EmmDev 2021-03-31 [Lent2021] Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue

Jesus hung on the cross for six hours. (Time was measured from sunrise and so Jesus was crucified at the 3rd hour (about 9AM))

At the 6th hour (about midday) darkness covered the land until the 9th hour. This darkness represented the time in which Jesus experienced separation from God. This was the penalty for my sin and yours. God's wrath is complete separation from Him.

Imagine what that was like for Jesus. As part of the Trinity, He had experienced eternal and perfect love and communion with the Father and Spirit. Now on the cross, He is separated from the Spirit and the Father.

In this gut-and-heart-wrenching moment Jesus does two incredible things.

Firstly he quotes from Psalm 22 which starts "My God my God why have you forsaken me..." If someone on their deathbed says "Our Father who art in heaven..." we would say they prayed the Lord's prayer on their deathbed. If someone says "The Lord is my shepherd..." we would say that they recited Psalm 23. Jesus, by quoting the first line of Ps.22, is therefore connecting to the whole of the Psalm which is an exploration of the pain of unjust suffering and God's ultimate deliverance. If we ever wondered whether God understands our pain, this Psalm and the fact that Jesus had it on His lips on the cross should cancel all our doubts.

Secondly, Jesus quotes the Psalm in Aramaic. This is His "mother tongue" - the language He was first taught as a child and the language He grew up with. When we are pushed to the limits of our humanity, we go back to our earliest memories and language. We tend to talk about the cross as though it was a tea-party. Jesus, in this moment of intense pain and suffering, is pushed back to his "mother tongue". It should fill us with incredible awe and wonder that we would be loved SO much.

It's important to note that Jesus isn't surprised or caught off guard here. It's not as though He didn't know what was going to happen. Some interpret "Why have you forsaken me?" as a moment of desperate pain. Although the pain takes Jesus back to "mother tongue", He is not surprised or "out of His mind with pain". He deliberately alludes to Psalm 22 and faces separation with the clear hope that God will deliver him.

Psalm 22 ends with "They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it.

Jesus at the 9th hours says "It is FINISHED!" (I have done it).

HALLELUJAH!!!

(I've included the full Psalm 22 below...)

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"       (Mark15:33-34)

PS 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him--
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn--
for he has done it.

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EmmDev 2021-03-30 [Lent2021] An Act of Beauty

An Act of Beauty

It seems there may be two or maybe even three occasions where Jesus was anointed:

The first anointing is recorded in Luke 7 and takes place in Galilee in the middle of Jesus public ministry where Jesus is invited to the home of Simon, a Pharisee. Simon was very rude to him and didn't even offer Jesus an opportunity to wash His feet which was what hospitality norms suggested. It seems that in response to Simon's rudeness, a sinful woman came and washed Jesus' feet anointing them with perfume and drying them with her hair. Jesus used the moment to talk about gratitude for being forgiven.

The second anointing is recorded in John 12 and took place in Bethany, Judea, at the home of Mary, Martha and the resurrected Lazarus, just before the Triumphal Entry . It is Mary of Bethany, Lazarus' sister, who once sat at Jesus' feet while her sister Martha fussed in the kitchen, who now anointed His feet with perfume and it is fitting that the King would be anointed before riding into Jerusalem.

The (possible) third anointing also takes place in Bethany, but at the home of Simon the Leper (not the same Simon as Luke 7) and Jesus is anointed by an unnamed woman who pours perfume from an alabaster jar over his head (and not just his feet). In Matthew 26 and Mark 14 this takes place on the Tuesday or Wednesday night of Holy Week. While this may be a variation of the account we have in John 12, it is still possible that it is in fact a third anointing before Jesus goes to the cross.

There is so much to say about this beautiful passage...

• One could talk about the broken alabaster jar which was probably part of the woman's wedding dowry
• One could also talk about her generosity compared to the scarcity mentality of those who were indignant at the "waste of perfume".
• And one could talk about the comfort that she must have brought to Jesus in this tender act.

