided leadership to teams working to build and support our company’s computer systems.  It was a big job, and I was privileged to be provided with so much confidence by my own managers to lead such talented employees.

When you are in a position of leadership, people don’t just listen to what you have to say.  They watch what you do.  You become a living example of your message.  Normally, I walked into work every day ready to embody the example.  And if someone felt that something I said or did conflicted with the company’s message, I’d welcome them to bring it up and we’d discuss it calmly.

But sometimes people had in their heads that the position of the company or the department or the leadership group was wrong, and no amount of discussion would change their minds.

Back to Jesus.  How did Jesus respond when Pharisees questioned him about his actions?  Normally he answered calmly and tried to give them something to think about in order to change their views. In each of the examples I shared earlier, Jesus answered their questions about why he was doing what he was doing.

But eventually Jesus had had enough of being constantly in the spotlight of these religious watchguards. Answering their questions and criticisms calmly and reasonably didn’t change their minds about anything.  In Luke 11:37 he moved to a stronger message.  The subtitle in my own Bible for the section starting with this verse is Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law. When reading it, I could tell Jesus had reached the end of his patience with them.  Starting in verse 37, and going clear through 54, Jesus addressed them with example after example of how they’re following a specific part of the law, but completely missing the overall point:

“You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”

“You tithe 10% to God, but you neglect justice and love of God.”

“You load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”

The frustrated tirade from our Lord goes on and on. I can just picture it in my mind: his voice raised, words bubbling up inside him that he’d previously kept restrained; his followers watching him, mouths dropped; the Pharisees angry that he dare speak to them like that.

Or did any of the Pharisees open up their hearts to listen and maybe start to see that he was right? I imagine some of them did.  But as anyone who has read through the rest of this gospel knows, it wasn’t enough to change the Pharisees’ view of Jesus.

Each of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) documented Jesus’ Woes to the Pharisees speech, although they were not all identically described. Wikipedia makes this observation on this topic: “The woes are all woes of hypocrisy and illustrate the differences between inner and outer moral states. Jesus portrays the Pharisees as impatient with outward, ritual observance of minutiae which made them look acceptable and virtuous outwardly but left the inner person unreformed.”

But even though Jesus was frustrated and angry, immediately after Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees, we see Jesus’ compassion. He asks, “How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:33). Jesus then expresses His desire to gather the people of Israel to Himself for safety, if only they were willing (verse 37): “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Let’s pray:  Dear God, we understand that you long for your people to come to you and find forgiveness. We know Jesus was not harsh in this passage to be mean. He was not having a temper tantrum. Rather, love guided His actions. Jesus spoke firmly against the deception of Satan out of a desire for people to know truth and find life in Him. Please guide our path in this direction every day.  Amen.

Did John the Baptist Know Jesus … or Didn’t He?

We’ve talked about John the Baptist before, in fact, I previously wrote a blog about the interesting circumstances of his birth (link here). We know that John’s mother Elizabeth and Jesus’ mother Mary were related – maybe second cousins or distant aunt/niece relationship since they’re of different generations.  We know Mary traveled 100 miles when she was newly pregnant to visit with Elizabeth who was also pregnant. And we know that both expectant mothers had been visited by angels to inform them of the missions that their sons would execute in God’s holy plan.

Now we fast forward to John as an adult, whose purpose was to prepare the way on earth for Jesus’s coming, as prophesied by Isaiah, “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way – a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Isaiah 40:3)

John took his mission seriously and we find out in the gospels that he went to the wilderness, wearing clothing of camel’s hair, a leather belt around his waist and he ate only locusts and wild honey. So … kind of an unusual dude! He wandered around with his own set of disciples, preaching about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and of course, he performed baptisms.  The people were so thirsty for a Messiah, they asked him if he was the One, which of course, he denied.

Eventually the day arrived when John came face to face with Jesus.  John 1:29 tells the story this way: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’

Yes!  This makes sense.  John’s second cousin Jesus, who he’s known about through family lore his whole life as being the Son of God, is now here in front of him.  John’s done his job preparing the way and now Jesus is about to kick off his own ministry!

But, wait.  Let’s read further, starting in verse 31: “I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”  Then John gave this testimony, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”

Huh.  In this passage, John says twice, “I myself did not know him.”  But … weren’t they distant cousins?  Hadn’t his mother told him exactly what the angel had told her about why she was impregnated at an old age and exactly what her miraculous son was going to do for God’s kingdom?

Because it’s such a beautiful story, let’s take a look at the event that John was describing in that John 1:31 passage.  Three of the gospels tell us the story because it was such a significant event.  Here’s Luke’s version (3:21-22): When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Isn’t that a lovely scene?  I would be absolutely blown away by the voice from heaven, heard by the entire crowd, and especially the loving words God bestowed.  And in John’s gospel, it sounds like John the Baptist was instructed by God himself that he would know who the Messiah was the presence of the Holy Spirit. The dove and God’s voice booming from heaven was his indication that Jesus was the one he was preparing the way for. 

Prior to that he only knew he was preparing the way for the Messiah.  Now he was assured that the Messiah was indeed his second cousin, Jesus!  When he said, “I didn’t know him,” I don’t necessarily take that at face value. I think he was more saying, “I didn’t know it was him.”

When I think about this, I imagine that his mother had told him the story about her long ago visit from Mary and how they had both been visited by angels and informed about their sons’ places in God’s plan.  But … have you ever had a son?  Have you ever tried to tell your teenage son something that he found hard to believe?  As a parent, have you ever tried to convince your rebellious young man of anything (remember John ran off to the wilderness wearing weird clothes and eating only locusts and honey)?

