From the Cross to the Crown

Psalm 22

The writers of the New Testament frequently quoted from the Old Testament.  One favorite book that they often quoted from was the Book of Psalms.  Which psalm do you think they quoted from most often?  Would it be the favorite of so many people, Psalm 23?  No, it is the Psalm just prior to that, Psalm 22.  This psalm is filled with prophecies of the suffering and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, each one fulfilled with stunning precision.  Psalm 22 moves from an agonizing lament of suffering to triumphant praise, showing us the path from the cross to the resurrection.  Let’s take a look at this psalm, written by King David.

Psalm 22 doesn’t gently ease us into a look at Jesus’ agony and suffering.  Instead, it jumps right in, opening with a heart-wrenching cry of one who feels abandoned by God (vs. 1).  Jesus quoted this verse from the cross (Matthew 27:46).  This was not a cry of unbelief but one of real abandonment, as Jesus bore our sin (II Corinthians 5:21).  We don’t know what trial David was going through when he wrote this, but he felt alone and abandoned, even from God.  However, he wasn’t really abandoned by Him, as later in this psalm he tells us how he knows that God is holy, trustworthy, a deliverer, a rescuer, and is his strength.

Jesus, though, was abandoned and forsaken by God when He bore the sins of the world on the cross.  Jesus endured the full wrath of God in our place.  God withdrew fellowship as Jesus became sin for us.  As an absolutely holy God, He had to turn His back on Jesus for that moment in time, as He cannot face sin.  Jesus’ grief culminated in suffering the spiritual agony beyond all telling that resulted from the departing of His Father’s presence.  It was the black midnight of horror for Him.  God had really turned away from Jesus for a season.

As we continue in this psalm we read several verses that contain prophecies that were fulfilled that day Jesus was crucified.  In verses 7-8 we read of a prophecy of mockery, which was fulfilled when Jesus was ridiculed, mocked, and laughed at by the people who witnessed and took part in His abuse and execution.  The mockery of Jesus was not random, it was a fulfillment of these verses.  The people who gathered near the cross even repeated similar words to Jesus as those we read here.

Mockery and ridicule was a large part of Jesus’ suffering.  Judas mocked Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The chief priests and scribes laughed and mocked Jesus to scorn.  King Herod mocked Him, the servants and soldiers jeered at Him, and brutally insulted Him.  Pilate and his guards also ridiculed Jesus’ royalty, and while He hung on the cross, the crowd taunted Him.

David recalled how God cared for him from his birth (vs. 9-11).  This was also the case with Jesus.  He lived in perfect dependence on the Father.  As we read throughout Scripture, the suffering that believers go through does not erase God’s lifelong faithfulness to them.

The next seven verses give astonishingly specific prophecies that were fulfilled on Good Friday (vs. 12-18).  We read descriptions of bulls, lions, and dogs - powerful and often dangerous animals.  These were symbolic of Christ’s enemies who were powerful, vicious, and relentless.  In verse 14 we read a description of the physical agony of the crucifixion.  The heart feeling like wax could be a possible reference to cardiac failure under extreme stress.  One physical torment was extreme thirst (vs. 15).  This was fulfilled with Jesus’ cry, “I thirst” (John 19:28).

In verse 16 we read a very specific prophecy that was directly fulfilled by the Lord Jesus, of how His hands and feet were pierced. This clearly describes crucifixion.  However, David wrote this centuries before this form of execution existed in Israel.  Then in verse 18 we read about this victim’s clothes being divided and gambled over.  Again, this was a literal prophecy that was fulfilled exactly in John 19:23-24.

Beginning in verse 22 we turn a corner, and on through the end of the psalm we read verses of praise and glory, as the crucifixion was not the end, with Jesus’ glorious resurrection on the third day.  Because Jesus endured all of this torture and execution for our sins, He is now seated at God’s right hand, to be worshiped by all creation.  Verse 22 is quoted in Hebrews 2:12, and is applied directly to Jesus.  The One who suffered is now leading His brethren in praise.  The psalm ends with global and eternal triumph.  All nations will worship Jesus (vs. 27).  The kingdoms of the world belong to Him (vs. 28), and future generations will hear of Him (vs. 30-31).  This all foretells Jesus' Millennial Kingdom where He will reign.

