Hebrews 11:32-12:3
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect
.
Hebrews 12:1-3
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
There are many times in life when we face situations that seem very troublesome. At all times, but particularly in times of trial, we should focus on the good, the noble, the pure, the lovely and the right (Philippians 4:8). So, maybe it’s just about time to focus on joy. Particularly in light of James 1:2 which reads, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers [and sisters], whenever you face trials of many kinds”. Joy and associated words such as rejoice and overjoyed occur some 431 times in the NIV translation. So, I think God just might have something he wants us to hear about joy.
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 10th Edition defines joy as: “The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; delight, the expression or exhibition of such emotion; a state of happiness or felicity; bliss, a source or cause of delight.” That’s good stuff.
The biblical words for joy imply an outward expression of intense joy. The New Bible Dictionary (Eerdmans1962) describes joy in this way. Both in the Old and New Testaments joy is consistently the mark both individually of the believer and corporately of the church. Is it a quality, and not simply an emotion, grounded upon God himself and indeed derived from him, which characterizes the Christian’s life on earth, and also anticipates eschatologically the joy of being with Christ forever in the kingdom of heaven…Christian joy may paradoxically be the outcome of suffering and even sorrow for Christ’s sake since it is produced by the Lord and not by ourselves. Joy is in fact, finally, a gift of the Holy Spirit, and is therefore something dynamic and not static… but since it is a gift which may be interrupted by sin, every believer is called upon to share in the joy of Christ by a daily walk with him and a daily practice of rejoicing in the knowledge of him and his salvation.”
So, let’s practice some rejoicing by looking into the Scriptures. Among the many passages on joy in the Bible, here are just a few to explore. Listen with your hearts to these:
Psalm 94:19
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
Isaiah 12:3
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
One of the most profound passages on joy in the Old Testament comes from Isaiah 35:1-10. The great prophet had been forecasting trouble for his nation and many other nations for quite some time. Not only had his own nation been disobedient to God’s good commands, but the surrounding nations were ignoring him and remained closed to the goodness that they could experience through covenant relationship with God as well. God had been forecasting some harsh judgment against these people through Isaiah. But then he broke in and offered a vision for how things could be.
Isaiah 35:1-10
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it. [a]
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
I can barely imagine receiving a vision of such joy in the midst of trouble. Isn’t that true for many of us? When the troubles are daunting our vision narrows, we become so focused on the very next problem that we cannot see much further than our own noses. I suppose that is why God sends prophets and prophetic words into our midst. These words are meant to shake us out of despair, snap fingers in front of our faces, send lightning bolts of truth across our darkened skies, lift us up from the ground and make us see what is possible and probable.
So in the case of the Ancient Israelites it was possible and probable—if they re-learned to love, trust and obey God—that all of nature could be seen rejoicing, that strength could surge again through their limbs, that fear did not have to be their driving force, that water would run clear and pure around them and that joy could be everlasting. All they had to do was follow God and anticipate, look for and live for that joy.
Centuries later that same joy was still being foretold. And for the centuries between Isaiah and the birth of Jesus Christ people had lived for the joy.
Mary and Elizabeth rejoiced with each other over the conception of not only the prophet of the Messiah, but also the Messiah himself who had been conceived. They were truly, presently joyful mothers because their sons would usher in a future and lasting joy.
Luke 1:39-48
“39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
46And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.”
Talk about an experience of joy and a song of joy! Not only were these two women filled with joy, but Elizabeth’s baby, soon to be born and who would become known as John the Baptist, leapt for joy even in his mother’s womb. Wow! Talk about looking for, waiting for, and anticipating joy!
There was something special going on. That baby that Mary was carrying was coming into this world for a powerful reason. He was coming so that every person could know joy—real, continual joy.
In fact, over thirty years after the joyful celebration of Mary and Elizabeth, that baby had grown up and had been working as a carpenter. Everyone in his home town of Nazareth had known Jesus as a carpenter. Then one day he decided to change vocations and moved into full-time ministry.
