Peter, an apostle of Jesus

   In this brief examination of the apostles, I am going in the order the apostles are listed by Matthew.

   Peter was the apostle who had the courage to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, who had the faith to walk on water, who had the enthusiasm to jump out of the boat to greet Jesus after His resurrection, and who had the guts to cut off the ear of a high priest’s servant the night Jesus was betrayed.

   Peter was also the apostle who had the selfishness to lie in saying he did not know Jesus, three times.

   This was the apostle who has been highlighted in many sermons I have heard over the past twenty-four years.  I think this is because so many of us can relate to him.  Yet ironically most of those same sermons neglected to inform the congregation that Peter, after being baptized by the Holy Spirit, preached to people on the day of Pentecost which resulted in over 3,000 people turning to Christ.

   I add, as a Christian who is on fire for Christ who fits the categorization of a non-denominational Protestant, that in my church experience past I have heard little on the teaching from the two books of Scripture which Peter wrote, the epistles of I Peter and II Peter.  Yet they are rich epistles, which should be relished by any Christian!

   An article in National Geographic in December of 1971 discussed how a professor from the University of Rome, Dr. Margherita Guarducci, was convinced she located the bones of Peter.[1]  Found in a niche in a wall in the crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the evidence is strong this was Peter’s burial place.  This is an appropriate topic to start off this brief examination of the apostles, since the graves of the apostles, which contain bones, are of interest to Christian historians.  Their interest is for a different reason than the interest developed by Emperor Constantine and others even into the Middle Ages.  Through many years, some people, including some church leaders, treated “relics” (bones) of the apostles as if they were holy.

   On the flip side, historians want to track down where the bones supposedly ended up so they can verify a location where the apostle did ministry work!  Dr. McBirnie devoted himself to evidence regarding the graves of apostles in his book The Search for the Twelve Apostles for this very reason.[2]  Peter’s grave in Rome is affirmed by many, but scholars today dispute whether his bones were identified by Margherita Guarducci.

   Compared to some apostles who are rarely mentioned, because he was a natural leader Peter is mentioned much in Scripture.  This one verse I give here shows the apostles were given by Jesus unique apostolic gifts.

   Acts 9:40   “Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up” (NIV).

   Near the close of the epistle of I Peter, Peter states Babylon is his location at the time.  Yet many think Babylon was a code word for Rome.  I am not sure.  From a questioned writing of Hippolytus, we have the statement that Peter did ministry work in various locations: “Peter preached the Gospel in Pontus, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Betania, and Italy, and Asia…”[3]  Note that Eusebius apparently quoted this writing, which I think gives it more weight, though it might have some corruption.[4]

   Peter's death in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Nero is not disputed.  And the reason an upside down cross is associated with Peter are statements he was crucified upside down, since he wanted to be in a different position than Christ had been in when crucified.  Sounds like Peter to me.

   Picking up where I left off in the quote above from the Hippolytus writing, which I think is legit: "...and was afterwards crucified by Nero in Rome with his head downward, as he had himself desired to suffer in that manner."[5]

Hunter Irvine

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[1] Aubrey Menen, “St. Peter’s,” National Geographic, Vol. 140, no.6 (1971).

[2] William McBirnie, The Search for the Twelve Apostles

(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973).

[3] Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene
Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1867; digital repr.,
Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996), 5:535.

[4] Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse

(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 67.
[5] Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene
Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1867; digital repr.,
Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996), 5:535.

The Twelve Apostles

   The twelve apostles of Jesus were special!  Sometimes in Scripture, they are simply called the Twelve, such as in Matthew 20:17.  Yet there are numerous misconceptions about the twelve apostles.  First, some think of the apostles as being Western.  They were not.  They were twelve Jewish followers of Jesus.  Second, some think of the apostles as the sole church rulers.  They were not. Apostle does not mean ruler, rather more of an emissary, a word G.A. Williamson fittingly used.  “Apostolos…is, (literally), one sent forth….Apostle… a sending, a mission…”[1]  Billy Graham has often been called an ambassador for Christ, one appropriate title for him, which follows on this line of being sent out to give a message.  Really all Christians are called to be ambassadors for Christ to various degrees.

