The Bible The Lord Jesus And You

[Resource Manager]

Going Round in Circles

 

I wonder how many other people travel on the wrong bus. In spiritual terms I would guess it is quite a lot. Like us, they haven’t bothered to ask where it is going. They enjoy the rest and the view. They find church pleasant. They like the atmosphere, or the minister, or their circle of friends. Whether these things lead to God’s kingdom is a question they prefer to shelve.

 

Many receive their Bible teaching second hand. They have heard that the Bible is a difficult book. Trying to sort it out themselves would be hard work and demand a lot of effort. They would rather be told what they should believe.

 

There is a certain security in having answers to all the questions, too. It is human to like to think we know. Even if perhaps they are the wrong answers, it is comforting to have the problems all sewn up. If someone trained in theology tells us, human nature is often glad to accept what they say.

 

It was a little like that in the Lord’s day. The religious leaders, scribes and Pharisees, thought they had it all worked out. The man in the street could seldom read. Perhaps there was more excuse for him than for most today. He had little alternative but to accept what was said.

 

Yet the teaching of those leaders was going nowhere. They weren’t “leaders” at all really, for they had lost their way. The work of John the Baptist stood in sharp contrast to their teaching.

 

John was a cousin of Jesus, older by about six months. He too was part of God’s preparations for the work that Jesus had to do. God made John a prophet and inspired him to prepare the way for Jesus. He lived an austere life in the wilderness. He shunned the trappings and luxury of society to drive home his message. He spoke of the need for repentance and change.

 

He showed the Jews that they could not rely on being God’s people if they did not keep His laws. They were trading on a reputation. They felt they were alright because they were Jews, part of a chosen race. John showed that salvation is a personal thing. They needed to repent, to be sorry for their past sins. They needed to live God’s ways.

 

Ordinary people, tax collectors and soldiers all felt the sharp edge of John’s tongue. Many wanted to start afresh and were baptised. The religious leaders were not. They did not feel the need to change. Though condemned by John they brazened it out, unwilling to humble themselves. They took refuge in mocking John and criticising his work.

 

As men responsible for the religious life of the nation, they had a duty to consider what he said. They had an obligation to test the message of any prophet. They then had to decide whether he was true or false. They rejected John, but only because he spoke against them. Even the people could see that he was a true prophet.

 

When, a little later, Jesus began his teaching, he talked of John. He said that John the Baptist was a witness to the fact that God had sent him.

 

The religious leaders questioned Jesus about his authority. They asked him what right he had to teach and do the things he did in the temple. Jesus answered by asking them a question.

[Resource Manager]

A Difficult Question

 

He asked them about the baptism of John. By this Jesus meant John’s authority to preach and baptise. He was asking the scribes and elders who they thought commissioned John. Was it “from heaven or from men”? Was it God who had told John to do that work, or was it just someone’s idea?

 

The leaders were embarrassed. If they admitted that John was a prophet, Jesus would ask why they had taken no notice of him. They had not believed John, nor been baptised by him. They dare not say that God had inspired him or sent him.

 

At the same time, they dare not say that John was not a true prophet. There was a crowd there. Many, if not most, of that crowd had accepted John as a prophet. They had confessed their sins and been baptised. Lamely, the elders pretended not to know the answer.

 

Yet Jesus had made the answer plain enough. John the Baptist was the herald of Jesus, a forerunner. Whoever sent John must also have sent Jesus. Whoever gave John his authority gave Jesus the right to speak his message too. If John was a prophet of God, as he was, then Jesus too was sent from God.

 

The Old Testament had said:‑

 

“‘Behold, I send my messenger, And he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord, whom ye seek, Will suddenly come to his temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, he is coming; Says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming,’ And who can stand when he appears?” (Malachi 3:1‑2)

 

Already the leaders had suffered the blistering rebukes of John. Now they were to have their hypocrisy exposed by the Lord Jesus. They would not be able to stand when he began to cut through their empty traditions. Their wickedness would be revealed, their pride condemned. Those who followed them were going nowhere. Jesus was the one able to lead them in the way of truth.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 20

 

IF you are a parent you may know the worry of losing a child. It may be in a large store or a park. Perhaps it is simply that the child has not come home at the time expected. Only another parent can appreciate the anxiety this can cause.

 

It begins with repeated glances at the clock and out of the window. Then you go outside to see if there is any sign of them. You go over in your mind the instructions you gave before they left. You consider what they said and any clue as to why they are late.

 

The mind begins to run riot on all kinds of possibilities which you dismiss. They are unreasonable. Common sense tries to convince you that a perfectly simple explanation must exist.

 

As time goes on and you begin to get sick with worry, you may seek neighbours to question. You may begin some kind of search. When the child suddenly turns up, however, the worry disappears. It is immediately replaced by anger. Relief gives way to a good scolding of the child and perhaps a good hiding too!

 

We know nothing of Jesus’ childhood except for one incident when he was lost. There are many silly traditions and suppositions about his early life. The Bible is silent, however, save for this one event.

 

Lost in the Temple

 

Jesus was twelve. As the custom was, his parents took him to Jerusalem. It was his first opportunity to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover there.

 

It was on the way home afterwards that Mary and Joseph first missed Jesus. They had assumed that he was with others of their party. It must have been with some horror that they discovered he was not.

 

Searching for a small boy in a large city is no easy task. It was three days before they found him. He was in the temple listening eagerly and asking questions. Mary at once chided her son:‑

 

“Son, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have sought you anxiously.”

 

Twelve years had led her to forget in that instant that Jesus was not Joseph’s son. The reply was right:‑

 

“Why is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:48‑49)

 

Not Lost ‑ At Home

 

Jesus was not lost. God was his Father. The temple was God’s house. Jesus was “at home” there. It was where he belonged. He was busy in his Father’s business.

 

Scripture is silent again about the next eighteen years. It tells us only that Jesus was humbly obedient.

