EmmDev 2020-06-30 [Snapshots of Jesus] Indignant Mercy

Indignant Mercy

Today we have a strip of those grainy black and white photographs that you often see in the movies when someone has been put under surveillance.

The Pharisees caught a woman in adultery. They caught her in the act, probably only leaving her time to wrap something around herself. She is dragged before Jesus and they demand that she be stoned.

(Flashbulb #1: The woman's frightened face)
I imagine Jesus pursing His lips and anger entering His eyes as He analyses the facts:

• She didn't commit adultery by herself but she is here alone.
• They were placing Him in an impossible position:
  
  1. If she is stoned, He will be in trouble with Rome for inciting violence
  2. If he lets her off, then He compromises the OT laws
• The woman is being reduced to bait.

(Flashbulb #2: Jesus face: grim with the recognition of the manipulation)

He bends down to write. We are not told what. Many scholars believe that He wrote a summary of the Ten Commandments.

(Flashbulb #3 - the curious faces of the Pharisees starting to smile as they see the law being written, thinking that Jesus will go with the stoning and that they can get the Romans to do their dirty work because they will be perfectly willing to testify that Jesus incited the stoning.)

Jesus straightens up. (Flashbulb #4) Resolute determination and righteous indignation written all over His face) "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone"

(Flashbulb#5) Gobsmacked incredulous faces of the Pharisees - all smugness gone - colour draining away as they realise that they are now in an impossible situation)

(Flashbulb#6) An incredulous woman and Jesus, compassion mixed with urgent seriousness) "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

(Flashbulb#7) Deserted dusty street with 30 or 40 stones dropped on the ground and dusty footprints leading away from them.)

Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."      (John8:10-11)

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EmmDev 2020-06-26 [Snapshots of Jesus] Tears #1

Tears #1

It's the Triumphal Entry. People have been praising and rejoicing, recognising, even if only for a moment, that Jesus is the Messiah...

But Jesus weeps over the city.

If we search the gospels, this is one of only two occasions where Jesus weeps.
The other gospels tell us that at this occasion Jesus also said "how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing..."

There are no tears quite like a mother's tears as she cries with all her heart for her children. At this point Jesus is looking over the city that represents all He has come to die for and is overwhelmed with deep and wracking emotion. Here Jesus weeps with the same kind of devastating pain that a rejected mother feels.

Imagine these pictures of a mother's grief with me:
- watching a beloved child heading for destruction
- seeing the love she has offered her "chicks" rejected
- knowing that there is a way the pain can be avoided
- seeing the (costly) forgiveness that she offered spurned
- knowing that she gave her best and yet the child chose badly
- trying to comprehend why the child chooses death over life

Flashbulb:
Jesus weeps like a mother whose children have inexplicably gone astray. I can picture Him, face contorted with pain and sorrow. He looks over Jerusalem - over us - and His passion, concern, love and longing for us completely WRECKS Him.

I can say no more...

This is just a small picture of how much we are loved...

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes.      (Luke19:41-42)

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EmmDev 2020-06-25 [Snapshots of Jesus] Willing

(Apologies for the long gap in devotions - it has been a combination of needing to refuel my tank, find new rhythms and finding a theme....)

 For the next couple of days we'll be looking at "Snapshots of Jesus":
Imagine if there were paparazzi in Jesus' day...
and an art gallery mounted a collection of the "iconic photos of the Carpenter from Nazareth"...

What photos do you think you'd find?

(I won't be working through these chronologically, but just as my imagination fires off ideas.     As you read these, please try to imagine each "snapshot" as vividly as possible...)

Willing

Leprosy was considered to be so hard to cure that the Pharisees believed it was something only the Messiah could do.

It was a horrible disease.
It alienated, disfigured and stigmatised.
Those who had it were feared, shunned and avoided.

The man should not have been there.
He must have been very courageous to face the crowd.

Imagine the backdrop:
The crowd pressing in around Jesus.
The man pressing through (maybe disguising his condition with long sleeves and a hooded robe)
Maybe people in the crowd wrinkled their noses as he passed, because those with leprosy often had horrible festering wounds.
Throwing himself down to kneel before Jesus and the crowd recoiling in horror.
Now there's a clearing in the crowd and in the middle: Jesus and the man.
"If You are willing You can make me clean."
(Voice breaking, eyes pleading.)

Flashbulb:
Jesus touching the man's face in a tender gesture of love and compassion.
Eyes warm,
broad grin,
jaw set with determination!
"I am willing, boy am I willing!"

Sickness, brokenness and sadness are not part of God's perfect plan for us. The brokenness is the result of our rebellion. Jesus is on a Mission - "making everything new!"

Max Lucado has suggested that Jesus' first words when He returns in the second coming will be "NO MORE!"

Revelation 21:4 talking about this says:
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be NO MORE death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

PS: The recent Risen movie captures a sense of the reaction leprosy brought about in people... South African Director, Regard van den Berg and actor Bruce Marciano portrayed this snapshot beautifully in his Matthew Movie...

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be Clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.       (Matthew8:3)

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EmmDev 2020-06-05 [Thinking about Ascension and Pentecost] Rubber and Road - Part 2

Rubber and Road - Part 2

I want to end this week on the Holy Spirit with an image I have used before... Bear in mind that all images have their limitations.

Imagine the scene: You've been selected to serve as the South African ambassador in Moscow. It's an important posting and you would love to excel.
Two weeks before the big move you have a terrible nightmare: You dream that you get there and it turns out that your Russian lessons have been woefully inadequate, that the social nuances are much more complex than you imagined.

