According to Bernie Krause, a man who records nature sounds for tv and film, in 1968 it took 15 hours of recording time to get one hour of natural sound with no interruptions such as planes or cars. Today to get the same hour of uninterrupted natural sound it takes him 2000 hours of recording time. Wow! I remember when I was younger and the power would go out. The house was so silent. The little background noises that you tuned out like the refrigerator and the furnace weren't even there. There was no humming or buzzing of any electronics. The silence was almost deafening. This last year when the power went out I was kind of excited to light candles and play board games and enjoy the silence till I realized that we still had phones, lap tops and Ipads with battery life. The noise could continue.
What kind of noise is in your life? Think about the visual "noise" as well. Are you the type of person that has to have the tv on at all times? Do you constantly have earphones in with music playing? Are you ever just quiet? Why do we fill every waking moment and space of our lives with noise? Why is the silence so hard to handle?
Are you ever alone or do you always need someone around you? Do you truly listen for God's direction for your problems or do you spend more time talking to others and worrying about it?
Do you ever wish that God would speak up? Is it possible that all of the noise in our lives makes it harder to hear God's voice? Matthew 11:28 says," Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." If I am not still and I do not listen, how is Jesus going to give me rest? I don't know about you, but it seems that even in my times of "rest" I subject myself to hours of tv and other noise and I don't end up feeling refreshed. Think of a time in your life where you felt that you could really hear God. I think for most they would point to a camp or retreat where they were away from all of the normal "noise" of life and out in the wilderness just enjoying God. It seems like it's so easy to hear Him in places like that. Then we come home, go back to our routines and chaos and wonder why God seems so far away.
Ps 4:4 says, "Search your hearts and be silent." When was the last time you spent in silence? Why do we avoid silence? Are we afraid of what we might hear? Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. These were regular disciplines Jesus had. Silence. Solitude.
What are some things you could change in your daily life to eliminate some of the noise? I know that I somehow feel guilty or unproductive if there is silence or stillness. I cheat myself out of quality time with God and good rest. Every moment is so full of noise and stimulus that I have trouble focusing on any one thing. For me, I need to schedule quiet time and give myself permission to indulge in it. I need to recognize that it has a purpose and is healthy. Why do you think that taking a vow of silence is a common practice in monasteries? Those men have committed their lives to knowing God. Apparently "being still" and "knowing God" go hand in hand. Is it possible that you've been searching for God in the winds, the earthquakes and fires and he's waiting to speak to you in the silence? I challenge you to spend a day, or part of a day being purposeful about silence. Unplug yourself. Close your mouth. Spend time listening and reading and writing and see what God says. Develop the discipline of Silence.
(Resolved discussion using Rob Bell's Nooma video called Noise)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Trials and denials. John 18:15-27
John 18:15-27
There are 2 main events in this section; Peter’s denial and Jesus on trial before Annas. These are happening at the same time, and that’s how John records it. But I want to discuss the trial first and then deal with Peter’s denials together.
Vs 19-24
-Does anyone see a contradiction in this section? There seems to be a contradiction concerning who is the High Priest. This was a position held by one person. So is it Annas or Caiaphas? It’s important that we investigate alleged contradictions in the scriptures since this is a reason more and more are giving for rejecting it’s authority.
At this time the High Priest was the highest office of respect and authority allowed in Israel. This being the case, the Roman governors and procurators decided who would hold this office. Annas was named HP by Quirinius in 7 AD. But the next procurator, Valerius Gratus didn’t like Annas and gave him the boot in 15 AD. Annas was an excellent politician and through diplomacy and probably some shady deals he was able to secure the HP office for all 5 of his sons and his son-in-law. That’s Caiaphas. These guys were just puppets. Annas no longer had the official title but he made all the decisions and he was still commonly called the High Priest. So, there is no contradiction and John knows exactly what he is saying. Caiaphas has the title, but is only a puppet to Annas, whom everyone sees as the actual High Priest. As a side note, his son Annas II had James put to death.
Now, about the actual trial. The people in charge don’t always get it right.
Acting on a tip, the Ontario Provincial Police broke down the door of a house in suburban Toronto. It was the middle of the night. They rushed into the bedrooms with guns drawn, and literally dragged the occupants out of bed. They forced a man, his wife, her aged father, and a couple of children to lay face down on the living room floor for a couple of hours. All of them were dressed or undressed for bed, cold, and scared. The police searched through their house for the criminal they had come to arrest. In fact, the house was ransacked and generally torn apart in the search for evidence. The police never did find anything linking the family to the criminal in question. It turned out the police were at the wrong house.
When the police rather shamefacedly left, the family never got an apology for being wrongfully terrorized. Rather, the police threatened to lay charges against them because a small package of a controlled/illegal substance had been found in their basement.
That’s a case where the authorities got it wrong, but it was on accident. What’s even worse is when the authorities are dead wrong and you find out it was on purpose. It’s disappointing and sickening when you hear a story of the people in charge actually purposefully trying to frame an innocent person. Like this:
In November 1988 a Joseph Burrows was arrested for the murder of an 88-year-old man in Sheldon, Illinois. No physical evidence was found to link Burrows to the killing, but he was convicted on the basis of testimony from two people who said they saw Burrows do the shooting. Burrows was convicted and sentenced to die. He spent more than 6 years on Death Row.
Burrows' defense attorney persuaded the judge to rehear the testimony of the two witnesses. Both of them took back their earlier testimony and said that police and prosecutors pressured them into testifying falsely against Burrows. Eventually, one of the witnesses even admitted to the murder.
-The trial of Jesus is a one of the disturbing cases where the authorities are so corrupt and concerned with maintaining their own power that they throw all decency out the window. According to Jewish law nobody can be arrested without formal charges. Jesus is arrested under no specific charges. According to the Torah, the highest Jewish law, no trial could happen without witnesses. Jesus points this out in sort of a sarcastic cutting way. Jesus points out their lack of witnesses by sarcastically telling them to “ask all your witnesses.” His tone was probably part of why the guard slapped him. I’m not sure why we assume Jesus always spoke as though he were thinking about something really sad, and with an English accent.
