Hosanna

JESUS THE MESSIAH HEALS*

2011-02-03T16:57:00.003+08:00

All throughout the Bible, we find that God places great importance on the attitude of man’s heart. God’s treatment of a person depends so much on how that person accepts the true condition of his spiritual life. Any person who would dare to humbly and honestly examine his life would certainly admit the need for God’s mercy and grace. On the other hand, anyone who would not humble himself to acknowledge his sins would consider himself spiritually self-sufficient, not seeing any need to seek God’s mercy and grace. These contrasting attitudes are featured in today’s verses.

Let’s read John 9:1-3
As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (NIV) When Jesus was questioned as to who was guilty of sin such that this man was born blind, Jesus answered that neither the man nor his parents were guilty of any sin that caused his blindness. Our Lord explained that God had a purpose for this affliction. God wanted to show His work through the life of this blind man.

To some of us, it might seem quite unfair of God to have allowed this poor man to go through such an affliction just to showcase His work. But the hearts that trust God are confident that all things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Let’s read the next verses John 9:4-7.
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Having stated that His time on earth was running out, our Lord proceeded with an unusual way of performing a miracle. Using His spittle and some dirt, He formed some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. This act was reminiscent of the manner by which He created man by forming dust and giving it His breath. It gave His disciples and other onlookers a sort of “glimpse” into the time of Creation when our Lord created man. And the blind man was healed.

Let’s continue reading the next verses John 9:8-12.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. (NIV)

The people who knew the blind man reacted to his healing with such great SURPRISE and DISBELIEF.

Let’s proceed reading John 9:13-17.
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided. Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”(NIV)

The Pharisees were not ready to acknowledge this as an act of God. They were highly suspicious of Jesus especially because He was always going against the regulations of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath, a day that was considered holy wherein no one should work.

On the other hand, the healed man’s heart was so full of gratefulness that He readily acknowledged his healing as an act of God. This was apparent when He opined to the Pharisees that Jesus was a prophet.

Let’s read the next verses John 9:18-23
The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age, ask him.”(NIV)

The Pharisees did not like what they were hearing from the healed man. They wanted so much to expose him as a liar so that his testimony about Jesus would be discredited. The Pharisees had tremendous clout. They could investigate any matter that seemed like a threat to their power and influence. They also had the power to make life miserable by banning anyone from all the synagogues.

The parents of the healed man were afraid of the Pharisees. They did not want to be put out of the synagogue, making them social outcasts, “excommunicated” from any religious rites which the Jews considered essential to their spiritual welfare.

Let’s continue reading John 9:24-25.
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”(NIV)

The Pharisees were forcing the healed man to a solemn vow to tell the truth. They wanted him to say once and for all that Jesus was not of God but an ordinary sinner.
However, the man had only one truth that he was sure of. This he blurted out, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see”. His whole world was different now. Everything had been changed. When he was blind, all he could see was darkness. Now he could see all the colors around him. After receiving his eyesight, surely he knew the distinct difference between being blind and being able to see all the movement everywhere.

How about us ? Can we recall the time when we were spiritually blind ? Can we remember the big difference when we received our spiritual eyesight ? Were we as happy about our spiritual eyesight as this blind man was ?

What about now ? Is our spiritual eyesight still as keen and as sharp as when we first received Jesus ? Are we still gratefully rejoicing at every spiritual wonder that Jesus shows us ?

Let’s read the next verses John 9:26-34.
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.(NIV)

The Pharisees continuously tried to discredit the man’s testimony about Jesus. They wanted the man to change his impression about Jesus. But the man was steadfast in his belief that Jesus came from God.

Unable to sway his testimony, the Pharisees angrily accused the man of being a sinner since his birth.

Let’s continue reading the verses John 9:35-38.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is He, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him.(NIV)

This was the first time that the man saw Jesus with his eyes. All the previous verses suggest that he had no idea of what Jesus looked like. However, we know that blind people naturally develop a very keen sense of hearing. Thus when the healed man heard the voice of Jesus, he recognized it as the voice that told him to go and wash right after mud was applied on his eyes . It was the voice of the one who gave him his eyesight !

When Jesus told him that He was the Son of Man, the grateful heart of the healed man readily believed. He acknowledged that he needed to believe. Not only was he cured of his physical blindness, he was also given the grace to spiritually see “the Truth, the Way, and the Life”. He then worshipped Jesus, giving Him all the glory and honor that only a humble man can give.

Let’s read the rest of the verses John 9:39-41.
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”(NIV)

Anyone who realizes his own spiritual blindness and humbly admits his need for God’s mercy and grace will see God in his life. But anyone who considers himself to be spiritually self-sufficient will be blind to his need for God’s mercy and grace; he will not see God in his life.

This was what Jesus was saying and it sounded like a mysterious riddle. It succeeded in confusing the Pharisees who reacted by rejecting the insinuations that they were blind. Thus Jesus pronounced their guilt for the sin of unbelief in Him, even as they saw with their eyes all the many things He did that proved that He was the Messiah.

In applying today’s lesson in our lives, are we spiritually self-sufficient or spiritually dependent on God? Do we seek God’s guidance in everything that we do ? Or do we feel that our inate intelligence and abilities are enough to guide us through each day ? Is it part of our habits to consult God about everything before we act, or do we go to God only when something becomes too big for us ?

Those who continually seek guidance from God in all their undertakings will benefit from the course that God charts out for those who trust Him. Because they humbly admit that they are so blind that they need God to guide them, they shall be blessed with seeing spiritual wonders in all His ways (Isa.30:20-21).

Difficulty in acknowledging Jesus

2010-07-02T11:45:00.003+08:00

Let us read John 7:25-30. At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, "Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to Him. Have the authorities really concluded that He is the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from." Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, " Yes, you know Me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me." At this they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come.

It was halfway through the Feast of Tabernacles (which was to last for eight days) and Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. The residents of Jerusalem were aware of a plot by the Pharisees to kill Jesus. So they were puzzled as to why Jesus was not being arrested. They were wondering at the freedom of Jesus to go about teaching publicly at the temple courts. They thought that perhaps the religious authorities had already concluded that Jesus was indeed the Christ. They themselves would not believe that He was the Christ. According to them, they knew the origin of Jesus and so He could not possibly be the Messiah. Most of them expected that the Christ would be completely divine with no earthly origin. Jesus commented that even if they knew His earthly origin, they did not know the One who sent Him. Jesus was clearly alluding to God the Father as the One who sent Him. He said that they did not know the Father from whom Jesus came. It was the same as saying that they did not know God. This angered the Jews and they tried to seize Him. But God did not allow them to take Jesus because His ministry was not yet finished.

Let’s read the next verses John 7:31-32. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in Him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more miraculous signs than this man?" The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Him.

A good number of those who were at the feast put their trust in Jesus either as a prophet or as the Messiah. They truly wondered if anyone else could ever do more miracles than Jesus. The Pharisees were alarmed at the spread of this impression about Jesus. They saw the need to stem any further increase in His popularity. So they sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus.

Let’s read on to John 7:33-36. Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the One who sent me. You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find Him? Will He go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did He mean when He said, `You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and `Where I am, you cannot come’?"

Jesus was already aware that His time on earth was going to end soon. The Pharisees were actively seeking to arrest Jesus so they could kill Him. Thus He told the crowd at the feast that He would soon be gone and that they would not be able to find Him or to go where He would be. This caused confusion among His listeners. They wondered if Jesus was planning to escape to the Greek territories where many Jews had migrated. Countless Jews lived in foreign lands. The number of Jews abroad were many times over the population of Palestine during the time of Jesus. The listeners of Jesus thought that He could be planning to go abroad and teach the foreign Jews. But we know that they were wrong. Jesus was not going to the Jews abroad. He was going to die for man’s sins in order to redeem man. That was the work He had to do as the CHRIST.

Let’s read the final verses John 7:37-39. On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time he Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The last day of the feast had come. It was the greatest day of the celebrations. Now, water was a scarce commodity in the whole of Palestine. By necessity, whenever many people converged for a religious ceremony, water was sold in the streets. There was not enough water for everyone in a big festival such as the Feast of Tabernacles which lasted for eight days. So after seven days, the people in the temple area must have been extremely thirsty. Water was also spiritually important. It was used to symbolize the cleansing of the soul. All Jews were familiar with this symbolism. Thus water also had a spiritual symbolism.

The Jews in Jesus’ time were undergoing a spiritual thirst. Their spirits yearned to be refreshed from the spiritual drought brought about by the doctrine of the Pharisees. Their religion consisted of countless worldly requirements. The Jews were led to believe that it was enough to merely perform all those requirements without having to pursue a real relationship with the living God. They saw no need to listen to God, seek His guidance, and obey whatever God might reveal to each heart. Their spirits were dying from their lack of spiritual nourishment. During the many decades before Jesus came to earth, God had not sent any prophet to proclaim God’s word. They were under a curse from God: " ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land —not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it’. " ( Amos 8:11-12 )

Jesus used the occasion to proclaim an end to that curse. On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus loudly said that anyone who is spiritually thirsty can come to Him to drink of the spiritual water — the kind that both quenches the thirst of the spirit and cleanses the soul. God’s word was once again being proclaimed, and the Christ Himself was proclaiming it: Only Jesus the Christ can save us from the spiritual drought that can kill our souls. When we believe in Him, we are made to drink of His living water and our spirits shall never thirst again. Any person who listens to the words of Jesus with a heart that trusts Him will truly be refreshed. A heart that does not trust Jesus will never benefit from His words. The person who trusts our Saviour is ever so enthusiastic to hear His words again and again and again. He will always be able to draw up new and refreshing nourishment even from verses which he had heard many times before. Experience tells us that those who do not trust our Lord will use every reason they can invent just to avoid giving their lives to Jesus. Some will find ways and means to cast some doubt on the words of our Lord. Others will make up any excuse to stay away from Him. We can find in today’s verses both kinds of human character: those who believed Jesus and those who did not. Those who did not believe Him even went as far as actively seeking His death. How about us ? Do we keep on going to Him to partake of the living water ? Do we continually seek the wisdom of His words ? Are we always trusting Him to free us from the spiritual bondages that have held our hearts and minds in captivity ? Jesus can do so much for us if we actively trust Him with everything in our lives. God bless all of us.

