An Ending; a Beginning

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Jesus’ First Miracle

John 2:1-11

Today I had the enjoyable task of teaching this lesson to the kids. I always enjoy it; the story is light, involving a grand party, and the Lord’s kindness to a host in trouble. I am sure everyone is aware of just how big a deal a wedding was in first century Israel. It’s a big deal today, no matter where it is; but then and there it was a very big deal. Entire towns turned out for the happy occasion, and it might go on for a week. It would be a terrible faux pas to provide insufficient wine for the guests.

For years the exchange between Jesus and His mother has bothered me. In the King James version it seems (to our ears) downright rude (verse 4). But later translations have softened the reply; I especially like the New Living Translation:

I have this image in my mind: The blessed lady is probably seriously involved in the celebration, the day belongs to a loved one. When the problem arises, she goes to her son knowing full well just who He is. With a twinkle in her eye she lays the situation out before Him. In an almost jesting manner he replies, "What would you have me do about it, Mother dear?" Mary offers no answer, she merely turns and tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Jesus is the Lord of compassion and humor. He changed water into wine, and He changed hearts.  He changed mine. Has He changed yours?

Blessings, ><>

Boppa

"SATAN TEMPTS JESUS IN THE DESERT"

Matthew 4: 1-11

Does this headline trouble you? It has bothered me for decades. I keep expecting someone to come along and "fix" it. What’s wrong with it? you may ask. It’s the heading at Matthew 4 in my NIV Bible. So, what’s wrong with it?

Well, I can think of a couple of things:

1) Satan was not the primary character in this scene.

2) Jesus was not a "victim" in this encounter.

3) Since when can the "Perfect One" be tempted to sin?

I would like to rethink this piece of scripture and, if I may, set aside some misconceptions, some misplaced emphases .

Let’s go back to last week’s scripture. Jesus had just been baptized by John, and come up out of the water. The Holy Spirit descends upon Him, appearing like a dove. (I get the sense this apparition lovingly caresses Him, honors Him.) Then, the Father speaks from heaven,"This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased." (Matt 3: 17) Just think of it! All three persons of the God Head are present here! But there is more! Kenneth Wuest suggests that the words spoken are more intimate, more personal. Somehow our translators fail us here. The words would be better rendered, "You are my beloved Son, whom I love, with You I am eternally pleased." You see, the Perfect Son has pleased the Father throughout eternity! The words are spoken to the Son so that all the witnesses might hear, a much more powerful statement!

All this sets Jesus as the central figure in the next scene!

In Matthew 4:1 we see Jesus "led" by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan. The original language is more forceful; it implies Jesus was "thrust" out into the desert by the Spirit. (No implication Jesus was unwilling!) (I lean towards the modern term, "whisked away.")

"---To be tempted by the devil." Now we come to the crux of my argument. In modern usage, "tempt" means to solicit to do wrong, to commit sin. It cannot possibly apply to the Sinless One. The original word is "peirazomai" which means "to put to the test to see what good or evil there is in a person." The verse would serve us better were it rendered "—to be tested by the devil." Satan tries to tempt Jesus, but the result, the heavenly intent, is a test.

Why a "test", you might ask. Wuest offers that this was a "proving run" (my words!). The first Adam had failed in the midst of a perfect environment; the Last Adam would maintain His sinlessness in a hostile environment. Satan never stood a chance, he was not central to this scene. He was merely a means to prove to all the watching heavenly host that the Son was indeed worthy of the task that lay before Him. The Lamb of God was, indeed, perfect.

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And then, this morning as I was driving in to teach this lesson, the Lord gave me something else: "Why a ‘proving run’? The witnesses (heavenly host!) must have known this was the Son of God. He would be the ‘Perfect One’. What was there to prove?"

In 1887 Lord Acton penned a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton. In it he stated: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

The Perfect Son of God was about to embark on an awful mission. He had already stepped down from heaven and taken on mere human form. Soon He would experience first, the acclaim and adoration of thousands, and then, rejection, hatred, torture, and death. At any point on this path, a lesser being might have shouted, "Enough!" and ended it all. He had the power, the absolute power . That day in the desert, Jesus calmed all fears. He would use His power only for the benefit of His beloved creation. His bride would be made pure by His own blood.

Blessings to all, ><>

Boppa

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Matthew 3; Mark 1: 1-8; Luke 3: 1-22

It seems hard to believe; it has been two years since I taught this lesson to the kids. Last year we were all involved in the capital campaign, and lessons on stewardship were in order. For those who are not familiar with the happenings at Cedar Hills Evangelical Free Church, the campaign was to secure funds to complete a new and larger facility for our church. We have just outgrown the current building. Needless to say, the campaign was a success. I visited the new building this afternoon, and was so impressed. It is attractive, and will meet our needs for years to come. Yep, the Lord definitely approves of this ministry! This summer we will move into a new, bigger building with a new, smaller name. Soon we will be "Stonebridge Church", located on Stoney Point Road in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

But now, on to today’s lesson:

Scripture tells us of John’s conception, birth, ministry, and death, but there is a gap of thirty years in our record, and this really intrigues me. I searched for him on the internet and found thousands of bits of information, most of it "junk." However, there is one site devoted to the writings of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian who verifies the presence of Jesus during his lifetime.

Josephus was intrigued by John. At the age of sixteen Josephus had sought to join a religious order and examined the three present at that time. He rejected the Pharisees and the Sadducees because of their corruption, and settled on the Essenes. The Essenes were quite "world less" in their manner of life. They eschewed the trappings society bestow upon religious leaders, and retreats into the desert were commonplace. Josephus spent three years in the desert mentored by a man named Banus whose habits were remarkably like John’s.

All this leads me to a rather bold assumption. I see John being raised by Godly parents in and around the temple. His childhood is quite privileged; but because of Zechariah & Elizabeth’s advanced age, he is orphaned before manhood. His youth continues in the temple, and the Essenes play a big part in his training. At some point in early manhood he makes his retreat into the desert, and there GOD leads and instructs him directly.

I told the children today, to remember two things God revealed to John: 1) The Messiah was coming soon. Thus his ministry, "Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" 2) Jesus (your cousin!) is that Messiah! I went on to explain it probably came as a complete surprise to John. They had been boys together, probably dear friends. Complete surprise! . Imagine the joy he felt when he shouted, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John1:29), the privilege he experienced when he baptized Him, and the peace he felt when he released his disciples to follow Jesus.

Two years ago I expressed the belief John the Baptist ought to be a personal hero of every Christian today. The Lord’s return IS imminent; we ought to be ready for Him, with clean hands and clean hearts, nothing to shame us before Him.

Here is the scripture I researched for this lesson:

Isaiah 40: 3                "A voice of one calling----."

Matthew 3

Mark 1: 1-11

Luke 1: 76-77              Zechariah prophesies John’s ministry

Luke 3:1-22

Luke 7:18-35               Jesus assures John

John 1: 15, 19-34

The information on Flavius Josephus was gleaned from the following site. The man was a meticulous historian, but there is no evidence he ever came to regard Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Blessing to all,

Boppa