Silent Night

   At some point before Christmas last year, I gave attention to a verse in “Silent Night! Holy Night!” which states: “Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace.”  Likewise, many Christmas cards show Jesus as a baby on the hay in a feeding trough with light radiating from Him, especially His face.  But that is not stated in the Bible.  There could have been some supernatural light such as when “…the glory of the Lord shone around [the shepherds]…” as stated in Luke 2:9, a subject I addressed in my Easter message this past year.  Yet whether or not there was a glow from that baby, the song and the cards use physical light to express a unique nature of this baby, the One who was Immanuel.

   The final verse of “Silent Night! Holy Night!” is an incredible conclusion: “Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.”  That baby in a manger was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and He was God the Son (see I John 5:20).  And after Jesus fulfilled His mission in this world, Jesus went from death to being resurrected back to the person He was from all eternity.

   Thanks to Kenneth W. Osbeck, I learned of the story about the creation of “Silent Night” about two decades ago from his book, Stories of Favorite Hymns. (1)  In my own words: The spark for composing the hymn: Soon before Christmas of 1818, a church organ broke.  That organ was in Church of St. Nicholas (seriously) in Obernorf, Austria, and no organ meant no Christmas hymn singing.  (A cappella was more challenging for hymns back in the day.)  Reverend Joseph Mohr, an assistant priest, and his friend Franz Gruber, the town principal and church organist, had previously discussed the need for a new Christmas hymn.  Reverend Mohr acted swiftly when this occasion arose, and he wrote the lyrics.  Then Franz broke out a guitar and wrote the tune.  The result was the classic song which beautifully illustrates the biblical Christmas story.  What a beautiful example of God bringing goodness beyond measure in the wake of things in a church going haywire.

   “Silent Night! Holy Night!” has a verse repeated in both stanza two and stanza three: “Christ the Savior is born!  Christ the Savior is born!”  Salvation was the mission of Jesus, as proclaimed by an angel to Joseph in a dream: “[Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  And an angel told the shepherds, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you….” (Luke 2:11).

   Jesus offers people salvation.  Being Immanuel, He was the only person who could be the sacrificial atonement for the sins of all people.  And Jesus was the atonement, dying on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  Now the decision is yours.  If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life.

Merry Christmas!!

love, Hunter

(1) Kenneth Osbeck, Stories of Favorite Hymns 

(Grand Rapids: Family Christian Press, 2002), 93.

The apostles worshiped Jesus

And when Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped Jesus, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:32-33).

   What started out as an outing for the purpose of getting some solitude and rest, as we learned from Mark 6:30-31, turned out to be yet another big adventure.  There was more preaching and teaching and healing by Jesus.  Then Jesus feed thousands of men, women, and children on a remote mountainside outside of Bethsaida, though He only had five loaves of bread and two fish.  Then when the disciples were in a boat in the middle of night, hampered by wind, Jesus appeared to them, walking on the water.

   The result: The apostles of Jesus worshiped Him.

   Worship is due only the Almighty God.  He is the creator of all things.  He is the lover of all people.  And Jesus is God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, which is the reason we should worship Him.

   2000 years ago, Jesus came into the world to make it possible for people to be united with the true God.  Sin results in separation from God, which ultimately leads to spiritual death.  Jesus made unification possible by dying on a cross as the sacrificial atonement for our sins.  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will have eternal life with the loving God for all eternity.

Hunter

Jesus is King of creation

Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself (John 6:15 NIV).

   After the miracle of feeding thousands of people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus went to another mountainside.  Was walking all alone to a remote mountainside, and then spending time there, dangerous?

   2,000 years ago in the wilderness outside of Bethsaida, the risk of danger from wildlife was probably high.  Poisonous snakes could have been a serious threat.  Worshiping at a church this past Labor Day weekend, a woman told of her recent work in Israel for several months.  She said it was around one hundred degrees every day.  Snakes, being cold blooded, thrive in that kind of climate.  Sometimes they come out at twilight to lay on a warm rock.

   Poisonous snakes are mentioned in the Bible, including in Numbers 21:4-9, where many Israelites were bit by venomous snakes.  There are other references to venomous snakes, such as in Isaiah 11:8 and 14:29.  Isaiah 30:6 states: “An oracle concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkey’s backs, their treasures on the humps of camels…” (NIV).

   This verse leads to the subject of lions.  In Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, there is a picture of a stone “relief,” a carving, of a lion and a dog.  The caption underneath: “Lion and dog fighting.  This relief was found in the fourteenth-century B.C. stratum at the tell of Beth-shean in Palestine.  Above, a dog and a lion rise up on their hind legs to fight….” (1)

   In that same book, the author of the chapter entitled “The Animals and Insects of Palestine” states: “Lions, found in almost half the books of the Bible, were a very real danger.  The biblical lion was smaller than the African lion and had a short curly mane, but was no less feared.” (2)

   Lions, tigers, and wolves were a threat.  A dear friend of mine did some teaching in northern Iraq once, and she said all three of those animals roam the mountain areas outside of some villages she visited.

   Going back to that relief, I speculate the dog attacking the lion was a wild dog.  Yet I wonder if some Israelites had domesticated dogs for a safety measure, including a walk in a remote area.  Did they?  In Job 30:1, Job speaks of domesticated dogs, translated “sheep dogs” in the NIV, and translated “the dogs of my flock” in the NRSV.

   With or without dogs, I speculate that when Israelites traveled into such remote areas, they normally traveled in pairs or small groups.  When thousands of Israelites followed Jesus up the mountainside outside of Bethsaida, there was no safety concern because it was such a large group of people.

   Yet when Jesus was alone, at night, on another remote mountainside, there was a risk.  Jesus was fully human, thus he may have needed to watch His step.  Jesus was also fully divine, thus wild animals would have been subordinate to Him.  Though Jesus slipped away from his fellow Israelites so they would not make Him king of Israel at that time, alone on that mountainside, Jesus was still King of creation.

