Harmony #96: Which Jesus Would We Choose? (Matthew 27:15-31; Mark 15:6-20; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-19:16)

Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, who came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom.

(During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they requested. At that time they had in custody a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas, who had been thrown into prison with other rebels for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder.)

Pilate said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. When I examined him before you, I did not find this man guilty of anything you accused him of doing. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing deserving death. It is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover.

I will therefore have him flogged and release him. ”But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the crowd and persuaded them to ask for Barabbas to be released instead and to have Jesus killed. So they all shouted out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas for us!”

 Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted to release Jesus, for as he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream about him today.”[1]

Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ, the king of the Jews?” (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.) Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”

Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” So Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call king of the Jews?” They all shouted back, “Crucify him!” and kept on shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”

A third time Pilate said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done wrong? I have found him guilty of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release him.” Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) and called together the whole cohort. They stripped him and flogged him severely.

Then they put a purple cloak on him, and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, and kneeling down before him they mocked him, paid homage to him, and saluted him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head and face.

Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation against him.” So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!”

But when the chief priests and their officers saw him, they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” And their shouts prevailed. [2]

* * * * *

PILATE AND HIS WIFE

This is a church history footnote which could be an interesting study if you feel like it.  The view of Pontius Pilate split into Western and Eastern traditions. The Western tradition sees Pilate as a villain, plain and simple. At minimum, he is complicit in evil by his lack of backbone.

In Eastern traditions, however, Pilate and his wife (Procula, or Claudia) will eventually become Christians themselves. Origen taught that Claudia became a Christian after the Resurrection because of that dream. Tertullian wrote that soon after the crucifixion, Pilate converted to Christianity and tried to convince Tiberius to follow suit. Irenaeus said there was even an icon of Jesus painted by Pontius Pilate.

Some traditions claim that Claudia died as a martyr. In the Ethiopian and Coptic church, Pilate and his wife are revered as saints. [3] The Ethiopian tradition even has a feast day for them on June 25.

One reason I like this tradition is because I like being hopeful. I don’t need a villain in Jesus’ story to die a villain. I don’t even want that to be true. I love that part of church history that takes one of the most widely condemned people in the story (Pilate) and closes the story with redemption. Even if it is just tradition, it reminds us of why Jesus died, and who Jesus died for, and what God offers to all of us: salvation, redemption, hope.

JESUS AND BARABBAS

Barabbas, a Zealot, was guilty of murder and insurrection (Mark 15:6; Matthew 27:15; John 18:39). I think we might be sympathetic to some degree if we had been Jewish at that time.

He grew up under the boot of Roman Empire. How much humiliation had he and his family gone through? How many Zealot friends did he see crucified (as that was the punishment for insurrection)? He was going to fight these oppressors.[4] The people probably saw him as a man who acted on his convictions. Turn the other cheek? No, thank you. [5] It was time to pick up a sword and fight.[6] That’s what a Savior would look like.

And we get it to some degree, don’t we? Braveheart? Rob Roy? The Patriot? There is an appeal to hero who rides in (on a horse, in those three movies) to free people from tyranny and oppression, to stop injustice, to make things right. Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ depicted Barabbas as a crude, almost beastly man. I doubt that’s what was happening. Barabbas was likely much like William Wallace to many of them.

So, standing in front of the crowd, on a stage filled with Roman oppressors who had already killed thousands of their Jewish family, are two people named Jesus.

The first is Jesus Barabbas, literally “son of the father.” (‘bar’= son and ‘abba’ = father). He is the alpha male; the fighter; the zealot, the embodiment of Jewish nationalism and patriotism, one who raged against the Roman machine.

The second is Jesus, the Christ, also a Son of the Father: advocate of turning the other cheek; promoter of the power of love over the power of the sword, insisting that in his kingdom, love was the weapon that defeated enemies. To many of them, Jesus Christ must have seemed weak, maybe even cowardly. “If the Roman soldier asks you to carry his load one mile, carry it two.” (Matthew 5:41) What? That’s not the way to promote the Jewish cause!

The differences between the two could not have been more glaring.

• Barabbas promised a victory for God’s people on the world’s terms and in the world’s way. We will look at where that goes.

• Barabbas was committed to waging war against Rome with the tools of Rome: the pax Romana, peace by the sword. They hated it when it was used against them and loved it when they could use it against others.

• Barabbas’ creed was likely something like this: “Hate your enemies and do anything it takes to defeat them.”

Meanwhile,

• Jesus promised an everlasting victory for a spiritual kingdom that would transform the world with the power of Heaven. The means – love -  might not feel comfortable or powerful in the moment, but it will bring Jesus’ vision of Kingdom life as we participate in God’s plan to reconcile all things to himself. (Colossians 1:20)

• Jesus would “overcome the world” (John 16:33) not by taking the lives of others, but giving his life for others. “This is my body, broken for you.” (Luke 22:19) The cross is not just the source of our salvation, it is the shape of our lives in and for the world. We followers of Jesus are a cruciformed people called to display cruciform love.

• Jesus, on the cross, asked God to forgive those who killed him rather than directing his followers to get their vengeance. He was fighting – and winning - the greatest fight of all on their behalf already.[7] And – get this – something far more important would happen to their enemies then vengeance. They would be transformed into brothers and sisters in Christ.

But…it’s so easy to default to the world’s terms and the worlds’ way. Consider God’s chosen people in the Old Testament.

They had the 10 Commandments. They had the tabernacle. They had the prophets, judges and kings. They were equipped to be a ‘holy’ (set apart) group that demonstrated what an ‘abundant life’ looked like when with God’s image bearers aligned their hearts and hands with His plan. This was God’s plan for revealing Himself to the world! Yet they kept failing to live as God’s holy people because they kept embracing the idolatrous ways of the cultures around them. Read the prophets. Not only did their witness crumble; the community of God’s people fell into ruin.

When Jesus showed us God’s plan for God’s community of people should be present in the world, he was showing us the path of life. The problem with the way of Barabbas is that it doesn’t lead to life.  

 Remember, we harvest what we plant. (Galatians 6:7) If the way of the world’s order is what we plant – if we follow Barabbas and follow a template established by the Empire - we shouldn’t expect a different harvest. The root determines the fruit. If wise choices are justified by “her children” (her legacy, Luke 7:35), surely foolish and destructive choices is revealed by its legacy as well.

This is what happened with the way of Barabbas/Rome. Rome wiped out the Zealots and the people around them and destroyed the Temple when the Zealots used the way of Barabbas one time too many.

