This is Holy Week

Holy week is that time between Palm Sunday and Easter Saturday when we remember the last week of Jesus' earthly life. Customs of all kinds have grown up around this special time. Observance of Holy Week can be traced back as far as the latter half of the 3rd century. Abstinence from flesh is commanded for all the days of Holy Week, while for the Friday and Sunday an absolute fast is commanded.

In Jerusalem Christ's crucifixion is commemorated as the cross is carried along the Via Dolorosa (the way of suffering) of Jesus.

On Palm Sunday palm branches are waved as the story of the triumphal entry is re-enacted in church, usually by the children. Christians will often be seen carrying crosses made of palm leaves to remember the palm branches and to remember the cross.

These crosses are kept by some for a year and then burned to provide the ash for the following year's Ash Wednesday. (The ash was placed on the heads of participants at the beginning of Lent to the accompaniment of the words, 'Repent and believe in the gospel,' or, 'Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.' It is a sober reminder of our mortality and of our dependence on God’s grace in a world that spends fortunes trying to be eternal youthful)

Maundy Thursday is derived from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos"; "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you" It is a time when we remember the servant heart of Jesus, how he washed the disciples' feet. In some churches foot washing is still taken very seriously. The Maundy Money handed out by the Queen of England on this day is a substitute for foot washing.

Good Friday was know as the Great Sabbath and was strictly observed, a watch being kept until Sunday in the expectation that Jesus would return on Easter Day.

Preachers will take the time in this period to challenge their congregations over their commitment, and ask them about those times when they have been unfaithful to Jesus, or been hypocritical in their faith, and call them to repentance.

The apostle John describes the triumphal entry like this:

'The next day the great crowd that had come for the feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

'Hosanna!'

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'

Blessed is the King of Israel!''

John 12:12-13

The word Hosanna comes from Psalm 118, sung as a song of thanksgiving for the Lord's steadfast love in delivering his people. It describes a festive procession into Jerusalem after some great deliverance and takes the form of a liturgy, a call and response, and begins:

'Oh, give thanks to the LORD, His steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,

His steadfast love endures forever.

It goes on:

'Out of my distress I called on the LORD;

The LORD answered me and set me free.

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

The Lord is on my side as my helper...'

The word Hosanna comes from the same root as the Hebrew for 'to save' the same root from which we get the name Jesus, which in turn is the Latin form of the Hebrew Joshua/Yeshua, which means 'Jehovah will save.'

Psalm 118 is the psalm Jesus and his disciples sang on the night he was betrayed, before they went out to the Mount of Olives. Imagine singing this in anticipation of such utter betrayal and abandonment.

Verse 19 of this psalm reads:

'Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the LORD

through which the righteous may enter.

I will give thanks, for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.'

The gates of righteousness, the gates of the Holy City, Jerusalem, where only the righteous may enter.

'When Jesus entered Jerusalem,' we are told by Matthew, 'the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'

'The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.''

That, I suggest, is a dangerous question; who is this? To take an interest in Jesus is a risky business and today we don't fully appreciate perhaps how risky. Do we want the gates of righteousness opened to us, so we may enter through them, into the New Jerusalem, and give thanks to the LORD? Think carefully before you answer.

Jesus challenges our worship

The first thing Jesus does on entering the city, we are told, is go to the temple.

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

'It is written,' he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.''

Jesus challenged the pale, empty, and avaricious pretence of worship in his Father’s house. He challenges our worship today. He seeks those who are true worshippers, who worship God in spirit and in truth. Are we fulsome in our worship, or do we too often simply go through the motions? If we want the gates of righteousness opened to us we must be prepared to have the tables and chairs turned over in our lives. We must be prepared to give an account of our worship. Jesus challenges our worship.

Jesus challenges our fruitfulness

After spending the night in Bethany Jesus returned to Jerusalem and on the way, we are told, he cursed a barren fig tree:

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered.'

