The Tuesday of Holy Week

Jesus and his disciples at the Temple

[This is the third post on the week of Jesus' passion, which I first posted in 2012.]

Text: Mark 11:19-13:37 (Matt. 21:19b-25:46)
Theme: Teaching

On way back into Jerusalem Tuesday morning, the disciples see the cursed fig tree has died, from the roots, so it couldn't have been a killer frost, bug, or blight.  They are amazed, but Jesus tells them that faith in Him enables followers to see huge problems or barriers (which is what mountains often symbolized) moved aside--and of course the biggest barrier we all face is that between us and our Holy God.  

Arriving in the Temple courts, Jesus spends his entire day facing tricky questions and teaching difficult truths.  His enemies try and trap Him in His words, but He not only escapes, but ties them up in theological knots.  He points out their ambivalence toward John the Baptist, shows the difference between saying we will obey authority and actually obeying it--an attitude his opponents clearly manifested toward God's powerful Word through Jesus.  He exposes Pharisees and Sadducees as having faulty theology, summarizes the whole Law in the two great commandments, and raises the thorny issue that the Bible says that David's Lord was also David's son.  He pronounces woes on scribes and Pharisees, laments over Jerusalem (once again quoting Ps. 118:26 as needing to happen again before the city sees Him for who He is--something yet to occur), and takes time to praise a poor widow's generous heart.  Finally, He spends a great deal of time with the disciples teaching on events surrounding the destruction of the Temple, the signs of His coming at the end of the age, and what the kingdom's coming will be like.  As Jesus left the Temple and the city, He was not only teaching about its future destruction, He was leaving it for the last time of his own accord.  His next departure would be on Good Friday, carrying a cross.

Jesus' teaching in one day encompasses a full course of theological study!  I wish I could have been there taking copious notes, but then all I would have is what the Bible gives me.  I'd want to ask questions!!!  There is so much still for me to learn.

That may be why this one day has chapters dedicated to it--and I hope that you might take the time to read them, or at least one of the sets of text listed above.  Jesus had much to say that we needed to hear.  We still do.  Today, as we reflect on all that Jesus said for our benefit, let's pray and ask the Spirit of God to drive us to see our need of the Word of God to instruct us, and to cause in us a craving for the pure milk we find in that precious Word.

The Monday of Holy Week

[This is the second in a series of posts on Holy Week, which I originally posted in 2012.]

Text:  Mark 11:12-19

Theme:  Curses!

A mature fig tree

Jesus went into Jerusalem from Bethany, and on the way sees a fig tree that has its leaves out in the spring.  It was not the season for figs, but a fig tree in leaf would already have little, edible, "figlets" that would become figs and were a simple treat to eat.  This tree didn't have them, and so Jesus curses it, because it held the promise of fruitfulness without the reality.  This sets the stage for the next event.

Arriving at the Temple, Jesus, for the second time, attacks the commerce taking place in what is often called "cleansing the Temple."  But he doesn't cleanse it, he "curses" it with words taken right out of Isaiah and Jeremiah rebuking the Israelites for their unfaithfulness.  As rightful King arriving on Palm Sunday, he had looked with a look of evaluation the evening prior before going to Bethany.  Now he has rendered his judgment that the Temple's role was finished.  This beautiful edifice looked "fruitful" religiously, but in fact it had become the opposite through the corruption of its controllers.

The fig tree was an established symbol of Israel.  The Temple was the heart of Israel's worship of God.  In his actions Jesus was passing divine judgment on the nation and its worship.  While both showed the promise of bearing fruit, neither actually did so.

As we consider our walk with Christ during this Passion Week, we might want to do some "fruit inspecting" concerning ourselves.  Do we profess great love for Jesus, but manifest little evidence of it in our lives?  Paul was not above warning professing believers to do self-examination to see if we have true faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).  But even true believers must sometimes acknowledge that our fruitfulness has been adversely affected by a lack of abiding in Christ.  Perhaps our prayer might be that the Father--whom Jesus calls the Vinedresser (John 15:1) might come and do his work of pruning us as branches so that we might bear more fruit (John 15:2).