But the thought that stays with me is that the scent of this perfume, so lavishly poured out, would have permeated Jesus' nostrils as He sweated in the Garden of Gethsemane. The soldiers would have smelt it as they pushed the thorny crown into His scalp and whipped Him. I imagine the soldier who put the sign above his head would have caught a whiff of it too.

They say that smells and scents are very evocative, we remember scents and they take us back to the moment where we first smelt them. This is a scent of beauty in the midst of brutality and pain and humiliation.

Jesus brings peace and beauty and His Presence into our lives when we experience stress, brutality, pain and humiliation.

In 2Corinthians2:14 Paul reminds the Corinthians that we are the fragrance of Christ. May our lives be a moment of beauty in a deeply troubled world...

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. 6 "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."      (Mark14:3-9)

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EmmDev 2021-03-26 [Lent2021] Triumphal Entry (4) ... Awe

Triumphal Entry (4) ... Awe

There are four moments in our Scripture reading today:

Moment1: Jesus, having been truly recognised by the crowds as He entered Jerusalem, arrives at the temple ... and it is a great disappointment... But it is late and so He leaves... I imagine He spent a difficult night pondering what He had seen. I would not be surprised if He was brought to tears again just as He had been when coming into Jerusalem.

Moment2: The next morning, Jesus having "slept on it", heads for the temple, but spots a leafy fig tree. Although it was not the season for figs, it was spring and the tree should have been full of little "pre-fig-buds" (which were edible) and would be the promise of the harvest of figs to come. This tree, although very leafy, had no evidence of figs to come. Its leafiness was an empty promise, not unlike the temple: bustling with activity but devoid of fruit. Jesus curses the tree - giving us some idea of what He feels about the temple.

Moment3: Jesus, having considered what He had seen overnight and telegraphing His thoughts at the fig tree, arrives at the temple and shows His Holy Displeasure. This is not a "temper-tantrum" - it is a clear demonstration of righteousness and authority. There are two key issues at stake here: His primary concern is that there is now no place for Gentiles to pray, because the traders and money-changers had occupied their space. The secondary concern is the corruptness of the "temple trade". So Jesus preaches a sermon with actions. The question I have is: "Where were the temple bouncers?" With all the trading going on, there must have been significant security measures. I can only believe that Jesus' holiness and authority shone so brightly in this moment that no-one could confront the "holy fire" that blazed in Him.

Moment4: The next day they found the tree withered to its roots. This is confirmation of Jesus' authority and also a picture of the future destruction of the temple in 70AD. What should have been a "light to the nations" and a place that the "nations would stream to" had become an exclusive club that blocked out the nations and generated a tainted income for a select manipulative religious mafia. There is a deep an profound sense of Justice that pervades this parable-in-action.

These four moments reveal a great deal about Jesus:

• He isn't "losing His temper" - His actions are deliberate and considered.
• He is profoundly concerned about justice and about those who are excluded.
• His authority is significant.

There is a line in an Andrew Peterson song about the crucifixion that is appropriate here: "Was it the fury of His anger or the fury of His love?" I think these four moments beautifully display the "fury of His love."

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers!' " 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, they went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.      (Mark11:11-18)

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EmmDev 2021-03-25 [Lent2021] Triumphal Entry (3) ... Tears???

Triumphal Entry (3) ... Tears???

The Triumphal Entry is recorded in all four Gospels.

Matthew sees it as a fulfilment of prophecy and notes how Jesus healed many blind and lame in the temple courts. (Healing the blind was a sign of the Messiah). Matthew also notes that there were children singing praises in the temple - and when the Pharisees complain, Jesus comments: "have you never read, 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" (A quote from Psalm 8)

Mark makes it clear that although Jesus visited the temple on Palm Sunday, it was only on Monday morning that he overturned the tables of the money changers and sacrifice sellers. This negates the argument that Jesus lost His temper in the temple. His actions were deliberate and focussed. The space that the traders and money-changers were in was the Court of the Gentiles. It was the only place in the temple where a non-Jew could go to pray. His desire and passion was that all could come to the Father.

