A Reason to Mourn

 “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it…”

(Luke 19:41 ESV)

As believers, we know that we’re to reach out to the lost. We know we’re to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. And we know that we’re to make disciples of all nations.

This means, of course, that we’re to care about the lost. We’re to care about those who are in bondage to sin. We’re to care for those who are perishing.

Often, however, it seems that we do not care. We write them off because it seems that they just don’t get it. And we write them off believing they're only receiving what they have coming to them.

We heartlessly leave them to their fate. We leave them to God's judgment. And rather than pointing them to Jesus, we sit on our hands.

No care is seen. No concern is demonstrated. No tears are shed.

As we look to Luke 19, Jesus knew the fate of Jerusalem. He knew the fate of the people who lived there. He knew the judgement that was soon to befall them.

Yet, even with this knowledge, he wasn’t numb when it came to them. He didn’t simply move on, ignoring the reality of their situation. Their fate is something that caused him to grieve.

He wept over the city who had rejected him. He mourned the city who refused the salvation he came to bring. Tears were literally shed for those who hated him.

As believers, Jesus’ concern for the lost is something that brings us great comfort. It does so because, without Jesus’ concern for sinners, without his love for those who were perishing, we ourselves would be forever lost.

We must remember that we are those who were perishing. It was we who deserved the judgment of God. It was we who, apart from his intervention, would spend eternity in hell.

Realizing this, realizing what he has graciously done for us, we should share his heart for those who are perishing. We should grieve those who remain under his wrath. We should shed tears for those who’ve rejected him and the salvation he came to bring.

It should drive us to action. It should lead us to reach out with the good news of Jesus’ coming, and that of his death and resurrection. And even when this message is refused, we should mourn.

Never Enough

 “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A common objection people make, when it comes to faith in the Lord, is that he must prove himself. They want evidence for the claims that are made for him. And they want proof that he is who he says he is.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is ample evidence supporting the existence of God and the claims that he makes. Christianity is not a faith which expects us to take everything by blind faith without any evidence whatsoever. The truth it teaches is verifiable.

The problem is that, more often than not, nothing is enough. No matter what evidence we are supplied with, it isn’t enough. And regardless of what God has revealed about himself, it’s never enough.

We see an example of this attitude in Mark 8. Jesus had just performed a great miracle. He’d just fed a crowd of more than four thousand people with only seven loaves of bread and a few fish. This is a miracle that was both seen and experienced by so many, there’s no denying it.

Yet, immediately afterward, the Pharisees argued with Jesus asking for yet another sign from heaven. What he had just done was apparently not enough to convince them. And, in all reality, nothing would.

We can make excuses for their unwillingness to believe. Perhaps they weren’t there when Jesus did this great work. Perhaps they hadn’t eaten of the loaves. But the fact remains that many had. There was so much testimony regarding what Jesus had done, they could not simply dismiss it.

Not even the resurrection of Jesus was enough to convince them. The religious leaders of the Jews went as far as trying to cover this up. They would not believe and they would do whatever they could to prevent others from doing so.

This is an attitude that we regularly see in society today. And we cannot take upon ourselves the burden of proving the truth of the gospel to those who will not believe. We can only share the Word and allow the Spirit of God to do his work.

Hopefully, however, we are not one who refuses to be convinced. If we are, I pray that we’ll recognize it, and that we’ll ask the Lord to open our eyes to the truth. And I pray that we’ll take an honest look at all of the evidence that is before us.

The Value of Life

 “Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭23‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Life is greatly undervalued in the age in which we live. It’s something for which we have little regard. And this is seen in many different ways.

It’s seen, for example, in our support for unfettered abortion. It’s seen in our laws permitting euthanasia or physician assisted suicide. It’s seen in the actions of terrorists, who use civilians as human shields or who serve as suicide bombers in order to stoke fear in the masses.

That being said, it’s seen also in less obvious ways. It’s seen in the declining birthrate and in our increasing demand for birth control. It’s seen in our unwillingness to confront abuse. And it’s seen in the devaluing of members of another race or culture.

It’s additionally seen in the foolish chances we take with our own life. It’s seen in some of us as we drink and drive, or as we use substances which destroy our body and put us at risk of overdose. It’s seen as we push ourselves to the limit, failing to take adequate time for rest or to nourish ourselves. And it’s seen as we fail to make use of protections provided to us that we might not suffer harm.

