Week of 5 Lent - Odd
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Podcast Download: Week of 5 Lent - Odd
Sunday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/12/05;
Podcast: Sunday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 23:16-32 - Against false prophets;
1 Corinthians 9:19-27 - Christian freedom;
Mark 8:31-9:1 - Discipleship;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
We are warned not to listen to false prophets who give false hope, prophesying from their own imagination instead of God’s Word. They give false reassurance to those who do not honor God’s Word and those who stubbornly pursue their own selfish, worldly desires. The false prophets have not been in the presence of God, and have not received God’s Word.
Know that the wrath of God will fall upon the wicked unrelentingly until it has accomplished God’s purpose. Afterward it will be clearly understood. The prophets prophesied falsely by their own authority and self-will. If they had been God’s prophets, speaking his Word by his authority they would have spoken God’s Word and would have rebuked the people’s sinfulness, turning them away from doing evil.
Is God limited to one place (so that he cannot know what is going on somewhere else)? Can one hide from God so that God cannot see what he is doing? The Lord fills heaven and earth. He has heard the lying prophets who prophesy the lies of their own hearts. They cause the name of the Lord to be forgotten.
The false prophets prophesy lies, but the prophets of God proclaim God’s Word faithfully. The difference should be obvious to anyone who cares to be discerning. God’s Word is like fire (consuming what is wicked), and like a hammer smashing rock. The Lord is against false prophets who lie, invoking the name of the Lord; he opposes those who prophesy lying dreams and lead God’s people astray, who prophesy without God’s command or authority.
1 Corinthians Paraphrase:
Paul had complete freedom in Christ, but chose to be servant of all, so that some might be saved (from God’s condemnation and eternal death). In Christ, Paul was no longer obligated to keep the Jewish laws, but he chose to conform to the customs and laws of Judaism, so that he could win Jews to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To the Gentiles he became like the Gentiles, not bound by the customs and laws of Judaism, but yet not doing what is contrary to God’s Word, being under the law of Christ (living according to the Holy Spirit; see Romans 8:2-4).
To those who are weak in conscience, Paul surrendered part of his freedom by self-discipline so that his freedom might not offend and impede acceptance of the Gospel among them (1 Corinthians 8:8-13). Paul was willing to be the servant of others for the sake of the Gospel, so that some might be saved, and so that Paul might share in the blessings of the Gospel.
Paul compares Christian life to an athletic competition. As worldly athletes practice discipline and self-control in hope of gaining a worldly and perishable prize, Christians should also diligently pursue the eternal reward of the Gospel. The Christian’s life should not be aimless; one should not just “shadow-box” (looking like a boxer, without actually boxing; without fighting the fight). Instead Paul disciplined his body so that he wouldn’t be disqualified by failing to do what he advocated to others.
Mark Paraphrase:
Jesus told his disciples that the Son of man (Jesus) would suffer, and would be rejected by the religious authorities, he would be killed, and rise again after three days. Peter began to rebuke Jesus, but Jesus told Peter that Peter’s reaction was contrary to God’s will and was facilitating Satan’s battle. Jesus called the crowd which was following him and told them that anyone who wanted to follow Jesus must deny himself and take up his cross (personal suffering and sacrifice) and follow Jesus’ example and teaching.
Those who want to hold on to this worldly life will eventually lose physical and eternal life. But those who are willing to give up their earthly life for Jesus and the Gospel will save their eternal lives. What good is it to own all the things of this world if it cost us our eternal lives? What would a person be willing to pay for eternal life in paradise?
Those who are ashamed of Jesus and his words now in this wicked, morally and spiritually adulterous world will be shamed in Jesus’ presence when Jesus returns in glory and power. Jesus declared that some in his hearing would not personally experience death before seeing God’s kingdom come with power.
Commentary:
Aren’t there false prophets in our churches and in our society who claim to speak God’s Word, but give false hope and reassurance of God’s approval to those who do not obey God’s Word and who are pursuing selfish, worldly desires? Aren’t there false prophets who claim to preach God’s Word who have not been in God’s presence?
If there are authentic prophets preaching the authentic Word of God, wouldn’t they be rebuking the peoples’ sinfulness, calling them to examine their behavior in the light of God’s Word and to repent and return to obedient trust in the Lord? Do we know the Bible well enough to recognize God’s Word when we hear it?
Paul recognized that to be a disciple of Jesus Christ he had to sacrifice his personal comfort and indulgence and exercise discipline and self-control. Paul had personally experienced the Lord’s presence through Christ’s indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9b). He was willing to sacrifice his own personal desires and even his earthly life so that others might also receive the blessings of the Gospel.
Worldly athletes have a trainer, and they practice their skill. They have a goal, and they pursue it. Runners have to run; fighters have to fight, or there is no reason for all the practice and discipline. So Christians must be guided by the Holy Spirit, must spend time in discipleship, and then, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, must get out on the field and put the practice and discipline to work. They must not only proclaim the Gospel to others but live it in their own lives.