Luke 4:16-21
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
What could be more joyful than to hear good news, or to be set free or to get your sight back, or to no longer be hounded by that which oppressed you, or to know that God is delighted with you? I don’t know about you, but that is cause for joy—great joy!
One of the greatest gifts ever given to us was the gift of joy borne on the coming, living, dying and resurrecting of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled all the prophecies that came before him. That day in his home town Jesus confirmed the great and joyful news that the angels had proclaimed the night of his birth. He came to bring them joy—present joy—and to give them even the prospect of more joy.
Not long before Jesus was going to be crucified for our sins and resurrected for our eternal joy, he gathered his disciples around him. He wanted them to know something very profound. And even if they did not understand in that moment, he wanted these words seared into their memories so that when things were tough and when they were easy they could recall them to mind.
John 15:9-11
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Did you know that if we have believed in Jesus Christ, asked him to forgive us our sins and do our best to live like him that we already have joy? That joy comes from the faithful belief that the Spirit of Jesus Christ and his joy now take up residence in our hearts. But there is more. Can you stand more joy?
Our final, full and complete joy abides in the remaining fact that the present joy that we experience will be exponentially and completely fulfilled when we see Jesus. Not only did some of the Israelites get to see joy fulfilled in their day, but they—and we as grafted in Gentiles—get to see future joy. This is joy that is set before us—anticipatory joy, inexpressible, future and glorious joy.
The great Apostle Peter wrote about this powerfully in 1 Peter 1:3-9.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
So, what does it mean if Christians suffer right now? Not much, really. What does it mean when we are persecuted? A little trouble. What does it mean when things do not go just the way we had dreamed and envisioned? We are confronted with the joyous prospect of real lasting joy. That’s what gets us through. That’s what got Jesus through.
We began our time together today by reading from the Hebrews. Let’s look at that again. In particular let’s look at Hebrew 12:2.
2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
As I have been meditating on this verse I have been riveted to seven particular words—“but for the joy set before him”. I think that sometimes I get so focused on me, me, me that I forget about the joy of Jesus. What about his joy? What did he have to look forward to? There in the night on his knees in Gethsemane as he prayed for this suffering to pass he was staring down the dark throat of evil. There the cross, with its splinters and nails, was looming before him. This was no small suffering like ours. This was suffering we can never know. This was suffering beyond petty persecution, beatings, lies, and martyrdom. Do we have the guts to really comprehend what Jesus did for us? Do we really know the depth of sorrow to which he has gone for us? Do we have any idea how heavy the burden of the entire fallen human race might be? Sorrow upon sorrow upon sorrow. Pain and suffering unimaginable. The feelings of separation from God the Father . . . but for the joy!
What joy?! Before Jesus’ eyes lay the joy of forgiving the sins of humanity, releasing us from the bondage of guilt, seeing us dance before him without broken, missing or crippled limbs, watching us sing with all our hearts for him, throwing our hands into the brilliant blue sky in adoration of him, bowing before him in humility and gratefulness, taking us into his arms and carrying us home. Now that’s got to be real joy, inexpressible joy, abundant, overwhelming, boundless joy! That’s why Jesus went to that cross. That’s why he endured the shame.
And better than that, he scorned that shame. Scorn is contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy. Jesus finally looked upon that cross, that shame, that sinful humanity-sized burden and put it beneath his heal, scoffing at its attempt to destroy the joy he knew was waiting before him—ridiculing the lie that sins could not be forgiven, rejoicing in the fact that he is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us! The joy of Jesus Christ, my friend, is your salvation!
No matter what is happening in this life right now, we can discover and rediscover the joyful presence of the One who came for us-- Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel. These light and momentary troubles (2 Corinthians 4:17) pale in comparison not only to the suffering of Jesus Christ, but more so to the joy of Jesus Christ—being clasped in his arms when his and our joy will be absolutely complete.
And then we shall sing with the angels and all those believers who have gone before us. We shall sing with hearts full of joy, throughout all our days ahead for the joy set before us!
