Hebrews 1

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, July 19: Hebrews 1

 

Hebrews could be summarized in a single word: better. The author writes to demonstrate the superiority of the New Covenant to the Old — superior in that it brings about what the previous covenant could not: salvation. This new covenant is won through a superior sacrifice — the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. This letter is described as a word of exhortation (13:22). Hebrews is a sermon, or more likely a series of sermons, much like the OT book of Deuteronomy. But whereas Deuteronomy was a homily on living faithfully in light of the Mosaic covenant, Hebrews takes this template to its ultimate conclusion — faithful participation in God’s sprawling and lively New Covenant replete with life and rest and salvation.

 

The Hebrew writer begins by acknowledging God’s prior vehicle for speech: the prophets. “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (v2). And so we enter a new mode of revelation: this Son of God is “heir of all things”, the agent of creation, and “the radiance of the glory of God”. Jesus is the self-disclosure of God, “the exact imprint of his nature” (v3). To see Jesus is to see God. The term “imprint” is only used here in the NT. It refers to the impression on an official seal – Caesar’s seal on an official document, for example. Jesus represents God’s stamp of approval, God’s revelation of His character in full.

 

The brilliance of the New Covenant, however, is revealed by looking back to the Old. The Hebrew writer looks back to the ancient scriptures and finds hints of this glory bleeding through at every turn. He quotes the Royal Song of Psalm 2; he recalls God’s promise to the Davidic line in 2 Sam. 7 (one of the high points of the OT); he takes us to Deut. 32 and the framework of blessings and curses associated with the Old Covenant; and he reminds us of more of David’s Psalms. His point is that the Messiah, God’s anointed one, is superior even to the angels who serve God. These “ministering spirits” are sent to “serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (v14). But they are subservient to the One whose atoning death renders this salvation possible for us.

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Matthew 28

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, July 18: Matthew 28

 

In this final chapter, Matthew’s Gospel reaches its glorious culmination: the first day of the week becomes the first day of a new reality, a new Kingdom order. Jesus walks out of the tomb, a declaration of victory over sin, death, and evil. The angel appears at the tomb: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.” He is present to dispel our fears, for the resurrection announces God’s power over all that enslaves us. This glorious morn reveals a new era of possibility: life over death.

 

Matthew closes with an important scene. Jesus appears to the disciples and commissions them to a ministry of disciple-making. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” (v19-20). Matthew is aware of the ascension; he was there. But he closes with an altogether different image: Jesus promising to be present among His followers. In fact, if this were the only Gospel you ever read, you’d be left with the impression that Jesus is still Immanuel, God with us. He is still present with His followers, empowering them for mission. This promise animates the ministry of the church throughout the ages.

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Things I Want to Remember Vol. 18

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Jason

Here are a few of the funny things Sunny told me Jackson said today:

Jackson: Mom, do you know what holds our bodies together?
Mom: Well, what do you think, Jackson?
Jackson: Your belly button! Because it’s a button!

If you know Jackson, you can just hear him articulating “but-ton” in his squeaky little voice!

Here’s another one:

Jackson: Mom, did you just see all of those American flags?
Mom: No, I missed them.
Jackson: It just seems that everyone here roots for America.

Very astute, don’t you think?

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Matthew 27

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, July 17: Matthew 27

It’s interesting that Matthew records how remorseful Judas was after his betrayal of Jesus. V3 says, “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.” Was Judas expecting something other than the condemnation of Jesus?

Another thought: what seems to separate Judas and Peter is how they respond to their failures. While Judas betrays Jesus and ultimately decides to end his life, Peter — although he betrayed Jesus through denying him — endures to see the risen Christ and experience the reconciliation we read about in John 21. I suppose you could argue that Peter’s denial of Jesus pales in comparison to Judas’ betrayal…but note their responses. Judas can’t seem to forgive himself for what he’s done; Peter remains in community, surrounded by the other disciples, and this is the place that provides him the strength he needs until Jesus returns. There’s a message in there for us, too.

