(In this poem, I have used iambic hexameter instead of the usual pentameter; I have attempted to paraphrase as accurately as I can in modern southern American idiom the literal teachings of Jesus Christ as contained in the NIV, John 6:33-59. I confess that some lines are added to aid the clarity and some omitted as demanded for space. By the way, I have indented the 13th and 14th lines of all my sonnets as is proper, but the publisher has omitted the indentations for his own reasons.)
There is this brief life in flesh as woman or man,
The average years of which are three score and ten;
Then there’s the everlasting life after this one’s ran,
In which there’s no gender, flesh, night, and no end!
You won’t want to live that life, if you’re sent to hell,
But that’s where you’ll be, if Jesus you now ignore!
You’ll live in heaven with great joy, if He you tell
You believe He came from God to die so you can soar!
Of eternal life, Jesus is the bread and drink;
He let Himself be nailed to the cross, so that we
Escape the fate which our sins led us to the brink
Of paying for, had Jesus not died on the tree!
He will raise us up the last day to be with Him;
Those drawn by the Father, Jesus will not condemn!
Jesus always spoke in parables, symbolic or spiritual language in the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which made His teachings more difficult for the Jews, even His disciples, to understand. This was deliberate; it was a result of God’s judgment of imposed dullness of spiritual insight on the Jews (See Isaiah 6:9-10). The fact is, at the time of Jesus’ incarnation, it was more important that Israel reject Jesus and crucify Him (because this would be the only way God’s plan of salvation by grace could be implemented) than for them to believe en masse and make Him their earthly king. Here, the day after He fed the five thousand on five small loaves and two fish, Jesus was encumbered by the crowd’s stubborn following of Him; they were not there to learn, as were the disciples; or believe in Him as the Lord; they were there for more free food. He told them so, but still they hung on, asking Him to feed them the bread like the manna that God supplied to the Children of Israel in their desert wanderings.
Therefore, still speaking symbolically, Jesus used a take-off from the bread of the small loaves; He asked them, why did they work for bread that spoiled? After all, He was the “bread of life”; by which He meant that if they “ingested” Him by learning and following all He taught, and He gave His flesh and blood to die on the cross in atonement for their sins, then His “flesh and blood” would be the bread of eternal life; it would not spoil. It was a parallel to the admonition to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (See Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount). Yet, it was a hard and gruesome thing to say, even symbolically; it had the desired effect; many of the still-lost, disinterested, sickened by the thought of “eating His flesh”, deserted Him. Many of those today who accept Jesus for a little while, fall away when they learn what following Him really means!
There is controversy about whether Jesus was speaking seriously about eating His flesh or not. The Roman Catholic Church interprets Him seriously. In their “mass”, officially called the Eucharist, they believe that the wafer, when being held up and blessed by the priest, actually transforms itself from bread into the very real flesh of Jesus Christ. Catholic parishioners who eat the wafer are ingesting Jesus into their bodies. The wafers are kept in the “tabernacle”, a small ornamental box with a decorative key, which is kept locked when not in use. They speak of “Jesus being present in the tabernacle and in every mass held anywhere in the world. I may be wrong, but I can’t believe this; if Jesus spoke in spiritual, symbolic language the majority of His ministry, why would He use literal words in this one instance?
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Five Thousand Want More Free Food (J24)
The crowd that Jesus fed found Him next day,
And, of course, wanted Him to give them more;
They did not care to hear what He had to say;
Free food they wanted, like Moses of yore!
Knowing their hearts, He spoke plainly to them,
“Moses gave no bread; God gave it, ev’ry day;
Why work for bread that spoils? My bread’s from Him,
The bread of life I give won’t waste away!
You’re not here because of signs I’ve done,
But for bread that makes you hunger again;
For Him that sent me is why I have come,
To gather all that believe in my name!”
They grumbled, “Who does he think he is?
We know the parents and siblings that are his!”