It is possible to  look fruitful, like that tree, rich in foliage, but to be otherwise barren in our Christian lives. If we want Jesus in our lives, if we want the gates of righteousness opened to us we must be prepared for Jesus to seek from us more than foliage, more than tradition, more than form, to expect from us fruitful lives in his service. Jesus challenges our fruitfulness.

Jesus challenges our promises

It is in this Holy Week that Jesus tells the parable of the two sons:

'What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went.

And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.'

As Christians, as members of a church, we enter into covenant relationship with God and with each other. By word and by action, we make promises to go and do the will of God, not our own will. If, like the first son, our promises are empty we will not see the kingdom. If we want the gates of righteousness opened to us we must be prepared for Jesus to test our resolve to do the will of God. This is what it means to be a Christian. Jesus challenges our promises.

Jesus challenges our faithfulness

Finally, Jesus challenges our faithfulness. In the parable of the tenants he tells of a landowner who planted a vineyard and rented it to some farmers.

‘Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.

And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.

Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.'
And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’
They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.’

If we want the gates of righteousness opened to us we must be prepared for the owner of the vineyard to return at any time, ‘like a thief in the night,’ and be prepared to show ourselves faithful stewards of his vineyard, true to our covenant promises, fruitful in his service, and fulsome in our worship.

'When Jesus entered Jerusalem,' we are told by Matthew, 'the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'

'The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.''

This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

As that week began, the crowds shouted Hosanna!

By the end of that week the crowds were shouting 'crucify!'

What will you shout?

Crown of Thorns

Crown of Thorns

We shrink at every swing of the hammer,

We cry with every thrust of the nail.

These soldiers know their business of torture,

The panic rises it never fails.

The crosses rise and fall with a judder,

Into the holes filled with blood and rain.

Come crashing down, making me shudder.

My heart is bursting now with the pain.

 

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

They made me their king with a crown of thorns

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

They made me their king with a crown of thorns

 

The joker on my left started laughing.

Hysteria had a hold on his soul.

“If you’re the king get us out of this place,

‘cause brother right now we’re in a hole.”

While on my right a voice started crying,

“You fool; we’re getting what we deserve.

This man’s done nothing, Lord please remember

Me in your kingdom, I’m ready to serve.”

 

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

They made me their king with a crown of thorns

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

They made me their king with a crown of thorns

 

The men drew lots to see who inherits

My worldly goods though they were so few.

If they’d looked up they’d see heaven waiting,

But they looked down at the dice they threw.

 

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

They made me their king with a crown of thorns

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

They made me their king with a crown of thorns

 

At noonday midnight fell like a judgement,

Heaven’s thunder roared and punishment fell.

“My God, my God how could you forsake me?

And leave me here in this living hell.”

 

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

You  made me their king with a crown of thorns

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

You made me their king with a crown of thorns

 

It wasn’t soldiers hung me on this tree.

It wasn’t priests condemned me to death.

It wasn’t nails that held me here bleeding.

For love of you I gave my last breath.

 

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

You made me your king with a crown of thorns

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns,

You made me your king with a crown of thorns

Copyright Michael Thomas 2008

Easter Changes Everything

There is a decidedly worldly approach to Easter that even those who are comfortable with Easter eggs, Easter Bunnies, and the seasonal food and drink blow-out it has become find they regret. “Its too commercial,” people tell me, demonstrating at some level an emotional insight they can’t explain to themselves that the season might have a true meaning. They know somehow all this is wrong and yet, what does it look like when its right?

That is when some might find their way to a church come Good Friday, or Easter Sunday, searching for they know not what. There is simply a restlessness to have things other than the way they are. As is so often the case, they romanticise the different, the unfamiliar, convincing themselves that there is some formula to be found that makes everything good again. But they soon find that the church is less than perfect, some might say it is dysfunctional. Christians have their problems and struggle, themselves, with an imperfect faith.

Where is the religious formula that is meant to give everything meaning, to make a positive difference in my life? Other religions teach about peace and transcendence, ritual, form, and duty. mystical practices and contemplative disciplines. What about the Sermon on the Mount, or the Ten Commandments? Aren’t they a sort of formula, a pattern for the good life? Well, sort of…

You see, when a member of this vast dysfunctional family, the human race looks admiringly at the moral and ethical laws of the Christian faith he may well yearn to live by the Christian code, but he will immediately discover a problem; he can’t do it.

