17 Pentecost

17 Pentecost - Sunday

first posted 09/25/04

Job 25:1-6; 27:1-6 Man’s unrighteousness
Revelation 14:1-7, 13 Coming Judgment
Matthew 5:13-20 Witness of the Disciples

Bildad the Shuhite (a descendant of Shuah; one of Abraham's sons by Keturah; Genesis 25:2), one of three friends who consoled Job during his suffering, said that God is all-powerful and the ruler of heaven. His armies are beyond reckoning. There is no one who does not receive light from him. How then can any human be judged righteous before God. Even the moon and stars are not bright in comparison with God. How much less man, who is not much better than a maggot, or the son of man who is comparable to a worm? But Job continued to maintain his innocence and integrity.

John (probably the Apostle) had a number of visions from God through the Spirit of Christ (Revelation 1:1). In this vision John saw the Lamb (Jesus) with his one hundred and forty-four thousand (the number symbolizing the entire number of the redeemed). John heard loud singing; the redeemed sang a new song (Revelation 5:8-10) before the throne of God (Revelation 4:1-11), the four living creatures (perhaps representing all creation) and the twenty-four elders (perhaps the Twelve Old Testament Patriarchs and the Twelve New Testament Apostles).

The redeemed are chaste (in contrast to followers of pagan cults which practiced cultic prostitution). They “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Revelation 14:4); they are dedicated to God and the Lamb as an offering from the harvest of mankind. In them no falsehood is found, for they are spotless (without sin or blemish; faultless). Those who are in the Lord (who have been "born again" by his indwelling Holy Spirit; John 3:3-8) at their physical death will be blessed (with eternal life in Heaven) “for their deeds follow them” (Revelation 14:13e).

Matthew 5:1-7:28 is called The Sermon on the Mount. It represents a summary of the basic teachings of Jesus Christ, and it is addressed to his disciples (Matthew 5:1-2). Jesus’ disciples are to be the salt of the earth. In order to do that they must maintain the character of disciples (their “saltiness”); otherwise they will be useless.

In the same way, disciples are called to be light. A true disciple’s nature cannot be hidden, nor can a person be a disciple without producing "light." Disciples are to produce the light they are intended to produce so that God may be glorified. Jesus has not come to abolish God’s Law but to fulfill it. Those who teach and demonstrate laxity in obeying any of the commandments will be disgraced in Heaven, but those who obey and teach others to obey God’s commandments will be commended in Heaven. Jesus declared that unless his disciples’ righteousness exceeded that of the scribes (teachers of the Law; i.e. scriipture) and Pharisees (a Jewish faction which advocated the strict observance of the Law) they would never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Job and his three friends agree that man is unrighteous in comparison with God (Bildad: Job 25:1-6; Eliphaz: Job 4:17-21, 15:14-16; Zophar: Job 11:5-12; Job: Job 9:2-12, 12:9-25; 14:4). Job is committed to doing what is right, and he longs for justice and vindication. Job needs a Redeemer (Job 19:25-29; see entry for Friday, 16 Pentecost, even year) to bridge the gap between what he is able to do and what God requires.

John’s vision is of the redeemed who have been made righteous by the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb slain so that our sins could be forgiven. Jesus is the Redeemer. Jesus’ death on the Cross is the sacrifice by which our sins are cleansed and we are made faultless before God through trust in, and obedience to Jesus.

There is a Day of Judgment coming when all who have ever lived will be accountable to the Lord for what they have done in this life (John 5:28-29). Those who have been "born again" through the indwelling Holy Spirit through trust and obedience to Jesus Christ will be blessed with eternal life in Heaven with the Lord. Those who have not been "born again", who have not been filled with the Holy Spirit, because they have not trusted and obeyed Jesus, will receive eternal death in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46).

“Salt” represents the fruit of discipleship. The world is “unsalty,” and needs salt. One cannot be a Christian and not be a disciple; one cannot be a disciple and not produce the fruit of discipleship. If one is truly a disciple it will be impossible to hide, and no disciple would try to avoid producing the fruit of discipleship. Light is the symbol of righteousness and truth. Disciples are called to pass on to others the light they have received from Jesus.

Jesus hasn’t come to free us from the Law so that we can sin; he came to free us from sin so that we could fulfill the Law. The problem of the scribes and Pharisees is that although they outwardly kept the smallest details of the Law, in their hearts they missed the major principles by a wide margin (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42).