“When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.’ Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the work God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: To believe in the One he has sent.’ “ (John 6:25-29) (The complete text of this poem/commentary is John 6:22-32)
The crowd of five thousand that Jesus had fed on five small loaves and two small fish hunted Him down in Capernaum the next day. Their motive was not to hear the gospel and be saved, but to have Him feed them again. He did not want to spend His precious time talking to people who followed Him out of selfish or this-world’s reasons, so He told them plainly He knew they sought Him to be fed earthly food again, but He also took one last opportunity to seek belief. He explained the difference between real bread, for which they would hunger again, and the symbolic bread of life, which would endure to eternal life; this symbolic bread is for each to believe in the One that was sent from the Father.
They asked Him the most important question a person can ask in his lifetime: What “work” does the Father require for this symbolic bread that gives eternal life? Jesus’ answer is the best news any person can hear in his lifetime: Believe in the One sent by the Father. Salvation is yours that simply: Believe in Jesus as the Son of God and you will be saved. Put that in your memory bank; engrave it on your heart. You can be saved by it, even if the five thousand were not.
There are a good many people today who profess belief in Jesus for some selfish reason. It can be as simple as professing to satisfy an anxious parent; it can be by a political candidate who professes in order to increase his total votes; or a merchant who hopes to increase his volume of sales. There are a lot of selfish reasons that might induce a profession of faith, BUT you can be assured that Jesus Christ knows the truth like He knew what this crowd really were after. You will not be saved by that kind of profession: Count on it!
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
And, of course, wanted Him to give them more;
They did not care to hear what He had to say;
Free food they wanted, like Moses of yore!
Knowing their hearts, He spoke plainly to them,
“Moses gave no bread; God gave it, ev’ry day;
Why work for bread that spoils? My bread’s from Him,
The bread of life I give won’t waste away!
You’re not here because of signs I’ve done,
But for bread that makes you hunger again;
For Him that sent me is why I have come,
To gather all that believe in my name!”
They grumbled, “Who does he think he is?
We know the parents and siblings that are his!”
“When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.’ Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the work God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: To believe in the One he has sent.’ “ (John 6:25-29) (The complete text of this poem/commentary is John 6:22-32)
The crowd of five thousand that Jesus had fed on five small loaves and two small fish hunted Him down in Capernaum the next day. Their motive was not to hear the gospel and be saved, but to have Him feed them again. He did not want to spend His precious time talking to people who followed Him out of selfish or this-world’s reasons, so He told them plainly He knew they sought Him to be fed earthly food again, but He also took one last opportunity to seek belief. He explained the difference between real bread, for which they would hunger again, and the symbolic bread of life, which would endure to eternal life; this symbolic bread is for each to believe in the One that was sent from the Father.
They asked Him the most important question a person can ask in his lifetime: What “work” does the Father require for this symbolic bread that gives eternal life? Jesus’ answer is the best news any person can hear in his lifetime: Believe in the One sent by the Father. Salvation is yours that simply: Believe in Jesus as the Son of God and you will be saved. Put that in your memory bank; engrave it on your heart. You can be saved by it, even if the five thousand were not.
There are a good many people today who profess belief in Jesus for some selfish reason. It can be as simple as professing to satisfy an anxious parent; it can be by a political candidate who professes in order to increase his total votes; or a merchant who hopes to increase his volume of sales. There are a lot of selfish reasons that might induce a profession of faith, BUT you can be assured that Jesus Christ knows the truth like He knew what this crowd really were after. You will not be saved by that kind of profession: Count on it!
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Jesus Walks Three Miles On Water (J23)
Jesus and the crowd needing not their care,
The disciples rowed from the eastern shore,
When darkness came; the rest would use “shank’s mare”*,
For they would walk when the sun rose once more!
The wind from the west blew at them harder;
The rowing grew to a fierce gasping fight;
They saw Jesus, walking on the water
Toward them; seeing Him brought them much fright!
Then He said, “It is I; be not afraid;”
They grew calm, and helped Him the wale** not miss;
The wind grew quiet; they rowed till they could wade;
And they wondered, what kind of man is this?
They knew not yet He was God, for sure,
Despite all they saw, and all He did cure!
