22 Pentecost

22 Pentecost – Sunday

first posted 10/15/05

Jeremiah 36:1-10, Jeremiah’s scroll read

Acts 14:8-18, Mistaken for gods

Luke 7:36-50 Appreciation of forgiveness

“In the fourth year (605 B.C.) of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah” (Jeremiah 36:1), the Lord told Jeremiah to record all of God’s words to Jeremiah against the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, and against the nations (the Gentiles), from the time the Lord had begun to speak to Jeremiah in the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.). The Lord hoped that prophecies of catastrophic punishment would cause them to repent of their sin (disobedience of God’s word) so that the Lord could forgive them.

Jeremiah commissioned Baruch to transcribe the word of God to Jeremiah on a scroll as Jeremiah dictated it. Jeremiah also told Baruch to read the scroll of Jeremiah to everyone assembled on a day of national fasting declared by King Jehoiakim because of the threat of war from Nebuchadnezzar, king of Chaldea (Babylon). Jeremiah had been banned from the temple, and was unable to read his in the temple himself. Because it was a day of national fasting, all the leaders of Judah would be there. Since the purpose for the assembly and fasting was to pray for God’s help, it was Jeremiah’s hope that when they realized that God’s condemnation was coming upon them for their disobedience of God, they would repent and return to obedient trust in the Lord.

In November 604 B.C. all the people of Jerusalem and the leaders throughout Judah gathered at the temple in Jerusalem for the fast proclaimed by Jehoiakim, and Baruch read the words of Jeremiah in their presence.

On Paul’s first missionary journey, in Lystra (in the Roman province of Galatia; in present-day Turkey), Paul encountered a man who had been born crippled and had never walked. He was listening to Paul speak, and Paul realized that the man had faith to be healed, so Paul spoke directly to the man, telling him to stand up on his feet. The man sprang up and walked. When the crowd saw the miracle, they proclaimed in their language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men” (Acts 14:11). They called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul, Hermes. The temple of Zeus was at the entrance of the city, and the priest of Zeus came with garlands for Paul and Barnabas and oxen, intending to offer a sacrifice and feast.

When Paul and Barnabas heard what was happening, they tore their clothes (a ritual of mourning) and spoke to the crowd, telling the people that Paul and Barnabas were merely mortals like the people of Lystra. Paul and Barnabas were bringing good news, so that they could turn from the futile worship of idols to the worship of the one true and living God, the creator of everything in heaven and on earth. In the past, God had allowed the nations of earth to follow their own ways, although the goodness of creation testified to the existence and nature of the Creator. Paul and Barnabas were barely able to restrain the crowd from worshiping them.

A Pharisee asked Jesus to be his dinner guest, and Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and sat at his table. A woman of the city, a sinner, heard where Jesus was, and she came, knelt down and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with ointment. The Pharisee thought to himself that if Jesus was a prophet he would have known that the woman was a sinner, and would not have allowed her to do that.

Jesus knew what the Pharisee was thinking. Jesus addressed the Pharisee, Simon, by name and said he had something to tell him. Simon asked what it was, addressing Jesus as Teacher (Rabbi). Jesus told him a parable (a fictitious story of common life experience to teach a spiritual truth) of a lender who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii (a denarius was a Roman coin equivalent to a day’s labor), and the other owed fifty denarii. Neither debtor could repay the debt, so the lender forgave them both. Jesus asked Simon which of the debtors would love the lender more. Simon replied that e supposed the debtor with the greatest debt would love the lender more, and Jesus told Simon he had chosen the right answer.

Jesus turned Simon’s attention to the woman. Simon hadn’t provided Jesus with water to wash his feet, but the woman had washed and dried his feet with tears and her hair. Simon hadn’t greeted Jesus with a kiss, but the woman had continually kissed Jesus’ feet. Simon hadn’t anointed Jesus’ head with oil, but the woman had anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment. Jesus declared that all of the woman’s many sins had been forgiven because she loved greatly, but one who is forgiven little loves little. Jesus told the woman that her sins were forgiven, her faith had saved her, and she could go in peace. The other guests at Simon’s table wondered who Jesus must be, to be forgiving sins.

God’s word contains both promises and warnings. Those who trust and obey God’s word receive the promises. Those who refuse to trust and obey God receive the punishment God’s warning was intended to avert.

Judah, the remnant of the nation of Israel, had received continual warning from scripture and from God’s prophets that unless they returned to obedient trust in the Lord Jerusalem and Judah would be conquered and exiled to Babylon. In 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon (Chaldea) had defeated Egypt, Judah’s only potential ally, and Nebuchadnezzar was at Judah’s very door, to deport them to Babylon, when King Jehoiakim and the people of Judah finally turned to God for help. The Lord and his prophet, Jeremiah, hoped that hearing God’s word at such a time of national crisis would cause the people to realize that they had not been living according to God’s word, and that they would repent and return to the Lord in obedient trust, so that the Lord could forgive them. There was still time for them to avoid captivity and exile. But Judah wanted God’s help and salvation without being willing to obey God and live according to his word.

Paul and Barnabas were sharing the “Good News,” the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been God’s plan from the very beginning of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of people who would voluntarily trust and obey him. This present life is our opportunity to seek and come to know and have fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27), and to learn to live according to God’s word. God knew that, given free choice, we would all sin and come short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and God has declared that the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God’s one and only provision for our forgiveness of sin, salvation from eternal death, and restoration of fellowship with God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus Christ has been “built into” the structure of this Creation (John 1:1-3). God has been revealing his eternal plan over the course of time, culminating in the manifestation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In the past God allowed people to explore religion for themselves, although the Creation testifies to the good and righteous God, our Creator. But now he has revealed himself and his eternal plan in Jesus Christ. The people of Lystra thought that their gods had come down to them in human form in Paul and Barnabas, but their gods were idols, created by human hands and human imagination. They could hope that their gods would come to earth in human form and intervene in their behalf and bless their worship, but it was empty hope because there was no true god behind their idols. Jesus is the fulfillment of human hope for God who would come to earth in human form, intervene in our behalf and bless us as we welcome and serve him (Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-3,14).

The people of Lystra were ready to believe that Paul and Barnabas were gods because they had healed a cripple who had never walked, but the Jewish leaders and religious authorities had refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God, although they had the scriptures and had witnessed greater miracles than that done by Jesus, including the resurrection of the dead. Paul told the people of Lystra that now was the time for them to stop their futile worship of idols and to turn to the one and only true and living God. The power to heal the cripple was the power of God working through Paul and Barnabas by the indwelling Holy Spirit through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.

Simon, the Pharisee, considered himself an authority in Judaism and a righteous person. He had encountered the Messiah, the Son of God, and Simon decided that Jesus wasn’t even a good prophet, since Jesus didn’t seem to know the character of the woman who was washing his feet. Simon didn’t value forgiveness because he didn’t think he had done anything needing forgiveness. The woman knew she was a sinner and she believed Jesus could forgive her. She acted in faith and received what God promised. Her love and gratitude to Jesus demonstrated that she had been forgiven, but Simon’s response demonstrated that his sins hadn’t been forgiven.

In a sense, we are all God’s people, because God is our Creator. God has been warning us in his word, the Bible, and by his prophets about the consequences of disobedience and idolatry. In many ways America and the Church in America (as well as other Christian nations and national Churches) are in a very similar situation to Judah and Judaism at the time of Christ’s earthly life. God’s condemnation for disobedience of his word and idolatry (the love of anything equal to or greater than our love of God) is at our very doorstep. Are we willing to hear God’s word of warning, to repent and return to obedient trust in Jesus Christ while forgiveness and salvation are still possible?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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?

Alternative Entry

first posted 11/08/03

Jeremiah 36:1-10 Baruch reads from Jeremiah’s scroll

Acts 14:8-18 Disciples mistaken for gods

Luke 7:36-50 The woman who was a sinner

During the reign of Jehoikim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, the Lord told Jeremiah to write down everything that the Lord had told him against Israel and Judah from the time the Lord first began to speak to Jeremiah in the time of Josiah. Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, who wrote down on a papyrus scroll what Jeremiah dictated. When it was written, Jeremiah instructed Baruch to read the scroll in the Temple in the hearing of all the people of Judah who were present. It was the intent of the Lord and the hope of Jeremiah that the people would hear the Lord’s judgment against them and repent and return to the Lord, so that the Lord could forgive them. (v.3, 7) Late the next year there was a fast proclaimed on the occasion of the attack by Nebuchadrezzar’s (Nebuchadnezzar’s) Babylonian forces on Ashkelon (on the coast of Judah west of Jerusalem). Baruch read the words of Jeremiah to all the assembly in the Temple.