Jesus came and died for us so that we might receive his Holy Spirit. Those who live in obedience to the Holy Spirit fulfill the requirements of the Law (Romans 8:1-9). We are not made righteous by works (keeping) of the Law; we fulfill the Law because we have been made righteous by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). Christians aren’t saved because they’re righteous; they’re righteous because they’re truly saved. The difference is that the truly saved have a personal relationship with the risen Jesus through his indwelling Holy Spirit.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

17 Pentecost - Monday

first posted 09/26/04

Job 32:1-10, 19-33:1, 19-28 Elihu Speaks
Acts 13:44-52 Paul at Antioch of Pisidia
John 10:19-30 The Good Shepherd

Job’s three friends “ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes” (Job 32:1). Elihu, son of Barachel the Buzite (descendant of the second son of Nahor, Abrahams's older brother; Genesis 22:20-21) was angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God, and at Job’s friends for judging Job guilty without being able to offer answers. The three friends were older than Elihu, so he had deferred to them, presuming that they had acquired wisdom with age and experience. But Elihu had realized that it is the Spirit, the breath of the Almighty, in a person, that gives understanding, rather than age and experience, so Elihu spoke.

There was an urge within Elihu to speak, like pressure building in an un-vented wineskin. Elihu did not intend to flatter or show favoritism because these are things the Lord detests. Suffering prepares a person to be receptive to God. When a person faces his mortality he is receptive if there is an angel (an angelic messenger or a manifestation of God’s presence) or mediator who can declare what is right.

Elihu envisioned a mediator who can deliver or ransom the sufferer from death, and restore his youthful vigor. Through the mediator the sufferer prays to God and God accepts him and he comes into God’s presence with joy. Then the redeemed sufferer recounts his salvation to other men, saying, “I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not requited to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the Pit (grave) and my life shall see the light” (Job 33:27:28).

Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch of Pisidia after the conversion of the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus at Paphos on Cyprus. Paul preached the Gospel at Antioch of Pisidia (in Asia Minor north of Pamphylia; distinguish from Antioch in Syria), and the people had begged to hear more (Acts 13:13-42).

The next Sabbath nearly the entire city gathered to hear God’s word, but the Jews were jealous and contradicted what Paul said, and reviled him. Paul and Barnabas told them that it had been necessary to proclaim the Gospel to them. Since the Jews rejected the Gospel, thus judging themselves unworthy of eternal life, Paul and Barnabas would present the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul quoted Isaiah 49:6 to show that the Gospel was intended not just for Jews but for all people on earth.

The Gentiles rejoiced at this and many believed. The Gospel spread throughout the area but the Jews stirred up the city leaders who began to persecute Paul and Barnabas and drove them from the area. But they shook off the dust from their feet against the persecutors (Acts 13:51a; compare Luke 10:10-12) and went to Iconium. Those who had become disciples “were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).

After healing the man born blind, Jesus had declared that he is the good shepherd who gives his life for his sheep. There was controversy among the Jews over these words. Some said that Jesus had a demon; that he was crazy. Others said that Jesus words were not the words of a madman, and that if he were crazy he couldn’t heal the blind.

It was the feast of Dedication (commemorating the rededication of the Temple after its restoration following desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 B.C). Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Portico (a public meeting place on the east side of the Temple mount platform). The Jews gathered around and asked Jesus to tell them plainly if he was the Christ. Jesus said that he had told them but they had not believed. Jesus had also demonstrated that he was the Christ by the miracles he had done, but they had not believed because they were did not belong to Jesus’ sheep. Jesus’ sheep are those who hear Jesus’ words and obey Jesus. Jesus gives his sheep eternal life; they will never die, and they cannot be taken from Jesus. It is the Father’s will that they should belong to Jesus, and no one can alter God’s will. Jesus and the Father are one.

Job considered himself righteous (Job 32:1). His attitude suggested that Job thought he was more righteous than God (that Job was right, so God must be wrong.) Elihu was angry with Job’s self-righteousness and with the judgmentalism of the three friends who found Job guilty without being able to support their conclusions.

Elihu pointed out that it is the Spirit of God within a person, not chronological age or worldly experience, which produces spiritual wisdom and spiritual maturity. Elihu suggested that suffering prepares a person to be receptive to God. While things are going well we feel self-sufficient and have no realization of our need for a savior. It is only when we come to the end of our own resources that we can recognize our need.

Elihu’s vision of a mediator is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who declares to a person what is right (Job 33:23; compare Acts 9:5,10-18). Jesus is the mediator who can deliver or ransom from death. Jesus gave his life on the cross as a ransom for sinners. Jesus is the mediator through whom the believer prays to God; through whom the believer is restored to fellowship with God; through whom the believer comes into God’s presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit, now and eternally. The redeemed sufferer recounts his salvation to others and confesses his sin.