 

“Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them... And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.” (Luke 2:51‑52)

 

At around thirty, Jesus began his work for God. It was the age that a priest could begin work in the temple. Jesus’ work would make him the only effective priest for the world. No‑one else should bear that title now. The sacrifice that Jesus was to offer was himself.

 

Jesus was aware from a very early time of the need to die. He came to John the Baptist to begin his ministry by being baptised in the River Jordan.

 

Jesus had no sin to be forgiven. John felt that Jesus really ought to be baptising him. Jesus said his own baptism was necessary to “fulfil all righteousness”. John and Jesus went down into the water together.

 

In this way Jesus began a life devoted to pleasing God. For him, baptism was a promise to do God’s will. Even though it would eventually mean death, Jesus was promising his Father that he would do His will all the way to the cross.

[Resource Manager]

Dying in Water

 

In the Bible, baptism is a symbol of death and burial. Obviously, therefore, it involves being totally immersed beneath the water. It is the way in which we die with Christ. Jesus said that anyone who wanted to be a disciple of his had to do this. We have each to take up the cross if we want to follow him. We have to die to the past by going down into the water and being buried in it. Then, a split second later, we rise to live a life devoted to God. Jesus has set us this example.

 

The first miracle of Jesus points the same way. He was at a wedding when the wine ran out. Jesus turned water into wine. That is what his life was about. Jesus was baptised in water to fulfil righteousness. Wine is a symbol of his blood. He died to do God’s will. Fulfilling righteousness was the anticipation of his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, “not my will, but yours, be done”.

 

Jesus gave his life. He did not only give it up by his willingness to die. He gave his whole life, every moment of it, to the will of God.

 

It was with this attitude that he went into the wilderness. At his baptism there had been the voice of God:‑

 

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

 

With that voice Jesus had received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Jesus was not like others whom God had sent. The prophets of the Old Testament had been inspired. They were moved by God’s Holy Spirit power at certain times. They were made to say certain things, speaking God’s word. At other times they were ordinary men, living ordinary lives.

 

Our Lord was not moved by the Spirit on occasions only. He was given the spirit to use as he chose. John said that it “remained” on him. Luke says that it led him into the wilderness. It was part of God’s purpose, then, that Jesus should be tested.

 

In The Wilderness

 

The tests were all concerned with the misuse of that power. With unlimited resources at his disposal, Jesus must have felt those temptations keenly. He could so easily have satisfied his own hunger. It would seem so reasonable to do some heroic act that would make everyone accept his leadership. Why not use his power to assume world rulership and put everything right at once?

 

The answer was that the power was not for use for himself. Such motives would be selfish and sinful. He may rule the world, but he would then become part of it. He would be unable to save the world. Instead he would then be ruled by the world’s way of thinking. Human thinking is the Satan, the adversary to God’s will.

 

Sin needed a sacrifice. Jesus was prepared to sacrifice his own will to do God’s. He was prepared even to sacrifice his life.

 

It was in this way that he answered the temptations. He used the Bible (our Old Testament). He looked at things from God’s point of view. He brought his own desires into line with God’s will. He fought self. He did not give in to sin. He used his power to glorify his Father.

 

Jesus found the right use of his power in the miracles which he performed. These were a witness to the fact that he spoke God’s word.

 

“... for the works which the Father has given me to finish ‑ the very works that I do ‑bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me.” (John 5:36)

[Resource Manager]

Four Witnesses

 

Here Jesus shows that there were four witnesses to demonstrate that he was the promised Messiah:‑

 

a) God’s word through Moses in the Old Testament would identify him.

b) God’s prophet, John the Baptist, had pointed him out.

c) God’s voice at Jesus’ baptism had acknowledged him.

d) God’s power in the miracles proved it too.

 

The miracles which appear later in the New Testament are similar. They were done by the apostles. In reality, however, it was Jesus who was working through the apostles. It was his work which the apostles were continuing after the Lord had gone to heaven.

 

The miracles were a demonstration of the truth of what they taught. The New Testament had not been written at that stage. Someone may have asked how they could be sure that what the apostles preached was true. How could they know that what they said about Jesus was right? The apostles could demonstrate that God was with them by the miracles. God would not support impostors. Holy spirit gifts proved the truth of what they said.

 

Later these gifts appear to have died out. We only ever hear of the earliest apostles and Paul being able to pass on the gifts. They would therefore last only a generation after these apostles died. This is consistent with what the apostles said:

 

“But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)

 

A Simple Test of Truth

 

If, today, we are asked about the truth of what men preach, we must test it by the Bible. The Bible was written by men who were themselves moved by the Holy Spirit. We should therefore treat with care and suspicion those who claim to possess Holy Spirit powers. today. Especially this is true if their teaching does not agree with what the Bible says. There are many who claim to be guided by the spirit but who yet differ from one another!

 

The miracles Jesus performed were done for a variety of reasons. Sometimes he healed because he had compassion on the sick. His heart went out to those who were suffering. Sometimes it was specifically to show the power and glory of God. Jesus wanted men to know and worship God. Sometimes it was because people asked to be healed in faith. Jesus was impressed when he found faith and trust in his Father.

 

Jesus did not say that faith was essential before the miracle could work, however. The failure of modern faith healers is often blamed on a lack of faith in those wanting healing. That was never the case with Jesus. No‑one was ever half healed!

 

The miracles Jesus performed also proved his power and ability to forgive sins. What Jesus did for men and women physically, he can do for us in spiritual ways too. This is even more important.

 

When Jesus healed the blind man, it showed that he is able to help us see the way of salvation. Jesus healed the lame. He can teach us to walk ‑ in God’s ways. Jesus healed the unclean spirit, or epilepsy. He can help us put aside our unbalanced attitudes and foolishness. Jesus raised the dead. He is able to take away our sins so that we may live in God’s sight.

 

The miracles of Jesus demonstrate his power. It is a power still by which he can help us. We need to come to him through his teaching and the scriptures. We need to ask his help in prayer and express our faith in baptism. We then can be healed. We can follow him.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 21

 

TWO coffee mugs stood side by side on adjacent desks. It happened every day. Alistair and I faced each other across desks that met. When we had each drunk our coffee the empty mugs stood next to each other waiting to be washed.