John's account of the triumphal entry emphasises His Mission. Jesus makes it clear he is going to die for doing the Father's will: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:23-24). As He asks God to be glorified in Him, the Father answers: "I have glorified it and will glorify it again." - A clear sign pointing to the resurrection.

But Luke, who gives the most detailed account, brings us an unusual insight. In the midst of the crowd crying Hosanna and the in the midst of the joyful and hopeful celebrations, Jesus weeps over the city. He weeps over their fickleness and unfaithfulness, over their shallow commitment and their bondage to darkness. He weeps because they will call for His crucifixion and take Him to the cross. He weeps over their brokenness and warns that even the faithful can harden their hearts...

This is why He goes to the cross...

What do you see as we draw near to Holy Week?

• A Healer - More than a Man - heading to fulfil all the promises and bring us healing?
• A Passionate Saviour - Overturning tables so that we can be with God?
• The Son of God doing what the Father wants?
• A Son of God who loves us and weeps for us?

May we see Jesus in all His compassion, love and glory this Holy Week.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 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 2021-03-24 [Lent2021] Triumphal Entry (2)

Triumphal Entry (2)

Mark's Donkey Obsession

While his gospel is known for its brevity and conciseness, Mark goes into a lot of detail on the donkey of the triumphal entry.

So what's the deal with the donkey?
I think there are three key lessons...

1. The donkey symbolised peace. We have a fairly low view of donkeys but the Ancient Near East saw them more positively. The foal of the donkey was the mode of transport for the elderly or children. It would be the mount chosen by a prophet or a wise hermit. It was also the chosen mount of a victorious king. He would ride it into the city he had conquered. The message was clear: "The fight is over - I am victorious!" Riding a donkey was not the declaration of war. It was a statement of the certainty of peace. By riding in on a donkey on the Sunday, Jesus was showing what the outcome of Good Friday would be: Peace with God.
   
   
2. The donkey hadn't been ridden. It was like he'd been set apart for his first job which was to carry the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Priestly items are often consecrated (set apart) and so the donkey reminds us that Jesus is our Great High Priest who offered the perfect sacrifice for our sins... He rides
   this unridden donkey into Jerusalem and into our lives. He is God with us!
   
   
3. Some scholars suggest that the interchange with the donkey was a prearranged meeting with codewords and passwords like we see in spy movies. Others (and I agree with them) suggest that God softened the hearts of the donkey's owners in the heat of the moment. This means that the donkey's owners became participants in Jesus' mission. The donkey reminds me that we also need to be ready to allow God to use our talents, possessions and time

Three great lessons from a donkey:
- Jesus came in Jerusalem confidently promising peace
- Jesus is our High Priest coming into our lives to save us
- We can participate in God's work with our "donkeys".

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, Why are you doing this?' tell him, The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' " 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.      (Mark11:1-5)

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EmmDev 2021-03-23 [Lent2021] Triumphal Entry (1)

This week we're going to look at the Triumphal Entry from a few angles...

Triumphal Entry (1)

As far as the Jews were concerned Jesus was an "unexpected" Messiah. They were longing for a political figure who would chase the Romans into the sea and establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem and set up a kingdom that the likes of David would only have dreamed about.

Then Jesus came and established a heavenly kingdom: a kingdom that Jesus told Pilate was "not of this world" (Jn18:36). Many expectations were disappointed! Some commentators have even suggested that Judas betrayed Jesus to try to force Him to show His power and reveal His majesty.

But the idea of Jesus being a different kind of Messiah is not completely unexpected... There are Old Testament prophecies that portray this aspect of Jesus coming: Isaiah portrays the Messiah as a suffering servant, bruised and broken for our iniquities. The Psalms portray a Messiah who suffers and rises from the dead. And in Zechariah we have another example of an unexpected Messiah...

