The Silent Lamb

Isaiah 53

When someone has done you wrong, do you just take it?  Most of us would have to say that no, we don’t.  Or at least we don’t want to.  Society tells us to stand up for our rights, and don’t let anyone walk all over us.  Perhaps if we know that we’ve done something to deserve what we’re getting, we might grudgingly take it, but not likely if we’ve done nothing wrong.  That would make us look weak and like a loser.   No one wants to be considered a loser, especially if nothing is their fault.  Our Scripture today describes someone who is grossly mistreated, and not for anything they have done wrong themselves, and yet they endure that treatment.  Are they weak and a loser?  Let’s look and see.

In this 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the prophet gives us an account of a person who is going through some terrible treatment at the hands of others, and yet he is enduring it meekly, without any sign of fighting back, even though, as we read, it was not treatment that he deserved. We know through reading and studying Scripture that this account is a description of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the suffering He endured to obtain salvation for mankind.  As the prophet brought his message, he relates that many refuse to believe him (vs. 1).  So many times when we tell others about Jesus, and the sacrifice He paid for our sins to bring us salvation, we are not believed, either.  Yet, like Isaiah, we need to keep telling the message.

What kind of abuse did the Messiah, the Lord Jesus suffer for us?  Have you ever seen someone after they have been severely beaten?  I’ve only seen depictions in movies or TV, not in real life.  But it’s safe to assume it’s not a pleasant sight!  Isaiah tells us the same, that there was no beauty or glory in how He looked throughout this ordeal.  He was despised, and people didn’t even want to look at Him (vs. 2-3).   I’m sure those hours were very gruesome to behold!

As we continue reading the account of Isaiah, we see that all that the Messiah went through was not because of anything that He did, and it was not somehow for His benefit.  The Lord God tells us that it was for our transgressions and iniquities, our sins that Jesus suffered this (vs. 4-6).  Verse 5 speaks it all - “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”  All that Jesus suffered was for us!

Now if you were suffering all this excruciating, abusive treatment, especially if there was no fault of your own to merit such treatment, would you take this quietly?  Most of us could honestly say that we would lash out at whoever was doing this to us.  We would be shouting at them, and possibly even be trying to fight them off.  However, that is not what the Lord Jesus did.  Our Scripture says that just as a lamb or sheep being led to the slaughter is quiet, so He was, as well (vs. 7).

Sheep do not typically struggle and fight when they are being sheared, and they are compliant and easily led when they are taken to the slaughter.  Jesus didn’t try to escape from the agony and shame that faced Him when He was led to the cross.  He went willingly, silently, and with no verbal retorts to those who mocked and jeered while He was nailed to the cross.  Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed all He had for us.  He took our place so that we could be forgiven and have a restored relationship with God.

So how would the world look at someone like this, someone who took all that abuse and didn’t fight back, someone who was executed with criminals (vs. 9, 12) ?  They would call them weak losers.  Yet that is not how God viewed Jesus.  God was pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus.  His sacrifice satisfied the justice that the Lord demanded for sin (vs. 10-12).  On the third day Jesus rose from the dead, and several weeks later He ascended into heaven where He is seated upon His heavenly throne.  As Isaiah said, He was given a portion with the great, and divided the spoil with the strong (vs. 12).  That is not a picture of a weak loser!  No, the Lord Jesus reigns as King forever more!

What Has Ahold Of Your Heart?

Mark 10:17-31

Is there some belongings of yours that you could never part with, no matter what?  Do you have some treasured object that nothing could force you to give up?  Just a couple of months ago I had to move several hundred miles away, and I had to give up a lot of my belongings.  I was not able to take them with me.  I had a lot of books, and there was no way I was able to keep them all, so I had to make the difficult decision of which to take, and which to give up.  The same with the many knick-knacks I had collected over the years, along with a lot of dishes.  Thankfully, over the years, the Lord had taught me that “things” do not matter so much, so this wasn’t as hard as it would have been a number of years ago.  In our Scripture today from the Gospel of Mark, we read of a young man who was asked to voluntarily give up his belongings for something infinitely better.  Let’s look at what his decision was.

