Wednesday, April 30, 2014

I Earned It!




Introduction



            “Arrogant” is defined as: Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities. Some of its synonyms are interesting to note: Conceited, self-important, full of oneself, superior, overbearing, pompous, proud, high and mighty, too big for one’s britches, big-headed, etc. Have you ever encountered someone so arrogant that you actually have a tough time being around them? We get this from athletes sometimes when they are interviewed in the immediate aftermath of a sporting event. Athletes can sometimes say things in the heat of the moment that they might not say sitting around the breakfast table having a cup of coffee. Sometimes we encounter people like this in our daily lives who have nothing to do with the competition of athletics. I once worked for someone like this. Unfortunately, he was my immediate boss and I had to meet with him at least once a day—he was so pompous that he made my skin crawl sometimes. I was much younger then, very idealistic, and far less patient with people and their never-ending pursuit of self-worth. At this point in my life, I’ve witnessed some of the most arrogant behavior by people we hold in the highest regard. In fact, over the last few years, our own President repeatedly told one particular lie to the American people so blatant that last year it was given the dubious honor of being the “Lie of the Year” by PolitiFact, an independent fact checking organization for US politics (Their rating system is hilarious—they gave the President’s lie a “pants-on-fire” rating! Hahahahaha! “Pants-on-fire” as in the childhood chant—Liar, liar pants on fire!). As bad as the lie may have been, it was his arrogance that was so difficult to stomach when he responded to being exposed by claiming he didn’t lie but instead the American people misunderstood the intent of his words. In other words, he intended to tell the truth but a lie came out of his mouth instead and it was our fault for not recognizing that he intended to be truthful even as he was lying. I dare you to try and figure that out! Nothing can be more arrogant and loathsome than to have someone lie to your face and then try to somehow blame you for the fallout caused by the lie. I’ve witness my share of political garbage and I generally let that kind of stuff just slide off my back knowing that politicians have been lying to their constituents and then arrogantly rationalizing their inexcusable behavior since the beginning of organized politics. If you can’t learn to laugh at the arrogance, you’ll drive yourself crazy. However, when it comes to arrogance toward God, I haven’t matured enough to not care about that. Let me try and explain by giving you an example. A couple of weeks ago, the former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, gave an interview to the New York Times in which he said, “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It’s not even close.” Why don’t you just let that soak in for a minute? If you need to read it again you can do that now but I’ll save you the time—you read it right the first time. That, my friends, is the quintessential illustration of arrogance! But let’s try and dig through that steaming pile of arrogance, if possible, and take a look at the substance of what he said. Setting aside his obvious unbelief by questioning the existence of God in the first place, believing he has earned his place in heaven is nothing new. This has been an issue for thousands of years. Jesus constantly battled with the religious leaders because they believed that their heritage; the fact that they were the chosen people among the chosen people, and their meticulous religious practices earned them their salvation. I grew up in the Catholic Church where there are many things one must “do” in order to be saved—go to mass, take communion, be baptized and I’m pretty sure there are a few more that I’ve long forgotten. So this unwillingness to trust that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation is nothing new. However, this is such an important issue that I want to look at exactly what the Bible says about works, grace, faith, and salvation so that we won’t ever be tempted to say—I Earned It!

Subject Text

Ephesians 2:1-10
            1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Context

            Unlike some of Paul’s other letters, this letter to the church in Ephesus was not written for the purpose of correcting some kind of heresy. Instead, the letter was written for the purpose of encouraging the church he established around 53 A.D. However, Paul doesn’t deliver the letter personally but instead gives it to his friend, Tychicus, who is visiting him from Ephesus. And where is Paul? Paul is writing this letter to the Ephesians while imprisoned in Rome. This is particularly poignant in light of our Subject Text since Paul was not in a position to “do” anything with respect to his salvation as he sat in prison. Paul was writing to remind his readers that their sin once separated them from God, as is the case for all humanity, but that they and by extension, we, are now in right standing with God because of what Jesus did for us and this is specifically the point of our Subject Text.

Text Analysis

            At first it appears that Paul is admonishing the Ephesian believers in vv. 1-2 but he’s actually making the distinction between our Subject Text and the verses leading up to our Subject Text where Paul describes the ruling position in heaven that Jesus was elevated to after His resurrection, as compared to the dire spiritual condition of the Ephesians, and by extension all of us, prior to becoming believers in the truth and power of that resurrection to reverse that dire spiritual condition. Paul reveals something very important about humanity in v. 2 that we don’t like to admit and like even less to discuss. We are quick to confess that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are controlled and guided in life by the Holy Spirit. What we are less likely to dwell on is the condition of those who are not controlled and guided by the Spirit. You see, humanity does not exist in a vacuum. Humanity cannot be guided and controlled by nothing. Instead, if humanity is not under the control of the Spirit who seeks to guide us to conform to the truths of Scripture, it is under control of the one who Paul calls “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” who guides those under his rule to conform to the ways of the world. The Ephesians rightly understood “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” to be a reference to Satan. They believed Satan and his demons inhabited the region between the earth and the sky. Jesus is the Ruler over all creation but until His second coming, God has granted Satan the power to rule those who are not believers in Jesus Christ. “A yet darker colour is now given to the description of the former heathen walk of those addressed. Their life was determined and shaped by the master of all evil, the supreme ruler of all the powers of wickedness. The terms obviously designate Satan…Once that spirit [the spirit of disobedience under the rule of Satan] worked in all those addressed; now it works not in them indeed, but in those given over to disobedience to God’s will. So the lordship belonging to the Prince of evil extends not only over all those malign powers whose seat is in the air, but also and more particularly over that [s]pirit who operates as an energy of wickedness in the hearts of men opposed to God.”[1]