As we see in the passage above, David had the opposite mentality. He greatly valued human life. And he could not tolerate it when it was taken lightly.

The above passage was speaking of David’s mighty men, his greatest and most loyal warriors. Speaking to them, he’d expressed his desire to drink from the well of his hometown, Bethlehem. This town, however, was held by their enemies, the Philistines.

We all wish for friends so loyal but, when they heard of this desire, three of his mighty men went into action. They went to Bethlehem, fought through the Philistines who were there, and drew some water from the well of which David spoke. And they, then, brought it to him.

When they did so, he refused to drink it. And it wasn’t due to a lack of gratitude on his part. He refused to drink it because of the high value he placed on human life.

He acknowledged that the men who brought this water to him did so at the risk of their lives. And their lives were not something to be taken lightly. They were worth far more than the satisfaction of his reminiscent desire.

He would have never asked his men to do such a thing for him. He would never have asked them to put their lives on the line for something as trivial as a drink of water from the well of his hometown. Although their love for David was commendable, they should never have risked themselves in this way.

We, in the same way, should value human life. This life, after all, is a gift of God. It’s he who created each one of us. And it’s he who sent his Son to die for us, that we might have life everlasting.

Spiritual Amnesia

 “And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We can easily become frustrated with the church. We can become frustrated with our fellow believers. And the reason we become frustrated is because they never seem to learn.

Even though they have read of God’s might and love in Scripture, they continue to doubt. Despite knowing how he’s worked throughout the course of history, they fail to believe. And even when they hear testimony from us, or other believers, of what God has done, they seem blind and deaf.

We fail to realize, however, that this is not unusual in the least. This was true also of the disciples in Mark 8. They had already seen Jesus miraculously feed the 5000 with only a small amount of food. But when Jesus expresses his desire to feed another crowd, this is their response.

They once again question how this can be done. They question it due to the lack of resources available to them. They do so even though Jesus is standing right there in their midst.

This leads us to ask if  they had forgotten what Jesus had done. It makes us wonder if they had suffered a head injury. Or perhaps they were suffering from amnesia.

It often seems this way. It seems this way as we read about them in the gospels. And it seems this way as we search our own heart.

We, you see, do the same. Even knowing how God has worked to save us, we doubt. Even seeing how he’s worked in our day to day lives, we fail to believe.

We never seem to learn. And, for this reason, we have to be reminded again and again. It has to be pounded into our head over and over.

I wonder if this is why Jesus performed the same miracle a second time. Despite what they’d seen, they still didn’t get it. And they needed to see it again.

This, you see, is the blessing of Scripture. It’s the blessing of reading it. And it’s the blessing of hearing it taught and preached time and again. 

We are continually reminded of who Christ is, what he has done, and the promises he’s given us. When doubt creeps in, we hear it again. And when it seems we’ve forgotten, we are reminded.

Loving Our Enemies

 “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives?””

‭‭Judges‬ ‭21‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We know that, according to Jesus, we’re to love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Yet this is something we struggle to do. It’s not even something to which we give much thought.

Although we say that we love our enemies, we feel no compassion for them. Although we say that we desire their blessing, we are unwilling to provide for them. And although we say that we want them to share in the mercy of Christ, we will not go out of our way to minister to them.

Even if we aren’t actively hating them, we’re not actively loving them. Even if we’re not actively seeking their harm, we aren’t actively seeking their good. And even if we aren’t actively pursuing their judgment, we’re not actively pursuing their blessing.

As we look at Judges 21, we see the example of the people of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin had been in the wrong. They had made their brothers, of the remaining tribes of Israel, their enemies. And they had been on the receiving end of a great wrath.

Their tribe had been utterly decimated in battle. All that remained of Benjamin was six hundred men. And the rest of Israel had vowed that none of them would give their daughters in marriage to them.

In essence, the tribe of Benjamin would soon be no more. And the remaining tribes of Israel could have simply accepted that. They could have, in fact rejoiced in that.

Yet, despite the wrong committed by Benjamin, the rest of Israel felt compassion for them. And, despite their vow, they sought a way to provide for their need. They sought to love their enemies rather than hate them. And they sought to bless their enemy rather than harm them.

The way they did so may seem strange to us. It may sound questionable. It may even seem downright wrong. But the point remains.

They went out of their way to provide wives for the remaining men of Benjamin. They sought to do so in a way which would not mean violating the vow they'd taken. But they did all they could to ensure this tribe would not go the way of extinction.

