Tag: Jesus

The Action Story

Old Testament: Zechariah 9-10

Poetry: Psalm 146

*Theme Week – Celebrating Jesus: Mark 1

            Every writer, speaker, film-maker has their own particular style for telling a story or giving a presentation.  When I preach a sermon I usually choose one particular theme.  I often start with a story that I have personally experienced and then try to help the listener make a connection to that same kind of story/situation and then connect the Bible story/text to that same theme.  It’s a slow build up to the main theme.  That’s one way to do it.

            Some choose to jump right in and focus on the action.  If you’ve ever seen a James Bond movie or a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movie, you notice that almost always it begins right in the midst of the action.. very little warm up, just a kind of… boom! You’re right in the middle of the action- jumping out of an airplane, skiing down a mountain, climbing up the outside of a skyscraper, whatever.

            When it comes to the four Gospels, each one is different in how they begin.  Matthew goes back to the Old Testament and give a genealogy for Jesus, showing how his is connected to some of Israel’s great people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and King David and then he tells the story of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem and how Mary’s betrothed, Joseph, was a good and honorable man.  Luke starts with the announcements of the pregnancies of John the Baptist and Jesus followed by their birth stories.  John’s Gospel follows the pattern of Genesis one and goes back to the beginning with God’s word, his promise and plan and then showing that Jesus fulfills that plan.  All three of those Gospels give back stories and slow roll outs.  Then there’s Mark.  Mark starts out… Boom!  John the Baptist is an adult and doing his ministry of preaching and baptizing.  Then Jesus appears as a grown adult and gets baptized by John and God’s voice descends upon Jesus proclaiming that he is God’s son and that God is pleased with him.

            Mark’s Gospel is an action story.  We know nothing about Jesus as a baby, how he came to be conceived of a virgin or in a manger.  Mark doesn’t mention wise men.  What matters to Mark is:  “What’s Jesus doing now that his mission is getting ready to start?”  We still know from Mark that Jesus is the son of God, because God announces it from heaven.  Mark doesn’t feel the need to share how Jesus happened to be the son of God, God just tells us.  Boom! Action!

            Mark’s favorite word seems to be “immediately”.  Jesus comes out of the water and “immediately” the heavens are torn open and God’s speaks.  Then “immediately” the spirit sends Jesus out to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  Compared to the other Gospels not a lot of detail.  We don’t hear from Mark how Jesus was tempted by Satan or how he responded, just that it happened.  Then Jesus is suddenly back in Galilee announcing- “It’s time! The kingdom of God is coming right away”.  Can you feel the urgency in Mark’s storytelling? 

            Next, Jesus is by the sea calling the fishermen to follow him and “immediately they follow him.” He moves on down and finds two more fishermen and “immediately” he calls them.  He goes to Capernaum and “immediately” enters the synagogue and starts teaching.  Then he “immediately” casts out an unclean spirit from a young man. Then he “immediately” leaves the synagogue and goes to the home of Simon and Andrew where Simon’s mother in law is sick and “immediately” they tell Jesus about her illness and he heals her.  From there every sick person in town is being brought to him to be healed.

            Next, Jesus is getting up very early in the morning to go pray and the disciples come looking for him.  There is urgency- “everyone is looking for you.”  Jesus then leads them from town to town preaching and casting out demons.  He meets a leper and touches him and “immediately” the leper is healed.

            Each of the four gospels tell the story of Jesus but do it in different styles.  Luke spends over 19,000 words telling the story, Matthew is right behind at over 18,000 words, John uses just over 15,000 words, and Mark, you guessed it- it is by far the shortest, telling the story of Jesus at just over 11,000 words- in just a little over half the words that Luke uses.  Mark probably had his own reasons for telling the story with so much action and so few words.  It’s still the story of Jesus, told from Mark’s perspective and it still touches on the main points- Jesus is the son of God, Jesus was baptized and tempted, Jesus preached the good news and healed people, and Jesus was on the move.  Mark goes on to show that Jesus was crucified and that God raised him from the dead.

