Tawa Baptist

In Our House – by Neville Gardner

Earlier in the service I read out a story called “Where’s God?” written by Victor Kelleher. I refer to it a bit in this talk, so here’s a summary:

A boy called Peter wanted to know where God is. His sister and dad weren’t much help, but mum said God was in everything. Peter looked in a church, where he discovered that God is in lots of places at the same time, but he couldn’t see him. An old man in the park told Peter that God is in his heart, but Peter didn’t know how to look there. By the end of the story, Peter still hadn’t found God, but he would be searching again soon.

The church we are sitting in was opened on the 1st of February 1965; that’s very nearly 60 years ago. There were other buildings before that – what we now use as the church hall was the previous church. Some of you were here for the opening and have been coming ever since. Others of you have been coming for varying lengths of time – many of you weren’t even born 60 years ago! Whatever your age or background, you all share reasons for being here.

I realise there are some people who are unable to be here for various reasons, though they would like to be – they are still part of this congregation.

In the story I read earlier, the boy Peter went into a church looking for God. I guess that’s one reason some people go to church, but there are lots of others, as we’ll see. Later, Peter was told that God is in everyone’s heart.

Let’s use Peter’s style of logic. If God is in everyone’s heart, then everyone who goes to church takes God in with them. Therefore, a good place to meet someone who has found where God is, is in a church full of people.

But if they’ve already found God, why are they in church?

With the start of a new year, and with this building’s milestone, I thought we could remind ourselves of some answers to this question.

When you visit someone else’s house, you can normally work out what each room is used for by the things that are in them. The kitchen contains things connected with cooking; the laundry contains things connected with washing clothes, and so on.

Some rooms contain things that as a visitor you might want to ask questions about. Visitors to our house are often interested in the displays of minerals and historic artefacts in the lounge. Or the books everywhere – Nicky and I have rather different responses to questions about them!

These types of things reveal more about your hosts than an armchair or toaster do. All the extra stuff is evidence of accumulated personal history and memories; it can give you a sense of the unique character of the occupants.

Over its 60 years, this church building, like a house, has acquired a collection of, mostly, useful and meaningful items. These say something about the character of its users. Like a house, you can get an idea of this character by looking at the contents.

Today we’ll look at some of the physical contents of this auditorium and use them to answer that question I arrived at earlier – why do we come to church?

Sometimes when you visit a house, you only get to see one or two rooms. But you know there are other rooms with other functions. In the same way, I’m going to concentrate on this auditorium – there are other spaces where the functions of the church go on, not just in the buildings around us but wherever you are out in the world.

So, let’s examine some of the contents of this room.

You might expect me to start with the cross at the front, but my first item is actually the rows of seats. These represent you, the community of Christians who worship in this church on a Sunday morning. I wouldn’t be able to talk about some of the other items in the auditorium without mentioning the people who call this church home.

Now for the crosses. Even many non-Christians know that a cross is a symbol of the execution of Jesus. Some churches have a representation of Jesus on the cross as a reminder of his suffering and sacrifice. Others, including Baptist churches, use an empty cross, emphasising the fact that Jesus was taken down, buried and then rose from the dead.

It’s less common to see three crosses together in a church.

Jesus was crucified with a criminal on either side. One of them wanted Jesus to save him so he could escape judgement. The other was willing to accept judgement, because he knew he had done wrong, but he allowed Jesus to take up the burden of his sin. The cross on one side therefore represents the rebellion of humankind. The cross on the other side represents the repentance we all need. The central cross represents the redemption that Jesus offers.

  • We don’t worship the cross, but we do worship the risen Christ it represents. That’s one of the reasons we come to church.

I’ve chosen the Bible next; it’s quite obvious here at the front. Some churches have an open Bible on display to acknowledge it as God’s Word, to show it is treasured and to indicate that it is accessible to everybody. There are copies in the pews for people to use during a service.

The Bible is a source of authority. It records how God has revealed himself to humans, and how he expects them to respond. We tend to use it as a sort of guidebook to navigate our lives. It can be quite hard to understand, and that’s where this lectern comes in. This is where someone stands to read parts of the Bible out to people, and where they place their notes if they are preaching.

I said just now that the Bible is accessible to everyone; we can read it for ourselves, so why do we need sermons? Sometimes we need help to discern some of the things God says, and we can benefit from a different way of seeing things, presented by people God has given the task and gifts to. That way, we may learn to see things clearer for ourselves. Sermons can stir up our emotions and excite us about God. Also, by being with others as God’s word is explained, we can be affected and supported by the reactions of those around us.

There are lots of inspirational sermons available online to watch at home or on the move. However, I feel that we benefit by hearing our own ministers bring messages created, under God’s guidance, especially for this congregation.

  • Learning from the Bible is one of the reasons we come to church.

We can see plenty of evidence of music in this church. There’s the organ, the piano, other musical instruments and, at times during a service, singers and musicians. Over the years, music has played a large part in developing the character of this church community.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the words of Paul still urge us to be “speaking to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts.” (Ephesians 5:19).”

Psalm 33 tells us to “Give thanks to the Lord with harps, sing to him with stringed instruments. Sing a new song to him, play the harp with skill, and shout for joy!”

This collective singing, and the making of music, is not for entertainment; it’s to speak to God, to worship him and to rejoice in him. As I can attest, you don’t have to have a good voice – God hears your best attempt and takes it as praise.

When you sing collectively, you also sing to each other, joining together in worship. You sing to yourself too, soaking up and refreshing yourself with the words.

Many years ago, I used to live in Cardiff, Wales, just across the river from Cardiff Arms Park rugby ground. When the national team was playing, I’d open my window and listen to thousands of Welsh people singing together, all supporting the same side. That’s what we do in here, sing together because we’re all on the same side.

  • Singing and playing to the Lord is one of the reasons we come to church.

The next thing I’ve chosen to look at is less obvious. It’s the very stylised fish symbol above the windows. I talked about the cross earlier, but it wasn’t a commonly used symbol in the early Christian church. Until Christianity became an accepted religion, Christians were persecuted, even crucified for their beliefs. So the cross was a symbol of fear for many. Instead, the image of a fish was often used, like a sort of password, to mark secret meeting places and to identify Christians to each other.

Why a fish? Many reasons have been suggested. The simplest say it was because Jesus used fish in several of his miracles (think bread and fish, filling empty nets with fish). He also called some of his earliest disciples, actual fishermen, to become ‘fishers of men.’

We don’t need a secret password anymore, but the fish is still a potent symbol. It reminds us of the hardships of early Christians, but mostly it reminds us that we too are to be ‘fishers of men’. And in church we can learn some of the attitudes, the biblical knowledge and tools necessary.

  • Being encouraged to be ‘fishers of men’ is one of the reasons we come to church.

I’m going to stop my little tour of this room in our house here. There are other reasons for coming to church that don’t have an obvious object associated with them, such as prayer. Items connected with other reasons are only present sometimes – communion and baptism for instance. I encourage you to think about how these fit into your own church-based life, or how you would explain them if you were taking a visitor on a tour of the auditorium.

I’ve mentioned some reasons for coming to church that can be summed up as ‘spiritual growth’ – we can develop our spiritual life and grow closer to God through worship, Bible-based teaching, singing, prayer. Mind you, you can do these things on your own too.

Scripture doesn’t tell us that we must attend church, but it does speak about the blessing of being part of a church community. For example, in the Letter to the Hebrews we read:

Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.

Hebrews 10: 24-25

As well as worship and spiritual growth, there are reasons for gathering together which can’t always be met elsewhere.

We can meet and build friendships with people who share our beliefs and values. This helps give us a sense of belonging.

It helps us receive comfort and support when life becomes difficult.

If you have children, you are supported in giving them a Christian upbringing.

I’m sure you will think of other reasons.

So, we have lots of reasons for coming together for worship and fellowship on a Sunday, and we have accumulated a number of physical items to help us. It’s hard to imagine gathering on a Sunday without a cross, a Bible, sources of music and somewhere to sit. Some would argue that you can have all these things without having a dedicated building that is only used one morning a week. After all, such a building is expensive to build and maintain, and resources could be better used helping our wider community, our neighbours.

Different churches have found different ways to address this balance. All have advantages and disadvantages.

Here at Tawa Baptist we are blessed, because earlier congregations (including some current members) have given us facilities that include both a dedicated worship auditorium and rooms and buildings for other uses. It’s much like a house of many rooms.

And I think Peter would have found God in all of them, don’t you?

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. How would you answer the question “Where’s God”?
  2. When people visit your home, how do you respond when they ask questions about what they see in a room?
  3. When you visit someone else’s home, do you just notice the contents (without appearing to be nosy of course) or do you ask questions? What sorts of things do you like to know about?
  4. How important do you think it is for a faith community (a church) to have a permanent, dedicated building to meet in? Think of some advantages and disadvantages.


Tawa Baptist

God’s Glory

Scripture: Isaiah 60

Video Link: https://youtu.be/AaDoG32hNoo

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Light
  • Gravity
  • Worship
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

One of the greatest mathematicians to have ever lived was a man called Archimedes. Archimedes was born in 287 BC, nearly three hundred years before Christ. Archimedes lived in Sicily, a region in Italy.

One day the king asked Archimedes to help him solve a problem. The king had given an exact amount of gold to a jeweler and asked the jeweler to make a crown for him. But when the crown came back, the king suspected the jeweler had cheated him by substituting some of the gold for silver.

Archimedes had to determine whether the gold crown contained any silver, without damaging the crown. Archimedes thought hard about this for a while. Gold has a higher density than silver, so if the density of the crown was less than the density of the gold the king had given the jeweler, then the king had been ripped off.

To calculate the density, Archimedes needed to know the volume of the crown. However, he couldn’t measure the volume with a ruler, like you might a square box, because the crown was an irregular shape.

The answer came to Archimedes while he was taking a bath. As Archimedes sat down in the bathtub some water overflowed and went on the floor. At that moment Archimedes had an epiphany. He could calculate the volume of the crown by placing it in a bucket of water. The volume of water that was displaced would equal the volume of the crown.

Some say that Archimedes was so excited about this sudden flash of insight that he ran down the street naked shouting, ‘eureka’, which in Greek means,

‘I found it’. That last part about Archimedes running down the street naked might be an embellishment, but the rest of the story is true.

As it turned out, the density of the crown was less than the density of the king’s gold, which meant the crown did in fact contain silver. I’m not sure what happened to the jeweler, but it probably wasn’t good.           

Today, the 5th of January, is the twelfth and last day of Christmas, which means you are supposed to take your Christmas decorations down after today. It also means that tomorrow, the 6th of January, is Epiphany.

An epiphany (with a small ‘e’) is a sudden realization or insight, when the answer or meaning dawns on you, as it did with Archimedes in the bath.     

Epiphany with a capital ‘E’ is a special day in the church calendar celebrating the visit of the wise men to see Jesus after his birth. These wise men were probably like Archimedes; mathematicians, engineers and astronomers.

The wise men had an epiphany after studying ancient prophecies and the stars in the night sky. One star shone brighter than usual, so they followed that light to Bethlehem where they found and worshiped Jesus, the Messiah of God.     

The Bible doesn’t say how many wise men there were, only that they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. From these three gifts, people assume there were three wise men.

Whatever their number, none of them were Jewish. They were gentiles from the east. For this reason, Epiphany (with a capital ‘E’) is associated with God’s plan of salvation for the nations of the world. 

The classic Old Testament reading for Epiphany comes from the book of Isaiah chapter 60. If you listen carefully, God may give you an epiphany of your own. From verses 1-6 we read…

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Light:

Isaiah 60 is about the glory of the Lord and the epiphanous effect God’s glory has on the world. Three words to give you a handle on this passage: light, gravity and worship. We start with light.

Near the beginning of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein came up with the special theory of relatively. Einstein had an epiphany in which he realized that the speed of light is constant, while time is relative. Don’t ask me to explain it, but apparently the faster you go, the slower time goes. It’s a real mind bender.

Now light is extremely quick, the fastest thing known to humanity. Light travels at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second. Einstein theorized that if time slows down as you go faster, then at the speed of light time stands still.  

In verse 1 of Isaiah 60 the prophet says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

The experts say the one being told to arise and shine here is the city of Jerusalem, also known as Zion. The promise is that God will shine the light of his glory on the holy city, on the people of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 60 gets interpreted in different ways depending on your point of view. Interpretation is often relative to where you stand in time and history.

If you were Jewish and had recently returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, then you would be inclined to think of these words as applying to the physical city of Jerusalem.

When the Jewish exiles returned, during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra, they found the city in ruins. They had to rebuild the walls and the temple and all the infrastructure and they faced opposition in doing this. The city of Jerusalem was anything but glorious. It was a shambles.

For the Jews who were trying to rebuild, Isaiah 60 was an encouragement that God would help restore their fortunes and make them prosperous again. Their hard work would not be in vain. 

But if you are a Christian living in a secular western culture in the 21st Century, then Zion, the holy city of God, is code for God’s kingdom on earth.

For us, Isaiah 60 is not talking about the physical Jerusalem we see on the news in the Middle East.

Rather, Isaiah is talking about God’s spiritual reign on earth. For Christians, Zion is not so much a geographical location. It’s more a state of being in which God’s will is done. It is a community of righteousness, justice and peace. It is heaven on earth.

We believe God’s kingdom came to earth in the person of Jesus and that when Jesus returns in glory, heaven on earth will be realized in its fullness.        

However you choose to interpret it, Isaiah 60 is first and foremost about the light of God’s glory. God’s people are to reflect the light of God’s glory, sort of like the moon reflects the sun’s light.

In verse 2, Isaiah says, 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

Darkness here is spiritual darkness. It is moral evil and death. In contrast, the light of the Lord represents truth and goodness, justice and peace, love and life. The light of God’s glory shows us how to live right.

This imagery sounds echoes of the creation story in Genesis 1 where we read…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 

Isaiah is piggy backing off the creation story in Genesis. He is acknowledging that the world is in bad shape, it’s in chaos and darkness. But God is going to bring order to the chaos. God is going to bring light to the darkness. God is making his creation new and it begins with his glory, his divine light, rising over you.

Jesus said of himself, ‘I am the light of the world’. In other words, Jesus shows us the goodness of God. Jesus reveals the truth about God (and the truth about us). Jesus overcomes the darkness of sin and death through his death and resurrection. Jesus comes to make all things new. Jesus restores God’s order to creation.   