Paul (Saul) is an illustration of a redeemed sufferer. He had been struck blind on the road to Damascus as he pursued the persecution of Christians (Acts 9:1-22). He illustrates how suffering prepares one to be receptive to God’s word, and how the Spirit of Christ was there to declare the truth (Acts 9:5, 11-12), directly and through a Spirit-led disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10-18). Paul confessed his sins and recounted his salvation to others. (Acts 9:20; Acts 13:26-41)

The Jews had enough information from scripture, from Jesus’ words and from Jesus’ miracles to know who Jesus was. Yet here was controversy among them. Some believed and some didn’t. Those who are in Jesus, who are truly redeemed, are those who hear what Jesus says, trust in him and act in faith in obedience to his teaching; they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life which Jesus has promised (Acts 13:52).

It is not enough to be a “good” person (Who says we’re “good?”). All have sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23). If we say we have not sinned we call God a liar and his word is not in us (1 John 1:10) and we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8). Jesus is God’s only provision for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way to be restored to fellowship with God, and the only way to eternal life in Heaven (John 14:6). People who think they can justify themselves by good works apart from faith in Jesus are actually condemning themselves as unworthy of eternal life (Acts 13:46). We have all the information we need to know who Jesus is. Each individual must make his own decision.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

17 Pentecost - Tuesday

first posted 09/27/04

Job 29:1-20 Job recalls past happiness
Acts 14:1-18 Mistaken for gods
John 10:31-42 Son of God

Job longed for the days of the past when God blessed him and he was happy. Job was in his “days of fruit gathering” (autumn; Job 29:4a), when God’s friendship was upon Job’s house (Job 29:1-4). He was prosperous and respected by his peers for his righteousness. Job helped the poor, the fatherless, the suffering, the widowed, the blind and lame. Job defended the cause of strangers. Job rescued victims of the unrighteous (Job 29:7-17). During those days Job thought that he would die happy at the end of a long life (Job 29:18). Job thought that he would always continue to live in prosperity and glory and that he would never loose his material, physical and intellectual blessings (Job 29:19-20).

Having been rejected by the Jews at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:13-52), Paul and Barnabas went on to Iconium (in the Province of Galatia; central Asia Minor; present-day Turkey), where they preached the Gospel and a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But unbelieving Jews stirred up opposition among the Gentiles.

Paul and Barnabas stayed for a long time in Iconium preaching Jesus, who allowed them to do many great miracles. But the people of the city were divided by controversy over them; some sided with the Jews and some sided with the Apostles. There was an attempt by both Jews and Gentiles to abuse and stone the Apostles, and when the Apostles learned of it they fled to Lystra and Derbe, in the region of Lycaonia, where they continued to preach the Gospel.

At Lystra there was a man with crippled feet who had never been able to walk. Paul noticed that he had faith to be healed, and commanded the man to stand on his feet. The man jumped up and walked. At this the people declared, in the Lycaonian language, that Paul and Barnabas were gods in the likeness of men. They called Barnabas Zeus and Paul was called Hermes. The priest of Zeus brought oxen and intended to offer sacrifice to them with the people.

When Barnabas and Paul heard, they tore their clothes (an act of ritual mourning) and told the people that they were mere mortals like the Lycaonians, and that they should turn from the useless worship of idols to worship instead the living God, the Creator of the Universe. Paul declared that in the past God had allowed the people of the world to go their own way, but that they had received God’s blessings of rain and harvest which bore witness to his goodness. Saying this, Paul and Barnabas were barely able to keep the people from sacrificing to them.

Jesus had declared that he and the Father are one, so the Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus. Jesus asked them to declare for which of his good works they were preparing to punish him. They said that they were going to execute him, not for good works, but for blasphemy, because Jesus, being human, had made himself God.

Jesus used Psalm 82:6 to support his statement. The scriptures call those who receive God’s word “gods” because they have become God’s children. Since that is scripture (and scripture cannot be contradicted) how could they condemn Jesus for blaspheming because he said “I am the Son of God” (John 10:36)? Jesus told them that his works bear witness that he is doing God’s works and that he and the Father are one. They continued to try to arrest Jesus, but he eluded them.

When Job was doing well he assumed that God was “with” him; that he deserved to be blessed because he was a “good” person. He assumed that his success would continue for the rest of his life because he deserved it; he couldn’t see any reason for that to change. God had blessed Job in the past, although Job hadn’t any personal knowledge of God.

