Rebellion

 “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?’”              Mark 14:48 (NLT)

At times all Scripture needs to be wrestled with. The passage for this week needed a lot of wrestling. Let me outline the lead up to Jesus’ arrest. He had entered Jerusalem like a rock star. Then HE cleared the temple courts. He had a final meal with His crew (cause HE knew the time was coming). At dinner He identified Judas as His betrayer and told him to get on with it. He asked His best friends to watch and pray as he begged His Father to take the cup from Him, only to find them sleeping. He told Peter, who swore he would go to his death with Jesus, that he would that night deny even knowing Him. Then Judas shows up and kisses “his friend” Jesus to signal this is the one that should be arrested. Jesus makes the soldier fall down when He responds “I AM He” in response to who they were looking for. Just like that Jesus went from rock star to criminal and He had only ever done things that were good. Even as He’s being arrested, Jesus called for calm and healed a man after Peter cut his ear off. And Jesus asked this week’s question.

Basically, I feel like Jesus was saying, isn't this a bit much? Have you ever seen Me with a deadly weapon? Did you really expect me to put up a fight? But is there more going on here? Jesus was definitely not leading a political rebellion, but does that mean there wasn’t a kind of rebellion happening? Jesus’ mother often is portrayed and this really serene woman – yet Her song (see Luke 1:46-55) used the language of revolution, so much so that a number of countries would later ban it for fear it would lead to rebellion. So was rebellion part of His human DNA?

Jesus peacefully pushed back against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His time. I don’t know that he cared too much about the Roman occupation of Israel, but He did care about those who were meant to be bringing people to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and failing to do so. He also cared about the plan to restore creation to a right relationship with the Creator.

Jesus was innocent, in our modern view his arrest and death would be considered unjust. As He hung on that Roman cross, His Father placed the full weight of a sin broken world on Him and turned away for just a moment. In that moment the veil that separated humanity from God was torn apart, opening a path for us straight to the heart of God. A rebellion was waged against the power of sin and darkness and a few days’ later death was defeated and the darkness was pushed back. The transformation of the human heart and the world had begun. Every time someone decides to follow Jesus and to care for those around them, the darkness gets shoved a little further back and His light fills the void. In the face of a world filled with injustice – choose Jesus and follow after Him with your whole heart.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – join the rebellion of heart transforming surrender to the Lord of Lords.

Answer My Question

“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?’”
Mark 11:30 (NLT)

It’s the day after Jesus had cleared the Temple of sacrifice retailers and money changers. It’s also after He cursed a fig tree for not having fruit, even though it wasn’t the right time of year for there to be figs. Jesus was walking through the temple area when… the priests, teachers of the law and the Jewish elders arrived demanding to know by what or whose authority had Jesus done what He did the day before.

Now I suspect that since Jesus knew the hour was near when he would be the sacrifice that would clear the way for all people to seek and find God, to be restored to a right relationship with Him – that He was pretty much done with the Jewish leaders. In response to their demands for who said you could chase everyone out of the temple like that – Jesus sticks it to them again. Jesus tells them if you answer one question for me, then I will tell you Who gave me the authority to clean house. Jesus asks this week’s question about where did John’s authority to baptize come from God or man?

Those demanding answers from Jesus step away to discuss their answer. Clearly they know the right answer, that John’s authority had come from God. But they knew if they said that, it would make them look even worse than they already did for not heeding the words of a prophet. The other option wasn't really an option because these guys were afraid of the people who did believe John. So what do they do – they tell Jesus, we don’t know who gave John that authority. Jesus doesn’t answer their demands because He knows they know where John’s authority came from and they chose not to believe him. So why would they believe Jesus.

When it comes right down to it we have the same choice those Jewish religious leaders had. Do we believe that Jesus was carrying the full authority of His Father in all that He did including going to the cross and rising from the dead or not? Will we surrender to His Lordship or not? When we pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” do we mean it? How we answer these questions determines whether we will live abundantly free forever or hopelessly bound to a fallen world.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – choose this day and every day who you will follow.

Whose Image?

“Why are you trying to trap me… Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’”
Mark 12:15b-16 (NIV)

In Mark’s Gospel, the scene where Jesus asks this week’s questions takes place after Jesus’ Parable of the Tenants or as some translations say the Parable of the Evil Farmers. By the end of that parable the religious leaders who had heard the story recognized their own images looked like the evil farmers. In Mark 12:12 it says: “Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them…” Imagine being convicted of your sinfulness and rather than repent and follow Jesus, you decide it would just be better to get rid of Him. So, it became all about trapping Jesus, so they could get Him out of the way.

That brings us to this particular attempt to trap Him. Some Pharisees and Herodians turn up to try and catch him saying something against the current Roman government. The Pharisee were Jewish teachers who didn’t like how Jesus was always giving them a hard time and the Herodians where Jewish political leaders who supported the Roman government. Generally speaking, the Pharisees (they bore the image of the law and all the extra rules they imposed on the people) and the Herodians (they bore the image of the Greco-Roman empire) didn’t get along but they formed an alliance around getting rid of Jesus. I like how they try to smooth talk him with compliments – oh Jesus we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the truth and on and on. So, tell us “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we” (Mark 12:14-15a)?