Palm Sunday--The First Day of Holy Week

[This will be the first of seven posts this week about "Holy Week," the time between Jesus' triumphal entry and his resurrection. First posted in 2014, this post and the following six are offered to help you focus on the events of Holy Week]

In the weeks leading up to what we call the "Triumphal Entry," Jesus had been moving through the region around Jerusalem, Judea, and the region beyond the Jordan, doing a choreographed tour that was designed to avoid direct confrontation with the Pharisees and yet set up a moment of grand tension and climax.

Staying out of site and then coming to Bethany to raise Lazarus.

Joining the pilgrims across the Jordan and making his way toward Jerusalem for his final Passover, healing the blind man Bartimaeus as he went.

Stopping in Jericho long enough to have a party in Zacchaeus' house and welcoming that tax collector into the kingdom.

Heading toward Jerusalem, but lagging behind the crowd so that they would be there when he finally arrived on Sunday.

Having a feast at Lazarus' house, emphasizing that miracle and causing no small amount of despair among his enemies.

Then, finally, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt, in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy.

No one who knew their Bibles could doubt what Jesus was doing or what is meant. The Pharisees and chief priests certainly understood. The king had come to Jerusalem.

There was only one problem. Jerusalem and its leaders didn't want this king--or at least the kind of kingship he represented to them. This was also in fulfillment of prophecy, but it still meant that, by their rejection, they were sealing their own doom and the destruction of their beloved city.

However, the story does not end there. The week between Palm Sunday and Easter, called "Holy Week" by many, was a time of much teaching and preparation by Jesus, pointing to his coming death, but also to the culmination of history, when he would return to earth, again presenting himself as a King. This time, there would be no option being presented, however. He would come in power and glory, taking vengeance on his enemies and redeeming his people.

This Palm Sunday, we can join the chorus of those on the streets crying out "Hosanna"--meaning "save now!"  Thankfully, we know that through his death, he has secured that salvation, and his resurrection is the proof. We also now know that he will be king, and it will be amazing.

Keep returning this week for posts on the events of Christ's passion during Holy Week.

Kidnapped for Christ

Lessons from childhood turn a victim into a victor

Nothing can strike fear in the heart of a parent like a threat to a child, and kidnapping is one of those horrible nightmares we hope never comes near. But a long time ago, it happened to a boy from a very wealthy family. He hadn't been especially targeted, but pirates had landed near his coastal home and he was caught and carried off to be a slave. Others were killed, and he had no knowledge of what happened to his family.

Now a captive and a slave, he was sold and for six years he was forced to work in fields, tending animals for his master. But during this time, he found himself thinking a lot about lessons he had been taught as a child. His parents and grandparents had been strong Christians, but he had not taken their faith very seriously, even though they made him learn the scriptures and listen to lessons about the Bible. He began to go over these lessons and verses in his mind until he realized that he believed them--he had become a Christian!

After six years, he had a dream (or a vision--he wasn't sure which), where he heard a voice tell him he was going home, and his ship was ready. Knowing that he would be killed if he was captured, he escaped one night and fled to a seaport, where he found a foreign ship that was leaving--he got on and escaped. The ship made it back to his homeland, but the sailors didn't know the place, and it was not familiar to anyone. For a month the crew wandered, and nearly starved. But our young hero told them to pray and trust God, and sure enough, a herd of wild pigs came along--pork chops! Soon they found the way to his home, and he was reunited with the family he thought was lost!

That is an amazing story as it is, but it actually gets better. As our young man (now in  his early 20s) thought about what God had done, he began to have another thought--the people who had captured him had no hope of salvation because the gospel he had believed had never been taught there. An idea began to form in his mind, and it led to his preparing himself to be a Christian minister and missionary. His goal was incredible--he would go back to the people who had enslaved him, even though his return would mean a death sentence as a runaway slave.

He went. When he arrived, no one would believe that he had come back, but he told them why he had come. And through his teaching, his prayers, and the courage God gave him, the people there began to accept the gospel--at first just a few, but then more and more, than then chiefs and whole villages and clans, until this became a more "Christian" land than where he had been born. People began to tell stories about him doing miracles, but he never said anything about them himself--he just highlighted his faith in the God who saved him, and allowed him to be kidnapped so that he would believe.

