The scene of the crucifixion of Jesus stands as the preeminent picture in the Christian landscape. When you think about that event what image does it bring up in your mind? What do you see? Depending on your religious tradition you may see Jesus on a simple stake, a cross, or a tree. His body is wounded and cut. A cruel crown of thorns digs into his scalp. Nails are driven through his hands or wrists. You see a dying man hanging under a sign reading "the King of the Jews".
It is interesting to take notice of what an eyewitness saw, because he observed something radically different. He didn't see a dying man. Who is this eyewitness? It is one of the criminals who were executed alongside Jesus. As he was dying he put faith and Jesus and said to him, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) Upon cursory glance this statement of faith may not seem all that extraordinary. In order to get the full impact we have to contrast the attitude of the criminal with Jesus' disciples.
Unlike this criminal, Jesus' disciples knew him very well. They had sat and listened to him teach. They had seen him perform many miraculous signs and wonders. Only a short time earlier Jesus had even brought his disciple Lazarus back from dead. The disciples knew Jesus and this was particularly true of the twelve apostles who were selected to fulfill special assignments. These twelve spent the better part of three years in Jesus' intimate company. They traveled with him. They ate with him. They slept alongside him. They got to know Jesus' up close and personal and they were given the ability to really grasp who Jesus' was. This is shown in an account recorded at Matthew 16:13-17
"When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven!"
When Peter looked at Jesus what did he see? At that moment, Heaven opened his eyes and he saw that Jesus was the promised messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. However, even though Peter and the other disciples knew Jesus to be the Christ their eyes were still closed in many respects. To the Jewish mindset of the day they expected the messiah to be a king and military leader who would liberate their nation from the Romans. After subduing all enemies, the messiah would usher in a time of worldwide peace and prosperity. Because of these expectations, the furthest thing from an option that they would accept is that the messiah would be handed over to their enemies and be killed. But, just after Peter made that declaration of faith in Jesus as Christ, Jesus began telling them that this very thing was to befall him. The Gospel records, "From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.". But old expectations were so ingrained in these Jewish men that even with Jesus telling them matter-of-factly about his death and subsequent resurrection Peter still had difficulty comprehending such a thing. The scripture continues, "So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” (Matthew 16:21, 22)
With these Messianic expectations in mind we have to put ourselves in the minds of Jesus' followers during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem in his final days. Jesus sits upon donkey colt and rides it from the Mt. of Olives down to Jerusalem in the manner of a Jewish king coming in peace. Matthew tells us this was to fulfill what the prophet Zechariah spoke saying,
Tell the people of Zion,
‘Look, your king is coming to you,
unassuming and seated on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. - Matthew 21:5
So as Jesus rode into Jerusalem what did the disciples see? It may be that they saw a king, riding to power, on the road to vanquish the Romans from Jerusalem. How then, their hearts must have raced as they saw the crowds welcoming Jesus with palm branches shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:25) Their enthusiasm was fever-pitched and filled with dreams of the coming Kingdom.
We can imagine then how their hopes and dreams ended at Calvary, where Jesus was executed. Though warned repeatedly about it, this seemingly tragic turn of events completely caught the disciples off-guard. When the Jewish authorities arrested Jesus and the Romans his disciples abandoned him and fled. Peter, who had been so perceptive earlier to put faith in Jesus as the Christ, disowned him. Their overall, disheartened attitude is well encapsulated in a conversation that two disciples had just days after Jesus death.
Now that very day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him).
Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad.
Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?”
He said to them, “What things?”
“The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people; and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened. Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
So he said to them, “You foolish people – how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures. - Luke 24:13-27
We notice here the utter devastation and confusion that comes through in these disciples of Jesus. When they are asked what they are talking about, they stand still looking sad. They confer that they had hoped that Jesus would have been the one to redeem Israel. And even though some women had reported that Jesus was alive they were not filled with joy but were perplexed. To them Jesus was dead and the hopes for the Kingdom had vanished.
Now we go back to the criminal crucified next to Jesus who asked, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” When this man looked over at Jesus he didn't see a dying man. When Jesus' disciples hope in his Kingdom was just ending this man's was just beginning. He knew that for Jesus, death was not the end; but that he would come again in his Kingdom. When he looked at Jesus he didn't see a dead man - he saw the King of Israel - the very thing the sign proclaimed! Now when we think of Jesus what do we see? Do we see a dead man or a risen king?
