Tawa Baptist

Back to the Future

Scripture: Matthew 24:1-36

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Zjd842v-qhk

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Several years ago Robyn and I attended an end of year Christmas function which included a Christmas themed quiz. Most of the questions were from pop culture but there were some related to the original Christmas story.

One question in particular stuck in my memory. The quiz master asked, what were the names of the three wise men? I sighed inwardly. Yet another example of how the Scriptures have been hijacked by manmade traditions.

We have no way of knowing whether there were, in fact, three wise men, let alone what their names may have been. The Scriptures don’t say. We know there were three gifts and from that an assumption was made. For all we know there might have been five wise men bearing three gifts.

Sometimes we read things into the Bible that are not there. It’s misleading. Certain traditions of interpretation build up over the years, like barnacles on the bottom of a boat that need to be scrapped off.  

Today we continue our sermon series for Lent, looking at some of the things Jesus did and said in the week leading up to his crucifixion and death. Last Sunday we heard about Jesus’ clearing of the temple. Our reading this morning focuses on Matthew 24, in which Jesus talks about the future.

This is one of the most difficult passages of Scripture in the New Testament. There is a great deal of misunderstanding and false assumption surrounding Matthew 24 due, in part, to a poor tradition of interpretation.

So, I’m asking you put aside everything you thought you knew about this text and listen to what the Scripture is actually saying in its original context. It may surprise you.

Our reading this morning covers the first 36 verses of Matthew 24, which is quite a lot to take in all at once. To make it easier, I’ll break the passage into smaller bite size bits.

Two Questions (1-3)

Let’s start at the beginning. From verse 1 we read…

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 But he said in reply, “Do you see all these things?” Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; it will all be demolished.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him and asked him privately. “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

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

The Greek word for coming, used in verse 3, is Parousia. In ancient Greek, Parousia is a special word reserved for the coming of a king. It’s not the same as asking when your husband or wife will be coming home for dinner.

Matthew only uses the word Parousia to refer to Jesus’ second coming to earth. For the sake of clarity, he uses a different Greek word for coming (erchomenos) when he’s not talking about Jesus’ return. [1] Unfortunately, the differentiation is lost in translation, which only adds to the confusion for English readers.

Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the temple building caused his disciples to ask him two questions: When will these things happen (that is: when will the temple be destroyed) and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?

The disciples want to know what sign they should be looking out for that indicates Jesus’ Parousia (his coming as King in glory) is near. In their minds, the destruction of the temple and the Parousia of Jesus were connected in some way. But Jesus makes it clear they are two separate events.

The experts are divided, as usual, but basically Jesus answers the question about the temple first and the question about his Parousia second.

Sadly, people down the centuries have tended to confuse Jesus’ two answers. They have read what Jesus said about the destruction of the temple as if he were talking about his second coming in glory. When we do that, we get ourselves into all sorts of bother.

So let’s listen to what Jesus has to say from verse 4…

Routine history (4-14)

4 Jesus answered: “Be careful that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

It’s been a pretty rough few years for New Zealand. Our country has been through a global pandemic, an ongoing housing crisis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, a mass shooting, severe flooding and growing economic inequity.

Every night on the news we are bombarded by images of war and disaster around the wider world. Most recently it is the war in Ukraine. Before that it was Afghanistan and before that the focus was on Syria.

Some dooms day prophets might say these things are surely a sign that Jesus is coming soon, but they are not. The wars, famines, natural disasters and persecutions Jesus describes in verses 4-13 have been happening for the past 2000 years and so they cannot be a sign that the end is near. They are routine history. We should not be alarmed.

We might paraphrase Jesus’ advice as ‘Keep calm and carry on in the faith’. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of the latest conspiracy theory.

The end of the temple (15-22)

Having talked about things that are not signs of the end, Jesus addresses the question of when the temple will be destroyed, from verse 15… 

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand — 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 

For many years I misread these verses, thinking they were talking about Jesus’ second coming and the end of the world. If we read it that way, we will be terrified. However, when we understand that Jesus is not talking about his Parousia here, he’s actually talking about the destruction of the temple, we can park our fear.    

Jesus spoke this prophecy around AD 30. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jewish nationalism festered and in AD 66 the Jews revolted against the Roman empire. Long story short, the Roman General Titus, laid siege to Jerusalem for five months and the city (along with the temple) were both destroyed in AD 70, forty years after Jesus predicted it.

The sign Jesus gave, that people should flee Jerusalem, is a rather cryptic phrase from the prophet Daniel, ‘the abomination that causes desolation’.

We can’t be sure what this abomination was exactly but the gospel writer Luke understood it to be the Roman army. When you see the Roman army on the move, get out as soon as you can.  

Some Jewish believers did heed Jesus’ warning and fled to Pella. Tragically, many more Jews ignored Jesus and gathered inside the walls of Jerusalem thinking they would be safe. But that only made things worse.      

The Jewish historian, Josephus, lived through the siege and described the horror experienced by the people. Over 1,100,000 people died, most from starvation. Some mothers ate their children to stay alive, that’s how bad it was. The suffering was catastrophic.

We see God’s mercy, entwined with his judgement, in at least two ways. Firstly, God gave people 40 years’ warning to avoid disaster. And secondly, God cut the siege short. 

False hope (23-28)

The distress caused by the siege of Jerusalem would inevitably create a hope in people’s hearts that the Messiah would appear to save the day. Jesus does not want to give anyone false hope and so he says, from verse 23…

23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Up until verse 26 Jesus had been talking about the destruction of the temple. But in verses 27-28 he briefly touches on his Parousia, comparing his second coming to lightning.

We know that Jesus is talking about his second coming, in verse 27, because Matthew uses the Greek word Parousia to describe the coming of the Son of Man. (‘Son of Man’ is Jesus’ favourite way of referring to himself.)

Jesus’ Parousia will be like lightning. Lightning is powerful, it illuminates the darkness. Lightning is unmistakable, it can be seen everywhere by everyone. And lightning is unpredictable, no one knows when it might strike. 

The point here is that Jesus’ second coming in glory will not be ambiguous. Jesus’ Parousia will be clear to everyone. There will be no doubt.

The meaning of verse 28 is not clear.  We are probably best to think of false Messiahs like a rotting carcass and those who gather around them as vultures.

Once again, the point of application for us is: Don’t follow the crowd. Don’t be sucked in by conspiracy theories. Learn to think for yourself.

Jesus’ enthronement (29-31)

From verse 29, Jesus returns to the subject of the temple, describing (in poetic terms) what will happen in the wake of the temple’s destruction…

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

Most people make the false assumption that Jesus is talking about his second coming in this verse. They also make the mistake of reading the words literally.

We know that Jesus is definitely not talking about his Parousia, in verse 29, because he says, ‘Immediately after the distress of those days’. Jesus did not return to earth immediately after the destruction of the temple, so verse 29 cannot be talking about his Parousia.

We know Jesus is using poetic language, in verse 29, because the physical stars did not fall from the sky. We can still see literal stars and planets in the night sky today. 

Scripture interprets Scripture. Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah.[2] 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. 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 Babylon, so too he will pass judgement on the Jerusalem temple. This is a shocking reversal. [3]

Incidentally, about the same time the temple was destroyed, four Roman emperors came and went (one after the other) in the space of a year. So, the metaphor of stars falling, might also refer to chaos in the Roman empire as well as chaos in the nation of Israel.    

Of course, when a power structure with as much gravity as the Jerusalem temple is destroyed, something else needs to take its place. In verse 30, Jesus explains that he (the Son of Man) will replace the Jerusalem temple.     

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the tribes of the land will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Jesus is still on the subject of the temple in these verses. He’s talking about himself as the replacement for the temple system. Jesus becomes the new centre of worship, the new heart of Israel, the new means of drawing near to God.

We know Jesus is not talking about his second coming to earth, in verse 30, because the word used to describe the coming of the Son of Man is erchomenos, not Parousia. [4]   

We also know Jesus is not talking about his second coming to earth here because, in verse 30, the Son of Man comes on the clouds of heaven (not the clouds of earth). Jesus is saying those in the heavenly realm will see him come in glory, soon after the temple is destroyed. People on earth wouldn’t see this because we human beings can’t see what’s happening in heaven. You with me.

The other thing that is lost in translation for most of us is that Jesus is referencing the prophet Daniel, in verse 30. Scripture interprets Scripture. 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 leader (or ruler) of God’s faithful people.

Jesus is making the audacious claim that, once the temple is destroyed, he will be enthroned as Son of Man 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. This claim got Jesus killed.

For a long time, I thought angels gathering God’s chosen people from the four winds (in verse 31) was talking about the rapture, when Jesus returns. This might be how the rapture happens, we don’t know. What we do know is that verse 31 is not talking about the rapture. It’s most probably talking about the spread of the gospel throughout heaven and earth.

The word translated as angels literally means messengers. An angel is a messenger. The angels in view here don’t all have wings. They may also be human messengers (apostles, missionaries) delivering the message of 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 communicated the gospel wherever they went.

If you are still not convinced that these verses are about the destruction of the temple and not about Jesus’ second coming, then verse 34 should clear it up. Jesus says: 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

‘This generation’ means the people of Jesus’ day. Jesus did not return to earth during the first century. We are still waiting for Jesus’ Parousia 2000 years later. Therefore, all these things, must refer to the destruction of the temple and Jesus’ enthronement in heaven.

Jesus doesn’t start to answer the disciples’ second question about the sign of his Parousia and the end of the age until verse 36, where he says…

Jesus’ return (36 forward)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but only the Father.

In other words, with Jesus’ second coming there will be no warning sign. It will come like a thief in the night, at a time we are not expecting. Jesus cannot give us a sign because he doesn’t know the timing.

For the rest of chapter 24 and all of Matthew 25, Jesus talks about his Parousia and the end of history, mostly using parables. In summary, because the time of Jesus’ return to earth is unknowable, we must always be ready, making the most of the opportunity to do good while we can.    

Conclusion

We have covered a lot this morning, some of which may be challenging. Having our preconceived ideas and false assumptions exposed can be unsettling. I make no apology. Blind faith won’t sustain you. Truth gives faith eyes to see.

If you are struggling with some aspect of today’s message, you can revisit the sermon notes on the church website. And if you still don’t get it, then let it go and think about something else for a while. Perhaps it’s not meant for you at this time.

As I said at the beginning, Matthew 24 is a difficult chapter to interpret. Attempting to understand Jesus’ teaching about the future is like trying to climb K2. You shouldn’t do it alone or without the right preparation and equipment. It requires humility.

For those of you who prefer a simple message, here’s three quick takeaways…

Firstly, avoid conspiracy theories. Learn to think for yourself. When terrible things happen in the world, don’t panic. Keep calm and carry on in the faith. It will be worth it in the end.

Secondly, Matthew 24, verses 4-35, is mostly about the destruction of the temple in AD 70. It’s not about Jesus’ second coming, so don’t try to read the end of the world into it. That will only make you more afraid.

And thirdly, the timing of Jesus’ second coming is unknown. There is no warning sign, so be ready. Make the most of the time by doing good. Jesus could return at any moment.

May the Lord bless you with clarity and peace. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • Why is it important to question our assumptions (or traditions of interpretation) when reading the Bible?  How might we test / challenge our assumptions, without throwing the baby out with the bath water?
  • Why does Matthew use the Greek word ‘Parousia’ to describe Jesus’ second coming to earth?
  • What should we do when we hear of wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes and famines? How might we discern conspiracy theory from truth? 
  • Scripture interprets Scripture. In what way(s) does Isaiah 13:10 & 34:4 help us to understand Matthew 24:29? In what way(s) does Daniel 7:13 & 18 help us to understand Matthew 24:30? 
  • In what way(s) is Jesus’ second coming like lightning? Why is Jesus unable to give a sign of his second coming?
  • What should we do as we wait for Jesus’ second coming? How can we be ready for Jesus’ return?

Outtakes

In verse 14, Jesus says…

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The traditional way to interpret this verse is that Jesus cannot return to earth until every nation and culture has heard the gospel. And so there was a push at the beginning of the 20th Century to evangelise the whole world in order to speed the return of Christ.

While the vision to reach all nations with the gospel is good, using this verse as the basis for global evangelism is a bit shaky. For evangelism to be authentic, it needs to be born out of our own experience of God’s love and a desire to share His love with others. Otherwise it comes across as a bit self-serving, a bit fake.

Jesus is most likely talking about the end of the temple in verse 14, rather than the end of history. What’s more, the whole world, in verse 14, probably means the whole known world at that time; the Mediterranean world. Jesus’ disciples would not have known about the Americas or Australia. 

By the time the temple was destroyed in AD 70 the known world of the Mediterranean had been largely evangelised.

[1] Refer RT France, NICNT Matthew, page 924.

[2] Refer Isaiah 13:10 & 34:4 in relation to Matthew 24:29

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

[4] Ibid, page 924.

[5] Daniel 7:13 & 18

Tawa Baptist

The Heart of Worship

Scripture: Mark 11:12-25

Video Link: https://youtu.be/RLIx1XnnbJA

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Parables
  • Prophecy
  • Prayer
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When I was training to become a pastor, I spent three months one summer working as a chaplain in Greenlane Hospital. At that time, Greenlane Hospital specialised in cardio thoracic medicine (hearts and lungs).

One day I sat with a patient who had just had a heart transplant. He was so incredibly grateful for the opportunity of a second chance at life.  He went into all sorts of detail about how sick he was before the surgery and how he was going to live his life differently now. I think he had spent his youth recklessly. 

He seemed sincere. I got the feeling he didn’t just get a new heart, he got a whole new attitude, a new spirit, a new vitality.

His was the only heart transplant I remember from that summer. More often than not the surgeon chooses to repair the heart in the least intrusive way possible. But, if the heart is beyond repair (and they can find a donor), the doctors will make a judgement to replace the old heart with a new one.

Today we continue our series for Lent, looking at some of the events in the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Today’s reading focuses on Jesus’ assessment of the Jerusalem temple and its leadership. The Jerusalem temple was the heart of Jewish life and faith. Sadly, it had become sick beyond repair and needed to be replaced. From Mark 11, verses 12-25 we read…

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his discipleswent out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “TrulyI tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

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

Parables:

Most people, waiting for an organ donation, have mixed feelings about it. Yes, they want to have the surgery and move on with their life. But, at the same time, they are acutely aware that receiving a new heart or a new set of lungs means someone else has to die. And that’s not a great feeling.     

As I mentioned before, the Jerusalem temple of the first century, was the heart of the Jewish nation. Sadly, the temple system had become too sick to repair and so God, the surgeon, was planning a transplant using his own son. Jesus had to die so others could live.

The man I sat with, in Greenlane Hospital, was well aware of his need for a new heart and welcomed the surgery. But the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were not so keen. They were too blind to see their own need, let alone recognise that Jesus was from God. Jesus had to find a way to communicate the seriousness of the situation.

On his way to the temple, Jesus feels hungry, sees a leafy fig tree and goes over to look for fruit. It’s about mid-April and fig trees don’t normally bear fruit until June, in the Middle East.

When Jesus found nothing but leaves he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’.  This is not the kind of behaviour we have come to expect from Jesus. Was he a bit hangry? Did he lose his temper? No. This is an acted out parable, it is deliberate.    