Jesus and the Truth (John 8:31-59)

2009-06-23T12:52:00.002+08:00

Let us read today’s verses John 8:31-36.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered them, "We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, `You will be made free’?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

These verses were addressed to the Jews who had initially believed Jesus as He taught at the temple grounds. He said that those who trust and follow His teachings will experience a kind of freedom which only the TRUTH can bring. He told them that the truth will set them free. Upon hearing this, the Jews tried to clarify that they had never been slaves because they were descendants of Abraham. There was no need to free them from anything. Historically, the Jews considered Abraham as the father of the Jewish race. And in that context, no Jew could be considered as a slave in the land of Abraham. But Jesus was speaking of a different kind of slavery: a spiritual kind.

First, Jesus stated that anyone who has committed sin is under the dominion of sin. Once man commits sin, he forfeits his authority over his own life to the power of sin. This was what Jesus meant concerning "a slave to sin". Any slave has no permanent place because he can be bought or traded like a piece of merchandise. But the son in a household that had bought a slave has the power to liberate the slave. Jesus likened Himself to such a son when He said, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed".

Let’s go on to the next verses John 8:37-40.
"I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them,"If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this."

Abraham, in God’s eyes, was not merely the father of the Jewish race. God looked upon Abraham as the father of all who put their faith in God. Jesus asserted that Abraham would not react towards Him the way the Jews were reacting to Jesus. They were determined to kill Him for telling them the truth that He had heard from God. He was righteously doing His Father’s work and yet the descendants of righteous Abraham wanted to kill Him.

Let’s proceed to the next verses John 8:41-47.
"You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one father — God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

Claiming that Abraham was their ancestral father, the Jews also claimed that God was their spiritual father. Jesus quickly refuted their claim. Jesus even went as far as saying that their spiritual father was the devil, the father of lies. They could not accept what God was saying through Jesus because they did not belong to God. They were completely devoid of the willingness to embrace the words of Jesus. They could not accept the truth.

Let’s move on to the next verses John 8:48-50.
Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

The Jews got stung because Jesus outrightly said that they were children of the devil. So they answered back by maligning Jesus. First they labeled him as a Samaritan which was a way of saying that Jesus was not a real Jew, but a fake one. Then they said that He was possessed by a demon, pointing out that Jesus was the one who was under the control of demonic forces. To deny their insinuations, Jesus pointed out the right relationship He had with the Father. He stated that He never sought glory for Himself, but instead He was always seeking to honor His Father. This is the essence of RIGHTEOUSNESS. The life of Jesus was totally dedicated to giving honor and glory to the Father.

Let’s read the next verses John 8:51-53.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death." Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, `If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make yourself out to be

All persons will experience death. This is the physical death wherein the human body loses its life. The kind of death that Jesus talked about in today’s verses was a different kind of death. Our Lord was referring to a spiritual death. It is an everlasting death for the spirit that is forever barred from entering the kingdom of God. Those who trust and follow the words of our Lord Jesus will never have to go through spiritual death. Their bodies will die, but their spirits will enter into everlasting life. This was what Jesus was speaking about when He said that those who keep His words will never taste death. Again, the Jews could not understand what Jesus was saying.

Let’s read the rest of today’s verses John 8:54-59.
Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. and if I say, `I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

When Jesus said," Before Abraham was born, I Am !", He used a phrase that referred to God when He commanded Moses. In using this phrase, Jesus was clearly claiming to be the God who talked to Moses in the burning bush — the same God who brought Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt with many mighty miracles. Jesus is the absolute TRUTH; the God that existed long before Abraham or any other man. He had no beginning and no end. But the Jews could not accept the absolute truth which was right before their eyes. They had gotten so used to the lies in their lives that they could no longer recognize truth. In spite of all the miraculous signs that He did before them, they still could not believe in Him. It was the fulfilment of what Isaiah had prophecied: that these people would neither see with their blinded eyes nor understand with their calloused hearts. Without accepting the truth about Jesus, the Jews could not be liberated from their slavery to sin’s power. Thus their spiritual destruction was inevitable.

How about us? How are we dealing with TRUTH ? Are we living out the things that Jesus taught ? Are His truths manifested in our lives ? If not, then the truth will not set us free from the dominion of sinfulness. Sadly, the sins that we hide will continue to bind us in slavery.

Foremost in this lesson is TRUTH. This word is mentioned in today’s verses no less than ten times. If we abide in the teachings of our Lord, then the truth will indeed flourish in our lives to free us from every power of sin. Truth will guide us to everlasting life all throughout our struggle against the power of sin. By God’s grace, we will stand firm. God bless us all.

THE TRANSFIGURATION (Matthew 17:1-6)

2009-04-28T12:01:00.001+08:00

Seeing God in all His glory is one of the rewards that await those who are faithful to Him. When we are freed from our corruptible bodies and receive immortal bodies as we enter the kingdom of Heaven, only then can we behold the awesome glory of God. Until then, the mere sight of God will be too overwhelming that it can destroy us. Thousands of years ago, Moses had found favor in God’s sight and he asked God if he could be allowed to see God in all His glory. God only showed Moses His back as He passed by but He did not allow Moses to see His face. He explained to Moses, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live ." (Exodus 33:18-23). And yet, God in His grace has allowed a few exceptions to this prohibition. One of these is an event now known as the TRANSFIGURATION.

Let’s read Matthew 17:1-3. Now after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfiguted before them. his face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.(NKJV)

The verses say that six days after Peter had acknowleged that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took the three disciples who were closest to Him: Peter, James, and John. He brought them to a high mountain where they could be alone in order for Jesus to pray (Luke 9:28-31). It was while Jesus was praying that the transfiguration took place. The parallel account in Luke says that His appearance was altered. It seems that His divine splendor shone forth from within His body, causing Him to glow brightly in such a supernatural whiteness. His face shone like the sun; His clothes became white as the light. Such an appearance of Jesus can be compared to another unique instance when God allowed John the Apostle another opportunity to see Jesus in His divine glory. This is written in Revelations 1:14-16, "His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength"(NKJV). These two descriptions show a similarity in the divine glory of Jesus in the Transfiguration and in Revelations. Today’s verses in Matthew goes on to say that suddenly there appeared Moses and Elijah conversing with Jesus. Let us note that Moses had died more than 1,500 years before Jesus; Elijah had been taken up to heaven more than 600 years before Jesus. Both of these Old Testament prophets had been in Heaven for a long time before the event of the Transfiguration. And yet here they were, conversing with Jesus. This truly dazzled the three disciples. But what did Jesus discuss with His two heavenly visitors that was so important? Luke 9:31 says that they discussed "His decease which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem". The word "decease" in the original Greek was EXODUS. This also meant "departure". In other words while Jesus was praying, Moses and Elijah came to discuss with Jesus the manner of His departure from this earth. Apparently, God the Father had sent two of His most faithful prophets in order to confirm to Jesus the necessity of dying on the cross. By His death on the cross, He would enter into His glory (See Matt.16:21). His suffering and His glory were inseparably linked.

Let’s read the next verses Matthew 17:4-6. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. (NKJV)

When Jesus had parted with Moses and Elijah, Peter who was always so eager to banner his own opinions suggested that they set up three tabernacles as monuments of the transfiguration. Actually Peter did not know what to say because he was afraid (Mark 9:6). But even before Peter finished talking, another awesome event occured. They were suddenly overshadowed by a bright cloud and a voice spoke from within the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him !". Upon hearing this the apostles were overcome with such great fear that they fell on their faces. Even the mere voice of our glorious God is so awesome. With these words, the Father bestowed His stamp of approval on the sinless life that Jesus had lived. The Father expressed His approval in order to show the worthiness of Jesus as the perfect Bearer of our sins on the cross; the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God — no blemish, no defects. God was implementing His plan for our salvation. And Jesus, our Saviour, was about to enter into His glory.

Will you and I be allowed to gaze upon the glorious Jesus? Or will we be deemed unworthy, such that the experience of seeing His glory might destroy us? Not all people can endure the presence of our glorious Lord. Revelations 6:16 says that some will plead pitifully, "...Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

God desires that we be worthy to stand before His glorious presence. He wants to prepare us for that event by bringing changes into our lives. He desires to change man’s wicked heart into a trusting heart. Our thoughts into His thoughts.Our ways into His ways. He desires to change each of us into a new creation: from mortal into immortal, from corrupted into glorified, something like a transfiguration.