The charge Annas was trying to secretly get evidence for was heresy/blasphemy. Think about it. He doesn’t question him about what he did, where he went or any of his actions. He could have questioned Jesus about his relationship with the women who followed him, or taxes, or anything else we would consider more worthy of death than what he was questioned about. He questions him about his disciples and his teachings. The Bible talks about the severity of being a false prophet and that’s what they were trying to manufacture evidence about. Being a false prophet (speaking falsely on behalf of God) was the worst crime to be accused of and was more likely to bring the death penalty than others.
As a side note, thought, what does that say about how Jesus lived that even those who wanted him dead knew they wouldn’t be able to make up any questionable behavior and have it believed?
It’s interesting to me that through this entire process Jesus, knowing the verdict is going to be guilty, continually asks them for evidence. Why would he do this? It wasn’t in hopes that they would realize he was innocent and let him go. So, why?
Peter’s Denial: 15-18, 25-27
-It is most likely and commonly accepted that John is the other disciple. John shows great humility in that when he has the chance to write, “me me me, I was there” he instead writes, “another disciple” or “the disciple Jesus loved”.
This is one of the events so huge that all 4 gospel writers include it in their history. But John leaves out something the other 3 say. The others end this account with Peter going outside and weeping bitterly. The other 3 weren’t there, John was. Even Matthew, who was there for most events he writes, was not at this one. They got their info second hand, probably from Peter, who told the story in a way that emphasized his regret.
What impressed John as he was seeing it first-hand, though, was not Peter’s regret but the severity of Peter’s change. The way John tells his story he really emphasizes how Peter went from being willing to take on a small army by himself to cowering in front of slaves and servants. John probably heard Peter’s first denial and would have been shocked beyond belief.
Why is John so focused on the quick change in Peter? Is he angry or ashamed? Probably. But I think the bigger emotion is fear. Peter is known among the disciples as the bold one, the brave one, the leader. I think what’s so shocking to John about this is the thought, “If Peter can deny Jesus…can I?” To be clear, this is my opinion, but I think it’s worth considering. Regardless of whether or not John is thinking this, we should. We often think “How is it possible that Peter could do this?” when we should be thinking, “Is it possible that I could do this?”
There are 2 main events in this section; Peter’s denial and Jesus on trial before Annas. These are happening at the same time, and that’s how John records it. But I want to discuss the trial first and then deal with Peter’s denials together.
Vs 19-24
-Does anyone see a contradiction in this section? There seems to be a contradiction concerning who is the High Priest. This was a position held by one person. So is it Annas or Caiaphas? It’s important that we investigate alleged contradictions in the scriptures since this is a reason more and more are giving for rejecting it’s authority.
At this time the High Priest was the highest office of respect and authority allowed in Israel. This being the case, the Roman governors and procurators decided who would hold this office. Annas was named HP by Quirinius in 7 AD. But the next procurator, Valerius Gratus didn’t like Annas and gave him the boot in 15 AD. Annas was an excellent politician and through diplomacy and probably some shady deals he was able to secure the HP office for all 5 of his sons and his son-in-law. That’s Caiaphas. These guys were just puppets. Annas no longer had the official title but he made all the decisions and he was still commonly called the High Priest. So, there is no contradiction and John knows exactly what he is saying. Caiaphas has the title, but is only a puppet to Annas, whom everyone sees as the actual High Priest. As a side note, his son Annas II had James put to death.
Now, about the actual trial. The people in charge don’t always get it right.
Acting on a tip, the Ontario Provincial Police broke down the door of a house in suburban Toronto. It was the middle of the night. They rushed into the bedrooms with guns drawn, and literally dragged the occupants out of bed. They forced a man, his wife, her aged father, and a couple of children to lay face down on the living room floor for a couple of hours. All of them were dressed or undressed for bed, cold, and scared. The police searched through their house for the criminal they had come to arrest. In fact, the house was ransacked and generally torn apart in the search for evidence. The police never did find anything linking the family to the criminal in question. It turned out the police were at the wrong house.
When the police rather shamefacedly left, the family never got an apology for being wrongfully terrorized. Rather, the police threatened to lay charges against them because a small package of a controlled/illegal substance had been found in their basement.
That’s a case where the authorities got it wrong, but it was on accident. What’s even worse is when the authorities are dead wrong and you find out it was on purpose. It’s disappointing and sickening when you hear a story of the people in charge actually purposefully trying to frame an innocent person. Like this:
In November 1988 a Joseph Burrows was arrested for the murder of an 88-year-old man in Sheldon, Illinois. No physical evidence was found to link Burrows to the killing, but he was convicted on the basis of testimony from two people who said they saw Burrows do the shooting. Burrows was convicted and sentenced to die. He spent more than 6 years on Death Row.
Burrows' defense attorney persuaded the judge to rehear the testimony of the two witnesses. Both of them took back their earlier testimony and said that police and prosecutors pressured them into testifying falsely against Burrows. Eventually, one of the witnesses even admitted to the murder.
-The trial of Jesus is a one of the disturbing cases where the authorities are so corrupt and concerned with maintaining their own power that they throw all decency out the window. According to Jewish law nobody can be arrested without formal charges. Jesus is arrested under no specific charges. According to the Torah, the highest Jewish law, no trial could happen without witnesses. Jesus points this out in sort of a sarcastic cutting way. Jesus points out their lack of witnesses by sarcastically telling them to “ask all your witnesses.” His tone was probably part of why the guard slapped him. I’m not sure why we assume Jesus always spoke as though he were thinking about something really sad, and with an English accent.
The charge Annas was trying to secretly get evidence for was heresy/blasphemy. Think about it. He doesn’t question him about what he did, where he went or any of his actions. He could have questioned Jesus about his relationship with the women who followed him, or taxes, or anything else we would consider more worthy of death than what he was questioned about. He questions him about his disciples and his teachings. The Bible talks about the severity of being a false prophet and that’s what they were trying to manufacture evidence about. Being a false prophet (speaking falsely on behalf of God) was the worst crime to be accused of and was more likely to bring the death penalty than others.
As a side note, thought, what does that say about how Jesus lived that even those who wanted him dead knew they wouldn’t be able to make up any questionable behavior and have it believed?
