To do good or to do evil

Luke 6:6-11    On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.  But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.”  So he got up and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  He did so, and his hand was completely restored.  But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus (NIV).

   When studying this passage this morning something hit me: How could religious leaders be “furious” after viewing the healing of a damaged hand?  I have a few physical challenges, including some eye challenges.  Our bodies are so important.  Our bodies are so delicate.  Imagine if you did not have use of one hand.
   There in a synagogue a man with a damaged hand was healed by Jesus.  How awesome.  The man’s life was drastically improved, and he must have gone home with much joy and having an appreciation the rest of his days in this world for the use of his hand.
   But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious, because Jesus was not following their rules according to their interpretation of Scripture, of which they liked to add much legislation.
   In reading this passage, I am saddened as I realize the tragedy of such fury remains today.  There are plenty of instances when goodness done by Christians elicits anger by some.  And oftentimes we Christians simply get heaped with much criticism.  In my 27 years of being a follower of Jesus, I have exponentially improved as a person, more than I can express, however criticism has mounted tremendously.  That seems totally illogical.  Yet Jesus illustrates the reason.  The call of God is to do good rather than evil.  The ministry of Jesus involved physically healing people, yet it ultimately concerns saving the souls of people.  But the call of God is not the mission of all people.  People not adhering to the call of God sometimes do not even consider the spiritual need of salvation.
   Jesus saves souls so that people He has redeemed can be in heaven, and that is what we Christians should be proclaiming.  That message will sometimes be ill received by people who do not want to hear about heaven and h-ll.  And some people will disagree about the morality of physical issues such as sex outside of marriage and drugs.  More and more as a Christian I feel like I am in the minority regarding questions of Biblical morality.  I need to remember that Jesus had the ultimate opposition.
   Our sad fallen world contains much fury.  What can we do to improve things?  My suggestion is that you and me start today with this Bible passage.  Jesus healed the hand of a man because Jesus loved that man.  Let us praise God that He healed his damaged hand.  Let us be thankful that Jesus does good.  And though Jesus is in heaven, let us walk by faith today realizing Jesus can do healing in the hearts of willing people through the Holy Spirit even today.
   Thus I suggest that now you think of one person who needs some healing in his or her heart, and say a prayer that person would turn to Jesus for healing.  It is a start.
+ Heavenly Father, I think of a person I know who recently was hurt, and who needs to open up to You for love and healing.  May she be encouraged that You are her Savior and Lord, and may she be reminded that You are her best Friend.  It is through the loving name of Jesus that I pray.  Amen.
Hunter

The Lord's Prayer - 4

And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil
   For thine is the kingdom,
   and the power,
   and the glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13 NIV).

   Scripture teaches we can trust God.  He has never led anyone into sin!  “…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5 NIV).
   But we humans are, to use a nice term, human.  We need deliverance from evil.  Jesus is willing to do so for you and me.

   The conclusion is referred to as a doxology, giving praise to God.  Many Bible translations do not contain this verse, while some do.  This is a rare instance where there is a major discrepancy in earlier manuscripts.  Yet the earliest manuscripts do not contain it.
   If not in the original autograph of Matthew, and I do not think it was, this doxology still may have been expressed by some Christians early on.  “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” (also coined the Didache), is an anonymous Christian writing possibly written in the early second century.  The complete copy we have is from 1056 A.D., but could have corruption, yet there are a number of fragments.  And in that old manuscript, the eighth chapter contains the Lord’s Prayer, and there is a similar version of the doxology, though lacking the word “kingdom.”
   For me this debate is a reminder the Lord’s Prayer was not meant to be the official prayer practice.  Jesus was giving us a foundation.  And how appropriate to conclude by giving God the glory.
   To God be the glory indeed!
Hunter Irvine

The Lord's Prayer - 3

Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us

“Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:11-12 NIV).

   My understanding of the Lord’s Prayer increased a great deal when I realized the bread spoken of here is more than physical food.  Jesus said, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33 NIV).  And in John 6:35, Jesus stated He is the bread of life.  Thus the need here is not physical food, though obviously we need such, rather for spiritual sustaining, which only Jesus can provide.  We need Jesus!
   Some people think “our daily bread” is referring to the Bible, based on Jesus’ statement in Matthew 4:4.  We listen to God through Scripture so it ties in with needing Christ.
   Central in the mission of Christ was His death on a cross as the sacrificial atonement to offer the forgiveness of sins to anyone.  Jesus offers forgiveness.  And Jesus tells us to forgive anyone who has sinned against us, no exceptions.  He enables!
Hunter Irvine

The Lord's Prayer - 2

Thy kingdom come
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven

“...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV).