Have you ever noticed that no sooner is a law created than someone wants to break it? Put a hole in a fence and hang a sign saying, “Don’t Look in Here,” and what do people do? Put up a sign, “Wet Paint, Do Not Touch,” and what do people do? Erect a “No Parking” sign and what will people do?

Paul sums up the dilemma very well:

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Ro.7:20-24)

We see a code to live by and find it attractive (delight in the law of God in our inner being) but then find we, for some reason, compromise (see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind) This is the conflict everyone faces in their life. A frustrated Paul confesses, “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

No wonder he cries in frustration, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

So what is happening? Some religious people of Jesus’ day thought following a code of ritual cleanliness would put them right with God. Jesus said:

“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."  (Mk.7:20-23)

We all have a heart problem. So we can yearn to be different, agree emotionally with the highest standards, want to do right, but “another law” in us fights against this impulse to good, making us do the opposite of what we intended. This is what the Bible calls sin. James describes sin’s progress in our lives:

“Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” (Js.1:14-16)

We have a heart problem and Easter is the story of how God stepped in, fixed the problem of the human heart, and changed everything.

The Bible puts it like this:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates  his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Ro.5:6-8)

Good Friday is when we remember that Jesus died for our sins, took the punishment we deserved, so that we could have our hearts changed, from hearts that issue in sin and rebellion to hearts that rejoice in righteousness and obedience.

The Christian’s life is one of learning to walk in the good of what God has done in Christ for sinners who turn to him in faith. But nothing of this is possible until our hearts are changed. That is why its important to know that Easter changes everything.

So the only question is, are you wise, or otherwise?

Familiarity Breeds…?

There are two things that stand as obstacles to people hearing, understanding, and seriously considering the good news of Jesus Christ. (There are more than two of course, but there are two I want to talk about) The first is ignorance.

A  pastor recently spoke of his work in sports chaplaincy. He related how he led a sports team in prayer, sharing some thoughts from the Bible. After the match a young player asked him, “What’s that book you were reading from?” That’s how unfamiliar many are with Christianity these days and, if we are to share the message of Jesus, we must start much further back than was necessary in previous generations.

The second obstacle, strangely enough, is familiarity, or at least a perceived familiarity.The Swedish-born American philosopher and Nobel prize winner, Sissela Bok, in her book Lying, observed:

“To be given false information about important choices in [our lives] is to be rendered powerless. [Our] very autonomy may be at stake”

Many today have been rendered powerless by a misleading perception of what it is to be a Christian. People think they know all about it when church is mentioned and, on the basis of what they think they know, they make ill-informed decisions about some of the most important questions of life and faith.

The Christian Church, some think, is a comfortable club for the virtuous, a congregation of the pious, a crowd of the well-intentioned but out of touch. Further, rather like many of Jesus’ day, they equate piety and virtue with good fortune and, like Job’s comforters, insist that ill fortune is a sign of a life not lived well. This is basically blind superstition but it is the world’s picture of church.

But the Bible unties our lives from the worldly way of hanging every value judgement on good, or ill fortune, of thinking of our own piety and self-righteousness as essential in the race to some imagined heavenly pinnacle of achievement. There is no heavenly “greasy pole,” no career path to sainthood -  a much misunderstood word in itself.

Christian believers are urged to be a countercultural community. You see this in Paul’s contrasting the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God.

“For the message of the cross,” he writes, “is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” He goes on to insist that, “the foolishness of |God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1 Cor.1:18&25)

He is not ascribing to God foolishness, nor is he saying God is somehow weak but he is drawing a stark contrast between the way man sees things and the way God sees things. When everyone seems to have a solution to the world’s problems, yet nothing seems to change, God has determined that the world’s wisdom will not be the means of knowing him, of putting things right. In the world’s “wise” estimation the message of the cross is foolish but in God’s wisdom people will come to know him through the message of Easter, through his crucified Son.

