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Arthur Pigdon Seeds of the Spirit (2001) |
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Here again is a new note in Jesus' teaching. It is a call to deny ourselves in order to be true disciples of Jesus. Jesus himself accepted the discipline of submission to the Father's will. He said, 'I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me.' (John 6:38) Paul reminds us that 'even Christ did not please himself'. (Romans 15:3) In Gethsemane he submitted himself to the Father's will saying, 'Not my will but yours be done.' (Luke 22:42) So Jesus set his followers an example of self-denial. He is able to say, 'Follow me,' when he calls us to deny self. For this reason Christianity will never be accepted by people who seek pleasure, power and money. It is too demanding. Many will claim to belong to Christ. To them he says, 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.' (Matthew 7:21) Here is one of the paradoxes of life. If we try to find life by living for self we lose it but by denying ourselves to do God's will we find life eternal. Because of this the true disciples of Jesus will always be a minority in any society. |
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Mark and Luke also record this remarkable incident and Peter mentions it saying, 'We did not follow cleverly invented stories . . . we were eyewitnesses of his majesty . . . when we were with him on the sacred mountain.' Peter heard the voice saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love.' (2 Peter 1:16-18) Luke tells us that this happened while Jesus was praying and that Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus about his coming death. God's presence is always associated with intense light. Moses saw the bush that appeared to burn. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost with the appearance of fire. Jesus' face shone and his clothes glowed white because God was present. The appearance of Moses and Elijah is unique but similar to the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his death. Jesus must have been praying late into the night because the disciples were heavy with sleep, yet awake. It appears that the experience was given to strengthen Jesus for his coming death and the presence of Israel's two great prophets, Moses and Elijah, who had suffered death, yet still lived, would assure him of his own resurrection. |
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Human forgiveness is very important in God's sight. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus made God's forgiveness conditional on our forgiveness of those who wrong us. Everywhere in scripture we are told that we cannot be right with God unless we are in right relationship with others. Resentment, bitterness and hatred are dangerous negative attitudes that harm us personally. They affect our health and they are destructive of relationships and society. Jesus follows his statement by telling the story of the unforgiving servant who lost his position and was cast into prison. Jesus added, 'This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.' God's forgiveness of the sins for which we repent and from which we turn is unlimited and Jesus' disciples must be willing to forgive from the heart all who wrong them. Jesus set us an example when after the cruelty of the crucifixion he prayed as he hung on the cross, 'Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.' (Luke 23:34) Forgiveness breaks the cycle of revenge and rebuilds friendships. |
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When the disciples asked why Moses had allowed divorce if this was not God's intention, Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.' He added, 'I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.' Jesus' position on marriage and divorce is thus quite clear. In saying this Jesus upholds the ideal of monogamy but by referring to Moses' law on divorce he acknowledges that divorces were permitted by God under the Mosaic law. However, he went on to add, 'Not everyone can accept this word.' This appears to apply to his remarks about celibacy but it is also true for many whose marriages fail, both in Moses' day and today. It appears that although God sets before us the ideal, because of our human frailties we often fall short of God's intention for our lives. Divorce is always traumatic to the people concerned and their children. A divorced person is a scarred person. God wants to save us from this trauma. We need to extend our love and understanding to all who suffer the heartbreak of divorce rather than pass judgment on them. (See also 4 August.) |
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Jesus taught that there was another life and another kingdom beyond this world where the sacrifices made in this life for his sake would be rewarded. If this were not so we would have to conclude that God had created an unjust world and therefore he was an unjust God. The message that the wicked will be punished and the righteous who suffer here will be rewarded and compensated is found throughout the Bible. Those who are investment minded should note that Jesus says we will receive a hundred times more than we outlay here on earth, but not in monetary terms. The greatest hope we have for the future is that God has planned another world where the compassionate Son of God will reign. We are not told the details of that future life but we are told that Jesus' disciples will inherit eternal life. The word 'inherit', often used in association with eternal life, is reassuring. An inheritance is a gift, something we did not work for or deserve. It does not depend on our attaining a certain level of goodness. It is a gift, therefore it is secure. |
