As we get ready for Valentine’s Day, let’s reflect a little bit on love and math. There is an equation about love that John uses to describe the nature of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. It is simple but surprising. The equation is this:
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (I John 4:16, NIV)
John claims that God is love. This makes sense from a Biblical view, and it aligns with what Jesus taught—that love is a distinctive which identifies those who follow God. You know how an equation works, right? X = Y means that everything on one side of the equation equals the other side EXACTLY. They are interchangeable because they are equal.
It All Adds Up, Somehow
And “God is Love” is not the only equation in the New Testament. Consider this: we are designed to be complete only in relationships, and relationships are only complete when they run on love. The equation is, two people become one flesh. Husband equals wife. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one”. The equation is, Jesus equals the Father.
When John says, “God is love”, he is saying that love is God’s makeup—it is the essence of His personality, his character, and his being. If you think about it, we know about and acknowledge several things about God’s character. God is holy. He is a Righteous Judge. He is the source of all forgiveness and grace. But John’s equation sets the baseline for who God is. What He does is motivated by love and is an expression of love. God cannot commit a purely selfish act.
Love, Backwards and Forwards
When you flip that statement around (which you can always do when you juxtapose two equal objects with a verb of being, and it will still be true), it says, “Love is God.” John is saying that not only is God characterized by love, but that EVERYTHING loving is from God. Whatever love you encounter in this world comes from God—there is nothing loving apart from him or possible without him. We experience love in many forms, and probably every one of those forms is valid, as is anything that we perceive as love.
We experience a mother’s love, there is love in friendships, and there is the love we have for puppies and little children. There is deep, abiding love, romantic, mushy love, and there is even sexual love between a husband and wife (yes, God created sex, and in way more than fifty shades!). There are all manner of other kinds of love we feel or encounter or touch in this life.
But here’s the deal: None of them would exist without God. Some of them may seem to us to be disconnected from God, but if you look closely I think you’ll start to see in them a glimmer of God’s presence, or a fleeting glimpse of his character. And the more you look, the more you’ll see that they couldn’t exist without Him, that there is no real love apart from God, because God is love, and love is God. Good thing to think about during the month that contains Valentine’s Day.
A Different Equation: One Plus One Equals One
To my lovely wife: you’re the love of my life! To my family and friends, may our love never end! It is more than a fad or a transient trend. Just remember this stuff, when the going gets tough: Love is God; God is love, it all comes from above; It’s the nature of God, and when push comes to shove, It is God’s DNA, and it’s what He’s made of! So, everything loving you happen to see’s A reminder that God lives in you, and in me: Love’s what He gives us, and calls us to be! Just in case I haven’t said it enough, What you say: Love is God. What it means: God is love.
Go love somebody and go feel loved today. In other words, be Godly with every greeting, every smile, every hug! Then thank God that you just saw Him where you weren’t looking before!
After the Super Bowl, and before Valentine’s Day, let’s connect the dots between Jesus and the greatest performance ever, and the time early in his ministry when he talked to John’s disciples about a wedding. This new Rabbi who presented himself to be baptized by John at the Jordan River was different. He had a different way of doing business than both his ascetic cousin and the religious elite from Jerusalem. In the TV series, The Chosen, Peter protests Matthew’s call by saying, “But that’s different.” Jesus answers him by saying, “Get used to different.”( https://youtu.be/9fCrm008EJE ) Some of John the Baptist’s followers were concerned that Jesus and his disciples partied a little too much. His answer caught them off guard: he described himself not as a Rabbi, but as a bridegroom:
“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:14-17 NIV)
Why Wineskins?
When John’s disciples questioned Jesus why his disciples did not fast, Jesus used a couple of very different references to describe growth and change. The wineskin verse has always puzzled me a bit, but it occurred to me that it really fits with New Year’s resolutions. It refers to growth and expanding to new horizons, and Jesus describes those things in ways that everyone listening would understand.
First of all, Jesus talks about celebrating the groom at a wedding feast. He points out that 1) he is the bridegroom at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven—which makes us the bride—and 2) we should live in the present, unburdened by fear of what might happen in the future. We should party with the bridegroom at the feast while we have the chance. The eternal Son of God always encourages to be present to be in the moment.
A Subtle Exchange
In a subtler context he is also reminding his audience about commitment and change. When we get married, it is a new commitment, and it involves a new way of behaving. It represents leaving an old life behind as a single person and starting a new one as a couple. When you get married, it doesn’t improve your lot as a single person; you actually exchange your old single life for MARRIED life!