“shank/s mare” means “by foot”; **wale means gunwale
“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake where they got into a boar and set off across the lake for Capernaum/ By now it was dark and Jesus had not joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the water got rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid/” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were going.” (John 6:16-21)
I wonder what would have happened if they had remained terrified and would have tried to keep Him out of the boat? We must realize how difficult it would be for human beings like the disciples to believe Jesus was God, even though they had seen all the wonders He performed. It makes us realize how difficult it is to believe, really believe, that He was God today, for us and those we wish to convince. And yet, that is what it takes for us to receive salvation!
We have reached the fifth “miraculous sign” John included out of a total of only seven in his gospel. He selected this miracle, probably because “walking on water” is reminiscent of God, who the Bible says “rides on the clouds”. If the Creator of the world can’t find Himself at home any place in it, on water, on clouds, or even in the midst of the towering heat of gases at the center of the sun, how can we be sure that He created it all? In my last blog I wrote of His feeding of five thousand people on five biscuits and two sardines; what is strange about such a God walking 3 or 4 miles on top of the Sea of Galilee? Well, but His disciples were terrified to see Him doing it.
The Pharisees were able to “explain away” most of Jesus’ miracles in the other gospels, which may be why John wrote his so many years later. It came out about 90 A. D., while the others were first read within forty years of the crucifiction. They were stumped by John’s gospel, which may be why they waited until 90 to officially outlaw Christianity from Judaism. Until then, some small messianic (meaning they believed Jesus was Messiah) sects continued to meet under the cloak of Judaism. The apostle Paul was responsible for establishing Christianity’s gospel of salvation based on pure grace; had it been left to the 12 original apostles, much of the Mosaic Law, such as circumcision, would still encumber Christians today.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
The disciples rowed from the eastern shore,
When darkness came; the rest would use “shank’s mare”*,
For they would walk when the sun rose once more!
The wind from the west blew at them harder;
The rowing grew to a fierce gasping fight;
They saw Jesus, walking on the water
Toward them; seeing Him brought them much fright!
Then He said, “It is I; be not afraid;”
They grew calm, and helped Him the wale** not miss;
The wind grew quiet; they rowed till they could wade;
And they wondered, what kind of man is this?
They knew not yet He was God, for sure,
Despite all they saw, and all He did cure!
“shank/s mare” means “by foot”; **wale means gunwale
“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake where they got into a boar and set off across the lake for Capernaum/ By now it was dark and Jesus had not joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the water got rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid/” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were going.” (John 6:16-21)
I wonder what would have happened if they had remained terrified and would have tried to keep Him out of the boat? We must realize how difficult it would be for human beings like the disciples to believe Jesus was God, even though they had seen all the wonders He performed. It makes us realize how difficult it is to believe, really believe, that He was God today, for us and those we wish to convince. And yet, that is what it takes for us to receive salvation!
We have reached the fifth “miraculous sign” John included out of a total of only seven in his gospel. He selected this miracle, probably because “walking on water” is reminiscent of God, who the Bible says “rides on the clouds”. If the Creator of the world can’t find Himself at home any place in it, on water, on clouds, or even in the midst of the towering heat of gases at the center of the sun, how can we be sure that He created it all? In my last blog I wrote of His feeding of five thousand people on five biscuits and two sardines; what is strange about such a God walking 3 or 4 miles on top of the Sea of Galilee? Well, but His disciples were terrified to see Him doing it.
The Pharisees were able to “explain away” most of Jesus’ miracles in the other gospels, which may be why John wrote his so many years later. It came out about 90 A. D., while the others were first read within forty years of the crucifiction. They were stumped by John’s gospel, which may be why they waited until 90 to officially outlaw Christianity from Judaism. Until then, some small messianic (meaning they believed Jesus was Messiah) sects continued to meet under the cloak of Judaism. The apostle Paul was responsible for establishing Christianity’s gospel of salvation based on pure grace; had it been left to the 12 original apostles, much of the Mosaic Law, such as circumcision, would still encumber Christians today.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Jesus Feeds The Five Thousand (J22)
Trying to find a quiet place in which to pray.
