In Remembrance of Me March 26, 2007
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: Jesus, Lord's Supper
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Originally posted 3/26/07
Our journey through the life of Jesus is nearing its end, but there is one more event to delve into before we reach the climax of His short life on this earth.
Over the last several years, I’ve found myself drifting farther and farther away from denoting the Christian sacraments with the importance that I was once taught (that blog entry will come later), but this story is still one that is paramount to understanding the life and teachings of Christ.
Scripture: Luke 22:1-23
The Passover, that time when the Jewish people would gather together for a meal and remember the deliverance from their bondage in the land of Egypt, was approaching and Jesus was setting up a location, unbeknownst to the disciples, for them to partake in this memorial to their past. So Jesus sent Peter and John into the city with explicit instruction of who they should should look for and the man presented them with a “large, furnished, upper room” where they could prepare the feast.
That evening, the twelve apostles and Jesus reclined around the table for this most important Jewish meal and Jesus performed a ceremony that would be passed down through millennia among His followers. While dining together and fellowshipping with one another, Jesus raised a cup of wine before them, passed it around the table, and said, “Drink, this is my blood that is shed for you.” Following that, he took a loaf of bread and also relinquished it to his admiring disciples saying, “This is My body which is given to you; do this in rememberance of Me.”
So, what exactly does this occurrence signify for Christians today? Does the wine (or grape juice in many Protestant churches) really turn into His blood and the bread transubstantiate into His flesh? Is this piece of liturgy supposed to be a funeral dirge where everyone acts sad for Jesus’ violent death?
When we consider the magnitude of the Passover meal, the event comes into a somewhat sharper focus. When the Israelites where held as slaves by the kingdom of Egypt, God sent 12 plagues. Once the first eleven were past, and the most devastating scourge of all was looming, God set up an ordinance with the people of Israel – The Feast of Unleavened Bread – in which they were to recall this great escape for generations to come. Then the people were to take unblemished lambs, kill them, and smear the blood on their doorposts. That night, an angel of death trekked through the city, eradicating the first born of every Egyptian family in the city, but sparing those with the sign of blood.
If we look at this meal through the eyes of the early Christians, we can see considerable symbolism harkening back to the Passover that the Jews had been practicing for centuries. The unleavened bread was present, but now Jesus exclaimed that it was to be an emblem of His body. In my view though, the purpose was not to signify His physical body, rather it is a symbol of the gathering that would soon be known as the body of Christ – the church. So, in our fellowshipping with fellow believers, we are partaking in His body. The blood of Jesus is what saves us, just as the blood of the lamb saved the Israelites from death on that dreadful night in Egypt. By taking the wine (or juice) we are acknowledging the power of the blood of Christ that sets us apart and will ultimately bring us to salvation. Also notable here is that Jesus commissioned this meal on the night before His death, just as God commanded that the children of Israel memorialize a feast prior to the night when the first born of Egypt were struck down.
I think there a number of valid ways that this momentous ceremony could be interpreted for Christians today. We could literally take a bit of saltine cracker and grape juice to recognize this great event. Or we could look at it in a more figurative nature with the bread symbolizing our fellowship with the church and the wine representing our personal fellowship with God – meaning that you don’t necessarily have to physically eat and drink to be a part of the remembrance. And there may be any number of other ways to interpret this event that I can’t recall at 10:30pm. What do you think?
The True Transformer March 19, 2007
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: Jesus, transfiguration
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Originally posted 3/19/07
Scripture: Matt 17:1-9
The Transfiguration of Jesus has always been an event that I’ve found to be rather confounding, but I think it’s starting to come into focus in my considerably limited understanding. If thoughts seem to be somewhat nonsensical, please feel free to comment below and lead me into a greater knowledge.
One day, Jesus, along with his disciples John, James, and Peter, ascended a towering mountain together to pray and fellowship with God, but, when the traveling companions arrived at the peak, they were treated to a sight like no mortal had seen since perhaps the time of Moses came down from Mount Sinai endowed with the great commandments of God and a shiny face. Suddenly, after the rugged clambering, Jesus metamorphosed before their very eyes – His face shining like the sun and His garments becoming as white as light. Then, in the midst of this wonderful, supernatural event, two more figues appeared before the fearful disciples – perhaps the greatest figures of Judaism – Moses and Elijah.
We know then that the Son of God had a conversation with the two apparitions, though the content of their exchange has not been recorded for us today. I can’t help my curiosity, though, were they perhaps giving him encouragement and comfort for the struggles yet to come? Peter’s impulsive reaction to the wonderful scene before him was not just to stare in wonder, rather he brashly suggested that they build three altars for the Messiah and His prophetic forerunners. But, before his proposal could be answered, the scriptures say that a cloud overshadowed the men and a booming, otherworldy voice from the heavens said, “This isMy beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
At that moment, the disciples flattened themselves on the earth out of terror and reverence, Peter’s words forgotten and nothing about them but the presence of the Almighty God. Finally, after what must have seemed like an eternity, the dear, dear friend and mentor, Jesus touched them and stated, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” Once again, the four friends were alone.
