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Jesus Would!
Getting Closer to Jesus: The great essayist, Dorothy Sayers, wrote, “What does the Church think of Christ? The Church’s answer is categorical and uncompromising, and it is this: That Jesus Bar-Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, was in fact and in truth, and in the most exact and literal sense of the words, the God “by whom all things were made.” His body and brain were those of a common man; his personality was the personality of God, so far as that personality could be expressed in human terms. He was not a kind of demon pretending to be human; he was in every respect a genuine living man. He was not merely a man so good as to be ‘like God’; he was God.”
Yes, as Christians, we believe that Jesus was God. But why would a God “by whom all things were made” permit what he had made to treat him thus: to brutally beat him to within an inch of his life with the barbaric Roman cat o’ nine tails, to press into his brow the crown of thorns, to slap him and spit upon him? What kind of Creator would give the created even one second to mock him as they did? Where else could we find Deity submitting to the humiliation of the cross? What kind of God would allow that?
Only the one, true God! No other real god would do that—could do that—not a god that had any power, or goodness, or love, or divinity. The fact that Jesus surrendered to the pain and shame of the cross is evidence itself that he was not merely a man so good as to be like God; he was God.
What kind of God would allow that? Jesus!
Jesus was, and is, a God of patience. The fact is, it should have been sinful man who was brutally beaten, mocked, humiliated, and publicly executed like a common criminal. Our common sin made us offensive to a holy God. He had every right to wipe us out and begin anew—as he did in the days of Noah, or as he threatened with Moses on Mount Sinai—or to never make another creature with the freedom to choose. But so great is the patience of this God that he would submit to our utmost defiance. Thank you, O Lord, that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness; one who relents sending the calamity we deserve. (Jonah 4:2)
Jesus was, and is, a God of mercy. Rather than giving us what we deserve, he took what we deserved into himself as he was punished on the cross. We deserved the cross; he became the crucified. Thank you, O Lord, that you were wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and that the chastisement that brought our peace was upon you. (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus was, and is, a God of justice. Sin requires punishment, else God is not holy, righteous, and just. Yet that sin was not atoned for by the guilty, but by the innocent. Jesus received the punishment, endured the humiliation of a trial, and hung upon the cross in our place, not as a victim of man’s anger, but to satisfy God’s wrath. Thank you, O Lord, that the Father laid on you the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
Jesus was, and is, a God of love. It should never cease to amaze us that God, the holy One, wanted us, unworthy, guilty sinners, to live so much that in an act of extreme love he provided a way of escape from eternal death into eternal life. Thank you, O Lord, that you loved a sinful world so much that you gave your only begotten Son, so that by belief in him, sinners would have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Jesus was, and is, a God who is for us. What more could Jesus do to prove his love for us and thereby convince us that he has set himself to help us than by his substitutionary, sacrificial death on the cross? Should we ever again doubt that God is for us, that he will help us, that he will fulfill all his promises to us and bring us through the trials and tribulations of this life, and one day bring us into his eternal Kingdom? Thank you, O Lord, that you who did not spare your own life, but delivered it up for us, will also certainly and freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)
What kind of God would allow his created ones to inflict the cross upon himself? Jesus, that’s who—the God of patience, mercy, justice, and love—the God who is for us and therefore, the One whom we should love, serve, trust, and follow shamelessly and without reservation now and every day until the end of the age.
Take the Next Step: Read Isaiah 53 today, and verse by verse, offer your gratitude to God for the gift of Jesus and his sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross for you.
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This Present World Will Soon Pass
Getting Closer to Jesus: Those around the world who claim Christianity as their faith would do well to think deeply on Jesus’ response to Pilate: My kingdom is not of this world!
Jesus was standing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who, in a sense, had the power to set him free or to crucify him. So, it would have been expected that Jesus would lay down a defense for his life at this point. Yet Jesus chose not to, instead informing Pilate that if it were about winning his freedom, or winning this turf war against the Jewish religious leaders, or throwing off the yoke of the Roman Empire to establish a new religious kingdom that would rule Planet Earth, his followers would be putting up a fight right about now.
But they weren’t. And Jesus wanted it that way. He had bigger things in mind—like the spiritual revolution that would be set afoot throughout the world by his death for the sins of humankind and his victorious resurrection from the grave as Lord of life. Gaining and maintaining power in the current world order was not what Jesus was about. He knew that humanity had been so totally corrupted by sin that a whole new, recreated world would be the only answer. Now make no mistake, until the time for that arrived, there would be kingdom work to do, but with Jesus, it was never about political, military, cultural, or philosophical domination.