   Now apostles did have church governmental authority.  Yet early on they were working with elders and others in the church, as can be seen in places like Acts 15.  I propose early Christian ministry was more of a team effort involving many disciples of Jesus.  For example, early historians note the intriguing fact that the first overseer, also called a bishop, of Jerusalem was James, one of the natural children of Mary who came after the birth of Jesus.  Also nicknamed James the just or James the righteous, he was chosen instead of one of the apostles!  Eusebius quotes Clement on this.[2]  And from Scripture we learn the apostles were humble rather than flaunting their positions.  Look at the opening of 2 Peter; “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV). Peter puts the title servant before apostle.  Consider the apostle John.  He did not even include his name in his “gospel.”  He could have started out the book by stating who he was and the fact that he was an apostle in order to give authority to his book.  Instead, he starts out talking about the “Word,” and then near the conclusion he writes, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true" (John 21:24 NIV).  He simply calls himself a disciple instead of apostle, and he speaks in the plural, an eastern thing to do, to show group participation and validation.
   I also disagree with the concept of "apostolic succession," agreeing with Martin Luther on that subject.  It is the view in some denominations that apostles laid hands on new church leaders, especially overseers, and then those "bishops" laid hands on ministers, and that has gone down the line.  Jesus said nothing about this, and there are no specific records of who laid hands on who early on, the reason Eusebius had such a challenge in his mission to find successors of the apostles, and the reason he did not come out with a line of overseers following in an apostle's city except in Rome, which simply had strong documentation.  And though Rome had strong documentation, Eusebius records overseers in various cities, such as Alexandria and Ephesus, treating them all equal.

   Now most know the calling of the apostles.  Like all disciples of Jesus, they were called to preach, teach, and heal, though they were given a primary authority by Jesus to do so.  Jesus sent them to preach: “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach…” (Mark 3:14 NIV).  Jesus sent them to teach: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV).  Jesus sent them to heal, and they did.  All disciples today are supposed by be preaching, teaching, and healing, though the healing call today is spiritual I would claim.  Again, the twelve apostles were special!  My theological conviction is the apostles were given unprecedented gifts, not counting the gifts of God incarnate.  These time period specific gifts for that beginning age of the “Church” included the ability to do physical miracles.  For example, Peter brought a woman who was a follower of Jesus, Tabitha, back to life from physical death.  So on one hand they were doing what the other disciples of Jesus were doing, yet on the other hand they had a primary authority, and special apostolic gifts!
   And a key call of their apostolic authority was to produce Scripture.  Regarding Scripture, I think an apostolic connection was a key for the canon, thus the Scripture of the New Testament is an apostolic witness.  It is accurate to say the “church” is apostolic, since Jesus entrusted and enabled the witness of Him to apostles.  Jesus never wrote any Scripture Himself!  And regarding their ministry all over the place, one reason Christianity spread so fast was the apostles were not fighting among each other or with other disciples to gain power or prestige.  And though even they had their disagreements, they continued working together with other disciples of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit was the enabler!  Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (NIV).  Against all odds, the truth of the Messiah was told to Jewish people and to non-Jewish people in countries with extremely different cultures than Judea, and many people believed.

   A look at the twelve apostles is a history which mirrors the ministry of the One they followed.  Discounting Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus, and instead acknowledging Matthias who took his place, of the twelve apostles, at least ten, and probably eleven of them were murdered for their ministry work.  John was probably the only one of the twelve apostles to die a natural death, yet in his life, he knew much persecution.  Thus we have tragedy with all, yet it was followed by triumph.  Matthew 19:28 records the promise by Jesus that the apostles will have thrones in heaven.  And the largest triumph is that the martyring of eleven apostles only enhances the fact that these men who were willing to die for Jesus were likewise willing to live for Him.

