Jesus Loves Me This I Know.

“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Matthew 2:6, Micah 5:2

Bethlehem currently is a city of just under 30,000 people on the west bank, south of Jerusalem. It is an ancient city going back more than 3000 years, and was at one point destroyed by the Romans, and then rebuilt by Constantine.

King David was from Bethlehem, he reigned somewhere between 900 and 800 BC

The quote above is from the Old Testament prophet named “Micah” which was written about 700 BC.

It is also found in Matthew’s gospel which was written by Matthew (one of Jesus’ twelve disciples) possibly as early as 40-50 AD.

The reason Matthew mentions this quote from the prophet Micah, is because he is telling the story of the “Magi”, the “wise men” who brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Three valuable gifts from possibly three wise men? Matthew does not mention how many wise men came from the east following the star, but all the songs say three (including mine!).

These wise men, where exactly they were from we don’t know, maybe China, or somewhere else, but they were definitely not Jewish people. They were foreigners. But despite not being Jewish or from anywhere that was known for faith in the one true God, here they were, with expensive gifts, looking for God’s son, and they wanted to worship him!

So first, they went to Herod, the Jewish King at the time of Jesus’ birth. It made sense to them to ask him where they would find the newborn king that was clearly announced by this special star in heaven.

But Herod was caught by surprise (I don’t think he liked surprises). For some reason, he had not even the slightest inclination that a new king, a godly King, had been born in his country, God’s country. He was clearly not too interested in religious affairs, and suddenly needed the help of other wise men, the religious leaders of his land, to answer the question these strange but important travellers had asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

How did Herod find the answer?

He had to get his old (but expensive- well he was the current King!) bible off the shelf and dust it off, and with the help of these religious leaders and bible teachers, looked up what had been written 700 years before (and kept preserved by those who knew it was important.)

There it was, towards the end of his Old Testament, in Micah’s prophetic writings, chapter 5, “Out of you (Bethlehem) will come a ruler of my people Israel”.

With that information, those travellers, the wise men, or “magi” went from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus and worshipped him.

God gave those wise men a beautiful star in heaven to follow, but without the Bible, they may never have found Jesus.

Have we made communion too religious?

 

Have we made communion too religious?

The command Jesus gave was to do this in remembrance of him.

What was he wanting his disciples to do? What was he wanting us to do?

Was he asking some of us to take on his authority and lead a ceremony?

Was what he did at that last supper a ceremony?

 

There was ceremony involved in the Passover feast.

God had told Moses what was to be eaten, and how it was to be prepared and how those participating were to dress.

 

But did Jesus imply a similar ceremony in the sharing of communion amongst Christians for the coming ages?

 

Was the table of the last supper an altar?

 

Was a sacrifice made at that original meal?

 

Were those present reverent?

 

Were they dressed in a particular way?

 

Did they each bow as they received the portion of bread and a share in the cup?

 

Did Jesus have to quieten those present to concentrate on what he was sharing?

 

Would a live video of the actual last supper surprise us in how different it may have been to what we practice today? Or would it surprise us in its similarity?

 

Was Jesus wearing priestly garments? Was he praying for the elements to be transformed by the Holy Spirit?

 

Were those who shared in the bread and cup deeply reassured of their salvation at that time?

 

Was Jesus’ physical presence with them valued in the way it ought to have been? Or, unlike the transfiguration event, was his appearance ordinary and humble, with those present having an unclear or, at best, incomplete understanding of the significance of that meal?

 

What do we do today that gets in the way of what we are meant to experience and proclaim in the sharing of communion?

 

What do we do today that supports the sharing and proclamation of the true message of the communion meal?

 

How do we recognise the body of the Lord at communion? Is it the bread, or is it the gathered believers?

 

How do we enter an appropriate posture of reverence, and attitude of gratitude, inspite of distractions when we share communion?

 

Does the act of sharing in communion help us internalise the grace of God in a way that the inspired word of God alone, cannot?