Jesus warned that people would have to make personal sacrifices to be his disciples, and they would have to follow Jesus’ example and teaching if they wanted to follow him and receive eternal life. We must be willing to surrender our earthly lives in order to experience real spiritual life now and eternally. When we come to the end of our physical lives, none of the material things of this life which seem so important now will mean much anymore.
If we pursue what we think is our self-interest, we will come to realize that we have missed what is truly important, but if we surrender our will to the Lord and do his will we will find that we have accomplished what is truly fulfilling. Those who are ashamed of Jesus now will find out what real shame is on the Day of Judgment. Those who trust and obey Jesus now will experience God’s kingdom and true life before they have experienced physical death.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?
Monday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/13/05;
Podcast: Monday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 24:1-10 - Rotten Figs;
Romans 9:19-33 - God’s Sovereign Choice;
John 9:1-17 - A Man Born Blind Receives Sight;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
Nebuchadnezzar (Nebuchadrezzar) had invaded Judah in 606 B.C. in the reign of Jehoiakim, carrying off the sacred utensils of the temple, and some of the princes, to Babylon. Then in 597 B.C..* Nebuchadnezzar carried off all the able-bodied Jews, leaving the old, poor and weak. The Lord showed Jeremiah a vision of good figs and also rotten figs. The Lord told Jeremiah that the people who had gone into exile were like the good figs, but those who had remained in the land or had fled to Egypt would be like the rotten figs.
The Lord promised to bring the exiles back from Babylon and to build them up, because they would return to the Lord with their whole heart. But the Lord declared that Zedekiah, who Nebuchadnezzar had appointed to take the throne of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Zedekiah’s princes, and those who remained in the land or fled to Egypt would become a horror and a reproach, and the Lord would drive them out of the Promised Land and utterly destroy them.
Romans Paraphrase:
Why does God find fault with us, since we cannot resist his will? How can a creature rebuke his creator; how can a clay pot question its potter’s work? The potter can make from the clay whatever he chooses, making one pot for beauty, and another for menial use. Perhaps God patiently endures the wicked “pots” who will ultimately be destroyed so that his power and condemnation of the wicked can be displayed, and the richness of his glory and grace can be made known in the vessels of mercy, even us, both Jew and Gentile, whom he has called.
The prophecy of Hosea (2: 23; 1:10), saying that those who were not God’s people will become God’s people and sons (and daughters) of the living God, has been fulfilled in the Gentiles through faith in Jesus. Isaiah also warned that although the descendants of Israel will be as much beyond any reckoning as the sands of the sea, that only a small remnant will be saved because God will execute judgment with rigor and efficiency (Isaiah 10:22; 1:9). Isaiah declared that if God had not saved the remnant of Israel’s children, Israel would have been completely destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah.
The result is that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness (didn’t try to keep God’s Law) have obtained righteousness by faith (in Jesus; obedient trust), but Israel who attempted to achieve righteousness by keeping God’s Law, did not succeed, because they did not pursue righteousness by faith, but by their works (keeping) of the law. They have fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, stumbling over the “stumbling stone” and “rock of offense” (Isaiah 28:16; 8:14-15; 1 Peter 2:8).
John Paraphrase:
Jesus encountered a man who had been born blind. His disciples asked whose sin had caused his blindness, but Jesus told them that it didn’t matter who or what had caused the blindness, but that it was an opportunity for God to reveal his power to heal (spiritual) blindness and give light in (spiritual) darkness. Jesus said that he must accomplish the work of God during the short time he was in the world providing spiritual light. Jesus anointed the blind man’s eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did as Jesus had told him and returned seeing.
People who had known him before wondered how he had been healed, and some didn’t believe that it was the same man, but only someone who looked similar. The former blind man testified that it was he. They asked how he had been healed and he told them that Jesus had anointed his eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam, and when he had done so he received his sight. They asked where Jesus was, but the man didn’t know.
Some Pharisees suggested that, because he had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus could not be from God, but others said that if he were a sinner he would not have been able to do such a miracle. The people were divided in their opinion of Jesus, so they asked the healed man what he would say about Jesus, and the man testified that Jesus was a prophet.
Commentary:
Zedekiah had been appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to replace Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and Judah was subservient to Babylon. Then Zedekiah made a pact with Egypt to break free of domination by Babylon.
By making a treaty with each enemy, Zedekiah and his administration hoped to avoid God’s punishment and discipline of Judah (the remnant of Israel) in exile in Babylon, but ultimately, God brought his chastened people back from exile to the Promised Land, and to reconciliation with, and obedient trust in the Lord. But the ones who had resisted the Lord’s discipline and correction, and those who had fled to Egypt or remained and had prospered at the expense of the exiles*, were utterly destroyed.