            Paul goes on to add detail to his description of the believer’s life before becoming a follower of Christ in v. 3. Paul makes it clear that no one, not even Paul who was zealously faithful in all Jewish religious practices, were exempt from gratifying the desires of their sinful nature (you can read more about the “sinful nature” in a previous lesson titled, How’s Your Fruit Tree, at: http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2014/03/hows-your-fruit-tree.html). Controlled by the sinful nature, humanity is consumed by following the cravings and satisfying the desires of that sinful nature. And as a result we became enemies of God. Paul calls those enemies of God “objects of wrath” meaning that the enemies of God are subject to His wrath—and no one is exempt from God’s wrath. God’s wrath must be appeased because God is perfectly holy and righteous and he cannot allow sin and evil to go unpunished. The sense of God’s wrath as used by Paul is understood as existing from the beginning of humanity’s sin and extending until that wrath was appeased by Christ’s sacrifice. However, that appeasement is only efficacious in those who acknowledge and accept that sacrifice. For those who reject Christ’s sacrifice to appease God’s wrath, the ominous storm cloud of God’s wrath still looms over them. “While attention is thus forcibly drawn on the awful wrath of God in the future, it is viewed in Pauline theology on the horizon of an eschatology which is already being realized in the course of history from the time of the coming of Jesus Christ. The decisive significance of Jesus Christ for men in the face of the orgÄ“ theou [Gk. “wrath of God”] is described clearly and impressively. By nature, as a child of this world-age, man stands under the wrath of God. It does not merely await him on the day of judgment (cf. Jn 3:36), although Paul can also speak of it as a future event. The wrath of God is directed against unrighteousness, transgression of the law, irreverence, and disdain of the Creator. Secondly, however, the anger of God is also aroused by the attitude of the so-called pious man, who through his observance of the Law allows himself to be driven into a feeling of his own self-esteem which finds expression in an unfitting boasting. But no man is able to satisfy the Law. Therefore the Law brings wrath. For it is man’s transgression of the Law—which becomes clear when the Law is radically understood—that is the ground of the righteous anger of God. The lost situation of man, both Jew and pagan, who is a prisoner of sin and therefore stands under the anger of God, has now been revealed by God through the sending of Jesus Christ.”[2]

            I’d like to describe the first three verses of our Subject Text as a journey; a journey down the road of doing life according to our own desires led by the one who wants to destroy us—Satan. The road has led us to the edge of an abyss that leads to destruction with God on the other side of the abyss. We can’t go backwards only forwards. The journey appears to be over. With no way across the abyss, our destiny appears to be a plunge into hopelessness. At just such a time, Scripture reaches out with a “but” that gives us hope. That’s what happens in vv. 4-5. Unless we realize that we are the ones standing on the edge of the abyss without hope, we will fail to recognize the monumental significance of the “but” of v. 4. We deserve condemnation; we deserve death, but, God loves us so much that he gives us another option besides plunging into the abyss. Because God loves us desperately, he builds a bridge across the abyss that will allow us to be with Him. But this is no ordinary bridge. This bridge to God is Jesus Christ Himself. Our belief in Jesus Christ brings us safely into the presence of God. But why build a bridge? Why not just let us all plunge into the abyss? Mercy! Yes, God is holy; Yes, God is perfect; Yes, God is love. However, we must always remember that God is merciful. God saved us because He loves us. It was God’s love that drove Him to have mercy on us. Nevertheless, God did not have to save us—He did just fine without us for eternity prior to the creation of humanity. And considering how Paul described our grotesque, sinful condition we certainly did nothing to deserve God’s love or mercy. That’s what makes God’s saving act so amazing—we did nothing to deserve it but God made a way for us to be saved anyway. It is only because God is gracious that we have a way across the abyss to be saved. And that’s exactly what Paul means when he says that we have been saved by grace. “There is now in existence a whole new situation because of God’s initiative. This initiative is launched because God is a God not only of righteous wrath but also of mercy…For no other reason than his mercy, God has rescued men and women from death and given them life…God’s mercy is his overflowing active compassion and is freely exercised, excluding all ideas of merit on the part of its object…The idea that believers’ experience of salvation is totally unmerited on their part and due solely to God’s generosity will be expressed again in the mention of his love, and particularly through the term ‘grace,’ which is synonymous with ‘mercy.’”[3]

            Paul identifies our new standing as believers in v. 6 when he says that we have been raised up with Christ. Paul is saying we have been raised to a life of eternal blessing in the presence of God and saved from a life of eternal torment separated from Him. “God gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. That we have been given life means that we are ‘saved.’ When Christ rose from the dead, so did all the members of his body by virtue of God’s uniting them with Christ. The only way spiritually dead people can have a relationship with God is to be made alive. And God is the only person who can accomplish that, which he did through his Son, Jesus Christ. Christ defeated sin and death through his death and resurrection, thus offering spiritual life to those dead in sins.”[4]