Looking back over this psalm we see its graphic description of some of the agony that Jesus went through.  We see the substitutionary atonement, as Jesus suffered for us and instead of us.  Our sins demand punishment, eternal punishment in hell.  However, because of His vast, eternal love for us, Jesus took our punishment so that all who accept Him as Savior do not have to suffer that punishment.  We also see the prophetic accuracy of Psalm 22.  This is a powerful testimony to the supernatural nature of Scripture.  This is not just an ancient text written by the hands of man.  The odds that each of these prophecies being fulfilled in one man centuries later are astronomical and virtually impossible.  The Bible is indeed the inerrant Word of God!

The Cost of Our Salvation

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

We begin Holy Week today, that final week of Jesus’ life here on earth, which includes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a final few days of teaching, then the Last Supper, His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, trial, scourging, and death upon the Cross.  Today let us look at one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the substitutionary, atoning death of Jesus Christ.  In this passage of Scripture, frequently described as the Suffering Servant, from the prophet Isaiah we will see the Messiah’s humiliation and exaltation, His rejection by Israel, His substitutionary suffering, death, burial, and resurrection with His ultimate triumph and reward.

As we begin, we look at the last three verses of chapter 52, where we see the Servant Exalted.  As we read, we see that God begins with the end of the story, where His Son, the Messiah, is victorious, not defeated (vs. 13).  This was fulfilled in His resurrection, ascension, and then with His glory in God’s future kingdom.  After establishing that fact, God then proceeds to show the suffering that the Messiah will endure.  This suffering was real, physical, and shocking, not just figurative (vs. 14).  By the time that Jesus finally got to the crucifixion, He had been so beaten, scourged, and abused that He barely looked like a man anymore.  This was done for the atonement of our sins, both for Israel and for all nations (vs. 15).

Next we look at the Servant Rejected (vs. 1-3).  Isaiah prophesied that the people of Israel would be in unbelief.  Though a few did believe, as the first Christians were Jewish, the overwhelming majority, then and now, rejected Jesus.  Paul quoted this verse in Romans 10:16, regarding the rejection of the gospel.  Isaiah continued by saying that in His humanity, Jesus was ordinary, not majestic in looks.  Israel was expecting a conquering king, not a humble carpenter.  Throughout His ministry Jesus experienced grief, rejection, and misunderstanding.  He was misjudged by the people He came to save.

Now we look at the Servant Substituting (vs. 4-6).  This portion of our Scripture is the heart of the passage.  We read of how Jesus carried our sorrows, the consequences of our sins.  While He hung on the cross, the people who gathered around thought that God was punishing Him for His own sins, but they couldn’t have been more wrong.  Jesus was being punished for their sins and for our sins.  This is the clearest Old Testament statement of substitutionary atonement.  We read “for our” repeatedly.  Jesus suffered in our place.  God laid on Him all of our sins, assigning them to His account.  Jesus bore all of our guilt.

Next we see the Servant Suffering Silently (vs. 7-9).  Jesus is described as being like a lamb, which evokes imagery from the Passover, which was the Holy Day that was occurring when He was crucified.  Like a lamb which goes to its death silently, He was also silent during the mockery of the trial that He had (Matthew 26:63).  That trial was unjust, rushed, and illegal.  Under both Jewish and Roman law, trials were not to be held at night, nor on holy days (Passover).  Nor could they be held in private houses (Caiaphas’ house).  Capital offenses needed at least three consistent, unbribed witnesses, and could not be concluded in under a day.  These verses were fulfilled literally, as Jesus was crucified between criminals (wicked), and buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb (rich).

As the passage in Isaiah ends, we read about the Servant Vindicated (vs. 10-12).  God was not being sadistic.  All of this suffering that the Messiah endured had a divine purpose.  Jesus’ death was God’s plan for redemption.  Jesus bears our iniquities as our substitute, and provides justification for us. The Son of God willingly died for us, being numbered with transgressors as He was crucified among criminals.  Now He is seated at God’s right hand interceding for sinners.

God’s Word here clearly teaches us the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement.  Jesus, the Messiah, died in our place, bearing our sins.  We also see the deity and humanity of Christ.  Only a divine, yet human Servant could accomplish this work.  We read of how Israel rejected Jesus at His first coming.  However they will recognize Him at His return (Zechariah 12:10).