            Isn’t it great that God allows us to keep our own personality and style as we serve him?  The story of Jesus has never and will never change, but how we present Jesus to others may depend on all kinds of factors including our own personality and style as well as the needs of our conversation partners.  God doesn’t make cookie cutter disciples.  God tells the story of Jesus through many different people.  How is he using you to tell the story of Jesus?

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think God chose four different writers to tell the story of Jesus? 
  2. What do you appreciate about Mark chapter 1?
  3. God tells the story of Jesus through many different people.  How is he using you to tell the story of Jesus?

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Great Stories: Jesus and Israel

Old Testament: Zechariah 7 & 8

Poetry: Psalm 145

*New Testament: Matthew 2

Tuesday, December 26, 2023. The Second Day of Christmas, Mathew 2

            Have you ever noticed how the really good stories keep being retold?  Sometimes it’s a remake.  Like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- with Gene Wilder in the iconic role when I was a child, remade with Johnny Depp playing Wonka.  Sometimes they take a classic story and give the backstory, which it seems they are doing with Wonka, with Timothée Chalamet showing a younger version.    Some of the classic stories get some real twists- Romeo and Juliet was modernized and musicalized into West Side Story and Homer’s The Odyssey got Southernized in O Brother, Where Art Thou.  You get the point.  Great stories have the kind of universal themes that carry over from generation to generation.

            We see the same thing when we read the Bible.  Some of the key stories in the Old Testament reappear in the Gospels.  That’s no accident.  Jesus so identifies with the nation of Israel and its story that he, in a sense, re-experiences their story in his own story.  Hebrews 4:15 says that he was tempted in every way as the people he gave himself up for were tempted. 

            Today’s reading in Matthew 2 is a great illustration of how Jesus relives the story of Israel.  Let’s take a moment to consider the ways Jesus recapitulates Israel’s story.  In the story of Moses, the evil Pharaoh was afraid that the enslaved Israelites were becoming too large and powerful and posed a threat to his power in Egypt, so he decreed that all the male Israelite babies born were to be killed.  Moses was spared while many other male children were not.  Moses, the one who was spared grew up to lead Israel out of their bondage and go toward the promised land.  Notice in today’s reading, Herod is afraid that Jesus would be a threat to his power so he seeks to have Jesus killed as a baby.  In the process of trying to have Jesus killed Herod murders all the innocent boys of Bethlehem.  Just as Moses was spared, Jesus’ life was spared, and he went down to Egypt until Herod died and it was safe to leave Egypt and come to Israel.

            Another part of the story was a dream that warned the wise men not to return to tell Herod where Jesus was living.  Dreams are an important part of the story of Israel.  Jacob’s son Joseph had a dream about his family bowing down to him, which led to him being kidnapped and sold by his brothers where he eventually arrived in Egypt and became a powerful leader of Egypt, and his brothers did indeed come to buy grain from him and bowed before him, just as he had dreamed.  In Matthew chapter 1, another Joseph, betrothed to Mary was told that the baby in Mary’s womb was the son of God and that Joseph was to marry her and raise Jesus as his own son. 

            After Jesus grew up and went through the waters of baptism, he went into the wilderness for 40 days where he was tempted.  This was a reenactment of Israel as a nation that went through the Red Sea and into the wilderness for 40 years where they were tempted.  Jesus relives Israel’s story in so many ways.

            Israel celebrated God sparing their firstborn children by passing over their homes wherever the blood of the lamb that was slain was over their entrance.  They celebrated God’s saving them each year by eating unleavened bread, drinking wine, and eating lamb.  Jesus became the lamb of God whose blood was shed to spare us from death.  During communion, we eat unleavened bread and drink wine (or unfermented grape juice) to remember that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away our sins through his death on the cross so that we might have life everlasting.

            As you read through the Bible during Seek, Grow, Love, notice how the same story is retold in many ways.  The question is, is Jesus’ story a retelling of Israel’s story, or is Israel’s story lived in anticipation of the greatest story ever told, the story of Jesus?  Either way, you and I can make Jesus’ story our own story if we follow him.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What is the value in reading and knowing the Old Testament? 
  2. What do you love best about Israel’s story? What do you love best about Jesus’ story?
  3. How is Jesus’ story your story? 
  4. What do you learn about the author of Israel’s and Jesus’ stories? 
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Popularity – and Rejection

Old Testament: Micah 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 135

New Testament: Matthew 21

As we come to the Christmas season, reading about these last days of Jesus puts a different light on the passage. 