Amen
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Jesus Loves Children
A long time ago there lived a woman who was married to man named Elkanah. She was a lovely woman who had an adoring relationship with her husband. He took special care of his wife. They might have been very, very happy except for one thing. Elkanah’s wife could not have children. Her name was Hannah. Each time Hannah was sad that she could not have children her dear husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8)
The sorrow in Hannah’s heart was great. All around her other women were bearing children. And in Hannah’s culture and time, bearing children was the finest thing a woman could do. And bearing a son was her crown of glory.
Hannah and her husband used to go to church regularly. She would go to church and there she would pray, weep and moan in sorrow. She was so sad and it seemed that the only place where she could find any kind of comfort was in God’s house. It was there that she prayed, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life . . . “ (1 Samuel 1:11)
That really is an extraordinary prayer, isn’t it? A woman who cannot have children asks for a child and then promises that child back to the Lord! What longing and what faith!
One day the priest was in the temple. He saw a woman who seemed to be drunk. She was mouthing words and wasn’t making any sounds. So, he went over to her and said, “How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.” (1 Sam. 1:14)
The priest greatly misunderstood her situation, didn’t he? Sorrow can cause us to act in strange ways. He was going to make sure that no drunk woman would disrupt the services and prayers.
But Hannah, in her sorrow, quickly responded to the priest, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” V.15-16
In a moment the priest realized her sincerity and her grief. He gently and kindly bent down and said to her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (v. 17)
Hannah was a real woman with a real desire. She very appropriately took her desire to the Lord in the Temple. The priest’s name was Eli and he had been serving there many years.
I imagine Eli prayed for Hannah quite sincerely after that encounter. And I know that the Lord was listening to both prayers. The next thing we can read is that Hannah found herself pregnant! What a blessed answer to prayer. And do you know what she named him? Samuel—and that means “heard of God.” God listened to her prayers and gave her a marvelous bundle of joy.
Hannah was a woman of her word. She did not go back on her agreement with the Lord. Remember she had said that if he gave her a son, the son would be given back to the Lord. And she had a specific way to give him back. Now this is truly amazing to me. Her commitment to the Lord was so great that she told her husband that after Samuel was eating food on his own that she would take him to the temple and he would live there the rest of his life! This doesn’t seem to make much sense does it? Ask God for a child and then give him back to God—literally?! But Hannah was a woman of integrity and a woman of gratefulness. God had taken away her misery and heard her prayers.
In Chapter 1:26 we read, “They brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.”
There is something remarkable and wonderful about this story. Not only do we understand that God hears our prayers, but we find here the reality that God values children. They are not rug-rats or ankle-biters to him. They don’t get in the way or prevent him from doing what needs to be done. They are glorious and wonderful gifts given to a man and a woman. They are beautiful and shining gifts to the world full of potential and joy. In all of the difficulties fraught with raising children—the sleepless nights, the tests of the will, the tantrums, the illnesses—God loves children. I believe that God loves children even more than Hannah did.
The greater proof of that is in how God relates with children. I want you to look at what happened to little Samuel.
1 Samuel 3
1.The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
2.One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
3.The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
4.Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."
5.And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
6.Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
7.Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8.The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
9.So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10.The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
11.And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 12.At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end.
13.For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.
14.Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.' "
15.Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
16.but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am."
17."What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you."
18.So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes."
19.The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
20.And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.
21.The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
God loves children so much that he calls them by name even before they know to know him. Part of our great theology is that God protects and harbors children in their innocence. Before a child “comes of age” or can acknowledge receiving the Word of God for salvation, they are covered by his grace.
Hannah must have felt deep separation and consolation as she left her gentle boy at the temple. Hannah knew that God knew her child, and she left him for God’s great future. And what a future indeed! Samuel served for years and years as the great priest of Israel giving guidance, comfort, peace and truth as he lived for the Lord.
God reveals his love for children over and over in the Bible. Let’s go to the book of Mark for some more examples of God’s love for children. If we start looking at chapter 5 we find a wonderful story there as well. In this passage we find a situation similar to Hannah’s in that a parent is distressed about their child.