 

Neither of us spoke about them. Both of us were busy. Perhaps each of us was secretly willing the other to make the first move. It would be obviously discourteous to take just one mug when both stood together. It would look rude to wash only my own. I had no objection to washing both sometimes. Yet I was afraid that, if I volunteered, I would end up with the job permanently! Alistair might just let me go on doing it and then I would be the mug!

 

Alistair and I never discussed the situation, but I suspect he sometimes felt the same. Neither of us wanted to take the job on and be stuck with it. Eventually I decided that I ought to be more helpful. I took Alistair’s mug and washed them both. The following day I did the same. Very soon, Alistair began getting up promptly to wash the mugs. Perhaps he would have felt guilty to let me go on doing it. Whatever the reason, we shared the job from then on. No‑one felt that they were being taken advantage of.

 

It may not work out as happily as that every time. That is why some feel that the teaching of the Lord Jesus will not work. They maintain that the sermon on the mount is just not practical today. They are afraid that, if they try to operate its principles, they will be “taken for a ride”.

 

The teaching of Jesus, however, is that it doesn’t matter. Would it have made any real difference if I had been stuck with the mugs every day? Is it of such great importance if people do put on us? Jesus’ teaching is that we should treat it as of little consequence now. It is of consequence to God how His children are treated. It is of even greater consequence to Him how they endure that treatment. Jesus accepted it. He urged others to follow his example.

 

A New Way to Live

 

This is criticised and discouraged by the majority today. The characteristics most admired are not those which the Lord Jesus urged. Look at the following list, part of the teaching of Jesus in the sermon on the mount:‑

 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit...

Blessed are those who mourn...

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

Blessed are the merciful...

Blessed are the pure in heart...

Blessed are the peacemakers...

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake...” (Matthew 5:3‑10)

 

Judging from prevailing attitudes today, this list is either rejected or ignored. In the world’s view poverty of any kind is to be pitied and remedied. Meekness is despised. It means giving in and reflects weakness. Making peace is alright provided it is on the right terms and no‑one loses face.

[Resource Manager]

Getting on in Life?

 

Instead of Jesus’ teaching, we are taught to admire the man who is so confident, determined and strong. Today’s hero is the one who can drive the fastest, shoot the straightest and play the hardest. Fighting for your rights, getting your own back, aggressive and selfish ideals, are what men expect. It is those who stand up for themselves who are most respected.

 

Yet retaliation never fosters good relations. It only breeds greater hatred. Extremes beget extremes. Opposing ideas are apt to push the parties further and further apart. Only the willingness to make concessions, or to accept wrong can break the chain.

 

This is exactly where the teaching of Jesus leads. It shows that we show be prepared to suffer wrong. In the end it is of little importance whether or n( we are taken advantage of. God knows our circumstances. He will see that justice is done in His own good time.

 

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44)

 

Loving enemies then is not so outrageous as sometimes it is made to sound It may sometimes result in further suffering. It may sometimes shame the opposition and turn an enemy into a friend.

In this attitude God is Himself the supreme example.

 

“that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect” (grown up, mature in your attitudes) “just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:45‑48)

 

This is why Jesus said that peacemakers would be called sons of God. God Himself is the great peacemaker. It is those who seek to be like Him that He wants.

 

God Will Act

 

This does not mean that enemies will get away with it for ever. It is shown elsewhere in this book that God will judge them. His principles for judgment are eternal. What this does mean is that it is not our prerogative to judge and condemn others. In so doing we shall stand condemned ourselves.

 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:1)

 

This instruction does not mean that we have no judgments to make. The Christian must be discerning. He must weigh things up. He needs to differentiate between right and wrong. The sermon on the mount is also about the choices that we need to make.

 

Jesus helps us to appreciate true values. He speaks of earthly treasures or of setting our hearts on more lasting things. He speaks of being motivated by greed and money, or of making God the vital force in our lives. He speaks of basing our lives on the sands of uncertainty, or of being firmly based on the rock of his unchanging standards. He speaks of going with the crowd along the broad way, or of being part of a minority on the narrow road of truth.

 

People were astonished at his teaching. Jesus did not pass opinions like the scribes. He did not quote Rabbis and traditions. There was no waffle in his answers. Jesus knew God’s will. He spoke with authority, the authority of God whose word it was.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 22

 

OCCASIONALLY, in the course of my work, I visit an area where houses are being demolished. It is not uncommon to find the remains of one house joined to a property left standing. Up against a gable wall will be evidence of a fireplace now gone. There may be a chimney breast still tastefully wallpapered, but exposed to the weather. It looks strangely out of place outside. It was once a part of someone’s home. It feels strange to discover something so private. Even though it is only part of a derelict site, it is a little piece of someone’s life laid bare.

 

Yet our lives are always laid bare before God. He sees into the darkest corners of our hearts. Even things we would have kept secret are open and known to Him. We may sometimes wonder how God regards us. What does He see in our lives? How do we look to Him?

 

Parables are designed to help us see ourselves from God’s point of view. When King David had sinned, God sent the prophet Nathan to speak to him. Nathan knew that he would get nowhere by confronting David with his sin. Instead, he told him a story. A rich man with great flocks received an honoured guest. To entertain this guest he did not take a lamb from his own very large flocks. Instead he took the only ewe lamb of a poor servant and killed that.

 

Self Condemned

 

King David was angry. He felt this was a mean and despicable act. He immediately pronounced his judgment on the man who would do such a thing. He ought to die. Then the prophet turned the tables on him. “You are the man,” he said.

 

David could see the matter so clearly when he thought he was not involved. He was able, through the parable, to see himself from a third party standpoint. He was able to see himself as he appeared to God. He was able to judge fairly and had condemned himself.