At the beginning of the chapter, we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as the king he was prophesied to be.  This lines up with what was expected from his birth!  And yet, as we continue to read though the last parable in the chapter, we see that rejection starting to come.

In the parable of the tenants, we see a landowner who planted a vineyard, took care to put in safety precautions, then rented it out when he moved.  He sends his servants back first to collect the harvest.

The result?  One is beaten, another killed, and a third stoned.  He sends more servants, and they continue to treat them in the same way.

Finally, the landowner decides to sends his son, certain that he will be respected.  Instead, the tenants kill the son in an effort to steal his inheritance. 

Jesus explains that those who behave in this way – those that reject God’s servants, and ultimately his son – will have the kingdom taken away from them and given to someone else who will produce fruit.

Those who are reading these devotions are probably Christians.  But do we have times in our lives where we reject God’s son all the same?  Probably not an outright rejection or denial, but we might push him to the side of our lives or we might not be willing to speak of the gospel in front of others which is another way of denying him.

As we get closer to Christmas, let’s remember the amazing miracle of Jesus’ birth through the ultimate proof that he was the Messiah by his resurrection and focus on sharing the good news rather than denying his name.

~Stephanie Fletcher

A short bio about me: I live in Minnesota with my husband and our two kids – 5 & almost 3.  We may be a little crazy, but a couple of years ago, we bought a home with my parents – it is like two regular sized homes stacked on top of each other, and we all live there together.  For a short while, my sister, her husband, and their baby lived there too.  We live there with our dog, Indiana (a compromise from Han Solo or Ford based on my liking of Harrison Ford), and a pet fish – Mickey Rainbow Mermaid Fish (name courtesy of my daughter as technically, it’s her pet).

Reflection Questions

  1. What can you learn from Jesus in how he handled popularity? And, from how he handled rejection? 
  2. How have your actions or words (or lack thereof) been a denial of Jesus Christ?
  3. How can you do better? 
  4. What fruit is the landowner looking for? 
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Refocus

Old Testament: Obadiah

Poetry: Psalm 132

New Testament: Matthew 18

Who is the greatest?  The GOAT (is that still a thing)?  This is what the disciples come to Jesus asking at the beginning of Matthew 18.

Jesus doesn’t answer them directly, per usual.  Their question isn’t even worth answering.  It doesn’t matter who is the greatest.  That comes with the wrong focus.  Instead Jesus tells them:

3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Your position is not important.  Rather, not viewing yourself as the greatest will put yourself in a better, more humble position.

There are several parables in this chapter, and I think you could probably tie them all to humility in some way, but I want to look at the last section.  It starts with:

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]

That is going to require humility.  When someone sins against us, we probably feel we are in the right to be angry or to hold a grudge.  After all, they sinned against me.  But Jesus’ instructions don’t allow for this kind of pride.  Instead, we are to go on forgiving our fellow Christians time and time again, swallowing our pride, pushing it aside, for the sake of forgiveness.

We might think this is unfair, but through the parable Jesus tells of the unmerciful servant, we can see that God forgives us so much!  For us to accept God’s forgiveness for our own sins, but to hold another’s sins against them is prideful.  It is saying that you deserve forgiveness more than them, or that your sins weren’t as great.

Instead, Jesus wants us to humble ourselves, to admit that we are just as low, or even lower, than others and offer the grace to others that we have been given.

Humility is a topic that has come up often in my discussions and readings the last few months.  It is hard – it is against our human nature.  But I really believe it is one of the most important things for us to focus on.  And likely, it isn’t a one-time thing.  We need to constantly be reminded and refocus on humility to make sure that pridefulness doesn’t seep into our lives, because pride does come naturally.  But humility is key.  It is key to forgiveness, to serving others, to spreading the gospel.  Your message will be better received if it comes from a place of humility rather than pride.

