July 26-30, 2010

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. (John 7:37 NASB)

Our week has been filled with traversing familiar territory. We continue to follow the Rabbi as He teaches and prepares His disciples for what is ahead. But as we so often do, they regularly failed to the understand the heart of the lesson and misunderstood its significance. When Jesus told of His coming death, Peter rebuked Him and told Him not to say such things. Peter was enjoying the way things were. He had big plans for the future, and Jesus’ prediction was not fitting into his intentions. Jesus had just told Peter that he had the keys of the kingdom, and Peter took them and tried fitting them into the wrong lock. You can’t rebuke what God has ordained and get results!!! Jesus quickly discerned the source of Peter’s words, “Get behind Me Satan!” One minute Peter is speaking by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and the next he is being used as the mouthpiece of Satan. How could Peter get it so wrong? The answer is quite simple - One minute he was seeing things eternal and the next he was focusing on the desires of this life. What a lesson for us to consider! How quickly we can know something by the Spirit of God and in the next moment discern things according to the desires of our flesh. And all too often we are certain we are right because we had discerned the last thing by the Spirit.

Peter had a propensity for getting things wrong! Six days later Peter finds himself with his foot in his mouth again. He proves that not everything that is said in worship and awe comes from the Spirit of God. What prompted Peter to suggest building a shelter for Jesus, Moses and Elijah? It says that “Peter answered.” Although the word can mean that “he started to speak,” this word is only used when one is speaking in response to something that has been said or done. Both Matthew and Mark tell us by the Spirit of God that Moses and Elijah appeared to “them.” Right before their eyes, they had watched Jesus transformed. He literally went through a metamorphose! The Greek word translated as “transfigured” is “metamorfoo.” One minute He stood before them in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) and the next moment He stood in His glorified flesh. And if that weren’t enough, now Moses and Elijah are standing there conversing with Jesus about the events that were soon to come. Peter recognized that they were hand chosen to be witnesses of this awesome occasion and blurts out, “It is good for us to be here.” The word “good” has the connotation of being “the right thing,” or “well adapted to its purpose or end” They had been hand selected with good reason. The only problem is, Peter failed to correctly discern the reason, and as a result he put both feet in his mouth up to his knees!!!!! In awe of the sight before him, Peter mindlessly goes on to say, “I’d be more than happy to recruit my two friends here and build three shelters for the three of you.” He hadn’t suggested erecting stone monuments; he proposed putting up cloth tents for shade. What was he thinking?!? Obviously, he desired to prolong the moment. Rather than ponder the purpose of the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, he longed to venerate the experience. This is good! Let’s keep it going!!! Sound familiar?

The instruction of the Heavenly Voice and the disappearance of the Moses and Elijah would have certainly caused Peter to put his tail between his legs and cower in fear. I can see James and John rolling their eyes at Peter’s faux pas as they waited for lightening to strike. I’m sure they were more than happy to obey Jesus’ order to tell no one what they had seen until after He had risen from the dead. The last thing we like to share with others is our acts of stupidity, and as yet, they still hadn’t grasped the concept of Jesus' words "rise from the dead."

Their perplexed minds grappled with the statement, “rise from the dead.” Although the Master was with them, they chose to discuss this among themselves. Why wouldn’t they just ask Jesus what He meant? The answer seems obvious to me; He’d already told them, but they didn’t want to hear it and were looking for a more palatable interpretation. You may be interested in investigating how many times in our journey this week Jesus gave them a clear word on His death and resurrection, and also examine His instructions regarding when these things took place. Later on in life when John is given the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos, he writes, “Blessed is he who reads, hears, and heeds the words of this prophecy.” I have no doubt that John remembered the times when Jesus spoke and they failed to understand His words and as a result, failed to heed them. If Peter would have comprehended Jesus’ prophetic words "rise from the dead", do you think he would have denied Him when Jesus was taken prisoner after the Passover meal? I’m sure all their reactions to the crucifixion would have been quite!