One other thing Job didn’t know is that we are all eternal; there is eternity beyond physical death (John 5:28-28). One could physically die happy in his bed after a full life of worldly success and honor, but if one hasn’t come to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit, one will spend eternity in destruction in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

The Lycaonians saw the miracles that Paul and Barnabas did and thought God had come down to them in human form; they recognized that Paul and Barnabas did things only God could do, but they had not yet come to a personal knowledge of God. Paul and Barnabas were there to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is God’s fullest revealing of himself to us physically. Paul points out that, in the past, God overlooked human lack of personal knowledge of him. God’s blessings were freely given to us, regardless of our faith or knowledge of God, and those blessings testify to God and to God’s goodness and mercy.

The Jews claimed to know God but they did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah (the one whom God consecrated and sent into the world; John 10:36 RSV), although they had the scriptures which promised the coming of the Messiah. They didn’t recognize and acknowledge that the miracles Jesus did could have come only from God. They didn’t believe that Jesus was Emanuel (or Immanuel) which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23; compare Isaiah 7:14). They thought God was “with” them because they kept the Law. They didn’t have personal knowledge of God through Jesus, because they refused to believe that he was the Son of God; God in human form.

Job thought he knew God because he believed in God, did what he thought was right, and he had been blessed with worldly success and honor. The same was true of the Jews, and it was also true of the Lycaonians. None really knew God, because God had not yet revealed himself to them. The Jews considered the Gentiles (including the Lycaonians) spiritually-ignorant pagans, while the Jews considered themselves educated authorities on God. Job, the Lycaonians, and the Jews all knew about God, but they didn’t know God. The Lycaonians heard the words of Jesus and saw the works of Jesus through the lips and hands of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:3), and recognized that it was of God; they just needed to know God. The Jews’ problem was that they knew so much about God that they were not open to any further self-disclosure of God to them.

There is a Day of Judgment coming. All who have ever lived will be accountable to God through Jesus Christ. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with the Lord; those who have rejected and have refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46). Good works won’t save us; religion won’t save us; church membership won’t save us. Only a personal relationship with God through trust and obedience to Jesus Christ and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit will save us.

17 Pentecost - Wednesday

first posted 09/28/04

Job 29:1; 30:1-2, 16-31 Job mourns his present wretchedness
Acts 14:19-28 Paul finishes his first missionary trip
John 11:1-16 Lazarus’ death

Job mourned that he had become an object of ridicule for young and old. Job felt imprisoned by his situation, and ignored by his God. Job knew that death awaited him. It is natural for a person in a desperate situation to call for help. Job had been compassionate to the less fortunate, and expected to be rewarded with goodness, but instead had received the opposite.

Paul and Barnabas had been sent by the Lord on a mission trip to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. On their way they had encountered persecution, forcing them to flee from one town to the next (Acts 13:1-14:18). They had been driven from Iconium to Lystra, where they had healed a lame man and had been regarded as gods. But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the people of Lystra to stone Paul, leaving him for dead outside the city. But when the disciples gathered around him he rose and re-entered the city.

The next day he and Barnabas went on to Derbe, where they preached the Gospel and made many disciples. Then they returned through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia, to strengthen and encourage the new disciples and to warn them to persevere in their faith, telling them that many tribulations were to be expected on their way to the kingdom of God. They appointed elders in every church, whom they dedicated to the Lord with prayer and fasting.

Then they passed through Pisidia and Pamphylia, and preached the Gospel at Perga. From there they went to Attalia, where they sailed for Antioch where they had been commissioned for the mission which they had fulfilled. On their arrival “they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). Paul and Barnabas remained there quite a while with the church at Antioch (in Syria).

Lazarus, of Bethany (in Judea), the brother of Mary and Martha, was ill. Mary was the woman who had anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment (John 12:1-3). The sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was ill. When Jesus heard it he told his disciples that the illness would not result in Lazarus’ death but that God would be glorified and would glorify Jesus through it. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, but he stayed where he was for two more days.

Then he told his disciples that they were leaving for Judea. The disciples knew that the Judeans were seeking to execute Jesus by stoning, and questioned Jesus’ decision to return there. Jesus replied that there are only a certain number of hours of daylight, during which a person can walk without stumbling; he can’t safely walk in darkness because he has no light within himself. Jesus then said that Lazarus had fallen asleep and that Jesus was going to awaken him.

