Character of Abraham

Introduction

Abraham is probably the most important of Old Testament characters. His name originally was Abram ( = “exalted father” ) but God changed to Abraham ( = “father of many”) God made the promise that Abraham would become the father of many nations. His descendants would fill the land of Canaan, the promised land, and would be a blessing to all the peoples of earth. All of these promises were fulfilled in the course of time and Abraham became the ancestor of the Israelites, the Ishmaelites, and the Edomites.

Moreover, in the spiritual sense, the New Testament tells us Abraham is the father of us all, if we believe. He is the father of all who share the same kind of faith he himself had.
What can we say about the character of Abraham? We can major in on five things: his faith, is obedience, his courage, his generosity and his dedication to God.
And what about his bad points – a tendency to compromise at times in order to save his skin, and that time in his life when he decided to take things in his own hands?

Let’s start with his good points:

1) Abraham: a man of faith

When we first hear of him he is called Abram and is living in the city of Haran in North-west Mesopotamia.
His father Terah had intended to move the family to Canaan but, for one reason or another, when they got to Haran they settled down there instead
But God called Abram to leave and to move on to the Promised Land of Canaan.

The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’
(Genesis 12:1-3).

And Abram believed God. He left Haran and set out for Canaan taking with him his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot and all their possessions and servants.
Over the years God spoke to Abram on many occasions and reiterate his promise – “to your offspring I will give this land”
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Abram kept moving on from place to place with his flocks and herds. God made a covenant with Abram and established the rite of circumcision as a sign of that covenant. It was an agreement between God and Abram’s family: God would be their God, and they would be his people. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham and Sarai’s name changed to Sarah. Each time God renewed his promise to Abraham Abraham believed him – even though it was a long time coming.

It was indeed a very long time before Sarah finally gave birth to Isaac – the child of the promise, through whom all God’s promises would be fulfilled. Abraham was a man of faith. He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness we are told (Genesis 15:6).

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2) Abraham: a man of obedience

Now this is important: there is a lot more to faith than just believing certain facts or just saying that you believe.

As I stand in this pulpit I have faith in what I am standing on. I believe it can bear my weight. If i thought it would not bear my weight then I certainly wouldn’t be standing here. I have faith in the strength of this structure and I put that faith into practice every time I climb the steps to this pulpit.

We all use this kind of faith everyday: every time we sit on a chair, every time we drive a car, every time get on a bus and entrust ourselves to the bus driver. All the time we are depending on objects, on machines, and on people. And faith leads to action.

“Faith without works is dead,” said the Apostle James, and it is certainly true that faith is more than just words. In Abraham’s case God promised certain things and God told him to do certain things – to put his faith into practice. And Abraham obeyed.
God says: “Leave her and move to Canaan,” and Abram moves.
God says: “Offer your son as a sacrifice to me,” and Abraham sets out to obey, although he is devastated by the demand.
3) Abraham: a man of courage

Obedience often requires courage. For Abram it meant setting out into the unknown, going to a new land and following God’s guidance.

He was a man of physical courage too. On one occasion Lot and his family were captures by the armies of four hostile kings. But Abram knew what to do:

During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
(Genesis 14:15-16 )

So he was not just a herdsman or the patriarch of a tribe, he was also a military commander. The courage which Abram had came from God.

Because Abraham set out to obey God he received divine help and was able to perform great feats.

4) Abraham: a man of generosity

He had a hospitable and a magnanimous spirit. For example: when the flocks and herds had increased so much that there was not enough room for both Abram and Lot with all their families and possessions, they agreed to part amicably. Abram said to Lot, “You go where you want to. You choose the land you want. I’ll take the other part.”

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan towards Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out towards the east. The two men parted company. (Genesis 13:10-11 )

Abram could have quite reasonably chosen the best land for himself, but he generously allowed Lot to have the first choice. And Lot chose the well-watered plain of the Jordan. (Much good it did him though, living among the wicked inhabitants of the Cities of the Plain!)

After Abram had made this generous decision the Lord encouraged him by renewing his promise:

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring for ever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.’
(Genesis 13: 14-17)

Later some mysterious visitors came to see Abraham. (They turned out to be angels – but Abraham did not know that when they arrived.) He acted as the perfect host: washing the feet of the strangers and setting before them a feast. And his generosity was rewarded with the message that within a year Sarah would give birth to a son who would be the fulfilment of God’s promises to him. Through this child Abraham would have many descendants.

5) Abraham: a man of dedication

In all these actions we see Abraham’s total dedication to God. Indeed, he is spoken of as the Friend of God in other parts of the Old Testament (2 Chronicles. 20: 7, Isaiah  41: 8)   But that dedication was tested almost to its limit when the Lord asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise. Abraham showed he was willing to obey and was actually at the point of raising the knife to kill his son when the Lord’s Angel called out to him to stay his hand. He looked up and there was a ram caught in a thicket, which Abraham was able to sacrifice in place of his son Isaac.

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’ (Genesis 22:15 -18)

Conclusion

With such a man of faith, obedience, courage, generosity and dedication it seems a pity to mention his faults. But we can’t hide them – they are plain to read in Genesis

Abraham was tempted to compromise on two separate occasions. At two different times and in two different places he pretended that his wife was his sister. He did this to avoid danger – he was afraid that with his wife being so attractive, other man would kill him in order to marry her. But in doing this, presenting her as if she were a single woman, he put her at moral risk. Firstly in Egypt and then later in Canaan with King Abimelech Abram tried this subterfuge and nearly brought destruction upon himself and his family.

These incidents were bad enough, but perhaps Abram’s greatest mistake came at the time when his faith wavered. You see, God was such a long time fulfilling his promises. Sarai was barren and getting past childbearing age. There seemed to be no hope that God’s promises to Abram would be fulfilled. So Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands. (You might say they took charge of their own destiny but it was not part of God’s plan for them.) Abram took Hagar the slave girl as his concubine and she bore him Ishmael.

This child Ishmael was not the son of the promise. (That child, Isaac was born later and he was a miracle child born to a barren woman in her old age.) Ishmael was not really part of God’s plan – he was the result of human intervention and worldly thinking. And Ishmael later became a problem. He grew up to become a man who lived at enmity with all his brothers.

You see, Abram had made the mistake of trying to take over from God. We also may be tempted to do similar things sometimes. We might succumb to the world’s ways of doing things rather than God’s way.

Let us avoid such temptations and take inspiration from Abraham’s faith, obedience, courage, generosity and dedication. Abraham: the Father of all who believe.

Saul

 

1 Samuel 9:1-4,15 – 10:1

Introduction

When Samuel became an old man he retired from judging Israel and put his sons in charge – but they were a bad lot. The Elders of Israel said to Samuel, “We want a king to rule over us – just like the other nations”.

Samuel was hurt and disappointed, but God said to him, “It’s not you they are rejecting: it’s me!” You see, God was meant to be the King of Israel, but they wanted a human king who would go ahead of them in battle. Samuel warned the people of the dangers of having a king – an autocratic ruler who would oppress them. But they were adamant. So the Lord said, “Give them their king”.

And that’s where our story of Saul starts. In chapter 9 of 1 Samuel we hear about some lost donkeys. Saul son of Kish is out with his servant looking for his uncle’s donkeys. They go through the whole hill country and don’t find them.

Eventually they come to the town of Zuph and look for a seer who lives there. This is none other than Samuel, the Judge of Israel, now in his retirement. Saul and his servant don’t seem to realise Samuel’s importances. They seem to think he is just a seer, a kind of clairvoyant who will be able to help them find the donkeys if they cross his palm with silver.

But when they get to the town the two of them are invited to join in a formal banquet and are given the best places and best portions of meat.