   And Jesus was still King of heaven, as He revealed to Pilate: “Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.  But now my kingdom is from another place’” (John 18:36).

   And upon His return, Jesus will be the king of the world: “The LORD will be king over the whole earth…” (Zechariah 14:9).

   Jesus is the King who created the Garden of Eden where creation lived in harmony.  When Jesus returns perfect harmony will spring forth once again.  “The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox" (Isaiah 11:7).

   Jesus is a loving King, whose desire is goodness for everyone.

Hunter Irvine

(1) J.I. Packer, Merrill C. Tenney, and William White, Jr., eds., 

Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, 

(rev. ed. of The Bible Almanac; Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), 217.

(2) Ibid., 220.

Looking to heaven

Matthew 14: 15-21

   Gaining a fact from the book of John, we know that Jesus walked from the shore of the lake, called the Sea of Galilee, to a mountain, and then walked up the mountain to a “mountainside” area.  Though we do not know how far He walked, we know from a detail given by Matthew, Mark, and Luke that the place was “remote.”  And we know people, thousands of men, women, and children, followed Him.

   I find it interesting that all but Luke mention there was grass there.  Mark specifically states the grass was green.  There in such an arid region, green grass was probably rare.

   And then, Jesus fed numerous people by supernaturally multiplying five loaves of bread and two small fish.  It was a miracle.

   Before performing the miracle to feed many people, Jesus looked to heaven and gave thanks.

   Because of all Jesus has done for us, we can look to heaven and give thanks.

   Once I read a piece by a famous theologian, and the man made the statement that heaven is not mentioned many times in the Bible.  In my reading of Scripture in the following weeks, I started noticing the word “heaven” frequently.  The word “heaven” was ‘jumping out at me.’  And I became aware that in many of the parables, Jesus began the parable stating: “The kingdom of heaven is like….”

   We followers of Jesus need to emulate Jesus, including keeping a daily focus on heaven, and including giving daily thanks to Jesus, the One who loves us.

Hunter Irvine

Jesus persevered with His mission

Matthew 14: 13-14   When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.  Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick (NIV).

   It is a rare day when I write a second time about the same passage.  Yet in my last piece I focused on what the people did.  Here I want to elaborate on what Jesus did.

   This action took place before Jesus fed thousands of people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, which was an event recorded by all four “gospel” writers.  (And Jesus would do such a miracle a second time.)

   2000 years ago, the writing resources of papyri, or velum, was limited.  Writing had to be “economical,” thus authors were more select on the details they gave.  Since some of the “gospel” authors gave additional details, we get a fuller picture of this event by reading all four accounts.

   Bethsaida was the solitary place Jesus sailed to, which we learn from Luke.  We also learn from Mark and Luke that when Jesus traveled on the lake (called the Sea of Galilee) seeking solitude, the twelve apostles joined Him.  Jesus expressed to the Twelve His desire for them to rest: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

   I find it interesting Matthew does not give this detail.  I think Matthew was trying to emphasize that Jesus wanted to mourn the death of John the Baptist when simply stating that He sought solitude.

   But the plans of Jesus were interrupted.  Probably over ten thousand people pursued Jesus.  Mark gives the detail that many “ran” (6:33), and many even arrived at the landing point before Jesus and the disciples.

   Even though the objective to get some rest, and to provide some rest for His apostles, was interrupted, Jesus persevered with His mission.

   Having engaged in a detailed study of Matthew ever since October of 2020, I have pondered and written about the mission of Jesus which Matthew clearly stated twice:

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35).

   In spite of the interruption, there on the shore of a lake, His mission continued.

   As recorded by Matthew: “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (14:14).

   As recorded by Mark: “…So he began teaching them many things” (6:34).

   As recorded by the doctor Luke: “…[Jesus] welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing” (9:11).

   Note that John skips what happened when the boat docked, and proceeds to Jesus walking up a mountainside to a remote area in that region.

   And we know of His ultimate perseverance as Jesus persevered with His ultimate mission of being the atonement for sins.

   Learning of the perseverance of Jesus, be encouraged to keep doing, or to start doing, what Jesus has commanded us to do: Preach the Gospel; baptize believers; and teach people about the revelations of God, teachings, which when applied, will bring healing for a person’s heart.

Hunter Irvine

Keep following Jesus

Matthew 14: 13-14   When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.  Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick (NIV).

   Please close your eyes for a short bit and attempt to imagine people running and walking swiftly along the shore of a big lake to get to Jesus.

   The reason Jesus set off in a boat on a lake to a remote location: Having been told about the murder of John the Baptist by the king, Jesus sought solitude.

   Before this, Jesus had been doing much ministry work.  Recorded in the 13th chapter of Matthew, Jesus gave some short sermons involving parables.  The first was given from a boat to a group of people who stood on the shore.  Then His disciples got a big follow up explanation after the sermon.  Then Jesus told more parables to people, and then there were more explanations to His disciples.

   These parables involved telling about heaven.  “The kingdom of heaven is like….” is the beginning of parables recorded in Matthew 13:24, and 13:31, and 13:33, and 13:44, and 13:45, and 13:47.  Heaven is the focus of these parables of Jesus.

   Yet hell is also revealed, as Jesus speaks of the “fiery furnace” in Matthew 13:42 and 13:49-50.

   Then after much preaching using parables, Jesus went to His hometown and taught in the synagogue there, but He “offended” many people (verse 57).  Then came the big tragedy of the murder of John the Baptist.

   Though Jesus had revealed the subject of hell, and though the political climate was spooky after the murder of John the Baptist, crowds of people ran after Jesus in the countryside.  In the midst of strife, thousands of people chased after Jesus!