 

This is how parables work. They help us to stand outside ourselves and to look at ourselves objectively. Sometimes we are too close to a situation to make reasoned decisions about it. Maybe we do not see the whole picture. We make allowances for ourselves. Because we are involved, our judgments are prejudiced.

[Resource Manager]

The Parable of the Devil

 

What the Bible says about the devil is a sort of parable too. There does not exist any fallen angel in opposition to God. God is supreme. Angels cannot sin. Those who believe in fallen angels rely on verses snatched out of context and misapplied. They take sections of Revelation, the last book, and apply them to the Genesis story. This is no way to treat the Bible.

 

Yet the Bible does speak of a devil, a blasphemer, and about a satan, one who opposes God. It does not do this so that we may have someone else to blame for our sins. It does this to help us appreciate how wicked we all are. It wants us to see ourselves as God sees us. It wants us to know how easily we can deceive ourselves. We have a tremendous battle on our hands to overcome our own human nature. Jesus said:‑

 

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,..” (Mark 7:21)

 

The parable pictures of the devil are there to bring home how serious a fight we must wage. It is vital that we overcome our own natural desires if we are to please God.

 

Jesus often used parables in his teaching. He was able to use graphic illustrations from everyday life in which people could identify themselves. From those he helped men and women to see the real issues in their lives, as they appear to God.

 

The parable of the good Samaritan tells of the victim of a vicious attack. Those who might have been expected to help did not. A stranger who had no reason to be kind was the one who took pity on him. The story invites us to make comparisons.

 

We would all like to feel that we would behave as the good Samaritan. In practice we do not. We so often pass by the good things that we could do. We refuse to help because we see no reason why we should. Jesus makes our obligations plain. He presses home the point when he says, “Go and do likewise”.

 

The parable of the sower is also well known. The seed of the gospel falls on different kinds of earth. On some it takes root and grows well. On others it cannot take root, or it cannot find water. For one reason or another it never matures and yields a harvest.

[Resource Manager]

Looking at Ourselves

 

Jesus’ words invite self‑examination. They demand that we overhaul the stony places of our hearts and root out the weeds from our lives. Only then can the gospel take effect in our lives.

 

These vivid pictures of the parables help us in a way that words would not. They present the lesson clearly so that we may appreciate its truth. Then there dawns the realisation that each of us must make the application to ourselves.

 

It is here that the audience begins to disappear. Applying these things can be most uncomfortable. Yet it was for this reason that Jesus used parables. Then, as now, they often sifted his hearers. Some were willing to listen, but could not see that it had anything to do with them. It was always about the other fellow.

 

It was those with “ears to hear” that Jesus sought. He wanted people prepared to listen and own the truth of what he said. He was looking for people of understanding, willing to consider his message and act on it.

 

“Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, Their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their heart and turn, So that I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:13‑15)

 

There are many other parables in Scripture of course. Some portray different aspects of the kingdom of God. Some are not told, but are acted out in the lives of men and women. Their purpose is always the same, however. It is that we should seek out the deeper significance for ourselves. Those who seek, God will bless and they will find. It just requires ears that really want to hear.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 23

 

“WELL I think God is a nice kind old man. He has white hair and a long beard and a lovely smile.”

 

This child’s view of God, or something very like it, was revealed in a book¹ some years ago. I have heard young children say similar things in Sunday School. Perhaps you have too.

 

Sadly, even in adults, this picture of God is all too common. It may be expressed with more sophistication. The same idea of God as a benevolent old man is still there however. It has led to a great deal of sentimentality in religion. It has led also to a lot of “sloppy” thinking.

 

It is not surprising, then, that many regard Jesus in a similar sort of way. Another book² I recall reading many years ago set out to correct some wrong impressions. The author confessed that his early picture of Jesus was based on something he had seen on his Sunday School wall. It gave the impression of a weak, soft figure clad in what looked like a long nightdress. Later he came to appreciate that such was not the true Jesus at all.

 

The Real Jesus

 

The Jesus of the gospels was no weakling. Gentle and loving he was. With this side of his character were blended strength and toughness too.

 

Joseph had been a carpenter. At one point in the gospels Jesus too is described in that way. The tools of those days were heavy. It would take great strength and skill to wield them and use them successfully.

 

Jesus was fit. He walked many miles to and fro. He worked hard amongst the people. The long days drained his energy. He sometimes went without sleep, spending whole nights in prayer. He had little privacy or rest. On occasions, there was scarcely time to eat.

 

His teaching was challenging. His voice carried authority. When he cleansed the temple, no‑one resisted him or got in his way. Soldiers sent to arrest him returned empty handed. “No man ever spoke like this man;” was their lame excuse.

 

-------

¹ Teenage Religion by Harold Loukes

 

² The Man Nobody Knows by Bruce Barton

[Resource Manager]

Misleading Pictures

 

More modern ideas present Jesus in a different way. He is the champion of the vagrants, the leader of reactionaries. This too is misleading. Jesus did not come with a social gospel. He was not a superstar. He came to show people a better way.

 

It is his strength of purpose more than his physique or his manner that we should‑admire. It is the fortitude with which he met scorn and ridicule. It is the way in which, unflinchingly, he faced the cross. The prophets had foretold his suffering.

 

Yet his determination never wavered.

 

Even quite early in his ministry, Jesus had experienced rejection. He had visited Nazareth. At first he had received an enthusiastic reception. People had heard of his teaching and miracles. Men like to be associated with a hero. They welcomed him and pressed home the fact that he had grown up in their town.

 

As Jesus began to talk, they were pleasantly surprised by his words. When, however, he began to say that they would be unwilling to receive his teaching, they changed. They quickly became opposed. When he showed that God had turned to the Gentiles in the past, they became angry.

 

Jesus said that they would use a proverb against him. It was “Physician, heal yourself!”. They led him out to the top of the hill on which Nazareth was built. They had intended to throw him over as they did with criminals. Jesus, however, escaped. His words were prophetic though. At the cross they threw those words back at him. “He saved others; himself he cannot save.” In effect they were repeating the proverb, Saviour, save thyself.

