"Seeing the Meaning"

The other day I was reading John 13.  One of the more popular and humbling sections of the New Testament would certainly be the first 17 verses of this chapter.  Christ washing of the disciples feet brings to mind amazing imagery.  The Son of God (or God himself, if you like) on his knees scrubbing the garbage off the feet of his own students, all the while knowing they would abandon him; some more completely than others. 

I've probably read this passage 100 times before, but I was struck in a new way when I read a portion of it this time.  Verses 3-5 gave me a glimpse into the character of Jesus that I've missed before, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

The Greek word for "knew" in verse three is from the root word "eido" (in this case it is "eidos"), which means "to see."  This is interesting because this is always translated "to know or perceive," as it is here, as opposed to the literal "to see."  This is because this word was expressing the idea of "seeing" conceptually, as in the phrase "I see what you mean."  So here, instead of saying "Jesus knew," we could more literally say "Jesus fully comprehended...," or "Jesus sees the ultimate meaning behind..."  And what we have Jesus fully comprehending is the fact that God the Father "had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God."

Now, I certainly believe Christ knew exactly who he was, and what his purpose was on Earth prior to this moment.  But this moment seems to be almost an emotive response to the all the stressful variables going on inside Christ's head that evening.  Christ knows his crucifixion in near. He's in a room with all his closest friends.  He knows these disciples are going to be entrusted with an amazing task when he's gone.  He knows they still lack spiritual maturity. He know's they will abandon him. He know's Judas will betray him.  Maybe the disciples are squawking, as they so often did, about things that really didn't matter (who's the greatest, sitting on his left and right). He's hungry, tired, and probably has filthy feet himself.  

And now we get to the amazing part: Christ's response.  This is what stood out to me so powerfully.  At this very emotional moment, his direct response to understanding the implications of what God was going to do through him, was to get on his knees and wash the feet of his disciples.  Why this act? Why was this the most proper response to Christ's understanding?  Maybe Christ wanted to get their attention in a dramatic fashion.  We all need to be reminded of the need for humility within our own lives.  After all, all the "good" we do should be attributed to God, not ourselves.  Maybe Christ simply saw a genuine practical need at the moment and he filled it, while directing their hearts to him at the same time. 

Ultimately what Christ did, did accomplish those things, but they were not the main reason he did it.  The main reason Christ made this decision is found in a vague manner a few verses later. Verses 7-8: Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."  Jesus Christ washed his disciples feet at this very moment because it was the most natural way for them to understand in the finite sense what he was going to do for them in the infinite.  Christ's blood is the only atonement with the power to perfectly cleanse us for all eternity.  It is only through Christ's blood that the dirt and grime, the sins and shortcomings, are washed away and we can be blessed with the greatest opportunity of all: to bask in the presence of our God and creator forever.

So, the question becomes: have you been washed by the precious blood of the lamb of God?  If so, do you live like it daily?  If you have not come to God through Christ, why not?  Jesus Christ calls us all to life fulfilling purpose and personal peace on Earth and to eternal peace in Heaven. The God of the universe is not afraid of your sins.  I serve a God with all power and authority who is willing to get on his hands and knees and scrub the feet of the very people he created. Why? For you. So you could understand a little bit better, a love so unconditional that it doesn't exist outside the realm of our Triune God.  

What Are You Washing?

I had a neat realization the other day.  I was reading in the Old Testament...one of the many passages that focus on ritual washing. (See: most of Deuteronomy) In this case, I was reading about the priests needing to be washed and clean before they could enter the presence of God in the Tabernacle. It's really kind of a weird thing when you think about it: God requiring all this different washing and purifying...to what end?  God doesn't want them to stink?  Is it really possible that the creator God of the universe is so repulsed by B.O. that he instituted a whole list of washing laws before people could come into his presence. This is clearly silly, and this is clearly an extremely important concept to God, so what was the reason or purpose behind it.

I used to primarily think it was for practical reasons.  For example, the scriptures are clear that if you come into contact with a dead body, you are ceremonially "unclean" until you are properly cleansed. Well, this makes sense to me.  You could pick up a disease or virus and then spread it among all the other Israelites. Hygiene was a serious problem, and this was a serious answer from God. Now I'm not saying this wasn't part of the purpose of laws like this.  What I'm saying is that in the big picture, I don't believe this was their primary purpose.

All of the law of God was ultimately created for the same two-fold purpose: to reveal the glorious perfection of God and to overtly reveal our vast distance from that same perfection.  So, it is with this assumption in mind that I am approaching the idea of ceremonial washing.

When we turn to the New Testament, Christ offers us some new insights. He tells us, "It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart." - Mark 7:15 It seems that with Christ, we definitely get a different attitude toward what makes someone clean or unclean. At first glance, the washing seems to no longer be important or necessary for coming into the presence of God.  So has Christ nullified the need for washing and being clean in the presence of God?  Well, yes...and no.