So, my point is, John maybe didn’t want to take anyone’s word for it.  Rumor and hearsay weren’t good enough. He was determined to follow God’s plan exactly as God prescribed to him.  Until then, he’d do his job, step by step, without knowing the whole story.

And I love that approach.  We see cases of that all throughout the Bible.  God calling on imperfect people to carry out his plan without revealing the end of the plan until it was time to know.  I’m currently in a Bible study about the prophet Elijah, and that’s one of the points we learned about him. God had GREAT BIG plans for Elijah, but he only revealed them step by step.  Elijah had the faith to act upon that step and then wait for God’s next order.

But what about the next time in the gospel stories that John the Baptist acts like he doesn’t know who Jesus is? In Matthew 11, starting in verse 2, we see:  When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

What?  What happened to John being convinced within a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the foretold Messiah when he witnessed the dove landing on him, and he heard God’s voice proclaiming him to be so? Scholars believe that a year had passed between the miraculous baptism and John’s question.  A year of Jesus actively preaching and traveling around and performing miracles. In that year, John lost the faith?

Why did John ask that question?  In my opinion, there are several factors, all of which point to John’s human weaknesses:

·        He was in jail. I can’t imagine that first century jails were very comfortable.  Most likely cement floors and little food, no exercise and limited visitors.  He’d been wrenched away from his job, which was God’s plan for him and he was good at it. He’d had followers and a role of importance.  Now, all of that was gone.  All he had was time to sit there in a cell and be miserable.  Life was pretty awful.

·        The reason he was in jail was pretty ridiculous. John was put in prison because he decided to lecture town rulers about some of their life choices.  See if I can get this Bible-age soap opera correct:  Matthew 14 indicates that John the Baptist was placed in prison by Herod Antipas as a result of John condemning Herod for having divorced his wife and then marrying Herodias, the divorced wife of Herod Antipas' half-brother Philip.  Knowing John’s dedication to the mission, I imagine he felt like the punishment didn’t fit the crime, and was preventing him from getting back to work.

·        He was practically starved when he got to jail.  Remember his self-inflicted diet before he went to jail?  It wasn’t like he was a healthy, well-nourished guy when he originally got thrown into jail in the first place. And I know from the occasional times I’m feeling hungry that everything looks a little bleaker and more desperate than when I’m properly fed.

·        He held a different view of the Messiah’s role than Jesus did.  There are indications in the Bible that John had a different understanding of the role of the Messiah.  After all, God told him to prepare the way, but God didn’t tell him exactly how Jesus would go about his own job.  Luke 3:7 shares some of John’s own method of speaking to followers: John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”  We have clues also that Jesus was aware of the “type of Messiah” the people expected him to be, too.  John 6:14 says, Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

So now we have a little better understanding of how John’s human traits may have caused him to lose the faith a little bit about Jesus. How did Jesus respond to John’s question?  Was he dismayed?  Angry? Insulted? 

No. He calmly told John’s disciples to go tell him what he’d been doing since they last saw each other (the preaching, the teaching, the miracles).  And he also praised John for the hard work he’d done for the kingdom! Verse 11: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

If I had been working hard spreading the good news for a year and my most important partner publicly expressed doubt in my abilities, I would’ve been angry!  Wouldn’t you?  But not Jesus.  He not only wasn’t angry, he praised John and let everyone know what a great job he’d done.

Understanding John the Baptist’s human shortcomings and also understanding Jesus’ kind reaction to them give me comfort that when we mess up (as we often do) I can imagine Jesus’s response.  He’s not angry; he’s patient and kind.  He wants us to succeed and he reminds us of all the good work we’ve already done, but he encourages us to get up, shake ourselves off and try again.  We’re human, just like John the Baptist, just like Judas, just like Peter. We make mistakes. But there’s still room for us in the kingdom with the everlasting grace of Jesus over us.

Let’s pray:  Dear God, thank you for this lesson and this reminder of how you can and do use imperfect people to perform great work in your kingdom. Thank you for forgiving us when we make mistakes and always continuing to love us.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

New Book on Preorder & a Cover Reveal!

I know it's only mid-September. And I've never been one to jump on the Christmas bandwagon too early (because I love summer!). But I'm making an exception today! I'm so excited to announce that the anthology A Holy City Christmas - Charleston Holiday Tales is making its way into the world!

What is it? This is a special collection of stories that are guaranteed to fill your heart with inspiration and warmth! Eight individual novellas written by authors who belong to the South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the national organization, American Christian Fiction Writers. We’re a fairly small chapter with a little over a dozen members but we are all convinced that we’ve got something really special going on. Once a month on a Saturday morning we all meet to learn our craft, listen to knowledgeable speakers, share our questions, progress and challenges. We also support each other, pray for each other, and challenge each other to keep moving forward.

A Holy City Christmas is our second anthology. After the success of our first award-winning anthology project, Charleston Light: Tales of Love and Light, it isn’t too surprising that we decided to give it another go.  This time, we wanted to incorporate the beauty of Christmas in Charleston. Each and every story will bring you the joy of the Christmas season in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Helping others through the book: One thing we love to do with these anthologies is to choose a charity that is meaningful to one of our members and donate all our earnings there for six months. That way, we can support a worthy cause through our writing.

 Our chapter member, and line editor of this anthology, Laurie Ingram Sibley and her family are heavily involved with a program called RISE Men’s Recovery Ministry. RISE exists so that men of Orangeburg County, South Carolina who are trapped in poverty, homelessness, or addiction are Restored, Ignited, Supported, and Empowered to flourish by the grace of Jesus Christ. RISE is a voluntary, residential program. It’s a place to come when you’re ready for help breaking the cycle. For six months, the men will live on campus, dormitory-style, attend classes on job readiness, soft skills, financial planning, relationships, and parenting. They’ll work on campus doing laundry, preparing meals, mowing the lawn, and whatever else is needed. And of course, the gospel and grace and accountability will be infused over everything.