   For the next 12 blog posts, I am going to write a bit about all twelve apostles.  One of my great used Christian bookstore finds of all time was a paperback entitled, The Search of the Twelve Apostles by Dr. William McBirnie.  That book is still in print though it was first published in the 1973.  Considering the limited written information available about this team of Jewish religious zealots who ended up scattered in multiple countries, the travelling and research by Dr. McBirnie to gain information about the Twelve is unprecedented.  When it comes to theories about countries where apostles ministered in, I have gotten most facts from the writings of early Christians or from Eusebius, a church historian, yet my starting point was the extensive research of Dr. McBirnie, a man I have never met, yet whom I cannot wait to talk to, though I will probably have to wait until heaven.

   At this point I say: Enjoy!

Hunter Irvine

I like the group effort of this video, and it has a sweet finale.  Do know that Man from Galilee was the Messiah, God incarnate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsi7nwkEp7k

Bibliography for the common sources for the twelve posts on the Twelve Apostles

Eusebius. Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History.  Translated by C.F. Cruse.

   Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998.

McBirnie, William. The Search for the Twelve Apostles.

   Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973.

Roberts, Alexander, and James Donaldson. eds. The Ante-Nicene

   Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325. 1867.

   Digital Reprint, Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996.

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[1] W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: Comprehensive Dictionary of the Original Greek Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers (McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, [no date]), 65.

[2] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 35.

11 Apostles died for Jesus

   Christmas Eve, in 2008 I think it was, I sat in the small church where I was a member at the time amidst people who were my church family, along with people I had not seen in awhile as well as people who were there at the church for the first time.  The sermon was early in the service, and Reverend Scott Anderson stood before us and spoke.  He proposed some related questions: Why do I believe this Christmas story?  Why do I believe in Jesus?  Why do I believe what the Bible teaches?

   Pastor Scott Anderson said there are three reasons he believes the Bible is true.  First, he believes the witnesses of the Apostles recorded in the Bible.  Second, he believes the witnesses of Christians for the past 2000 years.  Thirdly, he believes the witnesses of a number of Christians he knows now.  In a soft spoken manner, he elaborated on these three clear points.  I thought it was the best Christmas sermon I have ever heard.

   One witness I would add is the witness of the Holy Spirit to the truth of Jesus.  The Bible teaches all of those people needed to rely on the Holy Spirit to be a witness.  And on a personal level, no one besides God knows how much Jesus has done in an individuals heart beside that individual, and hopefully he or she will recognize it as the work of the Holy Spirit.

   Jesus only ministered in this world for three years, an extremely short time in the scope of world history.  Yet He promised the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would come after Him.  Jesus stated: “All this I have spoken while still with you.  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:25-26 NIV).  The hope of all followers of Jesus rested on this promise, because only by the Holy Spirit could Jesus be followed in the wake of His return to heaven.  Otherwise the early believers in Jesus would have been trying to follow on their own strength the One who would have otherwise left them.  And besides that, since God loves people, He wants to be with people, for more than a three year stint.  If Jesus did not send the Holy Spirit, people would still not be united with God.  Yet thanks to Jesus atonement on the Cross, and the offering of the Holy Spirit, people can be united with God.

   A person receives the Holy Spirit if he or she believes in Jesus because Jesus atoned for sins on the cross, thus He is able to cleanse a person who is not Holy.  Thus a believer is “justified,” and the Holy Spirit can indwell in his or her heart.  And a person with the Holy Spirit in his or her heart can rely on Him to be illuminated by the witnesses Pastor Scott Anderson talked about.

   Having considered some classic Christian books in recent weeks, I was thinking about More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell.  Only the second Christian book I read, I read it on the Washington D.C. subway travelling to and from work back around 1992.  The book helped me, a young Christian, at that delicate beginning stage of my journey following Jesus.  The chapter which most impacted me was where he talked about how 11 of the 12 Apostles died for Jesus.  Mr. McDowell argued that eleven men would not all die for a lie.  I thought the historical evidence he gave was the best support for the legitimacy of the apostle’s witness.  As a person who did not receive Jesus until I was 22, and who had learned about many other subjects at Virginia Tech, this application of history and logic was convincing to me.