The tribes of Israel felt compassion for their enemies. They loved their enemies. And they desired that their enemies would share in God's blessing.

This points us to Christ, who loved his enemies. It points us to Christ, who desired God’s blessing for those who hated him. And it points us to Christ, who sacrificed his life that those who caused his suffering might be saved.

We, you see, were his enemies. We are those who hated him. And we are those who caused his suffering.

As his people, then, we’re to share his heart. As his children, we’re to reflect his nature. And as recipients of his compassion, we’re to show it to others.

Pressing On

 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it...”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The world in which we live is antagonistic toward the Christian faith. It’s hostile to the Christian faith. And this is more true now than it's ever been. 

Persecution directed against believers in Jesus is worse than it’s ever been in the course of human history. We see it in atheistic regimes, as well as in Muslim nations. But we see it even in nations that have been historically Christian, including here in the United States.

In addition, those among whom we live seem enamored by evil. They are determined to satisfy their every passion. And they’ll do so no matter who they hurt in the process.

In the face of this, it can be hard to remain faithful. Our sense of self-preservation pulls us to turn away from the faith. And our natural desire to be liked and accepted leads us to surrender to the culture in which we live.

 But in the face of an ever hostile world, we are called to do just that. We're called to remain faithful. In the face of a world pursuing evil, we are called to continue on. 

We’re to continue on in the faith we have firmly believed. We’re to continue in the faith which was taught to us. And we’re to do so knowing from whom we learned it.

In the case of Timothy, he’d learned the faith from his mother and grandmother. The same is true of many of us. It’s our family who introduced us to the faith. And we know that they are trustworthy.

Timothy had also been discipled by the apostle Paul. And it was not merely a relationship between student and teacher. It’s clear that a closeness developed between them. In the same way, we tend to become very close to those who’ve taught us the faith. They are not merely teachers. They are our spiritual fathers and mothers. And, like our natural parents, we know that they love us and have our best interests at heart.

This, of course, is not true of those seeking to lead us astray. They are not trustworthy. They seek not our best interest. And they do not truly love us. There are other motives at work.

Realizing this, in spite of the world around us, we hold firmly to our faith. We continue in what we’ve learned. And we continue in what we’ve firmly believed.

God Is In Control

 “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭47‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As we look at the world in which we live, we worry. As we listen to the news, we fret. We do so because it seems to us that all hope is lost.

It seems to us that the Lord has been forgotten. It seems that man has turned away. And it seems that the Lord has been largely rejected.

It seems to us that the Church is on the verge of extinction. It seems to us that the faith is in decline. And it seems to us that it will soon pass into the dustbin of history.

It seems to us that evil has won the day. It seems that righteousness is dead. And it seems to us that morality is a thing of the past.

It seems to us that the rulers of this world stand against the Lord. And in many cases they do. They promote ideas and enact policies that contradict the truth of Scripture.

This, then, causes us to question. It causes us to doubt. And it leads us to lose hope.

Yet, in spite of all of this, we are reminded by Psalm 47 that God reigns. We are reminded that God sits on his holy throne. We are reminded that he is over all.

He has not been toppled, nor can he be. No matter how things may seem, God remains King. He remains King of kings and Lord of lords. He remains ruler of the universe.

No matter how things may seem, he is still in control. Evil has not won the day, nor has his will been thwarted. Even when we can’t see or understand how, his will is truly being accomplished.

Even if we cannot see it with our eyes, perceive it with our ears, or understand it with our heart, this truth remains. The Lord reigns over all the earth. And he rules over all peoples.

Extreme Honesty

 “But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭9‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Everyone values honesty. We encourage truth telling. And we consider it to be a virtue.

We believe that a person should keep his word. We believe that he should be true to his promise. Anything less is frowned upon.

We'd feel very different, however, if we'd been deceived. We'd feel very different if we'd been lied to. In that case, we wouldn't feel bound to our promise.  

If we agreed to buy a car, only to find that it had far more miles on it than we’d been told, we wouldn’t feel obligated to hold to our original agreement. If someone hired to make repairs on our home failed to follow through, we wouldn’t feel obligated to pay him. And if a motel at which we’re staying is found to have bed bugs, we’d demand a refund.

This way of thinking seems to make sense. It seems fair and just. But, in Joshua 9, the people of Israel felt bound to their promise even when they’d been deceived.

