Month: June 2020

A good student of the written word knows the content; an outstanding student knows the author. Insurgence podcast #55, with Frank Viola and Nick Vasiliades, is a discussion of how people who “seek first the kingdom of heaven” approach the scripture. One of their very first points is that in the written word we can encounter Jesus, the living Word. We just have to look for him. Instead of coming to scripture to get something, we come to meet Someone. This entire podcast episode is a blessing, but I want to pursue that thought.

In an earlier blog post I shared a story about an experience my wife had, and how I came to see Christ in it. The truth is that if we seek Him we can find Him in many places in this world, including other people, events, and various media such as books and music and movies. And let’s not leave out nature: ancient believers understood all of nature as a kind of book that revealed its creator. 

For instance, life on earth demonstrates intricacy and beauty at every size scale, from atomic level to the level of ecosystems. You can see amazing examples of the microscopic scale at https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/ . Atoms, by means electromagnetic forces, are joined with other atoms into orderly arrangements: molecules, crystals, etc. Molecules of widely varying kinds are built together to form the many components of living cells. Cells may go about on their own, but in higher organisms they are assembled into tissues and organs. Organs are sculpted into the body systems that enable a diversity of creatures to inhabit sea, earth and sky. For many such creatures there is a provision to live in societies. And each kind of creature interacts with other kinds, and their common environment, in complex ways. What the psalmist said about being fearfully and wonderfully made is true. In this the wisdom of Christ, apart from whom nothing was made, is on public display. Simplicity and complexity, order and harmony, form and function. Jesus is here.

We who are hiking the transformation trail need to live in the awareness of the presence of Jesus. Earlier I mentioned the Insurgence podcast, which focuses on Christ and His gospel of the Kingdom. As I write, there are 74 episodes, and a new one comes out every week. You can check it out here: https://theinsurgence.org/podcast/ . Whenever possible I play them more than once because I get different insights each time. Immersing ourselves in the Lord’s presence means opening ourselves to the scripture. It also means taking advantage of the experiences of more seasoned followers of our Lord. Many mature brothers and sisters have shared Christ in writings and recordings. Just like scripture, the best of these can illuminate the path in front of us. I plan to point out more of these opportunities in future posts. 

The Pharisees were a group of Jewish men who thoroughly studied the law that God had given to Moses, known as the Torah. They were members of a religious movement that dedicated itself to the preservation of the one true faith, given by God. They had appointed themselves as its guardians. They lived, however, in a political setting that precluded observance of the full Torah. This led them to adapt the rules of Torah to the existing conditions, something being better than nothing. 

Their intentions in this were good, but they carried out their purpose in their own wisdom. They were among the Jews who were zealous for Torah about whom Paul wrote in Romans 10:2: the zeal they had was not enlightened by God who gave the Torah. So, when Jesus, who embodied the Torah (Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:4), came, they did not receive him as the Christ. In making an idol of Torah, rather than faithfully pursuing the Lord, their service to the Torah became corrupt. Jesus said that one day they would be accused by Moses, whom they claimed to be following (John 5:45-47). 

In scripture we see God raising prophets to correct His people when they strayed from His path. Part of the ministry of Jesus, when he lived on the earth, was as prophet to the Pharisees, to correct their idolatry. He pointed out that, even if they were able to observe some aspects of the letter of Torah, they had departed from its spirit, which is rooted in the character of God. This departure led to all kinds of abuses that grieved God. And they were not even faithful in observing the rules that they placed on others (Matthew 23:1-4).

The large majority of them, however, refused to accept that correction, which originated in God and was meant for their salvation. In fact, many of them actively opposed Jesus. The Pharisees, as a religious movement, joined with other forces that gathered to execute Jesus.

It’s easy for us to condemn them. But it’s also easy for us to stray from the path of faithfully pursuing the Lord. The apostle John ended his first letter with a warning: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” We who are starting out on the transformation trail should keep alert for anything, even if it was given to us by God Himself, that is or might become an idol. Jesus the mighty prophet is ready to reveal this to us. And he is willing and able, in love, to give grace for our deliverance. 

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It’s obvious, but please bear with me as I say it anyway. If God doesn’t reveal Himself to us, we don’t know Him and we don’t even really know about Him. He is beyond human comprehension. Scripture is one of God’s gracious provisions to us that reveals Him. So, what does scripture, our Bible, say about Him—and itself?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4

Jesus is the personified Word of God, and he has been since the beginning of creation. He is the source of all created things, including scripture. All scripture bears his stamp of authorship.

All Scripture is breathed out by God…. 2 Timothy 3:16

There is a life in scripture, and it is the life of Christ. The human spirit, too, is breathed out by God (Genesis 2:7). According to Job 32:8, “it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.” The God-breathed scripture and the God-breathed human spirit can work together with the Holy Spirit to produce in us something called understanding—a greater measure of the indwelling life of Christ.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40

These are the words of Jesus, addressed to religious people who were intimately familiar with the scriptures of their day. Despite their knowledge of those scriptures most of them failed to recognize Jesus as the Promised One, the one who has the exclusive right to confer eternal life. They missed seeing him because they had been blinded by their traditions and prejudices to the point where they were informing the scripture rather than allowing the scripture to inform them. All scripture bears witness to him. However, if we approach it with the wrong attitude, we will not see him in it. May we set our hearts on having a more intimate walk with Jesus, yielding ourselves to him! He will show us the causes of our own blindness and give us opportunities to discard them. Then we can come to scripture with an open mind. Then the scripture will inform us about the life of this astonishing Christ.

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27

The two followers of Jesus who walked the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus encountered the risen Christ but did not recognize him. He interpreted the scripture to them, things concerning himself that were to be found throughout all the scriptures. All scripture directs our attention to Jesus. And he is for us the interpreter of all scripture, so that God’s purpose in giving scripture to us can be fulfilled.

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I recalled a family memory and got a glimpse of our Lord Jesus.

My wife ran her first 5K a few years ago. Before attempting the race, she signed up for a training program that was sponsored by a local purveyor of running gear. They assigned her to a coach and group of fellow trainees. As a group they met with the coach for several weeks. During that time they acquired the essential equipment and practiced running. 

When race day came, the coach assembled the group at the starting line. They set out together. As the group spread out during the race, he went with the leaders and then dropped back to encourage those with a slower pace. Back and forth he went. As my wife began the last stretch, struggling but still running, he appeared beside her and matched her pace. He stayed alongside until she neared the finish line, then dropped back once again. He persisted in this way until the whole group finished the race.

In remembering this event, it occured to me that Jesus is like that coach. He provides us with everything we need and supports us all along the way. Or, to use the metaphor of the wilderness trail, Jesus is like the expert hiker who makes sure that we have the essential equipment and provides support along the way. Jesus also is the one who blazed the trails. And he awaits us at the end. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, with us from start to finish and at all points in between. 

The last few blog posts had to do with prayer, which is one of those essential pieces of equipment. This post gives an example of seeing Christ in everyday things. In the next post I plan to say something about another essential item: scripture.

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