Mark 5:21-43
21.When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.
22.Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet
23.and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."
24.So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
25.And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.
26.She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
27.When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,
28.because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."
29.Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30.At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
31."You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "
32.But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
33.Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
34.He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
35.While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"
36.Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
37.He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
38.When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
39.He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."
40.But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.
41.He took her by the hand and said to her, ""Talitha koum!"" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").
42.Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
43.He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Do you know what I love about this story? I love the fact that Jesus did not think that a child was a nuisance or less of a priority. There were people crushing around Jesus, all of them crying out for his attention and wanting something from him. Jairus, desperate for his daughter, was trying his best to lead Jesus quickly to his home. I can see him pushing people aside, begging them to clear the way. If any of you have had children desperately ill, only you can know the urgency and anguish of those moments or hours. But then Jesus stopped. Can you imagine Jairus’s reaction to this? There’s an old woman whose life is half spent and Jesus stops for her while his precious daughter is dying!
And then Jairus got the worst news of his life—his daughter had died. For you and for me death is quite final, isn’t it? But for Jesus, death is just another opportunity to prove his love for us. Jairus must have broken down weeping or perhaps he lashed out in anger, or maybe he just crumbled in a heap on the street. None of that mattered though, because you see, Jesus loves children as much as he loved adults. To the old woman he said, “Your faith is great.” To the heartbroken father he said, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” And to the little girl he said, “Get up now, little girl.”
Some of us may have lost children. Some of us may have begged God to heal them and he took them to heaven instead. I have something to say to you. Jesus loves you and your child. He knows their suffering and sorrow as well as yours. He took that precious one into his arms when you had to let go. Some of you have had children on the brink of death. And you have seen the wonder-working power of God.
Many years ago a great hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby penned moving words of poetry after the death of her infant child. In her grief she realized that both she and her child could be safe with Jesus. “Safe in the arms of Jesus. Safe on His gentle breast—There by His love o’rshaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest.” All of our lives, no matter what our experiences, we must understand that God loves children.
The next scene in Mark is quite wonderful. Usually when we want to make a point about greatness we pick out the biggest and the strongest, don’t we? Not so with Jesus. He points down to greatness and humbles us all.
Mark 9:33-37
33.They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?"
34.But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35.Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
36.He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37."Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
The disciples are doing the usual adult thing—competing for greatness. In their minds were all the good deeds they were accruing, all the noble acts they had been performing, all the nights of prayer and contributions to the treasury were certainly adding up brownie points and getting them up that great ladder of success. And then Jesus points down.
Look at that precious child, so beloved by Jesus. He probably didn’t even understand what was going on, yet he did what Jesus asked of him. He stood obediently in the middle of a crowd of prideful adults, just being who he was—the greatest role model of all. And then Jesus picked him up, cradled him in his strong carpenter’s arms and said, “If you know this child, if you accept this child, if you love this child, then you love me.” Isn’t that incredible?! All the to-do lists of legalistic behavior just get tossed in the fire. Every one of those adults with their shameful bickering were silenced by the reality of the humble openness and obedience of a child.
There is one more scene in Mark we can look at. This scene takes places just days after Jesus held that little one in his arms. You would think that by this time the disciples had learned their lesson, wouldn’t you?
Mark 10:13-16
13.People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
14.When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
15.I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
16.And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
The text says that Jesus was indignant. Do you know what indignant means? “Anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy or mean.” (Webster’s Dictionary) How were the disciples unjust? They were disqualifying a child from access to Jesus Christ. Children are to have unrestricted access to Jesus. Woe! And I mean whoa! Keeping a child from Christ harms that child! And do you know what Jesus said about people who harm children? In Luke 17:2-3 he declares, “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.”