   Dr. Craig Blomberg, distinguished New Testament scholar who has taught at Denver Seminary for coming on 30 years, spoke at my church Bethel Grove Bible Church last weekend for a special seminar.  Dr. Blomberg talked about how he turned to Jesus when he was age fifteen, and how the premise of Josh McDowell’s book was a key for his growing faith.  McDowell gave the argument that the teaching and claims of Jesus were such that He was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.  Yet the time came when a person challenged Dr. Blomberg on a different issue.  The person claimed the Bible was not historically accurate, so rather than Jesus being a liar, a lunatic, or Lord, Jesus was no more than a fictional character, and the Bible was a fantasy.  Thus there was another consideration to add to McDowell’s list: that Jesus could have been a “legend.”  Dr. Blomberg in faith began a search to learn of the historical accuracy of the Scriptures.  The result was his discovery of support galore for the accuracy of the Bible.  One of his talks this past Saturday, my favorite, examined the issue of whether the Bible transcripts have been corrupted.  His scholarship is extensive.

   Yet after a weekend of much scholarly engagement, Dr. Blomberg, who was also the guest preacher for the Sunday services, closed the sermon saying the Holy Spirit was necessary to produce a historically accurate witness, and the Holy Spirit is necessary for our faith today.  Then my question is; why?  Ultimately the Bible is a witness to God, and we imperfect people need the perfect Holy Spirit to be involved in all facets of the process as we learn about Jesus, our Savior and Lord.

   Though 22 years ago, I still remember the ending of that book where Mr. McDowell talked about how he was quite the popular guy on his college campus, but that on the inside he was suffering, struggling to make it to each weekend.  After he turned to Jesus, his life was radically changed.  The ending of the book went from ancient history to the history of one human being right there in the 20^th century, one human being who is totally loved by God, and who was blessed by receiving Jesus.

   Reading that book 22 years ago sitting on the D.C. subway, I had no idea that one day I would spend much time over the period of years doing my own research, as a believer, to learn more and more about the historical accuracy of the Bible.  This happened in two ways.  First and foremost, I studied the Bible by faith that it is historically accurate.  And wow, my conviction of its historical accuracy went out the roof.  Second, I have read many secondary sources which support the Biblical witness.  For example, after learning from Mr. McDowell that 11 apostles of Jesus were martyred, I will be presenting a series of pieces on the Twelve Apostles.

   “Church” history is full of sinful stuff including fights for power and money.  Yet an extensive look reveals a history full of the mercy and grace of Jesus in the lives of those who followed Him.  And Jesus invites you to join His adventure, even today.

   That leads to my final point.  You and I can experience the truth of Jesus!

   I have read, and I continue to read, the Bible witnesses.

   I have read some witnesses from history.

   I have heard witnesses in my own day and age.

   I have received the Spirit of Christ in my heart.

   AND, I have witnessed Jesus working in my life!

      I have lived a journey with Jesus!!!

   Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  Jesus was the substitute for the consequences of sins, which is spiritual death.  If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life in heaven with the Lord God Almighty, who loves you with all of His heart.

Hunter Irvine

God Himself will provide the lamb

   For a seemingly short yet memorable time I taught Bible and World History in Appalachia.  I avoided showing videos except on rare occasions, because I wanted to enhance student reading.  My common longtime practice is to have students read out loud in Sunday school, only on a volunteer basis.  When I was teaching in the rural school, it was not voluntary.  Be it in Appalachia or in a big city, I think it is enriching for students to read.  And reading in front of peers increases confidence in public reading ability.  I have had students who thought they could not do it, usually because they were degraded by someone in the past when doing so, learn they can do it, and even do it well.  Also, other students are more likely to listen to their peers read, thus the students who would fail to read material at home had the opportunity to listen to the material.  Yet these teenage students in Appalachia, like so many other places in the U.S., grew up submersed in videos, so they always were happy on the rare occasion when I showed a video.  The school had an extensive quality Biblical video collection, and I would be less stingy on videos if I had it to do over, because sometimes the students needed more breaks after going so strong in my class.