 

Does the office of priesthood truly confer authenticity to the transformation of the elements, and thus guarantee God’s physical presence to us in receiving communion?

 

Or does God preside, despite our mode of sharing this meal (for better or for worse)?

 

Who is truly free to partake of this meal? Who forfeits this invitation?

 

Is there a minimum age to share in communion?

 

Was Judas stopped from sharing in the cup?

 

Did sharing in the cup affect his decision to betray Jesus?

 

I may be implying some of the answers to these questions, but I would rather ask you to consider the questions honestly.

 

Unfortunately, the way we share communion tends to divide us in the Christian world.

 

I disclose my bias, that I do believe in leadership and eldership in the church, but I do not believe in a clergy/laity divide. 

Long Problems

If you have life experience, and once we have lived as adults for some time, we all do, we experience what I will call “long problems”. They are situations which are not able to be resolved quickly, no matter what action is taken. They are unpalatable, painful circumstances that will not go away.   They may seem to occur without invitation. We wonder how we could have avoided them. And they cost us time, money, joy, freedom, peace, comfort, and all the things we equate with success. 
Others may or may not think our situation is our own fault, and judge us as stupid for allowing something like this to happen, but from my perspective, I am my own worst judge. Kicking myself mentally for making an error of judgement and not avoiding the issue.
As we mature we can see these things approaching and avoid some of them, but others still happen.
The media portrays successful people, those who do not have "long problems", or have overcome them. But I suspect most ordinary people have them. 
They are our crosses to carry, our thorns in the side.
We may or may not have caused them, but once they are present they are there for a long time, sometimes for life.
Occasionally we see a way out and gain hope of freedom, only for the door to cruelly close. And sometimes we exchange one long problem for a worse one, hence the saying “better the devil you know”.
But what I have not said is that God is with us in our long problems, even when we have caused them, even when we deserve them. He gives us some of them, for our sake.
He wants us to continue behaving as Christian’s in those circumstances, which includes gratitude, and prayer.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” Said by the man with a thorn in his side who prayed for relief but was granted only grace.
I say “only” because I must admit that grace at times, seems little, though really it is the full tsunami of God’s holy love. 
And there will be a day when all creation (including us) stops groaning under the strain of long problems. Until then,
Rejoice. Even in our sufferings, which produce, amongst other things, true hope.

Service or Proclamation?

Question: Service or proclamation?

Answer: Yes

Some strongly believe that speaking the gospel is the only way people will hear and have opportunity to repent. Others believe service is the best way to witness and would struggle to find the courage and correct words to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
But Jesus both spoke and served. 
And his Spirit enabled people like Peter to speak and people like Dorcas (Tabitha) to serve.
But both of them spoke and both served.
We are all gifted in many ways, and we have particular gifts and skills in which we are very good. With the gift of faith, other abilities are often released or given. I say “released”, because maybe some of those abilities were already germinating within. 
So, someone who previously would not speak publicly, now has the courage and understanding to do so.
Someone who previously was uninterested in working with children, now finds a new willingness and joy to be involved.
And that word; "willingness", is an important one. As many abilities are more to do with a willingness to try, and keep trying.
Once you try to do something ten, twenty, fifty or a thousand times, you notice an ability that was possibly hardly there before.
Practice is what brings out what appear to be to be natural gifts. Things we feel able and ready to do.
That includes sharing our faith with others. That includes folding clothes. 
God gives us willingness. 
Another way to describe willingness is putting a purpose or goal ahead of a natural desire. Putting someone else’s need above other priorities. Fitting in something that wasn’t initially planned, or more simply; love. 

I just want to to take this opportunity to honour Mrs Hill, who many years ago came and helped clean up my flat where I was living, and made a meal for me, fully out of love.  

Loving one another as Jesus loved us.

He was willing to heal, and willing to forgive, and willing to die for our sake. 
If we are willing, God will use us.
Jesus asked Peter “Are you willing?"...

"Feed my Lambs”.

