February 4, 2010

Genesis 37

Where is the glory in this? If I did not already know the end of this story, I would see very little of the glory of Jesus in this. But I do know the end. And you probably know it as well. First, we have what would appear on the surface a very snooty little brother with some kind of leadership delusions. Second, we have envious older brothers who cannot stand the sight of their younger brother because he is their father’s favorite. Third, we have a very dysfunctional household because we have four women, all who are essentially married to the same man, at the same time, living in the same household. That is a recipe for disaster in any culture.

Where is the glory? Somehow Joseph learns to know that God is with him. (You ought to hear Andy Stanley’s sermon on this. It is really good.) Do you suppose being Israel’s favorite that he conversed with his father concerning the Lord’s appearances. Do you suppose he grasped the message of learning wait for the blessing of the Lord rather than trying to force it to happen? How do you suppose sharing his dreams with his brothers and parents fits into that concept? Perhaps sitting in the pit waiting to be sold as a slave by his brothers, he had time to dwell upon that concept. Hmm. . . It is the glory of the Lord that he takes our pits and turns them into His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Matthew 22:23-46

OK, I admit it. I am a slow thinker. When confronted with a question for which I have not spent recent time thinking about how to answer it, I usually go blank. Like Bilbo Baggins when pressed for an answer I feel like calling out, "Time! Time!" Except, I am not so lucky as to have accidentally blurted out the answer to the question by calling for time. I often end up answering the question poorly and later being held accountable for something I didn't quite mean. It seems there is always some old knight like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, who is standing in the shadows ready to say, "He chose, poorly."

Not so with our King! The Sadducees, Scribes and Pharisees had planned in advance their questions to entangle Him in His talk. But He is completely wise. He didn't miss a beat, three questions, "How sovereign is God?" "What about the resurrection?" and "Which is the greatest commandment?" He handled each question with magnificent precision which astonished the people because not only was it well answered, but it revealed that Jesus knew their hearts.

But He wasn't content with just answering their tricky questions wisely. He desired to reveal to them the evil intentions of their own hearts. You see, they refused to receive Him as the Son of the King of the Universe. They would not prepare themselves for the great wedding feast to come. He asked them a simple question from Scriptures that they had often debated, Psalm 110:1, "Whose Son is the Christ?" Psalm 110 was widely recognized as having been written by David. It was widely accepted that Psalm 110 spoke of the Messiah. It was widely accepted that the Messiah was the Son of David. Yet David calls his Son, "Lord." To give the correct answer would have forced them to consider Jesus as the answer. They could not answer the question without giving recognition to the real identity of Jesus as the Son of the King of the Universe. With that recognition they would be obligated to receive Him as the King and to celebrate in His arrival for the wedding feast. They could not answer. They would not answer. They are willfully rejecting Him. That is the reason for Jesus' harsh words for them in the next chapter.

Our King is wise. He knows the right answers without having to think them through before hand. He can reveal hearts by just asking questions. There is no slow thinking with Him. He knows He is being rejected by them. He asks questions to help them see their own heart. He never chooses His words poorly. They still reject Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John