Jesus is well aware it’s the wrong time of year for figs. He is not expecting to have a feed. The fruitless leafy tree simply provides a vehicle for Jesus to communicate the reality of Israel’s heart disease.

By putting the parable of the fruitless fig tree alongside the account of Jesus clearing the temple, Mark (the gospel writer) is saying, ‘the fig tree represents the Jerusalem temple and its leadership’. It looks good. It looks inviting. But on closer inspection it is fruitless. The temple system has become empty religion.

Perhaps the mention that Jesus was hungry points to the reality experienced by many of those who came to worship at the Jerusalem temple. Their faith was not nourished by ritual sacrifice. They went away dissatisfied, hungry.

When Jesus entered the temple that same day, he began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.

This is another acted out parable. Jesus is demonstrating (in a dramatic way) how he feels about the business being carried out in the temple courts. Mark doesn’t say that Jesus is angry but, clearly, he is not happy with the status quo.  

Whatever Jesus was feeling his actions are measured, surgically precise, fair. He doesn’t fly off the handle in a fit of rage. Jesus’ actions are considered, intentional and appropriately weighted to the situation. 

Jesus, like God the Father, is motivated by love. It is because Jesus cares deeply that he draws attention to the corrupt temple system. It is because God loves the world that he chooses to donate his Son’s heart to save us.  

So why is Jesus not pleased with the business being transacted in the temple? Well, as the parable of the fig tree demonstrates, the religious leadership were practising empty religion. They were taking the Lord’s name in vain.

To the casual observer the temple system looked good but it lacked substance. The fruit that God wanted (of justice, mercy and humility) was not there. The money changers and those selling doves were dishonest. They were scamming pilgrims, ripping people off. 

Prophecy:

Jesus explains his acted out parable by quoting from the prophets. When the Lord says: “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? he is quoting from the prophet Isaiah.

God’s purpose was for Israel to be a light to the other nations of the world. God wanted the nation of Israel to be a picture of what his kingdom is like. The other nations of the world were to learn about God from Israel.

With this in view, the temple was designed with an area for Gentiles (non-Jews) to come and seek the God of Israel. In ancient times, Gentiles could not go past their designated area. It was a case of, you may come this far and no further.

The merchants and money changers were plying their trade in the court of the Gentiles, which essentially made it impossible for people of other nations to draw near to God, in prayer, at the temple.

By clearing the merchants out of the court of Gentiles, Jesus was welcoming people of all nations. He was making room for prayer and reminding Israel of God’s original purpose.

Now, as most of you are aware, we had a church garage sale yesterday. The auditorium and hall were packed with stuff. Given the timing of this message, some of you may be thinking, is our pastor criticising the garage sale? Is he saying we shouldn’t hold it anymore?

No. I’m not saying that. Let me be very clear. The timing of the garage sale and my preaching on Mark 11 is unrelated. Holding a garage sale in the church hall once a year is not the same thing as money changers camped in the Court of the Gentiles on the Temple Mount.  

For one thing we are not ripping people off. If anything we are providing a community service. People in the community are getting a good deal from us.

What’s more, we are not excluding anyone from approaching God in prayer. A garage sale opens the door of the church to the wider community. Besides, you don’t need a church building to pray.

Later, in the gospel of Mark, when Jesus died on the cross, we read how the curtain hanging in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. This is a sign of what Jesus’ death accomplished. We now have direct access to God through Jesus. We meet God in Christ. Jesus replaces the Jerusalem temple.  You can pray to Jesus anywhere.

So, how does Jesus’ clearing of the temple apply in our world today? Let me offer you three ways to understand this…

Firstly, who are the money changers in our society? Who are the ones who make an enormous profit at the expense of everyday people? Well, we’ve seen in the news recently the obscene profits generated by overseas banks. Then there are the finance companies who appear friendly enough but, in reality, take advantage of desperate people by charging over the top interest.

There is something not right about the way we finance things in this country.

If you work in a bank, then I don’t think the answer is to quit your job. We need men and women of integrity to be salt and light in our financial institutions. We need people who will use their influence for good; to help shift our thinking away from scarcity towards abundance. Away from greed towards generosity. Away from personal gain towards social responsibility.

So that’s one application of Jesus’ parable of clearing the temple. I think also Jesus is taking a crack at nationalism here.

‘Nationalism is identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.’    

It is not a bad thing to identify with your own nation. In fact, it is a good thing to support the interests of your own country by paying your taxes and making a positive contribution to society.

But, when support for your nation is taken to an extreme, so that other nations suffer, then that becomes nationalism. Jesus is not okay with nationalism. Nationalism does great harm to the world God loves. 

By allowing merchants to set up shop in the court of the Gentiles, the religious leaders were promoting Jewish nationalism. They were effectively excluding other nations from drawing near to God.

When Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’, he wasn’t just talking about our inter-personal relationships. He was also talking about a nation’s global relationships.

Russia’s illegal invasion of the Ukraine is a product of nationalism. Likewise, when large countries pursue their own economic interests in a way that destroys the environment and contributes to climate change so that smaller, poorer nations start disappearing into the sea, that also is a product of nationalism. 

We are talking about how Jesus’ clearing of the temple applies to us today. Here’s a more personal application. Given that Jesus is the one through whom we meet with God, then clearing room means making time and space in our busy lives to pray and study the Bible.

The goal is to be fruitful for God’s glory and we can only be fruitful when we abide in Christ. How do you carve out time to be with Jesus?

Returning to Mark 11, Jesus also quotes from the prophet Jeremiah, to explain the meaning of his actions.

The phrase, but you have made it a den of robbers, is a reference to Jeremiah’s prophecy that God was going to destroy the Jerusalem temple because the people were practising false religion. They carried out the prescribed rituals without the fruit of righteousness, without obeying the 10 commandments.     

Jesus is indicating that the religious leaders of his day are just like the religious leaders of Jeremiah’s day. God is not obligated to protect the Jerusalem temple if the priests and people misuse it. God allowed Israel’s enemies to destroy the temple once before and he will do so again.

The next day, as they were walking past the fig tree, Peter noticed it had withered. The dead tree has now become a prophetic parable for what was going to happen to the Jerusalem temple.

In AD 70, some decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jewish nationalism provoked the Romans to lay siege to Jerusalem and eventually destroy the temple building and many lives with it. Jesus’ prediction came true.

It’s important to understand that in giving this prophecy, Jesus held no malice in his heart. Grief, yes, but not hatred. In Luke 13, a parallel passage, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem as Jeremiah did before him.  

Prayer:

The disciples appear to be a bit surprised by how quickly the fig tree withered after Jesus spoke against it. So Jesus uses the opportunity to talk about prayer. We might wonder how Jesus’ teaching on prayer relates to the temple incident. Well, let me explain…

To the ancient mind a temple was sacred ground. It was the place where divine presence resided in a special way. Most people felt closer to God in the temple and imagined prayer to be more effective when offered in God’s house.  

In verses 22-24 Jesus makes it clear that faith in God (rather than geographical location) is what makes our prayers effective. Faith is what really connects us to God, not temples or church architecture.

In verse 23 Jesus says: “TrulyI tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

Faith that moves mountains. This is a challenging verse, especially for anyone who has prayed earnestly and with full conviction that their prayer would be answered positively, only to be disappointed when things did not turn out the way they had hoped. 

The assumption in verses 22-24 is that we are praying for things that are in line with God’s will and purpose.  If you pray to win Lotto Powerball, fully believing you have right the numbers, God is under no obligation to answer with a ‘yes’. Prayers offered in faith are not magic. God is unlikely to give you something as harmful as 10 million dollars. He loves you too much for that.

But what about those less selfish prayers, the ones when we are ask God to heal a loved one and yet they still die despite our water tight belief? In a case like that the problem is not with your faith, nor with God’s power.

Prayer is not a mathematical formula. Prayer is cloaked in mystery. Sometimes God’s answer is incomprehensible this side of heaven. From our vantage point, in this world, we cannot see the whole picture of what our prayers accomplish. For what it’s worth, I believe that when someone goes to be with Jesus, they are healed completely and totally.

In the context of Mark 11, ‘this mountain’, that Jesus says can be moved by prayer and faith, is most likely the mountain on which the temple was built. Jesus seems to be saying here that the old temple system, with its ritual sacrifice, is being removed by God and a new system (based on faith in Christ) is being established.

God is removing the old heart and giving Israel (and indeed the world) a new heart to worship him. Jesus is that heart.

Thinking more broadly, ‘this mountain’ might be a metaphor for any seemingly immovable obstacle. For example, ‘this mountain’ could be a powerful but corrupt institution that is beyond reform and needs to be thrown into the sea so it can be replaced with God’s kingdom way of doing things.

The main thought, in verses 22-24, is that God can do what we think is impossible. No one in the first century would have thought it possible to transplant a human heart nor replace the temple with something better. And yet, by God’s grace, these things have actually happened.     

Jesus concludes his lesson on prayer by talking about forgiveness. Jesus says: “…if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

This relates to the temple as well. The temple was a place where people went to be reconciled with God, to be forgiven. In the time of Jesus, the Jews performed ceremonies of reconciliation involving animal sacrifice. Jesus has just been saying the old temple system is on the way out. So how are people to be reconciled to God without a temple. How are we to be forgiven without ritual sacrifice?

We are reconciled to God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, when we forgive those who have sinned against us. If the old (hard) heart of worship was based on ritual sacrifice, then the new (tender) heart of worship is based on faith with forgiveness.

The inconvenient truth of the gospel is that God’s forgiveness of us is conditional on our forgiveness of others. We cannot expect God to answer our prayers if we are holding onto resentment against someone else. Is there anyone you are struggling to forgive at the moment? Pray for the grace to forgive while you can.

Conclusion:

With that in mind, let us pray now…

Gracious God, we thank you for donating your heart, your Son, that we might live. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And Lord, when we find it hard to forgive, help us to be honest about our hurt and give us the grace we need to let it go. Through faith in Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • Why did Jesus speak against the fig tree? In what way was the fig tree like the religious leadership of Jesus’ day?
  • Why did Jesus overturn the tables of the money changers in the temple? What was Jesus saying through this acted out parable?
  • Discuss / reflect on how Jesus’ clearing of the temple applies in our world today?
  • Have you ever prayed for something with total belief that it would happen, only to have your hopes for that prayer disappointed? What was the situation? How did you feel? What is the basic assumption underlying verses 22-24?
  • What do we find at the heart of true worship (according to verses 22-25)? Are these things at the heart of your worship of God? If not, what needs to change. How might we strengthen how heart for worship? 
  • Is there anyone you need to forgive? What do you need to let go of your hurt?   
Tawa Baptist

Cryptic Cross Words

Scripture: John 12:20-36

Video Link: https://youtu.be/0JlP3GcxrOo

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The why of the cross (purpose)
  • The way of the cross (strategy)
  • Conclusion – The crisis of the cross (decision)

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many people these days do the daily Wordle. But I’m interested to know, does anyone here still do the crossword?  [Wait]

There are basically two types of crosswords. The regular type which uses similar words for clues and cryptic crosswords, which are a bit trickier. With cryptic crosswords each clue has two parts. One part gives a definition of the answer and the other part is an additional hint using word play.

For example, a cryptic clue might read: A holy symbol of torture (5 letters).

Any guesses as to what the word might be? [Wait]

That’s right, cross. A cross is both a holy symbol and an instrument of torture.

Last Sunday we started a new sermon series for Lent, looking at some of the events in Jesus’ last week on earth leading up to his crucifixion. Today’s reading focuses on John chapter 12, verses 20-36. In this passage Jesus talks cryptically about the meaning of the cross. From John 12, verse 20 we read…

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted upfrom the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. 34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you.  Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

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

Today’s Scripture reads like a series of cryptic crossword clues. It takes some thinking about. Here’s the big picture: Jesus is talking about the cross. He is presenting the why of the cross and the way of the cross. The why of the cross speaks to purpose and the way is about Jesus’ strategy for achieving that purpose. So why did Jesus go to the cross?

The why of the cross:

Here’s another cryptic clue for you: ‘shining a light on honour’ (7 letters). What could the word be?  [Wait] You can find the answer in verse 28, by the way. [Wait] That’s right, glorify.

To glorify something is to shine a positive light on it, to highlight that which is honourable and good. God is love and so we glorify God (we highlight His goodness) when we love others.

In the context of John 12, it is just days before Jesus will go to the cross in obedience to God the Father. Jesus is riding a wave of popularity with the people. Even some God fearing Greeks have asked to speak with him. But Jesus doesn’t really care about being popular. The cross is what’s on top for Jesus.

With this in mind, Jesus explains the why of the cross. This is the purpose in other words. Jesus gives at least three reasons why he must be crucified: To glorify God’s name. To defeat Satan and to draw all people to himself.  

In verse 28, Jesus prays: Father, glorify your name. Jesus is deeply troubled by the thought of going to the cross. If he must suffer in this way, then he wants his suffering to have meaning and purpose. He doesn’t want to suffer in vain.

God’s name is his reputation and his integrity. God’s name is love. Jesus wants his crucifixion to shine a light on God’s love. Jesus wants God to be honoured through the cross.

Jesus’ prayer for God’s name to be glorified is a model for us. One thing is certain in this life. We will suffer pain, uncertainty and loss. How should we pray when faced with suffering? Well, Jesus shows us (by his example) to be honest about how we are feeling and ask God to make our suffering serve a higher purpose. 

So we might pray something like, ‘Lord, this really hurts. I don’t like it and would rather not have to endure it. But your will be done. Redeem my suffering. Let my suffering shine a light on your love, your grace, your justice, your mercy, your goodness. Amen.’  

Interestingly, God answers Jesus’ prayer in an audible way, saying: “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”  

There are three times in the gospels when God speaks audibly. Once at Jesus’ baptism. Then again at Jesus’ transfiguration and here, for a third time, in John 12. The audible voice is for the benefit of those around Jesus.

To some people, God’s voice is like the sound of thunder. Powerful but incomprehensible. To others, God’s voice sounds like an angel. I’m not sure what an angel sounds like but one imagines something like the hallelujah chorus. Beautiful, melodic, intelligent, pregnant with meaning.

Why is it that some hear thunder when God speaks, while others hear music? We can’t be sure but perhaps it has to do with how well we are tuned in to God? It is the Spirit of Jesus who enables us to tune in and hear God.

Verse 28 is saying that God has glorified his name through Jesus’ work so far (for example, his miracles of mercy and his teaching of truth) and God will glorify his name again through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.   

So that’s the first reason why Jesus went to the cross, to glorify God’s name. The second reason is to defeat Satan.

In verse 31 Jesus says: Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

The phrase ‘prince of this world’ is a cryptic way of referring to Satan. On the face of it, Jesus’ death on the cross would appear to be a victory for the evil one, when in actual fact it is God’s way of judging the devil.

We might think of it this way: In a game of football, if a player misbehaves perhaps by becoming violent and throwing a punch, the referee gives that player a red card and sends them off the field for the rest of the game. By killing Jesus, Satan earned himself a red card and God (the referee) sent him off the field.

Of course, the spiritual battle Jesus won against evil was infinitely greater than any football match.  My illustration falls short.

Jesus’ victory over Satan naturally raises questions for us in the 21st Century. Because 2000 years after Jesus’ crucifixion it appears that Satan is still on the field, still very active in this world. In what sense then has Satan been defeated and driven out?