As I mentioned earlier, light is fast. Isaiah 60 finishes with these words: I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly. In other words, the revelation of God’s glory, will happen quickly in the end, like having an epiphany after a long struggle to understand.

Gravity:

We’ve heard about the light of God’s glory rising over Zion. Now let’s consider the gravity of God’s glory. God’s glory is a weighty thing. It is heavy, it has substance, mass, gravitas.

Outside the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, there’s a statue of Isaac Newton looking down at an apple on the ground. This commemorates Newton’s epiphany about gravity.

For some time, Isaac Newton had been contemplating the nature of gravity.

One day in 1666 Newton was walking in the garden of his family home, when he noticed an apple fall from a tree. He considered why the apple fell straight down and not up or sideways. 

From that simple observation Newton reasoned that a falling apple and the orbiting moon are both pulled by the same force. Newton then did some mathematical calculations to prove his theory. Basically, the greater the mass of an object the stronger its gravitational pull.

In verses 3 and 4 we read…

3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;

Thinking in spiritual terms, the light of God’s glory will have a certain gravitational pull, drawing the leaders of the nations toward Zion. This is a poetic way of saying, people are attracted to the glory of God’s wisdom, justice and peace, his salvation, his abundant life. Deep down people want God’s reign on earth.

Notably, among those coming are your sons and daughters. For the Jews of Nehemiah’s time (hundreds of years before Christ) this could have meant the lost tribes of Israel returning to Jerusalem. But for believers today it might mean seeing wayward children returning to church or witnessing secular society returning to faith in God.

Verse 6 mentions Midian and Ephah being drawn to Zion. Midian and Ephah were descended from Abraham through Abraham’s second wife Keturah.

They were like half-brothers to the Israelites. This hints at a reconciliation between the children of Abraham. The power of God’s glory is that strong.

Verse 6 indicates the people of Sheba feeling the gravitational pull of God’s glory too. This reminds us of the time the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem with gifts of gold to learn the wisdom of Solomon.

God’s glory is not like gravity in every way. Gravity is an unconscious force of nature. By contrast, God’s glory is discerning and wise, capable of restoring people to right relationship. 

God’s glory is his wisdom and power to save all the nations of the earth, whether they are descended from Abraham or not.

Worship:

The glory of God’s salvation requires a response of worship.

The word worship comes from the old English word, ‘worth-ship’.

Worship is about attributing worth or value to something. This means worship costs us. It involves a sacrifice of time, energy and gifts.

Verse 5 talks about the riches of the nations coming to Zion and verse 6 talks about those from Sheba bringing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. Gold, incense and praise are all symbols or elements of worship.

The financial offerings we make each week and the time we volunteer in service to Christ are part of our worship of God, as are the songs of praise we sing in church.

The smoke of incense is a symbol of people’s sweet-smelling prayers rising to God. We don’t literally burn incense in our tradition, but we do pray as part of our worship. Prayer itself is the more important part. Incense is simply a visual reminder of the invisible reality of prayer.

We note also that worship is a process. Worship involves going on a journey. The pilgrims in Isaiah 60 don’t just set and forget a weekly automatic payment to the church (as much as the deacons and staff do appreciate that).

The pilgrims in Isaiah 60 travel a long way to get to a place where they can offer their gifts in worship to God.

The journey to worshipping God takes time and energy. It requires faith to leave what feels safe and familiar. It requires commitment and endurance to go the distance. But we make the effort to go on that journey because God is worth it. The journey is part of our offering to God, it is part of the sacrifice.  

Our life in this world is a journey with a purpose. The goal is to offer ourselves in obedience and praise to God our Father.  

Isaiah 60, verse 11, says: your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations…    

Many times, over the centuries, nations have come to conquer and destroy the city of Jerusalem. But Isaiah 60 imagines a very different future. One in which the nations of the world recognize God’s worth (as revealed by his glory) and are drawn to worship the Lord in peace. 

God’s glory opens doors and offers security. People are drawn to Zion with goodwill. By God’s grace and power, the spirit of greed and violence, which dominates this current age, is replaced by a spirit of generosity and love.

The glory of God’s salvation requires a response of worship.

Conclusion:

History tells us the promise of Isaiah 60 is yet to be fulfilled. The Jews who returned from exile in Babylon saw a partial fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

The earthly city and the temple were rebuilt but not to the former glory of Solomon’s time and certainly not to the extent of Isaiah’s vision.

As Christians, we believe Isaiah 60 is properly fulfilled in and through Jesus, the Christ. The visit of the wise men, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, points to Jesus being the one in whom the glory of God dwells.

As we read in the gospel of John: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,  who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus came to make all things new.

Jesus embodies the light of God’s grace and the gravity of truth.

Through Jesus’ sacrifice salvation is available to all people. 

Through faith in Jesus our worship is made acceptable to God the Father. 

May the light of God’s glory inspire your hope. And may the gravity of God’s glory keep your feet on the ground, as you journey in worship to him. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Have you ever had an epiphany? What happened? What did you suddenly realise? How did you feel? What difference did it make to your life?
  3. How would the returning Jewish exiles of Nehemiah’s day interpret Isaiah 60? How might Christians living in the 21st Century interpret Isaiah 60?
  4. Discuss / reflect on the Biblical connections between Isaiah 60 and the creation story in Genesis. How does Jesus fulfil the vision of Isaiah 60? 
  5. Why are you drawn to Christian faith? What do you find attractive about Jesus?
  6. What is worship? Why do we worship? How do we worship God? To what or whom do you attribute value and worth? 
Tawa Baptist

The Fruit of Hope

Scripture: Isaiah 35

Video Link: https://youtu.be/e3kB49mMC_Y

Structure:

  • Introduction – Joy is the fruit of hope
  • Hope for renewal – from curse to blessing
  • Hope for release – from fear to joy
  • Hope for restoration – from exclusion to worship
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Joy is the fruit of hope. If hope is a beehive, then joy is the honey.

If hope is a herd of cows, then joy is the milk they produce.

If hope is a tree, then joy is the oxygen breathed out by the tree.

If hope is a sunny day, then joy is the Vitamin D you absorb from the sun.

If hope is a good night’s rest, then joy is the energy you get from sleeping well. If hope is a cash deposit with the bank, then joy is the interest earned.

If hope is a gentle spring rain, then joy is the new growth on the land.

Joy is the fruit of hope.

Today is the third Sunday of Christmas Advent. Traditionally, the theme of the third Sunday in Advent is joy. With joy in mind our sermon is based on Isaiah 35. In Isaiah 35 the prophet offers a vision of hope for the future and this vision inspires joy. From Isaiah 35, verse 1 we read…

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there.   But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Isaiah 35 is the prophet’s vision for the future. After judgement, there is hope for renewal, hope for release and hope for restoration. Let us begin with hope for renewal.

Hope for renewal:

You renew silver by polishing it.

You renew a battery by charging it.

You renew a plant by watering it.

You renew your body by resting it.

You renew trust by being truthful.

You renew your perspective by getting back to nature.

You renew commitment by remembering your promises.

You renew a friendship by spending quality time together.

You renew behaviour by changing the way you think.

You renew your mind with the help of the Holy Spirit.

But how do you renew joy? By giving people a vision of hope for a better future. Joy is the fruit of hope.

In Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the ground, so it produced thorns and weeds, making it difficult for humankind to work the soil and grow food. Here, in Isaiah 35, the prophet imagines a world in which God reverses the curse of sin so the land is renewed.

In verses 1 and 2 of Isaiah 35 the prophet speaks about the desert rejoicing greatly, like when a crocus bursts into bloom. The crocus plant is beautiful and vibrant. From the crocus flower we get saffron which is a rare and valuable spice used in cooking. This is a wonderful image of renewal. With Genesis 3 in mind, we notice the movement from curse to blessing.

Verse 2 goes on to offer more images of renewal. The glory of Lebanon and the splendour of Carmel and Sharon will be given to the desolate wilderness.

In ancient times Lebanon was known for its cedar forests and Carmel and Sharon were regions renowned for their fruitfulness and beauty. The prophet imagines a future transformed for the better. From a scorched earth to a well-watered earth. From a harsh environment to a fruitful environment. From a cursed land to a blessed land. This is a vision of Eden renewed.  

Verse 2 concludes with the phrase, they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God. Who is the prophet talking about here? Who are they?

Well, on one level they are probably the Jewish exiles in Babylon who would one day return to their homeland. But on another level, they might also refer to those who live in a spiritual wilderness at any time in history. They whose faith is dry and burned out. They who are oppressed by sin and injustice.

They could be us. The spiritual environment we live in is not friendly or hospitable. It is not easy to live a Godly life in this world. Sometimes it feels like a spiritual desert. We may long for renewal.

The prophet imagines a future in which the spiritual environment will be renewed by the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is a way of talking about God’s power and presence, his divine light. As Christians, we believe Jesus came to make all things new. Jesus embodies the renewing power and presence of God. Jesus’ coming is cause for joy.

Jumping ahead to verse 7, Isaiah returns to the image of a renewed wilderness saying, the burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the Bible water is often a poetic way of referring to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is how God brings renewal to his creation. We don’t manufacture renewal out of thin air. We depend on God’s Spirit for our renewal.

Hope for release:

Joy is the fruit of hope. We have heard about the hope for renewal. Now let’s consider the hope for release.

In the news this past week we have seen images of joy as Syrian political prisoners were released following the fall of the Assad regime. Many of these prisoners were locked up and tortured because they opposed the regime.

The people of Syria are overjoyed at finally ejecting a ruler who governed with fear and ruined his country. 

Prisons come in many forms. There are physical prisons with concrete walls and barbed wire, which are not pleasant places to be. But there are also mental prisons, created by fear. The prison of fear can be difficult to escape.

In the movie, The Truman Show, the producer and director of the show prevents Truman from escaping by lying to him and instilling fear. He fakes the death of Truman’s father in a boating accident to create a fear of water, and the cast reinforce Truman’s anxieties with warnings about the dangers of travelling abroad. Nevertheless, Truman fosters a quiet hope of one day venturing to Fiji.

In many ways, anxious fear is the opposite of joy. Joy is the fruit of hope. Joy is a positive energy that enables us to function and move forward in faith.

By contrast, anxious fear drains us of energy. Anxious fear disables us, preventing us from making the changes that lead to life. Anxious fear is the product of deceit. When we believe in lies, we become a prisoner to fear.

In verses 3 and 4, the prophet offers a message of sure hope for those who are imprisoned by fear. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

The phrase fearful hearts literally translates, hasty hearts.[1] Hearts that beat quickly with anxiety. Minds that undermine hope and joy by racing ahead and imagining the worst.

Isaiah means to calm hasty hearts and replace fear with joy. The people have apparently believed the lie that God has given up on them, and that God does not care about justice. Isaiah replaces this lie with the truth that God does care and he will come to right the wrongs against them.  

The theme of release, especially release from fear, is echoed again in verses 8-9 which read, 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,  

In ancient times travelling was not easy or safe, particularly travelling through the wilderness. If you were Jewish, making a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem often meant going through enemy territory on foot, where you could be ambushed by robbers. Then there was the added threat of being attacked by wild animals.

For God’s people in exile in Babylon, the thought of making a long and difficult journey home through the bad lands would have been overwhelming.

The fear of being harmed loomed large. Isaiah wants to dispel that fear and give the people confidence. They will be able to travel the way unimpeded and without fear of being attacked.

Isaiah’s words still apply today. This world is like one long exile until God’s kingdom is realized in its fullness on earth. We too are on a journey. We too need to find our way home to God. 

We note here the way is for the redeemed, those ransomed or set free at great cost. We note also, the way back is a Way of Holiness.

Holiness is about living a life of faithful obedience to the Lord. To be holy is to be set apart for God’s purpose. To be holy is to be pure in heart, not double-minded or two faced. To be holy is to be devoted to God, not divided in our loyalty or motivation.  

As Barry Webb puts it: ‘The pursuit of holiness is the pursuit of God himself. The face that is set towards God will open to joy and gladness like a flower opening to the sun.’ [2]   

The road to God is the way of holiness, which is unfortunate because none of us are holy, not really. How then are we to find our way home to God?

In John 14, Jesus says of himself, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  

Jesus is the way of holiness that Isaiah was talking about. Jesus is our holiness. To walk the way of holiness is to follow Jesus, to be in Christ, to trust him for our redemption.

Hope for restoration:    

Joy is the fruit of hope. For the people of God, joy comes from hope for renewal, hope for release and hope for restoration.

The hope for renewal involves a movement from curse to blessing.

And the hope for release involves a movement from fear to joy.

But what about the hope for restoration? What movement is involved here?

It’s a movement from exclusion to worship.

In 1973 John Denver wrote Annie’s Song. The first verse reads…

You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest. Like the mountains in springtime. Like a walk in the rain. Like a sleepy blue ocean. Like a storm the desert.

You fill up my senses, come fill me again.

Apparently, John wrote these lyrics on a chair lift after a difficult ski run in the Colorado mountains. He was inspired by the beauty of nature and thought of his wife Annie. It’s a love song. Although John Denver wrote this song for his wife, it has the feel of a psalm. It’s like a worship song.

There are times in worship when God fills up our senses with an awareness of his presence and we are lost in awe and wonder and praise. In those rare moments, we catch a glimpse of the vision which inspired Isaiah 35.

When God fills our senses it’s like we are drowning in his laughter, overwhelmed with the joy of always being with him, giving our life to him in love, and when this life ends dying in his arms knowing eternal life is to come.

Not sure about you, but I don’t usually experience God’s presence like that in gathered worship. However, I have (occasionally) experienced the joy of what I believe is Jesus’ presence, in my own personal devotional times. I hope you do too. It’s a gift to treasure.

In verses 5 and 6 of Isaiah 35, the prophet offers a picture of restoration saying:

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy…

In this word picture, sight is restored, hearing is restored, movement is restored and speech is restored. It’s like Isaiah is saying, ‘God will fill up your senses with an awareness of his presence’. 

In this world, people with disabilities are usually at a disadvantage. People with disabilities are often excluded, they tend to miss out. Verses 5 and 6 offer a picture of inclusion. They show the movement from exclusion to worship.

Isaiah’s vision of hope is not just for the strong and able. It is for everyone.