When you get married, you can’t keep living the way you did when you were alone. You have to share, to adapt, and to live differently than you did before. Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom and calls us to participate in a new reality, to celebrate our relationship with him while there is still time. He then enlarges upon his teaching about growth by reminding his listeners that new wine (which expands as it ages) must be put into new wineskins, which have the elasticity to expand with it.
Not a River in Egypt
His immediate context points out that the old, legalistic way of relating to God has become a new dynamic, and he calls his followers to relationship rather than religion. He teaches that it is not by doing new things with our old selves that we change; but it is by embracing new selves that we can act and feel differently. That’s why he tells his disciples in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
We can’t improve the flesh but we can REPLACE it. In his book, “If I Perish, I Perish”. Major Ian Thomas says that we can’t attain spirituality by dressing up our old nature and hoping that he reforms. You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig. Our flesh will ALWAYS be sinful and will ALWAYS long to return to its selfish ways. He cites Israel as an example for us, and points out that God didn’t leave the Israelites in Egypt, hoping that they would evolve into more devout followers. He says “God never intended to improve their lot under Pharaoh but to exchange their land.”
Like He did with Israel, God calls us to a new way of life. They couldn’t patch the old wineskins, but had to get brand new ones. That’s what Paul meant when he said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). Resolutions to change the outer man won’t help us if we don’t exchange the inner one. If you want to change, make one resolution this year: In 2025, I am going to celebrate with the bridegroom every day!
Exchanging Vows
The bridegroom’s face is beaming with pride, As all heads turn to see the lovely bride; They will be exchanging vows and rings, And changing the future, whatever it brings… Gone is the independent single life; From this day forth, they are man and wife. This life will put them through stormy weather, But come what may, they will deal with it together. This is what they will strive to do, As together, they make something new– And one stronger life is forged from two.
“Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting, and believe.”
A Nickname for the Ages…
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:24-29, NIV) The name “Didymus” indicates that Thomas was a twin, but we don’t know much about his brother. This half of the twins, Thomas is famous for not being sure, and has been known throughout history as “Doubting Thomas”. (I guess that rolls off the tongue in English better than “Doubting Didymus”, although I definitely think you could make a case for the alliteration with the “D’s”.)
There was certainly more to Thomas than doubt. In John 11:16, when the disciples are reluctant to go back to Judea, he tells them “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” His question in John 14:5 (“How can we know the way?”) resulted in Jesus declaring himself to BE the way! But he’s been known for centuries as “Doubting Thomas”, and that’s what we still call him. I actually kinda respect his skepticism, and it is a legitimate point of view because many thoughtful people have a hard time capitulating to faith. Doubting something can be hard to overcome.
Many who claim to be scientific or rational thinkers (perhaps you?) say they can’t believe in Christ because they need more evidence and don’t take things just on faith. That is a little odd when they actually believe in any number of things based on assumption and faith. (Such as: “Big Bang”; composition of the universe; evolution as it is often taught, among others…there is no absolute empirical knowledge about any of them, but even scientists are willing to leap to assumptions at some point in every one of them)
More Than Meets the Eye…
So consider this: there is plenty of evidence about Jesus, but people often refuse to consider it. Their assumptions about other things limit what they are willing to consider, and I think they get caught up in a battle of will rather than actual evidence. It becomes an issue of firmness of opinion rather than faith, and of pigheadedness rather than proof. Remember, you don’t have 100% assurance when you get into your car that you won’t have an accident, and yet you put 100% of yourself into that car every time. You don’t have to have 100% proofto make a100% commitment. People get married every day with less than 100% proof that it will all work out, but there they are…)
Behind closed doors, Doubting Thomas saw the evidence and was able to remove all doubt. His testimony still stands in front of us today. I bet if people really looked at all the evidence, truly investigated who Jesus was, and added a little faith, they’d do the same thing. Jesus said those of us who did not see him but still believed would be blessed. He said that to me, to you, and to everyone who was not in the room to literally touch his hands and side. As for Doubting Thomas, Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed.” Maybe he should be known as “Believing Thomas”. After all, that’s really who he was.
Doubting Thomas?
Sometimes skeptics will hold out because they have abiding doubt, Or hold themselves from faith aloof unless they have abundant proof. Thomas would not trust in lies! He had to see with his own eyes, And his belief was incomplete until he saw the hands and feet– The places where the nails had been– and saw the Lord alive again! “Doubting Thomas” then received the Risen Lord, and he believed! Perhaps he really should be called “Believing Thomas”. After all, That name’s more accurate because at the end of the day, that’s who he was.
