Grace upon grace

If anything has been lost from our culture, it is the idea that human beings are privately, personally, individually, ultimately, inexorably accountable to God for their lives.  --RC Sproul

When I was growing up, I had poor self esteem.  That, I think, is a good thing.  

Let me explain.

I was a reasonably confident person.  I could read and follow directions.  I could learn new skills, like public speaking.  I enjoyed sports and outdoor activities, but I liked studying and learning even more. I could get along in almost any social situation.

My father was a strict disciplinarian.  His rough approach to raising me was like sandpaper, smoothing out the jagged edges that might get me caught later in life.  I remember one particular day, my parents were out running errands and had left me by myself.  I was at a friend's house, worrying about some infraction that I had committed that my dad didn't know about yet.  I forget what it was that I had done.  Maybe I wrecked my bike when Dad had warned me to take care of it.  Anyway, I was consumed with my sin.  I remember pacing back and forth on the friend's front porch, repeating the phrase, "My dad's gonna kill me."

When the moment of truth arrived, and my parents got home, I confessed to my father what I had done.  His reaction surprised me.  Instead of biting my head off, he said, "Hmm.  Well, don't do it again."

I was so relieved at the grace shown to me at that time.  I knew that I deserved punishment, because I was warned not to do the thing I had just done.  I expected discipline, because I had experienced discipline for prior transgressions of this same kind before.  However, when I was granted this reprieve, I was sure that I knew how a convicted criminal felt when he was granted clemency.

Today we hear a lot of preachers who emphasize a hyper-grace in the life and love of Jesus.  Even secular, un-churched people seem to know that Jesus ate with prostitutes and sinners.  They conclude that He would accept LGBTQ people today, because "God is love."  They have really high self-esteem, but what appears to me to be low self confidence, in that they try to justify their sins by somehow thinking that Jesus would approve of their actions.  What they forget about Jesus's ministry is that when He finished His encounter with tax collectors and prostitutes, those people were changed; they no longer cheated, they repented of their transgressions.  They took to heart His words to them, "Go, and sin no more."

I think about this when I read the last part of the introduction to the Gospel of John.  Over the last two blog posts we have seen how John introduced Jesus as the very Word of God, and what that means.  We have also been introduced to John the Baptist, and got a glimpse of his calling and ministry.  Today we will bring those two figures together as we read John 1:14-18.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John bore witness about Him, and cried out, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.'")  For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known.

John explains rather succinctly that a holy God, whom he calls the Word, descended (or condescended) to become like us and live with us.  He left His world (heaven) to live with us in our world (earth).  In his Study Guide for John 1, David Guzik writes:

The Greeks generally thought of God too low. To them John wrote: the Word became flesh. To ancient people, gods such as Zeus and Hermes were simply super-men; they were not equal to the order and reason of the Logos. John told the Greek thinkers, “The Logos you know made and ordered the universe actually became flesh.”  The Jews generally thought of God too high. To them John wrote: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Ancient Jews had a hard time accepting that the great God revealed in the Old Testament could take on human form. John told the Jewish thinkers, “The Word of God became flesh.”  God has come close to you in Jesus Christ. You don’t have to struggle to find Him; He came to you. Some think they go from place to place to try and find God, and continue their search. More commonly they stay at a place until God draws close to them — then they quickly move on.

Jesus was God in the flesh.  He came to us, because we could not, in our own strength or by our own will, get to Him.  Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent for His Son, born of woman, born under the law."  Philippians 2:7,8 says, "But emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  

This was the purpose of His coming--that He might be the sacrifice for our sins.  Colossians 1:22 says, "He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him."  1 Timothy 3:16 says, "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by the angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."  Hebrews 2:14 says, "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil."

God gives us His grace.  He gave us life and truth.  The truth is that we cannot possibly earn His favor, because of our sinful nature.  He gives us more grace, in that He became a man and lived a sinless life among us, so that He Himself could become the sacrifice that we need order that we might be reconciled with God.  One commentator puts it this way: "In His Person all that Grace and Truth which had been floating so long in shadowy forms, and darting into the souls of the poor and needy its broken beams, took everlasting possession of human flesh and filled it full. By this Incarnation of Grace and Truth, the teaching of thousands of years was at once transcended and beggared, and the family of God sprang into Manhood."

God has revealed Himself in the flesh in Jesus Christ.  In Him we have confidence, not in ourselves.  We need His grace.  At the beginning I said that having low self-esteem was perhaps a good thing.  Romans 12:3 says, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

The world tells us that we need high self esteem in order to survive.  This worldview cheapens grace, in that it says if I am lovable, adorable, and capable, then I can do all things through myself.  God's truth says we can do nothing of ourselves, and whenever we have tried, we have made a mess of it.  When we realize the truth of God, then we can appreciate God's grace, which was compounded with the incarnation of Christ Jesus.  