God will even the playing field. He will remove any impediment or barrier that might prevent people from knowing him and worshipping him.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus literally brought physical restoration to people in all these ways. Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the lame and the mute.

Jesus performed these miracles of restoration as a sign of what people could expect with the coming kingdom of God. The last shall be first. Those who had previously been excluded from worship will be included.

As you’ve probably worked out by now, the words of the prophet and the signs of Jesus operate on more than one level at once. A person may have 20/20 vision and perfect hearing, but sadly be spiritually blind and deaf. A person may be able to run a sub four-minute mile but be quite lame in their obedience to God. A person might speak eloquently in public but be mute in private prayer.

These are the words Isaiah heard when the Lord called him to be a prophet… 

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

These are words of exclusion. The people had disobeyed God for a long time and would have to face the consequences for this. Much of the first 34 chapters of Isaiah are a message of doom and judgement. But judgement would not have the last word.   

Isaiah 35 pictures the hope of restoration after the dread of judgement.

Isaiah 35 is like a glass of cold water after a hot day working in the sun.

It’s like seeing the face of a friend after months apart. It is the calm after the storm. It is the holiday after your work is done. It is the healing after suffering.

It is the homecoming after exile. Isaiah 35 is a vision of worshipping in God’s presence after being excluded for so long.

In verse 10 of Isaiah 35 we read how God’s people are restored to their home.  

10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

This is a picture of the movement from exclusion to worship. But it’s not a tedious, duty-bound worship. It’s a joyful worship. It’s the kind of worship in which God fills up your senses with an awareness of his presence and love.

It’s an eyes wide open worship. It’s an ears hearing and understanding worship. It’s a body responding in obedience worship. It’s a tongue praising God in spirit and in truth worship.   

Conclusion:

Joy is the fruit of hope. Isaiah 35 is a vision of hope for renewal, hope for release and hope for restoration. This trinity of hope involves three movements: from curse to blessing, from fear to joy and from exclusion to worship. 

Isaiah 35 looks forward to the consummation of history after the day of judgement. It is glorious and true. It will happen, we just don’t know when.

In the meantime, we live in the now but not yet. We still have to deal with trials and difficulties. We feel the frustration of our own limitations and the weariness of waiting.

But God in his grace nourishes our hope with glimpses of his kingdom, small windows of eternity opening into time.

May God fill up your senses with an awareness of his presence. May he refresh your hope with a vision of the joy that is coming in Christ. Amen.       

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is joy? Where does joy come from? Where does hope come from?
  3. What images of renewal does Isaiah use? What difference does God’s renewal make? Discuss / reflect on the movement from curse to blessing.
  4. How does fear affect the human soul? How might someone escape the prison of fear?
  5. What (or who) is the way of holiness? What does it mean to walk the way of holiness?
  6. In what ways does Jesus fulfil the vision of Isaiah 35, for the world and for you personally?
  7. Has God ever filled up your senses with an awareness of his presence? What was the context for this? How did you feel? What lasting affect did it have on you? Spend time in adoration of God this week.  

[1] Refer John Goldingay’s commentary on Isaiah, page 197.

[2] Refer Barry Webb’s commentary on Isaiah, page 146. 

Tawa Baptist

Sweet & Sour

Scripture: Isaiah 64

Video Link: https://youtu.be/U8ejSDq3bgg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s intervention and absence
  • God’s goodness and anger
  • God’s gentleness and severity
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

If you try sucking a lemon, it tastes pretty sour. Sets your teeth on edge. But if you mix the lemon with a bit of honey and water, it’s delicious and good for you.

Likewise, if you bite into a raw onion on its own, the taste will make your eyes water. It’s not pleasant. But if you cook the onion with a bit of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, it tastes delicious.

Lemon and honey, sugar and vinegar, these are classic sweet and sour flavours in cooking. You wouldn’t know unless you tried it, but somehow, sweet and sour is a winning combination.

We are currently in the season of advent. Advent is a time to remember Jesus’ coming. With this in view, our sermon today is based on Isaiah 64, which is essentially a prayer for God to come down to earth.

Isaiah 64 is a sweet and sour prayer. In the context of Isaiah, the relationship between God and his people is not good, it’s like sucking a lemon. The people are affected by exile and feeling the distance between themselves and the Lord. The prophet balances this sourness with a little honey. From verse 1 we read…

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! 2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! 3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. 7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over toour sins. 8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people. 10 Your sacred cities have become a desert; even Zion is a desert, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins.

12 After all this, O Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

We find a number of sweet and sour combinations in the prayer of Isaiah 64. Our message today focuses on three in particular: God’s intervention and absence. God’s goodness and anger. As well as God’s gentleness and severity. Let’s begin with God’s intervention and absence. 

God’s intervention and absence:

How many of you yell at the ref when you are watching a sports game?

And how many of you live with someone who yells at the ref? Be honest now.

It can be frustrating when the ref makes a bad call and unfair play is allowed. Personally, I don’t care. It’s just a game. But for some of you the compulsion to step onto the field and intervene is very strong.

Modern technology has advanced to the point where the TMO does intervene at times. In fact, in cricket, the players can challenge the on-field decision and ask the third umpire for a second opinion.

In verse 1 of Isaiah 64, the prophet makes an impassioned plea for God’s intervention saying, O that you would rend the heavens and come down that the mountains would tremble before you…

Before we unpack this verse, you should know this sweet and sour prayer actually begins at verse 7 of Isaiah 63. So, this plea for God’s intervention comes somewhere near the centre of the prayer. Isaiah 64, verse 1 is the heart of the prayer, which means it is probably the most important part. 

That word rend means to rip or to tear open. In Old Testament times, rending or tearing your clothes was a sign of grief or remorse. It was a dramatic way of showing everyone that you did not agree with what was happening. Sometimes it signalled repentance. Other times the rending of garments was a sign of protest, like yelling at the ref.     

Asking God to rend the heavens was like asking God to tear his clothes in protest at the status quo. But God appears to be unresponsive, aloof and disengaged. The prophet wants God to visibly show his outrage at the state of affairs. He’s asking God (the third umpire) to come onto the field and right some wrongs.

The mountains of verse 1 are a metaphor for imposing and oppressive obstacles. [1] Whether Isaiah’s audience are in exile or returning from exile, they are up against it. The prophet wants God to come down from heaven in power to deal with the challenges his people on earth face.

He wants God to put heat on Israel’s enemies, as when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil.

Fire is a catalyst for change. Fire makes things happen. If God came down to intervene that would be the catalyst they needed, just like the days of old when God intervened to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt.

Some commentators reckon the prophet is confronting God and the people with an intolerable tension between the past and the present. [2]

God intervened before, why won’t the Lord intervene again?

For God’s people in exile the contrast between then and now is as stark as a lush green forest and a barren brown desert. The people have gone from a land of milk and honey to a land of tripe and onions. They have exchanged freedom in Palestine for captivity in Babylon. And when they finally did return to the Promised Land, after their exile, they found ruin and disappointment.   

One thing is clear, God’s perceived absence has the effect of causing people to miss the Lord and to long for him. “Don’t it always seem to go you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”.

There may be times when we feel like exiles in a strange land. Times when we wish God would intervene to change our situation and yet, despite our earnest prayers, nothing changes. The water doesn’t boil and the mountains still stand in our way.

The Lord disciplines those he loves. Sometimes God’s perceived absence and inaction refines us. It moves us to sort out our priorities and realign our values. It sharpens our yearning for intimacy with God.

God’s goodness and anger:

So why doesn’t God intervene? Well, the prophet thinks it has to do with the sweet and sour combination of God’s goodness and anger.

Most people wouldn’t naturally put goodness and anger together. We tend to associate anger with violence or a lack of self-control. Christians often think of anger like a wild animal, something bad to be avoided. Even secular society frowns on anger (in NZ at least).

And while it’s true that not all expressions of anger are good, there is a right kind of anger. At its heart, anger is the natural and unavoidable response to injustice.         

In the same way that your body reacts to an infection by producing antibodies to fight the infection, so too your soul reacts to injustice by producing anger to oppose the injustice. Anger is our soul’s natural immune response to something immoral or wrong and therefore it is good.

But, just as our physical immune system can sometimes overreact and attack healthy cells, so too our soul (or our psyche) can misdirect anger. We might take our anger out on someone who doesn’t deserve it, or we might turn our anger inward where it festers into self-hatred and depression.   

God’s anger is never misdirected or out of proportion. God doesn’t fly off the handle in a fit of rage. God’s anger is tempered with self-control. God’s anger is a carefully measured and fair response against evil and injustice. Without God’s anger, there is no justice and without justice there is no peace.

In verses 4 and 5, the prophet directs our attention to the goodness of God saying: Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.

God is unique. He is one of a kind. There is no one else like Yahweh. Not only is the Lord powerful he is also just and merciful, acting to help those who do what is right. This speaks to the goodness of God’s character.

It also suggests the problem for Israel. If Yahweh were a pagan god the people might think they could bribe him or manipulate him with sacrifices. But the Lord Almighty is not like the gods of other nations. He is free. He won’t be bribed or manipulated.

God does good because he is good. Likewise, God gets angry with evil because he cannot abide injustice.

You may have seen an ad on TV where the mum is wiping the kitchen bench with a piece of raw chicken – not very hygienic. The point of the ad is that using a dirty old dish cloth to wipe down the bench just spreads the germs around.

It makes things worse. What you need is a clean new cloth.

The prophet puts his finger on the problem in verses 5 and 6, where he says…

…But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…

It’s like the prophet is saying, spiritually speaking we’ve become like someone trying to keep the kitchen clean with a dirty cloth. We may as well be wiping the bench with a piece of raw chicken. Our righteous acts, our best intentions, are just spreading the salmonella of sin around and making things worse.  

The prophet also uses the image of a leaf blown away by the wind. In verse 6 he says, we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

As long as the leaf stays connected to the tree it lives and breathes. But once the leaf is separated from the tree it dies. With this metaphor, God’s people are like leaves which have become disconnected from the tree.

The wind, in this word picture, is sin. Sin separates people from God, the source of life. The prophet is probably alluding to the exile. The nation sinned against God badly and for a long time. As a consequence, they were swept away to Babylon. This explains Israel’s disconnect with God. 

The prophet is basically saying, we have excluded ourselves from the worshiping community and there’s nothing we can do to get back in.

We admit, the problem is less with our enemies and more with us.  

The alienation between God and his people finds expression in verse 7 where the prophet says: No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.

‘To call on the name of the Lord’ means to pray. The prophet is praying on behalf of the people because the people have given up trying to pray themselves. They don’t believe God will listen to them because of their sins.

It’s a Catch 22 situation. The only way we’re going to get through this is with God’s help (with him coming down to save us). But God isn’t going to help us because we’ve broken faith with him and he is angry. So what’s the point in praying? We’d just be wasting our breath.  

The people feel hopeless because God has hidden his face. What does it mean for God to hide his face? At the end of the service each week, when I give the benediction, I say… May the Lord make his face shine upon you… This is based on Aaron’s priestly blessing for the people of Israel in the wilderness.

To have the Lord’s face shine upon you is like saying, may God smile on you.     May God’s presence light your way through life, so you are not afraid and do not stumble. May God bless you with warmth and wisdom and vitality.

If that is what it means for God to shine his face upon you, then hiding his face is the opposite. When God hides his face, we stumble in darkness. Without the light of God’s presence, we are afraid because we cannot see a way forward. The signs of God’s grace and blessing are hidden from us.

When God is angry, he doesn’t usually storm in and smash things. More often God hides his face; he steps back, he withdraws his light, so we stumble in the dark and suffer the consequences of our actions.   

There’s a certain irony in God’s goodness. On the one hand God’s goodness enables life to function on earth. More than that, God’s goodness supports trust. It is because God is good that we can trust him.

But at the same time, God’s goodness prevents us from getting close to him. We are not always righteous or just and therefore we risk provoking God’s anger. We need a third person (someone good) to intercede for us, to pray on our behalf. Jesus is that third person. He is the righteous one who bridges the gap, restoring the communication with God.      

Have there been times in your life when you felt like God was hiding his face from you; times when you gave up on prayer? Who interceded for you during that time? Give thanks to God for them.

Now ask yourself, is there someone who needs me to carry them in prayer at the moment? Jesus lends us his righteousness that we might intercede for others before God in prayer.

God’s gentleness and severity:

Isaiah 64 is a sweet and sour prayer. The prophet longs for God’s intervention, during a time when God’s absence is felt keenly. The prophet acknowledges God’s goodness together with God’s anger, his opposition to injustice. Now let’s consider the combination of God’s gentleness and severity.

As a kid, I remember watching a potter form a bowl out of clay. I was transfixed, watching the vessel take shape on the wheel.

Every now and then the potter would look up at me and smile. He was completely silent, didn’t say a word, just let his hands do the talking.

There was a gentleness in those hands, a sensitivity. The potter wasn’t forcing the clay, he was respecting it, feeling for it’s true form. He was an artist.

In verse 8 we read…

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Here the prophet puts two images of God together. The Lord (Yahweh) is both a father to us and a potter. In other words, God is our creator and we are his handiwork, his children. We owe our very existence to God.

A good father, like a good potter, has a gentle touch. Just as a potter skilfully shapes and forms the clay into a functional form, so too a father tenderly shapes and forms his children into maturity.  

The Jewish exiles were like a lump of clay. They were in a state of chaos.

They had little form or shape or function in Babylon. And, like a lump of clay, they were completely helpless. There was nothing they could do to shape themselves. They were entirely dependent on God to reform them as a nation.  

Why does a potter work with clay to create something? Because he is a potter and that’s what potters do. Why should God reform and remake the exiles into a new nation? Because he is the creator and that’s what the creator does.

The prophet is not asking God to act on the basis of the people’s righteousness. He has just admitted they have no righteousness. The prophet is asking God to act on the basis of who God is. Creator and Father.

Making pottery is not all gentleness and grace. After the vessel is formed it goes into a fiery furnace where it bakes at a severe temperature to make it strong and durable. Yes, God is gentle. We could say gentleness is God’s default setting. Gentleness is how God deals with us most of the time. But there are occasions, from our perspective, when God can be quite severe.  

In verses 10 and 11 the prophet describes the state of Israel. The cities have become a desert and Jerusalem a desolation. The temple has been burned with fire and all that was treasured lies in ruins. This is a picture of God’s severity.