God had told Samuel that they were coming. “Don’t worry about the donkeys,” Samuel said, “they have been found. I’ve some more important things to tell you. The next morning, as Saul left the town, Samuel took a flask of oil and privately anointed him as king. Then he gave him three signs to reassure him that it was indeed true that he would be king:

 Firstly, you will meet a man who will tell you that the donkeys have been found and your father is now more worried about you than about the donkeys.

 Then you will meet thee men on the way carrying three young goats, three loaves of bread and a skin of wine. They will offer you two loaves of bread and you will accept them.

 Thirdly, you will meet a company of the prophets with musical instruments praising God in an ecstatic way. And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power and you will join them in their ecstatic prophesying. And you will be changed into a different person.

Once these three signs have been fulfilled you will know God is with you and his blessing will be upon you.

All three of the signs were fulfilled, right down to the smallest detail, and later Saul was chosen to be king publicly by the nation. It was done by sacred lot. The heads of the tribes were brought forward and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Then the heads of the clans of that tribe came forward and the clan of Matri was chosen. And then the leaders of the families of Matri came forward and Kish was chosen. And then among the men of Kish’s family Saul was chosen.

 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some scoundrels said, ‘How can this fellow save us?’ They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.

(1 samuel 10: 26)

 A good start

The city of Jabesh Gilead was in a desperate plight. They were surrounded by Ammonites who were about to catch them and gauge out the right eye of each men there. Saul called together all the tribes and together they devastated the Ammonites. Then the people publicly confirmed him as King. The crowd wanted to kill the trouble makers who had said, “Why should Saul reign over us”, but Saul would not put them to death.

So far he is shaping up well. He is a tall and handsome man, a natural leader, but also humble (he didn’t hanker after all the trappings of kingship.) He was magnanimous towards his opponents. His heart has been changed by the Holy Spirit and he had worshipped God along with the prophets. So far so good.

But something must have gone wrong, because he soon went off the rails. Despite his heart having been touched by God Saul returned to his natural ways. He became proud and impetuous, a rash man who made unwise decisions, he was a man driven by his ambition who became consumed by jealousy. We see all this in the remaining chapters of 1 Samuel.

Disappointing performance

From this point on Saul started to disobey God.

The first occasion was at Michmash where Saul and his army faced a huge army of Philistines. All the Israelites soldiers were quaking with fear. Saul wanted to get on with the battle, but they would have to wait first for Samuel to come. As priest of Israel he was to perform ritual sacrifices to seek God’s blessing.

Samuel delayed for a week and Saul’s men began to scatter. S Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifices. Of course he had no right to do so as he was not a priest, not even from the Tribe of Levi.

‘You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.’ (1 Samuel 13:13 -14)

The next big act of disobedience of Saul was when he was told by God to attack and destroy the Amalekites. Not only was he to destroy the people, he was also to destroy all their possessions. Saul disobeyed – he did destroy the people but he kept back all the flock and herds as booty. He also kept the king alive so he could humiliate him.

When challenged by Samuel Saul claimed he had been keeping the animals to offer them to the Lord. But Samuel said:

‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.’

(1 Samuel 15: 22- 23)

Samuel chose David to be king in place of Saul and secretly anointed him.

 

Jealousy

After David had defeated Goliath he was the people’s hero and the women came out dancing and singing:

.‘Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands.’

Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?’ And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

(1 Samuel 18:7-8)

Saul’s jealousy became worse and he soon began to display signs of mental illness. (This is described in the text as “an evil spirit from the Lord”.) Young David was chosen to play his harp to soothe Saul’s spirit. It was an early form of music therapy and it worked. Generally whenever David played, Saul’s melancholia lifted and he felt better. But it didn’t always work and on at least two occasions Saul threw his spear at David when he was playing and tried to pin him to the wall.

And then there were so many other occasions when Saul plotted to kill David – we haven’t got time to look at them now. David then had to flee from Saul and to live as a fugitive. And all the time Saul was trying to kill him.

On two separate occasions David had the opportunity to kill Saul but spend his life because he was the Lord’s anointed. After the second occasion Saul expressed remorse and said he would never try to harm David again. But David did not believe that promise and fled to the land of the Philistines.

The final disobedience of Saul was when he consulted with a spiritist medium at Endor – the so-called “witch” of Endor. This was forbidden in the Law of Moses and Saul himself had previously banished all the mediums and spiritists from the land. Saul asked the woman to call up the spirit of Samuel who was now dead. And so the women prepared to go about her usual mumbo-jumbo when suddenly, to her amazement, she saw the spirit of Samuel rising out of the ground. This was something she hadn’t actually expected to see. Samuel’s spirit spoke to Saul, but the only message that came was one of judgement and death.

And indeed, the very next day Saul was defeated by the Philistines. His three sons were killed and he himself was mortally wounded. So Saul and his armour bearer fell on their own swords to prevent the Philistines catching them alive.

Conclusion

So ends the sad history of Saul. David lamented bitterly over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan – even though Saul had been his enemy.

Yes it’s a sad story because Saul started off so well. But his willful pride, jealousy and disobedience were to become the cause of his destruction. It’s a warning for us too Saul was a man whose heart had been touched God. The Holy Spirit had come up on him and yet he departed from God’s ways. Later he chose to go his own ways rather than God’s He wasn’t a good king but he is an example of how even those with everything going for them can stray for away from God.

Jesus turns water into wine

 

John 2:1-11

Jesus performed some amazing miracles – he cured lepers, he calmed storms, he fed the multitudes, he even raised the dead! All these were performed to save people from some great difficulty – from disease, from danger, from hunger, from death itself. But the very first recorded miracle of Jesus – the first of the seven “signs” John records – was not done to achieve some great end. Rather, it was done to rescue a family from social embarrassment. Nonetheless, the result of it was that his disciples put their trust in him.

A family wedding

Jesus and his disciples had been invited to a wedding. Now it seems likely that it was the wedding of a relative of Jesus – perhaps a cousin. At the beginning of the festivities all was going well. The Bride and Groom, the parents of both families and all the guests were having a good time. And it’s good for us to remember that Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were having a good time too. All too often Christianity has been presented as a ascetic and life-denying religion, when in fact it is a vibrant and life-affirming faith. some people find it a stumbling-block that Jesus turned water into wine, or even that he ever drank wine at all. I don’t find it a stumbling block.

Well, as I said, all was going well, but then they ran out of wine. Now this might not seem to be a great disaster to us. If they really needed more to drink couldn’t they go and order some from the wine merchant. But we need to realise this was a poor peasant family- they couldn’t afford any more wine. You see, Jesus was not brought up in the middle classes, he was the son of a workman.

They didn’t have any more money to spend on the wedding and they had run out of wine. More people had turned up than they had expected. This was considered a great disgrace at an Eastern wedding. The tradition was that the doors were open to all. The whole village was invited and tha family would be expected to offer generous hospitality. Moreover the celebration would go on for ages – in some cases for days. Not to be able to offer a cup of wine to any guest who turned up would be a great disgrace. Yes, it would be a dishonor for the whole family. And maybe Mary felt the dishonor more than anyone else. Perhaps the bride was the daughter of her brother or sister. We don’t know, but we do know that she came to Jesus and asked him what to do.

“They have no wine, what shall we do about it?” Or perhaps, “What are you going to do?” It appears that Joseph had died some years previously and Mary was a widow.  Jesus, as the firstborn male, was now the head of the family. Perhaps over the years Mary had got into the habit of looking to Jesus to solve the family’s problems.

His answer to her seems to be some kind of test:

“Woman what is that to me? My time has not yet come.”

To us it sounds a rude way to address your mother, doesn’t it? But actually, in that culture and at that time it would have been a respectful way of speaking to one’s mother.

The NIV renders it thus: “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come”. The time has not yet come for Jesus to show his power to the world.