I think we can all relate to an individual like Barabbas. Jesus literally takes his place, absorbs his punishment. The choice PIlate puts to the crowd is the same one that is put to us: “Which one do you want? Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” We can choose either the lawless path of the criminal or the obedient way of the Messiah. What we cannot do is what Pilate did: wash our hands, as if we’re not responsible for the choice. Even not choosing is ultimately a choice.

The soldiers mock Jesus, putting a scarlet robe on his shoulders and a crown of thorns on his head. The sign above His head is surely intended as an insult: Jesus, King of the Jews. We can hear the soldiers mocking Him: “Hail the crucified king! What king sports so noble a crown, so lofty a throne?” And the crowd joins in as well: “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him.” Little did they know it probably took every ounce of reserve God could muster to not lash out and rescue His beloved Son from this cruel fate. But God follows through on the plan long ago set in motion, before the foundations of the earth. Jesus cries out to God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And though this may strike some as a cry of doubt and even anger, I think this is a deep expression of faith. Jesus trusts God the Father enough to bring His most deeply held feelings to Him.

The chapter closes with the tomb being closed, the seal being set (v66), preparing us for Matthew’s final glorious chapter.

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Matthew 26

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, July 16: Matthew 26

The plot to kill Jesus is now in full force. The chief priests and elders agree to move quietly and stealthily, avoiding an uproar among the people. Meanwhile, Jesus is anointed for His burial in an extravagant demonstration by Mary (John 12:3). She uses an alabaster flask of expensive ointment to anoint Jesus. The disciples balk: “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus understands He will not be with them for much longer. In His economy, this is not a waste; in fact, it is a “beautiful thing” (v10). As in the previous chapter, small acts of kindness — a remembrance, a visit, a meal, a drink of water — carry the seeds of the Kingdom life. The extravagance of Mary’s act matches the moment. Much hangs in the balance here.

Judas agrees to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the same amount paid by the owner of an ox that gored a slave to death according to Exodus 21:32. Does this imply Judas’ attitude toward his master? Is he apologizing to the religious leaders for the stupidity of his boorish rabbi? It’s hard to say, but if every detail is important in the biblical account, there may be a deeper meaning here.

Jesus observes the Passover with His disciples. As they are eating, Jesus begins something new: “Take, eat, this is my body. Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” I love what the ESV Study Bible says about this section: “Jesus’ body will be the once-and-for-all fulfillment of the ceremonies surrounding the Passover lamb and other OT sacrifices, as he will become the sacrificial atonement for the sins of the people.” This sets the stage for the pivotal moments in Matthew: Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, His betrayal at the hand of Judas, His appearance before Caiaphas, and Peter’s betrayal. Jesus absorbs the worst of humanity: our sin, represented here in the trumped up charges of the Sanhedrin, the spittle of the angry mob, the strikes to the face, the betrayal of his companions, the denial of his friends. Jesus absorbs all of this into Himself, taking the “old” of this life and making possible a radical alternative, a “new” covenant, a new experience, a new way of being in light of the empty tomb that is to come. All of this is expressed here in this wonderfully powerful chapter.

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Matthew 25

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, July 13: Matthew 25

In this chapter, Matthew offers us another teaching on the importance of readiness (the Parable of the Ten Virgins). Those who are not ready are the ones taking improper action in the parable — specifically, not having enough oil for their lamps, running to the dealers to buy oil at midnight, etc. In the following parable, the Parable of the Talents, we find a teaching about proper activity — we might say “readiness in action”. In this parable, what is held up is the wise investment of gifts by the master’s servants. It seems that this section of Scripture encourages us to think not only about the second coming of Christ, but also our giftedness and what role we can play as Kingdom investors. God has gifted us with abilities and talents and He intends for these to be deployed as we await the Day of Judgment, which concludes this section of Scripture. This chapter spells out explicit action that Christ expects, behavior befitting our ready posture: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me,” (v35-36). And the King says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

This is the kind of readiness the Lord desires.