When it comes to seeing Jesus in this way I can think of no better example than that of the apostle Paul. The recorded account doesn't tell us whether Paul had any dealing with Jesus prior to his death. Since Paul was such an important figure in early Christianity we can probably conclude that this omission indicates that he did not. He only knew of Jesus after the fact when the risen Lord revealed himself to him. This glimpse of the resurrected Jesus stirred him so much that it brought an immediate change for this one time persecutor of the Christian congregation. After retiring to Arabia for an undetermined length of time, Paul returned and began boldly preaching the name of Jesus' in the synagogues. That first look of Jesus totally changed Paul's goals in life and he spent the rest of his earthly existence pursuing the risen Lord. As he writes to the Philippians,
My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. - Phil 3:10,11
We are blessed to today to have some of Paul's writings in our collection of scriptures. What continues to impress me is how determined Paul is of the present reality of Jesus Christ and how the Lord is found in a central position. Paul paints beautiful pictures of Jesus as he is, enthroned on high, with a name above every name. (Phil 2:9-11) His desire is that the eyes of our heart be opened to know Jesus as he is - in all his fullness, splendor, and glory. (Eph 1:15-23)
As we already considered, Jesus' first-hand followers had difficulty understanding his resurrection. Even when faced with compelling evidence of the empty tomb and testimony from the women they still did not grasp his resurrection. It took a face-to-face appearance with the apostles for them to fully understand. The gospel of John records that one of their number, Thomas, was not present at this time. When the other apostles related to Thomas how they had seen Jesus; their joy was met with his doubt. Thomas skeptically replied, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." - John 20:25
A week later, Thomas got his wish. Jesus appeared before him and he was forced to acknowledge the glorious truth, Jesus was not dead. He was alive! Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." - John 20:29
We are so blessed to have the testimony of those that saw Jesus with their eyes of flesh just as they were blessed to see him. However, we who have not yet seen Jesus physically are particularly blessed. As Jesus said, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This well describes the criminal that hung beside Jesus and put faith in his resurrection. It also describes us who have yet to see Jesus as he is, but have spiritually perceived him. Peter thus writes about us, Though 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, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8,9) Because we have put faith in Jesus and his resurrection we are strengthened in our own hope of one day seeing him. As John writes, "We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)
May our God and Father grant us the spiritual eyes to see Jesus, the risen Lord, and keep us safe in the hope of one day seeing him face to face!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Open Letter to the Wood River Congregation - 2007
April 9, 2007
As I sit down to write this I know it very well could be an exercise in wasted envelopes and stamps; but I’m moved to keep in touch. Without any exaggeration I can say that I dream about the Wood River congregation often, at least once a week, but sometimes as often as every other day. As much as I would like to move on and put the past behind I get the sense that my Heavenly Father doesn’t want me to forget. So if I could trouble you once a year I hope you can tolerate me.
Since I’m physically disconnected from you I don’t have knowledge of all of your current pains and trials. However, I know that a lack of good shepherds continues to wear you down. I was incredibly sad to hear about your loss in the passing of Bob Biggerstaff. He was a fine man and even though his age kept him down in these last few years he continued to be a good, positive influence on the congregation. Even in his old age he was very vibrant. I look forward to seeing him soon in the New Earth. I can just close my eyes and picture his large orchard and perhaps a whole, herd of beautiful, wild horses.
Equally I was very sad to hear that Rich Bailey is no longer an elder at the Wood River congregation. Despite our differences I can say that Rich is above all a man of integrity and I know that he really cares for the afflicted. I remember when Rich was first coming to our Kingdom Hall and certain ones, even among the elder and servant body, were callously bad mouthing him before he ever set foot in the door. Regrettably, I was quite ready to loathe him myself based on what was being said. However, in the end I had to apologize to him for thinking such thoughts. He was an asset to the congregation, truly.
If I could get you to reflect just a moment on those elders that in recent years you have lost – Mark Solle, Jim Donahue, Phil Honnen, Rich Bailey – a sad pattern emerges. I remember the reaction to when Mark Solle left our hall and how sad it made us all feel. I know that some of you were quite ready to quit coming to meetings or perhaps change Kingdom Halls. We encouraged you stay and were happy that you stuck it out; because, you would have been missed. I know it’s hard. I also know that some of you are still suffering under the current elder body. I know your hurt.
To that end I feel that the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah is a source of great comfort because it deals with this very situation you face. I would like to consider it briefly. It begins with these strong words:
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasturage!” is the utterance of Jehovah.