Was Mary actually asking him to do a miracle? How did she know he would have the ability to do one? The answer to that is easy: she knew he was the Son of God – his conception had been miraculous and his birth attended by angels. He had not yet worked a miracle but she knew he could.What faith she had in him – and what cheek to expect him to suspend the laws of nature just to save a situation of social embarrassment!(Perhaps I am reading too much into it here!)

Do what he says

Although the words of Jesus seem to be some kind of rebuke to his mother she still says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” And so the first of Jesus’ miracles was performed. They filled the water jars (which were normally used for Jewish ritual washing ceremonies). Each one held about 29-30 gallons (75-115 litres) of water. They filled the jars and drew off a cupful to give to the Master of Ceremonies, for him to taste it. This was the man appointed to make sure everything went according to plan. He would taste the wine from each new vat to  see if it was up to standard.

When the Master tasted the wine he was astonished. He called over the  Bridegroom and said, “Where did you get this wine from – it is excellent? It’s much better than the stuff you served earlier.People usually serve the good stuff first but you have saved the best until now. And so he gave the order to serve the wine to all the guests. And only a few people knew that a miracle had been performed. Even the Master of the Feast did not know. The servants did, Mary did, and the disciples of Jesus also knew.But most people just said, “What a good wedding. What excellent wine!”

And so, the family was saved from social disgrace.

Lessons

Well as we have looked at the miracle we have already noted a few lessons. But let’s consider a few other points to ponder:

Jesus’ concern for the Bride and Groom

He didn’t want their special day to be ruined. He didn’t want the Bride’s family to be maligned. So he performed his first miracle to save a young couple from social embarrassment. I think this shows us that the Lord is concerned with every area  of life – not just the “religious” area. And every concern – not just the big ones.

Indeed, you can pray to the Lord about anything. Nothing is too great and nothing is too small.

Do what he says

Mary depended on Jesus and obeyed him. “Do whatever he says,” she says to the servants. And they could well be words she says to us today. Yes, Mary says to us “Do whatever my Son tells you”. We need to be depended on Jesus and to obey  him.

A sign for all his disciples

The modesty of Jesus is shown by the fact that very few people knew about the miracle. It was not a sign for the masses, to convert great numbers of them. Jesus had already rejected the temptation to perform that kind of miracle when he was tested in the wilderness. No, it was a sign for his disciples. It was to show them that this was no mere man, no ordinary rabbi, they were following

“He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11)

And the Lord often works in the same way today. Spectacular miracles and  wonders are exceedingly rare, but everyday signs of divine power, grace and love abound to those who have eyes to see.

The Master of the Feast said, “You have saved the best till now” (John 10:10)

And perhaps we can see a spiritual principle here. God does not give all his blessings at once. As we go on in the Christian life we should experience more and more blessings,not less and less. There will be trials also of course and I am not necessarily speaking of material or worldly blessings. Rather we are thinking of the blessedness of knowing the Lord.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, (echoing the words of Isaiah 64:4):

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Yes, things can only get better. There is a glorious future in the world to come for all those who love the Lord

 

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Philip and the Ethiopian

Acts 8:26-40

Introduction

Last week we looked at Isaiah’s Song of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) and we saw how, in the book of Acts, Philip used it to explain the Gospel to an important Ethiopian official. This week I would like us to look in a little more detail at that incident in Acts 8:26-40.

It’s an important chapter, for it tells of the first time the Gospel was preached to non-Jews, and also the first outreach to an African.

Philip was one of the seven men who were chosen to help the Apostles in the administrative work of feeding the poor. They were known as Deacons and all seven of them had Greek names – indicating that they probably were Greek-speaking Jews. Of the seven Deacons two of them showed a great gift for evangelism. They went far beyond the task of serving at tables. One was Stephen, who became the first martyr, and the other was Philip. Philip had great success preaching the Gospel in the Samaritan villages. Yes, the Gospel was spreading outward. It had first come to the Hebrew-speaking Jews, then to the Greek-speaking Jews, and now to the Samaritans (who were regarded as being only half-Jewish. Next it will break out of Judaism altogether and be preached to the Gentiles.

To help the story come alive to us I am going to retell it from the perspective of the Ethiopian official. According to a tradition of the Ethiopian church his name was Bachos, so that’s what we shall call him. He is described as a man from Ethiopia or Kush, which at that time referred to Nubia in the Upper Nile region. (It may not be the same area as modern Ethiopia. But we will leave the scholars to argue about that and just look at the story.)

Bachos’s story

My name it Bachos and I was a very important official in the court of the Queen Kandace. (Kandace was not her name – it is a title, rather like “Pharaoh”.) She was the mother of the King. Now the King was supposed to be a son of the Sun god and was worshipped and venerated. He did not do anything except sit around being worshipped so it fell to the Queen Mother, the Kandace, to actually run the kingdom. I was her royal Treasurer. I was responsible for all the finances of the Queen, that is to say: the finances of the whole country. You would call me the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain to day.

When I was a young boy I was chosen to become a eunuch, to serve the Queen in her court. It was a great honour but it was also a traumatic time for me. To undergo the cruel operation and to be taken away from my mother and father. But by God’s help I rose above my sorrows. And I also rose in the estimation of the Queen. When she saw my energy and skill she made sure I was well educated, and when I was an adult she appointed me to positions of power in her household. So I rose higher and higher until I eventually became her Treasurer.

Now, as I said before, we Nubians worship the Sun god and also the Moon and Stars and many other gods. But I was never happy with that. I always felt there must be a higher God, a Creator who had made the Sun, Moon and stars. So I made contact with some Jews in our land. (There were quite a few of them living in our midst. Some said they had been there since the days of King Solomon.) I spoke to these Jews and I found out all about their beliefs. And I found myself drawn to the God of Israel – the one true God, the God of justice and mercy, the God who had given such wise laws to his people the Jews. He was the one I wanted to worship – not the Sun or Moon.

The God of Israel

Then I made myself familiar with the Jewish scriptures – I told you I had been well educated. I studied the law of Moses, and the Psalms and Wisdom Literature and the writings of the Prophets. The prophet Isaiah especially spoke to me, for he talked of a Redeemer who would bring salvation. I felt a great need for such a mediator between myself and God, for I was very much aware of my sins. Now don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t a bad man, not a criminal. I was honest in my stewardship of the Queen’s money. No, but when I thought about the holiness of God I became aware of my own sin. I was aware of selfishness in my soul. I knew I didn’t love the Lord my God with all my heart and soul and every fibre of my being. And I knew I did not love my neighbour as myself. If only there was someone who could act as mediator between us and God and take away our sins! And Isaiah spoke of such a person – the mysterious Servant of the Lord who suffers for the sins of the nation. I was fascinated by this figure.

But the God I believed in, the God of Israel, seemed so distant. He had made me in his own image and I wanted to know him, but he was so far off.

So I made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the City of the Great King, the God of Israel. Surely at the Temple in Jerusalem I would get closer to God. I made a long journey of hundreds of miles on desert roads. Of course I took with me my retinue of servants with horses, chariot and wagons.

What a privilege it was to stand in the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem and worship the God of Israel. But it was also, in some sense, a disappointment – for God still seemed distant. I felt no nearer to him in Jerusalem than at home.

Isaiah’s words

And so I set off back home to Ethiopia. I travelled the desert road from Jerusalem, and as I went along in my chariot I read the Scriptures out aloud. I was reading that passage in the Scroll of Isaiah about the Suffering Servant and trying to get to grips with it.

Suddenly I was aware of someone running alongside my chariot! Where he had come from, I could not tell. You just don’t expect to meet people on that desert road. And you certainly don’t expect them to come running up behind your chariot! He told me later his name was Philip and that an angel had told him to take this road. And then the Holy Spirit had told him to run up to me! It all seemed a bit far-fetched, but I didn’t think so afterwards, in the light of what happened.

Anyway, he said to me “Do you understand what you are reading?”

