Come and see

John 1:46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Nazareth, in the region of Galilee, was far from Jerusalem, the center and capital of Israel. As a remote place, its insignificance was perhaps its most defining trait. But when Nathanael asked if anything “good” could come from there, it was a moral question. Like most nations, regional pride emphasizes the local good and the non-local bad, using whatever measures are available. We certainly have no record of conspicuous Galilean evil – the words and acts of Mary the mother of Jesus show there was certainly deep devotion to God in practice.

Philip’s reply is short but the best one to be offered to scoffers and skeptics. It echoes the Psalmist’s invitation:

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good

as indeed Nathanael would. Jesus immediately displayed miraculous knowledge of Nathanael’s life before they met, at which Nathanael named Jesus as Messiah (see verse 49).

It is not up to any believer to prove who Jesus is; because the move of the Holy Spirit on anyone’s life is God-breathed and spiritually discerned. Humanity craves reasoned understanding and banks on its scientific proofs, which are hit-or-miss at best. Reasoning would have dismissed investigating this Jesus because he was, after all, from Nazareth. And, concerning the person of Jesus Christ, one can only be invited with a “Come and see”. The rest is up to that person to both come and see.

In Nathanael’s case, coming to Jesus involved some travel. Jesus did not come to him. For others, Jesus would indeed show up on scene and on point. But truly coming to Jesus requires “being there” – actually showing up with operational senses and a willingness to perceive what Jesus will say and do.

Seeing is not only a use of one’s eyes, but of one’s spirit. When prayer or worship receives a its replies, whatever the response, identifying that there really is a loving God who hears and answers is vital to spiritual perception. Relatively speaking, Nathanael saw the physical Jesus Christ and was immediately shown a miraculous sign. Later, and unto this very day, the miraculous still occurs, but there is almost always no audible voice. Many will explain God’s interactions with people as coincidence or wishful thinking. At some frequency those arguments become too thin to carry weight, and people who’ve refused to “come and see” don’t want others to do that either.

To be sure, the erosion of faith invariably has ever-decreasing “come and see” activity and perception. The invitation, then, is ongoing and vital. Something good – VERY good- has come from Nazareth.

God of the living

Luke 20:37-38 “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”

Jesus had just refuted a ridiculous scenario constructed to trip him up where 7 brothers were successive husbands of the same woman after each passed away.  As a punchline to the discussion about life after death, he proclaimed the words above.  His listeners were sure to pick the cue about Moses – they believed they were faithful adherents to all Moses had taught. But then the zinger.

As Moses identified the Lord as the same God as the patriarchs of Israel had worshiped, he also proclaimed their contemporary and eternal life.  This was revelation to the this-life-only Sadducees whose lifestyle reflected their transient belief system.  For if there was no life after death, there could be no judgment and no accountability.

The eternal perspective revealed in the statement shows the Ancient of Days reigning over all generations of human life, “now” alive together contemporarily.  It is a picture of life in heaven without end and without the oppression of passing time.  Aging, with all its incumbent frailty and slow-death decline, is gone.  So is the frivolity and mistaken pursuits of passionate but errant youth. 

The Sadducees were no doubt taken aback with the vision – it says no one would ask Jesus any more questions after it.  But for all generations – the temporal assumptions that human beings have learned and live in so well and for so long – are laid waste here.  We are, as the saying goes, spiritual beings residing in temporary corporeal bodies.  That is, we are eternal by nature. 

Scripture says that the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14), so believers are not left without witness of the bliss and everlasting joy of heaven.  It is, of course, very different from life on earth, and if we were to suddenly shed all troubles and trials we would understand only a part of it.

My Lord “is not the God of the dead, but of living, for all live to him.”  Amen, so be it.  Right here, right now.

The cognitive and the spiritual

Galatians 6:11-12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

One of the first criteria people have with faith is their belief in spiritual things.  In a cognitive-only closed system, our senses inform us of what exists and what is fantasy or imagined.  Yet even within cognition, ideological principles like justice and beauty can be observed and experienced.  Spiritual reality, the presence and interaction with external non-corporeal (i.e. not having bodies) entities, is discerned through our inner person as well.  Many reject this because it opens a scary, uncontrolled door.  And so they can denigrate whose who claim spiritual realities as childish or deluded.

Paul was writing to the church in Galatia about their recent drift in belief.  They were being “Judaized” by people of the Jewish faith wishing to persuade them to obey the Law of Moses, being circumcised and following its tenets.  Paul knew that religious system very well; he was one its most outspoken (and outstanding) proponents prior to his conversion experience.  During that, he was blinded, heard the voice of Jesus, and was re-purposed for the gospel of Christ.  That was the revelation he referred to in the verses above.