If we could stop and reflect very carefully on the message that Jehovah is giving here. I ask, who are Jehovah’s sheep? If you believe that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses then we have to understand when the prophet speaks about the “sheep of [Jehovah’s] pasturage” he is talking about the Christian congregation, the brothers and sisters. If that is true, then who are the shepherds that he is speaking about? Would it not be abusive shepherds within the congregation? The prophet continues:
Therefore this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said against the shepherds who are shepherding my people: “YOU yourselves have scattered my sheep; and YOU kept dispersing them, and YOU have not turned your attention to them.”
“Here I am turning my attention upon YOU for the badness of YOUR dealings,” is the utterance of Jehovah.
Brothers and Sisters if you have suffered from the hand of those that were put in place to shepherd you take heart. Jehovah has heard your cries and he knows your pain! The neglect and abuse from your shepherds has not gone unnoticed by Heaven. He will deal with them in time but more importantly he will soothe your pain.
“And I myself shall collect together the remnant of my sheep out of all the lands to which I had dispersed them, and I will bring them back to their pasture ground, and they will certainly be fruitful and become many. And I will raise up over them shepherds who will actually shepherd them; and they will be afraid no more, neither will they be struck with any terror, and none will be missing,” is the utterance of Jehovah.
Sadly some today are scattered. Perhaps they have been beaten down to the point where they no longer attend meetings. Some float from congregation to congregation aching to find someone to care for them. Others like myself may have been forcibly removed from the congregation unjustly. If this is true for you, please understand, these shepherds may have given up on you but you are not lost. Jehovah gives his promise that he will collect all his scattered sheep and provide them with new shepherds. These will be different and they will take care of you gently and compassionately. More importantly Jehovah will give you his own son as a shepherd as the prophet continues:
“Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will raise up to David a righteous sprout. And a king will certainly reign and act with discretion and execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel itself will reside in security. And this is his name with which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.”
Jesus is that sprout from David. Jesus said of himself, “I am the fine shepherd, and I know my sheep and my sheep know me, … I surrender my soul in behalf of the sheep.” (John 10:14,15) Just a few days ago you reflected on that great sacrifice that Jesus made on behalf of his sheep. When he was alive on earth Jesus expressed that he was “sent for to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24) His concern was for those little sheep that were kicked around and neglected by the shepherds of his day. When he looked at the people, what did he see? The Bible answers, “On seeing the crowds he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) I ask you, now that Jesus is ruling in heaven do you think he cares any less for those that are skinned and thrown about within his modern-day sheep fold? Do you think he cannot see your pain and that he doesn’t care about your plight? Nonsense! He gave his life for you and he loves you and wants to care for you. It was for this purpose he came into this world and it is for this purpose he reigns as king. To you he gives the following invitation:
"Come to me, all YOU who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh YOU. Take my yoke upon YOU and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and YOU will find refreshment for YOUR souls. For my yoke is kindly and my load is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
I have found that refreshment and it is beautiful! It has been one year since my disfellowshipping and I am happy to report that we are doing very well and continue to offer up prayer on your behalf. I do look forward to the time when we can be together again; in the meantime my Father continues to bless us daily through his Son Jesus. The wilderness is never fun but it is not a bad place to be. It seems to be a popular place for God’s servants to be tested and refined for a period. Out here I have experienced His faithfulness and his love. I have also seen his power, miraculous signs and wonders. I’ve had to leave much behind for the sake of following Jesus; but I’ve received so much more than I could ever dream. I have everything in Him and I want for nothing – only to know him more and more.
I give you his love. I love you very much and so does He. Our love for you is unconditional; you don’t have to love me back. Even if you hate me I still love you. Just as he laid down his life on behalf of us, I gladly do the same. I pray that you would know his love. I pray that you would have his peace. I pray that at his hand you would find satisfaction and joy. I pray that in his arms you would find comfort and security. I pray that you would hear his voice in your life and it will quiet your fear. I pray that you would know him more and more. He is the true shepherd and overseer of our souls. (1 Peter 2:25)
As I sit down to write this I know it very well could be an exercise in wasted envelopes and stamps; but I’m moved to keep in touch. Without any exaggeration I can say that I dream about the Wood River congregation often, at least once a week, but sometimes as often as every other day. As much as I would like to move on and put the past behind I get the sense that my Heavenly Father doesn’t want me to forget. So if I could trouble you once a year I hope you can tolerate me.
