Peter

Harmony #94: Do You Know Jesus? (John 18:13-24; Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22)

Head’s up: the ‘harmony of the gospel’ approach is going to make it look like there are 6 times Peter denied Jesus. Some thinks that’s what happened (3 before the rooster crowed, 3 times after); others think that the listing of individuals in one account and crowds in a different account just meant the individual asked the question for the groups. I just don’t want you to be confused when we read six denials of Jesus.


They brought Jesus first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish leaders that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.) Simon Peter and another disciple followed.

(Now the other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.)[1]But Simon Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door, and brought Peter inside.

The girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” He replied, “I am not.” (Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire they had made in the middle of the courtyard, warming themselves because it was cold.) JnThe high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

 Jesus replied, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple courts, where all the Jewish people assemble together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. They know what I said.”

When Jesus had said this, one of the high priest’s officers who stood nearby struck him on the face and said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”  Jesus replied, “If I have said something wrong, confirm what is wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?” Then Annas sent Jesus, still tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas, in whose house all the chief priests and elders and experts in the law had come together. And Peter had followed him from a distance, all the way to the high priest’s courtyard. After going in, Peter sat down with the guards warming himself by the fire, waiting to see the outcome.

The guards said to Peter, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” Peter denied it: “I am not!” [Meanwhile] the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find anything. Many gave false testimony against him, but their testimony did not agree.

Finally two came forward, stood up and gave this false testimony against Jesus: “We heard this man say, ‘I will destroy this temple of God made with hands and in three days build another not made with hands.’ ”Yet even on this point their testimony did not agree.

Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned Jesus and said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God, the Blessed One.” [2]

But Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then? Jesus said, “You have said it yourself, I am. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[3]

Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need further witnesses? Now you have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?” They all condemned him, and answered, “He is guilty and deserves death.”

Now the men who were holding Jesus under guard began to mock him and beat him. Some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to strike him with their fists. And some slapped him, saying repeatedly, “Prophesy for us, you Christ! Who hit you?” They also said many other things against him, reviling him.

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s slave girls came by. Seeing Peter as he sat in the firelight warming himself, she stared at him and said, “This man was with him too! You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus of Galilee.”

But Peter denied it in front of them all: ”Woman I don’t know him!” Then he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed. When Peter went out to the gateway, another slave girl saw him and said to the bystandersc there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene. He is one of them too.” But Peter denied it again with an oath, “I do not know the man!”

Then a little later, one of the high priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the orchard with him? You are one of them too.” Then Peter denied it again and said, “Man, I am not!”

After about an hour, the bystanders again came up to Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are also a Galilean—even your accent gives you away!” Then Peter began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”

At that moment, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed a second time. Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice today, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down, went outside and wept bitterly.

When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law. Then they led Jesus away to their council, the whole Sanhedrin, [where] they plotted against Jesus to execute him. After forming a plan, the whole group of them rose up, tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

* * * * * 

I’m going to do a shapshot approach today. Four snapshots in this story that I hope coalesce into a unified picture. We will start with the Sanhedrin, and end with Jesus.

SNAPSHOT 1: THE SANHEDRIN

Though they were the ruling body for the Jewish people, they did not seem to care about following the law. They didn’t like Jesus. They wanted him gone. They would do what it took to get what they wanted. 

  • Trials were supposed to be conducted during daylight, not at night.

  • ·Unless they met in the Hall of Hewn Stone, in the temple area, their verdicts were not binding.

  • ·They allowed of false/contradictory witnesses. By their own law, the case should have been thrown out.

  • ·A death verdict was not to be carried out until a night had ended.

Multiple sources from the period (the gospels, Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, writings from the Pharisees) agree that a corrupt priesthood controlled Jerusalem in collusion with Rome and abused its power against others. Their treatment of Jesus fits their usual behavior toward those who challenged their authority.[4]

A commentator named Poole noted,

“Nothing is more common than for persons overzealous about rituals to be remiss about morals.”[5]

I have a less fancy way of saying it: the Sanhedrin had a very human problem: it’s too easy to let the ends justify the means. It’s too easy to think that if our cause is righteous, we can baptize anything in the service of that cause and call it righteous as well. And that’s just not the way it works.

Even if Jesus had been an imposter and blasphemer, they would not have been justified in the approach they took. Why not? Because not only does the means impact what we achieve in the end, the means determines who we are in the end. Both the means and the ends reveal us for who we really are.

The Sanhedrin can’t be taken seriously as the lawkeeping body of leaders and break the law themselves, because they automatically become a law-breaking body of law-keeping leaders. The Sanhedrin can’t claim a righteous ruling after using unrighteous means like false witnesses and improper means. That kind of leaven spoils the whole loaf.

If the Sanhedrin wanted to truly lead God’s people in God’s ways to fulfill God’s plans, they needed to lead by example in words and actions. If they didn’t commit to that, they would get confused about God’s ways and God’s plan, and just like that they would be leading God’s people somewhere that God did not intend, following a God that is increasingly created in their image.

Our reminder: we must live with integrity. We must stay in the path of Jesus; aligned with the heart, mind, and footsteps of Jesus; so that we can be God’s people leading others in God’s way to fulfill God’s plans.

SNAPSHOT 2: THE SERVANT GIRLS

In Matthew, the first servant girl said, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” The second girl said to other people who were standing around, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” John writes that one asked a question to Peter: “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” The Gospel writers did not give unimportant detail. There is something we are supposed to learn about that fact that it was servant girls identifying the followers of Jesus.

The text isn’t clear if they were curious, or accusatory, or even hopeful. Maybe they wanted more information about Jesus and saw somebody who could answer their questions. Maybe they were Sanhedrin spies, looking out for people who might fight for Jesus (like Peter did). Maybe they though Jesus was going to fight, and were wondering where the army was. We don’t know. We just know they asked, and Peter was not about to give away his relationship with Jesus.

But the servant girls are important. So, here’s what I wonder. How would they know who had been with Jesus? They didn’t have Instagram posts or wanted posters or polaroids. How would they have found out?

I’m going to suggest that they had spent time around Jesus. Maybe they were part of the 5,000. Maybe they heard the Sermon on the Mount. Maybe they were occasionally part of the large crowed of disciples that consistently followed him. I don’t know, and the text doesn’t say.

I just suspect they had seen Jesus before, because they recognized His disciples. And this leads me to an interesting thing about the life of Jesus as recorded by the Gospel writers.

Virtually every time the writers record Jesus encountering women, Jesus validates and values women. In a time when both Jewish and Greco-Roman culture did not generally value women, Jesus did. For example, in Jewish culture, women could not testify in religious court because they were considered unreliable narrators, untrustworthy in their perspective.

But here are several servant girls who a) had apparently spent time with Jesus, b) who might not have been as embarrassed as Peter about having been around Jesus, and c) whom readers would have to seek out to ask if this story was true, thus treating them as reliable narrators of the truth. 

Our reminder: over and over, Jesus elevated those in the culture around him that were often overlooked, dismissed, or even despised: tax collectors, Samaritans, the sick and crippled, servants, women and children, those caught in sin, the list goes on. 

Isaiah pointed toward Jesus when he wrote, “A bruised reed he will not break" (Isaiah 42:3). This just means that God will not crush those who are weak or vulnerable; rather, he will gently care for them. Jesus was full of compassion for the weak, the outcast, the powerless, and the hurting. 

May we follow in that path of Jesus on our way to fulfilling the plan of Jesus.

SNAPSHOT 3: PETER

Since we focused on Judas last week to talk about Jesus’ love remaining steadfast throughout the worst things we can do even against Jesus himself, let’s look instead on what it looks like for followers of Jesus to deny that they know Jesus.

How can we communicate that we don’t know Jesus? Through our words and actions. Peter obviously used words. We often say that actions speak louder than words. Peter’s words were plenty loud; Peter’s action in the Garden might have been louder. Using a sword to defend Jesus, thinking His kingdom was an earthly kingdom that wanted us to kill others as a way to usher it in? Yeah, Peter really didn’t know Jesus.

If we use our words to deny our relationship with Jesus, we have betrayed Jesus. But we do this with our actions as well.

  • If we refuse to help the needy – the hungry, thirsty, sick, naked, imprisoned, to quote Jesus - we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

  • If we use our words to gossip, slander and wound instead of speak life and truth, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

  • If we take advantage of our employees, we communicate with every paycheck and belittling experience that we really don’t know Jesus.

