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 h-ll, 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

Scripture Love Blog

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