Since I’m physically disconnected from you I don’t have knowledge of all of your current pains and trials. However, I know that a lack of good shepherds continues to wear you down. I was incredibly sad to hear about your loss in the passing of Bob Biggerstaff. He was a fine man and even though his age kept him down in these last few years he continued to be a good, positive influence on the congregation. Even in his old age he was very vibrant. I look forward to seeing him soon in the New Earth. I can just close my eyes and picture his large orchard and perhaps a whole, herd of beautiful, wild horses.
Equally I was very sad to hear that Rich Bailey is no longer an elder at the Wood River congregation. Despite our differences I can say that Rich is above all a man of integrity and I know that he really cares for the afflicted. I remember when Rich was first coming to our Kingdom Hall and certain ones, even among the elder and servant body, were callously bad mouthing him before he ever set foot in the door. Regrettably, I was quite ready to loathe him myself based on what was being said. However, in the end I had to apologize to him for thinking such thoughts. He was an asset to the congregation, truly.
If I could get you to reflect just a moment on those elders that in recent years you have lost – Mark Solle, Jim Donahue, Phil Honnen, Rich Bailey – a sad pattern emerges. I remember the reaction to when Mark Solle left our hall and how sad it made us all feel. I know that some of you were quite ready to quit coming to meetings or perhaps change Kingdom Halls. We encouraged you stay and were happy that you stuck it out; because, you would have been missed. I know it’s hard. I also know that some of you are still suffering under the current elder body. I know your hurt.
To that end I feel that the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah is a source of great comfort because it deals with this very situation you face. I would like to consider it briefly. It begins with these strong words:
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasturage!” is the utterance of Jehovah.
If we could stop and reflect very carefully on the message that Jehovah is giving here. I ask, who are Jehovah’s sheep? If you believe that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses then we have to understand when the prophet speaks about the “sheep of [Jehovah’s] pasturage” he is talking about the Christian congregation, the brothers and sisters. If that is true, then who are the shepherds that he is speaking about? Would it not be abusive shepherds within the congregation? The prophet continues:
Therefore this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said against the shepherds who are shepherding my people: “YOU yourselves have scattered my sheep; and YOU kept dispersing them, and YOU have not turned your attention to them.”
“Here I am turning my attention upon YOU for the badness of YOUR dealings,” is the utterance of Jehovah.
Brothers and Sisters if you have suffered from the hand of those that were put in place to shepherd you take heart. Jehovah has heard your cries and he knows your pain! The neglect and abuse from your shepherds has not gone unnoticed by Heaven. He will deal with them in time but more importantly he will soothe your pain.
“And I myself shall collect together the remnant of my sheep out of all the lands to which I had dispersed them, and I will bring them back to their pasture ground, and they will certainly be fruitful and become many. And I will raise up over them shepherds who will actually shepherd them; and they will be afraid no more, neither will they be struck with any terror, and none will be missing,” is the utterance of Jehovah.
Sadly some today are scattered. Perhaps they have been beaten down to the point where they no longer attend meetings. Some float from congregation to congregation aching to find someone to care for them. Others like myself may have been forcibly removed from the congregation unjustly. If this is true for you, please understand, these shepherds may have given up on you but you are not lost. Jehovah gives his promise that he will collect all his scattered sheep and provide them with new shepherds. These will be different and they will take care of you gently and compassionately. More importantly Jehovah will give you his own son as a shepherd as the prophet continues:
“Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will raise up to David a righteous sprout. And a king will certainly reign and act with discretion and execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel itself will reside in security. And this is his name with which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.”
