Flashback Favorite: We are family

We are family
Originally posted on September 10, 2020

I grew up in a (mostly) stable home.  We had our ups and downs, and, like any family, there are stories on both sides of that coin.  Overall, though, I know we had it better than many other families.  Us kids knew we were loved and supported.  Additionally, we all understood that our behavior reflected on not just us, but the whole family.  And when things were rough, one thing was for sure…we took care of our issues in-house, as much as possible.

Although Jesus was sinless (and therefore the perfect son and brother), did you know that at least for some period of time, His family didn’t fully support His ministry?  They believed that His actions were causing trouble – for both Himself and for them.

Mark 3:20-21
Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.  When His family heard this, they set out to restrain Him, because they said, “He’s out of His mind.”

Did you see that?  Jesus’ family…set out to restrain Him.  Not exactly the picture you expected of Jesus’ mother Mary, right?

They were concerned about Him and His well-being.  It’s understandable.  After all, Jesus was doing something new.  He was leading and teaching in ways that upset the cultural and political norms.  And we all know that “new” isn’t always received as “better” by those who lives are wrapped up in the norms.

This family intervention couldn’t have been a spur-of-the-moment decision by Mary and Jesus’ siblings.  They must have talked about Jesus’ teachings, growing fame, and the all the potential repercussions for Him and for them.  They likely debated over the best way to handle it and approach Jesus, but it was at this moment they decided to act.

His family probably thought they arrived just in time, because while they were on their way, some scribes from Jerusalem were making some condemning allegations against Jesus.  In order to explain how He performed miracles and spoke against Israel’s religious teachers, the scribes accused Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul (i.e. – Satan).  Can you imagine the shame and difficulty that kind of accusation would have caused Jesus’ family?  After walking into this situation, Jesus’ family was ready for Him to pack up and leave with them.

Mark 3:31
His mother and His brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to Him and called Him.

What kinds of things do you think they were saying?

Jesus.  Jesus!  It’s time to come home.  Stop making crowds.  They’re dangerous and the Romans will get suspicious of you.  Please come out and go home with us!

Jesus!  The religious leaders will remove our family from the synagogue if you keep challenging their authority and making them look bad.  Please come home so we can talk about this as a family.

Jesus did not hear their pleading calls.  It’s entirely possible that He could not hear them due to the size of the crowd.  Somehow, however, they got word to Him inside the house:

Mark 3:32
A crowd was sitting around Him and told Him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.”

What’s the correct response here?  Should he tuck tail and leave with His mother and His siblings?  However, Jesus was not a small child for them to lead around.  He was a full grown adult…a man with a God-given purpose, even if His family didn’t understand:

Mark 3:33-35
He replied to them, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”  Looking at those sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”

In the same way Jesus could tell His mother at twelve “I must be in My Father’s house” (Luke 2:41-50), He now tells His immediate family that He must be about His Father’s business. 

This wasn’t so much a rebuke of His blood-relatives, but Jesus is showing His priority to those who are actively seeking Him.  Those in the crowd that Jesus taught were more than just curious, random strangers…often the crowds that followed Him were those who believed in Him and wanted to learn more from Him.  They were the larger group of disciples that the twelve were chosen from. 

With His declaration “Here are My mother and My brothers!”, Jesus shows that He values them as much as He does His natural-born family.  Jesus is committed to them because they are committed to the same thing He is – doing the will of God.

Maybe you didn’t grow up with the kind of family you wanted.  Maybe your family doesn’t understand this “Jesus thing” that you have and are waiting for you to “snap out of it” and come back to them. 

You might even be feeling lonely, wishing you had a mother or a brother or a sister…but never forget that once you accept Jesus’ free gift of eternal life, you are adopted into His family.  And you have connections with more people from more places and backgrounds than you’ll know what to do with.

