Sorry Is As Sorry Does

The word sorry can have several meanings. Someone can be apologetic and sorry describes an expression of regret for an action that has upset or inconvenienced someone else, such as I am sorry for hurting you. The word sorry can communicate sympathy for a person in a difficult situation such as I feel sorry for that family without a job in this time of economic downturn. The word sorry is also synonymous with describing something in a pitiful condition as in That house is in such a sorry state of repair, it is in danger of being condemned. Then there is the usage of the word sorry to describe something pathetically unsatisfactory because it fails to meet a certain standard of expectation. This meaning is conveyed in the statement He is a sorry excuse for a man. Someone or something can be said to be sorry when it is useless in the purpose for which it is mean to be used. It is in this last context that I make the statement, Dyess was a sorry dog.
Dyess was a good-looking, solid black, 90 pound military working dog at an Air Base in North Texas. John Young was his handler. When John sent Dyess out on attack, it was a fearsome sight to see. Dyess looked good as he bore down on the target, snarling and growling. He looked good. He made all the right noises. But when he got close to the person under attack, all that person had to do was snarl and growl back at the dog and the dog would change his mind and immediately change his direction! An attack-trained military working dog that will not attack is a sorry dog. Dyess was a sorry dog. And John Young was his handler. He could never help Dyess get past his sorry state of being and soon John was transferred to another assignment. Then Dyess met Cleophus Randall. Sergeant Randall was coming in from a tour of duty in South Korea. He was a dog handler and he was assigned to Dyess. A couple of weeks went by and Dyess began to adjust to the idea that he had much more than a new handler. He had a master. Under the influence and control of this new master, Dyess quickly became a new dog. The change was dramatic and evident for all to see. We no longer felt sorry for this sorry dog. He became useful to his master and effective in his service to achieve the purpose for which he was trained.
Jesus was telling stories to people who were not living up to the expectations and standards to achieve the purposes for which they were created. He told parables to them so they might come into an understanding of how they measured up to God’s standards. The outcome was that some of the people who heard these stories realized they were in a sorry, sinful condition. They were sorry that they had made some sinful choices in life. And they were changed. Others who heard the story thought that they had always met the standard of expectation as God’s people when they were in effect a sorry excuse for a representative sampling of God’s chosen people. Let’s listen to the story Jesus tells them about two sons. One of them was sorry. And the other was…well…sorry. Sorry is as sorry does. Hear the word of our Lord:
“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, “I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.” (Matthew 21:28-32)
God’s people become useful in God’s service when they repent from their sorry condition and believe the gospel proclamation.

I. SORRY PEOPLE PROMISE A WHOLE LOT AND DO VERY LITTLE.

Some hallowed promises become hollow ones. Holy matrimony is a good example. In any wedding that I am privileged to be a part, I require several sessions of premarital counseling. We talk through many issues and towards the end of the sessions we begin to focus on the vows that people promise to keep. A couple of times I have helped couples work through some of these vows that they want to write themselves. It is my job to keep them in a biblical framework. This is a vow that I have never had to work on with any couple: Do you promise to be hateful, critical, manipulating, unfaithful, and unforgiving as long as you both shall live? Who would want a marriage partnership like that? So why do we promise to love, honor, and cherish and fail to keep that promise? It’s a spiritual genetic defect.
Let’s look first at the second son’s response to his father’s command.
The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’ (v. 29)
The son promises to work in partnership in his father’s vineyard. The vineyard theme is prominent in this portion of Matthew’s Gospel. The Jewish community would have been familiar with the Old Testament prophetic images of grapes and vineyards. Vineyards were very prominent in the land. They were symbolic of the blessing of God. Jesus described Himself as the True Vine and His Father was the Vinedresser. The imagery of vineyards and grapes were understood in Israel as a covenant community family living and working together in the family business. That is the way salvation history began. In Genesis, man was placed in Eden by his Maker to tend the garden. No doubt vineyards were a part of that scenario. Then Adam lost the privilege to work in the Father’s business. And he was expelled to work outside of it. The Triumphal Entry lets us know that the Lord Jesus had come to His people to restore them to a rightful place in the Kingdom of God. He was telling them the vineyard story. And it included information as to how get back inside the family fold. The Father’s command is also the Father’s invitation…Son, go work today in the vineyard.
People hearing the Word of God could not depend upon their profession. Just saying the right words and making hollow promises did not grant them access into the Father’s business. They could not rely upon their earthly family heritage and the privilege of being born into Abraham’s household of faith to access the Father’s vineyard. Nor can we depend upon our church attendance or religious heritage to claim a place in the family business of the family of God, working in our Father’s vineyard. This son was a sorry son. He did not meet the requirements and expectations for service. He did not serve. But he promised he would. A valuable lesson for a disciple like you and me is saying I will doesn’t mean that I do. Saying I will serve God does not mean that I do serve God. Making a “profession of faith” does not mean I have faith or faithfully serve God on mission with Him. Saying so doesn’t make it so. Sorry is as sorry does. The story about this sorry son also tells us that…

II. YOU CAN BE SORRY WITHOUT BEING SORROWFUL.

…and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. (v. 29)

There may have been many reasons that this sorry son did not go. He may have been sick. He may have been busy. Something else may have come up. We can certainly understand how many times we have “overcommitted” and did not do what we said we would do. He may have just forgotten what he said. Sometimes that can be our problem. But the text only says he did not go.
Delayed obedience is disobedience. He may have had good intentions. But the bottom line that Jesus is driving at is that obedience is required for usefulness. We can talk about serving and we forget what we said because it didn’t really matter that much to us. This sorry son demonstrated dishonor to his Father. The Father’s will did not matter to the son. And the son was not sorrowful for his failure to meet the demands of obedience. Sorry is as sorry does. You can be sorry without being sorrowful…but…

III. YOU CAN’T BE SORROWFUL WITHOUT BEING SORRY.

A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. (v. 30)

This sorry son treated his father with open contempt and disrespect. It was in the mind of the son to rebel against the will of his father. This was probably the oldest son. A common theme in the parables of Jesus was that the oldest son was often more cynical in the relationship with his father. As in the prodigal son story, sorry is as sorry does. This son begins this exchange as a sorry son who arrogantly believes he can refuse to surrender to the will of his father. And he ends the exchange with a different mindset. This different kind of thinking leads to a change of moral direction.
He represents the sinfulness of presumption in the heart of religious people.
Often the people of God believe they are entitled to the goodness of God without the respect that is due Him. Humanity in general believes they can treat God as if He does not matter. This son had his mind changed. He began to regret what he had said and what he had done. He regretted how he had shamefully treated his father. This regret brought sorrow to his mind.
Sorrow is a condition of mental suffering where someone has been hurt. The most grievous kind of sorrow is the kind where we begin to take responsibility for our part which causes this pain. This is the message of Jesus to those bound up in religious tradition. This regret and remorse leads to repentance. Repentance is a change in moral direction that results from a change in our actions which begins with a change of mind.
This sorry son moved from one definition of sorry to another. By his active repentance he moved from a place of uselessness to usefulness in the vineyard of his father. Sorry is as sorry does. Repentance is turning from sinful self-will and self-service to learning about, thinking about, and doing the will of God.