   And Jesus, rather than taking off in His boat and going somewhere else to get the solitude He was seeking, went ashore and healed more sick people.  Why?  Scripture states Jesus had “compassion” on them.

   This passage speaks to me today after I have had such an “up and down” time this year.  I have had some big blessings, and I have had some disappointments.  Being unemployed, there have been days when I was optimistic that a great job was going to be given to me at any moment, and then there have been even more days when I considered I may never get a ministry job.

   This passage, in the context of all that went on in Chapter 13, has a message for us: Keep focused on Jesus during up and down circumstances.  And keep doing what He did in Chapter 13: Preach heaven with a passion, with your lips and your lives.  Keep focused on Jesus, whatever the nature of the political situation where you live.  And even though physical death continues daily in this world, keep trusting Jesus, the One who overcame death.

May you have a great day!

Hunter Irvine

God the Son

John 8: 48-59

   Followers of Jesus have been instructed by Jesus to baptize people “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” as recorded in Matthew 28:19.  The reason for baptism being done in the name of three persons is that God is what Christian theologians call “Triune.”  God is three Persons, yet One Being.  This nature of our awesome God is above my comprehension.

   Though the word Trinity is sometimes used by ministers and theologians, the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible.  If you want to know where Scripture reveals the fact God is three Persons, yet One Being, you need to look at specific Bible verses which reveal the nature of each Person.  There are resources to guide you to such verses.  Yet regarding Jesus, this passage of John 8:48-59 is a key passage revealing the divinity of Jesus Christ.

   Sadly the Pharisees were often offended by Jesus because He threatened their power and position.  Yet this particular discussion is between Jesus and some Israelites, a discussion which starts in John 8:31.  The wild thing about this discussion is the fact Jesus directly tells them they do not belong to God.

For example:

   “He who belongs to God hears what God says.  The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47).

   The Israelites go from questioning Jesus to accusing Jesus of being “a Samaritan and demon-possessed” (John 8:48).

   Yet the climax of the discussion is the statement by Jesus that He is God:

   “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58).

   Now God had revealed Himself to Moses at the time He spoke to Moses from the burning bush: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

   Thus by saying, “I am,” Jesus was claiming to be God the Son.  And that is why the discussion ended with some Israelites picking up stones with the intent to stone Jesus, as recorded in John 8:59.  They did not believe Him.

   Jesus stated who He is and did many miracles, yet many of those people did not believe Him.  And just as a number of those people did not believe Him, there have been a number of people who disagreed with this claim of Jesus, which is recorded in Scripture, throughout “church history.”  Even today there are “church” leaders, theologians, and people who argue that Jesus is not God.

   In 325 A.D., there was a huge meeting of church leaders from many countries, a meeting now called the First Council of Nicaea.  The reason for the big meeting: There was a division among Christians over whether or not Jesus is God, fully God from all eternity.  Those church leaders, via a big vote, affirmed the divinity of Jesus.  They also composed a creed, now called the Nicene Creed, a brief core of which may have already been composed prior to that meeting.  (I personally think the core of the creed had been composed prior to the First Council.  And note it was later expanded.)

   A young church leader named Athanasius was at that Council.  Yet the reason he is remembered all these years later is because he became a champion for advocating the divinity of Christ.  You see, in the wake of the big church meeting, there was still a big fight over many years concerning the decision of the Council and of the creed they had solidified.  A number of people refuted the Council’s decision and rebelled against the decision and the creed.

   The theologian Christopher Hall clearly stated two points Athanasius gave to support the fact that Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity.

   Here I focus on the first point: Athanasius said only God can save people. (1)

   This is logical to me, since saving people required the forgiveness of sins, and in order to die for the sins of another person, the substitute could have no sins of his own.  Only God is sinless.  And only God, being transcendent, could die as the substitute for countless people.

   Jesus, during a Passover meal, after a lamb was sacrificed at twilight, did something new, which is recorded in Matthew 26:26-28.

   “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’

   Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”

   Jesus forgave the sins of people on the cross, shedding His blood, that very day!  (Note that a new Jewish day always started at sundown!)

   Recently we have been examining Scripture from Matthew which reveals that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.  The mission of the Christ in this world was to forgive sins, thus the Christ, the Messiah, had to be God.

   If you are not a follower of Jesus, may you know this day that Jesus loves you, and that Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone, including you.  He was the atoning sacrifice for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death.  Then Jesus was resurrected.  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will be forgiven of your sins, and you will have eternal life with Jesus in heaven!  Jesus loves you!

Hunter Irvine

(1) Christopher A. Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers

     (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 60.

One greater than Jonah and Solomon

Matthew 12: 38-42

   Jesus said that one greater than Jonah is here.  Then Jesus said one greater than Solomon is here.  Recall that soon before this, Jesus said that one greater than the temple is here.  All three of these statements served an important purpose of revealing that Jesus is the Anointed One.

   Now I often view Jonah as the disobedient prophet who ran from his duty, and then who later harbored anger and bitterness against the people of Nineveh.

   Jonah may have had a better reputation with the Israelites 2,000 years ago.  They may have seen Jonah more in a positive manner as the prophet who was rescued by God, and as the prophet who made an epic comeback.

   Regarding King Solomon, he did such evil, as is stated in I Kings 11:6, that he was responsible for the split of Israel, as is stated in I Kings 11:11.  That split resulted in the slow demise of Israel.  Yet even today you hear more about Solomon’s splendor and less about his evil.  The wise Solomon may have still been admired by a number of Israelites 2,000 years ago for his golden era rule in Israel.

   The bottom line is I do not think Jesus was working to gain people’s respect and admiration based on a comparison with a famous prophet and a famous king.  Rather the key point Jesus was making was the fact that He is the Christ.  Christ is the Greek word for “Anointed One,” and Messiah is the Hebrew word for “Anointed One.”  As I wrote in the piece “Greater than the temple,” priests, prophets, and kings were anointed with olive oil.  The Anointed One would fulfill all three offices in a sacred manner, being the Eternal High Priest, the Prophet, and the King of kings.