   Jesus is a King.  He revealed this as is recorded in John 18:36-37.  He said His kingdom is not of this world, yet He desires that it merge and transform this world.  God desires transformation!  He is never satisfied with things being in a state of continued sin.
   Doing the Father’s will is mandatory for the person who is within His kingdom, a child of the Father, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:21.  With this teaching He is not negating mercy and grace, rather we need to receive His mercy and grace to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit to be enabled to do the will of God.
Hunter

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father
who art in heaven
hallowed be thy name

“…Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9 NIV)

   My definition of prayer: talking with God.  Talking “with” involves listening, so listening to God through the messages of the Bible are in a sense tied in with prayer.  Yet prayer always involves a person speaking to God.
   Jesus taught what is often termed “The Lord’s Prayer” as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 and 
Luke 11:2-4.  This was not a formula for talking with God.  Rather it is a foundation which gives some basics for prayer.  For example, who should we address?  What should be our primary focus?
   Who do we address in prayer?  The Father!  All of us have or had an earthly father, yet this Father is in heaven; He is God.  How did God become our Father?  For those who believe in Jesus, they are adopted into the family of God, as it states in John 1:12.  Believers in Jesus are forgiven of sins and thus united with God in a relationship as intimate as father – son.  How incredible.
   Sometimes followers of Christ open a prayer addressing Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  This is a point of Christian dispute.  I think such is fine, because all three Persons of the Trinity are One.  Yet since Jesus gave His disciples this lesson, addressing the Father is always a good thing.
   Jesus taught the name of the Father is hallowed, which means holy.  When we pray to the Father, we are praying to God who is Holy!  This calls for reverence of the heart.
   Now I have known people who had abusive fathers, or criticizing fathers, or negligent fathers, or abandoning fathers.  And I have never known anyone who had a perfect father.  Yet this Father is perfect, as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:48.  So again, reverence is demanded.  Yet in addition, we know this Father is loving.  Thus you and I can come to our Father in heaven in a more intimate way than we would anyone else.  Wow.
   My church does not recite the Lord’s Prayer in worship.  Most churches I have ever been a member of did.  Saying it every week, a person can slide into saying it without meaning.  However, that need not be the case.  I say it often, sometimes when I am on a long walk, or sometimes alone in my room at my window, especially at dusk.  I want to always say it in sincerity.  Yet again, remember the purpose is not mandatory recital, rather to get us rolling with talking with God.
Hunter Irvine

God and Caesar Tiberius

Matthew 22:15-21   Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.  They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.

“Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.  You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.  Tell us then, what is your opinion?  Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?  Show me the coin used for paying the tax.”

They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this?  And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (NIV).

   Ironically the passage discussed in my last piece involved Greeks and this passage involves a Roman emperor.  The Roman Empire, a history subject I was weak on, has been contemplated by me this week since I have been reading a book about it by Dr. Thomas Burns, footnoted below.  The author is a longtime scholar and expert on the subject.  Though quite cold towards Christianity, from his expertise I have gained some Bible context.

   I learned from Dr. Burns why Roman taxation incited anger from a number of people of conquered countries.  “Taxes were not uniformly imposed.  Until late in the second century, citizens paid less, and those in Italy paid hardly at all.” (1)  Also, their cruelty against newly conquered countries is shown as they often enslaved many people from their new territory. (2)  And their all-encompassing label of people from other countries as “barbarians” is dehumanizing in my opinion.

   Also, the emperor at the time of the ministry of Christ was Caesar Tiberius, and emperor worship was already established.  Dr. Burns mentioned emperor worship taking place within the military. (3)

   Thus we have the background for this passage.  The Pharisees and Herodians thought they could trap Jesus, because if He said they did not need to pay taxes to Caesar, He would have been committing a crime against the ruling Empire, and the Herodians would have probably been quick to report that.  And if Jesus merely said they should pay taxes to Caesar, He would seem to be betraying His fellow Jewish people who were ruled and suppressed by a foreign country which even practiced blasphemous emperor worship.  The Pharisees would have probably been quick to spread that around.