 

Despite the experience of Nazareth, Jesus did not turn away‑from Jerusalem. Luke’s gospel shows that he “steadfastly set his face” to go there. It is this courage and determination that makes the picture of a pale and sickly figure so unsuitable. It is his isolation from the crowd that makes the idea of a hero of the masses so untrue.

 

Yet there was much more to the Lord than strong resolution only. People came to him with different needs. Whatever their need was, it was met and answered in Jesus. No‑one ever came to the Lord and found him too busy. None was ever asked to make an appointment or turned away.

 

Living Water

 

Take, for example, the woman of Samaria. The disciples had left Jesus by the well. He was tired and hungry and they had gone to buy food in the village. The woman came to draw water. She must have been amazed when Jesus spoke to her. It was not usual for a man to talk to a woman in public. It was very unusual for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan. Yet Jesus did. He cut through the customs of the time to meet a need.

 

Jesus told her that she would have to draw that water again, and again, and again. He had the fountain of eternal life. The woman was naturally curious and interested. In the conversation that followed, her sorry life was brought into the open.

 

She had been married a number of times, but now lived with a man who was not her husband. She was ashamed and tried to change the subject. Without having to be told, Jesus knew her past. He could not condone it. Those were not the Lord’s standards. Things of that kind cannot be glossed over or swept under the carpet. They are wrong.

 

Yet they can be put right. The woman went away to tell others that she had found someone who could tell all that ever she did! All that she had done was no sweet story! It brought others though, who also could see in Jesus a saviour. He is the one who can save from the ways of our world, its foolish habits, its topsy‑turvy values. He is the only one who can save. If we want to get out of the trough of our sinful ways, Jesus can help.

[Resource Manager]

The Curse of Leprosy

 

Or take the leper as another example. Here was a man not sunk in the mire of immorality, but just as wretched. A loathsome disease clinging to his skin had made this man an outcast. He was unclean, lonely, living a life of total misery. He may have been like that for years, no‑one daring to touch him. He had no‑one to give him a loving embrace, much less the warmth of a family or home.

 

Yet Jesus touched him. He could cleanse the leper and he did. Putting out his hand he touched the man. He restored his flesh, but he did much more than that. He restored the man to society and to life. Jesus can save us from hopelessness if we will trust in his word. If we feel isolated, lonely or despised, Jesus can help.

 

There is no sin so great that Jesus cannot cleanse and save you. There is no place so far away that Jesus cannot reach out and restore you. You must come in faith that he can help. You must learn of him through his word and obey his teaching.

 

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

 

The Problem of Riches

 

At the other end of the scale was the rich young ruler. He was the man who had everything. If eternal life could be earned then he would have that too for he was a very good man. He ticked off mentally the milestones of his life, yet still felt a need. “What else must I do?” he asked the Lord.

 

The answer was hard. His need was for sacrifice. “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor...” said the Lord. Life is not complete without personal sacrifice. It is not about possessions as so many seem to think. God’s kingdom cannot be earned. We shall always feel that life is lacking something until we see the need to give. Jesus is able to supply the thing our lives are missing. If we are conscious that, despite everything, happiness still eludes us, Jesus can help.

 

Saul of Tarsus was a brilliant scholar. He was schooled in the law and energetic in living it. He was so certain that he was right. His meeting with the Lord was very late. It was after Jesus had ascended to heaven that he appeared to Saul on the Damascus Road.

 

Saul was “kicking against the goads”, like a stubborn animal fighting its master. He was wildly persecuting the early believers, wrestling against truth and logic. He had need of that dramatic vision to stop him in his tracks. Saul became Paul. Jesus can save us from the folly of self‑will. If conscience tells us that we have been trying to swim against the tide of truth, Jesus can help.

 

These illustrations show that Jesus can change lives, quietly or dramatically. Perhaps your need is to give yourself to his will. Perhaps your need is to stop fighting and face up to the Bible.

 

Jesus was not soft. True Christians are not spineless. If we can see our need of him, the Lord’s own life presents a real challenge. He is powerful, to save.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 24

 

IT was the most beautiful tree imaginable. Its branches were completely covered with green leaves and flowers of every colour. I had never seen anything quite like it before. I turned with awe to the man responsible for the garden. His mischievous grin made me postpone questions about the tree’s variety. I looked again.

 

The flowers were all different kinds. The leaves were different too. This was no real tree at all! The grower strode over and removed one of the hanging baskets. “It was completely dead;” he said, “but it seemed a shame to dig it out. We left the stump and the main branches there, and hung these on it.”

 

Sure enough, the tree was just dead sticks. The leaves and flowers were a series of cleverly concealed baskets giving it its beauty.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ found the nation of Israel a bit like that. He once told a parable about a fig tree that would not bear fruit. The tree was a symbol of God’s people. They professed belief, but did not live it. Their lives were fruitless as far as God was concerned.

 

“He also spoke this parable: ‘A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, “Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?”‘“ (Luke 13:6‑7)

 

The three years were those of the Lord’s ministry. Quite early in his teaching Jesus had shown the need for change by cleansing the temple. It was a feast time. The custom of people at that feast was to springclean their houses. This was done so that they could keep the law to have no ordinary bread in their homes. It was a time when they ate only a flat bread made without yeast.

 

A Polluted Temple

 

Jesus came to the temple which was God’s house. He found that there were a lot of things wrong there. The birds and animals sold for sacrifices were not of the best. They could only be bought with special temple currency. Some were apparently cheating in the changing of money too.

 

Jesus “springcleaned” the temple. He drove them out. He gave them a commandment too.

 

“Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (John 2:16)

 

The parable of the fig tree which Jesus told shows that three years had made little difference. In God’s view, there had been little change. The money changers and the animal sellers were all back in their places. Once again the temple looked more like a market than a place for worship.

 

In his parable, the Lord had depicted himself as pleading with the owner. He wanted to make one last attempt with the barren tree. This was the last six months of his ministry. He appears to have worked for three and a half years.

