What is the gospel?

 

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)

This week I was scrolling through social media (as one does), and I came across a reel by the late Christian Apologist RC Sproul. He was explaining what the gospel is not. If you belong to an evangelical denomination like I do, you have probably heard sermons on sharing the gospel. You may have attended classes designed to teach you how to share the gospel with others.

You may have been told, "Just share your personal testimony of what Christ has done for you." This is not the gospel; it is the result of the gospel in your life. You may have been given gospel tracts, small booklets that are meant to help you share the gospel with others. A popular one begins this way: "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." That's not the gospel, either.

When I was in seminary, there was a required course called Personal Evangelism, and we were taught to recite a program written and produced by an organization called Evangelism Explosion. It begins with the question, "If you were to die today and had to stand before God, and God were to ask you, 'Why should I let you into My heaven,' what would you say?" Friends, this is not the gospel.

Here's what Dr. Sproul had to say:

The gospel is a clearly defined message. If you want to see what it is, go to the servants and in the preaching of the book of Acts, and notice and underscore the content of those sermons. There you will discover what the gospel is. It's about Jesus. He was born according to the Scriptures, and He lived a sinless life, and He died an atoning death on the cross, and for our righteousness God raised Him from the dead and carried Him in glory to Heaven for His coronation as our king, and for His installation as our great High Priest who ministers for us every day, and who will come again at the end of the age to bring the fullness of His kingdom, which has begun already but will not be completely manifested and consummated until His return. That's the object of the gospel, but it's only part of the gospel. The rest is the question of the subjective appropriation of the benefits of Christ that accrue to us. So the objective data is the data concerning the person and work of Jesus that is to be received, savingly, by faith, and by faith alone.

In other words, the object of the gospel is the words and work of Jesus, who, though He was sinless, took our sins upon Himself so that we, the subject of the gospel, could be saved from God's wrath and eternal punishment for sin. When presented with that message, we can either accept it by faith, or we can deny it. It is only by God's grace that we may be able to hear that same gospel message and be given that same choice to make another day.

We get a glimpse of this in our passage today from John chapter 18. Last week we read the first part of the chapter, where Jesus was confronted by Judas and arrested by the Roman guard under the control of the high priests and Pharisees. Today's narrative begins after they have led Jesus away to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest.

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said." And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!" One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed. (John 18:15-27)

Now there are many interpretations of this passage, such as "If we deny Jesus, it is like a slap in the face to Him." Friends, that is not the gospel.

I believe the gospel is found in this narrative. John is telling us about what happened to Peter. Some think that he is the "other disciple" who was known to the high priest and who granted access to Peter into the courtyard. Other commentaries say that the "other disciple" had to be either Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea, because how would a young fisherman be well known to the high priest? Regardless of the identity of the "other disciple", we see that Peter had disobeyed Jesus. When Jesus was arrested, He told the Roman guard to take Him only, and leave the others alone. 

Peter should have run to safety. Commentator NT Wright, in his book John for Everybody writes these words:

He (Peter) has come because he's loyal; but he had never understood more than half of what Jesus was saying, and it's the half he hasn't understood that is going to let him down now. He is cold and tired, drained of the sudden rush of energy in the garden. He must know that if the guards realize he'd not only been there, but had maimed one of the high priest's servants with that senseless swish of his sword, then Jesus might well have the company of His senior associate as he went to meet His fate--something Jesus was at pains to avoid. But all these thoughts come together and produce fear, panic, lies and disloyalty.

 Warren Wiersbe writes in The Bible Exposition Commentary, 

As you watch Peter, you see him gradually moving into the place and temptation and sin, and his actions parallel the description in Psalm 1:1. First, peter walked "in the counsel of the ungodly" when he followed Jesus and went into the high priest's courtyard. Peter should have followed the counsel of Jesus and gotten out of there in a hurry! Then, Peter stood with the enemy by the fire (v 16, 18), and before long, he sat with the enemy (Luke 22:55). It was now too late, and within a short time, he would deny his Lord three times.

