God Gave the Song

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  --Zephaniah 3:17

As I was driving home in rush hour this evening, I heard an NPR interview with Anais Mitchell, on the Broadway debut of her 2010 folk opera album Hadestown.  In this re-telling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, the Greek myth of love and tragedy, the male lead follows his love to the very gates of hell.  He sings a song that melts everyone's heart, even Hades, the god who oversees the underworld.  As a result, Hades allows Eurydice to go back with her love.

One thing that the artist/songwriter said struck me.  You know I always find things in life to spiritualize, to make a comparison with the Gospel.  Ms. Mitchell said that in her version of this myth, Eurydice chooses to go to the underworld.  In the play based on her album, artists like Orpheus and muses like his mother live on Earth.  They have freedom, but don't really worry about where their next meal is coming from.  On the other hand, the underworld has factories, places where you can work yourself to death, but at least there is security.

Often, when we are trying to share the gospel, people will trot out the argument, "Why would a gracious God send anybody to hell?"  The answer-- the plight of fallen man--is that people choose an eternity without God.   God does not send anyone to hell.  "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).

The Father sent the Son with an irresistible message, and the Spirit softens the heart of man to receive the message.  In the 1970s, Bill and Gloria Gaither recorded a song called, "God Gave the Song"

You ask me why my heart keeps singing
Why I can sing when things go wrong.
But since I've found the source of music
I just can't help it. God gave the song.

Come walk with me through fields and forests.
We'll climb the hills and still hear that song.
For even hills resound with music.
They just can't help it. God gave the song.

What's that I hear, I still hear that music
Day after day. that song goes on.
For once you know the source of music
You'll always hear it. God gave the song.

Come on and join,
It's the song of Jesus
Day after day that song goes on
For once you know the source of music
You'll always hear it. God gave the song.
For since I've found the source of music
I just can't help it. God gave the song.

Re-read that last line: "I just can't help it, God gave the song."  Like Orpheus, the music melts the hearts of those of us who accept the message by God's grace.  How then, you might ask, can anyone resist?  Remember, the Bible says, "You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (John 15:16).

God chooses whom He wills, but in His omniscience He also knows who will reject the message, and who will choose an eternity without Him.  He knows who will respond to the Gospel message.  "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those who he justified he also glorified." (Romans 8:29-30).

We just came through the Easter holiday, and one of the things my pastor said is that after the crucifixion, Jesus went to hell to preach to those in captivity.  (I personally think this is a mis-reading of scripture, but many hold to it as truth; therefore I do not think it is necessarily heresy, nor a test of faith, but some mis-guided theology passed down by the traditions of men.)  Like Orpheus, Jesus was willing to leave heaven and come share His song of love where we are, where you and I could hear His voice.

One other part of the NPR interview that intrigued me was the question about why people keep going to see a Greek tragedy when they know how it is going to turn out.  Any student of history or of the arts knows that the story of Orpheus and Eurydice does not turn out well.  Even though the audience knows the ending for the most part, they still turn out to see the play.  Why?  The author addressed that within the play, as she has Hermes, the narrator, ask the question.  The implied answer is hope--each time we see the tragedy unfold, we are hopeful that either the ending will turn out differently, or that by seeing it, we (the viewer) would learn from their mistakes and not repeat them.  Over. And. Over. Again.

In the same way, Jesus is persistent in His calling us, wooing us to Himself and away from sin and its consequences. In Luke chapter 15, Jesus told three stories about Himself.  In the first, He is the shepherd that leaves the 99 to go look for the one lost sheep.  In the second, He likens Himself to a woman with 10 gold coins, who cannot account for one, so she sweeps out the house and searches until it is found.  The final story, perhaps the most famous of all, involves the father of a prodigal son; that son, after he has come to the end of himself, goes back home to find the father anxiously watching the horizon for him, then running to meet him, and adorning him with fine clothes, shoes, and jewelry.

My friend, the Father keeps on searching for you.  Please do not harden your heart, but listen to His voice.  When you truly hear Him and respond, He will save you and bring you to His home.  Otherwise, you too will end up in the place of the dead, without hope, without life, without music.

Who's in charge here?

And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?  --Mark 14:48

I am a big fan of police dramas on television.  I like the fact that the hero always gets the bad guy, and lives to arrest a new perp next week.  One thing I have noticed, though: no matter how much of a lone wolf the hero might be, he always know when to call for backup.