Just as God’s discipline and punishment of his people by exile in Babylon was intended to restore them to right relationship with God and to the Promised Land, God’s salvation through Jesus Christ requires some sacrifice and discipline of us. Zedekiah and the Jews who tried to find salvation by alliance with the world (symbolized by Egypt) and the enemy (Satan, symbolized by Babylon) are like those who try to obtain reconciliation with God and salvation on their own terms, rather than accepting God’s Plan of Salvation (see sidebar, top right, home) through Jesus Christ.
The Jews stumbled over the “stumbling stone” at the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, because they were trying to work out their own terms of salvation through keeping the law rather than accepting God’s plan of salvation, the discipline of life guided by the Holy Spirit through trust and obedience in Jesus. Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12).
Jesus is the only way to reconciliation and restoration of fellowship with God (John 14:6). We need to be aware of God’s power and wrath as well as his love and mercy, because we cannot begin to appreciate his gift of salvation until we understand what he is saving us from. Those who refuse to accept the Lord’s discipline now will suffer his wrath eternally.
It did not matter to Jesus how the man had become blind. It was an opportunity to show that Jesus can heal spiritual blindness, and that Jesus can provide light in the darkness of this sinful world. We are all born spiritually blind and in darkness because we have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The important question is, having encountered Jesus, are we going to stay in spiritual blindness and darkness, or are we going to trust in Jesus’ words and do as he commands? The man received his sight and was freed from his darkness as he trusted and obeyed Jesus.
Having been healed, he had opportunities to testify to his neighbors about what Jesus had done for him. Not everyone believed the man’s testimony. The Pharisees rejected God’s salvation because they were trying to work out their own plan of salvation by keeping the law. But some saw the power of God working through Jesus, and some began to believe in Jesus because of the man’s testimony.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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, 24.1-10n, p.944, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Tuesday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/14/05;
Podcast: Tuesday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 25:8-17 - Seventy Years of Exile;
Romans 10:1-13 - Righteousness by Faith;
John 9:18-41 - Spiritual Blindness;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
The Lord declared to Jeremiah that because Judah had not obeyed God’s Word, he was going to send Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, against Judah as God’s instrument of punishment. The Lord would cause the land to be utterly devastated. The Lord would cause mirth and gladness to disappear, and the ordinary routines of daily life would be disrupted. The land would become a ruin and a wasteland.
The Lord declared that Judah would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years, and then the Lord would punish Babylon; Babylon will suffer the same punishment which she executed on other nations. Babylon would be repaid according to her deeds. The Lord gave Jeremiah the cup of God’s wrath to be given to the nations to whom Jeremiah was sent.
Romans Paraphrase:
Paul’s desire was for the Jews to be saved. They were eager for relations with God, but that enthusiasm was not enlightened. They tried to establish their own righteousness by keeping the law, not knowing about the righteousness which comes from God through faith in Christ.
Christ is the end of the law, so that everyone who has faith (obedient trust) in Jesus may be judged righteous. Moses said that anyone who desires to be righteous according to the law, must practice (keep) the law (Leviticus 18:5). But righteousness based on faith doesn’t require us to do the impossible; Christ is not far off in Heaven or in the kingdom of the dead.
The word of faith is as near to us as our lips and heart. “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Everyone who truly believes from his heart, and confesses by his words and actions will be saved, regardless of his race or nationality, because the Lord is Lord of all and gives his blessings to all who call upon him in obedient trust (Joel 2:32).
John Paraphrase:
The Jewish religious authorities didn’t believe that the man claiming to have been healed of blindness by Jesus had actually been blind, so they interrogated the man’s parents. The parents verified that the man was their son and that he had been born blind, but they deferred the question of how he had been healed to their son, who was legally an adult, because they were afraid of the religious authorities.
The Jewish authorities had already ruled that anyone who confessed that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah) was to be excommunicated from the synagogue. So the religious authorities again summoned the man and warned him to tell them the truth, saying they knew that Jesus was a sinner (because he healed on the Sabbath). The man said he did not know whether Jesus was a sinner, but the man testified that he had been blind but was now able to see.
The authorities again asked the man how Jesus had healed his blindness, and the man asked why they kept questioning him. They had heard the first time, but hadn’t believed. He asked if they wanted to become Jesus' disciples. They replied sarcastically that the healed man was Jesus’ disciple, but they were disciples of Moses; they knew God had spoken to Moses but they didn’t know the source of Jesus’ power and authority.
The man was surprised that they doubted that Jesus was of God, because only God could heal a blind man, and God does not listen to the prayers of sinners. The authorities were enraged and told the man that he had been born in total sin and yet presumed to teach them. They expelled him from the synagogue.
Jesus heard that the man had been excommunicated and he went to the man and asked if he believed in the Son of man (Jesus). The man asked who Jesus was referring to, so that he could put his faith in him. Jesus said the man had seen him and was speaking with him. The man addressed Jesus as Lord, declared his faith, and worshiped Jesus.