So, why was this perplexing event recorded in the Gospels? Why were three unexceptional mortals given the opportunity to witness this grand celestial event?
By placing Jesus with the two most renowned figures in the Jewish faith, perhaps God was showing that Christ was not just a prophet on par with these two great men, but that His significance towered high above any man that had ever been and would ever be in the future. In my view, this event is bursting with symbolism – Moses as an emblem of the Law and Elijah as a manifestation of the Propthets, with Jesus standing as the apex of all that had ever been and all that would be to come. He was the fulfillment of all that had been written prior to His coming and this transcendent affair displayed that fact to three men who would become some of the greatest witnesses this world has ever known.
To Hell or Not to Hell March 14, 2007
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: eternal, hell, universalism
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Originally posted 3/14/07
Tonight in our weekly home Bible study we read a passage that raised a few questions with me. Matt 18: 21-35 contains a parable about love and forgiveness and mercy – how a king exhibited those qualities, but a servant of his did not. The text reads as follows:
21Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus said* to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
23“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24“When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him £ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25“But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26“So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27“And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred £denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29“So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30“But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31“So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32“Then summoning him, his lord said* to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34“And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
Now, I’ve heard and read this story countless times throughout my life, but tonight something about it worked into my brain and wouldn’t let go. For quite a while now, I’ve had some major questions about the idea of eternal damnation and how that relates to an omnibenevolent God who is willing to forgive all transgressions. After reading this story tonight, though, it seemed to vindicate some of the doubts that I have had about what I have always been taught.
Read verse 34 again: “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.”
Notice how the author included the idea that the slave could still repay what was owed. This certainly leads you to the impression that there was still a way out. If we take this, then, and apply it to our eternal lives, does that mean that, even though we may reject God with all of our might throughout our entire existence on this earth, when we die there is still hope that we may somehow reach heaven? Though we may be damned a dark Gehenna, we may still attain an eternal rest with our God?
I’m intrigued by the idea and am planning on doing some more study into it, but this is just what struck me from this one passage tonight. Perhaps later I’ll do a study on this and post it on here for you. But for now, I’d like to have your input. How do you feel about the idea of an eternal hell?
On This Rock March 12, 2007
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: confession, Jesus, Peter
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Originally posted 3/12/07
So far on our journey through the life of Jesus we’ve seen:
His birth
His baptism
His temptations
The Sermon on the Mount
Choosing His disciples
His healing miracles
His dealings with the Pharisees
His humanity
The parable of the Good Samaritan
When bad things happen
Today we will look at the well-known, but I think sometimes misunderstood passages from His life – Matt 16:13-20
In our culture we like things in small, concise, easy-to-swallow pieces. We find lists and bullet points and summaries appealing to our short attention spans when it’s hard to find the time to pore over endless volumes of the written word. This short passage of scriptures accomplishes that objective beautifully when it takes the thousands upon thousands of words written about the life and teachings of Jesus and encapsulates all of it in one short sentence.
One day, while on one of their many journeys, Christ and His disciples arrived in the town of Caesarea Phillipi when He turned to them and offered this inquiry that must have seemed rather strange to the men who had been following Him all of this time. He asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
I imagine this took His adherants aback and they started tossing out all kinds of answers. One of them called out, “John the Baptist,” another declared, “Elijah,” and someone else, perhaps in a bit of bewilderment, said, “Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
Jesus, the Son of God, then raised His head and looked them right in the eyes and asked the question that we are all faced with, “But who do you say that I am?”
Sometimes I think Peter is maligned a bit for his impetuousness by many in the Christian world, but this time his answer, just 10 words in length, was exactly right, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This confession of faith from a flawed, sinful man to the God of all Creation is perhaps the greatest statement from any mortal man throughout the entire Bible. I imagine that as soon as these words left the lips of this man beloved by Jesus, He turned to Him with a beaming smile and acknowledged him, saying,
“Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
So, what is this rock that Christ will build His church upon? Is it the apostle Peter, whose name incidently means rock? Is it perhaps on the rock they may have been standing on at that time as some have claimed?
In my mind, the declaration by Jesus goes a bit deeper than that. I believe that the rock is none other than the confession that Simon Peter offered to Jesus, proclaiming that he knew and believed Christ to be God incarnate. His church then is not only built upon the great men who surrounded Him that day, but it is built upon all of those who have consorted with Christ since then and it even includes you and me.
And that is what salvation is all about. It’s about putting off your old self and acknowledging that you can’t live this life on your own – you need Jesus. But the road doesn’t stop with just professing Christ as Savior, no, then we have the responsibility to follow in his glorified example to serve all of those around us. So, when the voice of Christ speaks to you with that question that faced Peter so long ago, with a broken spirit turn to Him and cry out, “You are the Christ.”