Each story features a Christmas storyline as well as an actual location within Charleston. It's been so fun reading the results of these pretty broad guidelines and seeing what everyone came up with. Each story is so different from the others. There are contemporary romance, historical romance, and mysteries to solve.

The list of locations featured in the story are Dock Street Theater, historic Charleston City Market, the Little Pink House on Tradd Street, First Scots Presbyterian Church and Citadel Square Church, among other wonderful Charleston locations! Another thing that's so special and unique about this collection is that a talented artist who is a member of our chapter created a line drawing for each and every story featuring the story's location! They are absolutely beautiful! In fact, take a sneak peek at the drawing she did for my story, Dock Street Miracle:

What's my story about? Here's a short description to get you interested!

Susannah, raised in foster care, now making her timid path into adulthood, receives the chance of a lifetime when exuberant off-Broadway theater veteran Molly arrives to direct the Christmas Nativity play at the historic Dock Street Theater. Working with Molly changes Susannah’s life in many ways. But she could never agree to Molly’s last-minute request to play the important role of Jesus’ mother.  Could she?

How and when can I get it? I was hoping you'd ask! There will be several ways to read it between now and Christmas!

Kindle Unlimited: If you belong to the KU program you'll be able to download it for free starting Oct 1!

Buy the Kindle ebook: If you don't belong to KU but you read your books on your Kindle, you can preorder NOW, and it'll be delivered to your Kindle on October 1!

Paperback: Can you think of any better Christmas presents for friends, family, teachers, and church friends? I know I'm going to order a bunch to hand out! The paperback will be available for sale on October 1!

Here's the link to the Amazon page to make your purchase!

Thank you for your enthusiasm about this exciting new book!

What About Baptism?

Last Sunday, on a beautiful clear evening in the South Carolina Lowcountry, my son and I took part in a Creek Baptism service offered by our church.  It’s a special ceremony they offer once a year, in the summer, to anyone who is interested in participating.  It appealed to him and me last year, but the date didn’t work.  So, this year, we made sure to add our names to the list of participants.

We arrived, dressed in clothes and shoes that we knew would get wet, my husband attending as a supportive witness and a friend attending as supporter and photographer. We mentioned to the pastor that we were there for the baptism.  He asked us a series of questions, mainly focused around whether we’d been baptized before, and if so, how were we baptized, and at what type of church. My son and I each had been baptized as infants in Protestant churches in front of a congregation. The pastor had sprinkled water on our heads as part of the ceremony.

Based on those answers, the pastor knew what to do with us.  He would not repeat the official baptism ceremony.  For us, we would personally renew the significance of our original baptisms, and he would immerse us in the water. 

In addition to us, there were three children present to be baptized, and this ceremony was their first baptism. For them, there was specific wording to be spoken between the children, the pastor and the congregation which was skipped for us.

Here are a few photos of our immersion experience.

My son and I agreed that it was an exhilarating and exciting experience.  I felt the presence of God as we partook in this ancient spiritual ceremony.  We’re both glad we did it.

So, it seems timely for me to focus this blog on the topic of baptism. What’s it for?  What does it accomplish? What’s the difference between your parents having you baptized as an infant, and you deciding to do it as an adult?  Does it “count?” Here are some of my findings.

Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him. Let’s read Matthew 3:13-17 in the New International Version: Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

John knew that he was the forerunner to Jesus.  Earlier in Matthew’s gospel he tells the people who are following him (Matthew 3:11): “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

When Jesus approaches John where he is baptizing sinners and Jesus asks John to baptize him, John immediately holds a hand up and says (paraphrased) … “No way! Me baptizing you?  I’m not worthy!”  But Jesus pushes the issue, John performs the baptism, and God opens up the heavens to share how pleased he is. (I absolutely love the image of God’s voice from heaven declaring how pleased he is with his boy.)

Baptism existed in the Old Testament too.  We may mistakenly believe that baptism was a new practice introduced by the beginning of Christianity.  But, not exactly.  Mary Fairchild wrote an article for Learn Religions (dot com) entitled The Purpose of Baptism in the Christian Life.  In it, she says, “Before exploring the purpose of baptism in the Christian life, it's important to gain an understanding of its meaning. The English word "baptism" comes from the Greek baptisma, which refers to 'washing, dipping, or immersing something into water.'

“A general biblical definition of baptism is ‘a rite of washing with water as a sign of religious purification and consecration.’ This rite of cleansing with water as a means of achieving ritual purity was practiced frequently in the Old Testament (Exodus 30:19–20).  Baptism signified purity or cleansing from sin and devotion to God.”

But it’s different when connected with Jesus. In Mark 1:4, 5 we see the beginning of the change in purpose for the baptisma from Old Testament to New. “And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. … Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

A baptism of repentance, confession and forgiveness of sins.   Mary Fairchild continues in her article, “Baptism is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism publicly acknowledges one's confession of faith and belief in the gospel message. It also symbolizes the sinner's entrance into the community of believers (the church).”

So why do we get baptized?  Dr. Ray Pritchard wrote an article entitled, What Is Baptism? Its Meaning and Importance in Christianity.  Here are his thoughts on this important question:

“If the meaning of baptism could be summarized in one word, that would be identification. Baptism in Christian faith speaks primarily of personal, public identification with Jesus Christ.