Paul was more intelligent and cognitive than any of his readers.  Yet he had a set of spiritual experiences that defined a reality that superseded his merely academic, analytical mindset.  And he knew and remembered life without that reality.  As he would write elsewhere:

1 Corinthians 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It’s not that the Spirit of God is available to only a few, it’s that only some people want to or dare to open the door.   But once the invitation is accepted, the certainty of Jesus’ reign overrides mere cognition.

Blood in the city of merchants

Revelation 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.

The judgment of the city of Babylon is spelled out in no uncertain terms in Revelation 18.  While interpreters over the centuries have puzzled in depth about the identity and location of the city, it is both safer and more effective exegesis to stand Babylon up as the commercial world system.  The narrative calls her (and indeed identifies her visually) as a woman, though the association with femininity plays more to her particular variety of sin than anything else.  She was (and is) a prostitute, selling “intimacy” and profiting from it.  Her customers are merchant traders, for whom moral compromise never bore cause for reservation or restraint in personal gain.  Their book of business ethics was (and is) thin indeed.

In confused responses, these merchants both bewail and acknowledge the reasons for Babylon’s destruction.  They openly cite the way the city opposed those crying for its repentance and pointing out its iniquities.  So they “get it” regarding judgment though they themselves never turned from their sins.

The bottom line is the verse above.  Babylon was (and is) a murderous place.  It destroyed the lives of those sent to help.  It first mocked the righteousness proclaimed by the prophets and saints, then killed them.  “In her was found the blood” is an allusion to the scriptural principle of spilled blood actually telling a story of violence, injustice and human antipathy.  Babylon preferred murderous hatred to any thought of restraint or even reflection upon its transgressions.  Indeed, “all who have been slain on earth” shows the breadth of the prophecy and identifies Babylon as larger than a single physical earthly city.

Being caught up short in sin produces two basic responses – rebellion and repentance.  The subtle rebellion in postponing, fence-sitting or explaining away guilt and the destruction being caused by their sin is rebellion nonetheless, even as I practice it.  It is true that humans can enact and perform any side of the equation – prophets to penitent recipients – in their own strength and ceremony.  Such is religious penance and all manner of payoff for sin.  This causes jading in those who see the hypocrisy and insincere motion.  It is also true – and let this be my (and our) pursuit – that there is true, life-changing conviction and deep repentance that is an integral part of the salvation of both individuals, communities, cities and nations.

Repentance is not accompanied by pleasant sentiments, but it is a repeated, progressive cleansing of everything that evil needs to function.  And when it is lacking, it’s only a matter of time before blood flows.  But when it is done truly and with a heart towards God, there is new life, love and joy to follow.

Jesus died that we might have that life starting now and going into eternity.

Pure judgment

Revelation 19:1b-2 “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

It is easy to cast a heart marshaled performance and conformance onto God when judgment comes.  This verse and others point out that redress and justice are the real heart themes in the prophetic books of the Bible.  Crime, violence, murder and gross immorality should never triumph and when they do, there is pent-up desire that they be overthrown and assigned their just desserts.

While it’s true that humans can overdo this recompense, that is NOT true of God, whose “judgments are true and just”.  It can be a grave error to presume that I have anything like God’s perspective, knowledge or resulting measured response.  Put another way, I will always mete out judgment incorrectly – too lax or too harsh, at the wrong time, in the wrong way, etc.

But God’s judgment is part of the package we come to in Christ.  Indeed, it is the first door we come through, allowing our darkest deeds to be seen in light of what they are – selfish and destructive (see John 3:17ff).  And we must continue to let that light shine, even to the point of humiliation at the exposure of our most debased motivations.  If we do not, then we risk falling into the corruption of the “great prostitute”, self-justifying our thoughts, words and deeds and corrupting everything and everyone around us.

For the victims, there is restoration and relief that indeed that done against them has been avenged, because the proud triumph of evil has finally been brought down.  That’s what justice does, and it is right and good.

Flesh, blood and disciples

Scripture:

John 6:66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Observation:

The popularity of Jesus was very high. People traveled for miles and across water to see him. But in this passage, he confronted their motives, saying they were really after a free lunch (after he miraculously fed 5000 the day prior). They asked what sign would he show them that they might believe (suddenly forgetting the prior miracle). He cited the mark of a true disciple – one who would eat his flesh (as bread of life) and drink his blood. The people recoiled before this saying “This is a hard teaching, who can listen to it?” (verse 65).

And with that, there was a mass exit of those who would follow, as the verse above recounted. It was a turning point where those who would sacrifice even the need to understand – they did not yet know what “eat(ing) my flesh” meant – in order to follow Jesus as Lord. In this, the point of miracles is made clear. Despite the propensity people have for turning the miraculous into a sideshow event (reaping in profits from ticket sales), Jesus performed his miraculous signs to display the nature of the Kingdom of God and to establish who he was. At this point in the journey, it was time for his (remaining) disciples to get it right.