We have heard enough about God’s severity over the past three weeks, as we unpacked Mark 13. I don’t need to labour the point today. Suffice to say, God is not like Santa Claus. He is not a benign old man who indulges our every whim. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, God is good but he is not safe. Respect him. He holds your eternity in his hands.    

Having reminded God of his severity, the prophet then concludes his prayer with a question: 12 After all this, O Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

That’s how the prayer ends, left hanging with the question unanswered.

We know, from our vantage point in history, that the Lord did not hold himself back. We know God does not punish beyond measure. The prayer of Isaiah 64 is answered in the person of Jesus.

Conclusion:

The prophet had asked for God to rend the heavens and come down to help them. Roughly five centuries later, at Jesus’ baptism, we read…

And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. [with gentleness]

Jesus is the divine intervention the prophet had asked for. Jesus is God’s presence among us, in human form. Jesus is the potter and the clay. Jesus is the catalyst for change, making things happen in heaven and on earth.

Jesus moved the mountains of sin and death, to restore our relationship with God. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s goodness, the ultimate expression of God’s gentleness and justice. Jesus is the face of God, shining upon us.

Let us pray. Father God, you are the potter, we are the clay. Thank you for rending the heavens and coming down. Thank you for answering Isaiah’s prayer in and through Jesus. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Do you yell at the ref during a sports game? Do you know someone who does? Why do people do that? Why does the prophet call for God to rend the heavens and come down?
  3. Have there been times in your life when you longed for God to intervene? What happened?
  4. Have there been times in your life when you felt like God was absent? How did this affect you? 
  5. Why do we need anger? When is anger good? When is anger not good? What strategies do you have for managing your anger well?
  6. Discuss / reflect on Isaiah 64:7. Why did the people give up praying to God? Have there been times when you felt like prayer was useless? Why did you feel that way? Did anyone intercede for you (pray on your behalf) during that time? Is there someone who needs you to carry them in prayer at the moment?
  7. What purpose does God’s gentleness serve? What purpose does God’s severity serve? What is your perception of God? In your mind, is God all gentleness or all severity or a bit of both? Do you have the balance right?    

[1] Refer John Watts, Word Commentary on Isaiah, page 335.

[2] Refer Paul Hanson’s commentary on Isaiah, page 237.

Tawa Baptist

Watch

Scripture: Mark 13:28-37

Video Link: https://youtu.be/UTzUTNOVvT4

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • These things (vv. 28-31)
  • That day (vv. 32-37)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When working with anything electrical it’s important not to get your wires crossed. If your car battery runs flat and you need jumper leads to get it started, always remember positive to positive, negative to negative. If you cross your wires, sparks will fly and you might get a nasty shock.  

To make it easier for you, the jumper leads are colour coded. The red lead attaches to the positive terminal on each battery and the black lead attaches to the negative terminal. Just don’t let the wires touch each other.

Today we conclude our series in the gospel of Mark by looking at the closing verses of chapter 13. Mark 13 is complicated. For most of the chapter Jesus is talking about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which happened in AD70. But right at the end of Mark 13, Jesus switches to talking about his second coming and the end of the age, which is yet to happen.

From this distance in history (2000 years after Mark wrote his gospel) it’s easy to get our wires crossed. To make it clearer for you, verses 28-31 relate to the destruction of Jerusalem and the verses 32-37 relate to Jesus’ second coming and the end of the age. From Mark 13, verse 28 we read… 

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Today’s sermon is a message of two halves. The first half focuses on verses 28-31, where Jesus talks about ‘these things’. These things being the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which happened in the first Century, and has been the subject of most of the preceding 27 verses. 

The second half of the message focuses on verses 32-37, where Jesus talks about ‘that day’. That day being the day of the Lord; aka: Jesus’ second coming, which is yet to happen. Let’s start with these things.

These things (vv. 28-31)

The seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn and winter, are normally heralded by certain signs. We know spring is starting when daffodils and cherry blossoms come out. We know summer is almost here when the lawns need mowing more frequently. And we know autumn has arrived by the changing colour of the leaves on trees.

These signs of the seasons don’t lie. People may lie and deceive but the leaves on the trees reveal the truth of the season.  

In Mark 13, Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking across the valley to Jerusalem. It’s springtime and the Mount of Olives is covered in fig trees.

Fig trees grow a lot of foliage during spring and so Jesus uses this as a parable for what he has just been talking about.

In verse 2 of Mark 13, Jesus had predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. Then in verse 4, the disciples asked, ‘when will these things happen and what will be the sign?’ Jesus goes on to talk about what to look out for and what to avoid. We covered these things over the past two Sundays.

The signs Jesus mentions are like fig trees growing an abundance of leaves in spring. They indicate the destruction of the Jerusalem temple is close at hand.

In the same way the leaves of a tree don’t lie, so too Jesus doesn’t lie.

False prophets will deceive many, saying God will save Jerusalem. But Jesus’ words reveal the truth of the season.     

Jesus says as much, in verses 30-31, which read…

30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

We know these things refers to the destruction of Jerusalem because Jesus says it will happen within this generation, that is, within the lifetime of the disciples. And, as we have heard, the destruction of Jerusalem did actually happen within 40 years of Jesus predicting it. 

The cogent point here is that Jesus’ words are trustworthy and reliable, far more trustworthy and reliable than the temple building. The phrase heaven and earth, in verse 31, is probably a metaphor for the temple. (The temple being a symbol of heaven and earth in miniature.)

Jesus is saying his words will outlive the Jerusalem temple. Indeed, Jesus’ words are eternal. Therefore, Jesus’ teaching is worthy of our obedience.

When we obey Jesus’ words in faith, we offer worship of eternal significance; something that gives our lives lasting meaning.

That day (vv. 32-37)

Okay, having spoken at length (for 31 verses) about these things (aka: the destruction of Jerusalem), Jesus then looks further ahead to that day, at the end of the age when he will return in glory.

Unlike the destruction of Jerusalem, which Jesus knew would happen within a generation, that day of his second coming is known only to God the Father.

Not even the angels in heaven nor Jesus himself know the timing of that day.

And because no one knows the timing of Christ’s return, we must keep watch.

What does it mean to keep watch? Here’s an acronym for you. W.A.T.C.H. stands for Work, Abide, Trust, Commit and Hope. Watching begins with working.

In verse 34, Jesus gives another parable. The second coming of the Lord is like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task…

Jesus is the owner of the house who goes away and Jesus’ followers are the servants who are left in charge. The servants don’t sit around idly doing nothing in their master’s absence. No. The servants keep working. They get on with the tasks assigned to them.

Perhaps one servant is in charge of the grounds. If she doesn’t mow the lawns and keep the weeds under control, and the master comes back to an overgrown garden, it will be obvious she wasn’t keeping watch.

Or another servant may be in charge of the kitchen. If he doesn’t feed the household, and the master comes back to a sickly, malnourished staff, it will be obvious he wasn’t keeping watch.

Watching begins with working, doing the mahi. Work provides a positive use for our time, so we are less likely to get into trouble. It also gives us purpose and enables us to contribute to God’s household in meaningful ways. 

The question is: what is our assigned task? What good work does Jesus want us to do? How does the master want you to contribute to his household?

We are talking about what it means to watch for Jesus’ return. As well as doing the work assigned to us, we must also abide in Christ. ‘Abide’ is one of those words which has more than one meaning.

Abide can mean hanging out with someone, spending time with them or living with them. Jesus’ parable in verse 34 imagines a situation where the servants abide in their master’s household, sort of like Downton Abbey.

Abiding, then, is about being together and taking care of our relationships.

We don’t want to become so task-focused that we neglect our relationships with each other.

When we started training for ministry, our New Testament lecturer (George) talked to us about SAS training. The SAS are elite commandos in the British army. We were not elite Christians. We were pretty ordinary really. But we were preparing to enter a spiritual war zone. 

George told us, the final test for getting into the SAS is a survival exercise.

A small squad of men are dropped in the wilderness and have to get back to base without being captured. To pass the test though, every member of the squad needs to make it home. No one left behind.

George’s point was that we needed to look out for each other and not become so focused on the task that we neglected our mates. Our own individual achievement should not become more important than the wellbeing of our fellow believers.

Abiding doesn’t mean we need to live together all the time, commune style. But we do need to fellowship together on a regular basis. We do need to take care of our relationships. One of the reasons we gather for worship on a Sunday and hold shared lunches and run small groups is to abide with each other. When believers abide with each other, they are abiding in Christ.      

Abide also has another meaning though. To abide means to obey or adhere to, as in ‘abide by the law’. To abide in Christ, therefore, is to continue obeying Jesus’ teaching, following in his footsteps. And what did Jesus command us to do? Love one another. By this all people will know you are my disciples.

Abiding in Christ is what makes our work fruitful for God’s glory. As Jesus says in John 15, 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Abiding in Christ could be summed up as obeying Jesus in fellowship with other believers. To what extent are we abiding in Christ? Do we have the balance right between working and abiding?

Life is busy, especially at this time of year. I know, I get it. I don’t want to add yet another thing to your ‘to do list’. Nor do I want to send you on a guilt trip. But the spiritual reality is, we cannot keep watch on our own. We need to help each other if we are going to make it.    

To watch for Jesus’ return means to work at the task the Lord assigns to us, as we abide in Christ, that is, as we support one another. Keeping watch also involves trust. This trust works both ways. Jesus trusts us and we trust him. 

In verse 34, Jesus says the owner of the house puts the servants in charge. Putting the servants in charge shows that the owner trusts his servants to take care of business when he is gone.

By the same token, the servants need to trust the master, even though they cannot see him and don’t know when he will return. There are times in this life when we feel overwhelmed, when the darkness closes in, and we can’t see a way forward. In those times we need to trust that God will find a way, that he will lead us to the light of a new day.

Humanity has been waiting 2000 years for Jesus to return. That’s a long time from our perspective. We know we can trust Jesus’ words though, because his prediction about the destruction of Jerusalem came true, as did many other things he said. Jesus’ return is as sure as the sunrise, it just takes longer.

Work, abide, trust. These are essential to keeping watch for Jesus’ second coming, as is commitment. Keeping watch for Christ requires us to commit.

To commit means to stick with something (or someone) for as long as it takes. Commitment requires grit. Like the grit on sandpaper, we stick no matter what.

In verse 35 Jesus says: keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.    

Following this metaphor, it could be a long night without Jesus in the world. And so, the followers of Jesus need to be prepared to commit for the long haul.

The kind of commitment required is the commitment of a marathon runner who does the training and prepares well in advance. Come race day, he is ready and goes the distance. Or it’s the commitment of a woman in labour, who breaths through the contractions and endures the pain till her baby is born.

What I’m saying here is, we need to find our rhythm because a healthy rhythm supports commitment. Just like a marathon runner needs to find their rhythm to make it through the race. And, just like a woman in labour needs to find her rhythm with delivering her baby. Commitment requires a certain rhythm and balance, so we don’t burn ourselves out. 

Verse 36 reads: If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

It’s best not to interpret this verse literally. Sleeping here is a metaphor for failing to do one’s duty and not taking seriously the warning of the master’s return.

Getting a good night’s sleep and taking holidays when we need to, is part and parcel of finding our rhythm and maintaining our commitment so we can go the distance in God’s will for us.

What rhythms support your commitment to Christ? Do you observe a sabbath? Do you maintain a regular routine of Bible reading and prayer? Do you take care of your body with healthy eating, exercise and rest? Do you make time for friends and family and church?  

To watch for Christ is to do the work Jesus assigns us, to abide in him, to recognize the trust he shows in us and return that trust to him, to commit for the long haul and to maintain our hope.    

Hope is like a kite; it rises against the wind. Just as you can’t fly a kite without wind, so too you can’t raise hope without facing opposition.

When life is easy and we don’t face any opposition we have little need for hope, because we are happy enough in the present. But when life is difficult and the present is not a comfortable place to be, we long for a better future. That is hope.

As we have noted already, Jesus uses the expression ‘that day’ in relation to his second coming. In the Old Testament, that day, (aka: the day of the Lord), was a day of judgement.

In Isaiah chapter 2 we read, ‘The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day’.

For Jesus’ disciples, ‘that day’ was a day of judgement, when God would come to sweep away evil and all that is false. But that day was also a day of hope, because if you are oppressed by injustice, then the removal of those who are oppressing you is good news, something to look forward to.

Judgement and hope go together in the Bible. They are two sides of the same coin.

In Matthew 24, the parallel passage to Mark 13, Jesus says…

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 

Jesus’ second coming will be a surprise. It will mean the terror of judgement for some and the hope of salvation realised for others. This is why Jesus stresses the importance of keeping watch. So his second advent is a source of hope and not despair.

How does the day of Christ’s return make you feel? How strong is your hope?

Is Jesus’ second coming something you look forward to, or is it something you don’t think about all that much?

Conclusion:

Hope feeds joy and joy gives us the strength we need to watch. To do the work assigned to us, to abide in Christ, to trust Jesus, and to commit for the long haul.

Let us pray…   

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of Man, give us strength, wisdom and fellowship as we wait and watch for your advent. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. How do we know we can trust Jesus’ words? Why should we take Jesus at his word?
  3. What does it mean to keep watch for Jesus’ return? How do we do this?
  4. What is your assigned task? What good work does Jesus want you to do? How does the master want you to contribute to his household?
  5. What does it mean to abide in (or with) Christ? To what extent are you abiding in Christ? Do you have the balance right between working and abiding?
  6. What rhythms do you have in your life that support your commitment to Jesus? What could you do differently to better sustain your commitment to Christ?
  7. How does the day of Christ’s return make you feel? Is Jesus’ second coming something you look forward to in hope? Why or why not?
Tawa Baptist

A New Heart

Scripture: Mark 13:14-27

Video Link: https://youtu.be/mOK3ojB1xyU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • A new heart
  • A new security
  • A new King
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

New Zealand law stipulates that church buildings with an occupancy of 100 people or more must have a fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand. This auditorium has an occupancy rating of 200. Therefore, we have an approved scheme.

Part of the scheme requires us to provide fire warden training on a six-monthly basis, which we do. The door stewards, sound and projector operators, pastors, deacons, kids’ church leaders and service leaders all have specific areas of responsibility to help the congregation safely exit the building in case of a fire.

