Month: May 2018

I decided not to post this on Memorial Day out of respect for those in the United States military who fought and died for the cause of freedom.

However, while Memorial Day is on everyone’s mind, I would like to take this opportunity to share a story about some other soldiers who fought and died for another cause of freedom.

Followers of Jesus belong to a kingdom. It is the same kingdom referred to in the gospels – and Jesus is its king. This kingdom is at war. It is a war that has only one goal: extend the eternal freedom that is only found in Jesus to the ends of the earth. Every single time a person gives their life to Christ, the kingdom gets a little bigger. Each Christian, whether they realize it or not, is a soldier for Jesus in this kingdom.

A little over two and half years ago an enemy of Jesus’ kingdom entered a room and asked a simple question of everyone there: “Are you a Christian?”

Those who confessed their allegiance to Jesus – were shot in the back of head.

Those who did not – were shot in the leg or elsewhere.

In the end, nine Christian soldiers lost their earthly lives. They breathed their last as a martyr, and awoke in the presence of God.

Jesus said that those who confess Him before men, will be confessed by Jesus himself to the Father in Heaven.

Jesus turns everything upside – down. The lowliest on earth will be the greatest in the kingdom. The poor will be rich. The weak will be strong. Persecution of the kingdom makes it grow. Living for today means dying forever. And, thank God, dying for Jesus means eternal life.

The Bible is like an onion: the more you eat – the more layers you find.

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Matthew 13 contains the parable of the weeds and the parable of the net. Understanding more about the kingdom of Heaven has given these a much deeper meaning for me.

So, what is this “Kingdom of Heaven” spoken of in the gospels? Well, contrary to popular belief, it isn’t Heaven. Jesus came from Heaven. He ascended back to Heaven on the clouds. He reigns over a kingdom right now. The kingdom Jesus reigns over is the kingdom of Heaven.

It includes: 1) those who have been called out of the world (aka the kingdom of Satan) and into service to God (aka the church) – both the living and dead; 2) those who were righteous under the Law and prophets (aka the faithful of Israel); 3) those who were faithful before Judaism.

Today, people who name Jesus as their king are part of the kingdom. Whether they are true citizens or not – we don’t know. But they are, according to these parables, at least living within the borders of the kingdom.

Now, whether they are true citizens or not isn’t for us to determine. Jesus said it isn’t the workers’ job to try to separate weeds from the wheat. That will be taken care of at the end of the age.

While there are several words for “end” in Greek – the one from these passages means the final end – the concluding end – the end of everything. That’s when it hit me – true citizenship in the kingdom of Heaven will be determined when Jesus returns – and it won’t be by us.

Our efforts to “pull weeds” in the kingdom by trying to determine who is and isn’t “in the kingdom” does exactly what Jesus said it would do – it uproots many of the wheat in the process. It is akin to us trying to do the job of angels at the end of time. Is that the unity Jesus prayed for? I think not.

No. We need to be about the business of spreading the gospel. There is a famous line that goes: “Kill ‘em all – let God sort ‘em out.” For followers of Jesus it’s a little different. As we seek more and more people to be added to the church (and thus the kingdom as well), our motto should be, “Bring ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out.”

Application: Stop guessing whether someone in your church is really following Jesus. 1) It’s not your job. 2) It helps Satan in four ways: you lose focus on your real mission, you disrupt the fellowship, you may falsely uproot a citizen of the kingdom because of your own faulty theology, and you may accidentally uproot someone you didn’t mean to. Whew, that’s a load off my mind and a big chunk off my plate. Now – where’s that onion?

p.s. – Please don’t take this post and apply to the necessary action of disciplining those who intentionally and knowingly walk disorderly and refuse to even attempt to change. That said, remember: there is a difference between “disorderly” and “disagreeing” on the meaning of scripture.

Judas Iscariot was used by God to accomplish the task of Jesus becoming the sacrifice for humanity. No need to play the “what if” game – he did what he did. But, have you ever wondered why?

Was it only greed? Maybe. But, I think there might be something deeper. We are talking only five weeks worth of pay. He was the treasurer for Jesus, 12 Apostles and more than 100 other disciples who were constantly following Jesus, he surely would have been able to take the entire treasury and get more than that.

I don’t fail to recognize the significance of 30 pieces of silver being the price to be paid if someone’s slave dies. But, it seems when he went to inquire how much he would be given that he already had in mind to turn Jesus over. The Jewish hierarchy already wanted Jesus dead – badly! I think Judas could have negotiated way more money. So, I doubt that was it.

But … why? Why would someone who had personally gone on a mission trip, healed people, thrown out demons, spread the gospel, and witnessed Jesus walk on water, raise the dead and tell the weather to calm down want to turn over Jesus to officials? What did Jesus do or not do that made Judas pursue the end of Jesus’ peaceful ministry? I think that greed is absolutely part of it, but I am skeptical that it is the only motivation – especially when the consequences would be so public.

It would be like a bank manager, with access to large sums of money, decides to sell the bank owner’s office furniture. And, he actually unlocks the door to the office – while the bank owner is in there – to let in the people buying the furniture. I mean, he knows he is breaking the law. He knows everyone will know that he did it. He knows he is about to be unemployed and nobody will trust him. Why would he do that? Greed? Sure. But I think there has to be something deeper.

So what was it?