God had commanded that Israel destroy the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. And they were doing just that. However, they made an alliance with men who claimed to have come from a long distance.

They soon found that it was a ruse. The men had not truly come from a distance. They were from nearby cities that merely feared annihilation.

Yet the Israelites kept their promise, and considered it valid, even when they’d been deceived. They made the people of these towns their servants. And they even went to the defense of these cities when they found themselves under attack.

This may seem rather extreme to us. But it illustrates the importance of honesty. It highlights the importance of holding true to our word. And it makes clear the importance of faithfulness to our promise.

God, after all, is faithful in his promise to us. He’s faithful to it even when we are found to fall short. When we are faithless, Scripture tells us (2 Timothy 2:13), he remains faithful.

Our honesty, when it comes to those around us, reflects the faithfulness of Christ. As we stay true to our word, it reflects the Lord, who remains true to his Word. And when we keep our promise, it reveals the Lord, who keeps the promise he’s made us.

No Hiding It

 “In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV

We freely admit our imperfection. We readily admit that we make a lot of mistakes. However, even though this is true, we have a tendency to cover up or to hide our sins.

We seem to think that, as long as no one knows about our sin, it’s no big deal. As long as it remains hidden, it doesn’t matter. And as long as no one finds out, our guilt is inconsequential.

We fail to recall, however, that God is all-knowing. We seem to forget that he is everywhere present. And we fail to recognize that nothing can be hidden from him.

What I’m saying is that, even if our sins are unknown to any other, they are known by God. Even if it seems we’ve gotten away with it, our guilt remains. And even if it seems we’ve escaped the penalty we deserve, we are deluding ourselves.

We see this in the passage above. God had commanded that, as he gave the city of Jericho to the people of Israel, no plunder was to be taken. Everything and everyone in the city was devoted to destruction.

This meant that every man, woman, and child was to die. It meant that every animal was to be killed. It meant that every material object was to be burned. And it meant that whatever could not be burned, such as gold and silver, was to be put into the treasury of the Lord.

A man named Achan, however, took some of the spoils. He took some of it and buried it in his tent. And it seemed that he’d gotten away with it.

The Lord revealed to Joshua, however, that this sin had been committed. And he instructed Joshua as to how the guilty person would be revealed. We see these instructions in the passage above.

As they walked through this process, Achan was singled out. And, at this point, he admitted what he’d done. The items he’d taken were found right where he said they’d be.

Achan, then, suffered the penalty of his sin. He was given the penalty of death. And he was stoned by the people.

Again, even if it seems that we’ve gotten away with our sin, it’s not unknown to God. Even if it seems that no one knows, and that we’re in the clear, it is not hidden from God. And even if we escape the consequence of our guilt in this life, we cannot escape it when we stand before God.

The only thing we can do is confess our sin. The only thing we can do is throw ourselves onto the mercy of God. The only thing we can do is trust in Christ, who bore our sin and died in our place, that we might live.

The Basis of our Appeal

 “Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭44‬:‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we are experiencing a need, we pray. When we’re facing a crisis, we cry out to the Lord. And we do so, we look to him, knowing that he can help.

This is good. It is right. But when we appeal to God, we tend to do so on the basis of our goodness. When we cry out to God, we do so on the basis of our faithfulness. 

We believe and insist, in other words, that God owes us his help. We believe that, in light of our goodness, he is obligated to help us. We believe that, in light of our faithfulness, God is compelled to bless us.

This even leads us, at times, to accuse God. When we don’t receive the blessing for which we have asked, we believe him to lack justice. When we don’t receive the blessing of which we believe we’re deserving, we believe God to be unloving.

The problem, however, is that we are not good. What we fail to realize is that we are not faithful. What we fail to realize is that, if God’s help, if his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we have no reason to be confident in it.

If his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we’re left in a state of doubt and uncertainty. If his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we’re without hope. In fact, if his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we’re deserving of nothing but wrath.

As we look at the above passage, the Psalmist cries out to the Lord. And as he does so, he acknowledges the only basis by which we can appeal to God. He appeals to God, and he looks to God for help, based not on anything in or about himself.

He appeals to God on the basis of his (God’s) nature. He appeals to God on the basis of his (God’s) character. He appeals to God specifically on the basis of his (God’s) steadfast love.