Well, from our very limited human perspective, we might say that Satan’s defeat at Golgotha took place in the spiritual realm. With Jesus’ death and resurrection something shifted, spiritually, so that Satan was cast out of the heavenly court. 

Satan may still be loose in the physical world, wreaking all sorts of havoc, but his time on earth is limited. Satan has lost his authority as a prince. When Jesus returns in glory he will expel Satan from the earth as well and make all things new. The new heavens and the new earth will not be tarnished by evil.

There is another, more personal, way to think about the devil’s defeat. The name Satan is a Hebrew term which literally means accuser or adversary. Satan is the one who accuses us before God. He is the one who takes us to spiritual court and makes all sorts of accusations and threats against us.

Theologians tell us that, on the cross, Jesus took our sin (our crimes against God and humanity) upon himself. So, when Jesus died, our sin died with him. This means, when Satan accuses us of wrong doing, his accusations are empty because our sin died with Jesus on the cross.

Therefore, Satan has no case. When we align ourselves with Jesus, God throws the devil’s accusations out of court and we are acquitted. 

You may (at times) still feel Satan’s accusation against you personally but, as a believer, you do not need to fear his accusation because he has no actual power to condemn you. He’s just playing mind games. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  

For those of you who struggle with the idea of a Satan, let me put it this way: On the cross Jesus overcame fear with love. He overcame condemnation with forgiveness. For those who believe, the love of God (as displayed by Jesus on the cross) has the power to conquer the fear of death and silence the voice of the accuser.  

We are talking about the why of the cross. Jesus’ purpose in going to the cross was to glorify God’s name, to defeat Satan and to draw all people to himself.

Time for another cryptic clue. ‘Make a picture come closer’ (4 letters). [Wait] You can find this word in verse 32. [Wait] That’s right, draw.

The word ‘draw’ can mean, ‘to make a picture’ but it can also mean ‘to come closer’, as in draw near.  

In verse 32, Jesus says: And I, when I am lifted upfrom the earth, will draw all people to myself.         

Crucifixion involved being lifted up on a cross for everyone to see. And so, ‘When I am lifted up’ is a cryptic way of saying, ‘when I am crucified’.

The cross of Christ serves the purpose of drawing all people to Jesus. We are not driven to Jesus by fear. We are drawn to Jesus by his passion. Passion is a word which literally means suffering. If you have ever felt the passion of love, you will understand why passion means suffering. 

The cross is a symbol of suffering. Suffering and death is the universal experience of every human being. Jesus suffered in pretty much every way. He suffered physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He suffered insult, injury and injustice and so anyone who has ever suffered, even a little bit of what Jesus suffered, can identify with him.

Our own suffering (large and small) can be a vehicle to intimacy with Jesus. If we are misunderstood, maligned or treated unfairly. If we suffer loss or abuse, hunger or thirst, then we can draw close to Jesus in that experience, knowing we are not alone. Knowing Jesus has been there before us and shares in our pain now. 

Because suffering is universal, the cross of Christ draws all people to Jesus. Our reading today started with some Greeks coming to ask Philip if they could meet with Jesus to talk with him. They were God fearing people who were intellectually curious. They were seeking the truth.

But after that we don’t read any more about these Greek seekers. We don’t know whether they got to speak to Jesus or not. Their presence in the narrative is a bit cryptic. What we do know is that Jesus took their enquiry as a sign that his hour had come.

Leon Morris explains: The fact that the Greeks had reached a point of wanting to meet Jesus showed that the time had come for him to die for the world. Jesus no longer belongs (exclusively) to Judaism, which in any case has (largely) rejected him. Jesus belongs to the whole world. [1]

The Greeks, in John 12, represent the wider world who seek a Saviour. Whether Jesus spoke with the Greeks or not, he certainly died for them.

The way of the cross:

Okay, so we’ve considered the why of the cross. Now let’s consider the way of the cross.  In talking about the way of the cross, we mean the strategy Jesus used for achieving God’s purpose. 

Jesus’ way is somewhat of a paradox. The way to life is found through death. The way to glory is found through suffering. And the way to honour is found through service. These are not three separate things. They are three ways of saying the same thing.

Jesus illustrates his strategy, in verse 24, using a parable from nature. Just as a single seed must be planted in the earth and die in order to become a plant and grow many more seeds, so too Jesus must die and be buried in order to be raised and bring eternal life to many. In short, Jesus’ sacrificial death multiplies life.

Jesus’ illustration of the seed is not difficult to understand. But what does it mean for us, his followers? How do we apply Jesus’ words about hating your life in this world? Does this mean we must go around miserable and grumpy all the time?

Well, no. There is much that is beautiful in this world. Much to be celebrated and enjoyed. Simple things like watching a sunset or the companionship of an old friend or the smell of freshly baked bread or reading a good book. It is necessary and healthy for us to take time out to enjoy these simple pleasures.

When Jesus speaks about hating your life in this world, he is using an ancient Jewish idiom that is mostly lost in translation for us.  The ‘world’ in the gospel of John often refers to this current age, this epoch in history, which is finite and coming to an end.  

Jesus’ point is not to become too attached to the things of this world because they are passing away. Your house, your car, your career, your bank balance, your special skills and talents, your reputation; these are all temporary things. They do not travel with you, to the next world, when you die.

What really matters, is faith expressing itself in love. The love you give in this world is banked for you in the next, in eternity. More than just being banked, the love you give is multiplied like a seed. It is transformed beyond all imagining.

‘Hating your life’ does not mean harming yourself or treating yourself harshly. You are highly valued by God and you need to care for the body and soul God has given you. Jesus goes on to explain, in verse 26, that hating your life in this world equates to serving and following him. As Paul says in Romans 12, we are to be living sacrifices.

Serving Jesus will look different for each of us. For some it means giving your time and skills to help in the church. For others it might mean raising your family to know and love Jesus. And still for others, serving Jesus might mean practising his values, living out his way, in the workplace.

Conclusion – the crisis of the cross:

One more cryptic crossword clue: ‘A decision made under pressure’ (6 letters). What’s the word? [Wait] It starts with a ‘C’ and ends with an ‘S’. [Wait]

That’s right, Crisis.

The word crisis literally means to decide. The crisis point is the moment of decision. But in everyday usage a crisis is a time of intense distress or pressure. The cross of Christ creates a crisis. The cross of Christ demands a decision.   

When Jesus spelled out to people his strategy, the way of the cross, the crowds had difficulty accepting it. They could not imagine a crucified Messiah. They thought their Saviour King would remain forever and so they questioned Jesus.

They were half right. Yes, Jesus the Messiah does remain forever but not without being crucified first. After Jesus died, God raised him to eternal life. Unfortunately, the crowds were not able to put that together.

Jesus has already answered their question and doesn’t waste his breath repeating himself. Instead he says: “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you…”    

In the gospel of John, Jesus is the light of the world. Light, therefore, is Jesus’ cryptic way of referring to himself. Jesus is basically saying, believe in me while you still can because if you don’t believe in me now, the window of opportunity for faith will close and you will lose yourself in the dark.   

To walk in the dark and not know where you are going in life is to not know what your future is. To not know you have a good future is to be hopeless, it is to be in despair. Jesus doesn’t want despair for us.   

The cross of Christ creates a crisis. The cross of Christ demands a decision. Have you accepted the light of the world? Have you put your trust in Jesus?

May the Spirit of God turn the light on in our minds that we would believe and see and walk in the way of Jesus. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • What does it mean to glorify someone or something? How do we glorify God?
  • Can you think of a time in your own life when God used your suffering to serve a higher purpose? What happened?
  • Discuss / reflect on the various ways Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. How loud is the voice of accusation in your head? What triggers that voice? What defence might you employ against the voice of accusation?
  • Think about your own experience of suffering. Does this connect with Jesus’ suffering in some small way? Take a few moments to draw close to Jesus in the intimacy of your shared experience. Know that you are not alone. Know that Jesus walks with you, sharing in your pain.
  • What did Jesus mean by ‘hating your life in this world’? How do you serve Jesus in this life?
  • What simple pleasures can you enjoy this week to nourish your soul and invigorate your service to Jesus?   

[1] Leon Morris, NICNT on John, page 524.

Tawa Baptist

Devotion

Scripture: John 12:1-11

Video Links: https://youtu.be/8W_gVTSJsas

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Self-giving acts of devotion
  • Self-serving acts of deceit
  • Lenten devotion
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Who can tell me what was special about last Wednesday? [Wait]

That’s right, it was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

Lent is an old fashioned word which literally means ‘lengthening’, as in the lengthening of days. In the northern hemisphere Lent happens in spring as the days lengthen. It’s the opposite for us in the southern hemisphere. The days shorten during Lent.   

Irrespective of where you live in the world, Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) preceding Easter. Lent is not something we find in the Bible. It’s a Christian tradition passed down through the centuries. During Lent Christians remember the events leading up to and including Jesus’ suffering and death.

Remembering Jesus’ suffering isn’t just something we do in our head. Many Christians identify with Jesus in a tangible way by carrying out self-giving acts of devotion. Acts of devotion typically include praying, fasting and giving, in order to draw closer to Jesus.

Today we begin a new sermon series, for Lent, which explores some of the events in the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Our Bible reading this morning focuses on the gospel of John, chapter 12, verses 1-11.

In this passage we see both beauty and ugliness. From John 12, verse 1, we read…

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pintof pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me.”

9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

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

As I mentioned earlier, today’s reading reveals some beauty and some ugliness. The beauty is front and centre in the form of self-giving acts of devotion. While the ugliness lurks in the shadows in the form of self-serving acts of deceit. First let us consider the beauty of devotion.   

Self-giving acts of devotion:

The first self-giving act of devotion we notice is Jesus’ act of coming to Jerusalem for the Passover. In the context this was a brave thing to do.

At the end of John 11, after Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, we read how the chief priests and Pharisees said that if anyone found Jesus, they should report his whereabouts so they could arrest him. Jesus was essentially an outlaw, wanted by the authorities.

Jesus came to Bethany knowing the end was near for him. Knowing he would soon be giving his life as a ransom for many. Jesus did this as an act of self-giving devotion to God. 

But Jesus isn’t the only one who is brave. When Jesus arrives in Bethany, his friends defy the religious authorities by throwing a party in Jesus’ honour.

Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

You know, self-giving acts of devotion come in many forms. Martha’s act of self-giving devotion was providing hospitality for Jesus.

You may recall how Martha got a bit upset, in Luke chapter 10, when she was catering for Jesus and his disciples and Mary wasn’t helping. Mary was listening at Jesus’ feet. Jesus defended Mary and gently corrected Martha on that occasion.

From this we may draw the false conclusion that for devotion to be true it must involve sitting in a room by yourself praying and reading the Bible. While that is one very valid form of devotion, so is doing the dishes, when those dishes are washed with a heart full of love for God.

Now in John 12, sometime after the Luke 10 incident, there is no bitterness or resentment from Martha. She serves quietly, without complaint. Her devotion is practical and behind the scenes. Jesus has given Martha her brother back and she is thankful, happy to serve.        

Verse 2 of John 12 sheds some light on another form of devotion. We read that Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus. In that culture tables were low to the ground and there were no chairs, just cushions. People lay on their side with their head near the table, relaxing while they ate.

Reclining might not sound like much. In fact, it may sound lazy. But, in the context, it paints a picture of the devotion of companionship.

Companionship is a word that literally means to share bread with. But in contemporary English a companion is a friend, someone whose company you enjoy. Someone who spends time with you and removes the sting of loneliness.

So often, when I read the gospels, I’m struck by the loneliness that Jesus must have felt. Yes, he had a pretty amazing communion with God but, at the same time, he was continually misunderstood by the religious leaders, by the crowds and even by his own disciples.

Lazarus offered Jesus the gift of companionship. He was a friend to Jesus. Someone Jesus could hang out with, without being drained.

During certain stages of life, we may find the pressures of family and work force us to be a Martha, always serving. That’s okay but perhaps we also need to listen to that deeper longing in our soul to be a Lazarus. To take time to slow down and recline with Jesus in comfortable conversation or easy silence.   

And so we come to Mary’s self-giving act of devotion. Verse 3 reads…

Then Mary took about a pintof pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

If Martha’s love language is acts of service and Lazarus’ love language is quality time, then Mary’s seems to be gift giving and touch.

Mary’s act of devotion was wholehearted. She was loving Jesus with her whole being, no half measures. She used the full pint of nard on Jesus, total commitment.

Mary’s act of devotion was extravagant. The perfume cost a year’s wages, for a labourer, but love doesn’t count the cost. It is the instinct of love to give and keep giving.  

There is a line in the hymn, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’, where we sing: Were the whole realm of nature mine, it would be an offering far too small. Mary gives Jesus the most precious thing she owns and yet it still doesn’t feel like enough.

Mary’s act of devotion was courageous. Respectable Jewish women in the first century did not let down their hair in public. It was considered inappropriate. But Mary isn’t concerned with what other people think. Her eyes are only on Jesus.

Mary’s act of devotion was tender. Not only does Mary let down her hair, she even uses her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet. This means touching him in a good way, in a kind and gentle way. What a contrast to the abuse Jesus’ body would suffer just a few days later. Mary gave Jesus the gift of tenderness going into the hardest week of his life.

Mary’s act of devotion was humble, not presumptuous. She anointed Jesus’ feet and in that culture touching feet was a bit like cleaning toilets. This shows the value Mary placed on Jesus. Even his feet (the lowest part of Jesus’ body) deserved the best.

I am reminded of Ruth uncovering Boaz’ feet by the threshing floor. Ruth is known for her loyalty. Is Mary pledging her loyal love to Jesus here?

Mary’s act of devotion was timely. Jesus was soon going to die. On some level, Mary senses that she only has a small window of opportunity to do something special for Jesus. She sees the Kairos moment and gives expression to her love while she can.

If the last few years have taught us anything it is that none of us knows what tomorrow holds. Don’t leave the important stuff undone. Express your love, in a right way, before it is too late. Love, when it is not expressed well (or not expressed at all), turns to pain, a kind of smoldering coal in your chest. 

Mary’s act of devotion blessed everyone. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. This is instructive for us. Acts of self-giving devotion bless everyone in the house. The closer we are to Jesus, the more we love him, the more everyone around us benefits.  

Mary’s act of devotion was symbolic, it was meaningful.  She was anointing Jesus’ body for burial ahead of time. Whether Mary was aware of this fact or not, we don’t know. What we can say is that Mary’s costly act of self-giving devotion points to Jesus’ costly sacrifice on the cross. 

Mary’s act of pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet is a parable for God pouring his love and grace on the best and worst of humanity.

The beauty of Martha, Lazarus and Mary’s self-giving acts of devotion for Jesus, paint a picture of what John means by eternal life. They give us a glimpse of intimacy with God, the kind of intimacy that can be ours in and through Jesus.

Self-serving acts of deceit:

But, as Bono says, ‘darkness gathers around the light’. Lurking in the shadows are some self-serving acts of deceit.

In verses 4 – 6 we read…

4 But one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Judas’ greed and deceit stand in stark contrast to Mary’s authentic generosity and genuine love.

A point of application for us. When you are criticized for doing something good (for acting with self-giving love), then try to remember the criticism is not about you. It might be directed at you but really the criticism reveals more about the one doing the criticizing than it does about you.