What animal would one expect a coming Messiah to ride? We'd imagine great white stallion - a symbol of power, strength, and war. So one can imagine the very different message that is conveyed by riding a donkey's foal!!

The foal of the donkey is the mode of transport for the elderly or children. It would be the mount chosen by a soothsaying prophet or a wise hermit. It was also the chosen mount of a victorious king. He would ride it into the city he had conquered. The message was clear: "The fight is over - I am victorious!"

Riding a donkey was not the declaration of war. It was a statement of the certainty of peace. Palm Sunday was a week before Passover, Jerusalem was full of pilgrims, they were remembering the miraculous Exodus from Egypt and nationalistic fervour ran high... But Jesus chose a specific mode of transport on Palm Sunday as He entered Jerusalem. He was sending a crystal clear message on that day: His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom. He was not willing to go to military war to obtain peace. He came not as a Military General but as a Sacrificial Hero and He would obtain salvation by giving Himself. And in His mind the outcome and victory was certain!

This prophecy of Zechariah, made some 500 before Jesus' coming, makes it clear the Jesus was not unexpected but misunderstood. It was always His plan to bring us peace.

Rejoice greatly O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.      (Zechariah9:9)

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EmmDev 2021-03-19 [Lent2021] Understanding Jesus' Temptations (4)

Apologies for the missed EmmDev yesterday... 😅

Understanding Jesus' Temptations (4)

(I'm going to stretch a premise this morning - you may or may not agree with me, but bear with me, I think it is a valid and helpful interpretation...)

I wonder if Satan was talking about "kingdoms of things" or "kingdoms of people"? Did he show Jesus palaces and cities or did he show him faces of people from all over the world?

What if this temptation was not so much about earthly power but about the real stakes of Jesus Mission:
You and me.

The Psalmist affirmed "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it" but Satan is described in Ephesians 2 as "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."
The earth is not Satan's to give, but people are.

I don't think the wealth of earth would tempt Jesus too much - He created the galaxies! But people created in His image, caught in sin and captives of Satan - that's a different matter entirely!

Could it be that Satan was saying: "Don't go to the cross - if you want these people then just bow down to me..."?

It's a temptation to take a shortcut - avoid the cross - deviate from the Father's plan - and the bait is us - people who Jesus came to seek and save - and all Jesus would have to do is bow His knee to Satan.

The consequences would have been disastrous.

The choice Jesus makes is a costly one - worshipping the Father meant the cross...

CHALLENGE: Take some time to imagine the temptation in this way and consider the clarity of focus and intensity of love that kept Jesus on track. And give thanks....!

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"      (Matthew4:8-10)

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EmmDev 2021-03-17 [Lent2021] Understanding Jesus' Temptations (3)

Understanding Jesus' Temptations (3)

Luke puts this temptation last... (An indication, possibly that Luke felt this was the most dangerous one.)

In general terms, this temptation is about being spectacular and impressive: "Jump off the temple and have the angels catch you - everyone will be amazed!" It's also about being presumptuous - expecting God to save you no matter how reckless or foolish your actions are.

For Jesus, specifically, the temptation is two-fold:
The first part of it is to take the role of the powerful political Messiah. To use power and miracles to win over the Israelites. Jumping off the temple and being caught by angels would impress the Pharisees and teachers of the law because it was the temple He leaped from and the angels would impress the masses and the military minded. This was the kind of Messiah the Israelites were desperately hoping for. It must have been so tempting to be the popular Messiah instead of the prophetic and suffering Messiah. (This temptation comes in other forms when Jesus feeds the five thousand and the crowd want to make Jesus king by force and He has to withdraw from them (John 6:15).)