He was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14, "Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (which means, 'God with us.')"  John tells us that Jesus was the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us to bring God to us and to bring us to God.  That, my friend, is grace compounded: grace upon grace upon grace.

To the Manner Born

 

Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight.  --Malachi 3:1 (NKJV)

The phrase “to the manner born” is an idiomatic expression that has its roots in the works of William Shakespeare, one of the most influential playwrights and poets in the English language. This phrase is often used to describe someone who is naturally suited to a particular lifestyle or role, suggesting that they possess an innate ability or inclination that aligns perfectly with their environment or circumstances.  Over the centuries, “to the manner born” has been adopted into everyday language, often used to describe individuals who seem to excel in their roles or professions without apparent effort. For example, a person who is a natural leader may be described as being “to the manner born” for their ability to inspire and guide others. Similarly, an artist who effortlessly creates beautiful works may also be referred to in this way, highlighting their innate, God given talent.

I thought of this phrase when I read our passage for today, found in John 1:6-13.  Let's read it together.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through him.  He was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the Light.  The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.  But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

We are introduced first to a man called John the Baptizer.  We may know him better by the name John the Baptist.  He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who was herself a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Like Jesus, John's birth was announced by an angel (see Luke 1:11).  Like Jesus, John was sent by God, as we read in John 1:6.  Like Jesus, John spoke truth to power.  Unlike Jesus, however, John was not the Light of the World.  That Name belongs to Jesus only.

John was sent by God to be a witness.  His identity could very well be "John the Witness" as easily as "John the Baptist."  He was sent by God to be a witness, "so that all might believe through him."  There is, I am sure, some debate among theologians and Bible scholars as to specifically whom the "him" refers to in verse 7.  We know from other scriptures that Jesus' message was that all who believed in Him might be saved.  However, in this instance I believe it was the Gospel writer's intent to assign the job to John to be a witness to all, so that all might believe through John's witness that Jesus was the Messiah.  

One of the things I like about the New King James Version of the Bible is that they do not follow the Associated Press Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style or even the New York Times Manual of Style and Usage.  None of these style guides allow capitalization when referring to God.  The NKJV Bible, however, does capitalize all references to God.  Whenever you see the capital H "Him" in the NKJV, you know it is speaking of Jesus or God.  In John 1:7, however, there is a lower case "h" in the phrase "that all might believe through him."  That is, through John the Baptist.  

That's a big job, being the one person whose message was for all to believe in Jesus.  You may be the only person in your family who believes in Jesus.  You may be the only believer in your place of business.  You may even be the only person in your city or entire country who believes in Jesus.  What should your primary focus be?  Your only job is to to a witness to the Light, so that all might believe through you.  Think about that.

Think about this, too:  The Greek word for "witness" is μαρτυρία or martyria, where we get the English word "martyr."  John's task was to be a witness to the world, to speak truth to power, and it ultimately got him killed.  Are you willing to go that far?  Are you willing to put it all on the line for Jesus?

George MacDonald, a Scottish, poet, and Christian minister, once said, "I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of.  For to have been thought about--born in God's thoughts--and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, most precious thing in all thinking."

The second person spoken of in our passage is Jesus.  As beautifully as the Gospel writer presented this passage, we are again met with that pesky pronoun "he."  In verse 10, the antecedent of the word "he" was John.  This is usually the way to interpret context, and I'm sure all the style manuals would agree.  However, John the Gospel writer follows the word "He" with "was the true Light."  We already know from this passage that John the Baptist was not that Light, so this "He" must refer to Jesus.

He, Jesus, came into the world that He had created, to the people of the nation of Israel, whom God had specifically chosen among all the nations on Earth.  Did these people accept Him as Lord?  No, they did not.  "He came into His own, but His own people did not receive Him." But, the Gospel writer says, whoever does receive Him into their lives as Lord and Savior, those people will be given the right to be called Sons of God.

To what manner was Jesus born?  How about John the Baptizer/Witness/Martyr?  Neither of them very well received by the religious leaders of the day.  Jesus commented on this in Luke 7:33-34 when He said, "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at Him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"  Yet throughout the New Testament we see Jesus speaking to people of various socio-economic backgrounds, education levels, and religious traditions.  He spoke kind words to women, which was almost unheard of in that day and time.

The Apostle Paul modeled his ministry after that of Jesus.  In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 he said,

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became a Jew, in order to win Jews.  To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

It takes a special person to be able to engage with rich and poor, male and female, religious and non-religious.  Paul did it.  John did it.  Jesus did it most of all.  In the same way, you and I are called to reach out world with the gospel.  We are called to bear witness to the Light, so that all we come in contact with will believe through our testimony.  God may call some of us to speak truth to power.  He may even call some of us to die for the sake of the Gospel.  If God calls us, then He will equip us.   