Word of Jesus’ ministry had spread far and wide around Galilee and Judah, and many people sought to see Him.  Among them was one young man in particular.  This young man came running up to Jesus, as he had a very important question he wished answered.  This man wanted to know what he would need to do to receive eternal life.  In light of this question we can be fairly certain that he was religious and spiritual.  He also had great respect for Jesus, as he knelt before Him (vs. 17).

Jesus proceeded to review the Law, the Ten Commandments with this fellow (vs. 18-20).  It is not that the Savior was saying that keeping the Law will earn someone heaven, because that won’t (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).  Jesus was digging deeper, to show this man what exactly was standing in the way of him and salvation.  He then pointed out to this man in a kind and loving way that what is standing between him and a true relationship with God was material belongings and things, so He proceeded to tell him to get rid of them all (vs. 21-22).  Unfortunately he could not do that.  His wealth, his material things, were too tightly wrapped around his heart, and the young man left in the same spiritual condition he came in.

When Jesus proceeded to tell the disciples that it is difficult for the rich to find eternal life, they were surprised (vs. 23-26).  At this time most Jews believed that riches were a sign of God’s blessing.  Peter pointed out how he and the others had given up everything for Jesus, and He reassured him that they would receive God’s blessing (vs. 28-31).

There are other things besides literal money that can keep us from fully following Jesus, such as career, some treasured possession, family, friends, reputation, prestige, or power.  Suppose you felt a very distinct call from the Lord to go into full-time Christian work of one type or another, would there be something that would hold you back?  Perhaps you know that it would upset your parents because you might be called to move far away.  Maybe you hold back because it would mean giving up that rather prestigious and lucrative job you have or wanted.  Maybe it means selling the family home.  If you knew that God wanted you to leave for the mission field or some other work for Him, and you didn’t because of some reason, then that thing has your heart and not Him.  In our Scripture, this man’s riches had become more important to him than anything, even God.

Being rich in and of itself, is not wrong or sinful.  Rich people do have some advantages for God that the poor do not have.  They are able to spend more time in Bible study because they wouldn’t have to work that second job.  They can give more money to the Lord.  However, they are very likely to overlook their own need for God.  They are tempted to replace God with any number of idols of their own making.

Faith in Jesus means following Him in this life, and giving our all to His Kingdom.  For this rich young man, Jesus’ advice to sell everything and give away the proceeds and then follow Him, was a deal-breaker.  He could not do that.  Several centuries later, a similarly rich man heard God calling him to a life dedicated to His service.  This man also came from a very wealthy family.  However, he gave away his share of the family’s wealth and inheritance, and gave his life fully to the Lord Jesus.  His name was St. Francis of Assisi.  He did what this other man would not do.  Let us ask ourselves if there is anything that we can’t bear to give up, whether money, possessions, or even people, in order to fully follow Jesus.

Greater Than Moses

Hebrews 3:1-6

For many years I lived right near Oak Park, Illinois, a prominent suburb of Chicago, and also the home for many years of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  I have seen many of the world-famous houses he designed, along with his famous studio and home.  His style of design was so admired that many other architects tried to copy it.  What made his houses and designs so admired and famous?  Was it because of who lived in them, or was it because they were designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright?  It was his name that mattered, not that of the tenant.  As we look into our Scripture for today, we see that same idea - which is more important, the one who built the house or the tenant or caregiver of the building.  Let’s see what the Lord teaches in this passage.

As our Scripture opens, the author urges us to consider the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (vs. 1).  To consider Jesus is to fully observe Him, what He said and what He did, which is recorded in the Gospels.  Even though we may desire to follow Jesus, our life can get off track if we are not careful.  We need to constantly fix our eyes upon Jesus, to consider and follow His path (Hebrews 12:2), following Him every step of our life.

