I am still reading Romans and was struck this morning by the downward spiral of the first chapter. It ends with idolatry and immorality but where did it all start? For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Rom 1:18 NKJV or as the old KJV puts is 'who hold down the truth'. It is a figure that John uses in his introduction to the gospel; The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it. John 1:5 WEYMTH. I remember my old Greek teacher telling me that the word John uses was used of a cat pinning down a mouse.
There are great dangers in attempting to 'pin down' the truth or of suppressing it. We choose what we do with Truth. It is often said that 'the truth sets us free' but that is a error caused by quoting extracts from Bible verses. What Jesus actually said was more comprehensive; Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32 NKJV The sobering fact is that these 'believers' have stones in their hands by the end of the chapter.
So they 'suppressed' the truth that the Truth was revealing to them and the consequence was disaster. It parallels Paul's words in Romans. Our world is in the state it is because we rejected revelation. We chose the 'truth' that suited us and turned away from the 'truth' that challenged us. It is a very short journey from rejecting the truth to stoning the truth-bringer.
If we follow Paul's reasoning in Romans 1 we see that God's judgment is ultimately to come on those who have rejected the truth; who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; Rom 2:6-9 NKJV
We 'pin down the truth', as the cat did, because we want to be in control. To let this truth go free puts God back in charge of my life and that is seldom comfortable. Jesus, in his conversation with the 'Jews who believed in him', made truth an aspect of relationship. "If you abide in my word..." that is the first condition and its consequence is that you will genuinely be my disciples and the consequence of that is that you'will know the truth...' and is then and only then that we can move on to the next stage. And the truth, the truth that you know because you are living in it, will set you free. That is the climax. The truth only sets us free when we obey it as disciples of Jesus Christ.
If we have been suppressing the truth how do we re-sensitize our conscience? Back to Romans 1, the downward spiral began because 'although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful...' We must glorify God as God; give him his rightful place as the only source of Truth and we must lift our hearts to God in gratitude, even when the Truth disturbs us. It is the only way to reverse the downward spiral.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
judged as a sinner and called as a saint
I am reading, again, Romans. This is one of my favourite books and most of the Bibles I have had open at Romans of their own accord. I have preached on it times without number and conducted several series of Bible studies based on it and yet I still discover things I have never noticed. This is the wonder of the book.
Today I noticed two statements which seem to be contradictory. In Romans 3:7 Paul seems to be saying quite clearly that he is still 'judged as a sinner'. The image is the law court and Paul, and the whole human race as individuals, are on trial. The accusation is that we have broken God's law and if found guilty the sentence will be death. He goes on to show how universal this accusation is and that the evidence against us is overwhelming. It looks like an open and shut case until suddenly the judge declares 'Not Guilty'. That is 'God, him say, me OK" as we saw in the last blog. This is the wonder of Christ's death which enables God to 'overlook' literally to 'see over' "sins previously committed": Rom 3:25.
All who have ever read Romans, including the first recipients, are included in the 'judged as sinners' and yet when Paul writes to them he says that they have been 'called as saints'; Rom 1:7. We can begin to understand what he means if we remind ourselves that earlier in the book Paul describes himself as 'called as an apostle'; Rom 1:1. Although Paul was 'judged as a sinner', and he will remember that verdict as long as he lives, he was chosen with a unique destiny in mind. He was to be a personal emissary of Jesus Christ himself, an apostle. The full quotation is even more amazing; Paul, a bond-slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle.
He was not just called 'to be' an apostle as most of our versions translate it but 'as an apostle'. When did he become an apostle? When God called him or when God sent him? Did he become an apostle because he was sent, or was he sent because he was an apostle? From the moment of his meeting with Christ he was a marked man. Apostle was his calling and it became his character; it was in his blood from the first moments of his encounter with Christ and God engineered the circumstances to release him into his calling.
So if we are called as saints, and the word means 'holy one', do we become a saint because we become holy, or do we become holy because we are saints?
God put a seed into Paul that could grow into nothing else other than 'apostleship'. It might be hindered but it could never become anything else. So in genuine regeneration God puts a seed of a new, and holy, nature into those he has called, and although it may be hindered, it can never grow into anything else other than a 'saint'. It is our nature, our calling, and our destiny; And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom 8:28-29 NKJV. We judged as sinners but called as saints.
Today I noticed two statements which seem to be contradictory. In Romans 3:7 Paul seems to be saying quite clearly that he is still 'judged as a sinner'. The image is the law court and Paul, and the whole human race as individuals, are on trial. The accusation is that we have broken God's law and if found guilty the sentence will be death. He goes on to show how universal this accusation is and that the evidence against us is overwhelming. It looks like an open and shut case until suddenly the judge declares 'Not Guilty'. That is 'God, him say, me OK" as we saw in the last blog. This is the wonder of Christ's death which enables God to 'overlook' literally to 'see over' "sins previously committed": Rom 3:25.