IV. GOD’S WILL IS THAT WE ARE SORROWFUL AND REPENTANT.

Which of these two sorry sons did the will of his father? This was the question asked that day. And the people hearing the Word of God answered rightly. So does this question matter to us today? If so, why so? Because even though we hear the word of God we often fail to understand this teaching and do not realize that repentance is central to the message of the gospel. We must realize we are traveling the wrong direction before we are motivated to change. Some people in their sorry condition come to that clear understanding. They know they cannot come into the Kingdom of God unless they are born again and radically changed in their thinking. And others still fail to recognize themselves in the story. Hear the word of the Lord:
Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.”
Repentance is central to the gospel message. You cannot live an eternal life without dying to the earthly one you are living. In Matthew 3 we get one account of the message that John the Baptizer was preaching. The essence of the message is that religious heritage and a Jewish pedigree does not spare someone from judgment. Religious people are to bear fruit of their repentance. There must be evidence of a changed life. This is what Jesus was saying. Tax collectors and prostitutes believed and were changed. Religious pretenders saw that happen and were unmoved by the power of the gospel message. They did not consider themselves in need of a change of moral direction. They did not believe. They were unbelievers. Because they did not repent.
Repentance was the message John preached. He was the last of the typical Old Testament prophets who called the nation to repent. Repentance was the message Jesus preached. Repentance was the message the disciples preached. Repentance was the message preached by Peter and the early church. Repentance was the message Paul preached to the Athenians on Mars Hill. Repentance is the predominant message of the last days in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a timely message for end times living. It is a relevant message to the church of our day. Repent. The Kingdom of God is near.
If the church is to be useful to God, we will be repentant. We will hear this instruction from this father in this parable and consider it to be the message of Jesus. We will agree that it is for us in our times. ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ In the church of America today there are people who are on the rolls of church membership who have never been sorrowful over their sin and have never repented. We have people who have prayed a “sinner’s prayer” and have made commitments to God, said they would serve Him, and did not go work in the vineyard. Without repentance, there is no belief. Unrepentant church leaders are practical unbelievers and religious pretenders.
Without repentance there is no forgiveness. Without forgiveness there is no eternal life. Without eternal life we cannot be with God and serve Him forever. Without the work of Christ on the cross on our behalf there is no realization of our need for repentance. When is the last time we have told God we are sorry? When is the last time that we have been sorrowful over our sin? God has hope for our sorry condition.
Now is the time to come. Repent, believe in the gospel. God’s Kingdom is near.

The Instrument God Chooses And Uses

Surgery is a highly specialized operation. Or at least it should be. In the not too distant past there was an embarrassing revelation that came from one of the major hospitals in the area. It seems that hydraulic fluid had been mistakenly used in the place of a cleaning solution for surgical instruments. The repercussions of this event are probably shaping the conduct of those who are concerned with such things. Consider the surgeon’s tray. Before it is set up for the surgeon’s use there has been an evaluation and inspection. The instruments will no doubt be checked for flaws and defects. Failing to inspect these instruments can have disastrous results.
In the Book of Acts the birth of the early church was an exciting thing. God was doing something new. The group of people known as the church was empowered by the Holy Spirit. It was the Living Body of Christ. God was revealing His truth through the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The church was being built up with the teaching of the apostles and the prophets. The legalistic bondage of the religious tradition of the day produced many inspectors. One of these inspectors was a man named Saul of Tarsus. He was zealous in the protection of the institution that Judaism had become. And he was watching for people following different teachings of God that he considered to be treacherous and treasonous.
Saul was persecuting the disciples of Jesus Christ. He not only was present and in agreement with the stoning death of Stephen in Acts 7, Chapter 8 describes him as a man on a mission of destruction. He was “ravaging the church,” bent on stopping the advance of this fledgling religious movement by any means necessary. On the road between Jerusalem and Damascus, this inspector according to the Law of Moses met the One who had given the Law to Moses! Saul became the one who underwent an inspection. Let’s read the account beginning in verse 1 to get a better understanding of Saul’s inspection and his description as one of the instruments God chooses and uses.

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (Acts 9:1-9)

This passage could be the basis for other sermons as well. We could have a lot to say about how wrong a man can be when he thinks he is doing right. We could say how dangerous it is to think that we have real authority when we operate in natural ways and do not even realize that we oppose the cause of Christ. And if we stopped reading there, and did not have the rest of the story, we could wonder what ever happened to Saul. Did he lose his life as well as his sight? This encounter was the basis of Saul’s conversion experience. Throughout the rest of his life, he could not stop talking about it. By God’s grace he was saved from the ways of Saul to live in the ways of God. He was chosen by God’s grace and for God’s use. One major lesson we can learn today is that:

GOD’S PRIMARY REASON FOR CHOOSING US IS TO USE US.

Let’s continue to read our focal passage:

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. (Acts 9:10-19)

I. A CHOSEN INSTRUMENT IS THE PROPER INSTRUMENT.

A proper instrument is the perfect instrument. Vise-grip pliers may be perfectly suitable for primitive dentistry... on a horse! For humans we are blessed to have people who have dedicated their lives to perfecting the tools for the job. A dentist’s choice for dental work would be the proper, and therefore the perfect, instrument.
God chooses His people out their places in life. He selects them from the environment and life situations in which He finds them. In fact, He even uses their surroundings and experiences to shape and mold them for ministry. Moses was chosen to be raised in the court of a Pharaoh of Egypt so he would be familiar with their culture when called to confront it. Saul was not only a Roman citizen but a Hebrew who was highly educated in an elite school of Judaism so that he could argue God’s case with those bound by the Law and those of the Gentile world of Roman occupation. God chooses proper instruments and perfects them from His perspective. God is the specialist in His special operations.

II. A CHOSEN INSTRUMENT IS THE PREFERRED INSTRUMENT.

A few years ago I worked with a local survey company. With all the modern instrumentation it’s a lot easier to measure distance but some things you still have to do. You have to cut bushes for the laser light to hit the target. Immediately I knew that I had to do something about my bush axe. It was dull and ill fitting. So for a few days I took it home and sharpened the blade with a file and sanded and shaped the wooden handle. The last thing I did was to mark the bottom of the handle so I could recognize it when I needed to remove it from the back of the truck. It fit my hand and it worked much easier for the purpose it was made. It became my personal bush axe.
A preferred instrument is a personal instrument. The instrument is personal from the perspective of the one who is doing choosing. The Lord says of Saul, “He is My chosen vessel” The men in the company of Saul heard the voice but saw no one.
They all reacted in the same way. They fell to the ground. They all heard the voice. But only Saul saw what God wanted him to see. And it blinded Him. God chose him from out of the midst of other men. It was like a surgical strike. God chose the one He wanted. This is the way God chooses people. Mark 3:13 says that Jesus summoned those He wanted. God makes a personal choice when He chooses people for ministry.

III. A CHOSEN INSTRUMENT IS A POTENTIAL INSTRUMENT.

I am not a NASCAR fan. But I have a friend who is. He asked me once if I would go with him to his sister’s boyfriend’s place around Charlotte. This man was a crew chief for one of the NASCAR drivers and his garage was outside the Charlotte area. Now this team was not one of the major players on the circuit, but you never would have known that inside the garage. There were two separate but seemingly identical cars inside but what fascinated me were the walls surrounding the cars. It was wall-to-wall pegboard where the tools were hung. Tools they were using had the outline of the tool drawn on the wall. It seemed a little juvenile to me, like they were not adult enough to put the tools back in place. I commented on this and the crew chief told us that when they got ready to roll the cars out, he would look at the wall. If any tool was missing, if he could see the outline of where one should be hanging, then everything stopped until they found the tool. It had no place being out of place. Everything had a potential use. Shop tools belonged in the shop. When a shop tool was loose somewhere on a racecar, there was potential danger.
A potential instrument is also a peculiar instrument. God chooses His instruments to become part of being a “peculiar people.” They are peculiar in the sense of being appointed for a particular purpose. God told Ananias that Saul was chosen to bear the Name of God before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel. We are not all called to be a Saul. But we are called at times to be like Ananias. We are called to respond to God who often does not give us the big picture. We too can be like Ananias and attempt to advise God as to the wisdom of what He wants us to do. Sometimes we question the choices God makes and want to tell Him that there are things about the person He is choosing that He may have forgotten or not even be aware of. “But Lord, this man is our enemy!” Have you ever been like Ananias? God knows what He is doing. Saul was waiting on Ananias like the Ninevites were waiting on Jonah. Ananias had to make a choice to choose to be used. He chose that God would work through him and trust that God knew how to work it all out. Ananias chose to let God work through him. He was chosen to be an instrument of God’s power.