The disciples did not understand that Jesus spoke of Lazarus’ death, and replied that if Lazarus was sleeping he could awaken on his own, (without need of Jesus’ presence). Then Jesus told the disciples plainly that Lazarus was dead, and that Jesus was glad that he hadn’t been there, so that the disciples’ faith might be strengthened (by what would follow). Jesus said, “Let us go to him”, and Thomas, the Twin, added, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:15-16).

Job mourned his situation. He had been compassionate to the less fortunate and had expected to be rewarded with goodness, but instead had received trouble and suffering. He had nothing to look forward to but death, and nothing beyond that.

Paul and Barnabas had been commissioned and led by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2-3) on this mission trip to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. At each stop along the way the preaching of the Gospel resulted in new believers and new churches, but it also was met with persecution, so that Paul and Barnabas were forced to flee to the next place (Acts 13:50, 14:5-6). Paul was actually stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead at Lystra. Ignoring the obvious risk, they returned to the places where they had been persecuted in order to encourage and strengthen the new believers, and to warn them that the way to the kingdom of God would be accompanied by many tribulations.

Jesus and his disciples knew that the Judeans were looking for an opportunity to execute Jesus by stoning. His disciples would have preferred to stay where they were and avoid trouble, but Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, and he wanted God to be glorified and his disciples’ faith to be strengthened. His disciples’ faith obviously needed strengthening because they weren’t willing to risk tribulation for the sake of the Gospel. Thomas’ reply to Lazarus’ death and the prospect of the risk of going to him was quite cynical. He couldn’t see any benefit in that prospect; all he could see was death.

Many people today think that God should bless them with luxury and comfort because of their “good works.” There is a tendency to blame God for any trouble or difficulty that arises. Job had no hope of life beyond physical death. Jesus came not just to promise that there is life beyond physical death, but to demonstrate that truth.

Many church people want to keep their faith within the church where it is comfortable and safe. Thomas found out that following Jesus into uncomfortable and unsafe places leads to resurrection and eternal life. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was able to return to uncomfortable and unsafe places because he knew the resurrected Jesus (Acts 9:1-22). Now is the time to be sharing the light of the Gospel with others; the time is coming when it will be too late.

17 Pentecost - Thursday

first posted 09/29/04

Job 29:1; 31:1-23 Job defends his integrity
Acts 15:1-11 Controversy over Gentile believers
John 11:17-29 Jesus is the resurrection and the life

Job asserted self-discipline over his flesh, so that he might have favor with God. He believed that God sees all his deeds and punishes unrighteousness. Job asked to be judged fairly. Job agreed that if he had practiced deceit and falsehood, if he had turned aside from righteousness, if he had coveted or was guilty of any sin, then he deserved to be penalized, and it would be right for God to withhold his blessings. If he had committed adultery or ambushed his neighbor or prostituted his own wife, those would be terrible crimes to be punished by the courts; they would be worthy of his destruction and would merit the loss of everything.

Job acknowledged that if he had dealt unfairly with his servants when they had a complaint against Job, how could Job expect justice from God, who has created them all? If Job had withheld any necessity from the poor, from widows or orphans, then he would deserve physical affliction. Job asserts that he is not guilty of any of this because he was afraid of God’s just punishment of these offenses.

When Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch (in Syria) at the end of Paul’s first missionary trip, Jewish Christians came from Jerusalem and were teaching the believers at Antioch that it was necessary for Gentile Christians to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas had quite a disagreement and debate with them over this issue, and the Church at Antioch delegated Paul and Barnabas and several others to go to Jerusalem to Church Headquarters and get a ruling from the Council.

As they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they visited congregations along the way and reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and the brethren rejoiced at this news. At Jerusalem they were welcomed, and they declared all that God had done with them (regarding the mission trip and the conversion of Gentiles). But some believers among them who had been Pharisees (a group within Judaism which advocated strict adherence the Law) argued that it was necessary to circumcise Gentile converts and require them to keep the Law of Moses.

The Apostles and elders gathered together to consider the issue, and after much debate, Peter spoke, saying that, earlier, God had chosen and led Peter to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles (Cornelius and his household; Acts 10:1-48), and that God, who knows the inner thoughts and attitudes of all people, had made no distinction between Jewish believers and Gentile believers.

God bore witness that they were equal, by giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as it had been given to Jewish believers. The Gentiles’ hearts were cleansed by faith (through the indwelling Holy Spirit). What right do humans have to insist upon conditions which God does not require? Why should we test God’s forbearance by requiring the Gentiles to fulfill requirements that the Jews had never successfully fulfilled. Jewish Christians are just as dependant upon the grace (free gift; unmerited favor) of God in Jesus Christ as the Gentile converts.