~Stephanie Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What does pride look like? What does humility look like? Why do you think Jesus teaches humility? Which type of person do you prefer to be around? 
  2. When and how does pridefulness seep into your life? What has helped you remember and practice humility?
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Merely Human Rules

Old Testament: Amos 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 129

New Testament: Matthew 15

Jesus is on a bit of a tirade at the start of this chapter.  He has got to be pretty sick of the Pharisees!  But when he quotes from Isaiah to them in verses 8 and 9, I wonder if we fall into this trap too, and how frustrated he might feel with us at times. 

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’”

I have been doing some reading on church history earlier this year, and it seems this was some of the problem that started the reformation back in the 1500s.  Some brave individuals stood up to the churches that led culture at the time and said that people were no longer following the word of God, but rather they were just following the church’s rules which were made by people, often for political reasons.

Are we still doing this?  Teaching things that are merely human rules rather than focusing on God?

While we are to follow the laws of the land that were created by people (as long as they don’t contradict God’s laws), we should not be so focused in our churches on following a set of rules of how a worship service should be set up, or the exact number of times per year you should have communion that we miss out on looking at the heart.  There is a difference between Jesus’ teachings and a tradition set up in a church.

Traditions can be good, but when we focus so much on them that we don’t pay attention to the results of what is being done or said, they have no purpose.  If someone new comes in from another church and they ask “why are you doing things this way?” people tend to get defensive even when the question is asked with a genuine desire to understand rather than to criticize.  The truth is, we should be able to answer that question, or if we can’t, consider the practice to determine if what we are doing does still make sense, or if it has become an outdated tradition that could be changed to better serve people.

After Jesus speaks, the disciples come out like “hey, did you know what you said upset the Pharisees?”  Jesus doesn’t care if they were offended by what he said.  He spoke the truth and wants people to realize the meaning and intent of things.  Yes, washing your hands before you eat is a good practice.  You are less likely to consume bacteria that way.  But not doing that doesn’t defile you spiritually.  The things that come out of your mouth (which come from your heart) do – evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

~Stephanie Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What is something in your life that needs to be examined to ensure your heart is in the right place?
  2. What instances can you think of in which the church is following mere human rules and not the word of God and teachings of Jesus?

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Giving in the Difficult Season

Old Testament: Amos 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 128

New Testament: Matthew 14

 

We have all heard the story about Jesus feeding the 5 thousand, and what Jesus can do with our little. But what happened prior to these events?

In Matthew 14: 1-12, we are told of the moment that Herod decided to behead John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, and close friend. In Matthew 14:13-14 we are shown the reaction of Jesus when he gets the news.

Matthew 14:13-14

            “When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.”

This is an incredible image of who Jesus was. Think of a time in your life when all you wanted was some time alone. You have been through a lot and are trying to grieve and yet there are people who want to talk and need your help. What was your reaction?

Were you irritated, did you yell, maybe you said something you wish you hadn’t? We have all been to that place. We are all human. There have been times I have done the same thing, especially in the recent times with trying to find a job and being patient, as I wait for God to open the door. It has been easy to lose my temper with the people around me, or to be distant from them.

Jesus in this passage, is calling us to have compassion even in our grief and sorrow. Have compassion on people and show them the love of God. Even when we are burnt out and only have a little to give. Even that little, when given to others, has the power to change everything. Jesus took the little bread they had and gave it to God in faith and was able to feed everyone there! Our little strength makes a huge difference.

After this incredible miracle, seeing Jesus do these amazing things, the disciples get into a boat and make their way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In the night during a storm, they witness Jesus walking towards them on the water. The disciples in fear believe it is a ghost, but Peter says, if it is you Lord, command me to come to you on the water. Jesus says, “Come.”

Peter begins walking on the water in courage and faith, but fear sets in and he begins to sink as he notices the wind and waves.

Jesus then says as he pulls Peter from the water. “You of little Faith. WHY DID YOU DOUBT?” Jesus says this with love. Peter only had a little faith and was willing to get out and take the chance to walk.