In his letter James insists that this “upside-down thinking” should work out in the everyday lives of Christians.

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pas away like a wild flower.” (Js.1:9-10)

Now, I like rich people, they can be and often are a blessing to the church and to society. I am also uncomfortably familiar with poverty and know the trials it brings. The trouble with both these states is that they pressurise us into concentrating on the world, either worrying about where our next million is coming from, or our next meal.

The rich, James insists, need to realise the temporary nature of worldly wealth and the fact  that it will not matter a jot when they stand before God. The poor, on the other hand, should find great consolation and encouragement in the fact that, in Christ, they enjoy high status, seated with him in heavenly realms (Eph.2:6) because of the life-changing message of Easter.

Both rich and poor may be saved but each faces trials in different ways that tempt them to think the way the world thinks. Christians, whatever their worldly status, will in God’s wisdom (Js.1:5) hold lightly both the riches and the cares of this world while holding firmly the sure promises of God in Christ.

Think about this; we could end up thinking quite differently about God, mankind, this world, this life, our inevitable departure from it, as well as the life to come. With such a radically different outlook how might our lives and the way we live them change? Where are to get the power to live this way? How might this impact the world around us, our neighbours, friends and family?

People think they know what they are dismissing when they dismiss the Christian message. I suggest they need to think again. If you are sick of this world’s wisdom that ends in conflict, complications, and injustice, if you are looking for values that actually make a difference, if you are seeking something countercultural that will release you from the way the world around you thinks. More than that, if you are seeking something that will make a profound difference in your own life, maybe you should find a good Bible-believing church this Easter and take another look at Jesus.

Familiarity needn’t breed contempt. It might breed respect and admiration, even awe and worship for the God who did what this world could never do – change everything forever. How radical do you want to get?

Thinking as Christ Jesus Thought: Philippians 2:1-11

This is one of the most magnificent texts in the Bible and countless sermons have been preached from it. It has been most popular, perhaps, as an apologetics piece to argue the case for the divinity of the Saviour, and it certainly does make that case compellingly.

Philip.2: 6 speaks of his life in eternities past, telling us Jesus was and is “in very nature God,”the NIV capturing particularly well the meaning of the text.

Philip.2: 7 refers to his birth, how he emptied himself and became a man. He didn't stop being God but emptied himself of his glory, made himself of no reputation.

Philip.2: 8 speaks of his being humbled even to the extent of dying a shameful death

Philip.2:99 tells us of his resurrection

Philip.2:10-11 tells us of his exalted position in eternities to come

The case for his deity is well made here, where he is described as being “in very nature God”; as being given “the name that is above all names.” Name here meaning not simply a title but a reputation, an indication of his person and character, and that name is the name of God. And we are told that at his name “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” This refers back to what God says of himself in Isaiah 45:22-24.

But this text is not arguing a case, it is affirming a truth already accepted by Christians:

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Paul writes in his letter to believers in Colossae, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heart to God.” (Col.3:16)

This passage in Philippians 2 is probably a hymn, or part of a hymn, and dates back to within thirty years of Jesus' execution. This is what the earliest Christians believed. It was possibly used as a creed to teach new Christians some foundational facts of the Christian faith and may have been used at baptism and communion services. If you are a new Christian, a young Christian, you would benefit from reading and thinking about these eleven verses, in your devotions, and in your prayers.

In our NIV it helpfully comes in six stanzas of three verses each indicating its creedal form, its hymnal nature. These New Testament letters would have been read aloud in the congregation and this text may well have been repeated by a congregation as a confession. So Paul is appealing to what Christians already know and understand to be true and urging us to live it out with Christ as our model.

The key verse for our understanding is verse 5 - “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” or “Think the same way that Christ Jesus did.”