It’s interesting to me that through this entire process Jesus, knowing the verdict is going to be guilty, continually asks them for evidence. Why would he do this? It wasn’t in hopes that they would realize he was innocent and let him go. So, why?
Peter’s Denial: 15-18, 25-27
-It is most likely and commonly accepted that John is the other disciple. John shows great humility in that when he has the chance to write, “me me me, I was there” he instead writes, “another disciple” or “the disciple Jesus loved”.
This is one of the events so huge that all 4 gospel writers include it in their history. But John leaves out something the other 3 say. The others end this account with Peter going outside and weeping bitterly. The other 3 weren’t there, John was. Even Matthew, who was there for most events he writes, was not at this one. They got their info second hand, probably from Peter, who told the story in a way that emphasized his regret.
What impressed John as he was seeing it first-hand, though, was not Peter’s regret but the severity of Peter’s change. The way John tells his story he really emphasizes how Peter went from being willing to take on a small army by himself to cowering in front of slaves and servants. John probably heard Peter’s first denial and would have been shocked beyond belief.
Why is John so focused on the quick change in Peter? Is he angry or ashamed? Probably. But I think the bigger emotion is fear. Peter is known among the disciples as the bold one, the brave one, the leader. I think what’s so shocking to John about this is the thought, “If Peter can deny Jesus…can I?” To be clear, this is my opinion, but I think it’s worth considering. Regardless of whether or not John is thinking this, we should. We often think “How is it possible that Peter could do this?” when we should be thinking, “Is it possible that I could do this?”
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Peacity Peace Peace
John 14:27-end
Peace
Jesus says he will leave his peace with us. Lets start by defining peace. Peace is more than the absence of war. Biblical peace is more than the lack of turmoil or chaos. That is part of it, but not all of it. The most common word used in the Bible for peace is the Hebrew word Shalom. This word encompasses several ideas that we use several words to convey. Shalom means the expected peace, rest, and calm. But it also means to be well, complete, whole, healthy, restful, safe. It conveys a feeling a familiarity, like when you walk in your house after being away for a long time and you smell your favorite dinner cooking and you think, “Ahhh, this is right.”
That’s Shalom. That’s what Jesus said he would give his followers. Just the fact that Jesus promises to give peace to his followers tells us a few things.
1. Stress, tension, worry, and anxiety (everything that is contrary to peace) have been around for a long time. Peace has never been something that comes natural to people. Even though this is the case it’s undeniable that stress and anxiety, or at least their effects on people, have increased dramatically in recent times. That’s really peculiar because of all the technology we have. There are thousands of gadgets that exist for the sole reason of making your life easier. Cooking takes too long, so we have microwaves. Changing the radio station is too tough, so we have remotes. There’s no way you can wait until you’re around a computer to check your email or Facebook, so it’s on your phone. They have self-cleaning litter boxes, automatic card shufflers, shoes that are mops, electrified fly-swatters, and robot vacuums, all advertised with the promise to make your life easier and stress free. But none of these seem to work. I mean, I’m sure the automatic card shuffler shuffles cards just fine, but they don’t seem to be relieving that much stress. And it’s not just gadgets. We have herbal supplements and sleeping aids and Dr Phil. It seems like all this stuff we’ve filled our lives with to take away our stress have only caused more busyness and stress.
But Jesus wants his people to have peace. From the very beginning it’s clear that peace is good. During creation everything was in chaos, then God brought order to it all. On the mountain Elijah watched as wind, fire, and an earthquake came by. But God wasn’t in those, He was in the whisper. God built rest and peace into His law making it mandatory that people do nothing one day a week. Then Jesus comes along and emphasizes the concept of peace all the more. Peace is not just something God has. Like love, it is part of who He is. It is ingrained in His nature. That’s why God is referred to numerous times in the scriptures as “the God of peace” and the Messiah is called the “Prince of peace.” And, like love, all true peace has its source in God. There is no Shalom apart from God.
2. The second thing we learn from Jesus promising us His peace is that believers are not exempt from the stressful situations in life. Think about it, if putting my faith in Jesus meant everything would perfect from now on, I wouldn’t need His peace. I would already have peace. We need His peace because we are still in a stressful world. In fact, 2 chapters over (16:33) Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous, I have conquered the world.”
Contrary to what some preachers would say, suffering is not always an indicator of weak faith. It may be, but it may also be God’s method of refining and improving us. Or, I think most often, it is simply the reality of living in a broken system. In any case, Jesus said that in the midst of suffering we can have peace in him. Not just calmness, but completeness, rest, wholeness and goodness.
What do you think it means that Jesus doesn’t give in the same way the world does? The world (people and systems away from God) gives with the expectation of getting something back. It only gives for the purpose of what it can get back. Jesus has no selfish motives in loaning us his peace. He simply loves us.
Why is it so important that we have peace? I think there are 3 reasons. First, God wants us to have peace simply because peace is good and He loves us. Secondly, our having peace is proof of His Lordship over us. If we really believe God is all powerful, all knowing, and all good, and we if we believe we are completely His how can we be anxious or stressed about anything? Our level of peace is proportional to our level of trust in Jesus. If we trust Him as Lord, there is nothing to worry about.
The third reason is that our peace attracts others to Jesus. What does it do for others when we say we serve the God of peace who is in complete control of all things, but then we freak out about all the same stuff the world does (i.e. I don’t have enough money. What about this sickness? This politician is going to ruin America. But there’s a war in the Middle East. Why are they so mean to me? Etc.) The world is clearly looking for peace. We claim to have it, yet out lives show that we don’t.
It’s important to God that we have peace because our peace makes Him look good to others. John Piper said in his book Don’t Waste Your Life “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” When “things” are your treasure you have no peace because “things” come and go. When the eternal unchanging God is your treasure there is peace because He is absolutely constant. That’s a beautiful thing for the world to see.
Jesus going away.
Jesus again restates that he is leaving this world but will return. Why do you think he tells the disciples, “If you loved me you would be glad I’m going”? Its basic relationship stuff. Love always wants to the best thing for the other person. Merry is planning a trip to Cairo Egypt in the spring. I hate being away from her. Selfishly, I want her to stay. But I know that she is very excited and that going will make her happy, so I want her to go. The disciples could beg Jesus to say, but that would be selfish. Jesus is going back to the Father, which is in infinitely better than where he is now, so they should be happy for him and want him to go.