We won’t always get along.  We won’t always agree.  But as we continue to sit at Jesus’ feet, we’ll begin to understand how close this family really is, and that we’re most united when we have the same goal…doing the will of God.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Dealing with gossips and trash-talkers

Dealing with gossips and trash-talkers
Originally posted on October 14, 2021

A couple of years ago, I engaged in what I would call “short-term mentoring” with a young man who was fresh out of college and just starting out in his career field.  We’d meet for coffee or food a couple of times, primarily so we could work through what he was experiencing as a Christian making the shift from the education world to the business world.  For some topics, he knew the right next steps – but just needed to talk through them out loud or bounce his ideas off of someone else.  For other topics, when he felt stumped, I would share my advice and experience.

One particular struggle was with a coworker who routinely bad-mouthed their other co-workers.  Can you believe so-and-so did that?  Watch out for them, they’ll serve you up to the boss in a heartbeat.  And that guy over there – laziest jerk in the company.  In my experience, there is always at least one person like this in any corporate setting, and sometimes this kind of behavior is throughout entire departments. 

But my friend felt stuck.  He was the new guy and because of their roles in the company, he worked with this individual all the time.  There was no “escaping” or “avoiding” the frequent negative attitude and gossip.  He didn’t want to talk trash on his other co-workers (that he just met and barely knew)…but he didn’t feel like he could look at this person and bluntly say “Thou shalt not gossip.”  He didn’t want to sour the relationship with someone he was required to work with, but he also didn’t want the other co-workers to think that he was gossiping and talking trash about them.

While the Bible does talk about the dangers and difficulties of gossip, most of the time it simply acknowledges that it exists and warns of the trouble it causes.  You won’t find direction on how to stop others from doing it.  It seems that God is much more concerned with what you do with gossip instead of deputizing you to become the gossip police.

Solomon addressed gossipy situations many times in his collection of Proverbs, for example:

Proverbs 11:12
Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a person with understanding keeps silent.

Proverbs 20:19
The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;
avoid someone with a big mouth.

Proverbs 26:20
Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.

These proverbs give us three good options when we’re faced with someone who wants to spread rumors or talk trash: keep quiet, avoid the person, or don’t participate.

When I was talking through my friend’s situation at work, we agreed that the first two were not really options for him…since the person was someone he had to regularly work with.  So my advice focused on the last proverb’s point – that when his co-worker came to him with rumors or would bad-mouth their other co-workers, he did not have to accept the invitation to participate.  A couple of examples:

Hey, did you hear about so-and-so?  They got in trouble with the boss today…
I heard something happened, but I wasn’t involved.  If I need to be, I’m sure they’ll let me know.

Watch out, that lady will always stab you in the back.
I’ll keep that in mind, but that hasn’t been my experience with her.  Maybe she was having a bad day.

That guy is the laziest jerk in the department.  He never gets his reports done on time and his work is always sloppy.
Are you sure?  The last time I worked with him on a project, it went fine.

The main thing about these responses is that they do not pile on to what the gossiper was saying.  Maybe there is some truth to what they are complaining about, but “always” and “never” are rarely accurate labels.  It does no good to add fuel to the fire, and when we choose to not participate, conflict dies down.

The last point I made to my friend was that if he was able to consistently avoid gossip participation – if he politely refuted “always/never” or changed the subject to a relevant work matter – then eventually the person will stop bringing the gossip to him.  He’s no fun if he won’t gossip, too.  His consistency will be noticed by his other co-workers, as well.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Fleeing the trap of stuff

Have you ever heard someone say something that completely stopped you in your tracks?

I’m talking about the kind of statement that as soon as you hear it, you marvel at how clear and profound a particular subject becomes.  I had one of those moments this past Saturday.

I was listening to a podcast while taking care of some outside chores, and when the speaker said this, I immediately put down my tools and typed his statement so I wouldn’t forget it.  Here’s what he said:

When you are born, you look like your parents.
When you die, you look like your decisions.