            Paul continues in v. 7 to describe the perpetual consequences to God’s overt display of mercy and grace. Future generations will recognize God’s salvation work in the lives of those who came before them. This is why I tell you it is so important for you to share your story of salvation with others regardless of how ashamed you may be of your life before you were saved. It is important for people to know in order for them to recognize what Paul says is God’s “incomparable riches of his grace.” Let me demonstrate with a story about Rosaria Champagne Butterfield. Rosaria was a self-described, leftist, lesbian professor who hated Christians and Christianity. She hated them because they refused to accept that her lifestyle was appropriate. She believed Christians were merely ignorant rubes while she was erudite and enlightened—yet they had the audacity to challenge her life and worldview. And because she hated Christians she had no use for God. However, that changed when she met Ken the pastor of Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian Church and his wife Floy. Rosaria developed a relationship with Ken and his wife over a few years where they discussed many things that included culture, politics, and religion. Eventually, Ken convinced Rosaria to question her long held beliefs to see if they could hold up to objective criticism. Ken wasn’t questioning Rosaria, he challenged her to question herself. Ken did what I have so often asked all of you to do—know why you believe what you believe! Eventually, Ken convinced Rosaria to read the Bible which she read in a number of different translations to make sure one particular translation wasn’t biased. I’ll let Rosaria tell the rest of her story:

            “I continued reading the Bible, all the while fighting the idea that it was inspired. But the Bible got to be bigger inside me than I. It overflowed into my world. I fought against it with all my might. Then, one Sunday morning, I rose from the bed of my lesbian lover, and an hour later sat in a pew at the Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian Church. Conspicuous with my butch haircut, I reminded myself that I came to meet God, not fit in. The image that came in like waves, of me and everyone I loved suffering in hell, vomited into my consciousness and gripped me in its teeth.
I fought with everything I had.
I did not want this.
I did not ask for this.
I counted the costs. And I did not like the math on the other side of the equal sign.
But God’s promises rolled in like sets of waves into my world. One Lord’s Day, Ken preached on John 7:17: ‘If anyone wills to do [God’s] will, he shall know concerning the doctrine [whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself].’ (NKJV). This verse exposed the quicksand in which my feet were stuck. I was a thinker. I was paid to read books and write about them. I expected that in all areas of life, understanding came before obedience. And I wanted God to show me, on my terms, why homosexuality was a sin. I wanted to be the judge, not one being judged.
But the verse promised understanding after obedience. I wrestled with the question: Did I really want to understand homosexuality from God’s point of view, or did I just want to argue with him? I prayed that night that God would give me the willingness to obey before I understood. I prayed long into the unfolding of day. When I looked in the mirror, I looked the same. But when I looked into my heart through the lens of the Bible, I wondered, am I a lesbian, or has this all been a case of mistaken identity? If Jesus could split the world asunder, divide marrow from soul, could he make my true identity prevail? Who am I? Who will God have me to be?
Then, one ordinary day, I came to Jesus, openhanded and naked. In this war of worldviews, Ken was there. Floy was there. The church that had been praying for me for years was there. Jesus triumphed. And I was a broken mess. Conversion was a train wreck. I did not want to lose everything that I loved. But the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world. I weakly believed that if Jesus could conquer death, he could make right my world. I drank, tentatively at first, then passionately, of the solace of the Holy Spirit. I rested in private peace, then community, and today in the shelter of a covenant family, where one calls me ‘wife’ and many call me ‘mother.’
I have not forgotten the blood Jesus surrendered for this life.”[5]
            God saved Rosaria not because she somehow deserved it but because of the “incomparable riches of his grace” and every time Rosaria tells her story it is like a signpost pointing the way to God’s grace for all those who know or hear her story.

            We know that the means of our salvation is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the basis of our salvation; the reason God provided the means for our salvation is summarized in vv. 8-9 when Paul says we are saved by grace through faith is the means of that salvation; faith in Jesus Christ. We did nothing nor can we do anything to merit that salvation. It is God’s gift to those who will accept it like Rosaria—open-handed. Why? So that no one can say I Earned It! If you get nothing else out of this lesson, I want you to get this: There is nothing, nothing, nothing you can do to earn your salvation! What happens when we begin to think that we could somehow help God or cajole God or leverage God to save us by something we do? I want you to go back to the lesson I posted for Easter titled “Man Of Sorrows” at: http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2014/04/man-of-sorrows.html). When you’re done looking through the images of that lesson, if you still think there is something you can do to earn your salvation then what you are saying is that all that Jesus endured and accomplished was not enough. Let that sink in for just a minute. He was arrested under false pretense, beaten nearly to death, nailed to the cross like a common criminal, died on the cross after the Father turned His face from Him because of humanity’s sin, He was buried in a tomb for three days and then He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven but somehow that’s not enough? Is that really the message we want to send God—thanks for sending your Son to die for us but we don’t think that was enough so we’re going to add a few other things. It sounds kind of silly doesn’t it? Well we should remember that when we fall into the trap of thinking we can somehow help God save us. “If salvation is a gift of grace, then human beings can do nothing to achieve it. It is God’s work, a gift extended to everyone. Its cause is purely in God’s character, not in the character or conduct of any person. No act or virtue can be presented to God to gain acceptance. But for many grace is so hard to believe or accept. Virtually all our experience tells us that we have to earn acceptance, love, and respect. We spend our lives seeking self-actualization, some act or fact that will give us significance and standing. If we have self-confidence, we see no need to be stripped of all our hard-earned value. Other people are worse than we are, so why shouldn’t God accept us? If we lack self-confidence, we find it hard to think God will accept us under any circumstance. Either way, grace is hard to take. But remember that grace is God’s giving us [of] himself. He accepts us without precondition or complaint. We are given significance and standing by our relation to God. We are valued by grace, but the attention is not placed on us, but on God who loves so deeply. Grace moves us to worship and true humility. If all initiative comes from God and all the praise belongs to him, no room is left for either pride or self-depreciation. But if grace is taken seriously, the focus is moved off ourselves, and pride does not have a leg to stand on. Dealing with grace and pride is, of course, a daily task and part of the ongoing identification with the death of Christ.”[6]