How much does God love you?  Enough to sacrifice His only Son for you!  He loved you and wanted to save you.  The only way for that was for His Son to suffer, to be crushed under the wrath of God, to die.  Our staggering sin debt, both past, present, and future, was paid in full when Jesus was put to death.  He was separated from His Father and was forsaken for our sake.  As we enter into Holy Week, let us remember what the cost of our salvation was.

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

John 11:1-44

Most all of us have had to face the death of someone who was near and dear to us.  One thing you know for sure as you look at the coffin, is that person is not going to get up and start living again.  In our sorrow and grief, that truth is a painful one.  Once those hospital monitors show a flat line, that is it.  There is nothing more that the doctors, despite all of their expertise, can do.  We are told that death is final.  That is, until the Lord Jesus Christ steps in.  He is the One that conquered death by His resurrection from the dead, and who gives us a hope that goes beyond the grave.  In our rather lengthy Scripture passage today from the Gospel of John we see Jesus’ power and victory over death and the grave, and read of the hope that He gives us that goes beyond the grave.

The events recorded in our Scripture happened about one to two weeks before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.  Jesus and His disciples had crossed to the farther side of the Jordan River for their safety, as the religious authorities were hostile and threatening to Him following His messages about being the Good Shepherd.  While there He received a message from His very good friends Martha and Mary that their brother Lazarus was extremely ill, and would He please come to them (vs. 1-5).  Everyone thought that Jesus would leave immediately, since these were very dear friends of His.  However, Jesus delayed for two days (vs. 6).  Why?  Was it because He really didn’t care?

When there seems to be no answer to our prayers is that the reason?  Is it because God doesn’t care?  God’s timing often feels slow, but His delays are never mistakes.  Silence from heaven has a purpose.  Silence grabs our attention and teaches us to trust.  God’s love is not measured by immediate deliverance.  Jesus had a purpose in His delay.  Jesus knew that though Lazarus died, what would follow would be for the glory of God.  When we pray, we can rest in His love even when the answer tarries.

After delaying for two days Jesus left to go to His friends in Bethany, which was right outside of Jerusalem.  Despite the recent threats, His disciples went with Him (vs. 7-16).  Jesus’ obedience to the Father is fearless and unwavering.  Spiritual light is found in walking according to God’s will.  It may involve risk, but obedience is the safest place spiritually.

When Jesus arrived at Bethany Lazarus had been dead for four days.  He was beyond any natural hope.  Of the two sisters, Martha was the first to go outside the village, near to where Lazarus was buried, to greet Jesus.  Though she had faith, she was filled with grief.  She told Him that if He had only been there, Lazarus would not have died.  Jesus would have healed him (vs. 17-22).  Jesus proceeded to give one of His greatest declarations, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (vs. 23-27).  Jesus is not merely the giver of resurrection He is resurrection.  Martha then confessed her faith that Jesus was the promised Messiah (vs. 27).  Faith can co-exist with sorrow.  Jesus meets us in both.  Our hope in death is not abstract, it is anchored in the living Christ.

The other sister, Mary, then proceeded to go out and talk to Jesus. Her profound, overwhelming grief touched Jesus, and He also began to cry (vs. 32-37).  God is not unmoved by human suffering.  Jesus enters into our grief without diminishing His deity.  Jesus’ weeping rose from a grief, not only for His friend, but also for all humanity stuck in death’s grip.

With Mary, Martha, their friends, and His disciples around Him, all gathered by the tomb, Jesus told them to remove the large stone before the entrance to the tomb.  Martha objected because of the smell of the decaying body (vs. 38-40).  However Jesus was not operating by His human senses.  He was operating by faith.  If He had listened to His senses He would have left, with no miracle.  He saw the stone in front of the grave.  He could smell the decayed body.  He could hear the mourners.  He could taste His own tears.  But Jesus operated in faith.  Don’t trust your feelings, because we are to walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).

The stone was removed, and Jesus cried out with divine authority, “Lazarus, come forth!” Lazarus emerged, still bound in graveclothes.  Only God can command the dead to rise, and Jesus, as the Second Person of the Trinity, has absolute authority over death.  This miracle foreshadowed His own resurrection about two weeks later.  This is also a picture of dead sinners made alive.  Not only does Jesus bring physical life, He also brings spiritual life to dead sinners.  Salvation is entirely His work.  Lazarus contributed nothing.  He was dead until Jesus called his name.