Angry About Being Angry

This is probably something that happens later in life, at least for me.

Knowing that I identify as a Christian, and knowing that gentleness, kindness and anger are hard to reconcile, being angry, and behaving/ speaking with anger is a strong way of not looking like a Christian. It hurts others. It hurts and humiliates others.

The effect of that may be that the person I am interacting with, and others in the vicinity will see how un-christian I really am. Not a great witness, not a great example etc. Maybe that person will be repelled from ever considering faith in Jesus.

And all because I allowed myself to express my correctness and authority in a particular situation, maybe tinged with frustration of many other things. “Martha you are concerned about many things”.

I can picture a confident child who has somewhat mastered the ability to juggle 3 balls, showing their father their newly acquired skill. But a father like me, rather than encouraging, adds difficulty to the situation by adding a fourth ball, and then a fifth, so that everything falls apart and the child is now humbled.

Who would do something like that?

Satan does it with Job, and presumably enjoys doing it with us.

But that does not excuse mature Christians like me, from their failure.

And that is hard, hard enough to make a person like me angry. Angry about getting angry.

Reminds me a little of Jonah getting angry about the worm.

 

The truth and reality is that we,… I,... am a sinner.

Despite my desire to live without sin in my life and be a good witness to the Christian faith, it is impossible for me. But not because I don’t have the capacity to resist. I do (and don’t) have that capacity.

I can juggle 3 balls for a while, but not 5, but if I practiced, I might get to 5, but not 7.etc

I do have the capacity to juggle, for a certain time, with a certain number of balls.

But God wants truth from the inward parts.

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6

 

It’s not about how well I can juggle, or how I look as a Christian to others. It is about the deep parts of me, my deep motivations and hidden desires. My chronic deep anger at people and at God.

Who can actually see this clearly?

Not even me, only God.

Who can change that part of me?

Only God.

How can God change that part of me?

By becoming me on the cross. By killing me on the cross. By resurrecting me in himself.

I am nothing. I am nothing good. I am nothing good, but Jesus is risen, and I believe and trust that I am in him, and he in me. He has washed me, sanctified me, justified me.

Why?

For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The Christian Faith

 

The Christian faith is a gentle, humble, patient faith.

It is not a boastful, proud, forceful, or dominating movement that fearfully and demandingly converts those who are weaker.

Nor is it a deceitful, scheming, wealthy or clever faith.

It is a serving faith, willing to do what others would not. The menial tasks, the jobs that most would avoid.

It is a giving faith. Giving and forgiving.

It is a joyful faith, secure in the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

It is a singing faith, joyful in the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It is an expectant faith, knowing that God blesses us and keeps us in all circumstances.

It is a patient faith, knowing that the seasons God provides will be effective in bringing about the harvest that God is preparing.

It is a suffering faith, understanding and accepting that we are supported in our struggles, and gain wisdom and maturity as well as humility through these.

We accept all that God provides for us, and also what he removes.

We do falter in our Christian walk, and are prone to wandering, but the true Shepherd is faithful to guide, restore and lead us to the goal he has planned.

We are not ashamed to call on his name. Jesus, our Lord.

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come." John 2:4 (NIV)

This verse has probably caused unrest between denominations. Even being familiar with it, as I am, I still feel uneasy reading these words. For full disclosure I wish to state that I hold to a reformed understanding of Christianity. However, I have a Catholic upbringing and have some understanding of the sentiments held from that perspective. I will also state clearly that I am not able to, nor have I tried to translate this verse from the original Greek. I have simply read a number of English versions of the verse.

Some would argue that this verse is evidence of Jesus being convinced or coerced into action he would not have taken, if not for his mother’s suggestion/request.

The language Mary is quoted to have used is not coercive. “They have no more wine”. A simple statement of fact. 

As a son to a loving mother, I can envisage myself in a similar circumstance, and I sense the quiet concern in the statement, and my implied responsibilities as a son with potential means to rectify a problem.