The rules have only changed in light of the fact that the location of God has changed.  Let me explain.  In the Old Testament God lived and worked among Israel in a physical location within their community.  This was the tabernacle, and ultimately the temple.  In the New Testament, God has moved.  God no longer lives in a physical structure, but rather he lives within us.  In light of this fact, the change in ceremonial washing makes perfect sense.  We are still called to wash - but not our body.

When God dwelled outside of us in a temple, we washed and cared for the outside of our self in the particular manner laid out by God.  In this way, we were preparing our self to be in the presence of God.  The people of the Israelite community all had to keep themselves clean by these laws because they were God's community and his dwelling place was among them.

Likewise, in the New Testament we have Christ discussing "washing." But he clearly shifts the focus from physical washing.  God has moved, and the Holy Spirit of God now dwells within us.  So Christ focuses on the "washing" of the inside.  In speaking to the Pharisees, Christ calls them "whitewashed tombs - beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with bones of the dead and everything unclean." - Matthew 23:27.  He is speaking not just doing what's right, but also of thinking what is right. Suddenly a clean attitude, mindset, and heart have become far more important than the physical cleanliness of our body.  Our bodies have become the holy temple of God.  He dwells within us and we must keep our self pure for the presence of our Holy God.

So yes, please do still take a shower before church on Sunday.  But don't loose your focus.  "Looking the part" isn't enough.  We are called to be more than "do-ers" of the right stuff.  Instead, we are called to be constantly "renewing our mind" so that we will be able to test and know what God's will is - "his good, perfect and pleasing will."  We are able to effectively do this because, quite literally, God is living within us.  If you are willing to submit to our living God through the constant renewing of your mind, you will find that it's almost impossible not to step up and step out in this world in the name of Jesus Christ.

God is still Creating

I think God is a fan of themes.  There are lots of themes you can pick up on when you are reading through the Bible in larger chunks over the course of time.  This is the opposite of what I believe is more common: reading the Bible in a few-verses-at-a-time sections and then bouncing around to the next thought that catches your attention. There is a place for both styles of reading the Bible, but the latter can, much more easily, lead to misunderstanding, and misapplication of Scripture.

When I think of those big picture themes, I am talking about concepts that exist from Genesis to Revelation.  Examples that come to mind are things like God's authority over everything, or God's unwillingness to give up on us despite our generally deplorable treatment of him. But the one theme that is sticking out in my head right now is God's desire to make great, or large, or abundant, that which was previously weak, small or bare. We see this theme expressed in so many ways within Scripture that it's almost impossible to list them all. So instead of presenting an exhaustive list, I'll look at a couple that really stand out.

I think the most obvious, and probably most important, way God does this in Scripture is with his disciples, both in the Old Testament and New Testament.  In fact, I would say that all the other ways in which God illustrates this theme in scripture is towards the penultimate end of making "great" his disciples. The ultimate end, of course, being to receive their glory and praise himself.

In the Old Testament we have such heroes of faith as Moses, Joseph and Samson.  Some of the leading characteristics of these men's lives prior to God's intervention was cowardice, arrogance, and lust respectively.  In the New Testament we have characters like Peter, Paul, even Zacchaeus!  Before Jesus these men were, in order, an uneducated fisherman, a murderer of Christians, and a tax-embezzler.  This is not to say they suddenly ceased to struggle upon the intervention of God. But rather, their potential was seen and developed by God where humans alone would have likely missed it entirely.  They were made great not because they were great in themselves, but because they made the decision to trust in God's faithfulness and his ability to make them great.

We also see this theme is the area of the physical world.  In the OT Elisha encounters a poor woman who's in a large amount of debt. He tells her to go home and take her small amount of lamp oil and begin filling jugs.  Jug after jug is filled and the oil never runs out.  She sells the jugs of oil and repays her debt.  Or in the NT, God tells his apostles to take the 5 loaves and 2 fish of a local boy and feed a crowd of many thousands. After prayer, they break the bread and fish and begin handing it out. It is more than enough. Basket-fulls are picked up afterwards.  God is often over-abundant, giving us far more than we need.

(1) God takes the small and makes it large. (2) This serves to build up faith in his children (taking the weak and making them strong), (3) who in turn choose to give increasing glory to Him. At least that's the pattern. Unfortunately, we are fallen, rebellious sinners.  So the pattern actually continues to (4) us becoming complacent and ultimately abandoning God's love. (5) We then find our self in one of life's many difficult moments and we decide to call out to God...again. And God is ever-faithful. (1) Once again he makes great something or someone who is weak. He strengthens us, refuses to abandon us and so the theme has repeated since creation.