He appeals to God for help because he is loving. He appeals to God for help because he is faithful. He appeals to God for help knowing that he is unchanging.

When we appeal to God in this way, the equation is completely different. When we appeal to God on the basis of who he is, rather than who we are, we know that our confidence is well placed. When we appeal to God on the basis of his nature and character, rather than our own, we can have a genuine hope.

As the Lord is God, his help is beyond question. As the Lord is perfect, his blessing is certain. As the Lord is sinless, his grace is certain. And as the Lord is unchanging, his favor is certain.

Set Free From Sin

 “Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When it comes to sin, we have a tendency to excuse it. We have a tendency to believe that, as Christ forgives us, what we do no longer matters. We have a tendency to believe that, as his grace depends not on us or anything we do, we are free to do whatever we please. 

We see in the above passage, however, that this is far from the case. A crowd had brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery, reminding him that, according to the Law, such people were to be put to death. And they asked what he said.

He told them that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. Hearing this, the people began to go away, from the oldest to the youngest. And they did so until no one was left.

Jesus then asked the woman who condemned her. She replied that no one had done so. And he declared that neither did he condemn her.

Although she had sinned, she received forgiveness. Although she deserved judgment, she received mercy. And, as we consider our own sin, this is something that is very comforting.

This, however, was not the end of the matter. After saying this, he said yet one more thing. He told her that, from then on, she was to sin no more.

The woman, you see, was not saved for sin. She was not saved that she might continue in sin. She was saved from sin. She was saved from the bondage and the condemnation of sin.

Although she’d received his forgiveness, and set free from the consequences of her sin, she was not free to continue her adulterous relationship. She was called to end it. And she was called upon to live a life of righteousness.

In saying this, Jesus was not expecting perfection from a sinner. He was, however, calling the woman to repentance. He was calling her to turn from her sin.

The same is true of us, as we receive his grace and mercy. We are saved not because of anything that we do, but by what Christ has done for us. We are, however, called to repentance. We are called to turn from our sin and, with his help and strength, to live a life that glorifies him.

Whenever we sin, we come to him, confessing our guilt, seeking his forgiveness. We receive the grace, obtained for us by Jesus’ death and resurrection. And we seek his strength, and we might live for him.

Challenges

 “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV

As people of faith, we are often confronted by those with questions. And these questions are not just any questions. They are questions that directly challenge our beliefs.

These questions are asked not to learn about us. They are asked not to learn about our faith. They are meant to produce a “gotcha” moment.

What they are seeking to do, in that moment, is to discredit us. They are seeking to eliminate any type of influence we may have. And they may even be seeking to destroy our own faith.

This is what the crowd was seeking to do with Jesus in the eighth chapter of John. They had brought to him a woman, caught in the act of adultery. And they reminded him of what was prescribed by the Law.

Such people were to be put to death. They were to be stoned. And they asked Jesus what he had to say about this.

Whichever way he answered, they thought they had him. If he failed to condemn this woman, they could accuse him before the people. They could say that he didn’t hold to, or that he denied, the clear teaching of Scripture. But if he did condemn the woman, they could accuse him before the Romans. They could accuse him because, as we read in John 18:31, it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death. They could accuse him, then, before the Romans of violating their law.

Jesus, however, is God. And his wisdom far surpasses that of man. He, then, was able to answer them in such a way that he could not be accused.

He told them that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. He reminded them, in other words, that they were all guilty. And, for this reason, they were all deserving of judgment. Like the adulterous woman, they were all deserving of death.

We, of course, are not God. And we do not possess the same level of wisdom. For this reason, we may not be able to answer such challenges in a way that preserves us from accusation.

We should, however, expect such challenges. We should expect that people will seek to discredit us. And we should expect that they will seek to undermine our faith.

We, therefore, must seek the wisdom of God. We must ask that he will strengthen us in faith. And we must entrust ourselves to his care.

Condemnation or Mercy?

 “And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we sin, we tend to think that we are deserving of forgiveness. We tend to think we are deserving of mercy. And we tend to believe that others owe this to us.

We, however, are quick to criticize. We’re quick to rebuke. And we’re quick to condemn.

This is true of all of us. It’s true of the righteous and the unrighteous. It’s true of the rich and poor. And it’s true of men and women.

We are quick to see the sin in others. We are quick to point out their shortcomings and flaws. And we’re quick to demand that justice be served. 