“The Great Revolt of 66-70, followed some sixty years later by the Bar Kokhba revolt, were the greatest calamities in Jewish history prior to the Holocaust. In addition to the more than one million Jews killed, these failed rebellions led to the total loss of Jewish political authority in Israel until 1948.”[8]

That’s the fruit of the Barabbas root. I was reading an article called “Why We Still Choose Barabbas Today.” A phrase stuck with me.

“Every time we choose Barabbas, some innocent soul somewhere ends up on a cross.”[9]

The author was not suggesting that when innocent people die they are just like Jesus. The author’s point was that the way of Barabbas always leads to innocent people paying the price. This is often referred to as “collateral damage.” In times of actual warfare, the unfortunate reality is that innocent people get hurt. Even the best and most well-intentioned attempts to keep civilians safe often fall short. Those who fight guided by Just War Theory seek to avoid this at all costs.

But in spiritual warfare – when Kingdom and Empire clash with ideas, and ideologies, and politics, and culture wars -  if we are truly following the path of Jesus, there will be no collateral damage. If every gift that comes from God is good (James 1:17), and we pass on the gifts that are given to us, then everything we pass on will be good. That’s part of the beauty of Jesus’ way. Here’s an easy test to see if we are following Jesus Barabbas or Jesus the Christ.

If the way in which we engage with people on behalf of the Kingdom results in collateral damage, we have strayed from the way of Jesus and into the way of Barabbas.

But if what we are doing is helping people to get out of the suffering or harm they are experiencing and protecting them from new damage, both practically and spiritually, that’s going to be the way of Jesus.[10]

The transforming, overwhelmingly powerful truth that Jesus revealed was the way to and of God the Father. The revelation of God as Jesus showed us the way God desires His people to be present in the world. The lesson culminated when, on the Cross, Jesus revealed definitively what God’s love and identity looks like: cruciform (“cross”), kenotic (“emptying”) love.

“It means God, in Christ, humbled himself, emptied himself of all status, safe places and physical power to selflessly reach out to the lowest levels of human existence. In an act of downward mobility he never used physical force or power in bringing the gospel to all, even to slaves, and in doing so he was crucified.  

The gospel of mercy and love, of downward empowerment, caused havoc in the worldly empires simply because it contradicts the value system of this world. Leaders and crowds can't take it. They prefer to crucify it or send it away!”[11]

Jesus entered our world and showed us the way his power should be used: he served others, ate meals with outcast sinners, empathized with the poor and the powerless, sought for and saved the lost, refused to break a bruised reed, challenged hypocrites who burdened others and distorted people’s view of God, healed the broken in body and soul, forgave and restored repentant sinners, and searched for every lost sheep until he found it.

Jesus’ power is seen in things Barabbas dismissed. It is the power of love, the embrace of grace and mercy, the emptying of self, the working for the good of others. For followers of Jesus, being "in Christ" means that this cruciform shape takes shape in us.

The secret to being present like Jesus in the world is likely going to mean being the kind of people considered weak in the eyes of the world:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Following Jesus means joyfully and relentlessly serving friends and enemies with sacrificial love in response to how Jesus served us.[12]

 * * * * *

We get the same question that the Jewish people got 2,000 years ago: who do we want? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus the Christ?[13] Charita Goshay has an interesting perspective on how embracing the way of Barabbas allows us to avoid the Kingdom of Truth in which Jesus is King.

They chose Barabbas because he demanded nothing from them; no self-examination, no repentance, no acts of mercy or forgiveness. Jesus, on the other hand, made folks uncomfortable. He was a radical who stood religion on its head by publicly exposing the religious hypocrisy while treating women, the poor and the powerless as people worth loving. He ate with crooks, talked to Samaritans and had the effrontery to heal on the Sabbath and forgive people of their sins. 

The crowd shouted for Barabbas that day because truth demands certain things from us. It calls us to grow up, to stretch and reexamine our innermost motives and to make sacrifices when we’d rather not…We might be required to change some things, and well, who needs that?

 We want a truth that doesn’t require anything of us. We prefer Barabbas because he doesn’t call us out. He lets us do what we want. Truth points out things that we’d rather not hear. It makes us defensive, angry and irrational until the next thing we know, we’re rooting for Barabbas with no idea how we lost our way.[14]

 We must love Gospel truth, because Christianity was designed to be the conscience of the culture, speaking truth to power, backed up by a witness in words and actions that is consistently faithful to the way of Jesus. Christians are meant to bring the salt of truthful, just and merciful love to keep the culture from decaying into deceit, injustice and mercilessness. Christians are meant to live in such a way that everything we do shines a gospel light of self-giving, cruciform love into the self-centered, unloving darkness of the broken empires in which we live.

When Satan tempted him with that power of earthly thrones, Jesus flatly rejected it. He had a better plan. He offered a vision in which power serves others out of cruciform love: the ‘haves’ (with finances, reputation, resources, etc.) take care of the ‘have nots’ (just like God gives us provision from His abundance); the healthy of all kinds take care of the sick of all kinds (just like God has done for us); the strong use their strength to take care of the weak (you see the pattern here), and the truth-tellers speak healing and hope-filled words that first illuminate and then dispel the darkness of deceit.[15]

So that we don’t get confused about which path we are on, let’s look at the truth of Jesus’ Kingdom so that we are clear about the difference between the way of Jesus Barabbas and the way of Jesus the Christ.

Barabbas was a violent revolutionary on behalf of God’s people; Jesus is the suffering servant so that all people may become God’s people (Isiah 52-53).

Barabbas hated his enemies enough to kill them to bring about God’s kingdom; Jesus loved his enemies enough to die for them to expand God’s kingdom. (John 3:16)

Barabbas wanted to destroy the lost (Romans); Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

Barabbas wanted to condemn and punish the world around him; Jesus did not come to condemn the world (it stood condemned already): he came to solve that problem and save it. (John 3:17)

Barabbas chose a solution where power bullies and coerces; Jesus chose a solution where power invites and beckons. (John 1:39)[16]

Barabbas decided that the Kingdom ends justified using Roman means; Jesus showed that the means of bringing about the Kingdom of God are inseparable from the end result of the Kingdom of God. (#sermononthemount, Matthew 5-7)

When the disciples wanted to call down fire on Samaria, they were following the way of Barabbas. (Luke 9) When they were sent there to evangelize instead, that was the way of Jesus. (Luke 10)

When Peter pulled a sword to protect Jesus and fight for the kingdom of God, that was the way of Barabbas. (Luke 22) When Jesus died on the cross to further the kingdom of God, that was the way of Jesus. (Matthew 27)

When we demand honor and prestige, that’s the way of Barabbas. When we stop pursuing honor and prestige and instead eagerly ‘esteem others better than ourselves,’ that’s the way of Jesus. (Philippians 2:3, for example)

When our priorities are formed by the demands of the powerful, that’s the way of Barabbas. When our priorities are formed by the needs of the powerless, the “least of these” found in the highways and byways and from which Jesus invites them to feast at his table, that’s the way of Jesus. (Luke 14:23)[17]

Whenever we abandon cruciform love as the heartbeat of everything we do, that’s the way of Barabbas. Whenever we embrace cruciform love as the heartbeat of everything we do, that’s the way of Jesus.[18]

There is a price to doing this. It’s not for the faint of heart. We will have to take up a cross and know the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering to know the power of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10). The cross testifies to the price of following Jesus into a life of cruciform love.