   Jesus is the Eternal High Priest, who is greater than the temple.

                                           (See Hebrews 8:1-2)

   Jesus is the Prophet, who is greater than Jonah the prophet.

                                           (See Acts 3:22)

   Jesus is the King of kings, who is greater than King Solomon.

                                           (See Revelation 19:16)

   Jesus is the Christ who came to save us from our sins!

                                           (See Matthew 1:17 and 1:21)

Hunter Irvine

Jesus the Savior

“[Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 NIV).

   The statement by the angel in this passage reveals the mission of Jesus was to save people from their sins.

   Even the prophetic name announced by the angel indicates salvation.  Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means “YHWH saves.”

   Salvation can be an uncomfortable topic.  We have all done some wrong stuff in our lives, and we all need forgiveness.  Facing up to that fact can be uncomfortable or hurtful.  And sins lead to spiritual death, and that is an uncomfortable subject.

   Yet facing up to our genuine need, and being willing to open our heart to God, results in receiving the gift of salvation which is the ultimate gift from God.

   All human beings need forgiveness for actions which were hurtful rather than loving.  God created people in His image (see Genesis 1:27), thus people were created with a soul to have love and to give love.

   For example, love was the root of the Mosaic covenant.  Soon after the deliverance of the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt, God made a covenant with them, with Moses as the mediator.  This covenant involved many laws and regulations, which started with “Ten Commandments.”  Yet the root of these laws and regulations, which Jesus later affirmed, was love.  Deuteronomy 6:4 states: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts” (NIV).  And the Hebrews were called to love people (see Leviticus 19:18).

   Sadly, Old Testament Scripture exposes the fact the Israelites never perfectly carried out the Mosaic Law.  Sometimes they did a downright bad job.  Once things were so bad, the temple copy of the Torah was stored away and abandoned by the priests for many years.  When found by the high priest, Hilkiah, he gave it to the king’s secretary, Shaphan.  After reading it, Shaphan read it to King Josiah.  The king was shocked, and then realized the previous generation of Israelites had utterly neglected the covenant God had made with the Hebrew people (see 2 Kings 22:8-13).  King Josiah even tore his robe and wept (see 2 Kings 22:19).

   And King Josiah’s continued response was beautiful: “[King Josiah] went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets – all the people from the least to the greatest.  He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD.  The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD – to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book.  Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant" (2 Kings 23:2-3 NIV).

   This event illustrates the character of God in the midst of relating with His covenant people who had failed to love.  God is just, and God is merciful.  In this event, the prophetess Huldah stated that God would bring disaster to Judah because they had forsaken the living God.  Things had been so bad, there were articles made for Baal and Asherah and more false gods inside the temple (see 2 Kings 23:4).  Yikes.  God is just.

   However, because King Josiah turned to YHWH when learning the truth, God delayed the coming disaster, allowing a time of blessings for King Josiah and the Hebrew people.  God is merciful.

   God’s justice and God’s mercy are both evident throughout the Old Testament.  When the Israelites were caught up in sin, they were punished.  Yet God continued to be merciful, thus continuing to bring restoration for the Hebrew people.

   The provision of sacrifices for sins by God was the consistent offer of mercy by Him.  God knew beforehand that Israelites would sin, thus from the outset He included laws and regulations which involved requirements for animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins.  Such forgiveness was temporary however.  And along with other sins, sometimes even sacrifices were not carried out, such as during the time prior to King Josiah.

   Yet God, in His mercy, over a period of many years, started to give promises of a Savior to come.  And that Savior would be not only for any Hebrew person, yet also for any human being.  The promise of God for all individual human beings, all of whom are created in His image, was a personal Savior.

   One such prophetic promise came from the prophet Isaiah: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his or her own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53: 6).  The “him” is Jesus, the One who took upon Himself the sins of all people on the cross, and physically and spiritually died on that cross.  Here we were the ones who did wrong, yet Jesus became the Lamb of God, as identified by John the Baptist (see John 1:32).

   All of those animal sacrifices for centuries did not make it possible for people to have eternal life.  The atoning sacrifice Jesus made on the cross did.  Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law, and then Jesus even surpassed the Mosaic Law, as He fulfilled the mission proclaimed by that “Christmas angel,” making the forgiveness of sins available to anyone.  Jesus was the substitute for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death.  And then Jesus was resurrected!

   And He did it all, because He loves you!  Loving God and people is what we were supposed to do and what we are to do now.  Loving people is what Jesus has always done, and the reason Jesus gave His life on the cross.  And now any person can receive His true love, and thus live by the true Love of God.  You receive His love, which includes forgiveness and salvation, by believing in Jesus.  That is how you enter the New Covenant.  Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved from the consequence of your sins, and you will have eternal life with Jesus.  Jesus loves you!

Hunter Irvine

God wants you to be loving

Matthew 12:22-37

   When I was a rather “young Christian,” I attended the big yearly retreat for my church.  The speaker was a minister who was a friend of our pastor, and he said something I will never forget.  He said: “The heart is the core of a person.  Decision making starts in the heart.”

   In all of my years studying in school, I was taught much, however, there was little said about the “heart.”  I heard more about the heart in my rock music.  Yet as I grew as a Christian, I learned of the utter importance of the heart.

   Jesus heals a man who was demon-possessed.  The man could not even see or speak, yet the healing by Jesus enabled the man to be able to see and speak.  The response by the Pharisees was to call Jesus evil.  Jesus, who is the Messiah, the One anointed with the Holy Spirit, was called evil.  Those Pharisees were deranged, which Jesus made clear as He revealed they were evil (see Matthew 12:34).