Likewise, if you find yourself criticizing someone else unfairly, then take a moment to reflect. The criticism you are making is probably coming from your own shadow.  Your shadow is that part of yourself that you cannot see.

Judas’ criticism is coming from his shadow. Love of money has blinded him. Judas cannot see the goodness in Mary’s act of devotion, nor the worthiness of Jesus in receiving such an outpouring of love. Judas isn’t just criticizing Mary; he is devaluing Jesus as well. Judas’ words reveal something pretty ugly.

Notice though Jesus’ self-giving act of devotion for Judas. Jesus, the prophet who sees into people’s hearts, knows that Judas is a thief and yet he does not expose Judas to shame.

But he does defend Mary’s actions. In verse 7 Jesus says…

7 “Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial…”

Jesus is a master at saying a lot with few words. Firstly, Jesus protects Mary. More than that, Jesus interprets Mary’s self-giving act of devotion through the lens of his pending death. In doing this, Jesus draws out the eternal significance in what Mary has done.

Then Jesus goes on to say in verse 8…

8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me.”

Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 15, where Moses says there will always be poor people in the land and you should help them whenever you can.

At the same time, in a very private and gentle way, Jesus is calling Judas out on his hypocrisy. Jesus is effectively saying to Judas that if he really cared about the poor he wouldn’t be stealing from the common purse.

But Jesus is also intimating that he will be killed soon. The words, you will not always have me, validate the timing of Mary’s act of devotion, for Jesus is a wanted man.

The chief priests’ self-serving act of deceit makes Judas look like an amateur. Not only were the chief priests plotting to kill Jesus, they also wanted to kill Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Killing Lazarus would be like destroying the evidence.

Perhaps they figured, even after we kill Jesus people will still remember him. But if we get rid of Lazarus, then we can erase people’s memory of what Jesus did and rewrite history to suit ourselves.

But the chief priests’ self-serving act of deceit failed. The memory of Jesus’ self-giving love, which conquers fear and death, has not been erased in 2,000 years.

Lenten Devotion:

We started this message talking about how people draw close to Jesus during Lent through prayer, fasting and giving. The thing is, prayer, fasting and giving don’t have any power in themselves to bring you close to Jesus. The chief priests prayed and fasted and gave to the poor and yet they couldn’t have been further from Jesus. 

It is the spirit in which you pray, fast and give that creates the connection. Prayer, fasting and giving are merely tools of devotion. You can use the tools to build a wall or you can use them to dig a well.

You can use the tools to guard against your own insecurity (like the religious leaders did) or you can use them to give yourself to God and his purpose in the world (like Mary, Martha & Lazarus did).

If, for example, you choose to give up chocolate or coffee for Lent, then you do well to ask yourself, why? Am I doing this with mixed motives; perhaps to lose weight or appease my own guilt? Or, does my fasting serve a more noble purpose; like standing in solidarity with the poor and saying, ‘I love you Jesus’.

If not drinking coffee makes you grumpy with the people you live with, then you are better not to give it up. But if you can keep your temper and donate the money you save to a worthy cause, then you are using the tools of fasting and giving to dig a well from which others can drink.

And, if the loss of comfort you feel in fasting puts you in touch with Jesus’ experience in some small way, then your act of devotion has strengthened your connection with Christ.

Another practical thing you can do for Lent is reducing your TV watching. Then the question becomes, what will I do with my spare time? If you give the time to spiritual reading, then you dig a well to refresh your own soul, making yourself better equipped to refresh others.

Or you could volunteer some of your free time to help someone in need or spend a few hours a week picking up rubbish in your neighbourhood. In this way, you are loving your neighbours and identifying with Jesus who gave himself to help us and clean up our mess.

Conclusion:      

Whatever you choose to do for lent, you need be honest with yourself. Self-serving acts of deceit will pass away but self-giving acts of devotion, done in the name of Jesus, will shine forever.

In 1st Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul writes, …stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

Or said another way, be sure that nothing you do for Jesus is ever lost or wasted. Whatever you do for Christ, in love and honesty, no matter how large or small, becomes indestructible, eternal.

You might lose your job, your business, your car, your home, your money, your hair, your youth, your beauty, your health, your memory and many other things beside. But every act of self-giving love and devotion you carry out in the name of Jesus is preserved forever in the kingdom of heaven, where flood and earthquake, rust and moth, inflation and thieves cannot rob or destroy.

O that we could keep that eternal perspective in mind and not be overwhelmed by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that we suffer in this world.  God is love and love is everlasting.

One question remains: How do you express your love for Jesus?

May the love of God fill you, the peace of Christ keep you, and the companionship of the Holy Spirit give you courage. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • What do you plan to do during Lent to draw close to Jesus? What acts of devotion have you found helpful in the past? What hasn’t worked so well for you?
  • Discuss / reflect on the various forms of self-giving devotion performed by Jesus, Martha, Lazarus and Mary in Luke 12:1-11. Which of these are you most naturally drawn to?
  • How might we deal with unfair criticism? How might we know when other people’s criticism of us is really more about them than it is about us?
  • Why did the religious leaders want to kill Jesus? Why did they want to kill Lazarus?
  • How much of your time and energy do you invest in self-giving acts of devotion for Christ? 
  • How do you express your love for Jesus?  
Tawa Baptist

John’s Expectations

Scripture: Luke 7:18-30

Video Link: https://youtu.be/1aD988jAIZY

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Luke 7:18-20
  • Luke 7:21-23
  • Luke 7:24-30
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Expectations. They are like balloons; buoyant, fun, uplifting, but also vulnerable. They can be stolen by the wind (and drift across America) or burst on the sharp edges of reality. Even if you manage to keep hold of the balloon of your expectations though, it will inevitably become deflated.   

Expectations are also like bread baking in the oven. It has a pleasant aroma which fills the house, triggering memory and hunger, drawing people together, in anticipation of a good feed. But, like bread, expectations have a tendency to go stale.

Today we conclude our series on John the Baptist by considering John’s expectations. From Luke chapter 7, verse 18, we read…

18 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.  27 This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

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

Luke 7:18-20

Did you feel the earthquake last Wednesday night? It was about 6.2 or 6.3 in magnitude, located 81 km’s north of Wellington in the Tasman Sea. In Wellington we live with this ambient expectation of an earthquake most of the time. Mindful of the damage caused on the east coast by the recent cyclone, we are thankful the earthquake on the west coast didn’t do any harm.

Expectations are a bit like fault lines. Just as we get an earthquake when two tectonic plates bump up against each other, so too we get a disturbance deep in our soul when our expectations bump up against reality. The stronger the expectation the bigger the magnitude of shock if that expectation is not met.

By the time we get to Luke 7, John the Baptist is in prison. This was hardly unexpected. John was smart enough to realise that if you criticise powerful people (as he had criticised Herod) they are going to make life difficult for you.

For John, the fault line created by unmet expectations did not come from Herod, it came from Jesus. Jesus’ ministry had not unfolded in the way John the Baptist had expected.

When there is a gap between our expectations and the reality we experience, that creates uncertainty. John did not doubt that Jesus was from God but when he heard what Jesus was doing it may have caused him to doubt himself; did I get it right in thinking Jesus is the Messiah? 

You see, John had preached that the Messiah would bring God’s fiery judgement, to destroy the wicked, but Jesus seemed to be doing the opposite. Jesus was actually healing people and bringing God’s mercy. Jesus even helped a Roman centurion, the last person you would expect to benefit from the Messiah’s work.

What’s more, Jesus’ approach was completely different from John’s approach. Yes, they had the same objective; to bring people back to God. But they went about achieving that objective in a totally different way. John abstained from drinking alcohol. He lived in the wilderness and fasted, while Jesus went to parties in town and was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard.

Jesus was not behaving in the way John expected the Messiah to behave. So, John sent two of his own disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?

Before we consider how Jesus responds to John, let’s pause for a moment to think about what John is doing here.

Sending two disciples was significant. It takes at least two witnesses to agree for the truth to be established. Sending two witnesses was almost like putting Jesus under oath. The question and the answer is important to John.

And it is little wonder. John has given his whole life to one purpose: telling people to repent and be baptised because the Messiah is coming to judge the living and the dead. 

John doesn’t have a wife or any family or even a home to return to. John has put all his eggs in one basket. He has no safety net. He has no back up plan. John needs to know that his life has not been in vain. He needs to know that the message he has poured his heart and soul into is true. That he backed the right horse (or the right Messiah in this case).

We human beings can suffer a great deal if we know why, if we understand the meaning in our sacrifice. Jesus is John’s why. John is not relying on himself. He is looking to Jesus for meaning in his suffering.

At some point in your journey of faith, God will disappoint your expectations. There will come a day (if it hasn’t come already) when it feels like Jesus has pulled the rug out from under your feet. It is never fair. The expectation created by the lovely aroma of freshly baking bread can turn stale overnight.

It happened for Job, when he lost everything. It happened for Jonah when he preached to Nineveh. It happened for Joseph when he was sold into slavery. It happened for Mary & Martha, when Lazarus died. It happened for the disciples when Jesus went to the cross. It happened for the early church who were persecuted for their faith. It’s probably happening right now for believers in the Hawke’s Bay and Syria and Turkey and the Ukraine.  

Disappointment with God can happen when a marriage fails, or when a loved one becomes ill and dies. It can happen when your dreams and goals are turned to ash. It can happen in an instant or over a prolonged period. It can happen once or it can happen multiple times.

Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him. (Job 13:15).

John does not quit God when Jesus upsets John’s expectations. No. John takes his question to Jesus. He enters into a conversation with the Lord. And that is the key.

When God does not meet your expectations, don’t give him the silent treatment. Give him a piece of your mind, in a respectful way. Be honest with him. Tell him what you are thinking and feeling. Ask him what you need to know.

You might not get the answer you want but (if you are listening) God will probably give you some perspective. The important thing is to stay in the conversation with him. Do not close yourself off from God. That would be like holding your breath, it would be madness.     

Okay, so John takes his question to Jesus. He basically asks if Jesus is the Messiah. How then does Jesus respond?

Luke 7:21-23

Expectations can be a bit like movies. When you go to watch a movie you escape reality for a couple of hours. The storyline of the movie normally involves the hero overcoming great odds to achieve their goal and live happily ever after.

Movies tend to create unrealistic expectations because they edit out the boring bits of life and usually have a neat and tidy ending. Then you go back to real life, which is mostly hard work and frustration with no neat and tidy endings, and you can’t wait to escape back to the movies again. 

Jesus doesn’t make a movie. He doesn’t create any false expectations for John or anyone else. Jesus simply states the facts, saying…

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

These words of Jesus are, in fact, a collage of quotes from the prophet Isaiah. But they are not just random quotes. They are words that Isaiah wrote in relation of the Messiah. John would have known this. It’s like Jesus is saying: ‘I am doing exactly what Isaiah said the Christ would do. You do the math’.

Jesus doesn’t say directly to John, ‘Yes, I am the Messiah. You just have to blindly trust me’. No. Nor does Jesus send John to the movies. Jesus offers John hard evidence from real life and from the Scriptures.

None of this results in a happy ending for John. None of this gets John out of prison. Jesus does not save John from Herod’s executioner. As far as we know, Jesus doesn’t even visit John or send him a care package. John still suffers great injustice at the hand of Herod’s household. This is not a movie. This is real life.

But John can take comfort in the fact that he was right to identify Jesus as God’s Messiah. John does not need to doubt himself, much less Jesus. John’s sacrifice was not in vain. His life had the highest meaning and purpose. Jesus gave John the ‘why’ he needed to deal with his uncertainty and pain.

Some of you may be wondering, if John’s expectations were not quite right about the Messiah, does that mean we can disregard what John said about the coming judgement and the need for repentance?

Well, no. Just because God’s judgement did not come as quickly as John expected doesn’t mean that it’s not coming. There is still going to be a day of judgement at the end of time. And repentance still goes hand in hand with forgiveness.

One of the functions of judgement is to separate the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad. What we notice when we look at the ministry of Jesus is that he sifted pretty much everyone he met. Jesus did not come to condemn or destroy people. Nevertheless, his very presence divided people.

There is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You are either for him or against him but, once you encounter Christ, you cannot ignore him. Each of us must decide how we will respond to Jesus. We either accept him as Saviour and Lord or we don’t. Those who receive Jesus, receive God’s mercy. Those who don’t receive Jesus, can expect God’s justice.  

Luke 7:24-30

I have compared expectations to balloons, to fault lines, to the aroma of freshly baked bread and to the movies. We might also think of expectations like the pendulum of a clock. Expectations swing both ways; they can be high or low, positive or negative.

Expectations can also have a hypnotic affect. Stare at them too long and they will put you in a trance, leading you down the path of fantasy and illusion.

Once John’s disciples have left, Jesus begins to speak to the crowd about John. In doing this Jesus is getting the people to consider their own expectations. Jesus does not want the people to fall into a trance or be misled. From verse 24 Jesus says…

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.’      

To contrast John with ‘a reed swayed by the wind’ is a poetic way of saying that John was not a voice echoing public opinion. Likewise, to contrast John with a palace official ‘dressed in fine clothes’ is a way of saying that John was not a spokesman for the rich and powerful.

Rather, John was a prophet. He was a spokesman for God and as God’s spokesman he did not compromise his message. He was not interested in scratching the itching ears of his audience by telling people what they wanted to hear. John gave God’s message straight up; no spin, no hidden agenda.  

It seems to me that Jesus is trying to bridge a gap in people’s understanding. He is helping people to make the logical connection. Given that John the Baptist is a prophet from God, it logically follows that to accept John’s message is to agree with God. But to reject John’s message is to call God a liar.

Luke spells out the connection Jesus is wanting people to make in verses 29-30, where he says…

29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

Once again this goes against the grain of our expectations. We would ordinarily expect the religious leaders to model the right example and accept God’s purpose by repenting and being baptised. But they don’t.

In a bizarre reversal of expectations, the non-religious people (including the really bad people like tax collectors) are able to recognise John as God’s prophet and they flock to him in their thousands.

Jesus and John may have had very different approaches to ministry but they both had the same goal: to reach out to people and bring them closer to God. John used the stick of God’s judgement, while Jesus used the carrot of God’s mercy. Different approaches, same result. People turned to God.  

This is in contrast to the religious leaders who were more aloof and did not help people come to God. Jesus and John did not dance to the religious leaders’ tune and so (like spoilt brats) the religious leaders refused to play with them.

Now, it’s tempting for you (in the congregation) to sit there thinking to yourself, ‘Well, lucky I’m not a religious leader, like our pastor Will. Man is he going to be in trouble when Jesus comes back’. (Maybe, but I hope not.)

Here’s the thing. Being a religious leader is not the problem. Being self-righteous is the problem. Anyone can be self-righteous. You don’t need to be a religious leader for that. So the thing to avoid is self-righteousness.

To be self-righteous is to live as if you don’t need God. A self-righteous person expects to be able to do what is right without God’s help. And if they do make a mistake they think they can make things right without God.

The unfortunate thing about self-righteousness is that it hides in our shadow, where we can’t see it. So when we are being self-righteous we are blind to it. We don’t realise it. It’s like we are in a trance, being misled by the illusion of our own expectations. Pretty much all of us have a bit of religious leader in us.

