False Advertising

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  --2 Timothy 3:14-15

Last week I mentioned a desk calendar I have that has some fun facts and weird wackiness, each day a different entry.  One day I learned that the Parker Pen Company, trying to write an advertisement in the Spanish market, said that their pens "are guaranteed not to leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."  What they intended to say was that you would not be embarrassed by having an ink-stained dress shirt in which your fountain pen decided to release its black contents.

Cognates are words that are similarly spelled or pronounced in both languages that both mean the same thing.  The advertising agency for Parker mistakenly thought that the Spanish word embarazada was a cognate for the English word "embarrassed."  It is not.  It actually means "pregnant" in Spanish.

That calendar entry reminded me of a time when General Motors Corporation was trying to sell the Chevrolet Nova car in the Mexican market.  They could not figure out why sales were so low until one of the line workers advised the marketing team that in Spanish, no va means "it doesn't go."  They had to rename that car model for the Spanish market.

Both of these are examples of people trying to communicate an idea when they don't know enough about either the product they are selling, or the language and culture of the buyers.  We all know enough about advertising to not believe everything the advertiser says.  Advertisers may distort the truth a little bit, by leaving out key facts or by making false claims about their product.  Consumers learn this by experience, and that knowledge is spread by word of mouth.

I think those of us who are trying to live out the Great Commission need to keep this in mind.  Jesus told us to "go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15).  What He does not want us to do is market a product we do not fully understand or appreciate.  When a hurting world hears a very famous televangelist say, "God wants you to live your best life now," they tend to shut off all others who are trying to share the good news of Jesus with them.  The advertisement they heard was a distortion of the gospel.

Paul gave Timothy this charge:

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.  As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.  --2 Timothy 4:2-4

People truly want to hear something good, something true, something that will lift them out of the muck and mire they are in.  What a shame it is that they hear a prosperity gospel that promises abundance always.  Those who reject that message may also reject the true message of Christ, by associating it with the false gospel.  Those who buy into that doctrine miss the message of Paul.

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra--which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.  Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  --2 Timothy 3:10-13 

In truth, life is full of of hardships and persecutions.  The good news is that Jesus walks through the hard times with us.  He will see us through to the other side.  That message, unfortunately, is drowned out by the false gospel.  People respond to it like they respond to false advertising claims.  They don't buy it because they have been hurt too often.

When Scorpions Attack

And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.  Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.  --Ezekiel 2:6

I have a desk calendar that shows random facts day by day.  Some of them are fun-facts, some are dull.  Every once in awhile, I see one that gets my mind to wandering.  This week there was one such entry.  "When a scorpion attacks, it leaves behind its stinger, tail, and anus.  As a consequence, they will eventually fill up with (their own excrement), explode, and die (usually within about 8 months)."

I have been told (although I have no first-hand experience) that a scorpion sting is quite painful.  Sometimes it can be lethal.  As a result, I have been programmed to avoid scorpions at all costs.  I will rarely (if ever) go to their natural habitat, but if I do, I will be diligent and keep a sharp eye out for them.

I do remember once when I was quite young, we lived in a rural area of Texas, and somehow scorpions were able to get in the house.  I was brushing my teeth one morning, and in the wall fixture that held my toothbrush there was a cup-holder.  It was not a covered cup dispenser, but a round hole large enough to place a plastic cup.  Of course it was right-side up, with no cover.  So anyway, as I was brushing my teeth, I absent-mindedly reached for the plastic cup and filled it with water from the tap, so that I could rinse out my mouth.  When I poured out the unused portion of the water, a small scorpion sloshed out of the cup and into the sink.  Startled, I crushed its head with the cup, then took a tissue and, careful not to touch the stinger, picked it up gingerly and flushed it down the toilet.

In any case, scorpions are dangerous, and in some cases can be found where they are not expected and are unwelcome.

People can be like scorpions.  They can sting you with their words, and their remarks can be quite painful.  There used to be an adage quoted by young students, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."  A useful phrase if you are trying to build your child's self esteem, but quite untrue.  Words can hurt, and with the rise of bullying and juvenile suicides, sometimes the words can be lethal.

