Well, we heard rumors of snow all day yesterday, but not a single flake has fallen here in MN. Meanwhile, parts of Iowa and Illinios have had to shut down with over 12 inches on the ground. I guess we got lucky!
Today's discussion in the gospel's centered on the temptation of Jesus. This is a familiar passage for many, and yet today I was encouraged to see something for the first time. Our professor, who gets really amped about all these topics and starts to talk faster and faster, pointed out a startling fact about how Jesus responded to the temptations. As the devil himself comes to Jesus, a very rare personal appearance, he tempts him to turn stones to bread, throw himself from the temple, and bow before him. In each case Jesus is able to say a resounding NO.
What is shocking about this interaction, when you step back and think about it, is that Jesus never once pulls out his trump card. At no time during the entire interaction does he lay down the "I'm Jesus, the Son of God" card. He doesn't take the obvious way out and act superior to all the temptations. Instead, he resists quite simply by quoting Scripture.
This is encouraging stuff. Because, quite frankly, I don't have a trump card to play. I can't just walk away from something alluring by saying, "well, I'm divine, so see you later." Had Jesus done that, it would have been difficult to find much strength from this passage. But Jesus, in His humanity and in His humility, chose to rely on the Father and on His word.
You know what? I can do that. I can remember a few good Scripture verses and say them when I feel weak. I can pray to the Father and say, "Lord, help me." And I can stand with Jesus against the lure of the enemy.
And do you know what happened after Jesus said no the easy plans of Satan? He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. With purity comes power.
Walk in the Father's strength on your journey today,
Nick
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Getting Wet
Yesterday in class, we spent a good deal of time considering the meaning and implications of Jesus' baptism in the gospels. This baptism scene, which is discussed by all four gospel writers, has a particularly interesting twist in the book of Matthew.
In Matthew 3, we learn that John the Baptist is in the wilderness baptizing people "when they confessed their sins." So the baptism of John was connected to repentance and the forgiveness of sins. This presents a problem when Jesus comes and asks to be baptized. Does this suggest that Jesus had sin and needed to repent? John the Baptist himself saw this dilemma and said to Jesus, "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you." But Jesus says no. According the New Living Translation he says, "It must be done because we must do everything that is right." While this may be an accurate translation, we lose some significant wording. More literally, Jesus says that he must be baptized in order to 'fulfill all righteousness.'
Whatever this means, it is enough for John and he proceeds to baptize Jesus. This seems like an odd encounter, but remember- we have less than one percent of all Jesus said and did recorded for us. Matthew isn't wasting words here; he's communicating something to us. But what?
Now fast forward to Matthew 5. Here, Jesus is preaching his famous "sermon on the mount". Early on, he says that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And then he encourages his disciples that unless their righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, they can never enter God's Kingdom. We have the same two words used in a different context, but located in close proximity to Jesus' words in Matthew 3.
What is happening here? Jesus is presenting himself, and his life, as the righteousness that people need. Throughout Matthew 5, Jesus takes the known law (do not commit adultery) and extends it even further (if you look lustfully, you are committing adultery.) All of these laws are beyond our capability to live out. So is Jesus commanding something of us that is impossible to do? No! He's highlighting that he has come, and through His life, we are made right with God.
This goes back to an early theory of the atonement known as "recapitulation." I know, it's a big fancy word, but it just means that a big part of Jesus' work for us was to go back over all of human life and do it right. The reason he could give us right standing with God at the cross is because he had lived in right standing with God throughout his life.
What does this mean for us? It means that we celebrate not only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but that we celebrate his life as well. We can experience meaning in baptism because Jesus was baptized on our behalf. We have the power to live in God's way because Jesus did just that 2000 years ago. We can pray, and be married, and eat, and throw parties in a way that honors God because Jesus has lived a righteous life, and in so doing, he has given that righteousness to us.
For some of you, this was probably for more "heady" information than you cared for, but it was exciting to me to see how Matthew pulled these events together (the baptism and the sermon on the mount) to make a point for us. Jesus is our righteousness, and in His life, we can find real purpose for our own.
May you be blessed on your journey because of His life today,
Nick
In Matthew 3, we learn that John the Baptist is in the wilderness baptizing people "when they confessed their sins." So the baptism of John was connected to repentance and the forgiveness of sins. This presents a problem when Jesus comes and asks to be baptized. Does this suggest that Jesus had sin and needed to repent? John the Baptist himself saw this dilemma and said to Jesus, "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you." But Jesus says no. According the New Living Translation he says, "It must be done because we must do everything that is right." While this may be an accurate translation, we lose some significant wording. More literally, Jesus says that he must be baptized in order to 'fulfill all righteousness.'