Jesus: the Word, His Works, Our Worship

It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to men.  --CS Lewis

 Whenever a new Christian, one who has never studied the Bible, asks where he should start in his personal devotions and daily Scripture reading, the most pastors would overwhelmingly tell them to begin with reading the Gospel of John.  If you start in Genesis with the Creation narrative (which is fine), you could get caught up in the history of the world through the fall of Adam, followed by the worldwide pervasiveness of sin, then the rise of Noah through whom God would continue the human race after the worldwide flood.  You would then be introduced to Abraham, the father of many nations but particularly of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people.  This would lead invariably to Moses, the Law giver and friend of God.  All of this history and epistemology is well and good, but it might be overwhelming to a new Christian, especially one who immediately wants to know more about Christ (and who may get bogged down by the time he gets to Leviticus and Deuteronomy).

In John's Gospel, we can see the story of Creation boiled down to its essence: "In the beginning, God."  We see man's sin and separation from God, putting us in a hopeless state until the work of Christ was complete in the Word of God, the Man Jesus Christ.  We can also see that Christ came not only to fulfill the Law, but to replace it with a law of love.  John 13:34-35 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.  By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

In our brief study today we will see that John's Gospel also starts with creation, but also that God shone His light through the Word, who is Jesus. And we will see the work of God through the Word of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us for a purpose, to give life meaning.  John MacArthur said, "The purpose of John is to convince the sinner of the true person of Christ."  This leads us to our final point, that we must worship Christ as God.

The Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  --John 1:1-2

John uses a concept that was recognizable to his Hebrew readers as well as his Greek readers.  In his study guide to John's Gospel, David Guzik writes:

Jewish rabbis often referred to God (especially in His more personal aspects) in terms of His word. They spoke of God Himself as “the word of God.” For example, ancient Hebrew editions of the Old Testament change Exodus 19:17 (Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God) to “Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet the word of God.” In the mind of the ancient Jews, the phrase “the word of God” could be used to refer to God Himself.

So we see that John's choice of words can appeal to the Hebrew reader, who equates the concept of "the Word" with the concept of God.  In this same way, with the word-choice that John makes, he appeals to his Greek audience as well. In the Greek way of thinking, 

The Greek philosophers saw the logos as the power that puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. They saw the logos as the “Ultimate Reason” that controlled all things. (David Guzik).

Commentator Matthew Henry says that the term Word is two-fold: it speaks both of intelligence and utterance, of ratio (where we get the English word "rational", speaking of knowledge) and of oratio (where we get the English term "oration", or the spoken word).  In this sense, we can see how John describes the first two persons of the Godhead.  God the Father is all knowing, rational, intelligent; but He did not keep this knowledge, this Wisdom to Himself.  God the Son is the Word, the idea of divinity brought out in the open for us to hear and understand.

When Moses asked who God was, God's response was, "I AM."  Here in the first verse of John's Gospel, we see that Jesus identified as God, as He is described in the past tense form, "HE WAS"--He was with God, He was God, and He was in the beginning with God.  There is no greater indicator of the deity of Christ.  In fact, we see this personification of Jesus as Word or Wisdom all the way back in the Old Testament.  Proverbs 3:19 says, "The Lord by Wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens."  I believe that this Wisdom expressed in Proverbs 3 is the same Word expressed in John 1.

The Work

"All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." --John 1:3-5

Jesus was at work through the creation of the world.  Psalm 33:6 says, "By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth."  This means that God exists outside of space, time, and matter, since He existed before Creation.  If Christ was with God and is God, then He too is eternal.  1 Corinthians 8:6 says, "Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we are all things and through whom we exist."  So we see that Christ's work was manifest in creating us, and is made perfect in living through us.

Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world."  So we see that Christ's work was not limited to the creation of all things, but also through our "re-creation" by His calling us to repentance and sonship, so that we too are heirs of Christ, who is the heir of God.  Guzik writes, "The Word is the source of all life — not only biological life, but the very principle of life. The ancient Greek word translated life is zoe, which means 'the life principle,' not bios, which is mere biological life."

Matthew Henry's commentary says this:

The eternal Word, as God, shines in the darkness of natural conscience.  Though men by the fall are become darkness, yet that which may be known of God is manifested in them; see Romans 1:19-20.  The light of nature is this light shining in darkness.  Something of the power of the divine Word, both as creating and as commanding, all mankind have an innate sense of; were it not for this, earth would be a hell, a place of utter darkness.  Blessed be God, it is not so yet.

So we see that the work of Christ was evident in creation, is evident in salvation, and will be evident in the coming judgment.

The Worship

This, then, is our reasonable response.  We are to worship Christ as God.  We are to love Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strengths.  We are to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior.  Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." (NIV)

It is also our solemn duty to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.  Matthew 28:18-20 says, 

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I want to go back to our original text in John 1:1-5 and read it from the Phillips paraphrase.  I think it sheds new light on the Word, the Work, and the Worship of Jesus.