Jesus said that his coming into the world would result in judgment. He had come to give sight to the spiritually blind, and to reveal the blindness of those who think they have spiritual vision. Some Pharisees (strict legalistic religious leaders) nearby asked Jesus if he considered them blind, and Jesus replied that if they had acknowledged their blindness they would have been forgiven, but since they denied their blindness they revealed their guilt.
Commentary:
Judah had disobeyed God’s Word and had refused to heed Jeremiah’s call to repent and return to obedient trust in the Lord. The Lord declared that he was about to punish Judah by exile in Babylon for seventy years. This prophecy was written after Nebuchadnezzar’s victory over Egypt at Carchemish in 605 B.C.,* just before Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and carried them off to Babylon from 587 to 517 B. C. (seventy years). Then Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and the Judeans were allowed to return to their Promised Land. God’s Word was fulfilled, but it is also eternal. God will judge and punish the nations as he judged and punished Judah and Babylon, according to their deeds.
The Jews had an enthusiasm and desire for a right relationship with God, but they were spiritually blind. They were trying to establish their own righteousness on their own terms by keeping the law according to their own interpretation, instead of accepting God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus. Those who attempt to be righteous by keeping the law must keep all of the law, which is impossible (Galatians 2:16; 5:2-4).
God’s forgiveness and salvation are a gift to all who are willing to trust and obey Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way to know and come into fellowship with God (John 14: 6). Faith is not like “wishing on a star,” though; not receiving whatever we believe if we believe "hard enough." The name of Jesus is not a “good luck charm” that we can grab hold of in an emergency. If one truly believes in Jesus, he will do what Jesus says.
The religious authorities were spiritually blind. They had already decided that Jesus was not the Messiah (John 9:22) and they refused to believe physical evidence and personal testimony which contradicted their judgment. They thought they were righteous because they kept the Sabbath law, but they violated the law by condemning Jesus without a hearing.
The healed man did not pass judgment on Jesus, but testified to what he had experienced. The man had been born physically blind, but he trusted and obeyed Jesus (John 9:11) and Jesus healed both his physical and spiritual sight. Jesus asked the man whether he believed in the Son of man, and the man demonstrated that he was ready to believe the one Jesus revealed him to be. If we trust and obey Jesus, he will reveal himself to us (John 14:21).
The Jewish authorities illustrate the deficiency of righteousness by keeping the law, in contrast to the righteousness by faith in Christ illustrated by the blind man. The Pharisees demonstrated their spiritual blindness by failing to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. We're all born in sin and spiritual blindness. If we acknowledge our sin and blindness, Jesus will forgive and heal us.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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 25.1-14n, p. 945, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Wednesday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/15/05;
Podcast: Wednesday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 25:30-38 - The Lord’s judgment;
Romans 10:14-21 - Israel’s responsibility;
John 10:1-18 - The Good Shepherd;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
The Lord proclaims his judgment against all the inhabitants of earth. His voice will resound to the ends of the earth, bringing judgment on all flesh, and the wicked will be slain. The bodies of the wicked will extend from one end of the earth to the other; they will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the surface of the earth. The rulers of the people will be slaughtered; there will be no refuge or escape from God’s wrath. The Lord will destroy the “pastures” and “sheep folds” of the wicked. The land will become a wild land where the lion stalks his prey.
Romans Paraphrase:
“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). But people can’t call upon someone whom they haven’t believed, and they can’t believe someone of whom they’ve never heard. People can’t hear the Gospel of Christ unless someone is sent to preach the Gospel. The efforts and personal sacrifices of those who are missionaries of the Gospel are beautiful, but not everyone has heeded the Gospel.
Faith comes from hearing the Gospel, and the hearing of the Gospel comes from preaching Jesus Christ. But people cannot claim that they haven’t heard the Gospel because the Gospel has been proclaimed to the farthest corners of the earth. Nor can people claim that they did not understand the Gospel, because it has been understood by the most insignificant nations and least educated people. Those who didn’t seek the Lord have found him and he has revealed himself to them, while Israel, who claimed to know God and to be his people, has rejected and disobeyed the Lord.
John Paraphrase:
One who attempts to enter God’s “sheepfold” by some way other than the door is a thief. The shepherd enters by the door, and is known by the gatekeeper and by his sheep. He leads them out and they follow him. Sheep will not follow a stranger; instead they flee from him.
His hearers didn’t understand what Jesus meant by this illustration, so Jesus said that he is the door to God’s “sheepfold.” All other attempts to enter the “fold” are dishonest. God’s “sheep” do not heed the “false shepherds.” Jesus is the door to God’s sheepfold. Those who enter by Jesus will be protected and spiritually nurtured. False shepherds come to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for the sheep and gives his life for them so that they will have abundant life.