But do we desire that too? More than anything else? Are we willing to undergo God’s changes to enter into His glory? Even if we have to suffer in the process? Pray to God about that. God bless us all.

THE CREATOR’S GIFT NEGLECTED*

2009-03-12T17:11:00.002+08:00

Wherever our Lord Jesus went during the three years of His public life, He was very accomodating. He acceded to many invitations to visit homes and dine with the people of His day. He was not choosey concerning the types of people that He agreed to socialize with. And no matter who He rubbed elbows with or whose house He was in, Jesus never neglected to share God’s ways by His words and by His deeds.

Let’s read Luke 14:1.
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, He was being carefully watched.

Jesus took every opportunity to be with people in the short time of his public life here on earth. He even dared to accept an invitation to the house of a Pharisee eventhough He knew that the Pharisees were keeping a close watch on Him, looking for a way to put Him to death. Surely Jesus was aware that the host would probably invite his fellow Pharisees and their close associates: the experts of the law. However, this did not deter Him from going to the Pharisee’s house. Take note that this was a Sabbath day.

Let’s read the next verses Luke 14:2-6.
There in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, He healed him and sent him away. Then He asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" And they had nothing to say.

When He was still a young boy, Jesus had already declared that He needed to go about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). True to His word, Jesus never failed to indulge in His Father’s work no matter where He went. Part of the work He was sent to do was to heal the sick. Our Lord attended to this task with all the mercy and love of the Father for His lost children. Today’s verses mention the presence of a man who was suffering from DROPSY (a severe swelling of the body due to a disease in the vital organs). Most naturally, our Lord wanted to heal the afflicted man. But before He healed the afflicted man, Jesus pointedly asked the Pharisees and the experts of the law a controversial question: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" . He knew that they were watching Him for any possible mistake that they could accuse Him of. Jesus also knew that the healing miracles He had done on Sabbath days were contradictory to the regulations imposed by these religious leaders.

Thier concept of the Sabbath was an exaggerated version of the pronouncements of God. Their distorted interpretation did not reflect the intent and spirit of God’s law concerning the Sabbath. Their rules about the Sabbath had evolved radically to the point being inhuman. They prohibited any physical activity on the Sabbath. Even a simple journey with a distance of more than one mile was prohibited. Stiff penalties were imposed on anyone who violated the Pharasaic rules, sometimes even imposing the death penalty (They even contended that Jesus should die for violating the regulations by healing on the Sabbath —— Mark 3:1-6). Jesus did not agree with their regulations.

But what exactly was God’s concept about the Sabbath? What did God forbid on the Sabbath and what did He allow?

In the story of Creation, the Bible says that God finished all His work by the sixth day. On the seventh day He ceased all His work, blessed that seventh day, and set it apart as holy. Setting it apart, God intended this rest day to be kept HOLY unto God (Gen. 1-3). Exodus 16:29 says, "Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath". This implies that God had created the seventh day for a specific purpose. He could easily have limited the number of days to six instead of seven. That would have meant that He expected us to slavishly work for SIX DAYS and immediately proceed to the next six days of work, without the benefit of a seventh day rest. But God gave man the gift of the Sabbath so that man could rest.

God gave so much importance to the seventh day rest that He included it as one of the TEN COMMANDMENTS (Exodus 20:8). By the words used in that commandment, it is clear that what He prohibited was secular work, or any labor that is for the purpose of a livelihood. That is why the prohibition extends to the servants and the animals. But not included in this prohibition is the necessity of having to procure one’s food when the need arises. An example of this was the Sabbath day when Jesus and His disciples were passing through a grainfield. Because they were hungry, they picked some grain (Mark 2:23-28). This exemption also applies when it comes to our basic needs. God does not prohibit any of his creatures from eating when they are hungry.

Now how about us? Are we willing to abide by God’s prescribed ways of observing the Sabbath? How should it apply to our lives today? Or can we rightly declare that the Sabbath is not applicable anymore in our modern times?

Exodus 31:13 says that the purpose of observing the Sabbath is: "... so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy." It implies that the Sabbath must be spent doing the things that will bring us closer to God. In other words, we not only cease all our livelihood endevours on the seventh day; we should spend that day pursuing the WAYS and the WILL of God. We were given the gift of a Sabbath day in order to rest upon the Lord completely. On this day that is set apart as holy unto God, we are to refrain from indulging in the ways of the world. Worldly pursuits are to be set aside. Worldly entertainment is to be avoided. By the holiness of the Sabbath, the Lord would cause us to know Him better, as he sets us apart for His purpose and pleasure. Our obedience will result in truly knowing the Lord.

Mercy and love are the ways of God. And Jesus, in continuously pursuing His Father’s ways, wanted so much to share God’s mercy and love with the sick person mentioned in today’s verses. So He asked the Pharisees: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" The Pharisees and the experts of the law remained silent. Deep in their hearts they knew that God’s love and mercy had a rightful place on any day, most specially on the Sabbath day which was set apart for God. Yet they did not want to say anything that would compromise their power and position. They kept quiet for they could not allow God’s ways to supercede their man-made regulations. They had set their minds on how to observe Sabbath days: their way, not God’s way. They misinterpreted and neglected God’s gift of the Sabbath.

Jesus spent Sabbath days not by laying around doing nothing. He kept going about His Father’s business, faithfully imparting God’s mercy and love, even healing on those Sabbath days.

A dangerously wrong presumption

2009-02-20T15:16:00.002+08:00

Let us read today’s verses in Matthew 7:19-27.
(Jesus spoke:) "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

God’s faithful children have the ability to discern if a person is a real believer. They know what fruit to look for in the person’s life. The presence of God’s fruit (such as those written in Galatians 5:22) is a signal that the person lives in obedience to God’s will and is trustworthy in God’s eyes. The presence of sinful ways in a person’s life (such as those written in Galatians 5:19-21) would warn believers that the person has not lived in obedience to God’s will and is therefore not trustworthy; he will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Many dare to call themselves as Christians; many even take up positions as leaders in Christian churches; some even succeed in doing much religious work. Outwardly, it may appear that such people can rightfully claim a reserved place in the kingdom of heaven. The public might even call them saints, based on what the public had seen them do and had heard them speak.

But today’s verses give no importance to outward appearances. These verses say that God’s focus is on the inward realities of a person’s life. In the final analysis, Jesus will decide who will or will not enter His kingdom based on what He sees within a person’s soul, and not on any credentials and public achievements.

Many so-called evangelists today abound who boast of mighty works that they have accomplished. Many claim the ability to prophesy and work awesome miracles — even invoking the name of the Lord Jesus as they carry out their performances. Yet these accomplishments do not guarantee their entrance into heaven, according to Jesus. When judgement day comes, they would be very surprised if they were not allowed to enter heaven; their audiences who trusted and followed them would be surprised too.

Jesus said that obedience to God is the key to entering heaven. In today’s verses, our Lord emphasized it by saying it twice. Those that listen to what God tells them personally and obeys, they will enter. They have based their faith on a solid foundation that will endure any destructive challenge. Their obedience will be honored by Jesus in accepting them into heaven.
It is entirely true that some can perform mighty works for God and yet not be living in obedience to God. Some preach eloquently, some can prophesy, and some can stage mighty works of healing and casting out demons. But it cannot be presumed that they do these in living obedience to God. Many do it as a livelihood. Many do it for recognition, fame, and other worldly motives. They only succeed in misleading others as they attain their selfish objectives.

But the most dangerous presumptions come upon those who perform mighty works which had been empowered by God, and yet later live in disobedience to God. They had experienced the empowerment of God as His Spirit used them to do amazing deeds. Subsequently, they refused to obey God. Instead of serving the glorious God, they chose to serve themselves. They exchanged the glory of God with worldly gain. The Bible contains examples of such persons.
Saul, before he became king, was a humble man. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1Sam.10:9-11). A real empowerment from God! After he became king, Saul turned into a proud and ungodly man because he often disobeyed God. The rest of Saul’s life was displeasing to God.

Judas was an apostle of Jesus. He was among the 12 men who were closest to our Lord. He had spent plenty of time with Him. In Matthew 10:1 it is written that Judas was empowered by Jesus to perform mighty works: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. In spite of his closeness to Jesus, Judas did not pursue a life of submission to God’s ways. His materialistic heart learned to rebel against the spiritualistic ways of the Lord. He later sold Jesus to the priests and Pharisees. Judas traded the glory of Jesus which he had personally experienced, all in exhange for 30 silver coins.

Lawlessness is one way that the Bible describes disobedience. It describes the person’s refusal to be led by the guidance of God who keeps trying to guide us towards His ways. Such a person will choose to do only what his heart desires, disregarding whatever God may be guiding him to do. Even if that person’s deeds are not outrageouly wicked and even if his deeds result in good things, if he is not obeying God he is still disobedient.

Judas did not violate the Mosaic Law or disobey any of the 10 commandments. Some would even credit him for the act that allowed Jesus to fulfill His mission to die. Still, Jesus called him the "son of perdition" (John 17:12), a phrase describing a person who is headed toward final judgment and destruction.

Saul and Judas are examples of the kind of people that Jesus warns us about in today’s verses. Yes, there are others like them, many of whom presume that their mighty works are an assurance of their automatic acceptance into heaven. According to Jesus, many of them will be surprised on judgment day because He will reject them.