My head spun (and still spins) with all the applications and inferences this statement makes.  We’re a blank slate when we’re born…my end-of-life health is largely influenced by the choices I made in my 20s, 30s, 40s, etc…who is with me when I die is dependent upon the relationships I fostered over my lifetime…the legacy I leave behind will be because of my decisions…

I ruminated on the implications of that statement the rest of the day.  Then the next day at church, our pastor taught through 1 Timothy 6, and these verses practically smacked me in the face:

1 Timothy 6:6-10
But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.  If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 

But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Pairing this truth – for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out – with the statement I heard the day before…I started to wonder why we get so hung up on our stuff.  We aren’t born with it, and we can’t take it with us when we die…so why do we humans get so twisted up about it?  Why is something so temporary considered a status symbol?  Why do I find comfort in stuff that, after I die, will either be left to someone else or tossed in the garbage?  Why is it so easy for me to find my identity in what I possess?

So, yeah, hard questions all-around.  But they are good questions, even if they sting.  We must consider these things now so we don’t regret falling for the temptation and trap from loving money and stuff.

Fortunately, Paul doesn’t just tell Timothy what to avoid – he tells him what to pursue instead:

1 Timothy 6:11
But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

Instead of loving money and stuff, we are to love God and others.  I am certain choosing the pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness will lead to a fulfilling life, one that God designed us for.  And when I die, I want to look like those kinds of decisions.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Yeah, it's that easy

Yeah, it's that easy
Originally posted on November 12, 2020

We like things to be easy, but we’re very leery of an easy solution to what we see as a difficult problem.  We don’t go to a doctor unless we can’t get well taking care of ourselves at home.  We hire professionals to do repair work because we don’t have the skill to fix it ourselves.  We expect the experts to solve our hard issues with complex solutions…but when they come back with simplistic answers, we become skeptical, even angry.

Naaman was the commander of the army for the king of Aram.  He was an accomplished warrior and leader, but he was plagued by a skin disease.  He had tried everything to cure it, but nothing had worked.  When he heard there was a prophet in Israel who could cure him, Naaman immediately sought him out.  When he finally arrived at the prophet’s house, Elisha wouldn’t see him.  Instead he sent out his messenger:

2 Kings 5:10-13
Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”

But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease.  Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?  Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?”  So he turned and left in a rage.

But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?  How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”

Naaman expected a big show from Elisha or to have the prophet give him some difficult task to prove his worthiness for healing, but he was given neither of those.  Instead, he was only told to wash off in the Jordan River.  This was too simplistic for Naaman’s expectations.  After all his struggles and attempts to fix it himself, surely there something more fantastic than dunking in the muddy Jordan river to fix his problem.  However, after his servants’ prompting, Naaman relented.  He went to the Jordan, washed seven times…and he was healed, just as the prophet had said.

The people of Jesus’ day also had the same problem with an unexpectedly easy solution.  As the crowds were starting to grow and follow Him around, Jesus challenged their motives in seeking Him out.  While doing so, He also confronted their preconceived ideas on how to obtain eternal life:

John 6:26-28
Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.  Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him.”

“What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

Notice their question – they were looking for works, plural, expecting that Jesus was about to give them a long list of behaviors with do’s and don’ts, if they were to earn eternal life.  The Jews were used to performing ceremonies and rituals, as well as following the Mosaic Law and the teachings of the Pharisees…so they were ready to hear commands for them to perform multiple difficult works, each to be checked off and help them earn eternal life from God.

Instead, Jesus answers them in the singular:

John 6:29
Jesus replied, “This is the work of God – that you believe in the one He has sent.”

I can totally see Jesus putting “air quotes” around the word “work”.  His answer is pretty much tongue-in-cheek, because we cannot earn eternal life by working – instead, we simply believe in Jesus for eternal life, and we will have it.  Notice too, what Jesus said about eternal life – “the Son of Man will give [it to] you.” 

But if eternal life truly is a gift from Jesus…then what did Jesus mean by telling them to “work” for it?