What is the final answer to all of the trials we face?  It is the hope of the bodily resurrection.  How can we know for sure that it will occur?  We can by the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.  Because He has been raised, we too shall rise!

Two Masters, Two Paths, Two Destinies

Romans 6:16-23

What contaminates a person the most?  We might think of some terrible diseases that we need to be careful of.  We all remember just a few years ago when we were all extra careful to not become infected with covid.  There are some contaminants that people will even dress up in biohazard suits in order to keep themselves safe from contamination.  It is wise to keep oneself safe from such danger.  And of course we shouldn’t ignore just the regular, everyday germs and dirt.  However there is one contaminant that many people tend to forget that is actually more dangerous to everyone.  It has the power to bring death to all it touches, and that is sin.  It can sometimes bring physical death, and unless protected by the Blood of Jesus, it will always bring spiritual death.  Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul teaches in his letter to the Romans today.

As we open our Scripture we need to know that every person serves a master.  It doesn’t matter what station one has in life, from the most powerful leader in the world down to a homeless person on the street, we all serve a master.  The question is not whether you serve, but whom.  Paul used the metaphor of slavery, not to endorse the institution, but because it clearly showed absolute ownership and obedience.  In the spiritual realm there are only two masters: sin, which will lead to death, or obedience to God, which leads to righteousness and life.

Paul begins this portion of Scripture by teaching us that we are the slave to whomever we obey in life (vs. 16).  If we choose to obey and follow sin in our life, then we are sin’s slave.  Obedience to sin will lead to death, not just physical death, but ultimately spiritual death and separation from God.  Obedience to God and His Word will lead to righteousness and ultimately eternal life.  Whomever we obey reveals our spiritual master.

The Apostle then reminds the believers in Rome that they were once the slaves of sin, but since the day that they decided to obey God’s Word, they were delivered from that bondage (vs. 17).  This is written in the past tense, as that was their old identity.  But now they have obeyed God from the heart, and are no longer under the slavery to sin.  They have been set free, just like when a slave is set free (vs 18).  When they gave their heart to Jesus, He brought them out of the bondage of sin, and they now belong to Him. Biblical freedom does not mean autonomy.  We are not now free to live any way that we want.  It is liberation from the wrong master and joyful submission to the right one. We are now the servants of righteousness.

Paul continues to use the slavery metaphor to help us understand the seriousness of whom we are obeying.  Before we were saved we yielded ourselves to uncleanness and lawlessness, in other words, all manner of sinful behavior (vs. 19).  Sin has a snowball effect - one sin will lead to another, and then more and more.  However, once we became a believer, we gave ourselves to Jesus, and we should yield ourselves to righteousness.

Curiosity often leads us to the edge of danger.  Sin is like that, too.  We are drawn to the edge, lose our balance, and fall in, destroying family, reputation, and career.  We think that we can flirt with temptation, but few ever win.  We know an action is wrong, and yet we toy with it.  We are drawn into deeper and darker perversions.  As a slave to sin, one doesn’t obey or follow Jesus and His righteousness (vs. 20).  What kind of fruit does a slave of sin have?  They only have shame and things that lead to death (vs. 21).

Once we give ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we are set free from our slavery to sin.  Our “ownership” has now changed (vs. 22).  We do not belong any more to Satan’s kingdom of darkness.  We are now servants of God, and as we yield ourselves to Him, we will bring forth holy fruit which will end with everlasting life.  This is the exact opposite of the life of a slave to sin.

As Paul closes this segment of Scripture, we see that sin pays a salary.  People enter into all sorts of various sins, thinking that it will bring happiness, money, fame, and pleasure.  However, that is not the salary it pays.  As Paul says, the wages of sin is death (vs. 23).  Often enough it is physical death in this life, and always it is spiritual death in the next.  As we finish this verse, though, we see that God gives us a gift, and that is eternal life.  It is a gift.  We cannot earn it, and we don’t deserve it.  It is a gift that God gives us when we accept the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior.

As we close, we see that there is no neutrality in the Christian life.  Everyone serves a master.  The unbeliever serves sin, but the Christian serves God.  Who are you obeying?  Your daily choices reveal your allegiance.  When one chooses to follow Jesus, their salvation should produce a new pattern of obedience to Him.  We aren’t perfect, but we should be heading in a new direction, with a new heart that leads to new desires and new fruit.  God has freed us from sin’s power and dominion over us, and we should yield ourselves to righteousness.  Remember, sin always leads to death, every time.  Every path of sin ends in destruction.  However God gives us a gift of eternal life.  Sin pays wages, but God gives gifts.