Both Mary and Jesus (as well as the disciples) were invited to this wedding feast. 

Were they close relatives? Were they distant relatives? 

Were they from Mary’s side, or Joseph’s side of the family?

Why were all the disciples invited?

Were the hosts rash or overly optimistic, inviting more than they could cater for? Were wedding invitations inclusive of more distant relatives (and therefore large numbers) simply an expected norm, no matter the financial means of the hosts? Or were numbers of invited guests deliberately larger than numbers of available seats, knowing that some would likely not attend, like the bookings of some airlines?

Did they have a little bit of that Australian attitude of, “she’ll be right”, meaning, “don’t worry, it will all work out”, (despite poor planning)?

I find myself thinking about the feeding of the five thousand when Jesus asks the disciples to feed the crowd. The disciples knew full well that there was barely food for them to share. In that situation I could almost hear Jesus stating “O you of little faith”, though he does not.

If nothing else, Mary seems to lack no faith in what her son is able to achieve, regarding the catering of wine.

Is it possible that Mary was close enough to the hosts to have previously reassured them in their invitation of “extras”, such as the disciples, knowing that Jesus would be able to save the situation? Could I go further and suggest that she expected this outcome, maybe even engineered it?

These last comments (of a "meddling" Mary) are clearly going beyond the written word, and I am on thin ice even suggesting them, nowhere is Mary's character maligned in this way.

Does Mary have special sway with her son, Jesus?

Is she able to influence his actions more than another?

The Catholic understanding is; if we are in need, approaching Mary may help things happen more than approaching Jesus directly. At least that is my understanding of common Catholic thoughts regarding prayer, and needs.

For many Catholics, Mary, is much more “approachable”, being "fully" human, and a mother, and an “ordinary” person. (Yes I grew up with a strict, stern father, and my mother was able to soften his resistance to some of my requests/wishes as a child, that he otherwise would have simply said “no” to.)

Yet Catholic teaching (I believe) is that Mary is not an ordinary person, she is “immaculate”, meaning she was born without original sin, and remained a life-long virgin, and ascended to heaven without going through physical death.

My reading of the New Testament gives no clear teaching regarding this last paragraph. What I have read states that Mary remained a virgin until the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:25), and that Jesus then had other brothers (Matthew 12:46) and presumably sisters (Matthew 13:56). I also do not hold that she was "immaculate", this understanding is a theological construct, based on the belief that God would not choose the womb of a fallen woman for the incarnation, and that by default, an embryo in Mary;s womb, would inherit fallen genes, but God does not explain how the embryonic gene is formed within Mary, and whether any of Mary's DNA resides in Jesus. 

I do believe she was an ordinary person of faith who was greatly favoured by God, in his choosing of her to be the mother of our Saviour.

I also believe that Jesus is fully human, and does not need mediators between us and he. We are able to approach him directly with all our needs as well as our gratitude and worship.

There is no other miracle in the New Testament which describes Mary’s intervention or influence, though there are many miracles that describe certain other people intervening, eg the centurion for his servant (Matthew 8:5). 

As Christian leaders, elders, ministers, and clergy (I do not hold to a laity-clergy divide), we must be careful not to become mediators for others, but rather help people understand that we all have direct access to Jesus, and are free and invited to call on his great name.

And there is that short passage where Jesus is told that his mother and brothers have arrived, yet in response Jesus declares that everyone who does the will of God is his mother, brother and sister. (Matthew 12:46 and beyond) This verse, if nothing else, seems to state that Jesus counts faith (the desire to follow God) as the main influencing factor of his favour. Hence his often mentioned response "your faith has healed you".

Getting back to the verse in question.

Yes, I do believe mothers have sway over their children.

We, as Christian children of all ages, are to honour our parents, this is a command of God, the 5^th I believe.

And Jesus would certainly do this. He quotes that specific command (Matthew 15:3-6) as an example of how the Pharisees have nullified God’s word, so it would be hypocritical of Jesus not to honour his mother and father. (We presume at this point Joseph is no longer alive, though it is not stated anywhere.)