As Paul preached at Lystra (in present-day Turkey), during his first missionary journey, with Barnabas, he saw a crippled man who was listening intently. Seeing that he had faith to be healed, Paul told him to stand up upon his feet. The man sprang up and walked. When the crowd saw what had been done, they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods, and they called Barnabas Zeus and Paul they called Hermes. The priest of Zeus came bringing oxen and wanted to offer a sacrifice with the people, but when Paul and Barnabas heard, they rushed out begging them to stop. They proclaimed that they were merely mortal men, and that there was only one true God. By this declaration they were barely able to keep the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Jesus was invited to dinner at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. A woman of the city who was a sinner heard where Jesus was and she came and stood behind him at the table and, weeping, she wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair and anointed his feat with ointment. The Pharisee thought to himself that if Jesus were a prophet he would have known that the woman was a sinner (and should have had nothing to do with her). Jesus, knowing the thoughts of the Pharisee’s heart, told him a parable of two debtors forgiven unequal debts, and asked which debtor could be expected to love the forgiving creditor more. The correct answer was obvious; the one forgiven the greater debt would be more grateful. Jesus then pointed out that the woman who had anointed him had demonstrated great love while Simon, the Pharisee, had demonstrated little love. The woman appreciated forgiveness; Simon did not. Jesus then told the woman that her sins were forgiven, according to her faith, which she had demonstrated by her love. The guests at the table were amazed, saying “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

Jeremiah was a man of faith. He believed the word of the Lord. When the Lord told him to write down the Lord’s entire prophetic judgment against Israel and Judah, Jeremiah did it. The Lord gave Jeremiah the words he wanted him to write down. When the Lord told him to have it read to the assembly of Judah in the Temple, Jeremiah had it done as the Lord had said. The Lord wanted the people to repent and turn to him so that he could forgive their sin, and Jeremiah agreed and worked for that purpose. Jeremiah recruited Baruch to help him accomplish that task.

Paul and Barnabas were led by the Spirit to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. They were working in accord with the Lord’s desire that the people might hear the word of God so that they would have the opportunity to repent and turn to the Lord for him to forgive their sin. Paul and Barnabas were not preaching for their own glory, and they were dismayed that the people were attempting to worship them. They were not using their spiritual gifts for their own benefit; they were using them to build the Kingdom of God and save others. They cared about those who were going to perish without the good news that God wants to forgive our sin. God sent his only Son [we can become sons and daughters of God through Jesus, but we are “adopted;” Jesus is fully God and fully human, the way a naturally conceived son contains the biological nature of both his mother and his father (Colossians 2:8-9)] to die on the cross for our sin so that we might be forgiven (John 3:16-17) and not have to suffer the penalty for our own sins, which is eternal death and destruction (Romans 6:23).

Jesus cares about sinners. Jesus came to save sinners. There is salvation (forgiveness) in no one else (Acts 4:12). “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Simon, the Pharisee, was a sinner just like the woman who anointed Jesus feet. He needed Jesus as much as the woman did; but he didn’t recognize and acknowledge his sin. He thought he was OK all by himself. He thought his own good works would save him. The difference in their response wasn’t a matter of the amount or degree of their sin but the amount of the recognition of their sin. Jesus said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12b, 13b; see journal entry for Wednesday, November 5, 2003). He didn’t mean that some of us don’t need him; all of us are sinners, but only those who realize that can come to Jesus and be healed.

The prophet’s job is to speak the words of the Lord’s judgment in the hope that the hearers will heed the word of the Lord and turn to the Lord for forgiveness. There is a Day of Judgment coming, when everyone on earth will be accountable to God. Those who have trusted in Jesus to forgive their sins and have acted in faith and obedience to his words will receive eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. Those who have refused to come to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins will receive eternal death and destruction with Satan and his followers in the Hell of eternal fire. Where we spend eternity is our choice.

22 Pentecost – Monday

first posted 10/16/05

Jeremiah 36:11-26, King Jehoiakim burns the scroll

1 Corinthians 13: (1-3) 4-13, Love

Matthew 10:5-15 The Twelve Apostles

In the reign of Jehoiakim, Micaiah, the son of the scribe, Gemariah, heard the scroll of Jeremiah, the prophet, read by Jeremiah’s secretary Baruch. He went to the king’s secretary’s chamber in the palace where his father and all the princes of Judah were gathered with the royal secretary, Elishama, and Zedekiah (who would become the last king of Judah, succeeding Jehoiakim’s son, Jehoiachin). Micaiah told them what he had heard from Jeremiah’s prophecies. The princes of Judah sent Jehudi to invite Baruch to read the scroll of Jeremiah to them. When the assembly of princes had heard the prophecy of Jeremiah, they were afraid (of God’s judgment upon the disobedience and idolatry of Judah). They asked how Baruch had come to write the scroll, and Baruch told them that he had written what Jeremiah had dictated.

The royal advisors told Baruch to hide with Jeremiah (from the retribution Jehoiakim would certainly exact). The princes hid the scroll of Jeremiah in the royal secretary’s chamber, but the king commanded that the scroll be brought. Jehudi read it to King Jehoiakim, surrounded by the princes of Judah. In the ninth month (Kislev: November/December) the King was in his winter house, and there was a charcoal brazier for heat. As Jehudi read three or four columns of the scroll of Jeremiah, King Jehoiakim cut them off with a penknife and burned them in the brazier until the entire scroll was burned. Neither the king nor his advisors who heard the prophecy were afraid of God’s judgment. Jehoiakim’s maternal grandfather and others begged Jehoiakim not to burn the prophecy of Jeremiah, but Jehoiakim would not listen. The king ordered his son, Jerahmeel, and a priest named Saraiah and others to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch, but the Lord hid them.

The spiritual gifts are to be used with love toward others, rather than to magnify ourselves. None of the spiritual gifts can accomplish their intended purpose for us or others apart from love. Love is patient and kind, not jealous, boastful, arrogant, rude, selfish, irritable, or resentful. Love is forbearing, trusting, hopeful, and longsuffering.

Love never ends. Love is more eternal than the greatest spiritual gifts, because they are imperfect, having been given for use in an imperfect world. When the perfect world comes, the imperfect will pass away. Spiritual development corresponds to physical growth. When we were children, our thoughts and actions were childish, but in adulthood we should no longer think or behave like a child. Our present understanding is limited in this world, like the dim reflection in an imperfect mirror, but in the perfect world to come we will understand clearly, as seeing face-to-face. The only things which will transcend this temporal creation are faith, hope and love, and love is the most important .because it is the foundation for faith and hope.

Jesus called his Twelve original disciples, Simon Peter, Peter’s brother, Andrew, James and his brother, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, the tax collector, “little” James, the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus. Jesus named them “apostles” (“messengers” of the gospel; Luke 6:13), gave them authority to heal diseases and cast out demons.

Jesus sent them out to proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom and to heal physical and spiritual illness. They were not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans (yet). Jesus told them not to take any money, extra clothing, or any food with them. They were to preach and heal without pay because they had received the gospel without paying, but they would receive food and lodging in the villages which received them. They were to stay with those who are worthy (righteous); they were not to remain among any who were unrighteous, and if any house or town refused to welcome them and listen to them, the apostles were to shake off the dust of the town from their feet as a testimony against the house or town. Jesus warned that those who do not welcome and listen to his disciples will receive worse punishment on the Day of Judgment than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-19:28).

Jeremiah and Baruch were obedient to and faithfully proclaimed God’s word. Some of the people who heard it heeded the warning; they tried to preserve God’s word and tried to influence those in power to heed God’s word, but the leaders had no respect for God’s word and tried to destroy it. The wicked leaders also tried to destroy the faithful messengers of God’s word. Jehoiakim was using his position as leader of God’s people for his own selfish personal benefit. Burning the scroll didn’t keep God’s word from being fulfilled, and the Lord was able to hide and protect his messengers from the power of the wicked.

The Lord gives the gifts (abilities; empowerment) of the Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey him. Christians are to use those gifts of the Spirit to proclaim God’s word and to influence the secular world to hear and obey God’s word. The spiritual gifts are not to be used to glorify ourselves and to build our personal “empire;” they aren’t given to us be used to manipulate others.

Christians are to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ out of love for others. Jeremiah, Baruch and the princes of Judah proclaimed God’s word with love for their nation and their people, hoping to save them from destruction, but their love was not perceived by the wicked, who responded to God’s word and their preaching with hate and evil.

Christian discipleship is a spiritual growth process. In many instances, people think that their reception as adult members into the Church is the end of spiritual growth and the evidence of spiritual maturity, rather than the beginning of discipleship and spiritual growth. Paul addressed that problem in the Corinthian Church (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

Jesus was demonstrating and teaching discipleship and the ministry of the Gospel by example. After the Twelve disciples had spent time with Jesus and been taught by him he sent them out to proclaim the Gospel in love, helping to relieve physical need, and offering spiritual healing. Jesus warned them that not everyone would welcome them and listen to their message. All the apostles were commanded to do was to faithfully proclaim the Gospel. If individuals or communities refused to welcome them and hear them, they were just to go on to the next place. Those who reject the Gospel will be accountable and punished on the Day of Judgment.