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Jesus' teaching is still radical today and though his view of greatness is ignored by most people we give it our endorsement when we honour selfless people who become famous for their service to others. The mother of two of Jesus' disciples, James and John, had approached Jesus asking that they sit on his right and left when he became king. Jesus used the incident to teach his disciples that true greatness was attained, not through a position of power or status, but only through service to others and ministering to human need. As always, Jesus lived what he taught, and he reminded them that he had come into the world to be a servant, ministering to human need, even to the point of laying down his life so that he might ransom them from the consequences of their sins. The word 'ransom' is important. It implies that we have lost our freedom and are in the grip and power of another and it will be costly to free us. Jesus came to save us from the bondage of our sins. He is called the Redeemer. Our redemption was accomplished by his death on the cross. What a Saviour we have in Jesus! He was not only born great, he also attained greatness by his sacrificial life and death. |
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This is a watershed statement by Jesus. He had just told the parable about the vineyard to the chief priests and elders who challenged his authority. In the parable he depicted a man who owned a vineyard and did everything to ensure that it was a well-equipped vineyard. He then entrusted it to tenants and expected a return. The tenants ill-treated the master's servants and when he sent his son they killed him. It was directed against Israel's religious leaders whom he depicted as the unfaithful tenants. Hence the judgment Jesus pronounced was against the priests, scribes and Pharisees. They were to be deprived of their role as God's tenants in his vineyard. In this prediction he prophesied the decline of Israel's spiritual leadership and the rise of the spiritual role of believing Gentiles. The church took on the role of being God's witnesses. But we should note that this eclipse of Israel's role was not permanent. (See Matthew 23:38-39.) The word 'until' in verse 39 suggests hope for Israel in the future. Paul in Romans 11:11-32 also speaks hopefully of their eventual restoration. The responsibility now rests on the Christians to bring to God the fruits of righteousness and the increase of his kingdom. |
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This parable follows the one about the vineyard and conveys a similar message. God had invited the Jews to his 'marriage feast' but they did not value the invitation and made excuses so the 'whosoever' era of the gospel age began, when all people, good and bad, were invited. But this parable introduces a new element, the importance of having a wedding garment. We understand the wedding garment to be the righteousness of Christ, which God makes available to all, making us presentable to a holy God. In Romans 3:21-26 Paul explains the way we can be righteous before God through trusting in Jesus Christ. If we reject the offer of forgiveness through Christ we must stand before God to be judged on our own record and on that basis we will certainly be found guilty and rejected. In Romans 10:1-4 Paul points out that the Jews were trusting in their own righteousness and did not submit to God's righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the wedding garment without which we cannot be a guest at God's wedding celebration. The scriptures declare that there is no salvation except through Jesus Christ. |
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The command to love God is found in Deuteronomy and the command to love our neighbour is in Leviticus. Jesus put them together and summed up the whole of our obligation as love to God and man. So what does it mean to love? It means to give the loved one priority in our life. Our heart (affections), soul (will), and mind (thoughts) are to give God first place. Also we are to be as mindful of the welfare of others as we are of our own well-being. Paul defines love for us in 1 Corinthians 13 when he says that love is not self-seeking. Love is always directed outward to another. To love God is not other worldly because to love God is to obey him, in all matters concerning our daily lives and our human relationships. To love God is to order our lives in such a way that others will not be harmed and society will function in a harmonious way. We are to maintain an attitude of positive goodwill to people irrespective of their attitude to us. (See Matthew 5:46-48.) Only those who love God are given the power to love others in this way. |
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This remarkable passage tells us much about both our Lord and his people Israel. Notice his use of the pronoun 'I' in the words 'how often I have longed to gather'. Yet Jesus was only thirty years of age--here he looks back over Israel's history. Surely he is speaking here as Israel's God of ancient days. His cry for Jerusalem reveals his love for the people of this city, the capital of Israel. He continually tried to guide his people through the prophets he raised up to teach them, but they would not listen. The beautiful metaphor of a hen protecting her chickens shows his care for his people. The saddest words are 'you were not willing'. Surely many a parent has felt the same about children who chose to go their own way in life. God cannot save those who will not listen or heed his voice. They bring about their own downfall. Verse 39 is both sad and hopeful. 'You will not see me again.' There is a stage when God gives us up to do whatever we have chosen. (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) The next move is ours: 'Until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." There is always hope for those who through their desolate state turn to the Lord. |