Whatever this means, it is enough for John and he proceeds to baptize Jesus. This seems like an odd encounter, but remember- we have less than one percent of all Jesus said and did recorded for us. Matthew isn't wasting words here; he's communicating something to us. But what?
Now fast forward to Matthew 5. Here, Jesus is preaching his famous "sermon on the mount". Early on, he says that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And then he encourages his disciples that unless their righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, they can never enter God's Kingdom. We have the same two words used in a different context, but located in close proximity to Jesus' words in Matthew 3.
What is happening here? Jesus is presenting himself, and his life, as the righteousness that people need. Throughout Matthew 5, Jesus takes the known law (do not commit adultery) and extends it even further (if you look lustfully, you are committing adultery.) All of these laws are beyond our capability to live out. So is Jesus commanding something of us that is impossible to do? No! He's highlighting that he has come, and through His life, we are made right with God.
This goes back to an early theory of the atonement known as "recapitulation." I know, it's a big fancy word, but it just means that a big part of Jesus' work for us was to go back over all of human life and do it right. The reason he could give us right standing with God at the cross is because he had lived in right standing with God throughout his life.
What does this mean for us? It means that we celebrate not only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but that we celebrate his life as well. We can experience meaning in baptism because Jesus was baptized on our behalf. We have the power to live in God's way because Jesus did just that 2000 years ago. We can pray, and be married, and eat, and throw parties in a way that honors God because Jesus has lived a righteous life, and in so doing, he has given that righteousness to us.
For some of you, this was probably for more "heady" information than you cared for, but it was exciting to me to see how Matthew pulled these events together (the baptism and the sermon on the mount) to make a point for us. Jesus is our righteousness, and in His life, we can find real purpose for our own.
May you be blessed on your journey because of His life today,
Nick
Monday, February 04, 2008
Surviving Monday
After an all-night flight into Minneapolis, that's about all I hoped to do today. This was day one of two weeks at Bethel Seminary. My reflections on today will probably be limited as I close-up for shop for the day and try to improve on the hour or so of sleep I managed last night.
This week's class is on the The Gospels. We listened to several hours of introductory lectures as snow fell outside throughout the day. The big emphasis of this class will be understanding what the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) actually say, as opposed to what we would like them to say. In other words, we have a tendency to "read into" a passage and our goal this week is to become more skilled at "pulling out" the information in a passage. This comes from a variety of material- accurate understanding of history and culture, careful observance of the text, and diagramming sentences (I thought I had seen the last of this in the 7th grade, but evidently this rarely-used skill has some practical application!) in order to catch the heart of the author's message.
I will leave you today with one interesting insight I've been mulling on during this course. If Jesus had three years of public ministry, and averaged four hours a day of "recordable" activity (ministry, speaking, miracles, etc...), then our gospels give us less than one percent of all that Jesus said and did! Can you believe that? Can you be comfortable with that? We tend to view the gospels as a complete record of all that Jesus said and did, where in truth we are really just getting the highlights! In my mind, this makes me want to be more attentive to all the material that we do have. If we have one percent of all that Jesus said and did, then the gospel writer's must have had very specific reason's for including what they did. I get they idea they wouldn't waste verses if they were already leaving out the vast majority of stories, teachings, and miracles available to them.
I hope you'll take some time and interact with me this week! Don't be shy- it's okay to post a response, and whether you leave your real name or not, I will do my best to respond. My desire is that in this way, we can learn from one another.
Have a blessed week!
Nick
This week's class is on the The Gospels. We listened to several hours of introductory lectures as snow fell outside throughout the day. The big emphasis of this class will be understanding what the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) actually say, as opposed to what we would like them to say. In other words, we have a tendency to "read into" a passage and our goal this week is to become more skilled at "pulling out" the information in a passage. This comes from a variety of material- accurate understanding of history and culture, careful observance of the text, and diagramming sentences (I thought I had seen the last of this in the 7th grade, but evidently this rarely-used skill has some practical application!) in order to catch the heart of the author's message.
I will leave you today with one interesting insight I've been mulling on during this course. If Jesus had three years of public ministry, and averaged four hours a day of "recordable" activity (ministry, speaking, miracles, etc...), then our gospels give us less than one percent of all that Jesus said and did! Can you believe that? Can you be comfortable with that? We tend to view the gospels as a complete record of all that Jesus said and did, where in truth we are really just getting the highlights! In my mind, this makes me want to be more attentive to all the material that we do have. If we have one percent of all that Jesus said and did, then the gospel writer's must have had very specific reason's for including what they did. I get they idea they wouldn't waste verses if they were already leaving out the vast majority of stories, teachings, and miracles available to them.