The false shepherds are like hired people, who don’t care about the sheep; they’re just doing a job for what they can get out of it, personally. The hireling sees a wolf coming and he abandons the sheep and flees, because he cares only for himself. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he knows each one of his sheep, and his sheep know him in the same way that God the Father knows Jesus and Jesus knows the Father.
Jesus has other “sheep” (beside the Jews; i.e. Gentiles). His sheep heed his voice, and they will be one flock with one shepherd. God loves Jesus because Jesus is willing to obey God’s will and to lay down his life for God’s “sheep.” Jesus gives his life voluntarily for his sheep, and he has the power to take up his life again by God’s authority.
Commentary:
There is a Day of Judgment coming when the “false shepherds” and their “sheep” will be destroyed. Like a roaring lion, the wrath of God will be carried out upon them. Judah had been led by unfaithful shepherds, and the people had not heeded God’s Word or the warnings of God’s prophets. This prophecy was fulfilled by the conquest and the exile of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, from 587 to 517 B.C. It was also fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and the Jews were scattered throughout the world.
But God’s Word is eternal, and it also describes the second coming of Jesus Christ on the Day of Judgment. It describes the punishment of false shepherds, and the slaughter of the sheep who followed them and belonged to the false shepherds.
The Church is the “New Israel”, and the “New People of God.” The Church and those who claim to be Christians should take warning from the experience of Israel that it is not those who claim to know the Lord and to have a special relationship with him, but those who trust and obey him, who are God’s people (Matthew 7:21-24).
“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), but the name of Jesus isn’t some magical incantation. It isn’t a “good luck charm.” Only those who have believed in Jesus, who have trusted and obeyed him, can call on his name for their salvation.
Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to obey him will not be able to claim ignorance, because the Gospel of Jesus Christ has reached every corner of the world. They won’t be able to claim that they couldn’t understand the Gospel, because it doesn’t take intelligence or education to understand. What it takes is willingness to trust and obey.
Jesus is the door to God’s eternal “sheepfold” and “pastures.” There is no other way to forgiveness, reconciliation and eternal life with God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Those who are trying to get into heaven some other way, by doing certain “good deeds” or by following some other “shepherd” will be eternally destroyed.
Jesus knows his sheep and his sheep know him, personally, through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Jesus and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Jesus leads his “sheep” by his Holy Spirit. We recognize his “voice” by his Holy Spirit.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?
Thursday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/16/05;
Podcast: Thursday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 26:1-16 (17-24) - The temple sermon;
Romans 11:1-12 - Israel’s rejection;
John 10:19-42 - Opposition to Jesus;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
In the reign of Jehoiakim (about 609 B.C.), the Lord directed Jeremiah to stand in the court of the temple and preach God’s Word to all who came to worship, urging their repentance and return to obedience to the Lord. Jeremiah was to warn them that if they did not listen to the Lord and obey his law and the word of his prophets, the Lord would destroy the temple and Jerusalem, as had happened to Shiloh. [The temple at Shiloh (near Bethel in the territory of Ephraim), considered heretical by Jerusalem, had been destroyed around 1050 B. C.* (Psalm 78:56-72; 1 Samuel Chapters 4-6)].
When Jeremiah had finished proclaiming this message, the priests and prophets and the people arrested Jeremiah, intending to execute him for preaching against the temple and the city. The princes of Judah came from the palace to the New Gate of the temple to conduct Jeremiah’s trial.
Jeremiah testified that the Lord had sent him to preach against the temple and city. Jeremiah called for the people to repent, change their behavior and become obedient to God’s Word. Jeremiah warned them that if they executed him they would be guilty of murder. The princes and the people told the priests and prophets that Jeremiah did not deserve execution, because he had truly spoken God’s Word.
Some of the elders recalled that Micah had preached a similar message in the days of King Hezekiah, and Hezekiah responded to the message with repentance, and the Lord had withheld his punishment. Another prophet, Uriah preached a similar message, and King Jehoiakim tried to execute Uriah, but Uriah fled to Egypt, so Jehoiakim sent men to find and arrest Uriah and bring him back, and Jehoiakim killed Uriah and buried him without honor. Jeremiah avoided a similar fate by the influence of Ahikam, the son of the royal secretary.
Romans Paraphrase:
God has not rejected the Jews. Paul himself was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul recalled that Elijah thought he was the last remaining Jew faithful to the Lord, but God told him that there were seven thousand faithful Jews remaining, who had not worshiped idols. Paul said that likewise in his time there was a remnant chosen by grace (unmerited favor), not by works (keeping the law).
Paul says that the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews is providential, making it possible for the Gentiles to receive salvation. But the Jews' rejection need not be permanent. If the Gentiles were blessed by the Jews’ rejection, they will be blessed even more by the reconciliation and inclusion of the Jews.