Application:

This is not a word against the miraculous, far from it. It is a call to be a disciple, calling Jesus King of my life and following my King no matter what he leads me through. The scorn of those who turn away, with any number of attitudes and foregone conclusions about the person of Christ, rings fresh in the air and hangs there in protest. Let me never call this some kind of achievement – another theme of this passage is the utter election of God to be a disciple. But let me remain pliable and humble, rejoicing in the miracle of salvation and healing and deliverance all the while knowing its cost and path. For I do eat the flesh and drink the blood – that given for me on the tortuous cross. My Savior scorned the shame and endured the pain for me and he saw the joy of my (and your) salvation before him. There is nothing earned by the disciple, only received with the right heart. There is nothing gained by being obstinate, only spiritual destitution and the need to start all over again. It is nearly certain that among those who turned away and no longer walked with him were some who later reconsidered. As long as there is life there is hope and Jesus gives life.

Prayer:

Father, if it takes misunderstanding and cluelessness to follow Jesus, let me embrace it. But never let hard sayings dull my heart but instead humble it before you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What is worthy and why

Scripture:

Revelation 13:4 .. and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast, saying “Who is like the beast, and also is able to wage war with him?”

Observation:

Humankind needs to worship. People know instinctively there is something/someone greater than they which to deem worthy of adulation and devotion. Even if it is an ideal or an inflated, narcissistic view of their own person.

In this apocalyptic narrative, the dragon and the beast have come to power. The beast had been healed/resurrected and was awesome to behold. Given authoritative power by the dragon – as well as healed by him – the beast was without peer in wielding that power and authority over all the earth. So, the people worshiped him out of fear – a fear which became justified by future actions and decrees. They saw the beast as invincible in conflict; certainly by any human being.

Application:

Am I impressed by power? Does might or beauty or accomplishment make right or at least devotion in my heart? Certainly God is mighty. But that’s just one of the many attributes that makes Him the subject of my worship. Tribalists and the politically focused have a worship basis that ascribes governmental power above all. In the face of power like that there is either acquiescence or rebellion. That’s why God’s power is not founded in political or worldly measurement at all but in all love, mercy, righteousness and divine glory. He speaks and it is done. Though that may well be the aspiration of an earthly ruler, those rulers have a decidedly tepid and inferior power of authority. Love is God’s motive and accomplishment in reign, not subjugation or terrible fear. The story in this scripture shows that even creative power can be counterfeited, but it is the motive of the ruler that establishes the worthiness to be worshiped and nothing else. And there is NO ruler like God Almighty who sought me out by sending His Son to die in my place. May I learn to worship God alone, above and in contrast to all earthly objects of worship.

Prayer:

Father, allow me perspective to see past all earthly pursuits and power-bases and seek Your glory alone. Amen!

Not a fair fight

Scripture:

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

Observation:

The beast had been revered by people by reason of its invincibility in battle (13:4), yet once the battle comes against Christ and the armies of heaven, there is no battle. The beast is simple “captured” and the battle is over. And his armies are slaughtered. There is no mention of their being even a fair fight. Such is the vanquishing of evil in the end. His sidekick, the false prophet, was likewise simply arrested and held. Then their punishment is carried out – to be thrown alive into the lake of fire. In both the captivity and sentence carried out, the intentions and end results of the work of the beast and the false prophet have come full circle. For it was their goal to put souls in prisons of fear and shame, resulting in addictive and debasing behavior that further bound them. And after that, to bring their followers into hell itself. Their desire was to take the God-granted gift of freedom and life and pervert it into slavery and death. So the Lord gave them exactly what they had wished on his creation.

Application:

Rather than look for a personal, historical beast – which may or may not be a valid exercise – let me ask – what is my beast? Am I held captive by any being or movement or organization or group that would blunt my freedom, won by Christ on the cross? Do I allow the person of Christ into whose image I am being molded, to be buried beneath some other image or likeness? The road leading to destruction has hundreds of such images, boasting very real and valuable earthly rewards. While awards and rewards do follow a righteous life, let the righteousness of God motivate me and not what glitters. May I receive commendation as His servant and only passingly as one commended by humans.

Also, may I do everything I can to win freedom for those whose lives I can truly grace. Let them be energized towards liberty of being – avoiding that which is blatantly sinful and thus, binding in its result. Let me preach Christ with love, mercy and wisdom, including the judgment that follows walking away. In that, let me also grant forgiveness over my own inflicted punishment. For my anger is not as God’s and the sentences I would pass fall far short of his long-suffering mercy. I will throw no one into a lake of fire or even a too-hot hot bathtub. But I can love those who hurt people (even me) and pray for those who have chosen darkness – so far.