John’s question of Jesus shows that he was not self-righteous. It takes real humility to acknowledge what you don’t know and to ask for help.

In verse 28 Jesus has this to say about John…

28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

I’m not sure I fully understand Jesus’ words here. Most of the experts I read on this passage say it has to do with two different epochs of history. John belongs to the old age and Jesus to the new. So maybe it’s like we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. We stand on John’s shoulders.

Leon Morris puts it this way: the least in the kingdom is greater [than John], not because of any personal qualities he may have, but because he belongs to the time of fulfilment. [1]

The message seems to be: we are lucky to live at a time in history when Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf. This means, for example, that we no longer need to keep sacrificing animals or performing other rituals to make ourselves right with God. We can be right with God by accepting Jesus.  

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we enjoy privileges that people before the time of Christ did not. Of course, with privilege comes responsibility. 

Conclusion:

What are your expectations of Jesus?

Do you expect judgement or mercy when Christ returns?

Do you expect to carry on as you are or do you need to make some changes?  

Do you expect to escape pain and uncertainty in this life? Or do you expect to receive the strength to face whatever the day may bring?

Do you expect Jesus to behave in a certain way or are you prepared to let God be God?

Let us pray…

Heavenly Father, the events of recent times have left us not knowing what to expect. Give us strength and wisdom to follow Jesus through the uncertainty and the pain. May we not become so entranced by our own expectations that we exclude you. Have mercy on us and on this world that you love, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.   

 Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • Can you remember a time in your life when your expectations did not meet with the reality of your experience? What happened? How did you feel? What did you learn?
  • Why did John ask if Jesus was the Messiah (the one to come)?
  • How does Jesus respond to John’s question? Why do you think Jesus responds in this way?
  • What should we do when we experience disappointment with God? How can we help others who may be going through similar disappointments?
  • Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ words in Luke 7:28. What is Jesus saying here? What might this mean for us?
  • What are your expectations of Jesus? How might you know if your expectations are fair or accurate? Do your expectations need to change? If so, how? 

[1] Refer Leon Morris’ commentary on Luke, page 143.

Tawa Baptist

John’s Humility

Scripture: John 3:22-30

Video Link: https://youtu.be/yDbL-iH2iQg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • John’s humility
  • How is humility formed?
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Imagine a can of peaches. Most people would agree the contents are more important than the label. The quality of the peaches inside the can matters more than the picture on the outside because you don’t eat the label, you eat the peaches. The label is still useful though, provided it is accurate.

(I’ve always found this brand to be good by the way.)

Today we continue our series on John the Baptist. Last week we heard about John’s magnum opus, his great work, of preparing people for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.

This morning we take a look inside the can of John’s character. John has the label of a wild man, living in the desert, preaching hell fire and repentance. But, underneath the tough exterior, there is a winsomeness to John which is quite lovely. From the gospel of John chapter 3, verses 22-30 we read…

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

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

This reading from John’s gospel gives us a glimpse inside John the Baptist’s character. What we find in the can, is not peaches, but the fruit of humility.

John’s humility:

Mother Teresa had this to say about humility…

Humility is the mother of all virtues… It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed, you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint, you will not put yourself on a pedestal.

Mother Teresa is not just speaking for herself here. She is reflecting Christian wisdom gleaned over centuries. Humility is about being completely honest with yourself. It’s about knowing who and what you truly are. Having an accurate estimation of yourself in relation to God and others. Humility, therefore, is about being real, authentic. 

Being humble is not about being self-effacing. Often, in kiwi culture, we cut ourselves down before anyone else has a chance. But humility, in the Bible, is not the same as self-sabotage.

A humble person is quietly self-affirming. They have a healthy self-awareness, without being self-absorbed. In other words, a humble person knows their own imperfections and limitations but still accepts themselves.

John the Baptist was humble. He knew who he was and what he was in relation to Jesus and others. 

After Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in the night, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside where they spent some time baptising people. Jesus’ disciples happened to be baptising in the same area that John was baptising, because that’s where the water was.

You may remember John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. It was a sign of surrender to God and making a fresh start in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

By having his disciples baptise people, Jesus was showing his support for John’s ministry. Jesus was not competing against John. They were on the same team, like a batting partnership in cricket. 

As sometimes happens with intense religious people, who insist on being right, an argument developed between the disciples of John the Baptist and a certain Jew over ceremonial washing. We don’t know who this Jew was or precisely why he took issue with John’s baptism.

Given the details are not mentioned, it doesn’t matter, which serves as a lesson to us. Some things are not worth dwelling on or arguing about. A humble person knows when to let it go and walk away.

John is not drawn into a pointless argument. He is walking humbly with God. John is secure in the knowledge that he is doing what God wants him to do. He doesn’t have anything to prove.   

John’s disciples are not so secure. They are concerned that Jesus’ disciples are baptising more people. John’s disciples were loyal to John and felt jealous on his behalf, because Jesus was becoming more popular.

But John’s ego is not bruised by Jesus’ success. John is not proud. He is humble. John knows what he is in relation to Jesus. John replies with an accurate estimation of himself…

“A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’…”                     

In some ways, we are like tea pots. The tea pot does not make the tea. The tea pot is simply a vessel for holding and pouring the tea. Nor does the tea pot have any ownership rights over the tea. The very purpose of the tea pot is to share the tea.

In this analogy, God is the one who makes the tea. The tea pot (that’s each of us) can only receive what is given from heaven. As the apostle Paul said,

‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us’.

John was successful in the sense that people came to him in their thousands to listen to him preach and to be baptised. But that success wasn’t because of John. That success was given by God.  John was under no illusion. He knew that people came to him because he was serving the heavenly tea of God’s word. And he served the tea hot, not lukewarm.

In verse 29, John offers this metaphor to describe his relationship with Jesus.

29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

The bride in John’s analogy is the nation of Israel and the bridegroom is Jesus, the Messiah. The friend is John the Baptist. John is like Jesus’ best man at the wedding between the Messiah and Israel.

Notice here how humility opens the door for joy. The best man is not envious or covetous. He does not want to keep the bride for himself. The best man is happy to see his friend get married. 

As I’ve said before, joy is the positive energy that comes from hope. John has been waiting and listening for Jesus to come and be united with Israel. Now that is finally happening, John’s hope is realised and his joy is complete.  

John is genuinely pleased that the people are flocking to Jesus, for that means John has done his job.

And so we come to some of the most winsome words in the whole Bible. John says of Jesus, in verse 30: He must become greater; I must become less.

The best man has a key role to play in assisting the groom, both before the wedding and on the big day itself. But once the ceremony has taken place and the speeches are done, the best man slips away. After all, it was never about the best man.

He must become greater; I must become less, reveals more than just humility; it also reveals John’s self-giving love for Jesus. “It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent.”

John willingly gave his time and strength to prepare the way for Christ. And he was glad to give up his popularity for the sake of Jesus. Eventually he would give up his freedom and his life also. 

He must become greater; I must become less.

When I reflect on what that means for us, I am mindful of the people Tawa Baptist has donated to other churches and to the work of mission over the years. We have given away some of our best and brightest for the greater good of God’s kingdom. We have become less so that Jesus would become more.

Thinking on a personal level, He must become greater; I must become less, is the process of a lifetime really. It describes the journey of faith. Very few people give their whole life to Jesus all at once. Most of us give ourselves to Jesus incrementally (bit by bit). 

We do well to remember, with thankfulness, those who have acted as a John the Baptist in our lives; introducing us to Jesus and then becoming less so he can become more.

We do even better to consider who we might be a John the Baptist for.

If you are a Sunday school teacher or a youth group leader or a parent, then you can be like John the Baptist for those in your care. You know you won’t have these young ones forever. They will grow up and move on. But while they are with you, you can point them to Jesus.  

Likewise, when you point friends, neighbours, work colleagues or school mates to Jesus, through winsome words and deeds, then you are being a John the Baptist for them. May God bless you with joy as you become less and Jesus becomes more.    

How is humility formed?  

Some of you may wonder, how is humility formed? How can I become humble, like John? Well, the Spirit of God can develop humility in all manner of ways. I don’t think there is a formula to it necessarily.

But that’s not particularly helpful to you, so let me suggest three things that I’ve observed (anecdotally). Among other things, humility is formed with acceptance, with the wilderness and with a personal experience of grace.   

Humility is about being completely honest with yourself; telling yourself the truth. Being honest with yourself goes hand in hand with accepting yourself. To not accept yourself is to live in denial of who you really are.

If the can contains peaches, then it is best to accept that fact. Nothing good comes from pretending the can contains something else, like boysenberries.   

John the Baptist was honest with himself. He knew he was second fiddle to Jesus and he accepted that fact. At no point did John entertain a Messiah complex. He never let his early success get the better of him. He never lied to himself or misled anyone. 

Accepting yourself is not as easy as it sounds, especially if there are parts of yourself that you don’t like that much.  It helps to have one or two significant people in your life who know you and accept you for who you are.

I imagine John found acceptance from his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. They knew who their son was and why he was born. So John likely grew up with a strong sense of his own identity and purpose.

Who is it that sees you and gets you? Who is it that speaks the truth to you, in a gracious way, in order to keep you honest? It might be a family member. It might be your partner in marriage. It might be a friend or a teacher or your spiritual director. Value that relationship, take care of it.

Humility is like walking. It requires us to keep our feet on the ground and to stand upright. Walking humbly is not something we can do alone. No. We walk humbly with God. Ultimately, it is God’s love for us, his presence with us, that enables us to accept ourselves and keep our feet on the ground.   

The wilderness is also helpful in forming humility. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness for much of his life. The wilderness has its own way of lending perspective. When you are in the desert or in the mountains or out on the open sea, you learn that you are not in charge. The wilderness is in charge.

It is humbling to walk the length of the valley leading up to Franz Joseph glacier, with sheer cliffs either side of you, and realise how small you are in comparison to the powerful ice that has carved a valley out of rock over millions of years.

Young men are seldom honest with themselves. Young men often think they are bullet proof. When we were still at school, my friends and I used to go kayaking on the Wairoa River in the Kaimai rangers, near Tauranga. One day one of the members of our canoe club was swept under a ledge and drowned. The force of the water (a grade 5 rapid) held him there.

He was an experienced paddler who had run that particular rapid many times before and he respected the river, yet it claimed his life. It was a sad day. A humbling way to learn we were not in charge. The wilderness was in charge. 

A third thing that helps to form humility is a personal experience of grace. When someone bestows on us an honour we know we don’t deserve. Or when they treat us with a generosity we have not earned, that is grace. If you let that grace touch you deeply enough, it has a humbling affect.

John the Baptist was humbled by a personal experience of grace when Jesus came to be baptised by him. John feels unworthy of the honour and tries to deter Jesus saying: “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”

Now this is remarkable. John was a holy man. He lived a pure life and had a far better moral compass than most. Yet, despite his righteousness, John did not rely on his own goodness. John knew that he was from earth while Jesus was from heaven.

But Jesus says to John: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented. What else could he do? To deny Jesus would be out of line, it would be arrogant. John is humbled by Jesus’ grace.    

We can be humbled by grace in all sorts of ways. To receive forgiveness, when you know you were wrong and are genuinely sorry, is to be humbled by grace.

To realise the privilege of receiving a good education, when others who went before us were denied the opportunity, is to be humbled by grace.

To recognise you have a choice over which career path to follow, when most of the world does whatever job they can to survive, is to be humbled by grace.

I feel humbled by grace watching the news at times. Seeing pictures of the death & devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey & Syria, is sobering. Then there is the suffering of the people in Ukraine. Thousands of lives lost and homes destroyed, in winter.

I know New Zealand has suffered its own trauma in recent times, but I still reckon most of us who live here have won the lottery, even without buying a ticket. We have much to be thankful for. I am humbled by God’s goodness and grace for us in this land.

Opportunities to grow in humility are all around, if we don’t let a sense of entitlement get in the way.

Conclusion:

When we look inside the can of John’s character we find humility. We also find love. As the apostle Paul says in 1st Corinthians 13…

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

John was patient, waiting and listening for Jesus. John did not get angry when Jesus became more popular. John was not proud or boastful. Nor was John envious of Jesus. John had the humility to be honest with himself and to rejoice in Jesus’ success.

Being honest with ourselves requires each of us to ask: What is in the can of my character? And do the contents of that can match the label?

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for those people who have acted like a John the Baptist in our lives, introducing us to Jesus, then becoming less so he can become more. Help us to be a John the Baptist for others. Give us the grace to be honest with ourselves and true to you. May we always be motivated by love. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • What is humility? Why is it important to be honest with ourselves? What is in the can of your character? And do the contents of that can match the label?
  • Discuss / reflect on John’s metaphor in verse 29. E.g. What does the analogy mean? What is the relationship between humility and joy? How does humility make love real, devoted and ardent?
  • What might it look like for us to become less, so that Jesus becomes more? 
  • Who has acted as a John the Baptist in your life? Give thanks for them. Who can you be a John the Baptist for? Pray about this.
  • How is humility formed? How can we become/remain humble? 
  • Who accepts you? Who is it that sees you and gets you? Who is it that speaks the truth to you, in a gracious way, in order to keep you honest? What can you do to take care of that relationship?
  • Take some time this week to consider God’s grace in your life. Let the reality of that grace touch you deeply. Let grace humble you.  
Tawa Baptist

John’s Opus

Scripture: Luke 3:1-20

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

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • John’s timing (darkness & light)
  • John’s baptism (repentance & forgiveness)
  • John’s message (judgement & hope)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Can anyone hear tell us what the phrase Magnum Opus means? [Wait]

That’s right, magnum opus is a Latin term which literally means great work. A person’s magnum opus is their greatest work.

The painting of the Mona Lisa is arguably Leonardo da Vinci’s magnum opus. Moby Dick is considered Herman Melville’s magnum opus. Winston Churchill’s leadership during World War Two was his magnum opus.  

And, in the book ‘Charlotte’s Web’, Charlotte (the spider) refers to her egg sac as her magnum opus, the ‘finest thing she has ever made’.

I wonder what your magnum opus is?

Today we continue our series on John the Baptist. Last Sunday we heard about John’s purpose in being born; to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. This morning, we jump forward three decades to that time when John fulfils his purpose. Luke chapter 3 describes John’s magnum opus, his great work. From Luke 3, verses 1-18, we read…

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

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

Today’s message highlights three aspects of John’s opus: John’s timing, John’s baptism and John’s message. Let’s begin with the timing of John’s work. 

John’s timing

In cricket, it is a thing of beauty to watch a batsman gracefully drive the ball through the covers with little effort. That’s the power of timing.

Likewise, cooking is all about timing. If you leave your chicken in the pan too long it becomes dry and chewy. Not long enough and you end up with food poisoning. Get the timing right though and the chicken is succulent, delicious.

And when it comes to music, it’s not enough to hit the right notes, one must also be in time with the conductor and the other musicians.  

In the opening verses of Luke 3, the gospel writer goes to some trouble to underline the timing of John’s public ministry. Luke lists all the relevant political and religious leaders at the time the word of the Lord came to John. 

From what we know of these leaders, historically, they were men of darkness. They abused their power and committed acts of gross injustice.