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Matthew 24

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, July 12: Matthew 24

In Matthew 24, we come to the Olivet Discourse. Many scholars have discussed Jesus’ words here. Is He responding to both of their questions in v3? Or is He only replying to the second question? And if He is responding only to the second question, how do we make sense of v34? “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

These are questions that require much study and reflection, more than we’ll be able to take up here on this page. But as you read, I think it is helpful to keep a few things in mind:

  1. Jesus encourages His followers to live in light of His return. However you choose to understand this chapter, it is clear that Jesus wants His followers to be certain of His impending return.
  2. Jesus encourages His followers to be ready for His imminent return. Not only does He want them to be aware of His return, Jesus expects His followers to live in readiness. Like the Israelites hastily observing the Passover meal, ready for God’s liberation, so too are Jesus’ disciples to live in expectant anticipation of His return. This teaching is carried over in the next chapter with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. “Therefore you also must be ready…” (v44).
  3. Jesus encourages His followers to endure until He comes. “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (v12-13). Look again at the progression of events: lawlessness increases, the love of many decreases, but those who endure (presumably, in love) will find salvation. Endurance is more than just holding our nose until we get to heaven with a grin-and-bear-it mentality. It’s an enduring commitment to the way of love, the way that Jesus will model for us as He heads to Calvary.
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Matthew 23

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, July 11: Matthew 23

This chapter has to be one of the most sobering in the entire New Testament. Jesus does not mince words as He issues these woes or curses upon the religious leaders of the day. He criticizes them for their hypocrisy (v3), burdensome teachings (v4), and pious showmanship (v5-7). Seeking to exalt themselves publicly, these men have already received the reward they seek. But Jesus teaches His followers a different path: “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

It seems the Pharisees and scribes constructed elaborate practices involving oaths that were binding and non-binding (v16ff). But Jesus lambasts them for neglecting the more important matters. “For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves,” (v15). These blind guides are experts at leading others to legalism, not the Lord. We might say that these leaders have majored in minors: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others,” (v23). By focusing on a few trees, they’ve lost sight of the spiritual forest. I think this is a real danger in our day as well. We would be wise to heed Jesus’ words as warning and instruction.

I’m struck by the tone of Jesus’ comments. To modern readers, His statements sound very “judgmental”, which is the cardinal sin of our day. But Jesus is speaking unvarnished truth here to these wicked men, calling them whitewashed tombs and a brood of vipers. Jesus is unafraid to confront this spiritual hypocrisy — and it surely will cost Him His life. But this kind of truth-telling is always about more than just reaming somebody out. We would also do well to see these words as an expression of love. You have to love someone an awful lot to talk to them this way, don’t you? Hard as it may be to hear, these kinds of words come from someone who loves us enough to hurt our feelings — not because they enjoy it, but because we need to be corrected.

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Matthew 22

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, July 10: Matthew 22

One of the dimensions of Jewish Messianic expectation in the first century centered on the image of the Great Banquet. Based on Isaiah 25, the Hebrew people anticipated the Messianic age to be characterized by a great wedding feast, a table abundantly covered with the finest foods, plenty of wine, and room for all the righteous to gather. The Messiah would preside over this table and share his bounty with his true followers from the great mountain of Zion. Jesus’ parable in Matthew 22 taps into this vein, speaking of a king’s wedding feast in honor of his son. But when the preparations are finished, the invitees refuse to come to the feast. The king issues an invitation to the streets and a posse of characters assembles, both good and bad, to partake. If the parable ended here, it would suffice as a teaching about the availability of God’s Kingdom to those who have never presumed to be “good”, the common man whose lack of perceived piety cast him as an outsider in his culture.

But the parable continues. The king finds a guest lacking the proper wedding garment. This amounts to a rejection of the king’s gracious provision. In these circumstances, the king would presumably make available the kind of clothing needed for such an occasion. Think of the maitre d supplying the coat for the house dress code. The one who rejects the king’s gracious provision is cast out to darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The religious establishment, threatened as they are by Jesus and his pointed attacks, attempts to corner Jesus, first with politics. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus will not be so easily be trapped. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Image-bearing creation ultimately belongs to God. Jesus is sent to restore this image, even though this mission is obscured from his opponents.