            Paul just finished telling us that our salvation is a gift of God and not by any work performed by us but then tells us in v. 10 that we have been created to do good works that God has actually prepared in advance for us to do. This is the place where people can get confused. Are we supposed to do good works or not? Let me see if I can explain the purpose of v. 10 in relation to the pervious verses in our Subject Text. Very simply, vv. 1-9 say here is God’s gift to you; the gift of salvation and v. 10 says “Thank you.” God has prepared good works for us to do in response to receiving the free gift He offers us. Nothing Paul is saying in our Subject Text says we don’t have a duty to live our lives in obedience to the Scriptures. Paul is not saying that we shouldn’t attend church; that we shouldn’t pray; that we shouldn’t take communion; that we shouldn’t be baptized; that we shouldn’t be self-controlled; that we shouldn’t refrain from sexual immorality; that we shouldn’t be gluttons; that we shouldn’t be liars; that we shouldn’t be greedy; that we shouldn’t be gossips; that we shouldn’t seek to live lives holy and pleasing to God. What Paul is saying is that we shouldn’t pursue or attempt to perfect these things in an effort to get God to accept us; to love us; to save us. How can we keep these verses in their proper perspective? The answer, as always, finds its basis in relationship as opposed to religion. Religion is an important institution but relationship gives religion its purpose. Without relationship, religion is meaningless and even destructive. Let me put it this way—Marriage is an important institution but without relationship, marriage is meaningless and very painful—relationship always comes first. I don’t love my wife, Laura, because I’m married to her, I’m married to her because I love her. I serve her and care for her because I love her. I don’t do those things so she will love me, I do them because I love her. If I do those things for her to get her to love me then we don’t have a relationship we’re just married. Similarly, if I purposely neglect to do those things for her then we don’t have a relationship either. However, because we have a relationship of love, serving my wife is just something I do as a natural result of our love relationship. Paul describes a God that is madly in love with us, His “workmanship;” His work of art. And He has created us in such a way so that the work He wants to accomplish, He will accomplish in us and through us as believers. In a love relationship with God, we are not working for God so that He will love us—He already loves us. Instead, God is working in and through us to bless us, to accomplish His will, and to reach those who still don’t recognize how much He loves them. “God has prepared beforehand good works for believers that he will perform in and through them as they walk by faith in his power. It is not doing a work for God but God doing a work in and through the believer. Hence, the good works, also, cannot be a cause for boasting, as is the case in our salvation, because both are elements accomplished by God’s grace by means of faith. If no good works are evident, it may indicate that that one is not a believer, because what God has purposed in the believer is not being accomplished. Works are not the means of salvation—only faith is. But works are an evidence of salvation—God’s working in the believer his prepared works…Our salvation is not only a one time act of conversion, but also includes the activity of his workmanship in whom and through whom he performs the good works he has already prepared in advance.”[7]

Application

            At the beginning of this lesson I told you about the arrogant comments made by Michael Bloomberg and we can easily dismiss them as the ravings of a self-inflated narcissist. However, I have to admit that something inside of me felt sorry of him, first that he isn’t convinced of God’s existence but second that he thinks he could possibly do something to merit God’s favor when God already loves him. It made me a little sad for Bloomberg. You see, Jesus only had harsh words for the religious leaders who refused to believe in Him because they should have known better. They studied the Scriptures daily that spoke of Him yet they refused to believe in Him (Jn 5:39). However, for the other Jews in Jerusalem, those who were trapped by the false teachings of the religious leaders, Jesus shed tears like a parent would shed tears for a lost child (Lk 19:41-44). The foolishness of Bloomberg may not mean anything to you because it seems harmless. However, the belief that we must strive to earn God’s acceptance; God’s love; God’s forgiveness; God’s salvation, can have devastating consequences. Just how devastating can the consequences be? So devastating that it could lead a group of men to hijack planes filled with innocent people and fly them into buildings filled with innocent people in order to demonstrate their devotion to God and hopefully do enough to gain His favor. The basis of Islam’s fanaticism is the belief that only those who “do” enough for God have a chance at going to heaven (with no guarantees still). Driven to its logical extreme, martyrdom is the only thing that remains for a Muslim to do to try and earn their way into God’s good graces. Islam’s logic goes something like this: What more can a Muslim do to prove their devotion and commitment then to die in the cause of protecting God’s honor and destroying those who don’t believe the way they do. At that point, Muslims are hoping that God would be compelled to accept them because they earned it through their own death. You could call it the Muslim trump card—their martyrdom trumps God’s ability to condemn them for their sins. Can you imagine what it would be like wondering everyday if you have done enough to appease God’s wrath? It could drive a person to the point of desperation and a desperate person can do the unthinkable—like strap a bomb to themselves and blow themselves up in a crowd of innocent people. It just doesn’t make sense does it when the answer is so obvious? Can you see how adding Jesus to the equation would solve everything for Muslims? God’s wrath is appeased and true devotion is not demonstrated by dying for God but by living for him. Desperation and hopelessness gives way to peace, hope, and the assurance that Jesus did what a Muslim could never do no matter how many people he or she killed to try and prove their worthiness to God. If you want to see an end to the senseless and brutal atrocities at the hands of Islam, pray that the truth of Jesus would invade their hearts and minds.