A great performance is always pretty impressive. If you are an old-school NFL fan like me, you remember the AFL New York Jets upsetting the mighty NFL Baltimore Colts back in January 1969. Both teams were champions in their respective Leagues, but only one could win the Super Bowl. The AFL team had never won before, and most folks figured the NFL champion Colts would easily defeat the New York Jets. Jets quarterback Joe Namath sent shock-waves through the sports world when he boldly predicted victory for his team. (Joe Namath’s Super Bowl III Guarantee: Legends of the Super Bowl | NFL NOW (youtube.com)) It seemed brash at the time, but the Jets went out and proved him right. Broadway Joe had a big game on the big day.
Men work hard to make it in the NFL. There is an elite group of billionaire owners and millionaire athletes who compete fiercely as they try to find every edge that might help them win. In addition to the game itself, before they play the Super Bowl, the NFL gives out its annual awards. They extoll the accomplishments of players both on and off the field. Each team nominates a player for the Walter Payton man of the year award. It is good to see some of the athletes giving back to the community in such positive ways. (Someone more cynical might say it also helps the League offset the stories about NFL players’ personal problems such as steroid use and domestic violence.)
Gladiators
With its inherent dangers and the high risk of injury, the NFL has become our modern equivalent of the gladiators in ancient Rome. Players literally put their bodies on the line to try to win championships. America was reminded of the life-threatening nature of the game when Darryl Stingley was paralyzed from a neck injury, or when Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game (and prayer was suddenly ok again in football!) But, toughness in the NFL (and in many professional sports) means that men will play through pain and injury to achieve glory. Fans look upon them as heroes for staying on the field of play even when they are put through tremendous physical stress.
I was trying to imagine what those players headed to the Super Bowl were doing and thinking, making the final preparations for their huge moment in the spotlight, when they would be putting their training, their skills, and their determination on the line for team and personal glory. Would they be fine-tuning their technique, confident that they have prepared physically in every way? Perhaps they would be visualizing success, or meditating on their assignments… Would they succumb to outside influences, or be distracted from their goal by all of the hype?
Perfect Preparation Empowers Perfect Performance
What kind of performance would they give on the biggest stage of their careers? I was reflecting on the adulation and status we confer on such men, in some cases rightfully so. They are men who work hard, are committed to a goal, who embrace team virtues, and who put themselves at risk to attain glory. People are so fanatical about their teams that we call them “fans”. You’ve seen them. They dress up and carry signs. They follow and support their athletes with passion and emotion. (Ok, they are a little bit crazy…)
I know there are still Cowboys’ fans who still are STILL mad that Jackie Smith dropped a wide open touchdown pass against Pittsburgh in 1979! (He was so frustrated by his missed opportunity that he kicked his legs out as he lay on his back in the end zone.) There are MANY Cowboys fans today that are mad that their team hasn’t been BACK to even a division Championship game over 29 years ago. But I digress…
Based on the effort and the risk and the high stakes involved, it seems natural to us that the men who make such preparations and take such risks should be considered heroic. Their performance certainly has a lot riding on it.
The Highest Stakes
Then it occurred to me: there was once a man who also faced the biggest day of his career, who was committed to a goal, and who put himself completely at risk to not just attain glory but to reflect it and give it away. The night before he had to compete in perhaps the toughest contest of all time, and certainly the biggest game, he was preparing as well. Perhaps we need to re-calibrate our perspective on what it means to be a hero.
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:36-38, NIV)
The Most Pressure
Jesus knew what was coming, and he knew the price he was about to pay. I’ve often thought that the fact Jesus knew he would be resurrected from death did not diminish the pain and agony that was coming. He knew he faced the devastation of being separated from the Father. And I don’t want to sound like I doubt God’s power or plan, but I’ve always thought that BEFORE the cross, God had never experienced death, so that there had to be some sense of risk involved… what if it didn’t work? What if something went wrong?
While Jesus wrestled with the weight of what he was about to do, and prepared for the suffering he knew was coming, he thought of YOU. He said: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20, 21, NIV)
Two things. If you are willing to be fanatical about an athlete who gave his greatest performance in the biggest game, then think about Jesus. Become a fan. He thought about you. Second, take a moment to reflect upon the fact that he prayed for you: Be worthy of that prayer! You, too, are playing in a high-risk game, and it has nothing to do with football.
The Ultimate Game
Every year the League allows its teams The chance to play upon the field of dreams; They work all year to win the coveted prize, To show their skills before a billion eyes… The pundits say that history is made; But isn’t it really just a sport that’s played Between two groups of men who play a game? The big things in this world will be the same, With war, corruptions, hunger, lies and fear– And they will play this game again next year…
There was, however, once the fiercest test, When one competitor had to be his best. The heat was on, but he was cool as ice, When it was on the line, he paid the price And showed mankind the ultimate sacrifice. One athlete made a difference on this earth: Our calendar revolves around his birth, And he competed right until the end. I’m proud to call him Savior, Lord, and friend. He sometimes called himself the Son of Man: He won the ultimate game, and I’m a fan.