When Bad Things Happen March 4, 2007
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: Jesus, theodicy
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Originally posted 3/4/07
This was not the next topic on my list of discussion points from the life of Jesus, but because of current tragic events, I felt that it would make for an appropriate conversation. Also, this idea was somewhat brought on by the discussion on Mark Elrod’s blog at the end of last week and also partly from a book loaned to me by my friend Mark Kennell.
Scripture: John 9:1-4
One day in the course of His earthly ministry, Jesus and His disciples came upon a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples turned to Him and asked the Good Teacher, “Who sinned that this man should be born blind?”
Last week, tragedy struck in the town of Enterprise, Alabama, where a tornado took the lives of eight students at the local high school. When events like this occur, and the lives of people are suddenly snuffed out by some seemingly random shift in atmospheric conditions, most of us cannot help but wonder why, why such a grievous fate would await these poor souls in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Katrina struck in 2005 and over 1,800 lives were lost, how many people looked at the sky, with tears of rage and sadness in their eyes, and shook their fist at the Creator of the universe, begging to know why? In 2004, when the tsunami annihilated Indonesia and the surrounding areas, snuffing the mortal breath from 300,000 human beings, how many shook their heads in bewilderment at the destruction wrought by nature?
We are humans, living within this mortal coil of suffering and shame and happiness and sadness, complete with souls imbued with the essence of the Almighty and forced into this shell of a body made up of a variety of nonliving elements arranged together in such a way that the breath of life could bring about our existence. God chose us, though, of mammalian species Homo sapien to grant His Spirit upon, giving us the gift of reason and thought, and in turn helping us to master this dangerous world in which we live. Sometimes, regardless of all the preparation and study we can go through, things happen in our lives that confuse us and make us wonder about the role of a supposedly good God on this ravaged planet.
So we are left with one question. Is there a reason behind the catastrophes that plague our world and the seemingly arbitrary disabilities afflicting those around us?
I think our view on disastrous events and terrible circumstances like these are defined by the vision that we hold of God’s role in our world. I have four views that I’d like to discuss today and, while these are by no means exhaustive, I believe that they cover a large swath of the population.
First of all, if God is the sovereign ruler of the universe, then he must be the ultimate cause of all events that take place on this world. Much like the disciples in the earlier scripture, people adhering to this belief would say that natural disasters are God’s way of striking down sinners with one mighty, divine strike. We hear this view today from people like Pat Robertson, who has declared not that long ago that God would strike America with everything from tsunamis to meteors for supposedly forsaking Him.
Some may accept a view that God has a plan in which everything that has ever and will ever happened is mapped out, positive and negative, with a result that is ultimately good. This is an idea in which an infinitely righteous God approves of evil circumstances that affect and injure and kill the beings created in His image in order to reach the bottom line. In my opinion, this seems to impose a certain moral ambiguity upon our Creator in which, “the end justifies the means.”
Another view stems from aforementioned book that I borrowed from my friend – God at War by Gregory A. Boyd – which describes an interesting solution to this seeming problem. Boyd conjectures that there is a spirit world, an ethereal plane of existence that is populated by various spirits, or gods, who battle in a dualistic war between good and evil, God and Satan. Natural disasters and disabilities and brith defects and illnesses, in his estimation, are caused by evil “gods” fighting in this spiritual war with Yahweh. It seems a little farfetched in our post-Enlightenment society, and I can’t say that the logical workings of my brain can accept his hypothesis, but the whole idea is fascinating nonetheless.
A fourth train of thought on the so-called problem, is that perhaps natural disasters are just that, natural. Perhaps dangerous weather really comes from natural cycles and sometimes tulmutuous atomospheric conditions. Maybe a man born blind just has a definable and random genetic mutation, rather than a divinely-appointed affliction. In this view, God set up the world with the best possible conditions for life to survive and thrive, so that means every day can’t be cloudless and sunny and sometimes there may even be dangerous storms. God developed our genetic makeup, but natural mutations and deformities are certain to happen sometimes in an imperfect world.
Whatever conclusion you may hold to, we would do well to remember the words of Christ in the verses follwoing the disciples’ question.
Luke 9:3
Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed through him. “
So, where does this leave us? The defect that had afflicted this man since his birth was not brought about by some mysterious divine retribution. I don’t believe that the words spoken by Jesus point to a divine plan in which this man was struck blind as a newborn baby in order that one day, years later in his adulthood, Jesus would heal him and amaze the crowds. Rather, I believe that a loving God mourns for His children who are hurting or incapacitated by a calamity they have been stricken with. He mourns for the families of the eight children killed by the powerful storm in Alabama last week. Though there may be good things that come out of bad situations and hurtful losses, that does not mean that God just shrugs these events off as collateral damage in the unrelenting pursuit of His plan. Rather, our Father loves us and grieves with us and cheers us on as we run the race.
And we must remember that the overarching love of God is the most powerful force in the universe.