   So recently I was watching two old “Bible based” movies for my own interest and also as possible Sunday school teaching tools in the future.  Turns out I will not be using them.  I am not going to become a movie critic here, so I will not get into specifics.  I will say the two movies had some good acting and engaging scenes.  Yet in my opinion there were problems.  There happened to be common problems, such as the one was rated “G,” yet there was some nudity I thought was purposely provocative.  Yes I know that most people think I am a prude.  At least I am a cheery prude.

   The key problem I had with the movies was the fact they all veered away from Biblical dialogue.  From changing a word here and there, to totally leaving out verses or passages, to adding dialogue not in the Bible, the scripts, more in some places than others, started to take on a life of its own rather than capturing the historical accuracy of the Scripture.  “Artistic license” is a delicate practice when it comes to portraying God’s revelations in Scripture.

   This leads me to one point I want to make.  The story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac always stirs my soul.  Knowing now the event foreshadowed the sacrifice by the Son of God, the story is so fitting.  Yet at that time for Abraham, the command to him could be nothing less that agonizing, which was captured in one movie.  How could God ask such a thing?  God speaks of humans sacrificing humans as evil in other Scripture.  His command to Abraham seems contradictory.  And what about Isaac?  I think it would be child abuse to put a child through such a psychological ordeal, even if he was not killed.  Was God not thinking of the trauma it would cause Isaac?  I saw such trauma dramatized in one movie, which provoked this thought in the first place.

   Though God had asked the unthinkable from Abraham, His intention was not abuse.  I believe God knew Abraham would be faithful.

   Now Isaac caught on that something was amiss:

   Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

   “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

   “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7 NIV).

   For several years, I babysat two great kids every Thursday.  And what do kids do?  They ask questions, lots of questions.  I would always answer the kids, even if I had to put some answers on a kid’s level, because question asking is a crucial part of the learning process for kids.  So that is why Isaac’s question is hard hitting for me.  It is a standard question for a kid, yet the answer could be one which would permanently damage his heart.  This is why I think God knew Abraham would stand in his faith in God.  Abraham had made mistakes, but God had remained faithful to him, and Abraham’s faith matured to epic proportion.  I add we have an extensive explanation of Abraham’s faith from the author of Hebrews.  “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Hebrews 11:19 NIV).  Yet in focusing on the story itself in Genesis, the key statement in response to Isaac’s question, which rings out with joy even over four thousand years later, is one which cannot be omitted.

   Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  And the two of them went on together (Genesis 22:8 NIV).

   This statement is a pinnacle verse, because it shows the faith of Abraham, and it shows the faith of Abraham was enough to console the child, so there was not trauma for the kid who trusted his dad.  And the child likewise had faith.  Isaac went on the altar, maybe a little nervous, I would be anyway, but not in despair.  Abraham said God would provide a lamb.  And God did.

   Jumping ahead to verse 13: “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns.  He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13 NIV).

   Come this spring, I will have been following Jesus for twenty-five years.  Living by faith in our God who is Spirit has never been an easy path for me.  Yet having faith in Jesus results in goodness which consistently has brought fruit in and from my life, and the blessings even exceed my comprehension.

   Scripture clearly records how the apostle Thomas was someone who witnessed Jesus accomplish many miracles, and yet who was cynical.  At that time, Thomas would have probably brought sourness to the fellowship hall for the doughnut time.  But I have always felt bad that almost two thousand years later he still gets “doubting” attached to his name.  I try not to do that.  An apostle who did ministry work in India, and who was a martyr for Christ, he is not doubting now in heaven.  So I close with the statement of Jesus after He allowed Thomas to put his hand on Him.