The second aspect of the temptation is that it is another way to rebel against God. Jesus has been given a mission by the Father. If He were to jump from the temple (thereby, in His human state, ending His life) the Father would be 'forced' to rescue Him by commanding His angels to catch Jesus. Jesus would be thus be "naming and claiming" a promise of God, but He would be presumptuously manipulating God. It is, once again, an act of rebellious independence that would be destructive to Jesus' relationship with the Father and the Spirit.

For us, this second part of the temptation is the most real around the promise of God's forgiveness. We choose to sin - knowing that God will forgive us... This is manipulative behaviour. I'm not saying we succeed in manipulating God, but our behaviour is manipulative. (Jesus sacrifice is big enough for our brokenness)

Jesus, once again, counters the temptation by standing on the firm foundation of Scripture - the one who is "the Word" quoting from the Word - it's really Jesus asserting His true and full identity and refusing to embrace a lower standard...

CHALLENGE: Are there times that you are driven more by the need for public affirmation than the call to be a servant? Have you indulged in manipulative behaviour in your relationship with God?

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "      (Matthew4:5-7)

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EmmDev 2021-03-16 [Lent2021] Understanding Jesus' Temptations (2)

Understanding Jesus' Temptations (2)

We've known the stories of Jesus temptation since childhood:

1. Turn stones into bread
2. Jump off the temple and let the angels catch you
3. Get the world for bowing down to Satan

Over the years we've heard the explanations for these temptations.

• Stones into bread is about fleshly desires
• Jumping off the temple is about being spectacular
• Getting the world is all about power.

These explanations are not incorrect, but when one digs deeper, there is more to see...

Let's look at the first temptation:
"If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

While this temptation is about instant gratification and being driven by a base desire like hunger (and we're told that Jesus was hungry), it's also about asserting independence. Jesus' answer - in which he quotes from Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (see below) - indicates that the real issue is dependence on God and learning to wait for Him.

Satan, who was formerly one of the angels, rebelled against the Lord and persuaded a third of the angels to join him. Now He is trying to keep Jesus from the cross. He's urging Jesus to assert His independence: "Don't wait for God, don't trust God to provide, don't finish this period of fasting that the Spirit has led you to. You've got the power haven't you? You're the Son of God aren't you? When are you going to take charge of your destiny? Just tell the stones to become bread!" (Note how Satan understands Jesus' power as the Word (logos) and how he wants Jesus to speak independently.)

Satan wants Jesus to put Himself first.
He wants Him to assert His independence.
He wants him to "take charge"!

On the surface of it, independence is a good thing, but when it is the end of the road, it is a disaster - a world full of independent people would be permanent warfare.
Steven Covey correctly points out that we move from dependence to independence to interdependence. Satan himself got caught out in the lie of independence as the "be all and end all". Jesus, being part of the triune God family, understands that interdependence is what true love is and that independence would be an act of rebellion and a step backwards.
He is quite content to hear the Father's voice and rely on Him.

CHALLENGE:
Are there physical desires that you need to bring under control?
Are there "independent actions" that we have taken that are actually more about rebellion than maturity?
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Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "       (Matthew4:1-4)

Deut 8:1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

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EmmDev 2021-03-12 [Lent2021] Understanding Jesus' Temptations (1)

Understanding Jesus' Temptations (1)

Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. By doing this He identified with our sinful state even though He was sinless. His commitment to be the "sinless scapegoat" would be tested to the maximum.

Immediately after the baptism ("at once") Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit to a place of solitude. This place of isolation would become a place of testing. Mark doesn't go into the temptation in detail... His quick handling of this is his way of assuring us that there is no way that Jesus' identification with our brokenness meant that He would give in to temptation.

Traditionally this period of 40 days is a time of preparation. The Spirit brought Jesus to the wilderness as preparation for the ministry He had embraced. Now it would be tested...

Remember that God doesn't tempt - Satan did the tempting and sometimes God will allow that to happen to us too. The Father knew that Jesus would resist temptation and with the power of the Spirit working in us, so should we.