Thinking is imperative to the Christian life. Paul reminds us in his letter to Rome that the Christian life is a life transformed by the renewing of your mind (Ro.12:2) where he goes on to write about discernment. In a world that lays such store by feelings this is a clarion call to be intelligent about our faith. Later on in Philippians he writes:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philip.4:8)

Another way of putting it is, be like Christ even in your very thought life! Paul is making clear that theology (thinking) and Christian living (doing) belong together. James urges us, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)

What does that 'doing' look like?

In Colossians 3 there is a passage headed in the NIV, Rules for Holy Living. In the ESV it is headed, Put On the New Self. This passage begins with these wonderful words:

“Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col.3:1-4)

It begins with being united with Christ, raised with him. It is in our being united with Christ that our hearts and minds are set on things above. It is in this way that we know the encouragement of his fellowship, the comfort of his love, the fellowship of his Spirit that Paul writes about to the Philippians. If we are united with Christ, Paul is saying, we will think the way Christ thinks, and this will lead to our practising our faith by being one in spirit and purpose (Philip.2:2)

This is not a call to be some bland, homogeneous crowd, not a blind uniformity. It means being united even as we hold different views. Differences that exist because of our imperfect understanding shouldn't rob us of our unity in Christ.

This unity is achieved, Paul tells us, by considering others better than ourselves, looking to the interests of others. Paul is writing against any party spirit in the church, urging us to achieve unity by means of humility with Jesus as our great example.

The Old Adam and The New

There is a parallel here with Adam, the man who sought to be like God. Jesus is God yet didn't grasp his glory but humbled himself, making himself nothing, a servant. Paul explains in his letter to the Romans that man is sinful because he is “in Adam,” that is, has inherited sin and death from Adam, his head. But in Christ we have new life and he becomes our head (Ro.5:12-20)

Christ’s sacrifice was complete as he obeyed even to the point of dying on a cross. We are so used to hearing the story that its original impact can escape us but this was a truly horrible death. It was a death of unimaginable shame to the Jews. In Galatians Paul writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'” (Gal.3:13; Deut.21:23)

To a Roman the cross was such an offence it was not even mentioned in polite company. The Roman philosopher Cicero wrote, “Far be the very name of the cross, not only from the body, but even from the thought, the eyes, the ears of Roman citizens.”

“Therefore,” Paul goes on to write, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name...” (Philip.2:9) In consequence of his great sacrifice, God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name above all names. That is not to say Jesus wasn't God before. In his prayer before Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (Jn.17:5)

Just as Jesus was restored to his true glory, so we, through faith in him, will be restored to our true nature. But the journey to that point is the journey demonstrated by Christ, a life of humility, sacrifice, and service to the glory of God.

It is the example of Christ that defines, not just our journey in this life, but the very society, the economy of heaven. Living like this is to become as natural to us as sinning was before our redemption. With such a future won for us at such a cost

What are you willing to let go of for the glory of God?

Are you willing to be a servant?

Are you willing to humble yourself?

Are you prepared to sacrifice self?

Those who “are raised with Christ” live this way. Those who live this way, when he appears, will appear with him in glory.

The Tears of Jesus

Jesus Wept – John 11:1-41

We know the story of Lazarus but why did Jesus weep? He knew what he was about to do, that very soon Lazarus would walk out of that tomb, so why did he weep? We will return to that question but first some background.

In our house group we are reading the letters of John and we are currently in 1 John 4, where we learn most emphatically, “God is love.” Two questions have issued from the discussion:

How can God possibly love us when we are, in the great scheme of things, so insignificant? The more science discovers, it seems, the smaller we make God and the more doubt can enter our hearts. The truth, and what we discovered in house group, is that God is not too great to bother with us but so great he can be bothered with each of us individually. In our eagerness to call him Father, which for Christian believers is quite correct of course, we must remember he is Almighty God.

The second question, and one that is familiar enough to each of us is:

How can there be a God who loves when we look at the state of the world? This is, in many minds, a more pressing question and is as old as man it seems. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah asks, “Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?” (Jer.12:1)

The psalmist writes, “I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives...they don't have trouble like other people; they are not plagued with problems like everyone else....These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others...