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Here Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple, which took place in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the long Jewish exile began. The disciples asked three separate questions. Jesus' answer covers all three but it is not always clear in Jesus' reply to which stage it applies. False Christs, international wars, famines and earthquakes are just the beginning. Jesus' followers will be persecuted, wickedness will increase, many will leave the churches and love will diminish in the world. After the gospel has been preached in all the nations of the world the gospel era will come to an end. The earth will experience such great distress that God will intervene to prevent all life on earth being wiped out. Christ will return in great power and glory and he will gather his elect from every nation. Jesus' coming will be unexpected, and it is likened to the days of Noah (verse 37). Verses 12-14 seem to apply particularly to our day. There has been a noticeable drift away from faith and an increase in lawlessness during the twentieth century. Christians are to remain faithful to the Lord and so be ready, 'For the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.' |
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In this chapter we have two parables and a description of the judgment of the nations. The first reminds us that there is a danger that the flame of our faith will go out unless regularly nourished and we will miss out when our Lord returns. The second reminds us that we all have certain talents, that we are stewards of these abilities and that one day we must account to God for our stewardship. More is expected of those with greater talents but, however few our gifts may be, we can improve them with use. The account of the judgment of the nations lays down the basis on which we will be judged, which is the failure to fulfil our responsibilities towards others in need. None of the traditional sins are mentioned. At first glance it would appear to contradict the gospel of the grace of God, which makes salvation dependent on our faith in the atoning death of Christ. Christ's disciples must prove their faith by their behaviour, as James says. (James 2:14-24) The 'nations' may refer to those who have not heard or responded to the gospel. They will still be judged by the universal, unwritten law of love that requires us to treat others with justice and compassion. |
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As Jesus was celebrating the Passover he gave the Passover bread and the cup of redemption a new significance. For his disciples these symbols would not only signify the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, they would henceforth stand for the body and blood of Jesus who offered himself as a sacrifice for sin, initiating a new covenant, which was not restricted to Abraham's descendants, but which would include all who had been delivered from the bondage of their sins by the death of Jesus. The choice of the words 'my blood . . . which is poured out' is probably deliberately reminiscent of the blood of animal sacrifices that were 'poured out' on the altar to make atonement for sin. Note that Jesus says, 'I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.' Here we have again the prophetic word 'until', indicating that although this is his last Passover with them, the day will come when he will again drink the symbolic cup of redemption with his disciples. The communion is a sacrament of hope. |
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This scene is so private and personal that we feel like eavesdroppers but God has chosen to let us see the inner struggle of his Son as he faces the immediate prospect of arrest, trials, scourging, humiliation, betrayal and the shame and pain of hanging naked on the cross until his death. Was he not the Son of God? So why did he have to accept this suffering and humiliation? Isaiah tells us why in chapter 53 of his prophecy. 'He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities . . . the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' On the cross Jesus submitted to the death God had pronounced on sinners. He died instead of us. We can say with Paul he 'loved me, and gave himself for me.' (Galatians 2:20) Gethsemane brings out the human side of Jesus. He shrank from the cross. His heart was heavy, he fell on his face in the intensity of his feelings and he prayed the same prayer three times. He also wanted human support--he took his three close disciples to be in the garden with him--but he had to face his battle alone and went a little apart to pray. We all face personal Gethsemanes when the only true prayer is, 'Yet not as I will, but as you will.' |
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There were two accusations that led to the condemnation of Jesus. They were treason and blasphemy. The religious court of the Jews asked the critical question, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?' When Jesus replied in the affirmative the high priest declared, 'He has spoken blasphemy!' The critical question before the civil court of Pilate was, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' (See 27:11.) Again Jesus replied affirmatively, thus ensuring his sentence for treason. Jesus courageously gave the answers that ensured his death. But in his reply to the high priest he looked beyond the present to the time when his claims would be proved true (verse 64). That day he stood as a condemned prisoner but he predicted that the day would come when he would be seated at the right hand of God in heaven and that he would come in the clouds to earth where he would indeed be king, not merely of Rome, but of the whole earth. With the eye of faith we also see Jesus as Son of God and coming King. How proud we will be on the day of Jesus' triumph when we recall that we remained true to him in a largely unbelieving world. |