I thought of the Apostle Paul when I read the calendar entry.  You may remember that Paul had what he called "a thorn in the flesh", for which he prayed God's deliverance on at least three occasions.  Paul wrote that God did not remove the thorn, but reminded him that "my grace is sufficient for you."  Much discussion has gone on about what exactly Paul's thorn was.  Many think that it was a physical ailment, such as poor eyesight.  However, some theologians say that "thorn in the flesh" was a euphemism for people who would follow him around and hurl insults at him.  Their verbal jabs must have been piercing, or at the very least distracting to his message.  If I had a call from God to travel as a missionary from town to town, establishing churches in each new city where Christ had never been preached before, then I would expect God to "make straight my path", so to speak.  It would be hurtful to have Pharisees and Judaizers come behind me and undercut the message that God had given me.

If it could happen to Paul, one of the most brilliant theologians of all time and author to over one-third of the New Testament, how much more could it happen to you or me?

As I was researching this topic, I found a definition attributed to Strong's as found in blueletterbible.com that the Greek word skorpios, from which we get the English word "scorpion", may have come from a root word skerpo, an obsolete word that is also the basis of the word skopos, meaning an observer or skeptic.  It means to spy, or to peer intently (perhaps piercingly).

So, when you find yourself proclaiming truth, especially God' truth, there will be those who try to poke holes in your message.  They will observe you, find what they think is a weakness, and pierce your message with stinging words.  Their criticisms may be paralyzing, but please do not let them be deadly to your testimony.  We must keep on proclaiming the gospel until Christ returns, although we may have to use His Word and the testimony of others as balm to heal our pain (see Revelation 12:11).

Bear in mind also that, like the scorpion, those who leave their stinger in you are also on a path of destruction unto themselves.  Their death will not be instantaneous, but over time their foul excrement will accumulate within them, so that they themselves cannot survive.  Their message is, in fact, lethal; not to us, necessarily, but to themselves surely.

In the 9th chapter of the book of Revelation, John foresaw a time when Satan (the star fallen from heaven) would be given the key to the bottomless pit.  When opened, flying insects like scorpions would be released.  Those creatures will have the mission to attack those without the Seal of God on their forehead.  "They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails." (verse 10).  The torment will be such that those who do not know Christ "will seek death and will not find it.  They will long to die, but death will flee from them." (verse 6).

We must continue to tell the truth of the gospel of God, because it will bring hope to the hopeless.  We must ignore those who would try to stop our message, for their god is the devil, the father of lies.  Their message may be appealing, but it is excrement, and its accumulation will kill them.

Hymns and Spiritual Songs

...But be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart...  --Ephesians 5:18b, 19

This morning my wife and I were in the car discussing the fact that we missed using hymnals in worship.  While placing song texts on screens has the advantage of having all eyes toward the front of the sanctuary during worship, the drawbacks are more numerous. 

First, there is no encouragement for harmonies.  Reading the parts in the hymnbook growing up contributed to my appreciation of music.  Even though my natural vocal range is that of a tenor, reading the bass line and occasionally even the alto line helped me to appreciate the other voices as well as gave me practice in skills such as language skills and problem solving.  (Making sense out of musical intervals is much like breaking a code; it uses the same part of the brain as learning a different language.)

Second, and perhaps more importantly, the use of screens at the front of the worship center has encouraged the singing of choruses, placing more importance on repetition of religious sounding  phrases than sound theology.  This "dumbing down" of worship has come at a cost.  I believe that people flock to churches where they are entertained more than taught the Word.  I know, because I fell victim to this scam for many years.

There is a great deal of theology taught in the traditional hymns.  Consider this song, which used to be the first one in every Baptist hymnal.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
who wert and art and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Yes, it has archaic language, but so does classic literature.  Do we stop studying Chaucer and Shakespeare because people no longer speak that way?  Setting that aside for a moment, this hymn is a way to commit scripture to memory.  There are direct references to 1 Samuel 2:2, Psalm 5:3, and Lamentations 2:3; there are also allusions to Revelation 4:6-11, Revelation 5:13, Revelation 15:2-4, and Isaiah 6:1-3.