   Nearing 2000 years later, evil in our culture is rampant!  Jesus reveals that judgment is going to take place.  Judgment will be carried out by God who knows the state of the hearts of all people of all time, and the resulting actions and words of all people of all time.  And as the prophet Isaiah stated: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20 NIV).

   Now focusing on the good, I am grateful for those good people who genuinely love people and who do good.  They bear good fruit indeed.

   Do you want to be good?  Believe in Jesus, and you will be good.  Jesus will forgive you of your sins, Jesus will justify you for all time, and Jesus will bond your heart with the Holy Spirit, thus beginning the sanctification process.  Thus you will be good.  Do understand the sanctification process takes time.  I will speak for myself and say becoming holy is a painful process.  Yet it leads to goodness.

   Being a human, you will still struggle with sin.  Yet as a follower of Jesus, you will become more and more loving.

God is good.

God is loving.

God is calling you.

Hunter Irvine

Goodness in the midst of tragedy

Matthew 12: 9-14   Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.  Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?  How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.  But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus (NIV).

   After having given an explanation in response to the accusation by the Pharisees, possibly within the hour, the Pharisees continue with their vindictive course by asking Jesus a question to try and find fault with Him.  Jesus patiently answers their question, and then Jesus does a miraculous healing right there in front of everyone in a synagogue.  What is the response of the Pharisees?  They react by working to develop some plan to kill Jesus.

   Tragically, this is one of a number of occasions recorded in Scripture where religious leaders, who probably felt a threat to their power and prestige, considered killing Jesus after He began His ministry work at about thirty years of age (see Luke 3:23).  For example, John even recorded there were people who realized that religious leaders were trying to kill Jesus: “At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?’” (John 7:25).

   Jesus would eventually be killed following a Passover meal which started at twilight on the day we now call “Friday.”  (Note each ancient Jewish new day started at twilight, unlike in the U.S. where a new day starts at midnight.)  Christians around the world have taken some time year after year to remember the crucifixion of Jesus on the Friday within the week of the Jewish Passover.  (Note the day floats every year because the Jewish calendar follows a lunar cycle.)  Christians for many years have termed this annual day “Good Friday.”

   Why is the day which Jesus was murdered termed “good?”  Because God’s plan all along was for Jesus to die on a cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of people.  The death of Jesus, God the Son, goes beyond my understanding, yet the result: Jesus made it possible for every person ever created to have the gift of eternal life.  This is because Jesus was the substitute for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death.  On the cross, Jesus died for your sins.  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will be forgiven of your sins, you will be justified before our Holy God, and you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, who will dwell in your heart forever.  You also will begin a process of being sanctified, which means you will be changed to be more and more holy.  That means there is going to be some suffering as you are changed, yet you will be a person you can be proud of, proud in a good way.

   Only God could take such a disaster and bring eternal good from it.  And our Holy God wants to enable us to carry on doing good for people, and even ourselves, day after day.

Hunter Irvine

Can you work on the Sabbath?

Matthew 12:2   When the Pharisees saw this, they said to [Jesus], “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

   In examining Matthew 12:1-8 in my last piece, I illuminated the message that Jesus is the Christ, thus He knows what proper Sabbath activity is!  Yet there is still the question, “What are we supposed to be doing on the Sabbath?”

   The complete Biblical answer is quite radical: “Whatever the Spirit leads you to do.”

   Yes, I am serious.  That is what you are supposed to do on a Saturday.  And to take it further, that is what we followers of Jesus are called to do every day.

   Galatians is the Scripture epistle which explains this, and I will start by giving some context.  Hebrew people were all in a covenant often called now the Mosaic Covenant, which was between God and the Hebrew people with Moses as the mediator.  People who were not Hebrew were not in this covenant.  The Mosaic Covenant included the Ten Commandments, which all Hebrews were required to obey.  The fourth commandment was to rest from “work” on the seventh day, (now called Saturday).

   Jesus furthered the Mosaic Law (in what we call the Sermon on the Mount), and Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law by obeying it during His life in this world, and by dying on the cross as the eternal atoning sacrifice.  The messages of the epistle of Galatians make it clear that followers of Jesus are no longer under the Mosaic Law, thus we do not have to travel to Jerusalem three times a year, we do not have to have priests make animal sacrifices for us, and on and on.

   We followers of Jesus are under the New Covenant.  We still have commandments to obey, all based on love, as first written in the Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and as Jesus proclaimed in Mark 12:29-31.  We still must obey moral laws, which are all really aspects of loving people, as we are taught by Jesus as is recorded in places like Matthew 7:12 and Matthew 19:18-19.  Yet again, though the Mosaic Law was a root for the moral teachings which Jesus furthered, we are not under the Torah.  We Christians are under the Spirit! (see Galatians 5:18).

   This passage recorded in Matthew 12 took place before Christ completely fulfilled the Mosaic Law on the cross.  Soon after the start of Christ’s ministry, there were criticisms of Jesus from the Hebrew religious leaders called Pharisees.  But it was the Pharisees who were doing something wrong, and they were rebuked by Jesus in due time (see Matthew 23).  Pharisees were supposed to be interpreting the Bible, but they sometimes legislated rules instead.  In this case, they took a general statement on the Sabbath and developed rules for what consisted of “work” and what did not consist of “work.”  They missed the message of the commandment.  The message, in my own words: people were to rest and worship that day.

   The Pharisees made all kinds of Sabbath rules, and in retrospect they were way off the mark, considering even the most basic daily acts of us people involve work.  Getting out of bed is work.  Eating is work.  Taking care of babies is work.  And life in ancient Israel involved harder work to carry out basic daily necessities, such as getting a cup of water.  Such activities are not what God was trying to halt.  Daily “work” is a part of living.  God was not saying to lie in bed all day.  The commandment was calling for a day of rest from wage labor.