In Romans 6:3-4, the Apostle Paul puts the matter this way: Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Notice the strength of the expressions "baptized into Christ," "baptized into His death," and "buried with Him in baptism."

How important is your baptism? It is your personal identification with the greatest act of human history—the death, burial, resurrection, and eternal life of Jesus Christ. Baptism doesn't save you—salvation comes by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Your guilt before God is removed the moment you trust in Christ. But baptism is your personal testimony to, and the inward assurance of, your passage from the old life to the new life.”

Should we be baptized as infants, or should we wait till we can make our own decision?  Good question.  In fact, various groups of Christians disagree on this distinction of the baptism ritual. Some take the stand that if your parents made the decision to baptize you as an infant, you yourself didn’t make that decision and commitment to Jesus, so what could it possibly mean?  Others say that if no baptism had been done until the child was older, and God forbid, the child dies before they have the chance to be baptized, it could impact their eternity and the certainty of going to heaven.

Here’s how Dr. Pritchard explains it: “Infant baptism is a practice in some Christian denominations where infants are baptized to initiate them into the covenant community of the Church. Proponents argue that this practice is rooted in biblical principles and the early Christian tradition. For example, Colossians 2:11-12 draws a parallel between baptism and circumcision, suggesting that just as infants were circumcised to enter the covenant with God in the Old Testament, they can be baptized to enter the new covenant through Christ.

Opponents of the baptism of infants argue that baptism should follow an individual's personal confession of faith, which infants are incapable of making. They point out that the New Testament emphasizes repentance and belief before adult baptism, such as in Acts 2:38 where Peter says, "Repent and be baptized." Critics also argue that there is no explicit biblical mandate for baptizing infants and that the practice developed later in church history as a tradition rather than a direct scriptural command.”

Hmmm. Personally, I feel that “either or both” is good and God recognizes the intention of our actions. If I hadn’t been baptized as a child, but made the decision later in life to partake, he recognizes that.  If I had been baptized as a child, and later developed a personal relationship with him as Creator and never renewed my baptismal vows as an adult, he knows that too.  The thing that bothers me is that Christians -- believers in Christ -- have now created a divisive stance on something that was never meant to divide us.

We’re down to the nitty gritty questions now, and here’s some “short and sweet” answers, according to my research:

Do unbaptized babies who die go to heaven?  According to the website About Catholics dot com: A person who dies in a state of sin and without the graces of baptism may not enter heaven. However, infants are not guilty of sin. After all, they have not committed personal sin. Infants do not have the capability to choose to sin.

What about unbaptized adults who are believers in Christ? Does the absence of a baptism stop them from spending eternity in heaven? According to the website Bible Study Tools dot com: One does not have to be baptized to go to heaven. However, believers and their children should submit themselves to baptism if they are able. God commanded that we should be baptized. But our baptism, the visible expression of what God has done for us, that is, God's grace, is not the saving power but is rather the divine authentication of God's grace.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.  What do you think about baptism, when it’s done, what it means for our lives and our afterlives?  Leave me a comment and let me know what’s on your mind.

Meanwhile, let’s close out in prayer:  Dear Lord, I thank you for the beautiful baptism by immersion ceremony that my son and I participated in, among so many other Christians, as a living example of our faith and hope in you.  Thank you also for the millions of faithful parents who made it a priority to have their precious infants baptized. We appreciate the opportunity to seek forgiveness and be redeemed for our sins.  And to follow in the footsteps of your son Jesus when he was baptized by John the Baptist.  Amen.

 

What's So Bad About Samaritans?

 

The Samaritan Woman at the well who told Jesus if he knew who she was, he wouldn’t want her to draw water for him.  The parable of the Good Samaritan, like it’s an exception that any Samaritans would be good.  These stories make me wonder: what’s so bad about the Samaritans?

It’s a part of Biblical history, something that doesn’t exactly apply to us in today’s world, but if we want to fully understand the message Jesus is sharing, it helps to understand what was true at the time.

First let’s summarize the two Samaritan stories in question.  In Luke chapter 10 Jesus is being questioned by an expert in the law.  He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan as part of his answer.  Here we start in verse 30 (New International Version):

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled came where the man was; and when he saw him, took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”

Jesus used the parable as a learning experience for the official men questioning him.  Which one was a neighbor, Jesus asked. Even they had to admit that of the three, the Samaritan was the neighbor to the man.  He admonished them to go and do likewise.

To Jesus’ audience, the fact that a priest and a Levite, both of whom are strongly Jewish, walked past the Jewish man who had been beaten and left for dead without helping him (probably because the area was dangerous, and they were in fear of their own lives) but a Samaritan went way above the call of hospitality to help a total stranger was significant.  Jews and Samaritans hated each other.

Why? Here’s a quick history lesson:

In 722 BC (Before Christ) Assyrians conquered northern Israel and settled in after winning many battles. Inter-marriages between the Jews and the non-Jews who now made Israel their home occurred and in doing so, a new people group was formed called the Samaritans. They kept up with some of the prevalent Jewish/Israelite practices but also incorporated pagan practices in keeping with both sides of their heritage. They were considered by Jews to be impure for watering down and creating a diluted subset of their religion.  The Samaritans felt snubbed.

By the time Jesus walked the earth, there was a longstanding simmering hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans.  It went both ways.  Jesus didn’t go along with this long-held hatred.  He knew God’s message that he was sent to proclaim was for everyone, not just one chosen race.

So, back to the parable, when Jesus told it, it caused an upheaval of emotion to his listeners, to a level that we really don’t understand in our current day.  Think of your absolute worst enemy.  Someone you can’t stand and wish the worst level of luck on – then substitute that name or group of people in the parable.  That was Jesus’ message.