Jesus was warning them not to put in the effort to seek Him out for merely their next physical meal, but they should instead seek Him out for what He freely offers – eternal life to all who believe in Him.  Of course, they had trouble with how “easy” of an answer Jesus gave them, so He continued to teach them, still using the bread analogy:

John 6:35, 40
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them.  “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again…For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Although the crowd struggled with His teaching, Jesus did not add any other pre-conditions (like confession, repentance, or vows of good behavior) or post-conditions (like continuance in good works, baptism, or church attendance) to His offer of eternal life.

Over and over, when Jesus is witnessing to others, the only condition for them to receive eternal life is to simply believe in Him.  This might sound strange to you, too.  You may have heard something different in church.  You may think that it’s too good to be true.  But don’t just take my word for it – read through the book of John, the only book in the New Testament written explicitly to unbelievers, and you’ll see a no-strings-attached offer repeated: Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.

Yeah, it’s that easy.

Have you accepted His free gift?  Do you believe in Jesus for eternal life, no strings attached?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Paul's guys

Whenever we talk about the Apostle Paul, we often focus on his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) or that he wrote 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament.  Paul was radically changed by his encounter with Jesus, which led to a life-long mission of sharing the gospel across the known world.  Paul’s missionary trips weren’t all full of happy responses and community building projects – he encountered many dangerous situations, from both people and nature.  He gave a brief listing of them in one of his letters to the believers in Corinth:

2 Corinthians 11:24-28
Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews.  Three times I was beaten with rods.  Once I received a stoning.  Three times I was shipwrecked.  I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.  On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.  Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches.

For all the things we do see Paul going through as we track his journeys in the Scriptures, do you know what we don’t often see?  Very rarely do we see him going anywhere alone.  During some of his various imprisonments, he was alone – but even then, friends sought him out to give him encouragement, delivering news to and from the churches he planted.  But most of the time, Paul traveled with companions like Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus, and many others. 

Twelve of his thirteen letters contain a reference to other people with him – either in the beginning greeting of the letter or in the ending salutations (the one exception is his highly personal letter to his protégé in 1 Timothy).

I’ve heard many sermons about Paul being an example for us modern-day believers to be bold for Christ, to share our faith, and to “follow Paul as he followed Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) which usually means to think through the truths that God revealed to Paul which he then revealed in his letters to the churches.  But I’ve never been told to follow his example when it comes to surrounding myself with a community of people who are also on-mission for God.

The truth of the matter is we can’t go at this life alone.  We can’t show up to church for one hour on a Sunday and expect God to make the other 167 hours in the week go smoothly.  We need community so we can encourage each other, but we also get a lot more done when we’re working together as the body of Christ. 

I love my group of guys that show up weekly for a zoom call, and then we are the first ones to volunteer to help each other when a situation arises.  When our church consistently shows up to community service events, others take notice…and are curious about what brings us together like that.

There’s no way Paul would have had the impact he made if he had been traveling the known world by himself.  Because of those who also served with him, even through those extremely difficult times, God’s impact through Paul still echoes into today.  God can use our local churches working together in our communities to bring more people to Him.  Despite any opposition or trials we face as we point others to Jesus, only God knows how far into the future our efforts will echo, too.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

When the state of the world has you down

Is it just me, or does every year feel heavier?

Maybe it’s part of growing older, but it seems like each year is full of more bad news, more bad circumstances, more bad actors in government, and more people making bad choices that hurt others.  Overwhelming no longer feels like a “sometimes” word…it’s become the norm for many of us, with the exhausted pigeon meme aptly describing our lives.

For those of us who believe in Jesus for eternal life, we have a great comfort available to us – the promises made by God in the Scriptures.  Whenever the state of the world has us feeling down, we often turn to verses emphasizing our heavenly future to give us both comfort and perspective:

Philippians 3:20
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

There are many other verses that look forward to eternity future, where God tells us about our glorious destiny together with Him as an encouragement while we wait for that time to arrive.  But when dwelling on this truth, I’ve detected a subtle undercurrent of self-centeredness in myself and, based upon the behavior of many other Christians, I don’t think I’m alone in my selfishness.