  • If we use people sexually, financially, relationally, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

  • If we refuse to love our neighbors as Christ loved us, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

  • If we refuse to commit to honoring, serving and loving our spouse, we communicate with our actions that we really don’t know Jesus.

Our reminder: being truthful and faithful to Jesus – showing people that we know him – includes our words and our lives. We want it to be obvious to those around us that we are following the path of Jesus to fulfill the plan of Jesus.

JESUS

When Jesus ‘turned and looked’ at Peter, the words the writers chose are so great.

“It implies more than a casual glance, suggesting a deeper level of observation or contemplation. In the New Testament, it is often used to describe moments of significant insight or recognition, where the observer perceives something profound or meaningful. The act of looking intently was not merely a physical action but was also linked to mental and spiritual insight.” (Strong’s Lexicon)

Oof. Jesus looked deep into Peter’s soul in the moment of Peter’s greatest betrayal. What will Jesus do? He will forgive and restore Peter, of course. And Peter will love Jesus because Jesus first loved him.

A year or two later, John and Peter healed a lame beggar outside the temple in the name of Jesus. They were arrested and brought before Annas and Caiaphas. By this time Peter was a changed man. He had been teaching and preaching, and bringing in followers of the "Way" of Jesus. Here’s what happens in Acts 4 following the healing of the lame man.

“The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day….[6]

The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel:

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.  Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.

So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it… They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

Jesus loved Peter until the end. Jesus did not give up on the one who betrayed him so deeply. When Jesus rose from the dead, the angel said to make sure Peter knew. Jesus gave his life so that greatest moments of failure in people like Peter can become their greatest platform for ministry. Don’t ever believe that Jesus has given up for you. He is here to make broken things whole and dead things come to life.

He loves you until the end.

_______________________________________________________________________________

[1] This un-named disciple is likely John. James and John were Jesus' cousins, related to Zacharias, one of the priests who served in the temple, and possibly had been introduced to Caiaphas…John had to intercede with the servant girl and vouch for him. (“Did the High Priest know John the Apostle?” http://rolinbrunoauthor.blogspot.com)

[2] According to Old Testament law, a Jew must testify when put under oath by the high priest (Lev. 5:1).

[3] Jesus likely alluded to a Messianic prophecy from Daniel: “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.” 

[4] HT NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[5] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[6] Hey! They are following their own law!

Harmony #51: Carrying The Cross Of Christ (Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:22-27)

From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem and be rejected and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

So Peter (interrupted and) took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!”But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Adversary (Satan)! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”

Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whoever wants to save his psuche (life)[1] will lose it, but whoever loses his psuche (life) for my sake and for the gospel will save it. For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his psuche (soul)?  What can a person give in exchange for his psuche (soul)?

Interesting. Last week, Peter’s confession of faith meant he was the kind of person on which the church would be built (“You are petros, and upon this petra I will build my church”). Jesus followed this immediately with a teaching on how this kind of person would have permission to ‘bind and loose.’ The idea was that his followers had the ability to make decisions that would clarify godly restraints and freedoms - if they were done in line with the order God had already established in heaven.

Well, Peter seems to have misunderstood the scope of this new authority. He does something unthinkable in Judaism: he, the disciple, flexes that ‘binding’ power by stepping in and not only stopping but correcting the rabbi he is following. Worse than that, he stopped and corrected the person he had just described as The Christ, the son of the living God. It’s not his finest moment.

It must have been cool when Jesus made a pun with his name when he declared him to be the Rock. Now, there is another pun on his name: he’s a “stumbling block,” skandalon, “the native rock rising up through the earth, which trips up the traveler.”[2] Peter did not ‘bind on earth’ what had been bound in heaven. As Jesus notes, “You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”

I’m sure it seemed wise in the moment, but if Peter had gotten his way he would have stopped God’s plan of salvation. By offering the King a kingdom that bypassed the road to the cross, Peter unwittingly echoed the path of ease laid out by Satan when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (see Matthew 4). In Peter’s intervening words, Jesus recognizes the plan of the Adversary at work.

Then Jesus turns Peter’s attempt to save Jesus’ physical life into a teachable moment concerning priorities in life that will have an impact on our physical and spiritual life. Here, I paraphrase from what Paul wrote to the Philippians:

“If you are going to follow me - if you want to experience the power of my resurrection -  you have to follow me into the fellowship of my suffering on the cross.”[3]

* * * * *

The call to discipleship is a call to “deny ourselves”, which broadly speaking means giving up self-rule. It’s not as simple as passing up that third donut or doomscrolling for one hour instead of two. It’s bigger than that. We have a King now. We are called to align ourselves with the plans of the King and the commitments of the Kingdom. This means, among other things, we will take up a cross and follow Jesus into a kind of death before we emerge into newness of psuche (life of the soul). Only God’s will matters for life and for eternity.[4] 

We are going to end up talking about the call to spiritual death and resurrection, but I’d like to start by talking about physical death in order to make some comparisons. I think there are some connections between the two. What we can learn about the clash between what we believe and what we feel in relation to physical death may be instructive as we consider the call in the Bible to be crucified with Christ, to die so we may live.

If you are a follower of Christ and study Scripture, there are two things you know/believe about death:

·      Life as we know it is going to end.

·      There is life on the other side, better and different than this one.

I think the hurdle of believing this in our head is often not as daunting as really feeling the truth of this in our soul. I noticed this contrast recently when I was re-reading a journal I kept after my father’s death from cancer.  At one point I began a poem this way:

My fountainhead shriveled, dried up in his bed.

With my tears I watered the grave of the dead

then staggered back home,

a few miles too far from a father who loved me,

and who is not anymore.

At the time the thought that would not leave me was that my father was dead. It was so hard to say those words out loud:  “My father is dead.”  It was so final. The finality of it was overwhelming to me. There seemed no way for me to say, “Death, where is your victory?” when there was a body in a grave. In spite of what I knew in my head to be true about Dad’s life to come – I mean, I’ve been soaked in Scripture all my life - letting that to soak into me was a different story entirely.

I found help in an unexpected area – movies. I think my imagination needed to be captured to remind my emotions about the “hope that lies within me.”

There is a scene in Lord Of The Rings in which Pippen says to Gandalf, in the midst of battle,

“PIPPIN: I didn't think it would end this way.
GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
PIPPIN: What? Gandalf? See what?
GANDALF: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
PIPPIN: Well, that isn't so bad.
GANDALF: No. No, it isn't.”

Indeed. I remember singing a hymn growing up that described the life that awaits followers of Jesus as “joy unspeakable, and full of glory.”

So in my journal, I had written a poem about my father who loved me, but who was not anymore.But later I wrote something different.  I was making a list of things that I wanted God to help me remember in the midst of my grief, and one of those was:

“Help me remember that my father did not stop living; he just stopped living here.”

We fear death because it looks like existence is over. It certainly appears that way. But as I was so powerfully reminded in those months and years following Dad’s death, both in Scripture and in good stories, death is not the end. And if I only knew what kind of new life waited on the other side, I would be a different man. This is seeing the living that is found in dying. But…

 If I want a new life, I must first have a death.

So, let’s apply the physical principles to the spiritual part of our lives.

#1  Life as we know it is going to end.

I suspect we process the challenge of spiritual death in much the same way we process physical death. The Bible is not confusing on this issue. If you plan to be a follower of Jesus, you must commit to dying.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with…”(Romans 6:6)

"I affirm by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."  (I Corinthians 15:31)

Life as we knew it before following Jesus is going to end.  It’s going to feel like a death, because it is. And it’s going to be hard, because dying is hard.

  • I have to stop judging people when it makes me feel so good about myself?

  • I have to overcome my addictive behaviors when they numb me so well, or entertain me so much, or make me feel so good?

  • I have to stop gossiping, even though my friendships have a lot of “shared prayer concerns” and adrenaline-inducing scandals of our neighbors and friends?

  • I have to go home and work things out with my spouse when holding a grudge is so much easier?

  • I have to choose my words wisely and carefully and think about how what I am about to say is going to land on other people?

Yes.  We have to die. Life as we know it – with us at the center of our own little world - is supposed to end.

The funny thing is, before we died to the sinfulness in us - the habits and behaviors and mindsets - life was already hard. Sin takes a toll on us. What we reap, we sow. And yet we are really reluctant to leave it at times.

" When we make our own misery, we sometimes cling to it even when we want so bad to change because the misery is something we know. The misery is comfortable."            - Dean Koontz

This idea of dying suggest pain, which is true, but until we believe that the result of death will be better than the result of the life we now have, we won’t change.[5]

  • It’s hard to stop judging people, because if that’s the only way I have to feel good about myself, then apparently I will be miserable if I stop.