When we commit ourselves to serious ministry, we will often be prompted by the Spirit to draw aside for preparation. During that time of preparation, we may be tempted to take shortcuts, grasp for power or try to be "impressive."

It is not the Spirit tempting us - it is our own sinful nature that provides the window of opportunity that the devil tries to wriggle through. The Spirit may take us to a lonely place of preparation and there we may well be tempted. It is through the Spirit's power that we must overcome.

He will send His angels to attend us too...

(Next week we'll dig into the temptations in more detail...)

CHALLENGE: Mark presents temptation as a wild and primal event. Temptations often catch us in the wilderness - when things are wild and we're off balance. Think back on your life when it has been like this... How will you handle the next time?

At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.      (Mark1:12-13)

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EmmDev 2021-03-11 [Lent2021] Prayer: Getting real

Prayer: Getting real

Hopefully during Lent we have created some space to pray. Prayer is about praise and adoration. It's about asking and about giving thanks, but it is also about opening up.

One of my favourite images is that prayer is like a camera. The lens is focussed and the shutter opens... The light shines in and leaves an image on the film negative. Prayer is very similar to this: We focus in on God, we open the shutters of our hearts and He shines His light in and our hearts (the film) are changed...

Psalm 139 is all about opening up to God. In the first part of the Psalm, the psalmist struggles with the almost relentless knowledge that God has of him. (Even when he tries to escape God he cannot!)

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar...
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast...

Then he begins to realise that God loves Him with the tender love of a creator, and that he, the Psalmist, is a precious creature. And so his response is to give even more of himself to this tender, merciful, loving God.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well...

And so, where the Psalm began with the Psalmist running away from a God who knew too much, it now ends with the author running toward God all the while offering everything he (the Psalmist) has.

Our prayers should involve some of this: that we open our hearts to God - even the scary and ugly bits - that we stop pretending and that we stop hanging on to a false dignity. We need to turn to Him and call for His help, we need to expose ourselves to Him.

When we ask Him to scrutinise our lives like this, He shines His light and love into the whole of our lives and we can be changed!

Search me O God and know my heart Test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me And lead me in the way everlasting.      (Psalms139:23-24)

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EmmDev 2021-03-10 [Lent2021] Hope in Him

Hope in Him

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.      (Romans5:5)

Right at the outset we said that Isaiah 40 is about rejuvenation. But there is no step-by-step plan in Isaiah 40 - not a 12 step plan or even a 5 or 3 step one.

The chapter offers comfort, describes God, refutes false gods and recognises our struggles and ends with a promise of renewal and rejuvenation. And what do we do to access this rejuvenation?

We Hope.

• Hope is the spark which ignites faith.
• Hope is the moment we look beyond ourselves.
• Hope is recognising God's reality as mighty and present in our circumstances.
• Hope is a relationship

But hope isn't something we have to muster up by ourselves. Paul talks about hope as something that is the by-product of the love that God has poured into our hearts. And He does this through the Holy Spirit.

The concluding part of Isaiah 40 (soaring, running, walking) is a picture of life in the Spirit. And whenever we talk of the Spirit we talk of a "Whom?" not a "what?".

Read Isaiah 40 again. I've included it below with all the section headings - look how it ignites hope and prepares us for rejuvenation...

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THE PROMISE OF REJUVENATION
1 Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins.

THREE VOICES
Voice 1: A call to repentance
3 A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Voice 2: A call from hubris to humility
6 A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever."

Voice 3: A call to meet our God
9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

TWO PERSPECTIVES
Perspective # 1: God is really big
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?

Perspective #2: The nations are pretty small in comparison
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

COMPARISON # 1: God is greater than idols.
18 To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.

DO YOU NOT KNOW # 1?: God brings down the proud.
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

COMPARISON #2: God is greater than astrology.
25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

THE HEARTACHE AT THE HEART OF THE CHAPTER
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?