I wonder sometimes in our adult-oriented world how we might be keeping the little ones from coming to Jesus. Does our attitude toward children keep them at bay? Do our reactions to them when they are not behaving the way we want them to communicate a distaste or a dislike for children? Hopefully we have created an environment where children are loved, accepted and deeply appreciated. Hopefully we have worked hard at creating a place that is safe for them. And when a child feels safe and loved by adults, their little hearts can be so open to learning about and receiving the love of God.
Those poor old disciples were so thick-headed. Once again they had their priorities wrong. The first time it was all about their place in heaven. The second time it was all about other adults. Both times, Jesus affirmed that children are the first in line in the Kingdom of God and that children are beloved by him.
God loves children. He calls them by name. He gives them equal importance in the Kingdom of God. God has made children the ultimate role models for following him. And we are to grant children unrestricted access to Jesus who loves them very much.
I’ve got to tell you that one of my favorite things each Sunday is seeing the kids come into church, sit with an adult and participating in worship. More than that I love it when they run up to me wanting to share the Scripture verse they just memorized or the craft they did that describes their relationship to God. This is their kingdom and they are given rights and privileges by the One who loves them best and most.
Children I want you to know today the Jesus loves you very much. He knows your name just as well as he knew Samuel’s. He told us adults that the way you accept him—with open hearts and much faith—is how we adults are supposed to do that. So, thank you, children for being who you are. We love you and want to follow Jesus the way you follow him.
Amen
Copyright M.R.Hyde 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
God's Immigration Plan
For the next few weeks we will be looking at various passages of the Bible. In December we will have a Christmas theme to explore. Then in January we will begin a good, long journey through the book of Acts in an attempt to answer the question, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" May God bless us as we continue on this scriptural journey together! Amen
What makes a person pull up stakes and leave their home country? When a man is standing on the beach looking into the watery horizon, what makes him think that if he reaches land-out-of-sight that life might be better? Maybe these are just wild and weird dreams. Maybe people get crazy ideas out of desperation or maybe out of hope. Sometimes dreams and visions can be from the Lord. And sometimes wild dreams come from too much pizza right before bed.
Their names were Alfred Diehl Koch and Conrad Schuessler—German men of strong constitution. They were men who got caught by some strange dream or vision of a better life. They were my great, great grandfathers. And they, along with their wives and children, immigrated to the United States as the century was turning from the late 1800’s to the 1900’s.
Alfred Koch and Conrad Schuessler were part of massive influx of immigrants. “[B]etween 1900 and 1910 . . . almost 1 million immigrants per year entered the country.[i] Records show that “from 1892 to 1924, more than 22 million immigrants, passengers, and crew members came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York.”[ii] My great, great grandfathers stood in line on Ellis Island. They knew very little or no English. They were, I’m sure, terrified and struck with awe as they were churned through the great immigration machine. My great, great grandparents came into the U.S. at the height of the immigration. I long for a full re-telling of the account of their passage. I sit in awe and wonder at what they did and how they survived.
They launched out from New York and worked their way West. They both landed in Texas with their families living no more than fifty miles from each other. I doubt if they ever met. Homesteading in the wild country was very difficult. But they survived, never knowing that their great grandchildren, my mother and father, would one day be married and telling their story with amazement.
We must stop to acknowledge that every Native American Indian lives with the reality that their land was consumed by those whose dreams were ill-informed or insensitive to the basic human rights of native born peoples. Our country, as glorious and wonderful as it is, also has a deeply scarred history of ethnic hatred. Their land and dignity were stripped in the name of prosperity, progress and greed. May God forgive our ancestors for what they did to these significant and wonderful peoples! And may our leaders today do the good work of justice with them.
American is now a nation of immigrants. We are the “melting pot of the world.” Every nationality came here by choice—except for the African Americans. Every family struggled to gain land and crops for themselves—except for the African Americans. I hope we realize that the descendents of every African American person came here under great oppression and violence. And thank God that from time of Abraham Lincoln forward there have been God-loving, conscientious people who have worked and still work very hard to make sure that that wrong is righted. Many other people-groups have come from all over the world to find success and a better way of life here.