Our Scripture now brings to our consideration the great Old Testament leader, Moses.  Moses was one of the most important people in Israelite history.  He was the faithful messenger of God, the instrument through which the Law was given, and the one who established the Levitical priesthood.

As important as Moses was, Jesus is superior.  Moses was faithful as a servant (vs. 5).  Jesus was faithful as a Son (vs. 6).  Moses was a witness to what God would speak in the future (vs. 5).  Jesus was the message (Hebrews 1:1-2).   Moses was faithful in God’s house (vs. 2).  Jesus was the Builder of the house, and faithful as Son over God’s house (vs. 6).

While being the caretaker of a building can be very important, the builder of the building has greater honor.  Without the builder, there would be no building to take care of.  Moses was the caretaker.  Jesus was the Builder.

This is not to denigrate Moses.  He was a very faithful and devout servant of God, and the Lord used him in a mighty way.  However, he cannot even approach the majesty of Jesus, the Son of God.   Moses was the servant, Jesus is the Son.

The houses and other buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright built aren’t famous because of who lived in them.  For some of these buildings, only real Frank Lloyd Wright experts even know who they were.  Others might have been well-known in their day, especially since one had to be rather wealthy to afford a Wright-designed house, but now they are forgotten to history except for the fact that they once had or lived in one of his houses.  It was the designer and builder of the house that was important, not the caretaker or tenant.

Let us devote ourselves to following the Builder, the Lord Jesus Christ, and not anyone else.  Let us fix our eyes on Him alone, considering Him and following the path that He has laid out.

Over In The Blink Of An Eye

Psalm 90

When one is a child, time seems to go by so very slowly.  Each school year, September to the end of May or early June, seemed like a lifetime.  As the end of the school year approached children might count down the days until summer break.  Those days would drag on and on.  It was the same waiting for Christmas to come.  Opening up those days on the Advent Calendar seemed like a whole year!  Now that we are an adult, time seems to just zip by like a flash.  The new year has started, and in a blink of an eye, it has passed.  This observation, and that of the brevity of life, are the topic of this week’s psalm.

Psalm 90 was written by Moses at the end of his life.  He lived to be 120 years old, dying shortly before the people of Israel would enter the Promised Land.  As he looked back over his life, these words were some of the observations that he made, words which were a prayer to the Lord God.  Moses’ life can be easily divided into three parts.  The first 40 years were spent living in the palaces of Pharaoh as a prince, living in luxury and ease.  Then he had to flee to the deserts of Midian where he spent the next 40 years as a shepherd.  At age 80 the Lord called him to go back into Egypt and lead the Hebrew people out of slavery, and Moses spent the remainder of his life leading them through the desert.  Through all of this, days of ease and days of trouble, Moses knew that God was with him.  He called the Lord God his “dwelling place” (vs. 1).  A dwelling place should be sturdy, providing shelter and giving safety.  As Moses found, God is our secure shelter.

While our life may seem to pass by in a flash, Moses contrasted that with the eternal God.  We look around us and see things that have been around for seemingly forever, such as the mountains and hills.  However, as old as they may seem, God existed before they ever were, as He is their Creator (vs. 2).   Yet there are some people who, even knowing that those mountains were there long before they were born, still act as though they themselves will live forever.  However, we know that no one will.  We will come and go like a flower (vs. 5-6).  As we see with so many people we know or hear about, we are here one day and gone the next.  Life is short, hard, and ends in death.

Yet in comparison, God is eternal.  To Him a thousand years are like just one day (vs. 4) (II Peter 3:8).  There are approximately forty generations that pass in a thousand years, yet for God that is the blink of an eye.  After the days of the Patriarchs in the Bible, Moses said that most people’s lives would be seventy to eighty years (vs. 10).  With modern medicine today, that has extended by just a bit, but living to 100 is still a notable accomplishment.  The longest documented life-span outside of the Bible was 122 years.