I have heard a number of sermons on the radio in the days leading up to Passion week about the arrest of Jesus.  It got me started thinking about Judas and the Pharisees who wanted Jesus silenced.  The thoughts led me to this question:  how many people were required to arrest Jesus?  In other words, what were the resources, human and otherwise, necessary to get the job done?

From the intel gathered from Judas, the disciple who betrayed him, they knew several things for sure.  First, there were at least twelve grown men.  There was Jesus--a man with a history as a violent criminal.  Remember when He was at the Temple and accused the vendors of turning His Father's House into a den of robbers?  He flipped over the tables of the money-changers, tore down the stalls, and drove out the livestock with a hand-made whip.  Twice.  With Him were eleven others, some of whom were used to physical activity, so they probably were in fairly good shape.  Three of them, Peter, James, and John, were local fishermen before becoming His disciples, and now they were part of His inner circle.  Among all the disciples, these three men were closest to Him, and would probably be the last line of defense before apprehending their target.  The other eight may be dispatched easily, but those three would be most likely to put up a fight.

In addition, he likely knew that Peter owned a sword.   Luke 22:35 says that Jesus told His disciples, "But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack.  And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one."   Even if Judas was not present when Jesus made this statement, it could have been reported to him by one of the servants or maybe one of the women who followed Jesus closely.  Judas was the treasurer, the one of the disciples who kept the money (John 12:6).  When he heard what Jesus said about swords, he could have misinterpreted it as the words of an insurrectionist.  Ever hear of Barabbas?  Judas had.  Judas may have been disillusioned, or he may have thought he had wasted three years of his life following somebody who was no better than a common criminal.  All this could have been what Judas shared with the Pharisees when he made the deal to betray Jesus.

The Pharisees saw what they were up against, and prepared for the absolute worst.  They had access to the Temple guards, but extra-biblical historical sources tell us that they were armed only with clubs.  Just like the saying goes, you don't take a knife to a gun-fight; or in this case, you don't take take a club to a sword fight.  The Roman soldiers, on the other hand, had swords.  Matthew 26:47 says Judas arrived with "a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people."  We know that the chief priests and elders had access to the Temple guard, who brought their clubs with them.  John 18:3 says Judas had procured "a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees."  The Greek word for "band" is speira, which usually means a tenth of a legion.  If a legion was 6000 men, then the speira that came with Judas could have been as many as 600 soldiers.  Even if the word "band" didn't literally mean 500 to 1000 soldiers, it was more than a few.  Can you say "back-up"?

Let's take stock:  ambushing Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane were Judas, the High Priest and his servant (the one that Peter attacked), other priests and members of the Sanhedrin, members of the Temple Guard with their clubs, and up to 600 Roman soldiers with their swords.  In military terms, this was an example of "shock and awe" (technically known as rapid dominance), a show of overwhelming power and a spectacular display of force designed to paralyze the enemy.  They really didn't want to leave anything to chance.  They wanted to make sure there was no question they were in control. 

But were they, really?  John 18:4-12 says this:

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?"  They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus said to them, "I am He."  Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.  When Jesus said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.  So He asked them again, "Whom to you seek?"  And they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He.  So, if you seek Me, let these men go."  This was to fulfill the word that He had spoken: "Of those whom You gave me I have lost not one."  Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.  (The servant's name was Malchus.)  So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given Me?"  So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him."

So all of these soldiers and officers and Jewish leaders and priests arrive, and they all believe they are large and in charge; but one word from Jesus stops them in their tracks.  In fact, when Jesus invokes God's Name "I AM," the whole army falls back.  Not only that, they are driven to their knees.  Such is the power of the Name of God; such is the power of Jesus.

Ignoring the chance to escape and hide, He asks again, "Whom do you seek?"  The army regains their composure and speaks again, but  maybe with less authority this time, "Jesus of Nazareth."  When they were humbled, Jesus made Himself available to them, but He struck a bargain with them.  "You seek me," He said, "so let these men (the disciples) go."  Jesus was protecting them, the ones who were in His fold.  Can you say security of the believer?

Oblivious to what is going on in the moment, Peter finds his courage and draws his sword.  Not being a trained swordsman, Peter holds the sword directly over his head, and swings downward, intending to split the nearest skull.  He misses, and the sword glances off the guy's helmet.  A severed ear is not lethal, but it is not pleasant, either.  Jesus, in the midst of this chaos, is still in control.  He calmly tells Peter to stand down, and He heals the young man.  He even knew the servant's name: Malchus.  The name is a Hebrew name, and it means "king" or "kingdom."  Jesus, the King of kings, restores the kingdom by healing the servant's ear.  "Let him who has an ear, hear the word of the Lord."