Oftentimes, when I think about eternity future…my focus is very me-centric.  I don’t like the pain I’m dealing with now, so I can’t wait until the day that all pain is gone.  I don’t like the government leaders I have right now, so I look forward to when Jesus will be the one in charge.  I don’t want to live where so much hate-filled rhetoric comes from so many people, so I want God’s eternal peace now.  I’m tired of all the ignorance, fearmongering, violence, and selfishness I see online and in the news…and I’m just ready to go to heaven right now.

All those things about eternity future are true, and God has promised that future to those who believe in Jesus for eternal life…but we tend to forget that we were once part of the crowd we now want to leave behind:

Titus 3:3-8
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.  We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

This is a trustworthy saying.  And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.  These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Paul’s instruction for Titus’ message to his churches in Crete is clear – Don’t forget where you came from.  They have the same opportunity to be saved as you did.

Paul wants Titus to stress these things because remembering them and living out that new identity in Christ is excellent and profitable for everyone – not just for believers, but also for those who are still foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved.

So yes, we are to look forward to eternity future.  We can draw hope from knowing our destiny is secure in God’s promises.  But don’t let our eternal status lead us to feeling superior, smug, or above what’s happening in the world around us.  When we are careful to devote ourselves to doing what is good, we point them toward the God who saved us.

Because…at one time we too were just like them.  Don’t forget where you came from.  And don’t forget that the only reason for our salvation isn’t because of us.  It’s all because of His mercy.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

My pride vs. My favorite recipe

Let me give you a peak behind the preacher’s curtain.

This past Sunday, I guest-taught at our church.  We were in Week 3 of a series called “Habits of Connection”, where each week we look at habits and practices that can draw you closer to God.  This hasn’t been your typical “You should read your Bible and pray more” type of series, either.  The first two weeks were about the Habit of Self-Examination and the Habit of Simplicity.  My topic for the third week was the Habit of Solitude and Meditation.

When the church hears teaching from the Bible, it is always helpful for the preacher to make connections between what the text says with modern-day examples.  Where eastern mystical meditation is about emptying your mind and disassociating from your thoughts, the aim of biblical meditation is to fill your mind with God’s Word and ponder over it, allowing God’s thoughts to renew our minds.  Maybe it’s because I attended so many Baptist Church potlucks in my youth, but any time I talk about biblical meditation, the best example I can give is to compare it to a slow cooker meal.  I’ll ask the questions, “What’s slow cooking in the back of your mind?  Is what you’re dwelling on helpful or harmful?  Do those thoughts bring you closer to God?”

But rather than simply talk about slow cooker recipes in general, I find it easier to talk about one specifically – one of my favorite recipes.  It only contains 4 ingredients and 2 spices, but it makes a fantastic meal.  I’ve brought this simple recipe to all sorts of events, including work holiday potlucks, and it’s always a hit.  So much so that people have stopped me in the hallway at work to ask, with a tone of hopeful anticipation, “Are you bringing it again this year?” 

And, truth be told, I’ve enjoyed being “that guy” who has “that recipe” that everyone enjoys.  But for this past Sunday, I knew that simply talking about the recipe wouldn’t be enough.  I wanted to really drive home the point that taking the time to meditate on the Scriptures is worth the effort and time – that slow cooking mental meals has a great result.  So, I got up a little early on Sunday and started a double batch of my favorite slow cooker recipe to share with the church after service.

But here’s the kicker…the real peak behind the curtain…part of me didn’t want to give out the recipe.  Sure, I was fine with others enjoying what I had prepared, but if I told them how to make it themselves, then I would lose my chance to be “that guy”.  If everyone at my church knows the recipe, then I wouldn’t be able to bring this simple/awesome meal to any future gatherings – because the odds are someone else might do the same!  (and yes, I know I’ve shared the recipe in a blog before, but divulging my favorite recipe hits a little different when you give it away to people you see every week!)