Lazarus, of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, had gotten sick. They were close friends of Jesus, and the sisters had sent for Jesus. Jesus had delayed coming, and Lazarus had died. (John 11:1-16; see entry for yesterday, Wednesday, 17 Pentecost, even year). When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been the tomb four days. Bethany was close to Jerusalem and many Jews from Jerusalem had come to console Mary and Martha. “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she got up to meet him, while Mary sat in the house” (John 11:20).

Mary told Jesus (calling him "Lord") that if he had been there her brother would not have died, but that even now she knew that whatever Jesus asked of God, God would give him. Jesus told her that her brother would rise again. Martha said that she knew that Lazarus would rise in the resurrection at the end of time. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:26)? Martha said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world (John 11:27-28).

Job acknowledged that God was sovereign and that God sees and punishes sin. Job’s concept of justice was that the punishment should be appropriate to the crime. Job acknowledged that he could not expect justice from God unless he himself had been just in his dealings with others. The problem was that Job thought he was as righteous as (or even more righteous than) God. Job thought he was entitled to God’s favor because of his good deeds, and blamed God for allowing him to suffer. Job was trying to dictate to God the terms of God's judgment of Job.

Israel’s long experience living under the Law of Moses demonstrated that it is impossible for humans to fulfill the just requirements of the Law. All have sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). God sent Jesus into the world so that our sins could be forgiven and cleansed by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God declared that the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23).

One might feel that the penalty does not fit the crime, but the real sin is in defying God. God offers forgiveness and salvation, which we do not deserve and cannot earn, as a free gift through faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). That doesn’t mean that we can do what ever we please because God has forgiven us. We’re free from the law which condemns us to eternal death as long as we live in obedience to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2-4).

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal destruction (Acts 4:12, John 14:6). If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and accept him as your Lord, he promises that you will never die eternally, but instead will live eternally with him.

God’s word says we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23). If we claim that we have not sinned, we call God a liar and we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8-10). Jesus keeps his promises! Jesus said that he is the resurrection and the life, and he raised Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days, from death to life.

Jesus promised that there will be a resurrection and a Day of Judgment (John 5:28-29). Those who trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with the Lord; those who reject and refuse to obey Jesus will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46). Is God right, or do you think that you’re right and God is wrong? Good deeds won’t save us. Keeping the Jewish Laws or man-made rules won’t save us. Only a personal relationship with Jesus through his indwelling Holy Spirit will save us.

17 Pentecost - Friday

first posted 09/30/04

Job 29:1; 31:24-40 Job’s final defense
Acts 15:12-21 The Council at Jerusalem
John 11:30-44 Lazarus raised from the dead

Job continued his final defense, asserting that, if he had placed money or worldly success or power ahead of his obedience to God, if he had practiced nature-worship or any other form of idolatry, then Job agreed that he would be guilty of sin and worthy of punishment. Job denied that he had hated his enemies, been less than generous to those of his household, or neglected the traveler. Job denied that he had any guilt to hide from anyone. Job challenged God to indict him; he claimed he had nothing to fear and would consider any indictment as a symbol of honor.

Job was confident that he could account to God for every aspect of his life. Job would approach judgment nobly and unbowed (not humbly). Job said, “If I have concealed my transgressions like Adam (or like men; Job 31:33, note q, RSV; compare Genesis 3:8)…If my land has cried out against me (Job 31:38; compare Genesis 4:10-11)…let thorns grow instead of wheat” (Job 31:40; compare Genesis 3:17-18). Job felt that he did not share in the guilt of Adam which resulted in God’s curse upon the ground (Job 31:33; 38-40; Genesis 3:17-18).

Controversy over whether to require Gentile converts to be circumcised and to keep the Jewish Laws had resulted in Paul and Barnabas being delegated to go to Jerusalem to get a ruling on the issue from Church headquarters. Peter pointed out that God had given his Holy Spirit to the first Gentile converts, Cornelius and his household, who had been converted by the preaching of Peter (Symeon, i.e. Simon) at the direction of the Holy Spirit, without requiring them to be circumcised or to keep the Jewish Laws (Acts 15:1-11).

The Council listened to Paul and Barnabas describe the miracles God had done through them among the Gentiles. Then James (the kinsman of Jesus) pointed out that Peter’s observations about the conversion experience of Cornelius were supported by scripture, and cited Amos 9:11-12, Jeremiah 12: 15 (14-16), and Isaiah 45:21 to show that God intended salvation for all people.