            There are other, silent, and more personal consequences of feeling like you have to earn God’s favor. I know these very well because I live with them every day. You see, I have a very distorted view of God the Father because of a very painful relationship with my earthly father. Whatever love that may have been available from my father was conditional and those conditions changed depending on his mood or how much he’d had to drink. Love became synonymous with not getting yelled at or beat on. The trick was figuring out what I had to do for those things not to happen. For many years, I understood God the Father the same way. A Father filled with wrath who expected perfect obedience and devotion. It took many years before I learned to recognize the Father who loved me unconditionally. The Father who loved me so much that He made it possible for me to spend eternity with Him and I didn’t have to do anything, He did everything for me. The Father sent the Son to do for me what I could never do for myself. I know this and I have accepted this but I still struggle with it every day—not because I don’t think He can do it or would do it but because I don’t believe I deserve it. So I still fall into the trap of trying to earn what God has already freely given me. I know it sounds ridiculous to some people but old habits die hard and this one isn’t quite dead yet in me. Nevertheless, I hold on to the truth that God has saved me because He loves me and He is gracious and merciful. I will always confess and take comfort in the assurance that I have been saved by grace through faith so I will never be able to say I Earned It!




[1] W. Robertson Nicoll, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Vol. 3, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983), pp. 284-285.
[2] Colin Brown, gen. ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), pp. 111-112.
[3] Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians—Word Biblical Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1990), p. 100.
[4] Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 810.
[5] Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, “My Train Wreck Conversion,” Christianity Today, 7 February 2013, p. 112.
[6] Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians—The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 120-121.
[7] Howard W. Hoehner, Ephesians—An Exegetical Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), pp 349-350.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Dishonest Manager


About Pastor Scott

            This week’s lesson is provided by Pastor Mark Scott. Mark is currently the Exposition and Leadership Pastor at Mountainview Community Christian Church. Before that he was the Academic Dean at Ozark Christian College (“OCC”). Mark taught New Testament and Preaching at OCC for 28 years. Prior to his many years at OCC, Mark was the preaching pastor at various churches for many years. Mark received his Bachelor of Theology from OCC; his Master of Divinity from Lincoln Christian Seminary; and his Doctor of Ministry from Denver Seminary. Mark has authored or co-authored numerous books and scholarly articles such as: “Reflections” in The Christian Standard, Lamp Devotionals from Acts and Nehemiah, “Biblical Preaching” (chapter) in The Mind of Christ (College Press), “Christian Love” (chapter) in Essentials of Christian Practice (College Press), a book entitled, Sermons On the Gospels (Standard Publishing), and many more. Mark has ministered internationally in Barbados, Scotland, Canada, Chile, Israel, Germany, Venezuela, Turkey, Greece, Rome, and Ukraine. Mark has been married to his beautiful wife Carla for almost 41 years. They have four children and ten grand-children.

Introduction

            We have a grandson named, Kasen. He is four years old and was born on the fourth of July. His parents call him, “Boom.” He’s pretty health compromised—i.e. lots of allergies and asthma. So recently, on a family trip, our son Corey gave Kasen a drink of Mountain Dew [that’s a soda/soft drink/fountain drink] for the first time. Kasen said, “Dad, what is this stuff?” Corey said, “It’s Mountain Dew, Bud.” Kasen said, “This stuff makes me vibrate.”

            Well, what makes you vibrate? I’ll tell what makes me vibrate—our Subject Text. This lesson is devoted to one of Jesus’ primary teaching methods, i.e. parables. And when I thought of what most amazing parable I could choose, I ran to Luke 16:1-13. My ESV [English Standard Version] label for it is, “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.” It’s often been called the “Parable of the Unjust or Unrighteous Steward.”

            I don’t want to scare you off, but Dr. Craig Blomberg, a world renown biblical scholar from Denver Seminary, says that this parable is the hardest parable of all to understand. Dr. Klyne Snodgras, probably the finest scholar on parables says that this parable is notoriously difficult and that we have to fill in the blanks. Maybe that’s why Kenneth Bailey, Middle Eastern expert on parables said, “Preachers, writers, interpreters, and teachers of the Bible often avoid it like the plague.” I want us to read this strange story and then I want to ask a series of questions.

