Following after Jesus #31

As we've noticed before, John's gospel is unique in introducing the incaranation and earthly ministry of Christ:

 19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

After introducing Jesus as the Word of God, and light and life of the world, John turns his attention to the preparatory work of John the Baptist. We've already talked about his message from the perspective of the other Gospel writers, but John alone records this discussion with the representatives of the religious elite with John the Baptist. In this discussion, he emphasized who he was not. He was not the Christ. He was not Elijah reincarnated, though his ministry did have a lot of parallels with his. He was not the Prophet mentioned by Moses, who would be greater than any prophet before. "Well, John, who are you then?" He was the great announcer and pronouncer pointing the way toward the Prophet, the Christ, the Savior of the world.  John the Gospel writer here is laying a different track for us to follow to Jesus - one not from the manger, or the genealogical lines of Mary or Joseph, or the shadows of Nazareth in Galilee, but straight from eternity past in heaven. He was, and is, inviting people to join him on that path, so when the time was right, he could point the way and say "there He is; follow Him." Are you are on that path?

Following after Jesus #30

Today we read the final paragraph in Luke's account of the Temptation of Christ by Satan: 

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    to guard you,’ 11 and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

As we have seen, every temptation really is about who or what we worship, be it our own abilities, our own comfort and safety, other people or powers, or the life of least resistance. Satan kept pushing Jesus to do things to make God prove that He really is loving and powerful, to "put Him to the test". But God is all of that by His very nature. Our testing God is a prideful perspective that we can dethrone God if we want to - and maybe even be our own gods. What we do not want to miss in this passage is the conclusion: Satan did flee; he did back off. Yes, he did come back over and over, but the important thing is that it is possible, with Christ's grace and power, to say "no" to him. When we do, we too, will live in the "power of the Spirit," and see God glorifying Himself through us.  He will do in us what He has always wanted to do.  

Following after Jesus #29

Today we look at the second temptation of Christ by Satan in Luke's gospel:

  5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’”

Temptation often comes quickly and with overwhelming power.  Luke notes that Satan showed Jesus this full panorama of power - all the kingdoms of the world - in a moment of time. He then promises all this authority and their glory - there is a rush of imagination - you could rule over it all. Everyone wants to be in charge of something. We so easily feel helpless in this world, we all wish we could be in charge of something. It is said that the church at times has some of the worst leaders, because there is nowhere else anyone will let them lead, and they want to be the boss somewhere.  The thing is, everything already did belong to Jesus, and all authority will be His, in God's timing; there usually is some truth intertwined with any temptation.  It's just twisted around some lie.  The lie here is that Satan could give the kingdoms and their authority to whoever he wanted, as if it were his to give. Jesus is no dummy or fool; He spots the lie, and sees the core of the matter. Satan wants worship, and that is exactly what we give him whenever we fall for his temptations. What is your temptation to power? Who or what is it you want to control? Whom do you think and act like has that control whom you try to please and appease? Choose today whom you will serve and worship: not Satan, not some worldly power, not your own desire for control, but God alone.

Following after Jesus #28

 

We've looked at Matthew and Mark's accounts of Jesus' temptation. Now let's take a glance at Luke 4:
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

All three Gospel writers talk about the Holy Spirit leading Jesus out to the wilderness, but Luke alone lets us know that Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit", fully submissive to His guidance, comfort, and empowering.  That tell us something about being ready to face temptation: it is nothing to attempt to do in our own strength, with only our own wisdom, and, it's not going to be easy: it is going to hurt to say "no." This experience Jesus had was intense and relentless and inescapable. We need to keep in mind that He was doing it as our Representative, on our behalf. But He was also doing it as an example. As long as we live in this world, temptation will be relentless and inescapable, and seemingly at times, relentless. Paul says in I Corinthians 10:13:No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. The question is: "how will we see the way of escape?" The Holy Spirit will show us, guide us. We also must never get the idea that on our own we can resist: we will always need the power of Christ and His Spirit to say "no." Finally, temptation hurts and saying "no" can also.  We need the comforter. As Jesus went through this He had the Holy Spirit and his angels to comfort. He will be there for us too. 