[Resource Manager]

Cleansed by the Lord

 

Then in the last week before his crucifixion, Jesus cleansed the temple again. He came to the city from the village of Bethany. On the way he saw a fig tree full of leaves. Although it was not the time for figs to ripen, on this tree none had even set. The leaves looked fine, but there was not a sign of any fruit. It promised so much and yielded so little. Jesus cursed the tree:‑

 

“Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” (Mark 11:14)

 

In the temple at Jerusalem he found the same problems as previously. He drove everyone out. This time, however, there was no commandment. The opportunity for repentance was past. It was too late for Israel now. Instead he said:­

 

“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’.” (Mark 11:17)

 

So much was this true that the house was no longer fit for God. A little later Jesus said:

 

“See! Your house is left to you desolate;” (Matthew 23:38)

 

A Withered Tree

 

The following morning Jesus and the disciples again came into the city from Bethany. It was Peter who noticed that the fig tree had already withered away. It was a miracle. Normally, it is the leaves of a tree that die first. However, this tree had withered from the roots. The fate of the nation was sealed. They had refused to bear fruit in their lives that would honour God. Destruction was now the only remedy for their sin.

 

Jesus told his disciples about this in what is called the Olivet Prophecy. It is easy to forget that Jesus was a prophet. In reality he was the greatest of all the prophets. He foretold many things including his own death. His prophecy made on the mount of Olives foretold the destruction of Jerusalem. It also told of events still to happen long afterwards.

 

The disciples had been pointing out the beauty of the temple. They must have been shocked by the Lord’s reply:

 

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2)

 

Jesus went on to tell them what things to expect. He spoke first of persecution for them as the result of their preaching. Then he said that Jerusalem would be ringed with armies. When that happened, he warned that they should flee.

 

You may wonder how they could flee if the city was surrounded. The words of Jesus came true. The Romans besieged the city, but then retired for a short period. Faithful followers would then remember their Lord’s words and escape. Then the Romans returned and Jerusalem was destroyed.

[Resource Manager]

The Overthrow of Jerusalem

 

That destruction was the end of the Jewish nation. A few Jews held out in a fortress to the south for a further fifty years or so. The nation, however, was scattered. They had been given every chance to repent. They had not done so. Instead they had killed the Messiah that God had sent. These had been the last days of Jewish opportunity.

 

Now the gospel would be preached to non‑Jews. The Gentiles would have their opportunity to respond to God’s word. Jesus’ words span more than 1900 years of history:‑

 

“And they” (Jews) “will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

 

Notice that word “until”. The time of opportunity for the other nations is also limited. It is not an indefinite period. Indeed there is evidence to suggest that they have now reached their “last days” too. Jesus had given his first century disciples signs to look for. He gives us an indication of what to expect too.

 

First he speaks of the state of our world:­-

 

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” (Luke 21:25‑26)

 

Then Jesus speaks again of the fig tree. This time he speaks of it beginning to bud and burst into leaf. We have seen how Jesus used the fig tree to stand for Israel. We know that the Jews were scattered in AD 70. In this century, Jews have reassembled in what used to be called Palestine. In 1948 it was declared the State of Israel. The words of Jesus have come true within the last forty years or so.

 

More and More Trees

 

Jesus speaks also of “all the trees”. Many other nations have also sprung up during that period. Many places have been given independence or have declared themselves a republic. What Jesus prophesied is still coming true.

 

This means that we are living in the “last days”. Do I hear you ask: “Last days before what?” They will end with the coming of Jesus:‑

 

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:27)

 

The nation of Israel we know today must yet be humbled. It will finally accept its Messiah.

 

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for him as one grieves for a first­ born.” (Zechariah 12:10)

 

The work of Jesus will not have been in vain for them. For us, however, there is also the need to prepare for his coming. Jesus rounded off his prophecy with the need for personal preparation. Bible readers are often divided over the precise programme of events. God’s timetable is not revealed in every detail. Exactly how the events will unfold is something for discussion.

 

We are foolish if we miss the point, however. These prophecies are given to help us. Getting lost in debating them is no help. The vital question is whether or not the teaching of Jesus has made us ready to meet him.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 25

 

THE family had arrived back from the falconry centre. Excitedly they began to tell me about their visit. Among the interesting things they had seen was an owl with only one leg. I forget the kind of owl it was. It was one which only hunts for food as and when it needs to eat. It may not eat for several days and so will lose weight. This loss in body weight is the mechanism which triggers its instinct to hunt again.

 

It was not hard to imagine that, through an accident, this owl had become very vulnerable. The loss of a limb had upset the balance of its life in more ways than one. Its instincts were not running true. It was disorientated. It didn’t know when to hunt or eat. Left out in the wild it would certainly have died. In captivity it was fed, healthy and safe.

 

The disciples were often very vulnerable without Jesus. Early in his ministry Jesus had chosen twelve disciples. From those who followed him, these were to be specially close and with him all the time.

 

Choosing Twelve

 

Jesus chose them carefully. He spent many hours in prayer first. He wanted the choice to be his Father’s. Among them would be one who would eventually I betray his master.

 

The disciples were far from perfect. They had many faults. They argued I amongst themselves. They even debated who was the greatest while Jesus was still with them! They let him down. Yet they were company and help to him.

 

“But you are those who have continued with me in my trials.” (Luke 22:28)

 

Matthew had been a tax collector. He would be hated by most Jews and regarded as a traitor. He collected the taxes for Rome. It was a job that was usually very lucrative through extortion.

 

Simon had been a zealot. They were rebels, anxious to overthrow the Romans. They wanted to regain control of their own country and destiny.

 

Peter and several others were fishermen. They were simple and trusting, but rugged and strong. They all had this in common that they had left everything to follow Jesus.

 

They were all teachable too. They had been chosen with a very great work in mind. They did not know it then, but they were to be trained for a most important destiny.