We want to see the sinner receive his due. We want him to receive what he has coming to him. Anything less, we believe, is unfair.

What we fail to remember, in those moments, is that we too are guilty. We fail to understand that we too are sinners. And we fail to acknowledge that we too deserve the penalty of our sin.

Jesus was making this plain to the crowd which had brought to him a woman caught in the act of adultery. As they did so, they reminded him of the Law, and what it said in such a case. Such a woman, they pointed out, was to be stoned.

Their motives, however, were not pure. They sought to test him. They sought a way to accuse him, regardless of the answer he gave.

Jesus, however, did not contradict the Law of God. Nor did he insist that they violate the law of Rome, which forbade such executions. He said that, whoever was without sin, should cast the first stone.

He was telling them, in this way, that they were all sinners. And he was reminding them that they all deserved to die. Each and every one of them were deserving of the consequences of their sin.

Hearing this, they all began to go away. One by one, they left. And, soon, no one remained to accuse her.

This is the reminder that Jesus gives to each of us, as well. We are all sinners. We all deserve judgment. And we are all in need of God’s mercy.

More than that, we should desire mercy not only for ourselves. We should desire it for each and every sinner. We should long for all, even those guilty of the most heinous of sins, to receive the blessing that Jesus came to provide.

An Essential Lesson

 “And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”

‭Mark 10:20 ESV‬

When we think of the Christian faith, we tend to think of it as a system of rules. We think of it as a list of things we’re to do and as another list of things we’re not to do. And being faithful, we believe, means doing our best to obey God.

We then, from time to time, evaluate ourselves. And, as we do so, we conclude that we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping the rules. We conclude that we’ve, generally speaking, been faithful.

We know that we’re not perfect. And we know that we make a lot of mistakes. But, overall, we believe that we’re doing pretty well.

This is natural. It flows out of our sinful nature. But if we’re to receive the salvation that Christ came to provide, we have to understand how wrong we are.

This is what Jesus was explaining to the rich young ruler. He came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus told him to keep the Commandments.

We almost gasp as we read this, knowing it contradicts the gospel. The gospel, after all, tells us that we’re saved not by what we do, but through faith. We, however, have to look at Jesus’ words in context. 

As we do so, it’s clear that Jesus wasn’t suggesting it’s possible for man to keep the Commandments. Nor was he saying that it’s possible for us to save ourselves. He was, in fact, demonstrating the opposite. 

Hearing Jesus’ words, the ruler responded much as you or I would. He responded, saying that he’d done so from his youth. He sincerely believed, in other words, that he’d kept the Commandments. 

Jesus, then, sought to show him otherwise. And he did so by telling the ruler there was yet one thing that he lacked. He was to go and sell all that he had and give to the poor.

This is something the ruler was unwilling to do. Jesus, you see, addressed the very sin with which he struggled. And we know this because he went away sad. 

The point of Jesus’ words is not that, as believers, we must give away all that we have. Again, he sought to show the ruler that he was not as good as he believed himself to be. And this is the lesson that we too must learn.

Although we tend to believe we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping God’s commands, this is far from the case. Although we don’t all struggle with the same sin, we are all sinners nonetheless. And for this reason, like the ruler, we are in desperate need of the grace of God.

God of the Living

 “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.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

These words have been going through my mind as my father’s death approached and finally came. And in them, we find great comfort and hope. We find comfort and hope as we grieve those who have gone on before us, and as we consider our own mortality.

The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, came to Jesus and posed to him a hypothetical scenario. He answered them, saying that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. He then shared with them the words seen above.

In the Scriptures, God declared that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And notice the tense. He didn’t use the past tense, but the present.

He didn’t say that he was their God. He said that he is their God. He is their God even though they’d died long before.

He is not the God of the dead, Jesus says, but of the living. These men, in other words, were not dead and gone. They were yet living.

In the context of the gospel, we understand what Jesus was saying. When we die, our life does not cease. Even though our body dies and is laid in the grave, that is not the end of our story. As believers in Jesus, our spirit goes to be with the Lord. And, in the end, our bodies will rise from the grave to be with him forever.

In the same sense, I can say that the Lord is my father’s God. He is his God even though his life in this world has come to an end. He is now present with the Lord in spirit. And one day, at the end of this age, his body will rise to live forever in the new creation.

Further, the Lord is my God. And this will remain true even when my life in this world comes to an end. He is and will be my God throughout all eternity.