Fortunately, that slice of my ego was rather small, and I told me to get over myself.  But, in all honesty, a little bit of “awwww, man…” lingered in the back of my mind.  However, having the meal available after church was a huge hit and a great tie-in reminder from the message about meditation.  And, of course, I was asked by a lot of people to share the recipe.

We agreed to send it out as part of the church’s weekly email.  So, with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, I say, “There goes any chance of me being ‘that guy’!”  But as I’ve reflected on Sunday’s message and the discussions it led to, God has allowed me to see something bigger.  A peak behind His curtain, if you will.

Now, whenever anyone from the church makes my favorite slow cooker recipe, they’ll be reminded of how powerful biblical meditation can be.  Thinking God’s thoughts after Him and pondering over the thoughts of our Creator has a way of renewing our minds and refreshing our spirits.  And…AND…if they share that delicious, hearty meal with someone else, then they may have the opportunity to share with others – who didn’t hear me speak last Sunday – what meditating on God’s Word has done for them.

Remember this scene from Jesus’ ministry?

John 6:5-9
So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?”  He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.

Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish – but what are they for so many?”

That boy didn’t have to share his lunch.  But because he was willing to offer his small amount to Jesus – he got to see a miracle come from what he was willing to let go of. 

That boy gave up five barley loaves and two fish.  I gave up a recipe.  God can, and has, used both to draw people to Him in ways that wouldn’t have happened if both of us had held on to what was “mine”.  And these offerings to God are going to pay eternal dividends, far into the future – each time someone reads John 6 and each time someone makes my slow cooker recipe.

This isn’t a “look at me” story…it’s really a “look at God” story.  Look at what He can do, as He allows us to partner with Him, when we choose to let go of what we have and trust Him with what happens next.  It’s really about finding our identity in Him, rather than being “that guy”.

So, when you’re presented with an opportunity to partner with God, I pray that you let go of your stuff and take hold of Him.

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

God from the machine

Ancient Greek and Roman plays were often complex stories – layered with situations and personal tensions in order to create circumstances of comedy or tragedy for the main characters to work through.  One particular motif was to simply pile on the problems, one after another, until there was no chance for the characters to find resolution or peace.  Despite any efforts of the characters to find a solution or rescue themselves, all their choices only made their circumstances worse.  Then, suddenly, a new character would be introduced – a Greek or Roman god – who would enter the scene, miraculously fix everything, and restore order. 

The god would make a grand entrance, either lifted on stage through a trap door or hoisted over top to be lowered down to the characters by a crane.  The use of the grand machine entrance was to bring the audience wonder and astonishment as the god’s influence changed the lives of the characters.  As such, this plot device to rescue the story or characters became known as Deus ex Machina – literally, “God from the machine”.

Our world feels a bit like that kind of plot line, doesn’t it?

Wars rage across the planet and on our news feeds.  Natural disasters have hit hard this year – flooding, mud slides, wildfires, earthquakes – at the cost of many lives.  Political tensions are running higher than ever, as yelling and name calling has given way to violence and assassinations.  These things are happening across multiple nations, but the volume continues to increase, louder and louder.  Social media, once hailed as the modern way to connect with others, consistently causes division and stokes animosity.

Despite all our best efforts, technological advances, and great intentions, there are days when the light at the end of the tunnel appears to be getting smaller, even fading out.  You may question if there even is a light in the distance, anything other than a foolish hope that humanity will one day get our collective act together.  Because, in the end, despite all our energies spent, death overtakes every one of us.

But…what if the ancient playwrights were on to something?  What if their use of the Deus ex Machina motif was actually tapping into a deep cry from our hearts – that we know we need to be rescued?