All who have ever read Romans, including the first recipients, are included in the 'judged as sinners' and yet when Paul writes to them he says that they have been 'called as saints'; Rom 1:7. We can begin to understand what he means if we remind ourselves that earlier in the book Paul describes himself as 'called as an apostle'; Rom 1:1. Although Paul was 'judged as a sinner', and he will remember that verdict as long as he lives, he was chosen with a unique destiny in mind. He was to be a personal emissary of Jesus Christ himself, an apostle. The full quotation is even more amazing; Paul, a bond-slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle.
He was not just called 'to be' an apostle as most of our versions translate it but 'as an apostle'. When did he become an apostle? When God called him or when God sent him? Did he become an apostle because he was sent, or was he sent because he was an apostle? From the moment of his meeting with Christ he was a marked man. Apostle was his calling and it became his character; it was in his blood from the first moments of his encounter with Christ and God engineered the circumstances to release him into his calling.
So if we are called as saints, and the word means 'holy one', do we become a saint because we become holy, or do we become holy because we are saints?
God put a seed into Paul that could grow into nothing else other than 'apostleship'. It might be hindered but it could never become anything else. So in genuine regeneration God puts a seed of a new, and holy, nature into those he has called, and although it may be hindered, it can never grow into anything else other than a 'saint'. It is our nature, our calling, and our destiny; And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom 8:28-29 NKJV. We judged as sinners but called as saints.
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
God, him say, 'me OK'.
I am preparing for a week-end in Norfolk at a beautiful country house. It is a very pleasant setting and is the venue for a church weekend. The church, not the one of which I am part, gathers there every second year and last time in 2007 I was invited to be the speaker. These patient folk have repeated the invitation and this year our topic is 'justification by faith'. It is a great topic and one of the foundation stones of New Testament truth. The Reformation began as a protest but it was this truth that changed the direction of church history from that point.
The topic is one of those phrases much loved by Bible believers but completely incomprehensible to everyone else. What is justification? When we use the word in everyday speech we usually mean that someone is defending an action that someone has challenged. In everyday language it means I am trying to put myself 'in the right' over some disputed issue. How would you begin to put yourself 'in the right' in a disagreement with God?!?
If I stand in the court of God's justice and God accuses me of having broken his law, how would I begin to 'justify' myself? How would I 'plead' in such a court? Guilty or Not-Guilty? If I have any sense of sin I am clearly going to plead 'guilty'. What would you say if I said I have stood in such a court and pleaded 'guilty' and yet the judgement of the court was that I was 'not guilty'?
'Guilt' in Bible language doesn't mean a bad feeling, it means 'blame-worthiness'. So how can I go into court knowing that I am 'blame-worthy' and then entering my plea of 'guilty' and then walk from the court not only a free man but one with no criminal record. The court found me 'not guilty' even though I pleaded 'guilty'.
If I were 'guilty' a sentence or condemnation would follow, but if I am pronounced 'not guilty' the court's authority over me has ended, and there is, literally, no condemnation. No sentence, no punishment. In ancient Roman law a man found 'not guilty' in court was said to be 'in the right'. The verdict of the judge was 'This man is in the right' or to use the Bible language, 'justified'. Paul says when a man or woman put all their trust, of faith, in Christ and his death in our place, God declares that person to be 'just with him'... justified. Hence the theological phrase 'justified by faith'. 'Guilty' but pronounced 'not guilty' by the judge. Christ's death was the penalty for our crime and hence as the sentence has been carried out already, the law has no more power over me.
In Papua New Guinea some years ago the Bible was being translated into a language which is sometimes called 'pigeon English'; English words but used in a very non-English way. When they came to translate the concept of 'justification by faith' it was a struggle. They came up with a quaint phrase which is not good English but is crystal clear theology 'God, him say, me OK'. As the judge his opinion is the only one that really matters. Accusations may come thick and fast but if 'God, him say, me OK' who is going to argue?
Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Rom 8:33-34 World English Bible.
The topic is one of those phrases much loved by Bible believers but completely incomprehensible to everyone else. What is justification? When we use the word in everyday speech we usually mean that someone is defending an action that someone has challenged. In everyday language it means I am trying to put myself 'in the right' over some disputed issue. How would you begin to put yourself 'in the right' in a disagreement with God?!?
If I stand in the court of God's justice and God accuses me of having broken his law, how would I begin to 'justify' myself? How would I 'plead' in such a court? Guilty or Not-Guilty? If I have any sense of sin I am clearly going to plead 'guilty'. What would you say if I said I have stood in such a court and pleaded 'guilty' and yet the judgement of the court was that I was 'not guilty'?
'Guilt' in Bible language doesn't mean a bad feeling, it means 'blame-worthiness'. So how can I go into court knowing that I am 'blame-worthy' and then entering my plea of 'guilty' and then walk from the court not only a free man but one with no criminal record. The court found me 'not guilty' even though I pleaded 'guilty'.