IV. A CHOSEN INSTRUMENT IS A POWERFUL INSTRUMENT.

Cordless drills and screwdrivers have set us free to work more efficiently. They eliminate the need for dragging around cords which entangle. I can take on a project and move about with ease until…my battery needs recharging. Without a time to periodically recharge a cordless screwdriver it will become useless. My efficient instrument will not be effective. The instrument must have access to power to be effective.
A powerful instrument is a power-filled instrument. “The Lord Jesus has sent me…so you may regain your sight … and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Saul regained his sight which is no small thing to a blind man. But the greater thing is that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit which is life to a dead man. Often we ask God to move upon us, send us a messenger, and take away our suffering. "Lord, give us this Spirit," should be our prayer. I cannot give you the Holy Spirit. I can only testify as to its source. God grants the Holy Spirit. But He does not direct people to go to other people who do not possess it. He still works by telling people where to go to hear His word and receive His Spirit. Are you a Spirit-filled believer? Are you ready for those God will send to you?
Hear the words of our Lord: “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The closer you get to the power of God, the more you can receive. You will not receive the power of God giving your life to things which are not God. We seem to want to get the benefit of the power of God but keep Him at a distance. We seem to believe we can keep plugging in extension cords to access Him. You only get to access the power of God by coming close to Him so we understand why this power is given.
The closer you get to this kind of power, the more dangerous it is. When you walk in the power of the Most High God, you will be a target for the god of this world. God told Ananias, “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” God was not telling Ananias, "I’m getting even with Saul for how he has treated My people." Saul’s sin was paid for on the cross. God was telling Ananias that when He chooses a person, that person is chosen as an instrument for warfare. And God has chosen the conflict. He is taking this world back. This is what redemption is all about. We will suffer for the name of Christ. That is promised. Not only to Ananias but to every disciple. But in that suffering, there stands our Savior, our King, and our Lord. And He is still choosing His instruments.
In choosing His instruments, God also chooses us as the Bride of Christ. The language used is also used elsewhere in the New Testament for a wife that is chosen for life and chosen to be faithful in that relationship. When God chooses us as an instrument or a vessel, it is that we are chosen to be weapons of warfare and faithful wives to Christ, our Bridegroom. We are not to give ourselves over to idolatry.

Our “so what” today is simply this…

Do you ask God to fill you with His power, to make use of your potential, trust that He knows what He’s doing, and believe that the trials in your life are used to test His tools?

TODAY, WILL YOU CHOOSE TO BE USED??

Gospel-Centered Giving

I was shocked by my father’s response when I asked him for a loan. A few years ago, I believe we were led by the Lord to begin a specific ministry for a season. One major focus in this ministry was to conduct conferences in churches for people who were suffering through grief. One of the requirements to do this was that we would be traveling to various church settings; usually on weekends and that I resign my pastoral position. Because we would no longer have financial support from the church and needed a minivan to get us there, I needed money for the van. I went to ask my father.
I was more than a little hesitant because I wasn’t sure he understood the reason I resigned a paying position for a non-paying one. To be honest, I didn’t understand it all either but believed we had a clear direction from the Lord. So I related my need and layed out my proposal. I was asking that the repayment schedule would not begin until after a year had passed. At that time, I would begin to pay back what amounted to a huge sum of money over the next three years. I was shocked by what he said in response.
“Why don’t I just give it to you?” he said. Some would have considered the price of this van at least a year’s wages. And the year’s deferment before I began to pay back the loan wasn’t a standard procedure you could find at your local hometown bank. So after he responded, I remember thinking not many people give like this. Over the years since then I have thought that in a sense, this is how God gives to us. His gospel comes without a payment plan. Recognizing this, it can set us free to give in like manner.
Let’s look at one of the best stories in the Bible and learn from this model of Gospel-Centered Giving.

While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.
But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.
But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.”
“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” (Mark 14:3-9)

I. GOSPEL-CENTERED GIVING IS FOUND IN GOSPEL-CENTERED ENVIRONMENTS. (3)

While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.

Three fascinating details of the setting of this great story are revealed in our text. First of all, Jesus was in Bethany. The Gospel of John says in Chapter 12 that Bethany was the home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Mark’s audience was alerted to this location and those who had heard the story of Lazarus would have known that Bethany was the place where the gospel comes to life. Here is where Jesus cried out at the tomb of a man four days dead to come out of his place of death and the one who had died came forth. Only God can give life to dead men. A casual reading of John’s Gospel may give one the impression that this story unfolded in the home of Lazarus as he is reclining at the table. But this text in Mark, similar yet different in detail, seems to describe the same event and it gives us the second fascinating fact.
They were at home of Simon the Leper. What a great place for what was taking place. I would suggest to you that Simon the Leper was called “The Leper” because Simon was no longer a leper. In other words, Simon, who used to be a leper, was a “leper no more” or he would not have been the host of these guests and no one would have been reclining at the table. Lepers were isolated and shunned, shut out even by their families, and especially by the worship community. This was likely a leper whom Jesus had healed. Remember the account in the early part of Mark’s Gospel where Jesus encountered a person with leprosy who testified that if Jesus was willing, He could make him clean. And that leper was a leper no more and he could not be quiet about it. Once you had leprosy, and you were cleansed, it was a huge deal. It was no less a miracle that Jesus was willing and able to cleanse a leper than raising the dead. The gospel comes to life when it does for mankind what mankind is helpless to do. The leper could never have helped himself be clean. The gospel is at home in the home of a “leper no more”.
The third revelation about this gospel-centered environment is that they were reclining with Jesus. There can be no encounter with the gospel without encountering Christ. There can be no gospel-centered environment without communion with Christ at the center of that encounter. To be able to commune with Christ is more than a miracle than someone raised from the dead or healed from leprosy. For any man to recline at the table with God, the separation that must be bridged is more than disease or death. The separation is sin which causes disease and death. Yet, here was God our Savior, reclining with sinful mankind. A more careful reading of John 12 tells us that Martha was serving. In a gospel environment we will find people like Martha, who serves frantically and frequently, sometimes to the point of forgetting why she is serving. Remember her demand on another occasion that Jesus command her sister Mary to help her. The Lord’s response to her was that Martha was bothered by so many things. But Mary had chosen the good part. Mary chose to hear the word of the Lord. For without hearing the gospel, we will not serve rightly. We will serve out of a sense of duty, not out of a sense of gratitude. We do not serve to earn our salvation. We serve because we are saved. Sometimes I want to tell those who are content to be like Martha to choose the best part. People who are content to serve and compare their service with others’ lack of service are missing God and will find their service miserable at times. Mary had chosen the good part. Mark does not identify the woman who anointed Jesus but John does. Once again Mary was there and she would do a good thing in the presence of the Lord. And once again her actions would be provocative in a gospel-centered environment.

II. GOSPEL-CENTERED GIVING IS PROVOCATIVE TO SOME WHO OBSERVE IT. (4-5)

But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.