Jesus is that sprout from David. Jesus said of himself, “I am the fine shepherd, and I know my sheep and my sheep know me, … I surrender my soul in behalf of the sheep.” (John 10:14,15) Just a few days ago you reflected on that great sacrifice that Jesus made on behalf of his sheep. When he was alive on earth Jesus expressed that he was “sent for to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24) His concern was for those little sheep that were kicked around and neglected by the shepherds of his day. When he looked at the people, what did he see? The Bible answers, “On seeing the crowds he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) I ask you, now that Jesus is ruling in heaven do you think he cares any less for those that are skinned and thrown about within his modern-day sheep fold? Do you think he cannot see your pain and that he doesn’t care about your plight? Nonsense! He gave his life for you and he loves you and wants to care for you. It was for this purpose he came into this world and it is for this purpose he reigns as king. To you he gives the following invitation:
"Come to me, all YOU who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh YOU. Take my yoke upon YOU and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and YOU will find refreshment for YOUR souls. For my yoke is kindly and my load is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
I have found that refreshment and it is beautiful! It has been one year since my disfellowshipping and I am happy to report that we are doing very well and continue to offer up prayer on your behalf. I do look forward to the time when we can be together again; in the meantime my Father continues to bless us daily through his Son Jesus. The wilderness is never fun but it is not a bad place to be. It seems to be a popular place for God’s servants to be tested and refined for a period. Out here I have experienced His faithfulness and his love. I have also seen his power, miraculous signs and wonders. I’ve had to leave much behind for the sake of following Jesus; but I’ve received so much more than I could ever dream. I have everything in Him and I want for nothing – only to know him more and more.
I give you his love. I love you very much and so does He. Our love for you is unconditional; you don’t have to love me back. Even if you hate me I still love you. Just as he laid down his life on behalf of us, I gladly do the same. I pray that you would know his love. I pray that you would have his peace. I pray that at his hand you would find satisfaction and joy. I pray that in his arms you would find comfort and security. I pray that you would hear his voice in your life and it will quiet your fear. I pray that you would know him more and more. He is the true shepherd and overseer of our souls. (1 Peter 2:25)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Growth, by Holy Spirit or Leaven?
On Saturdays I participate in a systematic Bible Study with some friends. We just started a reading of the Acts of the Apostles. Chapter 2 describes the birth of the Christian congregation and the phenomenal growth it experiences. It started with just 120 disciples of Jesus who had the power of the Holy Spirit given to them. The power of the Spirit manifested itself in the gift of tongues which caused quite a scene and many unbelieving Jews to gather to investigate. Peter stands up and filled with Holy Spirit speaks to them about Jesus and asserts that he is both Lord and Christ and that in order to be saved you must call on his name. The result is on that very first day, 3,000 are immediately baptized and become a part of the Christian congregation. The account concludes that, "the Lord was adding to their number every day". (Acts 2)
It would be reasonable to conclude that the Lord was behind such sudden, fantastic growth and gave evidence that this fledgling body had his blessing.
Let's flash-foward about three-hundred years to another time when the Christian congregation was experiencing tremendous growth. The Edict of Milam was just issued which legalized the Christian worship in the Roman Empire and the Emperor Constantine himself converted to Christianity and bestowed state favor toward Christianity. Writer David W. Bercot comments,
"Christianity had grown rapidly in the first three centuries, but after the coversion of Constantine the church mushroomed. At the the time of the Edict of Milan (A.D. 313), probably about a tenth of the Roman Empire had converted to Chrstianity. But that had taken nearly three hundred years. In less than a hundred years after the Edict of Milan, nearly all of the other 90 percent had been "converted." The church believed that this rapid growth was a sure sign of God's approval. Having accepted this premise, the church quickly adopted virtually any practice that resulted in growth, including the use of images in worship - a practice utterly loathsome to the early Christians." - Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up, p. 129
From these two examples of rapid growth we can see that not all comes from God's blessing and that corruption can bring about fantastic numeric growth just as Holy Spirit can.
This ties into another discussion that I have been having in our group about "leaven".
In Scripture "leaven" is a common figure of speech and is routinely used to signify corruption. Jesus thus warns his follows against the "leaven" of the Pharisees and of Herod. (Mark 8:15) The "leaven" of the Pharisees can be seen as their teachings that corrupted the true meaning of the Law. The "leaven" of Herod may be seen as a wordly political element that corrupted the Jewish way of life with foreign practice. In a similar way, the apostle Paul used "leaven" to signify "sin" that had crept into the Corinthian congregation and threatened to contaminate the entire congregation. (1 Cor 5:6-8) Equally he warns that Jewish legalism can act as leaven, corrupting and transforming the "whole batch". (Gal 5:9)
Since these scriptual references to "leaven" have a negative connotation it may be surprising to consider how in one parable Jesus compares the work of leaven to the Kingdom of God. At Matthew 13:33 he says, "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.". Generally,people conclude that this is a good thing that Jesus speaks of. They may understand this parable to mean that just as a tiny bit of leaven can work its way through a whole batch of dough, so too the Kingdom of God can start small, perhaps with one individual, and slowly grow to influence a whole community, and even transform the world. However, since in every other account leaven is used as something that is impure, sinful, and corrupting we have to question whether or not this is really a good thing that Jesus is speaking of at Matthew 13:33.