DO YOU NOT KNOW #2?: God lifts up the weary.
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

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EmmDev 2021-03-09 [Lent2021] Do you not know? (2)

Do you not know? (2)

(Don't be fooled by the brevity and telegram-style of today's dev - there is a lot to chew here...)

Previously we looked at Israel's heartache and struggle that are at the heart of this amazing chapter on rejuvenation. Now comes the mighty crescendo!
DO you not know?
Do YOU not know?
Do you NOT know?
Do you not KNOW?

God - yes that's who He is...
- Is everlasting
- Created everything
- Is untiring in power and unlimited in understanding
- He gives strength and power!

To whom?

To all who are weary and weak. Even the youths who thought they didn't need Him but realised that they too got tired and weary and they too could crash and burn.

There is rejuvenation:
- They can soar like eagles
- They can run and not grow weary
- They can walk and not be faint

And what do we have to do?
We hope in Him.
Does that sound too simple?
Have you tried it?
Really?
(We'll chat again tomorrow...)

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.      (Isaiah40:28-31)

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EmmDev 2021-03-05 [Lent2021] The Heart of the Chapter

The Heart of the Chapter

We've all been through the dark night of the soul at some point.
We've all struggled with the feeling that God has "left the building."
We've all been at those moments when, in spite of all our theology and experience of God's faithfulness in the past, we're still stuck and feeling like we can't find God anywhere.

The Israelites felt like that:
- Their beloved Jerusalem - demolished
- Their magnificent temple - desecrated and destroyed
- Their proud nation - decimated
- Their small remnant - oppressed, depressed and discouraged.

This amazing chapter has already offered us a lot of reassurance:

• The comfort and rejuvenation announced in vv.1-2,
• The voices calling us to repent (vv.3-5), humble ourselves (vv.6-8) and meet God who is both mighty and our shepherd (vv.9-11),
• The Perspectives of God as Sovereign (vv.12-14) and the world as temporary (vv.15-17),
• The comparisons between God and Idols (vv.18-20) and God and Astrology (vv.25-26)
• The question whether we know the God who humbles the proud (vv.21-24)

And yet Isaiah still brings God's question to us:
"Why do you feel like I've abandoned you?"
It's reminiscent of the question the Psalmist asks in Ps.42:
"Why are you downcast oh my soul?"
It's God patiently journeying with the pouting Jonah
"Do you have any right to be angry?"
It's like God asking the burnt out Elijah:
"What are you doing here Elijah?"
It's like Jesus asking the two on the Emmaus road
"What are you discussing [and what things have happened in Jerusalem?]"
It's God walking in the Garden asking
"Adam, where are you?"

It's God coming to us - acknowledging our pain, heartache, fear and loss.
It's God meeting us at our point of brokenness
and God finding us in our pain.

And, as we will see on Tuesday, this questioning God offers incredible comfort in the final "Do you not know?"

CHALLENGE: Are you hiding at the moment?
Do you hear God's question calling you out of your sadness, pain, fear and loss?
He loves us so much that He comes to us and asks the question that shines His light into our darkness.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?      (Isaiah40:27)

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EmmDev 2021-03-04 [Lent2021] Comparisons (2)

Comparisons (2)

Astrology (Not astronomy) had its origins in ancient Mesopotamia (Babylon). Astrology is the attempt to divine hidden knowledge and the future from the movement of celestial bodies. It's where modern day horoscopes etc come from.

Not only had the Israelites been tempted by Babylonian idols (we saw this two days ago), but now they were also tempted by Babylonian astrology - interpreting portents and signs from the movement of the stars.

Isaiah puts it all in perspective: God controls the stars! He calls them all out by name! Don't look to the movement of the stars to try and predict the future - rather trust in the One who controls the stars!

It's very dangerous when one adopts a deterministic world view - that the movement of the stars influences one's destiny - because then it simply becomes a matter of "figuring out the system" so that one can "beat the odds" - Astrology isn't worship - It's an attempt to be in control.