The ones whom Jesus will accept into His kingdom are those that do the will of the Father. The New Testament says that the will of the Father is that we abide in Jesus whom He had sent. Those who live their lives in obedience to the teachings and examples of Jesus are actually doing the will of the Father. Because they abide in Jesus, He abides in them and reigns supreme in their thoughts, their words, and their deeds.

Jesus will bring into heaven those faithful ones, they that chose to serve Him in total surrender rather than serve themselves. He will even proclaim them before His Father’s throne.
The Judge Himself guides us in today’s verses. Let us live accordingly. God bless us all.

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - John 4:5-19

2009-02-11T14:54:00.003+08:00

Let us read today’s verses John 4:5-19 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, `Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him. "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, `I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."

God always uses the truth to reveal Himself. That is how people experience His love and His concern in their personal lives. That was the same way that Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman. Samaria was an area between Judea and Galilee. The city of Sychar was in Samaria, specifically at the foot of Mount Gerizim, the mountain where the Samaritans worshipped God. Jesus was traveling the long journey from Judea to Galilee. He was tired and thirsty when He reached Sychar. As He sat by a well, He requested a Samaritan woman to give Him some of the water that she was drawing from the well. It was a fact that Samaritans and Jews despised each other. Their mutual hatred had marred their relations for many centuries. It started at the time of the Babylonian Exile when the Jews were conquered and exiled to Babylon for 70 years. Some Jews insisted on staying behind in the land of Israel, a decision which disobeyed the prohecies of God. Among them were the Samaritan Jews. As a result of staying behind, the Samaritans intermarried with their heathen neighbors, which was forbidden by the law that God had given through Moses. By the time the exiled Jews returned to Israel, the Samaritans were not purely Jewish anymore. They were thus oustracized as non-Jews. This animosity could be sensed in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The woman mockingly asked why Jesus, a Jew, had requested her, a Samaritan and a non-Jew, for a drink of water. A Jew must not expect any hospitality from a Samaritan. But our Lord transcended that hostile remark. In words that could only come from the gentle lips of the Savior, Jesus tried to explain that He had so much to give anyone who serves Him even if such service is only a drink of water. Jesus used the topic of potable water to illustrate the abundant spiritual blessings that only He could provide. He called it "LIVING WATER". This spiritual water would quench every spiritual thirst. Its’ essence was everlasting life. The woman did not seem to grasp what Jesus was saying. Her worldly understanding was chained to her physical needs and any material benefits she could gain. She could not lift her attention to any spiritual reality. So she tried to toy around by mocking, "Give me this water so that I do not have to come to this well again to get water." But though she mocks Jesus, she does not shun Jesus. Though she cannot grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ revelation, she still converses with Jesus. And more than anything else, she still listens to Him. That was all that Jesus needed at that moment. As long as she would continue listening, our Lord was willing to share His grace and His life-changing words. Jesus shifted the conversation. He wanted to reveal more of Himself; this He did by exposing the deepest secrets of the woman. He invaded the privacy of her heart. He openly declared the secret shame which burdened her soul. The truth could set her free. But how would she react? Humans can easily clam up defensively and deny their guilt in an attempt to avoid humiliation. Humans might even retaliate with insults in order to counteract the rebuke. But the truth, if denied, will be helpless and unable to set one free. The Samaritan woman responded admirably. She made no effort to sidestep the heavy guilt which she had been bearing; she was an adulteress. She chose not to deny the truth; instead she declared that Jesus had been sent by God. Only God can examine her heart and mind. Only God can know all the details of her past, even the darkest sins which she had concealed. She recognized that God had sent someone to draw her heart towards a spiritual reality: that God still loved her and He desired that she turn away from her worldliness and submit to Him. Her response brought a big change in her life (John 4:25-29). How about us? Are we too engrossed with the life of this world? Is it difficult to lift our attention from the worldly to the spiritual? How have we responded to those moments when the Spirit of God tries to draw our materialistic hearts to spiritual reality? Can we still recognize God’s attempts to nudge us from a worldly trance? Do we still marvel at God’s daily revelations of His love the way the Samaritan woman did? May God give us ears that hear and eyes that see. May He give us the grace to respond in humble submission and in loving obedience. And may God be glorified in our thoughts, in our actions, and in our words. God bless us all.

Difficulty in acknowledging Jesus

2009-01-19T12:41:00.002+08:00

LETTING GOD BE GOD IN OUR OWN LIVES IN SPITE OF OUR OWN PLANS

2009-01-08T12:08:00.007+08:00

Our views concerning God would dictate how we would
1) view the ways of God in our own particular lives and,
2) react to Him by revising our own lives to conform to His will.

Let us read today’s verses — Luke 7:17-23
This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So He replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me."

It seems that the news about the miracles of Jesus had spread far and wide, and that He was being regarded by the people as either the MESSIAH ( as foretold in many parts of the Old Testament ) or as the PROPHET who would prepare the people for the Messiah’s arrival ( foretold in Isaiah 40:3-5 ). Now John the Baptist knew that he himself was not the Messiah. He knew that his role was that of the prophet — "a voice crying out in the wilderness" — the one who was sent merely to prepare the way for the coming Lord who was to bring salvation. Therefore, John the Baptist knew that the awaited Messiah was the only one who had not yet been revealed.

The prevailing notion about the Messiah was that he would redeem the Jews from the yoke of the Roman colonizers. If Jesus was to fit that image, He had to have the characteristics of one who would militarily unite the Jews and lead them against the mighty Romans. At that time of Jesus’ miracles, He was indeed popular enough to ignite such a revolution. But Jesus never spoke of starting an armed struggle against the Romans. All He ever talked about was the kingdom of God. And instead of arousing the people to a revolution, He talked about loving others - even loving their enemies. This led John to question if Jesus was truly the promised Messiah.

When John sent his disciples to confront Jesus with that precise question, Jesus had a remarkably direct answer. He replied by pointing to the many miracles that He had been doing which only God could perform —— " tell John ..... the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor". This reply was meant by Jesus to remind John of the time when he baptized Jesus. For as he baptized Jesus, John heard the words of God the Father : "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased "(Matt. 3:17 ).

Jesus’s answer to the disciples of John ended with a remark which carried both a rebuke and an encouragement. " Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me " was how Jesus finished His reply.

It was a REBUKE to John who had personally heard God’s voice identifying Jesus as His Son. But later, John started to doubt this truth that God had spoken, mainly because Jesus did not seem to fit the role the Messiah was expected to be. This rebuke was meant to correct the prejudice of those who would cling to their preconceived ideas about how God must act.

People view their lives as the arena in which God will act, thinking that their personal plans and notions are the boundaries within which God must act. They believe that anything which deviates from their personal plans and notions would probably not have come from God. This is a common mistake in the way people think. We oftentimes have this mindset that God’s will for our lives must function only within the limits of our own ideas about the future. So when God acts in ways contrary to our ideas, we feel "offended" as Jesus warned.

Subjugating ( or regarding as less important ) the will of God to our own will is WRONG !

" Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him And He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes ; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. " ( Proverbs 3:5-7 )

John was being rebuked for leaning on his own understanding. He was somehow trying to limit God to the boundaries of his own understanding of the future. He was being wise in his own eyes. This is an important lesson for us to learn because we often expect God to act within the confines of our own understanding, our own plans, our own will. What God requires of us is actually the reverse. In trusting God with all our heart, our will must conform to God’s will, our ways must conform to God’s ways, and our well-being and our future must be totally surrendered to His abounding love and mercy for us.

The reply of Jesus was also an ENCOURAGEMENT. He who is not offended at God’s chosen ways ( which may differ from our expectations ) will be rewarded. Only the person who truly fears and trusts God can wholeheartedly embrace God’s ways. Just the way Jesus prayed before he was killed, " Yet not as I will, but as You will " ( Matt.26:39 ). Let’s read the rest of today’s verses Luke 7:24-28 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.This is the one about whom itis written: ‘I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’ I tell you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John, yet the One who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (NIV)

After the disciples of John left, Jesus spoke to the people concerning John the Baptist. Jesus confirmed that John was the prophet that God had sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. And Jesus said that there was no greater prophet among all men than John. He ended by saying, " ... but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater " than John. By this Jesus was NOT saying that John will not enter heaven. What Jesus was saying was that at that point in time, John did not have as much trust in Jesus as "anyone who is" the least in the kingdom. At that point in time, John had not completely surrendered his own understanding unto the will of Jesus.

How about us ? Are we completely trusting our own understanding ? Are we trying to be wise by our own human standards ? Or have we surrendered our ways to God’s ways ? Our will to God’s will ? In all our ways, we are to render ourselves as subjects to His will, and He shall oversee our paths with His love and His grace. God bless you.

Using our possesions to benefit others

2008-12-04T16:37:00.001+08:00

Let’s read today’s verses Luke 16:1-8.