The question Peter, James and John finally posed to Jesus skirted the real issue of their lack of understanding. Rather than ask the meaning of His words “rise from the dead,” they tackled the subject of Elijah. But Jesus knew how to answer their question, while bring the subject back to the real issue, and He addressed what the Son of Man would suffer in the days ahead. As we move closer and closer to Jesus’ hour, we find that His mind and His disciples minds are on two different tracks. His disciples more frequently discuss their positions in Jesus’ kingdom, while Jesus focus directly on the sacrifice and suffering before Him. Although Jesus was surrounded by people He loved very much, their inability to comprehend must have caused a deeper sense of loneliness. At this point in Christ’s ministry, each step He takes brings greater animosity and rejection. Miracles that should prove His relationship with God only fuel the fires of those whose hearts are hardened to truth. The greater revelation of truth Jesus speaks, the stronger words of denial are spoken by those determined to hang on to their religious traditions. May we hear and heed Jesus’ words as He encourages us today,

"If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 NASB)

July 19-23, 2010

And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while” Mark 6:31

And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray. Mark 6:46

This week we continue to follow Jesus as He keeps His busy schedule. Traveling, teaching, healing, administrating were just a few of the duties on His job description. Finding time for rest and relaxation was nigh unto impossible. But Jesus understood the need for “down time,” which in Jesus’ case was “up time.” Jesus understood where His strength came from and made sure He got alone with His Father and refreshed Himself in the Spirit. If Jesus would have waited until the time was available, He would never have found time to seek His Father’s presence. The tyranny of the urgent would have been His continual driving force and burn out would have been the end result. It was not just the crowds Jesus needed occasional rest from; there were times He needed to get away from His best friends!

After a glorious, but taxing day, Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him to Bethsaida. As much as He enjoyed teaching and nurturing His followers, Jesus knew there were times He needed to concentrate on His own needs and not the needs of others. Knowing what His Father was saying and doing was crucial if He was going to say what the Father told Him to say and do what the Father told Him to do, and the only way of knowing that was to spend time with Him. When the storm arose on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night, and the disciples were struggling against the winds in an exhausting effort to get safely to the shore, we find Jesus observing their plight from His prayer mountain. There is something intriguing when Jesus set out across the water in the direction of the floundering boat. What was He doing? Was He going to their aid? Was He coming like a knight in shining armor to rescue them from the stormy villain that was fighting to take their lives? Wouldn’t that seem like the logical response? But as we continue to observe what is written, we discover that He had every intention on passing them by!!! PASS THEM BY?!?!? What kind of help is that?!? Obviously, Jesus was hoping to have a little more time to be alone with His father. On several occasions, the Word tells us that Jesus was either walking, or doing something as He was praying. He didn’t have to be in a kneeling position to commune with His Father. If He just passed close enough for them to see Him, perhaps they would remember all that He had been teaching them, and it would also jar their memories of the miracle they had just witnessed. But instead of encouraging their faith, it fired their fears, and their cries of despair carried over the waters to His attentive ear.

I wonder if we aren’t much like the disciples in the boat. We’ve seen the miracles, experienced Christ’s authority and power, and yet in times of crisis, our fear clouds our vision and we fail to walk in the power and authority of what we’ve learned. And instead of our walk becoming a natural walk of faith, knowing that Jesus has the authority over every situation we face, we flounder in panic and demand another miracle. Although Jesus was merciful enough to calm the seas - AGAIN - He knew that they had failed to learn the lesson from the bread He had supplied in the hour of the people’s need.

Jesus was truly the Teacher of teachers. When His followers failed to understand what He had taught them, He was kind enough to teach the lesson again. We have sat by the shore of the Sea of Galilee as Jesus broke five loaves of bread and two fish, and fed 5,000 men along with their wives and children. Had it escaped the disciples notice that there was twelve baskets of leftovers; just enough for each of them to have their own basket. Had they not seen that, although Jesus ministered to the needs of the crowds, they were the apple of His eye? Didn’t they understand that no matter what He did, He was committed to be there for them? But Jesus did to them what He does to us when we fail to learn the lesson; He taught it again. This time there were only 4,000 men with their wives and children, and there was seven loaves and a few small fish, but once again, there was more than enough. This time they had seven baskets of leftovers. Hmmm! Why were there only seven baskets left over this time? Five loaves + two fish = twelve baskets of leftovers. Seven loaves + a few small fish = seven baskets of leftovers. Do you think there might be a lesson in all this? No doubt there is!!! And the best thing each of us can do is to meditate and chew on the facts and let the Spirit teach us. Or are we like the disciples who failed to look for the eternal truths in the circumstances, and only saw them if someone bluntly pointed them out?