   I know from experience that taking a day “off” reinvigorates me so I can be fresh for “work” the following week.  I might do something which is physical work, like go for a hike.  Yet doing so does refreshes my soul and mind.  For me, hiking is not a “job.”

   Carrying out their control freak enforcement of the Sabbath, the Pharisees kept accusing Jesus of violating the Mosaic Law, and in the case of this verse, they were accusing His disciples.  Ironic considering Jesus is the only one who ever perfectly carried out the Mosaic Law.

   What about Sunday worship?  Sunday is a day which developed in early Church history as a day to worship our triune God, since Sunday was the day Jesus was resurrected.  Considering it has been a day of corporate worship for countless Christians for so long, I personally commit to Sunday being a day for corporate worship or extended personal worship.  Yet a special Sunday worship is not a Biblical precept.  And many churches carry out traditions, weekly or annually, and such traditions can be a blessing.  Yet traditions are not the same as Biblical precepts!  As followers of Jesus, we need to always work to make sure first and foremost we are listening and being obedient to Jesus.

Hunter Irvine

One greater than the temple

Matthew 12:1-8

   This passage perplexed me for many years.  Why did King David get to eat the consecrated bread?  And how can priests get away with “desecrating” the Sabbath?  I finally realized this complex teaching by Jesus in response to an accusation by some Pharisees is a revelation of two foundational lessons.  First, Jesus reveals His identity.  Second, Jesus reveals His mission.

Regarding His identity:

   When Jesus states: “I tell you that one greater than the temple is here,” He is making the epic implication that He is the Christ.  The temple in Jerusalem is where Hebrew people went to worship God.  The Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies represented the presence of the Lord God Almighty.  There is only one who could be greater than the temple, and that is God Himself.  Jesus was Immanuel, which means “God with us,” as stated in Matthew 1:23.

   Christ is the Greek word, and Messiah is the Hebrew word, for “Anointed One.”  Yet what does anointed one mean?  There were three groups of people anointed with olive oil by the Hebrews: priests, kings, and prophets.

Yes priests were anointed, for example see Exodus 30:22-33.

Yes kings were anointed, for example see I Samuel 16:13 or 2 Kings 9:1-6.

Yes even prophets could be anointed, though that may not have been standard, since there is one single recording of such in I Kings 19:16.  (There might be more, but I have only found one.)

   This anointing was done at their installment to symbolize the start of their office.  All three positions involved special duties, special responsibilities, and special privileges, with each of the three positions being unique.

   The wild thing about the Messiah: He was to encompass all three.

Jesus is the Eternal High Priest!  Hebrews is the book which clearly explains this fact.  Hebrews 8:1-2 reveals Jesus is the high priest who made the eternal sacrifice on the cross and who serves even now in heaven.

Jesus is the King of kings, which is revealed in Revelation 19:16.

Jesus is The Prophet, as Peter affirmed in Acts 3:22.

   When Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” He said the term “Son of Man” in the third person, yet such was a style used in the “ancient near east.”  Thus Jesus is talking about Himself.  And the Son of Man was a term Jesus often used in reference to the Christ.  Being the Christ, He knew what He could do on the Sabbath.

   I note the special duties for priests were the reason priests could “desecrate” the Sabbath.  While other Hebrew people were able to worship and rest on that day, priests had to work.  That was a big day for offering sacrifices on behalf of the people!  And the subject of sacrifice leads to Christ’s mission.

Regarding Christ’s mission:

   Reciting a statement recorded by the prophet Hosea, Jesus makes a radical statement that God desires mercy and not sacrifice.  Yet on behalf of the people, and for themselves, priests made sacrifices in the temple area, and those sacrifices brought mercy.  It was a key part of their job, as demanded by the Mosaic Law.

   But their sacrifices were imperfect and thus temporary.  The mission of the Messiah was to make the eternal sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins of all people, which made mercy available for all people.  People do not need to make a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law.  And Hebrew priests no longer need to sacrifice animals at the temple.  Jesus was the perfect atoning sacrifice.  His work is finished.

   Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone, including you.  All of us people have sinned, and our due punishment is spiritual death.  Yet Jesus was the substitute, dying physically and spiritually in our place.  Then He was resurrected.  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will be forgiven, and you will never spiritually die.  You will have eternal life in Jesus!

Hunter Irvine

Lord of heaven and earth

Matthew 11: 25          At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth….”

   Prayers by Jesus humble me, because they expose the reality of the Trinity.  Jesus was physically on earth as a human being, yet all along there was also a spiritual oneness with the Father.  The prayer by Jesus recorded in the 17th chapter of the book of John, in verses 11 and 22, reveal that He and the Father are “one.”

   Matthew 11:28-30 was pondered the past few weeks, and that passage records Jesus speaking to people.  Preceding that passage, Jesus prays to the Father, which starts with praise and an acknowledgement that the Father is “Lord of heaven and earth.”

   Right here today a catastrophe is taking place as war rages since the Russian Federation has been attacking the nation of Ukraine.  Upset one night this week in the wake of learning more details of the disaster, I was praying at the window in my room.  After saying much, I thought of this statement by Jesus that the Father is Lord of heaven and earth.  I also know from further revelations that Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit are likewise Lord of heaven and earth.

   This does not mean God is responsible for the war.  God being sovereign does not mean He is a control freak.  Adam and Eve were given free will, and all of us people are given free will.  God is not a manipulator.  God is all powerful, even to the extent that one day He will create a new heaven and a new earth, as is revealed in Revelation 21:1-2.  I am comforted knowing God is all powerful and that God is good.

   And one day God will judge all people as is illustrated in the preceding passage of Revelation 20:11-15.  Those who have sinned, and who have not received the salvation offered by Jesus, will perish in hell, as further verses in Revelation illustrate.  Yet all people whose name is in “the book of life,” people who believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord, will have eternal life.  Jesus saves!