Subject Text


Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—4I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6“‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Context

            Who is the parable audience? Well, the disciples (v. 1) but evidently, also the Pharisees (v. 14). Keep in mind we are in the travel narrative and this is a section huge in parables (this is the 15th) the most famous of all having just been given, i.e., prodigal son.

            Who do the characters represent? Blomberg calls this a complex three-point parable because there are three characters: The rich man—also identified as the master (Lord), the manager/steward, and the debtors. Should we allegorize them? Is the rich man/master, God? Is the manger a disciple? A bad disciple? And who are the debtors? Are they the same as the “sons of this age” [NIV—“People of this world.”] mentioned later? Not sure. Snodgrass says that the parable is an analogy but not an allegory. I’m comfortable with that. I do want to say that the manager is a key in the story. He is in each scene (vv. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8). A form of this man’s label or word appears some 10 times in the story. The role is like one who manages capital for another. He’s a farm financial planner.

            What is the nature of the manager’s error(s)? Well, we are told that he “wasted” the master’s possessions (same word in Lk. 15:13 describing the actions of the prodigal son—squandered). But he also designed a plan to endear himself to his master’s debtors. Was how he designed that plan ethically acceptable? Were the reductions legal or illegal? Maybe he took off his commission. Maybe he took off the unjust interest that the master was charging. Several commentaries discuss the “usury” in the text—consider the OT teaching on lending practices (Deut 23:20). It looks like he is being a bit shifty, but he is sure scoring points with the debtors.

            What does shrewdness mean? The word is only used as an adverb once in the NT, and it is here. The word appears as a noun 14 times in the NT (cf. Matt. 7:24; 10:16; and even 1 Kings 3:12). It means wisely, prudently, or cleverly. This leads us to the next question.

            Is this an endorsement of shady practices? Julian the Apostate in the 4th century AD said that Jesus taught his followers to be liars and thieves. Well, if so, it would seem to go against the rest of the Bible. But so many times we are thinking in moral terms, and that might not be Jesus’ point here. The master might have commended/praised him simply because the manager did something pro-active about his situation. Maybe it’s more like, “Well, aren’t you a tricky rabbit?” I think that Eugene Peterson hit the nail on the head when he paraphrased it this way, “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

            Where does the story end and how do verses 9-13 function? It’s possible that the story ends in v. 8a or 8b. But it looks to me that verses 9-13 help put the tag lines to the story.

            Are Christians often naïve and gullible? Yes! Ha! The sons of light (v. 8b) often lag behind the sons of this age (v. 8a). We are called to think on another level, but we so often don’t.

            Does the end justify the means when it comes to making friends with others by tricky means to get something of value later? Well no, but, as mentioned, probably we are thinking in moral terms, and that’s not Jesus’ point. It’s like when Abraham lied about Sarah (Gen 12:10-20). We get all lathered up about his lie. But that lie kept Pharaoh from defiling her, and Abraham left Egypt wealthy. That preserved the promise—that’s the point of the biblical narrator. If you asked Moses, “Is it okay to lie?” He would say, “Well, no, but…”

            What are true riches? Well they are not in this world evidently. True riches are something beyond the use of wealth in this world. Whatever they are they are in a realm of the spiritual, beyond us. Use wealth for kingdom purposes—and before it’s too late.

            How is past performance an indicator of future performance? Well, if you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in big things. You know why I trusted Ken Idleman to be a faithful president of Ozark Christian College? Because when he mailed a personal letter from the college he would remove a stamp from his billfold. He didn’t expect the college to pay for a personal stamp. That’s integrity and faithfulness.

Application

            So, what are we to make of this, and what are some take homes for us? Well, let me illustrate it this way. Our Life Group is studying the Book of Revelation. We are reading a small book on Revelation, and we are watching some videos that go along with the chapters from the book. One of the DVD’s that our group watched was Dr. Randy Harris from Abilene Christian University. He was preaching on Rev. 4-5, and gave this brief outline on Revelation: 1) God’s Team Wins; 2) You Get to Pick a Team; and 3) Don’t be Stupid.

            That’s really what I think this strange story teaches—Don’t be stupid about the stewardship of your life and future. And maybe the significant (and greatly expanded) tag lines help us.  Jesus even says, “And I tell you.” It’s like, lesson time. Let me develop three applications:

            1) Think eternity (v. 9). As strange as the language sounds, the contrast is between earth and heaven. As strange as the behavior of the manager seems, he got busy today because he was looking to his future. So, how about you? Do you think eternity? How does eternity impact your present? Remember the poem? “Only one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

            Some of you know that Miss Carla and I just got back from a cruise (our first ever). After the Preaching & Teaching Convention in Missouri, we headed to the Western Caribbean. It was wonderful—and I don’t want to be a joy robber but I did a little math and if the 3600 people on board spent what we did—and I know that many spent far more—that one boat ride grossed for Princess Cruises $3,600,000. Three million six hundred thousand dollars! That’s more than I make in a whole year. I saw several other cruise ships in the Gulf that week. I’m not going to give that excess the back of my hand and say, “Wow, what a waste.” Maybe that surprises you. I didn’t regret one dime that I spent on Miss Carla because I was investing in her eternity. See, she has put up with me for 41 years. I am just ornery enough to make her put up with me for eternity. Here’s my call, whatever you do, think eternity.