“How can I understand, unless someone explains it to me?” I said, “Climb up here and sit with me in the chariot – can you explain what it means?”

This is the passage of Scripture I was reading:

‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.

Who can speak of his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth.’

(Acts 8:32-33)

I said, “Who is the prophet talking about? He can’t be speaking of himself can he? Is he speaking of someone else? Is he speaking of the Messiah?”

“Yes,” said Philip, “He is speaking of the Messiah.” Then he began to open my eyes about this passage. He told me about Jesus of Nazareth, and all the things he had done. He told me of his sufferings and death, and of his resurrection. I saw how Jesus had fulfilled all the things prophecies of him by Isaiah – including his death to take away our sins. As I heard his words I felt a great burden fall off me. “This is what I need,” I said, “This Jesus. I need a Saviour, and he is the one.” Yes, I came to believe in Jesus and to open my heart to him, the Living Lord. As the hours passed by on our journey we shared together the riches of God’s word and my heart filled with joy. Then we came to an oasis and there was a beautiful pool of clear water.

“What’s to stop me from being baptized?” I said.

“Yes,” said Philip, “If you believe with all your heart you may be baptized.”

I said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!”

So we stopped the chariot and went down into the pool, and Philip baptized me. As I came up out of the water I felt a deep peace of heart. I felt my prayers were answered. I really did know God now. He was my Father.

I looked up to speak to Philip – and he was gone! I asked my attendants her he had gone but no one had seen him go. It was unaccountable. Just as he had seemed to come from nowhere, now he just seemed to disappear. Later I heard that he had been seen about forty miles away, near the town of Azotus, not long after the time he had been with me. The only way people could account for it was that the Holy Spirit had transported him bodily all that distance. I heard that he went on from there, preaching the Gospel in all the towns.

As for me, I went on my way rejoicing. I returned to my country with the Good News of Jesus.

And so we have the story of the very first mission to Africa. I have used my own imagination to portay what I think his thoughts might have been. You may not agree with me and I am not claiming any special insight into the mind of the Ethiopian. According to tradition Bachos became the founder of the Church in Ethiopia and there might be truth in this tradition.

Conclusion: lessons for us

So what do we learn? Well I can see four lessons, at least. We can learn:

– About seeking God

If people want to find God, they will find him. “Seek and you shall find,” Jesus said. Whatever their background, they will find God if they are really seeking him. This man went to the right place to find God. He went to the Jews – God’s people, and to Jerusalem – God’s Holy City. And he searched the Scriptures – God’s word. He read the Old Testament and he was pointed in the right direction. But it took the personal testimony of Philip to bring him to Jesus. And this is often true: most people are not converted just by reading the Bible. It is usually through the influence of a friend who has invited them to come to a meeting. Why not invite your friends to come to Church? Who knows what might happen!

– About knowing God

From Isaiah, chapter 53, we see it’s all about our relationship with God. The people needed a Saviour, a Suffering Servant, who would restore their relationship with God. It’s all about trusting in the One who was made an offering for sin – Jesus Christ. From the words of the Ethiopian we see that it’s also about believing in Jesus as God’s Son. “I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” We too need to come to God through Jesus his Son.

– About sharing the faith

There is no such thing as a private Christian. The Ethiopian shared his faith. In front of all his servants he confessed his faith in Christ and was baptized as a public sign of that faith. He then went back home to bring the Gospel to his people. We also should confess Christ before the world.

– About obedience

Philip was a man who allowed God to guide him, a man who obeyed God. As a result he did amazing work as an evangelist. It must have seemed a strange thing to go down the desert road to Gaza. He could have said to the angel, “No, I don’t see the point in that – there’s no one living down there.” And when the Holy Spirit directed him to run up to the chariot of a complete stranger, a foreign dignitary, surrounded by his retinue? Well that was ridiculous! And this was a man of a different race, and colour, and culture. He was Gentile, for heaven’s sake! He was an African. Wasn’t the Gospel just for Jews and Samaritans – the sons of Israel? But Philip didn’t argue this way with the Holy Spirit. He believed that God knew best, and he did what was asked of him. We also can learn from his obedience.

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Render unto Caesar

 

My sermon today is based on this text:

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21, King James Version)

These are famous words which have often been quoted. Some have used them as an argument for Christians not getting involved in politics, while others have used them to argue the opposite!

A trap

 Let’s look at the context of this verse:

It was spoken by Jesus in the last week of his life. As we saw recently, when we were looking at the Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard, Jesus was heading for a clash with the authorities. He had already upset the religious leaders, now he is about to go on to upset the politicians also. (Although in the Judea of those days the distinction between the two was not clear. The Pharisees, for example, were both a political and a religious party.)

In Jesus’ day in Judea there were two main political power groups – the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Herodians were the ones who believed in working with the hated Roman occupiers. They were followers of Herod who was a mere puppet of the Roman Empire. The Pharisees were a religious group who emphasized the keeping of the Law of Moses and who lives by legalistic standards. They realized they had to live under Roman rule, but that didn’t mean they approved of it. They were always on the lookout for anything which might contravene the Law of Moses. Anything to do with pagan gods or the worship of the Emperor as a god was anathema to them.

(There were also other more extreme groups, known as Zealots, who wanted to violently overthrow the Romans and set up a pure Jewish state – but these fringe groups did not hold the reins of power.)

Now, the Pharisees wanted to entrap Jesus because he had criticized them on many occasions. They wanted to get him into a “Catch 22” situation – to make him say or do something that would get him into trouble with the authorities. So they joined with their arch-enemies, the Herodians, to set up a trap.

They started by flattering Jesus, as politicians often do.

 Teacher, they said, we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. (Matthew 22:16)

This is high praise indeed, coming, as it does, from the enemies of Jesus.

Now here comes the trick question:

 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

It might seem quite an innocent question to us. If someone were to ask me whether they should pay their taxes to the state, I know how I would answer. But the tax these people were referring to was the Poll Tax that had to be paid to Caesar directly. (There were lots of other taxes as well, including religious taxes paid to the priests for the upkeep of the Temple. They were not questioning the payment of these taxes.)

“Catch 22”

You see, there was something about the Poll Tax to Caesar that was particularly objectionable to a  religious Jew. By law this tax had to be paid using the Roman denarius, a silver coin worth a day’s wage for a labourer. The denarius bore an image of Caesar. And this to the Jews was a graven image, and contrary to the Ten Commandments. What’s more, it also bore an inscription which described Caesar as “a son of the gods”. To the Jew this was blasphemy as well as idolatry. Normally religious Jews did not use such coins in their business dealings. They used other copper coins which did not have the offensive image and words. But when it came to the Poll Tax they were forced to use the hated Roman coin.

So this is the “Catch 22” situation: if Jesus said, “Yes, pay the tax to Caesar,” then the Pharisees would pounce on him as a man who advocated the pagan worship of the Roman emperor as a god. Jesus would lose his support with the common people as well as all the pious and God-fearing Jews.

But if he said, “No, don’t pay the tax,” then the Herodians wold come down on him and shop him to the Roman authorities as a dangerous Zealot, stirring up sedition. Then the Romans would arrest him, and that would be the last anyone would hear of Jesus of Nazareth. It seemed to be a foolproof way of getting rid of Jesus that would please both the Herodians and the Pharisees.

 Genius

 And this is where Jesus shows his genius. He doesn’t say Yes or No. He throws the question back on them, so they will have to answer it themselves for their own individual situation:

 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.

They brought him a denarius,  and he asked them, Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?  

Caesar’s, they replied. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.      (Matthew 22:18 -21)

There are certain things you owe to Caesar – Roman roads, education, justice, peace. You enjoy all these things because you are in the Roman Empire. And you have to pay for them. You don’t get these benefits for nothing. You render tribute to Caesar – for these are the things of Caesar.  But there are some other things you can only render to God. You can’t give divine worship to Caesar, you can’t worship him as a son of the gods. God alone is to be worshipped.