God promised to return to rebuild this salvation from the ruins of Israel, and from the fallen dwelling of David (Acts 15:16; compare Amos 9:11). Thus James recommended that the Gentile converts not be required to conform to the Jewish Laws, and that they should merely be warned to abstain from any form of idolatry, unchastity, and from meat not ritually butchered (not bled and therefore containing its blood; i.e. strangled; this had been forbidden to Noah’s sons and thus to all mankind; Genesis 9:4. This is what was taught in the synagogues every Sabbath; Acts 15:21).

Lazarus had been dead four days before Jesus arrived in Bethany. When Martha had heard that Jesus had arrived she went out to meet him while Mary had stayed in the home with the mourners. After Martha had talked to the Lord (John 11:17-27), she went and told Mary that Jesus had arrived and was calling Mary. Mary went to Jesus, who had not yet entered the village. When the mourners saw Mary leave abruptly they followed, thinking that she was going to the tomb to mourn.

When Mary came to Jesus she fell at his feet saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and also the mourners who had followed her, he was deeply moved and wept also. The mourners realized how much Jesus loved Lazarus, but some said “could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying” (John 11:37)? Jesus asked where Lazarus had been laid, and Mary took him to see the tomb.

It was a cave, sealed with a stone. Jesus asked for the stone to be removed, and Martha told Jesus that there would be a stench, because the body had been in the tomb four days. Jesus told her that if she would believe she would see the glory of God. The stone was removed and Jesus prayed, thanking God the Father for hearing (and granting) what Jesus asked. Jesus wanted the witnesses to know that this miracle was by God’s power, and not sorcery. Then Jesus called Lazarus by name, and commanded him to come out. The dead man came out, covered with burial wrappings, including his face. Jesus told the people to unbind Lazarus “and let him go” (John 11:44).

Job denied that he possessed the sinful nature of all mankind. We’re all descendants of Adam and have inherited Adam’s sinful nature. Adam’s sin was disobedience of God’s command (Genesis 3:17). Adam desired the forbidden fruit for food (the lusts of the flesh), it was a delight to the eye (lusts of the eyes; i.e. covetousness) and it could make one wise (human pride; Genesis 3:6). Satan tempted him with the possibility of being “like God” (God’s equal; Genesis 3:5). Job was so sure of his own righteousness that he challenged God to indict and judge him. By that very attitude he indicted himself as a descendant of Adam who had inherited Adam’s sinful nature. Job had indicted himself as guilty of trying to be God’s equal or even superior to God.

From the beginning of Creation mankind has been resisting obedience to God, his creator. It isn’t that God has been hiding from mankind, but that mankind has been trying to hide from God (Genesis 3:8). God promises that if we seek him in faith, we will find him (Jeremiah 29:13; Hebrews 11:6). Mankind denies God’s existence because man wants to be his own “god;” he doesn’t want to acknowledge that he is under God’s authority.

At the time of Flood the descendants of Noah had personal knowledge of God. God made a covenant with Noah and his sons based on God’s promise and his commands, by which all mankind is bound. Idolatry is anything which interferes with obedience to God. Blood is sacred to God; it represents life-force. Murder has been condemned from the beginning when Cain became the first murderer by killing his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8-12).

There was an ancient belief that one who drank the blood of an animal received the spirit of that animal (and obtained that animal’s nature). God specifically forbade the Israelites from drinking blood or eating meat containing blood for this reason. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist; Sacrament of Holy Communion) on the night before his Crucifixion he declared that the wine was his blood, shed on the cross as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, so that believers could drink it in faith and receive forgiveness and the infilling of his Holy Spirit. God doesn’t want us to be filled with animal spirits; he wants us to be filled with his Holy Spirit!

All of us share the sin-nature of Adam; we have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). There is a Day of Judgment coming when we will all be accountable to the Lord. Jesus will stand at the door of the tomb and call us forth as he called Lazarus (John 11:43; compare John 5:28-29). Those who are judged righteous will receive eternal life in Heaven with the Lord; those who are judged unrighteous will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell with all evil.

None of us will be judged righteous on our own merit or deeds. God loves and doesn’t want us to perish eternally (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see “God’s plan of salvation,” sidebar, top right). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will be saved and live eternally; those who have rejected and disobeyed Jesus will receive eternal death, punishment and shame in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46). When Jesus calls you forth from the grave, will he release you from the bonds of sin and death and free you to live eternally with him, or will he send you bound, to be imprisoned eternally in death and misery in Hell?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20) (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

17 Pentecost - Saturday

first posted 10/01/04

Job 38:1-17 God speaks
Acts 15:22-35 Apostolic decree
John 11:45-54 The Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus

Job had been seeking personal communication with God. Job had asked why misfortune had happened to him. Now God answered Job. The Lord said that Job had obscured the truth by speaking without knowledge. Job had been trying to interrogate God; now God will interrogate Job. Job had challenged God’s sovereignty. Now God challenges Job’s qualifications. God is the creator of earth, the heavens, sea, time, space, and light; and the restrainer and punisher of darkness (evil). How did Job compare with God; did Job think he was qualified to be God?