Who were these who were provoked to indignation? Who were the “some” who grumbled and murmured? According to the Gospel of Matthew, His disciples were there. No one there was a stranger to Christ. This is the hardest thing to understand for those who have been delivered by the gospel. Why don’t other disciples of Christ see Jesus the way Mary saw Jesus? Much has been made over the gift that was given. Three hundred days wages were cracked open and poured over His head. The general consensus was this was such a waste. Waste not, want not is one old adage that seems to be rooted in humanity. This can be a good guiding principle but not always a gospel-centered one.
At one time in our ministry we operated a food pantry. We collected and distributed food in the community to those in need. We received food from different sources and many local churches would collect donations from their congregations. One church dropped off a few boxes one day. Trying to be careful in what we distributed, we always went through the donations and checked expiration dates. A good portion of this particular collection was outdated. One can of oysters had been out of date for almost six years. Now some may say that as long as the can was unopened, the contents are safe. I would say to them, then you can eat those oysters! I don’t mind telling you that I was indignant. Often we give as if we can only give our leftovers. We use the occasion to serve ourselves and clean out our pantries. I would say give as unto the Lord. Give the best we can. Give because we can.
So why were these disciples indignant? Wasn’t the woman giving God her best? That wasn’t the issue. These who were indignant were worshipping the wrong god. People are created to worship so this comes pretty naturally. But unless we are transformed by the gospel, the worship we practice will be flawed and sinful. We will worship the greatest idol of all…the idol of our own desires. In Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker, he says that conflict arises out of the desires of our hearts. When these desires are not met, then we begin to act out a worship experience. Sande outlines four stages of idol worship. The four stages are I desire, I demand, I judge, and I punish. Unmet desires quickly become a demand. Because these demands are not met, then we pronounce judgment on another person who does not act like we (or our idols) demand. The judgment is carried out in some form or fashion. Idols demand that we punish the offender. The disciples were indignant because Mary had not worshipped their way or the way that they desired. So she was scolded. She was publicly embarrassed or humiliated. This is all the more painful because it came from followers of Christ. No one came to her defense. Except the One who has the most authority. Jesus defends her personally.

III. GOSPEL-CENTERED GIVING IS A PERSONAL ENDEAVOR. (6-8)

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.”

It could have been given to the poor. Have you ever noticed how most people who are willing to give to the poor are hesitant to get involved personally in the lives of the poor? Have you ever noticed how many people who offer this alternative do not personally give their lives to Christ and His service? Jesus said you can give to the poor any time. Now was the time to give to Him. And Mary had picked the right time. In fact, time was running out on the time to serve Jesus. His cross was coming. He was hours away from His death. He had told them it was coming. He had told them it was necessary. They didn’t get it. Mary got it. The gospel had transformed her and given her understanding of her nature as a sinner and God’s gracious gift. She was eternally grateful. So her gift to God was an extravagant gift. Her gift to God was costly because God’s gift to her was priceless. When you come to the end of your life, will you think about all the things you never got to do or what to do with all the wealth you amassed or all the opportunities you missed to love God and others lavishly? Will you grieve that you have missed opportunities to give to God? Or will you be like Mary? She had done what she could when she could.
This was Mary’s parting gift to her Lord. It was a good one. She had anointed His body for His burial. We read in Chapter 16 of Mark that after the Sabbath, other women came to the tomb and their purpose was to anoint the body of Jesus. Too late! Mary had already done this good deed to God. Jesus recognized the personal nature of what was going on in the moment. Often we do good things in the name of Christ. But when we do good things to Christ and for Christ and in Christ and with Christ it is a personal endeavor. Mary gave personally because she knew the gospel was for her personally. She and Jesus were personally acquainted. Do you know a concept of God or are you personally moved by the work of God through the Word of God in your life? Is your life with Christ a personal endeavor?

IV. GOSPEL-CENTERED GIVING IS MEMORIAL-MINDED GIVING. (9)

“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

Gospel-centered giving keeps on giving. This day and many days like it, this prophecy comes to pass down through the ages. As we preach the gospel, the good news that God has come in Christ to do for us what we can never do, that He Himself has become sin for us and paid our price of death on the cross, reconciling us to God, putting sin’s penalty of death to death, and that He rose from the dead and overcame sin’s powerful death grip upon us, granting us life everlasting, we remember what this woman has done. Till the Lord returns, all over the world, what this woman has done will be remembered.
We remember what she has done because we remember what Christ has done. She gave because Christ gave. She would not have given so graciously had she not received grace. She would not have given so lovingly had she not received love. She would not have given with such abandon had He not abandoned His life to the cross. But He has not abandoned His people. He lives among us. He lives within us. He lives through us.

V. GOSPEL-CENTERED GIVING IS CHRIST-CENTERED LIVING.

Two ominous subplots bracket this event. Verses 1-2 tell us that while He was being honored in the home of Simon the Leper, there was a concerted conspiratorial effort underway to murder Him. This effort was spearheaded by the chief priests and the scribes, the religious elite of the day. In verses 10-11 they found an ally who would betray the trust of Christ and the disciples from among the disciples in Judas Iscariot. This gospel-centered giving event takes place in the context of people trying to destroy the witness and the work of Christ for their own self-centered motivations. We do well to remember that. Do we love Jesus that much? Do we continue to serve Him and lavish our praise upon Him in the midst of the fear and distrust that swirls around the gospel?
We are called to the table of Christ. What does that mean exactly? It is our opportunity to remember that what He has done overshadows anything in our lives. His sacrifice is the gospel. His death overcomes our sorrowful circumstances. His death gives forgiveness. Yet we hold onto our petty grievances with one another and pretend to worship God at the same time. We find fault with someone else’s way of worship because we do not like the way they are worshipping. Yet we do not worship Christ. We are as lepers who are lepers no more and dead men who are dead no more and we do not rejoice in grateful adoration of the One who heals us and gives us life. He is worthy of our praise. Yet we conspire to kill the witness and work of Christ because it bangs against our organized tradition and threatens our institutions. We betray our Lord when we attempt to manage the way God works according to our own personal and idolatrous agendas. Yet He still calls us to recline at His table.
It is not enough to serve God. We can serve Him without a clear understanding of why we serve. And our serving becomes a burdensome and miserable thing. We are called to recline at the table. We are called to the celebration. Jesus is the guest of honor. Mary understood that. This woman gave a gospel-centered gift because Christ was the center of her life. He was the reason she lived.
Is Christ the reason you live? Do you often think of Him and marvel at the life He has given you? Do you live to love Christ? Has His gospel transformed you?
I was right when I thought that most people did not give like my daddy. He was pleased to give to me as his son. But just anyone off the street would not have enjoyed that same privilege. Here is one difference between how my daddy gave and how God gives. God gives lavishly to His children. And whosoever will come and receive Him and His gift of the gospel of grace, to them He gives the right to become children of God.

This is gospel-centered giving. Take advantage of that today. Be a gospel-centered giver. Receive the gift of the gospel, so you have something to give.

Family Ties That Bind

Yesterday, my mother’s family had a family reunion. I didn’t go. But I have attended a few times in the past. It was interesting to see people that you may have seen regularly during your life and get reconnected to some people you barely remember. Then there are some folks you meet that you have never met, discovering that you are family connected. Earthly family connections are powerful, influential, interesting and challenging. Maybe some of you have the memories of family members coming up to pinch your cheek or stories of I knew you when you were this high!
Once I preached a in a church in South Carolina, not too far from where we lived when I came into the ministry. I was invited for a series of meetings and on the first night there, there were many people of my family that came out to see what was going on. I thought they were coming to see if God had truly changed my life. Trust me, my life needed changing! But one dear relative left a lasting impression on me. After the sermon, she was introduced to me as someone that saw me as a child when I was about three years of age. I didn’t remember her. But I’ve never forgot her since that night. She smiled and said she wanted to ask me just one question. I anticipated a question such as, “How did you know God wanted you to be a preacher?” Or “What has changed your life in such a dramatic way?” Either way, I was getting my mind ready to give an account for the hope that is in me. Then she said, “Can you still sing You Ain’t Nothing But A Hound Dog?” Evidently, when I was three I was a dynamic little Elvis impersonator! I wondered what in the world that had to do with spiritual things.
Our message today brings us into an encounter between Jesus and his family. We pick up the narrative in Mark 3. The authority of Jesus has been a major theme for the Gospel writer. So far in our studies in Mark we have come to the understanding of His authority over disease and the demonic, the forgiveness of sin and over religious tradition, and the calling of disciples and granting them His authority. But how does the authority of being and becoming a disciple work itself out in our family connections? This certainly can challenge us in our spiritual journey with God. Let’s read the passage before us today and seek to discover the Lord’s word for us.

And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” (Mark 3:20-21)

Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)

ULTIMATE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY IS FOUND LIVING AS A FAMILY UNDER THE AUTHORITY AND IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD.