So now, having been reminded of the brevity of life, what lessons should we learn?   Moses reminds us that first we need to be aware of our iniquities and secret sins, as God has kept track of them (vs. 8), and to repent and seek His forgiveness.  Secondly, Moses tells us to number our days, and spend the brief time we have with wisdom (vs. 12).  We need to live wisely, making the most of our time (Ephesians 5:15-16).  Have we been wise with how we’ve spent our time in life?  What about with how we plan our remaining days?  Time passes in a blink of an eye.  We have not been put here on earth to make money and then retire in style, but to tell others about Jesus, and show them His love.  So then, we need to wisely use the opportunities that God sends.

In closing, Moses reminds us all that our life will not go on forever.  No one knows how long they have.  Your life may yet have quite a few years left.  For others, only a few.  Some may not make it to the next year, and some may not even make it to tomorrow.  Psalm 90 tells us to number our days.  In other words, make each day count for the Lord.  He has counted them.  He knows our first day, and He knows our last.  They are all in His care.  Make them count for the Lord, so that at the end of our life we may hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

God Knows What Is Going On

Amos 5:6-15

Today’s Scripture passage from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer comes from a rather obscure passage from the minor prophet Amos.  Traditionally, the twelve prophets in the Old Testament from Hosea through to Malachi, have been called “minor”, but that was not because their message was any less significant or important than the others.  They were called “minor” only because their books were shorter in length than the other books of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, which are significantly longer.  The prophet Amos was from the southern Kingdom of Judah, but his message from the Lord was primarily for the northern Kingdom of Israel.  As mentioned before in earlier blogs, Amos was not an ordained member of the clergy, with multiple theological degrees, but was both a shepherd and a farmer.  People may think that only “qualified” ordained clergy with fancy seminary degrees can bring a “proper” message, but God will use whoever He chooses, including a shepherd or a farmer.

Amos’ time of ministry was brief, from around 760 - 755 BC.  Over the many centuries from the death of Joshua, the general who led the people into the Promised Land, until Amos’ time, the people had drifted into apostasy and outright idolatry.  Many had succumbed to the worship of the gods of the surrounding pagan nations, including many of the kings and religious leaders.  As a matter of fact, all of the kings of the Northern Kingdom had forsaken Yahweh for pagan gods, and a majority of the people followed.  It was to them that Amos came to bring God’s message.

Amos brought his message from the Lord, calling on the people to seek Him, and they would live (vs. 6).  Return to Yahweh, follow and obey His Word, or He would bring judgment on them.  The Lord warned that He would break out like a devouring fire, that no one in Bethel could quench or stop.  Bethel was one of about six villages that had a School of the Prophets, a type of Old Testament seminary.  Amos warned that even these seminarians-in-training would not be able to save the people from the judgment of God for all of their idolatry.

Not only had the people fallen into idolatry, but they perverted justice and cast aside righteousness (vs. 7).  In ancient times, the civic leaders would hold council at the gates of the city, and many matters between people would be settled there.  People would hope to find justice there, but as Amos stated, all too often they didn’t.  The people scorned and hated to hear anyone who would rebuke their unjust behavior (vs. 10).  They wanted to continue to take advantage of all that they could, oppressing the poor through their taxes, including taxes on the very food they ate.

These people who had turned their backs on the true worship of Yahweh thought that He did not know how they were living, that He didn’t see, but Amos warned them that was not the case.  God knew their many sins, just as He does ours (vs. 12), how they took bribes, cast aside justice.  Just as in the days of Amos, people may feel confident in their wealth, in their costly homes with large properties and gardens (vs. 11), but God can and would take them away from those who forsook Him.

Amos warned that in case these people felt that Yahweh was not strong or powerful enough to do anything to them, he reminded them that God created the stars in the universe, the Pleiades and Orion, noteworthy constellations in the heavens (vs. 8).  It is He who brings both the day and the night.  He made the sea and directs the crashing waves upon the face of the earth.  He is certainly capable to bring His fury upon sinners and rain ruin upon them! (vs. 9).