As we were driving this morning, my wife looked up Keith Green on YouTube.  He was a recording artist and worship leader in the 1970's.   He recorded a version of this great hymn, and when we listened to it together, we remembered his great voice.  The next song we listened to was a hymn written by Keith Green himself:

There is a redeemer
Jesus, God's own Son
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah
Holy One

Jesus my redeemer
Name above all names
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah
Oh, for sinners slain

Thank you, oh my father
For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit
'Til the work on Earth is done

When I stand in Glory
I will see His face
And there I'll serve my King forever
In that Holy Place

Thank you, oh my father
For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit
'Til the work on Earth is done

I call this a hymn because of its theological underpinnings and scriptural basis.  Others may call it a chorus or worship song, and it certainly did make us worship in the car this morning.  We went on to listen to and sing another Keith Green hit, O Lord, You're Beautiful

Oh Lord, you're beautiful,Your face is all I see,For when your eyes are on this child,Your grace abounds to me

Oh Lord, you're beautiful,Your face is all I see,For when your eyes are on this childYour grace abounds to me

I want to take your word and shine it all aroundBut first help me to just, live it LordAnd when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crownFor my reward is giving glory to you

Oh Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear

Like the old preacher used to say, if that don't light your fire than your wood's all wet.  We had a great worship service right there in our car, all because of Keith Green's short ministry.  Sadly, his life was cut short in 1982 when he tragically died in a plane crash.

I heard a radio preacher once say that in the afterlife, the various levels of reward in heaven or levels of punishment in hell depend on the extent of influence during your lifetime.  For example, he said, Adolph Hitler is undergoing more punishment than some others in hell because the hatred and violence of his Nazi party has extended far beyond his death.  Contrast that with the ongoing influence of men of God like Keith Green, whose psalms and hymns and spiritual songs still lives on decades after his death.

I hope that God is able to use my writing for His glory for many years after I have stopped breathing.  Meanwhile, every breath I take I want to use for Him.  Even now, Lord Jesus, come quickly; but until that day comes, may You be glorified in me.

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leave remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.  --Jeremiah 17:7-8

God is faithful!  He is rich in grace and abundant in mercy.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.  One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.  On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.  They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.  They shall pour forth the fame of Your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.  The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.  --Psalm 145:3-9

A lot has happened since I last wrote in this venue.  I want to testify about the grace and mercy of the Lord.  I do not want to magnify myself, because as you will see I had very little to do with it.  Instead, I want to brag on God a bit by telling you what He has done for me.

My wife is an elementary school teacher.  Last year she had a difficult year--she had landed a job with a charter school, and really liked her administration.  However, the students were difficult--disrespectful, disruptive, and destructive.  She would take the hour-long commute to work, trying to psyche herself up, and then use the hour-long commute home to unwind.  It was taking a toll on her physically, mentally, and emotionally.

To top it all off, at the end of the year, she was told she would be transferring to another campus:  same charter school, same administration, but another half hour from our home.  Not wanting her to spend three hours a day in traffic, we began praying about our situation.  We knew that God was in charge, but we could see two solutions.  Either we were to move closer to her job site, or she would need to change schools.

There were problems with both of the potential solutions.  On the one hand, she really loved the people she worked with.  If you ask a teacher whether they would prefer good students or good admin, most of them would tell you that they would rather have good admin.  So changing jobs was a possibility, but not without some risk: what if the new school had the same type of students, but with an administration that did not support her?  On the other hand, our rent was ridiculously cheap, so moving would be expensive.  Eventually we wanted to purchase a home, but our credit rating was not the best, and we had very little for a down payment.

What to do?

We prayed for God's guidance, and a home became available.  My niece and nephew decided to move, and put their house on the market.  This house was in a great neighborhood, less than 20 minutes from my wife's new school.  I spoke with the owners, and they were willing to sell me the house below market value.

