Coming Kingdom and Cleansing the Temple

This morning I am looking at a couple of different verses having to do with Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem and His following actions.  Lately, I have been reinvigorated in my study about the Kingdom of God, and this morning I felt like I received some new thoughts.  I am looking at two sets of verses from Mark's and Matthew's gospels  The first come from the Gospel of Mark 11:7-11 NIV:

[7] "When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. [8] Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 

[9] Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

[10] “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” 

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 

[11] Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve."

Followed by Matthews account of what Jesus did once in Jerusalem, found in Matthew 21:12-16 NIV:

[12] Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. [13] “It is written,” he said to them, “ 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.' ” 

[14] The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 

[16] “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. 

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ 'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise' ?”

Both Mark and Matthew have the same order of events, but they each included something unique that was not found in the other synoptic Gospel's so I wanted to highlight those today.

In Mark's Gospel, He records one of the phrases that were shouted, as "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" which definitely caught my eye!  Jesus had been preaching about the coming Kingdom of God, and Mark records eleven times He spoke of this Kingdom, prior to this parade.  This particular phrase is only found here in Mark, in all of the New Testament, however it is directly related to the Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 9:7 NIV: "Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

It is my belief that this cry echoed the misunderstanding of what the Messiah would accomplish.  They thought that Jesus was coming to claim the throne, and establish an earthly kingdom, like David's Kingdom, and this was the parade that was getting things started. I imagine, there was some consternation, as Mark records Jesus, once he arrived in Jerusalem, just looking around and then leaving, having done nothing.  This should have been their first clue that Jesus was about something completely different then they thought.

Regardless of the exact timing, it is clear that Jesus' next steps, once in Jerusalem, was the clearing the temple.  I can't imagine the amount of turmoil and confusion this must have caused in the temple, and clearly the pharisees and temple leaders were upset.  As Messiah, I would have imagined that this seemed like a logical step for Jesus to make in the eyes of the people.  He was clearing out the temple that is supposed to be dedicated to His Father, and ultimately pointing to Him.  

What I love about Matthew's account is that he adds that then the blind and lame came and Jesus healed them!  This is exactly what Jesus normally did when proclaiming the coming Kingdom, He healed people as a sign of the New Kingdom reality!  It appears to me that Jesus cleansed the temple so that He could do in it what was supposed to happen in the temple, Healing and miracles, God's presence manifesting in His people!  Matthew records that children were shouting in the temple courts after witnessing the miracles that Jesus was performing!  Isn't that just the complete opposite of what the temple had sounded like before?  Instead of the shouts of people selling doves and changing money, there were shouts of of joy, as Jesus healed the lame and restored the sight to the blind!  

Is it safe to say that the spirit of religion only allows business transactions meaning nothing and completely ineffectual in the pursuit of righteousness?  

If I was going to draw these together into a point of reflection and then action,  I would say that as the time draws near to the actual coming of Jesus earthly Kingdom, His second coming, we will see something similar.  There will be many who misunderstand what this means, looking for some change in the political structure of the world!  There will be many who resist changes, especially in the church and because of this, there will be a cleansing of the Temple, now the global Body of Christ.  The Lord will increasingly demonstrate the reality of this Kingdom through miracles, signs and wonders, and the Body of Christ will be filled with shouts of joy and praise!  We live in an interesting time of partial expression and experience, of a final reality of God's Kingdom, and I believe that the word spoken by Isaiah will be fulfilled perfectly in time. 

"There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:7 NASB).

So, let us look to the Lord!  Let us give ourselves to the proclamation of the Kingdom, and demonstration of the Kingdom reality!  Let us pray for a cleansing of the Body of Christ, that we might truly represent the Kingdom of God, present already!  Let us pray that the House of Lord, the global church would be filled with shouts of joy and praise!  Let us pray for the hastening of His Kingdom into our midst!

Amen and Amen!

The Kingdom of God AND The Parable of the Sower

This morning I am reflecting on several verses from Matthew's Gospel.  The parable of the sower is found in all three Synoptic Gospels, but it Matthew adds a little extra that is interesting.  Here are the verses - Matthew 13:3-19 NIV:

[3] "Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. [4] As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. [5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. [6] But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. [7] Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. [8] Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop---a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. [9] Whoever has ears, let them hear.” 

[10] The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 

[11] He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. [12] Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 

[13] This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. [14] In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. [15] For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' 

[16] But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. [17] For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 

[18] “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: [19] When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path."