Imagine finding yourself in a very sketchy area of town, after dark, fearing for your life. All you want to do is get yourself to safety and close the door on the world behind you.  As you’re cautiously making your way, you happen upon THAT person or THAT group of people who you’ve long hated and wished ill upon, beaten up, mugged and bleeding into the street.  Wouldn’t your impulse be to sneer and think “you deserved that,” and keep moving?

But Jesus calls us to do the opposite.  Help the person.  Don’t just help him but go out of your way to make sure he’s safe and cared for, even risking physical harm to yourself along the way.

Sure, it’s a parable.  Did he mean it as it was presented, one person encountering another?  Or did he mean it on a more global level, that we’re called to help communities of the unfortunate, or countries of the unfortunate who are down on their luck and need our help?  That we need to put our hatred of them aside, that walking on by when help is so greatly needed is not acceptable in God’s kingdom?

I think he meant both.

So now that we better understand the general feelings of the people of the region toward Samaritans, let’s look at the other Bible story that involves Samaritans: the woman at the well.  In John chapter 4, Jesus led his disciples on a walk through Samaria. In a town called Sychar, an ancient well sat.  The very same well that Jacob from the Old Testament dug in Genesis chapter 33.  Yes, it’s that old!

Jesus sought out the well all alone after sending his disciples into town to buy food.  It was noon and he was hot and tired and thirsty.  When a Samaritan woman comes to draw water Jesus says to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (verse 7).  The woman is surprised and responds, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (verse 9).

She’s fully aware of the animosity between Jews and Samaritans.  She’d lived with that her entire life.  Can you imagine then, her amazement with Jesus’ response?

Here’s the Bible text starting with verse 10: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?” … Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman is interested, although probably confused. She asks Jesus for some of this water. Then Jesus shows her that he knows exactly who she is – that specific Samaritan woman who happened to meet him at the well. He takes this chance to tell her some of the details about her own life that have shamed her and made her an outcast in her own community.  Jesus knows these things! 

She jumps to the conclusion that he’s a prophet, but Jesus presses on and says in verse 22: “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth …”  The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you – I am he.”

This interaction is so amazing to me. Jesus chose a woman … not just any woman, a Samaritan woman (and we know exactly what that means now) to share this amazing truth outside the Jewish race!  Jesus was mainly sent to proclaim the gospel to the Jews, but he chose this moment and this unremarkable woman who was down on her luck to spread the news to the Samaritans, who were hated by the Jews.

If there was any doubt that God’s messenger of love and forgiveness was including absolutely everyone on earth … this would eliminate that doubt.

Kenneth Ortiz wrote an article called The Woman at the Well: Its Significance and What We Can Learn.  In it, he says, “The encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well was not a random meeting. It was planned by God and it depicts Jesus’ mercy and love for us. Desperate for a satisfying life and unending grace, the woman at the well is forever changed by Jesus’ love for her. She uses her story to tell others about the living water found in Jesus.

“Remember the parable of the good Samaritan? A man lies dying on the side of the road and the only person willing to help him was a Samaritan. Not the Jewish leader that passed by, not the priest, the Samaritan. The thing about this parable is that it was so shocking to the Jewish people that a Samaritan would be the good guy in the story. In the same way, this Samaritan woman was the last person any Jew would want to talk to. But Jesus, a Jewish man, did talk to her. It’s comforting that Jesus chooses to love the least lovable people, and He chooses to use the least likely characters.”

So true!  Throughout the Bible we see situation after situation when God/Jesus select the least likely people to help them with their cause. The sinners, the ones who have made mistakes, the betrayers, the deniers.  But guess what … he chose them anyway.

And doesn’t that give each one of us hope that God can use us in his story as well?

Let’s pray:  Dear Father, thank you for using the least likely people to advance your kingdom. Thank you for including everyone in your plan, not just the exclusive ones.  Help us to get over any prejudices or hatred we hold in our daily lives. Help us to be more like the Good Samaritan than those who passed by.  Amen.

 

 

 

What About Me?

 

We've read the Bible.  We’ve heard Bible stories of Jesus’ miracles our entire life.  We almost, dare I say it, take it for granted. We even say haughty things like, “Why did they have so much trouble believing Jesus was the son of God?  What else do they need to believe it?”

But then I take a step back.  What if the New Testament hadn’t happened yet?  What if I were standing in those crowds of people that encountered Jesus and trailed after him, listening to his words and watching him perform miracles?

Would I become a believer?  Or would I assume he was a scam?

We see in John 2:23 (NIV): Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.  But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Jesus can read our hearts, not just our minds and our words.  I’m sure there were people who got wrapped up in the miracles he was performing and proclaimed, “Yes, you are the Lord!” while in front of him, but as the day faded into night, doubt started setting in.

While I researched for a previous blog post, I learned that Jesus wasn’t the first person to come on the scene in the region, performing miracles and claiming that he was the Messiah. (See Why Don’t Jews Believe Jesus Is Their Messiah?) Likely, some Jews of the time, familiar with the numerous prophesies of the coming Messiah, heard and witnessed some of the fake prophets and jumped onboard, believing incorrectly. 

If that had happened to me, I would be very wary of making the same mistake again.

Have you heard of the motto, “If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.”  This would have come to my mind if I were in the audience watching Jesus.  In fact, Jesus himself warned us not to believe when others claimed to be the Messiah:  In Mark 13:5 we read, (NIV): Jesus said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many … You must be on your guard.”