If you hear the fire alarm ringing, then you need to leave immediately by the nearest safe exit and report to the assembly point on the corner of Lincoln Ave and the Main Rd. Don’t go back to get your purse or your phone, just get out before the smoke and fire overwhelms you. Following the emergency evacuation scheme will save your life.

Today we continue our series in the gospel of Mark. Last Sunday we heard how Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. In today’s reading Jesus outlines the emergency evacuation scheme for the people of Jerusalem. Jesus tells his disciples what warning sign to look out for and what they should do when they hear the alarm bells ringing. From Mark 13, verse 14 we read…

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’standing where itdoes not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequalled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equalled again. 20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

If today’s reading sounds a bit scary, that’s because it is. We need to keep in mind that Jesus was speaking about the fall of Jerusalem which took place in AD 70. So, from our perspective, the events described by Jesus have already happened. They are in the past. But, from the disciples’ perspective, these events were still to happen, 40 years in the future.     

That said, history has a habit of repeating itself. Some say the judgement that fell on the temple in the first century is a foretaste of the judgement that will one day fall on the whole world.

Where then is the good news? Well bigger picture, God is making all things new. He is giving the world a new heart, a new security and a new King. Let’s begin by considering God’s gift of a new heart.

A new heart:

The heart of a car is the engine. Without an engine, the car cannot fulfil its purpose of taking you from one place to another.

The heart of a chocolate cake is cocoa. Without cocoa powder in the mix, it’s not a chocolate cake.  

The heart of an apple is its core, where the seeds are found. Without the seeds, we wouldn’t be able to grow more apple trees and the fruit would be lost forever. 

The heart of a marriage is commitment. Without commitment to one another’s wellbeing the marriage won’t last.

The heart of worship is love for God. Without love, all our singing and giving and talking is just white noise.

The heart of ancient Israel was the temple building. The temple was the engine of Jewish values and identity. The temple was the cocoa powder in Israel’s chocolate cake. The temple was the center of Israel’s worship. The temple carried the seeds of Israel’s faith and covenant commitment with Yahweh.

Sadly, as we heard last week, the Jerusalem temple had become corrupt and so the nation of Israel was rotten at its core.

God’s remedy was to give Israel a new heart. As the Lord says through the prophet in Ezekiel 36…

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.     

From our individualistic 21st Century cultural context, we tend to read these words as applying to us personally, individually. And that’s okay. The Scripture is spacious enough to accommodate that sort of interpretation.

But if we think more collectively, if we think in terms of we rather than me, we understand that the Lord is probably talking about giving his people, the nation of Israel, a new heart. That is, replacing their temple of stone with a temple of living flesh.

I believe Ezekiel is talking about Jesus here. Jesus is the new heart of flesh who replaces the old stone temple building. Jesus is the engine driving, not just Israel’s values and identity, but the values and identity of all humanity.     

Jesus is the cocoa powder in the world’s chocolate cake. Jesus is the center of our worship. Jesus carries the seeds of humanity’s faith and covenant commitment with God Almighty.

The question is: where is our heart? Who or what is driving the engine of our values and identity. Where does our loyalty and commitment lie?

A new security:

God is making all things new. He is giving the world a new heart, and a new security. Jesus is the new heart and Jesus offers a new kind of security. But there’s a catch; the security Jesus offers doesn’t feel that safe at first. Jesus’ security feels like a risk.

Human development experts tell us that small children have a need for enclosure. By creating boundaries and building enclosures, children start to feel a sense of control over their environment which leads to a sense of security and comfort.  

This need for enclosure often finds expression in children’s play. A child might, for example, build forts out of cardboard boxes or huts out of furniture and blankets. Or they might wrap up their dolls or toys. Playing hide and seek also helps a child to meet their need for enclosure. 

The need for enclosure often remains with us into adulthood. We have an unfortunate but understandable tendency to insulate ourselves against fear and disappointment. We might surround ourselves with small empty comforts, taking refuge behind a wall of cardboard box confidence.    

Enclosure and the sense of security it brings was a deeply felt need for many Jews during the first century. In verse 2 of Mark 13, Jesus predicted the complete destruction of the temple building in Jerusalem. And in verse 4, Jesus’ disciples ask him when this will happen and what will be the sign?

It’s not until verse 14 that Jesus answers their question. After telling his disciples to keep calm and carry on, Jesus says, “When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand – then let those in Judea flee to the mountains.”      

Verse 14 summarises Jesus’ emergency evacuation plan for Jerusalem.

The abomination that causes desolation is their fire alarm. It is a clear signal that they are in mortal danger and need to get as far away from Jerusalem as quickly as possible.

So, what was this abomination that causes desolation?

Well, an abomination is something that is highly offensive, loathsome or detestable. And desolation is emptiness, isolation, ruin and misery.    

The experts can’t agree on what historical event Jesus was referring to here. Some say Jesus is talking about the Roman legions surrounding the city during the siege of Jerusalem. The idolatry displayed on the Roman standards would be an abomination to the Jews, while the army itself caused desolation.

Others say Jesus was referring to the time shortly before the siege of Jerusalem when the zealots took over the temple building and murders were committed in the temple itself. Which was highly offensive and detestable. 

Whatever the case, the Jews of the first century understood what Jesus meant. God had left the temple building desolate, empty and unprotected, so the Romans could destroy the city. Jesus’ advice was to run for the hills, get away from Jerusalem.

In many ways Jesus’ advice was counter intuitive. The enclosure of the city walls made the people feel safe. Jews flocked to Jerusalem seeking security but also out of a misplaced sense of nationalism. They didn’t realise they would be safer in the wide-open spaces away from the city walls.

Staying in Jerusalem was like remaining in a burning building. History tells how 1.1 million people died in the siege of Jerusalem in the first century. Most were taken by starvation. Thousands were put to the sword or crucified. It was a disaster made more tragic by the fact it did not need to happen. If people had listened to Jesus, there would have been no siege in the first place.

Sadly, for many, Jesus’ voice was largely ignored. In verses 21-22 Jesus warns against false Messiahs and false prophets offering false hope. These false Messiahs were telling people to resist the Roman Empire and God would come to their rescue. Which I suppose is what the people wanted to hear.

Josephus, a first Century Jewish historian, tells how during the siege of Jerusalem several rival groups, with leaders claiming to be sent by God, struggled with one another for control within the city. [1]

Jesus warns against getting involved with these rival factions. Indeed, have nothing to do with the war, for God will not defend the city. This is like the time of Jeremiah when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, only worse.     

All of this goes to prove that true security is found through faith in Jesus.

It is by trusting and obeying Jesus’ word that we are saved, even when that word seems counter intuitive. We need the Holy Spirit to help us discern the voice of Jesus and give us courage to obey.

The question is, where do we find our security? Do we find it in the good opinion of others? Or behind a healthy economy and favourable trade agreements? Do we find it by aligning ourselves with a strong military force? Well, those realities are not unimportant. They can be helpful.

But real security, real peace and wellbeing, is the product of a just society.

We pray for leaders to govern with wisdom and fairness that we may live in respectful relationship with those around us.  

A new King:       

God is making all things new. He is giving the world a new heart, a new security and a new King. Jesus is the new heart. Jesus offers a new security. And Jesus is a King like no other.

For a long time, people thought the sun revolved around the earth. It wasn’t until 1543, when Copernicus published his theory, ‘On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres’, that people’s thinking started to change. Prior to Copernicus everyone thought the earth was the centre of the universe.

Often when we read the Bible, we think it revolves around us. And while the Bible certainly is relevant to us, it’s not primarily about us. The Bible is first and foremost about Jesus.

Jesus is the King at the heart of the universe, both the physical universe and the spiritual universe. Jesus is the centre. Everything in heaven and earth revolves around him. As we read in Colossians 1, verse 17: ‘He is before all things and in him all things hold together’.         

In verses 24-26 of Mark 13, Jesus says…

24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

Some people assume that Jesus is talking about the end of the world in these verses. We human beings naturally think it’s all about us. But, as verse 26 makes clear, these words are primarily about Jesus, the Son of Man. 

It is unlikely that Jesus is talking about the end of the world here. If he was, what would be the point of his earlier advice to flee to the mountains? [2] Furthermore, we know he wasn’t talking literally because the physical sun, moon and stars are still above us today.

In verses 24-25 Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah.[3] In the context of Isaiah, the sun being darkened and the stars falling from the sky is a metaphor to describe the end of the Babylonian empire. (The Babylonians being the great world power back in the day.) It’s a poetic way of describing political chaos.

Jesus is borrowing Isaiah’s metaphor, which his disciples were familiar with, and using it to describe the end of the temple system. As we have heard, the temple was the heart of the Jewish nation and religion. Everything revolved around the temple. To lose the temple was like losing the sun, moon and stars.

Jesus’ point seems to be that just as God passed judgement on the evil city of Babylon, so too he will pass judgement on the Jerusalem temple, which had become corrupt. This is a shocking reversal. [4]

Incidentally, in AD 69 four Roman emperors came and went in quick and violent succession: Nero, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian. These men were like falling stars. So, the metaphor might also refer to chaos in the Roman empire as well as chaos in the nation of Israel.    

Verse 26, which talks about the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory, is a reference to Daniel 7, where the Son of Man comes to God in great triumph and after great suffering.

The term Son of Man, in the book of Daniel, is a metaphor for the faithful people of Israel (the saints of the Most High).[5] Jesus uses the term Son of Man to refer to himself. Jesus is the true embodiment of God’s faithful people.

Jesus is saying those in the heavenly realm will see him come in glory.

People on earth, during the first century, wouldn’t see this because we human beings can’t see what’s happening in heaven.

Jesus is making the audacious claim that he will be enthroned as Son of Man, that is, King in heaven. This means the people of God will no longer be defined exclusively as ethnic Israel. With Jesus’ enthronement in heaven, the people of God are now defined as those who are in Christ, regardless of their ethnicity.

Okay, so Jesus is the new King of the universe. But he is not like any other earthly king we might know. Jesus is a Shepherd King. Jesus has compassion for his people. He weeps over the coming destruction of Jerusalem and he gives his life to redeem God’s creation.

Being the good shepherd King that he is, Jesus gathers all those who belong to him from wherever they are scattered. Verse 27 reads…

And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

There is more than one way to interpret this verse. Some say, verse 27 is talking about the rapture, when Jesus will return for those who believe in him. Others think verse 27 is talking about the spread of the gospel.

The word translated as angels literally means messengers. An angel is a messenger. The angels in view here don’t necessarily have wings.

They may also be human messengers (apostles or missionaries) preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth.

This interpretation fits the historical context. With the fall of Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians were scattered to the four winds and spread the seeds of the gospel wherever they went.

Whether verse 27 is talking about the rapture or the spread of the gospel or both, it’s primarily about Jesus. Jesus is the shepherd King who will not leave anyone behind, who believes in him.

The question is: who (or what) is the centre of our universe? Who (or what) do our lives revolve around?  Is Jesus our King? Do we obey his commands?

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, you are God’s heart for this world. In you we find security. You are the King of heaven and earth. Help us to trust and obey you, always. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What function or purpose did the Jerusalem temple serve in ancient Israel? How does Jesus fulfil the function and purpose of the Jerusalem temple?
  3. Where is your heart? Who or what is driving the engine of your values and identity. Where does your loyalty and commitment lie?
  4. Why do human beings feel a need for enclosure? What makes you feel secure and in control of your environment?
  5. What security does Jesus offer? How do we find the security Jesus offers?
  6. Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Mark 13:24-26. How would Christians in the first century have understood these words of Jesus? What do these verses show us about Jesus?
  7. In what ways is Jesus different from any other king? Who (or what) is the centre of your universe? Who (or what) does your life revolve around? Does anything need to change?  

[1] Refer Larry Hurtado’s commentary on Mark, page 217.

[2] Refer Tom Wright’s commentary, ‘Mark for Everyone’, page 183.

[3] Refer Isaiah 13:10 & 34:4 in relation to Mark 13:24-25.

[4] RT France, NICNT Matthew, page 922.

[5] Daniel 7:13 & 18

Tawa Baptist

Keep Calm

Scripture: Mark 13:1-13

Video Link: https://youtu.be/kURCOQhAKTc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Calm your enthusiasm
  • Calm your speculation
  • Calm your fear
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Keep calm and carry on has become a well-known phrase around the world. Some might say it is overused. Keep calm and carry on was originally coined by the British Ministry of Information in 1939, just before the Second World War.

The Ministry of Information put this phrase on posters to help the public. They printed nearly two and half million copies. However, very few posters were ever displayed. Hence the slogan didn’t really catch on during World War Two.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the 21st Century that keep calm and carry on became popular. A bookshop owner was sorting through a box of second-hand books when he found one of the original posters. When he displayed the poster in his shop, it created so much interest he reproduced it and started selling copies. Now it’s everywhere. 

Keep calm and carry on reflects the spirit of British stoicism. It speaks to the self-discipline and fortitude of the war generation. It’s about not being carried away by anxiety but staying calm under pressure for the sake of those around you.

Today we continue our series in Mark’s gospel, focusing on chapter 13, verses 1-13. In this reading Jesus talks about the future. The disciples can expect the years ahead to be difficult. When the mud hits the fan, Jesus’ advice is to keep calm and carry on. From Mark 13, verse 1, we read… 

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” 5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Keeping calm is the key to carrying on. If you don’t keep calm, you won’t be able to carry on for long.

In the verses we just read, Jesus counsels his disciples to keep calm. More specifically, they need to calm their enthusiasm for the temple. They need to calm their speculation about end times, and they need to calm their fear of rejection. Let’s begin with the disciples’ misplaced enthusiasm.  

Calm your enthusiasm:

Have you ever seen a shiny red apple which looked fresh and crisp in the fruit bowl, only to bite into it and get a mouth full of floury mush?

Have you ever read glowing reviews about a restaurant, only to find the meal servings were tiny and the prices enormous?

Have you ever bought an electrical appliance that seemed like good value in the shop, only to have it break down a few days outside of its warranty?    

Sometimes it pays to curb your enthusiasm.

In verse 1 of Mark 13, as Jesus is leaving Jerusalem for the Mount of Olives, one of his disciples expresses his enthusiasm for the temple. He remarks how the stones are enormous and the building looks magnificent. His enthusiasm is understandable. Some of the stones were the size of a bus and the architecture was ornate.  