God does not enjoy bringing judgment upon people.  He would much rather that they turn to Him, that they would follow after good and not evil, so that they may live (vs. 14-15).  If the people would do so, Amos promised that God would be with them, and be gracious to them.

It is no different today from the days of Amos.  People have turned away from the Lord Jesus, and worship what they choose, whether it is literal pagan gods, or worshiping their own self and pride, their own false intellect, possessions, whatever brings them pleasure, etc.  People still seek to take advantage of each other, the rich trampling over the poor.  Where can the poor find justice today?  It seems no one cares.  God knows what is going on.  He is not blind, nor is He powerless.  People can only mock God for so long before He breaks forth in judgment against them!

Faith, Not Doubt

Mark 11:12-14, 20-26

When you pray, do you really believe that you will receive what you have prayed for?  Many times when we pray, the doubts may creep in, believing that this or that prayer could never be answered, so why bother even praying, especially if that prayer may be counter to nature.  In today’s Gospel reading we will read just such a scenario, and our Lord’s response.  Let’s see what lessons the Lord can teach us in His Word.

As our Scripture opens, it is the day after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the crowds had cheered and waved palms.  Jesus had spent the night with friends in Bethany, and now was reentering Jerusalem.  He was hungry and saw a fig tree up ahead that was full of leaves.  When He looked over the tree, Jesus saw that there was no fruit, and He proclaimed a curse upon the tree (vs. 12-14).   Was this a surprising and rare time when Jesus just lost His temper, when He was hungry and just got angry?  No, this, like everything Jesus did, was a lesson for us.  First, when fig trees in the Holy Land had leaves, that was an indication that there should be fruit.  These fig trees would have two crops of figs each year.  The first crop was in spring, the breba figs which is what Jesus would have been looking for.  They are not the best or sweetest fig, but they are a guarantee of the good ones to come later in the year.  A tree with no breba figs is a tree that will be barren later on.

This was an object lesson.  The fig tree had often been a symbol of the people of Israel.  Like a fig tree that was full of leaves, they looked good from afar.  They had all of the trappings of true religion, but they had lost the point, they had no fruit.  They were about to kill their Messiah.  Jesus cursed the empty, barren tree as a sign that God would bring judgment on His corrupt people.  We may look good from afar, but Jesus comes near looking for fruit that only the Holy Spirit can produce.  Jesus is warning, when God comes looking will there be any fruit?

Then the day after this, as Jesus and His disciples passed by that way again, Peter noticed that the tree that Jesus had cursed had withered down to its roots (vs. 20-21).  He was amazed, but Jesus said that he shouldn’t be.  He proceeded to teach them a lesson on prayer and having faith in God when we pray (vs. 22-24).  Do we believe or have doubt in our heart?  When we pray, speak faith into your spirit, even with the difficult prayers.  Remind yourself of the promises of God.  Remember, God “calls those things which are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17).  Your tongue will either announce your next victory or your next defeat.  Speak victory.  Refuse to open the door for the enemy’s attack with what you say.

Mountain-sized problems and obstacles are part of living in a fallen world.    God is committed to removing only those obstacles that are hindrances to His will.  We must also make sure that we are not the obstacle standing in God’s way.  Jesus said that we would have trouble in this life, but that He had overcome the world (John 16:33).  When our problems seem overwhelming, have faith in God and pray.

There are a couple of points to remember when we pray, and in expecting answers from God.  Just because we add “in Jesus’ Name” at the end of a prayer doesn’t mean that the prayer, no matter what it is, will be granted.  First, one must have a saving relationship with God.  Then, we must request only what is consistent with Jesus’ character.  If it is, God is able to do whatever is in His will.  God won’t say yes to prayer that will hurt us or derail His purpose.  Is our goal to glorify God and let others see Him?  Is our motive selfish, greedy, or impure?