+  Holy Father, I thank You for loving people!  The war taking place now is causing vast suffering and death.  I pray that all who are in a position to help those suffering and dying would rely on You to be able to help.

May leaders who follow You Lord Jesus rely on You to make decisions to attempt to thwart further offences.

For those who are not in a relationship with You, may they have an opportunity to hear the Gospel in the midst of this catastrophe.

I thank You that we can know right now that You Holy God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are Lord of heaven and earth.  May I trust You today that one day You will make all things new.

It is through the loving name of You Lord Jesus I pray,

Amen.

Hunter

Rest for the weary

Matthew 11:30   “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

   I am struggling today.  I have been unemployed a long time, and some emotional suffering has resulted.  There have been several times in the past few weeks where I have cried after coming up empty in my job search.  Fortunately I turned to God in prayer after those times and gained hope.

   Thus I struggled to begin this piece this morning.  Struggling to write is rare for me.  And being a bit worn out, I then spilled grapefruit juice all over my desk.  I even got some on my Bible.  Thus there was a big cleanup job involving paper towels and a blow dryer.  Here after lunch, I carry on with writing, because this very day, I need reassurance myself regarding this statement that the burden of Jesus Christ is light.

   I know the world does not give rest.  During one point in the pandemic I was reading too much news on the Internet, and I wore myself out.  Reading about the political situation in the U.S. the last few years has been draining.  And now there is a tragic war going on with Russia attacking Ukraine, and that has made me sad.  And all those events are less stressful than personal challenges which continue year after year. And honestly, often church stuff does not give me rest.

   YET I have experienced God giving me rest.  I now think of one such time.  In 2018, I took two Christian Formation classes at Denver Seminary.  One assignment required a six hour solitude retreat.  Frankly, the assignment seemed a bit burdensome there in the midst of a semester where I was overloaded with academic work.  Yet I made a prudent decision to arrange with a pastor to reserve a church all to myself for one Tuesday in November.

   The result: After six hours in that church, I was refreshed.  Granted when the six hours were over, I was happy to go home.  And granted, at my age I desire a balanced approach to doing my Scripture pondering, my praying, and my singing by doing such every day, yet in a comfortable period of time.  Yet when I got home, I was invigorated.

   The reason: Though I did things during that “solitude retreat” such as ponder Scripture, pray, and journal, I felt God’s only requirement for me was to rest.  As I began that six hour period in that empty church, I had this great realization that God was not asking me to do anything.

Has there been an occasion when you were worn out from something, and spending some time with God brought rest?

After such a challenging time the past two months, I emphasize that I am grateful for people who read my blog, and whoever you may be, I say, “THANK YOU.”  I prayed for a special blessing for you!

Your brother-in-Christ,

Hunter

Rest for your soul

Matthew 11:29   “…. for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

   We all need rest.  My understanding of my need for rest has increased with age.  Times in my past when I have gone too hard there has been a little crash, such as losing my cool with someone, or of getting a cold.  We all have limits, and rest enables us to successfully carry on.

   Yet Jesus goes a huge step further here speaking of rest for our “souls.”  In this world of daily challenges, and too much turmoil, we need rest for our soul to persevere in doing good.  In the first part of this statement, which I examined last week, Jesus said to learn from Him.  Thus learning from Him leads to rest for your soul.  Then you can carry on with loving people.

+ Holy Father, I pray for my Ukrainian and Russian brothers and sisters who worship together in a rented venue in the northwest Denver area.  They are lights for You Lord Christ, and faithful servants of You.  At this terrible time where a leader is going to war due to some wrong views, I pray for help for our world.  And I pray my brothers and sisters, and myself, would rest in Your love at this time.  Thank You for rest.

It is through the loving name of You Lord Jesus I pray.

Amen.

Hunter

Learning from Jesus

Matthew 11:29   “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…”

   There have been many opportunities for learning as I have been following Jesus for the past 31 years.  I have listened to many sermons.  I have read over one hundred Christian books.  I gained a great Christian education from Colorado Christian University.  I have had conversations about God with a number of brothers and sisters-in-Christ.  God has used many of those preachers, authors, professors, and saints to teach me more about Jesus.  Yet my foundational learning from Jesus has always been listening to Jesus by listening to Him as I read and ponder Scripture.  Scripture contains messages from Jesus which He has revealed to us.

   Here two thousand years after Jesus was in the world, we can still learn from Him by reading Scripture and by pondering Scripture!

+ Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving us Scripture so we can learn from You.  I pray for help so I would continue to listen to You Lord Jesus, and learn from You.  May I go by the guidance of You Holy Spirit.

It is through Your loving name Lord Jesus I pray.  Amen.

Hunter

The call to Love

   All these years later, I recall looking out of the subway window in Virginia and thinking to myself: “That’s impossible.  Nobody is perfect.”  Yet then I pondered the question: If perfection is impossible, why would Jesus command it?

   This was after reading the statement by Jesus: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  That statement is the pinnacle there in the middle of what we call the Sermon on the Mount.

   Since that time, I have grown in my conviction that for people who follow Jesus, we are being “sanctified,” being made more like Jesus.  I have written in my journal many times: “The perfection process is a painful process, yet the perfection process leads to goodness.”  And when we are with God in full in heaven, we will be perfect.

   Perfection in American culture in this day and age is often thought of in terms of academics or athletics.  But all people have different passions and different gifts and different abilities and different limitations.  Academics or athletics is not what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5:48.  I think Christians should be having more fun within the realms of academics and athletics, because it is not the foundation of our dignity.  Our dignity should come from the condition of our heart.

   Yes the perfection Jesus is referring to involves the heart.  Jesus stated: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39).