A couple things that are unique about Matthew's version are that he provides an expanded set of verses for Jesus' quote from Isaiah, verses 13-15 above, and His definition of the seed is slightly different.  Mark and Luke both have Jesus refer to the seed as the word of God, but in Matthew's version Jesus defines the seed as the message about the Kingdom, in other words the Gospel of the Kingdom of God being established by Jesus, and coming near to them.  Matthew, in general seems to bring out the theme of the Kingdom of God more regularly, with more emphasis than the other Gospel authors.  All three do quote verse 11 similarly, that the apostles were being given "knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom."

Recently our church has started diving more in the theme of the Kingdom and this is something I have waited for years to see happen.  I have written several entries about the Kingdom of God and the centrality of this message in Jesus' ministry, so I won't say much about it today.  Suffice it to say that this was Jesus' primary message.

Going back to the verses from this morning, what struck me was the statement Jesus made in verse 16 & 17.  He says that those who see with their eyes and hear with their ears the message of the Kingdom of God are blessed.  This was a moment that many of the fore-fathers of their faith, had looked forward to for centuries!   The apostles, and by extension us who have followed them, are seeing things and hearing things that were hidden from the early fathers.  In other words, we live in a rare age of revelation, and this knowledge should drive us forward to see the Kingdom, and the message of the Kingdom, revealed, fulfilled and embraced in our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ!

Somehow we have lessened the importance of this Gospel of the Kingdom over the centuries and millennia, and I believe it is being stirred back up by the Holy Spirit!  I love the promise that Jesus makes in verses 11 & 12.  He says that,  "whoever has 'been given the secrets of the Kingdom (from verse 11)' will be given more, and they will have an abundance."  What a great opportunity for us to press into, believing that the Lord will bring greater revelation of His Kingdom and the secrets of it, if we listen and observe (verse 16).  That message about the kingdom, if landing in good soil (verse 8 above) will produce an abundance, even a great harvest!  We have the ability to be good soil, and if we are the fruit will be evident, multiplication! 

Thus, we must make sure that we are listening and hearing, looking and seeing, what the Lord is saying!  This requires active participation on our parts, and focus and discipline in our pursuit, one could almost say we are required to become disciples!  :-)  I am reminded that great commission, found in Matthew 28, was to make disciples!  

In Mark 16, Jesus gives this command just before ascending, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." ( Mark 16:15 NIV).  In Mark's version of the Gospel, the Gospel Jesus is referring to is the Good News (Gospel) about the Kingdom of God.  He records the following as the foundation of Jesus message, "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” ( Mark 1:14-15 NIV).

Oh Lord, I pray that You would stir in our hearts the Gospel of the Kingdom, once again!  I pray that You would release revelation of the secrets of Your Kingdom, and that we, Your Church, would be good soil for this central message!  Let us hear and see and proclaim and demonstrate the reality that Your Kingdom is here, and real, and expanding!

Amen and Amen!

Love In Spite of Waywardness

Yesterday I felt like I should read the book of Hosea.  This is such an interesting book, as it starts out with the Lord telling Hosea to marry a prostitute as a prophetic representation of the the Nation of Israel, and their constant turning to other gods, and nations, prostituting themselves with them.  Most of the book, Hosea speaks of the Lord's threats against Israel, interspersed with God's love for them.  The book ends with a promise of blessing for repentance (Chapter 14).

What I have been thinking about is how to read this book in light of the greater revelation of Christ Jesus, and the salvation available through faith in Him?  It is clear that this book demonstrates the futility of the Old Covenant. It wasn't that it (The Covenant of the Law) was wrong, but it was meant to show that we can only succeed in experiencing salvation if God does it for us.  Second, it describes God's unrelenting love, His constant willingness to take us back and love us again, in spite of our unfaithfulness, which He knew about from the very start.  Third, it affirms the relational context of God's desire for us.  He doesn't want emotionless worshippers, He wants lovers.  Finally, it reveals God's plans to bless us, to reward our repentance with blessing and love.  

As I mentioned previously, after all the threats and disappointment, this is how it ends - Hosea 14:1-9 NIV:

[1] "Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! 

[2] Take words with you and return to the Lord. 

Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. 

[3] Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. 

We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” 

[4] “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. 

[5] I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; 

[6] his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. 

[7] People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine---Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon. 

[8] Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.” 

[9] Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. 

The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them."

This is not the letter of an angry God, but one who loves and blesses.  Our invitation is into relationship, and the Lord provided the way to that through Jesus.

Let us step into His invitation, for He will love us freely, despite our waywardness.

Amen!

Failure or Planned Obsolescence?

Lately I have been spending some time chewing through an interesting topic, that arose for me after a couple of verses popped into my mind and I wanted to spend some time unpacking them.  The first is from Paul's letter to the Romans 9:6 NIV:

"It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel."