Jesus says he won’t speak much more because the prince of this world is coming. That should be understood as Satan in Judas. Jesus literally has only a few more moments before the crowd shows up to arrest him.
Peace
Jesus says he will leave his peace with us. Lets start by defining peace. Peace is more than the absence of war. Biblical peace is more than the lack of turmoil or chaos. That is part of it, but not all of it. The most common word used in the Bible for peace is the Hebrew word Shalom. This word encompasses several ideas that we use several words to convey. Shalom means the expected peace, rest, and calm. But it also means to be well, complete, whole, healthy, restful, safe. It conveys a feeling a familiarity, like when you walk in your house after being away for a long time and you smell your favorite dinner cooking and you think, “Ahhh, this is right.”
That’s Shalom. That’s what Jesus said he would give his followers. Just the fact that Jesus promises to give peace to his followers tells us a few things.
1. Stress, tension, worry, and anxiety (everything that is contrary to peace) have been around for a long time. Peace has never been something that comes natural to people. Even though this is the case it’s undeniable that stress and anxiety, or at least their effects on people, have increased dramatically in recent times. That’s really peculiar because of all the technology we have. There are thousands of gadgets that exist for the sole reason of making your life easier. Cooking takes too long, so we have microwaves. Changing the radio station is too tough, so we have remotes. There’s no way you can wait until you’re around a computer to check your email or Facebook, so it’s on your phone. They have self-cleaning litter boxes, automatic card shufflers, shoes that are mops, electrified fly-swatters, and robot vacuums, all advertised with the promise to make your life easier and stress free. But none of these seem to work. I mean, I’m sure the automatic card shuffler shuffles cards just fine, but they don’t seem to be relieving that much stress. And it’s not just gadgets. We have herbal supplements and sleeping aids and Dr Phil. It seems like all this stuff we’ve filled our lives with to take away our stress have only caused more busyness and stress.
But Jesus wants his people to have peace. From the very beginning it’s clear that peace is good. During creation everything was in chaos, then God brought order to it all. On the mountain Elijah watched as wind, fire, and an earthquake came by. But God wasn’t in those, He was in the whisper. God built rest and peace into His law making it mandatory that people do nothing one day a week. Then Jesus comes along and emphasizes the concept of peace all the more. Peace is not just something God has. Like love, it is part of who He is. It is ingrained in His nature. That’s why God is referred to numerous times in the scriptures as “the God of peace” and the Messiah is called the “Prince of peace.” And, like love, all true peace has its source in God. There is no Shalom apart from God.
2. The second thing we learn from Jesus promising us His peace is that believers are not exempt from the stressful situations in life. Think about it, if putting my faith in Jesus meant everything would perfect from now on, I wouldn’t need His peace. I would already have peace. We need His peace because we are still in a stressful world. In fact, 2 chapters over (16:33) Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous, I have conquered the world.”
Contrary to what some preachers would say, suffering is not always an indicator of weak faith. It may be, but it may also be God’s method of refining and improving us. Or, I think most often, it is simply the reality of living in a broken system. In any case, Jesus said that in the midst of suffering we can have peace in him. Not just calmness, but completeness, rest, wholeness and goodness.
What do you think it means that Jesus doesn’t give in the same way the world does? The world (people and systems away from God) gives with the expectation of getting something back. It only gives for the purpose of what it can get back. Jesus has no selfish motives in loaning us his peace. He simply loves us.
Why is it so important that we have peace? I think there are 3 reasons. First, God wants us to have peace simply because peace is good and He loves us. Secondly, our having peace is proof of His Lordship over us. If we really believe God is all powerful, all knowing, and all good, and we if we believe we are completely His how can we be anxious or stressed about anything? Our level of peace is proportional to our level of trust in Jesus. If we trust Him as Lord, there is nothing to worry about.
The third reason is that our peace attracts others to Jesus. What does it do for others when we say we serve the God of peace who is in complete control of all things, but then we freak out about all the same stuff the world does (i.e. I don’t have enough money. What about this sickness? This politician is going to ruin America. But there’s a war in the Middle East. Why are they so mean to me? Etc.) The world is clearly looking for peace. We claim to have it, yet out lives show that we don’t.
It’s important to God that we have peace because our peace makes Him look good to others. John Piper said in his book Don’t Waste Your Life “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” When “things” are your treasure you have no peace because “things” come and go. When the eternal unchanging God is your treasure there is peace because He is absolutely constant. That’s a beautiful thing for the world to see.
Jesus going away.
Jesus again restates that he is leaving this world but will return. Why do you think he tells the disciples, “If you loved me you would be glad I’m going”? Its basic relationship stuff. Love always wants to the best thing for the other person. Merry is planning a trip to Cairo Egypt in the spring. I hate being away from her. Selfishly, I want her to stay. But I know that she is very excited and that going will make her happy, so I want her to go. The disciples could beg Jesus to say, but that would be selfish. Jesus is going back to the Father, which is in infinitely better than where he is now, so they should be happy for him and want him to go.
Jesus says he won’t speak much more because the prince of this world is coming. That should be understood as Satan in Judas. Jesus literally has only a few more moments before the crowd shows up to arrest him.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Jesus teaches Theology 401
John 14:7-17
Jesus and the Father
-Phillip’s request wasn’t bad in itself. Wanting to know/see the Father is a good desire. The problem was their lack of understanding that the Father was letting Himself be seen in Jesus. Their thinking was “Jesus gives us some idea, but not a complete picture. We want to really see the Father.” Jesus corrects their thinking. They are distinct yet One. To see Jesus is to see the Father, to hear Him is to hear the Father, and to be with Him is to be with the Father.
-Nicene Creed: I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made.
-Jesus seems offended by Phillip’s dullness. Phillip had been with Jesus since the beginning, 3 years now. In fact he was the first normal (not a prophet) person to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (1:45). Why was Jesus so offended by this? Because to Jesus His relationship to the Father IS who He is. It would be like if Merry and I went to dinner and I ordered pizza and a coke and she said “Huh, I didn’t know you liked that.” Seriously? That’s my favorite food! I always order that.
