Joy to the World!

The night was probably quiet as the sheep rested in the field, the shepherds keeping vigilant watch over them and perhaps trading stories they had repeated many times before. Just another night in the life of a shepherd, or so they thought. Unknown to them, this was no ordinary night for while they engaged in the ordinary, the extra-ordinary was taking place.

Luke tells us that as the shepherds kept their watch,"Lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men'" (2:9-14, KJV).

It was a celebration like none other. A multitude of heavenly host, a chorus of voices giving glory to God and announcing His peace and goodwill toward men. As the angels returned to heaven (v.15), we can only imagine the rejoicing as millions of their counterparts joined in the celebration, no doubt watching in awe as the related events unfolded on earth. The world didn’t know it then, but in the birth of the little boy, joy had come into the world; a joy that was not known before and one that has not been known since. Through Him the light had come and the glory of the LORD had risen upon us (Isaiah 60:1). God had reintroduced Himself to the world in the person of His Son, Jesus.

It has been over two thousand years since and we are still celebrating God's precious gift to mankind. It is true that for far too many the reason for the season is buried under the avalanche of commerce, but for those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord, we are forever grateful that God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son (John 3:16). As we open our gifts this Christmas, let us remember the most treasured of gifts - JESUS. He is the reason for the season.

From my house to yours, a very Merry Christmas. 

Who Is to Be "Blamed"? - Part I

It was a battle they should have won. Coming off the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6), taking Ai should have been like the proverbial walk in the park. The men who had spied out the region had returned confidently and told Joshua, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there" (Joshua 7:3, NIV). However, something went terribly wrong because once the battle started, Joshua's men "were routed by the men of Ai who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water" (vv. 4-5).

Following the stunning defeat, Joshua and the elders tore their clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. "And Joshua said, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?'" (v. 7). His entire prayer is covered in verses 7-9, but it is interesting to see how he started. He basically apportioned responsibility for the loss to God. There was no reflection on whether or not the defeat was a result of something they had done. After all, if God had promised them victory and they had tasted defeat, surely the problem could not have been on God's side for He is faithful to His Word.

After allowing Joshua to say his piece, God said His. From verses 10-15, we see a string of rebuke and instructions which started with an indictment: “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions." In other words, the reason Israel lost the battle was not because of negligence on God's part, but rather because of sin on Israel's part.  It was they who had violated the covenant. Yes, God could have overlooked the violation, but that would have gone against His nature. Every disobedience had to carry its own consequence.

This brings the lesson around to you and me.  How much of what goes "wrong" in our lives do we hold God responsible for?  Blessings we are promised, but which never materialize. Promises we stand on that seem to no avail. Could we be responsible for the delay in our blessings? These are questions worth pondering over. After we have finished "complaining" to God about the lack of answers to prayers, instead of getting up feeling all spiritual and professing to be waiting on Him, it might be worth listening carefully to what He has to say. While we profess to be waiting on God, could it be that God is waiting on us? 

Turn the Other Cheek - Part II

During the time of His ministry, whenever Jesus interacted with the religious leaders, His disciples, or the people, His message was consistently a call to a higher standard of conduct. From Jesus' perspective, it was not enough to be like everybody else.  Those who would commit to following Him were expected to be different in character, attitudes, and conduct; they were expected to be like Him.

The teachings of Jesus were not always easy, often times going against the accepted norm. The book of Matthew records several instances of Him saying, "You have heard it said .... but I say to you..." as He time and time again raised the bar for God-honouring conduct (see Matthew 5).  Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you; forgive seventy times seven in a day; be merciful in order to obtain mercy; do not break your promises; if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles; all of this and more just so "that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:45a, NIV). It is no wonder in one instance after another teaching, that "many of His disciples, when they heard this said, 'This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?' . . . As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore" (John 6:60, 66, NASB).  It was easier for these disciples to quit following Jesus than it was to accept and embrace the higher standard He taught.

Because the teachings of Jesus transcend time, place, and culture, we are faced with the same challenge.  What He said to them then, He says to us today: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16, NIV).  In order to not descend into irrelevance, in order to maintain our effectiveness, to be that shining light in a dark world, we must be different.

Jesus dares us to be different because He was different. The prophet Isaiah said of Him, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth."  So when He said "If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also," He showed Himself as the standard for us to follow.  The disciple must become as the Master.  You and I are called to become just like Christ. It is a high calling like no other. Just as He meant it to be. We must resolve to walk worthily and faithfully in it.

Turn the Other Cheek - Part I

In his book Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty, Dr. Roy F. Beaumeister (2001) writes: "Most people believe they are justified in striking back at someone who has attacked them. . . . There is a tendency for these reciprocal and retaliatory acts of aggression to grow more severe, and so the initial antagonism may spiral into worse violence" (p. 294).   It is no wonder then that Jesus in His lesson to the disciples on loving their enemies told them: "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also" (Luke 6:29, KJV). However, what we have here is not necessarily a literal command, "but an assertion of a great principle, and so, with the exception of a very few mistaken fanatics, all the great teachers of Christianity have understood it" (The Pulpit Commentary). As Bible scholar John Gill observes: "Christ teaches patience in bearing injuries and affronts [insults], and not to seek private revenge; but rather, suffer more, than indulge such a temper."

It is sometimes difficult, some would argue very difficult, to resit the urge to retaliate.  Inherent within us is the instinct to protect ourselves not just from physical harm, but from all harm. When we see ourselves as victims, we can more or less justify the desire for revenge. We have been wronged, whether real or imagined, and we want to strike back; to hurt them if not more than they hurt us then at least with equal intensity. The Christian is not immune from those feelings and indeed some have gone ahead and have taken the proverbial "pound of flesh" from the offender(s). But in teaching His disciples a higher principle, Jesus also teaches us.  If we are to remain faithful to the Master, we must change our perspective.

After some more practical teaching on the subject (vv. 30-34), Jesus spoke words that provoked a lump in our collective throats: "But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful" (vv. 35-36).  Ah, so that's it! Before we strike back, consider ourselves and the graciousness we have received from God and extend to those we deem our enemies, those who have wronged us, the same grace and mercy that God has extended to us. That's what makes it all possible because, to paraphrase Romans 5:20, where wrongs abound, for those who are so willing, grace abounds even more.

Don't retaliate! Don't nurse the turn offense! Turn the other cheek! Love! Have you been hurt lately? In times past? Now you know what to do.