John Paraphrase:
There was a controversy among the Jews about Jesus; some thought he was crazy and had a demon, but others said that Jesus’ teachings and his miracles were not the ravings and deeds of a madman. During the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in the portico of Solomon in the Temple and the Jews (the religious leaders) came to Jesus and asked him to make a public declaration, if he was the Messiah (Christ). Jesus said that he had already told them, but that they had not believed.
Jesus said that the works he did confirmed who he was. The reason the Jewish authorities did not believe was because they did not belong to Jesus’ “flock.” Jesus said that those who belong to him hear his voice and follow him, and Jesus knows them. Jesus gives the members of his flock eternal life; they will never perish and no one can separate them from Jesus, because it is God’s will that they remain with Jesus. Jesus declared that he and the Father are one.
The Jewish authorities picked up stones to kill Jesus, but Jesus asked them for which of his good deeds they were executing him. They replied that they were going to execute him for blasphemy, because Jesus had claimed to be one with God. Jesus quoted Psalm 86, saying that if those who received God’s Word were called sons of God in scripture, and were not guilty of blasphemy, how could they accuse Jesus, whom God had anointed and sent into the world (as the “Messiah,” which means “anointed”). Further, Jesus’ miracles demonstrate that Jesus is doing the works of God, and that Jesus is in God and God in him.
Again the authorities tried to arrest Jesus but he escaped them. Jesus went to Perea (the region east of the Jordan River from the Arnon River to Pella), and many people came to him there and believed in him, acknowledging that what John the Baptizer had said about Jesus was true.
Commentary:
God’s Word either heals people or offends and condemns them. Jeremiah was led by the Lord to proclaim a message of warning, calling them to repent and return to trust and obedience to the Lord and his Word. Jeremiah’s message offended and angered the religious and civic leaders and the people. They didn’t want to hear that message, but when they gave Jeremiah a fair hearing, they recalled other times when a similar message had resulted in repentance, forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with the Lord. They realized that Jeremiah was truly speaking God’s Word and spared Jeremiah’s life.
God has not rejected the Jews. Paul felt that he, like Elijah, was the last faithful Jew, but that there would be a remnant who would be saved, not by keeping the Jewish law, but by God’s grace (unmerited favor; through faith in Jesus Christ). In Paul’s own case, he had tried to proclaim the Gospel to his fellow Jews, but had been forced, by their rejection of his message, to take it to the Gentiles. The Gentiles had benefited, but their acceptance did not disqualify the Jews from sharing in that grace and blessing through Jesus Christ.
Jesus caused controversy among the Jews. To some his message was offensive but others recognized that it was God’s Word. Some thought Jesus’ message was the ravings of a madman; some thought his deeds were evil and demonic. Jesus made some angry enough to want to kill Jesus. Those who belong to Jesus are those who hear his voice and follow him in trust and obedience. It is those who trust and obey Jesus who will be saved from God’s wrath and punishment, by grace, through faith in Jesus.
In one sense we are all “Jews,” created to be God’s people. We have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin (disobedience to God) is eternal death (Romans 6: 23). Jesus is God’s only plan for our forgiveness and salvation from his wrath and judgment (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar top right, home). Jesus is calling us to repent and turn to the Lord in trust and obedience. Jesus is God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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 7.1-15 n, p 919, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Friday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/17/05;
Podcast: Friday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 29:1 (2-3) 4-14 - Letter to the exiles;
Romans 11:13-24 - The olive tree;
John 11:1-27 - Raising Lazarus;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
After the first general deportation of exiles to Babylon (in 598 B.C.), Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles. The Lord told them to establish themselves in Babylon, building houses and planting gardens. They were to marry and have children, and their children were to marry and have children. They were to multiply, and they were to live as citizens, working and praying for the good of the state. But the Lord warned them not to believe the prophets and diviners among them, because they were not serving the Lord, but were prophesying lies.
The Lord promised that after seventy years in Babylon the Lord would bring them back to the Promised Land. The Lord assured them that he had plans for their welfare to give them a future and hope. Then they will call upon and pray to the Lord and he will hear them. When they seek God with all their heart, the Lord will allow himself to be found by them. The Lord will restore their fortunes and gather them from wherever they have been scattered and bring them back to the Promised Land from which the Lord had sent them into exile.
Romans Paraphrase:
Paul, a Jew, had become an apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) to the Gentiles but he hoped through his ministry that his fellow Jews might become jealous and want to share in the Gospel with the Gentiles and so be saved. The Jews’ initial rejection of the Gospel led to reconciliation with God for the Gentiles, so the Jews’ acceptance will give life to those who were (spiritually) dead. The patriarchs of Israel were holy and their descendants are consecrated through them.