  • It’s hard to overcome addictive behaviors: what will numb me now?  What will entertain me now? What will make me feel good now?

  • It’s hard to stop gossiping, because then I will realize how few things of substance I actually say, and how talking about others has allowed me to avoid talking about myself, and that’s a can of worms that I don’t want to open.

  • It’s hard to go home and work things out with my spouse: I would much rather savor the idea that I am right and she is wrong, rather than allow her to hold up a mirror and show me a little more clearly who I am.

  • It’s hard to take the time to analyze the power and impact of my words, because now I can’t just blurt things out, and I have to get to know other people so I can better understand how they might experience what I have to say, and I might be wrong in what I was just about to say (and I might have been wrong before, now that I think about it…)

#2  We believe there is new life on the other side of resurrection – but it is so hard to see.

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." C.S. Lewis

If if I am correct that we process spiritual and physical death the same way, then I suspect that we have a hard time matching what we believe to be the truth about life on the other side of spiritual death vs. what it feels like in the moment as we think about getting there. But notice what the Bible says awaits us on the other side of spiritual death.

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:6-7)

Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24)

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him… count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus…Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:8-14)

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish (garbage thrown to the dogs). (Philippians 3:8-9)

"If, then, you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory."  (Colossians 3:1-4)

So from just these verses, I know that if I die a spiritual death, and God raises me up,

A)  I am brought from death to life (transformed)

B)  I am no longer enslaved to sin (free)

C)   I will produce much grain (impactful)

D)  I will be an instrument of righteousness (effective)

E)   I will know Christ Jesus my Lord (connected with God)

F)   I will share in God’s glory (identified with God)[6]

But new life is not just about us. It’s about my wife, my kids, my friends, my neighbors. They need me to die, so that I can really learn how to live.

  • When I, as a husband, die to self-justification and defensiveness, I am raised into a life of self-awareness and growth, and I am relieved of the obligation of making my wife the scapegoat for our problems, and that is a marriage with new life.

  • When we die to addictive behaviors, we are raised to a new life in which we are free of the control of sin; instead of numbing our pain we meet it and conquer it; instead of being constantly distracted from life we engage it; instead of relying on the occasional rush of drugs or adrenaline to make us happy, we rely on the presence of God to find peace.  And now the community has yet one more person who is engaged, and conquering (or at least working on it), and a little more steady, and a little more peaceful…

  • When we die to gossip, we are raised into compassion for others.  Now instead of everybody wrestling with shame as they wonder how many people are talking about them behind their backs because they, in a moment of weakness, talked to you, they are looking forward to meeting with you again because they know that you are safe, and that you care.  And now our conversations with others can take on some depth.  “No, we can’t talk about Bob today.”  “Now what?”  How about your kids, your marriage, your walk with God…”

  • When we die to unthoughtful speech, we free the people around us from living in fear about what we might say next, how we might callously offend, how we might belittle or undermine or dig. We replace thoughtlessness with thoughtfulness; we replace our right to say what we want with the responsibility of saying that which “fills people with good things.” (Proverbs 12:14)

I like how C.S. Lewis summarizes this idea:

"The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life... Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in." (Mere Christianity)

And for all of us who want to celebrate spiritual resurrection, let’s practice a rhythm of dying and living this week.  Die to yourself and then live with a friend over coffee; die to yourself and then live with your spouse over supper; die on your own, in prayer before God, and then stand and walk in newness of life.

Take up your cross this week and let Resurrection reveal its power.


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[1] Jesus seems to use both definitions of this word to make a point. From HELPS Word Studies:
“5590
 psyxḗ (from psyxō, "to breathe, blow" which is the root of the English words "psyche," "psychology") – soul (psyche); a person's distinct identity(unique personhood), i.e. individual personality.” This is translated as “life” in the first half of the paragraph.

“5590 (psyxē) corresponds exactly to the OT 5315 /phágō ("soul"). The soul is the direct aftermath of God breathing (blowing) His gift of life into a person, making them an ensouled being.” This is translated “soul” in the second half of the paragraph.

[2] One of the definitions according to HELPS word studies.

[3] What Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10

[4] “To follow Him means to live as He lived with all that involves of humility, poverty, compassion, love, grace, and every other godly virtue…Jesus warned that those who hug their lives for selfish purposes would never find fulfillment; those who recklessly abandon their lives to Him, not counting the cost, would find the reason for their existence.”(Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[5] “You find that the things you let go of while following Jesus were the things that were going to destroy you in the end.Francis Chan

[6] “I will ask you a terrible question, and God knows I ask it also of myself. Is the truth beyond all truths, beyond the stars, just this: that to live without him is the real death, that to die with him the only life?” Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat

Harmony #50: Upon This Rock (Matthew 16:13-19; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21)

Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, when Jesus was praying by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”

  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[1]And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven!

 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

There are three leading interpretations of this play on words:[2]

·      Jesus Himself is the rock, as Peter later testifies (1 Pet. 2:5–8). But in this passage, Jesus describes Himself as the builder of the church on the rock, so that’s likely not the meaning here.

·      Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ” is the rock upon which the church is built. In this reading, a confession of faith in Jesus is the foundation on which everything else is built.

·      Peter himself is the rock in that he is a representative apostle whose confession of Christ has been revealed to him by the Father. Peter acknowledged Jesus not by his name, but by his title: The Christ. In this reading, Jesus’ response is not just a statement of the obvious, but includes some type of title/role acknowledgment. Peter later writes (1 Pet. 2:4–8) that all believers have become “living stones” by virtue of their association with Christ, with the apostles as the foundation (Eph. 2:2021Rev. 21:14). 

I believe this “rock” is most likely the confession of faith, the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus. The church is built  on belief/trust/faith in Christ. But it could be that Peter is the first of many “living stones.” Maybe they both go together. The main point is that Jesus has validated that God’s church will be built on a confession of faith, whether it’s the belief, the people who hold it, or both.[3]  

The gates of Hades will not prevail against it (the church)

Hades was a common ancient expression for the realm of the dead across cultures, including Jewish culture (Job 38:17Isaiah 38:10). In Acts, it is portrayed as is the temporary abode of the dead (Acts 2:27). In Revelation 1, Jesus is described as having the keys to Death and Hades. In Revelation 20, “Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them…then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” So they will not prevail. They will not survive. Their judgment is sure. Meanwhile, the “gates” will not prevail against a church that confesses Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Gates are the decision-making place in the city. The plans of evil will not destroy the church or its mission. Gates are defensive. Those gates will fall. The church is meant to proactively take the power of the gospel to the very heart of evil. The power of the Gospel will break through.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

This is in sharp contrast to what Jesus told the Pharisees,

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matthew 23:13).

I think there is more than one implication from this.

1. The key that opens the Kingdom of Heaven is the Gospel

“When the Jews made a man a doctor of the law, they put into his hand the key of the closet in the temple where the sacred books were kept, and also tablets to write upon; signifying, by this, that they gave him authority to teach, and to explain the Scriptures to the people.” (Adam Clarke)

We see this in the life of Peter. He is the first apostle to preach the message of the kingdom to:

·      the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2); about three thousand Jewish people are saved that day.

·      to the Samaritans (Acts 8) who believed the gospel and received the Holy Spirit.

·      to the Gentiles (Acts 10), Roman centurion’s household, who also received the Holy Spirit.

Matt. 18:18 notes that the same promise is given to them all, but Peter seems to have a unique role in starting this global spread of the gospel.

2. Those entrusted with the key are entrusted with authority (“binding and loosing”) to implement what has already been established in heaven.

The expressions bind and loose were common in Jewish temple language that meant something was either forbidden or allowed. Josephus said of the Pharisees in the time of Queen Alexandra: "They were the real administrators of the public affairs; they removed and readmitted whom they pleased; they bound and loosed [things] at their pleasure."[4] This included establishing sacred days, admitting or removing people from the Temple community, and identifying which offerings were acceptable.

The expression was common; for example, it was not unusual to hear a disagreement between rabbinical schools recorded this way: “The school of Shammai binds it, the school of Hillel looseth it.”[5] The idea was that certain things done on earth – if they were done in line with the order of God - was at the same time done in heaven. For example, when the priest on the Day of Atonement offered the two goats upon earth, they believed the same were offered in heaven; when priests cast the lots on earth, a priest also casts the lots in heaven.[6]

We see this principle of binding and loosing in this way throughout the New Testament:

·      As the disciples’ rabbi, Jesus had already done this binding and loosing for His own disciples (for example, when He allowed them to take the grains of wheat in the field[7], or when he healed on the Sabbath[8]).

