crucifixion

Someone dies when intractable worldviews collide. There were three such worldviews at loggerheads at the trial of Jesus. Roman, Jewish and Jesus.

There are no easy ways to categorize those three worldviews. They are complex in origin and difficult to enact. Rome used the power of the military and law. The Jews used the power of behavioral modification and religious law. Jesus combined religious law with a new power - God's attributes. Jesus was alone, he lost out.

That is why the question Pilate posed is so powerful: "What is truth?". He apparently saw at least two sides of the equation, and was being confronted with acting on the third. Pilate must have known about the teachings of Jesus. Rome was everywhere and knew almost everything. He was a learned man accustomed to making decisions according to Rome. The fact that he released a man from prison at Passover showed he had come to understand the minimums for dealing with the Jewish worldview. He must have favored Jesus's worldview in a people: pay your taxes, obey your appointed leaders, live a life of service. Nothing wrong with that in a subject nation.

The Jews understood their problem clearly. Jesus was undermining the power of the Law by declaring that he was fulfilling it. Who needs the Temple when you can go directly to the source?

Finally, Jesus was well aware that the end of the matter had to be his death. It was part of the plan and within the wisdom of God. It was a big deal, this flesh sacrifice. But Jesus had agreed to it should Adam or Eve falter in the Garden of Eden.

The next entry in this series will look at some of the rationale for the death of Jesus. Why death in God's economy? How does that fulfill the Old Testament Law?

For now, its important to know that the reality was Jesus was introducing a new worldview. It opposed Rome and Jewish Law. Someone was going to die while Jesus was the odd man out. This rational conclusion by the power players was forecast in Scripture, played out in public, and consummated on a nearby hill. The teachings of Jesus weren't important at that moment, Equilibrium was. The crucifixion was meant to solve a problem for both Rome and the Jews. Instead, it created a  whole new one for the entire world: choose you this day whom you will serve: the State, the Religion, or Jesus.

Sorry boys, Jesus won that battle. That was in your writings too.

before

You know that limp Jacob had? I gave it to him.

Elijah saw my backside.

Abraham argued with me. A lot.

Sarai laughed at my words. 

Adam and Eve thought leaves could hide their deeds from my sight.

"Before Abraham was, I am." Jesus declared.

The fact that Jesus existed before he took on human flesh is a confounding truth of Christianity. Flesh is begotten, lives a brief time and dies to return to elementals. The soul or spirit was an unknown quantity to the Jews. Think of an unknowing ghost, a wisp of the past for an idea of their conception. Only God had an active spirit life that was before and after a human's span.

For one man from Galilee to claim pre-existance in a true active form was way out of the understanding of the ruling, teaching elites. Even the very phrase 'I Am' was revealed as the one true name of God (to Moses). Jesus used it in reference to himself directly in this passage, but also when he described himself: "I am the good shepherd", "I am the living water", "I am the bread of life". 

And so Jesus is claiming the right to speak of the unseen world and how to live fully in that world. His teaching opened a door that noone else dared to believe existed. How could there be a life after death? The concept was far too advanced for the religions and philosophies of man's mind. There is just not frame of reference from man's perspective to conclude there is a heaven and we were made for it. Jesus spent a good deal of time talking about it, giving references to rooms, mansions, praises, thrones, the hosts who had gone before. At the Transfiguration Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah in bodily form, for a brief time. Thinking, relating, planning, sharing are all done in this spirit life. 

This is our goal and hope: that this Fallen life will be redeemed for an Eden life with Jesus in a real place we call Heaven. Why can we hope for this? Because it was the hand of Jesus that squeezed the clay and puffed into it to make the man. It was Jesus who then fashioned clay, added a rib and blew into it to make the woman. It was Jesus who brought the right male sperm and the right female egg together to make you. And Jesus told us that if we believe in him that is our future too. 

before... and after.

y1

Jesus was a great teacher.

How do you respond to that statement? The person making that is often trying to say something nice or inoffensive. But its clearly a limiting statement as well. Jesus was a great teacher. So was Miss Fenton and Dr. Fetters.

Jesus didn't get in trouble for great moral teaching. He got in trouble because commanded the matter of earth and unseen of life as its rightful superior. To the crippled hand he ordered it stretched out and it did. To the uncontrollable demons of the tombs he orders out of the man and into the pigs and they do. John asked of Jesus "Who are you, really?" 

"Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.'" Matthew 11:4-6 

Nothing about teaching in that self description. Nothing at all. 

If you have been reading this blog at all you have perhaps caught a trend in my thinking. The Old Testament is the failed record of man attempting to overcome the effects of the Fall and failing. No self help program has ever overcome the reality of man's fallen nature. Perfect religion, perfect laws, perfect guides, perfect governments, not even the stress of perfect domination could create a man who overcame the damage incurred in the Fall.