Following after Jesus #27

Like with many events in the Gospel, Mark's account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness is quite brief:

 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Mark, presenting the details from Peter's perspective, does not even tell about the three main temptations described by Matthew and Luke. He sounds like me when I get off a fifteen minute telephone conversation and when my wife asks what it was about, I summarize in one sentence.  But he does add in some details. First, the Spirit not only led Jesus out there; he drove Him.  The Son of God was not used to being subject to living in territory steeped in sin; He had seen all around him the effects of sin in people's lives, and it's not very appealing. The Holy Spirit not only helped Him through it; He led Him to it, because all three of the members of the Godhead were working on the plan of salvation. Secondly, he was with the wild animals. Not many of us are wilderness survivors. There was not much food available in this barren desert area, so seeing another moving object could be a fearful thing. Besides being hungry, tired, and lonely, the mind games that everything around you was out to get you would be very real. And Satan never let up. Mark does not paint a picture of temptation, or even a scrapbook of photos; it's more like a documentary video; "being tempted" indicates a constant motion. What Jesus faced was much more intense, much more extensive in forty days than any of us experience in forty years, yet He came through it and more without sin.

Following after Jesus #26

Today we come to the last listed temptation of Jesus by Satan in Matthew 4:

 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

When it comes to facing temptation, we can often feel like helpless victims. To be sure we do not have the infinite power of Christ by ourselves, but we are not as helpless as we would like to proclaim.  First of all, we have the same truth available to us. The most basic commandment of all is "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve." Violating that commandment was part of this temptation - Satan wanted worship as part of this package deal.  Whenever we face temptation, we need to seriously ask: Is any part of this proposal contrary to God's word?? - even the slightest detail.  Secondly, we are not as alone as we might think or proclaim.  The picture we get is that those angels were there this whole time, and the Holy Spirit was already upon Jesus at His baptism. For those of us who have trusted in Christ as Savior, we have Him, and His indwelling Spirit, to guide, convict, convince and empower us. We are not left alone.  Finally, we have been forewarned that Satan is waiting for opportunity to attack us. Ever since the garden, Cain and Abel, and throughout scripture we are warned that Satan is crouching in the background, ready to pounce like a roaring lion or slither in like a sneaky snake. Let's not act like helpless victims. 

Following after Jesus #25

We are looking at Matthew's account of the temptation of Christ by Satan in the wilderness: 

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

God's Word is full of promises to care for His people.  This promise from Psalm 91 was a favorite of God's people. Satan wanted Jesus, and he wants us, to question God's care, and he makes it into a dare: Make God prove that He loves you. Forget everything He has done for you to this point; look all around you right now and find everything wrong. He wants us to test God instead of trust God, to doubt both His goodness and His greatness. In all of this, Satan's hope is that we will not only forget how much God loves and cares for us, but we will ignore His commandments and disobey them to accept some substitute for Him.  Not only is God Himself good and wanting what is best for us; His commandments are for our good.  Whenever we begin to think or act otherwise, you can be sure the tempter is at work. Just say no. 

Following after Jesus #24

After Jesus' Baptism, the next key chronological event in the Gospels is His temptation by Satan. Matthew records in chapter 4:

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Chapter 3 ended with the voice of God the Father saying: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The first words spoken here in chapter 4 are: “If you are the Son of God." The first thing Satan will often try to do in tempting us to sin is attack our identity, by trying to convince us we are more, less, or other than who God made us to be.  For Jesus, Satan wanted Him to doubt His relationship with the Father. This one phrase raises all sorts of questions in one's mind: Had the Father robbed Him of His abilities as God when He sent Him to earth? Would the Father be there for Him when the going got tough? Wouldn't Jesus be better off just taking control of His own life and make sure His felt needs were met? The same thing happened in the garden at the Fall - Satan wanted Eve and Adam to doubt the Goodness of God, and to trust in themselves instead of God.  He wanted them to think more of their own abilities, and his wisdom, than they did of God. He wanted them to think that being the crown of God's creation was not enough. Satan wants us to forget that we are God's masterpiece. He wants believers to forget we are His children. He wants us to doubt God's goodness as a loving heavenly Father. He wants us to trust in him. How do we battle this deception? Jesus puts it simply: stick with the truth. Stick with what God has said. Stick with Who God really is, who you really are, and how that promises God will be there for you.