-It was shocking to Jesus that after 3 years Phillip hadn’t become aware of the Father in Jesus.
-We have yet another passage where Jesus is speaking of His deity. For them this would have been either revelation or blasphemy. Why is it important that Jesus is God?
-Jesus offers 2 evidences for His oneness with the Father, His words and His works. What do we have as evidence for our relationship with God?
Praying in Jesus’ Name
- Verse 12 is a difficult scripture for many. How could we accomplish “greater” works than Jesus? What could possibly be greater than healing the blind, making the lame walk, raising the dead, walking on water, miraculously multiplying food?
The problem is our assumption that great = bigger. There are 2 possibilities. The first is that by “greater” Jesus means more in number. He was 1 person who performed miracles for 3 years. His followers in just a few years would number in the thousands and be praying for miraculous answers to prayer for their entire lives.
The other possibility is that Jesus meant greater in significance. The miracles He did were obviously amazing. So amazing that crowds followed Him from town to town to see Him do more. So amazing that He had crowds worshiping Him and ready to make Him the King of Israel. But only a few weeks later those crowds were nowhere to be found. There were only a handful of people standing at the foot of the cross. The miracles He did were Great and Big, but they only had a momentary effect on most people. They didn’t transform people’s entire lives.
However, when the disciples went out in Acts and preached forgiveness through the crucified and resurrected Son of God people’s lives were changed forever. Thousands upon thousands were willing to die instead of reject a savior they had never seen because they didn’t just see a miracle, they had been transformed by the gospel.
-Now about praying in Jesus’ name. Prosperity idiots have hijacked this, and other scriptures, to preach that God must do what we tell Him to. He’s controlled by our faith. This shows a great misunderstanding of the language used here. Doing or saying something “in so and so’s name” was a common thing in ancient times. They didn’t have email or phones so important people sent servants with a message. When it was delivered “in so and so’s name” it was like the important person himself was saying it.
But there’s a catch. This concept is much more than just attaching the phrase “In Jesus name” at the end of a prayer. In this culture a name was much more than a way to tell people apart or reference people. Someone’s name is synonymous with his or her character, desires, thoughts and intentions. So if you were to do something in the name a king that didn’t accurately represent the king’s intentions not only would your demand not be authoritative, but you would get in major trouble. The king could say, “Nope, you acted outside of what I would have done so you had no right to use my name there.” Faith is involved in prayer, but God is completely sovereign and does not HAVE to do anything I say. Thankfully He is a gracious God who CHOOSES to respond to the faith and prayers of His people.
-Verse 15. If you love Jesus you will obey His commands. This isn’t a command in itself so much as a statement of fact. This is a statement of cause and effect. This is a more blunt way of saying what Jesus has said many times in parables (i.e. if a branch is connected to the vine it WILL produce fruit, if not it won’t and will be cut off and thrown away). This is not in any way teaching salvation by works. The love relationship comes first and is based on grace through faith. But, genuine faith WILL produce a visible product: obedience. The fruit may be small at first, but will grow over time.
The Holy Spirit
-Jesus will ask the Father and He will send the Holy Spirit (paraclete: companion, one who walks beside); the Spirit of Truth. There are at least 4 practical purposes listed in scripture for the Spirit being sent to the world: Empowerment, comfort, guiding to truth, and convicting of sin.
For the believer the Spirit guides us to truth in all areas. We seek direction in various areas and God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. However, the most important truth the Spirit leads people to is Jesus. Only a few sentences ago Jesus declared “I Am the truth”. The Spirit’s main objective is the draw people to Jesus and reveal the truth about His nature, teachings, and work on the cross.
Jesus and the Father
-Phillip’s request wasn’t bad in itself. Wanting to know/see the Father is a good desire. The problem was their lack of understanding that the Father was letting Himself be seen in Jesus. Their thinking was “Jesus gives us some idea, but not a complete picture. We want to really see the Father.” Jesus corrects their thinking. They are distinct yet One. To see Jesus is to see the Father, to hear Him is to hear the Father, and to be with Him is to be with the Father.
-Nicene Creed: I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made.
-Jesus seems offended by Phillip’s dullness. Phillip had been with Jesus since the beginning, 3 years now. In fact he was the first normal (not a prophet) person to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (1:45). Why was Jesus so offended by this? Because to Jesus His relationship to the Father IS who He is. It would be like if Merry and I went to dinner and I ordered pizza and a coke and she said “Huh, I didn’t know you liked that.” Seriously? That’s my favorite food! I always order that.
-It was shocking to Jesus that after 3 years Phillip hadn’t become aware of the Father in Jesus.
-We have yet another passage where Jesus is speaking of His deity. For them this would have been either revelation or blasphemy. Why is it important that Jesus is God?
-Jesus offers 2 evidences for His oneness with the Father, His words and His works. What do we have as evidence for our relationship with God?
Praying in Jesus’ Name
- Verse 12 is a difficult scripture for many. How could we accomplish “greater” works than Jesus? What could possibly be greater than healing the blind, making the lame walk, raising the dead, walking on water, miraculously multiplying food?
The problem is our assumption that great = bigger. There are 2 possibilities. The first is that by “greater” Jesus means more in number. He was 1 person who performed miracles for 3 years. His followers in just a few years would number in the thousands and be praying for miraculous answers to prayer for their entire lives.
The other possibility is that Jesus meant greater in significance. The miracles He did were obviously amazing. So amazing that crowds followed Him from town to town to see Him do more. So amazing that He had crowds worshiping Him and ready to make Him the King of Israel. But only a few weeks later those crowds were nowhere to be found. There were only a handful of people standing at the foot of the cross. The miracles He did were Great and Big, but they only had a momentary effect on most people. They didn’t transform people’s entire lives.
However, when the disciples went out in Acts and preached forgiveness through the crucified and resurrected Son of God people’s lives were changed forever. Thousands upon thousands were willing to die instead of reject a savior they had never seen because they didn’t just see a miracle, they had been transformed by the gospel.