I. FAMILIES CAN BE THE MOST CRITICAL AND SKEPTICAL OF GOD’S WORK IN US. (20-21)

...When his own people heard....they went...to take custody of Him...

Here is the image of the first broken family where self-interest and self-preservation rules. After the fall in the garden, Adam shifted the blame for his actions on the woman for the influence she had over him and ultimately blamed God for her presence in his life. Adam was hiding from God and did not want God looking for him or looking at him. God’s presence is not welcome to the sinner.
The family of Jesus did not like the unwelcome attention. They thought Jesus was becoming a spectacle and was drawing attention to them. And not all of the attention was positive in their view. The family name was at stake. But was the family name all that reputable in the first place? Remember the scandalous context surrounding the birth of Jesus?
Even though Jesus did not please His family and meet their expectations, God the Father was very pleased with Him. How difficult it is to live up to the expectations of a family who are flawed on their very best day. They went to take custody of Him. They went to bring Him into account. This is the flaw in human thinking. We think we can manage God.
We can be encouraged to know that our identity as Christ followers is found in what God says. The crowds were there to hear God’s word revealed by Christ. They wanted to know what God had to say. They wanted to know who He was and who they were. So do I. I am not who my people say I am. I am who God says I am. My identity as a redeemed follower of Christ says that my family connections are influential but they are not determinative. I am not locked into my walk with God being bound to my family history. The way I have always been treated in my family is not an excuse for my ungodly behavior. God has something better in mind.
When family loyalty is our first consideration in our obedience to God, we must evaluate who is God to us. Our great challenge in the church of our day is to hear what God is saying to us and be obedient to His direction and not be bound in family tradition and church ownership issues. The world hears us say we follow God but they often see us protect earthly family interests. They often see us choose earthly preferences over eternal principles. Sometimes radical discipleship will embarrass people and we can be accused of being religious fanatics.

II. THOSE WHO BEST KNOW US CAN THINK THE WORST OF US. (20-21)

…for they were saying, “He has lost His senses”…

Here is the result of sin in family relationships where discouragement is the norm. We see this throughout biblical history. Cain envied the favor that God had for Abel’s sacrifice, he acted upon this in the ultimate discouraging way. He killed him. Wherever you see envy on display in God’s people, you will see every evil thing. Discouragement is deadly. Consider Joseph’s brothers when they realized he was wearing a symbol of Jacob’s favor. They wanted him to disappear. Consider David’s brothers as he entered the place where the army of Israel was paralyzed by the fear of Goliath. His brother told him in effect to go back to his job as the tender of sheep. The favor of God upon the life of a person can offend some of the family. Not everyone rejoices when we walk with God.
The reason they thought Jesus had lost His mind was that they were using theirs as a standard. The natural and the supernatural mind do not think alike. Spiritual thoughts are produced by spiritual minds. Without the mind of Christ there are no Christlike thoughts which produce Christlike actions.
The authority of Christ was on display and being questioned by those who needed to be under it. This passage about the family interaction is built around the passage about the religious leaders accusing Him of being in league with Satan. This was not lost on His family. The language here seems to suggest that they were caught up in believing the worst about Jesus. And they came to do something about it. Spiritual truth is not proclaimed in a neutral environment. Often there is open warfare in our families. Jesus has said as much when He said that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Peace comes after the war.
We can be a source of embarrassment to those who are convicted by the righteousness of Christ. Our worship of and the following of Jesus can be embarrassing to some family members, even convicting, resulting in downplaying the reality of transformed lives. Family members may say to a recently converted relative, “I don’t know you anymore. You act like a different person.” They would be right. The convert has been born again.
As a church family we will be challenged to live differently than other people’s recollections. A renewed church will be different and act differently. Don’t be afraid to follow Christ. Don’t be afraid to gather as a crowd to hear the word of the Lord. Don’t be afraid to do the will of God.

III. OUR FAMILIES CAN BE OUR GREATEST ENCOURAGEMENT OR OUR GREATEST HINDRANCE IN MINISTRY. (31-32)

...standing outside they sent (word) to Him, and called Him...

The broken fellowship in the first family was the result of the fractured relationship with God. After Cain killed Abel, God confronts him. In Genesis 4:9-11, the word brother is used four times. This concept of brotherhood has a high priority with God. Sin is terminal spiritual disease. Sin destroys brotherhood. Sin destroys sonship. In a sense, Adam and Eve lost two sons when Cain killed Abel. One was dead and one was banished. Sin is genetic and without the intervention of God, it will destroy the entire human race. Apart from God, there is only a natural bond, never a spiritual binding together.
The natural inclination in the heart of a natural man is to be a discourager because life without Christ is discouraging. Perhaps you have been told all your life that you can’t be more than you are. That you never would amount to anything. That you never quite measured up to family standards. Home, home on the range may be the place in a song where seldom is heard a discouraging word. But most of us never grew up there. Is there a better way? For those without Christ we find our hope in Him.
Christ was not distracted by His family’s presence or enslaved by the need for their approval. Once I gave a major portion of my life to playing bluegrass music. We were active for a while in performing at various venues and traveling to bluegrass festivals in three states. We thought we needed to record an album to sell at the locations so we worked one whole winter on that project, traveling to a studio and recording late at night at least once a week. After we received the finished product, I gave my daddy a copy. After he listened to it I asked him what he thought. He said, “It was okay... but don’t quit your day job.” Approval can be an idolatrous tyrant. It can rob us of the joy of serving and working for Christ if all that we are doing it for is to earn someone else’s approval.
Sometimes the presence of our families can shape and influence our ministry for better or worse. The family of Jesus sent a message to Him. This translation says literally, they sent to Him. What did they send? Word is italicized but not in the original text. This is significant. Our families can send a message without sending a word. A glare or a stare can send us despair. Or when our families ignore us or shun us or shut us out it can be very painful. Fear of man is a strong motivation for ministry. Fear of God is a better one.
Unity in the church flows from unified commitment to Christ in the home. When godly unity at home is non-existent, you often see the conflict displayed in the church. When Christ reveals His purpose to a person, He commands them to take that witness home. When this happens, we must understand that our families often misunderstand us if they are not Christ followers. This is to be expected. After all, there are two different worldviews at war. But disunity can also happen in Christian families. We can have division between husband and wife, parent and child, and brother and sister when it comes to spiritual principles. If these are not resolved according to God’s word, they will not get better by themselves. What often happens is that we tend to ignore the disunity in our families and come to church as though everything is fine and become hardened and calloused to the change of heart that God requires. As a result, we see families drift apart and begin to treat each other as though Christ and His word is not relevant to their lives. The church will ultimately pay a price for compartmentalization of Christianity.
Am I saying that a family has to be perfect to be a part of church unity? No, but a family must learn how to appropriate the grace of the gospel, practicing forgiveness, and living in love to be a part of church unity. We live out in community what is designed to be practiced in the family.

IV. OUR STRONGEST FAMILY TIES ARE FOUND IN GOD’S FAMILY. (33-35)

...whoever does the will of God, …is My brother and sister and mother.