It’s through Jesus that our rescue is made available.  He offered eternal life to anyone who would receive it as a free gift (John 3:16), and He repeatedly promised that He would one day return, providing a rescue to all who had believed in Him for eternal life.  Even the last words Jesus speaks in the Bible attests to this:

Revelation 22:20
Yes, I am coming soon.

How soon is “soon”?  After all, it’s been nearly 2000 years since Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead.  Although this seems like a long time to wait, according to the prophet Isaiah, the wait will be worth it:

Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain, the Lord of Armies will prepare for all the people a feast of choice meat, a feast with aged wine, prime cuts of choice meat, fine vintage wine.

On this mountain He will swallow up the burial shroud, the shroud over all the people, the sheet covering all the nations.

When He has swallowed up death once and for all, the Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken.

On that day it will be said, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us.  This is the Lord; we have waited for Him.  Let’s rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

One day, death will be swallowed up in victory.  God will overcome the darkness and rescue us from our hopeless situation.  But not only will He fix everything on the large scale, He will also individually fix us – wiping away our tears and removing our disgrace. 

At that time, we will all agree – it was worth the wait.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Giving the world what it needs

If you spend even a few months attending church services, you’ll likely hear someone say a phrase similar to “Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches”.  What they’re quoting is from John 15, where Jesus is teaching His disciples as they walked to the Garden of Gethsemane.  The apex statement in the section is found in verse five:

John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

But did you know…that God had previously used the vine analogy to describe His relationship with Israel?  Take a look at what the prophet Isaiah said about 700 years before Jesus:

Isaiah 5:1-2
I will sing about the one I love, a song about my loved one’s vineyard.  The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.  He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines.  He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there.  He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.

And then God speaks:

Isaiah 5:3-6
So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between Me and My vineyard.  What more could I have done for My vineyard that I did?  Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes? 

Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard:
I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed;
I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
I will make it a wasteland.
It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up.
I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it.

And to make sure the people understood the analogy, Isaiah says:

Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant He delighted in.  He expected justice but saw injustice; He expected righteousness but heard cries of despair.

The best explanation of this passage that I’ve found comes from G. Campbell Morgan, in his book Great Chapters of the Bible:

Two words in this interpretation reveal the Divine purpose and ideal.  They are the words righteousness and judgment.  The Hebrew nation was created in order that all the nations might be given righteousness and judgment.  In other words, the Divine intention was that through the nation the principle of life which is righteousness, and the consequent practice of judgment should be revealed to humanity as a whole.  In its history the nation had entirely broken down in this matter.  Within its own borders, instead of righteousness, oppression existed, and for lack of judgment or equity, the cry of the oppressed was heard.  Therefore the nations of the world were not being supplied with the things essential to their being, and their well-being.  Because of this failure the nation was rejected as the vine of God.

Jesus’ statement of I am the vine; you are the branches wasn’t just a little teaching illustration.  I’ll let Morgan explain further:

Thus He stood in the midst of human history and declared that God’s purpose was not failing, that His intention would be carried out, that He was the Vine through Whom these things would come to complete fulfilment.  The majesty of the claim is self-evident; and the high privileges and responsibilities of His own are revealed in the fact the He incorporated that group of men with Himself as the instrument of Divine realization as He said, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches”.

Where Israel failed, Jesus declared that He would be the one to show the world what God’s design for true righteousness and justice looked like.  And…the most surprising part of it…is that Jesus has included His disciples (and us) in this work.

If we believers are to show the world what righteousness (i.e. – living rightly by God’s design) and justice looks like in our own lives, then we must remember Jesus’ warning: you can do nothing without Me.

We must stay connected to Him.  We must be talking with Him often and learning to walk as He walked.  We cannot manufacture righteousness and justice by our own efforts and programs – throughout the centuries, Christians have tried to do so and have failed miserably each time.  We can only produce the fruit of the vine when we are connected to it.

Are you intentionally staying connected to the Vine?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

At His lowest moment, they needed Him

How close are you with your cousins?