Who is going to win the Super Bowl? (Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles 2024 POST 4 – Game Center) Experts say that billions of dollars will be wagered in games of chance by hopeful bettors. Since no one yet knows how the game will end, I guess everyone has a chance to win based on the myriad factors that might influence the final outcome.
Is life itself a gamble, or perhaps a game of chance? Or are events set by God’s will, decreed before the foundation of time? Those bookends can create some theological debate, but Solomon makes an interesting comment about life in Ecclesiastes: “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV)
This is a good reflection to have before Super Bowl Sunday. Solomon had seen it all, and he understood that not everything happened the way the odds-makers might predict. I’m sure his father had told him at a very young age that it was sometimes possible for a David to defeat Goliath.
Solomon was Right
Life’s outcomes are not predetermined, and we are not automatons living in fatalistic patterns. To quote Solomon: “time and chance happen to them all.” I believe in God’s sovereignty, and even in His activity. I think there is some degree of direct divine intervention in this world. I just don’t know how often He visibly intervenes, or to what degree.
Certainly, God’s presence exists in creation and in the order of the universe, and gravity comes from somewhere. God’s influence is woven into the fabric of the universe, and His character is reflected in the order of things. But we don’t’ see obvious occurrences of God’s direct actions too often (like parting the Red Sea, or walking on water), so it’s easy to question just how involved God is in our world.
Arguments Against
Skeptics ask for a sign, and cynics reject God because they say that if He was loving and kind, He would fix all of the ills in this world. Since He hasn’t made things perfect, then He must not exist. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people who think that if you stay in God’s will, then nothing bad will ever happen to you, or you will be given prosperity and comfort. Still others say that God’s will or foreknowledge pre-determines our choices and actions.
I think that while these different approaches are all based on some kind of logic, all of those hypotheses are limited and flawed. God’s sovereignty and will are bigger than any of those rational, logical positions. Because God created us in His image, he gave us the possibility of choice, the ability to exercise our own will.
This quote from Ecclesiastes teaches us that underneath the larger umbrella of God’s sovereignty, there is cause and effect, there are choices and consequences such that outcomes aren’t always inevitable and things don’t always turn out the way we think they will. To borrow the old sports adage, “That’s why they play the game.”
A Bigger Picture
One verse is not enough to build a doctrine upon, but it does provide an important principle: God’s sovereignty is comprehensive enough to allow for every possibility within human choice. If you just follow the story of the patriarchs, you see men deceiving and cheating to obtain God’s favor; and yet the Lord works around and over even through their sinfulness to accomplish His perfect will no matter how their choices twist and turn…
God’s will is so far-seeing and perfect that it allows for time and chance, and includes every possibility for every choice we make. You and I are not robots locked into a fatalistic pattern. We have the freedom and the power to make choices, to be independent, and even to reject God if we want to. We can initiate cause and effect, and we can choose to navigate the currents of time and chance either with God’s help or without it.
In spite of the exponential number of possibilities that creates, God is so big that He maintains His sovereignty over everything. According to the writer of Ecclesiastes, life (and our relationship with God!) is dynamic, and you not only have a lot of decisions to make, you have a God who allows you to make them. Choose wisely!
A Chance to Choose
Do we humans have a will? Are we truly free? Or are we just automatons within God’s sovereignty? Do our choices matter? Is it even realistic To feel like we can choose, or is the world just fatalistic? We cannot know how things will go before the race is run; And Solomon said that Time and Chance will impact everyone.
So, does God’s will determine things before they ever start, Or does He make allowance for the wayward human heart? Is He in control? Or do we humans have a voice? Does God determine things, or do we really have a choice? Solomon said there was an answer. You don’t have to guess: Those questions can be answered, “yes”. And yes, and yes, and yes…
Is life a gamble, or perhaps a game of chance? Or are events set by God’s will, decreed before the foundation of time? Those bookends can create some theological debate, but Solomon makes an interesting comment about life in Ecclesiastes: “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV)
This is a good reflection to have before Super Bowl Sunday. Solomon had seen it all, and he understood that not everything happened the way the odds-makers might predict.
Solomon was Right
Life’s outcomes are not predetermined, and we are not automatons living in fatalistic patterns. To quote Solomon: “time and chance happen to them all.” I believe in God’s sovereignty, and even in His activity. I think there is some degree of direct divine intervention in this world. I just don’t know how often He visibly intervenes, or to what degree.