At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that Word, was with God, and was God, and He existed with God from the beginning. All creation took place through Him, and none took place without Him. In Him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind. The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.

We may not be able to fully comprehend Christ as the fullness of the Godhead bodily (see Colossians 2:9), but we have been given enough light to see that He is worthy of our praise.  DT Niles wrote that "evangelism is one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread."  From our study today, we see that it can also be described as one blind person who has been divinely able to perceive divine light in the darkness, showing another blind person the source of that Light.  We may not be able to fully comprehend it, but neither can we extinguish it from our hearts and our lives.

 

A movie idea (based on the Gospel of John)

 

Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature.  It's true: they rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in.  Lazarus obeying orders and climbing out of the grave--now there's a miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time.  When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up.  A miracle contradicts the will of the earth.  --Lief Enger, American author of Peace Like A River

SCENE 1 (reference John 12:9-11)

Fade in.  A man, Lazarus, seated in front of his home in ancient Bethany, is addressing a group of Jewish people who are asking him questions about his experience of being raised from the dead.

MAN 1:  What was it like being brought back to life?  I mean, you had been dead for four days!

WOMAN 1:  Were your sisters Martha and Mary happy to see you when you hopped out of the tomb in your graveclothes?

LAZARUS: It was indescribable. Like going from darkness to light.  When my eyes adjusted to the sunshine, I saw my sisters there, but I only wanted to see Jesus.  He was the one who called to me.  Jesus gets the glory.  I didn't do anything, really.  I just followed His voice.

SOLDIER 1: Break it up.  This is an illegal gathering.

SOLDIER 2: Lazarus, you are under arrest.  I am taking you into custody on order of the High Priest.

LAZARUS: Is it really unlawful to speak of Jesus now?  What are you gonna do, kill me?  I've been dead before--it really doesn't scare me.

SCENE 2, three months earlier (reference John 7:16-52)

FIRST OFFICER: Do you have the arrest warrant?  We'll go house to house if necessary, all throughout Jerusalem.

SECOND OFFICER: It's the Feast of Booths.  Everyone will be outside in a temporary shelters, commemorating the time that Moses led our people through the desert.

FIRST OFFICER: Oh, so it won't be quite as difficult to find Jesus if he's out in the open.  How in the world can a Rabbi like him make statements like that publicly?  Claiming to be like God.  Blasphemy!

SECOND OFFICER: Let's start at the Temple.  There's a big crowd there right now.  Maybe somebody knows where he is staying.

As they approach the Temple, Jesus is there teaching.

JESUS: My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.  If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.  The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.  Has not Moses given you the law?  Yet none of you keeps the law.  Why do you seek to kill me?

MAN IN CROWD: You must be mad!  Who is seeking to kill you?

First Officer and Second Officer look at each other.

JESUS: I did one work, and you all marvel at it.  (A man needed to be healed; it was the Sabbath. What was I to do?)  Look, Moses gave you circumcision, and you circumcise a male baby on the Sabbath.  If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well?  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.

FIRST OFFICER: Can this man be the Messiah?

SECOND OFFICER: When the Messiah does appear, will he do more signs that this man has done?

JESUS: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

First Officer and Second Officer go back to the place of the Pharisees

CHIEF PRIEST: Why haven't you brought him?

FIRST OFFICER: No one ever spoke like this man.

PHARISEE:  Have you also been deceived?  Have any of the priests or Pharisees believed in him. Anyone who does not know the law is accursed.

NICODEMUS: Wait.  Just hold on.  Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?

PHARISEE: Are you from Galilee too?  (Pointing to a scroll)  Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.

SCENE 3 (reference John 9:1-41)

LAZARUS (Voice Over) Things really came to a head one Sabbath day when Jesus found a man who had been born blind.  Jesus stopped and said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  He spat on the ground, picked up the wet clay, and put it on the man's eyes.  Jesus told the man to go to the fountain, the Pool of Siloam, and wash off the mud from his eyes.  When the man obeyed Jesus, when he went and washed, he came back seeing.  

MAN 1: Hey, isn't that the man who used to sit and beg?  I thought he was blind and couldn't get around.

MAN 2: It sure looks like him, but it can't be.  Maybe it's someone who looks like him.

BLIND MAN: It really is me.  Jesus did this.

PHARISEE: Come with me.  Tell us again how you received your sight.

BLIND MAN: You see, Jesus...

PHARISEE: We don't believe you! 

BLIND MAN: He is truly a prophet sent from G...

PHARISEE: This man cannot be from God.  He doesn't keep the Sabbath.

NICODEMUS: How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?

PHARISEE: I know this man's parents.  Let's ask them.  Hey you, is this your son, the one you said was born blind?  How does he now see?

FATHER: We know he is our son.  We know he was born blind.  Apart from that, we don't know.  Ask him, he is of age. 