In the middle of this story of Peter's unfaithfulness, John inserts a story emphasizing Jesus' faithfulness. Jesus is interrogated about His teaching and His known associates. He is treated much like a terrorist. if a suspected terrorist is arrested and interrogated today, the scene would be much the same. The arresting officers must have probable cause, so they already know about his teaching and his known associates, but the questions are asked nonetheless. In this case, Jesus gives the logical defense: I have not spoken anything in secret, but was very public in My speaking. You know what I said, because you were there. Jesus is not going to give up the whereabouts of His disciples, but He will challenge the interrogators about this line of questioning.

The point is, Jesus did not deserve to be struck.  Peter, who had already lied once and was about to lie again, not once but twice more, deserved the slap in the face, not Jesus. This, my friends and readers, is the gospel. Jesus took the punishment of our sin upon Himself, so that we could be spared. Just as this vignette is a foreshadowing of the crucifixion, where Jesus would take on the punishment for ths sin of the whole world upon Himself, it is also a vivid example of an atoning sacrifice.

You see, Peter was guilty. He had disobeyed Jesus. He had been disloyal to Jesus. He lied. All of these sins weighed heavy on Peter's heart, and in Luke 22:62 we see that Peter went out and wept bitterly. The guilt and shame overwhelmed him.

Yet Jesus forgave Peter. This is the gospel. Peter's story of redemption fulfilled comes later in John's narrative, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. I love what NT Wright had to say about this.

There is a part of the human brain which seems to be closed off for much of the time, but which can be reached at once through the sense of smell. You can be walkig down the street, thinking of something completely different, when a single sniff of someone's pipe tobacco, or a single breath from a particular tree in a garden, can take you back twenty years or more to a memory you didn't even know you had. You can recall the place, the people, what was said, and particularly what it felt like.

There is one feature of this sad story, the story of Peter telling people he didn't belong to Jesus when his heart was crying out that he really did, which comes into this category. Charcoal fires have a particular smell to them; I can't possibly describe it, but you'd know it if you smelt it again. And you'd remember what you were doing, and what was said, last time you came upon one. Well, not very long after this, there is another charcoal fire that comes into the story (John 21:9). It calls up Peter, and for Jesus, the memory of this sad night. And it does so (this is the way the gospel of Jesus works, after all), in order to heal the open wound that this sorry tale has left in Peter, and perhaps in Jesus as well.

If you don't recall the story of John 21, let me remind you here. After the death of Jesus, the disciples were trying to go back to normal (though, after the realization of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, you can never go back to the old normal). Peter and Andrew and James and John went back to their fishing boat. They fished all night, and caught nothing. 

Suddenly, a barely visible outline of a human figure appears on the shore. "Did you catch anything?" A typical question posed to fishermen. "Nope, not a thing." A typical fisherman response. 

Then the man on the shore says, "Try the other side of the boat."

The fisherman shrug. They may have argued with the man, had he been closer. "Look," they might have said. "We've done this all our lives. Our families have done this for a living for generations. We know what we're doing."

Nevertheless, they throw the nets on the right side of the boat, and lo and behold, a catch so big that the nets start to break. Peter shades his eyes and squints toward the shoreline. "It is the Lord," he exclaims.

While the others are struggling to haul in the catch, Peter dives into the water and swims to Jesus. Jesus has a fire built, with a fish already cooking over it. The smell of the charcoal fire may have affected Peter, because he is quite humble in his response to the next few questions.

"Peter, do you love Me?" Jesus uses the word Jesus used is agape, meaning a deep and sacrificial love.

"Lord," Peter responds, "You know I love you." The word Peter uses is phileo, which means a brotherly love. 

"Here's what I want you to do: Feed My sheep." Jesus restores relationship with Peter, forgives him his past sins, and gives Peter a purpose. Peter takes this new mission, this calling, to heart. He becomes an evangelist, a faithful servant, even unto death.

This, my friends, is the gospel.

Bowled Over!

 

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. --Psalm 23:4

If you or someone you know works in law enforcement, you may have heard many stories of dramatic arrests. A law enforcement officer must be prepared for any number of different scenarios when making an arrest.