Jesus went across the lake to the east;
Five thousand followed Him late in the day;
There was no food on which the crowd could feast!
Andrew said, “Here’s a boy with a small lunch—
Five biscuit rolls and two small sardine fish.”
Jesus said, “Sit them twenty to a bunch;
Bring me the lunch; use each robe for a dish!”
He broke loaves till three hundred robes were full;
The same with the fish; two robes to each bunch;
All of them ate till their hunger was dull,
Thanks to Jesus and the boy with the lunch!
Jesus said, “Gather the food that remained,”
And twelve baskets for the poor were retained!
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely, this is the Prophet that is to come into all the world.' Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (John 6:14-15) (The “Prophet” cited here is found in a prophecy by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18-19. Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy.)
We have come to the fourth “miraculous sign” performed by Jesus that John included in his gospel out of a total of seven. This miracle is reminiscent of the loving care shown by God to the Israelite people during forty years they wandered in the desert. Manna from heaven helped to feed them; when Jesus fed the five thousand, the parallel must have been apparent to them, which is probably John’s reason for selecting it. Jesus often slipped away from His disciples and the crowds to pray to His Father alone. His fame was spreading so that it was becoming more difficult to become isolated. Some of those who gathered around Him did not believe, but were curious about His miracles.
You may be wondering why Jesus did not let them make Him king of Israel. The Jews misunderstood much of what God told them by the prophets. Furthermore, they were prophesying two comings of God to earth—the first was as Messiah, during which He would establish the Kingdom of God, using love and gentleness. The second coming of God is one of power, conquest, and retribution, as at the Battle of Armageddon. The Jews confused the first coming with the second. In fact, they don’t even look for a second coming today; they are still waiting for the first. They thought the Messiah would be a military conqueror like Alexander the Great, only better. They couldn’t imagine a Messiah that talked about obeying your masters, turning the other cheek, and loving others, even enemies; much less one that ended up letting Himself be crucified. Their prophets had told them what to expect, especially Isaiah and Zechariah. In Zechariah 4:6, God tells the people of Judea, “not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit”, meaning the Holy Spirit, who produces in a man Love, Kindness, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, and Self-control (See Galations 5). The kind of things Jesus said were opposite to what they expected. If Jesus was as they expected, He would let the five thousand make Him King; they would become His soldiers, along with thousands of other Jews, and they would defeat the Roman armies in Israel. Jesus was not anything like that.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Jesus went across the lake to the east;
Five thousand followed Him late in the day;
There was no food on which the crowd could feast!
Andrew said, “Here’s a boy with a small lunch—
Five biscuit rolls and two small sardine fish.”
Jesus said, “Sit them twenty to a bunch;
Bring me the lunch; use each robe for a dish!”
He broke loaves till three hundred robes were full;
The same with the fish; two robes to each bunch;
All of them ate till their hunger was dull,
Thanks to Jesus and the boy with the lunch!
Jesus said, “Gather the food that remained,”
And twelve baskets for the poor were retained!
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely, this is the Prophet that is to come into all the world.' Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (John 6:14-15) (The “Prophet” cited here is found in a prophecy by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18-19. Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy.)
We have come to the fourth “miraculous sign” performed by Jesus that John included in his gospel out of a total of seven. This miracle is reminiscent of the loving care shown by God to the Israelite people during forty years they wandered in the desert. Manna from heaven helped to feed them; when Jesus fed the five thousand, the parallel must have been apparent to them, which is probably John’s reason for selecting it. Jesus often slipped away from His disciples and the crowds to pray to His Father alone. His fame was spreading so that it was becoming more difficult to become isolated. Some of those who gathered around Him did not believe, but were curious about His miracles.