But, the way of Jesus is the only way for followers of Jesus.

When God wanted to confront the powers and principalities of this world, He died as an act of love. It was the most powerful thing that has happened in the history of the world. Evil, death, hell, the grave: all of it defeated through the power of Jesus’ cruciform love.

And if the power of the cross is the greatest, most profound, most sweeping power in the world – well, then being like Jesus to present Jesus to the world is the most powerful thing we can do to in a world groaning under the weight of sin-filled brokeness as it awaits God’s redemption. (Romans 8)

And because the most powerful act in human history is a man laying down his life for his enemies in an act of cruciform love, every time I am led by the Holy Spirit to respond in worship with my cruciform presence in the world, that is the most powerful thing I can do as I join in Jesus’ mission.[19]

The all-powerful God in Christ has leveraged His power for us, by his love, so that our love for our enemies would be stronger than our desire to destroy them, and thus reveal the cruciform love of Jesus.

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we proclaim. This is the way of Jesus.

 ________________________________________________________________________
[1] From Pulpit Commentary: “In the whole history of the Passion of Christ no one pleads for him but a woman, the wife of a heathen governor, the deputy of the emperor of the world."

[2] “The most that we can say for Pilate is, that he was disposed to justice, but was not inclined to hazard his comfort or safety in doing it. He was an easy, pliable man, who had no objection to do a right thing if it should cost him no trouble; but he felt no disposition to make any sacrifice, even in behalf of innocence, righteousness, and truth.” (Adam Clarke)

[3] An author wrote on The Byzantine Forum: “I attended an Orthodox icon blessing in a private home once where there was also an Ethiopian Orthodox priest. So I took that opportunity to ask him if he and his Church really venerated "St Pontius Pilate?" To which he answered enthusiastically, "Yes, of course - don't you?"

[4] This section is considerably influenced by “Jesus or Barabbas – which “son of the father” are we following?” from One Lord One Body Ministries.

  https://onelordonebody.com/2013/08/10/jesus-or-barabbas-which-son-of-the-father-are-we-following/

[5] I’m thinking of a recent hockey game where the Canadian fans booed our national anthem because of the tension between the U.S. and Canda, and the American hockey players promptly started a brawl with the Canadian hockey players. Social media loved it. “America is back!” That may be, but it’s not looking like the way of Jesus.

[6] In 2021, a prominent speaker at a Turning Point USA conference said, in reference to how Christians should be fighting the culture wars, “We’ve turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. OK?” In his report for Relevant, Senior Editor Tyler Huckabee wrote that [the speaker] “is more correct than he probably knows here. Christianity is a poor device for gaining worldly influence.”

[7] I am passing on things I learned in “Who do you want: Barabbas or Jesus? Power and empowerment in theological education.” Stellenbosch Theological Journal

[8] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-great-revolt-66-70-ce

[9] Thanks to thoughtful insight found “Why We Still Choose Barabbas Today” at https://goodfaithmedia.org/why-we-still-choose-barabbas-today-cms-15823/

[10] I am borrowing thoughts articulated well “Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ?” at  https://www.thebanner.org/departments/2015/12/jesus-barabbas-or-jesus-christ

[11] “Who do you want: Barabbas or Jesus? Power and empowerment in theological education.” Jurgens Hendriks.

[12] A theologian and author named Marva Dawn says that the "tabernacling" (dwelling) of God that takes place in our weakness creates the openness for the power of the Holy Spirit to operate through us. "Dying to ourselves, dying to our attempts to use our own power to accomplish God's purposes are all part of the gospel of grace - the end of ourselves and therefore the possibilities of new life with Christ, in vital union to him."

[13] HT to “Why We Still Choose Barabbas Today.”  https://goodfaithmedia.org/why-we-still-choose-barabbas-today-cms-15823/

[14] HT to “Even Today, We Are Still Choosing Barabbas.”  https://www.tmnews.com/story/news/2021/04/04/commentary-even-today-were-still-choosing-barabbas/44030405/

[15] History reveals over and over that whenever Christianity seeks to join the gatekeepers exercising power in Empire culture, it stops being salt and light. (The Sanhedrin were a prime example of this in Judaism in Jesus’ day). Why does this happen? It stops speaking truth to power because it is the power, and self-reflection is uncomfortable.  It doesn’t see the decay embedded in the world order because it is using the tools of the world order, and it’s so easy to let the ends justify the means. It doesn’t effectively shine gospel light into the darkness because its compromised gospel light grows increasingly dim, and it gets harder to separate what’s dark from what’s light.

[16] Google “the invitations of Jesus”

[17] Think of the classic “quarter of the vulnerable” in the Old Testament around which Jewish society banded together to care for: widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor. 

[18] Jesus told two of His disciples who wanted to take action like Barabbas (Luke 9:55, 56) that they didn’t know what “spirit” they are of. Jesus doesn’t want us becoming like the world while challenging the world order.  Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister deeply formed by biblical ethics. He once said, “But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

[19] I am paraphrasing some comments found at https://restorationlex.com/blog/choosing-barabbas-a-response-to-the-capitol-insurrection/. One money quote from the article: “The response to this moment is to remember who we are: the people of Jesus. Together, we are the politics of God in this world. As Stanley Hauerwas has said: “The church…stands as a political alternative to every nation, witnessing to the kind of social life possible for those that have been formed by the story of Christ.”

Harmony #67: The First Shall Be Last (Luke 13:10-30)

Last week, we looked at the parable of a struggling fig tree assumed to be useless that was rescued by the one who has not given up on that tree’s future. Cue the story of Jesus healing a woman on whom society had given up.

 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, and a woman was there who had been disabled by a crippling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten herself up completely. When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, “Dear woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” Then he placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days on which work should be done! So come and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall, and lead it to water? Then shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?”

We are still talking about the hypocritical nature of the Pharisees, as we have been for several weeks. This is all variations on a theme.

• Chapter 12: they could read the physical/earthly seasons but not the spiritual/heavenly seasons.

• Chapter 13: they were worried about physical death but not about their own spiritual death.