Paul is the prototype and example of a modern, “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, who was carrying on Jesus’ “Great Commission” to his disciples to make disciples and teach them to obey all Jesus’ commands (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul had not known Jesus before Jesus’ crucifixion resurrection and ascension into heaven, so his “rebirth” and call to ministry are like our own. Paul received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit before he began his apostleship (Acts 9:17-18; see Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).

The Gospel is God’s love in action. Jesus is God’s love made visible. God loves us and wants us to be saved from eternal destruction and eternal death; he doesn’t want us to be condemned (John 3:16-17; See God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Many people don’t perceive the Gospel, the Word of God, as loving, and don’t respond with love toward God or God’s messengers. For those who receive the announcement of the coming of God’s heavenly kingdom it is good news. For those who refuse to accept it, it is bad news. The choice is up to the hearer.

It’s an imperfect world because God designed it to allow people freedom to believe or reject God’s word. But this imperfect world will pass away and be replaced by the perfect world of the eternal kingdom of God. There will be no more sin, evil, sickness, sorrow, pain, decay or death (Revelation 21:4). There won’t be anyone in God’s eternal kingdom who doesn’t love, trust and obey the Lord.

Alternative Entry
first posted 11/09/03

Jeremiah 36:11-26 Jehoiakim burns the scroll

1 Corinthians 13: (1-3), 4-13 The way of love

Matthew 10:5-15 Commissioning the Disciples

Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, one of the leaders of the administration of King Jehoiakim, heard Baruch read Jeremiah’s scroll in the Temple and he went to the Palace and reported to the assembly of the princes. Then the princes summoned Baruch to read the scroll to their assembly. When they heard the words of the scroll, they were afraid. They told Baruch to go into hiding with Jeremiah, and they reported Jeremiah’s words to the King.

When the King was told of the scroll, he had it brought and read to him. It was in winter, and the King sat warming himself before a fire, and he cut off 3 or 4 columns at a time as the scroll was read, and burned them in the fire, until the entire scroll had been destroyed. The King was not bothered by the words of the scroll, and he revealed his contempt for the words by burning them as they were read, in disregard of the warnings of the princes. Instead, he ordered Baruch and Jeremiah arrested, but they could not be found because the Lord hid them.

Paul’s point is that the spiritual gifts are wonderful and to be sought after, but they are given to be used not to enhance our own status or for our own benefit, but in love to build up God’s kingdom of heaven. They are to be used for that purpose now, in this present world, but they are not eternal. The will be surpassed by superior eternal versions. The Corinthians have been making a fuss over their knowledge and spiritual gifts, but what they have been lacking is love for one another. Love is the greatest of the eternal traits, along with faith and hope. Love is absolutely vital to the exercise of the spiritual gifts now, as well as the most important of the eternal principles. Yet the Corinthians’ behavior reveals that they are lacking in that very area.

Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with the commission to preach and heal. Their primary message was the imminent coming of God’s kingdom of heaven. That announcement requires a life-or-death decision by its hearers. The Disciples are to shake the dust from their feet as they leave a place which has not been receptive to their message, as a testimony against that place. Sodom and Gommorah, destroyed by fire from heaven, (Genesis 18:20, Genesis Ch. 19) are cited as examples of God’s judgment on wickedness which those who reject this message will receive.

Jeremiah and Baruch were faithful to deliver the warning of God’s judgment on sin (see journal entry for Sunday, November 9, 2003). The princes of Judah received the message and they repented (v.16) in that the message made them realize that they had sinned and were in danger of God’s condemnation. But King Jehoiahkim did not repent; he was not afraid. He was so arrogant that he burned the scroll column by column as it was read to him. Jehoiakim intended to destroy Jeremiah and Baruch as well, but he wasn’t able to lay hands on them. Jeremiah and Baruch had published the word of the Lord, in love, so that the princes and the king might repent and not be destroyed.

Jesus sent his disciples out with the commission to preach the Gospel. For those who receive the announcement of the coming of God’s heavenly kingdom it is good news. For those who refuse to accept it, it is bad news. The choice is up to the hearer.

The Gospel is God’s love in action. God loves us and wants us to be saved; he doesn’t want us to be condemned (John 3:16-17). Do we respond to God’s love by loving God back, or do we reject God’s love and respond with anger and hatred toward God and his disciples?

Jesus is God’s love made visible. Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness (Acts 4:12). We are all sinners (Romans 3:23). The penalty for sin is eternal death and separation from God (Romans 6:23). God doesn’t want us to have to die eternally for our sins (John 3:16-17), but if we refuse Jesus we will. We will all be accountable to God on the Day of Judgment and we are all eternal (John 5:28-29). Where we will spend our eternity is our individual choice.

22 Pentecost – Tuesday

first posted 11/17/05

Jeremiah 36:27-37:2, Jeremiah’s scroll rewritten

1 Corinthians 14:1-12, Speaking in ecstatic tongues

Matthew 10:16-23 Warning of coming persecutions

Jehoiakim, king of Judah had burned the scroll of Jeremiah as it was being read to him. The Lord told Jeremiah to write the scroll again with the same words and more. Jeremiah was to say, concerning Jehoiakim, that since Jehoiakim had rejected the Lord’s warning of the destruction of Judah by the king of Babylon, the Lord declared that none of Jehoiakim’s descendants would sit upon the throne of David, and Jehoiakim’s dead body would be left exposed to heat and frost. The Lord swore to punish Jehoiakim, his descendants and all who cooperated with him for their sin (disobedience of God’s word). The Lord swore to bring on them all the punishment he had warned them of through Jeremiah, which the king and his men had refused to listen to.

Once again Jeremiah dictated and his secretary transcribed the words on a scroll. Instead of Jehoiakim’s son, Coniah, Zedekiah, son of Josiah, was made king of Judah, by Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar), king of Babylon, who had seized control of Judah, Thus God’s word, prophesied by Jeremiah, was fulfilled, since neither Zedekiah nor the people of Judah had heeded God’s word.

Paul was discipling the Corinthian Christians. He taught them to obey the “new” commandment which Jesus gave his disciples (John 13:34-35). Paul was urging them to seek, identify, develop and apply the gifts (abilities; empowerment) of the Holy Spirit. One of the manifestations of the anointing of the Holy Spirit may be ecstatic language, referred to as “speaking in tongues” but, unless someone can understand and interpret it, no one is “built up” by it except perhaps the speaker. In contrast, prophecy builds up, encourages, and consoles the Church. Paul wants Christians to have ecstatic experiences but he wants them to grow spiritually and to be able to proclaim God’s word so that the Church is built up, in fulfillment of Christ’s commission to his disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

Unless the message is intelligible to those who hear it, it isn’t helpful. Paul makes a comparison to musical instruments that do not play clear, distinct notes. Even if the speaking in tongues is an actual language in use somewhere on earth, it doesn’t benefit people and the Church if none of the hearers understands it. So Paul urges Christians seeking a manifestation of the Holy Spirit to seek, develop and use spiritual gifts which build up the Church.

Jesus warned his apostles (disciples whom he sent out as messengers of the Gospel) that they would be like sheep in the midst of wolves. Jesus wanted them not to be gullible but innocent of evil intent. Jesus warned that his disciples would be arrested, tried and punished by civil and religious authorities. Those trials will be opportunities for the disciples to witness to the authorities. “When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father (God; the Holy Spirit), speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20). The Gospel will cause divisions among people, even close members of families. Christians will be universally hated by worldly people for the sake of Jesus and his Gospel. But disciples who endure to the end will be saved. When persecuted in one town, we are to flee to the next, and we will not run out of towns to testify and minister to before Christ’s return on the Day of Judgment.

Jeremiah and Baruch were clearly and faithfully proclaiming God’s word to King Jehoiakim and the people of Judah. The king and the people of Judah could understand it; they just didn’t want to hear or obey it. God’s word is unlike foretelling the future because it contains promises and warnings. We have a choice which determines what the future brings, but God’s word is always fulfilled as conditions for its fulfillment are met. Jehoiakim and his supporters refused to hear and obey the warning of God’s word, but that didn’t prevent God’s word from being fulfilled. Their rejection of God’s word brought the fulfillment of the catastrophe which God’s warning had been given to prevent.

Paul was making disciples in the Corinthian congregation. He was teaching them to seek the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit, to grow spiritually, to learn to know and obey God’s will, to seek, discover, develop and apply the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The goal is a congregation of “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple/apostles (all spiritually mature disciples are to be apostles; one cannot be an apostle without being a born-again disciple first) of Jesus Christ, according to the pattern and example of Paul.