Still, I had to find a lender, and that was no small task.  I applied with an online lender you have probably heard of, and was turned down.  Discouraged, I searched for a local lender through some connections we had made.  A friend of a friend suggested a local lender who had experience with borrowers like me with less than perfect credit. 

I sent in an application, and waited.  We begged God to intervene, but the process dragged on and on.  We waited and waited, and the seller started calling to ask when it would be done.  Honestly, I lost faith.  I took the delay as a sign that we were going to be denied again, and started praying that God would give my wife a job closer to us.

Finally, the call came: we were approved!  But the closing date was just two weeks before school started.  In fact, both my wife and my nephew (who had found a job teaching Art in a high school near his new home) had started in-service training. Both of them had to take a day off to be at the closing.  Not impossible, but not ideal by man's standards.  Also, the finance company seemed to be having trouble telling me what the closing costs would be.  If you have purchased a home before, you know that the lender will typically gather information about your income and savings, and then they will warn you not to spend any of the money you have saved, or open any new credit accounts.  Well, on the day before closing, I was told that the closing costs would be five to six times what we were expecting.  I called to ask what that was about, thinking that perhaps the deal would fall through at the last minute.  An adjustment was made to the paperwork, and when I arrived at the closing they informed me that there would be zero due at closing.  Never in my life have I heard of a real estate transaction with zero closing costs.  Praise God!

Next, there was the issue of moving before school started.  With my wife doing required in-service at her new school, I took off work and hired a local "Two Guys And A Truck" outfit to pack up all our belongings.  What had seemed so cramped in our little rent house seemed so spread out in our new home.  My wife found a great deal on a quality dining room set, and now she is able to take her grandmother's china out of storage and place it within reach for special occasions (something she never thought would happen).

We absolutely love our new home.  God was so merciful to allow the loan to be approved, and grace was added in that we were able to use the money intended for a down payment for moving expenses and some additional furnishings.  To Him be all the glory.

Again, my purpose here is not to brag, or to draw any attention to ourselves.  What I want to share here is how God blessed us abundantly over and above what we could even ask or think. 

If God is this gracious in this temporal world, think about how grand Heaven must be.  The passage from Psalm 145 that I quoted above was written before God sent His Son to die for our sins, be buried for our transgressions, and then be raised again on the third day.  That's why Paul could write in Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, make us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Should we encourage people to trust Christ for material gain?  Of course not.  But we can trust the Father to meet all of our needs.  While Satan can seemingly supply all of man's sinful desires, they are left empty and hopeless in the end.  Not so the Christian.  We may suffer, but Christ is our resurrection, our hope of eternal life.  We may be blessed, knowing that God is able to give abundantly more than we can ask or think.  That is certainly our case in this season.  I am encouraged by God's grace to do good works for Him, to be a blessing to others in Jesus' Name.  I don't aspire to good works in order to be blessed, or to gain favor with God.  I am encouraged to do good works because of all that He has done for me, and will continue to do for me, undeservedly, throughout eternity.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Consider the cows in the field

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  --Matthew 6:25

Last week I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a quiz.  The question that everyone was invited to answer was a multiple choice test: How may stomachs does a cow have?  The choices were one, two, four, or eight.  I dug deep into the recesses of my brain, dug through the compendium of useless knowledge I have accumulated, and said aloud the correct answer.  It is, of course, four.

I spent about four seconds wondering how I knew that tidbit of information.  I am a city boy, born and bred.  My grandmother's second husband was a farmer, and I spent one summer living with them when I was young.  They had a horse, but no cows.  I do know my great uncle owned a ranch with several head of cattle, but I never visited him and my great aunt for more than two hours at a time very infrequently.  After they passed away, my grandmother was the executor of their estate; I was in need of a place to live temporarily, so I did spend a summer in the ranch house until I found an apartment in the city.  All that to say my bovine experience is limited, at best.