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The great value of this incident where Peter showed cowardice in the face of great personal danger is that our past failures need not hinder our future effectiveness in Christian work. In fact they may make us stronger as we resolve never to fail our Lord again. Peter's bitter remorse when he realised what he had done showed where his affections and loyalty really lay. The intimate scene by Lake Galilee after Jesus' resurrection when Jesus made Peter three times declare his love to the Lord shows how sensitively Jesus restored Peter's confidence. (John 21:15-19) This failure did not disqualify Peter from becoming the leader of the apostles and the first leader of the Christian community after Jesus' ascension. Because Christians have accepted Christ's life and teaching as their ideal, and because it is almost impossible to live up to these ideals at all times, Christians often suffer discouragement from feelings of guilt and failure. We need to remember that the word 'disciple' means learner and all learners make mistakes. Paul made the mistake of persecuting Christians so he wrote, 'Forgetting what is behind . . . I press on.' (Philippians 3:12-14) Whatever our past, let us get on with living for Christ in the future. |
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It is a terrible thing to be humiliated before others and all the more so, in Jesus' case, because of who he was. He was Immanuel--God with us. He was the 'Word made flesh' and 'the Word was God'. He was the eternal Spirit come down to earth in the form of a man. If God, the Father, permitted this humiliation of his Son, we must expect that he will also permit Jesus' disciples to be mocked and humiliated. The writer of Hebrews says, 'Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.' (Hebrews 12:3) Jesus' strength to face rejection and persecution, and ours also, lies in knowing who we are in God's sight and in the rightness of our cause. The rejection by men is cancelled out by the approval of God. As Paul says, 'In all these things we are more than conquerors.' (Romans 8:35-39) Probably the most difficult part of the crucifixion was the silence of God. Jesus felt abandoned and cried, 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' If God is silent when we are sorely tried it does not mean that he is absent or indifferent. |
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'He is risen, just as he said.' On a number of occasions Jesus had said that he would rise from the dead. He had compared his time in the tomb to Jonah's three days in the body of a huge fish, giving this as proof of his claims (12:40), but the idea was so radical and impossible in the eyes of his disciples that they had not taken it seriously. Yet here was the empty tomb. The Jews had taken precautions against the stealing of his body and had set a guard and sealed the tomb. Yet the body was gone. They could not explain it so they circulated a false rumour and bribed the guards into silence. The emotions of the two Marys who discovered the empty tomb are aptly described as 'afraid yet filled with joy'. As they wondered, Jesus met them and said, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.' By demonstrating that he had power over death Jesus made credible his claim to give eternal life to his disciples. He demonstrated the possibility of life after death--that the Spirit could live on after the body was destroyed. This was the greatest discovery ever made. It has overcome the futility we feel in the face of death giving it both meaning and purpose. |
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This is a remarkable claim. If Jesus has all authority in both heaven and earth it makes him equal with, or identical with, God the Father. We will never be able to state the nature of the godhead in normal logical terms. On the basis of that authority he sent his apostles to make disciples from all nations. When people became believers they were to be baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the three persons in which the one eternal Spirit was manifest. As disciples they were to be careful to observe all that Jesus had taught. The apostles did not go in their own strength. The Spirit and presence of the risen Christ would always be with them right to the end of the Christian era. They were to teach all new believers what Jesus had taught them. Their mission was to continue until the end of the age. Again we are reminded that there will be an end to the Christian or gospel age. Elsewhere Jesus predicted that his followers would suffer persecution, even as he had but despite this they were commissioned to go. This commission made Christianity a world religion. By ignoring all barriers of race and colour it implied an equality before God of all people. All people are offered a place in the kingdom of God. |
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John was the only prophet who baptised people as a symbol of repentance. It would have given a better historical connection if the scholars had translated the Greek work baptisma and its cognates as 'immerse', its true meaning, instead of bringing it over untranslated into English. Total immersion in the mikvah bath was, and still is, a Jewish ritual for proselytes and a regular practice for purification, so John was not introducing anything new. It was a rite symbolising cleansing and commitment. For Jesus it marked the commencement of his ministry, the transition from carpenter to prophet. When John queried Jesus' need to be baptised Jesus replied that it was necessary to fulfil all righteousness. The dove-like image that hovered over Jesus signified God's Spirit entering into him equipping him for his ministry. The dove is a beautiful symbol of the Spirit for of all birds the dove is the most harmless. God's voice conveyed a spoken word of loving support, 'My Son, whom I love.' At baptism God sends his Spirit on the candidates, claiming them as his children. It is a spiritual marriage ceremony bonding us to the Lord Jesus Christ for eternity. |
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There are three items of interest in this incident: (1) It recognises the reality of demon possession, which our Western society has tended to disbelieve. (2) The unclean spirit acknowledged that Jesus was the Holy One of God, which the religious leaders did not acknowledge. (3) Jesus has the power to cast out evil spirits. The spirit had to obey him. Also notice the disturbing behaviour when the spirit left the man. He was convulsed and cried out with a loud voice. All this happened in the synagogue and was undoubtedly considered highly improper behaviour there, just as it would be frowned on if it happened in a church service today. But Jesus was not bothered with the niceties of an orderly service. He was more concerned for the demon possessed man, and healed him. Many of our church services have become so formal and structured that if this happened in a church today people would be equally scandalised. Are we more concerned with order in our services than with the healing of distressed people? (See 1:32-34.) |