Speaking in tongues marked the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). This manifestation was not some unintelligible ecstatic spiritual language. It was a necessary gift so that the disciples could proclaim the Gospel in the various languages of the world represented in Jerusalem by those who witnessed the occasion (Acts 2:5-11). It was God’s act reversing his confusing the language of the world at the time of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

The speaking in tongues which Paul was addressing is a different manifestation, an ecstatic expression, which is comparable to other ecstatic expressions like dancing, rolling, shaking, or lifting hands to the Lord. It displays spiritual ecstasy, but it is not a sign for believers but for unbelievers (it doesn’t build up believers, but is a warning and testimony to unbelievers; 1 Corinthians 14:22).

Ecstatic speaking in tongues can serve as an illustration of “nominal” Christians who are not disciples, have not been born again, and are not growing spiritually. They come to church to be emotionally “moved;” to have an ecstatic experience. They’re not joining in Jesus’ mission to proclaim God’s word and offer forgiveness and salvation to a spiritually lost and dying world. They’re not willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of the Gospel.

Jesus warned that in order to be his disciples we’re going to suffer persecution, because God’s word is no more popular in the world now than it was in the day of Jeremiah, even among some of “God’s people.” We shouldn’t be naïve about the nature of this world, and we shouldn’t use worldly methods and motives. Our call is to use the Gospel to heal and build up instead of trying to manipulate others and gain advantage over them.

We mustn’t attempt to proclaim the Gospel or accomplish Christ’s mission in our own human knowledge and strength. That is why it is so important to be discipled and born-again, filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is the only way we can be guided and empowered to fulfill Christ’s mission. The Lord doesn’t want us to rely on our knowledge, preparation and eloquence, but on his inspiration of us by his Spirit. I can personally testify to the truth and faithfulness of his promise to supply what we are to say at the moment it’s needed. We mustn’t become discouraged by rejection and persecution. We do need to be faithful and persistent.

Alternative Entry
first posted 11/10/03

Jeremiah 36:27-37:2 Jeremiah prophesies Jehoiakim’s death

1 Corinthians 14:1-12 Prophecy superior to speaking in tongues

Matthew 10:16-23 Warning of coming persecutions

After King Jehoiakim of Judah had burned the scroll of Jeremiah, the Lord directed Jeremiah to dictate an expanded copy, including the prophesy of destruction of Jehoiakim for his refusal to heed the words of the scroll and his destruction of it. Jeremiah did as the Lord directed, and Baruch copied the scroll according to Jeremiah’s dictation. Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) made Zedekiah, son of Josiah (and Uncle of Jehoiachin), king of Judah instead of Jehoiachin (aka Coniah; see Jeremiah 22:24), but neither King Zedekiah, nor his administration, nor the people of the land heeded the word of the Lord which he had spoken through Jeremiah.

Paul urged his hearers to make love their priority, and to desire the spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. Prophesy is superior to the gift of ecstatic tongues, because prophesy upbuilds the church, whereas speaking in tongues builds up only oneself. Paul uses analogies of musical instruments and foreign languages to illustrate that speaking in tongues is meaningless to hearers who cannot interpret and understand them.

Jesus warns his disciples that they will face persecution. Jesus tells them not to worry about anything, but to trust in the Holy Spirit to provide for them as needed, and to persevere, promising that those who endure to the end will be saved (v.22).

King Jehoiakim ignored and attempted to destroy the word of the Lord and the Lord’s messengers, but was not able to do so; God’s word will stand forever. One cannot change God’s word just because one doesn’t want to listen to it. Jehoiakim and his successors continued to refuse to heed God’s word and continued to suffer the consequences without learning from their mistakes. God’s word is intended to build us up and help us, not destroy us. To accomplish that it must be heard and understood.

The Lord’s messengers need to speak his word clearly so that it can be understood. It is not loving to let someone do things we know are deadly without speaking a word of warning. Those who heed God’s word aren’t promised a life with no troubles or difficulties, but they are promised that they will be sustained through troubles and will ultimately triumph. Those who ignore God’s word are heading for disaster and will ultimately receive eternal death and destruction.

The disciple Peter quoted scripture, saying: “’Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame’ (Isaiah 28:16 NIV). To you therefore who believe, he (Jesus) is precious, but for those who do not believe, ‘The very stone which the builders rejected had become the head of the corner,’ (Psalm 118:22) and ‘A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall’ (Isaiah 8:14-15); for they disobey the word….” (1 Peter 3:6-8; Luke 20:17-18). Jesus is either the precious cornerstone of our lives, or he is the stone which will cause us to stumble disastrously. Jesus is either the rock of our salvation on which we build our lives or the rock that will make us fall.

22 Pentecost – Wednesday

first posted 10/18/05

Jeremiah 37:3:21, Jeremiah’s arrest

1 Corinthians 14:13-25, Ecstatic tongues

Matthew 10:24-33 Servant and master

Zedekiah had been made king of Judah by Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar; king of Babylon; the kingdom of Chaldea). Nebuchadrezzar’s armies had control of Jerusalem, but the army of Pharaoh Hophra came up from Egypt to relieve the city, and the Chaldean army withdrew. The Judeans thought that they would be saved from the Chaldeans [as had happened in the days of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:32-37)]. King Zedekiah sent Zephaniah, a priest, and one of Zedekiah’s men to Jeremiah, the prophet, asking Jeremiah to pray for God’s help for Jerusalem.

God told Jeremiah to tell the king that Egypt would withdraw and the Chaldeans would renew their siege of Jerusalem, and would conquer and burn it. The Lord warned Jerusalem not to believe that Jerusalem could resist and survive the Chaldeans; the city would fall to them even if only their wounded soldiers were left to attack. After giving the message to Zedekiah’s messengers, Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to his family property in the territory of Benjamin (see Jeremiah 32:6-15), while the Chaldean army had withdrawn from the siege of Jerusalem. But the sentry at the gate in Jerusalem stopped him and accused Jeremiah of deserting to the Chaldeans. Jeremiah was arrested although he denied the accusation. Jeremiah was brought before the officials of Judah, and they were enraged. They beat Jeremiah and had him imprisoned in a dungeon

After languishing in the dungeon for many days, King Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought to him. Zedekiah wanted to know God’s word regarding the Chaldean siege. Jeremiah told him that Jerusalem and Zedekiah would be delivered into the power of Nebuchadrezzar. Jeremiah also asked Zedekiah to show cause for imprisoning Jeremiah, and suggested that it was the (false) prophets who had told Zedekiah that the Chaldeans would not attack who should be imprisoned. Jeremiah asked Zedekiah to have mercy on Jeremiah and not send him back to the dungeon where Jeremiah was afraid he would die. Zedekiah placed Jeremiah under house arrest in the court of the palace guard and allowed him a minimum ration of food until the supplies had been exhausted by the siege.

Paul had been teaching the Corinthian congregation on the subject of spiritual gifts and the manifestation of speaking in tongues (glossolalia) as an expression of spiritual ecstasy (see entry for yesterday). Paul urged that those who speak in ecstatic tongues should pray for the power to interpret the spiritual language in intelligible words. If the speaker of tongues cannot understand what he is saying, his spirit may be gratified, but his mind isn’t. It’s great to be moved to spiritual ecstasy in prayer and worship, but effective prayer and worship must engage the mind and understanding.

Similarly, speaking in tongues doesn’t benefit hearers unless someone can interpret what is said. If one praises or gives thanks to God in an ecstatic tongue, how can hearers say “Amen” (meaning “so be it;” verbal agreement) if they do not possess the spiritual gift of interpretation of ecstatic tongues or if no one interprets it for them. In corporate worship (as a body; a group), it is better to say a few meaningful words which the people of the group understand, than thousands of words no one understands.

Paul urged Christians to be childlike in innocence of evil, but not to remain spiritually immature. Paul reminded them of the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah who declared that the Lord would speak to unbelievers in strange tongues and foreign words and yet they will not heed God’s word (Isaiah 28:11-12). So Paul taught that ecstatic tongues are a sign for unbelievers rather than for believers, while prophecy builds up believers rather than unbelievers.

If an entire congregation speaks in ecstatic tongues they’re experiencing spiritual ecstasy, but they’re not fulfilling their commission from the Lord to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the spiritually lost and dying world (Matthew 28:19-20). Visitors of the church, instead of being convicted of their spiritual need, would be convinced that Christians are lunatics. In contrast, if the members of the congregation seek and develop the gift of prophecy by the indwelling Holy Spirit, they will be able to present the Gospel to unbelievers effectively. Visitors of the congregation will be convicted of their need for repentance and spiritual renewal in Jesus Christ, and will perceive the presence of the Spirit of the Lord within the congregation.

Jesus warned that a disciple is not better than his teacher, and a servant obeys what his master tells him rather than the reverse. It is sufficient for a disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant to be completely dedicated to the master’s service. If people have accused Jesus of serving Beelzebul (the lord of demons; Matthew 9:34; 12:24; Mark 3:22) how can Jesus’ disciples expect to be treated any better (compare John 15:20)?

Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid of any human. Nothing can be concealed from God, and everything will eventually become known. Jesus’ disciples are to make known what they have heard and learned from Jesus without fear of any human or demon. The only one people should really fear is the Lord God, who has the power to condemn those who defy and disobey him to eternal destruction in Hell (Proverbs 9:10). The worst that human enemies can do is to put us to physical death. The most insignificant creatures of earth do not die without God’s knowledge and will, and God loves us far more than any other created thing. Every one who acknowledges Jesus to other people will be acknowledged by Jesus to God; but every one who denies Jesus to people will be denied by Jesus to God.

Zedekiah represents worldly leaders who have been placed in power by our spiritual enemy, the present ruler of this world, Satan. Zedekiah wanted God’s help to preserve his power and kingdom, but without being obedient to God’s word and will. Jeremiah was the true prophet of God who gave Zedekiah the true word of God, rather than telling the worldly king what he wanted to hear. If Zedekiah had been committed to obey God’s word, Nebuchadrezzar’s conquest could have been avoided, but instead of repenting and committing to obedience of God’s word, the leaders of Judah imprisoned the messenger. Jeremiah continued to faithfully proclaim God’s word instead of compromising it to gain better treatment from the king.

Speaking in tongues is two different manifestations; one is the ability to proclaim the Gospel in different world languages (Acts 2:4-13) in the reversal of God’s confusion of the language at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). The other is a verbal expression of spiritual ecstasy, comparable to (religious; ritual) dancing, “holy-rolling,” “shaking,” or lifting upstretched arms in praise to God. The ecstatic speaking in tongues can also be used as an illustration of individuals and congregations who pursue the gratification of personal spiritual ecstasy, while neglecting obedience to Christ’s call to discipleship and evangelism (Matthew 28:19-20). Spiritual ecstasy can be experienced by worshipers of false gods (1Corinthians 12:2). Paul was addressing this problem in the Corinthian Church (see also entry for yesterday).

Jesus told his disciples to shout, from the rooftops, the Gospel, as whispered and revealed to them in the inner “still, small voice” of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:45; 1 Kings 19:12-13). Christian disciples are not to let fear keep them from testifying to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we want Jesus to acknowledge us as his disciples on the Day of Judgment, we must live as his disciples now!

Do we seek God’s word in order to live accordingly? Are we seeking to do God’s will or are we seeking to manipulate God to do our will? Do we accept rebuke and correction by God’s word, or do we hate the messenger? Do we really worship and praise the Lord or do we just want to feel good? If we don’t come to personal knowledge of and fellowship with Jesus now in this lifetime, he won’t know us as his disciples on the Day of Judgment.

Alternative Entry
first posted 11/11/03

Jeremiah 37:3-21 Jeremiah arrested and imprisoned

1 Corinthians 14:13-25 Ecstatic tongues subordinate to prophecy

Matthew 10:24-33 Courage in the face of persecution

King Zedekiah of Judah sent Zephaniah, the priest, and Jehucal to Jeremiah asking Jeremiah to intercede for them before the Lord since they were under siege by the Chaldeans. The army of Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt came up to relieve Judah from the siege. The Judeans thought that they would be saved from the Chaldeans [as had happened in the days of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:32-37)], but Jeremiah warned them not deceive themselves into thinking they had escaped conquest by the Chaldeans, because they would come back; Jeremiah’s prophecy that the Chaldeans would burn the city of Jerusalem would be fulfilled.

Paul says that the manifestation of speaking in ecstatic tongues is subordinate to prophecy, because prophecy builds up the hearers, whereas ecstatic tongues build up only the speaker. Therefore, the practice of speaking in tongues should be accompanied with their interpretation, and that emphasis should be placed on prophecy. Paul, citing Isaiah 28:11-12, says that ecstatic tongues are a “sign” for unbelievers from God’s word, whereas prophecy is for believers benefit. Yet prophecy has potentially more benefit than “tongues” for unbelievers, since they may be called to account by prophecy, resulting in their repentance and conversion.

Jesus tells his followers that they cannot expect better treatment by the world than Jesus and the prophets received. Nevertheless, we should have no fear, but are to boldly declare God’s word. Jesus reminds his disciples that God cares for us and is able to keep and protect us. The worldly authorities can kill the body, but God alone has the authority and power to condemn the wicked to eternal death and destruction, and only God has the power to raise us up to eternal life. Jesus is the mediator between us and God. Those who acknowledge him, he will acknowledge before God; those who deny Jesus, Jesus will deny before God.

Zedekiah thought that Pharaoh would save him from the Chaldeans, regardless of God’s word of judgment. The Judeans had gotten away with disobedience to God before, and had survived. Jeremiah’s job was to tell them that there was no way but God’s way. God’s word never fails. No worldly authority can save unbelievers from God’s judgment (see Psalm 146:3-4).

Paul tells his hearers that Christian disciples are to seek the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to speak God’s word boldly in love, for the building up of the kingdom of heaven and the salvation of all who will listen. Disciples aren’t supposed to hide out in the church gratifying only themselves in their worship routine. Note, however that the gift of prophecy is given to *disciples*; one doesn’t become a disciple simply by joining the church, or by some religious ritual.

Remember that as Jesus was about to ascend into heaven after the Resurrection he told his disciples “…not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father , which, he said, ‘You heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 1:4b-5). [I am convinced from scripture and my own personal experience that there is an interval between conversion (when we turn in repentance to the Lord and perhaps are be baptized with water) and the infilling of the Holy Spirit which I think of as being Born-Again, during which we must grow into a personal relationship with the risen Spirit of Jesus.] My concern is that there is not enough emphasis on Christian growth and discipleship in many churches today.

We need to take seriously Jesus’ command to stay in Jerusalem (the church) until we have received the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It should also be obvious that one should have at least read God’s word before attempting to share it with others, but this often does not seem to be the case. A lot of churches seem to enroll members, and then send them out immediately, with no (or very little) thought about discipling them first. A witness can only testify to what one knows personally.

Jesus warning should help us realize that proclaiming God’s word is something we need to do by the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation. If we acknowledge him as Lord, he will acknowledge us as his disciples before God. If Jesus is truly our Lord we will know and keep his word, and he will manifest himself to us (John 14:21). There aren’t many ways to God; there is only one way, and Jesus is that one way (John 14:6). That message isn’t going to be popular.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed” (Acts 19:2)? I believe that we receive the *promise* of the Holy Spirit at Baptism; it’s up to us to live out the covenant of our Baptism and grow into a personal relationship with Jesus in order to have that promise fulfilled. As the verse suggests, it is not just a matter of believing hard enough, like wishing on a star; the infilling of the Holy Spirit is something we can experience and be certain of. If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord in this life, he won’t know you on the Day of Judgment.

22 Pentecost – Thursday

first posted 10/19/05

Jeremiah 38:1-13, Jeremiah rescued

1 Corinthians 14:26-33a (33b-36) 37-40, Peace and order within the Church

Matthew 10:34-42 Finding life

Jeremiah, the prophet, counseled the people of Judah to surrender to the Chaldean army of Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar). He had prophesied that Jerusalem would be captured and destroyed, and that surrender to the Chaldeans was the only way to preserve their lives. This enraged the officials of Judah who, contrary to Jeremiah’s prophecy, believed that God had delivered them by the Egyptian army as God had previously delivered them in the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:32-37). The officials told Zedekiah, King of Judah, that Jeremiah should be executed for his treasonous call for surrender which was weakening Judah’s will to resist the Chaldeans.

The king told his officials to do what they thought best, because the king could not go against them. So the officials had Jeremiah lowered into the cistern of the king’s son, Malchiah. There was no water in the cistern but there was mire at the bottom, and Jeremiah partially sank into the mire.

A servant in the king’s house, Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch, heard that Jeremiah had been placed in the cistern, and he went to the king, as he was sitting in the Benjamin Gate in Jerusalem. The servant told the king what had been done to Jeremiah, who had been left to starve to death in the muck in the cistern. The king told his servant to take three other men with him and lift Jeremiah out of the well. The servant took rags and old clothes from the king’s wardrobe to pad and protect Jeremiah’s arms so that he could be lifted from the cistern by a rope. When he had been lifted from the cistern he returned to the courtyard of the guard where he had been under house-arrest.

Paul was correcting problems which had developed in worship in the Corinthian church. It seemed that everyone wanted to present their own hymn, lesson, revelation, or to speak in an ecstatic tongue, and the result was disorder. Paul said that everything in worship be done for edification: to build up and strengthen the Lord’s kingdom and his people. Particularly concerning the manifestation of ecstatic tongues, Paul insisted that they be limited to two or three expressions only on the condition that they be interpreted so that the content could be understood by all, or else such expressions should be done silently, between the individual and the Lord alone. Likewise, prophetic utterance and revelation should be limited to two or three expressions that the rest can consider and reflect upon. Each individual can contribute a revelation, provided that it is instructive and encouraging to all, and done one by one to avoid disruption. Christians are to remember that prophetic inspiration is under the prophet’s self-control, and is not disruptive. God’s will is not confusion but peace.