I wasn’t all that close to mine, mainly because we lived so far apart that it was unlikely we’d see each other more than once a year.  However, I have met other people that tell me they are so close to their cousin, they may as well had been raised as siblings…even to the point that their cousin knew and understood them better than their actual siblings did.

Did you know Jesus had a similar family situation?

Growing up, and even into His ministry, Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in Him (John 7:1-9).  Can you imagine having a literally perfect older brother?  Yeah, I wouldn’t be too thrilled with him, either.  But Jesus did have a cousin whom He was close with.  His name was John.

John was born six months earlier than Jesus, but even in the womb, he recognized who Jesus really was (Luke 1:44).  John’s mission was to announce to the nation of Judah that the Messiah was coming (Luke 3:1-6).  He was even given the honor of baptizing Jesus (Luke 3:21-22), signifying that a new era in God’s relationship with mankind had begun.  John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, those chosen by God to point the people toward the coming Messiah and King.  But John was the only prophet to actually know the One he was pointing people to.  John knew better than anyone on the planet what Jesus had come to earth for, giving up his own opportunity for fame and fortune among the Jewish people.  His understanding is wholly encapsulated in his statement:

John 3:28-30
You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the groom.  But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice.  So this joy of mine is complete.  He must increase, but I must decrease.

John’s mission as a prophet wasn’t just to announce the Messiah, but to also bring the people to recognize their need for the coming Messiah.  His teaching routinely convicted people of their sin – some wanted to know how to deal with their sinful state, but others wanted to hide from it.  And John wouldn’t just call out the average citizens…he had no issue calling out the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and political leaders for their selfishness.

As you can imagine, this caused John some trouble.  At one point, King Herod arrested John and had him thrown in prison.  Then through some shrewd political maneuvering, others manipulated the King into beheading John (Matthew 14:1-12).  This act shocked the people and word spread quickly to Jesus.

Matthew 14:13
When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone.

I don’t blame Him one bit.  You find out that your closest friend – your cousin that’s practically your brother – has been murdered on the King’s orders.  The person who understood your life’s mission the best has been violently taken away…and all Jesus wanted was some time to Himself, some time with just Him and the Father.  But that’s not what He got:

Matthew 14:13-14
When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns.  When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd

How deflating that must have felt.  Jesus wants to grieve, but even in His lowest moment, the people still needed Him.  They were still drawn to Him.  So much so they ran around a body of water to chase down His boat, in the hopes of meeting Him on the other side.

I admit that if I were Jesus, I would have been mad at that scene as I brought the boat into shore.  Too emotionally tired to explode with anger, I likely would have shut down in depression.  Every instinct in my body would have been to turn the boat around and go drop anchor in the middle of the lake…and I’m pretty sure I would have given in to doing so.  My internal dialogue would have been screaming, “Don’t they know how broken I feel right now?  Can’t they see I need to get away!”

Instead, this is how Jesus saw them:

Matthew 14:14
When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

Jesus had compassion on them because He still saw them as they were, instead of viewing them as hinderances to His own desires.  They were sheep without a shepherd.  They were listless and leaderless.  They were drawn to Jesus, even if they couldn’t fully explain why.  They just knew He had what they needed.  Jesus did get His time alone with the Father a little while later (Matthew 14:23), so He could properly grieve and process the loss of John.

Therein lies the challenge for us.  When life punches hard – and it will happen – are we going to see people through the lens of our suffering or through the lens of compassion?  When you’re ready to leave and your classmates or coworkers ask you to help them out again…or that little hand reaches under the bathroom door when you just wanted a minute to breathe…or you’re in a rush at the store and down the aisle comes an elderly lady with a lost and confused look on her face…how will we see them?

I hope we choose compassion.  We cannot go wrong when we see people through that lens.  Even when we’re low, we can still compassionately connect and even meet some needs.  When we do, I’m convinced God will grant us the time we need to rest and process.

Keep Pressing,
Ken