Tag: christianity

The Mediator and Leader (Psalm 110:1-4)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

The Lord said to my lord,
    “Sit here at my right side
    until I put your enemies under your feet.”
From Zion the Lord will extend your royal power.
    “Rule over your enemies,” he says.
On the day you fight your enemies,
    your people will volunteer.
Like the dew of early morning
    your young men will come to you on the sacred hills.

The Lord made a solemn promise and will not take it back:
    “You will be a priest forever
    in the priestly order of Melchizedek.” (Good News Translation)

This is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament (twenty-four times) with the reason being that the apostles discerned Jesus as the messianic ruler of Psalm 110. The author of Hebrews purposed to highlight the superiority of Jesus Christ over everyone and everything. So, he went to this psalm, and used it early in his letter for the beginning of his argument:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So, he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs….

But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

He also says,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
You will roll them up like a robe;
    like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.”

To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet”? (Hebrews 1:1-13, NIV)

In Christianity, Jesus is the ultimate Mediator between God and humanity. Neither angel nor any other human can fill such a role. The author of Hebrews wanted to make it clear that Jesus is the rightful Ruler of all creation.

Christ’s authority is far and above all others. So, Christians are never defenseless in this world. Believers have a caring mediator, and a powerful sovereign, knowing that Jesus has the authority to back up his words of love and assurance toward us.

Jesus has the unique combination of being both a king and a priest; he intercedes for us and provides us with compassionate leadership. Again, in the middle of his argument, the author of Hebrews used Psalm 110 to emphasize this:

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. Therefore, he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,

“You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father.”

And he says in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
    in the order of Melchizedek.”

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:1-10, NIV)

Christ demonstrated and proved that he is qualified to be the rightful priest and king because of his obedient suffering. Therefore, Jesus is perfectly suited and able to help us. He is neither a detached nor an aloof priestly king.

The Lord Jesus knows exactly what it’s like to be a human in this broken and fallen world. Such divine empathy translates into solid emotional and spiritual support because, as the Christian tradition holds, Jesus has taken care of the sin issue once for all through the Cross.

The Messiah’s enemies – whose eventual and final defeat is certain – are not Gentile kingdoms or human institutions. Christ’s ultimate foes are the hostile and evil principalities and powers of this dark world, including death itself. The universal reign of Jesus, the exalted Son of David, brings deliverance from guilt, shame, and injustice as the unique God-Man.

In this unabashed Christian view of Psalm 110, Jesus is our perfected high priest who is able for all time to save those who approach God, since he always lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). The appropriate response to such a great king and priest is submissive loyalty and eternal praise.

O Lord our God: Reign in power over us, through your Son, Jesus Christ – for he is exalted over all governments and authorities, all ideologies and creeds, and all human hearts and souls. King Jesus: Be enthroned in our lives, in all people everywhere, as our mediator and atoning sacrifice. Spirit of God: Reign in power over us through Jesus Christ and give us the victory over all the enemies of our souls, within and without, for the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:2-9)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Transfiguration of Jesus, by Armando Alemdar Ara, 2004

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (New International Version)

It may be that reading this account of Christ’s transfiguration (metamorphosis) seems a bit strange, even confusing. Perhaps you have no categories of thought to explain such an encounter.

In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Linus were lying on their backs looking at the sky. Lucy says, “If you use your imagination you can see lots of things in the cloud formations. What do you think you see, Linus?” 

Linus replied, “Well, those clouds up there look to me like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean… That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor… And that group of clouds over there gives me the impression of the stoning of Stephen… I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side…” 

Lucy responds, “Uh huh… that’s very good… what do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?”

To which Charlie Brown replied, “Well, I was going to say a ducky and a horsy, but I changed my mind.”

Maybe your spiritual life seems more like Charlie Brown than Linus. Compared to the experiences of others, you have not had any defining moments of ecstasy; no shining Jesus in front of you; or no spectacular vision of Christ.

Perhaps your life seems rather mundane and ordinary in light of the many stories we have in the Gospels of Jesus doing the miraculous. 

Most of life is lived in the daily grind. In the monotony of life, we need some hope, an occasional mountain top experience that helps us glimpse into the future of what it will be like someday when the kingdom of God comes in its fullness.

Christ’s transfiguration came after a hard frank discussion Jesus had with the disciples about his impending death. Jesus was up front with them, saying that he must suffer, be rejected, and killed. But in three days he will rise again. The disciples did not want to hear that; Peter even rebuked Jesus for saying it. In response, Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Jesus (Mark 8:34-35, NIV)

Jesus identified himself as the Suffering Servant, the One who must suffer and die. Yet, he is also the One to be glorified. For Jesus, there has to be suffering before glory. And it is the same for us.

The Christian life includes walking through the valley of the shadow of death. But it is also punctuated with mountain top experiences that give us hope. The nature of the Christian journey is up and down, with both the mountain and the valley as spiritual realities of great importance.

We may have a lot of questions about Christ’s transfiguration. Jesus had a metamorphosis smack in front of the disciples’ eyes. Why? What’s the significance of this? Was it just a demonstration to get their attention? Why are Moses and Elijah there? What’s really going on?