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Here we have another instance of the uniqueness of Jesus. No other prophet ever claimed to have the authority to forgive sins. This paralysed man was let down through the ceiling by four men who had carried him there. He came for bodily healing but Jesus both forgave his sins and healed his body. There was apparently a connection between his physical condition and his spiritual state before God. There often is. Note the scribes' reaction. They saw his declaration of forgiveness as blasphemy, saying, 'Who can forgive sins but God alone?' See John 20:20-23, where Jesus gives his apostles the authority to forgive sins in his name. Guilt can often affect the body and make us prone to various ills, so a forgiven person has a great burden of guilt lifted off them. If God does not condemn us, nobody can. As Paul says, 'Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.' (Romans 8:33) When God, who is our judge, forgives us we are free indeed. A forgiven person is a happy person. They can get on with life again. |
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In Jesus' day wine was stored in sheepskins or goatskins. This allowed for some expansion due to the gas of fermentation. We need to look at the context of this text to understand Jesus' meaning in using this illustration. Jesus had just called Matthew, the tax collector, to become one of his disciples and was having a meal with other despised tax men and sinners. The Pharisees, who separated themselves from such company, could not understand Jesus' attitude. Nor could others understand why John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting but Jesus and his disciples were feasting. This was a new kind of religion to them. Jesus replied with the comment about new wine and old wineskins. He was saying that his message was new and different and it could not be contained in the old customs and rituals of the Mosaic law. It was a message of forgiveness, joy and celebration and an offer of forgiveness to all people. His gospel would develop new customs and rituals (new wineskins) that would express the new wine of the gospel. Jesus gave us a mandate to be creative Christians. |
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Jesus used every opportunity to break through the exclusiveness of Jewish religious life and to present God as the Father and friend of all people. His mother and brothers came to take him home. He had been loyal to his mother until he was thirty years of age but now his time and talents were dedicated to minister to all people. He does not say that all people are part of God's family but only those who do God's will. His ministry was to call people to repentance but only those who truly repented and sought to fulfil God's will in their lives were God's spiritual family. Nothing could be further from the exclusiveness of the Pharisees than this openness to all people and the embracing of those who did God's will as his brothers and sisters and mother. In his incarnation God came close to us and in this statement Jesus breaks down the wall between God and us even further, calling us members of his family. Family responsibilities must always remain for Christians but we also have an extended family in our fellow believers, all over the world. But normal family priorities are important. Our first responsibility to God is to give time, care, and money to provide a quality home life. |
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Much of Jesus' teaching about the kingdom of God was given in real-life stories that had a double purpose. To the casual listener and unbeliever they were just good stories. Their real meaning remained hidden. But to those who sought the spiritual truths Jesus taught they were also figurative illustrations that revealed the nature of the kingdom of God. It is important to understand that parables not only teach some essential truth but also contain some nonessential details. Their hidden meanings are therefore a matter of personal interpretation. It is unwise to make the interpretation of parables a basis for dogmatic Christian doctrines. The story of the rich man and the beggar in Luke 16:19-31 is an example of this--scholars are unsure which parts should be taken literally. But most parables, such as the stories of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son contain wonderful, easily understood truths. This parable of the sower teaches us that we must expect a varied response to the gospel with only about a quarter of those who hear it going on to become mature, reproducing Christians. Yet wherever the gospel is preached there will be some who will receive it with joy. |
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This incident confirms the reality of demon possession, namely, that evil spirits can enter a human being and control the person. In this present generation we sometimes have people who commit a crime saying that an inner voice told them to do it. Evil spirits are always destructive. The spirits in the man recognised Jesus, calling him 'Son of the Most High God'. They also acknowledged his authority and were compelled to obey him. The incident is also unusual in that the unclean spirits entered a herd of pigs, which panicked and ran headlong into the sea and were drowned. But the previously possessed man was now normal, 'dressed and in his right mind', and he went to the towns where he was known and told what had happened to him. All who saw him and heard his story marvelled. It is hard to imagine that anyone who has asked Jesus Christ to come into their life and who seeks to be obedient to the indwelling Holy Spirit can ever be indwelt by an evil spirit. If a case of demon possession is suspected the living Christ still has power to cast out the evil spirit, which the person must renounce calling on the name of Jesus for deliverance. |