Certainly, God’s presence exists in creation and in the order of the universe, and gravity comes from somewhere. God’s influence is woven into the fabric of the universe, and His character is reflected in the order of things. But we don’t’ see obvious occurrences of God’s direct actions too often (like parting the Red Sea, or walking on water), so it’s easy to question just how involved God is in our world.
Arguments Against
Skeptics ask for a sign, and cynics reject God because they say that if He was loving and kind, He would fix all of the ills in this world. Since He hasn’t made things perfect, then He must not exist. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people who think that if you stay in God’s will, then nothing bad will ever happen to you, or you will be given prosperity and comfort. Still others say that God’s will or foreknowledge pre-determines our choices and actions.
I think that while these different approaches are all based on some kind of logic, all of those hypotheses are limited and flawed. God’s sovereignty and will are bigger than any of those rational, logical positions. Because God created us in His image, he gave us the possibility of choice, the ability to exercise our own will.
This quote from Ecclesiastes teaches us that underneath the larger umbrella of God’s sovereignty, there is cause and effect, there are choices and consequences such that outcomes aren’t always inevitable and things don’t always turn out the way we think they will. To borrow the old sports adage, “That’s why they play the game.”
A Bigger Picture
One verse is not enough to build a doctrine upon, but it does provide an important principle: God’s sovereignty is comprehensive enough to allow for every possibility within human choice. If you just follow the story of the patriarchs, you see men deceiving and cheating to obtain God’s favor; and yet the Lord works around and over even through their sinfulness to accomplish His perfect will no matter how their choices twist and turn…
God’s will is so far-seeing and perfect that it allows for time and chance, and includes every possibility for every choice we make. You and I are not robots locked into a fatalistic pattern. We have the freedom and the power to make choices, to be independent, and even to reject God if we want to. We can initiate cause and effect, and we can choose to navigate the currents of time and chance either with God’s help or without it.
In spite of the exponential number of possibilities that creates, God is so big that He maintains His sovereignty over everything. According to the writer of Ecclesiastes, life (and our relationship with God!) is dynamic, and you not only have a lot of decisions to make, you have a God who allows you to make them. Choose wisely!
A Chance to Choose
Do we humans have a will? Are we truly free? Or are we just automatons within God’s sovereignty? Do our choices matter? Is it even realistic To feel like we can choose, or is the world just fatalistic? We cannot know how things will go before the race is run; And Solomon said that Time and Chance will impact everyone.
So, does God’s will determine things before they ever start, Or does He make allowance for the wayward human heart? Is He in control? Or do we humans have a voice? Does God determine things, or do we really have a choice? Solomon said there was an answer. You don’t have to guess: Those questions can be answered, “yes”. And yes, and yes, and yes…
Lazarus died, and his sister Martha was upset that Jesus had not arrived in time to heal him. She made a bold request: Then said Martha unto Jesus, “Lord, if thou had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.”
Jesus saith unto her, “Thy brother shall rise again.” Martha saith unto him, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believeth in me shall never die. Believe thou this?” She saith unto him, “Yes, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” (John 11:21-27 KJV)
(Sometimes I just have to keep some King James Version in here because I like rocking it old school. It’s what I grew up on as a Christian, and I still love its lyrical anachronisms…but I digress.)
The Devastating Delay
When Mary and Martha sent word that their brother Lazarus was sick, Jesus waited two days before coming to them in Bethany. In the meantime, Lazarus died. It’s not hard to imagine the scene at their home as the sisters waited anxiously for Jesus to come heal their brother, only to watch him slip away. They thought they had things under control, but their plans didn’t work out. It had to be emotionally devastating.
Ever been there? Things didn’t work out like you planned, and God didn’t do what you expected Him to? Lazarus had just died, and his sister Martha was distraught. (Her tone is even a little accusative, like “why did you take so long?” Have YOU ever asked God, “WHY?” Have you ever accused God of failure?) Martha let Jesus know he could have done better.
Even so, she offers a testimony about Jesus that’s worth remembering. She expresses her confidence that Jesus has such a connection to God that he can do something as miraculous as a resurrection from the dead. Jesus comforts her with the statement that her brother will rise again. She believes in a traditional Jewish way, that Lazarus will experience resurrection at the last day. (Resurrection was a hot topic of debate between Sadducees and Pharisees—the Pharisees believed in it, but the Sadducees did not, which I’ve always heard is why they were Sad, you see…)
Expectations Delayed are not Necessarily Expectations Denied
Jesus challenges her traditional faith and asks her if she believes in HIM. Now, her brother is dead, and she has no way of knowing, like we all do, that Lazarus will come back to life. But she looks Jesus in the eye and gives testimony to who He is. “You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
You know the rest of the story. Lazarus came back to life after three days in the grave. He experienced new birth, new life, and a new beginning. It’s important to note that Lazarus’ resurrection was not eternal. He still lived a normal life and then died. But do you think perhaps that he appreciated life a little more the second time around? That he hugged a little harder and enjoyed his friends and family a little more? Experiencing resurrection–being brought from death into life–should do that, shouldn’t it? In that sense, EVERY believer is Lazarus, able to find joy in the resurrection that changes the quality of their lives…
In this case, Jesus changed the quality of Lazarus’ life and provided a solution outside of Martha’s control. Her lack of faith was keeping her from seeing the things that are possible with God. What is your traditional faith holding you back from? What have you lost that you wish you could have back? Why wait for pie in the sky when you die by-and-by?