Following after Jesus #23

Today we finish up with Luke's geneology of Jesus through Mary's side of the family, picking up in the middle of verse 34:

...the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

As expected, there are not a lot of recognizable names in the first half of this group, not until we get to Noah, and from there we have all these men who lived very long lifespans, all the way back to Adam. As Paul will explain in his letter to the Romans, the Second Adam will be a descendant of the first Adam. Matthew, in his Gospel aimed especially to the Jews, stops at Abraham, but Luke, writing initially to this non-Jewish leader, traces the line of Jesus all the way back to Adam, because He came to be the Savior of the World - not just the people in Israel in that day, not just the Jews scattered all across the world, but all the people of the world. And yes, Jesus was, as promised throughout the Old Testament, of the seed of King David, and the seed of Abraham the father of faith, but He was also of the seed of Eve and Adam, to whom the first promise of the Savior was given. Finally, notice that Luke does not stop there with Adam, but He goes on to refer to Adam as the son of God.  Echoing throughout this Gospel, from the angelic announcement to His baptism to the proclamations of His followers, to the transfiguration, and the Cross, the message is clear: This Man is the One true Son of God. 

Following after Jesus #22

Yesterday, we read in Luke 3, from the geneology of Jesus through Mary, from the time of the exile back to David. We pick up in verse 32

...the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, 

Here we pause for our next major stop on the tour: Jesus was of the line of David, which goes back yet beyond that to Abraham, the father of the faith, the patriarch called out by God to start out the seed that ran through Jacob, becoming the people of Israel. Abraham represents the fact that God is the One Who fulfills all His promises, including the one He made in Genesis that in Abraham's Seed, all the world would be blessed.  The life of Abraham was indeed one of blessing that showed God's faithfulness, but the Promise of God far outlived Abraham and his immediate descendants, to that One Seed who would bless the whole world, Jesus Christ.

Following after Jesus #21

We are in Luke 3, examining the geneology of Jesus through His mother's side. We pick up in verse: 

28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 

We ended our look yesterday with Zerubbabel, the last listed generations from the Old Testament geneologies. Zerubbabel was a major link in this line, as prophesied by Haggai the prophet in the very last verse of his book 2:23: On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.” This list takes us back the next step to David, through an even more difficult time, the exile itself, through the list of "unknowns" because they were not the descendants who were the kings, but again, the line of Mary from David. Yet, they were of the Royal line.  Many times we can struggle because we are not in the limelight like other, even when it seems we have every right to be. We need to keep in mind Mary, and her line, who humbly considered it a privilege to be "in the family", and waiting for the right time to come for us to do our part in God's plan. 

Following after Jesus #20

We are in Luke 3, looking at of all things, the geneology of Jesus through Mary:

24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

Why in the world have I tortured my brain and your ears with this list of names so early in the morning? Is there any purpose to it? Luke thought their was, and many people in our society that has come through the melting pot mixing our backgrounds together think it is.  The question is: Can Jesus really be traced back to David, about a thousand years before.  We see all sorts of names here that are common to Jewish heritage, but they are not the characters we know from the Old Testeament, like Levi, Joseph, Amos, Nahum - these are all other people with the same name. Until we get to the last phrase: Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri. We know him from the post-exilic accounts of Ezra, Nehemiah and Haggai. In this list, his name takes us back part of the way, to the return of God's people to Israel. The line of the Messiah had not been lost, even during the last four hundred years when the prophets had not been speaking and Israel seemed to be on the back burner.  This is a great stopping point to reach in Jesus' ancestry and to take a breath from all those names.

Following after Jesus #19

As we leave the scene of Jesus' baptism, Luke alone chooses to talk about the lineage of Jesus through His mother:
 23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli.

Jesus began His public ministry around age 30, which we find in Ezekiel was a common age for a prophet, or in Numbers, that of a priest, and in Genesis 41 that of a king. (and it's about the time I became a pastor.)  In other words, it was an appropriate time, which is a theme we see in Luke - that the life of Christ on earth was very proper and appropriate: Christ came at a pivotal point in History; His parents raised Him in the proper way going to the temple; He was like many people in the region part of a time of national repentance. But Jesus was different. It was the right time for the events to step away from John the Baptist to Jesus. Luke is about to trace Jesus' ancestry back to David through Mary's line. Heli had no sons, and Joseph is therefore listed to represent Mary's generation, something provided for in Jewish law.  Of course, he says, we know that Joseph was not the actual father of Jesus, because, as his account has already shown, Jesus is truly the Son of God. What Luke is showing is that Jesus is worthy to consider a good citizen of this world, acting appropriately, yet at the same time Someone like this world has never seen. 