-Now about praying in Jesus’ name. Prosperity idiots have hijacked this, and other scriptures, to preach that God must do what we tell Him to. He’s controlled by our faith. This shows a great misunderstanding of the language used here. Doing or saying something “in so and so’s name” was a common thing in ancient times. They didn’t have email or phones so important people sent servants with a message. When it was delivered “in so and so’s name” it was like the important person himself was saying it.
But there’s a catch. This concept is much more than just attaching the phrase “In Jesus name” at the end of a prayer. In this culture a name was much more than a way to tell people apart or reference people. Someone’s name is synonymous with his or her character, desires, thoughts and intentions. So if you were to do something in the name a king that didn’t accurately represent the king’s intentions not only would your demand not be authoritative, but you would get in major trouble. The king could say, “Nope, you acted outside of what I would have done so you had no right to use my name there.” Faith is involved in prayer, but God is completely sovereign and does not HAVE to do anything I say. Thankfully He is a gracious God who CHOOSES to respond to the faith and prayers of His people.
-Verse 15. If you love Jesus you will obey His commands. This isn’t a command in itself so much as a statement of fact. This is a statement of cause and effect. This is a more blunt way of saying what Jesus has said many times in parables (i.e. if a branch is connected to the vine it WILL produce fruit, if not it won’t and will be cut off and thrown away). This is not in any way teaching salvation by works. The love relationship comes first and is based on grace through faith. But, genuine faith WILL produce a visible product: obedience. The fruit may be small at first, but will grow over time.
The Holy Spirit
-Jesus will ask the Father and He will send the Holy Spirit (paraclete: companion, one who walks beside); the Spirit of Truth. There are at least 4 practical purposes listed in scripture for the Spirit being sent to the world: Empowerment, comfort, guiding to truth, and convicting of sin.
For the believer the Spirit guides us to truth in all areas. We seek direction in various areas and God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. However, the most important truth the Spirit leads people to is Jesus. Only a few sentences ago Jesus declared “I Am the truth”. The Spirit’s main objective is the draw people to Jesus and reveal the truth about His nature, teachings, and work on the cross.
A good ole' foot warshen.
John 13:1-15
-I think it’s great that John points out Jesus wasn’t just a public figure, He had friends, there were people who were closer to Him than others. This reemphasizes to me that it really isn’t just about a religious movement or acceptance of propositions, it’s about relationship. Jesus modeled this. And leading up to His death He wants to spend time with those closest to Him. He is comforted by being around close friends.
-V 1. John’s words are very personal. He was one of the 12 there that night. You can almost hear him being lost in memory as he writes this. He points out the amazing fact that Jesus, knowing he was hours away from suffering beyond imagination, still focused on loving His disciples. He didn’t become self focused even when death was around the corner.
-This passage is obviously focused on Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Why would He do this? I see 3 reasons.
1. Because He loved His disciples. Real and genuine love is this odd thing that causes you to do un-enjoyable things for the people you love. When Merry is sick I try to take care of as much as possible, even making her nasty shakes, because I love her. While I don’t want her to be sick I get a weird sense of pleasure out of taking care of her. Jesus sees the filth on their feet and knows they need to be washed before this meal. So He does it.
2. To symbolize the spiritual washing He is going to provide. Peter doesn’t see the significance of it and protests (vs 6-10). Peter sees this act as beneath Jesus because he is aware of how nasty his feet are, but Peter doesn’t understand how repulsive his sin is to God. Jesus picks this as an analogy for daily forgiveness because of how disgusting it is and how gross our sin is before God. For Jesus to take our sin upon Himself is more severe than washing a foot.
In vs 10 Jesus makes a distinction between salvation and daily cleansing. Jesus is using this occasion to teach some really big theology. So big that, as he tells Peter, “you don’t understand yet what I’m doing.” The disciples had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, they had put their faith in Him as God’s Son. So Jesus tells them, “You don’t need a whole bath, just your feet.”
What Jesus is teaching is this: When you put your faith in Jesus you are cleansed from everything, you are made completely new and you are a new creation. The one who puts faith in Jesus is bathed. This bathing is total and has lasting results. You don’t have to “get saved” every time you find you’ve stumbled or messed up. You are bathed, your name is still in the book. But, you did get a little poo on your feet from walking in this world. So you don’t need Jesus to save you again, you just need Him to wash your feet.
People tend to go off in the extremes in this. Some teach that if you are saved then you should be completely sanctified and if you sin you instantly lose your salvation. Others teach that sin is a non-issue and we don’t need to concern ourselves with praying for forgiveness in the little stuff. As usually the truth is in the middle somewhere.
3. To give an example of greatness. Several times throughout the gospels Jesus overhears the disciples arguing about which of them is the greatest and he always tells them the greatest among you must be a servant. He always tells them the way to true greatness is not to strive for greatness but to strive for humility and servant-hood. And here he shows them what that looks like.
Imagine being there. Put yourself in their shoes. Here is Jesus, He has turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, healed thousands of people, cast out demons, walked on water, and brought dead people back to life. He’s captivated the masses with this new message about forgiveness and love. Over the last 3 years you have become convinced that this is the Son of God. And now He takes off his shirt, squats down, and starts washing the goat crap off of your feet with his bear hands.
This is the most amazing picture of humility and putting others before yourself they have ever seen and other the cross it is the most dynamic one in all the Bible. God is washing their feet. Jesus says explicitly that this is an example, which means we are expected to follow the example. This is one of the things that really marks the life of a true disciple. Do you serve others? Are you willing to serve others to the point that it really puts you out or makes you uncomfortable?
Here’s the last thought: Judas was in the group that night. What does that mean as an example of how we should treat those who would mistreat us?
-I think it’s great that John points out Jesus wasn’t just a public figure, He had friends, there were people who were closer to Him than others. This reemphasizes to me that it really isn’t just about a religious movement or acceptance of propositions, it’s about relationship. Jesus modeled this. And leading up to His death He wants to spend time with those closest to Him. He is comforted by being around close friends.
-V 1. John’s words are very personal. He was one of the 12 there that night. You can almost hear him being lost in memory as he writes this. He points out the amazing fact that Jesus, knowing he was hours away from suffering beyond imagination, still focused on loving His disciples. He didn’t become self focused even when death was around the corner.