John 20:29 – Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (NIV).  If you believe in Jesus, you are blessed!

Hunter Irvine

Jesus knocking at the door

   Students love scavenger hunts.  In my youth ministry work over the years at various times in various capacities, my passion has always been teaching.  Teaching for me is fun!  Yet I have always shared an appreciation that teenagers love doing fun doing activities, and I have provided many fun activities for them.  One activity I prepared was clue hunts in churches.  Students are given a sheet of paper with a clue for another location, and when they find that location, there is another clue written on a sheet of paper there.  Students like running around their church poking into places which have been off limits ever since they were toddlers, such as the church office and the janitor’s closet.  It was places like this where I hid a trail of clues.  The final clue would lead to a spot where there was a reward like chocolate.

   The last time I ever did this, the final clue purposely led to an object for a teaching.  Up in the balcony of the church, where I only saw people once in the entire year I worshiped at that church, were two paintings.  I am not positive, but I think Warner Sallman was the artist for both, and if that was the case, one would be from 1946 and the other from 1953.  The painting on the one side was of Jesus holding a lamb in the midst of some sheep.  In the other painting, Jesus is portrayed simply knocking on a door.

   My message for the students standing by the door painting was based on what I learned in the winter of 1998 from the Reverend Dr. John Stott in his classic book Basic Christianity.  Dr. Stott gave an illustration of a 1853 painting whose artist was [William] Holman Hunt which was apparently the original painting of Christ knocking on a door, a model for a number of similar paintings which would follow, such as Sallman’s.  One significant detail common for both Hunt’s and Sallman’s painting was that in both, a door knob is absent.  Regarding Hunt’s painting, Dr. Stott states: “There is neither handle nor latch on the door in Holman Hunt’s picture.  It is said that he omitted them deliberately, to show that the handle was on the inside.  Christ knocks; but we must open.”(1)  Dr. Stott describes how God, who created everything, could get into the house: “He could command us to open to him; instead, he merely invites us to do so.  He will not force an entry into anybody’s life.”(2)  Indeed an invitation is the nature of true love.  It is not something forced, rather it is offered, and the person gets to decide whether or not he or she will receive.

   Dr. Stott used this painting to illustrate the offer of salvation for people.  “Christ came into the world and died for your sins.  He has now come and stood outside the front door of the house of your life, and he is knocking.  The next move is yours.  His hand is already on the knocker; your hand must now feel for the latch.”(3)

   In all fairness to John Stott, I add that in his later years on earth, long after this classic book was published in 1958, John Stott shifted from basic “reformed” principles that most Protestants would agree with, such as that Jesus was the penal substitute, to more disputed reformation doctrines, such as suggesting God regenerates a person before a person makes a choice.  On the flip side, even though John Stott always practiced infant baptism, he always insisted that was not the occasion of regeneration, which is counter to Reformed theology.  This is shown in his eclectic theology book, Evangelical Truth from 1999, which has some doctrines which are strongly “reformed” alongside other doctrines fitting the theology of Karl Barth, or which are quite unique.  Yet even in that book, regarding gaining the kingdom of heaven, Dr. Stott stated: “It could only be ‘received,’ as a little child receives a gift, freely and gratefully…”(4)  And going back to his teaching in Basic Christianity, Dr. Stott stated, “…you can have been baptized and confirmed…and still not have opened the door to Christ.”(5)  And he boldly states in chapter ten what is truly the theme of chapter ten: “Nor can anybody else settle the matter for us.  We must decide for ourselves.”(6)

   I close by giving a statement from Dr. Stott: “A boy in his later teens knelt at his bedside one Sunday night in the dormitory of his school.  In a simple, matter-of-fact but definite way he told Christ that he had made rather a mess of life so far; he confessed his sins; he thanked Christ for dying for him; and he asked him to come into his life.”(7)  The boy here is a self-description by John Stott.  That night he received Jesus into his heart, and after doing so, gave Jesus complete control of his life.  The result was a ministry which had a worldwide impact in the 20th century.  Revelations 3:20 is the verse associated with the paintings: “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (NRSV).  This invitation is actually the offer for an eternity.