Following after Jesus #18

 

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus had come to John to be baptized. At first, John was resistant, well-aware of the fact that in many ways it was much more appropriate for him to be baptized by Jesus. The way Luke's account reads here it is almost as if Jesus was the last one in line to be baptized.  From the get-go in His ministry, He shows us this attitude of servanthood, letting others go first. We also note that only Luke indicates He was praying; He was talking with the Father about what He was doing; This was a special event they were sharing. I've seen a lot of baptisms, accompanied by great testimonies, with great celebrations by those being baptized, their families, friends and church family, but I don't think I've ever seen someone pause to pray. Everything about this baptism points to the total uniqueness of Jesus and his intimacy with the Father. It is also a picture of the path Christ is laying for us to follow after Him - that path that is pleasing to the Father. Come in repentance, receiving forgiveness; openly identify yourself as His follower; allow His Holy Spirit to work in your life; enjoy life talking with God and sensing you are in His good pleasure.

Following after Jesus #17

 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1)

As expected, Mark's description of the Baptism of Jesus is more brief than the other gospel writers. Like Matthew, he records Jesus came and was baptized. He doesn't waste any words about the discussion that took place, but moves right to the action: he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove, then the voice from heaven saying: You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” When God has something big to say, especially when it has to do with the coming of His Son, there are visual signs in the heavens.  God wanted it made perfectly clear to Jesus in His humanity, John in his position as forerunner, and all the witnesses there that day, that Jesus was His Son, with Whom He was well-pleased. That complex word means God gave great consideration to Who needed to be the One to carry out His plan, and the only One Who would do was His one and only Son. The visualized coming of the Holy Spirit said to Jesus: "We're all in this together"; it marked to John the fulfillment of God's promise to him, and it indicated to the other witnesses there Christ's holy uniqueness and blessing. For us it is all a picture full of meaning, as to what God did through Christ, and what He wants to do in us. He wants us to find cleansing and forgiveness in Christ, the fullness of His Spirit working in us, and fellowship with Him - that incomparable confidence that we are pleasing to Him. 

Following after Jesus #16

John the Baptist has been preparing people for the coming of the Lord.  Matthew then tells us in Chapter 3:

 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The angel came to Joseph; the Magi came to see the Christ Child; the parents came to the temple with Jesus; in this chapter John came preaching repentance and baptizing those who did and rebuking those who did not. Now, Jesus came to be baptized.  Notice that each of these events has a hiccup, a "but" to them. Joseph says: "but what will people think? The Magi wanted to see the newborn King, but Herod wanted to eliminate Him. The family wanted to have a normal life with Jesus, but every time they went to the temple people said it was otherwise. John came out to prepare people, but many were hard-hearted. Now, when Jesus comes to be baptized by John, John says: "But you should be the one baptizing me." Jesus says: It's okay. It needs to be this way, so John obeys. Just like Joseph obeyed the angel, the Magi obeyed the warning, and Jesus obeyed His less than perfect parents, John obeys the paradoxical command of Christ and consents to baptize Him. Because He did, we was able to witness exactly what He had been waiting for: seeing the Holy Spirit come and rest upon Him. John's consistent obedience to God made him ready for the special events God sent His way. Without that faithful obedience, we miss them. Watch for the people and events God is sending; they are coming your way. Just be humble and obedient as you wait. 

Following after Jesus #15

Yesterday we looked at Mark's brief description of how John the Baptist contrasted Jesus' coming ministry to his own. Today we look in Luke 3:

15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

John had been preaching and baptizing, calling on people to repent and prepare their hearts for an encounter with the Lord. People were getting excited about what God was going to do. Many who came out to the wilderness to see and hear him wondered if He was the Messiah. John, in his gospel, tells us that the religious leaders sent out and investigative team to find out. But John said: "oh, no; when Messiah comes, His holiness and power will be incomparably greater, and He will have the ability to Judge, to divide wheat and chaff, hearts that seek Him from those that reject Him.  One of the uncanny abilities we will see in Christ is His being able to know what people are thinking and intending in their hearts, to be able to divide sheep and goats. We need that from a Savior; we need someone Who can blow our cover, Who can bring true justice, because He knows what we are going through and He knows what is in us, but He still came to save us. That's why people came to hear John; it was the good news we all need to hear.