Jesus’ disciples struggled with that at first—but they eventually got it. Following his death, resurrection, and ascension, they set out to take Jesus’ message to the ends of the earth. In 300 years that followed his ascension, without fielding an army, without firing a bullet or swinging a sword, without financial backing, without a huge voting bloc, without academic systems, without TV networks, printing, and marketing campaigns, they subdued the mighty Roman Empire when Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be the religion of the very empire that had done its best to snuff Jesus out. And all Christ’s disciples did was to do what Jesus had done: they loved fiercely, served humbly, proclaimed boldly, and died sacrificially.
It is too bad that around the world today, especially in the Western world, Christianity is known more for its politics than its love. We fight rather than die. We protest, leverage power, build a constituency, and “yell” on social media rather than sacrificially serve and humbly surrender. In Eastern Europe, Christians wage war to cleanse their land of ethnic impurities. In the Middle East, Christians take up arms against the Muslims bent on destroying them. In the United States, Christians flock to a political party and a candidate friendly to their views and use all means at their disposal to tout their platform.
Now, am I saying that Christians should not use all means possible to influence their culture, to defend their families against harm, and to get their person elected? Not necessarily. But there is a fine but firm line between fighting for a system that will soon be destroyed by fire and laying down their lives in the same manner their Savior did to redeem the world.
What I am saying is that true Christians need to think long and hard about what Jesus said—that his kingdom is of another place—and make sure they are not fighting for the wrong cause. What does that mean? It will mean different things in different places. But in your place, like the early disciples, you must figure that out and then begin to live within your culture as Jesus did.
And if the untold thousands of us around the world who claim Christ as Savior did that, we would set afoot a new wave of Christian influence that would capture Planet Earth in about three months, not three centuries.
Take the Next Step: What are you putting your hopes in—a political party, winning an election, an enacting certain laws? Think about that in light of what Jesus said: My kingdom is of another world. If it weren’t, my followers would be putting up more of a fight. Are you fighting for the right cause?
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A Poor Regulator but a Powerful Spring
Getting Closer to Jesus: Minus the infamous Judas Iscariot, Simon Peter usually takes a beating when evaluated alongside the ten disciples. He gets labeled as the stumbling, bumbling, think-before-you-speak, foot-in-the-mouth, inconsistent goofball from Galilee, who, for reasons God only knows, got chosen to be one of Jesus’ first disciples. Good old Peter—the first-century version of Gomer Pyle in the Lord’s little band of foot soldiers.
But let’s give Peter some credit. He may not have been perfect—by a long shot—but he sure was passionate! And he was there—at least give him that. In John 18, as Jesus was arrested and brought to trial, when everyone else but John had fled, Peter figured prominently. He was like a bull in a china shop—passionate, yes; perfect, no—but he was there:
- He whacked off the ear of one who came to arrest Jesus. (John 18:10-11, NLT) Passionate—but misguided!
- He surreptitiously followed as the High Priest’s SWAT team took Jesus to jail. (John 18:15-17, NLT) Passionate—but fearful!
- He stood among the soldiers as they warmed themselves by the fire. (John 18:18, NLT) Passionate—but silent!
- He denied knowing Jesus when questioned, but at least he was there to be questioned. (John 18:25, NLT) Passionate—but weak!
- He doubled down on his denial when questioned again. (John 18:26-27, NLT) Passionate—but fundamentally flawed!
Yes, Peter was all those things we’ve said—there is no doubt about it—but passionate? You bet—imperfect, but passionate to the core! Perhaps that is why Jesus gave Peter so much public attention and placed him so prominently on his leadership team. Like the very flawed King David, Peter had a heart after God.
God can use people like that. In fact, I suspect God prefers them over the perfect. Oh, and just a little a hint: There are no perfect people, only those who think they are. Of course, I am not excusing Peter’s imperfection; only explaining it. But I think the reason the Gospel writers included Peter’s gaffes with regularity was not to put him down as the dunderhead we often think he is, but to remind us that God uses imperfect people, especially the passionate ones!
Take the Next Step: Ask God to give you greater passion. Pray for self-control and wisdom, too—but if you are like me, you probably need more passion than the other two.
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Think Christianly About the Matter
Getting Closer to Jesus: A few years ago, responding to the mass shooting in my home state at a community college where nine people were murdered—apparently targeting Christians— Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey encouraged fellow Christians who are serious about their faith to consider getting a gun.
Is it time for believers to arm themselves? After all, Jesus said that increasingly the world will hate us because of our faith in him. Just read John 15:18-25 as well as all of John 16 for that bit of cheery news. Things are going to get rough for believers as the time for the Lord’s return draws close (which, by the way, Christians around the world have known all along. We in America are just discovering, much to our dismay, that this may include us, too!)