The Sadducees laughably make a similar attempt to trap Jesus, this time with theology. They contrive an absurd scenario for Jesus to respond to: a man dies, his brother marries his widow then dies…and this cycle is repeated seven times. Whose wife is she in the resurrection? This is an absurd question on multiple levels. First, it sets the gold standard for ridiculously hypothetical religious questions. But even more importantly, the Sadducees deny the resurrection. They’re not interested in any sort of legitimate probing of this question. The whole thing is a smoke screen, intended to trap Jesus with His own words.

Listen to Jesus’ response to such manipulations: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead but of the living.” (v29-32). Jesus will not be ambushed by these wicked men. Instead, he confronts them once again, sealing His fate with every truthful word.

The Pharisees try their hand, only to be put down also. But their effort does bear some fruit here: it prompts Jesus to give us the concise summation of God’s will for human life in vv37-40:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

These are the words of life.

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Matthew 21

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, July 9: Matthew 21

Matthew 21 is such a rich chapter. We won’t be able to cover everything here, so feel free to weigh in with comments about the sections that we don’t cover here.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, riding on a donkey (actually Matthew says Jesus sat on the donkey and her colt — v7). This fulfills the ancient prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, where the prophet foretold of Israel’s victorious, humble king riding triumphantly through the streets of Jerusalem, having defeated Ephraim’s enemies as his rule extends from sea to sea. The prophetic image is certainly a triumphant one and we’re right to see Jesus as fulfilling this expectation. But Jesus also redefines our understanding of true kingship. He rides the donkey, not the war horse. David may have slain his tens of thousands, but Jesus is redeeming the world. Jesus is the meek king, riding humbly toward His impending death even as the masses sing His praises.

Jesus arrives at the temple and immediately drives out those who are buying and selling animals for sacrifice. But this was a common, even necessary practice in the ancient world. When Jesus makes the reference to “den of robbers”, Jewish minds would’ve understood this as an allusion to Jeremiah 7:1-11. In this ancient text, the prophet condemns Judah for her lack of justice: the people have been oppressing the sojourner, the orphan, the widow; innocent blood is constantly shed in Jerusalem; and even more egregiously, false gods proliferate her streets. Listen to God’s condemnation of this:

“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’ – only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:8-11)

Jesus is making the same sort of accusations against the people in His day. It’s not so much that He’s angry with the guy selling pigeons in the temple courts. (If you read Luke, it’s very likely that Jesus’ parents bought their turtledoves / pigeons from a similar vendor at the time of Jesus’ dedication.) Instead, Jesus is upset with those who have come to worship God, falsely believing that the temple is some sort of guarantee of their spiritual privilege. In Jeremiah’s day, the temple had become part of a false Zion theology, a hideout for the wicked to which they could retreat after committing acts of injustice. Jesus is making the age old point that God desires mercy, not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6); to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22). God has already spoken this word: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).

In v15, the children praise Jesus as the “Son of David”, a Messianic title Matthew has used quite a bit in his Gospel. The chief priests and scribes — the pious, self-righteous, spiritual leaders of Israel who proclaim to know God’s Word, yet they continue to oppress the people — object to such language. But Jesus confronts them again on their own terms, using Ps. 8:2 as prooftext for the children’s proclamation. “Don’t you know this verse?”, Jesus says. It’s becoming evident that this sort of combative dialogue is getting Jesus into all kinds of trouble with the religious establishment. But Jesus accepts the title “Son of David” because it’s fitting. Whereas the first son of David (Solomon) created an ornate temple that was destroyed by Babylon, this new Son of David (Jesus) will speak of tearing down the temple and rebuilding it in three days. But He does not rebuild an established structure; instead, He builds His church, a community of persons who possess the humility of spirit necessary to receive the Kingdom in the first place. To these, Jesus truly is “Son of David”, God’s anointed One in the world.

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