Following after Jesus #14

As in most cases, Mark uses fewer words to describe the teaching of John the Baptist about Jesus:

1:7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew said he was not worthy to carry the sandals of the Messiah; Mark says he was not even worthy to untie the strap.  Both are simply introductions to the fuller picture: the lowliest servant of the household on his knees, removing the sandals of the host or his guest, then washing his feet from the filth of the day. It was not a job anyone was begging to do.  It was the job Jesus later chose to do in the upper room with His faithful followers.  John the Baptist was saying: "Messiah is worthy of so much honor, I could not even touch it. That's how great He is."  Expect much more. Expect that in Christ you will find not only the call to confess and forsake your sin, but also the power to cleanse and change the way you live. He has that much more holiness, and also that much more power. He is, after all, God the Son.

Following after Jesus #13

As John spoke and baptized, calling people to repentance, many wondered if he was the one they had been waiting for, so he sought to make sure they knew he was not by describing what the ministry of the Messiah would be like. Matthew quotes him this way: 

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John the Baptist says: "there is almost no comparison. He will not only call you to repentance and confession, He will empower you to change. Messiah is so much more mighty. He is so much more holy - I am not worthy to even touch his stinky sandals, something the lowliest of servants would do. And Messiah is worthy to judge, to determine if He should put within you His Holy Spirit, or to allow you to be punished by fire. Messiah can do what no other can, see what no other can, judge as no other can.  When He shows up, I'll be stepping back and let Him take over.  Today, may we have such a high view of Christ, that we see Him as all powerful and holy, so we are willing to step back and do what He wants to do, living our lives and serving Him as if He is the center of the show, because He is. 

Following after Jesus #12

Luke wraps up his introduction to the ministry of John the Baptist this way:

10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
These people sincerely wanted to know: "What then shall we do?" What can we do not to get salvation, but to demonstrate that we really have repented, received His salvation, and are trusting completely in Him? All John had to do was look at these people to see their background. Some had designer clothes and had obviously never missed a meal; if their repentance was real, they would realize all they had been blessed with and share it with those in need. Tax collectors would stop their legal but immoral racket of demanding more than necessary, and restore an atmosphere of honesty.  Soldiers would stop being cruel to those they were meant to protect, and demonstrate compassion toward others and contentment with wages. In short, their relationship with God would affect how they looked at and treated others.  Has that happened to you? Can you see true generosity, honesty, mercy, and a lack of comparing yourself to others? 

Following after Jesus #11

As we continue to look at the responses of people to the message of John the Baptist, we look to see what Luke has to say in chapter 3: 

7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

This is almost a complete echo from what we saw yesterday in Matthew's gospel but for one exception: Matthew says John said these things to the Pharisees and Sadducees, but Luke says he said it to the crowds.  In other words, the rebuke and challenge John made was especially pointed for the religious leaders, but it applied to a much more general audience. There is a lot of self-righteousness to be found. Often we hear charges of how hypocritical churches are or church leaders are, made by those who are themselves acting self-righteously in making their criticisms.  John challenged each and every one to look at themselves. Am I looking at my "religious life" just as fire insurance to "escape the wrath to come", but having little impact on the way that I live?  Am I trusting in the faithfulness of my forefathers, or is it a "faith of my own?" Am I bearing fruits in keeping with repentance, a turning away from my goodness to trust in Christ alone and compare myself to Him alone?

Following after Jesus #10

We have seen the Gospel writers introduce John the Baptist, giving an overview of his ministry as the "messenger of the Lord", the forerunner to the Messiah. We now begin to look at some interactions he had with those who came to see and hear him. Matthew 3: 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John welcomed all who came to hear him, but when it came to baptism, he questioned the motives of these religious leaders. The Pharisees had not only a long list of rules they expected everyone else to live by; they had a host of ceremonies they meticulously went through in their daily lives. John rebukes them for reducing repentance to some sort of ritual, to add to their countless list of other rituals, making it yet another act of self-righteousness. He rebukes the rationalistic Sadducees for just going through the motions of religion, which had little impact on their day-to-day living. In essence, these two groups had extremely opposite views of spirituality, but both boiled down to this: it was all about man and nothing about God. The gospel is like an axe that chops down man-made righteousness. The only thing that will "cut it" with God is turning away from ourselves and putting our faith in Christ and Christ alone.