Israel is symbolized by an olive tree; the patriarchs are the root, and the People of God are the branches. The Lord has removed some of the branches, and the Gentiles, like wild olive shoots, have been grafted in. Gentiles are not to boast over the natural branches, but to remember that it is the root which supports them and gives them life. Some natural branches were removed because of unbelief, but if they repent they can be grafted back in more easily than the wild shoots. The Gentiles remain only as they hold firmly to faith (obedient trust), because the Lord can remove them as easily as he removed natural branches. Remember that God is kind to us as long as we remain in his kindness, but if we depart from him we will be cut off.
John Paraphrase:
Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, of Bethany in Judea, were friends of the Lord. Lazarus became ill and when Jesus heard about this, he stayed where he was for two days, before announcing that he was going to Judea. The disciples questioned why Jesus would go to Judea, since the religious authorities there were plotting to kill Jesus.
Jesus said that, like a person walking in daylight does not stumble, so Jesus would work during the time he was given in the world according to God’s will. There was a time coming when Jesus would no longer be able to work.
Jesus told them that Lazarus had “fallen asleep” but that Jesus was going to him to wake him. The disciples said that if Lazarus was sleeping he would recover on his own, so Jesus told them plainly that Lazarus was dead. Jesus said that, for his disciples’ sake, he was glad that he had not been there to keep Lazarus from dying, so that his disciples’ faith would be strengthened. Thomas declared his willingness to go with Jesus even if it meant his death.
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Since Jerusalem was only a couple miles from Bethany, many of the religious authorities from Jerusalem had come to console Mary and Martha.
When Martha heard that Jesus was approaching, she went out to meet him, while Mary stayed in the house. Martha declared her faith that, if Jesus had been present, her brother would not have died, and that even now God would grant whatever Jesus asked. Jesus told her that her brother would rise to life again. Martha declared her faith in the ultimate resurrection of the dead.
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Jesus asked Martha if she believed this, and Martha said “Yes, Lord” and declared her faith that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah) the Son of God, whose coming had been promised by scripture and was now being fulfilled.
Commentary:
The Lord has plans for us for our good, to give us hope and a future. In a sense we are all exiled in Babylon for about seventy years. We’re to live our normal lives and work for the good of society. During the exile we’re to learn to call upon the Lord; we’re to seek the Lord, so that we can find him and have a personal relationship with him, when we seek him with all our heart (see Acts 17:26-27). We’re to learn to trust in his promises, and he will show us he is able and faithful to keep those promises. He promises that if we will seek him and rely on him he will bring us into the Promised Land of his eternal kingdom.
God’s plan for our good was to gather a kingdom of his people, and it began with the patriarchs of Israel, through whom we all received the scriptures and the fulfillment of the promises of a Savior and eternal life, provided that we trust and obey Jesus. Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus says that if we ask we will receive, if we seek we will find, and if we knock it will be opened to us (Matthew 7:7).
The Lord promises that if we trust and obey him, he will reveal himself to us (John 14:21). Jesus is the shoot from the stump of Judaism (Isaiah 11:1-2) which has become the trunk to which we are grafted into God’s kingdom. In order to thrive we must remain connected to Jesus by trust and obedience through his indwelling Holy Spirit. The Lord warns his people not to listen to false, worldly prophets or practitioners of the occult.
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to give us hope and a future; he restores our fortunes, gathers us from our exile in “Babylon,” and leads us back to the Promised Land of eternal life in heaven. In this world we’re in exile and under a spiritual death sentence (Romans 6:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and only through Jesus are we forgiven and saved (See God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Jesus’ miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus demonstrates that Jesus is the “Lord and Giver of Life” (in the words of the third article of the Nicene Creed). Jesus frees us from the bondage of sin and fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus’ resurrection gives us the assurance of resurrection and an eternal future, and that real, spiritual, eternal life begins right now, through his indwelling Holy Spirit.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?
Saturday 5 Lent - Odd
First posted 03/18/05;
Podcast: Saturday 5 Lent - Odd
Jeremiah 31:27-34 - The New Covenant;
Romans 11:25-36 - Israel’s salvation;
John 11:28-44 - Lazarus raised;
John 12:37-50 - Spiritual blindness;
Jeremiah Summary:
The Lord will repopulate the Promised Land which he caused to be depopulated by the exile. He will cause Israel to be fruitful. Israel will no longer feel they are suffering for the sins of their fathers. The Lord will hold each person accountable for their own deeds. The Lord will make a New Covenant with his people different from the Old Covenant of Law, which God’s people failed to keep, although joined to the Lord like husband and wife.
Under the New Covenant, the Lord will put his law within them; it will be written upon their hearts. The Lord will be their God and they will be his people. People will no longer teach one another to know the Lord, for they will all know the Lord individually, regardless of their social status, because the Lord will forgive their sins and remember their sins no more.