Among other things, the Emperor Tiberius ordered the deportment of all Jews from Rome. The last years of his reign were a time of pure terror. [1]

Pilate, the governor of Judea, ran an administration characterised by bribery, racial insult and frequent executions without trial. Pilate was the one who handed Jesus over to be crucified. [2]

Then there was Herod Antipas, sort of a puppet of Rome, ruling in Galilee. Herod was thoroughly immoral. When John the Baptist told Herod to tidy up his act, Herod threw John in prison.

Even the Jewish high priests, Annas and Caiaphas were rotten. They conspired to have Jesus murdered.

Probably these rulers thought of themselves as stars. But really they were more like the darkness of the night sky. In contrast, John the Baptist is like the moon against the backdrop of this dark time in history. John reflects the divine light of God’s word and he has a strong influence on the people, bringing about a tide of social change.

According to Luke, John is the one Isaiah spoke about when he said: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord…

Isaiah originally spoke that word, centuries earlier, as a kind of night light to comfort the people of Israel who were sitting in the darkness of exile.

The interesting thing with Isaiah’s prophecy is that, all people will see God’s salvation. So the redemption on offer here isn’t just for Israel, it’s for all people. God’s salvation is universally offered.

John the Baptist came on the scene at just the right time in history, when anticipation of God’s redemption was high and Jesus was about to emerge publicly. John was the bearer of God’s word, identifying Jesus as the true light of the world, God’s Messiah.

John’s baptism

Okay, so John’s timing was God’s timing. What about John’s baptism? 

Well, John was a prophet and prophets usually communicate God’s message in two main ways; through words and through signs.

Sometimes the signs are super natural, like when Moses parted the Red Sea or when Elisha healed Naaman of leprosy. Other times the signs are everyday things, which may appear odd but are invested with a special meaning, like when Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem or when Hosea married a prostitute.

Baptism, immersing people in water, was John’s sign from God to the people.

It was not a miraculous sign, it was something anyone could do, and yet it was both distinctively odd (at that time) and invested with meaning.

Baptism wasn’t really something Jews did. Gentiles, who wanted to convert to Judaism, underwent a ceremonial bath as a kind of ritual cleansing but Jews did not do this because being descended from Abraham was their ticket, or so they thought.

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In the Bible, forgiveness is not automatic. Forgiveness goes together with repentance. We can’t separate them. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in behaviour.

If you are driving in your car and you take a wrong turn, then repentance is realising your mistake, turning your car around and driving in the right direction. Spiritually speaking, there are two roads you can take in this world. One leads to life and the other leads to destruction. Repentance puts you on the road to life.

Another example of repentance. If you are baking a cake and inadvertently put a cup of salt in the mix, instead of a cup of sugar, then repentance is throwing the cake mix out and starting again using the right ingredients this time. Otherwise you (and everyone else eating the cake) will get a nasty surprise.

Spiritually speaking, we might think of our deeds, in this life, as the ingredients we use to make a cake. We want to make sure our deeds are good because, at the end of the day, we get out what we put in. We eat the deeds we bake.

What are you putting into the mix of your life? The measure you use for others is the measure God will use for you. If you forgive others, God will forgive you. But if you nurse resentment, God will leave you in the prison cell of bitterness. That is what Jesus taught. 

John told his fellow Jews, it’s not enough to claim Abraham as your ancestor, you cannot rely on your parents’ faith; that is no guarantee of salvation. Nor will sacrificing animals save you. You need to repent and believe in God’s Messiah, then you will be forgiven. Being baptised is a public sign of one’s repentance. It shows you are committed to righteous living.  

Baptism involves being immersed in water and so the most obvious symbolism here is cleansing from sin. Not that the water of baptism takes away sin. No. Jesus is the one who takes away our sin. The water is a metaphor or a sign pointing to what Jesus does.

One of the odd things about John’s baptism is that John himself administered it. This was in contrast to the Jewish washing rituals of the day in which the person bathed themselves. So those who went to John for baptism were putting themselves in the hands of God’s representative. This signified their surrender to God’s purpose.[3]

But wait, it gets even weirder. John’s baptism took place in the wilderness, near the Jordan. We would expect a sacred ritual like this to happen in or near the Jerusalem temple. But no, it happens in the wilderness, an untamed and potentially dangerous place, outside the sphere of institutional religion.

The wilderness reminds us of Israel’s exodus from slavery in Egypt and the Jordan is the river Israel crossed when entering the Promised Land.

By coming out into the wilderness to be baptised by John and then returning home, the people were symbolically leaving behind those attitudes and habits that enslaved them and re-entering their everyday life with a new freedom, characterised by righteousness. The journey to the wilderness and back signified a fresh start.

John’s baptism informs Christian baptism. Christian baptism borrows from John’s baptism the imagery of repentance from sin, surrender to God and making a fresh start by following Jesus. For John and for us, baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality.

That being said, John’s baptism is not exactly the same as Jesus’ baptism. John himself made it clear he was not the Christ saying…

I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John’s baptism is like a sign post, pointing to Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to repent and grow toward Christlikeness. The Holy Spirit is the primary sign that we belong to Jesus.

John’s pathway to salvation; of repentance, believing in Jesus and being baptised, is still the pattern of Christian conversion for many people today.  

Okay, so in thinking about John’s magnum opus (his greatest work) we’ve considered John’s timing and John’s baptism. What about John’s message?

John’s message

Well, like the prophets before him, John proclaimed a message of judgement and hope. Judgement and hope may seem polar opposites but, in Christian thought, they are one, like a single guitar string held against the fret board of history.

In verse 9, of Luke 3, John says to the crowds…

9 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And, in verse 17, John employs another image of judgement, saying…

17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

This is a poetic way of saying: The Messiah is coming soon to destroy the wicked and save the righteous. But, as scary as it sounds, the coming judgement is actually good news. Because, if you are oppressed by evil men, then removing the evil will make life better for everyone.

Even if you are wicked though, there is still hope for you, provided you stop behaving badly and start practising social justice.   

I’m reading Bono’s autobiography at the moment. As well as being a rock star, Bono has also worked as a social justice activist. Among other things he has lobbied some pretty powerful people to forgive third world debt and provide medicine to fight the AIDS epidemic in developing countries.

In the pursuit of social justice, Bono has had to build relationships with people who hold a different point of view. Bono writes…

The search for common ground starts with a search for higher ground. Even with your opponents. Especially with your opponents. …you don’t have to agree on everything if the one thing you agree on is important enough. [4]  

Now I’m not suggesting that Bono is a modern day John the Baptist. For one thing, Bono doesn’t live on locusts and wild honey. But I do like his idea that ‘the search for common ground starts with a search for higher ground’.

It seems to me that John had little in common with those he was communicating with. Nevertheless, John was uncompromising in his search for higher ground.  

When the people asked what does repentance look like, what should we do? John pointed them to the higher ground of social justice saying: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

And when tax collectors and soldiers came, John did not require them to quit their jobs and join a monastery. He basically told them to remain in the world and be fair with people and not abuse their power. We can see the wisdom in this. When tax collectors and soldiers act justly and show restraint, the whole community is better off.

The repentance John had in mind wasn’t just personal, it was also social. Forgiveness without repentance doesn’t help anyone. But when you tie repentance to social justice (as John did) that redeems the soul of the individual and it makes the world a better place, at the same time.    

Weeding out corruption at an interpersonal level was something almost everyone (except the ruling elite) could agree on. By preaching the higher ground of social justice, John helped many to find common ground with Jesus and with each other.

But you are never going to get everyone to agree. John wasn’t able to find common ground with Herod. Sometimes social justice divides people.  

John’s message is still as challenging and relevant for us today as it was 2,000 years ago. Social justice begins with each of us personally. How do we practice right relationships in our homes, our schools, our places of work and our community?     

Conclusion:

This morning we have considered John’s magnum opus, his greatest work. John came onto the scene at just the right time in history, reflecting the light of God’s word in a world darkened by evil leadership.

As part of his work John baptised people. John’s baptism was a tangible sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John’s baptism anticipated Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit.  

John’s preaching (his spoken word) was a message of judgement and hope. The Messiah is coming soon, so get yourself ready by practising social justice. Then you will find some common ground with Jesus and with each other.   

The question remains: Are we ready for Jesus’ return?  

Let us pray now as we prepare our hearts for communion…

Father God, you are the author of salvation. You bend the arc of history toward justice. Forgive us for the times we have failed to act justly or show mercy.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for suffering on our behalf. Thank you for your grace. May you be honoured in the breaking of this bread and the sharing of this cup. Empower us by your Holy Spirit to live out social justice for your glory. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • What is your magnum opus?
  • What is significant about the timing of John’s public ministry? What is significant about the times in which we live?
  • Discuss / reflect on the symbolism of John’s baptism. How is John’s baptism similar to Jesus’ baptism? How is it different?
  • Can you think of a time when God changed your mind and behaviour? What happened? What deeds are you putting into the mix of your life? 
  • Why does John tie repentance to social justice?
  • Are we ready for Jesus’ return? How do we practice social justice in our homes, our schools, our work places and our communities?   

[1] Refer Joel Green’s NICNT on Luke, page 168.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Refer Joel Green’s NICNT on Luke, page 164.

[4] Refer Bono’s book, ‘Surrender’, pages 392-393.

Tawa Baptist

Release

Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Video Link: https://youtu.be/-uhaEZAldG0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Release for relationship
  • Release for peace
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

What do you think the average mortgage is for a first home buyer in New Zealand today? $200,000? $300,000? $500,000 or maybe $600,000? [Wait]

If you guessed between $500,000 and $600,000, then you were spot on. The average mortgage for a first home buyer in New Zealand is around $578,000. That equates to a monthly repayment of more than $3,700 over 25 years, the better part of $45,000 per annum.

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy, focusing on chapter 15. In this passage Moses talks about debt and the relationship between borrowers and lenders in ancient Israel. From Deuteronomy 15, verses 1-11 we read… 

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. 7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor brother.  8 Rather, be open-handed and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for cancelling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be open-handed toward your brothers and towards the poor and needy in your land.

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

In this Scripture passage Moses instructs the people to release each other from financial debts every seven years. Cancelling debts is at the heart of loving your neighbour as you love yourself. The people are to release for relationship and release for peace.   

Release for relationship:

Do you think of time as linear, going in a straight line? Or do you think of time as cyclical, going in cycles?

Time can be thought of either way I guess. The seasons of the year: spring, summer, autumn and winter are a classic example of cyclical time. The earth revolving around the sun also illustrates cyclical time.

But we are not left untouched by each orbit of the sun. We come from a past that we cannot change. We are affected by the present moment and we are moving towards a future which is unknown. Linear time.

Perhaps time is both cyclical and linear, moving forward in a cyclical way.

Ancient Israel had a very definite cycle to restore and support their life together. Every seven days they stopped work and rested, everyone on the same day. Every seven years they took a Sabbatical, when they let the land lie fallow, not growing any crops. And every 50 years they celebrated a Jubilee, when ancestral lands were returned to their tribal owners.

The Sabbath cycles provided release. Release from work. Release from debt and release both from the trap of wealth and the trap of poverty. In verse 1 of Deuteronomy 15 we read…

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.

Ancient Israel didn’t have a banking system like we do today. They didn’t get a $600,000 mortgage to buy their first home and then pay it off over 25 years. They didn’t need to. They simply built a house on family land using natural building materials close by.

Nevertheless, there would inevitably be times when something went wrong. Perhaps the main bread winner in the family got sick and couldn’t work. Or maybe your crop failed or your ox died and had to be replaced.

When misfortune struck, and you needed to find a way to feed your family, you might approach a fellow Israelite for a personal loan. No interest was charged on this micro loan, although some form of security might be offered. You simply paid back the loan when you could afford it.

The difficulty is that when you paid back the loan you might still be short and so you would have to borrow more money from someone else. Being stuck in poverty is like treading water in the open sea. It takes all your energy just to keep your head above the waves. What you need is someone to lift you out of the water and give you a boat so you can make it back to dry land.

Giving someone an interest free loan saved them from treading water. Cancelling that debt put their feet on dry land.  

Now obviously there was greater risk in lending to someone in the sixth year, when the seven-year cycle was coming to an end. So the temptation was to avoid lending money to anyone at that point, in case they ran out of time to repay you. Moses has this to say…

9 Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for cancelling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.

That phrase, ill will, is literally, evil eye. So the meaning is something like, ‘do not give your needy brother the evil eye’. In other words, do not resent your needy brother for asking for help or being an inconvenience. Do not avoid him when you see him coming.

The other thing we notice here is the word brother. Moses keeps referring to the poor who borrow money as brothers. We hear the word brother about six times in as many verses. This is not to exclude women. We could say brother or sister.

The point is, your creditors are not just a number in your ledger. They are fellow human beings. They are family and they are of special concern to Yahweh. You release people from their debts for the sake of the relationship.   

The economy must give way to the neighbourhood. Relationship capital is more valuable than cash in the bank.

Israel’s inter-personal relationships are not to be defined by debt or money. Their relationships are to be defined by their covenant loyalty to Yahweh, by their shared history and by God’s blessing in the land. 

God released Israel from slavery in Egypt and gave them a fresh start in the land of plenty. Likewise, the people of Israel should release their brothers and sisters from debt and give them a fresh start so they don’t spend the rest of their life treading water.  

Forgiveness is another word for release. When we release someone from the debt they owe us, we are forgiving that debt. We are letting the matter go and not pursuing it further. The opposite of forgiveness is resentment. Resentment is when we hold on to the debt in anger and self-righteousness.  

Jesus does not want us to suffer in that way. Nor does he want us to be defined by debt or money. He wants the community of his followers to be defined by their love for one another. And forgiveness (releasing others from what they owe) is the true test of love.    

In Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus, how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Peter thinks he is being generous. But Jesus lets the air out his balloon saying, not seven times but seventy times seven. Forgive without limit in other words.

Then Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. The one about the man who owed his master millions and was forgiven his enormous debt simply because he asked, but who then refused to forgive the debt of a fellow servant who owed him far less by comparison.

Needless to say the story did not end well for the unforgiving servant. Not only did the unforgiving man ruin his relationships with his fellow servants, he also ruined his relationship with the king, his master.

It’s like that with us. If we don’t forgive others, if we don’t release them from the debts they owe us, then we end up ruining our relationships with everyone, including God our master. Forgiveness can be a painful and costly process, but at the end of the day it always costs more not to forgive.

We release others for the sake of relationship and for our own mental well-being (our own peace). As the saying goes, ‘to refuse to forgive someone is to let that person live rent free in your head’. That is its own kind of torture.

The good news is you don’t have to wait seven years to forgive. You can release others whenever you want. We release for relationship and we release for peace.

Release for peace:

Take a moment now to clench your fists, like this. Now imagine trying to tie your shoe laces with your hands clenched. Or imagine trying to eat your dinner or catch a ball or give someone a hug or a helping hand. Not sure you could do any of that particularly well. About the only thing you can do with clenched fists is punch someone.   

The longer and tighter you keep your fists clenched the stiffer your fingers become. Okay, now you can release your hands. Don’t want you to hurt yourself or anyone else.

From verse 7 of Deuteronomy 15, Moses says…

7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather, be open-handed and freely lend him whatever he needs…

Now it should be noted that Moses is talking about giving according to your means. If you are scraping by on the bones of your backside, then you don’t need to go beyond your means or get into debt to help someone else. Giving, in Deuteronomy, is in accordance with what you have received from God. You are not expected to give what you don’t have.