Isaiah calls the Israelites away from mechanistic religion where those who "read the signs better" become more powerful and invites them into something new....

We can look into the heavens and see a bunch of signs and portents that move around in a fixed fashion and coldly dictate our future - or we can look at the heavens with awe, wonder and worship and see them as the handiwork of an awesome loving God who knows each of the billions of stars by name...

(As an aside - God uses the Bethlehem star to guide the magi from the East to Christ. This does not mean that God endorses astrology - He simply uses it to accomplish His purpose!)

CHALLENGE: While I may not consult a horoscope, am I obsessed with trying to know and control the future (do I obsessively listen to the news) or am I willing to trust the One who holds all the stars?

"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.      (Isaiah40:25-26)

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EmmDev 2021-03-03 [Lent2021] 9. Do you not know? (1)

9. Do you not know? (1)

"Do you not know????"
If Isaiah was writing in our modern context I think he might have added a "Duh!!!" in front of that...

Isaiah is incredulous at how the Israelites have allowed their picture of God to shrink! Although they were given a big picture of God at the start, (think of the creation accounts and the Red Sea rescue of the Israelites), they quickly forgot God's great power.

Instead of remembering that all people are grasshoppers compared to God, they saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to the Canaanites (Num13:33). And it got worse and worse after that...

• They started to trust in earthly kings and idols
• The rich and powerful became more and more arrogant.
• Society degenerated for lack of a credible authority figure

BUT:
God is Lord of the Heavens.
He is Lord over the Nations.
He is Lord over princes and rulers.

The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it succinctly:
"...God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few." Ecc.5:2

He is Lord over all and He will bring the proud and arrogant to naught. Society loses its head when there is no clear conception of God's authority. And, if we continue to ignore God's powerful sovereignty, our societies, empires and Babel-Towers will crumble.

CHALLENGE:
Before we point fingers at our leaders, let's ask ourselves:

1. Do i recognise God as sovereign and mighty in my life?
2. What symptoms of arrogance might God need to bring to naught or whirlwind away in my life?

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.      (Isaiah40:21-24)

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EmmDev 2021-03-02 [Lent2021] Comparisons (1)

Comparisons (1)

We're moving to the last part of the magnificent poem-song of Isaiah 40. The structure for the last section is interesting - it has a ABAcB pattern:

• A - To whom will you compare God? To idols?
• B - Do you not know? He brings down the mighty!
• A - To whom will you compare God? To astrology?
• c - (Bridge - the key to the whole chapter)
• B - Do you not know? He lifts up the weak!!!

We'll look at each of these this week...
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Idolatry was an ongoing problem in Israel. We find idols in Israel's history from when Jacob's wife Rachael who stole her father's house-god and then sat on it to hide it from her angry dad (seriously! See Gen31:33-35). Other idols along the way were the golden calf in Exodus that Moses grinds to dust and the Baal statue that Gideon pulled over with his father's prize bull in Judges 6.

Again and again idols were revealed to be powerless before God's might - my favourite example of this is when the Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant and place it before their statue of their god, Dagon, and the statue collapses before the Ark in the night! (1Sam5:1-5).

And yet the Israelites continued to worship idols...

Here Isaiah is at his candid best - "Just think about it," he says...
"How can you possibly compare God to some dumb statue?
An idol is made by human hands and is budget dependent.
It's got to have a firm base in case the kids knock it over when they run around the house...!
Is this your god? SERIOUSLY???"

Look at some of the idols we worship today:
Wealth - doesn't satisfy.
Fame - can turn around so easily.
Power - corrupts
Beauty - is only skin deep
Possessions - are temporary

But the sad thing is that we worship at the shrines of these idols.

CHALLENGE: Stop and think about the things that you are chasing.
If someone with Isaiah's candour and honesty had to look at us might they also be tempted to ask: "Seriously??"

To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? 19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.       (Isaiah40:18-20)

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