Jesus didn’t answer their question. He left it up to them to apply it and to decide what should go to Caesar and what should go to God. This was so brilliant that they were at a loss. They went off and left him in peace.

Render unto Caesar

 So then, what does this saying of Jesus say to us? I believe it tells us we must do our civic duty: we must pay our taxes, we must obey the law of the land, we must vote and we must do jury service. Also we must support our leaders and we must pray for them.

But some things can only be given to God. Worship is one of those things. We don’t worship our leaders. We look to God for our salvation – not to any particular political party or philosophy.

Living, as we do in, a relatively free and uncorrupt society, we do not often have a clash between God and Caesar. But this is not true for Christians in countries where they are persecuted for their faith. For example: if you are a Christian in North Korea, then your conscience obliges you to disobey the government in order to practice your Christian faith. The law forbids you to bring up your children as Christians and the law forbids you to tell others about Jesus. So you have to disobey that law if you are to be a disciple of Jesus. In that case Caesar is demanding what belongs to God, he is encroaching on your personal faith.

When Peter and John were used by God to heal a crippled man they were brought before the Jewish council and forbidden to preach about Jesus.

 But Peter and John replied, Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:19-20)

Their faith in Jesus obliged them to disobey the authorities in this matter.

 Commitment

 This is not the situation for us usually in this country. But how do we decide what we give to Caesar and what we give to God? Here are some of the things we should be giving to God:

•  Our time – we need to set apart time to come to his house and worship him, and to pray at home.
• Our energy – we must exert ourselves to do his work in the world, the good deeds he calls us to do.
• Our love and devotion – our dedication and commitment to our Lord.
• Our money – to support his causes.

Yes God demands our lives, not just some of our possessions.

I read about a preacher who was preaching on this text ( and I almost thought of doing what he did).  He produced a large oval mirror and walked up and down the aisle, inviting members of the congregation to look at their reflection. “What do you see in this mirror? It is the image of God. You are made in God’s image.”

Just as Caesar had his image stamped on all his coins, so the Creator has stamped his image on every human being. We are all made in his image, no matter how defaced that image might be.

•  “Render to Caesar the things that are his” – the coin bears his image, give it back to him.
• “Render to God the things that are his” – you bear his image, give yourself back to him.

As with so many of the words of Jesus, it’s all about commitment.

The Apostle Paul, in Romans, after his wonderful theological exposition of salvation by the grace of God comes to speak of our response. And what does he say?

 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.     (Romans 12:1-2)

Conclusion 

The family were having Sunday lunch and the dog, Rover, was sitting under the table, hoping for scraps of food to come his way. Little Joe said, “Mum can I give Rover some of my meat?”

“No son,” she said,”You eat that. We’ll give him the leftovers after lunch.”

At the end of the meal the mother collected together the plates and scraped into the dog’s bowl an assortment of bits and pieces – gristly bits of meat, a bit of bone, a little bit of fat, some gravy and a little potato. She then gave it to Joe of offer it to the dog.

“Here it is Rover,” he said. “I wanted to give you an offering, but they would only allow me to give you a collection!”

I never thought I’d say this: but God doesn’t want our collection money! He wants the wholesale offering of our lives.

 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

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The Vineyard of the Lord

Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-46

Isaiah’s allegory

 Isaiah was writing and speaking his messages at a time when the nation of Judah was in decline. The rich just lived for pleasure and luxury, with no concern for the needy. Society was breaking down: the city was filled with violence and crime, corruption and injustice were everywhere. And this had come about, Isaiah said, because the they had turned from the Lord and worshipped false gods.

Well, it could be a picture of Britain today, couldn’t it?

So Isaiah sang a song – the Song of the Vineyard. It’s really an allegory in a poetic form.

In this poem God said:

“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”

God had built up the nation of Judah. He had established Jerusalem as its capital, with his Temple like a watch tower. God had called his people, the Jews, to be a special people and to show God’s light to the Gentiles. But they had failed in their task of witness to the nations. Instead they had become like an unruly vineyard which yielded only wild grapes.They weren’t producing fruits of righteousness for God.

  “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

This is a metaphorical way of speaking of the disaster that is going to come upon the nation. This prophecy was fulfilled some years later when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and took the people off into captivity in Babylon.

And just to drive home the point, to spell it out so they can not miss the message:

 “The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.”

Thus we have the idea that God looks for a harvest from his people. He’s looking for justice and righteousness in our lives. He wants people who obey his commandments and who care for others around them.

A parable of Jesus

 Seven hundred years after the time of Isaiah, Jesus of Nazareth also spoke a parable about a vineyard. It was directed against those people of his day who rejected what God was doing. This is the parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard which we read about in Matthew 21:33-46.

Matthew makes it plain that this parable was directed initially at the Chief Priests and the Pharisees. These were the two main groups of Jewish religious leaders. Generally they were at one another’s throats, but they united in their opposition to what Jesus was teaching and doing. They objected to the way he was saying that the Kingdom of God was opening up to prostitutes, and tax-gatherers, and other outcasts. (All Jesus said they needed to do was to repent and believe in his message.) This went right against the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and the ritualism of the Priests.

This parable is set in the context of the last week in the life of Jesus. He had thrown down a challenge to the religious leaders when he cleansed the Temple of crooks and moneychangers. He had cursed the fig tree as a symbol of God’s judgement on all that is unfruitful. He had stood up to his opponents and answered very cleverly when they questioned his authority. He had given a parable about two sons: the one who actually did what his father asked him was commended, not the one who only said he would obey. (All this is found in Matthew chapter 21.)

Now Jesus gives this parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard. Just as in Isaiah’s story the Landowner puts in a lot of effort. He builds the wall, digs the wine-press and puts up a watchtower. So far the imagery is the same as in Isaiah’s story and no doubt the religious leaders of the day knew this. They realized that Jesus was talking about the nation of Judah and about its national and spiritual leaders. The Tenants in the parable are the Chief Priests and the Pharisees – people who had been given spiritual and moral responsibility for the nation.

In the story the Tenants mistreat the servants sent by the Owner and even kill some of them. This exactly replicates the historical situation. For centuries God had been sending his prophets and so often they had been mistreated and rejected. (According to Jewish tradition Isaiah himself was martyred by King Manasseh. He was strapped to a plank of wood and sawn in half.) All too often it was the so called “religious” people who had rejected God’s messengers.

Now they were going to do the same to his Son. In this story, when he recounted how the Tenants killed the Owner’s Son, Jesus foretold his own death.

The story continues like this:

 “ Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, they replied, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.

Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.

 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”

 (Matthew 21: 40-46)

 Our story

We can be tempted to look at this story (and that of Isaiah’s) as something which applies to other people rather than to us. After all, the Jewish religious leaders did plot against Jesus and have him killed. And later their city and Temple were destroyed by the Romans. The Jewish people were scattered world-wide, not to return to their land for eighteen centuries. And Gentiles took over the holy city of Jerusalem.

We might think it’s all about them and their response to Jesus. But what about us? What about our nation? Although we are not a chosen nation in the way the Jews are, nevertheless we have a goodly Christian heritage which has blessed us in the past. Now we are letting that heritage “go down the plug hole”.

In our modern, secular, materialistic, society we take no notice of God’s laws. His commandments about lying, and stealing, and coveting, and sexual impurity are routinely ignored by a large proportion of the population. Increasingly, the commandment about murder is being broken too. Our society is falling apart, and like Isaiah we would say it is because people have turned from God. They have thrown out Christianity, and with it Christ! Atheists and secularists are gaining the upper hand today in our nation.