Eternal life is not a quantity of life, it is a QUALITY of life, and it has already been given to you. Look Jesus in the eye and let him know what you want. Something dear to you that you thought was lost might just come forth and live again. It might be time for a new beginning.
Eternal Musing
Will we be spending endless time just sitting on a cloud? Will we employ eternity to sing our hymns out loud? Or will we find that life is life, with nothing now to bind it, Just filled with God’s eternal growth around it and behind it? For us to learn God’s heart and mind, the riches of His love, I think eternity itself will not be long enough…
There’s an old saying: “Curiosity killed the cat.” As we watched a Holiday movie over Christmas, Cousin Eddie confirmed that saying when he said, “If that cat’s got nine lives, Clark, he just used all of them.” As his ministry expanded, Jesus did some things that made folks curious. Because of their curiosity about who Jesus was, large crowds began to follow him. (See John 6 for details) They were probably hoping to see a sign, or perhaps to get a free meal…
When he challenged them to make a commitment, their curiosity alone wasn’t enough to keep them around. John described this reaction from the large crowds that were following Jesus. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. [John then brought the narrative closer to home.] “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69 NIV)
Adoring Crowds or Accountable Commitment?
Jesus had just fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Many took it as a sign that he was the Messiah. And lots of curiosity-seekers hung around hoping for another free meal. Jesus then challenged all of them by teaching about the bread come down from heaven, and compared himself to manna.
Now, manna was God’s miraculous provision for Israel in the wilderness. They could connect the dots, and this would have been a claim that disturbed many of them. Each time they questioned him, he turned the conversation up a notch. He wasn’t there to satisfy their curiosity, He was on a mission. If you read through John 6, you can see the progression. When they asked Jesus how he got there, he challenged their motives for seeking him. When they asked him to show them a sign, Jesus claimed to be the bread come down from heaven.
Hard Sayings Create Hard Choices
When they murmured among themselves, He said that he had come to be a sacrifice, and that salvation was only possible by partaking of his body and blood. To the Hebrew mind and sensibilities, this concept was forbidden and revolting. It was akin to cannibalism at best and heresy at worst. As Jesus began to teach more explicitly about who he was, many of his followers took offense. This wasn’t the kind of bread they were looking for! The curiosity seekers left, which was perhaps to be expected, but so did a number of disciples, people who were more familiar with Jesus and closer to his inner circle.
After they left, Jesus turned to the twelve and offered them a chance to leave as well. At that point, they all had a choice. They could simply move on, or they could move beyond curiosity to commitment. Peter’s somewhat bold personal testimony about Jesus is important. First, it indicated his belief that this man was not just a carpenter from Galilee. Peter saw and heard Jesus every day. He ate and lived with him. And yet, Peter called Jesus “the Holy One of God.” To me, that’s very explicit evidence from an eyewitness about who Jesus was.
Second, it is the statement that shows why a group of fishermen left everything behind to follow Jesus. These ordinary citizens and even a tax collector became transformed men. Their dogged faith would one day spread like wildfire. They gave their testimonies and even their lives to follow Jesus. The disciples couldn’t have possibly foreseen that one day their actions would topple the existing world order and replace it with mere Christianity.
You can ignore the evidence and forget all about Jesus, if you want to. But to whom shall you go?
Are You Curious About Evidence?
It calls us with temptation, and it killed the cat, they say. But sometimes curiosity can lead us all astray. As far as selfish seeking, it can be a tempting witch Who casts a spell that makes us hunger just to scratch that itch! Be careful that your constant search for instant gratification Does not preclude your taking part in your beatification… Jesus told the twelve they had to make a choice because Commitment to his mission showed them more of who he was. If you look hard at what he did, I’m sure that you will see That Jesus was much greater than a “curiosity”…
The men who wrote the Gospels had incredible news to share with the world, and they certainly knew that their message would be questioned. So, you would assume that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would have taken great pains to insure their sources were completely reliable. If that’s the case, why did John say THIS?