We are called to do the same. When we are burnt out and feel empty. We are called to bring the little faith we have and walk with Jesus. Sometimes the waves in life are tall, and the wind roars in our ears. But Jesus says, “Walk with me.”  In other words, “Bring all you have to serve others,” as we are called.

As I write this, I think of the times in life that I feel burnt out, even at my young age. Life is HARD. But even during those times, it brings me hope to see others who have went before me. They continue to serve and give of themselves even in their challenging times. It is amazing to see what God does even through our grief. God uses our biggest trials to make the biggest differences in our lives, and the lives of people around us. He does this with the little we have to give.

Reflection Questions

In times of testing and grief, do we give up or keep on looking for needs of others?

Are we feeding ourselves spiritually to strengthen our faith, so we don’t sink like Peter did?

-Hannah Eldred

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Weird

Old Testament: Daniel 11, 12

Poetry: Psalm 119

* New Testament: Matthew 5

As a fifth-grade introvert who wanted nothing more to blend in with the small class in my little Christian school, “weird” was about the meanest name one could call me. Because I didn’t even want anyone to so much as notice me, remaining quiet and going with the flow was the most obvious way to camouflage among my peers. 

I’ve had a bit of a wake-up call since my private school elementary days. In my public secondary and post-secondary education, God called me to stand up for my faith on several occasions, even when it meant that I was standing alone – resulting in <gasp> people noticing me! More recently, ever since my husband and I felt God leading us to do things that go against the culture, such as home-birthing and home-educating all four of our children, I’ve had to learn to be confident in those decisions and keep my eyes focused on God, no matter if others think I am weird. (As fate would have it, since opposites attract, I married an extrovert who thinks “weird” is a compliment and loves nothing more than helping others laugh at his own expense, so he tries to do silly things when we are out in public – which then, of course, draws attention to me too! I’ve learned to loosen up and not care as much what others think, and he’s learned to rein in the silly antics a little bit when I am with him.)

Jesus was the epitome of weird, but not in a bad way; in fact, many people were drawn to him because they could sense his sincerity and wisdom. (Some even failed to recognize him as the Messiah for whom they were searching because he didn’t meet their expectations!) Most of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5 are quite counter-cultural; for example, the Beatitudes is a list of dichotomous concepts which indicate (in my simple summary) that bad things can be blessings in disguise.

Because God is love (I John 4:8) and Jesus is God’s Son and representative, one could deduce that the primary mission of Jesus’ ministry was to demonstrate the love of his Father to this broken world. That, I believe, is why the end of this chapter (Matthew 5:43-48 NIV) gives perhaps his most controversial nugget of wise advice yet: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Showing love to people who are not like me or who don’t deserve it can be hard enough, but to show love to my enemies and those people who have hurt me? Well, that just takes Jesus’ weird, radical love to a whole new level. Jesus demonstrated this love throughout his ministry, though, by dying for generations of sinners including you and me (see Romans 5:8) and even forgiving the people who brutally murdered him (see Luke 23:34). 

Romans 12:1-2 is one of my favorite passages; I especially love the down-to-earth wording of The Message paraphrase that reminds us why it is important to be weird: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” 

(This is a reminder to myself, but you can read it too if you like: Because I am following Jesus, I need to not be so afraid of being weird that no one around me even knows I am a Christian. I need to be weird in a Jesus kind of way so that people want to have the eternally-focused hope that I radiate, the kind of contagious joy that shows others there’s something different and gives me a reason to share my faith with them (see 1 Peter 3:15). In Matthew 5:14 & 16 (NIV) Jesus says, “you are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our light must have a source, and today’s Psalm 119 has a great bit of wisdom in verse 105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Help me, Lord, to know you more through your Word and relationship with you. May I not be so afraid to be weird that I fail to shine your light in this dark world.)

Let’s take courage together to be weird in a countercultural, Jesus kind of way!

Reflection questions: 

-What are ways that you have blended in with the culture rather than standing out for Jesus? 

-Pray about the actions God wants you to take to be more “weird” in a Jesus kind of way. 