When the Pharisees could not discern the source of Jesus’ authority, Jesus “sighed deeply in His Spirit.” If you are a parent, you don’t need a whole lot of explanation as to what that kind of sigh it was. We parents have sighed that way many times! Usually the sigh is followed by the words, “Will they ever learn?” The Pharisees could discern the weather by the condition of the sky, but failed to discern the Messiah by the wind of the Spirit. As much as we are tempted to shake our heads in disbelief that they could be that hardheaded, we have to ask ourselves if we have learned from the experiences of our life. Have we observed the miracles He has accomplished and the provisions He has made, or do we tend to place little value on God’s “leftovers,” forgetting to savor the message that God is more than enough, as we carefully chew on each morsel? I wonder how often the deep sighs coming from His lips today are a result of our failures to discern His words by His Spirit. Be assured, the merciful Teacher loves us enough to teach the same lesson again, but don’t be surprised when He puts you through the same test to see if you learned it. Hopefully we will get tired of going around the same mountains, or crossing the same stormy seas and begin to appropriate His words.

July 12-16, 2010

Took His twelve disciples with Him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples. Luke 8:1b-3

For many of you, we are traversing some pretty familiar roads this week. Few are unfamiliar with Jesus’ journey through the Galilee and the miracles He accomplished. Everyone who is on this trek with me has seen the twelve disciples walking with Jesus, whether it has been close up or at a distance, but have you met the women who were a part of His traveling entourage? We’ve often heard of Mary Magdalene, but are we aware that she was as much a part of Jesus’ everyday life as the chosen twelve? Mary was not one of the sent ones who were endowed with the power to heal and cast out demons. She had not been a disciple of John before following the Master. She never argued with the other disciples as to her worth to sit on Jesus’ right or left hand in His kingdom. She was a humble, grateful woman who knew Jesus had rescued her from a life of despair and couldn’t find enough ways to express her gratitude. What was Mary’s role in this roving ministry? She served! She cooked meals, washed clothes, helped with the chores in the houses where they stayed. You can be sure she was waiting for Jesus when He returned from a busy day; waiting at the door to wash His weary feet and then make time to sit at those feet and listen to His words. It didn’t matter whether He was teaching a lesson or sharing the events of the day, for sure, Mary wanted to hear every word.

Joanna was a women of considerable wealth. Her husband worked directly for Herod as a steward. Because of the Greek word “epitropos” that is used here, it is believed that Chuza, Joanna’s husband, was in charge of Herod’s children. We find this word used in Gal 4:1-3

4:1-2:

Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians (“epitropos“ ) and managers until the date set by the father.

This word is often used for tutors, but at other times it encompasses those who are in control of finances as well. Whether Chuza was the educator of Herod’s children or one of the financial manager of Herod’s great wealth is uncertain. What is certain is that he was no peon of little importance in Herod’s household! What is also certain is that his wife had an encounter with Jesus. Was she healed of a disease or malady of some kind? It would appear so. It says that these women were either healed of disease or they had demons cast out of them. Obviously, the change in Joanna’s life was so dramatic that she felt the same overwhelming gratitude as Mary. And what is even more amazing was that her husband allowed her to travel with Jesus as well. Not only did she travel with him, she helped finance their travels. No wonder Jesus talked about being faithful with unrighteous mammon!

And what do we know of Susanna? Other than her name and the fact that she had financial means to help support the ministry and that she traveled with Jesus, we know nothing. She had to be a woman of some reputation for her to be named by name. There were others who didn’t even get honorable mention, but they were a part of the traveling caravan. A woman of ill repute, a woman of nobility, a woman of reputation, and women who were basically nobodies all drawn together and living harmoniously together because of their love and gratitude for one Man - Jesus!!! These women were such a tight knit group that they were faithful to Christ, not only in His life, but also in His death. While the disciple were off hiding after Jesus dies, we are told:

Luke 23:55-56 NASB

Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.

What were these women doing? The same thing they had always done - they were serving the One they loved.

It is interesting how many women we encounter on our journey this week. Wednesday is the only day we don’t find a woman on our journey. It may be fun to make a list of the variety of females and situations we encounter. Perhaps you may want to add to our list each day, either on the blog site or on the Facebook entry. As we do, one thing becomes abundantly clear, Jesus loved women and they were an important part of His life and ministry. May their lives as women teach us the true meaning of serving Christ.

July 6-9, 2010

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched Him closely. If He healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath. Mark 3:1-2

This week we continue our journey with the Messiah. One word that constantly buzzes around us like bees in a clover patch is the word “Sabbath.” To understand why this day invoked such controversy in Jesus’ ministry, we need to look at it through several different pairs of eyes. First and foremost, we must understand it through the eyes of the One who set the day apart and sanctified it.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:1-3 NASB

Being a project oriented kind of person, I can truly appreciate the impact of these words. God didn’t stop working until He had completed His goal. Once He had finished His creation, He stepped back to delight in His accomplishment. Was God too tired to go on; did He need rest to continue? No, He was just too satisfied with what He had accomplished to proceed without taking a moment to admire His handiwork.