The Annunciation

Luke 1:26-38

Today I am departing from my usual practice of looking at a psalm early in the week.  Instead, since this Wednesday is March 25th, and that date is the Feast of the Annunciation, I thought we would look at the Scripture associated with that holy day.  The Annunciation is a very important event in the salvation of mankind, so let’s take a closer look at this.

The word “annunciation” comes from the Latin word “annunciatio”, which means announcing or announcement.  This is what occurred when the angel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary and announced to her that she had found favor with God, and would bear His Son.  Gabriel is one of the three archangels, and was frequently the one who brought important messages from God to mankind.  His presence signals a major moment in redemptive history.  He was sent by God to the Virgin Mary who resided in Nazareth (vs. 26-27).  Mary was a young woman who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David.

The angel Gabriel greeted Mary with the statement that she was highly favored by the Lord, and that she was blessed among women (vs. 28-29).  She was a recipient of God’s grace, and chosen for a unique role.  Mary was troubled by this statement.  She was not afraid, but was wondering what this type of greeting was.

Gabriel proceeded to tell Mary that she would conceive and bear a Son, and that this Child would be the Son of God.  He continued by describing His eternal throne and reign (vs. 30-33).  The archangel gave five truths about this Child that Mary would bear.  First was that His Name would be Jesus, which means God saves.  This identified His mission, that He is the Savior.  Next was that He would be great, not just great among men, but is inherently great.  This child would be the Son of the Highest, a clear declaration of His deity.  He is the eternal King who will be given the throne of His father David (Isaiah 9:6-7).  This is a literal, future, and earthly kingdom.  Finally, His reign is eternal.  It is Davidic, Messianic, and eternal.

Mary then asked the angel a question, as to how this would happen since she was a virgin (vs. 34).  Unlike Zachariah (Luke 1:18-20), Mary did not doubt God’s words to her.  She just asked how she would conceive since she was a virgin.  Zachariah didn’t believe God could do it.  Mary trusted that He could, but wondered if there was something she should do.  She asked in faith, seeking understanding.

Gabriel then explained this miracle (vs. 35-37).  This act would be creative, not sexual.  The same God who created life in Genesis 1 would now create life in Mary’s womb.  Jesus would be fully God, fully man, and without sin.  The Virgin Birth is essential because it avoids Adam’s sin nature (Romans 5:12).  The Savior needed to be sinless in order to be the sacrifice for sin.  The Virgin Birth also fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 7:14), and it established His divine sonship.

Those who cast doubt on the truth of God’s Word, the Bible, will often doubt the Virgin Birth, and the fact that Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus.  However, if Mary was not a virgin, then she would have been a liar about what she said happened.  She would have been unfaithful to Joseph.  Then Jesus would have been illegitimate with no divine nature.  He would have been a crazy man who claimed to be the Son of God.  We cannot accept Jesus without believing in the Virgin Birth.  Apart from the Virgin Birth, Jesus would have been just another man, and unworthy of anyone’s faith.

The angel Gabriel gave Mary a little boost for her faith, by telling her about Elizabeth (vs 36-37).  This was a confirmation, not because she doubted, but because it would strengthen her faith.  By visiting her relative she could strengthen her faith, and also have a safe place to stay till her parents and Joseph would accept her news.

Mary then accepted this news and gave her consent (vs. 38).  By doing so she forever changed her life.  Being found pregnant before marriage was much, much more serious at this time than it is today.  Betrothals or engagements were as binding as marriage, and any unfaithfulness could bring the penalty of being stoned.  When Mary accepted this from God, she knew the cost, but trusted God anyway.  She accepted the shame, the misunderstanding, the social rejection.  She also accepted the weight of raising the Messiah.  Mary yielded herself to God completely, and trusted Him.  She yielded to God’s will without conditions and trusted His Word above her own understanding.

As we close, we can look at the Blessed Virgin Mary as one of the greatest examples and models of faith and trust in God.  Can we respond to God’s Word with her spirit of submission?  “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”  That is the heart posture of a mature believer.  The Blessed Virgin Mary’s humility is a model for all who serve the Lord.  Also, do we trust God’s power when His promises seem impossible?  God delights to work where human ability ends. 