Jesus, let’s them know up front that He knows what they are up to – “Why are you trying to trap me?” If I were those guys I probably would have just left in order to avoid further humiliation. Jesus asks them to bring Him a denarius – that was a coin used to pay taxes. They give him a coin and Jesus brilliantly answers their questions with a couple of questions of His own and a charge of what to do. Jesus, after looking at the coin asks: “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” In other words, whose picture and name are on this coin? The only right answer is Caesar’s, so Jesus tells them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). Cue, the blank stares and mouths hanging open. The coin belonged to Caesar because it bore his image.

As humans, we bear the image of the creator of everything. Jesus made a way for that image to be properly restored as we accept His gift and follow him by faith, doing the things He taught. Do you look like Jesus, or do you look like some aspect of the world?

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – think about what image or images you are trying bear.

Jesus Holds It All Together

“Haven’t you read this scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’”
Mark 12:10-11 (NIV)

Buildings are celebrated when the foundation is laid and when the last nail is driven in. This week’s question is a great reminder of a couple of things – first, the church is not ours it is Jesus’ and second the church is not an actual building, it is a unified group of people under HIS Lordship.

Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 as He concludes His parable of the evil farmers (see Mark 12:1-9) as he sends some shade toward the religious leaders (see Mark 12:12). The religious leaders understood what he was saying and it added to their grievances against him. But for us, it is an encouraging word. We stand on Christ the solid rock and be secure in our faith.

The Hebrew word that is translated as cornerstone in Psalm 118:22 can also be translated as capstone, making Jesus the first stone of the foundation and essentially the last nail. Jesus holds us and His church together. In the Book of Revelation – the capstone of Scripture so to speak, the Lord says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13). The writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages the people to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus because he initiates and perfects our faith (Hebrews 12:2 NLT). Colossians 1:15-20 outlines Christ’s supremacy, and reminds us that He hold all of creation together and that He is the head of the church

So what does that mean for us? I think that first and foremost it means we can trust HIM above all else because He is our foundation and He holds us together so we are stable and strong. It means we don’t have to be afraid, we need to stay focused on what’s really Real. Jesus doesn’t promise us a life without trials and tribulation, in fact it makes it clear that we will face tough times. He does, however, promise a stable and secure place for us to stand during those times. He expects that his church (the people, not a building) will stand in unity against the powers that seek to destroy it, to destroy us. I will leave you with the chorus of Cody Carnes’ song Firm Foundation: Christ is my firm foundation, the rock on which I stand. When everything around me is shaking, I’ve never been more glad that I put my faith in Jesus cause He’s never let me down. He’s faithful through generations, so why would He fail now? He won’t.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this  – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ, knowing that you are secure because He holds everything together.

It's Not a Mall, It's a Place of New Life

“Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?’”
Mark 11:17a (NIV)

Everything has a lifecycle including the gathering of God’s people. Given what I do as a pastor, I see the death of such gatherings. A few years ago, I represented the organization I serve at the retirement of a pastor. The building in which God’s people had gathered was 100 years old. On the day of the celebration that small building in a very rural part of the Oklahoma Panhandle was filled to overflowing with people, even people from other countries that had been touched by the people of this place. The legacy left behind was not of a building but of lives changed by the power of Jesus. On the other hand, I have also seen deaths where the legacy was the building and not transformed lives. I suspect that it pains God’s heart when his leaders and people make it about money, political influence, and a building instead of the renewing of broken lives.

So it would seem, with this week’s question. It seems like Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem may have left Him feeling a bit frustrated and grumpy. Jesus had entered the city like a rock star with people cheering and praising God. Once in the city He goes to the Temple, has a look around and leaves. He and the guys go back to Bethany for the night (see Mark 11:1-11). The next morning on their way back to the city, Jesus curses a fig tree for not having fruit when it wasn’t time for there to be fruit – surely Jesus knew there wouldn’t be any, right? Anyway not a great start to the day for sure. When He arrives back at the temple Jesus get right down to it driving out the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifices, overturning tables and benches and making it clear that the temple court was not a shopping center or currency exchange center. Then he asked the question “Is it not written…” Jesus was referring to something found in Isaiah where it is written: “I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations. For the Sovereign LORD, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too besides my people Israel (Isaiah 56:7-8).

Different commentators say different things about this “cleansing “of the temple. But there seems to be some agreement that the money changers and sellers were taking advantage of those who had come to make sacrifices and worship at the temple. There also seems to be agreement that the money gained wasn’t being used to feed the poor or encourage life change, rather it was being used to support political rebels – the kind that wanted to overthrow the Romans. In either case – they were not supporting the mission of God and His temple.