            2) Use your resources, that are on loan from God, faithfully (vv. 10-12). Our lives are on loan from God as are the resources that he has given us. People that are faithful in the little things will be faithful in the big things. Klyne Snodgrass used a phrase that I liked as he discussed this parable. It was the phrase, kingdom economics. Listen, Jesus is coming back. According to the Bible, there will be a judgment. Are you using the resources that God has given you faithfully? And we are to be industrious about this. The word, “do,” appears 4 times in this text (vv. 3, 4, 8, and 9). This parable is a call to action.

            My Dad gets this I think. He is generous now. But he also lives with great frugality, like using wood for his heat, shutting the breaker switch off at night for the hot water heater (why do we need hot water when we are sleeping?), and using a rubber band on his belt to make the belt last longer. Some of it seems silly to us. But he is trying to posture himself so that when he dies we five boys will get a little inheritance, but more importantly the River‘s Edge Christian Church in Waterloo, Iowa, CEM [Christian Evangelistic Missions], and OCC [Ozark Christian College] will benefit from his use of worldly wealth.

            3) Do away with duplicity (v. 13).  This is really a statement—not a command. But there seems to be an implicit call here to admit. This is the same teaching Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:24). People try to contradict this teaching all the time. That’s why they are miserable. They have one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot planted in the kingdom of this world. It never works. Material possessions can be quite a good. But let’s not be possessed by our possessions. Let’s declare our loyalty to God first and most.

            A recent gift from my wife was a new pair of binoculars. They are pretty fancy. She bought them at Cabela’s due to all the hunting I do {read sarcasm}. I’m old school and not too intuitive so I read the instructions first before trying them out. Glad I did. Because the instructions say that you have to adjust them until you see one round picture. Focus makes all the difference. During our cruise, I didn’t see any whales. I saw only two dolphins—and they were in captivity. But I can tell you what every oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico looks like. Here’s the thing about binoculars. When you are looking at one thing, you are, of necessity, not looking at something else. In view of eternity, use your possessions wisely.

            Don’t be stupid about the stewardship of your life and future. Do you remember the story of Robin Hood? Robin Hood (which is a nickname) was a heroic figure in English Folklore. He was an outstanding archer and swordsman. He lived in the Sherwood Forest and fought with the wicked oppressor Sheriff of Nottingham. He, along with his Merry Men, did what? They robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. Now any mom would probably discipline her child if that child robbed from people. We’re not endorsing thievery. But Robin Hood thought that oppression of the poor was wrong, and he got busy to do something about it.

            Maybe that is like this manager. His methods are suspect, but his moxie, his street smarts, and cleverness are to be commended. Since we are headed to the land of eternal dwellings and true riches, may we be that wise in the use of our lives and resources.


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Man Of Sorrows

Introduction

            Have you ever ordered something based on a detailed, written description or even a picture and when it showed up it wasn’t exactly what you had hoped for? I’m an avid reader and it happens to me occasionally—I’ll order a book based on a review of its content only to find out that it’s not ultimately what I expected. Maybe that’s happened to you with movies—you see a trailer that excites and motivates you to see the movie only to realize that the trailer was the only good part of the movie. I think Easter can be like that sometimes. We only want Easter to be about the victory represented by an empty tomb but it’s really about so much more than that. Easter is just a few days away and for Christians it represents the pinnacle of our faith. Easter validates Jesus as the one through whom and by whom we receive forgiveness for our sins. The primary focus of Easter is often the empty tomb because it represents the image of Jesus alive and well; the image we expect; the image we’re most comfortable with—just give us the empty tomb please and we’ll be happy. But that’s not what we get is it? Or at least the empty tomb is not the only image that is part of the Easter celebration. Most Christians love Easter Sunday but aren’t particularly fond of dwelling on the road that led Jesus to Easter Sunday. However, the salvation we enjoy as Christians loses some of its value if we’re unwilling to keep the cost of that salvation in view. Our salvation is not just about the empty tomb of Easter Sunday. Our salvation is also about all the steps along the way to the empty tomb.

            One of the reasons so many of the Jews, especially the religious leaders, during the time of Jesus had a hard time believing in Jesus as the Messiah was because He didn’t fit their definition of the Messiah. They were convinced the Messiah would be a king and military conqueror that would lead Israel to defeat her enemies and return her to national prominence. The prophet Isaiah, writing over a period of approximately 50 years during the 700’s BC, described the Messiah as a King (i.e. Isa 9:1-7) and Conqueror (i.e. Isa 63:1-6). This was the image the Jews had of the Messiah they were looking forward to. While all those images of Jesus are completely true and accurate, Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy is descriptive not necessarily chronological. This is important when we remember that Isaiah described the Messiah in another way as well—as a servant; specifically as a suffering servant; a Man Of Sorrows. This is the Messiah that came to the Jews in the person of Jesus Christ. This is the Messiah the Jews didn’t seem to want. Yet this is the Messiah that Isaiah prophesied about. This is the Messiah we recognize and celebrate as Christians. We recognize Jesus as King over all of creation even though he doesn’t occupy an earthly throne. We recognize Jesus as Conqueror because he defeated humanity’s greatest enemy—death. Nevertheless, the cross is never far from our view of Jesus. However, for the Jews, the Messiah and the cross didn’t belong together. A Messiah as King and Conqueror—absolutely! A Messiah as a suffering servant dying on a cross—no way! But this is the picture of the Messiah that Isaiah paints for us.