I hope you'll take some time and interact with me this week! Don't be shy- it's okay to post a response, and whether you leave your real name or not, I will do my best to respond. My desire is that in this way, we can learn from one another.
Have a blessed week!
Nick
Friday, January 18, 2008
More Than Perfume
As a part of my devotional reading last week, I was directed to read through the story of John 12. I've been through this passage many times and never really found it all that significant personally. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. In the passage, a woman (Mary) takes a big bottle of perfume and dumps it all over Jesus' feet. Then, she uses her long hair to wipe them off. Whenever I read this passage, I can't help but think of how uncomfortable I would feel to either have this done to me, or be watching as it was done for someone else. It's a wonderfully artistic and beautiful picture of this woman's love for Jesus, yet it always strikes me as a little, well, "foofy".
As the story goes, Judas is the one watching this scene who become uncomfortable. He makes some complaint about not wasting the perfume, but selling and giving the money to the poor. He sounds noble and compassionate, but as the Bible tells us, he was really just a thief who wanted to embezzle some money for himself. Jesus, as we might guess, sides with the woman and tells Judas to back off; she has done a good thing.
What struck me as I read through the passage this time is how it sets two different approaches to Jesus side by side. Two different hearts, if you will. On the one side, you have Mary, who seems to be unconcerned with the value of her gift because she wants to do this wonderful thing for Jesus. On the other side, you have Judas, who is only thinking about what he could have gotten out of the deal if the perfume had been sold. The one came to give, the other wanted to get. The one came to be with Jesus and rest in His love. The other looked to use Jesus to further his own interests.
The humbling truth is that when I sit back and do some honest soul-searching, I find that more often than not, I land on Judas' side. Ok, I'm not embezzling money or anything like that, but I find it difficult to bring something to Jesus (my time, my focus, my life) simply for the fact that I love him. That's what Mary did. She brought what was valuable to her and dedicated it to Jesus. Not so that he could bless her, or give her success, or make her famous; she brought and expected nothing in return. This was an act of adoration. So often when I bring something valuable to Jesus, I'm quietly thinking about how I'll be better off because I've given it to Jesus. I think, in the back of my mind, "if I am faithful in tithing, God will bless my finances." "If I give my time to serving Jesus, he'll give me favor." "If I love people and preach well, God will advance my career."
All of those thoughts, at some level, may be true. I believe that God does bless us when we give. But after reading John 12, I couldn't help but think that when our motive for giving becomes about what we'll get, then we've lost sight of something very important. We've missed the beauty of giving to Jesus because He's worthy. We miss the opportunity to understand real love by demanding nothing in return. And we are in danger of, as Judas did, missing the heart of Jesus all together.
In your faith journey, may you know the blessedness of giving to Jesus and asking nothing in return, other than to know Him more.
Nick
As the story goes, Judas is the one watching this scene who become uncomfortable. He makes some complaint about not wasting the perfume, but selling and giving the money to the poor. He sounds noble and compassionate, but as the Bible tells us, he was really just a thief who wanted to embezzle some money for himself. Jesus, as we might guess, sides with the woman and tells Judas to back off; she has done a good thing.
What struck me as I read through the passage this time is how it sets two different approaches to Jesus side by side. Two different hearts, if you will. On the one side, you have Mary, who seems to be unconcerned with the value of her gift because she wants to do this wonderful thing for Jesus. On the other side, you have Judas, who is only thinking about what he could have gotten out of the deal if the perfume had been sold. The one came to give, the other wanted to get. The one came to be with Jesus and rest in His love. The other looked to use Jesus to further his own interests.
The humbling truth is that when I sit back and do some honest soul-searching, I find that more often than not, I land on Judas' side. Ok, I'm not embezzling money or anything like that, but I find it difficult to bring something to Jesus (my time, my focus, my life) simply for the fact that I love him. That's what Mary did. She brought what was valuable to her and dedicated it to Jesus. Not so that he could bless her, or give her success, or make her famous; she brought and expected nothing in return. This was an act of adoration. So often when I bring something valuable to Jesus, I'm quietly thinking about how I'll be better off because I've given it to Jesus. I think, in the back of my mind, "if I am faithful in tithing, God will bless my finances." "If I give my time to serving Jesus, he'll give me favor." "If I love people and preach well, God will advance my career."