The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14

A valley filled with hundreds of bones.  Seeing that you might think that you are watching some horror movie.  And then these bones rise up and start attaching themselves together, making a skeleton.  Now that is scary!  But that’s not all.  Then muscles, and body organs, and then skin and hair start to come on them. However, this multitude of bodies are still dead. Although they are standing there, there is no life in them.  Again, this sounds like something from a very scary movie, something to give one nightmares.  Instead, this is something that the Lord showed the prophet Ezekiel, and it had a very important meaning.  Let’s look at today’s Old Testament Scripture and see what this is all about.

The exact dates of Ezekiel’s birth and death are not known, though it is believed that he was born around 623 BC and died sometime shortly after 571 BC.  He was a major prophet during the years of the Babylonian captivity.  The Lord gave Ezekiel many visions which are recorded in his book of prophecy in the Bible, and today we will look at when He brought the prophet to the valley of dry bones, and what this signifies.

At this point in history, the Jewish people had gone into exile in Babylon, their capital city Jerusalem had fallen, and their Temple had been destroyed.  The people felt discouraged, even hopeless.  In the midst of this, the Lord brought them a message, not only for encouragement, but also to show at a future day there will be a national restoration.  Just as God will resurrect the dry bones He showed Ezekiel into a living army, one day He will restore Israel, both physically and spiritually.

As our Scripture passage opens, the Lord brought Ezekiel to a valley filled with very dry bones (vs. 1-2).  The fact that these bones were “very dry” emphasizes that they have been dead for a long time.  That is a picture of hopelessness.  There is absolutely no hope of life in these bones.  They are way past any human help.  That, though, is just the type of condition that the Lord often likes to work with, a humanly impossible situation where His power will be unmistakable.

God asked Ezekiel one question to test his faith - can these bones live? (vs. 3).  Ezekiel knew that if the Lord wanted, He could do anything, so Ezekiel responded that He (God) knows.  Ezekiel didn’t know how God would work, but he knew who God was, that He could do anything He desired.  The Lord then told Ezekiel to preach to these bones, to tell them His Word.  He promised that as the prophet did so, breath would come into them, along with muscles, flesh, and skin (vs. 4-6).  He would bring life to these bones.  The Word of God is the instrument through which God brings life, even to the dead.

Ezekiel obeyed the Lord and spoke His Word to the bones (vs. 7-8).  As he prophesied, the bones started to rattle.  Then they moved together, assembling themselves together into a skeleton.  Muscle, body organs, and skin came upon these bones.  However there was no breath in these bodies.  They were not alive.

This had a spiritual meaning, that the people of Israel would be regathered together.  This regathering would first be a physical regathering, but they would not be restored spiritually.  The people would return to their land after about seventy years of captivity, however most of the people only gave lip-service to God. They did not give Him their heart.  Then after 70 AD, following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the Jewish people were scattered all over the world.  In 1948 Israel became a nation again, but as most of the Jewish people have never accepted Jesus as their Messiah, there is no spiritual life in them.  They are like the skeleton with skin on it, but no breath of life within.

The Lord proceeded to tell the prophet Ezekiel to speak His Word again, telling breath to come into these bodies, which the prophet did (vs. 9-10).  The Spirit of the Lord came into the bodies, bringing spiritual life to them.  Spiritual life is not produced by human effort, but by the sovereign work of the Spirit of God.  Those bones are the people of Israel (vs. 11).  God proceeded to give a promise to His people.  There would be a physical restoration to the land, and also there would be a spiritual regeneration (vs. 12-14).  Though they have been physically restored to the land God promised Abraham, there has been no spiritual life.  They are like the standing, but dead bodies.  Jesus brought the New Covenant, and when He returns they will see Him whom they have pierced, leading to national mourning and repentance, where they will be spiritually reborn (Zechariah 12:10).

This message from Ezekiel is a picture of national resurrection, both physically and spiritually.  Life came when Ezekiel preached.  God’s Word, the Bible, is His chosen instrument of revival.  It is His Word that brings us spiritual life, and will bring Israel spiritual life.  Israel’s future spiritual restoration is literal.  God’s covenants with Israel, and with us, are unconditional.  No program, effort, or emotion can produce spiritual life.  Only the Holy Spirit can.  There is no situation, person, or nation who is beyond God’s power to restore.  Ezekiel preached to bones.  We are told to bring God’s Word to spiritually dead hearts, and God gives spiritual life.  God has promised to keep His covenant with Israel, and He will also keep all of His promises to us.