Some may feel that there cannot be anything unclean and corrupting within the Kingdom of God. But, if we look at the thrust of the other "Kingdom" parables Jesus provides in the 13th of Matthew we can see how in some of them there is a bad element present along with the good. For instance he compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a field of wheat that an enemy sneaks into and oversows with weeds. (Matthew 13:24-30) He speaks of the Kingdom as being a net filled with all types of fish, both bad and good. (Matthew 13:47,48)
[It can also be considered in his parable the women hides the leaven. There is element of stealth involved in the same way in the parable of the sower the enemy sneaks in while the field owner is sleeping and hides his weeds among the wheat.]
So if this leaven in the parable is a bad thing how are we to understand Jesus' parable? A good help is to consider an account provided by Mark 8:14-21. It reads:
"Now they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. And Jesus ordered them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!" So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread. When he learned of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you arguing about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? Though you have eyes, don’t you see? And though you have ears, can’t you hear? Don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They replied, "Twelve." "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They replied, "Seven." Then he said to them, "Do you still not understand?"
At first glance the transition here seems somewhat disconnected and jarring as Jesus quickly goes from speaking of leaven to talking about his miraculous multiplication of the loafs. However, what is the common connection between the two? For me it has to do with growth. If you've ever made bread you know that when yeast is added to dough it can greatly increase in size - a handful can expand to fill an entire bowl. Similarly Jesus was able to take just a few loaves of bread and expand them to satisfy the needs of thousands. Outwardly both appear to be an expansion; however, the similarities between the two there end.
When making yeast bread you have to "punch" down the risen dough before forming it into a loaf to bake. When you do so the mound of dough quickly deflates just like a baloon because it is really just filled with air. The yeast adds no grain to the bread, only air. The growth is merely superficial. However, when Jesus multiplied the loaves by the power of the Holy Spirit he created something of substance, something solid.
When it comes to the Christian congregation growth can come in these two ways. When the Holy Spirit produces growth it is in the same manner of Jesus multiplying the loaves. Each loaf is essentially a duplication of Christ (his body being represented by the bread). It is substancial, solid food. However, when outside corrupting elements produce growth it is not a replication of Christ. It simply produces an impressive looking body of believers that has very little of Jesus' substance but it is filled mostly with other elements, like air.
Many religious organizations today cite their growth as evidence of God's blessing and the working of His Spirit. How can we discern if it is true growth and multiplication or false expansion produced by corrupting leaven? One way is to examine the body of believers that makes up that religious association. Do they give evidence of being solid Christians manifesting the mind and qualities of Jesus Christ? Or do they only superficially wear the name Christian and very little of Jesus is present admist a bunch of hot air?
It would be reasonable to conclude that the Lord was behind such sudden, fantastic growth and gave evidence that this fledgling body had his blessing.
Let's flash-foward about three-hundred years to another time when the Christian congregation was experiencing tremendous growth. The Edict of Milam was just issued which legalized the Christian worship in the Roman Empire and the Emperor Constantine himself converted to Christianity and bestowed state favor toward Christianity. Writer David W. Bercot comments,
"Christianity had grown rapidly in the first three centuries, but after the coversion of Constantine the church mushroomed. At the the time of the Edict of Milan (A.D. 313), probably about a tenth of the Roman Empire had converted to Chrstianity. But that had taken nearly three hundred years. In less than a hundred years after the Edict of Milan, nearly all of the other 90 percent had been "converted." The church believed that this rapid growth was a sure sign of God's approval. Having accepted this premise, the church quickly adopted virtually any practice that resulted in growth, including the use of images in worship - a practice utterly loathsome to the early Christians." - Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up, p. 129
From these two examples of rapid growth we can see that not all comes from God's blessing and that corruption can bring about fantastic numeric growth just as Holy Spirit can.
This ties into another discussion that I have been having in our group about "leaven".