I think Judas might have been disappointed with Jesus’ form of the kingdom. He knew Jesus was the Messiah. But, I think he was just like the other apostles and he thought the Messiah was going to violently and physically restore the nation of Israel to prominence by dominating the world.

Jesus came into Jerusalem to the cheers of thousands. People thought the revolution was about to begin. And then … nothing. This trip to Jerusalem was supposed to inaugurate the rebellion against Rome and establish Jesus as a conquering king. But … no talk of war … no talk of strategy … no whipping people into a battle frenzy.

Maybe Judas concluded that if Jesus the Messiah was going to overthrow the bonds that Israel was being subjected to by Rome – maybe Jesus needed a little help in starting the war. And – if Judas got a little money on the way to making that happen – I’m sure all would be forgiven once Jesus was on the throne. And, he might be rewarded with way more than 30 pieces of silver for thinking up this brilliant plan.

Maybe this was Judas ‘ plan:

1. Conspire with the Jewish authorities to bring a small Roman army to arrest Jesus.
2. Once the authorities and 600 Roman soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, identify Jesus with a kiss and watch the fireworks.
3. When they attempt to grab Jesus, watch as the Messiah does whatever he is going to do and kills these 600 Roman soldiers with an angelic army (it seems Peter was willing to start the attack with an act of faith).
4. With 600 dead Romans soldiers killed via a miracle, watch as hundreds of thousands of Jews join the Jesus Army so they can not only escape Rome’s oppression, they can replace Rome as the dominant power of the world.
5. Watch Jesus be made king – and proudly take the seat of prominence that Jesus has reserved for Judas Iscariot.

If that was the plan, and it is purely conjecture on my part, it failed.

Jesus healed instead of killed. He acted the part of the Sheep instead of the Lion. The crowds did not come to the rescue, they condemned Him to death. But … why?

Why would people turn so quickly against Jesus? He was quite famous. Why? Because he kept talking about a kingdom and backing up His legitimacy with miracles. But when his entrance into Jerusalem didn’t culminate in a revolution, it was easy to listen to the rulers who were calling for violence.

By the time they were whipped into a crucifixion frenzy, the Jews hated Jesus for disappointing them. They hated Jesus for His love and His lack of hate. Jesus didn’t deserve the honor He had obtained over the last three years. He didn’t deserve the freedom to walk around and talk about a kingdom but never attempt to violently establish one! He didn’t deserve to live.

But someone did. Someone did deserve honor. Someone did deserve the freedom to establish a kingdom. Someone did deserve to live!

Who?

The revolutionary who had already backed up his words with violently trying to start a war – his name was Barabbas.

Application: Sometimes we think our plans are better than the plans God has for us. The toughest thing I’ve ever done is submit to whatever plan the Lord has in store for me. I don’t understand it. It doesn’t work when I write it down on paper. But some how – some way – I look back and I see the progress.

Doors open that wouldn’t,
Things come in the mail that shouldn’t,
Coincidences occur that shan’t,
Contacts are made that can’t,
Opportunities happen that won’t,
People do things they don’t,
In spite of all the impossible I find,
It’s God’s plan working – not mine.

I sit here on the balcony of my hotel and look at a beautiful lake. To my untrained eye it appears peaceful, tranquil, even serene. It fills my mind with awe and reverence for the mysteries of God.

Yet, that is not the entire picture is it? There are times when wind and rain will make it terrifying to even the most skilled man and woman. The thought of being in a ship that could capsize in the midst of a storm makes my stomach turn. What would I do if I found myself in waves and swells that kept me from being able to see land? Would I struggle to swim? Just stay afloat? Or simply give up?

The sea is often portrayed as a negative in scripture.

James 1:6 describes a person who doubts like the “surf of the sea – driven and tossed by the wind.” I love that picture. Our life is like water – and our faith keeps it peaceful – but the winds of this world will create turbulence in our life if we don’t have faith.

Jude 1:13 depicts men who cause strife and division among believers like “wild waves of the sea” that cast up shame like foam. What a vivid word picture! Even after the wave recedes back into the sea, the foam remains on the shoreline for everyone else to deal with.

Paul talks about the “dangers of the sea” in 2 Corinthians 11:26. Historically, we can understand the perils of the sea if we simply read Luke’s account in Acts 27 of Paul’s journey. Even the disciples of Jesus were terrified when a storm came upon them while they were in a boat on the sea – Mark 4:35-38.

In the Bible, the “sea” regularly depicts a chaotic scene. It contains beasts and creatures; it changes with winds and storms; and it presents challenges and obstacles. Yet, Hebrews 11:29 says the Israelites passed through the sea! In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, Paul says, “… our fathers … all passed through the sea and all were baptized … in the sea.” So, not only can the sea be scary, it is also something that God can use to test our faith and prove our devotion and commitment.

But, this is what I want to focus on as I look out at this beautiful and calm lake: God is more powerful than the sea! Jesus walked on the sea. The disciples witnessed the Christ calm the sea with his voice. Our Lord can use the craziest things (like a whale) to save us from the sea!

And here is the best part: in front of the throne of God – there is a sea of glass (Revelation 4:6). It is completely calm. It is completely still. All chaos and struggle is gone when God is on the throne in our lives.

And, as if that wasn’t good enough, read Revelation 21:1, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth … and there is no longer any sea.” Did you catch that? How can there be no sea? Because if Jesus can calm the storms of our life now – in Heaven our seas of worry and struggle won’t even exist.