Rachel Cain

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Holiness and Thanksgiving

Theme Week – Thanks: Romans 1

Old Testament: Ezekiel 41 & 42

Poetry: Psalm 109

Yesterday, we learned that giving thanks to God is a part of our duty as those saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Today in Romans we see what happens to our souls when we don’t give thanks to God. 

In the magnum opus that is Romans, Paul lays out the case that Jews and gentiles both are redeemed by grace through faith in Jesus, that we are all members of Israel made new and we all can be grafted into the people of God. But to get to that point, Paul has let us know there is some bad news ; people are unrighteous. To be clear, God is angry at sin and those things that oppose his good will upon the Earth. God’s desire for humanity has been “made clear” by his creative action and people are without excuse to worship him. (Rom. 1:18-20)

Then we get to the point : “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Rom. 1:21)

Read that again : Paul seems to be connecting what they did not do and what happened to them. When people who could know God do not honor him or give thanks to him, they THEREFORE become futile in thinking and have darkened hearts. Which could also mean that if we want to not become futile in our thinking, if we do not want our hearts to remain in the dark, we need to honor God as God and give thanks to him. 

Now, let’s be clear about Paul’s point : we are not going to give thanks to God enough to be saved. Romans presents a powerful case that we can’t save ourselves! “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) However, we also remember what God gave: “the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23) 

Rather than simply “being thankful”, today give thanks to God for Jesus Christ our Lord, through and in whom we have salvation : “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord… There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 7:25-8:1)

Application and Reflection

Paul gives us a number of different ideas of what to be thankful for today : 

  1. Paul gives thanks to God for the church in Rome. (Rom. 1:8) When was the last time you gave thanks to God for your local church? Your local youth group or youth pastor or pastor? Take a moment to give thanks to God for that today.
  2. Paul gives thanks to God for the salvation of others! (Rom. 6:17) Look around at your mom, dad, brothers, sisters, and other family. Think about those people around you who know the salvation of God found in Jesus. Thank God for those who know Jesus around you. If you have some people who need to know more about Jesus and God, how can you share the gospel message of salvation by grace through faith with them?
  3. Paul says that we should give thanks for our food (Rom. 14:6) Will you take the time before every bite of food today to remember that God has given you this food? Will you make sure that God is honored by your thanks today?

-Jake Ballard

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The Marriage Supper of the Lamb AND The Great Supper of God

Old Testament: Ezekiel 31-32

Poetry: Psalm 104

New Testament: Revelation 19

     At the start of Revelation 19 heaven rejoices over God’s actions regarding Babylon the great. Soon we hear about the coming of the marriage supper of the lamb, and John is informed that the bride is clothed in fine linen which “is the righteous acts of the saints” (v. 8). He is also told to write that those who are invited to the wedding supper are blessed. This feels a bit like when Jesus commented in 16:15 “I am coming like a thief,” drawing our attention forward to coming attractions rather than remaining in sequence with events.

     The voice which spoke about the marriage supper came from God’s throne, and hearing it speak caused John to fall and want to offer worship. John is corrected for this and told that only God is to be worshipped (v. 10). But it seems like in this case he made an understandable error. Throughout Revelation voices come from a variety of exalted sources, among them angels, strong angels, mighty angels, an angel standing in the sun, the Temple, the altar, and the horns of the altar. For John it may have been like experiencing holy surround sound, never knowing where the next proclamation would emerge from. Maybe degrees of grandeur are indicated by who spoke from where, giving different impacts to their statements. It wasn’t always clear to John what the intention was.

     The message of the chapter proceeds, announcing the arrival of Christ, and of the armies of the world gathered for Armageddon. In fact, the word “Armageddon” is only named back in 16:16 where its origin is explained. Here the battle is previewed as “the great supper of God” – a supper for the birds, to eat the carrion it will provide, in contrast to the wedding supper of the lamb (v. 17‑18). With Jesus on the move there is no contest (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Jesus seems to be given credit for the entire victory: the gathered forces “were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.” That is, except for the beast and the false prophet. Those two are removed from the scene and dropped into the lake of fire, receiving their punishment for serving the dragon and for deceiving the nations.