When Greg and I built the addition on our home, after months of work the day finally came when we parked ourselves on the couches, propped up our feet, and just drank in the finished work. A good night’s sleep would have given us the rest our physical bodies needed, but a day of relaxing and enjoying what we had built brought a sensation that surpassed sleep. It is difficult to express that feeling in a single word! Delight, approval, satisfaction, happiness, contentment, pride, joy, and encouragement for the next project are just a few of the emotions that we experienced on our day of rest. If finishing an almost 600 square-foot addition could do that for us, can we even begin to imagine what God experienced when He completed the heavens and the earth. The Word clearly says that His work was “complete” and He “rested.” The word “rest” does not designate taking a break; it expressly speaks of ceasing the work you were doing. God had finished His construction, He’d taken all the photographs and put them in His album to remember each step of creation; the next step was to start living in what He had completed.

Between the time of creation and the giving of the Law through Moses, we never hear the word “Sabbath.” As a matter of fact, we only find the root word of “Sabbath” mentioned four times before God commanded His people to rest. The Hebrew word “Sabbath” (also spelled “Sabbat”) comes from the word “sabat” which means “to cease, desist, rest.” It would do us good to look at the four occurrences of this root word.

Genesis 2:2-3 NASU

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Gen 8:22 NASB

"While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

And cold and heat,

And summer and winter,

And day and night

Shall not cease."

Ex 5:5-9 NASB

Again Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!" So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, "You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' "Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it that they may pay no attention to false words."

I don’t think it is mere coincidence that these are the only references to this word. The first two times it refers to God, the third time it refers to His creation. God created and when He was through, He ceased - He rested. As long as this world He created exists, the Laws of nature He created it upon will never cease. The fourth occurrence is in reference to God’s people who had no rest, and what little they had was taken from them.

When God delivered the children of Israel from their Egyptian bondage, God brought them to Mt. Sinai and gave them the ten covenant Laws. The fourth Word (Law) He spoke was

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11 NASB

God told them to remember the Sabbath, so obviously it was something they were already familiar with. You may recall journeying through the pages recounting God’s initiation of the Sabbath, but let’s take time to remember its inception. After the exodus, God made provision for His people. Each morning God caused manna to cover the ground. This flour-like substance could be baked as bread or boiled as a porridge. He commanded the people to gather their portion each morning, but on the morning of the sixth day they were to gather a double portion so that they would not have to go out and gather any on the seventh day. This seventh day was to be a day of rest when they could finally cease from their labors and remember all that God had accomplished for them. The bread they ate on this day was unlike any they had eaten before their journey through the wilderness. They literally ate angel food cake each day of their liberated lives. But the food of the Sabbath was even more extraordinary; this bread was made from eternal manna that did not get wormy in twenty-four hours as the manna did on the other days of the weeks. The first time the Israelites saw manna, they asked an interesting question. Our translations usually read, “What is that?” but in Hebrew, literally the questions is, “Who is He?”

Each Sabbath day, the children of Israel were reminded that God loved them. It was “He” that had brought them out of Egypt and brought them into the land “He” had promised to their forefathers. Their years in Babylonian captivity brought an awareness that God had not forgotten the covenant He had made with them and that the Laws that governed their existence were still in force. But, unfortunately in their effort to keep the Law, they failed to maintain their relationship with the Law-giver and didn’t recognize Him when He stood in their midst. They had forgotten that the Sabbath was all about God giving them rest from their bondage. If ever there was a day to bring healing and relief, the Sabbath would be the perfect time, but the Law had become far more important than the fulfillment of it. In their effort to keep themselves from ever being in bondage again, they actually put themselves in the greatest bondage one could ever experience; they failed to become acquainted with the “He” who was the Manna sent from heaven. The Lord of the Sabbath stood in their midst to give them true rest, but the religious-minded could only see their man-made paths to peace.

I pray that as we walk with the Prince of Peace through the pages of The Book we will reach out our withered hands, pick up our pallets and walk, touch the fringe of His garment and listen intently to His teachings in the synagogues. May we find ourselves bound by His yoke which is easy, walking in the lightness of His burden, and be set free from the weight of the Law.