Faith of the Guilty Conscience

“And king Herod heard [of him]; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.” (Mr 6:14 AV)

Herod spoke this of Jesus Christ.  He believed that John the Baptist had come back from the dead and was now more powerful than he had been in his prior life.  Stop for a moment and consider what it is that a rebel is testifying to.  Remember that Herod had John the Baptist beheaded.  We also know that the disciples of John retrieved his remains and buried them.  Mark, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls the body a corpse.  This is the only place where this word is used.  No other verse in the entire word of God calls the body of a deceased a corpse.  The Greek word used for corpse is only used three times.  Each time is refers to a dead body that has been desecrated.  In the other two mentions, the bodies have been lying in the open, rotting under the elements.  This leads the writer to believe that the disciples gathered the headless body of John to bury and did not include his head.  Or, if it did, it was still unattached.  Therefore, for Herod to believe that John had risen from the dead, he had to believe in reanimation following decapitation.  That is a leap for a man who was living in open rebellion towards God.

Fear and anxiety can lead us to believe some rather impossible things.  Herod was fearful because he had beheaded a prophet of God.  And he knew it.  When the daughter of his wife asked for the head of John on a charger, he was distraught.  He knew that John was a prophet, and all the people held him as such.  Herod had married his brother’s wife against Jewish law.  If Philip had died and Herod took his wife as a widow, he would have been okay.  However, history tells us that Herod took his brother’s wife while he lived.  At the preaching of John, Herod was brought under deep conviction.  John was incarcerated but still alive and well-tended to.  His wife, however, was deeply offended.  When her daughter danced before her stepfather, he promised her anything up to half of the kingdom.  That should caution the reader right away.  For a mother to be okay with her daughter dancing before her stepfather and stirring him to reward her should have given her pause.  She should have been offended.  Rather, she was more offended in the truth from the preacher than she was at the lust of her husband toward her daughter.  Now, as Jesus is preaching and healing, Herod exercised more faith in what God is able to do than most of Israel.  He believed Jesus to be the resurrection of someone who was without a head!

Herod had every reason to think irrationally.  He was condemned before God for adultery and murder.  He was unrepentant.  His wife was a piece of work whom he could not control.  But the child of God who is repentant and who desires to walk with Him has no cause for irrational fears.  We are made free from the wrath of God by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The wrath of God does not abide on the child of God.  This does not imply that the child of God is free from divinely sent correction.  This does not imply that the child of God is free from the consequences of sinful choices.  On the contrary.  We face them on a regular basis.  What we need to guard against is the idea that God’s vengeance or vindictiveness will be visited on His people. It never will be.  That was the whole point of Jesus’ suffering.  The wrath of the Father was poured out on the Son.  He took the wrath of His Father for our sakes.  If we are suffering from irrational fears, then our faith must run to God and not away from Him.  I know that fears and anxieties have many causes.  Sometimes they are physical.  A sick endocrine system can cause feelings of fear or anxiety.  Trauma to the body can cause fears and anxieties years after the trauma.  Irrational fears may be caused by external influences.  But the answer is always the same.  It must include a close and intimate relationship with the LORD!

What's In A Name?

“And James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:” (Mr 3:17 AV)

It is interesting what some suggest as the reason for the surnaming.  In the word of God, surnaming meant an additional name that signified a particular event or characteristic related to the one receiving it.  Some suggest that because these two wanted to call down fire from heaven as Elijah did that Jesus named them the sons of thunder.  Others suggest that because of some particular physical trait like a booming voice was the cause for the name.  Either way, a surname was added to their names of identity.  Some surnames align with a family's career.  Such is the case with Smith or Shoemaker.  Other surnames identify a place of origin, as some surnames add a Von, Mc, Van, or Mac prior to the place or family of origin.  When Jesus surnamed, or nicknamed James and John, it was associated in a much more personal way.  One wonders if Jesus were to give us a nickname, what it might be.

I come from a state that makes nicknaming a cultural pastime.  In fact, there were several sitcoms set in my home state, and nicknaming was a regular part of the dialogue.  Most of it is derogatory.  However, some of it is complimentary.  William Shakespeare was known as Avon’s swan.  Margaret Thatcher earned the name The Iron Lady.  Thomas Edison was called the Wizard of Menlo Park.  Michelangelo was known as Michael the Angel; an obvious play on words.  And who can forget Honest Abe – Abraham Lincoln?  While I managed a restaurant, we gave people nicknames.  Most of them were endearing.  It was a way of building a personal relationship with someone while still maintaining the proper authority structure.  The names could not be demeaning.  It had to be complimentary.  It had to be something endearing, or it became insulting.  The more use we made of the nickname, the more our employees felt as part of the family.  Nicknames, if done right, can bolster a person’s confidence and affirm their worth to the whole body.