• Now, they would loose their donkeys on the Sabbath to get water but not loose a ‘daughter of Abraham’ from the power of Satan.[1] (Look for Abraham to get a shout out again shortly.) The spiritual leaders of the people have not been giving their people the spiritual food or moral leadership they need.

When he said this all his adversaries were humiliated, but the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.[2]

Being a follower of Jesus does not always mean trouble and persecution. It also includes the rejoicing of those around us as the goodness and provision of the Kingdom of God spills over into the world. Jesus, his disciples, and the early church experienced both of these realities. Generally speaking, the average person seems to have been attracted to this loving, generous, transformed new Kingdom community. It’s why the church grew at a near miraculous rate. Generally speaking,those in the halls of power hated them. The loving, generous provision of those with servant’s hearts committed to a spiritual Kingdom with God as their King undermined the power and coercion of the Empire. Something to watch for:

• When people in the halls of power love us followers of Jesus, we should consider that perhaps we aren’t spiritually subversive enough when we offer a biblical, counter-cultural way of life.

• When our neighbors hate us instead of rejoicing that we are near, we should consider that perhaps we aren’t being ‘the hands and feet of Jesus’ in a way that reveals the heart of Jesus.

It turns out that people like to know they are worth caring about. One thing that strikes me in Jesus’ ministry as how he led with care that matched the situation: practical, emotional, spiritual. Someone once gave me a sign to put up in my office that read, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Point taken. The Pharisees mockingly called Jesus a “friend of sinners” because He spent so much time with them - even having meals with them (which was a huge gesture of the honor and friendship). May we all earn the same label they gave Jesus.

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

In both cases the beginning is small. The mustard seed was considered ‘the smallest seed you plant in the ground’ (Mark 4:31). The yeast is only a tiny part of the dough. Both of them grew: the seed developed into a tree in which birds could take refuge (the Gentiles? The citizens of the Kingdom?). The yeast will double the size of the dough. #justaguess

This is how the Kingdom works: small beginnings, a few disciples, one life changed at a time. But, as Zechariah 4:19 says,  “Who dares despise the day of small things?” From this has grown the global Kingdom of God of which millions and millions have participated.

Don’t despise the small prayer. Don’t despise the small act of service. Don’t despise small times of devotions. Don’t despise the small act of kindness. Don’t despise small steps forward. Don't despise small victories in yourself or others.

You want to get ripped? One day at a time. Even small workouts. Get smart? The small moments of each day are filled with opportunity. Play an instrument? The small moments of practice matter. Strengthen friendships? Small acts of connection. Go deeper in Scripture? Any act of study is good. Have a stronger prayer life? Small prayers are fine. Fix your eyes on what Paul calls the “prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus,” and then take one right step at a time.

Then Jesus traveled throughout towns and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

Okay, Jesus has just talked about the Kingdom of Heaven as small. This tracks with Jewish belief.[3]  Jewish people expected a banquet for the righteous few in the next age of God’s kingdom (Isaiah 25:6). Meanwhile, guess who that righteous few were? With a few exceptions, it was all the Jewish people. Jesus is about to upend this notion. The Gentiles will participate in the blessings of the kingdom even as some of the Jews do not.

So he said to them, “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door (straight gate), because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’

Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out.

Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south,[4] and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God.  But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

I think the first key to understanding this parable occurs here: “when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.” Jesus is talking specifically to the descendants of Abraham, the Jewish people, who assumed they would enter the kingdom. I suspect he is even more pointedly talking to the Pharisees, the ‘first’ part of group that was the ‘first’ (and perhaps the exclusive) recipients of the Kingdom.

Jesus shows them knocking at the door of the kingdom (they can see it: they are so close!) but they can’t access the Kingdom even though they (literally) ate and drank together with Jesus[5], and he literally talked in their streets.

It turns out that it will be those assumed to be unwanted or rejected who have really understood and responded to who Jesus is. #thewomanatthestartofthispassagewhopraisedGod

I think the second key is to ask when and where the Kingdom is. In just a couple chapters, Luke records Jesus making it very clear:

 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:21)

The Kingdom had already started. The feasting had already begun.[6] And…oof…the Pharisees are missing out.

* * * * *

There are three other passages in which Jesus uses some of the same language and imagery.

In Matthew 7, Jesus used a similar analogy about a narrow path/door; in the context, it’s the path of humility, repentance and grace filled with people who will “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (7:12)

In Matthew 8, after a Gentile Roman centurion’s profession of Jesus’ authority and power when Jesus healed his son, we see familiar language. Jesus remarks on the centurion’s faith and says,

Many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.[7] But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:10-12) 

Matthew 19:27-20:16 uses familiar language and includes a whole parable. After the Rich Young Ruler refuses to follow Jesus because he loved his money, Jesus gave a teaching to his disciples on the dangers of wealth. He assures them there is a reward for following God (eternal life!), and then warns them that wanting to be ‘first’ – the best, the most favored, the elite – is going to mean they will be the last to appreciate the good gifts of life in the Kingdom. At both the beginning and the end he reminds them, ”The last will be first, and the first will be last.[8]

• In Matthew 7, the narrow gate/road is something chosen now. Missing the Kingdom now means missing out on the riches of the kingdom: salvation, repentance (and forgiveness), grace, truth, real communion with God. Plus, a community of humble and generous people, who are committed to love, whose lives are defined by the Golden Rule. #lifemoreabundant  

• In Matthew 8, kingdom life is now (the faith of the centurion and the healing of his son) and later (“many will come”) - the “now and not yet” aspect of the Kingdom. In this situation, the frustration and anger felt by the religious leaders seems to be the fact that they can see people living in the Kingdom of God right in front of them, but they can’t seem to experience it themselves.

• In Matthew 19, it’s about something later, a future kingdom reality.

So, the “not yet” part of the Kingdom of Heaven is - obviously - yet to come, but the feasting had already begun. It’s happening now. Remember what Jesus told his disciples last week: “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

After a short interlude in which Jesus is warned that Herod is looking for him, he gives what seems to be his closing thoughts on the previous several chapters of material.

(Luke 13:34-35; Matthew 23:37-39)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

Look, your house is forsaken and left to you desolate![9]  [The Shekinah – the glory of the Lord - has vanished from you now.[10]] For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ “[11]

May I point out the hope in today’s passage? It’s not just for those of who are like the woman whose story opened this section. It’s for us Pharisees.

In the Matthew 19 parable, Jesus called them all ‘friends’ even as he warned the grumbling ‘firsts’ that they would be the last to enjoy the goodness of the Kingdom. Today’s parable didn’t say, “The first don’t stand a chance.” It implies they will enter, but they will be the last ones to enter, perhaps “as those saved through the fire.”[12] Pride, power and hypocrisy are a tough combination to give up and replace with humility, servanthood, and integrity.