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” (John 20:1-4, NIV, which shows that MARY was the first witness to see the empty tomb…).
Then a bit later, after she had brought Peter and John to see the empty tomb, John says, “She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. “Woman”, he said, “Why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for?” Thinking that it was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.” (John 20:14-18, NIV)
An Unusual Literary Composition
I love the honesty of John’s account, because it captures the full range of Mary’s emotions and confusion. It also identifies her as a key witness to the resurrection. Those details are important because they offer direct evidence that John was not making this story up. If you were writing a fictional account to sell the resurrection, you’d want rock-solid testimony from impeccable sources. The fact that John did not provide that suggests that he felt compelled to write the truth when a lie would have served him better.
First, a work of fiction would probably not have included details like her initial failure to recognize Jesus, and the way she thought at first that he was the gardener. Why have your primary witness distraught and confused? Second, if John had been making it up, he would have used a more reliable and acceptable source, and there were better literary devices he could have used to create drama and impact. After all, the story is not about Mary’s confusion but about Jesus’ resurrection!
Any normal, self-respecting Hebrew literary work from this time would not have made a mere woman such a central character in this discovery—women were not considered legal witnesses, and did not have social standing that justified her inclusion in this event. No serious Jewish reader would accept a woman’s testimony as reliable in that time and place. John actually risks all credibility by telling the truth, so why didn’t he just make up a better version of the story?
The Only Conclusion that Makes Sense
Replace Mary with a man whose testimony would be considered reliable, tweak the events just a bit, keep the central part about the resurrection, and boom! You’ve got yourself some front page news. Since he goes out on a limb by including Mary, and since a lie here would have served him better than the truth, the logical conclusion is that this has to be TRUE.
If John’s narrative was an attempt to convince others of the plausibility of Jesus’ resurrection, he went about it all wrong! He should have had someone important like Peter or James meet the risen Lord first, and he should have made it seamlessly perfect. He didn’t need to include details about Mary’s initial conversation with the supposed gardener. But Mary’s testimony is valuable because it IS true, and it has significance because it is told so simply and so accurately. John’s gospel is noteworthy because he ignores social convention. He tells the truth when a lie would have been easier. Probably a good practice for all of us.
John, How Could You?
John, the scholars tell me that your gospel might be phony! No Hebrew writer would have used a woman’s testimony. A woman couldn’t offer proof in matters of the law, So why on earth did you record the things that Mary saw? If you had used a man to see the proof, and to receive it, The temple elders might have bought that story, and believed it!
Instead, you told the truth when falsehood might have served you better: Since Mary saw the Lord, you wrote the truth down to the letter, Insuring that the Word of God would not let us forget her! Mary made the statement that just could not be ignored; With trembling lips she told the others: “I have seen the Lord!”
There was once a miserable failure who turned into an astonishing success. You may know some of this story, but every now and then it’s good to remember all of it. Peter’s testimony wasn’t limited to a few bold proclamations made in Jesus’ presence, such as the one we discussed yesterday; he continued to testify later in his life. His later statements are made all the more remarkable because of what happened the night Jesus was betrayed, arrested and handed over to be tried (and, of course, crucified).
Higher Highs, the Lowest of Lows
After making bold predictions of steadfast loyalty, Peter denied even knowing Jesus during Christ’s trial at Caiaphas’ house and left there a broken man. Matthew’s Gospel recorded it in 26:75. The Bible says he was so ashamed of himself that he “wept bitterly.” (I guess betraying your best friend can make you do that…). I called Peter a “miserable failure” because I cannot imagine that he ever felt more worthless than he did after turning his back on his best friend…
Following this devastating personal failure, he was restored by the resurrection and encouragement of Jesus, recorded in John 21. If Jesus had not appeared to Peter after the resurrection, who knows where Peter’s story would have gone? In fact, if there had been no resurrection, Peter would have lived the rest of his life in remorse and failure… The broken, cowardly fisherman might not have ever appeared in public again, and he would have been remembered primarily as the disciple who let Jesus down.
Something Changed
Apparently, though, he took courage from Jesus during a visit after the resurrection by the Sea of Galilee, and took his place again as a leader among the disciples. So it was he who stood up in Jerusalem to deliver the first sermon at Pentecost, and said this about the man he had denied knowing: “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know… God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” (Acts 2:22, 32, NIV)
Peter the failure became Peter the brave! Peter, who betrayed his best friend and wept bitterly, became Peter the powerful witness. The coward became the communicator! Peter the professional fisherman became Peter the prophet. He was not depending on his own merit to stand up and preach, he was depending on the facts about Jesus. While he lost confidence about himself, he gained confidence in Christ.