Sometimes a suspect is caught in the act. The officer is there, witnesses the event, and makes the arrest. This scenario happens most often in traffic stops. Other times the police are called when a citizen detains a suspect. For example, a department store security officer witnesses a theft, and approaches the suspect, and the suspect cooperates.

Other times a detective may have spent some time building a case against a suspect. Once the threshold of probable cause is met, officers are dispatched to arrest the suspect wherever he or she may be staying. If lawyers are involved, a suspect may be given the opportunity to turn himself in. In more dramatic and dangerous situations, the law enforcement personnel may be met with armed resistance. In those cases, law enforcement must either have a greater show of force (as in a shoot-out), or they may bring in a negotiator, who will attempt to talk the suspect into surrendering.

In each case, you can't know beforehand how it will go down. Law enforcement must be prepared for anything and everything.

When Jesus was arrested, the traitor disciple called Judas brought with him some or all of the Temple Guard. "A Roman cohort was a tenth of a legion, and this would be six hundred men," says Warren Wiersbe in The Bible Exposition Commentary. "It is not likely that Judas brought that many to the Garden, but apparently a full cohort was made available to him had he needed it. Did he not realize that the Lamb of God would meekly submit and that there would be no need to battle?"

Let's read about it in John 18:1-14.

When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You have given Me I have lost none." 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 the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

It might be easy to skim over this passage. A simple arrest. The Jews had overwhelming force. The only resistance was Peter, who did some non-lethal damage to a servant, but afterward there was no evidence of bodily harm, so Peter was not detained. In essence, Jesus turned Himself in.

However, this passage goes much deeper than that.

Jesus led His disciples over a brook called Kidron. The portion of the brook that Jesus and the disciples crossed was downstream from the Temple. The water was dark, as the brook served as a drainage for the Temple sacrifices. Commentator David Guzik wrote, "This small stream was the drainage from the temple, and would be reddish from the blood of thousands of Passover lambs. This would have been a vivid reminder to Jesus of His soon sacrifice." Whenever we go through "dark waters" we can be reminded what Jesus Himself went through for us.

The garden itself was named in the other Gospel accounts. They called it Gethsemane, which literally means "an oil press." This area was known for its olive groves and it is where they produced olive oil. Olives are placed in a press and crushed, so that the oil runs down and is collected in containers. Isaiah 53:5 says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed" (ESV).

Jesus had apparently spent a lot of time in this very garden, for Judas knew that was where He would go after the Passover meal. When Judas arrived, he was followed by soldiers, but also by chief priests, Pharisees, captains and other officers--all "Type-A" personalities, to be sure.

Who was in charge?

The answer to this question is, simply, Jesus was in charge. 

He was the One who stepped up.  He was the One who spoke up first. He was the One who was giving orders, not only to His own disciples, but also to the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the soldiers. Jerome Neyrey, in The New Cambridge Bible Commentary, wrote:

With few exceptions, those who ask questions of others do so to challenge them. This happens regularly in the synoptic Gospels when Jesus' enemies put Him and His disciples on the spot with questions. Here, Jesus asks the questions; and by taking the lead in this confrontation, He exercises control over the situation: "Whom do you seek?" The soldiers might answer a question with a question, "Who are You?" but they follow the script, which emphasizes Jesus' authority: "Jesus of Nazareth!" His answer, "I AM," both identifies Himself and communicates power, another aspect of control. "Drawing back and falling to the ground" is not the typical gesture of armed soldiers before an unarmed man. But if shoved back, then they have met a superior force; if overwhelmed, they are not in control. The pattern repeats, as Jesus again asks and they answer. Still in control, Jesus commands the soldiers to let His disciples go. He not only asks questions but commands the soldiers who have come to seize Him. Thus He manifests complete control over the situation: He speaks the first and last words. He lays down His life; no one takes it from Him.

This reaction by the soldiers is not fully explained. It is notable that Jesus' confession of His identity mirrored the words that God spoke to Moses at the burning bush. "I AM." To make it more grammatically correct and therefore easier for us English speakers to read, most translators add the word "He."  