·      Jesus tasked all the disciples with preaching the gospel and discerning God’s will (for example, calling all foods clean[9], or doing away with circumcision as a rite of initiation for men[10]).

·      When “the apostles and the elders” came together in Jerusalem to consider the conditions on which Gentile believers might be recognized as fellow members of the church, their decision was issued as something which “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28).

Meanwhile, note: whatever the apostles bound or loosed on earth must have already been bound or loosed in heaven. They weren’t supposed to just be making stuff up or running with tradition or a gut feeling. It had to be biblically sound and Holy Spirit led (and we see the importance of a community leading in this kind of decision).

“Heaven, not the apostles, initiates all binding and loosing, while the apostles announce these things.”[11]

So, one way they did this was by helping the church understand how to apply Scripture or scriptural principles. We’ve already looked at a couple examples. Another way involved managing disputes or handling discipline within the church, both cases where it is important that truth is established.  Paul talked about a judgment (a verdict) pronounced by the church of Corinth in which “I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present” (1 Corinthians 5:3–5). We read a more clear scenario in Matthew 18:15-20.

Go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you and repents, you have regained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.

 I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”

William Kelly writes,

“Whenever the Church acts in the name of the Lord and really does His will, the stamp of God is upon their deeds.”[12]

3. When heaven is opened, the resources of the Kingdom are available.

In an old Greek comedy, a speech mentioned somebody having “the keys of the market,” which meant they had the free use of authority to buy and eat whatever meat was sold in it.[13]  If we apply that context to this passage, having the key to the Kingdom seems to include giving us access to divinely authorized heavenly resources.

What are they? The truth of the Scripture to guide us; the gifts and fruits of the Spirit that come with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; ongoing transformation into the image of Jesus; the nourishment of church community; the increasing shalom of God (peace with God, with others, within ourselves, with God’s creation). The list could go on….

* * * * * *

What does this mean to us today?

·      Jesus builds His church on the cornerstone of Jesus[14] and the testimony of those who confess that Jesus is Lord and commit their lives to following Him into salvation and transformation. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of those in the Kingdom and the Door into the Kingdom. All are welcome to enter in the physical front doors of this building and join our congregational church life. I hope people near and far from Jesus and anywhere inbetween experience the love of Jesus from us when they visit or become a part of the life of this community. But walking into our front door is not the same as walking into the Kingdom of God. Our front door ushers you into our physical community; only Jesus ushers you into the eternal life of the Kingdom that begins now and never ends.

·      We enter into a Kingdom that even Death and Hell cannot stop. This is not a promise that we won’t suffer or even die for the sake of Christ, or that our lives will never be impacted by the presence of evil in the world. It’s a reminder that the agenda of Heaven will defeat the agenda of Hell. Good will have the last word, not evil. The end of the story is that God wins. This is part of the hope of the gospel. God will set things right. We might not understand God’s timing, or why each chapter unfolds the way it does, but we know the end to the story.

·      Jesus is the Door to the Kingdom, but He has given us a key to ‘open the door’ to the kingdom for others by our presentation of the gospel through our words and our lives. We can’t do the Holy Spirit work of drawing people to Jesus, but we can present Him by sharing the gospel and by living lives that show the transformative power of God in our lives. Just like John the Baptist, “prepared the way”[15] for Jesus, we can prepare the way for the message of the Gospel in word and deed. On the other hand, we can speak and live in such a way that people don’t want to open that door. We have to be careful. Having the ‘keys’ is a wonderful and daunting responsibility.

·      Re: “binding and loosing” - We are meant to live out the reality of “on earth as it is in heaven.’ If we put boundaries and guidelines around what it means to be a follower of Jesus, it better reflect what God intended to convey through Scripture and how God intended us to apply it through the help of the Holy Spirit. If we speak to the freedoms we Christians have in Christ, they better be the freedoms God intended to convey in Scripture applied how God intended with the help of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We must be very careful the minute we step outside of an obvious teaching in Scripture and attempt to apply it to life.

·      God’s resources are for our good and God’s glory. The effectual work of Jesus’ death and resurrection is a real thing that a) makes peace between us and God and b) empowers genuine peace with others. The fruit and gifts of having the Holy Spirit indwell us are real things that not only build us but build those around us. Connection in a spiritually healthy church community offers tangible experiences of the ‘the hands and feet of Jesus.’ I believe God wants us to flourish as His image bearers, as His ambassadors, as His children. He has given us what we need to do so.

______________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Caesarea Philippi was the center of worship for a number of pagan gods such as Baal and Pan. There is pointed contrast here: Jesus is the Son of the God who is alive, unlike the pagan gods. 

[2] Thanks for this handy summary, ESV Reformation Study Bible!

[3] Ephesians 2:19 to 22:“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

[4] “Authority, Rabbinical” in the Jewish Encyclopledia

[5] Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

[6] Adam Clarke

[7] Matthew 12:1-8

[8] Mark 3:1-6

[9] Acts 10

[10] Acts 15

[11] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[12] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[13] Bengal’s Gnomen

[14] 1 Corinthians 3:11

[15] Matthew 3:3

Harmony #38: Jesus Walks On Water (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21)

Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, immediately made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, [past] Bethsaida, while he dispersed the crowds. Now when evening came, after Jesus said good-bye to them and sent the crowds away, he went up the mountainside by himself to pray.

Those who started out believing he was a prophet like Moses (he fed people in the wilderness like Moses had) decided it might be time to make him king. I wonder if this is one reason Jesus kept telling people not to speak publically about the miracles. He wasn’t interested in that kind of Kingdom.

The Messiah was never intended to come with a physical sword like they were hoping. If you were here for our Revelation series, you may remember that when Jesus is portrayed with a sword, it’s in his mouth: it’s His words, the gospel message, that will challenge evil in the world before God ultimately bring an end to evil.

His disciples started to cross the lake to Capernaum. (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) By now strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. Meanwhile the boat, already far from land,  in the middle of the sea, was taking a beating from the waves. Jesus was alone on the land, and saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.

Has anyone else noticed that Jesus keeps sending his disciples into storms? More on that later…

Then, when the night was ending and they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, for he wanted to pass by them. When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them: “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water. ”So Jesus said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they went up into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

They were completely astonished, because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hard [#hardsoil]. They were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.

In all their hours (6?) rowing against the wind, they had covered 1/2 to  2/3 of their journey by the time that Jesus caught up to them. Sometime between 3am and 6am, Jesus followed the disciples without a boat. The Bible does not record they were frightened of the storm, even though they had been fighting it for hours. They were, however, frightened by what they thought was a ghost walking toward them on the water, as one would be. They relaxed when they saw it was him, but Peter basically says, “Prove it.”

By this time you would think they would be starting to wrap their heads around Jesus ability to do the miraculous. During the last storm, he calmed everything with a word. He just fed 10,000 people by turning something into nothing. Don’t get me wrong - there is no doubt seeing him walking on the water would have been shocking. But the soil in Peter heart was hard, and he wants another sign.

Only one gospel records Peter attempting to join Jesus on the water. It’s a good reminder this story is primarily about Jesus, not Peter. And what we learn about Jesus is that he will, in fact, give Peter yet another sign. Jesus relentlessly reveals himself. Those of little faith are not abandoned by the Savior.

When Jesus asked the disciples how to feed the 5,000, I suspect he wanted them to wrestle with the impossibility of the situation. Kind of like with the raising of the dead child when he said, “Nah, she’s just asleep.” He wanted the observers to confirm the impossibility of the situation and insist that she was, in fact, dead. He wanted them to recognize he was asking them to do something that could not be done. He was prepping an opportunity to show his Messianic credentials.

So here’s Peter asking to walk on water. I don’t know if Peter had considered Plan B if it was a ghost deceiving him, but Peter wasn’t really known for his thoughtful consideration before he did things. In another incident, he jumps out of the boat and swims to shore to see Jesus, so maybe he was a really good swimmer and figured if it didn’t work out, he’d just swim back. I don’t know.

So Peter tried to walk on the water, and he failed. I’m not sure why it took until that moment for him to consider how strong the wind was, and I don’t know what it looks like to walk on water during a raging storm, but I’ve been down to the Open Space when it’s windy, and it’s awesome and terrifying. If I were to walk on the water at that moment, either I am on a crazy rollercoaster as I stay on top of the waves, or the waves are crashing over me if I’m somehow walking on a level path. So, yeah, Peter is overwhelmed. I get it.