Here Paul was writing about God's choosing of Israel as His people and their failure, for the most part, to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. 

The second is from the letter to the Hebrews 8:7-13 NIV:

[7] "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. [8] But God found fault with the people and said : “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. [9] It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. [10] This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [11] No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. [12] For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. ” 

[13] By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." 

This is such an interesting concept, that God built into His Perfect Plan the "failure" of the first covenant, and the "failure" of Jews.  They were not really failures,  so much as they were opening the way for the greater revelation.  At the time, and from that perspective, it would seem that they failed, but in the light of New Covenant, they were types or foreshadowings of the things to come, the things to be revealed.  

I was just thinking about James Dyson, and his relentless inventing, learning from each failure, and revising his next prototype.  He was constantly working to improve his inventions, and we owned a couple of units and the latter ones were better than the first versions.   

I guess we could say that the Covenant of the Law was a sort of prototype covenant, put in place to lay the ground work of the New Covenant.  It is clear that this was God's plan all along, they just didn't understand it initially.  Even though Jesus talked about the New Covenant, He didn't lay out everything that was needed to transition to it, but He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide the early church.  I find Acts 8- 15 such interesting reading, seeing God moving the Church through major transition as He makes a way for the Gentiles to become part of the Body.  I think this is every bit as monumental as the establishment of the New Covenant, and yet it was something mostly hidden, and lightly addressed by the Lord, and earlier prophetic imagery.  He was releasing major revelation and change, at just the right time, in exactly the way He planned from before the creation of the world! 

It is interesting to think about God seemingly fine-tuning things (I think it is all part of His perfect merciful plan), but that is precisely how He works with us, with endless patience, carefully correcting us, bringing revelation when needed.  He never abandons us, never considers us failures, but rather as works in progress.  His mercy and compassion are such that He can have thousands of years of patience, centuries of revelation, and careful guidance and direction.  In our lives that revelation and change is always limited by our own physical lives (100 or so years), but in the record of the Bible, we see His plan being unfolded over thousands of years.  What was understood at one point, is in time over-written with new revelation, a sort of planned obsolescence, starting with Abraham all the way through the new covenant established by Christ Jesus, and into the time of the Gentiles becoming part of the Church. 

In Christ, and in His Gospel of Grace, we find almost all the promises and foreshadowings of the Old testament fulfilled and revealed.  We are now living in the time of the unfolding of the mystery that is the Kingdom of God and the New Covenant present and expanding on earth, as established by Jesus.  It is all perfectly timed, and perfectly orchestrated, but to us, in our limited view, sometimes it seems like things are failing.  These times are based on our expectations, not God's!  He isn't worried, and if asked would tell us that everything is working exactly the way He planned.  There are ages and eras that are waxing and waning, each bringing revelation and  experience which are fulfillment of part of the plan.  

Our limited human perspective struggles to deal with these big-picture perspectives, for we are all so focused on our own ideas and views.  We think somehow that our expectations have relevance in God's greater plan, and when unmet, then clearly God isn't with the program, and that is completely true!  God isn't with "our program" His is so much bigger, so much more complex, taking into account the billions of lives, and never missing a beat.  I can barely think beyond my circle of friends, maybe my neighborhood, and I am certainly not aware of all of the events that have occurred in their lives, nor their thoughts, dreams, promises, etc.  I go back to the famous verses from Isaiah 55:8-11 NIV: 

[8] “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 

[9] “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

[10] As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, 

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 

[11] so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, 

but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

His ways are perfect, and our understanding is far from perfect.  We can only see dimly the full story this side of eternity (1 Cor 13:12).  We must learn to trust God that He will reveal all we need, in the time we need it, and when all is revealed we will see the glorious perfection of His whole plan. Paul wrote the following about the revelation concerning the Gentiles - Ephesians 3:8-12 NIV:

[8] "Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, [9] and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. [10] His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, [11] according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. [12] In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

I believe that we will continue to see things revealed by God, that have been unknown or hidden by God until the time is right.  We must be willing to listen to Him, to trust Him, to believe that things that make no sense, or seem like a failure, will make complete sense in the fullness of time.  We must believe that all the words of the Lord will accomplish His desires and purposes!  We may see other planned obsolescences in our future, things the Lord put in place, until the time for the better version arrives.  He is much bigger than we can imagine or comprehend, and His plans are much more the same!

Let us entrust ourselves to the full leading of the Holy Spirit, and embrace the Lord's ways, even when they mean things we have believed previously need to change!   

Amen and Amen!