 

“Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit everlasting life.” (Matthew 19:28‑29)

 

The words disciple and discipline are closely related. This is what their calling was about. They had much to learn. They were to be trained for the kingdom of God. Men hardened and set in their ways would have been no use.

 

Peter had been out fishing all night when Jesus first called him. He had caught nothing. Jesus told him to try again and a miraculous haul of fish was the result. If Peter had doubted whether Jesus knew anything about fish, his doubts were removed. He felt inadequate in the presence of this one who appeared to know all things.

 

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;” (Luke 5:8‑9)

 

Jesus did not depart. Peter and the others learnt that Jesus was able to supply their need. The ferocity of the storm on the Sea of Galilee made them afraid. They woke their sleeping master in panic. They marvelled at his faith and power in stilling the wind and calming the sea. Fear was replaced by confidence, as long as he was with them.

[Resource Manager]

Where Else Shall We Go?

 

Later, when others found the going too hard, Jesus gave the twelve the chance to leave him. It was Peter who, this time, would not depart from his Lord:‑

 

“Then Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” (John 6:68)

 

Peter knew they could not just “go”. It was unthinkable that they should drift. Life needs an anchor, a destination. They must have somewhere or someone to go to. For them that destination was Jesus Christ.

 

There were times when being a disciple of Jesus was hard. The crowd were often enthusiastic about Jesus’ work and the disciples glad to be involved. At other times Jesus’ teaching and actions brought them into contact with the Jewish authorities.

 

For example, Jesus’ attitude to the sabbath caused them problems. Jesus did not break the sabbath, though many felt he did. He showed men its true purpose. He showed that it was the best day of all for doing God’s work. He often chose the sabbath for the work of healing and salvation. It was the day that pointed forward to the “rest” from sin that Jesus would obtain. In Jesus the sabbath was fulfilled. He is our rest and the sabbath no longer needs to be kept.

 

Yet the religious leaders of those days murmured at the disciples. Afraid often to speak against Jesus, they would criticise his followers. The disciples could not always answer. They did not always understand.

 

They did not understand when Jesus told them of his death. He said plainly that he was to be killed, but they could not see how this was to be.

[Resource Manager]

The Transfiguration

 

On a mountain away from the crowds, Jesus received great glory from God. Peter, James and John only were with him as he was transfigured into the beauty of an age to come. Moses and Elijah also appeared in glory and talked with him about his decease.

 

Jesus must have found this occasion one of great strength. It was “for the joy that was set before him (that) he endured the cross, despising the shame”. He saw beyond the cross to the glory that awaited him.

 

The incident provided a teaching situation for the disciples too. Moses had died outside the promised land. He could not enter the kingdom immediately, j at the end of his life. The disciples had to learn that Jesus was not to establish his kingdom immediately. He must die first.

 

Elijah had been taken away towards heaven so that no‑one knew of his death or burial. The disciples needed to know that Jesus also must go away to heaven and come again to fulfil what the prophets had said.

 

The Last Supper

 

The night he was arrested Jesus had a last meal with his disciples. It was a few hours before the Jews were celebrating the feast of passover. That feast was a reminder of the way God had brought His people out of the slavery of Egypt.

 

The feast Jesus ate with his disciples was not a passover. He made radical alterations to show that they should remember something more important. They were to remember that, through him, God would deliver them from being slaves to sin.

 

At one point in the meal Jesus took a basin and towel. He began to wash the feet of his disciples. Though he was greater than they, he humbled himself to perform this common courtesy for them. Peter was ashamed. He realised then that they should have done this for Jesus. He refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus pointed out that it was essential if Peter was to have any close association with him. Peter relented.

[Resource Manager]

The Betrayer

 

Judas did not. He did allow Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus no doubt bestowed the same tender care on his feet as on all the others. Even at this late stage, Jesus would wish still that Judas would repent of his intentions. Judas was determined however. He left the gathering to betray his master.

 

After the main meal, Jesus took a piece of bread. He shared it with his disciples saying that it represented his body. It was given for them. He shared his cup of wine with them too. He said that it was his blood, poured out, to take away sins. Jesus commanded that these emblems of his death should be used to remember him.

 

“...do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

 

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)

 

Jesus prayed for his disciples too. He prayed that they should continue in what was true. He asked God to guard them and keep them from the world.

 

Then Jesus prayed for others who would believe right down the centuries to our day. We too need to be teachable if we are to follow him. We must be willing to let our lives be moulded and shaped by his teaching. Disciples, by definition, are learners.

 

Out of the city and across the valley the little group made its way. At the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed. The disciples fell asleep.

 

Jesus wrestled with his will. His natural desire was to escape the crucifixion. He toiled to bring his own feelings into subjection to God’s will. It was no easy battle. It was no pretend conflict. Jesus was not God. His perspiration came like great drops of blood, so real and so hard was the conflict. Still the disciples were unaware.

 

They were awake when the soldiers came. No doubt from the best motives, Peter lashed out with a sword. The Lord condemned his action:‑

 

“Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)

 

And the disciples forsook him and fled.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 26

 

I SHALL never forget the first time I visited a prison.

 

I remember the long wait to be let in, the form filling and being checked out again at the end. We were herded like animals to the visits block with wardens and dogs at front and rear of the party. The windows were tiny, the walls bare and the whole place very cold.

 

Some prisons are much better. There is tight security, of course. Closed circuit television monitors every move. Automatic doors control the flow of people. Generally, however, things are fairly pleasant and relaxed.

 

The prisons of Bible days were much worse. The worst today would be a palace compared with those. Most of them were dungeons. They had no light and no facilities. Men were shackled to the wall or left in darkness to sink into mire and dirt.

 

Jesus once used verses from the Old Testament to show that he had come to release prisoners. Part of his work was to open the prison and to free the captives. He did not do this literally. He did not try to rescue even his cousin from King Herod’s jail. He came to provide an escape for all of us from the prisonhouse of life.