I Was Blind, But Now I See

John 9:1-41

Today’s Scripture gives the account of a significant miracle of Jesus, one only recorded in the Gospel of John.  With most of the miracle healings that Jesus performed, the people were healed and went on their way, perhaps giving God thanks, perhaps not.  Their lives were changed, but we hear nothing more about them.  However, with this healing we learn much more.  We learn some background information, and we especially hear about how the religious authorities reacted, and the lesson that Jesus desired to teach through this event. This was like a living parable, where Jesus wanted us to learn some important truths.  Let’s take a look.

One day Jesus and His disciples encountered a man who was known to have been born blind.  Many people in that day believed that suffering and illness was directly tied to a specific sin, and the disciples wanted to know who had sinned in this case, since he was born blind (vs. 1-3).  Jesus let them, and us, know that some suffering exists so that God’s works may be displayed.  The man’s blindness was not a result of sin, and it was not meaningless.  It had a divine purpose, which would shortly be evident.  Jesus then made a bit of clay and put it on the man’s eyes, and told him to go to the pool and wash.  He did so, and returned with his blindness healed (vs. 6-7).  The Light of the world gave sight to the blind, bringing light into his life.

This miracle was undeniable.  This was a man who was born blind, and even today with modern surgery it is extremely rare for sight to be given to someone born blind.  He was changed so dramatically that people hardly recognized him (vs. 8-12).  This gives us a picture of salvation - when Jesus spiritually opens a person’s eyes, and they accept Him as Savior, the transformation is unmistakable.

As our Scripture continues, we see that the Pharisees began to get involved.  They had heard about this miracle, and wanted to question everyone, the man healed, his parents, and any who had witnessed the healing (vs. 13-34).  They especially fixated on the fact that this healing was done on the Sabbath, just as they had done on numerous other occasions.  They felt that no one who did anything on the Sabbath could possibly be a man of God.  However the man who was healed, not only had his physical vision healed, but was gaining spiritual vision, as well.  When first interrogated by the Pharisees he called Jesus a prophet (vs. 17).   They next interrogated the man’s parents, questioning whether he was actually born blind and how this was done.  The Pharisees struck fear into everyone, including these parents, because of their opposition to Jesus (vs. 18-23).

The Pharisees then turned back to the man healed, and told him that Jesus must be a sinner because He healed on the Sabbath.  This man used logic and common sense with the Pharisees.  How could a “sinner” heal anyone, much less a man born blind?  As they argued and threatened him, he gave a simple but powerful testimony: “One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see.”  After exposing the Pharisees illogic with courage, they cast this man out of the synagogue.  That was more than just forbidding him to attend worship services, it was a very strict form of shunning, banning anyone from employing him or socializing with him.  He would be an outcast in the neighborhood.  This confirmed the Pharisees own spiritual blindness.

After hearing what happened, Jesus sought the man out, bringing him to the point of personal faith (vs. 35-38).  This second encounter of Jesus with this man is the climax of the whole event.  First Jesus brought him physical sight, now He brought him spiritual sight and saving faith, resulting in the man worshiping Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  The Pharisees had rejected Jesus, but this humble man received Him.  Loyalty to Jesus may cost us earthly acceptance, but He never abandons His own.

Our Scripture concludes with Jesus pronouncing judgment (vs. 39-41).  He explains the spiritual meaning of this miracle - those who admit their blindness receive sight, while those who claim that they see remain blind.  We are born spiritually blind, and only Jesus can give us spiritual sight.  This is the heart of the Gospel - Jesus Christ saves the humble but resists the proud.  We are never told this man’s name or anything else of what happened to him, and it is quite possible that he spent the rest of his life telling people what Jesus did for him, and that He was the Messiah.

In closing, we need to trust God’s purposes in any suffering or hardship we may face.  Our trials may be the stage on which God will display His glory, as He did with this man.  Like this man, we need to boldly testify of Jesus Christ.  We don’t need a theological degree to say that we know that Jesus changed us.  Finally, just as this man did, we must stand firm, even when rejected by others. If following Christ costs you relationships or acceptance, He Himself will draw near.