There needed to be One who fulfilled all of these to satisfy the dictates of the Law and Covenant. It wasn't coming from man's direction, it had to come from God. 

Not a great teacher, they had plenty of those.

Not a great leader, they had plenty of those.

Not a great religion, they had one of those.

Not a great lawyer, oh dear Jesus not another self absorbed arrogant lawyer....

And certainly not a great political leader, though those were in short supply.

We needed a Savior, one who was clearly in charge of earth and heaven. Jesus is that One. 

So when someone tells you that Jesus was a "great teacher" don't let it sit as the final word defining Him. Let that person know that it was the enemies of Jesus who labeled him that way. The Old Testament and the demons both testify that Jesus is the Son of God, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, fully flesh and fully God, fulfillment of all prophecy, awaited Messiah, final prophet, ultimate priest, legitimate King. Jesus is the answer, the reconciler, the Holy One, Creator, conqueror, dominator, the End.

Do we know that from his teaching? No. We know that from his confrontations with the flesh and the unseen worlds. He always won, never a contest. When Jesus speaks stuff happens. Everytime. Great teachers explain the world to you. Jesus comanded it. 

Jesus was not a great teacher. Jesus is God. Year 1 proved that. Don't let that one slide, dear reader.

born

again.

"I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - Jesus

Every religion has laws, rules and guidelines for righteous behavior. Every religion speaks of the afterlife in one form or another. Jesus introduced the idea that the afterlife could be a part of our everyday life today. But a transformation has to happen, a second time.

The first transformation is flesh. From conception to birth raw materials are converted into baby. Somehow a breath of life enters that organized material and the baby is a person. A person with Adam and Eve's flesh, fallen. Rules may temper the flesh as the Old Testament shows. But rules do not temper the soul.

The interaction with Nicodemus in John 3 is remarkable for many reasons.

• Nicodemus was among the most knowledgeable teachers in Judaism.
• Nicodemus was a political powerhouse on the Jewish ruling council.
• Nicodemus was seeking wisdom.
• Nicodemus arrived at night.
• Nicodemus listened.

Jesus was blunt with Nicodemus, brushing aside the conventional chit chat with this man who wanted answers and insight. "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". There you go, Nicodemus, there is the answer to your unspoken question. Now lets manage the fallout from that answer. 

No one, ever, has directly addressed the issue of the spirit. Indirectly, the Old Testament reveals God's love for the person who's heart is turned towards Him. The spirit of man is little more than a left over wisp of a man's life. Jesus instead illuminates that the focus of God is not so much the fleshly redemption in resurrection but the spirit's redemption of being born again. God has "given up" on the flesh, it is cursed until death, but not on the spirit of a person.

The Holy Spirit was a concept in the Old Testament and it is unclear if the references refer to the person of the Trinity or some godlike power working in the person. There are many hints about the Spirit, but not a definitive examination. Jesus is opening the window to the heavenlies here with a broadside truth. The Holy Spirit must do a work to transform the person's spirit: "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

Lets not rush too quickly to the crucifixion of Jesus which is professed next in the narrative. Instead take a moment to dwell on the incredible gift of the Spirit to all who confess Jesus as Savior! The comparison to being born of flesh is enlightening:

• from confinement to physical freedom - we are set free in our spirit to enjoy God's life
• from dependence on another to independence - we are given the opportunity to grow, change, think, pray, communicate, and create
• from weakness and disorganization to singularity - we experience the world in the new order
• from isolation to exposure - we identify with all the pains and joys of the world around us

If you have the time, add to the list. 

Born again. If you have confessed Christ the Holy Spirit has changed your spirit and taken up dwelling with you. What are you going to do now?

law

Joseph was not a zealot. Not a priest or prophet or saint. 

Joseph was a righteous man, a man of the Law. (Matthew 1:19)

If we stop right here for a moment we can gain an enormous God-view of the Jewish people and how the five hundred years prior to the birth of Jesus had changed them. We often ask what was God doing during that time. We have the rich history of the era but it isn't in our Scripture. Instead, we have centuries passing until we find a righteous man and woman caught in an ethical bind. 

God watched as his Law and past history wove to create his people Israel. It took five hundred years for enough people to learn to live by his principles that they became normal life, and it was good. The Law was stable, satisfying, and not too much of a burden. 

The Law had been tempered slightly by human grace, as Joseph had the option to divorce Mary quietly. But the Law had fulfilled its duty: provide for an aware people who would listen to the Messiah, especially if he was perfect in his obedience of the Law.

Joseph, the carpenter, was a righteous man. He was God's goal for a person living in this fallen world. Joseph was at peace with his world, his work, his God and his life. Joseph had shalom. 