Each one of us, except for the Native Americans, must look honestly at our heritage and acknowledge that we are immigrants—foreigners in a foreign land. But acknowledging that is a difficult task—especially when we are trying to live out the American dream we have been born under.
As we look back in history we see that there was a dramatic dip in immigration after its peak in the early 1900’s. “The older immigrants from Protestant western Europe felt threatened by the rising tide of immigrants from the more Catholic southern and eastern European countries, and the immigrants from Asia. Organizations were formed urging laws to restrict immigration. . . A literacy test for immigrants was passed and . . . in 1921 imposed a quota system, limiting the number of immigrants from Europe.”34[iii] Further legislative moves continually limited immigration from particular parts of the world and discriminated against new immigrants. Some of the law was not repealed until 1965! “Since the great depression of the 1930’s and World War II, immigration has steadily risen again in the U.S. Notwithstanding the numerous and on-going crises and debates over illegal immigration and other related issues. In all of its splendor, the U.S. is not without its dark side.”[iv]
Did you know that this is nothing new? It’s not just in America that we have had these struggles. As noted from the historical data, much of the strife erupted over religious issues between Protestant and Catholic. And in our New Testament the very same issue is brought to a head when the Church of Jesus Christ was beginning to spread. It took another dream, another vision to bring things round to right. Please turn with me to Acts 10. We’ll be looking at this chapter carefully. And I challenge you to read chapters 11 and 15 this week.
Peter was a good Jewish man. He was, as we have come to know bold and full of enthusiasm. He was given to fits of wildness like cutting off a guard’s ear when Jesus was being arrested. He was given to outlandish statements and deeply wounding behavior, as when he denied our Lord three times before the crucifixion. But something wonderful had happened to Peter. Jesus restored him to his place of ministry after the resurrection. And upon being filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost he was launched into an incredibly powerful preaching ministry.
But there was something still amiss with Peter. And the Holy Spirit needed to teach him and stretch him and confront him. Being a good Jewish man he had kept the Jewish laws faithfully all of his life. The Law, by this time, had become second nature to him—it seemed as if the whole world should be playing by those rules. But God is a God of continual revelation and dynamic relationship. There will always be something that we need to learn, something that we need incorporate in our lives as we grow to be more and more like Him. God does not change, nor does his truth change. Rather we are changed when we let him form his likeness in us. And this is what God needed to do with Peter.
We come to an enormously pivotal point in the early Church in Act 10.
Acts 10:1-48
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; [a person who followed Judaism but had not fully converted and who had not yet heard the gospel of Jesus Christ] he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.
In Leviticus 11 God had given very specific directions for the Jewish people regarding what to eat. These laws seem odd to us, but some scholars think that they were to help the Israelites avoid diseases or to simply demonstrate their obedience to the One, true, living God.
13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
It is here that the more complete revelation of God takes over the Christian world. Just a short while earlier Jesus had taught that no food was unclean. (Mark 7:18-19) And Jesus being God, said, “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean’? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”). This was God pulling one of his beloved disciples into deeper and more broad truth than he had yet experienced.
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
This is a phenomenal breaking of Jewish custom! I don’t think we can quite grasp this except by thinking about how striking it was for a white man to invite a black man into his Southern home before the civil rights movement.
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, „Cornelius, God has heard your prayer remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen —by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Ladies and gentlemen of all nations, this is the exquisite re-telling of God’s Immigration Policy—that God does not show favoritism but accepts men [and women, boys and girls] from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
It has been God’s policy from the beginning to incorporate anyone from any nation into his great family and house! God’s immigration policy is to let anyone into his great Kingdom without regard to their nation of origin, color of skin, accent or language.
Peter was launched out into a ministry that embraced every human being. And today we fall at God’s feet in thankfulness for including us—the Gentiles of the world in His great plan.
Today I am a great, great granddaughter of German-American immigrants who has been granted a status beyond all reason—the status of a child of the King! You are God’s children, every one of you. I pray that all our churches will be communities that accept people from all nations.
Amen
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