In Scripture "leaven" is a common figure of speech and is routinely used to signify corruption. Jesus thus warns his follows against the "leaven" of the Pharisees and of Herod. (Mark 8:15) The "leaven" of the Pharisees can be seen as their teachings that corrupted the true meaning of the Law. The "leaven" of Herod may be seen as a wordly political element that corrupted the Jewish way of life with foreign practice. In a similar way, the apostle Paul used "leaven" to signify "sin" that had crept into the Corinthian congregation and threatened to contaminate the entire congregation. (1 Cor 5:6-8) Equally he warns that Jewish legalism can act as leaven, corrupting and transforming the "whole batch". (Gal 5:9)
Since these scriptual references to "leaven" have a negative connotation it may be surprising to consider how in one parable Jesus compares the work of leaven to the Kingdom of God. At Matthew 13:33 he says, "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.". Generally,people conclude that this is a good thing that Jesus speaks of. They may understand this parable to mean that just as a tiny bit of leaven can work its way through a whole batch of dough, so too the Kingdom of God can start small, perhaps with one individual, and slowly grow to influence a whole community, and even transform the world. However, since in every other account leaven is used as something that is impure, sinful, and corrupting we have to question whether or not this is really a good thing that Jesus is speaking of at Matthew 13:33.
Some may feel that there cannot be anything unclean and corrupting within the Kingdom of God. But, if we look at the thrust of the other "Kingdom" parables Jesus provides in the 13th of Matthew we can see how in some of them there is a bad element present along with the good. For instance he compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a field of wheat that an enemy sneaks into and oversows with weeds. (Matthew 13:24-30) He speaks of the Kingdom as being a net filled with all types of fish, both bad and good. (Matthew 13:47,48)
[It can also be considered in his parable the women hides the leaven. There is element of stealth involved in the same way in the parable of the sower the enemy sneaks in while the field owner is sleeping and hides his weeds among the wheat.]
So if this leaven in the parable is a bad thing how are we to understand Jesus' parable? A good help is to consider an account provided by Mark 8:14-21. It reads:
"Now they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. And Jesus ordered them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!" So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread. When he learned of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you arguing about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? Though you have eyes, don’t you see? And though you have ears, can’t you hear? Don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They replied, "Twelve." "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They replied, "Seven." Then he said to them, "Do you still not understand?"
At first glance the transition here seems somewhat disconnected and jarring as Jesus quickly goes from speaking of leaven to talking about his miraculous multiplication of the loafs. However, what is the common connection between the two? For me it has to do with growth. If you've ever made bread you know that when yeast is added to dough it can greatly increase in size - a handful can expand to fill an entire bowl. Similarly Jesus was able to take just a few loaves of bread and expand them to satisfy the needs of thousands. Outwardly both appear to be an expansion; however, the similarities between the two there end.
When making yeast bread you have to "punch" down the risen dough before forming it into a loaf to bake. When you do so the mound of dough quickly deflates just like a baloon because it is really just filled with air. The yeast adds no grain to the bread, only air. The growth is merely superficial. However, when Jesus multiplied the loaves by the power of the Holy Spirit he created something of substance, something solid.
When it comes to the Christian congregation growth can come in these two ways. When the Holy Spirit produces growth it is in the same manner of Jesus multiplying the loaves. Each loaf is essentially a duplication of Christ (his body being represented by the bread). It is substancial, solid food. However, when outside corrupting elements produce growth it is not a replication of Christ. It simply produces an impressive looking body of believers that has very little of Jesus' substance but it is filled mostly with other elements, like air.
Many religious organizations today cite their growth as evidence of God's blessing and the working of His Spirit. How can we discern if it is true growth and multiplication or false expansion produced by corrupting leaven? One way is to examine the body of believers that makes up that religious association. Do they give evidence of being solid Christians manifesting the mind and qualities of Jesus Christ? Or do they only superficially wear the name Christian and very little of Jesus is present admist a bunch of hot air?
Friday, April 06, 2007
Memorial Observance 2007
This picture was taken at the cabin where I and a few others celebrated the annual observance of the Lord's Supper on the night it was originally instituted, Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar. It was a wonderful time of communion and fellowship that lasted to the wee hours of the morning. No one felt like going back to our individual cabin rooms so we just ended up crashing on the living room floor in down comforters, the candlelight dancing in the darkness. It felt like home and family.
I was reminded of this promise that Jesus made me,
"I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much – homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life." - Mark 10:29,30
I can say this ...
I have everything. I lack for nothing.
This time last year I was being disfellowshipped and it was hard and it felt like such a loss; but, really in comparison I've lost nothing and gained everything - including life.
That's the trick - you have to be willing to lose it all to gain what you need. For every one you'll have to temporarily leave behind you'll get so many more in return.
With His Love,
Anthony
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)