   Just as I thought on that subway many years ago, this sounds impossible.  Pondering this call, I realize one thing: The only way I can truly love is if I am completely dependent on God.  God is love (I John 4:16).  Truly loving God and truly loving all people is possible only by relying on Jesus, the One who has perfectly loved all of us all along.

   Indeed Jesus got to the core of the Mosaic Law as He quoted the statement in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.  A key purpose for all those laws and regulations in the Torah was so people would stop doing wrong, since doing wrong results in hurt for someone in some way.  Thus doing bad stuff is not loving people.  A parallel key purpose for the Mosaic Law was to lead people to recognize we need help from God in order to be saved from the sins we have done, and we need help from God to enable us to obey Him.  The teaching of Jesus, the Savior, in the Sermon on the Mount permanently solidified our absolute need to rely on Jesus in order to truly love all people.

Hunter Irvine

The work of God

   I enjoy writing, which I fully discovered within weeks after beginning a creative writing class with a special professor, Ed Falco, years ago when a student at Virginia Tech.  In his classes, my gift blossomed and my career goal even shifted due to his soft influence.

   One day in class, Professor Ed Falco announced that author Toni Morrison would be speaking on campus in the coming week and he strongly encouraged us all to attend.  Having read one of her books for another English class, I was interested.  So on the specific afternoon, I went to the elegant room in the alumni building and joined a group of about sixty students for her talk.  Sitting in a chair with a relaxed demeanor, Toni had a strong presence.  She naturally spoke with confidence.  Then there was a question and answer time.

   During an exchange with one student, she made a statement which I latched on to.  Toni Morrison stated: “Writing is hard work!”

   I remain grateful that Toni Morrison cautioned us, since from the start I understood, and accepted, the challenge.  I wanted to write.  And write I have, in a manner I never imagined at that time.  As a follower of Jesus, writing about Jesus has been a part of my ministry.  For a decade, I have poured my heart into Scripture Love Blog.  My motivation has always been to tell about Jesus.  I want you to know I have spent countless hours writing and re-writing.  It has been hard work.  The sacrifice has been immense.  Yet if you, whoever you may be, were the only person to read some of my writings, it has been worth it.

   Today, I want to express to those of you who have been reading my blog over the years: Thank you!!!

   We all have work to do daily.  Whatever your occupation, the work world seems more stressful in my opinion due to electronic overload.  And for those of us who pursue our dreams, there is always challenging work to carry out.

   Yet whatever your circumstances, or mine, may we all remember the teaching of Jesus regarding the foundation of our calling: “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent’” (John 6:29 NIV).

   Back at that time when I was a student at Virginia Tech, I was not a follower of Jesus.  My four years at college were a special time in my life, since I had some friends and I had an important job as a Resident Advisor.  I even attended the first bowl game Virginia Tech ever won.  However, deep in my heart, I was spiritually dying.  I did not have true love in my heart.  I am eternally grateful to God who continued to gently reach out to me in His Love.  And in the year after graduation, in April of 1990, I gave my heart to Jesus.  I live in gratitude I have been saved.

   If you want to be in a relationship with Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Best Friend, please know today that He loves you.  Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  He was the substitute for the consequence of wrong doings, which is spiritual death.  Then he was resurrected.  If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life with Him in heaven.

   Again, thank you for reading my blog.

love, Hunter

Scripture is true

   Jesus said Scripture is true.  Mark 12:24 records an epic discussion between Jesus and the Sadducees, and His response started with this statement: “Jesus replied, ‘Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?’”

   I recently read an encyclopedia piece which said Sadducees tended to only consider the Torah, which are the first five books of the Bible.  Thus they would not have known about, or accepted, the prophecy of resurrection from Daniel 12:2, or the fact that Elisha raised a dead boy to life, as recorded in 2 Kings 4:8-37.  Thus the belief of the Sadducees about the doctrine of resurrection was wrong, and Jesus told them the truth.

   Matthew 5:17 records Jesus saying: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  Jesus indeed fulfilled the sacred writings by living a perfect life which included obeying the Mosaic Law, and by carrying out the calling of the Messiah.

   Referring to the Law and the Prophets, Jesus is referring to Scripture.  The Hebrews classified Scriptures into three groups: The Torah (the Law), the Nebiim (the Prophets), and the Ketubim (the Writings).  The content is the same as the content of the western “Old Testament” Scripture!  Do note the Hebrew Scripture compiles the sacred texts into 24 “books,” whereas the western compilation of those sacred texts is in 39 “books.”  For example, in Hebrew Scripture, the twelve “minor” prophets are all grouped together in one book.

   It often gives me a rush of electricity when I read the passage of Luke 4:16-21.  The passage concludes with Jesus saying: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  Jesus was saying that Isaiah had written about Him, and that He was living it!  Wow.

   After the resurrection of Jesus, He explained His resurrection to two disciples in the light of Scripture.  Luke 24:27 records: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”  Shortly thereafter, Jesus appeared to the apostles, “the Eleven” (Luke 24:33), and likewise explained His resurrection in the light of Scripture: “[Jesus] said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms’” (Luke 24:44).

   Jesus said the Hebrew Scripture is true.  And Jesus showed Scripture is true by dying on a cross for the forgiveness of sins, and by being resurrected from the dead, as is witnessed by the apostolic writings, which is Scripture we now refer to as the New Testament.

   This truth needs to be realized in a day and age when a number of people are distorting, ignoring, or flat out rejecting the sacred writings, which were termed Scriptures in the ancient world.  The result: many people are getting hurt as they veer from God’s ways.  If you are a Christian, I plead with you to consider what Jesus said about Scripture, and consider the witness of Jesus who fulfilled Scripture.  And if you have never considered the Bible to be sacred, I invite you to investigate that claim for yourself.  And John gives us a purpose statement in John 20:31 – “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Hunter Irvine