Transfiguration, by Sadao Watanabe, 1971

Jesus intentionally took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to have this experience. Up to that point, a lot of rumors were circulating about Jesus – that maybe he was Elijah come back, or some other prophet, perhaps even Moses himself. But Moses and Elijah showing up next to Jesus, meant that Jesus is not them. 

In the Old Testament, Moses was used by God to deliver the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and to bring them to the Promised Land. Centuries later, Elijah was used by God to bring about a great repentance of the people from the false god Baal, and a mighty revival to the exclusive worship of the Lord.

As good as Moses and Elijah were, having them with Jesus on the mountain meant that it gets even better with Christ. Jesus is the Messiah, the True Deliverer, who saves people from their sins. What’s more, Jesus is the ultimate revivalist, bringing truth, grace, and the love of God to people, calling them from legalistic religion back to the true worship of God.

Deliverance and revival were integral to Christ’s earthly ministry. And Jesus expects his followers to do the same. In Christian ministry, there will be suffering, because we must take up our cross. There will also be glory, experiencing and seeing deliverance from sin that comes with revival. 

When I was in college, a group of us Christians met each week for encouragement and prayer. For a two year period, at least one person a week was added to our group, having had a dramatic conversion to Christ. That was an incredible time of being on the mountain with Jesus, seeing him manifested in all his glory through changing people’s lives.

Yet, inevitably, we descend to the valley. What goes up must come down. And how we handle the valley is crucial. On the mountain, things seemed effortless; but in the valley, it’s all different.

Coming off the mountain may lead to various temptations, like wishing you were back on the mountain – looking back to some Golden Age where everything seemed so great, and people were enthused and excited about God and the group you were in. Yet, there are times when the revival fires wane, and the glory departs. Then what?…

God’s Word to us today, given by God the Father, is: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

A 12th century Mosaic of Christ’s Transfiguration

Here is what Jesus has said to us, as recorded by the Evangelist Mark:

“The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

“Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

“Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

“If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

“…the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him….” (Mark 10:33-34)

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

“I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:24-25)

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

If you have had a mountain top experience with Jesus, let that encounter give you the drive and the hope to keep carrying the bucket through the valley, without living in the past.

If you have never been on the mountain, then today, listen to Jesus and follow what he says.

If you are vexed in your spirit, go to Jesus. Listen to him. Do what he says.

Know the word of the Lord, and bank on it. For our light and momentary sufferings will result in praise, honor, and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed. Amen.

Believing Hearts vs. Poisoned Minds (Acts 14:1-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
A Roman bridge between Iconium and Pisidian Antioch

The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. 

But the residents of the city were divided: some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region, and there they continued proclaiming the good news. (New Revised Standard Version)

The typical approach of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas was to enter a city and find the local Jewish synagogue. But their missionary efforts went well beyond attempting to reach fellow Jews; they also had the mind and heart to include non-Jewish persons, Gentiles, in the fledgling Church.

As a result of this apostolic ministry, a number of both Jews and Gentiles believed the message of God’s grace and became followers of Jesus. Thus, two ancient enemies came together to form one new society. Old animosities and prejudices came down. Jew and Gentile began worshiping together and embracing the words and ways of Jesus.

Yet, at the same time, there were also many Jews who refused to believe. Just as the new believers united together in faith, so the unbelievers banded together for a different purpose: to stir up the Gentiles by infecting their minds against this new union of people, centered around a common confession of Christ.

The unbelievers started a slander campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion amongst the people in the street. But the sinful propaganda didn’t deter the apostles from spending considerable time in the city of Iconium and speaking confidently about the good news of Jesus.

What’s more, the message was confirmed by a demonstration of spiritual power. Paul and Barnabas were enabled by God to do many miraculous wonders in the city. This helped the gospel and the authority of the apostles to be established with the people.

The dynamic of belief and unbelief, cut right down the middle of the city. The people became divided and polarized. Some sided with the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, persuaded by their arguments and convinced by their actions; and others sided with the unbelieving Jews, having listened to their slanderous accusations and looking at the apostles as a threat to their existing society.

The climate in the city of Iconium became ripe for violence. Relations between believers and unbelievers deteriorated into planning harm against the new Christians. Even the city officials were becoming sympathizers with the planners to rid the city of the apostles once and for all. In other words, for Paul and Barnabas to remain in the city meant that they would likely get stoned and left for dead.

So, the apostles got out of Dodge and went to the cities of Lystra and Derbe. At least they could keep proclaiming the good news of grace to other people and avoid getting killed.

This story gets at a practical reality for many people of faith: How do people maintain their religious convictions and commitments in an environment that views them as harmful to society?

To be sure, not every person of faith faces this. But others around the world face it every day. And then there are perhaps the majority of the faithful, who sometimes find themselves in places and positions in which slander is rife and verbal violence abounds. What is a person of faith to do?

Not every situation is the same, so each circumstance will take some wisdom in handling it. Nevertheless, the following are some aspects to consider in dealing with the unbelief of others and the harmful effects it can bring:

  1. Persevere in your spiritual confidence. Paul and Barnabas did not cower in fear, but kept up their missionary efforts. The words of gossip and attitudes of hostility around them didn’t slow them down one bit. In fact, in other situations, the apostles who actually experienced harm, chose to view it as a privilege to suffer in the same sort of way Jesus did.
  2. Know when to walk away. Boldness doesn’t necessarily mean that one throws caution to the wind and simply keeps going, no matter the consequences. Paul and Barnabas knew when to leave the city and go somewhere else. They realized the shelf life of their ministry in Iconium was at an end. Neither one of them bemoaned the situation, but instead, looked ahead to the opportunity of gospel proclamation in other cities.
  3. Trust God in all things. Whenever we are slandered, or others actually make plans of harm against us, our initial desire may be to get them before they get us; or to fight back using the same tools of violence that were done against us. Paul and Barnabas did no such thing. Believers have spiritual tools of use that unbelievers don’t possess. So, use them. Pray for those who mistreat you. And let God handle the judgment end of things.

If Christians keep focusing on the words and ways of Jesus, they will consistently practice humility, not pride; confession of faith, not calling out in anger; meekness, not aggressiveness; righteousness, not wrongdoing; mercy, not judgment; purity, not dirty politics; and peacemaking, not war-mongering.

May it be so, to the glory of God. Amen.

Have a Healthy Spiritual Heart (Matthew 12:9-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (New International Version)

The juxtaposition of this story is pronounced: A man with a shriveled hand stretched it out and is healed by Jesus in full view of everyone in the synagogue; and the synagogue leaders with shriveled hearts withhold their hearts from Jesus, and are not healed of their paralyzed beliefs.

Asking questions out of a desire to make a point, instead of asking out of sincere curiosity, is a telltale sign of the small and shriveled heart. And the surefire signal that the heart is wadded-up like a crumpled piece of paper, is the concern for policy and procedure over people.

There was, of course, an allowance for life-threatening medical situations to be attended to on the Sabbath. The man’s shriveled hand, however, didn’t fall into this category. Jesus could have handled the question of healing by stating that he would do it the next day. That certainly would have protected him and quelled any concerns of his orthodoxy.

But Jesus didn’t go there.

Jesus heals the man with a withered hand, from a 17th century Arabic copy of the Gospels

Instead, he deliberately made a stink in front of everyone. Why? Because the whole situation already stunk to high heaven. The ensconced handling of the law by the religious authorities was calloused to real human need. In other words, such a view of the law was ungodly.

Somewhere along the line, the command of a Sabbath day’s rest had turned from a devoted time for community renewal to an opportunity for showing off one’s religiosity and personal piety.

And the height of offense for Jesus was that God was used as the justification for the peacocking to happen. It is to place the supreme spirituality of a holy person above the hard reality of human need and pain. Jesus wanted nothing to do with such a charade of law.

The divine purpose of the Sabbath command was the health of the entire community – even including animals. It’s meant to be a day of mercy, and not a day of restrictions to the point of perpetuating or even causing ill health.

In truth, to not heal on the Sabbath is a travesty of God’s law.

This isn’t only an ancient problem, but also a contemporary issue, as well. One reason so many modern people today believe that Christianity (and, in some cases, all religion) is nothing but a bunch of goofiness, is that there are far too many Christians and churches who espouse a reading of Scripture that is unhealthy instead of healthy.

Whenever Holy Scripture is used a weapon to keep women in check, existing power structures in place, and people different from one’s religious tradition out of congregational life, then such a practice will eventually be challenged by Jesus. And, ironically, all the nice religious folk will turn on Christ and plot how to be rid of him altogether.

And who, pray tell, wants to be a part of that sort of goofiness?

The bottom line, for many people, is their wealth, money, property, and resources. And if someone happens to get in the way of those economic resources, well then, we’ll simply reinterpret existing biblical commands to protect and maintain our stuff.

For Jesus, the whole point of the banter in the synagogue was to actually help the man right in front of him – to do the right thing on the Sabbath day, and not the hard-hearted thing of nothing.

Sabbath is intended to give everyone, without exception, an opportunity to “be” instead of “do.” The Sabbath is designed for the interests and betterment of all creation, all humanity, and not the other way around. The very fact that the upstanding religious folk even have to be told this, signals that they have drifted very far from the actual commands of God.

“If Jesus had been more diplomatic, he may have reformed Judaism, but he would not have won the world. He would not have give us a gospel that serves the depth intention of the law by freeing us from a slavish service to its surfaces.”

Frederick Dale Bruner

In short, Jesus healed the man’s shriveled hand. But the pious religious persons were not healed of their shriveled hearts. Instead, they were mad as hell. They held an after-church meeting in the parking lot about how to do away Jesus, once and for all.

They did this because the entire movement of maintaining religious power and authority was being threatened to the core.

There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. (Amos 5:10, NIV)

Therefore, I strongly urge every believer in Jesus Christ to be completely devoted to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, by actually reading them every day; instead of relying upon slick preachers who tell you what you like to hear.

Be discerning and wise in the reading, hearing, and study of God’s Holy Word. It’s a matter of health and illness, hope and despair, life and death. Don’t have a shriveled heart; have a healthy heart, my friend.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.