   If you have never opened your heart to Jesus, may you know that Jesus is knocking, and He is the Lamb of God, the Sacrifice who made it possible for you, whoever you are, to be united with God.

Hunter Irvine

1) John Stott, Basic Christianity (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press,
 1958), 126.

2) Ibid., 124.

3) Ibid., 127.

4) John Stott, Evangelical Truth:
 A Personal Plea for Unity, Integrity, and Faithfulness
 (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 124.

5) John Stott, Basic Christianity (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press,
 1958), 127.

6) Ibid., 121.

7) Ibid., 128.

For those who read my blog: Thank you!!

   Thanks to each and every one of you who reads my blog!  I give my all when writing for this blog and it means the world to me when people are blessed by my writing.  Thank you to everyone at "Blogger" who make it possible for me to have this blog.  And this year I added the incredible "Google Translate" to my blog, so people who speak various languages other than English are able to read my work.  I thank the people at "Google" for providing this service!  I am excited to see when people from countries far away from my own are reading my blog.  Jesus loves all people in every country and of every ethnic group.  And a follower of Jesus is called to witness Jesus in whatever country he or she is in.  In some countries this is extremely challenging, or even dangerous, and requires God's guidance and encouragement.  First and foremost when living as a witness, be yourself, using the gifts God has given to you, all in a reliance in your heart on Him.

  God bless you,

  love in Jesus,

  Hunter

Magi

Matthew 2:1-2     After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him” (NIV).

Matthew 2:9-12     After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route (NIV).

   This year, the United States Postal Service issued a Christmas stamp called “Magi.”  A silhouette of three men on camels, the style is similar to the 2012 Christmas stamp which had a silhouette of Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus.  I like the stamp!

  Who were the Magi?  “Magi” are only mentioned in one passage in the entire Bible, which is Matthew 2:1-16.  That passage also tells about King Herod, the reason I did not quote the entire passage since Herod’s story is a whole other historical examination.

   Scripture informs us that first, Magi came from one country (Matthew 2:12).  That country is not named, yet it was in the “east” (Matthew 2:1).  Secondly, they saw his “star” (Matthew 2:1).  Thirdly, their purpose in traveling to Jerusalem was to worship Him (Matthew 2:1).  And they did worship the baby Jesus (Matthew 12:11).  They were able to carry out their purpose!  Lastly I add they gave the baby gifts, as many are familiar with, since it is a staple of the Christmas story and the famous song “We Three Kings.”  Many children even know what the three gifts were.  I add the Bible does not say how many Magi there were, and I suspect it was probably a small crew since they traveled such a distance.  And were they really kings or wise men?

   “Magi” comes from the Greek word “magos,” and in the NIV is translated as such only in this passage.  And for this passage, many other reputable Bible translations use “wise men.”  Vine gives one definition of magos as: “denotes a Magian, one of a sacred caste, originally Median, who apparently conformed to the Persian religion while retaining their old beliefs;…" (1)  Yet he adds magos under sorcerer: "one of a Median caste, a magician…," (2) and also says the word is used in the Greek in Acts 13:6 and 8 to denote sorcerer.  So according to Vine, Magi as traditionally translated in this passage is tied to a people, and the name of the people has roots in sorcery.  So who were these people?

   From a rock cut “Behistan” monument carved on a cliff near Ecbatana, scholars have some public statements of Darius, King of Persia from 521 to 486 B.C.  For a seven month period before him, there was a Median ruler which King Darius discusses.  Yet not only was this short lived ruler a Mede, he was of the Magi tribe!  King Darius states he was a “Magian,” and even states his name was Gaumata. (3)  Darius tells of how the Magian was an imposter who snookered the throne by claiming he was Smerdis.  Darius admits he was involved in killing the Magian.  I add that Darius goes on to tell about a Babylonian revolt.