It’s Not Just Peter
Perhaps you have had some failure regarding being loyal to Jesus; the Lord knows I have. In point of fact, I’ve made all of my biggest mistakes in life as a Christian. Since I became a Christian at fourteen, I’ve had over fifty years of mistakes made as a follower of Jesus. Like Peter, I have made bold promises about my commitment and then failed, even to the point of weeping bitterly. Perhaps you have experienced that too…
But that doesn’t have to be the end of our story. Just like Peter, we can be reclaimed and restored. The amazing thing about giving testimony is that it doesn’t depend on our success or worthiness, or what we’ve accomplished. A testimony is just giving the facts. It depends on what Jesus did, and the confidence we can have in HIM. If there is ANY difference in your life because you know Jesus, then speak up! It’ll preach.
The Failure Who Succeeded
Peter failed like all the rest, confronted with his greatest test: In spite of his pretentious boast, he failed the man he loved the most. His courage slept, his faith was swept, his loyal promise was not kept, And after he was so inept–a broken man– he went and wept!. That should have been the final act, but this is a historical fact: Peter’s life was somehow changed, and everything was rearranged! The risen Lord said, “Do not weep. It’s time for you to feed my sheep.” So Peter stood and boldly preached, and folks from everywhere were reached; Though Peter’s life had been a mess, he was redeemed, and found success! So if you ever fell apart, the Lord can help you make a start: He has a plan for every heart where even failures play a part!
A Roman centurion who saw the crucifixion at very close range was in prime position to be an eyewitness to Jesus’ final hours. So, there’s this: “Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54 NASB)
A Different Point of View
This is one of the most unsolicited and surprising eyewitness testimonies about Jesus. Take a look at the one who spoke. A typical Roman centurion 1) was not Jewish. He didn’t know about any of the ancient prophecies and certainly wasn’t looking for a deliverer from Rome. 2) He was probably accustomed to crucifixion as part of his job, so he should have been harder to impress by any run-of-the-mill Crucifixion. 3) Was a military commander based on merit, so they usually rose through the ranks and were experienced, competent men. 4) Had usually been on campaigns (and was probably here) far away from home. As a result, his level of worldly understanding was probably greater than the average villager’s.
This centurion had probably not personally seen Jesus’ miracles or heard him teach. (Why would he? He had been doing his job occupying Judea, not following Rabbis around…) In all likelihood the only exposure he ever had to the Son of God was as a battered, humiliated criminal who was facing his last hours on earth.
Not the Same Old, Same Old…
He was not steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures or looking for a Messiah, and of all the people Jesus encountered he perhaps would have known the least about Jesus’ background, reputation, and wisdom. It just wasn’t in a Centurion’s job description to know. He never sat in the temple courts and listened to this Rabbi, and he never saw him turn water into wine or calm the wind and the waves…
It’s likely, though, that while doing his job he HAD seen other crucifixions. They were messy, drawn-out, boring events with the same inevitable outcome… The soldiers were so bored with death that they whiled away the time gambling for the criminals’ meager possessions. Yet somehow THIS crucifixion was different. This crucifixion challenged the centurion’s view of the world. It made him look at Jesus differently as well. It may have been the earthquake and the upheaval surrounding Jesus’ death that changed his perspective, but I think it was more than that.
A New Beginning
Perhaps it was the dignity that Christ carried with him to the cross; perhaps it was the things Jesus said to the criminals who were being crucified alongside him. Or, maybe it was the fact that he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Perhaps it was merely the look in Jesus’ eyes that challenged and convicted third-party observers to see him as more than a convict getting his just reward…
Whatever it was, the Roman centurion watched Jesus die. It was perhaps their only encounter. He went from seeing Jesus as a common Jewish criminal to seeing him as the Son of God. Pause and reflect on those days in Jerusalem. Think about all the different observers of the events surrounding Jesus’ death. Consider all of the different players that participated in the crucifixion. There was no way to know it was an event that signaled the end of an empire, and the beginning of a kingdom.
There were Roman leaders, soldiers, Pharisees, curiosity-seekers and followers who watched Jesus die. Surely, as they reflected later on the punishment of this rabbi from Galilee, it was something they remembered the rest of their days. It was a sea change, a significant turning point. They looked back at the cross and remembered his composure and his countenance. When you look back at the crucifixion, what do you see?
The Centurion’s Job
The Roman soldier watched the prisoners die; This was just a job he had to do. He listened and he heard a prisoner cry, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He turned to look at Jesus as he died, And saw forgiveness written on his face; He knew he’d never be the same inside, Since he encountered Jesus face to face…