The temple of Jesus’ day had been rebuilt by Herod the Great. The same Herod who had murdered innocent babies around the time Jesus was born.

Herod’s purpose in building the temple was to make a name for himself and wrangle political power. Herod was not interested in honouring God.

The temple was meant to be a place of prayer and purity. Instead, it had become a place of politics and corruption. It was supposed to be a place of healing and reconciliation, but it had become a place of greed and conniving. The temple should have been a place to worship God in spirit and in truth, but it was really a man-made idol.       

Jesus pours cold water on the disciples’ enthusiasm for the temple, predicting a time when the temple will be destroyed, not one stone left on top of another. Why does Jesus do this? Because the temple is under God’s judgement.

Enthusiasm for the temple building is misplaced, it is a waste of energy.

Getting all excited about the temple is like being eager to buy a ticket for the Titanic’s maiden voyage. 

The Jerusalem temple was, in fact, destroyed by the Romans just a few decades later, in AD 70. We will hear more about that next week.

When speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 12, Jesus says: “I tell you, one greater than the temple is here”. Jesus was talking about himself.

Given the choice between looking at a picture of an ice cream or actually eating the ice cream, most people would choose to eat the ice cream.

Following this metaphor, the temple building was just a pretty picture, an image, it wasn’t the real thing. Jesus is the ice cream. Jesus is the real thing. Through Jesus we taste and experience the goodness of God. 

Jesus is greater than the Jerusalem temple, for Jesus embodies the living presence of God on earth. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice who makes us right with God. In Jesus we find healing for body, mind and soul. Through Jesus our prayers and our worship are made acceptable to God.

Sadly, the disciples couldn’t tell the difference between the picture and the ice cream itself. The disciples couldn’t yet see that being in Christ was better, by far, than being in the temple courts. For when we are in Christ, we are as close to God as we can possibly be.

So, given Jesus’ criticism of the Jerusalem temple, does that mean we should not have church buildings? Well, no. Our situation is different from the Jewish temple of the first century.

The church buildings are useful in so far as they support relationship and connection. The buildings provide a place for the community to come together for worship and fellowship, and they are a symbol of the Christian presence in this place. We want our buildings to be functional and safe. That’s why we did the earthquake strengthening and the north wing renovations.

At the same time, we hold our buildings lightly. We recognize that while the buildings are useful, they are not the most important thing. The church depends on Jesus, not on this auditorium. The church would continue to exist if the buildings were taken away.

Jesus is our temple. Wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, the Lord is present. Therefore, the church is the people, all those who are in Christ.      

I don’t think anyone could accuse Tawa Baptist of making too much of their buildings. Someone told me once (before we did our renovations) how they liked that our buildings looked a bit tired and weather worn. They could identify with this. They had been knocked around by life and felt at home here.

That’s the gospel. Weakness and vulnerability speak to people in a way that strength and beauty can’t.    

Jesus is more concerned with the quality of our relationships with God and each other, than he is with our architecture. Are we a people of faith and prayer? Are we a community of grace and truth? Do others experience something of God’s presence among us? Does this church feel like coming home?

Calm your speculation:

After calming the disciples’ enthusiasm for the temple, Jesus goes on to calm their speculation about end times.

For thousands of years people have speculated about how the world will end. Some thought it would all be over 12 years ago because the Mayan calendar ran out on the 21 December 2012. And yet here we are. There was also quite a bit of anxiety 25 years ago with the Y2K bug. Remember that?

Not to mention all the conspiracy theories that float around whenever there is a war. The leaders of those countries we consider to be our enemies at the minute, tend to be labelled the anti-Christ. Give it another 30 or 40 years and our enemies will be our allies again.

People are slow to learn. Consequently, history keeps repeating itself.

Humanity remains fascinated with the so-called apocalypse. A case in point: The Left Behind book series sold over 65 million copies and was made into a number of movies as well. Sadly, some people base their belief about end times on those books. The Left Behind series might be entertaining in the way that Tom Clancy or Stephen King is entertaining, but it’s not the gospel. It’s fiction.

To be clear, the experts are not agreed that Mark 13 is about the end of the world. But that is how many people today read it. In the context Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem which, to the Jews of the first century, would have seemed like the end of the world.

When four of Jesus’ disciples ask him when the temple will be destroyed and what sign they should look out for that the end is nigh, Jesus seeks to calm their speculation.

Jesus tells his disciples to watch out for false Messiah’s and not to be alarmed when they hear of wars and rumours of wars. Such things must happen,but they do not signal the end.  

Jesus goes on to say: 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Wars, earthquakes and famines happen in every age of human history and do not necessarily carry any weight as signs that the end is imminent.

Jesus wants his disciples to guard against apocalyptic fanatics who think the end of the world is at hand. These fanatics point to false prophets, false Messiah’s and various earthly upheavals to prove their point. [1] Don’t be sucked in by their conspiracy theories.  

Jesus’ metaphor of birth pains sounds a note of hope. Wars, earthquakes and famines are normally associated with death and destruction. But Jesus sees beyond the death and destruction of these events to the new creation God is bringing about. Jesus’ story does not end with the cross. Jesus’ story (and ours) continues with the resurrection.

Rather than speculating about how the world might end, the disciples are to give their time and energy to preaching the gospel to all nations. You can’t control the future, but you can tell people about Jesus in the present. 

Calm your fear:

Perhaps the hardest part of keeping calm and carrying on is managing our fear. Fear is often more difficult to control than enthusiasm and speculation.

But it’s not just fear in general that Jesus wants to calm. More specifically we need help to calm our fear of rejection.  

We can experience rejection in a variety of ways. For example…

Being made redundant from a job you really enjoyed and were good at.

Not getting a job you interviewed for. Being dumped by someone you really liked. Or perhaps having your husband or wife cheat on you. Being picked last for a sports team in PE. Being overlooked or abandoned by a parent. Not getting invited to a party.

These are just some of the ways we might feel rejected.  

Sometimes rejection is relatively minor. Other times it is more significant. Whether it is major or minor though, rejection erodes your spirit and your self-confidence. Suffer enough rejection and you will end up with a hole in your heart, where faith and hope used to be. That’s a difficult hole to fill.

Often when someone rejects us, they have made a judgement about us that is not fair. Prejudice goes hand in hand with rejection. No one wants to be prejudged or condemned. We are naturally afraid of rejection and try to avoid it.

To those who have been judged and rejected unfairly, let me say this. God sees you, even when you are invisible to others. The Lord is our judge and he is just. God will make things right in the end. He can heal your wounds and fill the hole in your heart. That’s not speculation. That is God’s character.

In verses 9-13, Jesus warns his disciples of the prejudice and rejection they will face because of their relationship with him. Their rejection will be quite a bit worse than being picked last in PE. Their rejection will be akin to the suffering Jesus faced. Jesus’ experience sets the pattern for his followers.

The disciples will be flogged and rejected by their fellow Jews in the local synagogues. They will stand trial and be rejected before the Roman authorities as well. And, worst of all, they will be betrayed and rejected by members of their own family.  Everyone will hate the disciples because of Jesus.   

In verse 11 Jesus says, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

This is not an excuse for preachers to avoid doing the hard yards with their sermon prep. The idea here is that, when you are blindsided and the pressure comes on you from the authorities, keep calm and carry on. Don’t panic. The Holy Spirit has got you.

We read how the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles under trial in the book of Acts. For example, in Acts 4 we read how Peter responded when standing before the Jewish Sanhedrin…

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to humankind by which we must be saved.” 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus… 

The Sanhedrin tried to silence the apostles 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 

20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John were rejected by the Jewish authorities, but the Holy Spirit gave them the courage and the words they needed to keep calm and carry on.

On that occasion the apostles were set free with a warning, but it didn’t always end so well. Eventually Peter was killed for his witness for Jesus and John was sent into exile.

Humanly speaking, not many (if any) could stand the rejection that believers suffered in the first century, except by the strengthening of the Holy Spirit.

When we are rejected because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is like a hug from God. The Spirit reassures us of Jesus’ presence and God’s acceptance. When we know that God is for us, what does it matter who is against us.  

Conclusion:

One commentator notes that Jesus’ followers live at a place where the purposes of God and the pain of the world cross paths.

“Many Christians today face persecution every bit as severe as that which the early church suffered; and those Christians who don’t face persecution [Christians like us in NZ] often face the opposite temptation, to stagnate, to become cynical, to suppose nothing much is happening, that the Kingdom of God is just a pious dream”. [2]

We are unlikely to suffer in the same way the early church did, but the temptation to not carry on is no less real. We need to find our balance.

We don’t want to be so uptight that we burn out or put others off. 

Nor do we want to be so relaxed that we become bored or fall asleep.

As Jesus said, those who stand firm to the end will be saved.    

Let us pray…

All knowing God, save us from wasting our energies on misplaced enthusiasm and speculation about the future. Fill us with your Spirit that we would know your acceptance and not be afraid. Help us to keep calm and carry on, in your will, to the end. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is the purpose of a temple? Why does Jesus curb the disciples’ enthusiasm for the temple? What is the church?
  3. Why does Jesus discourage speculation about end times? What does Jesus encourage his followers to do instead?
  4. In what ways did the disciples of Jesus experience rejection? In what ways have you experienced rejection? How did you feel when you were rejected?
  5. How does Jesus say the Holy Spirit will help the disciples? Can you think of a time when the Holy Spirit gave you the right words in a tight spot? What happened? 
  6. What does it mean to stand firm to the end? How do we do this? How might we find a healthy balance with keeping calm and carrying on? 

[1] See Ben Witherington’s commentary on Mark, page 337. 

[2] Refer Tom Wright’s commentary on Mark, page 180.

Tawa Baptist

Bart’s Story

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Reimagining Jesus’ healing of Bartimaeus:

Many years ago, in a city far, far away, there lived a man who could not see. The man’s name was Bart. Not the Bart of Simpson’s fame. Another Bart from another time.

Bart lived in the city of Jericho. Yes, the same Jericho you learned about in Sunday school. The Jericho whose walls collapsed after a seven-day siege. The Jericho whose only survivors were a prostitute named Rahab and her household.

Jericho wasn’t supposed to exist anymore, but Herod the Great rebuilt the city as a monument to his own ego. The new and improved Jericho was beautiful to look at. But that was no use to Bart, he couldn’t see any of it.

Jericho was not like Wellington. The weather was warmer and dryer for one thing. More than that, there was no safety net for people who were blind. There was no Ministry for Social Development, no disability allowance, and almost no Human Rights.  

This meant Bart was forced to beg for a living, alongside all the other people with disabilities. Bart was part of that 5% of the population at the bottom of the heap. Invisible. Expendable. Excluded.

Not being able to see and not being able to work, Bart had time to listen and think. He learned who to approach for bread by the tone in their voice. Bart took in the smells of the marketplace, like a seeing person took in light. He sensed when rain was coming.

He heard the laughter of children, the constant haggling of shop keepers, the laboured breathing of camels after a long journey,

the footsteps of women, heavy with jars of water from the well.

The chatter of a thousand mundane lives.  

Bart also heard the silence of those who ignored his presence. He couldn’t see them, but he understood their choice not to face him.

It was just too hard for many people. They had enough of their own worries without being confronted with his.

Refusal to acknowledge human need breeds its own kind of blindness. Look away often enough and you will stop seeing your neighbour.

Worse than that, you will forget who you are and why you are.

As a professional beggar, Bart was well aware of people’s reasons for not giving. Afterall, Bart had not always been blind. He could see it from both sides now, like that Joni Mitchell song.

Many people simply could not afford to give. Some wouldn’t give because they felt it encouraged laziness, as if being blind was a lifestyle choice. And others simply didn’t care.

For some, the blind and the lame were being punished by God. These fearful souls believed in karma, a lazy belief system. Their idea of God left no room for grace. No room for mystery.     

Bart also understood people’s reasons for choosing to give. Some were quietly appeasing their conscience for sins both real and imagined. While others gave loudly to make themselves look good.

But people are not all bad. There were a few in each day who gave with genuine compassion. And it was their compassion which helped keep Bart’s faith alive. A winsome touch often came when he least expected it. Compassion helped Bart to imagine what God looked like.

Some of his colleagues on the begging circuit were cynical when it came to God. Years of disappointment had corroded their capacity for trust. 

But that wasn’t Bart. His father had always warned him against self-pity. “You can’t change the past, but you can sometimes learn from it”, his dad used to say. “Don’t focus on what’s wrong with the world. Imagine God putting things right”.  

So that’s what Bart did. When one of his friends who couldn’t walk was trampled to death in a street riot, he imagined his friend walking tall in heaven.

Or when tax collectors stole from hard working families on the bread line, Bart imagined authorities who only collected what was fair. In this way, he saved himself the burden of resentment.   

From a young age Bart had heard the ancient predictions of a king who would come to the rescue of his people. This Messiah would be like king David of old, who had conquered his enemies and established peace. This king would be God’s answer, God’s way of putting things right.

Living on the fringes of Jericho as he did, where many travelers passed through, Bart was in a good position to hear news from all over the region.

For about three years now he had been over-hearing reports of a miracle worker. A man who caused the mute to speak, the lame to walk and the deaf to hear. This man had even been known to raise people from the dead.

He spoke with authority and without fear of the religious establishment. And although he had never taken up arms against the Romans, the power of his words and deeds was conquering all manner of evil.

He had become a hero to the people and, much like king David, he travelled with a band of unlikely misfits. His name was Jesus.

Bart thought about that name. Jesus. In Hebrew, Jeshua. Which translates into English as Joshua. It means, ‘the Lord is salvation’ or more simply, ‘God saves’. Hmm. God saves.   

The Joshua of Old Testament times had been instrumental in the destruction of the first Jericho. What would Jesus, the second Joshua, do?

One day, Bart heard a noise in the distance. Bart was a bit like Radar from MASH in that way, hearing the choppers carrying wounded before anyone else. But this wasn’t the sound of choppers. This was more like a wedding procession.

Bart could hear the excitement in people’s voices and sensed the crowd growing as it went along. He asked those standing near what was happening and they told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by’.

Nazareth, a small town in the region of Galilee. Nazareth was not unlike Tawa in some ways. To those who live outside of Wellington, Tawa is the butt of a joke, made famous by a comedian who never lived in Tawa. But to those who do live here, Tawa is a real community.