Look at these wicked people – enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?...I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!” (Ps.73:3-8, NLT)

Does this sound familiar? Can you identify with those words today? Are you confused by the prosperity of the wicked? When will there be justice on the earth? Is there any hope? In addressing this question there are three things we must know:

We were created for better

• Man, in his original state, was made to reflect the image of God. In Genesis we read, “God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the seas and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen.1:26, cf Ps.8:3-9) Who do we think of when we read the psalmist's words, “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet?” This text has been used, and quite correctly, as prophetic of Jesus. But in its original context speaks of mankind.

Jesus, of course, is described by the writer to the Hebrews as the image of the invisible God. The difference between Jesus and us is that he is God in the flesh, the exact image, the very imprimatur of God, while we are creatures, made originally to have a history with God that increasingly reflects his image as we grow, multiply and are fruitful on the earth.

• We were to be stewards, co-regent, with God, of the earth. To rule, as described in Genesis, means to enjoy delegated sovereignty under God. Stewardship means being responsible for those things placed under our care. This is who and what we were made to be.

• We were to represent God on the earth. That means running things as he would run them. Doing things his way. Genesis reminds us we are to be creative, fruitful, productive, living and reigning according to his rule.

• We were to relate to each other in a way that is honouring to God and to each other. Adam says of Eve, “This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh...” so to harm her is to harm himself. John Donne famously wrote:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Paul describes the church in a similar fashion in his letter to Christians in Corinth, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor.12:26-27)

The church is to be a reflection of this original plan, to show God's purposes to the world. To demonstrate that to be authentically human is to reflect God's image, be God's representative on the earth, to grow in the things of God, to relate correctly to each other, to steward the earth, be fruitful and multiply – be creative like our creator, bringing order out of chaos. By contrast our society has brought chaos out of order.

All around us we see selfishness reaching new lows as people clamber over each other to get to the bar, as Swansea's council leader declares that the growth of pubs and bars in Swansea has reached saturation point; “Enough is Enough,” according to the Evening Post.

Talk to the Street Pastors and they tell stories of the folly of men and women in their headlong drive to waste themselves in “me first” pleasure whatever the cost. It is currently costing the police over £500,000 a year to police Swansea city centre. That is besides the human cost in health, violence, crime and broken relationships.

We have fallen far

When we see where we have fallen from then we can see how far we have fallen. If life disappoints us it should! Life doesn't fit and this is why; we are a fallen people. But when we consider our lot in this world we must realise we are not simply the playthings of the gods, as some societies would have us believe. Neither are we helpless pawns in the hands of a blind and capricious fate, nor are we the products of a mindless evolutionary process. Mankind was made for relationship and responsibility and we – are – responsible....What of our part in this tragic drama of life?

Neither is it simply a question of punishing the wicked and rewarding the righteous, as we naively think, there are no righteous! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Ro.3:23) It is a case, rather, of restoring the order, fulfilling God's original purposes. John's revelation tells us of, “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea[chaos]” (Rev.21:1) In this restoration we are yet to be stewards of God's new creation, those who reflect his image and glory, represent him on the earth and bring order out of chaos like our Creator/God. But how do we get from here to there?

The problem of sin looms large and apparently unchallenged in our world, unassailable it seems in our lives, alienating us from the God who made us and making us less than we were created to be.

Jesus tells us:

"What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

(Mk.7:21-23)

But we not only make God too small in our thinking, we make the problem of sin to small. We are so blind to our own part in this, we call what the other person does “sin,” but when we do it we call it something else; weaknesses, faults (“Who hasn't got them?” we ask, not realising our question is a confession). “Being human,” we say but, as we have seen, being truly human is something else altogether.

The idea of sin is not the product of a less sophisticated, more superstitious time. Sin is a disaster of epic proportions. It lies at the root of everything that is wrong with this world. A massive problem, all-pervasive, staining and spoiling everything. Every depravity, every injustice, every cruel act, every lie, theft, betrayal and defamation results from the influence of sin in our lives.