What we notice, in these verses, is that we give with our heart and our hands. In other words, we need the right attitude in how we think and feel about the poor (that’s the heart part) and we need the right action in how we treat the poor (that’s the hand part).

Listening is key to having the right heart attitude and therefore the right action. Moses is telling the people to help the poor in their own neighbourhood, who they have probably known for years. In that context you could plainly see your neighbour’s need and you would know they were not playing you.  

The equivalent today would be helping a friend, family member, work colleague or fellow Christian who is in need. Maybe their hot water cylinder has to be replaced or they need new tyres for their car, but they can’t afford it, so you lend them the money to get it fixed.

That being said, our context today is a bit different from the context Moses had in mind. We don’t always know our neighbours that well and we have even less relationship with the poor and homeless. So when someone does approach us for money they are usually a stranger and we may have no way of knowing whether they are scamming us or not. 

Most of us here are middle class Christians who probably feel some degree of guilt when we see someone begging on the street, like we are not doing enough. Acting out of guilt to make ourselves feel better is not ideal and may not lead to a good outcome.  

Verse 8 talks about lending what the poor need. So two good questions to ask are: what is needed here and is it in my power to lend what is needed? We don’t want to assume to know what is best for the other person.

Yes, you may have wisdom and knowledge to offer but the people you wish to help also have a few clues. The poor generally know what they need better than anyone else. So those who are able to lend a hand should do so with humility and a listening heart.

Of course, listening to the poor, getting to know them, takes time; time we don’t always have. Often it’s just easier to blindly give some money.

 Jesus had this to say about giving to the poor…

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others… 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus is warning against using the poor to make ourselves look good. That just humiliates the poor. God delights in undercover good deeds, done with a pure heart and without an ego trip.   

In verse 10, of Deuteronomy 15, Moses goes on to say…

10 Give generously to him [your brother in need] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

These words need a bit of understanding. Some people have used this verse (and others like it) to preach a kind of prosperity doctrine or cargo cult. They might interpret it as a get rich scheme, along the lines of the more you give the more wealth and health God will bless you with personally.

But I don’t think it works like that. The main motivation here is not to benefit yourself. The main motivation is to help those in need, trusting that God will take care of you.

Besides, we can never put God under obligation. God won’t allow himself to be manipulated. God acts freely.

This is how it works. When debts are not forgiven, the rich grow richer and the poor grow more desperate. A dangerous divide develops between rich and poor and both sides become fearful of each other, unable to relate in a right way. Decent people are reduced to despair or violence. Crime goes up, anger and hurt boil over. The fabric of the neighbourhood disintegrates. Peace is lost and what you have worked for is undone.

But when debts are forgiven, right relationship is strengthened through acts of kindness. The gap between rich and poor is closed. Bridges of communication and understanding are built. Those who have forgiven debts have nothing to fear from the poor, while those who have had their debts cancelled have no cause for despair or rage. The fabric of the neighbourhood is enriched. Peace is restored and what you have worked for is blessed, it prospers.

Now, when we talk about peace, we don’t just mean the absence of conflict. Peace (or shalom), in a Jewish understanding, is the presence of abundant life, wholeness and wellbeing. Peace in your heart and mind, yes, but also peace in your relationships. A community in which everyone has more than enough. A life giving culture in your neighbourhood that money can’t buy.       

So the blessing God gives, when people forgive each other, is the blessing of a better world in which to raise your kids and grow old. It makes sense to release people from their debts because release allows relationships to breath and it fosters peace. We release for relationship and we release for peace.

In many ways I’m preaching to the choir. I imagine most of you here are open-hearted and open-handed in your giving and forgiving, so I don’t want to labour the point.

Conclusion:

But I do want to point to Jesus, because it is through faith in Jesus that we experience the peace of release. In Luke 4, Jesus said of himself and his mission:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free…

Jesus came to release us from a spiritual debt we could never repay by ourselves. Jesus came to set us free from the power of sin and death, so that we can enjoy peace in our relationship with God and peace with each other.

What is it that binds you? What is it that taxes your peace? Do you have someone living rent free in your head? What release do you need?

May the Lord set us free to be a blessing to others. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • Do you think of time as linear or cyclical? What cycles did ancient Israel have to support and restore their life together? What cycles do we (today) have to support and restore our life together?
  • Have you ever been oppressed by poverty or debt? How did you feel? What did you do? In what ways did God help you?
  • Why did Moses instruct the Israelites to cancel debts every seven years? Why do we need to forgive?
  • How are the relationships of God’s people to be defined? What should not define our relationships?   
  • Giving to the poor needs to be done with a right heart and hands. What is a right attitude (way to think / feel) towards the poor? What is a right action to take with the poor? 
  • Discuss / reflect on Deuteronomy 15:10. How is this verse best understood?
  • What is it that binds you? What is it that taxes your peace? Do you have someone living rent free in your head? What release do you need?
Tawa Baptist

The Prophet

Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:9-22

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

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Choose a future with hope
  • Listen to God’s prophet
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

What would you give to know the future?

If you knew exactly when an earthquake or fire was going to destroy your property, you would get insurance cover for that period, but you wouldn’t bother getting cover for the rest of the time.

Likewise, if you knew someone was going to be involved in a car accident tomorrow, you would hide their keys and keep them home for a day. 

What would you give to know the future?

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy, focusing on chapter 18. In this passage Moses deals with the question of how God’s people are to manage themselves in the face of an unknown future. From Deuteronomy 18, verses 9-22 we read… 

9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God.  14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.

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

There are two halves to today’s message: The first half is about choosing a future with hope. And the second half is about listening to God’s prophet. Let’s start by choosing a future with hope. 

Choose a future with hope:

Another question for you to consider: Is the future fixed?

There are some who believe the future is fixed and there’s nothing we can do to change it. These people think the future is up to fate.

Believing the future is set in stone comes with a number of problems. For one thing, it undermines hope and creates a sense of apathy or despair in the person who thinks this way.

If you really believe the future is pre-determined and there’s nothing you can do about it, then you will be inclined to care less. A fixed future is devoid of any ethical considerations. If I can’t change the future, then my actions in the present don’t matter. I may as well do whatever makes me feel good. You become reckless and lose your sense of responsibility. A rebel without a cause.

At the other extreme, there are those who don’t believe the future is fixed at all. They think we create our own future. These people have a strong belief in themselves and their own abilities. They tend to be quite driven or intense.

If you really believe the future depends entirely on you, then that’s a lot of pressure. That comes with heaps of worry and not much peace. Human beings need some freedom but total freedom is a terrifying thing. If you go sky diving you don’t want to be free of your parachute, that would be disastrous.  

The person who believes the future is totally on them tends to take on too much responsibility. They don’t leave room for God to do something unexpected.

Just as there is no hope in thinking it is all up to fate, there is no real hope in thinking it is all up to you either. Because when you fail yourself, and everyone does fail eventually, you have no safety net.  

We are asking the question: is the future fixed? Somewhere in the middle of the spectrum are those who answer both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Some things are fixed but not everything. We can have some influence over the future, but there are other things we have no control over and simply have to accept.

Hope is the capacity to imagine a better future, a good future, the best is yet to come. If you believe the choices you make matter in shaping the future, but that it doesn’t depend entirely on you, that ultimately God will work it all for good, then you have hope.

There are of course those who might say, I don’t know whether the future is fixed or not. That might be because they are too lazy to wrestle with the hard questions. Or it might be because the future has ambushed them and they are not sure of anything at the moment.    

Deuteronomy believes that ultimately God is in control of the meta-narrative of human history, but the choices human beings make still influence the course the future takes. God uses our choices in shaping the future. To obey God, in faith, is to choose abundant life. To receive Christ, in faith, is to choose a heavenly future, beyond this life.  

In verses 10-11 of Deuteronomy 18, Moses lists several things the Israelites are not to do. No divination, no magic, no witchcraft, no child sacrifice, no consulting the dead and so on. This list illustrates the sorts of things people sometimes do in order to try and know the future or even control the future.

There are still people today, in New Zealand, who do this kind of stuff. People who try to predict the future by reading tarot cards or tea leaves or the stars. Or, maybe they try to control the future by casting spells or sacrificing the wellbeing of their children in order to pursue a love affair or some other fantasy.

These people either believe the future is fixed and cannot change or they believe they create their own future. Either way, their hope is not in God. The Lord hates all this witchy poo stuff because it is based on a lie and it destroys people’s capacity for hope. It’s takes away people’s freedom. It is not good for the human soul.

There may be some here who have dabbled in this sort of thing, or maybe you’ve got in over your head. Perhaps you were at a fair ground one day and out of curiosity you got your palm read by Madam Zelda. Or maybe you were grieving for a loved one and went to a medium to try and contact them. Or perhaps you and your friends had too much to drink one night and tried a séance. Or maybe you’ve done worse.   

Does this mean you are excluded from God’s people forever? Is there no hope for you? Well, not necessarily.

Your future is not yet set in concrete. You have some influence over your future. You can choose not to do that sort of thing anymore. You can choose life and trust your future to Jesus. God, who loves you very much, has the power to deliver you from your past.  

The message of Deuteronomy is summed up in verse 13, which reads…

You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God.

We must not divide our loyalty between God and anything else. We can’t say, in God we trust, and then rely on horoscopes or gazing into a crystal ball. 

Verse 13 is another way of saying, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. This is how we choose life and a future with hope for ourselves.

Okay, that’s first part of our message, choose a future with hope. The second part is about listening to God’s prophet. God, in his grace, provides an alternative to airy fairy magic. God is willing to reveal the future through his chosen spokesperson.  

Listen to God’s prophet:

In verse 15 of Deuteronomy 18, Moses says: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.                                                          

Israel did not need to go to a medium or a spiritist to find out the future. God sent his own messenger. In fact, God raised up a series of prophets throughout the Old Testament who spoke His messages to the people as they needed it. Men and women like Samuel, Deborah, Nathan, Isaiah, Huldah, Micah, Jeremiah, Amos, Ezekiel, Daniel and so on. These prophets had a special role in keeping the nation accountable to the Law and their covenant with Yahweh.

In a healthy democracy the government’s powers are not concentrated in one person or one institution. Rather, power is separated, so the people who make the law are not the same as the people who enforce the law or decide disputes.

Traditionally, a democracy has three official institutions:

There is the legislature, which is the people who make the laws (for example, our Members of Parliament).

Then there is the judiciary, which are the people who adjudicate disputes (the courts and the judges).

And thirdly, there is the executive, which are the people who enforce the law (that would be the police).

There is another (unofficial) institution known as the fourth estate. We call it the news media; that is, journalists or the press. It is the job of the news media to report the facts concerning parliamentary, police and court proceedings, in a balanced and unbiased way, keeping the governing authorities accountable. 

In some ways our modern democracy, with its four estates, has its roots in the structure of government Moses prescribed for Israel. Yahweh (and Moses) recommended a separation of power in government.

Yahweh gave the Law through Moses. Judges were appointed in a democratic way to adjudicate disputes between people. And the Levites and priests had a role in enforcing the law.

The king (as we heard last week) was an optional extra. It wasn’t his job to make the law. His main job was to be a good example in keeping the law. He might also support the judges and the priests in making sure justice was done.

But it was the role of the prophets to be the fourth estate. The prophets were like credible investigative journalists who reported the facts in order to keep the king, the judges and the priests accountable to God’s law. Staying loyal to Yahweh was the key to life and a future with hope.

Now, in using this analogy, I do not mean to imply that journalists today are the contemporary prophets of our world. God can choose whoever he wants to be his spokesperson.

We might also think of God’s prophet as a doctor, diagnosing illness in the nation. If you have diabetes, you don’t want the doctor fudging your results and saying you will be fine. You need to understand clearly what the problem is and how best to manage your health going forward, so you have a future with hope.

Likewise, if God’s people are losing their saltiness and conforming to the pattern of this world, then they need God’s prophet to diagnose their spiritual illness and prescribe the right treatment to restore them.

Asking the prophet for advice was sort of like phoning a friend. If something was amiss and the king or the priests or the judges were unsure what to do next, they could inquire of God through his chosen prophet.

Of course, the prophet also passed on messages from God when no one had asked for his input. Like when the prophet Nathan confronted David after the king had murdered Uriah and committed adultery with Bathsheba. 

God’s prophet was a friend to Israel, but he (or she) was not in the king’s pocket. The prophet was a step removed, operating outside official government channels, able to give an unpopular minority report.

In verse 18 of Deuteronomy 18, the Lord says concerning his prophet, I will put my words in his mouth. This naturally raises questions for us: how did God do that? How did the Lord communicate with the prophets?

Reading through the Old Testament we notice the Lord spoke to the prophets in a variety of ways. It appears that God spoke to Moses and Samuel in a clear, audible voice. Other prophets, like Daniel & Ezekiel, received dreams or visions. Some may have interacted with angels. Elijah heard God not in earthquake, wind or fire but in a still small voice, like a whisper.

I’m not a prophet. I can’t tell you what the future holds specifically. I don’t know when the war in Ukraine will end. Nevertheless, there are times when I sense the word of the Lord has come to me. Not in an audible voice as such. More like a thought planted in my mind.

I know the thought is not my own because it is a better quality thought than the usual rubbish that flows through my brain and it is not a thought I’ve had before. It hasn’t come from any book I’ve read or any TV show I’ve watched.

It is new to me and it feels whole. It fits for the circumstances I’m in. Like the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it creates connections and makes sense of other things. God’s word brings order to my thinking.

When the word of the Lord comes, I have to take myself off somewhere quiet and write, because writing helps me to listen to the virgin thought. 

There are times when I’m preaching in church and a stillness comes over the congregation. A kind of holy hush. (I’m sure it happens for other preachers too.) The traffic noise dies down, the rustling of lolly wrappers ceases and people stop coughing or whispering among themselves. I love those moments. In that stillness it seems to me the word of God is at work among us, in our hearts.

I believe the word of the Lord can come to any Christian believer, just not always in the same way. God made us with the capacity to receive his word, to sense his presence touching our spirit.

We cannot control when or how the word of the Lord comes but when it does come we need to pause and listen. Receive it into ourselves.

I wonder how the word of the Lord comes to you.

As God’s spokesperson, the Lord’s chosen prophet held quite a bit of influence in Israel. So there would inevitably be a few pretenders for the role, despite the severe punishment for taking the Lord’s name in vain. How then could you tell who was a bona fide, God authorised prophet and who was a fake? Well, there were three main tests…

Firstly, a true prophet of God speaks in the name of Yahweh and not in the name of some other god. Secondly, the message they preach comes true. And thirdly, they don’t say anything that contradicts the Law of Moses.

The first test, speaking in the name of Yahweh, is the test of clarity. Reading tea leaves or interpreting the entrails of a bird are pretty ambiguous and unclear signs. In contrast to this, the Lord’s prophets are clear about who they represent and what their message is.

Although the poetry and signs of the prophets of old may seem strange to us, their metaphors were not difficult for the people of that time to decipher, even if the prophet’s message was difficult to accept.

John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, was very clear in his message of repentance, calling the religious leaders of his day a brood of vipers. Despite this clarity, many religious leaders hardened their hearts and chose not to believe John’s testimony concerning Jesus.

The second test, proclaiming a message that comes true, indicates the prophet’s words are verifiable. God’s messages are ‘evidenced based’, in other words. The truth of God’s word is worked out in human history.