You may be wondering why Jesus did not let them make Him king of Israel. The Jews misunderstood much of what God told them by the prophets. Furthermore, they were prophesying two comings of God to earth—the first was as Messiah, during which He would establish the Kingdom of God, using love and gentleness. The second coming of God is one of power, conquest, and retribution, as at the Battle of Armageddon. The Jews confused the first coming with the second. In fact, they don’t even look for a second coming today; they are still waiting for the first. They thought the Messiah would be a military conqueror like Alexander the Great, only better. They couldn’t imagine a Messiah that talked about obeying your masters, turning the other cheek, and loving others, even enemies; much less one that ended up letting Himself be crucified. Their prophets had told them what to expect, especially Isaiah and Zechariah. In Zechariah 4:6, God tells the people of Judea, “not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit”, meaning the Holy Spirit, who produces in a man Love, Kindness, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, and Self-control (See Galations 5). The kind of things Jesus said were opposite to what they expected. If Jesus was as they expected, He would let the five thousand make Him King; they would become His soldiers, along with thousands of other Jews, and they would defeat the Roman armies in Israel. Jesus was not anything like that.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Jesus Appeals For Acceptance By The Jews (J21)
Jesus continued to the Pharisees,
“You study Scriptures thinking to receive
Eternal life, but fail to accept me,
The One who gives life to those who believe!
When you are judged, I will not accuse you;
That will be Moses, in whom your hope lies;
He wrote of me*, said you would listen to;
You don’t listen like Moses testifies!
You sent to John Baptist; he told the truth**;
Yet, you would not accept that God sent me;
Look at all my works***, healings by God’s ruth;
They testify I have been sent by He!
The Father’s words do not dwell in your heart;
If they did, you’d know of Him I am part!
* Deuteronomy 18:18-19—“ ‘I [God said to Moses] will raise up for them [the people of Israel] a prophet [Jesus] like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I will call him to account.’ “ [Brackets added]
** John 1:24-27—“Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him [John the Baptist), ‘Why do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ ‘I baptize with water;’ John replied, ‘but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ “ [Brackets added]
*** Isaiah 35:46—“say to those with fearful hearts [Israelites], ‘Be strong, do not fear, your God will come, … Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy.’ “ [Brackets added]
This is the third poem/commentary on the invalid that Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda. It describes the last portion of the speech of Jesus to the Pharisees in response to their ticky-tacky interrogation due to the healing being done on the Sabbath and being called “work”. The words of Jesus in the poem are paraphrased; His meaning is retained. You can read His actual words for yourself in John 5:31-47 (NIV). It should be clear now why John selected the miraculous sign of the invalid’s healing as the third of only seven he put into his gospel book. Jesus is given a double opportunity: 1. That of preaching the gospel of salvation by acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God; and 2. An opportunity to needle the unbelieving Pharisees into hatred that will result in His rejection and crucifiction. A few of them did believe in Him, like Nicodemus, but they feared to let it be known by their peers. Jesus did not want them to fully accept Him, for that would ruin His mission, which was to die for all the sins of men. He gave them scriptural and testimonial evidence that He was the Son of God. It hardly seems credible that the Jews did not believe Him; their foolish pride would not allow their belief, because their own interpretation of scripture was so contrary to God’s intentions.
Old Testament scripture is littered with passages like Deuteronomy 18:18-19 and Isaiah 35:46 quoted above. These Pharisees were experts in Hebrew scripture, and their dullness seems ridiculous. Any objective research into the life of Jesus, especially at the time He lived, would have concluded that He was who He said He was, particularly if you add His resurrection from the grave to it, and yet Judaism today, in 2010, still awaits the coming of the Messiah, futilely of course.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
“You study Scriptures thinking to receive
Eternal life, but fail to accept me,
The One who gives life to those who believe!
When you are judged, I will not accuse you;
That will be Moses, in whom your hope lies;
He wrote of me*, said you would listen to;
You don’t listen like Moses testifies!
You sent to John Baptist; he told the truth**;
Yet, you would not accept that God sent me;
Look at all my works***, healings by God’s ruth;
They testify I have been sent by He!
The Father’s words do not dwell in your heart;
If they did, you’d know of Him I am part!