A controversy had arisen in the Church over whether Gentile converts should be required to be circumcised and keep the Jewish laws. The issue had been decided by the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-21), and Silas (Silvanus ), and Judas Barsabas, Christian leaders in Jerusalem, accompanied Paul and Barnabas as they returned to Antioch (in Syria) with a letter to the churches in Antioch, Syria, and Cilisia stating the decision of the Council. The letter exhorted the Gentile Christians to abstain from idolatry (participation in sacrifices offered to idols; compare 1 Corinthians 10:27-29), from eating or drinking blood (meat not butchered according to Jewish ritual; not bled; i.e., strangled), and from unchastity.

When they arrived in Antioch they delivered the letter and when it had been read the congregation rejoiced at the exhortation. Judas and Silas were prophets, and they exhorted and strengthened the congregation. After spending some time at Antioch they returned to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching, along with many others.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44), many Jews (Judeans) believed in Jesus; but some reported Jesus’ miracle to the Pharisees. The Jewish religious council of chief priests and Pharisees gathered to rule on this matter. They were afraid that if they allowed Jesus to continue preaching and working miracles, that everyone would believe in Jesus, and the Romans would come and destroy the holy place (the Temple) and the nation. But Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them they knew nothing; that they did not understand that it was in their best interest that one person should die for the people, so that the whole nation would not perish.

Caiaphas said this, not of his own authority, but he prophesied, because of his office as high priest, that Jesus should die not only for the Jews but for all who would become children of God (through faith in Jesus). From that day, the Jewish authorities plotted to execute Jesus. So Jesus no longer went about openly, but stayed with his disciples in a town near the wilderness called Ephraim in the Judean hills about 14 miles north of Jerusalem.

Job had obscured the truth by speaking without knowledge. He lacked a personal relationship with, and knowledge of, God. Job had come to think that he was equal or even superior to God, because Job considered himself righteous and not deserving of suffering. Job had questioned God. Now God revealed himself to Job in the whirlwind (a symbol for the manifestation of God’s presence; compare Nahum 1:3, Zechariah 9:14, Psalm 50:3 RSV, Ezek 1:4; 2 Kings 2:11; Jeremiah 4:13); now God spoke to Job; God interrogated Job.

The Church was divided over the issue of circumcision and the keeping of Jewish law. The controversy was resolved by the church leaders in Jerusalem. Apostles who had been filled with and led by the Holy Spirit, used their experience of the leading of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:7-11), in agreement with the scriptures (Acts 15:13-21), to reach their decision. The result was in the best interest of the Gentile Christians and the Church. It was liberating rather than repressive.

The Jewish religious leaders knew a lot about God and the scriptures, but they didn’t know God personally because they didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah, God’s Son. They knew the scriptures and they had the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the prophecy by Caiaphas, but they did not allow their decision to be guided by these. They knew the scriptures but they did not understand them because they did not listen to the Holy Spirit. Instead, they made their decision based on their personal interests rather that on God’s will.

They had the opportunity to cooperate with God’s plan, but chose to follow their own plan. God’s plan anticipated that. God’s plan will be fulfilled whether we choose to cooperate with it or not. The only question each individual must answer for himself is which side of God’s plan we will be on.

The Jewish religious leaders thought it was in their best interest from their worldly viewpoint to kill Jesus. They were afraid of loosing their jobs as religious leaders of the people (John 11:48a); of loosing their Temple and their national status as People of God (John 11:48b). Their plan was to kill Jesus to prevent this, but it actually brought it about.

Judaism effectively ended at the Crucifixion of Jesus. Jerusalem and the Temple (and the system of sacrifice required by Jewish law) were destroyed by the Roman Legions in 70 A.D. The Jews were scattered throughout the world and it is only since World War II that Israel has been re-established as a nation. What they thought was in their best interest turned out to be in their worst interest. They were not freed but instead repressed.

How are we doing? Are we seeking a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit? Are we seeking to know and do God’s will by studying the scriptures with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or are we pursuing human careers and agendas. Are we proclaiming the truth based on personal knowledge and experience of the Lord, or are we obscuring the truth because we speak without that personal knowledge?