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Mark records the miracles of Jesus more than his teaching. It is a gospel of action. In chapter 4 he told of Jesus calming a storm. In chapter 5 he tells of the casting out of the demons, the woman who touched his robe in faith and was healed, and the raising from the dead of the twelve-year-old daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. Mark records that the people 'were completely astonished'. People of little faith have rejected miracles but they are so much a part of the ministry of Jesus that they cannot be separated from his ministry or explained away. Either they happened as recorded or the gospels are false records not to be believed at any point. If Jesus had not possessed superhuman powers why should we believe his claim to be the Son of God? His miracle-working power set him apart as different and superior to ordinary men. Besides, we have the evidence of miracles happening today when people of faith call on God's power through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us thank God that there is a power greater than evil and disease that is still at work in the world. Many have testified to the way God's power has brought healing to their lives. |
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Here we have a terrible injustice that teaches us about the ways of God. John the Baptist was chosen by God before his birth to prepare the way for Jesus' ministry. He was truly a holy man, an ascetic who renounced normal life for the role of a prophet. He faithfully preached God's message, fearing no one. Jesus said of him that he was the greatest of the prophets. Yet despite his faithfulness and fearlessness he was imprisoned, then beheaded at the whim of a woman who hated him because he had denounced her unlawful marriage. We learn from this incident that when God's servants faithfully proclaim God's message they inevitably make enemies of those whose way of life they denounce, thus placing themselves in danger. When goodness confronts evil, God does not miraculously intervene to save his servants except on certain occasions. (See Acts 5:17-26, 12:1-11) The Lord rescued Peter on two occasions because his work was not complete. We need to learn that death is no tragedy to God, it is promotion to his presence. Even Jesus himself was not spared a terrible death when his ministry was completed, nor was Peter when his work was done. Herod merely hastened John's exaltation to glory. |
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Mark 6 tells us that Jesus was busy teaching the people and healing the sick, thus meeting the real needs of the crowds who came to him. The religious leaders. the scribes and Pharisees, showed their real nature when they saw his popularity as a threat to their authority rather than a blessing to the community. They charged him with the trivial offence of not washing his hands in the ritual way before eating. Jesus used the occasion to tell them and us that the only real defilement comes from within. He said, 'For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside, and make a man "unclean".' So real religion does not consist of the correct observance of certain rituals, or even holding correct beliefs and doctrines, but is shown in purity of heart and deed. Elsewhere we are told, 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.' (Matthew 5:8) The real battleground is in our hearts and minds. Christ must be put in control of our thoughts. |
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Thus Jesus fed 4000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish and they gathered up seven baskets of scraps afterwards. This incident is very similar to the feeding of a crowd of 5000 recounted in 6:34-44. In both cases we are told Jesus had compassion on the people because they were in a desert place and very hungry. Some reading these two incidents say that what Jesus is said to have done is impossible so it could not have happened, and they have sought other natural explanations or questioned the truth of the account. We have to come to terms with the reality of miracles in Jesus' ministry. The gospels are full of them. We cannot explain the walking on the water, the stilling of the storm, the raising of the dead, the healing of the lepers, the curing of the lame, blind and deaf. We are confronted here with the supernatural power of the living God at work. We either believe it or reject it but we cannot explain it or prove it. Our body is a miracle, totally beyond man's ability to create, yet we exist. We are a living, thinking, feeling, walking miracle. |
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Although Jesus took every opportunity to relieve human suffering in others he accepted it as an inevitable part of God's plan for his own life and he did not seek to escape it. We admire the courage of Jesus. He knew God's plan for his life and in the forty days of his temptation he surrendered to it and accepted it as his own life plan. As humans, we long for acceptance and success. Jesus accepted rejection and, from a human standpoint, failure, which involved the cruel death of crucifixion--total failure! As he told Peter, God judges success differently from men. As disciples of Jesus we also have different objectives to the non-Christian. To follow Jesus involves the denial of self so that we might do the will of God. And yet we succeed by renunciation. 'For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.' (verse 35) This is the paradox of Christianity that can only be understood and appreciated in the light of an existence beyond death. When a loved one dies we mourn for ourselves and our loss, but the death of a believer is not a tragedy--it is a triumph. |
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Arthur Pigdon Seeds of the Spirit (2001) |
| Copyright © 1997, 2001 by Arthur Pigdon |