We should find comfort in this.  God was and still is our great provider.  This is not simply to provide us with our physical needs like clothes, food and shelter (although, if we need it he will provide it).  God understands our needs fully and broadly.  God will make us great.  He will make YOU great.  I can also almost assure you that it won't come in the way or trajectory within your life that you expect. But God is always faithful.  God has authority over all things.  He makes what is nothing to be amazing, beautiful, clean and perfect.

God's grace is sufficient, his power is made perfect in our weakness. So don't fear or question your own shortcomings when you approach God.  For the glory of God, we must try to be content in our weaknesses and not assume our past or current struggles are too much for God to handle.  In Christ, when I am weak, I am made strong! In Christ, when I am empty, I am made full!  In Christ, when I am beaten or broken, I am made better than new! My cup overflows, all for the sake of the glory of God.

Christ: Fully God, But Still Fully Human

I am a fan of Jesus.  Let's call that an understatement.  There are so many amazing things Jesus has done for Humanity.  Most notably, he died sacrificially and rose from the dead, thereby conquering death and providing an attainable route for humanity to spend eternity with God.  But before he did that, he had to attract the people - so they could be taught the Gospel - so they could ultimately share the Gospel once he was gone.

Christ's methodology for spreading his message seemed to be a perfect balance between revealing himself through dramatic statements and miracles, and avoiding too much attention by telling people to keep the message to them self.  One of these miracles stands out to me as uniquely - unique (since I suppose all of Christ's miracles were unique).  It seems to not fall cleanly into either of the two aforementioned categories.

In the span of 10 verses, Mark Chapter 5 vs. 24-34, we have an interesting encounter between Jesus and a woman who has an illness or injury that has caused some sort of continual bleeding for the last 12 years.  I am not planning to summarize the whole story.  I assume that if you are taking the time to read my blog, you can take two minutes to read the 10 verses to familiarize yourself with them.

What amazes me about this story is not only the fact that it was a miraculous healing, I could get that from any number of the miracles recorded by Mark.  What stands out to me is that, as far as I can tell, this is the only miracle of Christ in which Christ himself is completely passive.  Christ is merely a bystander in the phenomenon of his own miracle.

Now I know this might initially make some people uncomfortable, and I will admit that I am having to make some basic assumptions within the text, but I do not feel as though I am grasping at all.  Christ clearly asks the culprit who touched him to identify himself in vs. 30.  He then has a conversation with his disciples who are basically saying "there's a crowd,  a hundred different people just brushed by you!"  Christ then "kept looking around to see who had done it" in vs. 33.  Through Jesus a miracle has occurred. He gave no indication he was planning anything, and then had no idea for whom the miracle was done.  This is the definition of passive involvement.

So, why does this matter and what do I take from this?  Well, most notable, I see in action the sovereignty of God.  God had a plan for that moment. A teaching that needed to occur and for whatever reason Christ wasn't privy to it.  Christ is both fully man and fully God.  This paradox is, in and of itself, difficult for Christians to wrap their brain around. I believe this miracle is an instant of God's sovereignty acting directly through Jesus even as Jesus doesn't know it is happening.

This position of Jesus not being fully "in the know" at this moment shouldn't be offensive to us.  The scriptures are clear that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses through being tempted in every way (Hebrews 4). He really does understand the rough days we go though here on Earth. This miracle is an example of the best of the best still being caught off guard by his heavenly father. Christ was human. Morally perfect, but still anthropomorphically imperfect.

This tells me two things: I should simultaneously feel very empowered and also very humbled. First the empowering part: God's sovereign will and authority reigns over all powers, things, and people of this world.  We should rest assured and be comforted by the fact that nothing in this world thwarts the power of God.  Even in a moment when all the focus and attention is seemingly already on God, in this case because of the miracles and teachings of Jesus, God has something different in mind for that particular moment and He makes it happen.

In this moment with his own son, God's sovereign will takes over and takes precedence over what Christ is doing.  Christ immediately fell into appropriate submission to his heavenly father's will. If we are seeking to live our lives in full submission to God, we should feel confidently empowered by the overwhelming authority God has over this world. If, according to God, something needs to happen; it will happen. Period.

This leads to the humbling part. No one on Earth should presume to have enough influence over God to be able to thwart His plans.  Even Christ, who is Himself God, who would have the exact will and mind of God; had his actions interrupted in order to fulfill part of God's will.  Maybe we would never be so obvious as to say we influence the will of God, but we sure talk and act like it.

When it comes to decision making, we might say things like "I don't want to make the wrong choice because I don't want to interfere with God's will for my life."  Now there's no question that foolish decisions can lead you down a road of less than ideal service to God (i.e. Pharaoh, or King Saul).   But wise decisions, sought through God's revealed wisdom, will likewise bring you into more fulfilling service to God.