Jesus continued teaching on prayer with the admonition that it is important to forgive others if you want to have God hear and answer your prayers (vs. 25-26).  Don’t waste time holding onto anger towards someone who has wronged you.  Forgive that person today.  Whatever reason you have for not forgiving someone, it isn’t listed in the Bible as a condition that you don’t need to forgive.  God knows your situation, and He has still called you to forgive, no matter the circumstances.

In closing, realize that doubt tears down what faith tries to build.  Doubt nullifies what faith desires to bring to pass.  As you pray, lift up faith and not the problem.  Lift up faith and not the obstacles.  Lift up your faith in God, and not the circumstances.  There is nothing greater than God!

Our Big Brother

Hebrews 2:9-18

Picture a family that is wealthy beyond all measure.  Then the head of that family decides to adopt, to bring into the family, a child from a terribly poor and destitute background.  The child is in rags, filthy, and even smelly.  It would not be too surprising that the natural-born son might resent this child, the fact that this beggar child, this vagrant, will now get a portion of the inheritance.  The now older brother is not happy, and he is ashamed to be seen with his new sibling.  Why, they don’t even know how to dress properly, to talk or enunciate properly!  He doesn’t want to be known as this scoundrel’s brother.  In a different, and admittedly probably less common scenario, we might see the older brother lovingly welcoming this penniless beggar child into the family.  We see this, though, in our Scripture for today, with our older Brother, the Lord Jesus.  Let’s look at what lessons the Lord can teach us from this portion of the Book of Hebrews.

One key theme of the Book of Hebrews is that Jesus is greater than many things the Jewish people held important, including Moses, and here mentioned, greater than angels.  Though when Jesus became man He was a little lower than the angels, but after He suffered death for us, Jesus was crowned with glory and honor, much greater than any angel (vs. 9).

The author of Hebrews calls Jesus the Captain of our Salvation (vs. 10).  A ship’s captain, in a time of a disaster, will ensure that every passenger and crew member has been rescued before he leaves the ship.  If need be, the captain will “go down with the ship”.  Jesus was willing to sacrifice His life for His family.  He is our Captain, the One willing to give all for us.  He is the One we need to look to, as well, just like a captain of one’s team.

As we continue, we read that Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brethren, His brothers and sisters.  Each of us, without exception, were sinners before we were saved, covered with the filth of our sins.  Yet in this awful condition, the Lord reached out to us, and when we accepted Jesus as our Savior, He brought us into His family, cleaning us up giving us the righteousness of Jesus, and our inheritance with Him.  Jesus loved us while we were still sinners, still covered with the filth of this world, and He is not ashamed to call us His family.  He is our Big Brother (Romans 8:29).

Jesus, the Son of God, became man, took on flesh and blood, just as we are (vs. 14).  He did this so that His death on the cross would destroy the devil, who holds the power of death, and we would be set free from the fear of death, and the bondage that it holds (vs. 15).  Jesus did not do this for the angels, but for us (vs. 16).

Jesus had to be made like His brethren in all things so that He could be a merciful and faithful high priest (vs. 17).  One thing that some people who have a nice older brother have stated, is that they like that their older sibling went through some of the difficulties they have beforehand.  They went through school, each grade, before us.  They went through the same scrapes and struggles.  The older sibling can relate to us.  Jesus enters into our lives, and experiences our pain, hurt, and guilt right along with us (Hebrews 4:15).  Jesus can identify with our circumstances, and He feels every single thing that we experience.

When we encounter some particularly difficult temptation, we can turn to our Older Brother Jesus, as He, too, went through similar temptations.  There is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation.  Jesus was tempted just as we are, by the very same sins into which we fall.  Jesus was tempted, but He never sinned.  In His power we may also flee from sin.  Jesus bore the load before us.  The Blood-stained footsteps of the King of Glory can be seen along the road that we travel.

When we feel that no one understands or can help us, we are reminded that Jesus gave us Himself, and He knows exactly who we are, and what we are facing.  Jesus fully shared our humanity.  He is our loving Big Brother, there to help us when we call on Him.