All that being said, I had to wonder what the LORD would nickname me.  I wonder if I have proved myself worthy of one.  Usually, good nicknames take a bit of time.  Our employees did not get one until they had placed their stamp on the business.  Until they exhibited a distinctly different and positive contribution to the business, their given name sufficed.  I wonder if I have done enough to earn a nickname.  I wonder if I have made my mark on the gospel of Christ so that He would give me a name different from all others.  We know that there are two names given to the saint of which no one will know until they are given.  The Revelation of Jesus Christ states that there are two names given.  One of those names is a new name of God written on the saint.  The other is a new name written on a stone and given to the saint.  That second name is unique to the saint.  That new name is new because no one knows us like God knows us.  No one will be able to know that name until the LORD reveals it.  I wonder what mine will be.

Faith In the Absence of Details

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” (Mt 28:6-7 AV)

It occurred to me that none of the gospels give a detailed description of the process of the resurrection.  The gospels do not give a scientific or even an observational report of the process of regeneration.  There is no verse that states the steps Jesus took as He exited the tomb.  He is buried.  Then he is reported to have risen.  There is no information between those two events.  For instance, it takes four to six weeks for someone who has donated blood to be back the way he or she was before the donation.  Plasma is the quickest to revive.  Usually 24-48 hours.  But the rest take time.  That is why giving blood is regulated.  It would be dangerous to donate if done too frequently.  The body begins to deteriorate the moment blood is removed.  That is why cryogenics will never work.  The moment a cell is deprived of what it needs, the cell wall begins to break down.  Jesus lost all his blood.  We are not completely clear on the exact makeup of His glorified body.  If still completely human, somehow He would have had to produce enough blood to live in only three days and night when it would take at least a month or more.  If His body did not contain human blood, then of what did it consist?  We don’t know.  And there is the challenge.

We know Jesus died and was buried.  We also know He rose again.  500 or more eye witnesses attested to this very fact.  Even secular historians will give credibility to the resurrection of Christ.  Non-believers of the first century knew the resurrection of Jesus Christ was an established fact of their time.  The challenge is in understanding the ‘how’ of this divine miracle.  No doubt that of all the miracles of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest.  In fact, the resurrection from the dead is that single miracle that proved the divinity of Jesus Christ.  The fact that He could raise Himself from the dead proved He had power over life and death.  He had proven power of creation and generation by calming the seas and feed the thousands.  Now, He walked abroad proving that He had power over death and life.  Especially His own.  Only God had that power.

But again, here is the challenge.  We don’t know the mechanics of this miracle.  But then again, we don’t know how He calmed the sea or fed the thousands, either.  Just because we do not know how God does things does not make them less believable.  I remember my childhood instructors of a false religion.  They tried to rationalize all the miracles of Jesus and explain them in terms we would accept.  It was mass hallucinations, they said.  It was cunning manipulation.  It was an exaggeration to prove a point and not a record of historical fact, they would claim.  Skeptics do the same today.  They will not accept a provable fact from history that was a miracle from God.  They will not accept it because they cannot explain it.  So sad.  Faith begins where reason ends.  Jesus left us in the dark because He requires faith.  Even if we knew the ‘how’, skeptics would refuse it unless they could duplicate it.  In short, refusal to live by faith makes one his own god.  I don’t need the rational explanation of how Jesus regenerated.  I don’t need to know the details of how he exited the tomb.  All I need to know is that He is risen!

Who Is Really In Control?

“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Mt 26:15 KJB)

Obviously, Judas never read James 4:15, “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”  It is ironic that an evil man believed he could control the events surrounding the son of God.  When he went to the Pharisees to arrange a deal, he had this crazy idea that somehow he could control the whole event.  Jesus is God.  Nothing happens without His approval.  If Judas does betray God, it is only because God allowed it.  This idea of perfect and complete self-determination is erroneous.  If we have any freedom of choice or movement, it is because the sovereign God of creation has purposed or allowed it.  We think Judas a bit irrational with rebellion.  Yet we often live the same way.  Perhaps not to the degree of evil, but we do make choices believing God is required to accept those choices.  We often think we are the captain of our own ships, when in reality, the God who created all things also controls all things.  How silly to live any other way!