Our hero, of course, is Patrick, and today is St. Patrick's Day in honor of the day that it is believed that he died in the land where he had been a slave and became a missionary--Ireland.

Never underestimate the importance of teaching a child the truth--even if he or she isn't interested. Never doubt the ability of God to use unexpected and undesirable circumstances to change a life. And never rule out any sense of calling to share God's truth with people who need it, even if it makes you afraid (with good reason!).

Patrick taught many prayers to his people, and one of them is a favorite of mine that we have used at times in church services. It is called "The Breastplate" (a piece of armor that protects the upper body). Here it is:

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan River;
His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the Cherubim;
The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;
The service of the Seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Change is in the Air!

It's all around us: some good, some not, always bringing the "new"

When you get ready to file your taxes this year, you may discover that the recently passed tax bill will make some changes--many predict they will be good. We'll see.

Your favorite baseball teams have been making off season deals, and the lineup you loved (or hated) will be changed from last year. Will this be an improvement? We'll see.

This will be the first year for some of us without a special loved one around, or with a new baby, or living in a new place, or leaving an old job, or beginning a new one, or starting a new relationship, or... well, dealing with a major life change. Maybe it was one that you sought. Perhaps it has taken you by surprise. In either case it might be welcome, or it might seem tragic.

I know some people who are always looking for new challenges, different experiences, and unfamiliar territory to conquer. There is a fair amount of that in me, although I'd like to pick and choose the areas of life where the challenges occur. Others want things predicable and familiar. Routine is wonderful and safe. I have some of this desire as well. I'm guessing there is a "change spectrum" and all of us fall somewhere along it, trending on direction or the other.

But in this world we must always remember two truths:

1. Things change. It may be slow or fast, and it may be small or large, but change will come. It will come to our bodies with every passing day and year. Since your body's cells are constantly replacing themselves (except in the brain), you probably aren't the person you were a year ago!

Families change, both in make-up and in dynamics. As our kids grow, we leave behind some aspects of family life and gain others. It's not good or bad, it's just different. Of course as children become adults the changes in family life grow ever greater with greater independence.

Circumstances change, and what was perfectly normal and acceptable can become awkward and out of place. Or they can go from uncomfortable to desirable by the addition or subtraction of one or more details. We all know or have heard stories of people who had wonderful jobs with a business, and then the company was purchased, new management came in, and a family spirit was replaced with cost cutting and layoffs. Or think of the person who has suffered in great pain, until a new doctor runs a test and discovers its source and brings a treatment that gives pain free living.

Directions change--not on the compass, but in our lives. I cannot tell you how many people I know who have found themselves thinking they would pursue one path, who have found themselves on another entirely, be it education, career, or relationship.

Churches change, which shouldn't surprise us at all given the fact that they are made up of people who change, and are constantly adding (and sometimes losing) members who have unique gifts and talents. As time passes, methods and programs that were effective at one time are found to be less so because the people they are intended to reach or serve have changed. Churches that built their ministries with buses for kids, Sunday school contests, or door to door visitation have either changed their approaches and methods or died.

Many changes are a mix of good and bad from our human vantage points. When we moved across the country to come to Ohio, we said goodbye to so many people and a church we loved. Our first years here weren't always easy, even with so many who loved and cared for us here from the very start. Change was hard, but has yielded incredible good.

Undoing change is nearly impossible. When I was a fourth grader we moved from our town in Michigan to Cincinnati where my Dad got a master's degree at Xavier. We moved back to our old town after that year, but little was the same. We moved to a different house and even though my parents would set up times for me to see my old friends, the year had led to lots of changes for them, and for me; and let's face it, when you are in fifth grade in a different school the five mile difference from your old life might as well be forever.

Change is necessary. Nothing new comes to be without it. Nothing old comes to an end without creating it. But the new that comes is often shaped by the old that was, even though it's not the same. When dear ones in our church who were a vital part of our lives have moved away, God does not "replace" them. I could name all sorts of people in my church life that caused me to mourn when they told me they were moving to a new town. You can probably think of some, too. No one replaces them in your heart or has exactly the same impact on you. Instead, God brings new people who fill voids we didn't know we had, and help us become what God wants us to be today and prepares us for tomorrow.