Jesus told His disciples, "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, `What is this I hear about you? Give me an account of your management because you cannot be manager any longer.’ "The manager said to himself, `What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig and I’m ashamed to beg - I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ "So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?’ "`Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. "The manager told him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly and make it four hundred.’ "Then he asked the second, `And how much do you owe?’ "`A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. "He told him, `Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light." (NIV)

The manager in this parable got caught for mismanaging the rich man’s possessions. He was being accused of squandering the things that were entrusted to him for his own selfish benefit. The manager was threatened with dismissal. Realizing that his future appeared bleak and uncertain, he devised a plan to insure his well-being. He summoned the people who were in debt to his master and he used his authority to condone part of their loans. To the one who owed eight hundred gallons of oil he said, "Take your bill and write a different promisory note for only four hundred gallons." And then to another who owed one thousand bushels of wheat, he said, "Write a note for only eight hundred." In doing this, the manager was making sure that those debtors would be grateful enough to welcome him into their homes when the time came for him to be evicted from his master’s estate. It may be argued that this manager was cheating his master by condoning the debts. But this condonation also had the effect of ensuring that the debtors would pay those debts because of the nice discount for them. The master was so glad over this that he commended the manager for his brilliant deed. He was aware that in Israel all unpaid debts must be totally forgiven every 7 years.

Let’s read the next verses, Luke 16:9-13.

Jesus was still speaking: "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

In these verses, Jesus was stating some principles about worldly possessions, which is also translated as "unrighteous Mammon". Jesus says that we must utilize these worldly possessions to benefit others specially the poor and less fortunate. Jesus says that in so doing, we will gain friends as well as an eternal home. This was what the manager was doing. Instead of using unrighteous Mammon for his own selfish benefit, he started to use it for the benefit of others. Part of being good stewards of worldly possessions is about SHARING. God wants us to use our possessions in a way that benefits others also. Selfishness is not good stewardship in the eyes of God. Jesus knew that if a person who owned very few possessions readily shared these with the less fortunate, such a person can also be counted on to share, even when God blessed him with much more. And only those who generously share their worldly possessions can be counted on to generously share God’s other riches. Man’s willingness to share is dictated by either love for GOD or love for MONEY. Jesus said that we will love one and not love the other; we will be ruled by one or the other. We have to decide which of the two is our beloved MASTER. Yes we need money. Yes we need worldly possessions. Yes we need food, clothes, and shelter. But we should not love worldly possessions or riches in a manner that is greater than our devotion to God. We must not pursue material things more than we pursue a relationship with God. When we utilize the worldly things that have been given to us - our money, our clothes, our houses, our cars - we should utilize them in a way which makes us more obedient and more faithful unto God.

Let us read the rest of today’s verses Luke 16:19-26. Jesus told a story as an example of how this works.

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen." At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "Now the time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried in hell where this rich man was in torment. He looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. And so he called to him (the rich man called to Abraham), "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this fire. "But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things while Lazarus received bad things? But now, he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you, a great chasm or separation has been fixed so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

Jesus spoke about a rich man who was living in luxury. At his gate, a beggar named Lazarus frequently came. This beggar was hoping to beg for food from the rich man, but the rich man gave him nothing. This rich man never even shared the crumbs that fell from his table, useless and wasted crumbs which a beggar like Lazarus was longing to eat. That rich man loved his worldly possessions so much; he wanted his worldly possessions to benefit only himself. He was selfish. He was not willing to share anything with Lazarus, not even a crumb. Was that rich man faithful in handling his worldly possessions? Would God be pleased to bless him with God’s other riches? Time passed, and both Lazarus and the rich man died. Lazarus the beggar went to where holy men like Abraham was. The rich man went to hell where he was tormented in flames. He suffered tremendously. He longed for even one drop of water to soothe his burning tongue. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to dip a finger in water and bring it to him so he could lick even a drop — just like Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. But that was not possible. If the rich man could only turn back the hands of time and return to his rich life, he would surely be willing to give Lazarus a big portion of his wealth. Regretably, it was too late. He had failed his chance to be faithful in handling material possessions.

Today, some of us are rich, some of us are poor. But whatever our economic condition is at present, God still wants us to share with others our worldly possessions. Let us keep in mind what Jesus said: "He who is faithful with very little can be trusted to be faithful with much". If God sees that we cannot be trusted to be faithful in handling and sharing worldly wealth, He will not trust us with His other riches.

Lessons from: The Parable of the Good Samaritan & Martha and Mary

2008-11-14T15:43:00.003+08:00

One of the most well-known parables is the parable of the Good Samaritan. The fame of this story has led the whole world to use the term "good Samaritan" to describe anyone who is helpful unto others. Today let us take another look at this remarkable story.

Let’s read today’s verses Luke 10:25-29
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" Jesus replied. "How do you read it?
"He answered: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’."
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
But he (the man) wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus,"And who is my neighbor?"
It was a time when Jesus was teaching; and an expert of the Law of Moses suddenly stood up to ask a question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?".
The real purpose of the question was to test Jesus. This law expert was intending to draw Jesus into a debate. For when Jesus queried him about what the Law said concerning the matter, he had a ready answer, typical among scholars of Scipture. He gave an exact quotation from the Law : "Love God with all ......." and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (taken from Deut.6:5 and Lev.19:18).

Jesus acknowledged that his answer was indeed correct. Actually Jesus Himself used this same quotation to answer the Pharisees in another incident when they had asked Him which was the greatest commandment in the Law (Matt.22:35-40).

In agreeing with the Law expert, Jesus exhorted him : " Do this and you will live ". By this our Lord meant that if any person would succeed in following these two commandments he would inherit eternal life.

The Law expert did not seem satisfied that our Lord agreed with his answer. He pressed on with his desire to force a debate with Jesus by asking another question. Verse 29 says that "he wanted to justify himself" indicating that he already had a set mind concerning the matter. So he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor ?"

With that question, the law expert thought that he had forced Jesus into a position where a debate seemed inevitable. The word "neighbor" can be a subjective term, and its interpretation may vary in relation to place of residence, family ties, Jewish tribes, political affiliation, financial status, and a host of other variables. All of those relations often caused quarrels and animosities, thus making it extremely difficult to apply the commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
So let’s see how Jesus handled this sticky question. Let’s read the next verses Luke 10:30-35
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

Jesus started telling a story about a man, presumably a Jew, who was laying half dead on a road. The man had been robbed and mugged. Jesus then mentioned that a priest happened to pass by. Upon seeing the unfortunate victim, the priest avoided having anything to do with the bloodied man by detouring via the other side of the road. Jesus added that another passerby came along; this time a Levite. He too avoided the beaten man by likewise passing on the other side of the road.

Note here that the two men who avoided the victim were both Levites, the clan from which the priests are picked. Levites were trained to prepare them for priestly duties in the temple. Therefore they were well versed with ministering in the presence of God. And among all the Jewish clans, the Levites were claimed by God as the clan that was His (Num.3:11-13). They were set apart to belong to God. Because of their knowledge, Levites should have known God’s ways better than anybody else. And thus they should have been the most "enlightened" and the most willing among the Jews concerning the matter of loving others.

Jesus continued his story with the next man who passed by the dying victim. This passerby happened to be a Samaritan; and Samaritans were hated in Israel. Although they descended from the same race as the Israelites, they were ostracized and not treated as Jews. Samaritans were mocked and hated by the Jews.

Yet it was the Samaritan who took it upon himself to have pity on the beaten man. He did everything he could in order to relieve the distressed victim. He gave his resources and his money to insure that the victim would recover from his injuries.

Let’s read the succeeding verses Luke 10:36-37
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, " The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

In asking the law expert that question, Jesus forced him to acknowledge in his heart God’s own concept about who his neighbor was. And when he answered, we notice that he still found it difficult to consider the hated Samaritans as among the neighbors that he must love. Instead of simply answering, "The Samaritan", he tried to go around it by saying, "The ONE who had mercy on him".

Then Jesus reinforced the lesson to the law expert by telling him to do likewise — Love even those you hate; love even those that hate you. That is what it takes to inherit eternal life.
What about us? Do we love our neighbor —— the ones we hate, and the ones who hate us and make life miserable for us?

We have to admit that this is almost impossible. Given our human nature, this would be extremely difficult. Yet, God commanded it of us because He knows it can be done, as proven by the Good Samaritan. But we wonder just how we can manage to do it given our human nature.
The next verses will help us see this in a better light. Let’s read Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Among Christians of today, Martha is known as having a penchant for facing the necessary tasks that had to be done. Mary on the other hand is known for spending all her time with Jesus.

The Lord said in verse 42 that Mary had chosen the more beneficial thing that was truly needed. This is not to say that we should all forget about attending to the worldly needs of daily life. Nor is it right to say that a passive way of life is what God prefers for us.

What the lesson of Mary and Martha points to is that whatever we have to do, we can do it in the presence of Jesus. There seems to be no way that we can escape the many chores that accompany our earthly existence. Escapism is not prescribed by God’s word. But as Christians who have submitted everything to God’s reign, we can certainly spend all our hearts and minds on our Lord as we perform our chores in His loving presence. We can be both Martha and Mary at the same time. In fact, that is the way a Christian should be.

As we spend more of our hearts and our minds on our Lord Jesus, we become conformed to his likeness. Remember how Moses’ face shown brightly after he spent much of his time in the presence of God ? We too will reflect the light of Jesus as we stay united to Him in all that we do.
Philipians 2:1-4 talks of this. It speaks of the union with Jesus which would make us more compassionate and loving as we continually commune with Jesus. We become more like Him, until the point where we are enabled to live our lives following the life that our Shepherd lived on earth.

Only then can we love the way Jesus loved. Only then can we love the people who hate us and harm us. Only then can we truly love our neighbor the way God wants us to.
Eternal life is what Jesus promises for our reward.

Psalm 17:15 says :
" As for me, I will behold
Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied when
I awake in Your likeness."