The next thought I had was a bit more esoteric.  Do cows know they have four stomachs?  How self aware are they, really?  Perhaps no one knows for sure, but my mind went in to anthropomorphic mode, and I answered my own question in my imagination, as if I actually knew what a cow might be thinking.  My reasoned answer was no, they may not know they have four stomachs, but they do know when they are hungry. All animals experience hunger, and this is something that I do actually have experience with.  Logically, the circle was closed, at least in my mind.

This begs the question:  do cows worry about where their next meal is coming from?  My experience and education are more with commercial dairies or pastures of beef cattle, not necessarily the sacred cows that might roam the streets of Calcutta or Mumbai.  As such, I know that the dairy farmers and cattle ranchers have a vested interest in keeping their cattle fed.  It is in their financial interest to make sure that each cow is well fed. 

Do the cows know this?  Probably not.  But they do know by experience that they are allowed in the verdant fields in the Spring and Summer months to munch on the green grass to their hearts' content, and in the Fall and Winter, when pastures are not as green, their diets turn to hay and other grains, which the farmer or rancher brings in by truck.

I have seen ranchers carry hay bales in their pickup trucks out to the feed pens in their pastures.  The cows may hear the truck engine, or the rancher may honk his horn or call out with his voice to let the cattle know to congregate.  Now, cows do not run fast.  Some may amble up to the pen slowly, and may never actually see the rancher.  They may see the tailgate of the truck as he drives away before they turn their attention to the hay that has been provided for them by the rancher's hand.

Here's the point.  Scripture rightly says, "No one has ever seen God."  But we do see God's provision. Romans 1:19-20 says, "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse."  The evidence of God is so obvious in His creation that at the Day of Judgement, even those who have never heard of God will be judged based on the evidence He has shown them of Himself.

The Bible also says, "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but He thwarts the craving of the wicked." (Proverbs 10:3).  Do you think that cows ever get together and discuss theories of where the hay comes from, theories that discount the existence of the rancher?  "I believe the vehicle marked FORD F-150 is a UFO, and it brings the hay from outer space," quips one nerdy cow.  "Ridiculous!" shouts one wise, old cow.  "The hay obviously evolved from inert matter.  Billions of seasons ago there was a big bang, and all of this energy infused into non-hay cells to give them the potential of becoming food for us.  It's scientific!"  Some inquisitive calf may ask, "Yes, but how does it get to our feed pen?"  The scientist cow may nod knowingly, "The evidence suggests that hay grows in the back of the pickup truck; it must get nutrients for it's growth from the metal in the truck bed.  After all, the pickup is an autonomous unit that travels an orbital circuit around the barn."

Ludicrous, right?  It is much easier to believe in God than to have faith in scientific theories that evolve with every generation of scientist.  Our God is unchanging.  Those of us who have faith know that God gives sustenance to the Earth and to all of us specifically.  Psalm 37:25 says, "I  have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken."  Like the cows in our example, we know that He will provide, not from any hope of financial gain or economic advantage, but because of His unfailing love.

Let's go one step further. Does the cow know that her milk is consumed by humans all over the world, and in various forms?  Does she know that it can be changed into butter, cream, yogurt, and cheeses of various kinds?  Let's go out on a limb here and say no.  They only know that they are milked every morning.  This may not be a very comfortable experience for them, I don't know.

I do know that sometimes we as humans wonder what our purpose is.  We look at our boring lives--we wake up, we go to work, we go home, we go to bed, rinse and repeat.  What could be the purpose of that in the grand scheme of things?

We must remember that the same God who provides the home and the food and the clothing and even the job that we use to pay for all of this---this same God can use us to bless others in ways we cannot even imagine. He purposely puts people in our path to bless us, or to receive a blessing from us.  Our job is to remain faithful.

The Bible speaks more of shepherds and sheep than of ranchers and cows.  Psalm 23 is a prime example.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Even 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.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

We don't have to second-guess God's motives.  We only need to experience His goodness, and by His grace acknowledge that He is the source of all good things.  We are more self-aware than cows; we know we have one stomach.  As God progressively reveals Himself to us, we know He feeds us.  We hear His voice, and we are drawn to Him.  As a result, we are blessed.  In turn, we bless the herd as well.

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?