But remember last week when we talked about the farming analogy of Israel being grafted back into the Kingdom even after it had been cut off? Romans 11 again:

“Branches… were removed because they did not believe… If those branches that have been cut from the tree do not stay in unbelief, then God will carefully graft them back onto the tree because He has the power to do that...”

Hope remains. The people may be forsaken and desolate, but Jesus - the blessed one who comes in thename of the Lord -  will not leave them forsaken and desolate. Just because it’s their history doesn’t mean it’s their destiny. One day they will have the opportunity to say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Some commentators suggest he’s just pointing toward the moment when he enters Jerusalem to the Jewish people saying that line. Maybe, but I agree with the commentators who suggest this is primarily about the moment when people genuinely see who Jesus is, and recognize the goodness of salvation and life in the Kingdom offered on the other side of the cross and the empty tomb.[13]

God intends for His Kingdom to come, and His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. It begins now with our repentance, God’s forgiveness, and the resulting salvation as we are delivered from spiritual death and from chains of sins and given the freedom of life in Jesus with the family of God, the community of the church.

How does God intend that to look? Love. Care. Provision. Hope. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Goodness. Kindness. Self-control. (You might be recognizing the fruit of the Spirit.) Being in a community of brothers and sisters united by Jesus who are committed to loving each other.

I invite you today to enter the Kingdom of God if you haven’t. Give your heart, soul, mind and strength to Jesus, and embrace the Kingdom of God in its life-changing beauty.

It is here, now.

_____________________________________________________________________

[1] The verb for “set free” concerning the woman is the same word used for untying the donkey (luō). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds of the New Testament) 

[2] The next chapter in Luke has a very similar story. (Luke 14:1-6) “Now one Sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, they were watching him closely. There right in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. So Jesus asked the experts in religious law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, “Which of you, if you have a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” But they could not reply to this.”

[3]  “The Most High made this world for the sake of many, but the world to come for the sake of only a few... . Many have been created, but only a few shall be saved.” (2 Esdras  8:1–3) 

[4] “They shall come from the east, and from the west” points to Isaiah 49:12; Isaiah 14:6.

[5] See my earlier footnote on Luke 14:1-6.

[6] “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32

[7] Remember: “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

[8] “That would be more similar to a saying found in the rabbinic literature: “Some obtain and enter the kingdom in an hour, while others reach it only after an lifetime” (b. ʻAbod. Zar. 17a).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds of the New Testament)

[9] The language of being forsaken and desolate seems to refer Jeremiah 12.

[10] The Cambridge Bible For Schools and Colleges likes that as the translation.

[11] A quote from Psalm 118.

[12] 1 Corinthians 315

[13] “It is a most frivolous interpretation of these words to make them merely refer to the Hosannas of Palm Sunday (Luke 19:38)…They clearly refer to the future and final penitence of Israel. Hosea 3:4-5; Psalm 118:26 (Cambridge Bible For Schools and Colleges)

Bengel’s Gnomen sees his triumphal arrival in Jerusalem as “not the full and exhaustive fulfillment…the time is yet future when the Jews, according to Psalm 118:22; Psalm 118:26, Zechariah 4:7; Zechariah 12:10, shall recognize Him...”

“The promise… can only refer to the far future, to the day of the penitence of Israel…when the people shall look on him whom they pierced, and shall mourn. But that mourning will be turned speedily into joy.” (Pulpit Commentary)

Harmony #60: “The Lord’s Prayer” (Luke 11:1-13; Matthew 6:9-15, 7:7-11; Mark 11:25)

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed/ honored;  may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

 Give us today the bread (of life?), and forgive us our transgressions/debts, for we also forgive everyone who has transgressions/debts against us. And do not lead us into trials, but deliver us from the evil one. 

 “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him. For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.”

Jesus offered this prayer to his disciples as sort of a model. There’s nothing magical in the recitation of it, but in it we see foundational principles in how to pray, and why.

Our Father In Heaven…

“Our Father” starts us off with good theology. God is not a deistic God, aloof and uncaring. God is not a pantheistic God that is just part of nature. God is not the Force. God is personal,[1]relational, immediate, accessible. With this opening, we not only acknowledge God, we exercise faith that God will, indeed, relate to us as a perfectly good and loving Father relates to His children.

“Our Father” reminds us that he’s our father. Not just mine; ours. We cannot forget when we pray this that we are raised from death into new life in a family, a Christian community. In this, we are recognizing that while God is for us, He is for all of us. I cannot be content to simply think of God in terms of “me and God.” It’s “us and God.”

“This at once takes away hatred, quells pride, casts out envy and brings in the mother of all good things, charity…It shows [the equality of] the king and the poor person in all those matters that are most indispensible and of greatest weight.” - Chrysostom

“Our Father” reminds us of our status as Christians. It reminds us whose we are. We are meant to  approach God as a child approaches her father. 

 Galatians 4:6 “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father!’” 

Romans 8:15, 16 “You received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Think of “Abba” as the word children say before they can fully pronounce the word.[2] It’s the best expression of a deep, gut-level, unrestrained cry of joy when daddy walks into the room; it’s the instinctive wail of his title when a child in pain believes only daddy will make it better. It’s a word that is used only in a relationship of safety, trust, and love.

“Our Father” reminds us that God cares for us. God will guide and discipline us for our growth into maturity, but he does so because of His love. So just in this opening, we establish a theology of God, our status with Him, and our place within the Christian community.

May Your Name Be Hallowed/Honored…

“Hallowed be your name” is a plea, not a statement of fact. It’s saying, “Please, make your name revered or holy.” It’s asking for God to start the process in a world full of people – including the one praying – who takes the name of Jesus too casually. It’s asking that God’s character and nature be recognized as great by all who dismiss, insult or ignore it. This should humble us, because that includes us.[3]

It’s also a plea of both humility and hope. “Help me not to take your name lightly. Help me to appreciate the majesty of God. May the entirety of my life reflect that great weight and value I give to you; with your help, all I think, say and do will offer an accurate representation of you. ”   

“The prayer to hallow God’s name corresponds with what Jesus has previously taught: ‘Let you light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven…’ In effect he is saying, ‘Enable us to live so purely that through us all may glorify you’ It points us again to mature self-control, that we may present to all a life so irreprehensible that every one of those who observe may offer to the Lord the praise due him for this.” - Chrysostom

May Your Kingdom Come, May Your Will be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven

This is another phrase of hope and humility. Robert Law writes,

"Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting [our] will done in heaven, but for getting God’s will done.”

Whenever we pray for justice, mercy, hope, and love, truth, and holiness, we are praying with hope that we will see these heavenly realities part now what we will see fully in the life to come.