Mary understood this as well, and therefore expected Jesus to follow her concern, despite the fact that, from Jesus’ point of view, his ministry had not yet started.

Was Jesus short with Mary?

“My hour has not yet come” is a strong statement.

I believe Jesus was correct. He knew clearly when his ministry of signs and wonders was to commence. He was not suffering stage fright. He was not simply avoiding a relatively trivial situation of need. He knew the significance and preciousness of his works of power, and would not use them for show, or without the intended purpose of displaying the kingdom of God, nor would he go beyond what he knew his Father in heaven intended. In other words, just because he “could” didn’t mean he “should”.

I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Luke 4:25-26 NIV

I also do not hold that Mary had a greater understanding than Jesus as to when his ministry was to begin.

When exactly was this “hour” that had not yet come?

The other gospels describe the baptism of Jesus, followed by the forty days in the wilderness, followed by the calling of the disciples and then his preaching in Galilee. Luke's Gospel, implies that he has performed miracles in other places eg capernaum, prior to his preaching in Nazareth.

John’s gospel does not mention the forty days in the wilderness, so it is possible that this wedding took place after the forty days in the wilderness, but before his preaching at the synagogue in Nazareth.

I might suggest that Jesus reading from the scroll in Isaiah and proclaiming that “today this reading is fulfilled in your presence” was the beginning of Jesus public ministry. (Luke's timeline puts the calling of the disciples after this event, so it is hard to place the wedding banquet in this timeline)

Was he to announce his prophetic fulfillment of being sent to give sight to the blind and release of captives, and the year of God’s favour, before he actually did it?

If this is the case, then a miracle before this proclamation of God’s word, was somehow, out of place. This is my explanation of Jesus’ reluctance to perform a public miracle at this point. If this is so, then Mary is in an awkward position asking Jesus to help this situation of embarrassment for the wedding hosts who for unknown reasons, have under-catered. Mary clearly feels for the situation, more than Jesus.

Her own wedding, if she had one, would have been a quiet affair, having been scandalised by her untimely pregnancy. She may have had more emotion invested in the smooth running of this anonymous wedding, and again I wonder how closely related she was to the family of the bride or groom. Jesus on the other hand seems to have little concern other than that he is now in the situation of honouring his mother, yet preserving his anonymity and obedience to the wise Spirit-planned path of his ministry.

 

Was Jesus surprised and unprepared for this request?

Was he annoyed?

Was he short with his mother?

By faith my answer is no, no, and no.

By faith I believe Jesus always spoke the truth in love.

We cannot gain the tone of his statement to his mother from the written word.

He may have been smiling as he said what he said. Yet he was serious and truthful, and I believe Mary knew she had forced his hand prematurely.

In conclusion

Do we need Mary’s intervention in our lives today as Christians?

Although my Catholic friends and brethren would likely say yes, my answer is no. 

If we are in need, in the depths of trouble, despair, suffering, fear, or danger, we have a faithful high priest and saviour who is able to hear and answer our prayers.

Is Mary able to hear our prayers?

As a young man, I used to believe that my deceased grandmother, whom I remain convinced was strong in faith, and therefore, saved, as a catholic who loved Jesus, I used to believe that she (as well as God) could see everything I did, now that she was in heaven.

But as a more mature Christian, I don’t see that the Bible supports this understanding.

Nothing is hidden from God. And Jesus who is God, is able to see everything. But deceased humans, in heaven, with the Lord, are they able to see everything?

And if they somehow could, are they able to intervene?

 

These are difficult questions to answer dogmatically, but the safe and simple answer is to rely on what scripture clearly teaches, and that is that we are to pray in Jesus’ name to our Father in heaven, who knows what we need, even before we utter a word.

Surely when our minds and hearts are focused on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that is the most useful and joyful and obedient place to be. And any other image or name that is put in that place is potentially a distraction from true worship.