"I am He" is a human response, as in, "I am the Man you are looking for." However, "I AM" is a divine response, as in "I AM the very nature and essence of God Himself; when you see Me, you see the Father; I and the Father are One."

This admission would certainly leave the Pharisees and Priests dumbfounded, perhaps taking a step back to ponder. But the reaction of the soldiers is a miracle of divine power over human strength. Bible commentator Adam Clarke wrote, "Our Lord chose to give them this proof of His infinite power, that they might know that their power could not prevail against Him if He chose to exert His might, seeing that the very breath of His mouth confounded, drove back, and struck them down to the earth." 

The cohort of Roman soldiers, who were individually and collectively trained to kill, were bowled over by the word that Jesus spoke. This is the power of I AM.

Jesus commanded the soldiers, "Take Me, but leave these others alone." Maybe Malchus, the servant of the high priest, came and took hold of Jesus to arrest him. Maybe he was just the one closest to Peter when Peter decided to be a hero. He had already told Jesus, "I will die for You" (John 13:37). He grabs his sword, and in a clumsy attempt to cut the man's head open, instead lands a glancing blow, resulting in Malchus losing an ear.

This was not the way to diffuse the situation.

In fact, it could have ended up much worse for the disciples.

In 1775 at Lexington, Massachusetts, the British army was under orders not to fire unless they were fired upon. They confronted the colonial militia, and there was a stand-off. Out of nowhere, a single shot went off. No one knows who fired, or whether it was someone's rifle that misfired accidentally. Nevertheless, that single shot triggered the British volley that began the battles of Lexington and Concorde, the start of the Revolutionary War in America.

A single act of aggression against a superior force usually results in a forceful response. When Peter wielded his sword, he likely expected the Roman cohort to draw swords and spears in response. Whether he believed that an angelic army would come to their rescue is unclear. Peter only seemed intent on defending his Master, even at the cost of his own life.

As we saw before, however, Jesus was in charge of the situation. He commanded Peter to stand down and holster his weapon. He healed the severed ear of the servant, so that charges were not brought against any of the disciples, especially Peter. By His power, Jesus kept the Roman soldiers at bay. By His word, Jesus rebuked Peter, the unruly disciple.

Jesus drank from the cup His Father had given Him. He submitted to the Father's will and allowed Himself to be taken. Even though He had the power to knock them backwards, He submitted Himself to them and allowed Himself to be arrested and taken before the High Priest. Wiersbe writes:

Jesus deliberately gave Himself to His enemies. They bound Him and led Him to the house of Annas, which was not too far away. Annas had served as high priest until he was deposed by the Romans; now his son-in-law Caiaphas was the high priest. Got had ordained that one man should serve as high priest for a lifetime, so it is easy to see that the Jewish religious establishment was in sad condition. It is generally believed that the high priest's family was in charge of the temple "business," and the fact that Jesus twice cleansed the temple must have aroused their anger against Him.

The Jews were doing everything they could to silence Jesus, up to and including hiring false witnesses to ensure a death sentence. But make no mistake: Jesus was the one in charge. Not Annas. Not Caiaphas. Not the captains of the Roman cohort. Certainly not Peter.

Whenever we find ourselves in a situation that appears to be spiraling out of control, we must realize that God is in control. Not the circumstances. Not the people who accuse us or persecute us. Certainly not ourselves. It is God who is in control, and it will be God who will ultimately receive the glory. 1 Peter 4:14 says, "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified." Later in verse 19, Peter goes on to say, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."

Many times, we are "bowled over" by the goodness of God; other times, God may be glorified in our suffering. Either way, it is God who gets the glory. 