Whoa! So, Jesus, who was drawing a following who believed he was the Messiah, is warning us not to fall for others who were claiming the same thing!  I know myself: I would’ve been cautious and very careful and slow to believe unless something absolutely convinced me beyond all doubt, for fear of believing in the wrong one.

And how about John the Baptist?  The Bible tells us that John’s mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  They are relatives of different generations – Elizabeth was in her 60s, and Mary was mostly likely a teenager or barely twenty. Maybe they were cousins second or third removed, or a great, or even great-great aunt.  Regardless, John and Jesus, born just months apart, were related, and we have to assume they were acquainted with each other while growing up.

John’s parents were told by an angel exactly why he was being born to them, and what his mission was on earth – to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John knew this from the very beginning.  When Jesus was born amid all the hoopla of the Star of Bethlehem, the visiting shepherds, the escape to Egypt to avoid Herod’s plot to kill Jesus, and the visiting wise men, I have to imagine that the Zechariah/Elizabeth/John side of the family heard all about it, and therefore believed that Joseph and Mary’s son Jesus was the Messiah they were all waiting for.

My point is, John grew up knowing exactly what his work was, and for whom.

So why, in Matthew 11:1-2, when John the Baptist was in prison, did this happen? (NIV): After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Mind blown!  

John knew from the beginning of his life that he was the preparer of the way for the Messiah, and because of the family connection, he knew in his heart that it was Jesus.  But now, while he’s imprisoned, probably sitting alone in a stone cell, left with nothing but time to run all his questions and doubts through his mind … he begins to wonder, “Is Jesus really the Messiah?”

Maybe he started thinking, “Hold on, I didn’t sign on for this.  This is harder than I thought it would be.  I mean, prison?  Was this in the plan, God?”

Equally surprising are the reactions of his Twelve. These disciples became his inner circle. They dropped everything in their lives when he asked them to follow him. They had to have known he was something special in order to make such a supreme sacrifice in their own lives.  Yet the gospels are filled with examples of the disciples, the ones he spent the most time with, talking to them, teaching them, delegating his ministry to them, not understanding who he was.

In Luke chapter 8, starting with verse 22, Jesus is in a boat with his disciples, crossing the lake and he falls asleep.  A squall brews on the lake and suddenly they’re all in great danger of the boat filling up with water.  Verse 24 (NIV): The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Who is this?  They actually asked Who is this?  Hello!  That’s Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, who has come to save the sinners of the world, and by the way, you’ve got a ringside seat!

So back to my original question, What about me?  If John the Baptist had doubts occasionally, and if his twelve chosen disciples had doubts occasionally, maybe I should throw myself a little net of grace and say that if I were walking the earth the same time Jesus was, and I encountered him, and I had doubts because I didn’t know if he was truly the one … that’s okay.  I’m human, just like his close followers, and if they struggled, it’s expected that we’ll each struggle too.

And by the Bible showing us this grace, we know that even today in the complicated 21st century, when we have the benefit of the New Testament and the mature establishment of the Christian church, and thousands of years of missionaries and ministries and writings to teach us about Jesus, we know that he is exactly who he says he was, back in those early days.

Because it’s not just what your brain tells you about Jesus that makes you believe in him. It’s not just reading the Scriptures and studying history and comparing the prophesies in the Old Testament to what Jesus brought to the world to determine that yes, in retrospect, he fulfilled everything the Old Testament Jews were waiting for.

It’s what your heart tells you.  Our faith in Jesus involves prayer and meditation and worship and singing and fellowship.  Those are all things that don’t appeal to our brains – they appeal to our emotions, our hearts.

In my heart, I know that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah who came to bring light to a dark world.  I talk to him every day. I ask him for help with my problems.  I praise him for the good and wonderful things in my life. I worship him with joy and thanksgiving.

In my brain, I know it too, because I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Apostle Paul’s second letter to his friend Timothy, in chapter 3, verse 16 says, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (New International Version)

What about me? If I were walking the trails of Galilee with Jesus in 30 AD listening to his teachings, would I have believed in him?  I hope so.  I think so, even if I wasn’t completely sure at the time, just like his most treasured followers.  But God put me on earth now, when I have so many resources at my disposal to not only help me believe, but so that I can, through my experiences, help others believe too.

And isn’t that the purpose of this entire The Year I Read the Bible project?

 

Let’s pray:  Dearest Father, thank you for sending your Son to pay the ultimate price of redemption on our behalf. Thank you for those brave people who followed him way back when and believed in their hearts that he was who he said he was. Thank you that you’ve put all of us in this place at this time where we have a wealth of resources to help us know in our brains and our hearts that Jesus is Lord.  Amen.

 

 

 

Why the Secrecy?

Have you ever been tasked with promoting a product or service? Spreading the word as best you can so more and more people are aware of what you’re offering? 

I face this constantly in my fiction author business.  When I have a new book coming out, I employ many strategies for a successful launch.  I recruit a team of volunteers to receive a free book file, read it, and have an honest review ready to post on all online bookstores on release day.  I ask early readers to share graphics with the book cover and a short description (and of course a purchase link) on their own social media.  I pay for advertising in multiple places where readers of my genre hang out.

Why do I do all this? So that people find out about the book!  And if it sounds like something they’d be interested in, it will result in a sale!

No matter what the product or service is, it’s very important to get the word out! So, I’ve often wondered why, when Jesus was engaged in his earthly ministry, he often told people, “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve done for you.”  Wouldn’t he want everyone to know?  As soon as possible?

Let’s take a look at a couple incidents of this admonishment in the gospels and see if we can figure it out:

John 2: 1-4 (New International Version): On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.  Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”  Jesus replied, “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”  (I added the italics to that last line to emphasize it.)