Each night you prepare like crazy for the various activities in your programme for the next day, but when the day comes, you use the wrong fork, kiss the wrong cheek, dish up what you think is chicken and it turns out to be something horrible and you keep on mispronouncing names and misunderstanding people's comments.

In your dream this goes on day after day. You really want to succeed, but no matter how hard you try, you just keep failing and because of this your confidence is shot and your nervousness reveals itself in clumsiness. You jerk awake covered with sweat and with a loud cry because in your dream you have just spilt sherry over the Tzar's white dinner jacket.

Your spouse wakes at your cry and asks "What's the matter?"

You explain and their answer "It will be alright," calms you down immediately and you sleep like a baby.
 
Why?

Your spouse is a native of Moscow and their parents are highly placed figures in the political scene. You won't have to study and sweat, you will have a quiet prompt who will advise, guide and illuminate you. Through their insights you will learn to enjoy and to love the people, the city and the culture.

All you need to do is keep the marriage good...

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.      (John16:13)

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EmmDev 2020-06-04 [Thinking about Ascension and Pentecost] Where the Rubber hits the road

Where the Rubber hits the road

Life in the Spirit can be a life where we experience righteousness, peace and joy. The question is "How can I have this?" and "How does it work?"

Here are the three key principles of Life in the Spirit:

1. We have to understand the nature of the Spirit's presence in our lives: At no point is the Holy Spirit a "possessor" or "body snatcher." He is a quiet presence in our lives who we can acknowledge or ignore. Some people liken the Spirit to a coach, but then we can't think of a loud football or basketball coach who shouts and directs and dominates. Rather we have to think of a quieter wiser coach who will wait for us to come to Him. (Mr Meaggi of "Karate Kid" comes to mind - but analogies can be tricky...)
   
   
2. The Holy Spirit will not do anything in our lives without our consent and co-operation.
   - He will nudge us about things that need to change,
   - He will give us the courage to decide to make a change,
   - He will help us avoid pitfalls along the way
   - and He will give us the strength to make the changes.
   but we have to:
   (1)listen,
   (2)respond internally and
   (3)take the next steps externally.
   
   
3. The Holy Spirit's presence can also be likened to a polite house guest. If we had a guest staying with us, he would be involved in our lives, sharing in our chores and experiencing our joys and sorrows with us. But if I start yelling at Brenda or watch a movie that is offensive or if I abuse a substance, our guest would withdraw to the guest room and be less involved in our lives.

Maybe these three principles sound trite and insufficient... but there is great truth in them:
1 - He's in me
2 - He works with me to transform me
3 - He's a guest who withdraws when I lean into darkness

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others. (Romans14:17-18)

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EmmDev 2020-06-03 [Thinking about Ascension and Pentecost] Groaning

Groaning

Today's perspective on Pentecost and the wonder of the Holy Spirit living in us, is that He helps us when we groan!

Paul talks about three kinds of groaning:

1. Creation groans. If humankind's rebellion against God was the nuclear explosion then the dark side of creation is the fallout. Natural disasters, disease, drought, famine, earthquakes, floods - these are all the after-effects of the sin of humankind. Creation was created good and while it is now subject to the wages of our sin, there will come a time when creation will be restored.

2. We groan. When we see the effects of our brokenness - when we suffer or we see others suffer we groan. Instinctively we rebel at the incongruity of death and suffering, somehow knowing that there is more to it than this. Somehow we know that there is something greater coming, but it is not here yet!

3. The Spirit groans. Did you know that you are a prayed in, prayed for, prayed through person? The Holy Spirit who lives in us is praying for us 24/7 - lifting us to God. Especially when we suffer. It is He who asks the Father to strengthen, renew, and restore us in the midst of our struggles.

None of this groaning is in vain:

1. God has a plan - suffering will end in the new heaven and earth.
2. Our groaning is heard by God.
3. He groans with us, in us and for us

Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
HALLELUJAH!

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ... 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ... 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.      (Romans8:18-27)

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EmmDev 2020-06-02 [Thinking about Ascension and Pentecost] God in us

God in us

There are so many images for Pentecost:

• The outpouring of God's Spirit on King Saul and the Prophets
• Joel's outpouring of God's Spirit on young and old and male and female, accompanied by apocalyptic signs.
• Ezekiel's valley of dry bones and the river flowing from the temple.
• The mighty wind of Acts 2 and disciples accused of drunkeness
• The abundant gifts described in 1Corinthians12, Romans12 and Ephesians4.
• The dramatic outpourings in the home of Cornelius, Samaria and Ephesus.
• And others...

Sadly, in the midst of these "dramatic" pictures we can lose the core and simple truth: God's Spirit comes to live in us. God hasn't left us to struggle alone - His Spirit comes to live in us.

This simple and profound truth is by far the most important aspect of the Holy Spirit's work.

Robert Baer put it well: "Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us and Pentecost is God in us."

You are not alone, you are INdwelt, INspired, INstructed, INclined, INstigated, INcreased, INdicated, INfluenced, INhabited, INitiated, INsighted, INstinct-ed, INvited, INvolved and INtegrated by the Holy Spirit who INtercedes for you and who INvestigates and INterrogates you, INterpreting God's will for you INventing and INnovating INgeniously and INfinitely in you the best you that you can be so that you are INseparable from God, INtimately INtoxicated and INtrigued by His love and INfectious to others!

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.      (John14:16-18)

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