* Deuteronomy 18:18-19—“ ‘I [God said to Moses] will raise up for them [the people of Israel] a prophet [Jesus] like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I will call him to account.’ “ [Brackets added]
** John 1:24-27—“Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him [John the Baptist), ‘Why do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ ‘I baptize with water;’ John replied, ‘but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ “ [Brackets added]
*** Isaiah 35:46—“say to those with fearful hearts [Israelites], ‘Be strong, do not fear, your God will come, … Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy.’ “ [Brackets added]
This is the third poem/commentary on the invalid that Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda. It describes the last portion of the speech of Jesus to the Pharisees in response to their ticky-tacky interrogation due to the healing being done on the Sabbath and being called “work”. The words of Jesus in the poem are paraphrased; His meaning is retained. You can read His actual words for yourself in John 5:31-47 (NIV). It should be clear now why John selected the miraculous sign of the invalid’s healing as the third of only seven he put into his gospel book. Jesus is given a double opportunity: 1. That of preaching the gospel of salvation by acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God; and 2. An opportunity to needle the unbelieving Pharisees into hatred that will result in His rejection and crucifiction. A few of them did believe in Him, like Nicodemus, but they feared to let it be known by their peers. Jesus did not want them to fully accept Him, for that would ruin His mission, which was to die for all the sins of men. He gave them scriptural and testimonial evidence that He was the Son of God. It hardly seems credible that the Jews did not believe Him; their foolish pride would not allow their belief, because their own interpretation of scripture was so contrary to God’s intentions.
Old Testament scripture is littered with passages like Deuteronomy 18:18-19 and Isaiah 35:46 quoted above. These Pharisees were experts in Hebrew scripture, and their dullness seems ridiculous. Any objective research into the life of Jesus, especially at the time He lived, would have concluded that He was who He said He was, particularly if you add His resurrection from the grave to it, and yet Judaism today, in 2010, still awaits the coming of the Messiah, futilely of course.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Jesus Preaches Gospel To Pharisees (J20)
Jesus spoke much to a large throng of Jews,
“My Father works always*; so does the Son;
Greater things than those of which you accuse
Will I do; things that my Father has done!
My Father raises the dead, so will I;
I give eternal life to whom I may;
Believe me, and my Father honors you;
Believe not, and be condemned Judgment Day!
My voice will be heard in all graves on earth;
The dead shall rise; my Father made me judge;
The righteous to eternal life of worth;
The evil to torment, that none begrudge!”
Said the Jews, “Not just Sabbath does he break,
But equal with God he does himself make!”
*Meaning: God works 7 days a week, including Sabbath, to keep this world running
The words of this poem are just a paraphrase of part of what Jesus said to the Pharisees who accused Him of breaking the Sabbath after He healed the invalid at Bethesda Pool. I will finish His talk in my next blog. This poem/commentary concerns the scripture John 5:16-30.
“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working!’ For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:16-18)
Although the poem’s quotes are paraphrased, they convey the accurate meanings of Jesus. Of course He was claiming equality with God, because He was God. He pulled no punches. This is John’s way of presenting Jesus, and his gospel book angered the Jews more than any other. These Pharisees were the experts on Mosaic Law given to Israel by God, and there are at least 340 prophecies about the coming of Jesus (Messiah) in Hebrew scripture, every one of which came true. These so-called “experts” on the Law should have checked them all out, found them true, and welcomed Jesus to His kingdom; they should have given Him a royal escort to the temple, put the crown that had been made for Him in Zechariah’s time (See Zechariah 5:8-15), and introduced Israel’s divine King. Instead, they tried to arrest Him for breaking one of their man-made rinky-dink rules because He healed a 38-year invalid on the Sabbath! Jesus told them clearly the gospel—believe and be resurrected to eternal life or disbelieve and be condemned.
However, at this point, Jesus did not want their friendship and support. God had decided in Jeremiah’s time (700 years before) to disallow His covenant with the Jews—rather, they had so broken their side, that God didn’t want them accepting Jesus (See Jeremiah 31:31)—that He had decided on the covenant of grace; that He would come to earth and be crucified in atonement for the sins of all people, scrubbing the Law as a means of salvation; which it never was, anyway. Humanity was unable to live righteously, so God made it possible for those who accepted Jesus to be saved by the righteousness of Jesus. What that means is, you can’t ever earn your place in heaven; you will always sin; but you can believe in Jesus and be saved, because He lived and died to give you that privilege! That is grace—the unearned favor of God!