And so judgement could come upon us here in Britain, in Europe, in North America, in the West generally. Are not our economic woes a result of all this selfishness and sin? Perhaps they can be a wake up call to us as a nation (and to other nations in the same mess). Yes, there is a national message for us here in these two parables.

But even more so, there is a message to the Church. As Christians we are God’s people – we bear the name of Christ in our name “Christian”. God has entrusted us with a priestly and prophetic role in our society. We are to speak his words and live out our lives in accordance with his laws. We are his witnessed in the world, I am not just talking about ministers and preachers here. It’s about every church member – or more specifically, every committed Christian.

But are we fulfilling our priestly and prophetic role? When Israel and Judah failed to do so they were sent into exile in Assyria and Babylon respectively. What about us, are we bearing fruit?

Conclusion

And to every individual also these two stories have a message. A challenge to repent and to believe in God’s Son. A challenge to take seriously the claims of Jesus Christ and open our lives to him. A challenge to become his followers and to live our lives in obedience to him.

For those who reject him it’s as if they were killing the Son of God over again – like the Tenants in the Vineyard who killed the Son. And God’s judgement will eventually come on them and on all fruitless vines in the vineyard.

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Christ the King

“Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”   ( Luke 23:43 )

This Sunday, the one just before Advent, is traditionally known as the Feast of Christ the King. And I think it is a good day for us to think of Jesus Christ as our Lord and King.

Talking about royalty, the news media have had a field day with the royal engagement recently. We all wish Price William and Kate Middleton God’s richest blessing on their marriage and we look forward to celebrating on the day.  Even so, I think even the most fervent royalist will be fed up with the media frenzy by the time the wedding comes round!

Of course, royalty is not what it was – in the past the monarchs had absolute power. They were not all tyrants but the kings and queens of England had the power to do whatever they wanted. And that continued until  1649 when it was felt necessary to behead King Charles I. Ever since then the power of the monarch has been limited. Now we have a constitutional monarchy. The Queen’s powers are very limited and she takes no part in politics, or in the actual day-to-day running of the country.

Today we are celebrating Jesus Christ as King and we can think of four ways in which he is King – four ways in which he reigns:

1) As King of Creation

Sometimes we sing this hymn:

Jesus is Lord! Creation’s voice proclaims it

For by His power each tree and flower

Was planned and made

Jesus is Lord! The universe declares it

Sun, moon and stars in heaven

Cry, ‘Jesus is Lord!’

The words of this hymn echo the words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

( Colossians 1:15-16 )

Jesus is the Son of God. As the Second Person of the Trinity he was with the Father and the Spirit in the beginning and was active in the work of creation. He is King from eternity, and worthy of all our praise.

2) As Servant King who reigns from a cross

We might think that God is distant and not concerned about his world, but the New Testament assures us that, in the person of his Son Jesus,  God himself has entered the world. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and his birth was heralded by a new star. When the Wise Men saw that star they knew the King of the Jews, the Messiah, had been born.

Later he was proclaimed by the crowd to be the King of the Jews as he entered Jerusalem. And at his crucifixion Pilate placed a sign saying “King of the Jews” – much to the annoyance of the Jewish leaders. He was indeed the Messiah, the Coming King, the Jews had been waiting for. But we know he was far more than that – not just the King of the Jews, but the Saviour and King of the world.

So it was that his act of dying on the cross was the highest point of his life – the pinnacle of his career. It was not the failure, not the defeat, it might seem to be. It wa the very reason for which he came into the world  – to die on the cross and make atonement for the sins of the world.

Jesus spoke of his impending death as something to be achieved – a work he would accomplish to bring people to God. Johns’s gospel records these words of Jesus:

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.

He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.  (John 12:31-33 )

I have a little devotional book called “Come Ye Apart: daily readings in the life of Christ”. Let me quote from it:

“His enemies had rejected him; and at the last they led him out to Calvary and nailed him to a cross. Still he was their King – their King rejected, their king crucified. His throne was his cross; his crown was the circlet of thorns that the soldiers had twisted and wound around his head.

It does not seem to us a kingly hour in our Lord’s life when he hangs on the cross dying, yet really it was the time of his highest earthly exaltation. He spoke of going to his cross as going to be glorified.”

(James Russell Miller)

[ Come Ye Apart was first published in 1890 by Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd. London, Edinburgh, New York, Toronto and Paris. It is available online at:

http://come-ye-apart.jr-miller.com/  ]

John tells us how, on one occasion, the mother of James and John came to Jesus and said, ” Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

(Matthew 20:21-23 )

This lady though that Jesus was going to lead the Jews to victory over the Romans and then he would sit down on his throne in Jerusalem to rule the nations. She wanted her sons to be his right-hand and left-hand men.

But Jesus was not thinking about earthly victory. He might not even have been thinking of the heavenly Kingdom when he replies. There is something in his words which seems to suggest he was thinking of his death on the cross.  Is it too far-fetched to suggest that what he really meant was this: “You don’t know what you are asking for your sons. My throne will be a cross, and those on either side of me will be condemned criminals.”?

That crucifixion was the most terrible event in human history – the pure and sinless Son of God was tortured and killed by wicked men. And yet that very same cross has become a symbol of victory for millions of his followers down the ages. Through the Cross Jesus still draws people to himself and brings them into his kingdom.

And it is alongside that cross of Jesus that we hear he greatest expression of faith – of believing in his kingship. At a time when Peter had denied him, most of the disciples had abandoned him and even John and Mary his mother thought it was all up for Jesu – at that time one of those crucified alongside him expressed his faith in the kingship of Jesus. He is dying on a cross, his companion is dying on a cross and Jesus is dying on a cross when this man says:

“Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

( Luke 23:43-44 )

Although he knew that Jesus was dying this man believed that Jesus would be victorious and enter into his Kingdom. He must have been thinking of the heavenly Kingdom – and the answer Jesus gave him confirmed his belief. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

(What  a contrast with the mother of the sons of Zebedee. She had been only thinking of an earthly kingdom, with Jesus sitting on a throne in Jerusalem and his foes cowering before him.)

But the day will come when his enemies will bow before him – and that leads us to the third way in which  Jesus will reign.

3)  As Coming King

Yes, Jesus is coming back again! There will be a Second Advent. He will return from heaven  and set up his Kingdom in its perfection. According to the book of Revelation there will be a new heaven and a new earth – a new world. And in that new world there will be no more sin, sickness, evil or death. No one knows the hour or the day, but be assured: Jesus will return.

“The Return of the King” is the final volume of Tolkien’s famous trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” –  but I think it would be a good title for the Book of Revelation too.

Yes, the King will return, to judge the world and to reward his followers. A new world is coming.

And the final way in which Jesus reigns is:

4) As King of our Hearts

But what kind of King is Jesus when he reigns  in our hearts? Earlier I spoke about the British monarchy. We have a Constitutional Monarch who is not allowed to get involved in the day-to-day running of the country. The Queen has a constitutional and ceremonial role but she does not actually govern. That is the job of the Prime Minister and the Government.

So what kind of monarch is Jesus? Is he a constitutional or an absolute monarch? undoubtably he is an absolute monarch – he does not need to seek the will of the people when he takes actions.

But some people would rather think of Jesus as a constitutional monarch. They don’t want him to interfere in the daily running of their lives. They don’t think religion should have that much influence on their business deals, their relationship with neighbours or  their family life. They may well say they are Christians, they may pay lip-service to Jesus Christ but they don’t want him to exercise  lordship in their lives. They still want to go their own way.

Make Jesus the King of your life. And make sure he is an absolute, not a constitutional, monarch.  Jesus is Lord,  there is no other!

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Gideon – an unlikely leader

Gideon destroying the altar of Baal

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I remember when I was in High School, aged about 12, being visited by a gentleman from the Gideons International. He addressed our assembly and told us how the Gideons had been started in 1899 by three commercial travellers who wanted to spread the message of the Bible. He told us how they started placing Bibles in hotels and guest houses.They took their inspiration from Gideon in the Old Testament, who with only 300 men defeated a vast horde of Midianites.