We know Jeremiah was legit because his message came true in history. While other self-proclaimed prophets at the time were saying, “Don’t be afraid of Babylon, God will save Jerusalem”, Jeremiah was giving the very unpopular message of, “Don’t resist Babylon, you can’t win”. God upheld Jeremiah’s words because Jeremiah’s words were actually God’s words.     

Centuries later, Jesus (like Jeremiah) wept over Jerusalem when he could see history about to repeat itself. In Luke 19, Jesus predicted the Romans laying siege to the holy city and destroying it. This happened, as Jesus said, in AD 70.

There is a small catch with the verifiable test though. Sometimes true prophets are killed before their predictions can be verified.

The third test of a true prophet, that their message does not contradict the Law of Moses, is the test of consistency. God’s word is consistent. God does not contradict himself.

Jesus criticised the religious leaders for making their man made rules more important than God’s Law. The Pharisees had become so bogged down in the details they couldn’t see the wood for the trees. They were more loyal to their own tradition than they were to God himself and so, like the true prophet he is, Jesus called them out on their blindness.

As you have probably deduced by now, Jesus is the ultimate prophet to succeed Moses. Jesus fulfils the Law and the prophets. Through faith in Jesus, we can know the truth from God and we can choose a future with hope.

Does that mean then, that we have no further need for prophets? Well, no. In his letters to various churches the apostle Paul writes about the gift of prophecy. For Paul it was one of the more important spiritual gifts.

Of course, if someone claims to bring a word of prophecy, we (the church) still need to test that word and discern together if it is legitimate. The threefold test is similar. A true prophet speaks clearly in the name of Jesus. Their message is verifiable and it is consistent with the teachings of Jesus.

The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth, so we would expect the prophets of Jesus to embody the same Spirit of grace & truth.

Conclusion:

At the beginning of this message I asked the question: What would you give to know the future?

A better question to ask is: What would you give to know Jesus?

I say that’s a better question because Jesus is the future, the eternal future. Jesus is the goal of humanity. He is our hope. If you want to know the future, get to know Jesus. Most of us know Jesus to some degree but none of us knows him completely or fully yet. May we grow deeper in our knowledge of and trust in Christ.

Let us pray… 

Father God, we thank you for not leaving us in the dark. We thank you for revealing your will to us through Jesus. We thank you too for offering us a future with hope. May you empower us by your Spirit to be completely loyal to Christ, for your glory and our own salvation. Amen.         

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • What would you give to know the future? What is it you would want to know and why?
  • Where would you place yourself on the spectrum between a fixed future and a fluid future? What are the implications of thinking the future is fixed? What are the implications of thinking we create our own future?
  • How do we choose life and foster a future with hope?
  • Why does Moses outlaw discerning the future through magic, reading omens, consulting the dead, etc.?
  • Has the word of the Lord ever come to you? What happened? What did the Lord say? How did you respond?
  • How might we test / know whether a prophecy is true or not?   
Tawa Baptist

Servant King

Scripture: Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Video Link: https://youtu.be/nCG_TxxcEk0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Optional
  • Secure
  • Exemplary
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Did you know there are currently 29 monarchs in the world today? That is, 29 kings or queens who rule over 44 countries.

Only three of these monarchs have absolute power over their country. The Sultan of Oman, the King of Saudi Arabia and the Pope who is king of the city state of the Vatican.

Most of the monarchies are constitutional, which means the king or queen has their power restrained by law. So, for example, King Charles III can’t do whatever he wants.   

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy. In chapter 17, Moses outlines some requirements for Israel’s king. These are like constitutional rules to moderate the powers of the king. The kings, in ancient Israel, had more power than the King of England does today but they did not have absolute power.  From Deuteronomy 17, verses 14-20 we read…

14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

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

Three words to organise our thoughts on this passage: optional, secure and exemplary. Israel’s human king is optional, not compulsory. He is to be secure in the Lord, not anxious. And he is to be exemplary, not a law unto himself. Let’s start with this idea that the king is optional not compulsory.  

Optional:

I’m guessing almost everyone listening to this has a TV or some other device for watching TV in their home. TV’s are an optional extra. They may feel like a necessity but in actual fact they are optional.

You can go through your whole life without watching TV and be quite okay. Human beings survived without TV’s for thousands of years. In fact, TV’s weren’t invented until the 1930’s and they didn’t become common place in people’s homes until the 1950’s and 60’s.  

If you have young children living with you, then you probably want to delay TV watching for them as long as you can. Eventually though, they will go to school or to a friend’s house, become aware that TV’s exist and not want to miss out.

When that day comes, and you are no longer able to withhold the flat screen, as parents you will want to decide how much TV your kids watch and what programmes they view.

The king in ancient Israel was a bit like a TV. The king was optional, not compulsory. Israel did not actually need a human king. The Lord God, Yahweh, was their King and he had provided all the infrastructure the nation needed to function without a human monarch.

The Lord had given the law. He had prescribed a justice system with judges to sort out people’s disputes. And he had appointed priests to teach the law and facilitate worship. The Lord’s leadership structure was flat and power was democratised, spread among the people, not concentrated in one person.      

God and Moses wanted to delay the introduction of a human king as long as possible, especially while the nation was young. But the Lord and Moses knew the day would come when the people would insist on a king like the other nations around them.  

When that day came the Lord, in his grace, would accommodate Israel’s wishes but God wanted to choose the king and moderate his behaviour. Much like a responsible parent wants to manage their child’s TV watching.

Where it says, the king must be a fellow Israelite and not a foreigner, this is a safe guard against outside religious forces that might introduce foreign gods or foreign ways of worshipping. Sort of like a parent wouldn’t let their six year-old watch an R16 movie.

Moving forward in Israel’s history, we read in 1st Samuel chapter 8 that once the people were settled in the land, they did in fact ask for a king like the other nations around them. The prophet Samuel was displeased with this request so he prayed to the Lord and God said to him…

7 “Listen to everything the people say to you. You are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king. 8 Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have turned away from me and worshiped other gods; and now they are doing to you what they have always done to me. 9 So then, listen to them, but give them strict warnings and explain how their kings will treat them.”

God appointed Saul to be Israel’s king and when that didn’t work out the Lord appointed David. David was a king after God’s own heart but most of the human kings were rat bags and made life more difficult for the people.

The human king in ancient Israel was optional, not compulsory. But once Israel got on that roller coaster, there was no getting off for several centuries.

Ideally, Israel’s king was to be secure in the Lord and not anxious.

Secure:

Imagine you are taking a walk in the wilderness. This particular tramp will likely take all day and you don’t know if there will be any streams or watering holes along the way. So you need to take some water with you.

Do you carry the water cupped in your hands or do you take it in a bottle? [Wait] That’s right, you put the water in a bottle. If you try to carry the water in your hands it will soon spill out, plus you won’t have your hands free.

If the water in this little parable represents your security, then putting your security in God is like putting the water in the bottle, it’s a far better option. The king needs to put his security in God and not try to handle it all by himself. 

Another question you might ask yourself, before you go on this walk, is how much water will you carry? Two or three litres should be enough for the day. But a hundred litres wouldn’t make any sense. Not only do you not need a hundred litres, it would be too heavy to carry. You wouldn’t make it very far.

Sometimes we try to make ourselves more secure by accumulating more stuff. And while some stuff is helpful and necessary, too much stuff tends to make us less secure and less effective.

In verses 16-17 of Deuteronomy 17, we learn how the king needs to put his security in the Lord and not try to secure the future through his own efforts or by accumulating power, influence and wealth for himself. In other words, the king must not acquire too many horses, too many wives or too much gold & silver.

Horses, in the context, were essentially weapons of war. Horses and chariots were symbols of military power, like tanks and fighter jets. The king is allowed to have some military equipment but not at the expense of relying on Yahweh to fight for Israel.

King David, one of Israel’s most successful military commanders, did not rely on horses and chariots. He relied on the Lord, famously defeating the Philistine Goliath with a stone and a sling shot. 

The danger with too many royal wives isn’t so much to do with sex. It’s more to do with idolatry. Kings don’t always marry for love. They often marry to secure political alliances with other nations. If the king’s harem is stacked with women who worship foreign gods, then he will be tempted to start worshipping other gods alongside Yahweh.

Just as too many wives will alienate the king from God, too much wealth will alienate the king from the people he is there to serve. Money is not evil in itself. We need some financial resources to get by in this world. The problem is, that too much money (or too little) can distort our perspective.

If you own a huge mansion, seven rental houses, four cars, two boats and a helicopter, with plenty of spare cash in the bank, then it is easy to lose touch with the reality faced by someone who is renting one of your houses and taking the bus to a minimum wage job every day.

So the king should put his security in God, not in the accumulation of weapons, wives and wealth.

There is a reference in verse 16 to not going back to Egypt. Egypt was a land of slavery for the people of Israel. The inference seems to be that if the king makes it his business to expand his military power, his harem and his portfolio of assets, then that will result in a heavy burden of taxation on the people, essentially making the nation slaves to the king’s ambition.

Deuteronomy 17 provides a critique of king Solomon. In 1st Kings 10 & 11 we read of Solomon’s many wives, weapons and wealth and how he turned away from the Lord. Solomon may have been wise and successful but he was not always faithful.

The financial burden his household placed on the people of Israel became intolerable. Solomon broke all the rules for Israelite kings and the people suffered for it.

Returning to our water metaphor, it was like Solomon forced the nation to carry a hundred litres of water for a day’s walk, when he only needed two or three litres. As his reign extended, Solomon’s security was not in the Lord.  

In Matthew 6, in the context of talking about wealth and worry, Jesus says this:

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow…, won’t he be all the more sure to clothe you?

It is interesting that Jesus talks about king Solomon alongside worry and anxiety. Is Jesus suggesting that, despite all his wealth and splendour, Solomon was actually quite anxious and insecure? [1]  

Ironically, the more stuff a person accumulates, the more worry they create for themselves. Not that poverty is the answer. Being poor creates anxiety too. Better to aim for moderation. Give us this day our daily bread.

King David had his head on straight. As we read in David’s psalm, The Lord is my shepherd… In other words, the Lord God is my security.

The point is, Israel’s king needs to find his security in the Lord and not be anxious. If the king puts his security in military power or political marriage alliances or material wealth, then he will always be wanting more.

But when the king puts his security in God, he sets the right kind of example for his people and the nation is better off.

Exemplary:

After her coronation Oath, Queen Elizabeth was presented with a Bible and these words: ‘Our gracious Queen: to keep your majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.’

This idea of giving Queen Elizabeth a copy of the Bible to read, came from Deuteronomy 17. In verses 18-19 Moses instructs the king to copy out the law himself and to keep that copy handy, reading from it daily throughout his reign.

The point of copying and reading the law like this is to shape the king’s thinking in the ways of the Lord, so the king will make decisions that keep Israel’s covenant with God. The Lord wants the king to be exemplary, to set a good example for the nation.

Kings of other nations made laws to protect their own interests and to regulate the conduct of their subjects. But Israel’s king was to be different. Israel’s king was to regulate himself in accordance with God’s law.

In verse 20 we read how the king is not to consider himself better than his fellow Israelites. This means the king is not above the law. He is first among equals. He is not to change the law or make new laws to suit himself. The king is to be exemplary in keeping the law. The king is to lead by example, in other words.   

Looking a bit deeper we see one of the character traits a king needs is humility. The king needs to keep his feet on the ground and maintain a right understanding of himself in relation to others. Being king does not automatically make him a better person than anyone else. It is important the king does not believe the hype surrounding himself.

The instruction to not accumulate too many weapons, wives or wealth (in verses 16-17) makes sense in light of verse 20. Because it is hard to remain humble, it’s hard to keep your feet on the ground, when your ego is constantly being inflated by the trappings of status and worldly success.

Not many of Israel’s kings managed to follow Moses’ instructions in Deuteronomy 17. King Hezekiah and king Josiah were given special mention as good kings, better than most, but none of the kings really nailed it.

Most of Israel and Judah’s kings led the people astray by their example and as a consequence Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians and the survivors were sent into exile.

We might wonder how Deuteronomy 17 applies today. Can we, for example, use these verses as a guide when voting for our political leaders? Well, maybe, but we would be hard pressed to find any politician today who measured up to the ideal leader in Scripture.

Having said that, if a political leader is super rich or a philanderer or arrogant or a poor example of a human being, then that raises some red flags and we probably shouldn’t support them with our vote.

We do better to apply the principles outlined in Deuteronomy 17 to ourselves, whether we are in a leadership position or not. We could, for example, ask ourselves questions like…

Where is my security placed? Is my security in God or is it in my own strength or my own ability? Is my security based on my career or my bank balance or my reputation or my youthful good looks?

Can I honestly say with David; The Lord is shepherd (my security)? Or am I compensating for my insecurity with a flash car or by criticising others or with some other self-promoting strategy? 

Humility (keeping your feet on the ground) is a key indicator that your security is well placed in the Lord.

Thinking of how today’s passage applies to us personally, another question we might ask ourselves is, how often do I read my Bible? And, by extension, do I make life decisions with reference to God’s moral law in the Bible? For example, do I consider what God might want when buying and selling stuff or making career decisions or taking care of my family?

Is the lifestyle I lead a good example to others or is it a stumbling block? Children are always learning. They are always on. And their main teacher is the example of the adults around them.

Conclusion:

Of course, Deuteronomy 17 is not primarily about us or our political leaders. These verses are first and foremost about Jesus. Deuteronomy 17 describes what God’s true Messiah looks like and Jesus fits the bill perfectly.

Jesus had no horses or chariots. He did not care for military power. Jesus walked the path of non-violence, making himself vulnerable instead.

Jesus had no wife and was not at all interested in creating political alliances. He said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world’.

Likewise, Jesus did not accumulate gold and silver for himself. He is humble in heart, near to the poor and broken hearted. Jesus understands how hard life can be and he cares for you.

Jesus is 100% secure in God his Father, willing to wash his disciples’ feet and able to say: the greatest among you is the servant of all.  

Not only did Jesus know the law, he also fulfilled the law in a way that no one before him or after him has ever been able to do.   

Jesus is the ideal King, the prime example of what it means to remain faithful and obedient to God, even unto death on a cross. Jesus is our servant King.

Let us pray…

Father God, you are sovereign over all the earth. You are our security. We pray for the earthly leaders you have appointed to govern in this world. Give them wisdom and courage to serve your purpose. We pray for ourselves. Help us to follow the example of Jesus, our eternal King, for your glory. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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?

  • Why does Moses discourage the king from accumulating too many weapons, wives and wealth?
  • Where is your security placed? How do you know where your security is placed?
  • How often do you read the Bible? In what ways do you (or can you) make life decisions with reference to God’s moral law in the Bible? (E.g. when buying or selling something, how you spend your time, how you treat your family, career decisions, etc.)
  • Discuss / reflect on the ways Jesus meets God’s requirements of a king, as detailed in Deuteronomy 17.   
  • Who has set a good example for you in life? What in particular was helpful about the example they set? What kind of example do you set for others?

[1] As Walter Brueggemann observes, it is not an accident that Solomon is cited by Jesus as the quintessential anxious one who, in all his power and wealth, turned out to be second rate. C.f. Walter Brueggemann, Deuteronomy, page 187.