Men today can take great solace in Joseph's example of steady faith in the revealed truth. He is a model for the average guy who is called to make only one or two decisions in his life that are out of the norm. Joseph chose Mary over convention and raised Jesus as if he were his own. Joseph disappears from the narrative after Jesus reaches age 12 having fulfilled his duty to raise Jesus in the Law until his confirmation in the faith at age 13. We remember Joseph as a righteous man with an important role with Jesus: Protect this child, teach this child, love this child, nurture this child in the Law. He did his best and it was credited to him as good.

Joseph shows us that God watched as His plan unfolded for the Law: to create a people used to living in the path of righteousness ready to hear the words of the Savior. Joseph shows us that you don't have to be perfect to be Perfect in the eyes of God. Just faithful.

Oh, by the way, Joseph had shalom in Egypt too. 

tab

I'm reading through "The Story: The Bible As One Continuing Story of God And His People". It is mostly Scripture with a few narrative passages to bridge the gaps. The final chapter for the Old Testament is entitled "Rebuilding the Walls". It is the account of Nehemiah's leadership restoring the defensive wall around Jerusalem, Ezra's restoration of the Law and finally Malachi's prophecy.

Nehemiah 8 is a record of a response to the reading of the Law, where the priests and Ezra discover a festival that had never been celebrated by the Jews: the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). The rules for this feast were simple:

1. Make a temporary shelter and live in it.
2. Show up for daily reading of the Law of Moses.
3. Eat sparsely until the feast at the end.
4. Repeat.

The purpose was to remember and relive the Wilderness Wanderings and the giving of the Law. But let's face it: this is a major bore-fest. That's probably why it was never celebrated. There are so many other uses for that time than sitting around listening to old bearded guys prattle on about fun-killing rules and then walk off and sleep in a pile of rotting branches. Lets just do the party, OK?

That attitude is exactly why the Jews were about to enter their Dark Ages. Someone else took care of the Temple, someone else was defending the city, someone else was managing the God thing, someone else was in charge over in some other land. When someone else is managing the store then no one is responsible for their actions or life. 

I was discipled in an environment where the primary gathering place during large meetings was called the Tabernacle, or Tab. It was a sturdy building but clearly not meant as a palace or Temple. A few telephone poles, 2x12's, and a roof. There were screens in the large holes along the walls to keep the bugs out, but the doors were often propped open to let a little air flow through. Shellac and plywood. Benches. Yes, sawdust on the floors, in remembrance of the good old days. 

It was replaced with a thoroughly modern conference center with mega-donations and all the amenities. I've seen it happen at other campgrounds too. It's sad. Because often the externals are good to great but the soul is gone. The balance sheet is the judge of the leadership and the programming better be superior. 

That's what is going on in this chapter, and what has happened to American Christianity. The idea of the wandering traveler on this earth, ready to do and accept life as it comes has been lost. We are so tied to our buildings or organizations that very few "pick up their cross" and "follow me". We, me included, are loathe to leave our comfortable home for anything less than what we enjoy every night. And to spend every waking hour listening to the Law being read? For a week? This attitude is the stain of the Jews at the end of God's attempt at building a people who would take Him seriously. There would be those who continued with the traditions, the guys with the curly sideburns and black vestments perhaps. And for those few and the promises He made God settled in to let history do it's job till He moved with the second great stanza of faith history.

The Jews transferred personal responsibility to "someone else". Someone else then called the shots and told the Jews how life could be lived. Not God. Someone else. Guess who would love to fill that slot?

Let's go to the Tab, and hear that Old Word again, friend.

choice

I had an "aha" moment today (thank you Dr. Fetters).

Queen Esther, whose rise to the throne was God ordained and Uncle Mordecai inspired, spoke for her Jewish people and saved the nation from utter ruin. During her impassioned speech to the King she makes a contrast that was a pure surprise:

"if we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king."

Merely been sold as slaves? Merely? If one is looking for a pro-life statement in the Scripture this is it. Life in slavery versus being killed is far preferable. That contrast is flip-flopped today. Lots of cultural issues are flip-flopped today.

And that is my "aha" moment: Esther sees faith possible in life in slavery. The Jews have done the slavery thing and come through with God's help. But death is final and without hope. 

Is this an earth shattering statement? To our modern ears, yes. We can hardly conceive of a decree anihilating a people in our midst done by their neighbors with the State sanction: cries of "Third Reich" or tribal warfare would arise instead. Today this still happens, however. The Islamist Boko Haram, ISIS, Al Qaeda and others seek to "cleanse" their land of the Jew and Christian. Two days ago video evidence of ISIS beheading 21 Egyptian Christians was broadcast. Christians in Iraq have been surrounded and executed. Slavery? We can manage that. Death? Time to fight back.

Is this harsh? Yes. Is it real? Yes. Will it come? That depends on which God you believe in. The God of the Word or the god of the age. One has the power to deliver from evil, the other has the power of evil. 

God grant that I do not have to make the Esther choice: slavery or death, and hear my prayer for my fellow believers in the world who currently do not have a choice. Rise up for them an Esther. Amen.