Nazareth was similar, misunderstood. To those who lived in Jerusalem (just 15 miles from Jericho) Nazareth was a despised place, the butt of a joke. ‘Does anything good come from Nazareth?’ is what people used to say.

Jesus came from the wrong side of the tracks which, in a strange way, made him more trustworthy in Bart’s mind.

Bart knew the Kairos moment had come. Like witnessing a comet that only came round once in a lifetime, Bart had to act before the window of opportunity closed.

But how to get Jesus’ attention? He would have to use a click baity headline. Bart called out loudly, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’.

To call Jesus ‘son of David’ raised the stakes. No one had given Jesus the title ‘Son of David’ publicly before. Bart was essentially naming Jesus as the Messiah. God’s special king, chosen to lead and deliver his people.

It was revolutionary talk, bordering on treason.

The Roman empire was a dictatorship. Caesar didn’t take kindly to political rivals. Not that Jesus had any political aspirations. Far from it. But perception is reality and the empire needs to manage perception.   

Bart’s cry risked a riot.   

Many in the crowd tried to silence Bart. Perhaps they were afraid of the possibility of tear gas and water cannons. Or maybe they found Bart’s presence embarrassing. Beggars are a bad look. They bring property prices down and they make respectable people feel uncomfortable.

But the more they told Bart to keep quiet, the more Bart shouted,

‘Son of David, have mercy on me’. Bart would not be ignored.

If you had heard Bart that day, you would have been reminded of that Chumbawamba song, ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down’.

Years of insult, years of rejection, years of grieving and hoping beyond hope. Years of sheer frustration at his own powerlessness were finding expression in his heart’s cry: ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’.

And through the heat and the sweat and the dust and the cacophony of voices, Jesus did hear him.

Jesus didn’t especially like being called ‘Son of David’. It was true alright. He was the Son of David. He was the Messiah. But it was a truth prone to misunderstanding. The title ‘Son of David’, was a fuse waiting to be lit.

Jesus did not come as a warrior king, like David. Nor was he interested in compromising his loyalty to God in order to keep the peace like Solomon. Jesus was not like any king the world had ever known.

Jesus was unique, one of a kind, the real deal. 

In that moment, Jesus remembered something he had said in a sermon once. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’. To be pure in heart is to will one thing. This man, blind as he was, possessed an insight that those with 20/20 vision just didn’t have.

The man was asking for mercy. Not for power or prestige. Not for justice or revenge. Jesus knew that God, his father, did not ignore passionate, persistent prayer like this and so neither could he.

Jesus also knew that in responding to the man he was publicly accepting the title of Messiah. And he knew that pretty much everyone would misunderstand what that meant. But in a week or so it wouldn’t matter anyway.

Stopping traffic on the motorway, Jesus said to those standing near,

‘Call him’. The crowd grew still. What would Jesus do?

Like a radio finding the right frequency, the same voices that had just been trying to silence Bart, were now encouraging him. ‘Cheer up. On your feet. He’s calling you’.

Bart didn’t need to be told twice. Throwing his cloak aside he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. Bart’s cloak was his most valuable possession. It kept him warm at night and he spread it on the ground during the day for people to drop their coins on. Bart’s coat kept him alive.

Bart was prepared to leave everything to meet Jesus. It’s like Bob Dylan said, ‘When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose’. Bart had nothing to lose. Blessed are the poor for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.   

Jesus looked at Bart and saw in his face that the years had not been kind to him. Jesus saw him and understood his pain, his loneliness, the weariness of absorbing other people’s prejudice. And Jesus loved him. 

Jesus spoke to Bart saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’

How many times had Jesus uttered those words?

Just a day earlier Jesus had asked the same question of two of his disciples, James and John. They had wanted positions of power and prestige in his kingdom. They had come from privilege and didn’t know to ask for mercy.

Nevertheless, Jesus liked asking people that question. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The answer reveals so much.

Bart felt the weight of Jesus’ words, even though they were spoken softly. Bart was used to people tossing him a few coins or a piece of bread when he called for mercy. It often felt like they were paying him to be quiet.

But Jesus was different. Jesus made no assumptions about what Bart wanted. Nor did Jesus try to silence him. Instead, Jesus kept the conversation going, moving from the general to the specific.

Jesus was cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Challenging Bart to reveal his most intimate and sacred desire in front of hundreds of people. It takes real faith to be vulnerable like that.

Bart knew what he wanted. He would take the risk and ask for something big. Something for himself. Something that would last. Something that would set him free. Something that scared him. Something that would completely transform his life…

‘Rabbi, (Master, Teacher), I want to see’.

In asking for his sight, Bart knew he could never go back to his old life of begging. Bart knew he would need to start afresh, learn new skills, get a job, take responsibility and contribute.

He also knew that not everything he saw would be pleasant. Yes, there is beauty in the world, but there is also violence. Nevertheless, he was prepared to accept the challenge of living a more abundant life.

And Jesus, understanding the courage in Bart’s request, agreed to give him what he asked for. ‘Go, your faith has healed you’.

Faith is the conduit for life. We live by faith. If life is blood, then faith is the artery carrying the blood. If life is an electrical current, then faith is the cable carrying the power. If life is an underground stream, then faith is the well finding the water. If life is a piece of bread, then faith is eating the bread.  

Jesus is the source of life. The source of healing, forgiveness and intimacy with God. Find Jesus and you find life. Put your faith in Jesus, trust him in the core of your being, and you will tap into the source of eternal life.

As soon as Jesus spoke, Bart received his sight. He could see again.

And the first image to fill his mind was love, in the face of God’s Son.

As Bart looked into Jesus’ eyes, he saw what God intended for humanity.  

Although Jesus had released him from any obligation by saying, ‘Go’, Bart could not help but follow Jesus along the road to Jerusalem.

There was something attractive about Jesus. Something that drew people to him. ‘Something that has to be believed to be seen’. [1]

From the gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 46-52, we read…

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 

47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” 

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for Jesus, through whom we have life and friendship with you. Open our eyes to see Jesus at work in our lives and our neighbourhood. Help us to walk with the Spirit of Jesus, in humility and faith. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What would Bartimaeus’ life have been like as a blind man living in the first century? How would your life be different if you were blind?
  3. What does the name ‘Jesus’ mean? In what ways does Jesus fulfil the meaning of his name for Bartimaeus? In what ways does Jesus fulfil the meaning of his name for you?  
  4. In what ways does blind Bartimaeus show greater spiritual insight / vision than most of the seeing people around him? Who is Jesus to you? What is your perception / expectation of Jesus?
  5. Why does Bartimaeus call Jesus, ‘Son of David’? What does this title mean? How would the Jews of the first century have (mis)understood this title?
  6. Compare and contrast Bartimaeus’ request with the request of James and John (in Mark 10:37). Why does Jesus give Bartimaeus what he asked for?
  7. What do you want Jesus to do for you? What do you think Jesus might say or do in response to your request? How would your life be different?

[1] This sentence was inspired by a line in a song by U2. 

Tawa Baptist

God’s Law – by Ewan Stewart

Scriptures: Luke 10:25-37, Genesis 12:1-3, Micah 6:6-8, Jer 31:31-34, Mark 12:28-33

Sermon Outline:

The coming of law

Abraham’s call – whole world to be blessed

The laws of Moses – focused on the Nation of Israel, yet often broken

Jesus and the greatest commandment

Jesus’ call on other commandments

Who is my neighbour?

The significance of the Samaritan

Who is YOUR neighbour?

Introduction:

At the time of Jesus, Jewish religious authorities were pre-occupied with enforcing “the law” as written in their scriptures.  As far as they were concerned, these laws were God’s law and any who failed to obey their interpretation of those laws were sinners.  They were not particularly concerned about those who were not Jews as long as they did not interfere with Jewish religious customs.  The nation was inward focused. 

Jesus had quite a bit to say about their ideas and attitudes to the law.  Are their interpretations and the underlying laws important to us?  Should we seek to obey those laws, as Christians?  What is important about the law anyway?

The coming of the law:

We are all familiar today with the idea of a legal code, the law.  However, prior to about 2000BC we don’t know of any written legal code in the world.  The law then was anything the powerful said and could change at any time. 

How then should we regard the law today? 

What is God’s law for us?

The oldest detailed legal code we know of was that of Hammurabi who ruled Babylon from about 1792 to 1750 BC, which is believed to have been shortly after the time of Abraham. Hammurabi’s law was inscribed on a stela in Babylon’s temple of Marduk and can be read today. Hammurabi’s Code was once considered the oldest written law in human history, though older, shorter law collections have since been found.

Those man-made laws were important steps for humankind and allowed people to know what the authorities expected of them.  However, God wants us to apply His law to our everyday lives.  We need to recognise the difference between God’s law and human law.

Mankind has always found it difficult to be obedient to any law, and the idea of God’s law makes it no easier.  Our bible tells the story of how God gave his law to humankind and made it possible for Him to forgive us when his law is broken.  This story begins with Abraham.

Abraham’s call – whole world to be blessed:

When God chose Abraham, when he was still named Abram, he told him (Genesis 12:1-3):

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

2     “I will make you into a great nation

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3     I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

This promise was made on the condition that Abram left his native country and followed God’s advice.  Through it, God intended Abram would be renamed Abraham and be the source of blessing to all peoples on earth.  When the descendants of Abraham, the nation of Israel, later came into being, it was not to be an exclusive privileged nation.  It was to bring blessings to all peoples on earth. 

The laws of Moses – focused on the Nation of Israel, yet often broken:

In Egypt, those descendants of Abraham became the nation of Israel, and were led out of Egypt by Moses.  God gave the nation a detailed legal code through Moses, and this became the base for Jewish law at the time of Jesus.  A part of that legal code is directly attributed to God, through what we know as the ten commandments. 

The laws established by Moses were to:

1.        Establish God as the leader, guide and ruler of the nation of Israel

2.        Make them a separate nation from the rest of the world

3.        Make them an example the world could look up to as promised when God called Abraham

4.        Organise Israel as a nation

5.        Define codes of behaviour that would help Israel live in harmony

Israel gave only patchy obedience to their law over the centuries, and God punished the nation many times for its lapses.  They rarely ever considered that they were God’s example for the world or that through them, God would bless all peoples of the earth. 

By Jesus’ day, Israel had been reduced to Judah, and we know them as Jews.

God used the prophets to try and get Israel to obey the law.  Long before Jesus, the prophet Micah (around 700BC) gave one of the clearest expressions of God’s feelings about Israel’s failings.  This is what he said:

Micah 6:6-8

6     With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7     Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8     He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Then, about 100 years after Micah, Jeremiah gave God’s solution to Israel’s weaknesses, which we have seen fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31         “The time is coming,” declares the Lord,

“when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

32   It will not be like the covenant

I made with their forefathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husband to them,”

declares the Lord.

33   “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel

after that time,” declares the Lord.

“I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34   No longer will a man teach his neighbor,

or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest,”

declares the Lord.

“For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.”

Jesus and the greatest commandment (Jesus’ call on other commandments)

We understand that Jesus was the source of this new covenant, and that this covenant was for all who believe, not just Israel.  With the coming of Jesus, the need for an inflexible written form of God’s law as expressed by Jewish legal experts was over.  Laws intended to distinguish Israel from the rest of mankind would cease to be relevant when God sought to bring all humankind to himself. 

God’s law would be written on the hearts of His followers, and the promise made to Abraham could be fulfilled.  All peoples on earth would then be blessed through Abraham.  God’s law written on the hearts of His followers would keep their spirit in harmony with Him.  The time of a physical nation of God was past, and his law had a new focus:

1.        Establish God as the leader, guide and ruler of God’s people

2.        Define codes of behaviour that would help God’s people live in harmony

Clearly this meant the old written Jewish law was superseded through this new covenant. 

In his teaching, Jesus made a number of comments that gave examples of where the old written code was no longer relevant.  Mark 7 records Jesus saying that all food is spiritually clean, and in Mark 2, he commented that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  This implied that laws that were over interpreted could defeat their own purpose.

More specifically, Jesus took an opportunity to summarise God’s law.  In Mark 12, we find the following incident:

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

The response to these two commandments was interesting because although the command to “love God” was clearly the foundation of Israel’s relationship with God, “love your neighbour” is only found once in the law given through Moses (Leviticus 19:18).  Yet another Jewish teacher has agreed with Jesus about its significance.  God’s law can be seen as the law of love.

Who is my neighbour? (The significance of the Samaritan)

A very similar incident was described by Luke (in Luke 10), that took this a step further, where its significance is made more obvious.  This is the familiar story of the “good Samaritan”.

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins 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.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

In this version of the story, we have one of the most important questions in the New Testament – “who is my neighbour?”.  We under-estimate the impact of this story today, yet it is pivotal to our relationship to God. 

In Jesus’ day, the Samaritans were the most extreme of all groups possible for Jesus to use for his illustration.  They claimed descent from Abraham and practiced a form of religion that in some regards was closer to the Jewish ideal than the Jews practiced themselves.  The Jews hated the Samaritans more than any other group.  Yet the story had a Samaritan hero.  This must have been hard to swallow.  In Jesus’ day, Jews would only have looked to other Jews as neighbours.

If we wish to consider “who is my neighbour” in modern terms, we tend to under-estimate the significance of Jesus’ illustration.  Today, here in New Zealand, we do not have any group that society could look on as the equivalent of the Samaritans.  Perhaps we might consider bikie gangs, or Islamists, but fortunately we do not have any group that is so universally hated as the Jews hated the Samaritans in Jesus’ day.  Elsewhere in the world we see groups who do not consider themselves neighbours.  The classic illustration, particularly today, is Israel and the Palestinians.

Even the church has demonstrated an inability to recognise neighbours over the centuries, ranging from the crusades to modern day sects that refuse to associate with other groups.

Jesus however was being consistent, and other Jewish teachers of his day agreed with him, at least in theory.  Their only problem was the question of “who is my neighbour”. 

In the sermon on the mount recorded by Matthew, Jesus took the idea even further, when he taught that we should “love our enemies” (Matt 5:43).  Even your enemy could be a neighbour.

Then, if we were to look at the laws of Moses in our bible again, we can see that “love God” and “love your neighbour as yourself” covers all of them.  When we accept Jesus into our heart, God writes his law of love in our heart.  With those commandments to love written on our hearts, we do not need the detailed list of things we should not do.