So now we circle back to the question, how many people would it take to arrest Jesus.  Thousands?  No, because Jesus spoke, and the great throng fell to their knees.  Was it only one, then?  If so, who?  Judas?  The High Priest?  Jesus told them in Matthew 26:55, "I was teaching in the synagogue, and you didn't arrest me there."   Would He have gone to the cross if only they had asked Him?  But they did not ask Him, because they did not believe He would go.  Yet I believe He went to the cross voluntarily.  So the answer to the question is God alone.  Jesus volunteered to go to the cross, to take on the sins of the world, to become the perfect sacrifice.

No one asked Him to die, but He did.  No one could have forced Him to die, He laid down His life.  It was His will that none would perish, so He willingly died in our place.  In my place.  In your place.  As we prepare to enter Passion Week, starting with Palm Sunday and culminating in Easter, stop for a moment and think.  Have you got back-up?  Who are you going to call when the forces against you are overwhelming?

Dem Bones

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And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, you know."  --Ezekiel 37:3

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed this week, and someone had posted the meme above.  Knowing the friend who posted it, most likely it was meant to be humorous because the last figure says "pirate."  Like, if you find a skeleton, you most likely wouldn't know anything about the person, unless it had a leg amputated at the knee.  Then, by deductive reasoning, one could surmise that this person may have had a peg leg, therefore they must have been a pirate.

I am fairly certain that the person who originally made up this meme was making a point other than the joke about a peg leg.  I believe he or she may have been trying to say that deep down, we are all the same--that we all bleed red, that our bones are the same, that biologically we are indistinguishable one from another.  The point, I believe, is that it doesn't matter whether one is white or black, gay or straight, religious or atheist.  The only thing that matters is our humanity, our equality, and we should not discriminate against anyone because of their chosen identity.

Sadly, the creator of this meme is ignorant of basic biology.  A physician can look at a skeleton and tell whether that person was male or female.  A forensic biologist could tell whether the bones had a story to tell, such as age, height, weight, whether the person had any fractures or injuries during their lifetime, and even whether they had sexually transmitted diseases.  An anthropologist may even try to determine how long ago the person lived.  So we see that the bones do, indeed, tell a story.

It is interesting to me that people with a humanistic or atheistic agenda will argue against creation by looking at DNA evidence, carbon-dating, and other scientific "evidence" for evolution.  And yet their children will ignore science altogether, and declare that they are transgender; that they are a woman trapped inside a man's body, or that they are some other gender altogether, one of their own choosing, and that "God made them" that way.  Bless their hearts, I know they are confused, and I also know that it is not politically correct to tell them so.  However, a thousand years from now when an archaeologist uncovers their bones, he or she will observe that they were male or female.  The archaeologist will look at the context clues, the cultural relics, and may even be able to tell their race, religion, and even their sexual practices.

It is also interesting to me that humanist-atheists will proclaim themselves as "pro-choice".  This, of course, is a catch-word in the abortion debate; they are trying to say that those of us who support life would dictate our morals to others in a legalistic or paternalistic way by suppressing the choices they want to make.  In fact, it all does come down to choice.

The choices we make will ultimately determine our destiny.  If I chose to get drunk or high before reporting to work, I should not be surprised when I am fired from the job.  I am free to use any mind-altering substance I choose, but I am not shielded from the consequences.  Alas, consequence is not a subject that we like to discuss.  We would much rather dwell on our freedoms.

The Bible speaks of this, as well. 

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are  helpful.  "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.  "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"--and God will destroy both one and the other.  --1 Corinthians 6:12, 13a

When you are confronted about the choices you made, you may utilize this defense: I'm not doing anything illegal.  While this may be true in whatever country, state, or jurisdiction you reside, God's law supersedes man's law every time.  When you die and stand before God, He will not ask you whether you followed the cultural norms or followed the rules set by society.  He will ask you whether you violated His perfect law.  When it becomes evident that you did not, your only hope is the blood of Jesus.

Please do not get lost in the noise of our culture.  The arguments of secularism and humanism and atheism are all contradictory.  The only last truth is the word of God.  Seek Him.  Seek His word.  That is the only way to overcome the world, and devil, who is the ruler of this world.  Revelation 12:11 says, "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lam and by the word of their testimony."