It’s humbling in that we are asking God to reign in our lives in ways He does not now - emotions, desires, thoughts and commitments.

We want His desire to be our desires; His will to be our will; His loves to be our loves; His holiness to be ours. It’s also a reminder that, at the end of the day, we want God’s will to be done, not ours.

It’s not always easy to tell if we are within God’s will, or if we are selfishly motivated. It’s not possible for us to see all that God sees, so in many situations our best prayer is one where we ask God for life to unfold in a way that makes complete sense to us – but it might not be in the will of a God who has faultless wisdom, love and power. Even Jesus prayed:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22)

This is another part of praying in God’s name. Praying in his name means praying in tune with God’s nature and character, and therefore praying for something to happen as God would have it happen.

In prayer we call on him to work out his purpose, not simply to gratify our whims.   (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary[4])

It’s also challenging. This part of the prayer reminds us that others are praying this too. If we are excited to see God’s will for ourselves or the earth accomplished through the Holy Spirit and the people of God – well then, people of God, buckle up. What if I am the thing God uses in answer to someone else’s prayer?

• When the poor pray for finances, will I be willing to help?

• When the lonely pray for a friend, am I available?

• When the desperate pray for help, am I ready?

Give Us Today The Bread (of life) …

Literally, “that which is sufficient for our life.”  In ancient literature, this word is only found in the Bible and only twice, so there is uncertainty about how to translate it. It almost looks like Jesus coined a new word to make his point. It can convey everything from bread today, to bread tomorrow, to the bread of heaven that will sustain us for eternity.[5] Jerome called it “bread that is above all substances and surpasses all creatures.”[6]

This is a prayer about trusting God to provide what we need. We can take for granted that we can take care of ourselves. If that fails, our family, church or government will provide. This part of the prayer reminds us that our blessings find their source in him. For that reason, we thank God ultimately for supplying for our needs. It’s a constant reminder that life is saturated with the presence and work of God, and even in our greatest accomplishments or in the most generous deeds of others it is God who sustains and provides.

 There is a future hope here as well. We are trusting that God will sustain us into and through eternity, which will require the true “bread of life,” Jesus Christ.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Jesus, in John 6:51

And Forgive Us Our Transgressions/Debts, For We Also Forgive Everyone Who Has Transgressions/Debts Against Us.

Apollonius of Tyana was a Greek philosopher, a contemporary of Jesus whom a number of scholars have compared with Jesus. They shouldn’t. He once prayed, “Give me that which is my due—pay me, ye gods, the debts ye owe to me.” This is not the prayer of one who understands Jesus or the Christian faith.

Here is the first acknowledgment: We have all sinned, broken God’s law and harmed ourselves and others as we have stepped out of the path of Life. We are in desperate need of someone to free us from the wages of sin. This is a plea for God, in His mercy, to cover the cost of our sins and repair that which has been broken by us or in us.

The second acknowledgment is that we must forgive those who sin against us. This is much tougher than praying that God forgives us of our sins. We must forgive those who have sinned against us: our spouse, our parents, cruel people at work or school. This list includes users and abusers, manipulators and liars. We all have sinned; we all are in desperate needs of God’s forgiveness. We want God to forgive us; as representatives bearing His name, we must offer forgiveness as well.

This portion of the prayer is what Augustine called “a terrible petition.” If we pray these words this while harboring unforgiveness, we are actually asking God not to forgive us. We would be saying, “I haven’t forgiven my friend/spouse/neighbor yet, so please don’t forgive me.” John and Charles Wesley wrote of this passage that, if we pray this while harboring unforgiveness, it is as if we were saying, “Do not forgive us at all…We pray that you will keep our sins in remembrance, and that your wrath may abide upon us.”

Scripture teaches that God forgives even when we don’t deserve it (Isaiah 43-44 is a powerful passage on this note). I don’t think this is a demand that we perfectly remember all the ways we need to extend forgiveness, because we aren’t perfect. I think this is about a crucial spiritual marker of an ongoing commitment to purposeful and sincere forgiveness, which will say something about the sincerity of our ongoing surrender and discipleship.

“God sees His own image reflected in His forgiving children; to ask God for what we ourselves refuse to men, is to insult Him.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

We must be committed to being deliberately and habitually forgiving.[7] 

And here I must note something. So far, this prayer is full of excellent requests: “Make you Kingdom come alive in me; provide for my physical and spiritual needs every day.” But here it’s different: here we are asking God to mirror our commitment to life in the Kingdom. Some commentators call this a ‘covenantal’ part of the prayer. I’d like to suggest that this is the line in the prayer that does two things:

• Reminds us we aren't passive participants in the Kingdom

• Highlights the heart of the Kingdom: forgiveness

We’ve been asking so far for God to give us incredible gifts: He hallows his name; He brings His Kingdom into reality in our hearts; He nourishes us with what we need for this life and the next.  So, what do we do with all this provision He has provided?  It turns out that God is equipping us to do the thing that is central to the character and nature of God: forgive. As Chrysostom noted,

“Nothing makes us so like God as our readiness to forgive the wicked and the wrongdoer.”

And do not lead us into trials,[8] but deliver us from the evil one.

• Trial: “trouble sent by God and serving to test or prove one's faith, holiness, character.” 

• Temptation: “an enticement to sin, arising from outward circumstances, within, or from Satan” (Luke 8:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:12; 1 Timothy 6:9; Luke 4:13).[9]

The commentaries I have been reading note that “lead us not into temptation” is better understood as “lead us not into trials/testing.” Wuest’s Translation says:

“Do not bring us into the place of testing where the circumstances in which we are tested lead us on to the place where we are solicited to do evil.”

So this is once again humble and hopeful. It’s humbling in that we acknowledge we are people in need of the refining result that trials can bring. This prayer asks for us to be able to mature without trials (wouldn’t that be great???). Please, dear God, if at all possible, let this cup pass from me. Jesus prayed it; we can too.  But if a trial is what it takes, keep us from giving into the temptation from the Evil One (Luke 4:13; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8) and from from the lusts within ourselves that undermine us (James 1:14; 4:1-4). It’s a prayer to save us from moral failure within and the ravages of moral evil all around.[10]

It is so easy for a maturing test to push us away from God instead of toward God. Deliver us, Lord, from the Evil One, who would turn what you plan to use to bring us spiritual life into something that brings spiritual death.

But there is the hopeful reminder in this request: we know that God is a Deliverer. The Old Testament shows us that, time after time, God faithfully guides his people through trials and delivers his people from the snares of sin and power of temptation.

For Yours Is The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory Forever, Amen.