PHARISEE: All right.  Give it to us straight.  Glorify God by telling us the truth, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.

BLIND MAN: Whether he is a sinner I do not know.  One thing I do know: though I was blind, now I see!  Look, I've told you this a thousand times, and you don't ever listen.  Do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciple too?

LAZARUS (Voice over): Jesus fulfilled the Prophet Isaiah's words, "You will open the eyes of the blind and set free those who sit in dark prisons."  Many believed in him after he healed the blind man.  Many more believed after I was raised from the dead.  That's why they arrested me, and are making plans to kill me.  Yet it is they who are blind.  They can't see how one man could be the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, but not keep their Sabbath tradition.  They can't see how the man Jesus could claim to be the Son of God.  That's what they'll arrest him for, but their true motivation is spoken in secret, so that the people cannot hear: I just heard the priests and religious rulers say to one another, "If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation (reference John 11:48).  The chief priest, Caiaphas, agreed, saying, "It's better for you that one man should die for the people, rather than the whole nation should perish."  I don't know, I think those words speak more than Caiaphas realizes.  I think they prophesy that Jesus will die not as a martyr, as I may, but that his death will be sacrificial, that in his death we might enjoy everlasting life.

THE END

A short study on prayer

 

I urge you (parakaleō), believers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join together with me in your prayers (proseuchē) to God in my behalf.  --Romans 15:30 (Amplified Bible)

In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, protagonist Jean Valjean is paroled from prison with no money, no job, and no hope.  He is welcomed in by the Bishop of Digne, who shows Valjean compassion by giving him a meal and a bed for a night.  Valjean steals the bishop's silverware and silver plates.  When Valjean is confronted by the police and brought back to the rectory, the bishop shows mercy and grace to Valjean, "admonishing" him on having forgotten the silver candlesticks, which were a "gift" along with the tableware.  The bishop reminds Valjean of his "promise" to become a better man.  This act of mercy changes Valjean, who lives out his days in the light of that redemptive act, notwithstanding his having to run from his past.

I love that story.  Every time I see it, it brings tears to my eyes.

I mention this particular scene because it illustrates the two Greek words translated "prayer" in the New Testament.  The bishop is called from his prayers to God (proseuchē) to come alongside Valjean (parakaleō) and to urge him to do the right thing.  I'm sure the bishop entreated the Lord on Valjean's behalf often thereafter, beseeching God to guide the former thief.

The same Greek word for comfort and exhortation, coming alongside one to encourage or strengthen (which, by the way, describes the work of the Holy Spirit) is also used of a type or form of prayer. The word parakaleō not only means come alongside for encouragement and exhortation; it also means to beg, to entreat, to beseech.  Think of it as a different way to approach God.  

We usually think of prayers as acts of worship, praise, adoration.  This is what was meant by Jesus when he gave us the Lord's Prayer as a template or example.  When Jesus said, "Pray this way," He used the Greek word proseuchē.  But when we want to really entreat God, to come alongside Him and intercede for ourselves or others, that would be the Greek word parakaleō.  

This word parakaleō is used nine times in the book of Mark, a book which I have been studying in my daily Bible readings for the last two weeks.  Seven times it was used to describe requests that people made to Jesus during His earthly ministry, and twice it was used by demons speaking to Jesus.  Each time it is translated beg in the ESV (the translation I use for study).

In Mark 1:40 a leper came to Jesus and begged that He make him clean.  In 5:23 a ruler of the synagogue named Jairus begged Jesus to heal his daughter.  In 6:56 the crowds that followed Jesus from town to town begged Him to touch them and heal their diseases.  In 7:32 a deaf man was brought to Him, and He was begged to touch the man so that he could hear.  In 8:32 a blind man was brought to Jesus, and they begged Him to restore sight to the man.  In each of these examples, the entreaties or prayers to Jesus were answered in the affirmative.  

I want to point to the passage that shows the anomolies.  In the fifth chapter of Mark we read about when Jesus healed the man known as the Gerasene Demoniac.  Jesus went by boat to meet this man who lived in a graveyard because he had been possessed by an evil spirit.  The demons had given him superhuman strength, because the people of the area had been unable to restrain the man, even with shackles and chains.  The man was ostracized by the villagers, and spent his time crying out with a loud voice and cutting himself.  He was in bad shape.  This is the only time in Scripture where I can find that Jesus listened to the prayer of a demon.  And it is one of just a few instances of Jesus answering a prayer in the negative.

Jesus' encounter with the demons

When Jesus approached him, the man ran to Jesus and fell down before him.  However, when the man opened his mouth, the demons spoke for him.