All of those thoughts, at some level, may be true. I believe that God does bless us when we give. But after reading John 12, I couldn't help but think that when our motive for giving becomes about what we'll get, then we've lost sight of something very important. We've missed the beauty of giving to Jesus because He's worthy. We miss the opportunity to understand real love by demanding nothing in return. And we are in danger of, as Judas did, missing the heart of Jesus all together.
In your faith journey, may you know the blessedness of giving to Jesus and asking nothing in return, other than to know Him more.
Nick
Friday, December 14, 2007
Can vs. Should
A friend of mine recently told me about an experience she had in her college Bible class. The professor boldly stated that any single verse of Scripture could be used as the basis for a sermon. To prove his point, he went on to preach an entire sermon from one obscure verse in the Old Testament. I don't recall the exact verse, nor did she, but the essence of it was, "They went from here to there."
This story brought to mind an issue that I've been thinking about a great deal over the last several months. As we approach life, and even faith, we tend to ask the question, "Can I?" but rarely ask the follow up, "Should I?" Can you preach on one single obscure text of the Bible? Sure, I suppose anything is possible. But should you? Should you attempt to take an entire message out of a detail that is used to support a much larger narrative? I believe that all Scripture is given to us by God, but to me, that doesn't mean that every single bit of it has to say something to us. God communicates through the stories, and the verses make sense in the context which they are given. When we take them out of context, we twist the Word to say what we want it to say.
More than a moral question for preaching, however, I think this is an important idea for our approach to life. We are taught in the American Way to ask, "Can I?" Can I afford this large TV, can I afford a bigger home, can I get a bigger and better job? As long as the answer is yes, we feel like it's OK to move forward. But how often do we pause to say, "I can do this, but should I?" I can afford a larger TV, house, or job, but should I do it? Should I take on the payments? Should I commit to the longer work hours? Should I say yes when I know what impact it will have on other areas of my life?
For me, this brings up an important modification to human freedom. We prize being free, and sometimes we assume that because we're free, we CAN do whatever we'd like. But part of our freedom is an understanding that God has created us with limits; limits to our energy, limits to our money, limits to what gives life and health and what takes it away. As good Americans, we look at these limits as hurdles to be jumped on our way to great accomplishment. But could it be that God has given us limits in order that we might more fully enjoy our freedom? By understanding we have a limited supply of energy, we choose to say no to opportunities that will rob us of the energy we need to give to our families. By understanding our limits, we can turn down the bigger house because we're unwilling to sacrifice other freedoms. Limits are not bad- limits allow us to enjoy the freedoms that matter most to us.
May your journey this week reflect a wise discernment between "Can" and "Should".
Nick
This story brought to mind an issue that I've been thinking about a great deal over the last several months. As we approach life, and even faith, we tend to ask the question, "Can I?" but rarely ask the follow up, "Should I?" Can you preach on one single obscure text of the Bible? Sure, I suppose anything is possible. But should you? Should you attempt to take an entire message out of a detail that is used to support a much larger narrative? I believe that all Scripture is given to us by God, but to me, that doesn't mean that every single bit of it has to say something to us. God communicates through the stories, and the verses make sense in the context which they are given. When we take them out of context, we twist the Word to say what we want it to say.
More than a moral question for preaching, however, I think this is an important idea for our approach to life. We are taught in the American Way to ask, "Can I?" Can I afford this large TV, can I afford a bigger home, can I get a bigger and better job? As long as the answer is yes, we feel like it's OK to move forward. But how often do we pause to say, "I can do this, but should I?" I can afford a larger TV, house, or job, but should I do it? Should I take on the payments? Should I commit to the longer work hours? Should I say yes when I know what impact it will have on other areas of my life?
For me, this brings up an important modification to human freedom. We prize being free, and sometimes we assume that because we're free, we CAN do whatever we'd like. But part of our freedom is an understanding that God has created us with limits; limits to our energy, limits to our money, limits to what gives life and health and what takes it away. As good Americans, we look at these limits as hurdles to be jumped on our way to great accomplishment. But could it be that God has given us limits in order that we might more fully enjoy our freedom? By understanding we have a limited supply of energy, we choose to say no to opportunities that will rob us of the energy we need to give to our families. By understanding our limits, we can turn down the bigger house because we're unwilling to sacrifice other freedoms. Limits are not bad- limits allow us to enjoy the freedoms that matter most to us.
May your journey this week reflect a wise discernment between "Can" and "Should".
Nick
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