Something we don’t often see stressed is that when he is sinking, he does the right thing. He calls out to Jesus to save him. And Jesus does, of course. Saving is what Jesus does. Then he gently rebukes Peter: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Many of the commentaries I read and sermons I have heard focus on Peter’s lack of faith as an explanation for why he couldn’t walk on water, usually with the idea that if he had kept his eyes on Jesus, he would not have sunk. I like that image. It’s a practical way to think about worship. I’m not so sure that’s the primary point of the story, though,so I want to focus on what I believe to be the primary thing Jesus is addressing.

The book of John is famous for focuses on Jesus as the Messiah. All the gospels have a different primary focus as they recount the life of Jesus; John is the most messianic.

This Gospel stands out structurally, as it lays out its thesis in the first chapter. It also emphasizes the signs and wonders performed by Jesus during His ministry on earth, rather than just outlining the totality of it.  Seven of these signs are changing water into wine, healing the royal official’s son, healing the paralytic, feeding the 5,000, Jesus walking on water, healing the man blind from birth, and raising Lazarus from the dead. Each of these signs either fulfills a prophecy, demonstrates Jesus’ authority, or demonstrates His deity. John focuses on Jesus as the Son of God, the Word at the beginning, and the right ruler of all things. Jesus makes seven I AM statements, invoking the name God gave to Moses and to the Hebrew people centuries before.[1]

So this story is one of the 7 signs recorded in John, and John doesn’t include the part about Peter at all. It’s a story that’s meant to make us focus on Jesus, not Peter, because it’s one of the 7 signs of the Messiah. After all, only God “treads on the waves of the sea.” (Job 9:8; Psalms 77:19) The Exodus echo that began with the miraculous provision of food continues in what is one of the clearest revelations of Jesus’ divine nature: his authority over the sea. He doesn’t just part the sea and walk through on dry land; he walks on the sea itself.

There is something else happening here that modern English translations capture well. When we read that Jesus meant to ‘pass by them’, he wasn’t going to cruise on past and leave them behind. This is language for how God revealed himself to His people in the past.

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence… Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” (Exodus 33: 18-23) 

 “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart… but the Lord was not in the wind.. the Lord was not in the earthquake…the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11-13)

Jesus walked on the water to show his glory and proclaim his name. Jesus did this to get them to understand what they did not understand the day before: that he was God in the flesh, the promised Messiah.

The more I considered this story in its broader context, I am not so sure Jesus was rebuking Peter for failing to walk on the water as much as he was rebuking him for not trusting that Jesus was who he said he was.

Much like the crowds that keep demanding signs, Peter tested him again after all the signs he had seen already. Jesus allowed it to happen, but notice that Jesus did not float the idea the Peter should walk to him. This wasn’t God’s calling for Peter. This was Peter’s calling for Peter. If Jesus planned for Peter to walk on water, Peter would have walked on the water.

So Peter said, and I paraphrase, “Can I walk on the water to see if it’s you? Because if I can do that, I will know it’s you.” And Jesus said, “Come on over and I’ll show you it’s me.” And you know what? Peter found it was Jesus for real even though his walk wasn’t successful for more than a moment. In fact, he experienced the saving power of Jesus up close and personal. This experience confirmed to him that Jesus was, indeed, a messiah who is strong enough to save and kind enough to do it.

I’ve also been wondering about what it would have done to Peter to be able to make it to Jesus and back into the boat without sinking. Can you imagine life with Peter if he hadn’t sunk?

·  “Hey John, remember that time I alone of all of us walked on the water?”

·  “Hey Thomas, who wants to go storm chasing on the Sea of Galilee? Nobody? Maybe I’ll just walk out there then.”

·  “Who wants to play boat/water/Peter? Boat takes water, and Peter takes boat and water.”

 

I wonder if sinking might have been a really important part of Peter’s spiritual formation. Very publicly, he failed. No doubt he was impressive for at least a little bit, but then he was publicly frightened and failing. Sometimes that’s a gift not only to the person Jesus rescues, but to those who have to live with that person.

Peter will go on to be called the Rock by Jesus himself. I really hope at least one of the disciples was like, “Yeah, he sinks like a stone.” Then they all giggled while Peter turned red. Peter didn’t have to actually nail the walking on water gig to be used powerfully in the Kingdom of God. Why? Because it was always about the power of Jesus.

“Every moment we stand in need of Christ: while we stand-we are upheld by his power only; and when we are falling, or have fallen, we can be saved only by his mercy. Let us always take care that we do not consider so much the danger to which we are exposed, as the power of Christ by which we are to be upheld.” (Adam Clarke)

After Jesus identifies himself, Mark describes the astonishment of the disciples, their lack of understanding, and the reason for that lack: their hearts were hardened. I don’t think the writers mean to convey that they were actively hardening their hearts as much as that God had called a group of disciples to him whose hearts were the hard ground of the Parable of the Sower, at least to some degree. They had been through a storm he controlled, saw him heal people and even raise them from the dead, had hand-collected the leftovers at the Feeding of the 5,000, and the truth of Jesus’ message about himself was still was not taking root in their hearts.

We will circle back to this next week. I want to finish by focusing on our attempts to walk on water, and Jesus’ faithfulness in pulling us out.

* * * * *

 

Once the watery storms ended for the disciples, others began. There are always storms. This has been true as long as humanity has existed:

 

· “In this world, you will have trouble.” – Jesus, John 16:33

· “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” – David, Psalm 23

· “Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.” – James, James 1:2

· “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” – Paul, Romans 8:18

· “Do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” - Peter, 1 Peter 4:12

 

So there will be storms. I want to talk about Peter and us in the storms of life, not because this story was about Peter, but because it involved Peter even as it pointed toward Jesus. Let’s look at how the storms in our lives involve us even as they point us to Jesus.

There are storms of the sin that impact us. Things that others do to us that threaten to take us under emotionally, mentally, spiritually, relationally. Sin has a terrible ripple effect, and the greater the sin done to us, the more traumatically it lands in our lives. And there are so many good things that help to keep us afloat: therapy, counseling, spiritual formation, good community, sometimes medication – those boats can keep our heads above water a lot of the time (that’s a good thing). A gracious God has given us boats of common grace (gifts of grace accessible by all) that are for our good. More on this later. But we can row into that storm for years, and finding solid land feels like an unobtainable dream, and we’re exhausted. 

There are times when, like Peter in his first moments. “I think I’ve got this!” And then we realize the winds of the sins done to us are still taking us down even though we have fought so hard. And it’s in the prayer of helpless desperation that his strong right hand, which was there all along, saves us from drowning and guides the boat to shore.

I have this image in my head of what it must have been like in the boat after Peter and Jesus got in. (It’s just my image; it’s not Scripture.)

Peter, after a while, through tears: “I tried.”

Jesus, gently: “I know.”

Peter: “I couldn’t do it.”

Jesus: “You didn’t need to.”

 

And that’s it. That’s the conversation. Jesus puts his arm over his shoulders and then they just sit quietly until they get to the other side. And Peter has to process the humbling reality that he wasn’t enough on his own along with the comforting reality that the one who saves him is.

I think of relational storms we go through. Since my closest relationship is with Sheila, I’m thinking of what this looks like in marriage, though your relational storms may look different. There were times we were going under, even when we tried so hard. We got water wings and lifejackets and snorkeling gear (we read books, went to counseling, attended marriage retreats – all good things). They kept us afloat for a time, but the wind of our brokenness was strong, and the waves of our baggage daunting. Our most important, transformative moments were those times when all we could do was cry out as we were going under, and Jesus pulled us up.

I distinctly remember a time we looked at each other and said, “What do we do? We are out of ideas. Nothing has worked. This brokenness in us and between us is impossible to fix.” All we had left was prayer for the miraculous intervention of God.

Us, through tears: “We tried.”

Jesus, gently: “I know.”

Us: “We don’t have the tools to do it.”

Jesus: “You don’t need to.”

 

We went home from that supper, two people in despair. The next day we had lunch just to be together. Then we sat in the van and listened to a comedian to laugh together. We didn’t talk about life or marriage. But we realized in a week or two that everything had changed. There was something about that drowning moment, in which we cried the desperate cries of the drowning, for which Jesus was waiting.

And then I have been in storms where I find that while I am praying for deliverance from that storm, I am a lot like Peter. I know that Jesus is the one who rules the storms, but I am secretly hoping I look amazing too as he goes about rescuing me.