Last week we briefly thought about Gideon in our family service, but I thought it would be a good idea to look at the whole story of Gideon’s life. And that’s what we shall be doing for the next week or so. The story of Gideon is found in the Book of Judges, chapters 6-8.

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The same old story

When we look into the book of Judges we find the same old story repeated over and over again – the same cycle of disobedience, woe and deliverance. God had brought his people into the Promised Land, and for a generation they followed his ways. But after the death of Joshua

“another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)

You could say the same thing about Wales. Over a hundred years ago we had revival, but now most people do not believe in Jesus or go to church at all. And people turn away to the worship of all sorts of other things. Some worship money, others success, others celebrity culture, others fashion and others sport. Some turn away to actual religions and philosophies which deny the Christian Gospel.

Well that’s what happened in ancient Israel – the people turned from the Lord and worshipped the Baals, the pagan gods of Canaan. (There was one god named Baal but also lots of local gods called Baal. The word simply means Master in the Canaanite language.) So the Israelites worshipped the Baals and took part in orgiastic pagan worship, and gave their daughters to marry pagan men, and their sons to marry pagan women. Soon there was hardly anyone in the land worshipping the Lord. Then the Lord allowed Israel to be overcome by their enemies, the nations of the surrounding lands. And these nations had the upper hand until such time as the people turned back to the Lord and cried out to him for help. Then God would raise up from among them a rescuer, a hero, who would lead the people to victory. Once they had defeated their enemies they would return to the worship of the true God – for a generation! And then the whole sad story would be repeated.

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This happened time and time again, and the leaders who rescued the people were known as the Judges. At this time they were the only authority in the land – there was no king and the priests were weak. So the whole period became known as the time of the Judges. It was generally a time of lawlessness in which “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” ( Judges 17:6 ) which was not the same as that which was right in God’s eyes.

We see a parallel in our society. People pay no respect to authority – instead they go their own way.

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Gideon, an unlikely leader

And so, after Joshua, there came various Judges to lead the people to victory. First there was Othniel, then Ehud and then Deborah, an amazing woman. And if you think it is unusual that such a patriarchal society as that of ancient Israel should be led by a woman, then what about the next judge, Gideon? He was an even more unlikely leader – a fearful man, severely lacking in self-confidence, aware of his own frailty. He was the least important of his clan, which was the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh, which was one of least important tribes.

The very first time we meet Gideon he is hiding from the enemy. The Midianites had invaded the land and devastated it – like some vast swarm of locusts. They were desert nomads who arrived on camels and swooped down on all the settlements of Israel – pillaging and ravaging the land. They were rather like the Vikings in our own history (only the Vikings came by boat, not camel!) They did not spare anything – they took or destroyed all crops and animals. The Israelites fled to mountain caves and strongholds where they almost starved.

When the people cried out to the Lord, he heard their prayer and sent an angel to prepare the rescuer he was going to raise up. That Judge, that hero, was none other than Gideon. And where was Gideon when the angel found him? What was he doing? Was he training and preparing himself to fight off the enemy? No, he was hiding in a wine-press and threshing grain, to keep it from the Midianites. A very unlikely hero – to be skulking away in fear of the enemy!

You may be wondering how on earth you can thresh grain in a wine-press! ( Other translations have “wine-vat” but that seems to be just as improbable. I have even seen a picture in which Gideon is shown peeping out from behind a jar of wine.)  Clear all such images from your mind! In those days a wine-press was simply a depression cut into the rock. You filled it with grapes and trampled them with your feet.

When the angel came to him Gideon was at the bottom of the empty pit threshing, and fervently hoping the Midianites would not see him. The angel said,

“The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” (Judges 6:12-16 )

Gideon must have been astounded to be asked to lead God’s people to victory over their enemies. How could he, who was so weak and fearful do that? But God told him, “I will be with you.” And as one wise man said, “One with God is a majority”. The whole story of Gideon is about how God can take a weak person and transform them, or take a desperate situation and turn it around. By God’s grace Gideon was to become what the angel had said, a mighty man of valour – even though he didn’t look like one at the time!

But Gideon felt he needed a sign. “Show me you really are from God,” he said to the angel, “accept an offering from me.” And so he went off to slaughter a goat and prepare it as an offering. Gideon cooked the meat and, some hours later, returned with it in a basket, along with loaves of unleavened bread and the broth from the meat in a jar. The angel of God said to him,

“Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. When Gideon realised that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” (Judges 6:20-23 )

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Gideon the revolutionary

That night God spoke to Gideon – ordering him to destroy his father’s altar to the god Baal and the sacred pole of the goddess Ashera which stood next to it. Gideon’s family had obviously forsaken the Lord and were worshipping idols. But God had called Gideon, even though he was from a family of idolators.

Sometimes we write people off because of their background. But we should never do that. Don’t write off the pagan, or the atheist, or the Muslim or the Hindu or the member of any other religion. God can change them. He can reveal his truth to them and convert them. By his encounter with the angel Gideon was converted back to the God of his ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the one true God.

And the Lord put Gideon to the test. He made him do something which was very difficult, particularly for a timid soul like Gideon. He had to nail his colours to the mast. He had to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord. He had to oppose the worship of Baal head on, before he could be used to lead Israel to victory. He had to be extremely courageous.

And what about us? Do we dare stand up for Jesus? Do we dare risk unpopularity or opposition because of our faith in him? There are Christians in this world today in certain counties – countries like Pakistan, and Sudan, and Burma,  and North Korea – who risk their lives for the sake of Jesus. Some indeed lose their lives.

Gideon did what God told him to do. But he was still afraid of his family and neighbours – so he did it by night. He took the second-best bull from his father’s herd. Then he went, with ten of his servants, and demolished his father’s altar to Baal. Then he chopped down the sacred pole. Then he took the stones and built a new altar to the Lord. Gideon chopped up the wood of the Ashera pole and placed it on the altar. He sacrificed the bull and burnt it there as an offering to the Lord

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In the morning, the people of the town came past and they couldn’t believe their eyes – Baal’s altar had been desecrated, and there was a new altar, still smouldering with the fire of the sacrifice to the Lord. “Who did this?” They demanded. Some sneak told them it was Gideon and they went off to confront Gideon’s father Joash. The men of the town demanded of Joash,

“Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” ( Judges 6:30 )

But wily old Joash said, “If Baal really is a god he can fight for himself when someone breaks his altar!” This defused the situation and they left Gideon alone. Perhaps they even felt guilty about their worship of Baal. Anyway, Baal didn’t take revenge on Gideon, so perhaps Joash had been right. Perhaps Baal was not a god. From that day the people of the town gave Gideon the nickname Jerub-baal, which means, “Let Baal contend”, because he had destroyed Baal’s altar.

This act of courage marks the start of Gideon’s work of deliverance for his people. God was going to do great things through him. But first Gideon’s faith, devotion to the Lord, and trust in God had needed to be tested in his own family. And it’s true, isn’t it, that it is often in our own family that our faith is most tested. They are the ones who see us as we really are. They will quickly see if our faith is real.

In the chapters which follow we see several occasions where Gideon’s faith seemed to waver and he requires a sign from God to strengthen him and keep him going. But possibly the greatest test in his life was this first one, where he had to stand up and go against his father, his family and his neighbours. He risked his own safety in order to stand up for the true God who had revealed himself to Gideon.

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Followers of Jesus

Well, if we are followers of Jesus then we will need to be like Gideon. We will have to swim against the stream, because the stream is not going God’s way. Our society is full of false gods and unworthy objects of worship. We have to stand out against them.

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Courage, brother! do not stumble, Though thy path is dark as night;

There’s a star to guide the humble: Trust in God and do the right.