Anyone who considers himself a prophet or spiritually mature will recognize and acknowledge that what Paul has been teaching is the inspired word of the Lord. Those who contradict it are not true prophets or spiritually mature. Christians are urged to seek the gift of prophecy by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Expressions of ecstatic tongues should not be forbidden, but not allowed to be disruptive.

Jesus knew that his earthly ministry would divide people and result in conflict rather than peace among people. Even the closest relationships between relatives would be divided over him. Anyone who loves family more than Jesus is unworthy of Jesus. Anyone who is unwilling to endure suffering to follow Jesus is unworthy of Jesus. Those who love life in this world will loose the chance for real, eternal life. It is those who are willing to loose their earthly lives to serve and please Jesus who will find real, eternal life.

Those who receive a disciple of Jesus Christ receive Jesus, and those who receive Jesus receive God the Father. Those who receive a prophet because they realize that he is a prophet will receive the same reward as the prophet, and those who receive a righteous person because the person is righteous, will receive the same reward. Whoever does the slightest kindness for a disciple because they recognize that he is a disciple of Jesus Christ will be rewarded.

The people of Judah and Jerusalem loved their worldly lives more than God’s word. They sought God’s help against the Chaldeans, without being willing to trust and obey God’s word. The Lord had told Jeremiah that Jerusalem and Judah would be conquered by the Chaldeans and carried into exile in Babylon because Judah, the remnant of Israel, had not obeyed God’s word and had worshiped idols. Jeremiah declared God’s word faithfully, but the people didn’t want to hear it. Jeremiah told them that the way to survive the Chaldeans was to surrender to them, but the people of Judah did not want to loose their worldly lives in Judah and cooperate with God’s will.

King Zedekiah is an example of worldly leaders and people who will listen to anyone but the Lord. He went along with the evil done to Jeremiah by his officials, and then went along with Jeremiah’s rescue, suggested by one of his most menial servants, who wasn’t even a Jew, one of God’s “chosen” people. Jeremiah, on the other hand, faithfully proclaimed God’s word, even though he knew it would lead to his persecution (Jeremiah 37:17-21; 38:2-4).

Worship in the Corinthian church was being disrupted by people who sought personal spiritual ecstasy and perhaps to seem “more spiritual” than other members, without regard for the mission and wellbeing of the congregation. They chose spiritual self-gratification instead of seeking, developing and applying spiritual gifts like prophecy which they could use to save spiritually lost and dying people and to build up God’s kingdom. Others seem to have been eager to be recognized as prophets within the congregation, but unwilling to take God’s word into the world where they could be persecuted. Both attitudes indicated spiritual immaturity.

Jesus is the ultimate example of one who loved God’s will more than his own physical life (Philippians 2:8). Jesus taught his disciples by word and example to trust and obey God’s word and to be willing to endure persecution for it. Jesus knew he would be hated and killed by the Jews for proclaiming God’s word (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; John 14:24).

If we want to receive the promises of God’s word we have to follow the teaching and example of Jesus. If we want what is true and eternal life we must be willing to surrender our present life in this world. True, eternal life begins now in this world. As we trust and obey Jesus he gives us the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17), which is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is only through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we can have a personal relationship and fellowship with the Lord (John 14:21, 23).

Any thing or person which we love as much as or more than the Lord is idolatry. Modern examples of idolatry are home, family, success, wealth, power, pleasure, or self. Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus is the only way to forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God’s word) and salvation (from eternal destruction and eternal death); no one can come to God except through Jesus (John 14:6).

If we think we know and love God we will recognize Jesus as God’s Son (John 14:7; 15:23). If Jesus is our Lord, we will love his disciples. Followers of Jesus can expect opposition and persecution. We need to keep focusing on Jesus and his word, and to persevere in spite of opposition. The answer to spiritual confusion is not getting a “second opinion;” it’s getting into God’s Word. Our response to Jesus and his followers reveals our spiritual condition.

Alternative Entry
first posted 11/11/03

Jeremiah 38:1-13 Jeremiah rescued by Ebed-melech

1 Corinthians 14:26-33a (33b-36) 37-40 Peace and order within the Church

Matthew 10-34-42 Finding life

Jeremiah was prophesying that the people of Jerusalem who left the city to surrender to the Babylonian army would save their lives, but those who stayed in the city and resisted would die. This brought Jeremiah into conflict with King Zedekiah’s pro-Egyptian counselors. They advised the King to put Jeremiah to death; the King wanted to avoid making the decision, so he left it up to his counselors. The counselors had Jeremiah lowered into a cistern that was empty to be left to starve. Jeremiah was delivered from the well and death by Ebed-melech, a foreigner, who was an official in King Zedekiah’s court. Ebed-melech beseeched the King on behalf of Jeremiah, and the King ordered Jeremiah removed from the cistern.

Paul said that the conduct of worship services should be for the uplifting and encouraging of all, and that it be done in an orderly manner. Each member should seek the gifts of the spirit, especially prophecy; speaking in ecstatic tongues should not be forbidden, as long as there is also interpretation of the speaking and all things are done in an orderly way.

Jesus warns his hearers that their acceptance of his message will bring them opposition and persecution from the world, even within their closest relationships. Jesus’ followers must be willing to accept that opposition in order to gain the promises he offers. Our response to Jesus and his followers reveals our spiritual condition.

King Zedekiah was the chief human leader of the nation of Judah, and was facing the most important decision of his career. Unfortunately he had not listened to the word of the Lord from Jeremiah (v.2). He was torn between the word of the Lord and the worldly counsel of his advisors. The King continued to hope that the Egyptian army would rescue him from the Babylonians, contrary to God’s word. As a result, he was unable to make the moral decision about Jeremiah when confronted by his pro-Egyptian counselors, so he left it up to them. Later the King had to reverse himself, when confronted by Ebed-melech, a foreigner (not even one of God’s “chosen” people). Ebed-melech showed by his response to Jeremiah that he was more righteous than Zedekiah.

Paul’s point is that God’s word is given for our spiritual growth (edification; upbuilding) and instruction. God purpose is not to cause confusion (that’s what Satan does). God wants us to know and understand his word, so that we will be able to make the moral choices that we need to make in order to survive and gain eternal life. It’s when we look for an alternative to God’s way that we get confusion.

Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the only way; no one can come to God except through Jesus (John 14:6). If we think we know and love God we will recognize Jesus as his Son (John 14:7; 15:23). If Jesus is our Lord, we will love his disciples. Followers of Jesus can expect opposition and persecution. We need to keep focusing on Jesus and his word, and persevere in spite of opposition. The answer to spiritual confusion is not getting a “second opinion;” it’s getting into God’s Word. Our response to Jesus and his followers reveals our spiritual condition.

22 Pentecost – Friday

first posted 10/20/05

Jeremiah 38:14-28, Jeremiah and Zedekiah

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul’s gospel

Matthew 11:1-6 Jesus and John the Baptizer

King Zedekiah, of Judah, summoned Jeremiah, the prophet, and met him at an entrance to the temple in Jerusalem. Zedekiah asked Jeremiah privately to answer fully and honestly. Jeremiah wanted Zedekiah’s assurance that he would not kill Jeremiah and that he would heed Jeremiah’s answer. Zedekiah swore not to kill Jeremiah or hand him over to Jeremiah’s enemies. Jeremiah told the king that if he surrendered to the army of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon (Chaldea), Zedekiah and his household would live and Jerusalem would not be destroyed. Otherwise he and his household would die and the city would be destroyed.

Zedekiah told Jeremiah that he was afraid that Jews who had deserted to the Chaldeans would harm him. Jeremiah assured the king that he would not be given to the Jewish deserters. “Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you and it shall be well with you and your life will be spared” (Jeremiah 38:20). Otherwise, all the women of the king’s house including the king’s wives and also his children would be captured and destroyed and the city would be destroyed by fire. The king’s fate would be like that of Jeremiah when he was in the cistern with his feet in the mud (Jeremiah 38:6, 9; 21-22).

The king promised Jeremiah that he would not die, on the condition that he not reveal his conversation with the king. The king told Jeremiah that if he was questioned by the officials of Judah, Jeremiah was to tell them that he had met with the king to plead not to be returned to the dungeon. The officials did question Jeremiah and he answered as the king had told him, and the answer satisfied the officials, because his conversation with the king had not been overheard. Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was conquered.

Some in Corinth were denying Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The Apostle Paul reminded them of the (apostolic) Gospel that he preached, by which we are saved if we accept it and hold firmly to it.