FACING FEAR

2008-10-24T14:44:00.004+08:00

(John 7:1-13)

Christians rarely consider that Jesus Christ, when He walked this earth, was ever afraid of anything. It is quite difficult to think that our Lord had experienced FEAR. It is more reassuring to think of the divine qualities of Jesus rather than accept that our Lord possessed human frailties as a man. In fact many sects consider it a sacrilege to delve into the human characteristics of Jesus. Such sects would ostracize anyone who would even suggest that Jesus had experienced any form of human weakness such as being afraid. Jesus had a human body that had all the usual human qualities. These included all the ordinary weaknesses that everyone had. The Book of Hebrews says the same thing (2:14-18 and 4:14-15). It is written that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, took on a human body to sacrifice His human life in order to save humans. It was a mortal body, subject to the same weaknesses and temptations that all of mankind regularly experience. The only difference was that Jesus our Lord did not commit any sin.

Let’s READ John 7:1. After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take His life.(NIV)

Jesus stayed in the area of Galilee for a while. He avoided going to Judea where the religious leaders of the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Jesus was experiencing fear in the same manner as anyone whose life was being threatened. The fear of dying is undoubtedly a part of being human. It was natural for the mortal Jesus to have this fear of death. In fact, on the eve of His arrest, Jesus underwent such a great agony over His impending death that He went into a bloody sweat (Luke 22:43-44).

Let us continue with today’s verses John 7:2-13. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to Him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples may see the miracles You do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world." For even His own brothers did not believe in Him. Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for Me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for Me the right time has not yet come." Having said this, He stayed in Galilee. However, after His brothers had left for the Feast, He went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for Him and asking, "Where is that man?" Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about Him. Some said, "He is a good man." Others replied, "No, He deceives the people." But no one would say anything publicly about Him for fear of the Jews. (NIV)

The time for the Feast of Tabernacles had come. It was a grand festival that lasted for eight days. During the joyous festivities, the Jews would offer many sacrifices —— much more than at any other occasion. Thus, this was celebrated in the areas near the temple which was in Jerusalem, the capital of Judea.

The brothers of Jesus were cajoling Jesus to go to Judea for the festivities. They were making fun of Him in much the same way that brothers ridicule each other. They could not see any divine purpose in the works of Jesus; nor did they believe in the things that He taught. No prophet is accepted in his own hometown, much less in his own family. It is then easy to understand that Jesus was not believed by His own brothers while He was still alive. It was only after the resurrection of Jesus that His brothers started believing. They became true followers as a result of seeing the risen Lord. Nevertheless that happened later; meanwhile they joked about Him.

As His brothers were making fun of Him, Jesus told them to go on ahead to Judea for the feast. He told them that He was not ready yet. But after they had gone without Jesus, He secretly went to the feast by Himself. Obviously, Jesus did not want to travel with His brothers on that long journey to Jerusalem because of the threat on His life. Travelling with His brothers would make Him more conspicuous and easily identifiable. It could endanger His brothers also. Thus Jesus traveled alone and incognito. Yet, eventhough He felt threatened, He did not allow fear to deter Him from divine destiny. It was with a heavy heart that Jesus secretly journeyed for more than a hundred kilometers to Judea.

The people who were already at the feast noticed the absence of the popular Jesus. Our Lord had often observed the feasts of the Jewish calendar by going to the temple to teach. People had become accustomed to seeing Him in the temple during any celebration. So because Jesus was not around on the first few days of the feast, people began wondering about Him. Apparently those who believed in Jesus had good things to say about Him; those who did not believe in Him spoke of Him as a deceiver, a liar. But no matter how opinionated they were about Jesus, the verses say that no one spoke openly about Jesus. Everyone was so afraid of the religious leaders who hated Jesus bitterly, even to the point of plotting to kill Him. Rumors of that plot had started to circulate. Understandably, the people avoided any risk of incurring the ire of those leaders if they got caught speaking about Jesus. Any talk about Him was done in secret. Because of FEAR.

How about us? What are the things that we FEAR? How do our fears affect our actions? It is normal to fear. It is natural for our survival instincts to trigger our fears. When we sense danger, fear sets in to warn us to seek safety. Actually fear can do us good if we react correctly; but fear can be bad for us if we react wrongly.

Spiritually, fear can lead us to do good things for God as well as for others. For example, fear can lead us to work for the salvation and well-being of our fellowmen. In the Book of Esther, the Jewish queen was overwhelmed by fear for her life and for the lives of the other Jews. As a result, she called for fasting and prayer. Then she risked her own life to plead to the Persian king in order to save the lives of her fellow Jews.

On the other hand, fear can also be spiritually bad if we resort to doing ungodly things. In that case, fear can consume us and tear up our faith in God. This happened to King Saul who became afraid of David (1 Sam.18:6-25). The loyal and God-fearing David had never gone against King Saul. But because of the king’s ungodly ways, Saul developed a growing suspicion towards the young David. This brought a great fear in the heart of King Saul which resulted in his numerous attempts to murder David, the innocent worshipper of God. Fear can likewise prevent an unfaithful person from doing what is good and just in the eyes of God. In the Parable of the Talents (Mattehew 25:24-30), the servant who received one talent was unfaithful and had no trust for his benevolent master. He had the wrong notion that his master was unjust and cruel; thus he was afraid of his master. His fear led him to hide the one talent which was entrusted to him instead of using it productively. For that, he was punished. People like him fail to benefit from God’s good gifts.

Yes, Jesus also experienced what it was to be afraid as we see in today’s verses. However, Jesus never allowed fear to be victorious. He did not allow fear to prevent Him from doing what was good and just in the eyes of God. First, He used His fear to make sure that the lives of His brothers were not jeopardized. He sent them to go without Him to Judea for the feast. And then, He did not allow His fear to prevent Him from doing what He was sent to do —— to teach about the will of God. He dealt with His fear by going to the feast in Judea at a time when the religious leaders were determined to kill Him. Such was the way of our Lord Jesus in the face of FEAR. A shining example for all who follow Him. May He give us the grace to walk in His footsteps.

HE WHO HAS WILL BE GIVEN MORE. WHY?

2008-10-17T08:30:00.001+08:00

Let's read today's verses Matthew 25:14-30.

"Again it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied, `Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man with the two talents also came, `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; See, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, `Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man who had received the one talent came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

"His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.'

"`Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (NIV)

This is the widely known Parable of the Talents. A talent was one of the coins used as money among the Israelites. This valuable coin was distributed among the servants in the parable; and Jesus used this story to teach that God expects a result from us for what He had given us.

In the English language, the word talent means the abilities and skills of a person. God has gifted each of us with unique talents. We use our talents wisely for our well being and also to benefit others. And at any point in time, we can be made to account for the fruits of these God-given talents.

But the scope of this parable is not limited to the monetary "talents" we invest or the creative "talents" we cultivate. What Jesus illustrated in this parable was of a spiritual nature. He wanted us to focus on our spiritual life, our spiritual gifts, our spiritual abilities, our spiritual works.

God wants us to cultivate our spiritual talents and put them to good use. If we do, God's pleasure will bring an increase to our spiritual gifts. It is foolish to hide our spiritual talents for whatever reason. This would displease God as He sees no productive results in our spiritual life.

Faith (also known as trusting and obeying God) is a spiritual gift. The more we use it, the more it increases. The more we trust and obey God, the greater our capacity to trust and obey God. This also holds true for all the other spiritual gifts such as prophecy, teaching, praying, worshipping, doing good works, etc. Jesus also taught that we accumulate "treasures in Heaven" as we use our gifts to the pleasure of God.

But there is a statement in this parable that must be tackled more clearly. It is, "To him who has, more will be given; to him who has not, the little that he has will be taken away." Many humanists would find this quite unjust. Many would argue that those who have none should be given more, and not those who already have. Many might even conclude that Jesus is espousing an injustice.

However, what Jesus was saying is not an injustice when it pertains to spiritual realities. Our Lord wanted to stress that any person who cultivates his spiritual life and uses his spiritual gifts would receive a commensurate reward. His spiritual gifts will be increased to allow him greater participation in spiritual life.

Another way of saying it is: the more we listen to God, the more we are allowed to hear Him; the more we seek His presence, the more we are allowed to experience Him in life's unfolding events.
Once there was a very old prophetess named Anna. She had been a widow for many decades. She spent all her time on the temple grounds where she worshipped, fasted, and prayed. Anna's life was filled with spiritual activity.

God blessed her unceasing spirituality by allowing her to see the Baby Jesus when He was presented in the temple. Anna was allowed to recognize God's Son when He came; and she was even empowered by God to prophecy about the salvation that Jesus would bring.

On the other hand, the reverse is also true. A person who neglects his spiritual gifts will not see any spiritual profit. His spiritual activities will continually decrease and his spiritual awareness will dwindle. He will become more insensitive to God’s voice and more doubtful of His presence in daily events. He may lose whatever little is left of his spiritual life.

But his losses do not end there. Today's parable says that Jesus will finally command, "Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This is an unmistakable statement that a spiritually neglectful person will end up in hell.

God bless us all.

JESUS, OUR GOOD SHEPHERD *

2008-10-02T09:16:00.003+08:00

Among the many ways that Jesus used to describe Himself, one of the most poignant is that of a shepherd. Not only was it a description of His role, it also illustrated the attitude He had in caring for us and bringing us into eternal life. Let us recall His exact words about this by reading John 10:1-6:

"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what He was telling them. ( NIV )

Jesus told this very short story to the Jews. The people and things in the story were quite familiar to the Jews of that day.