And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I adjure You by God, do not torment me."  For He was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"  And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"  He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."  And he begged Him earnestly not to send him out of the country.  Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."  So He gave them permission.  And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. (Mark 5:7-13)

Twice the spirits asked Jesus, begged Jesus, not to send them into the abyss, but rather to send them into the herd of swine.  The demons approached Jesus, and engaged Jesus in conversation, and begged not to be destroyed.  Jesus answered their prayers.  He did not destroy them; He allowed them to enter into the pigs, and the pigs were then destroyed, but the spirits were shown to be in subjection to Jesus because they acknowledged Him as Son of the Most High God.  Does that mean they were saved?  No, of course not.  Knowledge alone will not save.  Confession without contrition will not save.  Without repentance, redemption is not possible. 

Jesus' encounter with the townspeople

Next we see a prayer of unrepentant people.

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country.  And people came to see what it was that had happened.  And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.  And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. --Mark 5:14-17

These people saw the change in this man whom Jesus had set free.  There was a radical change in him, for he was seated, speaking in normal tones.  He was wearing clothes, in contrast to his usual state of undress.  He appeared to be in control of himself, thinking and speaking clearly.  But instead of praising God for delivering this man from his torment, they were afraid.  Instead of asking Jesus to radically change them, they trembled.  Then somebody noticed the lack of livestock.

"What happened to the pigs?" one might have asked.  The eye-witnesses explained that the pigs had run off a cliff into the sea, and that apparently the legion of demons that had inhabited the man were cast out of the man and into the swine.  The owners of the herd had suffered an economic loss, for sure, but this behavior was not in the pigs' nature.  I am told pigs are fairly intelligent creatures, and prone to self-preservation.  They would not naturally commit mass suicide (sooey-cide?) like this.  (Sorry, could not resist the dad joke there).

As a result the people asked Jesus to leave.  They begged Him to depart, entreating Him to go back the way He came.  Again, Jesus answered their prayers.  

Jesus' encounter with the newly converted disciple

As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him.  And He did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you."  And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.  --Mark 5:18-20

The prayer of the man who had been delivered from evil is an anomaly, because his prayer was not answered in the affirmative like all the others.  Jesus had said yes to the leper, and had healed him.  He said yes to the ruler of the synagogue and raised his daughter from the dead.  He said yes to the crowds who begged him for healing.  He said yes to the deaf man who wanted to hear.  He said yes to the blind person who wanted their sight.

What about this man?  He had been delivered from demons.  He no longer wanted to live among the tombs.  He did not want to spend his time cutting himself and crying out.  What did he want? What was his prayer?  He begged Jesus to be a disciple, a close follower.  He wanted to get on the boat with Jesus and go back with Him to Galilee.  He wanted to sit at Jesus' feet, to hear His words, to learn from Him.

All of these were reasonable requests.  Nevertheless, Jesus said no.  Jesus would not allow the man to get into His boat.  He would not let the man walk beside Him, to be physically present with Him.  Instead, Jesus asked the man to become a missionary for Him to the Decapolis.  He was to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus to his friends and family there where he lived.

Applications

Jesus hears our prayers, and He answers them.  Sometimes, the answer is no, not because He does not hear us, but because He wants us to go a different direction.  In Genesis 18:16-33, Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, but God destroyed those cities anyway.  Did Abraham stop praying to God when that happened? No, of course not.  We know that God is faithful, even if our prayers are not answered in the way we want them to be. Elizabeth Elliot wrote, "Sometimes we want things we were not meant to have.  Because He loves us, the Father says no.  Faith trusts that no.  Faith is willing not to have what God is not willing to give.  Furthermore, faith does not insist upon an explanation.  It is enough to know His promises to give what is good--He knows so much more about us than we do."

We cannot get discouraged in our prayers.  Sometimes it may seem like everyone else's prayers are answered but not ours.  We see people whom we would think are unspiritual, or whose theology is different, or who seem to have no spirituality at all.  Why are they blessed and not us? Why would it appear that God is answering their prayers but not ours?  We must remember that Jesus gave permission to the demons for their requests to be answered, but that eventually they will be cast into hell (Matthew 25:41).  Not everyone who refers to Jesus as Lord will enter into heaven (Matthew 7:21).  We must remain faithful, and pray that His will be done in all things.

God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).  When I was having trouble at work last year, I prayed earnestly that I would improve, and that I could continue in my job.  As time went on and it became apparent that my performance was still not meeting expectations, I begged God to let me keep my job.  Unfortunately, I was let go.  Fortunately, by God's grace, I was given a generous severance package.  I urgently prayed that I could find a new job within a few weeks, and that the surplus severance pay could be used to pay down debt or pad my savings.  When I finally was hired, my start date was delayed, and I continued to have to draw money from the severance.  Even though my prayers were not answered in the way that I thought was best, I knew that God was providing for me.  He knows my needs; I only need to trust Him.

 

How does your garden grow?