Blood connections are strong family ties. Once again in our passage in Genesis 4:9-11, God mentions the blood of Abel in two places. Once He says that the voice of Abel’s blood is crying out. It is like it is a living thing. In fact, God’s word says that life is in the blood. God sees life as precious and blood connections as strong. The old saying, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother,” speaks to a painting of a little boy carrying his brother around. This is the ideal for the family of God. Some people outside the family of God will argue that their closest family connection is their brother or sister or mother or father. But these are temporary and bound to this world.
When all you have is an earthly family your hope has a limit. Our physical existence here is fading away. What will the non-Christian do when their loved one dies? What hope do they have of an eternity with God and with one another? To be a child of the King, you must be born of the King. Our earthly hopes are binding to this world. Our earthly hopes have limits. Eternal hope is found in an eternal God.
The blood of Christ is our ultimate bonding agent. It is what holds the universe together. The blood of Christ is the cross of Christ. It is here that the people of God become a family. When we realize that His sacrifice is pleasing to God and His blood brings us into His family, we can be bound to the family of God by receiving His forgiveness for our sin. The blood of Christ brings about abundant living. It brings about restoration of broken things.
Overcoming fractured family realities requires that we do the will of God. In my translation (NASB) of the Bible, there are 365 entries in my concordance that refer to the word peace. God’s word reveals God’s will. Among these references we are told that we are to seek peace and pursue it. We are told that peace is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And we are also told that peace may not be possible in all instances. Some people would rather have the conflict. Some people want to hold on to their bitterness. But we are told that we as the church have a family obligation to one another. Romans 12:18 says, If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Our part is to actively seek and make peace, whenever possible. This is the will of God. Be prayerful. Be patient. God is able to change the hardest of hearts when people surrender to His authority.
As the church, we must conduct ourselves as children of God, pursuing our Father’s business. In multi-generational businesses, the ones that are the most successful are the ones that adapted to changing times without abandoning the foundational principles as to why they do what they do. How are we to do the will of God? We begin by knowing God, hearing, heeding and doing God’s word. We live out His love. We are heirs to the Father’s kingdom. We live by living with Him and living for Him.

Our So What for Today:

-If we really understand who we are in Christ, joint heirs and children of the Most High God, we will take better care of one another.
-There no shortcuts and detours in our relationships with God and one another.
-Jesus rejects earthly family authority as having ultimate authority.

ULTIMATE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY IS FOUND LIVING AS A FAMILY UNDER THE AUTHORITY AND IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD.

Feathers In The Wind

You could have knocked me over with a feather! I think this expression conveys a sense of surprise and even shock. Maybe you have said these very words at some point in life. The world we live in today is changing at warp speed. We live in an unstable world in unstable times. New challenges are emerging that create a sense of fear and dread in the most faithful among us. Some folks can hardly get through one crisis before they are rattled by another. Their hearts are unsettled. Their minds are troubled. Where can the people of God find their hope and help?
I was reminded of these things the other day when I was in the downtown area. As I walked along the sidewalk, feathers kept fluttering down from out of the sky. I looked to see where they were coming from and was surprised to see them coming from the top of one of the city street lights. A bird of prey, I think it was a hawk of some kind, had perched atop this light pole and had a smaller bird in his grip. I assumed the smaller bird was dead since the hawk was plucking and eating him in the process. Sorry to give you this gruesome word picture, but it illustrates the way some of us are living these days. I mean, times are pretty tough when a hawk has to travel to the city to get something to eat! Lately some of us have made some pretty dramatic adjustments in our lifestyles to survive just like that hawk. And some of us feel like we are being pursued, harassed, trapped, and constantly being plucked and picked over by circumstances beyond our control. It’s almost like someone is eating us for lunch, so to speak. The bad news is that the people of God have an enemy who is on the prowl seeking who he may devour. The good news is that we can consider the plan of God when all other plans are unraveling before our eyes:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Psalms 91:1-4)
I am living and praying lately for the reality of God knocking us over with a feather. As we rest in Him, being covered by His feathers, we can remember this surprising promise of God in the midst of all that tests our faith. God is faithful to His people. He is faithful to His word. He is with us. And He can be trusted with our trust.

On The Road of Life With The Bread of Life

I went on a walk once and forgot where I was going. Have you ever done that? I not only forgot where I was going, I forgot how to get back to where I was when I had started. By the time I could get my bearings, I realized that I was a long way from my starting point. When I finally got back home, it was as if I had aged a lifetime. It’s kind of like that when we consider our journey through life is like a walk on a road… The Road of Life. We often don’t know where it is that we are going. Sometimes we forget our destination. We lose our bearings of how to get back to our starting point. And sometimes we feel that the change is very drastic. Somehow we are not who we used to be. We are forever changed as we move along this road. Today, our Easter message is about two disciples of Jesus walking along a road at a point in their life one day. In fact, it was the very first Easter Day. They walked on the road to Emmaus.
No doubt these two disciples had witnessed the Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, and the Burial of Jesus. Defeated and desponded they had heard the story of the empty tomb. It was all quite hard to believe. What they experienced in this journey was nothing less than a life changing event. They were never the same again. Let’s read the story before us as we consider what it is like to be On the Road of Life With the Bread of Life.

And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?”
And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”
And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”
And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther. And they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” And He went in to stay with them.
And it came about that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon.” And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24:13-35)

The Word of God reveals man’s plight and God’s provision.

I. LIFE’S SORROWFUL CIRCUMSTANCES CAN BLIND US TO THE PRESENCE AND PURPOSES OF GOD. (13-16)

But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

In the aftermath of any traumatic and overwhelming event, human beings often find themselves in the midst of a crisis. Sometimes a person in crisis cannot speak about what has happened. Sometimes this is all they want to do. We see these two men talking about the things that have happened. All of human history has faded into the past as the events of the last few hours have loomed larger than they can process. Think on this for a minute. They were witnesses of the event that was the tipping point of salvation history. The sinful man could now be redeemed. They were too close to the event to know the significance. They only saw the immensity of the circumstance. And it blinded them to the incredible purpose and presence of God.
Our unanswered questions of Why things happen can keep us from seeing the invisible hand of Who is behind it all. Like anyone in crisis, the human question is why did these things take place? Their eyes were not only prevented from recognition, their hearts were prevented from understanding that God was in control of all “these things”. Think back to the night of the betrayal in the garden where Jesus was in command of his own arrest. Think about the trials and beatings. He could have said what they wanted to hear. Think about the excruciating experience on the cross where He claims that He could call a legion of angels to abort this mission. But He was in control. And He still is. When we can no longer see His presence and know His purpose we can trust that He still guides the process in our salvation. He has not abandoned us when the road of life takes a hard turn. He has not stopped working when the road of life leads us to a roadblock.

II. BEING BLIND TO GOD’S PRESENCE AND PURPOSES CAN RESULT IN SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS AND DOWNCAST COUNTENANCE. (17-24)

And they stood still, looking sad.

What a powerful statement of humanity at large. Most of the time, in our progression through life, we often are immobile in the journey. Life has a way of stopping us, paralyzing us. Oh, we may be going through the motions, pretending we know where we are going and why we are going there when in reality, we are traveling in a zombie-like state, numb to feeling pain or sorrow or joy or love. Standing still and looking sad is a human dilemma. It is the plight of unredeemed man. It is the plight of people like these two who had hoped this Jesus was the Redeemer of Israel. They were in the midst of such crisis and grief, it showed upon their lives. Unresolved sorrow can be like a heaviness that cloaks our countenance. It is painful to be in pain. It is like sadness being worn as a mantle. Sorrow looks sorrowful. It is not pretty. When we look for God to manifest Himself in a certain way and that does not happen, we can easily think that He is absent in the process. To live with the idea that God has not met our expectations is a pitiful way to live.
When our expectations of God are shattered, we can discover that we have worshipped our expectations instead of God. How can sinful man have a reality of a proper set of expectations of the Living God anyway? How can the mind of man figure out the workings of a mysterious God in the first place? This is a fool’s errand. If you have ever been disappointed with God, it is more likely on account of uninformed and unrealistic expectations of God. Our God does things like we would not do them. The crucifixion was a necessary thing to have happened. It was the best thing ever to take place in these disciples’ lives and the lives of all disciples for all time.
When we keep hitting roadblocks and potholes on any road we travel, we are tempted to stop traveling on this road. It is not only damaging to our mode of travel, it can be painful to us as well. God comes to these disciples with a word of hope and provision. He comes to us today as well.