Regardless of whether you act like a fool or you act with Solomon's wisdom, you will not impact whether God's will is accomplished in this world.  All you have the power to do is to choose whether or not you will live in submission to God.  The goal being that with a life lived in submission to God you are working to be worthy of God's call "for such a time as this".  Whatever the times are in your life, if it's important enough to God, it will happen.  Beyond that, study Scripture, listen to the wisdom of Christian mentors around you and trust that God's will is being accomplished.

Ever had a stressful week?

Well, it has been a rough week since I last posted.  I think my family and I have come through it ok...but it's been rough, and we're still recovering.  So first, I kinda want to purge.  There's great value in "getting it all out there" in order to help yourself see where you're going and for keeping proper perspective concerning where you've been.  Maybe in writing it all down, I can help myself a little more...and maybe help you as well.

So I last posted last Monday.  Tuesday morning we get up and Caleb (my 3 year old) seems a little off.  It gets bad enough that I take him to the pediatrician. She tells me he has an ear infection, pink eye in both eyes, a cold and a rising fever.  So she gets him prescription eye drops, an antibiotic, and tells us to alternate between Children's Tylenol and Children's Ibuprofen. Over the next couple days he start's feeling much better, but his fever got up to 104.6 at one point. By Friday he's feeling much better, but Meghan is starting to feel sick.

Friday afternoon the weather starts getting bad: freezing rain, slushy snow, etc.  On my way home from work I hit a slick spot and skid into a guard rail.  Air bags deploy and everything.  I was fine...just dazed.  But the car is totaled.  You can see the slushy goodness I slid in in the picture. The police officer took me home.  That night, as a major storm is raging outside, we lost power around 10:00 PM.

The next morning the power's still out, which means the heat's out.  The house was about 50 degrees when we woke up.  Meghan feels miserable at this point. She's getting sicker, now she's stuck in a cold house and by the way, she's pregnant. We look outside and there's 30" of snow on the ground from the overnight blizzard.  It was one of the worst storms for one day snow totals in the Quincy's history. I spend the day shoveling while the family spends the day huddled on the couch under blankets.  I am so stinkin' sore from shoveling that snow.

It starts getting dark Saturday night and it's supposed to be much colder than the night before...like close to single digits.  Meghan is feeling worse.  She's now throwing up. Caleb has been trapped inside one room trying to keep warm all day and is going nuts....cause he's 3.  I'm extremely sore and irrationally angry at the snow for being so heavy, cold and plentiful.  We start arguing with each other over what to do for the cold night ahead.  It gets a bit heated.  We're not really mad at each other, we're mad at the situation...but yelling at the situation doesn't make you feel better.

So, we decide to get in the car and drive just to be somewhere warm.  This was trading one stress for another.  We were warm, but the roads we so covered in piles of snow and mush that we were tense the whole time trying to avoid snowplows and getting stuck. We have had no dinner and at this point we don't know what to do for the night.

We work hard to get into a gas station that hasn't been plowed out yet, just to find out they are out of gas. So we get out and go to another station and after almost getting stuck in their parking lot (the car beside us did get stuck), we finally get some gas. Suddenly we get a text:  an offer to stay with a friend in the next town over.  There's no where open to eat, so we give up looking and decide to take our friend up on her offer. She and her husband were really kind and accommodating to us. It was a real blessing to be somewhere warm.

We get Caleb settled and then headed back to the house to grab a couple things and get the animals ready for the cold night ahead.  We could already see our breath throughout our house, so I know it was going to get real cold later. When we got back the next morning, the house was at 35 degrees.  But the animals made it through night fine. The power finally came back on around 9 AM Sunday morning. It took 4 and a half hours to warm the house back up.

To top everything off, when Meghan was finally able to get to the doctor Monday morning, they weren't very helpful.  She has a virus of some sort and because she's pregnant the doctor basically said "suck it up and tough it out."  There's nothing she's allowed to take. So other than Meghan still being on the mend, and us still needing to figure out where we'll get money for a car, things are getting back to normal.

I'm confident there will be many things I can pull from this past week as I reflect on it over the next few days.    Right now the main thing that sticks out in my mind is trust. Trust in God. We have gone through a lot of stresses and frustrations in the last week.  If I could have written my week out, it would not have gone this way.  But, in the end, do we still have everything we need? God provided food, heat, doctors, police, snow blowers and shovels when it was all really needed.  If was a hard week, but in the end, what have I really lost? Only a little sleep and an old car that wasn't worth much.

Many people have suffered far worse for far longer. I think there is value in keeping your "suffering" in perspective. As long as God has plans for me and my family, he will be providing for us in this life.  He doesn't promise it will always be easy, or  that we will always have everything we want.  But he know's better than we do what we need. If our trust in Him is to grow, our trust must not waiver, for better or for worse.