He starts out the story by emphasizing it as truth. Then He starts to describe the ways of a THIEF who enters the sheep pen. The usual and accepted way of entering a sheep pen was by the gate of the pen. And anyone who entered it by devious ways would have the bad intentions of a thief and a robber.

Then Jesus describes the way the REAL SHEPHERD of the sheep enters the sheep pen. He says that the shepherd enters via the gate and that the watchman would recognize the shepherd and open the gate for him. As he enters the pen, the shepherd would call the sheep by the individual names that he had given them. He would then proceed to lead them out of the pen. The shepherd had an interesting, unique way of directing the movement of the sheep. It was very different from the way cattle or mules were moved. Cows, oxen, mules, and horses were driven or pushed to move, often with the use of whips and ropes. But the sheep were not driven or pushed; they were LED by the shepherd. The shepherd would go ahead of the sheep and as he walked, he would speak to the sheep. The sheep would then hear the voice of their beloved shepherd and they would move towards the direction of his voice.

Jesus pointed out that the sheep will run away from a stranger that would try to lead them because they would not recognize the unfamiliar voice of the stranger. The sheep would feel uneasy and they would be "spooked" into running away from the direction of the stranger’s voice.

Now the Jews who listened to Jesus tell this short story were all too familiar with these things. Thus they could not figure out why Jesus would narrate to them something that was common knowledge to them. So Jesus explained it to them in the succeeding verses of John 10:7-10.

Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ( NIV )

Again Jesus prefaced his statement by saying that what He was about to say could be relied upon as the truth. Jesus identified Himself as the gate where the sheep would go through to enter eternal life. Verse 9 says that whoever enters through Jesus will be saved. Wherever life brings them, the sheep who pass through Jesus will be sustained by Him. Verse 10 specifically says that Jesus came that the sheep may have a full spiritual life through Him.
Also within verses 7-10, Jesus mentioned that all the sorcerers of the false gods and all who had previously enticed the Jews with false promises of eternal happiness were plain thieves and robbers. Their only intentions were to "steal and kill and destroy".
Let’s read the next verses of John 10:11-13,

"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." ( NIV )

This time Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd; actually refering to the best type of shepherd —— one who gives His life for the sake of the sheep. It reminds us of King David who as a shepherd boy, risked his life for the sake of his flock of sheep by fighting a lion and a bear that had grabbed sheep from David’s flock (1 Sam 17:34-36).

Jesus contrasted His being a good shepherd with the hired hand or hireling who had no affection for the sheep. A hireling will not place the safety of the sheep above his own. At the sign of impending trouble or an attack from predators, the hireling would abandon the flock. The sheep would then freak out and be scattered, therefore becoming easy prey for the predators.
Let’s read more of the verses in John 10:14-21,

"I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father." At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?" But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" ( NIV )

Jesus once again emphasized that He was the good shepherd and that He was ready to give up His life for the sake of the sheep. This is an essential point in understanding His love for us —— a love that Jesus valued more than His earthly life. Indeed, our Lord eventually died on the cross that we might have eternal life. Thank you, Lord Jesus !

Jesus went on to say that it is for this reason that the Father loves Him: because He lays down His life for the sheep. No man had the power to take the earthly life of Jesus; but Jesus voluntarily laid down His life. Our Lord had the sole authority to give His life and also the authority to take up His life again. His authority came in the form of a command from the Father. As the obedient Son, Jesus obeyed the command of the Father: He gave up His life by dying on the cross and He took up His life again by rising from the dead.

Jesus also mentioned that He had other sheep that were not part of "this sheep pen"; meaning to say that our Lord had other sheep who were not Jews. He also would bring these other sheep with Him. These other sheep will also recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd and they will follow Him. It will be just like the blind man who had been healed by Jesus; that when he heard the voice of Jesus, he recognized the voice as the one that gave him his eyesight. And then he believed in all that Jesus said ( John 9:35 ).

All the sheep will heed His voice and be one flock: one body of believers joyfully following the voice of the Son of God, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for them.
What about us ?

Do we know the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus ? Can we recognize it among the many "voices" we hear ? Verse 4 says that "his sheep follow Him because they know His voice". If we do not know His voice, we cannot move towards the direction of His voice; and thus it would not be possible to follow Him. God’s voice does not necessarily have to be an audible sound; or a sound that the human ear might perceive. It is more of a sound perceived by our spirits. God communicates with us through our spirits, and it is also in the inner recesses of our spirits that we can truly communicate with God. Thus we have to listen with our spirits to hear His voice.
Psalms 46:10 says : "Be still, and know that I am God".This is a clue for us on how we can hear and know the voice of Jesus our Shepherd. We have to learn to withdraw our spirits from all the earthly noises and worldly agitation. We even have to command the voices of our own thoughts to be quiet in order for our spirits to listen well. As we completely surrender to Jesus the THRONE of our innermost hearts, we shall learn to know His reassuring voice."He will not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets"(Isaiah 42:2).
Now, how determined are we in following Jesus, our Good Shepherd ? Jesus lived His life on earth as a pattern for us to follow. Since we are his followers, He would reasonably expect us to conduct ourselves in the same manner that Jesus faced the situations that we would similarly face.

Jesus leads us by example so that we can follow His footsteps. Having studied His life on earth, we know that the things He underwent were not always easy or pleasant. In view of the difficulties, Jesus instructed His disciples, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me ".

Indeed, some of us will be absolutely determined to follow Jesus no matter where it will lead. Jesus was obedient even unto the point of death. Likewise, those who are truly faithful and obedient to God’s leading will readily lay down their own lives just like their Master. In the same way that Jesus loved the sheep more than His earthly life, these believers also love Jesus more than their own earthly lives.

However they will draw comfort in what Psalms 23 says :

" The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want ....
............ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me ".

Also, they will take courage from the reassuring voice of the Good Shepherd who continually speaks to them, calling each one of them by name. May God bless us with such faith and obedience !

DESPERATELY HUNGRY AND THIRSTY

2008-09-26T09:26:00.000+08:00

Today's verse is Matthew 5:6."Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (NIV)
It is not a natural thing to be hungry for anything that is not physical food or to thirst for anything that is not physical water. It is therefore interesting for the Lord Jesus to speak highly about a different kind of hunger and thirst in today's verse.

Psalm 42:1 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." The deer in that song had not drank water for a long time and if it could not drink water it would die. When it saw a stream of water, the deer began panting like a dog. It desired the water desperately - a matter of life and death.

There are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness in such a manner. Their lives reflect a hungry pursuit and a thirsty desire for a right relationship with God. In everything they do, they serve God, worship Him, and pray to Him as if their hearts are always bowed down in His presence. This is the desperate hunger and thirst for righteousness that Jesus talked about in today's verse.

Righteousness is the spiritual condition wherein a person is spiritually healthy. A person who is right with God is in a state of spiritual health. God nourishes such a person with an invigorating, life-sustaining relationship with Him; he is filled with God's righteousness.

This was the original spiritual state of Adam when God created him. But this original condition of righteousness changed because of Adam's sin. Consequently Adam and Eve realized that their confidence and ease in God's presence suddenly turned into fear. From their original consciousness of God, they became self-conscious. They became enslaved to being self-conscious about their own appearance and their feelings of fear and doubt. Suddenly they were ashamed of their nakedness; previously their nakedness didn't bother them at all.

This self-consciousness (the fear, the doubts, and the shame) has been passed down from generation to generation. Since the time Adam disobeyed, he and his descendants, who include us, have not been right with God. Thus, Man is now unrighteous by nature. Disobeying God is now the natural tendency of man. Given a choice, man would choose to please himself rather than obey God.

Adam’s disobedience caused him to be unrighteous, and the unrighteousness we inherited from him caused us to be disobedient. Thus there is now the vicious cycle of our unrighteousness causing us to disobey God and our disobedience causing us to be not right with Him.

Some were able to break this vicious cycle in their lives. They did it by consistently trusting and obeying God. One such person was Abraham. The Bible describes him as trusting God enough to obey Him. And God counted Abraham's trust and obedience as righteousness on Abraham's part. Those who were able to see this vicious cycle of unrighteousness and disobedience broken in their lives are like Abraham. They trusted God enough to obey him.
The Bible says that those who say they are believers of Jesus Christ should be doers of the word and not just hearers. When they merely hear God's word and do not obey, they are deceiving themselves.

The nation Israel, the people God called His own, has always had this problem of hearing and not obeying. They knew the word of God but they habitually disobeyed. Even for Christians today, this is a prevailing condition.

Man’s prevailing condition of hearing and not obeying can be likened to the condition of Satan. The devil knows God and understands the reality of God more than any of us. He is even allowed to communicate with God and to hear God. But does he obey God? No, and we must not be like him.

We must be like Christ.

Jesus was obedient even when it was difficult to do so. His obedience was such that He humbled Himself and became obedient to the Father even to the point of death. Even to the death on the cross. Jesus willfully went through it all even though He knew it would be very painful. He heard the Father and He obeyed.

We, who carry His name as Christians, must pattern our lives, our desires, our ambitions, and even our problems to the ways of Jesus.

When the times come that our desires and pursuits bring us against the words of Jesus, and a conflict arises between our desire and the desire of God, what are we going to do? We hear God and we understand what He wants us to do.