III. GOD GIVES INSTRUCTION AND UNDERSTANDING TO THE ONE WHO CAN HEAR HIS WORD. (25-27)

And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

All of God’s Word is about the Word of God. Wouldn’t you like to have been traveling with them to hear what Jesus said? A seven mile walk is the perfect walk when the Word of God is telling you about Himself. Are you weary in your walk today? Be encouraged to know that God comes to us wherever our road has led us. And He speaks of Himself. Disciples can never know themselves and their purpose until they know God and His purpose. He told them about the things about Himself that was in the word of God from the beginning. He told the great story of God providing man’s redemption.
Disciples have a responsibility to know about God’s word. How else will we know what we have been created to do? We are to tell the great story. We are to be God’s redeemed people. We are to live out our purpose. For that to happen, we must know God’s word to His people. And you don’t get that a few minutes a week. It is a lifestyle for a lifetime. We will not ever understand the Word of God if we don’t take the time to hear God’s word. -God’s Word is for our transformation, not merely information. He gives us His word to save us and keep us and conform us and transform us. We are becoming like Christ. Are you a Christlike disciple? Do you know His story?

IV. WHEN DISCIPLES DESIRE TO BE WITH JESUS, THEY CAN SEE GOD'S PROVISION. (28-31)

And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

They asked Him to remain with them. It was getting dark. Darkness in the midst of grief is an awful time for a person. It can be very hard to sleep. Because it is often hard to wake up to reality. In my greatest times of grief, I loved to sleep and I hated to wake up. Here we have a beautiful picture of God’s provision. Jesus remains with us as the day is coming to a close. He did not abandon His disciples.
Just as their eyes were prevented from seeing Him by their despair, they were opened by their desire. If you want Jesus to be with you, He will reveal Himself. He delights to be where He is desired. When Jesus blessed the bread, broke the bread, and gave the bread they saw the Bread of Life. Here is a reminder of God’s provision. As He was revealed miraculously, He vanished miraculously. And they believed miraculously.
In the ancient times of the history of God’s people, they were led out of bondage in Egypt. They were brought into a place of harshness and a place where their own ability and strength to provide for themselves was insufficient. God gave them manna. The name literally meant what is it. You may recall in the Exodus narrative that if a person tried to gather more than they needed for the day, it would spoil. They also were allowed to gather twice as much on the day before the Sabbath and it would not spoil. Walking with God is a daily thing. We trust in His provision daily and do not hoard for ourselves more than we need. For God is to be trusted every day. Human beings are notorious for forgetting their need for God’s provision. Do you want to be with Jesus? Do you know you need Him? He is your greatest need this moment. Greater than your need to be comforted is our need for the Comforter.

V. WHEN GOD IS IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE, JOY CAN BE FOUND IN THE MIDST OF OUR SORROW. (32-35)

And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

These disciples get a case of the “Holy Heartburn” when God shares His word with them. They must tell the story! They began to confirm to others that He is risen…He is risen indeed! The women’s stories of the empty tomb now made sense. The crucifixion was real. And the resurrection was the story that the church was built upon. There is joy in sorrow. And these disciples were no longer standing still and looking sad. Do you have a burning desire to tell God’s story in your life?
Are you still standing still and still looking sad? Your losses in life are real. But they pale in comparison to the gain. We have gained Christ. We have His Spirit living within us and among us. We recognize and remember Him every time we worship. And we worship all the time.
Are you looking for God in your circumstance or looking at the circumstance and missing God? Seek the Lord today in the breaking of the bread in the brokenness of life. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

The Mangled Ear of a Man Named Malchus

My grandfather’s finger was a reminder to us all. His ring finger was shorter than his pinky. He wasn’t born that way but had lost one joint of the finger in a shooting accident. When he was in his late eighties, crows had become a nuisance to him and a threat to his crop of grapes. So he hid under the grape arbor as he poked the barrel of a sawed-off .410 gauge shotgun through the vines to take aim at the offensive critters. His left hand, the ring finger to be exact, was over the barrel as the gun discharged. The aftermath left a dangling, and horribly mangled, finger. The surgeon at the hospital reattached the damaged digit, minus the second joint. It resulted in the strangest looking ring finger I have ever seen. Every time I saw him afterwards, the finger served as a reminder that he should have been more aware of the potential power of life and death choices. Choices have consequences. I heard that Daddy hid his gun after that episode!
An encounter with Christ leaves a mark on a person. I am amazed at how some Christians cannot tell you how Christ has changed their lives. They will claim to have met Him, but their lives remain basically the same as before. It doesn’t seem as though Christ has made a serious impact. Then there are some people who are never the same after a Christ encounter. They are constantly reminded of the power and mystery that surrounds the episode and they continually tell the story to others. Sometimes it is in the aftermath of some affliction, some terrible trial that caused them to stop and consider the claims of Christ. Today’s passage is scripture heavy so let us get to reading two accounts of the same event recorded for us in two of the Gospels. It was the night before the crucifixion, just after Jesus had prayed in the Garden, and He was talking with His disciples about their need to pray to escape temptation. Hear now the word of the Lord.

While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”
Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too. But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:47-62)

When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”
Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.
Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.
The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. (John 18:1-27)

The mangled ear of Malchus reminds us that we live and die by the choices we make.

The mangled ear of a man named Malchus reminds us of...

I. ...SOMEONE’S BETRAYAL.
…the one called Judas, one of the twelve…approached Jesus to kiss Him.…Judas… who was betraying Him… knew the place…
Where is the source of human betrayal? You can find the roots of this thing called betrayal already growing in the beginning of human history in the Garden that God made. Adam and Eve chose to exchange the good desires of God by listening to the voice of another and acting upon their own desires. The Bible tells us that Eve was deceived with the lie of the serpent in that she actually believed that the tree she was tempted to eat from was desirable to make her wise. She acted upon that desire. She wanted to please herself. Adam wanted to please Eve. Where was the root of this evil? It was in the garden with them. Rooted in this Ancient Serpent was the desire to be like God. The desire to act independently of God and treat God as irrelevant was found in the heart of the serpent. The root of sin was implanted in the human family because of a choice that these two made. The word that is translated serpent is also used for “shining one.” Whatever Eve was confronted with was not a slithering and repulsive snake. Lucifer, created by Almighty God to be the leader of worship in Heaven wanted to be the object of worship. He was not content with God’s desire. So this angelic creature acted upon his desires. He betrayed his Creator. We do what we do because we want what we want. We live and die by the choices we make.
Why did Judas choose to betray Jesus? Some people think he never had a choice. While it is true that one of these disciples would have betrayed Jesus, it was something in the heart of this one that made him susceptible. For some reason, he wanted to betray Jesus. Ask anyone who has ever betrayed the trust of another, and if they are honest, they will tell you that it was because they wanted something. It was because of some selfish desire. This selfishness isolates a person. It is not good for man to be alone. We read that Judas was “one of the twelve.” There is a difference between being one “of the twelve” and being one “with the twelve.” Here is a danger for us. When we are isolated because of our desires we are susceptible to being a traitor. Ask the husband whose wife has been unfaithful how closed off she became to him. Ask the wife whose husband was arrested for embezzling money from the company he worked for how distant he became. We live and die by the choices we make. Ask God who it is that is ultimately betrayed when people betray one another. Have you ever chosen to betray the trust of God? You cannot live with that choice. Repentance is the wise course of action. Forgiveness brings life to the dead.
Judas could not live with his choice. Isn’t it interesting that the scene of the severing of Malchus’ ear was in a garden? The treachery of Judas collides with Peter’s violent act. Sin begets sin. Judas knew the place. It was a place where Jesus often went to pray. The Second Adam was in community with His Father in a garden. Judas chose to deliberately undermine God’s work in Christ. The Bible says he regretted but did not repent. He went out and took his own life. The mangled ear of Malchus is our reminder that a person can become so isolated from other people of God and can become so very twisted in their thinking and they act on their own sinful desires. Sin is spiritual treason. Treason is a crime that promises death. We cannot live with the choice to sin against God and one another.

The mangled ear of a man named Malchus reminds us of...