Following after Jesus #9

We return today to Luke's description of the ministry of John the Baptist

3:3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
    and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this prophecy from Isaiah 40, foretelling how the forerunner would come prepare people to receive the Messiah, the King.  This roadwork here is a picture of exactly would happen when the emperor was on the way - a road crew would clear a wide smooth path, removing every possible hindrance along the way - notice every valley, and every mountain needed to be leveled out, so there was open access for all.  People had to see their King; he had to get through.  But this King is unlike any other king, even the emperor of the great Roman empire; He came offering salvation to all flesh - all peoples and nations, not just Judea, or Israel, or even the empire, but all the peoples of the world.  This was not just an interstate highway; it was an international freeway, inviting people to come to the King.  The message of the Gospel is something everyone needs to see and hear. Don't be a roadblock or obstacle. 

Following after Jesus #8

We have seen the last two days Luke and Matthew's introduction of John the Baptist and his ministry of preparing the way for the Messiah. Here is Mark's version: 

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight,’”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

Many of the details are exactly the same, but the interesting thing is that these are the very first words from Mark's pen. It all begins here! In order to understand all the things Jesus will say and do, we need to comprehend what John the Baptist said and did.  Here is what you need to know about the Savior, the One the Old Testament prophets talked about.  In his typical fashion Mark says: John appeared. Bam! He was there. He was way out in the wilderness, but his voice was strong enough to draw people from miles around. Even his name is inviting: John: "The Lord is Gracious." God has been willing to lovingly reach down and do something, to offer us a way to reconnect with Him, and John was sent to unveil His plan. He was the great promoter, advertising specialist, complete with ugly sweater contest, to get our attention. Does God have our attention?  Are we ready to really listen and respond to Christ?

Following after Jesus #7

Yesterday we stepped aside from following Jesus to focus on John for a few days.  That's because in order to understand what Jesus was saying and doing, we need to comprehend what His forerunner, John the Baptist was saying and doing. Yesterday we were in Luke 3; today we are in Matthew 3:

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
    make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

In some sense, John the Baptizer was a scary guy. He dressed funny; he ate funny; he lived off the beaten path, and he talked in a way that no one else was doing.  But rather than being shunned, Matthew says people were coming from all around not only to hear him, but to be baptized by him. The first word out of his mouth is recorded as "Repent" - make a drastic spiritual U-turn.  When people were being baptized, they would confess that they had been on the wrong path. These are temple-goers, as well as those who were too ashamed to go there. It was a revival, with people opening their eyes to see what God would do. God still can and wishes and will do something in our lives through Christ; we just need to not be ashamed to admit we need Him to, and to go out of our way to be in a place that He can. In a sense, we need to follow after John, in repentance and confession, on the way to following after Jesus.  

Following after Jesus #6

Having introduced us to all the background story of the coming of Christ, and giving a brief overview of His life as a child, Luke steps away to look at a different time, place and person in chapter 3:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 

Luke is speaking in terms his main recipient of this history, Theophilus, will be able to relate to. As a Roman official, he will be acquainted with the political setting - a time of unrest, corruption and immoral intrigue. He will also recognize the names of the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, as they represented the cause of Israel, and would appear in royal courts to represent their people. Here too he saw nepotism, and all sorts of questionable behavior.  Meanwhile, down in the desert country there was this guy named John floating around, hearing and proclaiming the Word of God. Luke has already introduced John to us in the first chapter, and is coming back to us.  What we will see is that John is a little weird, on the fringe of society, but what he has to say is very powerful, and necessary to set the stage for what Christ came to do. Many times we skip or skim over John to get to Jesus because he is awkward for us to deal with. But in my life and ministry I have met a few men like John who live alone, dress differently, and stick out as unusual, but who love God dearly and serve Him sincerely. They had a profound impact on my life. Let yourself be drawn to such men and women. Watch them and listen to them. You'll be glad you did. 