For the young person “trusting in God and doing the right” might mean being regarded as uncool because you will not join with your peers in wrongdoing – taking drugs, dishonest actions, immorality. For older people it might mean not compromising your integrity in work, acting honestly when all around are dishonest or maintaining Christian standards of family life. We all have times when we have to “contend with Baal”, as it were. But remember,

“It’s the bird which flies against the wind that flies the highest” (old proverb).

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If we are true to God he will give us the strength to overcome our fears, just as he did for Gideon.

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Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;

Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.

From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Naaman the Leper

 

2 Kings 5: 1-14

A servant’s tale

I am a servant of the great lord Naaman who is commander of the army of the King of Syria. It is a great honour to serve Naaman because he is so highly regarded. Even the King thinks highly of him – for God has given some mighty victories to Syria through him. Now, I have a strange and interesting story to tell of my master, a peculiar incident which shook us to our foundations but also lifted us to great heights of faith in the true God.

It started some years back when a young girl was captured from the land of Israel. She was perhaps about ten years old and I think her parents were killed in the raid. Very sad for her – she had lost her family and now she was  a prisoner of war, a slave. (At that time we were engaged in a low level conflict with Israel. We didn’t send full scale armies into the field, but we sent raiding parties over the border. They were very profitable in terms of plunder: livestock, valuables and, of course, slaves.)

Well, in the course of time Lady Naaman took a interest in this girl. She felt sorry for her and she promoted her from being a skivvy to becoming her personal attendant. When this girl had got over her bereavement a bit she became devoted to her mistress and her master. They had shown kindness to her and she reciprocated.

 

Dreaded skin disease

One day we all had a terrible shock in Lord Naaman’s household. It was discovered that our master had contracted leprosy, the dreaded skin disease. It had not spread far yet, but it would and my Lord  would have to retire from public life. his career would be over. Eventually the leprosy might kill him.

We were all devastated when we heard, for we all loved our master. Such a good, and courageous, and kind man.

Well, when she heard if it the young girl from Israel said to our mistress:
“If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”       (2 Kings 5:3)

This was good news and Lord Naaman went immediately to the King and reported what he had heard.

“By all means, go,” the King of Syria said. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel”.    (2 Kings 5: 5)

So off we went, in convoy, to Samaria in Israel. The mules were loaded up  with all kinds of gifts: 750 pounds weight of silver, 150  pounds weight of gold, ten sets of the most magnificent garments.

 

Hope of cure

So it was with hope in our hearts that we arrived at the court of King Joram in Samaria. But our hopes were soon to be shattered.
My Lord Naaman had a letter for King Joram from our king. This is what it said.

 “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”  ( 2 Kings 5: 6)

 When the King of Israel heard this he hit the roof!  He rent his garment ( he was good at doing dramatics) and he cried:
“ Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”     (2 Kings 5: 7)
In other words: this man wants war with Israel again – it’s just a pretext for a quarrel.

As you can imagine, it was very awkward for my master and for all of us in his retinue. We had to retire from King Joram’s court. And we didn’t know what to do then. If the king couldn’t help us, who could?  I think we had forgotten what the young girl had said: “There is a prophet in Samaria who can heal my master”. A prophet, not a king!

Anyway, we didn’t have to wait too long. After a while a message came to the King from the prophet Elisha.
“Why have you rent your garment? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”  (2 Kings 5:8)

So, off we went again, with hopes renewed. We were a splendid sight as we rattled in our chariots up to the door of the prophet Elisha.

But what a disappointing welcome! The prophet himself stayed in his inner room and sent his manservant with brusque message:
“Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”       ( 2 Kings 5: 10 )

 And so, for the second time, that day, someone hit the roof! I don’t think I’ve ever seen my master so angry.
“I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”  (2 Kings 5: 11)

Treated with disdain

 I think we servants all understood this. Lord Naaman was the second most important man in he Kingdom of Syria. He had come on a semi-official visit to Samaria. He had brought rich gifts to reward the prophet. Already he had been at he receiving end of King Joram’s wrath, and now he was treated with disdain by this tin-pot prophet who lived in a two room hovel.
The Lord Naaman expected to be treated with some ceremony – perhaps to undergo a cleansing ritual in the name of the God of Israel. He didn’t want to be told to just go off and wash in the muddy waters of the Jordan

“Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” he said. And he turned and went off in a rage.     ( 2 Kings 5: 2)

 I understood what my master felt like. But I also realised that the prophet was testing him. This was the test: was my master humble enough to do what Elisha told him? It required a great step down,  he would have to swallow his pride. He would have to submit to a command from the manservant of a poverty-stricken man of God.

 

Humble obedience

The other servants and I had a bit of a confab about this, and they chose me to approach the master.
“My Father,” I said. Yes, “Father” – I always called him that, he was that kind of man. We were like sons to him.

“My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’? “    (2 Kings 5: 13)

After all, Elisha wasn’t asking our master to travel to some distant land, or to perform some mighty feat. He wasn’t asking for half his wealth. He wasn’t asking him to do anything difficult – except that it was very difficult. How easy is it for a man of standing, a proud man, to humble himself? But that’s what my master did. Strange as it may seem, we never felt more proud of him than when he humbled himself. It takes a great man to be prepared to do that.

He went down to the River Jordan – which is just a large stream at that point. We all stood on the muddy bank and peered into the somewhat murky waters. My master stripped off all his fine robes until he was only in his loincloth. Then he went right into the water. He went right under, just to make sure the cure was total.

And as he came up we all looked eagerly, expecting to see some improvement to his loathsome leprous sores. No change.

He went under again: no change.

And again: still no change.

But, of course, the prophet had said “seven times”. Better do exactly what he said.

 

Divine cure

Then, as my master came out of the water the seventh time we all looked and, yes! He was cured!  Where there had been loathsome sores was all new, clear skin, just like that of a young boy!

We all rejoiced and celebrated and praised the God of Israel who had worked such a miracle for our master.

 

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A very human story

You know, I think this is one of my favorite Old Testament stories –  it’s so full of human interest, warmth, pathos and hope.

• First, we have the little captive girl from Israel and her love and concern for her master and mistress.  They were Syrians, enemies of her people. Their army had captured her, and probably killed her family, and made her a slave. But Naaman and his wife showed kindness to the little Israelite captive, and she reciprocated. She had heard of the man of God in Samaria and she told her mistress about him.

 

• Then, we have the reaction of the King of Syria. He thought so well of Naaman that he even sent him to the land of Israel to be healed. ( Imagine if it was modern day Syria and Israel! )

 

• And then, there’s the reaction of the King of Israel – entirely human.
  “I might be a king but I am not God. Even I can’t cure a man of leprosy. It’s just a pretext for war!”

 

• Then we have the prophet’s stern, and perhaps rather self-important, words. “Then he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”
  And the shocking way he treated Naaman – he didn’t give him the respect he thought he deserved. (Imagine if the Prime Minister of France came to visit Ten Downing Street and was shown in by the tradesman’s entrance! ) But it was all to test Naaman’s resolve and his faith.

 

•  Then, there’s Naaman’s reaction – again completely understandable. And the concern of his servants – how much they loved their master!
  But in the end reason prevails over rage, faith over fury, humility over highhandedness, and obedience over obstreperousness.
  And Naaman was healed!

In our lives too

So with us also. God wants to do some great things in our lives. But we must be cleansed of the leprosy of our sins. We must be made new, not in our flesh, but in the spirit. We must be born anew. We must trust in the power of God. We must commit ourselves to Jesus.  We must humble ourselves.

And for some people it’s too much – they won’t humble themselves beneath the mighty hand of God. They prefer the waters of Pharpar and Abana to those of Jordan, and they never get right with God. What a tragedy that is.

How much better to be like Naaman, to repent of our sinful pride and to submit to God’s ways.