So what about us – what does this incident at the temple before Jesus’ death and resurrection teach us. I think it cautions us about making the gatherings of God’s people too commercial. Now hear me – I don’t think it is wrong for a church to operate a bookstore or café if the proceeds go to expanding the kingdom through life change and more gatherings of God’s people. But if it is done to fill a bank account or allow a leader to have a luxury lifestyle – we’ve lost the plot. As for us individuals who make up the body of Christ we need to watch out that we don’t make the gathering of God’s people about our preferences, our preferred traditions, or who we allow into the fellowship. Let us make sure that our gatherings are places of prayer for all the nations. That will do a few things; extend the life of our gatherings, result in life transformation and expand the Kingdom in the here and now, as we wait for its fullness to arrive.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – contribute to the life of the gathering you attend, by praying, inviting and welcoming others to know Jesus.

Sometimes I Wish...

“Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
Mark 10:38 (NIV)

Sometimes I wish I was there in those moments when Jesus was interacting with His crew, so I could see the expression on His face. This week’s question happens in the midst of one of those scenes. I am convinced of two things about Jesus, first, He must have had a great sense of humor and second, He had divinely powered patience with these guys.

Let me set the scene. We had just watched the rich young man situation play out at the end of which Jesus assures the guys that their sacrifices would give them the greatest rewards, especially eternal life. Now they are back on the road, and Jesus had just made it clear where they were going and what would happen when they got there. That’s when Zebedee’s sons James and John decide they want to walk next to Jesus so they can ask a favor of him. James and John start by saying, “We want you to do for us whatever we ask” (Mark 10:35). I can almost see an expression on Jesus’ face that says “well this ought to be good” as He responds with something akin to what do you want? James and John say, “we want to sit at your left and right when you are on the throne” (My paraphrase of Mark 10:36-37). I imagine Jesus now has a look on His face that says, “are you kidding me!” Jesus responds to their request, first with you have no idea what you have just asked for and asks this week’s question – “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with” (Mark 10:30). Remember just a short while before Jesus had described what was going to happen when they got to Jerusalem. James and John are like yes of course we can! Then Jesus’ gives one of the best responses ever. He tells James and John, “yep you are going to drink the same cup and experience the same baptism BUT, who gets to sit next to me isn’t up to me, those places have been prepared by some else for someone else” (Mark 10:38-40). By this time, the other ten had got wind of the conversation that was happening and it would seem they were giving James and John a bit of a what for. Jesus gathers them around and gives them all a little lesson on what greatness in the kingdom looks like – humble, service not power and authority.

James would the first of the twelve to lose his life for the cause of Christ when he loses his head (Acts 12:2). John on the other hand would miraculously survive being boiled in oil, live to an old age and die of natural causes. They drank the cup each in their own way.

Jesus always surrenders to the plan and will of His Father. He was about serving the people, especially those who were not welcome in the “religious” circles of His day. He teaches us that true greatness and power don’t come from wealth and unchecked authority, rather it comes from humble obedience and service. The Holy Spirit is present to help us live against the current of worldly greatness for something better.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – humble obedience and service will allow you to be more influential than money and authority will.

Only God is Good

“Why do you call me good?”
Mark 10:18 (NIV)

This week’s question is part of the “Rich Young Man” encounter. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I read biblical passages that I have read before I still end up with questions. That was the case as I read about this encounter between Jesus and the rich man. Questions like: Has this guy asked more than one “good teacher” this question? Or did he think he knew something about Jesus that set Jesus apart from the other teachers? What did this guy expect the answer to be? Why was his wealth more valuable than God? Let’s take a closer look at this encounter.

Jesus was just heading out to his next stop when this guy runs up to Him, falls on his knees before him and says: “Good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Some commentaries indicate that the “good teacher” greeting was a common way for someone considered a teacher to be greeted. But did people fall on their knees before the other teachers? Jesus as is often his practice answers with a question and statement: “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God”. Did this guy know something, had he heard what people were saying about Jesus? Also, in his usual style Jesus doesn’t let this guy answer him, instead he keeps talking asking the man about some of the foundational laws in the Ten Commandments. The guy basically responds to Jesus by saying “Teacher, I have followed all the rules since I’ve been old enough to understand them. Jesus looks at him (I imagine with a slight smile, the kind of smile that says I see you, I care and I am about to speak truth to you). Jesus tells him you lack one thing – go sell everything you have and give the money to the poor – you have treasure in heaven, then come follow me. The “Good” teacher had just invited this guy to follow him… but the man’s face fell and he walked away sad. Why?

It appears this man, like many others of that time, was satisfied with just following the rules, even being proud of how well they followed them compared to others and who were also unwilling to completely surrender their lives to a Good God. There is a lot more to this story, so I encourage you to read Mark 10:17-31 to get the whole picture.

In some ways we have an advantage over the man in the story. Because we are looking back, we know who Jesus is – the incarnation of The Good God. But how many of us would still rather just follow the rules, rather than lay down our lives for what Jesus has to offer? He may not hear the Spirit say to sell everything, give the money away and follow Jesus. The willingness of our hearts to surrender absolutely everything to the Good God matters though.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – remember surrendering your whole self to the Good God, will result in more good than you can imagine right now.