Subject Text

Isaiah 53
            1Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He 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 her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Context

            More than 700 years before the time of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah painted a picture of the coming Messiah that the people could look for. However, when He came, they refused to believe it was Him. They wanted the King and Conqueror Messiah so desperately that they refused to see the Man Of Sorrows Messiah in their midst. However, the Servant needed to come first before He could be properly understood as King and Conqueror. We too get lost sometimes in our favorite image of Jesus as Savior, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God or Immanuel and we try not to focus on the fact that Jesus was also the Man Of Sorrows. When we remember this part of Jesus then we can truly celebrate the depth of meaning represented by the empty tomb.

Remembering The Road To The Resurrection

            For a number of years when my girls and I did missions work in Mexico, we would be there over the Easter weekend. One time when we had finished our work for the day and were returning to camp, we encountered an elaborate procession along the road with crowds of people hollering and screaming and what seemed like soldiers mounted on horses at the front of the procession directing the crowd. As we got closer, we could see a man at the front of the procession dressed in a burlap robe dragging a cross over his shoulder. We were told that the locals were celebrating an annual Easter ritual of remembering Jesus’ final hours and the road to the cross. I had never seen anything like that before. It was mesmerizing to watch and moving to witness. In church practice it is formally known as the Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross. In Latin it is called the Via Crucis or Via Dolorosa. It is also referred to as The Way of Sorrows, or as The Way. Remembering the Stations or Way of the Cross may have begun as early as the 5th century AD when a few monasteries wanted to reproduce the holy places along Christ’s route to where He was crucified. The various stages (Stations) of Jesus’ trek were depicted in artistic renderings or sculptures. These images were placed around the church as a kind of remembrance. St. Francis of Assisi began the tradition of moving from Station to Station to commemorate the Passion of Christ. It is a rich tradition that has sadly been rejected by the Evangelical church generally. However, while some traditions should rightly be rejected, embracing this tradition as a way to remind us of the cost of our salvation can be properly used to add texture and greater meaning to our life of faith. During this Holy Week or Passion Week, I want to reproduce the Stations of the Cross here for you to reflect on. This season, as you move from Station to Station, try not to see the images as a spectator or innocent bystander but as a participant in the events. Try and find yourself in the people along the way. Are you the betrayer? Are you the religious leader? Are you one of those screaming for Jesus to be crucified? Are you hiding in the shadows afraid that someone might notice that you were one of His followers? Are you the one who helps Jesus carry His cross? Are you the centurion carrying the hammer and nails? Are you throwing dice for Jesus’ garments? Are you the thief on the cross next to Jesus? Are you the one who pierces Jesus’ side to make sure He’s dead? Are you the one crying at the foot of the cross because you think your only hope is now dead? Are you the one placing Jesus’ dead body in the tomb? Are you the one who finds the empty tomb? The original version of the Stations of the Cross includes a number of Stations based on church tradition. Although none of the Stations based on tradition cast any aspersions on the written Word or in any way affect any biblical doctrines, I would like to use the Protestant version that is supported by Scripture only.

Station One
Jesus prays alone in the Garden of Gethsemane.


Luke 22:39-46
39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

Station Two
Jesus is arrested.


John 18:2-11
2Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. 4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” 5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8“I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Station Three
Jesus questioned by the Sanhedrin.


Matthew 26:57-68
57Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 59The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’62Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.64“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.65Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. 67Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”

Station Four
Pilate tries Jesus.


Luke 23:13-25
13Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” 18With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder. 20Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 22For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” 23But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

Station Five
Pilate condemns Jesus to die.


Mark 15:15
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Station Six
Jesus wears the Crown of Thorns.


Matthew 27:27-30
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

Station Seven
Jesus carries his Cross.


Mark 15:20
20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Station Eight
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his Cross.


Matthew 27:32
32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

 Station Nine
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.


Luke 23:27-31
27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Station Ten
Jesus is nailed to the Cross.


Mark 15:22-26
22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Station Eleven
Crucified criminals speak to Jesus.


Luke 23:39-43
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Station Twelve
Jesus cares for his mother.


John 19:26-27
26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” 27and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Station Thirteen
Jesus dies on the Cross.


Matthew 27:45-50
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”--which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Station Fourteen
Jesus is laid in the tomb.


Mark 15:46
46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Resurrection Day
The empty tomb.


John 20:1-9
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Conclusion


            No matter how many times I reflect on the images and the associated Scripture verses, I am always moved by the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice and the sheer brutality of the beating and crucifixion. The images are jarring I know. Especially when we think of Easter only in images of beautiful, sunny, spring days, girls dressed in pretty dresses, churches filled with the sound of celebratory music, Easter baskets, fluffy bunnies, colored eggs, chocolate, banquet tables stacked with food, and laughter and celebration with family and friends. These are the images we want; the images that make us feel good. We love the image of the empty tomb because it represents the Jesus we want—King and Conqueror. However, there were no short-cuts to the empty tomb for Jesus. First He had to travel the humiliating, painful and bloody road that would lead to His death. Before Jesus can take His rightful place in our lives and hearts as King and Conqueror, we must face and accept the fact that He came to us, first, as the Man Of Sorrows.