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 h-ll 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 h-ll, 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

Scripture Love Blog

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