 

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.  --English proverb

Spring is here.  Yesterday my wife and I fired up the lawnmower for the first time this season.  Soon, we may clean out the flower boxes, and take a hoe to the flower beds around our house.  We may even plant some new flowers, or try our hand at growing vegetables.

We don't normally have time or patience to have a beautiful garden.  We haven't had much luck growing our own vegetables, either; it is too time consuming and labor intensive.  We are grateful for neighbors who are able to grow beautiful flower gardens, and for farmers who are able to successfully grow vegetables.

Many of the people that Jesus came in contact with were farmers.  There was a greater connection to the land in the hills of Judea than we see in our cities today.  That's why many of the parables of Jesus dealt with sowing and growing, with feed and seed, with bearing good and bad fruit.  We see this clearly in two passages in Matthew chapter 13.  I would like for us to take a closer look at them today.

The first is called the Parable of the Sower, found in verses 3 through 9.

A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, were they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched.  And since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear.  --Matthew 13:3b-9

The first and best commentary we read on the meaning of this parable is from Jesus Himself.  The disciples asked Him to explain.  In His explanation, Jesus discusses four types of soil, which can be said to describe the hearts of those who hear the Word.

Stay off the beaten path

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.  This is what was sown along the path." (Matthew 13:19).  Sadly, this describes most of the world today.  Matthew 7:13 says, "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy (some manuscripts read "For the way is wide and easy") that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."

In his commentary entitled Four Sowings and One Ripening, Alexander MacLaren wrote, "It represents the case of men whose insensibility to the word is caused by outward things having made a thoroughfare of their natures, and trodden them into incapacity to receive the message of Christ's love."  The external pressures of daily life, pleasure seeking, and even false religion have made the heart unreceptive to the Gospel.  

This verse does not only apply to the atheist and the pagan.  It can also describe a Christian whose heart has become hardened by the world.  Hosea 10:12 says, "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you."  Sometimes God may have to plow up our lives to make us more receptive to His word.  This process of turning over the topsoil on our lives could be painful, but the results might make us more fruitful.

On an emotional level

"As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for awhile, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away." (Matthew 13:20-21).  When the topsoil is shallow, barely covering the bedrock beneath, there is no room for growth as there is no root.

We all know people whose shallow personality will allow them to latch on to any new teaching.  They seem to embrace the message of the day, but under the light of scrutiny the message dies.  MacLaren writes, "The persons meant are those of excitable temperament, whose feelings lie on the surface, and can be got at without first passing through the understanding or the conscience. Such people are easily played on by the epidemic influence of any prevalent enthusiasm or emotion, as every revival of religion shows."

True repentance is met with sorrow, not joy.  2 Corinthians 7:9-10 says, "And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (Berean Standard Bible)

Don't choke when life gets in the way

"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."  (Matthew 13:22).   By faith Peter was able to walk on the waves (see Matthew 14:22-33), but when he saw the wind he began to sink.  Many people who sincerely believe the word and follow Christ are ineffective in their walk because of the cares of the world.

The man has strong roots, but no fruit.  MacLaren writes, "This man is, as James calls him, a 'double-minded man.' He is trying to grow both corn and thorn on the same soil. He has some religion, but not enough to make thorough work of it. He is endeavouring to ride on two horses at once. Religion says 'either—or'; he is trying 'both—and.' The human heart has only a limited amount of love and trust to give, and Christ must have it all. It has enough for one—that is, for Him; but not enough for two,—that is, for Him and the world."

As soon as Jesus explained the Parable of the Sower, He immediately told another parable to drive home the point.

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.  And the servants of the master of the house said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?" He said to them, "An enemy has done this." So the servants said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?" But he said, "No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn'."  --Matthew 13:24-30

The second parable expands upon the first.  Jesus first speaks of the heart of man being receptive to the word of God, but being ineffective because of the nature of the "soil", that is, the internal man.  Then He zooms out with His divine camera, showing the entire field being infiltrated from external enemies who sow the weeds of distraction and discouragement.  It is the same weed--the same cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches--but this time it is introduced into the life of the poor Christian from sources outside of himself.

MacLaren writes, "He very likely does not know that the seed is choked, and that he has become unfruitful. But he is a stunted, useless Christian, with all the sap and nourishment of his soul given to his worldly position, and his religion is a poor pining growth, with blanched leaves and abortive fruit. How much of Christ's field is filled with plants of that sort!"  Whether the weeds are sown by our own wickedness or by the Devil and his demons, the effect is the same: stunted growth and diminished fruit.

The best case scenario

"As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it.  He indeed bears fruit and yields, in on case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:23).  What makes the soil "good"?  It is loose soil, perhaps plowed.  It has depth, with the rocks removed, i.e. the heart softened, the stone rolled away.  And a concerted effort is made to remove weeds, as described as the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.  No quarter is given to workers of iniquity who would plant doubts or raise roadblocks.