When Covid hit and we were trying to navigate our way through it as a church, I was trying to provide pastoral leadership. I knew it was going to take a miracle, but honestly, I wanted to look amazing as God’s work unfolded. I wanted my wisdom, compassion, truth-telling, and just overall “for such a time as this” persona to shine like bright beacon in a dark world. Bring on that wind full of masks and social distancing and shutdowns: I was ready to walk on that stormy Covid water.

And you know what? That is not at all what happened. I managed to make everybody mad at some point. Even me – I was mad at me. When I stepped out into the storm, I made have gotten a couple steps in, but then down I went. Don’t get me wrong. I was praying passionately what Jesus offered as a model: “Lead us not into the time of testing/storms, but if you do, deliver us from the evil one.” I really knew that was the answer. I just wanted to walk on water while He was working.

 

Me, through tears: “I tried.”

Jesus, gently: “I know.”

Me: “I couldn’t do it.”

Jesus: “I can.”

 

And where was Jesus as I – and you - were flailing about in the rising wind? Right there with us. Reminding us that we would get through Covid not because we are great, but because He is great. He pulled me up (and he pulled you up). He kept us disciples in this CLG boat after he carried us back in and dried us off. He brought us to the other side, with better heart soil than when we started.

This church has gone through storms in its 50 years, some minor gales and some hurricanes. Did we bust out onto the waves and impress everybody by owning that storm and tromping on it? No need to make a way through it. We are on top of it!! That’s…not how it went. By God’s good grace, we’ve gotten in some good steps throughout our history, but you wouldn't want your Fitbit to count them. We always ended up treading water in a whirlpool that threated to pull us down – which forced us to cry out to Jesus to do what we, in our own wisdom and power, could not. And he did. He has pulled us back into the boat again and again, dried us off, and taken to where he had in mind for us to go.

And he puts us back in a boat. Jesus didn’t pull an Oprah and say, “You know what? Walking on water for all! You don’t need this boat!” He uses the boat to get them to where they were supposed to go. All the things I mentioned earlier - therapy, counseling, spiritual formation, good community, sometimes medication –those, too, are provisions of his loving grace. Those, too, can be the means God Himself uses to get us to where he wants us to go. We just need the author and finisher of our faith to be the one told us to get in that particular boat, and then be the one who guides that boat to where he plans for us to go.

 And this brings me back to what I love about Jesus. He establishes himself as a Messiah who does not abandon us in the midst of storms. He does not reject us when we fail to see him clearly. He does not despise us when we are too weak to calm the storm. He is always there, holding out his hand, offering to save us, putting us into the boats his common grace provided for us, and showing us the glory of his love and faithfulness.

Recommended Music: Third Day: “Cry Out To Jesus”

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[1] “What Makes Each of the Gospel Accounts Unique?” Biblestudytools.com

Jesus and Peter: Why Our History Is Not Our Destiny

John 20 ends with two verses that wrap things up pretty nicely for the book of John.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

 But then there’s John 21. Peter, the Rock of the early church, is clearly singled out again in a story that is not entirely flattering. It is presented as a story after the big story, and it is very raw and bare.  It’s not like the end of the LOTR when softly glowing happy people hug and smile and cry as they gently say perfect goodbyes.

Why is John wrapped up this way?  What do we learn about Jesus, and why does it matter to us?                                   

After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of (Cana in Galilee, and (the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

Only 3 disciples of the 7 who are present are named.  

  • Peter had betrayed Jesus; Thomas is the infamous doubting Thomas; Nathanial once said, “Can anything good come our of Nazareth?” 

  • All three also offered a clear confession of faith (Peter in John 6:69; Thomas in John 20:28; Nathanael in John 1:49) 

  • All three had their confession of faith followed by Jesus expressing his own doubts about the depth of their commitment (John 6:70; John 20:29; John 1:50).

I think this chapter will have something to do with this theme: people of faith who wrestle with doubt, fear and disillusionment.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and  that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No."

And He said to them, "(Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.[1]  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."  So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. 

So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. 

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You " He said to him, "Tend My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.’”

 Darkness and daybreak set the stage for the story.  

The symbolism of daytime and nighttime stands out at various points in scriptures, and it does here as well. In Scripture, Night often represents the downside or chaos of life. Peter denied Jesus in the dark just before daybreak.  Peter went to the tomb “while it was still dark.”  Here, Peter is fishing in the dark, failing to follow Christ yet again, and he took his friends with him. 

John in the first chapter of his gospel wrote that “In him was life, and that life was the light of mankind; but the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it ”  (John 1:5).  Here, “morning was now coming to be.” Something new and beautiful is dawning.

This is the same sea on which Peter had tried to walk on the water and failed.  This time he didn’t even try to walk on the water; he just throws himself in. Maybe he’s not about to test his faith after what happened when he denied Jesus. Peter’s enthusiasm is still there, but his hopeful optimism is not.  Note the account says Peter pulled the net in. Dude is pumped!

Three times before the crucifixion, hiding in the darkness, huddled around a charcoal fire, Peter had not loved Jesus more than anything else.  Three times, now, in the light of the morning, huddled around a charcoal fire, by a sea that represents his lack of faith, as the day is dawning, he is offered redemption. 

The first and second time Peter responds with, “Lord, you know…”  he is referring to knowledge at an every day level, the knowledge based on perception. 

Lord, you know all things because you have seen my love.  I was the first one called to follow you and the first one named apostle. You saw me jump out of boats into seas that frightened me. You saw me cut off that dude’s ear when you were arrested.  I ran to the tomb when I heard you were alive.  You even nicknamed me the rock, remember? LOOK HOW IMPRESSIVE MY LOVE IS!!!”

But the third time, Peter shifts to a word that means experiential knowledge: “Lord, you perceive ALL things; you have experienced my life; we know each other; you have experienced my love.” I have read a bunch of commentary on this:  Is Peter offended?  Defensive? Exasperated?  Embarrassed? Confused? My sense is that Peter’s last response is a statement of resignation.  Jesus is not letting Peter avoid reality. 

“I’m not asking if you are excited about me; of course you are. I’m not asking how impressive you are in your emotional outpourings and impulsive decisions and your ability to say what you think.  You are clearly excited about me. You just pulled that whole net in.  I’m asking you something different.  I’m asking if you love me.  I’m asking if you will take up your cross and follow me in spite of dangeror the opinions of others, or uncertainty and doubt.  I DO KNOW YOU!!! Last time you didn’t. That’s why I’m asking again if you love me enough to die for me.”

And Peter response is, “Ah. Yes. You do know me, don’t you?” But Peter doesn’t give up.  He continues to insist, “You know I love you.”   

Ever have a conversation with someone when your relationship is at it’s worst?  You have said things or done things that have given the other person every reason to push you away, and when you finally see yourself for the kind of friend or spouse or parent or child that you are, the last thing you have to fall back on is, “I love you, though. I really do.  I have nothing else to say. I’m not very good at it sometimes, and I know when I let you down or hurt you I really let you down and hurt you. But I love you.”  And then you desperately hope that will be sufficient to overcome weeks or months or years of insufficiency.  

If I am understanding this correctly, Peter says, in essence,  “You have experienced that I am cowardly, and impulsive, and self-centered, and doubting…but I love you.” Then Jesus says:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"

In John 13: 36-38, Jesus had said to him, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.”

What Jesus told Peter he could not do before (follow Him), he tells him he can do now, and that he will do it so effectively that he will be able to lead his church, and then he will die, and John records that this is a “semenon” – a sign.  

 John does not use the world “miracle” in his gospel to describe the actions of Jesus.  He uses the word “sign” every time.  The purpose of the signs were to promote trust and belief in Christ.  Peter’s death will glorify God and be a “sign” to promote trust in Christ.

It turns out that Chapter 21 is a victory song to conclude the gospels.  Here we are shown, through Peter, that our shortcomings and failures can be forgiven, and that Jesus wants us broken and imperfect people to follow Him and build His kingdom anyway.   

Peter stands in for all of us in this story. 

  • Peter, who was afraid of servant girls around campfires, will preach to the masses in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell like fire. 

  • Peter, who cut off a man’s ear, will heal a man crippled from birth. 

  • Peter, the coward, will be called by the apostle Paul a "pillar" of the Church. 

  • For nine months, in absolute darkness, the Peter who denied Christ out of fear of the fallout will endure monstrous torture manacled to a post.  He will convert his jailers and forty-seven others.