II. ...SOMEONE’S DENIAL.
…Peter was following at a distance…
…The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord…
What was it that the Lord said that Peter remembered? Specifically, we find the exchange earlier in Luke 22:31 and following: Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; During this conversation Peter claimed that he was willing to go to prison or even die with Jesus. To which Jesus responded: I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.
We see in the text at this point that Peter followed at a distance. Peter discovered that when we choose to increase the distance between us and God, it becomes easier to deny Him.
Why is it that we choose to deny Christ at critical times in our lives? There is a fear factor. Over and over in God’s message to His people is “Fear not…I am with you.” The closer the gap between God and man, the more courageous a human becomes. The greater the distance, the more we deny. Peter’s fear of man was greater than His fear of God. Distance can do that. How is it possible that one so close to Jesus could become so distant from Him? The same way it can happen for us. We can slow down so much in our following that we can fall far, far away. I am reminded that the Prodigal Son left the influence of his father and wound up in the “far country”. Can you ever get so far away that you think God doesn’t notice? Does He ever forget us? Is His eye still upon us?
God sends His people reminders of the distance in our following. In giving Peter reminders, the Bible lets us know God remembered him. In our lives, we are confronted with reminders as well. At the age of 12 years old, I was baptized into the Christian faith and I desired to follow Christ closely. Then as a teenager, I began to put some distance between me and God. And I lived and died in the far country for many, many years. God kept sending me reminders of where I was and where He was. One such reminder was when my granddaddy asked me to come to church one Sunday. It was a special day where he was asked to preach in the church where my mama had grown up. They were having a meal afterwards and I went for the food and to get him off my back. I was living such a godless life at that time, I felt extremely out of place. I couldn’t wait for the end of the sermon. Then my granddaddy called for all who had ever worn the name of Christ to come to the altar and pray for God to move in the hearts of that church family. I stayed in my seat. But I heard that reminder. I was deceived to think that I was too far away from God for Him to reach me. I believed that I was too far away for Him to notice me. God never forsakes His own. He relentlessly pursues us. He never stops looking.
The Lord…looked at Peter. And He continued to look. The Lord continues to look my way. He is the God who restores. God saves us to keep us. I have never been able to work my way back into the grace of God. When I repented and returned to follow Him, He restored my life. By the grace of God, I stand before you today. By the grace of God, I have had the opportunity to preach the gospel from that very place where I denied my Lord. I have confessed my denial before men. More importantly, I have confessed it to God. A close walk with God closes the distance. Close the gap today. Come closer to Christ.

The mangled ear of a man named Malchus reminds us of...

III. …SOMEONE’S REFUSAL.
Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.
The High Priest Caiaphas was the right man in place for wrong times. It was against Jewish law that Jesus was tried in the middle of the night. For this to take place it would take the unrighteous actions of an unrighteous man. Caiaphas was God’s man for the madness of the moment. As High Priest he was authorized to bring judgment upon people charged with blasphemy. This was the trumped up charge. And Caiaphas was offering up Jesus as a price to be paid for the nation’s peace with Rome. Political unrest was a serious threat to the priestly temple culture and the occupying Roman government. It’s amazing how God uses the actions of the ungodly to accomplish His godly purposes. Make no mistake about it. The arrest, trial and execution of Jesus was not an aberration. Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, and Caiaphas’ refusal to acknowledge the innocence of the purest life in history was all under the direction of a most righteous and holy God and all in His sovereign plan. But God often leaves a reminder of our wrong choices.
Malchus was the slave of the High Priest Caiaphas. For the days after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Malchus would have been in close proximity to the High Priest. Malchus was his personal slave. When Caiaphas looked upon him, there was the ear. The mangled ear of Malchus was a symbolic reminder of a confrontation with Christ and the wrong choices that religious people can make. I wonder if the high priest would remember hearing about multiple accounts of Jesus teaching where He ended His discourse with the phrase, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Malchus was no doubt a constant reminder to Caiaphas of the refusal to hear and believe the truth when Truth stood before him. One translator says that the name Caiaphas literally means “depression”. This can be a lesson for us. The quickest route for a human being to become depressed is to refuse to believe the claims of Christ. Unbelief and depression go together.

The mangled ear of a man named Malchus reminds us of...

IV. ...SOMEONE’S RENEWAL.
And He touched his ear and healed him.
Malchus was the last man healed before mankind was healed. Jesus had healed many kinds of chronic afflictions, physical deformities, and leprosy. He had restored sight to the blind and healed those who could not hear or speak. He even raised the dead. But this is the only record of healing a flesh wound. He we see Him intervene after one man chooses to violently damage another man and immediately heal the victim. Here we see Him heal a flesh wound before He is wounded in His flesh to heal mankind’s terminal spiritual affliction. Jesus chose to stop His own arrest and seizure to stop sin’s death grip. Jesus reached out to heal someone who was His enemy by nature. But Malchus had to make a choice, even in the midst of his pain. He had to stop and be still.
Malchus chose to let Jesus touch his mangled ear. We live and die by the choices we make. We can live without an ear. But we cannot live without a touch from Christ. How difficult it must have been for Malchus to focus on the touch of Christ through the searing pain and the flow of blood, in that turbulent and chaotic moment. Malchus learned what we are reminded of today. The touch of Jesus will heal hurts that seem beyond hope. And we must be still...to be healed. Be still and know that He is God.

The mangled ear of a man named Malchus reminds us of...

V. …SOMEONE’S MAJESTY.
So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am (He).”
The name Malchus means kingly, regal, or majestic. And yet he was a slave. This slave king was healed by the Servant King. This last act points to the actions of the Servant King. A few hours away from the excruciating physical and spiritual pain of the cross, He gives those in that dark garden on that dark night a true picture of who He really is. He is a King in ultimate power and control. He is King of all earthly kings, who are at best slaves themselves to God or sin. He is King of all kings and all slaves, including you and me. Let us not forget the one who is described here. This is not some mild mannered Savior who tries to convince us that His way is best. This is a Warrior King who invades the darkness and is in total control of His own destiny and ours. How will you answer this question: “Whom do you seek?” Is it Jesus the Nazarene? Then come today and fall down before Him.
I am, He said. The pronoun He is not in the original text of this passage. I am is what He said. This was the personal name of the Great God Jehovah that He revealed to Moses in preparation of leading His people out of bondage. Tell the Pharaoh that I am has sent you to deliver His people was the message to Moses. That night, this same God was going to deliver His people from bondage. “Whom do you seek?” was the question. You have found Jehovah when you have found Jesus was the answer. More appropriately, Almighty God had found them. When God reveals Himself to humans, there is only one response if we want to live to tell the story.
They drew back and fell to the ground. Consider the crowd that night. A Roman cohort was at least five hundred trained soldiers. The priests, elders, slaves and temple guards (which was no small contingent) showed up with Judas. They brought weapons and torches and lanterns. They came out against Jesus to capture Him. But you don’t capture God. He captures you! He stopped the proceedings long enough to heal the mangled ear of a man named Malchus. This Second Adam did not hide in fear, but charged the crowd and asked the question, Whom do you seek? Pagan soldiers and religious people alike drew back and fell to the ground. Jesus was in total control of everything that happened that night. He is Lord. And He is God. Whom do you seek?
The message today is not as much about the renewal of Malchus, or the betrayal of Judas, or the denial of Peter, or the refusal of Caiaphus as much as it is about absolute authority revealed in the majesty of the King of kings and Lord of lords in the person of Jesus, the Nazarene. If you hear my voice today, know that He has found you. And this is your reminder to come and bow low before the Most High God. Surrender your life and repent of your sin. Believe that His sacrificial death was necessary for you so you could be free to worship this Warrior God. Believe that He was raised from the dead in the power of the Resurrection that testifies that all God has said will be accomplished. Come and follow Jesus. He is the One you seek. And He is the One seeking you.
What is it in your life that reminds you of the grace of God?
What will be your response to Christ today?