Paul had faithfully and accurately transmitted what he had received. Of foremost importance, Christ died for our sins in fulfillment of scripture (Isaiah 53:5-12). He was buried and was raised to life on the third day, as predicted by scripture (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31). There are more than five hundred eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus, including Peter (Cephas is the Aramaic name meaning “rock” given him by Jesus; Matthew 16:18), the Twelve (eleven remaining) original disciple/apostles, all the (other) apostles (including the seventy; Luke 10:1), James, who was the close relative of Jesus, and last, Paul (on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Most of those eyewitnesses were still living at the time of Paul’s writing.

Paul considered himself the least of the apostles because he had persecuted the Church, but by God’s grace (unmerited favor; free gift) Paul had been forgiven, restored and given apostleship. God’s grace was not wasted by Paul; he had used the opportunity to serve the Lord and build up the Church. He felt compelled to work harder than others from his appreciation of God’s grace while not claiming credit for his accomplishments, because it was the Holy Spirit working through him who deserved the credit. Through the Holy Spirit Paul preached the Gospel faithfully and accurately, and through the Holy Spirit the Corinthian Christians had believed.

Jesus was traveling from city to city preaching the Gospel and teaching God’s word. John the Baptizer had been imprisoned by Herod (Mark 6:17-20), and sought assurance that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah; both mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew respectively; i.e. God’s “anointed,” eternal king). Jesus told John’s disciples to report to John what they had seen and heard Jesus doing (compare Luke 7:21) in comparison to the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the works of the Messiah. Jesus was healing the blind, the lame, the deaf; lepers were cleansed, the dead were raised, he was proclaiming “good news” (the Gospel) to the poor (compare Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1). Jesus also declared that those who are not offended by Jesus will be blessed.

King Zedekiah wanted the reassurance of God’s word without being obedient to it (Jeremiah 37:2-3). Jeremiah had repeatedly declared God’s word honestly and accurately, and had been mistreated in return (Jeremiah 37:16-19; 38:4-6). Even on the verge of Jerusalem’s destruction Zedekiah still had the opportunity to repent and obey God’s word and the lives of himself and his people would be saved. Jeremiah did what the king told him to do regarding the officials of Judah, but the king didn’t do what the Lord told him through Jeremiah.

Paul was faithfully and accurately transmitting the scriptural apostolic Gospel which he had received from the risen Jesus through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in this world to bring us to faith (obedient trust) in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In order to be saved from eternal death, we must receive the Gospel and live in obedience to God’s word, holding on to it and transmitting it to others as we have received it, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit within us. Salvation is by God’s grace, through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Paul is the prototype and example of a modern, “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, as all of us can be. Every authentic born-again disciple of Jesus Christ is a witness to the resurrection of Jesus from physical death to eternal life.

John the Baptizer wanted assurance that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and Jesus told him to compare what Jesus was doing with God’s word. Jesus word is the word of God (John 14:24). Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment and embodiment of God’s word (John 1:1-3, 14). We can come to the certain conviction that Jesus is the Messiah by the testimony of his disciples in comparison to God’s word. Each of us must decide for ourselves who Jesus is.

Jesus revealed himself by his words and actions compared with God’s word. Paul followed Jesus’ example, and his words and actions were in accordance with God’s word. The hallmark and test of a true prophet of God is the fulfillment of prophecy. God’s word is always fulfilled. Jeremiah was a true prophet of God whose life was in accordance with God’s word. Zedekiah is an example of one whose words and actions could not be relied upon because he was not living according to God’s word. Zedekiah couldn’t decide what to do because he didn’t trust and obey God’s word, and no one else could know what Zedekiah would do because his words didn’t match his actions.

God’s word contains both promises and warnings. We can either claim the promise by obedient trust, or we will receive the consequences the warnings are intended to help us avoid. We will either be blessed by God’s word or offended, enraged, condemned and eternally destroyed by it.

Alternative Entry

first posted 11/12/03

Jeremiah 38:14-28 The King seeks Jeremiah’s counsel

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 The Resurrection

Matthew 11:1-6 Jesus’ works bear him witness

King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, the prophet, and asked for guidance on the siege of Jerusalem by Babylonia. He had previously rejected Jeremiah’s prophecy. He gave Jeremiah assurance that Jeremiah wouldn’t be killed or imprisoned. Jeremiah told the King that if he surrendered, his life and the lives of his family would be saved, and Jerusalem would not be burned. The King was afraid he would fall into the hands of the Chaldeans and would be mistreated.

Jeremiah told him he could not be saved unless he obeyed the word of the Lord to surrender. Jeremiah had a vision of Zedekiah and his family being led out to the Chaldeans, and Jerusalem burning. The King told Jeremiah not to reveal to Zedekiah’s counselors, the princes of Judah, that Jeremiah had counseled the King to surrender, but to say that he had asked the King not to send him back to the house of Jonathan. When the princes questioned Jeremiah, he answered as the King had instructed him, so they left him alone, and the King protected Jeremiah.

Paul reminds his hearers of the essentials of the Gospel of Salvation which he preached; that Christ had died for our sins, was buried, and arose again on the third day, all in accordance with scripture. His appearance after the resurrection was witnessed by more than five hundred people. Paul included himself as a witness, from his encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6). This is the Gospel by which we will be saved if we hold to it in faith.

Jesus had told his disciples that they would face danger and persecution for the gospel, but that if they persevered (kept on believing) they would be saved by faith. Then Jesus went on with his teaching and preaching, although he knew he faced death. John the Baptist had been imprisoned, and he sent his disciples to ask Jesus to confirm that Jesus was the Christ, as John had believed. Jesus told John’s disciples to report back to John what they saw and heard; that Jesus was giving sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf; the lame were made able to walk and the dead were being raised to life. Jesus said that those who took no offense at Jesus would be blessed.

King Zedekiah had previously rejected God’s word and vacillated about what to do, but in a moment of crisis he turned to God’s word and promised to listen. Jeremiah told Zedekiah that if he trusted and obeyed God’s word he would be saved. As a result, Zedekiah protected Jeremiah.

Paul told his hearers that if they trusted in the gospel of Jesus which Paul had preached, they would be saved. He gave the key points of that Gospel, all of which were in accord with scripture and well attested to, including Paul’s firsthand testimony.

Jesus ministry, the miracles he performed, bore witness to him as the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus did as he preached; he was obedient to God’s will unto death, not wavering in faith in the Gospel he preached. John the Baptist, in his darkest moments in prison sought a word of assurance from Jesus. John had been isolated in prison, unable to see firsthand what Jesus was doing. His disciples brought back their testimony of what they had seen. Jesus works were sufficient to verify who Jesus was. Those who do not take offense at Jesus can receive assurance and salvation.

Ideally, it would be best not to wait until crisis to seek and follow God’s word. We don’t always do that; in my own personal experience it took a crisis to cause me to seek God’s word. When the crisis hits, one may not know where the truth can be found, or that God’s word can be depended upon, if one has had no prior experience with it in calmer circumstances.

For those who know where to turn, God’s word offers assurance and will sustain those who turn to it. Those who have experienced Jesus personally can testify to Jesus authenticity, to those who are imprisoned by their circumstances, if they are open to the message and the messenger, rather than taking offense. Are we open to the truth, even if it reveals negative things about us that are painful to recognize and which we’d rather not hear?

22 Pentecost – Saturday

first posted 10/21/05

Jeremiah 52:1-34, The fall of Jerusalem

1 Corinthians 15:12-29, The resurrection

Matthew 11:7-15 John the Baptist

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he was made a vassal-king of Judah by Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon (Chaldea). He reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. He had followed the pattern of disobedience of God’s word and idolatry of Jehoiakim, his brother, who had reversed the reforms of Josiah, their father. Despite the warnings of the prophets and the example of the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel, Judah failed to repent and return to the Lord, so the fall and exile of Judah to Babylon which Jeremiah had prophesied was fulfilled.

In the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar), precipitating the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar’s army from January 588 to August 587 B.C.* In the last month of the siege the people of Jerusalem were starving so they attempted to flee south (toward Egypt) during the night while the city was surrounded by the Chaldean army. The Chaldeans pursued them, the soldiers of Judah were scattered, and Zedekiah was captured. Zedekiah was taken to Nebuchadrezzar who was at Riblah (Nebuchadrezzar’s headquarters during the siege; northeast of Sidon).Nebuchadrezzar executed Zedekiah’s sons in Zedekiah’s vision, and then put out Zedekiah’s eyes. The princes of Judah were also executed. Zedekiah was taken to Babylon and imprisoned until he died.

In August 587 B.C. Nebuzaradan, Nebuchadrezzar’s captain of the guard and the Chaldean army entered Jerusalem and burned the temple, the palace and all the great houses of Jerusalem. The walls of the city were torn down. He carried off all the people of Jerusalem to exile in Babylon, except for some of the poorest people left to be field laborers. All the equipment of the temple was carried off to Babylon, including the bronze pillars, which were broken into pieces. All of the gold and silver vessels were also carried off. All the bronze, gold, and silver items were valued only for their metal, and the total weight was great beyond calculation.

Saraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, the temple doorkeepers, the commander of the army of Judah, and his secretary who mustered the army, the seven men of Zedekiah’s council, and sixty other men found in the city were taken by Nebuzaradan to Riblah where Nebuchadrezzar had them executed.

There were three deportations of Judah to Babylon. At the surrender of Jehoiachin (597 B.C.*), over three thousand Jews were deported. When Zedekiah’s revolt was suppressed (587 B.C*.) more than eight hundred Jews were deported. After the assassination of Gedaliah, a Jew appointed Governor of Judah by Nebuchadrezzar (582 B.C.*), seven-hundred and forty-five Jews were deported. The total number of Jews deported was four thousand and six hundred.

Thirty-seven years after Jehoiachin was imprisoned, Evil-merodach, who had succeeded Nebuchadrezzar as king of Babylon, released Jehoiachin from prison and made him a member of the Babylonian royal court. He ate at the kings table and was given a regular allowance until his death.

Some in the Corinthian Church were denying the resurrection. Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians that the death and resurrection of Jesus was the most important and fundamental doctrine of the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which Paul had preached to them. If Jesus was raised from the dead how can anyone claim there is no resurrection? If Jesus hasn’t been raised the preaching of the Gospel is in vain, faith in him is futile, and there is no forgiveness of sin. If there is no life beyond this present world then Christians are pathetic, since they’ve sacrificed their present life for eternal life.

But Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and his resurrection is like a security deposit guaranteeing the resurrection of the dead. Death came into the world through Adam’s sin (Genesis3:3, 19). Jesus is the “new Adam,” whose death restores eternal life lost by Adam’s sin. Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee of resurrection. When Jesus returns at the end of this age, those who are in Christ will be caught up to be with him forever. At Jesus’ return he will deliver the kingdom to God after destroying every worldly authority, power and enemy of God. Death is the final enemy to be destroyed. God has given Jesus authority and power over all things (compare Matthew 28:18), and all things will be subject to his will, and Jesus is perfectly subject to God the Father, so that God will “be everything to every one” (1 Corinthians 15:28; we will be completely subject to God’s will).

Disciples of John the Baptist had been sent to Jesus for reassurance that Jesus was the Messiah, and after they had left, Jesus asked the crowd why they had gone out to John in the wilderness. John had a strong message and character; not something fragile and easily shaken like a reed in the wind, and the people hadn’t gone just to observe nature. One doesn’t go looking in the wilderness for people wearing fine clothes. John was a prophet and more than that; John was the fulfillment of scripture of a prophet and messenger who would prepare the people for, and announce the coming of the Messiah and the kingdom of God (Matthew 11:10; compare Malachi 3:1).

John is greater than any other person up to that time, but since the coming of Jesus, the least disciple of Jesus is greater than John. John is the culmination of the Old Testament prophets, and the fulfillment of the prophecy of the “Elijah” to come preceding the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Jesus urged his hearers to pay attention to what he was saying.

The fall of Jerusalem was a truly terrible tragedy which could have been avoided if Zedekiah had trusted and obeyed God’s word. On the very verge of Babylonian conquest, Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah to obey God’s word to surrender to the Chaldeans and the lives of himself and his family would be spared and Jerusalem and the temple would not be destroyed Jeremiah 38:20).

Jeremiah had prophesied that Judah would be exiled in Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; from 587 to 517), after which the Lord would bring them back to the Promised Land (Jeremiah 29:10). Seventy years is a virtual life sentence for those who were adults at the time of the deportation. The people who returned to Israel after the exile were not the same individuals who had been deported.

The Lord was able to punish Judah for sin and idolatry, and still bring back a chastened remnant of his people so that his ultimate plan of salvation through Jesus Christ could be fulfilled. The Exile in Babylon is also intended by God as a metaphor and illustration of God’s Judgment against sin (disobedience of God’s word) and idolatry (loving any person or thing as much as or more than the Lord) and condemnation to eternal “exile” in Hell.

The people who came back from the exile returned to obedient trust in God for a while, but forgot the lessons of Babylonian exile and were unready to receive the Messiah, Jesus. As the result, Jerusalem and the temple were again destroyed, in 70 A. D. by the Romans, Israel ceased to exist as a nation and the Jews were scattered throughout the world, until they returned following World War II. The temple, on which the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant of Law depends, has never been rebuilt.

Jesus’ resurrection is as well documented as any event in the history of the world. Additionally, any truly “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian experiences and testifies to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with him by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9b). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). We are all eternal; all will be raised from the dead (John 5:28-29). We have each been given the personal freedom to choose whether to trust and obey the Lord or not. The choice we make determines where we will spend eternity; eternal death in exile in the “Babylon” of Hell, or eternal life in the Promised Land of God’s eternal kingdom in Heaven (See God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

John the Baptist was guided and empowered to proclaim God’s word and call people to repentance and obedient trust in the Lord. He was the last and greatest Old Testament prophet surpassing Elijah because of the coming Messiah he announced, but any truly born-again disciple can be guided and empowered to proclaim God’s word, call people to repentance and obedient trust in the Lord, make disciples of Jesus Christ, and have a personal fellowship with the Lord always by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Paul considered himself the least of the Apostles, because he had once persecuted the Church (1 Corinthians 15:9). Paul is the prototype and illustration of the modern “post-resurrection,” born-again disciple of Jesus Christ, as we can also be. He had heard and was applying the words of Jesus Christ. He was fulfilling the “Great Commission” to make disciples of Jesus Christ and teach them to trust and obey Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).

Do you have ears that hear, trust and obey the Word of God fulfilled and embodied in Jesus Christ (John 14:23-24; John 1:1-3:14). Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Jeremiah 52:1-34n, p.988-990, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

Alternative Entry

first posted 11/14/03

Jeremiah 52:1-34 Jeremiah’s prophesy fulfilled

1 Corinthians 15:12-29 The significance of the Resurrection

Matthew 11:7-15 John the Baptist’s role

Zedekiah did not obey the word of the Lord by Jeremiah the prophet to surrender to the Babylonian forces. He and his army tried to escape the siege of Jerusalem, and were captured by the Chaldeans, as Zedekiah had feared. As a result, the King’s household was slain and the King was blinded and carried off to prison in Babylonia where he died.

The Babylonian forces burned the Palace and Temple and all the great buildings and tore down the city walls. All the implements of the Temple were plundered. The princes of Judah and a number of officials found in the city including the Chief and Second Priests were executed in Riblah and the people of Judah were carried off into exile in Babylon. In spite of this great calamity, the book ends on a hopeful note. The new King of Babylon, Evil-merodach, who succeeded Nebuchadrezzar, released Jehoichin, the former King of Judah before Zedekiah, and made him a member of his court. Many mark this as the beginning of Israel’s restoration.

Some of the Corinthian Christians didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul points out that this is an essential doctrine, one of three he cites in v.3-4. Paul refutes, with logic, the idea that there is no resurrection. If there’s no resurrection, then Christ was not raised from the dead (but Christ’s resurrection had been witnessed by more than five hundred people, including Paul, on the road to Damascus (Acts Ch. 9), and is also attested to by scripture).

If Christ has not been raised, then the Gospel is meaningless and our faith in vain. But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead and is analogous to a deposit of “earnest money” as guarantee of the fulfillment of a future promise: our hope of eternal life. As Adam brought death to all men through his trespass in the Garden of Eden, Christ is the “new Adam” who brings restores us to eternal life, which we had before the Fall of Man in Genesis chapter 3. If Christians have no hope of life beyond this present world the Gospel would be of little benefit, but the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead, and therefore he is the guarantee of the promise of eternal life for us who trust in him.

Jesus said that John the Baptist was more than just a prophet. He was the fulfillment of the word of God of the Elijah who was to come to herald the Christ.

Zedekiah didn’t obey the word of the Lord through Jeremiah, but Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled. Jesus death and resurrection were prophesied by scripture and witnessed and attested to by many, including Paul himself. Some Christians were questioning the resurrection. Paul said that if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, that God’s word would have been a lie and our faith would be useless.

Paul says that Jesus’ resurrection is the assurance we have that we will be raised again also. Jesus has promised that where he is his disciples will be also (John 14:1-3). By John the Baptist’s obedience to God’s word, he fulfilled the prophecy of the Elijah to come. God’s will will be done, whether we do it or not. The word of God does not fail. The Lord has promised that there is a Day of Judgment coming (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who believe in Jesus will be saved (John 3:16; Acts 4:10-12). Those who reject Jesus will be condemned to eternal death and destruction. (John 3:18-21; John 14:6).

Like Zedekiah, we have a choice; we can obey God’s word and live, or follow our own plan and perish.