-This passage is obviously focused on Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Why would He do this? I see 3 reasons.
1. Because He loved His disciples. Real and genuine love is this odd thing that causes you to do un-enjoyable things for the people you love. When Merry is sick I try to take care of as much as possible, even making her nasty shakes, because I love her. While I don’t want her to be sick I get a weird sense of pleasure out of taking care of her. Jesus sees the filth on their feet and knows they need to be washed before this meal. So He does it.
2. To symbolize the spiritual washing He is going to provide. Peter doesn’t see the significance of it and protests (vs 6-10). Peter sees this act as beneath Jesus because he is aware of how nasty his feet are, but Peter doesn’t understand how repulsive his sin is to God. Jesus picks this as an analogy for daily forgiveness because of how disgusting it is and how gross our sin is before God. For Jesus to take our sin upon Himself is more severe than washing a foot.
In vs 10 Jesus makes a distinction between salvation and daily cleansing. Jesus is using this occasion to teach some really big theology. So big that, as he tells Peter, “you don’t understand yet what I’m doing.” The disciples had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, they had put their faith in Him as God’s Son. So Jesus tells them, “You don’t need a whole bath, just your feet.”
What Jesus is teaching is this: When you put your faith in Jesus you are cleansed from everything, you are made completely new and you are a new creation. The one who puts faith in Jesus is bathed. This bathing is total and has lasting results. You don’t have to “get saved” every time you find you’ve stumbled or messed up. You are bathed, your name is still in the book. But, you did get a little poo on your feet from walking in this world. So you don’t need Jesus to save you again, you just need Him to wash your feet.
People tend to go off in the extremes in this. Some teach that if you are saved then you should be completely sanctified and if you sin you instantly lose your salvation. Others teach that sin is a non-issue and we don’t need to concern ourselves with praying for forgiveness in the little stuff. As usually the truth is in the middle somewhere.
3. To give an example of greatness. Several times throughout the gospels Jesus overhears the disciples arguing about which of them is the greatest and he always tells them the greatest among you must be a servant. He always tells them the way to true greatness is not to strive for greatness but to strive for humility and servant-hood. And here he shows them what that looks like.
Imagine being there. Put yourself in their shoes. Here is Jesus, He has turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, healed thousands of people, cast out demons, walked on water, and brought dead people back to life. He’s captivated the masses with this new message about forgiveness and love. Over the last 3 years you have become convinced that this is the Son of God. And now He takes off his shirt, squats down, and starts washing the goat crap off of your feet with his bear hands.
This is the most amazing picture of humility and putting others before yourself they have ever seen and other the cross it is the most dynamic one in all the Bible. God is washing their feet. Jesus says explicitly that this is an example, which means we are expected to follow the example. This is one of the things that really marks the life of a true disciple. Do you serve others? Are you willing to serve others to the point that it really puts you out or makes you uncomfortable?
Here’s the last thought: Judas was in the group that night. What does that mean as an example of how we should treat those who would mistreat us?
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Summer Break
I hope all the Resolvederines have a great summer break. I'll be seeing some of you around this summer. I'll see the rest of you (except for a few graduates) back this fall. Stay safe.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Skepty McSkeptertons
John 9 Skepty McSkeptertons.
Jesus is often at war with scribes and Pharisees. Jesus sets up situations with them that will spark moral, ethical and didactic wars. We see this here. The war Jesus is fighting here is legalism. The battlefield is the Sabbath.
Legalists like to add their own rules to God’s word. They say, or at least imply that God’s word isn’t sufficient as it is. It doesn’t tell us enough, it isn’t complete, it needs help. For them, rules are everything; to the point that they say, “Even if my heart is cold and lifeless I’m good because I’ve kept the rules.” The thing is their rules aren’t just for them. They think everyone has to follow their rules too, or they are sinning. Legalists say, “Obey me, not God”.
Legalists take good and beautiful spiritual things and make them burdensome and deadly. The issue here is Sabbath. Simple, God said take a day off from work. It’s just simple and good, like fudgerounds. You don’t need rules to enjoy them. Saying “eat a fudgeround” is plenty. But the Jews came along and added rules to eating fudgerounds and in doing so they made the fudgerounds not enjoyable. So let’s look at the encounter.
Vs 8-12 The change in this guy was so great that his neighbors questioned if this was the same man. I know this is easier to understand thinking about a lame dude walking for the first time, or a blind man seeing for the first time, but the question remains; is there anything so different about your life that people around you would notice? Is the difference Jesus makes in your life enough to make you seem like a different person?
The progression here is amazing: Are you the same person? What happened to you? Well, where is this Jesus, I want meet him too. I’m all for Christians being normal in one sense. I hate the cheesy bubble we’ve created to exist in. But the fact remains, if people never notice anything different about us something is wrong.
Vs 13-16 They bring the man to the Pharisees. Some suggest this was good intentions, trying to show the religious scholars that this man Jesus truly is a prophet from God. It clearly doesn’t work. The Pharisees don’t see this healing as a good thing because it happened on the Sabbath. Jesus seems to do things from time to time just for the sake of annoying the religious leaders.
He often healed on the Sabbath. When doing so, He often incorporated some odd thing in the healing which He knew would get to them. When He healed the lame man He didn’t just heal him, He said “carry you mat.” In this case He heals the man by making mud or clay. Working clay was prohibited by the 39 categories of work in Rabbinic Judaism. Why would Jesus do this? Most likely to show owner ship of the day. The Pharisees had basically claimed authority and taken ownership of all things religious; Sabbath was an obvious one Jesus could make a point of. Jesus would not yield ownership of the things of God to anyone, especially those who love traditions more than they love God.
We see here how petty we can be about things we see as religious. They should have been in wonder and amazement and congratulated the man. Instead they harp on things that are so meaningless. Things haven’t changed much. “You have to use KJV! You have to dress like this! Old time religion! Worship has to look like this!” I’ve even heard a preacher preach on the wickedness of men having long hair. Do these things really matter?
Some of them wanted to believe, but it’s so hard to get past traditions and expectation. So, they were divided.