When celebrities abuses children it is sin destroying the kind of relationships we were created to have; when a train driver speeds his passengers to a terrible death it is sin corrupting his judgement and bringing chaos out of order; when people in positions of power face charges of corruption it is sin taking stewardship and twisting it into exploitation and unrighteous dominion. Paul wrote to Christians in Galatia:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Gal.5:20-21)

How embarrassing! Our sin is “obvious!” Lets not fool ourselves now, the situation is dire and we are all in that list somewhere. Paul writes to Christians in Rome:

“Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Ro.6:16)

It is sin that brings death and death stalks our every waking moment, invades our nightmares boasting of its eventual victory; the death rate in this world is still 100%. Paul reminds us, “The wages of sin is death” (Ro.6:23) We laugh at sin today, mock it, regard it as quaint, and we make death something regrettable but natural and manageable. God sees these things quite differently and he offers us real and sure hope.

We have a sure hope

And so we come to the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus had raised the dead before; the daughter of Jairus the synagogue ruler (Mk.5:38-42), the widow's son at Nain (Lk.7:11-16). He knew beforehand what he intended to do for Lazarus, yet he wept?

Were these tears of sorrow? Perhaps so, Isaiah prophetically called Jesus, “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” (Is.53:3)

Were they tears of empathy as he saw the inconsolable grief of Mary and Martha Lazarus' bereft sisters? Again, perhaps so, Matthew tells us in one place that, “when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Mt.9:36) Jesus was, after all, fully human and capable of fellow feeling.

It is tempting to think of this in this way, as a local incident. Jesus, who went about doing good, doing good for his friend Lazarus. But nothing Jesus did was incidental and this was an event of eternal significance. Jesus' tears were not primarily those of sorrow, or of compassion. We read in verse 33 of our passage, “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled”

There is more here than sorrow or sympathy. These words could as easily be rendered, “He was enraged in spirit and troubled himself.” There is indignation here, a sense of outrage and the object of his wrath is death itself. The Prince of life walked the earth and death had the audacity to come this close. Jesus, moved to indignation by the unnatural and violent tyranny of death, advances to the tomb, in Calvin's words, “as a champion prepared for conflict.”

This is a clear demonstration of Jesus' conquest of death and hell. Not in cold unconcern but in flaming anger against the enemy of us all, Jesus strikes a mortal blow in our behalf. Jesus approaches our graves in the same spirit of outrage and divine determination. He suffered the same agitation of spirit, magnified many times over in Gethsemane as he anticipated Calvary and the cross on which he would pay the price for sin and defeat what Paul calls the last enemy to be defeated, death.

When Lazarus comes out from the tomb Jesus says, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

This is where the new life starts. Like Lazarus, we are dead. Paul describes our situation well:

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Just as Jesus raised Lazarus so God raises to new life those who trust in Jesus. Paul goes on:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--” (Eph.2:1-6)

If you want to be truly human, to be what you were created to be, there is hope for you today if you put your trust fully in the Christ who saves and who, when he knew his time had come, said, “Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (Jn.12:31-33) Will you be drawn to the one who, in our passage declared with confidence and divine determination, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (Jn.11:25-26)

He calls you to new life, to become authentically human through his sacrifice for you on the cross, to grow in the things of God, to reflect God's image, to be God's representative on the earth, to relate correctly to others, to steward the earth, be fruitful and multiply – be creative like our creator, bringing order out of chaos. How could anyone settle for less?

Jesus Wept

We attended the funeral and memorial service this week of my good friend and ministry partner of more than twenty years Doug Harris. Doug founded a ministry to cults, Reachout Trust, in 1982 as a result of seeing Jehovah’s Witnesses streaming into their annual conference near his home in Twickenham, England. In 1989 my wife Ann and I got involved having come, ourselves, from a Mormon background.

Since then there have been many conventions, conferences, seminar and preaching engagements. We have written books and articles, made films, shared trustee responsibilities and been about as involved in the ministry as it is possible to be. Family members and friends have joined us, sometimes speaking, often playing instruments in times of worship, always enjoying Doug’s good company and wise counsel.