But when Jesus predicted this rise in hostility—and even violence—against his people, did he anticipate that they would arm themselves to the teeth to push back against the persecution? Did he foresee the Second Amendment would be our Constitutional right, and therefore we should use every legal means to defend ourselves as American Christians? For the Christian, does the Second Amendment trump the Second Commandment (Matthew 22:37)…or does the call to lay down our lives override the right to take up arms? Is this an either/or conundrum, or can the believer in Jesus grasp the one without letting go of the other (Ecclesiastes 7:18)?
Seriously, these are questions American Christians need to grapple with. Now I say “American” because for Christians in other countries, these options aren’t even in the realm of possibility—which is probably both a blessing and a curse. In our nation, as citizens, we have constitutional rights, and as Christians, we have Kingdom values. Most of the time, these rights and values peacefully coexist, but at times, the earthly and the heavenly kingdoms are in conflict. Sometimes, what may be constitutionally legal may not be eternally bless-able. At those times, to be both a good citizen and a good Christian, the believer must be willing to do the hard work of “thinking Christianly” about such matters. That is, the follower of Jesus must be completely open to the original meaning and full intent of God’s Word, allowing Scripture to impose its unfettered rule over everything in the believer’s life.
Having said that, I think it is fairly clear here that Jesus wasn’t thinking his followers would lock and load in the face of opposition and hostility. In fact, he says as much: “Put away your AK-47, Peter. Do you think for a minute I’m not going to drink this cup of suffering the Father has assigned to me for the redemption of the world?” Later in the chapter (John 18:36) as Jesus is standing at trial before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, he said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
So, back to the issue at hand in our modern American culture: Should a Christian take up arms to defend themselves against the coming hostility? I will leave that to you to come up with your own answer—but I would ask you to allow what Jesus says here in John 18 to inform your opinion. Do the hard work of thinking Christianly about this matter. And at some point, as believers, we all need to remember that we have been called as citizens of another Kingdom to surrender our human rights—just as our leader did—for his eternal cause.
Yes, as citizens of the United States, we have the right to bear arms. But as citizens of God’s Kingdom, our calling it to lay down our lives!
Take the Next Step: Your assignment this week is to think Christianly about your right to bear arms. Theologian Walter Wink offered this thought: “Jesus did not advocate non-violence merely as a technique for outwitting the enemy, but as a just means of opposing the enemy in such a way as to hold open the possibility of the enemy’s becoming just as well. Both sides must win. We are summoned to pray for our enemies’ transformation, and to respond to ill-treatment with a love that not only is godly but also, I am convinced, can only be found in God.” Agree or disagree with him, how will you balance the Second Amendment with the Great Commandment?
Making Space for Jesus
Getting Closer to Jesus: We know this grove of olive trees was called the Garden of Gethsemane. By the other Gospel accounts, we also know that when Judas showed up with the guards to arrest him in this very place, Jesus was in deep and agonizing prayer. What may be lost in the greater drama of Judas’ betrayal and Christ’s passion, however, are the words, “Jesus had often gone there with his disciples.”
This was a regular place for Jesus. The disciples were familiar with Jesus’ garden retreat; so was Satan, since he knew to inspire Judas to betray the Savior there. Jesus had gone there often enough that those who knew him knew that would be the very place where he prayed.
Have you ever wondered why John took this small, seemingly insignificant detail and tucked it away within the more obvious storyline of Jesus’ arrest? Perhaps he wanted us to see what was plain to Jesus’ disciples: That even the Son of God carved out the time, made room, and even found a physical place in his life for regular communion with his Father. Furthermore, Jesus had purposely included his disciples in his private times with God to leave an example for them as a reminder that if he, the very Son of God, needed quiet time, so did they.
So do I—and so do you.
Do you have that regular place? Do the people in your life know where you spend time with God? Does the devil know where to find you? The place itself is not important. The fact that people know you are regularly in that place is not important. What is important is that you are in that place where you can touch God and God can touch you with his love and grace. By the way, since Satan knows you are there, too, he will have to get past Jesus, since he is there, to get to you.
So, again, I ask, “Where do you make space for time with Jesus?”
It is said that early African Christians were dedicated and regular in their personal devotion to God. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time, the paths to these places became well-worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly challenge anyone neglecting their prayer life, “Friend, the grass grows on your path.”
Keep the path to your Gethsemane well-worn!
Take the Next Step: Perhaps making this very moment of devotion a regular part of your life that you fiercely guard will be the beginning that “familiar place” for you.
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