Romans Summary:
Lest the Gentiles become conceited, Paul wanted us to understand that Israel’s rejection of the Gospel is only temporary, allowing the Gentiles to receive salvation. Paul quoted Isaiah 59:20-21, prophesying that the Savior would come from Zion (Jerusalem; Israel; the city of God) and will banish ungodliness from Jacob (Israel; father of the heads of the twelve tribes; the People of Israel). In Paul’s time Israel was the enemy of God, concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but they are still God’s chosen and called people because of God’s steadfast faithfulness to their forefathers.
The promises and call of God are irrevocable. God has been merciful to the Gentiles who were once disobedient to God, and God will show the same mercy to Israel, who is now disobedient. God’s wisdom, knowledge and gifts are beyond human calculation and his ways and his judgments are beyond human understanding.
Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13, Job 35:7 and 41:11 affirming that God’s knowledge and judgment are far above human ability and his loving kindness to us is far beyond our ability to repay. All things originate with him, belong to him and are given to us through him. He is worthy of glory for ever.
John 11 Summary:
Jesus, knowing that Lazarus had died, had gone to Bethany to the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha (John 11:1-27; see entry for yesterday Friday, 5 Lent, odd year). Martha had gone out to meet Jesus, and then she returned to the house and told Mary that the “Teacher” was asking for her.
Mary went out to Jesus, and the religious authorities from Jerusalem who were there comforting Mary and Martha followed her, thinking she was going to Lazarus’ tomb. Mary came and fell down at Jesus’ feet, weeping, and said that if Jesus had been there (when Lazarus was sick) Lazarus would not have died. Jesus was deeply moved by Mary’s grief, and by that of the mourners, and Jesus wept.
Jesus asked where Lazarus had been entombed, and they led him to the place. The tomb was a cave sealed with a large stone, Jesus told the mourners to remove the stone. Mary told Jesus that Lazarus had been dead four days, and that there would be an odor. But Jesus told her that if she trusted him she would see God’s glory.
They removed the stone, and Jesus prayed aloud to God the Father, so that the witnesses would give God the glory rather than thinking that Lazarus’ resurrection was a work of magic or the occult. Then Jesus called Lazarus by name and commanded him to come out, and Lazarus came out of the tomb, still bound with the burial cloths (compare John 5:28-29). Jesus commanded the witnesses to unbind and free him.
John 12 Summary:
Although Jesus had done many miracles revealing who he was (“signs”), the Jews (religious authorities) did not believe in him. Their rejection of Jesus fulfilled the prophecy given through Isaiah 6:9-10. Because they refused to believe the “signs,” the evidence of who Jesus is, they became spiritually blind to the truth. Isaiah foresaw the Christ and spoke of him.
Many of the Jews, even the religious leaders, believed in Jesus, but did not confess it, because they were afraid they would lose their standing in their religion and their society. What people thought of them was more important to them than God’s approval. God is fulfilling his promise to repopulate the eternal Promised Land through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus declared that those who believe in Jesus believe God, and those who see Jesus see God. Jesus came into the world as spiritual light, to dispel spiritual blindness and darkness. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus does not condemn those who do not obey Jesus’ teachings; those who reject Jesus and his teachings will be condemned on the Day of Judgment by the word Jesus has spoken, because Jesus has declared God’s Word, by God’s authority and command. (Obedience to) God’s Word leads to eternal life.
The Lord promised a New Covenant with his people, through which his Word would dwell within each individual. Each of his people would have a personal fellowship with the Lord; they would know him individually and personally. They would be freed from the Covenant of Law, which they couldn’t keep, and God would forgive and forget their sins.
That New Covenant is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. It is through obedient trust in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God. Only Jesus gives the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17).
The Holy Spirit 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 through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we have individual, personal fellowship with the Lord. It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that God’s Word is opened to our understanding, and written upon our hearts. It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are enabled and empowered to know and do God’s will. In the New Covenant, each individual will be personally accountable to God for what each has done in life.
In the New Covenant of grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9), each individual receives the same mercy and the same grace. There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Gentiles are not denied salvation because of their ancestor’s disobedience and neither are the Jews. But neither does either group have God’s special favor by accident of birth; neither group is God’s special people because they happen to be born into their religion. The Gentiles received the scriptures and the promises of God through the Jews, but the Jews receive the fulfillment through acceptance of and faith in Jesus Christ.
Those who believe (trust and obey) Jesus will see God’s glory. Jesus is the Lord and Giver of Life (third article, Nicene Creed; see entry for yesterday, Friday, 5 Lent, odd year, above). Jesus will reveal himself to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:21).
Jesus did many miracles revealing who he is. Those who see these “signs” and believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Savior, believe God. Those who see who Jesus is, and see what Jesus does are seeing God. Jesus is God revealed in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28; Matthew 1:23). Jesus is the light of the world that dispels spiritual blindness. Jesus is the Word of God made visible (John 1:1-5, 14). Those who refuse to trust and obey Jesus are condemning themselves to eternal death.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?
For Next Week:
