Month: April 2021

Looking for a Fine and Upstanding Citizen?

Once upon a time God did not have a chosen people on this earth. Sure, there were a couple of individuals like Enoch who followed God. But this was far from having an entire people who were selected by God and united in him.

You might think that to start this plan, God would search in a reputable area where there were many fine and upstanding citizens and find one who would be worthy of being the father of his people.  But no, on the contrary, he went to a locale where people were notorious for being raucous pagans: Ur.

And there God found one guy to whom he said, “I have made you a father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:5b)

This man was chosen before he had done much of anything. And he proved to be far from perfect in how he executed God’s plan for him. Indeed, if you read about his life in Genesis, in chapters 12 and 20 you see how he messed up and told two lies that were real whoppers.  When that happened, did God say, “Wow, that was a surprise! Oops, I must have made a mistake by choosing this guy to be the father of my chosen people.”?

No, God knew what he was doing. The man he chose was Abraham. And God said that his promise that Abraham would be a father of many nations was irrevocable despite any missteps he might make.

Abraham was the first of God’s chosen people, who became known as the Hebrews.

Later, membership in God’s chosen people was opened up. Christians are compared to olive shoots who are added to the chosen people because of what Jesus did: you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others (from Romans 11:17)

Here’s how our story is like Abraham’s: We did not have to be superb, meritorious citizens before being added into God’s kingdom. We were called in just as we are. And once we are in our place is irrevocable.

Thousands of years later the invitation is still open:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)

We are welcomed in by Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews. And he will never kick us out. Thank you, Lord, for your grace and mercy.

Banned

No matter how kindly we frame it, the message of Jesus draws opposition.   Several years ago, Vanderbilt University derecognized various Christian groups because they required that to hold a leadership position in their group, you needed to believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead after his crucifixion.

The Vanderbilt administration said that to forbid someone from being a group leader for not believing in the resurrection was intolerant! The Christian leaders showed a winsome attitude as they explained what they believed and why they believed it. But basically the administrators said, “We don’t care about your kind attitude; your beliefs are discriminatory and your groups are hereby banned from campus.”

I at least give the administrators credit for having an accurate grasp of the real core issue. You might think that they would evict Christian groups due to disputes about cultural issues such as abortion or gay rights.  But the administrators chose the key Christian distinctive that has not and will not ever change: we owe our lives to, and base our lives on, faith in a resurrected man.

The Vanderbilt fight, then, has a helpful lesson:  We don’t want to erect false obstacles by saying that being a Christian is defined by a list of positions that you must take in the culture wars. (Indeed, when fights about abortion and gay rights die down, they will only be replaced by a new set of culture war issues.)

I’m not saying that political issues are irrelevant or unimportant. But they are all less important than this claim:  Jesus is alive. And he wasn’t blowing smoke when he said he will return to rule as King. Neither Republican nor Democrat, and not a capitalist and not a socialist, he won’t allow any fights over culture war issues. We will laugh at the idea that we once thought that the right political solutions would bring heaven on earth.

Does all that sound too good to be true? It’s not. Check out this promise about Jesus’ return: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)  

Before Easter: How ticked off did Jesus get?

Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?” (Matthew 26:67-68)

In our men’s Bible study we wondered whether Jesus would have felt seriously ticked off at those clowns who were hitting him. Was he furious? How badly would he want to retaliate?

Or was Jesus so far above all our own normal reactions, so ethereal, with a beatific look on his face, that he blessedthe spitters without one second of hesitation, even as the saliva dripped down his face?

We know that Jesus was a real man who underwent the same temptations we did. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

 So there was something real about Jesus resisting the temptation to bust their heads when he had the chance to retaliate. He had real gut reactions to things. Yet he did learn how to control his reactions: Picture him learning to handle the situations he faced while working as a carpenter — like how to ask for payment from someone who had not paid their bill on time without blowing his top and screaming at them and getting red in the face and yelling “Don’t you realize who I am ??”

His training consummated with being able to deal with the people who wanted him dead. He knew ahead of time that he would get outrageous, lying, unjust opposition. Yet he knew that death was an important part of God’s plan for him and for the world. So he was thoroughly convinced that the spitters and mockers were part of God’s will. Because of that deep conviction, he could take what they dished out without lashing out and busting their heads.

  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 (Hebrews 5:8-9) His obedience led all the way to Jesus’ death on a cross. And this life of submission and restraint is our rescue.  We are thankful that Jesus put up with beating and mockery without taking revenge into his own hands. For on Easter he was raised from the dead bringing us eternal salvation!