Prayer:

Father, You alone can judge for eternity. And You alone can capture Your enemies – the real ones. Let me walk in holy fear and righteousness that comes from You through Christ. Amen.

Two complementary views

Scripture:

Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Observation:

The prophetic vision known as the book of Revelation was recorded by the Apostle John while exiled to the Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea.

What he saw and wrote were perceived and recorded under the presence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He saw and heard Jesus Christ speaking about the churches in Asia and about the end times which were to come. In this passage, John has seen the glorified Christ for the first time. He had known Jesus personally and intimately during the 3-year ministry recorded in his gospel. John was certainly part of the inner circle of the closest disciples to Jesus. He cited himself as the disciple Jesus loved as he reclined very near to him at the Last Supper (John 13:23). And yet, in this passage, the presence of Jesus inspired no such familiarity. Falling as though dead signified the unworthiness of one to even be present. But the words of the Lord were immediately restorative – “Fear not”. Then, in quick succession, Jesus provided some identification – that He was indeed divine, for His existence was from eternity past and extended to eternity future (that is, His presence on earth was a tiny part of it). And He cited the history of which John – that He had died and then risen forevermore, because he was “the living one”. And also, He had taken the keys to Death and Hades – the dominion of evil reigned over by the Evil One.

Application:

The two views of Christ are vital for all humanity. For those who see only a transcendent figure, one “out there” who would have very little to do with present life, His life on earth as one who embraced the human condition and yet was not overcome by it provides a picture of One who cares every day for every person in every situation. There is no earthly place or circumstance that is too low or high to make His love and intimate interaction inaccessible. For those (like me sometimes) who would only welcome an intimate, immanent Savior who would tolerate and indulge their every thought, word and action, One whose presence – in all propriety – commands full-body prostration is on display. There word “respect” as applied to human authority is perhaps the basic link for some to understand such a presence, but it such a paltry excuse for the dare-not-speak awesome reverence John exercised. These two pictures provide a view of Savior Who is ever available for us at either end of the spectrum but whose existence must include both in the eyes and hearts of those who would come to him.

And then there is the power displayed in the historical gospel. Both in the observed miracle of a resurrected life and the spiritual conquest in stealing the very keys to the kingdom of darkness, Jesus is the one who provides salvation.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for these pictures. Let me know them and walk in their revelation. Amen.

Baptized in Ephesus

Scripture:

Acts 19:4-6 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

Observation:

Having been “relieved” by Apollos in the church of Corinth, Paul’s traveled to Ephesus, where he immediately met some “disciples”. These were people who had heard of the ministry of John the Baptist; some perhaps had been baptized by John himself. But that was where their knowledge ended. Paul referred to John’s actions and words to point to Christ, which was exactly as John had ministered. The baptism they were familiar with was preparatory – one of repentance, or turning toward God. But then came Jesus, fulfilling John’s prophecy and likewise, the purpose and ordinance of baptism. Paul’s account had a direct effect upon his listeners – they were quickly baptized in the name of Jesus. Following that, Paul laid hands on them – an act of imparting, a sharing of a gift – and the Holy Spirit descended upon them, filling them and enabling them to speak in another language and prophesy. Thus began the church at Ephesus.

Application:

It is tempting to take the patterns of this account or the aggregate of all such accounts in the book of Acts and build formulas. Indeed there are common, essential elements of the story which span into our lives today. The eager, prepared hearts of people, seeking after God and wanting all He has for them, the preaching of the gospel, the application of faith to the message and the act of baptism into Christ and the infilling by the Holy Spirit were all repeated throughout the history of Acts. And these are the landmarks along the path to faith in Jesus people take today. But more than a set of instructions about “how it’s done” (and leave it at that), we see the completion of knowledge and faith through the inductive process of taking people from where they are, with what they know and believe, to a new, saving faith in Jesus. Do I meet people where they are like that? Do I make links to all Jesus Christ is by means of what I know and what we all know? Do I listen to their objections, answer their questions and be patient with their slow progress (as I would call slowness – a different measure than that of the Lord)? It happened fast in Ephesus; these disciples were “ripe” – well-prepared by the ministry that came before. Am I comfortable and useful with first sowing the seeds or watering them to lead to the fruition we see here? I should be. And I should never expect the same thing twice. That is the real story, the whole story.

Prayer:

Father, it is Your incalculable patience – long-suffering really – that makes our faith story possible. Such wondrous and persistent love cannot be understood or contained. Only let me walk in it and let it speak and act through me, for I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.