Our own church is celebrating God's faithfulness in so many ways--remarkable provisions and providences have left us amazed. As we have thought about all the blessings God has given, our staff has recognized that God must be getting us ready for something, even though we are not sure what that "something" will be. That is why we are calling the church now to a concerted time of prayer (and fasting) as the year begins (You can go to our church website to learn more about this, starting next week). But one thing we can be sure of is that this will mean changes will come. I don't know what they will be, and I'm sure some of them will make me (maybe all of us) uncomfortable at times.

This should not frighten us, but excite us that God may well have some amazing new opportunities to serve him here and throughout the world in store. Why should we not be afraid? That's the second truth we must remember.

2. Our God does not change. His word is settled forever. From forever to forever he is God. Because he does not change his people are not destroyed. His promises are unchanging even as his mercies are new every morning. His righteousness is forever. He is the faithful and true One.

He doesn't change, but he seems to love it--in fact, he will not let evil continue unchecked, injustice go unpunished, or abandon his people forever, even when it seems times are tough. Our God is the One who won't let sin, decay, and death win, but instead says, "Look, I am making all things new!"

That "newness" begins when we see ourselves--our "old" self--as sinful, lost, broken, and in need of forgiveness and grace. We see that God is true and right and good and just and merciful, and we cry out for him. We see Jesus, his Son, on the cross, dying for our sin, taking our place under God's wrath, and we ask him to save us. We ask God to replace the lies we've believed with truth, to turn us around and head us toward him, to change us. And he does. We call it being made a "new creation"--and God sends his Spirit into us to bring about that great change from old paths to newness of life. That change is the most important one of all, and how I pray you have experienced it!

In the meantime, before all is finally made new,  he does not leave his people without purpose in the present or hope for the future. He calls us to trust him to use the realities of the present to prepare us for a glorious future. He sometimes acts slowly from our perspective, when we would want change faster. And sometimes he brings changes we don't feel ready for. But because he has already declared the ending of the story before it began, and because of his fierce love for his people, we can breathe in the air of change with confidence now, and the promise of an eternally better future. We can love and celebrate what we have had in the past--and even mourn the loss of what we loved about those days. But we can always look forward to "better"--whether it is in the new tasks and challenges and opportunities God will provide (along with the hardships they will bring), or ultimately when we enter into the "new things" God creates at the culmination of history. And then, brothers and sisters, don't think change comes to an end.  Oh no! We will be living in the presence of the infinite God who will forever be unfolding new things to us-- a million years from now, I believe God will be showing us yet another new thing that will cause us to marvel and praise and go, "Wow, I never would have guessed that!"

Change is in the air. Breathe.

Common Graces

Our desire to see God work may obscure when he does so

So many times in our lives we find ourselves in need, or hurting, or questioning, and we want to see God help us:

"Show me the way, Lord."
"Help me to feel better about this."
"Please take the pain away."
"I need your comfort today."
"I won't make it without your grace, Lord."

Such requests are normal, and should be asked--after all, God tells us to cast our anxieties upon him, to ask for what we need, and to pray without ceasing.

However, I think we sometimes miss it when he answers these prayers. And a book our pastoral team is reading reminded me why this is so.

I like to have our staff read through books that will help us think about matters related to serving the church, and recently we've been reading one about how people grow. Written by a counselor, it is saying all the right things, but in language that is different than pastors normally use, and that makes it catch our attention. The last chapter we discussed talked about how God's plans for our growth involve people--the body of Christ. The author makes the point that such prayers as those above are often prayed with the hope that God will somehow supernaturally show up and miraculously tell us what to do, dispense a miracle cure, or give us a divine hug and an "attaboy (or girl), you can do it!" But that is not how God works.

Instead, God puts his people in our lives, who bring the grace that we need. The author illustrates with the story of a man who lacked self discipline and kept creating a serious problem for himself. His solution? Pray, and ask God to heal him of his problem. The man told his Christian friend about his problem, and the friend guided him toward good counsel, accountability, and a network of people who continued to encourage, check up on, and otherwise move the sufferer in the right direction. After a period of time, the man with the problem realized that it was gone. He was happy, but just a bit disappointed that God hadn't healed him. But God had healed him--through the lives and gracious ministry of the body of Christ.