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
“My Father works always*; so does the Son;
Greater things than those of which you accuse
Will I do; things that my Father has done!
My Father raises the dead, so will I;
I give eternal life to whom I may;
Believe me, and my Father honors you;
Believe not, and be condemned Judgment Day!
My voice will be heard in all graves on earth;
The dead shall rise; my Father made me judge;
The righteous to eternal life of worth;
The evil to torment, that none begrudge!”
Said the Jews, “Not just Sabbath does he break,
But equal with God he does himself make!”
*Meaning: God works 7 days a week, including Sabbath, to keep this world running
The words of this poem are just a paraphrase of part of what Jesus said to the Pharisees who accused Him of breaking the Sabbath after He healed the invalid at Bethesda Pool. I will finish His talk in my next blog. This poem/commentary concerns the scripture John 5:16-30.
“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working!’ For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:16-18)
Although the poem’s quotes are paraphrased, they convey the accurate meanings of Jesus. Of course He was claiming equality with God, because He was God. He pulled no punches. This is John’s way of presenting Jesus, and his gospel book angered the Jews more than any other. These Pharisees were the experts on Mosaic Law given to Israel by God, and there are at least 340 prophecies about the coming of Jesus (Messiah) in Hebrew scripture, every one of which came true. These so-called “experts” on the Law should have checked them all out, found them true, and welcomed Jesus to His kingdom; they should have given Him a royal escort to the temple, put the crown that had been made for Him in Zechariah’s time (See Zechariah 5:8-15), and introduced Israel’s divine King. Instead, they tried to arrest Him for breaking one of their man-made rinky-dink rules because He healed a 38-year invalid on the Sabbath! Jesus told them clearly the gospel—believe and be resurrected to eternal life or disbelieve and be condemned.
However, at this point, Jesus did not want their friendship and support. God had decided in Jeremiah’s time (700 years before) to disallow His covenant with the Jews—rather, they had so broken their side, that God didn’t want them accepting Jesus (See Jeremiah 31:31)—that He had decided on the covenant of grace; that He would come to earth and be crucified in atonement for the sins of all people, scrubbing the Law as a means of salvation; which it never was, anyway. Humanity was unable to live righteously, so God made it possible for those who accepted Jesus to be saved by the righteousness of Jesus. What that means is, you can’t ever earn your place in heaven; you will always sin; but you can believe in Jesus and be saved, because He lived and died to give you that privilege! That is grace—the unearned favor of God!
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Pharisees Begin Persecuting Jesus (J19)
The man stood, well and strong, picked up his mat,
And walked; soon a hand stopped him with a jerk;
It was a Pharisee; “You cannot do that—
Toting your mat on the Sabbath is work!”
Jesus slipped away, not to debate here,
As the man answered, “The healer made me;”
“Who healed you? He broke the law without fear!”
“I don’t know,” he said to the Pharisee.
In the temple later, Jesus met the man;
He said, “Stop sinning, or you might get worse!”
“It was Jesus,” he told, soon as he can,
Which brought them against Him, like a vile curse!
The healed man did not believe in the Name,
God’s One and Only Son, from whom life came!
How far from the heart of God had the Pharisees strayed; they were Israel’s “most” righteous men, yet their man-made rules, called the “oral tradition” had become the strictest laws of the land. These laws so burdened the Jews that it was impossible for any to obey them all, yet the Pharisees paraded around forcing the common people to observe them or face fines or even imprisonment. There were two violations of ticky-tacky rules here: 1. The healed invalid had “violated” the commandment of not working on the Sabbath by carrying his mat; and, 2. Jesus had done the same by healing the invalid on the Sabbath!