This phrase is not in the earliest manuscripts, but it was written in the margins beside this prayer so often that the early church added it relatively quickly – think of it as a doxology, a short closing song. After focusing on our needs, our troubles, our frailty, we return to the glory of God.  N.T. Wright says,

“If the church isn't prepared to subvert the kingdoms of the world with the kingdom of God, the only honest thing would be to give up praying this prayer altogether, especially its final doxology.”

All kingdoms answer to God. All power comes from God. All glory belongs to God. In a world where kingdoms rise and fall, and power corrupts, and glory is tarnished and fleeting, it’s a reminder that God is uncorrupted, lasting, powerful and good, and true glory is found only in him.

* * * * * * * * * *

So, “Lord, help us to: Never forget your holiness and majesty; pray for your will and reign, not ours; trust for daily and eternal provision; constantly forgive others; mature through trials without giving in to evil.” 

That’s a lot. It’s a high bar. I’ve said several times that it’s hopeful and humbling. Here’s where I add, “This sounds almost impossible.” But…Jesus isn’t done with this teaching. I believe the next thing he says addresses that fact that when God calls us, God equips us. Don’t think of what I am about to read as the next ‘episode.’ This all flows together. 

Luke 11:10-13; Matthew 7:7-11

“So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Or if he asks for bread, will give him a stone? 

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the good gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! 

There it is. The solution. The equipment for the life to which we have been called. The Spirit of God himself resides within us. God has not left us to our own devices to live the way he has designed us to live. He is personally helping us flourish as image bearers of God, as children of God, as ambassadors for God.

________________________________________________________________________________________

[1] http://www.biblesociety.org.au/news/god-is-a-person-but-what-does-this-mean

[2] I first heard this point made by Tim Keller in a sermon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqxXABgRhVo

[3] I pulled some ideas about the radical nature of the Lord’s Prayer from this excellent article: “The Lord’s Prayer Advert Has Been Banned For Being Offensive - Which It Is.” http://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/the_lords_prayer_advert_has_been_banned_for_being_offensive_which_it_is\

[4] “The prayer of Gethsemane—“If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done,” should teach what prayer in the name and spirit of Christ means.” (Ellicot’s Commentary)

“ ’In My name’ corresponds to “according to My character” and thus is parallel to other texts that require us to leave room for God’s will to overrule ours.” (The Apologetics Study Bible)

[5] From Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers: “The form of the word admits of the meanings, (1) bread sufficient for the day now coming; (2) sufficient for the morrow; (3) sufficient for existence; (4) over and above material substance… I find myself constrained to say that the last meaning seems to me the truest. Let us remember: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4… I think, to see that He meant His disciples… we mean not common food, but the “Bread from heaven, which giveth life unto the world.”

[6] I believe all the quotes from the early church fathers comes from the commentary in the series Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture.

[7] “The parables of the Two Debtors (Luke 7:41) and of the Unforgiving Creditor whose own debt had been forgiven (Matthew 18:23-35) were but expansions of the thought which we find in its germ in this clause of the Lord’s Prayer.” (Elliot’s Commentary For English Readers)

[8] I lean toward “trials” as being the best way to translate the word. However, Tertullian (an early church father) represented what it looks like to read it as “temptations.” He reads Jesus as saying, “Do not allow us to be led by the Tempter.”

[9] Both these words use the same root word; translations will differ on the usage at times. (http://biblehub.com/greek/3986.htm). 

[10] How does God  answer this prayer and deliver us? His Word. (Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 6:20-24); Prayer (Matthew 26:41; Luke 22:40); The Armor of God (Ephesians 6); Wise Boundaries (1 Corinthians 7:5; Proverbs 5-7); Resistance and flight (1 Timothy 6; James 4:7; Matthew 18:8-9; Proverbs 1:10-15; Genesis 39:7-10; Daniel 1:8).

The Reality of The Kingdom of God

If you have ever traveled, you know that cultures are different. The deep south is not the same as the far north in the United States (everything is fried in butter; if they don’t know you, they might not be open). When we go to very different cultures we can experience “culture shock” because things are SO different: gestures, food, social expectations (being on time; making eye contact; physical greetings), driving habits, etc. In culture shock, we experience “a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes.”

When we commit our lives to Christ, there should be culture shock. We have moved spiritually. We are now citizens in a new country, with a  new leader (Christ), new customs, new language, new priorities. And then we balance this with remaining in our national country and being a citizen there. As Christians, we are all dual citizens, balancing what are at times two very different cultures.

So let’s talk about the culture of the Kingdom of God, and in the process address some things in our culture as well. I am going to present this as 4 questions and answers: How do we get into the Kingdom? What characterizes the Kingdom? When Will I experience the Kingdom? How will I experience the Kingdom?

 Q. How do you get in to the Kingdom of God?

A. Through a commitment to dedicate my life to the risen Jesus.

 When Jesus was talking with Nicodemus the following conversation took place:

  “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3-7 )

 Jesus was basically saying, “Nicodemus, you know that you need a physical birth to experience the physical world; human parent make human babies.  You need a spiritual birth to experience spiritual life. You need to a heavenly parent to make you a child of Heaven.” Later, Paul will compare this to adoption. When we commit our lives to worshipping and following Christ, we are brought into a new family, with a new Father in Heaven. We continue to honor our earthly mom and dad – it’s a commandment after all - but our ultimate allegiance is now to our Father in Heaven.  And receiving this adoption is as simple - and profound – as John 3:16, which is just 9 verses later (still part of the same conversation):

  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Believe (pistis in Greek) carries the idea of  “being persuaded to confidently, trustingly commit yourself.” We acknowledge that Jesus is God, that through his life, death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven, that Jesus alone has the power to save us, and that we respond to His loving sacrifice by offering our love and worship as well as the service of our lives in return.

We commit with heart, soul, mind and strength , and we enter the Kingdom of God as we accept Christ as King – the ultimate authority for life and godliness.  In new birth, we see that God brings life. In adoption, we see that God offers to make us one of His own. In kingship, we are reminded that the rule and reign of Christ has been set up in our life.

Q. What characterizes the Kingdom?

A. God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (honorable), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely (acceptable and prized), whatsoever things are of good report (repute); if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

 “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

 “Make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

 There’s just a partial list: Truth, honesty, honorable, justice, purity, loveliness, praise-worthiness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, faithful, morally excellent, knowledgeable, self-controlled, enduring, godliness, mutual affection. That’s what characterizes the Kingdom.  That’s a compelling list. These things are available to us when we accept Christ as King thanks to the Spirit and the Word of God.

It doesn't’ mean that life will be easy or perfect. It’s just that the more we experience the work and presence of Christ in our life, the more these things will begin to characterize our life in Christ.