If we obey God, we are being like Christ. But if we do not obey, doesn't that make us like the devil who hears God but does not obey? Following Jesus, by serving Him, worshipping Him, and bowing down everything in our lives unto Him is the true pursuit of righteousness. If we don't follow Him, there would be no real hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Just a word of caution. Whenever we try to obey God, Satan could try to confuse our thoughts with other God-like commands. Satan may try to derail our obedience in many ways.

Sometimes Satan may bring our thoughts to some contrary verses in Scripture. For example, when Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days, Satan used biblical verses in order to tempt Him. Strange as it may seem, biblical verses can be used to veer us away from pursuing righteousness.

Other times, Satan might try to hinder our obedience with a false sense of values. For example, God might tell us to refuse a particular transaction because it is crooked, dishonest, or displeasing to Him. Satan might then try to bring us to a false sense of guilt: "He who does not provide for his family is worse than the unbelievers". So which should we obey? God's command to refuse a crooked deal or the sense of guilt which says we should do everything to provide for the family?

The correct way is to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Trusting and obeying God above all else. If that desperate hunger and thirst are not satisfied, our spirits die. The vicious cycle of unrighteousness and disobedience will then remain unbroken.

But those who desperately pursue righteousness will be filled.

God bless us all.

LOVE? WHAT'S THE POINT? *

2008-09-22T10:53:00.000+08:00

(Mark 12:28-34)

A Jewish teacher of the law once questioned Jesus, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" We get this to mean as -- "Which is the most important commandment among all the laws that God had given man?”

A Jew would most probably presume that Jesus would pick one of the 10 commandments which God had written with His own hands on the stone tablets He gave to Moses. Surely those 10 commandments were the best known.

But let us read Jesus' answer in Mk 12:29-31.

"The most important one", Jesus answered,"is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV)

Jesus' answer was none of the 10 commandments. Jesus' answer was first, "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength", which is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. This was understood to be part of the implementing guidelines for the 10 commandments. The second part of the answer was, "Love your neighbor as yourself", taken from the book of Leviticus and which was also an implementing guideline for the 10 commandments.

In a parallel account in Matthew, Jesus added, "On these two commands hang the whole law and all the prophets". Actually, these two commands would summarize all of the ten commandments. The first four commandments could be summarized as, "Love God with all your heart .…….." The rest of the commandments could be summarized as, "Love your neighbor as you would yourself".

Now how do we apply these two commands into our lives? Let us take another look at this so that we might have a better understanding.

Very plainly, to love is to delight in the object of one’s love; to take great joy and great pleasure at the one that we love.

Let's take for example a nursing mother. No matter how tired the mother would be, no matter how hard up her life might be, she would submit her breast to this baby so it may suck milk. She would endure all her pains and hardships with no complaints and still gaze at that breastfeeding baby with so much affection, with so much inner joy, and with so much love.

This is the same way God delights in the objects of His love, most specifically those whom He calls His children, those who give their lives to God, those who trust and obey Him. Still, there is a peculiar side about God's love that is often overlooked.

Let's read about it in Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (NIV)

God Almighty, in all His omnipotence, unlimited power and strength, is in our midst and is taking great joy in us, just like the breastfeeding mother delights in the small baby on her bosom. He quiets down our fears and soothes our doubts with His love.

Most of all, God rejoices over us with singing. This great King (God Himself) is among us and is singing love unto us. That's how God rejoices over the object of His love.

It is therefore a big contradiction for Christians to be sad and forlorn when God is actually in their midst, delighting in them, singing with great joy and love for them. Those of us who trust in Him should rejoice, shouting for joy. If He is for us, who can be against us? Let us delight in Him the way He delights in us. Let us take pleasure in Him more than in anything or anyone else: with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls, and all our strength.

What about loving our neighbor as ourself? Let us read 1 John 4:11-12. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

Stephen, the first martyr, was empowered to love his neighbor by the knowledge of God's love for him. Jesus pointed out this love to his disciples, among whom was Stephen. Jesus often exemplified God's love by loving others so that his disciples may see and follow.

When Stephen was being stoned to death, he uttered out, "Lord, do not charge this sin on them." Stephen was following the example of Jesus who similarly prayed when He was dying on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Jesus loved His neighbor this way. So did Stephen.

Love must not intend harm. Love wills good towards the object of love. But we must guard ourselves against fear. Love is often denied because of fear. People tend to withhold their love when their hearts and minds are gripped by fear: of loss, of pain, of rejection, of shame, of death..…..

Fear can even overwhelm a weak faith. It can influence man's mind to abandon his trust in God. Remember the apostles on a boat one stormy night? Fearing for their lives, they lost their trust in Jesus who was sleeping on that boat. When Jesus awakened and calmed the storm, He remarked about their lack of faith.

Likewise, fear can cause us to lose sight of the reality that God is in our midst, delighting in those who trust Him, even singing over those who love Him. Don't let our fears fool us into forgetting this.

Today's verses hold one more important reminder for us. The teacher of the law had a remarkable reaction towards Jesus' answer. Let's read about it in Mark 12:32-34. "Well said, teacher", the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than any burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions.

May our reaction be the same. May we delight in trusting and submitting obediently to the words of Jesus just like that teacher did. God bless us all.

FIVE SHORT PARABLES CONCERNING FAITH IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 13*

2008-09-19T11:08:00.000+08:00

Jesus once told a parable of the mustard seed. Let us read about it in Matt.13:31-32. He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (NIV)

In this parable, our Lord Jesus tells of a man who took a mustard seed and planted it in his field. Jesus points out that the mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds; but when it grows, it becomes a huge tree. It is such a wonder that a seed so small and insignificant can attain the size of a big tree. With its hugeness and strength, it can sustain and assist the lives of other creatures. Jesus mentioned the example of the birds which come to its branches and perch there, even building nests on it. This is like the seed of FAITH. In Matt.17:20 Jesus also compared FAITH with the small mustard seed by saying that if we had faith, even as small as a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move from its place and it will indeed move. In the verses that we read, Jesus says that if we plant this small seed of faith in our lives, it would grow big enough to benefit others, just like the birds which benefitted from the branches of the grown mustard tree. Such was the small faith of Moses whom God used in order to benefit the Israelites ( Exodus chapters 3-4 ). Such too was the small faith of Peter whom God used to benefit the new believers in Acts chapter 2.

The next parable that Jesus used is similar to this. It is called the parable of the leaven. Let us read Matt.13:33.
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (NIV)
The baking of bread was a common task in the time of Jesus. Thus, leaven was something familiar to His audience. Everyone who was listening understood the powers of leaven and how it functioned in the baking of bread. They knew that the leaven ( or YEAST as more popularly known today ) when added to kneaded flour would change the nature of the flour. It would TRANSFORM the flour and make it " rise ". Unleavened bread which was made without the benefit of leaven did not " rise ". Leaven is similar to our faith. If we put even a small amount of faith ( COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD ) and applied it to our lives, our lives would be transformed. With faith in Jesus Christ our minds are changed and our hearts are brought into subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. " A little yeast leavens the whole lump ", as Paul said in Gal.5:9. Just like the little mustard seed that was planted in the ground, a little faith could have remarkable effects in our life.

In the next two parables, Jesus likens faith to earthly riches. Let us take a look by reading Matt.13:44-46.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (NIV)
Jesus tells us of a man who discovered a hidden treasure in a field. In the immense joy at his discovery, the man sells all his possessions; and with the money he received, he buys the field that had this hidden treasure. It is like a man who discovers the great hidden treasure of trusting God, otherwise known as FAITH. Such a man would forsake all of the many other things in life in order to pursue a life of trusting God : to walk hand in Hand with our Creator. Jesus knew that, as He taught, there would be those who would seriously conduct a search for spiritual treasures. They would not merely be casual searchers but serious searchers who would give up much in order to benefit from spiritual treasures. This illustration and the next parable were meant for them. The next parable is very similar. It spoke of a pearl merchant who came across a " pearl of great value ". It was such a good investment that he went and sold all that he had in order to buy that one pearl. He sold off all his other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT. Faith is our greatest investment. No other investment has as great value as faith. Throughout history we have seen men of wealth and power forsake everything just to lead a life of trusting and obeying the will of God. Abraham, Moses, Paul, Mark who wrote this gospel, and Matthew the apostle — they all gave up their wealth and power in order to pursue a life of obedience to God. Such is the value of faith. All other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT.
Now we come to the last parable of the chapter, the parable of the dragnet. Let us read this in Matt.13:47-50.
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (NIV)

Jesus at this moment was teaching by the sea where there were fishing vessels. These boats utilized dragnets in order to catch and haul in the fishes. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that is cast into the sea. Various types of fishes are caught in the dragnet. And when the dragnet is full, it is pulled towards the shore where the fishes are then sorted out. The good ones are kept but the bad ones are thrown away. Our Lord’s teaching in this parable is very plain and clear. He even gives its explanation. When the gospel is cast into the sea of humanity, many people will be " caught " in the dragnet and brought into God’s shores. Some have been truly converted and their lives transformed. Others will be merely professing Christians without true faith, and their lives not transformed. The true ones will be separated from the untrue; the transformed from those not transformed; the good from the bad. And the untrue ones will be thrown into a " furnace of fire; there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth ". EXTREME SUFFERING. TORTURE WITH NO END.
God bless us all.