 

As bad as conditions were in those days, their effect was no worse than the imprisonment we all suffer. The worst thing about us is that we often fail to realise that we are imprisoned. We seem to enjoy great freedom. Compared with others, most are fairly comfortable. It is easy to forget that life is a prison.

 

Jesus told the Jews:

 

“If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31‑32)

 

The Jews did not feel any need of this help either. Like so many of us, they were unaware of being in bondage. Jesus pointed out:

 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:34)

[Resource Manager]

Freed Slaves

 

So, we each need Jesus to free us. We are imprisoned by our selfishness. We are slaves to our own desires. We have been captured by our own sinful natures and their captives we remain without Jesus’ help. How is Jesus able to help?

 

How is he able to free captives and release prisoners?

 

There was a time when Jesus suffered the same imprisonment that we share. Jesus did not sin, but he shared human nature with us. He was a prisoner to death just as we are.

 

For this reason Jesus needed to be saved. Even if he had not been murdered, he could not have lived for ever. From his mother, Mary, he inherited mortality. He was subject to pain and suffering. He was growing old. He would have died.

 

Here is a verse that shows that Jesus needed to be saved from death:

 

“who, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear,” (Hebrews 5:7)

 

Jesus was not a prisoner to sin. He lived a sinless life. Yet he was imprisoned by the human nature he inherited from Adam. He shared what the Bible calls a “body of death”.

 

“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:23‑24)

 

This illustrates the need for Jesus to die for himself. All through his life Jesus remained sinless. He fought against temptation and won. He overcame the human tendency to do wrong. When he died, that died. When he was put to death, his human nature was put to death too.

[Resource Manager]

A Sacrifice

 

His willing death as a sacrifice was made on his own behalf as well as on ours. God had condemned human nature. He passed the death sentence on Adam and on all his race. God’s sentence was just. Jesus’ death showed the truth of what God had said. It demonstrated His righteousness.

 

Yet Jesus had not personally sinned. He had done nothing to earn death. That is why God saved him from death. God raised him up to new life. Jesus cannot now die. He has eternal life.

 

It is because Jesus overcame his own human nature that he is able to help us. It is because he was victorious over sin that we can share his victory. It is because God has saved him that he can help to save us.

 

Although we have sinned God will count us as sinless if we admit our sin and accept the work of Christ. God will regard our faith in him and his work in lieu of a sinless life. He will drop all charges against us. He will grant us a state of righteousness with Him. God will regard us as righteous.

 

Paul expressed it like this:‑

 

“... that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;” (Philippians 3:8‑9)

 

Here are some verses that bring together these important teachings:‑

 

“... the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God sent forth to be a propitiation by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, that he might be the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:22‑26)

 

Notice the points that are made here:

 

v.22 Righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ. It is attributed to believers.

v.23 Everyone has sinned. This means that we all stand in need of the righteousness that only God can provide in Jesus.

v.24 Being justified (counted for righteous) is free. It comes by the grace of God (for those who show faith as at v.22 above).

v.25 The death of Jesus demonstrates God’s righteousness. It shows His willingness to overlook the sins of those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice in faith.

v.26 God is both just and the one who justifies such people of faith.

 

This summary may need reading twice. It may not be easy to grasp at one reading. It is quite different from what most people imagine the Bible to say.

 

It is widely taught that God was so angry with sinners that Jesus died to appease His wrath. God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice in payment for the sins of men and women. He died in place of them. They then could go free. These are common beliefs, but they are foreign to the Bible.

 

First there is no indication that Jesus had to pacify God in any way. Such an idea is in conflict with the most well known of all Bible verses:

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

 

It is true that God hates sin. His wrath will be poured out on those who remain in their wickedness. Men and women who will not repent will deserve His anger. It was in love, however, that God gave Jesus to save us. The verses above show that it is God Himself who will justify us.

[Resource Manager]

True Forgiveness

 

Secondly, there is nothing in scripture about Jesus paying our debt. If there were, it would make nonsense of the idea of God’s forgiveness.

 

Imagine that Bill owes me £5. Jack comes along and gives me the fiver to settle it. I have not let Bill off his debt, or showed him any mercy. I have received payment in full. Yet the verses above say that we can be justified freely, by the grace of God. It is God’s mercy that removes our sins. They are forgiven in Christ, not paid for. Jesus’ own parable (Luke 7:42) says that the debtors had “nothing with which to pay”. Their Lord “freely forgave them”.

 

Thirdly, the Bible does not teach that Jesus died in place of other men and women. If it did, this too would seriously call in question the righteousness of God. Where is any justice in making the only one who did not sin die so that sinners can go free? What is right about letting those who sinned get away with it?

 

The Bible does say that Jesus died for us. It does not say that he died instead of us. If he had died instead of us, we would not need to die. The verses from Romans say that the death of Jesus demonstrates God’s righteousness. We must now look at what happened at Jesus’ death and how his sacrifice can help us.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 27

 

AS the sun sank behind the hill, there could be seen the figure of a man silhouetted against the sky. His arms were outstretched towards heaven. Two others were with him, one on either side.

 

It was Moses. Israel’s battle against enemy forces was won when Moses’ hands were lifted up towards heaven. The victory was God’s. The place was given a name which means “The LORD is my banner”.

 

Another “banner” was hoisted in the wilderness when Israel themselves had sinned. God had sent serpents because of the people’s murmuring. People died as a result of the serpent’s bite. It was a grim reminder of the fatality of sin. “The wages of sin is death:”

 

A Serpent on a Pole

 

There was no remedy. Sacrifices were no help. God alone could provide a way out. He commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and hoist it on a pole. Those who looked to that pole in faith could live.

 

Jesus said that this incident showed the need for his death. Moses had lifted up the serpent in the wilderness when there had been no other way of escape. It was essential that Jesus should be lifted up on a cross. There was no other way of salvation.

 

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14‑15)

 

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.” (John 12:32)

 

He is the “banner” that God has placed. He is the rallying point to draw men and women of faith. It is faith in him that saves.

 

“And his name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong,.. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 3:16; 4:12)