A Divine Timeline

Jesus knew his hour had not yet come.  That means that he was fully aware of a divine timeline, set by him and God, for how Jesus’ ministry would unravel. Nothing was left to chance.  He could do the miracle – and he did eventually turn the water to wine, just as his mother wanted him to – but he knew it wasn’t time yet for the big reveal. 

The timing of the announcement was constantly on Jesus’ mind.  Later in John, chapter 7, Jesus is hanging out in Galilee.  It was time for the annual Festival of Tabernacles, and his brothers wanted him to go to Jerusalem.  In verse 3: “Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’

I can relate to this perceived frustration from Jesus’ family.  It’s why I jump through so many hoops when I have a book release!  Why would I go to all the trouble of writing, editing, and publishing a book if I’m not going to follow through and let people know about it?  If I keep it a secret, no one will ever get to read it!

But what does Jesus respond? (verse 6): “Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you anytime will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.’”

The Danger Is Real

Jesus’ response here gives us another clue. Yes, there’s a predetermined timeline and he wants to stick to it. But there’s also a sense of danger being revealed here. 

Jesus knows that his message to the world will make some angry, and he will be in danger if he continues to preach it.  And for those of us who have read the rest of the gospels, we know he is right, don’t we?  He needs to keep from being publicized because it’s just plain too dangerous for him to be revealed yet.

Jews of the day are expecting the Messiah to be something else – a warrior who will help overthrow the Roman oversight of the Jews.  And the Jewish officials, the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, are growing more and more alarmed about the spreading news of Jesus’ miracles, causing them to begin planning his death.

Mark 14:1 says: “Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ‘But not during the festival,’ they said, ‘or the people may riot.’”

There are other reasons too

Let’s consider Mark 1:32 – 34 (NIV): “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” (the italics are mine for emphasis).

This was very interesting to me, so I did a little research to find out what was thought about it. I ran into Greg Lanier’s article Why Did Jesus Command Others to Be Silent About Him?  What did Mark mean by the demons knew who he was?

Here’s Greg Lanier’s thoughts: “Apparently as supernatural beings they have insight into who Jesus really is: the divine one from God. At this stage Jesus either didn’t yet want that message to be made known, or he didn’t want demons to be the ones revealing it—or perhaps both.”

Again, I can draw an analogy between this analysis and my own situation: although I want to get the word out as best I can when I have a book out, I also have to be careful to only promote it to my chosen audience.  I write Christian romance, so my demographic is mostly women in their forties or above who are Christians or interested in Christianity, love to read, and are comfortable with electronic reading devices.  I’m obviously not going to promote my books in Playboy Magazine, for example.

So, Jesus not wanting the demons to announce that he is the Son of God?  Sure, I can see why Jesus tells them to stay quiet.

His Celebrity Status

Another reason is the sheer impact on his life when his “celebrity” is fully revealed.  Look at Mark 1:43-45: “Jesus sent him (a man with leprosy) away at once with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone.’ … Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

Jesus was a rock star!  A celebrity!  He couldn’t walk down the street without being mobbed.  Have you ever seen an interview with a movie star and they’re enjoying a highly paid career with all the luxuries, but the price is almost too high because they can’t even leave the house anymore without a security detail.  Because people won’t leave him alone and his life has changed drastically.

And a final reason … his true purpose

I believe that Jesus started performing demon exorcisms and healing the sick and lame so that people would take note and believe that he was the Messiah.  He felt that without the miracles, people wouldn’t necessarily believe he was anyone special and listen to his true message.  But his true purpose was NOT to perform miracles. His true purpose on earth was to demonstrate God’s love for mankind by dying on the cross for their sins. 

It's like he was saying, “Let’s not lose the message in the magic.” 

If a man who had blindness or deafness or leprosy or was crippled for life suddenly was healed, and they ran off to tell everyone they knew, what would they be proclaiming?  “A man healed me!  Look!  I can walk/see/hear, etc!” His message would not necessarily be, “The Messiah, Son of God has come to earth and he has a message of redemption for all of us!”

The Time Is Right

But when all the conditions are right and Jesus opens up the gates of witnesses, encouraging them to spread the word, it’s a glorious thing!  Mark 5: 18 says, “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”

Let’s pray:  Dear God: thank you for helping us dig a little deeper into this question of why Jesus often told people not to say anything about him being the Son of God.  We thank you that you and he made a plan at the very beginning and you both followed it. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to earth to save us and to share your love for us.  And thank you for illuminating your Word the more we read it.  Amen.

 

 

 

Odd Things Jesus Did

Healing the blind with mud made with spit. Kneeling to the ground amidst an angry crowd demanding an answer and writing with his finger in the dust. Sticking his fingers in a deaf and mute man’s ears and tongue.

These are all actions that Jesus performed during his earthly ministry as described by the Bible.

Okay, let’s be honest … do any or all of these actions strike you as … odd?

By reading the stories in context of the gospels, it is clear to me that they struck not only the crowds of witnesses as odd, but often they strike the disciples as odd too!  The Twelve were constantly being exposed to Jesus’s surprises – his words, his parables, his actions – that they weren’t expecting, and didn’t know what quite to make of at first.

Let’s take a closer look at these three stories and see if we can figure some of it out:

In John 9, Jesus and his disciples encounter a man who was born blind. The disciples ask if he was blind because he had sinned, or because his parents had sinned.  They assumed the physical ailment was a consequence of sin, but Jesus assures them that the man’s blindness had nothing to do with sin.

In verse 6: After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam.”  So the man went and washed and came home seeing.

In other gospel accounts, Jesus has healed people simply by touching them, or even not touching them at all. So why these particular accounts of using spit?