It also doesn’t mean we will do them perfectly, but we will pursue them, applaud them, and do our best with God’s grace to live them out, not for recognition, or for power, or to earn God’s love, but as a trusting, committed response to the covenant we as Christians make with Jesus. “I commit my life to you;  I trust that you can save me spiritually and that your path of spiritual transformation of my life is trustworthy. I will follow you. I want my character, my thoughts, my actions to be like yours.”

We pray for God to do something miraculous in us through His Spirit, we “study to show ourselves approved unto God” by rightly understanding and applying His Word to our lives (2 Timothy 2:15), and we surround ourselves with followers of Christ (Colossians 3:16)

Q. When will I experience the Kingdom of God?

A. If you are a follower of Christ, you are and you will.

“The kingdom of God comes—but not with signs that you can observe. People are not going to say, “Look! Here it is!” They’re not going to say, “Look! It’s over there!” You want to see the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is already here among you (within your midst).” Luke 17:20-21)

The first-century Jews wanted a leader to throw off Roman rule and make Judea a nation. There was a cultural longing for national restoration, a nation in which everything centered around God. There would be safety within the borders; everyone would live within God’s law; God’s people would be powerful, and the long-awaited Kingdom would finally arrive.  I’ll be honest – that resonates with me. There’s something compelling about a safe, comfortable life. Wouldn’t it be nice if those outside the Kingdom loved and supported what was happening in the Kingdom?

But Jesus talked about the arrival of the Kingdom even as he spoke in a land of occupation and oppression. It was not a Kingdom of physical dominance – he specifically tells his servants not to fight (John 18:36). It’s not a Kingdom of cultural comfort. It’s a spiritual Kingdom that exists no matter what our surrounding circumstances look like.

But that’s just part one. There’s more.

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” (Matt. 25:31-34)

The Kingdom is fulfilled within history [already], and will reach its fullness at the end of history [not yet].  For Christians, the Kingdom begins in this life and finds its fulfillment in the next.

Q. How will I experience it?

A. In a broken, longing, hopeful world.

On this side of heaven, we will always experience the spiritual kingdom of God in the midst of the physical kingdoms of the world. In the last two weeks, I saw the following:

• a video of four men being slowly burned alive by ISIS

• more Planned Parenthood videos that show the callous and calculating taking of human life

• the increasing move in culture to marginalize and even vilify those who hold to Christian beliefs

• the expose of Ashely Madison clients that included Christians in leadership

• MTV’s video music awards last week that just showed the stark contrast between the values of the world vs. the Bible

 The beauty and hope of God’s Kingdom can be experienced in the midst of a very broken and lost world.

We lie, and gossip, and betray, and break hearts, and love poorly, and are not fair, and we are shallow and petty and desperately chasing after things that will never bring us hope or meaning or true joy and peace…. And yet the beauty and hope of God’s Kingdom can be experienced in the midst of a very broken and lost world.

• When truth triumphs over lies

• When purity is honored instead of demeaned

• When repentance and forgiveness highlight grace

• When joy emerges from despair

• When an unexpected peace occurs in or around us

• When we experience the beauty of patience and kindness

• When those around us are faithful and enduring

• When Christ reaches out to us sinners and draws us into His Kingdom

In Luke 14, when one of the disciples comments on how great it will be to feast in heaven, Jesus immediately tells a parable about a feast here on earth in which the poor and maimed and lame and blind are invited – in fact, compelled to come in. 

 “He [God, the Father] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13)

 The Kingdom is a feast, a celebration of the love and mercy of Christ to which the poor, the rich, the dirty, the clean, the smart and dumb, the blatant sinners and the careful sinners – in other words, all of us - are invited in to experience the goodness of life in the Kingdom in the presence of the King.   

The Value of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:44-45)


”The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-45)

Not, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who found a treasure, so he sold most of what he had in case it didn’t work out.” The man sells all he has with joy! In Philippians, Paul talks about all the ways in which he was an amazingly religious person – his pedigree was pure, and he was blameless in obeying the law. He had power and reputation. But after became a follower of Christ, he wrote:

“I regard everything as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ and be found in Him.” (Philippians 3:8)

The first point is that the Kingdom of Heaven demands all of us. Everything on earth is worth the trade-off. There is no giving up all we have -  except for our money, our job, our friends, our sex life, our vacations, our retirement plans, our temperament, our appearance, or our dreams. If there is an area that we won’t gladly give up for the sake of knowing Christ and living in the life He has called us to, we are clinging to idols, and we will never understand what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.

 “There is a condition for having the kingdom… the condition is not wealth or power or intelligence or eminence. The condition is that you prize the kingdom more than you prize anything else.” (John Piper)

 The second point has to do with how the treasure is found.

In the first parable, the treasure is found unexpectedly in a field. Not in a bank, not in a lawn, not underneath the floorboards of a house.  It was found unexpectedly in a common field in the midst of labor. We rarely stumble upon the Kingdom in the midst of luxury, ease and distraction. It often happens when we are in a field, in the midst of the ordinary toil of life, faithfully putting one foot in front of the other. This treasure was not found during a spiritual retreat or at a conference or even a Sunday morning service. The Kingdom of Heaven – the beauty of Christ and the richness of the life he offers – is often stumbled upon while you are doing life:

• pulling out your hair dealing with your kids

• doing the hard work of marriage

• punching the clock at your job

• talking with your doctor

• grinding away at homework

• navigating loneliness or depression or grief.

 The field is hard. Going back to an earlier parable - there are thorny people who leave marks. There are things that sting us and bite us (words, glances, snubs, misunderstandings). There is sweat, pain, loneliness, loss, grief, depression, frustration. There is stony ground and hardened people. But the Kingdom of Heaven is there because God is present and Christ is available, and the treasure – salvation, forgiveness, and restoration - will be revealed if we faithfully work the land.

 The man in the field stumbles upon the Kingdom; in contrast, the merchant has already been searching diligently for it among the beautiful, costly things.

 This merchant knew what beautiful things looked like, but he was not content with ordinary. He didn’t want to just get by. He wanted the only one that really matters. The beautiful pearls around us might be our toys, reputation, beauty, sex, family, entertainment, America!  Other religions can offer what seems to be a very compelling path to peace or hope. A distracting a beautiful pearl in our current climate is our reputation among our friends – we are reluctant to talk about Jesus, or about sin and the need for salvation, or even share the story of our life with others because we don’t know what will happen.  But those are small pearls indeed compared with Christ, in whom all the true treasures of life are found.

In conclusion,

• The Kingdom of Heaven is valuable and costly.

• Whether stumbled upon or searched for diligently, Jesus Christ and the salvation and hope He offers are worth the cost.

• Nothing matters more than the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. (Philippians 3:8)