Luke 17:1-2 says, "And he said to his disciples, 'Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin'."   MacLaren writes, "The result of that reception into the depths of the spirit is that he 'verily beareth fruit.' The man who receives the word is identified with the plant that springs from the seed which he receives. The life of a Christian is the result of the growth in him of a supernatural seed. He bears fruit, yet the fruit comes not from him, but from the seed sown. 'I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.' Fruitfulness is the aim of the sower, and the test of the reception of the seed. If there is not fruit, manifestly there has been no real understanding of the word."

How can we apply this to our lives?  I mentioned in the beginning that many of my neighbors have prettier flower gardens than I do.  They spend more time tending to the soil, pulling weeds and keeping critters away.  I have bird feeders in my garden, which attract both birds and squirrels.  When the demon squirrels are done, there is more birdseed on the ground than in the feeders.  If left unattended, the seed that falls from the feeders sprout into weeds in my garden.  If I wanted to make my garden more beautiful, I would pull the weeds, and remove the feeders so that the squirrels would not spread bad seed among my flowers.  In the same way, if I want my life to bear more fruit and be more attractive to the unsaved, then I would feed exclusively on the Word of God; I would remove any impediments to growth that may choke out the Word; and I would not allow outside influences to introduce foreign seed into my garden.

Faith in the Savior: The sermon preached by the thief on the cross

 

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."  --Isaiah 52:7

Alistair Begg has an interesting sermon, imagining the thief on the cross at the Pearly Gates, being interviewed by the angel in charge of admission.

Think about the thief on the cross. What an immense… I can’t wait to find that fellow one day to ask him, “How did that shake out for you? Because you were cussing the guy out with your friend. You’d never been in a Bible study. You’d never got baptized. You didn’t know a thing about church membership. And yet—and yet, you made it! You made it! How did you make it?”

That’s what the angel must have said—you know, like, “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“Well, ’cause I don’t know.”

“Well, you know… Excuse me. Let me get my supervisor.”

They go get the supervisor angel: “So, we’ve just a few questions for you. First of all, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?”

The guy says, “I’ve never heard of it in my life.”

“And what about… Let’s just go to the doctrine of Scripture immediately.”

This guy’s just staring.

And eventually, in frustration, he says, “On what basis are you here?”

And he said, “The man on the middle cross said I can come.”

Now Pastor Begg may have been going for a laugh here, but I take exception to the idea that one minute this guy was hanging on a cross enduring torture and deriding Jesus, taunting and cursing Him, and the next proclaiming Him as the Messiah.  

Yes, I know that Matthew and Mark both report that both of the criminals crucified on either side of Jesus taunted Him with curses and slander.  But Luke makes a distinction between one criminal and the other.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!"  But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds; this this Man has done nothing wrong."  And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom."  And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  --Luke 23:40-43

Now, there are a lot of things about this story that we don't know.  For example, we don't know if Matthew and Mark were speaking in generalities, or whether they stood on the outskirts of the crowd and did not hear the private conversation between Jesus and those closest to Him.  

For his part, Luke was not mentioned among the disciples.  We do not know if he was present at the crucifixion, or if he had sources who saw it first-hand and told him about it later.  We also know that Luke was the only one that wrote about the soldiers casting lots for Jesus's clothing.  He was the one Gospel writer who noted Jesus's words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing."

So when Luke records that there was a difference of opinion between the two thieves, we can trust his testimony.  Some may cite this as an apparent contradiction in the scriptural texts, but it is easily explained by each Gospel writer having a different point of view.  It is actually evidence of the veracity of Scripture that four different people wrote from their own experience under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

But back to the penitent thief.  We do not know at what point he placed his faith in Jesus.  We don't know what experiences he had between his arrest and his execution, or what experience he had with Jesus leading up to this scene.  What we do know is that with his dying words, the unnamed thief preached a powerful sermon.  He touched on some serious doctrinal truths.

The Fear of God

The man castigated his compatriot for railing against Jesus, advising him that the fear of God meant respecting His Son.  Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  At some point God gave this man understanding, as he recognized that even in death, he was in the presence of the Holy One.  Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus, made a similar confession in John 6:69 when he said, "And we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God."

The Curse of Sin

The man pointed out that he, and the one two crosses down, were facing justice for their crimes.  They were properly condemned for crimes against humanity.  In a broader sense, all sin separates us from God.  Paul wrote, "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23).  None of us is immune to sin: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).  Sin brings condemnation.  Jesus did not.  He said in John 3:17, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."

Jesus is Our Atonement

The man's confession of sin's curse and the fear of God led him to have faith in Jesus.  Jesus is our only hope of avoiding death and hell.  Paul wrote: 

We are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.  It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  --Romans 3:24-26

By God's grace, this man believed that Jesus was the justifier, the One who by His own death would be the propitiation for our sins, and by His sacrifice would become our atonement.  In other words, Jesus was this man's only hope of salvation.