While researching this topic, I came across an article by Bob Yandian Ministries entitled, The Miracle of Spit and Sight.  I liked his interpretation of this topic, so I’ll include it here.

“In the Bible, spit is a dirty topic. No matter where you look in the Bible, you will find it is a great insult to spit on someone, or to be spit upon.  Anyone under the Law of Moses who was spit upon had to wash themselves and their clothes.  Even after washing, they were considered unclean until the evening (Leviticus 15:8).  Other scriptures deal with the insult of being spit upon (Numbers 12:14, Deuteronomy 25:9).  Jesus was spit upon as a great insult before He was crucified (Matthew 27:30).

When Jesus spit into the dirt to make a mud poultice to put on the blind man’s eyes, he was spitting on the blindness.  This was the ultimate insult to sickness and disease. 

In Luke 4:39, we see Jesus being brought to Simon’s house because Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her immediately. So if Jesus could speak to sickness and rebuke it, then apparently sickness can hear.  If sickness and disease can hear, it can also be insulted.  Jesus released all of His contempt for Satan and his works when He spit on the blindness.”

Interesting theory!  It could also help explain the next story I identified, in Mark 7:32 - 35: Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!) At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Following the previous interpretation presented by Bob Yandian, in this healing story, Jesus utilized his own spit to insult the evil that had taken a grip on the man and combined with calling on his Heavenly Father’s help, the man regained his hearing and speech.

Another part of this story that I love is, Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd. This was a kind act showing respect for the man’s privacy. A website called Heartlight interprets it like this, “Jesus' concern is clearly to bless and heal this man, not to make a name for himself. He has power over disease as well as demons. His desire is to use that power to bless and deliver, not to amaze or bewilder the crowds. As God's Son among us, Jesus is personal and intentional with his care. He will not exploit another's misfortune to receive praise just as a miracle worker. What a powerful lesson for all of us who call him our Lord and example.”

Hallelujah.  I have one other “odd thing” to examine, and it has nothing to do with spit!

In John 8:6, Jesus was in the temple courts in Jerusalem. As often happens wherever he went, people gathered around him and he began to teach them. It was dawn, which is interesting to me.  Who would just happen to stroll by at dawn and see him and come over?  No, these people had gotten up early with the hopes of encountering him so they could listen and learn.

But the Pharisees had secured a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. I don’t know whether she was leaving a man’s home at that early hour, or if a Pharisee actually walked into the room to catch her in the act. But they had dragged her to where Jesus was and used her as a test to see what Jesus would recommend they do with her.

John 8: 4 - 6: They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

Which brings us to our third “odd thing” example!  There’s a crowd of peaceful followers around him. They’ve been interrupted by a frothed-up group of Pharisees dragging a woman against her will and using her to trap the Messiah in an answer they think will be wrong and justify arresting him.  Can’t you just picture it?

What would I do?  Probably stand up, raise my voice and say, “Let go of her. Stop trying to trap me!”

But Jesus calmly bent down and started to write in the dust.

The story continues in verse 7: When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

It’s long been a mystery about what exactly he was writing. John’s gospel doesn’t tell us.  Here are some theories:

·        He was writing down the 10 Commandments.

·        He was writing the text of Deuteronomy 22:22 which is the law they are referring to.

·        He was writing down all the names of the Pharisees trying to trap him.

But in my research, I came across a theory that I love so, hey, let’s go with that! 

Dr. David Kyle Foster writes in his article, What Did Jesus Write on the Ground? “The scribes and Pharisees had demanded that Jesus sentence the woman to death, as taught in Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22-24.

[The NASB Study Bible notes that “they altered the law a little. The manner of execution was not prescribed unless the woman was a betrothed virgin. And the law required the execution of both parties, not just the woman.”]

If Jesus had said to stone her, they would have charged Him with hypocrisy, because He was always teaching about mercy. If He said not to stone her, they would have charged Him with breaking the Mosaic Law.

Spotting their trick, He stooped down and wrote something on the ground, saying: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7) He then proceeded to write something else on the ground, after which they dropped their stones and walked away.

Jeremiah 17:13 (which all the Pharisees would be familiar with) says: O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.

I would like to offer that this passage seems to indicate that Jesus first wrote their names in the dust and perhaps then wrote a sin that they had committed next to their name.”

 

Mic drop! Dr. Foster picks up on the fact that he wrote in the dust, then asked he who was without sin to be the first, then went back and wrote a second time!  Here’s the actual verse (8:9): At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

It isn’t documented, but what if Jesus wrote a list of the names of the Pharisees present, then offered his challenge to them to cast the first stone, then using his omniscient knowledge, wrote each man’s sin – and one by one, the religious leader looks at the ground, reads what Jesus had written, and knowing it was true, left quietly.

Remember God wrote the Ten Commandments with his own finger. The same finger that had written the Law back then was also the finger that was writing on the ground now. Therefore, since He was the author of the Law, He was the One to properly interpret and execute it (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10).

He was showing the Pharisees exactly who he was. But as we all know if we’ve read the gospels, they don’t believe him, do they?

But in the final verses of this story, the accused woman believed him. Verse10 – 11: Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

After learning more about what some of these odd things Jesus did actually mean, it makes me even more amazed at this man who was also God, and how he interacted with his fellow humans on earth.

Leave me a comment if you have other examples of “odd things” Jesus did that don’t make sense to you and we can research them together for a future blog. 

Meanwhile, let’s pray:  Dear God, thank you for your word. Thank you for providing us with a wealth of knowledge and guidance contained in the Bible. It’s so much that we’ll never learn it or understand it all.  But the more we grasp, the more we understand.  Amen.