We beheld His glory--the glory as of the Father's only Son

 

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. --2 Corinthians 3:18

There is one thing that both angels and followers of Christ have in common. Luke 2:14 says that when Jesus was born, angels appeared and said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." Fast forward to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, near the end of Jesus' earthly ministry. Luke 19:27-40 tells us this:

The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But He answered and said unto them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

Do you see the connection? The overriding theme of Jesus' ministry can be summed up in these two ideas: Glory to God, and peace on earth. These two things are specifically what Jesus prayed for in the last section of John 17. He said:

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23)

Remember the context, that Jesus started praying in verses 1-5 specifically for Himself; He then broadened His prayer, asking God's protection and joy for the eleven disciples who were present there with Him. In our passage today, Jesus is praying for us, for you and me. We are the ones who believe because of the testimony of disciples who have gone before us.

NT Wright, in his commentary John For Everyone, writes, "Jesus is [here] talking about you. And me. 'Those who believe in Me through their word,' that is, through the word of His followers. His followers announced the message around the world. Those who heard them passed it on. And on, and on, and on. The church is never more than one generation away from extinction; all it would take is for a singel generation not to hand the word on. But it's never happened. People have always told other people. It's awesome, when you come to think about it."

What does Jesus pray for specifically for us? First, He prays for peace and unity, "that they may be one." Historically, there have been divisions among believers. In the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, John was told to write to seven different churches, each in their own city, and each with their own errors in interpreting Scripture. Today, there are an estimated 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide. Each may have differing interpretations of minor Scriptural passages, but most adhere to the same central doctrine of the Gospel: that Christ lived a sinless life; that he died a substitutionary death for us, taking our sin upon Himself and becoming our perfect sacrifice; and that He rose from the dead on the third day, to the glory of God.

Puritan preacher Thomas brooks wrote, "Discord and divisions become no Christian. For wolves to worry the lambs is no wonder, but for one lamb to worry another, this is unnatural and monstrous." Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Beloved, those in whom Christ lives are not uniform, but one. Uniformity may be found in death, but this unity is life. Those who are quite uniform may yet have no love to each other, while those who differ widely may still be truly and intensely one. Our children are not uniform, but they make one family.”

There are two sub-headings in this petition for unity. The first is that it might be for God's glory. "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one (verse 22)." Bible commentator David Guzik writes, "Where there is a sense of God’s glory, unity is so much easier. Lesser things that often divide us are set far in the background when there is a sense of God’s glory at work."

The second sub-heading in Christ's High Priestly prayer for unity among Christians is love. "I in them and You in Me; that they may made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me" (verse 23). Warren Wiersbe writes in his The Bible Exposition Commentary, "It has well been said that truth without love is brutality, but love without truth is hypocrisy." David Guzik takes this even further:

• Take love from joy and you have only hedonism.
• Take love from holiness and you have self-righteousness.
• Take love from truth and you have bitter orthodoxy.
• Take love from mission and you have conquest.
• Take love from unity and you have tyranny.

 This leads us to the second part of Jesus' prayer for us.

Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:24-26)

Dr. Wiersbe said that he has often used verse 24 as a text for funeral sermons. "How do we know that Christians go to heaven? Because of the price that Jesus paid (1 Thes. 5:9-10), and the promise that Jesus made (John 14:1-6), and the prayer that Jesus prayed (John 17:24). The Father always answers His Son's prayers, so we know that believers who die do go to heaven to behold the glory of God.

This glory--God's own glory--is what Jesus said would occupy the attention of His people in Heaven. "There must be something so deep, so enthralling, so vast to the glory of Jesus that it can occupy the attention of God’s people in eternity" (Guzik). The latter part of verse 24 gives us a glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son. "For You have loved Me before the foundation of the world." Jesus said this in connection with the glory that God the Father gave to God the Son. This glory was given in the context of a love relationship, and a love relationship extending into eternity past.

Jesus sums up His High Priestly prayer in verses 25 and 26. Assuming that He knew already the pain and agony which He would suffer on the cross, and assuming also that he already knew that the disciples would temporarily fall away, this makes the triumphant tone all the more striking. "I have declared Your name,'' He says, "and I will declare it." As for the disciples, which includes you and me, "The love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

God's love is greater than our mistakes. It is greater than our puny, feeble, faltering faith; His great love is greater even than our sin. This is a glimpse of God's glory in us, and our basis for joy in unity with fellow believers.