Many years ago, we went on a trip to Ireland.  We took a group of teenagers on a missions trip.  The first week was spent with a little church helping them conduct a VBS.  My son and his good friend, Oscar, loved the game of chess.  They had brought a set and were playing a match.  The pastor came over and asked what they were doing.  They said they were playing chess.  He asked if he could watch.  They agreed.  The pastor said he had never heard of the game and wanted to know how to play.  They taught him the rules and then played another match.  Along the way, they explained why they had made certain moves.  He asked more questions.  Then he asked to play.  So, he started out with my son.  The first match went as you would expect.  My son won that match rather quickly.  They played a second match, and this time my son won but took a bit more time.  The pastor said he thought he had learned quite well and wanted to play one more time.  So, my son set up the board, and within two minutes the pastor won the match.  My son sat there, stunned.  He had no idea what had just happened.  Then the pastor announced he was the chess champion of his county.  The pastor gave the illusion that my son was in control of the matches he played.  In reality, the chess master knew what he was doing all along.

This is not to suggest that life is a game and God is a player.  This is not to suggest that God does not take our lives any more seriously than a board game.  This is not true.  Rather, the point is that we think we are in far more control of our lives than we actually are.  Judas thought that he was in control of Jesus’ life.  He thought he could make a deal and that by his actions Jesus was destined to die.  And for no other reason that by his hand.  How ludicrous.  Judas was merely part of God’s divine plan.  This was planned, known, and decreed before Adam and Eve were created.  In fact, the book of psalms predicted it hundreds of years before Judas was a small little boy growing up in Israel.  For some, this can be aggravating and an insult to our egos.  But for the saint, it is a comfort.  What we need to remember is that any freedom of self-determination is given to us by a God who will hold us accountable for it. 

The Greater The Need, The Louder The Cry

“And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, [thou] Son of David.” (Mt 20:31 AV)

Every time I read this I get a chuckle.  These two men reacted to the crowd shushing them by getting louder.  Not softer.  Rather than apologize for their impertinence, they doubled down.  I don’t think this was out of rebellion.  I think it was out of desperation.  These two men felt their blindness was cause enough to make as much noise as they could.  They knew the crowd was growing louder, and if they didn’t yell the loudest, Jesus may never hear them.  They did not quiet down as Jesus got closer.  They couldn’t see that he was approaching.  As far as they knew, Jesus was still a way off.  They yelled as loud as they could until they got an answer.  The greater the mercy needed, the louder the child of God will shout!

It is not easy serving as a chaplain in a hospital.  There are wards that are pure joy.  The maternity ward comes to mind.  As the chaplain makes rounds, very rarely will he encounter a sad face or someone in severe pain.  Hospice, although not a joyful place to be, is rather sedate.  There may be sobbing or crying at the passing of a loved one, but for the most part, the souls assembled have resigned to the inevitable.  They have come to terms with the end, and they are at peace with it.  When a soul passes into eternity, there are many tears.  Maybe even a bit of wailing.  But for the most part, the mourners are at rest, knowing the suffering of their loved one is over.  There are also those wards that are general care wards.  Less serious situations and also by and large, quiet.  But there are those wards set aside for severe cases.  These cases are usually contained in a single wing or floor.  These cases are not quiet at all.  There is great pain and discomfort.  There are constant calls for the nurse.  They are doing all they can.  They have administered the largest dose of relief that the doctor has prescribed.  There is nothing more they can do.  Only the toughest work on this floor.  They guard themselves against over-empathetic hearts.  They wouldn’t survive if they did not.  As a general rule, the one who cries out the loudest is the one who gets the attention.  There are moaners and there are screamers.  There is everything in between.  As a Chaplain, relief is what we are supposed to offer.  We try our best.  The more someone cries out, the greater our desire to help.

These two men cried out because they had a great need.  Their need was for mercy.  For them, mercy would come by way of gaining their sight.  But there are other reasons someone might need mercy.  There is strength to endure a trial of faith.  Only the mercy of God can get us through.  There are doubts and fears.  Only the mercy of God can reassure us.  There is confusion of mind.  Only the mercy of God can show us the truth.  There is ambition yet unrealized.  Only the mercy of God can give us a calling in life.  There is loneliness.  Only the mercy of God can fill that vacant heart.  There is concern for others.  Only the mercy of God can help.  There are unspoken prayer requests.  Only the mercy of God knows what they are and what we need.  Most of all, there are sins that need forgiveness.  Only the mercy of God can provide the peace that comes from divine forgiveness.  The point is, the greater the need for mercy, the louder or more persistent our prayers.  Perhaps our prayer life is anemic because we do not realize our great our need for mercy truly is.  Don’t worry, we will learn this soon enough.  When we do, we are to cry loudly and persistently until the Son of God approaches!

Profound Gratitude

“Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” (Mt 17:4 AV)

I think in Peter’s words we see a profound gratitude for the experience Peter is witnessing.  What I don’t see is an immature excitement of something new and different.  I don’t see an immature attitude of competition comparing himself against the nine that were not invited.  What I see is a man who understood the event.  I see a man who had walked with Jesus for a bit and began to understand who it was that was transfigured.  I see a man who is deeply grateful for the experience as one who does not deserve anything.  What I see in Peter is the spirit that should be in the heart of every believer.  Especially during those quiet times of prayer and Bible study.  What I see is the heart that should rest its head at night deeply grateful for the adoption to which we are called the children of God.  Circumstances change, but the presence of God does not.  What I see is a heart that is so grateful that he will never forget this moment.  I see in Peter a heart that is profoundly grateful to the point that it is understood there is nothing we can do that will equal it.