In our modern world, even our traffic laws can be recognised as helping us show love to our neighbour.  After all, driving on the wrong side of the road hardly shows love for our neighbour!

Who is YOUR neighbour?

With Jesus’ teaching in mind, I ask myself: Who is my neighbour?  Jesus tells me that anyone who is in need is my neighbour, even someone I hate, even my enemy.  Can I love my neighbour that much?  Do I follow the law written on my heart?  Even with God’s law written on our hearts, we still find it hard to obey it.

It is comforting to read Paul’s comment on the law.  He looked at how we should deal with the results of failing to keep the law.  He expressed the difficulty of obeying the law very clearly, in his letter to the Romans (Rom 3:23) when he said, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. 

This highlights the impossibility of full compliance with God’s law.  However, our failings do not exempt us from a requirement to try, even if we sometimes fail to keep God’s law.  Paul went on to say that we are justified by the grace of God through the redemption that came by Jesus, so we do have a path to God beyond failure to keep his law. 

Jesus is God’s answer to the limitation of human nature.  Through Jesus, God’s spirit can be in our heart and teach us the law of love.  If we fail to obey that law, God is gracious and loving, and is able to forgive our failures because Jesus, his son, died that we might be forgiven.

Loving your neighbour is not easy, but through Jesus, with God’s spirit in our hearts, we have God’s help and God’s forgiveness for when we are weak. 

Who is YOUR neighbour?  Is there someone you could help but find it hard to be a neighbour to?

Let us pray:

Our Father, you have written your law of love on our hearts.  We know you require us to love you and love our neighbour.  We find it hard to obey your law, and we want to limit our understanding of neighbour to people we are comfortable with.  Please help us to recognise that our neighbour is anyone we encounter who is in need.  Thank you for the love that sent your Son to us so that you are able to forgive us when we cannot keep your law. Amen.

Tawa Baptist

Salt & Pepper

Scripture: Mark 9:38-50

Video Link: https://youtu.be/UozKwTQBBWY

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The exorcist
  • Crime and punishment
  • Salty sayings
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Most dining tables have salt and pepper shakers on them. Salt and pepper add flavour and spice to the meal. The purpose of salt and pepper is to make the food taste better, but if you try eating salt and pepper on their own, you are in for a nasty surprise. 

Today we continue our series in the gospel of Mark, based on the lectionary readings. Last week we heard how Jesus defines greatness. The way up is down.

This week’s lectionary reading is a salt and pepper passage. By itself it tastes bitter and unpleasant. But mix a little salt and pepper in with Jesus’ goodness and grace, and it improves the quality of your relationships. From Mark 9, verse 38 we read…

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. 42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with each other.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

There’s an advert on TV which shows two toasters making toast. Each of the toasters is powered by electricity from different power companies. One of the power companies charges more for their electricity than the other company but, despite the difference in price, the toast comes out exactly the same.

There are any number of power companies, but electricity is electricity. It cooks toast the same, regardless of what power company you use. No power company has a monopoly on electricity.

In verse 38 of Mark 9, the disciple John reports how they saw someone driving out demons in the name of Jesus and told him to stop.

This is interesting. Earlier, in Mark chapter 9, the disciples had been unable to cast out a demon. Now we find someone who is not one of the twelve, but who believes in Jesus and is successful at performing exorcisms.

Why do the disciples think they have the right to instruct someone more competent than them? That’s like any one of us trying to tell Lydia Ko how to play golf.

Well, John told the unknown exorcist to stop because he was not one of them, he wasn’t in their club. The disciples think they are better than this unknown exorcist, even though the exorcist is more effective than they are.

Jesus had just been teaching his disciples about humility and service.

The unknown exorcist is serving the least and he is serving Jesus, but the disciples can’t see it. Jesus’ words haven’t sunk in yet. They don’t understand.  

You get the feeling John thinks he has done something good. Maybe he hopes to be commended by Jesus? Maybe he is wanting to climb the honour ladder and advance himself? But Jesus is not impressed.

In verse 39 Jesus corrects his disciples saying, ‘Do not stop him. For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.’  

To do something in Jesus’ name means to be a bona-fide representative of Jesus. And to be a bona-fide representative, you need to stand in right relationship with Jesus, you need to trust him. It’s more than simply adding Jesus’ name to the end of your prayer, as important as that is.

The unknown exorcist wasn’t using Jesus’ name like a magic spell.

The unknown exorcist stood in right relationship with Jesus. He trusted in Jesus and was able to cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

There are any number of power companies, but electricity is electricity.

It cooks toast the same, regardless of what power company you use.

No power company has a monopoly on electricity.

There are any number of Christians, but the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is free to work through any believer who stands in right relationship with Jesus. No disciple, no church, no denomination has a monopoly on overcoming evil by the power of the Spirit.  

If another Christian is doing good at school or at work, or if another church is doing good in the hood, then don’t knock them. Encourage them. We are on the same side.

In verse 41 Jesus goes on to say: Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Don’t you love how Jesus keeps it real. Not many of us are going to perform miracles in this life. But any Christian believer can give a cup of water in Jesus’ name.

Any representative of Christ can show kindness. It’s like Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”     

The greatest power is love.

Crime and punishment:

I started this sermon talking about salt and pepper. Verses 42-50 contain the salt and pepper of the gospel in concentrated form. Taken by themselves these verses taste bitter and unpleasant. They were never meant to be read in isolation from the rest of the Bible. So, as you hear them, remember God’s love for you. Remember too, the grace of Jesus. From verse 42 we read…

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea…”

Jesus is talking about crime and punishment here.

Who are these little ones, that Jesus mentions?

In verse 37 Jesus took a small child in his arms and said, ‘whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me…’ So, these little ones might be young children generally. Don’t do anything to harm children or lead them into sin because God is just. He will hold you to account.  

However, these little ones might also be adults, like the unknown exorcist in verse 38, who believe in Jesus. Don’t do anything to cause a fellow believer to fall or lose faith because God is just. He will hold you to account.

The point here is that we have a responsibility to set a good example for others in the faith, especially those who are looking up to us. To trip up one who enjoys a close relationship with Jesus is a terrible crime and merits a terrible punishment.

I don’t often tell jokes in my sermons, partly because I’m not a funny person but also because many of you don’t share my sense of humour. That said, I’m going to take a risk and tell you a joke now…

A little girl was talking to a man on the train about whales. The man said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human being because even though whales are very large, their throats are very small.

The little girl said that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The man became visibly irritated saying again, in a stern voice, ‘It is physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human person’.

The little girl said, ‘When I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah’. 

The man retorted, ‘What if Jonah goes to hell?’ 

To which the girl replied, ‘Then you ask him’.

In verses 43-48, Jesus talks about hell and how to avoid going there.

43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

Ditto that for your feet and your eyes.

In the first century, people were punished by having limbs lopped off.

The punishment for stealing was having your left hand cut off.

The punishment for a runaway slave was having one foot chopped off.

And sometimes people had an eye put out for various other crimes.

These sorts of punishments marked the offender for life, so everyone knew what they had done. And it made practical tasks a lot more difficult for the culprit themselves. 

That said, Jesus is not talking literally here. Jesus is not advocating self-harm. Jesus is speaking metaphorically. He is taking an image his listeners would be familiar with and using it to warn people not to go down the wrong path.

The hand is a metaphor for the sorts of things one might do that could lead them into sin. The foot is a metaphor for the sorts of places one might go that could lead them into sin. And the eye is a metaphor for the sorts of things one might look at that could lead them into sin.   

For example. If alcohol is a problem for you, then you need to be ruthless in cutting yourself off from alcohol. That doesn’t mean cutting off your hand so you can’t pick up a bottle.

That means not having any alcohol in the house. It means not going to the pub and not hanging out with friends who like to drink. And if there are lots of bottle stores between where you work and where you live, then it might mean taking an alternative route home to avoid temptation.

Now, I’m not picking on alcoholics here. You could substitute alcohol abuse for any other harmful behaviour, like gossip or sexual immorality or greed or pride or power or gambling or self-centredness or whatever. The point is to cut ourselves off from sin. Nip it in the bud.

That means we need to be thinking a few steps ahead. Where is this decision taking me? Where is this night out or this drink or this text message or this website or this friendship or this swipe right going to lead?  

Of course, we don’t always know where our first steps might take us. The thing about your hands and your feet and your eyes is that they are not inherently bad, they are useful and good in fact. Sometimes what seems innocent enough at first can be misleading. We need to be totally honest with ourselves.

Three times in three verses we come across the word hell. No one in the Bible talks about hell more than Jesus. The actual word translated as ‘hell’ is Gehenna, also known (in the Old Testament) as the Valley of Hinnom, that is, the Valley of Wailing. Gehenna is located on the south side of old Jerusalem.

Centuries before Mark wrote his gospel, the Israelites had sacrificed their children to pagan gods in the Valley of Hinnom. God hated this evil practice. After that, Gehenna became a rubbish dump, where maggots fed off animal carcasses and rubbish was always smouldering.

Given the stench and the filth and the continual burning, Gehenna became a metaphor for hell. Jesus was using an image his listeners were familiar with to describe what happens to the enemies of God in the afterlife. Jesus uses the term hell to describe the way God’s justice will deal with evil.

Those who are committed to doing evil are destroyed and thrown out like rubbish, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Hell, therefore, is God’s righteous judgement on evil.

Verse 48 is a reference to the last verse in the book of Isaiah. It contains a message of judgment and hope. In Isaiah 66 we read…

23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all humankind will come and bow down before me,” says the Lord. 

24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all humankind.”  

All this talk about hell is scary. It’s horrifying. Questions rise in our minds about what hell is like. What’s the temperature? Who will be there? Is it a place of conscious suffering? Or is it a place of annihilation? We simply don’t know the answers to those sorts of questions and we shouldn’t speculate.

What we can say is that God is good. He is just and merciful, gracious and true. God is love. The Lord of love is our judge and he will do what is right by each one.

The present reality is that this world is a war zone, spiritually speaking.

For the kingdom of God to be realised on earth, the kingdom of evil must be destroyed. Hell is the destruction of the kingdom of evil and that, ultimately, is good news for humanity.

In the same breath that Jesus talks about hell, he also talks about entering life and the kingdom of God. The point seems to be, participation in the kingdom of God is worth any sacrifice. It is better to be limited in what you do in this world, if that means enjoying eternal life.

Salty sayings:

Some of you may have played the word association game. With this game, you start with a word and then someone else says another word that is related in some way and you keep going like that until a word gets repeated or you can’t make an association.

For example, you might start with the word cow, then milk, cereal, breakfast, dinner, steak, salt, fire and so on. Now some of you may be thinking, I can see the connection between most of those words, but what’s the connection between salt and fire? Well, the thing that salt and fire have in common is they both purify things.  

In verses 49-50 of Mark 9, Jesus gives us three salty sayings. We don’t know whether Jesus said these sayings all on the same occasion or whether the gospel writer, Mark, simply collected the salty sayings of Jesus in one place to make them easier to recall.

What we do see here is a certain word association. Verse 48 talks about the fire that is not quenched and in verse 49 we get the saying, ‘everyone will be salted with fire’.

In the ancient world, salt was associated with purity because it came from the two most pure things known at the time. The sea and the sun. Likewise, fire was associated with purification because precious metals (like silver) were refined by fire.

Therefore, the phrase, everyone will be salted with fire, probably means everyone will be purified. This is not saying everyone will go through hell or purgatory. Being salted with fire is a metaphor for the process of purification we go through in this life.

Jesus’ second salty saying reads: Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?

Salt is a preservative. Salt fights corruption. Unless the Christian resists corruption and evil, bad things will flourish unchecked in the world.

Followers of Jesus are to live a pure life, a life of moral integrity.  

But wait, there’s more. In the Law of Moses, grain offerings needed to be seasoned with salt before being burned. In Leviticus chapter 2, we read…

13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

As well as being a preservative and a purifying agent, salt is also a symbol of a covenant commitment with God. To lose one’s saltiness is to lose one’s commitment to God. Mark 9, verse 50, is a warning against apostacy. Jesus is saying, don’t turn back on your commitment to God. Keep the faith.

Jesus’ third salty saying goes like this: Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with each other.

Salt brings out the best in food. Salt makes things taste more like themselves.

For example, if you put salt on an egg, it makes the egg taste more like an egg. Without salt, the egg tastes a bit like rubber.

To have salt among yourselves, therefore, is to bring out the best in each other. To help those around us to be the best version of themselves. Having salt among yourselves is the opposite of tripping others up or causing them to fall.

William Barclay explains Jesus’ meaning well. Have within yourselves the purifying influence of the Spirit of Christ. Be purified from selfishness and self-seeking, from bitterness and anger and grudge-bearing. Then you will be able to live in peace with those around you.[1]

Last week, we heard how the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest. This kind of thinking does not bring out the best in people. It brings out the worst. Jesus wants his disciples to preserve their relationships together and to bring out the best in each other. This requires a covenant of salt, a commitment to serving one another’s wellbeing. 

Conclusion:

Each of us (if we are honest with ourselves) is a mixture of good and evil.

We are not pure and we cannot purify ourselves. So where does that leave us?

Well, God does not want to send you to hell. The Lord does not want anyone to perish, he wants everyone to come to repentance and be saved. Your soul is precious to God. So precious in fact, that God sent his own dear Son, Jesus, to redeem your life.

We are made right with God through faith in Jesus. Learning to trust and obey Jesus is our purification process. Sometimes it hurts. We are made salty again as we submit to the work of God’s Spirit in our lives.

May the Lord guide us in the way of purity and peace. Amen.    

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. How do Jesus’ words in Mark 9:38-50 make you feel? Why do you feel this way?
  3. Why does John tell the unknown exorcist to stop driving out demons? Why does Jesus correct John?
  4. What does it mean to do something in the name of Jesus?
  5. Discuss / reflect on Mark 9:42-48. How are we to interpret these verses? Who are “these little ones”? What is hell? What notes of hope do you see?
  6. Is there anything in your life that you need to cut off? (E.g. a habit, a pattern of thought, a relationship, etc.) How might you do this? 
  7. Discuss / reflect on the three salty sayings of Jesus in Mark 9:49-50. What is the connection between salt and fire? What does it mean to lose one’s saltiness? How might we bring out the best in one another and be at peace?      

[1] William Barclay, Commentary on Mark’s gospel, page 244. (My paraphrase of WB’s words.)