Following after Jesus #5

Just as Luke used one verse to summarize Jesus' first twelve years, he uses two verses to summarize the next 18: 

Luke 2:51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Submissive. Now there is an unpopular world: in the home, in politics, in society, in the workplace. We have a hard time "putting ourselves under" the authority of anyone else. Imagine the character it took for the perfect Son of God to do so in so many ways, beginning with His less than perfect human parents. Again, Jesus not only shows us an example - that it can be done - that we can and often should submit to human authorities, but even more so, Jesus does it for a reason. He chose to put himself under every human condition, except sin, to identify with us and become our perfect sacrifice, and as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, the one Who can sit at the right hand of the Father and mediate on our behalf. Jesus gets us. He understands.  The second verse here is not unrelated: He increased mentally, physically, and spiritually.  Children who do not listen to their parents make stupid mistakes and their rebellion gets them in trouble; they can stifle their own development. Children of God are the same way.  If we are not willing to submit to Him, learn from Him, and trust in Him, we make a lot of foolish mistakes and stifle our own spiritual growth, affecting all of our relationships, vertical and horizontal.  Let's try a little submission out today.

Following after Jesus #4

Yesterday we looked at that one short verse that describes the first twelve  years of Jesus' life. Luke then shows us the culmination of that childhood:

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.

Just like any other Jewish boy, Jesus was taught and caught the essence of his parents faith in God.  But Jesus was not any other Jewish boy, so when he came at age 12 to the temple, it was truly coming home. So when it was time for his family to go home after a week of celebration, Jesus remained there, talking with the religious leaders, asking questions like any boy should, but also answering the ones that stumped the experts.  His parents were typical: worried sick over their "lost" son. But He was not lost at all. They had a hard time understanding His response. Sometimes we have trouble understanding Gods way too. Maybe we need to be more like a twelve year old boy seeking the answers and trusting God to give them.

Following after Jesus #3

 

After all the grand display at the Christ Child's arrival: the angelic messages, the report of the shepherds, the proclamations at the Temple, and the coming of the Magi, the early life of Jesus is summarized in one verse: 

Luke 2: 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Inquiring minds want to know: what was Jesus' childhood like. In a society where we seek to give our children so much: toys, gadgets, education, sports, dance, music, and every possible experience, we forget that when they grow up, most of those things get left behind. When they enter adulthood, they move on. So as much as we want to know, we do not need to know. All we need to know is this: Jesus went through the same physical, mental and spiritual development as any other child who is born, yet, He was special. God's favor, His mark was upon Him in a way like no other. As we will see as we move on, Luke keeps the perfect balance in His presentation of the facts: Jesus was truly human, yet truly God come to earth. It doesn't matter so much if He came from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, or Nazareth, as much as He came from heaven to live with us here, just like we do.  Because He did, that makes all the difference.

Following after Jesus #2

Just as the wisemen followed the star to find their way to Jesus, we have begun following after Jesus, Who was taken by his parents to safety in Egypt, to avoid the slaughter of the innocents by Herod. Matthew 2 continues:

 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Joseph was entrusted with the safety and well-being of God's Son.  Parenting our own children has enough challenges of its own. Imagine the pressure Joseph must have had. Again, Joseph has learned to listen to the instructions God gives. He heads back with his family to Israel, but the closer he gets, the more uneasy he becomes, because the new king, Archelaus was just as cruel as his father had been, only more erratic and unpredictable. Again God sends him a dream, so Joseph goes to the outskirts of Israel, 70 miles away from Jerusalem to Nazareth. There they lived on the fringe, but they were safe from craziness. In all of these travels, Joseph was fulfilling prophecy about the Messiah. But I really don't think that was going through his mind at the time; Matthew is able to step back and see that for us. Joseph was obeying God one step at a time.  That's what we are called on to do in following Jesus: take one step at a time. In may not make sense at the time, but one day we will be able to look back and see the path and how it fits in God's plan. 

Following after Jesus #1

As we transition out of the Advent and Christmas season, we want to keep on following after Jesus, going through the Gospels, looking at His life on earth, beginning where the Incarnation accounts end, in Matthew 2 

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
After the Magi left, Joseph again had a visitor from an angel, giving him instructions.  Joseph had learned from his earlier experience that obeying God always works out best.  A new year is no time for us to forget all the things God has taught us before, but to build on them.  Obedience is not always easy. By this time Joseph and Mary had established themselves in a home, when like Abraham, they were being called on by God to get up and go far away.  God speaks to Joseph in a way he will listen: his responsibility as a father to protect his child and his wife. God is talking to us all the time: in nature, in His Word, and for the follower of Christ, by His indwelling Holy Spirit. What we need to do is develop the art of listening to Him, and promptly obeying Him.  Joseph shows us that, and will do so again.