     The description of Christ includes having “a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself” (v. 12). Note that this mirrors part of Christ’s letter to the third church, Pergamum. There Christ said he would give overcomers a white stone with a new name written on it, which only the recipient would know (2:17). (That same letter identifies Christ with the sharp two-edged sword, shown in John’s opening vision sticking from Christ’s mouth, much as in chapter 19; 1:16; 2:12.) I like the idea of these names which are known only to oneself. I wonder if I am being fanciful in thinking this new name involves having a sense of your own identity. You won’t need to share that with anyone else. There will be no need to. There will no longer be self-doubt, rivalry, jealousy, any of the potential bitterness that plagues our current lives. It will be a wonderful time. I hope to see you then.

     Lord, I look forward to the day when your kingdom has come on earth as you now reign in heaven. You have been waiting for a long time, allowing more people to be saved through the grace of your son. May your glory and your majesty be shown in my life while I wait for that day. Let me be empowered and enthused to perform righteous actions that will please you. Let me set my mind on the things of the Spirit, live as your humble servant, and exalt you. Let my light so shine before men that they will glorify you. Let me present my body as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to you. Renew my mind, so I may prove what your will is. Thank you, my God. In Jesus’ name I pray these things, Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you ever think about the fact that it is our opportunity, and honor, to clothe the bride of Christ in righteous acts?
  2. Who are some of the people you want to sit with at the wedding supper of the lamb? What do you think you will talk about there?
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God’s Two Witnesses

Old Testament: Ezekiel 15 & 16

Poetry: Psalm 96

*New Testament: Revelation 11

Following our strange detail about John eating the Scroll that God gave to him, we are finally going to learn about what the Scroll says through what John tells us! Unfortunately, it is very detailed, also strange in some ways, and has been the cause of many interpretations over the past 2,000 years. However, we are going to do our best to humbly try and understand what John says in this passage, while focusing on his main point. I don’t assume that my interpretation is 100% correct, so I invite all of you to critique it by looking at the text itself and speaking with other Christian teachers that you trust.

We are introduced to two Witnesses, or two Martyrs, who are proclaiming to people “their testimony”. Now, throughout Revelation, we see that John testified to “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:2, 9) and that the Christian martyrs from chapter six also had a “testimony” that they proclaimed (6:9). We will learn later that Christians are able to overcome Satan using “their testimony” as well (12:11). Narratively speaking, it is likely that these two Witnesses have the same testimony as John and the Christians. That testimony is the gospel message about Jesus’ death, resurrection and eventual return to establish God’s kingdom, as can be seen throughout the whole letter. In other words, the two Witnesses are two individuals that are faithfully preaching the gospel to those around them.

There has been speculation as to whether these are literally two individual people that are to come in the future, or whether they represent what the churches are supposed to be doing, since they are described as lampstands like the churches (compare 1:20 and 11:4). I assume that these are representatives for what the churches, and us, are supposed to be doing, but also don’t believe that John’s main point is in their identity; John’s main point to this vision is what is produced by their faithful preaching of the gospel.

After the two Witnesses are killed, resurrected, and exalted to God’s space, the people actually repent of their evils! In 11:13, it states that people “gave glory to the God of heaven”, which is repentance language. As we saw in the previous seven seals and seven trumpets, and will see in the later seven bowls, God’s judgment actions are not enough to bring about repentance; but the faithful preaching of the gospel message is enough, even if Christians die for it!

My encouragement to you today is to behave like these two Witnesses; faithfully preach the gospel, even at the expense of your own life. Whatever the cost may be for you, the reward is going to be more than you ever imagined! And just like the story of Revelation states, that reward is coming soon, after the Church does her job of faithfully preaching to the nations. Are you ready for that day to come?

Talon Paul

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Nov 13, 2019)

Reflection Questions

  1. As Talon asked, “Are you ready for that day to come?” That’s the most important question.
  2. Whatever your age or occupation, how can you help preach the gospel?
  3. What is your testimony of Jesus Christ and his Father and God? Who needs to hear it?
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