  • Peter, who once rebuked Jesus for saying the Messiah needed to suffer, will be crucified upside down, and  (if tradition is correct) will even speak words of comfort to his wife as she goes to her death.

 Peter’s death will be a sign to show to all of us that our history does not have to be our destiny.  Morning is now coming to be, because the Light Of The World has come.

“The world and the church are littered with smashed lives and vessels ground beneath vengeful, judging feet… cross the line of shame (we think) and there is no way back… Not so because of Easter.  The veil of death is parted; through it a hand reaches out to Peter, shamed and probably resigned to former routines.  Wherever and however it happened, Peter was turned from death to life.  The God who had not abandoned Christ in death would not abandon Peter in his.  Against all odds…God proposed to love Peter again…yes, he will follow as once he declared he would.”

“We are called from that night where Peter, giving up and back in his old life, fishing in the dark, could catch nothing.  Now, as the light dawns on us, resurrection means we are able to receive the love God proposes us.” (William Loader)

What do I learn about Jesus?

He calls those of us hiding in darkness into the light.  

We all have a history of which we are ashamed.  It has been this way since Peter.  We didn’t deny Christ in the courtyard of the palace, but we have denied him with our TV’s, and our computers, and our budgets, and our priorities, and dating, and marriages, and family dynamics, and addictions, and words….Jesus meets us in the darkness and calls us into the light of His truth, grace and healing.

He will make us face the deeds we did in that darkness.

It is sometimes easy to put on a front that masks who we know we have been, but Jesus sees through masks.  Anybody can come to church and talk it up, and impress people.  And we might even believe our own PR campaign.  “Hey, I’m pretty good.  Jesus is lucky to have me!”   But Jesus knows us.  He is not interested in our strength. It’s when we are weak that He is strong.  David says God desires a “broken and repentant spirit.”  If we want to fully follow Christ, and truly make an impact in His Kingdom, we must be willing to be broken.  We must be willing to have the deeds done in darkness brought into the light of Christ.  There is no other way.   


He might make this happen in front of other people, by the way. Peter wasn’t alone. Six of his best friends were there. I don’t think this is an accident. God designed His kingdom so that we do life in Christ with others. THIS IS HOW TESTIMONIES WORK. 

He will empower us to follow Him and build His Kingdom.  

That last chapter of John is an encouragement to the church.  History is not destiny when Jesus enters the story.  Your story is not over, because Jesus is working in your life to shine His light into all the dark places, and take your weaknesses and fill them with His strength. 

Reading Scripture Well (2 Peter 3:14-18)

So, my friends, while we wait for the day of the Lord, work hard to live in peace, without flaw or blemish; 15 and look at the patience of the Lord as your salvation. Our dearly loved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, has written about this. 16 He says essentially the same in all of his letters, although uneducated and unstable readers misinterpret the difficult passages, just as they always misread Scripture, to their spiritual ruin.17 So hear my final words, my friends. Now that I have warned you about what’s ahead, keep up your guard and don’t let unprincipled people pull you away from the sure ground of the truth with their lies and misunderstandings. 18 Instead, grow in grace and in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed, to whom be glory, now and until the coming of the new age. Amen.

Peter makes a big deal about true and false teachers, about learning what has been passed on by the prophets and apostles, about the importance of this to avoid spiritual ruin. Because of the importance of these final words from Peter, I want to walk us through some principles of Bible study today so that we do not misinterpret and fall into spiritual ruin.

Christians may still have points of tension on certain issues even if all parties are following these principles. God seems content to let mystery remain in the midst of things that are certain. That’s not a bad thing. I think it’s supposed to force us into community – but that’s my final point ☺

KNOW THE GENRE

  • History - a purposeful presentation of facts. Real people and places and events. This includes biography, war texts, etc.

  • Law Texts – Moral (don’t kill), ceremonial (wash your hands), hygienic (quarantine lepers), civil (forgive debts every 7 years).

  • Wisdom Lit - Wise or insightful saying about general principles in life. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (and possibly even a good way to understand some of the law texts).

  • Poetry – Psalms; scattered throughout the Old Testament A lot of symbolism (“He will cover you with His feathers and wings”) and emotion. Poetry is often a journal rather than a manual.

  • Prophetic writing - prediction of the future or an analysis of how people are doing from God’s perspective.

  • War texts - a particular way of recording conquests

  • Apocalyptic – Revelation, parts of Daniel. Meant to be hopeful for people in distress. It is full of strange imagery and codes.

  • Romance - Song of Solomon; Ruth

  • Epistles (letters)- Personal communication on theology, church life, Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, living in the city, etc.

  • Parables – stories to illustrate a point

KNOW THE PURPOSE

A. Prescriptive (“Do/believe this not that!”)

  • The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

  • 7 churches in Revelation (Revelation 1-3)

B. Descriptive (“This is what happened.”

  • Jephthah sacrifices his daughter in Judges 11.

  • John the Baptist confronts Herod Antipas (Matthew 14)

Passages can be both – but they might not be. Read carefully.

KNOW THE CONTEXT [1]

What was the original author trying to say, and what did the original audience hear?

“Language assumes a culture, operates in a culture, serves a culture, and is designed to communicate into the framework of a culture…. We must translate the culture as well as the language if we hope to understand the text fully.” – John Walton

“We can easily forget that Scripture is a foreign land and that reading the Bible is a crosscultural experience.” – Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes

The Bible is situated in a culture. Cosmology; covenants; images (the sea is “chaos”), honor/shame; worship rituals; kings and kingdoms; sacrifice; societal structures, loaded language…

A book is situated in the Bible.

A chapter…in a book

A paragraph…in a chapter

A verse….in a paragraph.

A phrase…in a verse.

A word…in a verse.

Meaning always flows from the top (the Bible) down (to the verse), not the other way around.

Practice: what do these phrases mean in the broader context of the passage of Scripture in which they are situated?

  • Philippians 4:13 - “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (What things can we do, specifically?)

  • John 12:32 – “When I am lifted up, I will draw all men…” (How is Jesus lifted up?)

  • Ruth 3:9 and Ruth 2:12; Numbers 15:37-40 – what is Boaz ‘spreading’ over Ruth in 3:9?

  • John 10:10 – “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy…” (who is the thief?)

  • Romans 4:17 – “Call things that are not as though they are…” (Who does this, and what is the thing that ‘is not’?)

  • Matthew 18:18-20 – “Whatever you bind…loose…in heaven…“whenever two or more are gathered in my name, there I am...” (Hint: what is this section about? Where does the Old Testament talk about the importance of two or three witnesses, and why?)

  • John 8:32 – “The truth will set you free…” (What kind of truth? What kind of freedom?)

  • 2 Timothy 1:7 – “God has not given us a spirit of fear…” (what is meant by “spirit” here? Hint: however you interpret ‘spirit’, does it fit if you use the same meaning in the rest of the section when the word ‘spirit’ is used?”

  • 1 Corinthians 10:13 “God will not give you more than you can handle…” (Is this trials or temptations?)

  • 2 Corinthians 10:4 – “divine power to demolish strongholds…” (What are the strongholds?)

  • Isaiah 55:8 - “my ways are not your ways” (Hint: why does God remind his people of this? What does he want them to do?)

Practice: Choose one of the following sections of Scripture for contextual analysis:

  • Mark 11:12-21 A visit to the temple occurs between two incidents with a fig tree. What do they have in common? (Note: the fruit should appear before the leaves on a fig tree. A leafed tree should have fruit.)

  • Luke 4:14-28 Why are the people angry with Jesus? You will need to reference Isaiah 61:1-2. (Note: it was not uncommon for rabbis to quote only portions of a passage or bring in parts of other passages in order to make a particular point.)

NUMBERS AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE NEED FOR CONTEXT [2]

We have to be careful. Sometimes numbers are just numbers. But in the ancient Near East, numbers were often used symbolically rather than literally. If we try to make those writers’ symbolic use match our literal use, we can miss the point - sometimes badly.

NOT FIRST; SECOND

God often gives the most value to the second person – which is in direct opposition to the idea that the firstborn was the most important. We see this in events as well. The second is often more important than the first in God’s plan and purpose. It’s part of the “upside down” kingdom, where the wisdom, priorities and values of the world are turned upside down and shown to be foolish and unimportant.

  • Not the animals who were created first on day 6; the humans

  • Not the first creation (Eden), but the second (New Heaven and New Earth

  • Not Esau; Jacob

  • Not Saul; David

  • Not Ruth’s first husband; the second

  • Not Joseph’s first court appearance (he was jailed); the second

  • Not Moses’ first try freeing the people (killing the Egyptian); the second

  • Not the first leader out of Egypt (Moses); the second took them to the Promised Land (Aaron).