Vs 24-34 They ask the parents to explain what happened. They tell the Pharisees to ask their son since he is old enough to respond for himself. So they call him back a second time. They try to pressure him into saying Jesus is bad by starting their question with “Give glory to God.” In other words, “We are the pro’s here. We know this Jesus guy is wrong. It would please God for you to agree with us. You want to please God….right?”
The man’s answer is amazing. He basically says, “Look, I’m new. I don’t know all the doctrines. I don’t know much about this Jesus guy. But here is what Jesus did for me.” We could take such a lesson from this. I’ve heard so many people say they want to share Jesus with their friends and people around them only to fall back on the cop-out “But I don’t know that much about the Bible. What if they ask me something I don’t know?” You don’t have to have all the answers. You never will have all the answers. It’s good to want to learn them, but if you wait until you have them you will never talk about Jesus with anyone.
After they tell him to recount the event again he gets smart with them. This sets them off and they start throwing insults at the guy. They claim superiority by the fact that they follow Moses (which in fact they didn’t, they followed their own laws which they added to Moses). So far they’ve tried everything to intimidate this guy into saying Jesus is a sinner. They’ve tried appealing to their traditions, they’ve tried intimidating his family, they’ve tried fear of being against God, and now they insult him. When none of this works they call him names and throw him out. “I’m very professional. You’re fired.”
Vs 35-41 Jesus didn’t correct the man for worshiping Him. This is a passive claim to deity. Any Jewish dude who did think he was God would have screamed “BLASPHEMY!” and stopped the false worship immediately. The fact that Jesus allows the man to worship Him shows Jesus thought Himself to be of the same essence as God.
Jesus is often at war with scribes and Pharisees. Jesus sets up situations with them that will spark moral, ethical and didactic wars. We see this here. The war Jesus is fighting here is legalism. The battlefield is the Sabbath.
Legalists like to add their own rules to God’s word. They say, or at least imply that God’s word isn’t sufficient as it is. It doesn’t tell us enough, it isn’t complete, it needs help. For them, rules are everything; to the point that they say, “Even if my heart is cold and lifeless I’m good because I’ve kept the rules.” The thing is their rules aren’t just for them. They think everyone has to follow their rules too, or they are sinning. Legalists say, “Obey me, not God”.
Legalists take good and beautiful spiritual things and make them burdensome and deadly. The issue here is Sabbath. Simple, God said take a day off from work. It’s just simple and good, like fudgerounds. You don’t need rules to enjoy them. Saying “eat a fudgeround” is plenty. But the Jews came along and added rules to eating fudgerounds and in doing so they made the fudgerounds not enjoyable. So let’s look at the encounter.
Vs 8-12 The change in this guy was so great that his neighbors questioned if this was the same man. I know this is easier to understand thinking about a lame dude walking for the first time, or a blind man seeing for the first time, but the question remains; is there anything so different about your life that people around you would notice? Is the difference Jesus makes in your life enough to make you seem like a different person?
The progression here is amazing: Are you the same person? What happened to you? Well, where is this Jesus, I want meet him too. I’m all for Christians being normal in one sense. I hate the cheesy bubble we’ve created to exist in. But the fact remains, if people never notice anything different about us something is wrong.
Vs 13-16 They bring the man to the Pharisees. Some suggest this was good intentions, trying to show the religious scholars that this man Jesus truly is a prophet from God. It clearly doesn’t work. The Pharisees don’t see this healing as a good thing because it happened on the Sabbath. Jesus seems to do things from time to time just for the sake of annoying the religious leaders.
He often healed on the Sabbath. When doing so, He often incorporated some odd thing in the healing which He knew would get to them. When He healed the lame man He didn’t just heal him, He said “carry you mat.” In this case He heals the man by making mud or clay. Working clay was prohibited by the 39 categories of work in Rabbinic Judaism. Why would Jesus do this? Most likely to show owner ship of the day. The Pharisees had basically claimed authority and taken ownership of all things religious; Sabbath was an obvious one Jesus could make a point of. Jesus would not yield ownership of the things of God to anyone, especially those who love traditions more than they love God.
We see here how petty we can be about things we see as religious. They should have been in wonder and amazement and congratulated the man. Instead they harp on things that are so meaningless. Things haven’t changed much. “You have to use KJV! You have to dress like this! Old time religion! Worship has to look like this!” I’ve even heard a preacher preach on the wickedness of men having long hair. Do these things really matter?
Some of them wanted to believe, but it’s so hard to get past traditions and expectation. So, they were divided.
Vs 24-34 They ask the parents to explain what happened. They tell the Pharisees to ask their son since he is old enough to respond for himself. So they call him back a second time. They try to pressure him into saying Jesus is bad by starting their question with “Give glory to God.” In other words, “We are the pro’s here. We know this Jesus guy is wrong. It would please God for you to agree with us. You want to please God….right?”
The man’s answer is amazing. He basically says, “Look, I’m new. I don’t know all the doctrines. I don’t know much about this Jesus guy. But here is what Jesus did for me.” We could take such a lesson from this. I’ve heard so many people say they want to share Jesus with their friends and people around them only to fall back on the cop-out “But I don’t know that much about the Bible. What if they ask me something I don’t know?” You don’t have to have all the answers. You never will have all the answers. It’s good to want to learn them, but if you wait until you have them you will never talk about Jesus with anyone.
After they tell him to recount the event again he gets smart with them. This sets them off and they start throwing insults at the guy. They claim superiority by the fact that they follow Moses (which in fact they didn’t, they followed their own laws which they added to Moses). So far they’ve tried everything to intimidate this guy into saying Jesus is a sinner. They’ve tried appealing to their traditions, they’ve tried intimidating his family, they’ve tried fear of being against God, and now they insult him. When none of this works they call him names and throw him out. “I’m very professional. You’re fired.”
Vs 35-41 Jesus didn’t correct the man for worshiping Him. This is a passive claim to deity. Any Jewish dude who did think he was God would have screamed “BLASPHEMY!” and stopped the false worship immediately. The fact that Jesus allows the man to worship Him shows Jesus thought Himself to be of the same essence as God.
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