   Yet Jesus went to work to reveal the true God.  Brilliantly using a coin to aid His point, Jesus in one sentence denied the deity of Caesar, and divided the issue of money verses true love.  Money could be given to Caesar.  Love, to the ultimate extent of worship, is to be given to God.

   Israelites knew the Shema: “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” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NIV).  And this command continues for all since Jesus taught it as is recorded in Matthew 22:37-38.  (And the teachings of Jesus are for everyone – Matthew 28:20.)  First and foremost, the call of a believer in Jesus is to love God to the degree of worship.  We are to love people also, as Jesus went on to teach in Matthew 22:39.  Jesus was not teaching they could forgo loving the human being Tiberius.  Jesus was saying worship is due to God, a true love which is proper for God, and God only!

   Obey what Jesus states here, and devote your entire heart to our Holy God, the One who first loved us.

Hunter Irvine

(1) Thomas S. Burns, Rome and the Barbarians, 
100 B.C. - A.D. 400

(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 

2003), 31.

(2) Ibid., 105.

(3) Ibid., 154.

Revelation to the Greeks

 John 12:20-29   Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast.  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request.  “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”  Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.  Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.  Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father save me from this hour?’  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”  Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”  The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him” (NIV).

   Why did Jesus refrain from talking with these Greek gentlemen?  Seems like the perfect opportunity to show His divine wisdom.  Yet Jesus did not talk with the Greeks, rather after this event which included some more interaction with the crowd, He “hid himself” (verse 36).
   The Bible never records Jesus discussing Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle, though those philosophers were still huge in the culture of His day.  This seemed to be Jesus’ chance to be a witness for the truth in the face of the world’s great philosophers.  Seems like a prime opportunity for Jesus to rock the philosophical world.  Instead Jesus reiterated His mission, which involved death, and then He opened an opportunity for God to be audibly revealed.
   Greek discourse, which I was raised on, involves question and answer sessions, and strives towards logical statements of an “if –then” nature.  Yet in telling of His mission Jesus used an “Oriental” style.  This style involves a bit of a vague discourse, usually containing metaphors, where the main message may be tucked away in the middle of the address rather than stated upfront or in the grand conclusion.  “Oriental” discourse was the culture of the Ancient Near East, thus it fit the culture of Judah.  In this manner Jesus talks about His mission to the Cross.
   After Jesus affirmed and exalted His mission, God the Father spoke from heaven.  Wow.
   I do not think Jesus was ignoring the Greeks, rather He took the opportunity to have the living God directly reveal Himself from earth and from heaven.  God does want us to engage in discourse with folks.  When studying at Colorado Christian University, I did some research on the writings of early Christians.  A topic of interest to a number of early Christian writers was Greek philosophers.  Makes sense because the early Christian writers were usually highly educated.  Sometimes these early Christians would try to explain that the wisdom of Christianity did not contradict certain Greek wisdom rather was a real life fruition.  And look at Paul’s great statement in Athens to the Greeks regarding the altar to the “To An Unknown God,” in Acts 17.
   Yet the foundation of discourse must be that God revealed Himself.  We fallen humans are not able to obtain the wisdom of God on our own accord.  We fallen humans could never have discerned God had He not revealed Himself to us.  (I learned that from John Stott.)  God revealed Himself that day in an audible voice from the Father in heaven to all who were willing to listen.  And God revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.  Jesus was Immanuel, which means “God with us.”  The truth of the person of Jesus is He was God incarnate, which means God in the flesh.
   His divine nature was expressed more and more throughout His ministry as He continued performing miracles.  This may be the reason even Greeks wanted to talk with Him.  But this is also the reason why He threatened many religious leaders who expressed their concern they were going to lose their lofty positions, since the Empire had a history of squashing countries or territories they perceived to be insubordinate.  Or maybe their secret fear was Jesus was going to defrock them.  So they worked to murder Jesus.  Yet Jesus allowed Himself to be murdered, the result of which was that Jesus was the atonement for sins for anyone.  Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law and the Prophets by being the sacrificial atonement on the Cross for the wages of sins, which is spiritual death.  Then the Father resurrected Jesus, and He lives today.  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will not perish, rather you will have eternal life with Jesus forever.
Hunter Irvine