  • Not the first Adam/Abraham/David/Moses/Noah; the second (Jesus)

  • Not the first sacri@icial system; the second (the cross)

  • Not the first lamb (Passover); the second Lamb (Jesus)

  • Not the first birth (physical); the second (spiritual)

  • Not the first Jerusalem; the New Jerusalem

  • Not the first tree (in the garden), but the second tree (after the garden, on a hill)

THE NUMBER 6, the numbers of humanity (and beasts)

  • On the 6th day, men and beasts were created. You will actually see “man and beasts” paired together a LOT through the Old Testament.

  • 666 is familiar, yes? It’s the ultimate humanist mockery of the Trinity.

THE NUMBER 7, the number of completion (and perhaps perfection).

  • On the 7th day, God rested.

  • 7 days of creation/days of the week

  • 7 covenants with humanity (Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Levitic, Davidic, and Messianic)

  • 7 days (and seven times) around Jericho

  • “Wash in the Jordan seven times.” (2 Kings 5:10)

  • 7 pairs of each clean animal on the ark (Genesis 7:2)

  • 7 stems on the tabernacle’s lampstand (Exodus 25:37)

  • 7 qualities of the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2

  • Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus has 6 sets of 7 generation - putting Jesus as the 1st in the 7th seven.

  • Luke’s has 77 generations from Abraham.

  • 7 signs in John’s Gospel

  • 7 things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16

  • 7 parables in Matthew 13

  • 7 woes in Matthew 23.

  • “70 weeks” prophecy in Daniel 9:24 (7 times 7 times 10).

  • Jeremiah 29:10 predicted the Babylonian Captivity would last for seventy years (7 times 10).

  • Jesus is the seven-fold “I AM” in the Gospel of John.

  • forgive a wrongdoer “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22)

  • 7 letters to 7 churches; 7 spirits before God’s throne (Revelation 1:4)

  • 7 golden lampstands (1:12); 7 stars in Christ’s right hand (1:16); 7 seals of God’s judgment (5:1); 7 groups of people judged in Revelation 6

THE NUMBER 10 is fullness or entirety.

  • Ten generations from Adam to Noah, and Noah to Abraham.

  • The Ten Plagues fully expressed God’s judgment

  • The Ten Commandments

  • Jesus used the number ten often in parables to represent the full number of something.

  • Beasts from Daniel and Revelation often have ten horns - a full representation of earthly or evil power.

  • “Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer….that you may have tribulation ten days.” (Revelation 2:10:)

THE NUMBER 40 is the number of testing

  • The rain in the flood was 40 days and nights

  • Moses was 40 years in Egypt, in the desert, and on Mt. Sinai.

  • Jonah warned Ninevah for 40 days.

  • Jesus’ testing in the wilderness was 40 days.

  • It’s the number of days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. [3]

RECAPITULATION is the retelling of the same events with a different perspective and different purpose. There is an Old Jewish saying: “repetition is the mother of all wisdom.” No wonder that the Jewish writers used repetition.

A. Genesis 1 & 2 recapitulate: all of creation (Chapter 1) and then a focus on the 6th day (Chapter 2)

B. “The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.” (Genesis 41:32 NIV).

C. Daniel 2 looks at empires from a human perspective; they’re worthy and valuable (described with precious metals). Daniel 7 looks at empires from God’s perspective; they are grotesque beasts.

D. The four gospels are recapitulations:

  • Matthew: Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament

  • Mark: Jesus was a servant, so no genealogy because slaves and servants had no genealogies.

  • Luke: genealogy to Adam - Jesus is the Son of Man

  • John: all the way back to before creation – Jesus is God

E. The book of Revelation is full of recapitulation [4]

  • Revelation 6 - stars fell to the earth, which would completely destroy the earth. It’s the great day of the wrath of God’s judgment.

  • Revelation 11 - the 7th trumpet ushers in the end of the world

  • Revelation 16 - 7th angel’s bowl of judgment ends the world

  • Revelation 19 - the divine warrior’s sword wipes out all of the evil in the world and ends the world again.

  • Revelation 20 - Satan is kept from deceiving the nations, but didn’t he just get thrown into the lake of fire the previous chapter? At the end of the chapter, evil is wiped out again.

  • Revelation 21 - evil is thrown into the lake of fire. Again.

Linearly, this makes no sense. As a cycle of recapitulation, this is beautiful and all works together. Recapitulation allows for multiple perspectives and points on the same story. They all hammer home the same message – if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, stand firm in the midst of persecution. God wins in the end.

WAYS TO APPROACH BIBLE STUDY [5]

THE BOOK SURVEY METHOD [6]

  • Read through a book without stopping to consider the details (Titus, Philemon, James, Jude, Haggai, and Malachi are good ones to start with).

  • Draw a chart or outline (you can also find good ones online).

  • Find out all the background information you can. [7]

  • Read it again, perhaps in a different version (or in a side-by-side format ), taking notes of things that stand out while you read. [8]

  • What is the purpose of the writer? What “feel” do you get from reading it? Is the writer angry? Sad? Happy? Worried? Excited?

  • What are some of the significant words or phrases? What ideas are repeated or emphasized the most?

  • What seems to be the key verse or thought?

  • Use commentaries to see how you are doing ☺

THE CHAPTER ANALYSIS METHOD

  • Check the context. Who is speaking and being spoken to? When and where is it being spoken? What is the occasion or circumstance?

  • What is the main subject of the message? What other background material clarifies this statement? Are there cross-references somewhere else in the Bible that would be helpful?

  • Ask interpretive questions. Why did the writer say this? What is the meaning of ____________? What is the significance of ____________? What is the implication of ____________?

  • Write out a paraphrase it. The simplest way is just to rephrase the chapter in your own words. Read multiple translations, commentaries concordances to help you with particular words.

THE VERSE BY VERSE ANALYSIS METHOD

  • Same as above, just with a verse ☺

READ IN COMMUNITY

The Bible is intended to be read in the company of others in whom the Holy Spirit is at work. This includes voices from the past and the present, and from around the world.

______________________________________________________________________

[1] Some resources that have been influential for me in this area:

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth Bailey. 

Sexual Morality In A Christless World,  Matthew Rueger

Insights into Bible Times and Customs, by G Christian Weiss, published by Moody Press.

Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes, E. Randolph Richards

Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard.

40 Questions About Interpreting The Bible, by Robert Plummer

The Untold Story Of The Church, Frank Viola

Hard Sayings of the Bible, by Walter Kaiser, F.F. Bruce, and others. 

Paul Among The People, by Sarah Rudan. Excellent insight into the culture in which Paul wrote.

followtherabbi.com (Ray Vander Laan’s site)

Some of John Walton’s books (try “The Lost World Of The Old Testament”)

The Bible Jesus Read and The Jesus I Never Knew, Phillip Yancey

Dennis Prager’s Rational Bible series offers some insightful perspectives on the Old Testament through the lenses of Jewish history and tradition (Prager is Jewish, not Christian).

Is God a Moral Monster?  Making Sense of the Old Testament God, by Paul Copan. 

Reading The Bible With Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg

Hard Saying of the Old Testament, by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. 

Hard Sayings of Paul, by Manfred T. Brauch. 

Series on Biblical books by Timothy Keller (such as Galatians For You) or N.T. Wright (his New Testament for Everyoneset)

[2] See “Design Patterns In Biblical Narrative”  (a video from The Bible Project) and Nicole Clark, “Literary Design Pattern: See, Take, Do.” as good introductions to this.

[3] Also, the number 1,000 is rarely used literally. Check out all the verses with 1,000. God owns the cattle on 1,000 hills, for example, or God’s promise to Abraham is for 1,000 generations. We are not to assume the next hill or generation is exempt. 

[4]  From a series by Shane Woods on Revelation, with help from notes by a dude named Mike (https:// www.catlinchurch.com/content.cfm?id=213&download_id=736)

[5] I’m building/paraphrasing from info I found in a book Rick Warren wrote on methods of studying the Bible. He has a lot more ways he recommends; I am focusing on these three to stay with the theme of ‘context.’

[6] The Bible Project does a fantastic job giving overviews of each book.

[7] A website called Precept Austin has a lot of information. If you become a member of Bible Gateway (membership is cheap), they have excellent resources for this. Adam Clarke’s commentaries are helpful, as are the commentaries at biblehub.com. 

[8]Bible Gateway is fantastic for this.