The Pharisees had originated after most of the Jews were carried off to Babylon in 586 B. C., when Nebuchednezzar conquered Jerusalem and demolished Solomon’s temple. The Jews of the northern and southern kingdoms were scattered; the temple was gone; and even the copies of the Mosaic law were destroyed. So the self-appointed self-righteous Pharisees developed the “oral” rules to insure that Jews didn’t violate God’s law; but, in doing so, they perverted the spiritual meaning of God so badly that the very obedience of the Jews sent them to hell rather than to heaven. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) that unless a person’s righteousness exceeded that of the Pharisees, Israel’s most righteous men (supposedly), that person would not enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the Pharisees became Jesus’ most bitter targets, and He became their most bitter enemy; they didn’t rest until they managed to have Him crucified.
The Bible scripture on which this poem/commentary is based is found in John 5:10-15. Please read it, to understand the context. I am continuing my series of sonnets in the gospel of John the apostle. This incident is in the aftermath of Jesus’ healing the invalid of 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. Now I can tell you why I believe John put this “miraculous sign” in his gospel; it was intended to instigate an audience with a large group of Judaism’s religious leaders in Jerusalem. Now that the unsaved (non-believing) man has told the Pharisees who it was that healed him on a Sabbath day, they have Jesus in their sights. He will have an opportunity to preach directly to Israel’s top religious leaders; some might believe in Him, like Nicodemus, but most will be so angry with Him that their rejection will result in His crucifixion and death. This, after all, is the reason He came to earth.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
And walked; soon a hand stopped him with a jerk;
It was a Pharisee; “You cannot do that—
Toting your mat on the Sabbath is work!”
Jesus slipped away, not to debate here,
As the man answered, “The healer made me;”
“Who healed you? He broke the law without fear!”
“I don’t know,” he said to the Pharisee.
In the temple later, Jesus met the man;
He said, “Stop sinning, or you might get worse!”
“It was Jesus,” he told, soon as he can,
Which brought them against Him, like a vile curse!
The healed man did not believe in the Name,
God’s One and Only Son, from whom life came!
How far from the heart of God had the Pharisees strayed; they were Israel’s “most” righteous men, yet their man-made rules, called the “oral tradition” had become the strictest laws of the land. These laws so burdened the Jews that it was impossible for any to obey them all, yet the Pharisees paraded around forcing the common people to observe them or face fines or even imprisonment. There were two violations of ticky-tacky rules here: 1. The healed invalid had “violated” the commandment of not working on the Sabbath by carrying his mat; and, 2. Jesus had done the same by healing the invalid on the Sabbath!
The Pharisees had originated after most of the Jews were carried off to Babylon in 586 B. C., when Nebuchednezzar conquered Jerusalem and demolished Solomon’s temple. The Jews of the northern and southern kingdoms were scattered; the temple was gone; and even the copies of the Mosaic law were destroyed. So the self-appointed self-righteous Pharisees developed the “oral” rules to insure that Jews didn’t violate God’s law; but, in doing so, they perverted the spiritual meaning of God so badly that the very obedience of the Jews sent them to hell rather than to heaven. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) that unless a person’s righteousness exceeded that of the Pharisees, Israel’s most righteous men (supposedly), that person would not enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the Pharisees became Jesus’ most bitter targets, and He became their most bitter enemy; they didn’t rest until they managed to have Him crucified.
The Bible scripture on which this poem/commentary is based is found in John 5:10-15. Please read it, to understand the context. I am continuing my series of sonnets in the gospel of John the apostle. This incident is in the aftermath of Jesus’ healing the invalid of 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. Now I can tell you why I believe John put this “miraculous sign” in his gospel; it was intended to instigate an audience with a large group of Judaism’s religious leaders in Jerusalem. Now that the unsaved (non-believing) man has told the Pharisees who it was that healed him on a Sabbath day, they have Jesus in their sights. He will have an opportunity to preach directly to Israel’s top religious leaders; some might believe in Him, like Nicodemus, but most will be so angry with Him that their rejection will result in His crucifixion and death. This, after all, is the reason He came to earth.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
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