I also see a heart that understands the profound nature of the event and how it will change him.  Peter will never be the same again.  And I think he knew this.  Because of their question regarding Elijah, the three disciples truly understood that the mount of transfiguration was not a mere miracle.  It was far more than that.  They understood that they were experiencing Jesus in a vastly different way and they were the first ones.  I think they understood why it was so very important when Jesus told them that they were not to share this experience until after the resurrection.  They understood that the evidence of the deity of Christ was not to be the mount of transfiguration, but rather, that he would rise from the dead.  They understood this event was founded upon the faith of the three to believe what they were seeing.  They saw Elijah and Moses with Jesus Christ.  They knew who these two individuals were.  They had no problem with it.  In that moment, their faith grew exponentially.

I think we have lost our heart of gratitude for the relationship we have in Christ Jesus.  In particular, I think we have lost our heart of gratitude for the hand of God that brings us through experiences that grow us up.  Challenging times are growing times.  Profound times are times of maturing.  Have you ever been in a situation that you did not completely understand or felt overwhelming, but you knew it was good to be there? Fear abated.  Calm anticipation and a heightened sense of purpose ruled.  This is how our devotional and worship times should be each time we enter them.  Every time God speaks to us we should feel as Peter felt.  It is good to be here.  Every time we are thrust into a situation we cannot control and we are forced to spiritually grow, we should respond that it is good to be in such a place.  The grateful and mature Christian is hard to find.  Taking each event in stride and being grateful no matter what it might mean is where we need to be.  It is good to be called a child of God.  It is good to have Him as our Father.  It is good to be in His presence and under His hand.  It is good!

The Faithful Must Still Bless

“Bless ye the LORD, all [ye] his hosts; [ye] ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.” (Ps 103:21-22 AV)

This is an interesting scripture passage because it speaks to those who are already faithful in pleasing God.  Note that the psalmist is speaking to those who are presently doing the pleasure of God.  Note also the encouragement to bless the LORD is to all His works (that which He has created) that are in His dominion (or those surrendered under His will).  The command is a peculiar one.  To bless the LORD would be a given if one is in the will of God and also doing His pleasure, right?  Wouldn’t the two go hand in hand?  Wouldn’t serving the church, witnessing to others, and being a help to the children of God necessarily bless the LORD?  The key is in knowing the definition of the word ‘bless’.  The word means to kneel in adoration.  It is an emotionally oriented word.  Other uses of the same word can mean to be happy.  Or, it could mean doing something nice for others or for God.  But here, the psalmist tells the faithful servant who is in the will of God and doing His good pleasure not to forsake the personal aspect of his relationship with God.

There is a difference waiting on tables of complete strangers and waiting on a table of people you know and are close to.  In the restaurant I managed, these situations we common.  We had a dining area and served dine-in customers.  Our cashiers were also part-time waitresses.  They didn’t wait on the table directly, but did see to our guest’s needs.  Mostly they cleared dishes, got more soda, or delivered doggy boxes.  They were very good at waiting on customers at both the counter and the dining area.  That is, until someone they knew came in.  This happened quite frequently on Friday nights during High School football season.  Having employed many teenagers, it was normal to remind our staff that there were other customers to be waited on and spending too much time with the people they knew was not ideal service.  What was the difference?  Those whom the cashiers didn’t know were served faithfully.  They did not go without their order.  They were greeted cheerfully and cashed out the same.  There was no disconnect there.  But for those whom the cashiers did know, they enjoyed something others did not.  They enjoyed the cashiers’ hearts.  There was a connection.  The first order of service was wonderful.  But it lacked a personal connection.  The second received a level of service that the first would never enjoy because of an established personal relationship.

Our psalmist is reminding us that in our faithful service and walk toward God, let us not forget the personal aspect of our relationship.  Yes, He is our Creator worthy of our faithful worship and service.  Yes, He is almighty and above all He has created.  Yes, He should be feared.  However, the psalmist is reminding us that in all of this, do not forget to fall to our knees in adoration for the person of Jehovah.  Our drawing nigh to the Father does not stop with obedience and service.  It starts there.  What God wants above all other things is for His children to love Him with all their hearts and souls as well as their bodies and minds.  In short, the writer is encouraging us to draw nigh to God with more than our lips or hands.  He is reminding us to love the LORD our God as He is.  Our patient and ever-loving Father.