That is how God usually does his work--not by divine, direct intervention, but through members of the Body exercising their graces and gifts on behalf of others. You are hurting and your prayer is for comfort. How is God most likely to bring it? Not by you going off by yourself and waiting for a heavenly hug. Rather, it will most likely come by you engaging with your spiritual community, sharing your hurt, and letting them love on you. That is not a substitute for God's comfort, it is its supply through his people. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1 that God comforts us in all our affliction, and that we can then comfort others. Notice that we comfort others, which means God's comfort comes through people. And while God certainly can and does give special experiences of assurance of his presence and comfort, even Paul mentions at various times that he was comforted by the coming of certain people when he needed them, or receiving certain news when he was distressed for people--in short, God's comfort isn't just a supernatural "zapping," but is usually through God's people doing what we should do as we see those around us in hard circumstances.

So the next time you pray a prayer that comes from a deep sense of need, may I encourage you to do so from a place where you are in close proximity to the rest of the Body of Christ and being honest about your situation? Because in those circumstances you are in a position for God to answer that prayer in the way he normally does--through his people.

Humbled in Serving

He stood out among my students, and not just because he was taller than them all. Punam, the principal, surprised me when he told me that this student (we'll call him R.--in the picture below he is on my left) had only been a believer for two months when he decided to come to DBI. Now he was deep into the one year program, and he stood out as one of the most diligent note-takers and Scripture finders in the class. When I would call out a reference for us to have read aloud, R. would usually be the one who found it and read it. There was a light in his eyes and a joy in his face that matched the intensity with which he approached his studies. But then, this whole experience was a reminder of a level of commitment and intensity that I don't find much in the more sedate Western church.

R. and his fellow students arose at 6:00 every morning during the week, and would be expected to use the next hour for their devotional time. Then they would do an hour's work around the center, cleaning and organizing and preparing their breakfast (the students were their own cooks, preparing the communal meals every day). Breakfast at 8:00 was followed by getting ready for their morning class. The lunch break was almost 2 hours, because the students had to prepare the meal for lunch, and cooking in India is never a quick matter. After lunch there were afternoon classes, then a break, then cooking for dinner, then study time, and then to bed in the dorms. The boys all slept in one dorm room, along with the two single men who are teachers along with Punam and Dil. These two used to live in the room that is now the girls dorm room on the first floor, but have moved to a room in the new center building, where they also will welcome their first child, Lord willing, by early December. They appreciate the larger space, but Punam says they miss being closer to the students so that they can encourage them more personally. Before the move, all the students and staff lived, studied, and worked in the 700 square foot building of the existing center. 


The students' attentiveness to my lectures was a bit daunting to me--you are treated as if you really are the expert, and they try to write everything down. Some of my sermon notes had been translated into Hindi, and I soon learned that the language they were writing is a complex one--ideas that we take a short sentence to explain may require many more words modifying other words to get the same point across. In some ways, their lack of education was a deficit, and I was often trying to think of ways to make my ideas and points more simple and accessible. But their desire to learn and to share the gospel balanced the lack of formal training, and if they can take the ideas I shared and "translate" them into their culture, they will be so much better at reaching the multiplied thousands of villages in Rajasthan than any educated westerner, even if we learned the language. 

Over and over I saw diligence and sacrifice that I only see in such places. I cannot imagine me, or many of us being willing to accept the deprivations and loss of personal rights and space that was the norm in Jaipur. The obvious working of the Spirit in conversion (all of my students were, to my knowledge, first generation Christians out of Hindu backgrounds) is a strong contrast to the American scene, where we would be hard pressed to find a ministry filled with new converts, let alone staffed by them.

And all of this takes place in an environment of risk. The Jaipur Center is in the neighborhood of the city that is home to the RSS. This is the highly militant Hindu organization whose goal is to make India a Hindu nation only. While they also fight against Muslims, Christians have been much more popular and easier targets, since they don't fight back. The first DBI graduate to ever seek to minister in Rajasthan was martyred years ago. These students face family opposition and the possibility of physical harm, but they seek to learn the Word.

So, I return to you, blessed to have served, but also blessed and humbled by the people I was supposed to teach. They are heroes of the faith in training, and I'm honored to play a part (along with you in sending me), in raising them up.