It is a strange world inhabited by “colourful’ characters. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, witches, pagans, new agers – the list seems endless. But for Doug the goal was always the same, sharing the Jesus of the Bible with the lost. Pointing out the error by holding it up to the light of truth and allowing people to make comparisons and come to their own conclusions. Doug trusted if he played his part God would always play his so ministry simply involved telling the good news.

I shed more than a few tears at his memorial service and, I think for the first time in my life, seriously asked that question – why? I believe the Lord gave me an answer and put in my mind the story of Lazarus.

If you recall, Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus. When word came that Lazarus was dying Jesus seemed deliberately to delay his coming to his friend’s bedside. Finally, he arrived only in time to comfort Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, because Lazarus had died.

“Lord,” cried Martha,” if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” You can read the story in John chapter 11. Later we read:

“When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him'?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord.’ they replied. Jesus wept.”

Here are those wonderful but puzzling words, ‘Jesus wept.’ Wonderful because they appear to speak of God’s complete identification with our sorrows, yet puzzling because the story goes on to tell how Jesus’ intent all along was to raise Lazarus and demonstrate his power over sin and death.

The words translated, ‘Jesus wept,’ do not carry the meaning of loud grief. What was in those tears was not sadness and regret at loss, nor simply sympathy with those around him riven with genuine grief. His tears were tears of rage, indignation at the audacity of death. Jesus was enraged, as am I, that his friend should be so stricken so. B B Warfield puts it like this:

“It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, and whom he has come into the world to destroy. Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but this is incidental. His soul is held by rage: and he advances to the tomb, in Calvin’s words, ‘as a champion who prepares for conflict.’

The raising of Lazarus thus becomes, not an isolated marvel, but…a decisive instance and open symbol of Jesus’ conquest of death and hell…not in cold unconcern, but in flaming wrath against the foe, Jesus smites in our behalf. He has not only saved us from the evils which oppress us; he has felt for and with us in our oppression, and under the impulse of these feelings has wrought out our redemption.” (The person and Work of Christ, quoted in Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, John.)

Why? we ask. Why do we have to stand by and watch our loved ones die? Because of sin, that brings death. And Jesus was as enraged about Doug’s death, and finally yours and mine - for the mortality rate in this world is still 100%. But, what Jesus’ achieved temporarily  for Lazarus – because Lazarus was raised not resurrected – he would, on Golgotha, achieve for all who trust in him.

He approached that gibbet with the same determination with which he approached the tomb of Lazarus. He views our tombs with the same rage and indignation and his set purpose is to free all who trust in him from the curse of sin, death and hell. We may feel today that death has its small victory, but in eternity death is conquered by life and Doug enjoys fully now the life won for him at Calvary. To wish him back is to rob him of the prize to which he has looked all his life.

See you there Doug.

Crown of Thorns

We shrink at every swing of the hammer
We cry with every thrust of the nail
These soldiers know their business of torture. The panic rises, it never fails

The crosses rise and fall with a judder
into the holes filled with blood and rain
Come crashing down, making me shudder
My heart is bursting now with the pain

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns
They made me their King with a crown of thorns

The joker on my left started laughing
Hysteria had a hold on his soul
“If your the king get us out of this place
'cos, brother, right now we're in a hole”

While on my right a voice started crying
“You fool, we're getting what we deserve
This man's done nothing, Lord please remember
me in your kingdom. I'm ready to serve.”

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns
They made me their King with a crown of thorns

 

The men drew lots to see who'd inherit
my worldly good, though they were so few
If they'd looked up they'd see heaven waiting
but they looked down to the dice they threw

At noonday midnight fell like a judgement
Heaven's thunder roared, and punishment fell
“My God, my God, why did you forsake me
and leave me here in this living hell!”

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns
They made me their King with a crown of thorns

 

It wasn't Romans hung me on this tree
It wasn't priests condemned me to death
It wasn't nails that held me here bleeding
For love of you I gave my last breath

Crown of thorns, crown of thorns
You made me your King with a crown of thorns

Crown of Thorns, lyrics copyright Michael Thomas 2008