   Herodotus talks about Magi.  Likewise Herodotus states two Magi brothers snookered the throne by proclaiming the identity of the second brother as Smerdis, son of Cyrus and brother of Cambyses.  Herodotus calls the Magi who declared himself king as the “Magus.”  The reign lasted only seven months.

   Previous to the time of King Darius, Herodotus gives information throughout his history about the Magi, such as that they were one of the people groups brought under the rule of Deioces, king of Media, along with Busae, Parataceni, Struchates, Ariaznti. and Budii. (4)  Then Herodotus tells of the Magi serving as dream interpreters for King Astyages: "Astyages now turned his attention to Cyrus, and summoning the Magi, who had previously interpreted his dream, asked them again what they judged its meaning to be." (5)  So the Magi, in serving King Astyages, were involved in a similar duty as the “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers” in Daniel 2:2 in the Babylonian Empire around the same time period.

   By now, the Christmas story seems to have officially gone down a wrong path.  As someone who grew up watching shows such as The Little Drummer Boy every December, these Magi, at least there in the fifth century, do not seem like a bunch of noble kings, rather they seemed like a vagabond tribe of Medes.  Yet I think that is the point of the Magi in the Christmas story, even if they did become more noble by the time of the birth of Christ.  I think the point is that Jesus was not presented a fitting and prophetic gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh from people with a stellar ethnic heritage, a grand kingdom, or, even a righteous relationship with the living God.  Jesus was presented a gift by some eastern Gentiles who were seeking and who were open to what God was doing in this messed up world at that time.

   The lives of Persians and Medes were merged with the lives of Jewish people ever since King Cyrus conquered Babylon, (re-conquered it after it slipped back to self-rule after Astyages’ death I am convinced) (6) where Jewish people were living in exile there in 536 B.C.  The book of Esther shows the extent of Jewish and Persian interaction even many years after Jewish people were permitted to return to Judea by Cyrus.  Many Jewish people did return to Judea, but a number stayed in Persia.  Herodotus seems to neglect this history I add!  And though later on Persia was conquered by Greece, and then that region came under Roman rule, maybe through it all a number of Jewish people in Babylon and scattered amidst many other foreign countries who retained their hope of the Messiah who was to come had shared that hope with Persians and Medes.

   Thus even some of Persian and Median ethnicity were expecting “the king of the Jews.”  These Magi saw the star in the sky, and they knew He had been born since the general time of the arrival of the Messiah was prophesied in Daniel 9:25, and thus known by Jewish people.  The time period prophesied was indeed the time period of Jesus’ birth.  Along with all the prophecy to the Jewish people, God miraculously provided a star to lead, to lead those who were seeking this birth.

   This Christmas story is a prelude of how the Messiah came not only to save the Jewish people, but also the Gentiles, people of all ethnic groups.  God’s purpose for the Messiah was to die on a cross as the substitutional atonement for the sins of all people of all ethnic groups; the human race.  Thus any human being can be saved by the Christ, which is the Greek for the same phrase as the Hebrew word Messiah: both mean Anointed One.  Whatever your ethnic group, whatever you country of citizenship, you will be saved from spiritual death if you believe in Jesus.

Hunter Irvine

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(1) W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Original Greek Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers (McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, [no date]), 1245.
(2) W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Original Greek Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers (McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, [no date]), 1074.
(3) William C. McDermott and Wallace E. Caldwell, Readings in the History of the Ancient World (New York: Rinehart and Company, Inc., 1951), 59.
(4) Herodotus, The Histories, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (New York: Penguin Books, 1954), 48.

(5) Herodotus, The Histories, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (New York: Penguin Books, 1954), 56.

(6) I offer my thesis that King Astyages is Darius the Mede in the blog post on November 12th of 2012.