If I were 'guilty' a sentence or condemnation would follow, but if I am pronounced 'not guilty' the court's authority over me has ended, and there is, literally, no condemnation. No sentence, no punishment. In ancient Roman law a man found 'not guilty' in court was said to be 'in the right'. The verdict of the judge was 'This man is in the right' or to use the Bible language, 'justified'. Paul says when a man or woman put all their trust, of faith, in Christ and his death in our place, God declares that person to be 'just with him'... justified. Hence the theological phrase 'justified by faith'. 'Guilty' but pronounced 'not guilty' by the judge. Christ's death was the penalty for our crime and hence as the sentence has been carried out already, the law has no more power over me.
In Papua New Guinea some years ago the Bible was being translated into a language which is sometimes called 'pigeon English'; English words but used in a very non-English way. When they came to translate the concept of 'justification by faith' it was a struggle. They came up with a quaint phrase which is not good English but is crystal clear theology 'God, him say, me OK'. As the judge his opinion is the only one that really matters. Accusations may come thick and fast but if 'God, him say, me OK' who is going to argue?
Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Rom 8:33-34 World English Bible.
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
The Commissioning of the Apostles
Bible students find the words of Jesus "Receive the Spirit" something of a puzzle. John's gospel seems, at first sight, to have a different time line to the others. When did they receive the Spirit? In John 20 or Acts 2?
John's gospel is complementary. He was aware of the synoptic gospels and was consciously filling in gaps at times. When we put together the account in Luke's gospel and that of John things become a little clearer. This resurrection appearance of Christ is recorded in both. In John's gospel it says that he commissioned them as apostles; So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:21-23 NKJV In Luke's gospel it says that he opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Luke 24:45 NKJV; Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:46-49 NKJV
This 'Receive the Spirit' has to do with the unique role of the apostles. The word used in 'as the Father has sent me' is the verb 'to apostle'. Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of our Confession (Heb 3:1) The Father sent him as the Messenger of the Covenant. In the John and Luke passages The New Covenant has now been inaugurated and the 'ministers of the New Covenant' are to be sent into all the world. As part of their equipping for this new role they receive a unique endowment of the Spirit and their minds are opened to comprehend the Scriptures.
This event is a vital link. There are some in our day who claim that they are just as inspired as the first Christians who did not have a Bible. They are sometimes known as 'post evangelicals' but they have missed this vital link. The early Christians certainly did not have a Bible but they had uniquely prepared men who were in a sense a living Bible. Their understanding of the fulfilment of the Old Testament in Christ's death and resurrection did not come about as a result of years of Bible study or natural gifting; it came as a result of a unique work of the Spirit who made the words of these men as authoritative as the words that came from Christ's own lips.
So authoritative in fact, that Christ prayed specifically for only two groups of people; those whom he had physically chosen in the days of his flesh AND those who come to faith as a result of their words; “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word John 17:20-21 NKJV
If you have ever wondered where Peter got the sermon that he preached on the day of Pentecost, he got it here when the Spirit was breathed upon him and his mind was opened.
John's gospel is complementary. He was aware of the synoptic gospels and was consciously filling in gaps at times. When we put together the account in Luke's gospel and that of John things become a little clearer. This resurrection appearance of Christ is recorded in both. In John's gospel it says that he commissioned them as apostles; So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:21-23 NKJV In Luke's gospel it says that he opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Luke 24:45 NKJV; Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:46-49 NKJV
This 'Receive the Spirit' has to do with the unique role of the apostles. The word used in 'as the Father has sent me' is the verb 'to apostle'. Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of our Confession (Heb 3:1) The Father sent him as the Messenger of the Covenant. In the John and Luke passages The New Covenant has now been inaugurated and the 'ministers of the New Covenant' are to be sent into all the world. As part of their equipping for this new role they receive a unique endowment of the Spirit and their minds are opened to comprehend the Scriptures.
This event is a vital link. There are some in our day who claim that they are just as inspired as the first Christians who did not have a Bible. They are sometimes known as 'post evangelicals' but they have missed this vital link. The early Christians certainly did not have a Bible but they had uniquely prepared men who were in a sense a living Bible. Their understanding of the fulfilment of the Old Testament in Christ's death and resurrection did not come about as a result of years of Bible study or natural gifting; it came as a result of a unique work of the Spirit who made the words of these men as authoritative as the words that came from Christ's own lips.
So authoritative in fact, that Christ prayed specifically for only two groups of people; those whom he had physically chosen in the days of his flesh AND those who come to faith as a result of their words; “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word John 17:20-21 NKJV
If you have ever wondered where Peter got the sermon that he preached on the day of Pentecost, he got it here when the Spirit was breathed upon him and his mind was opened.
Monday, 13 April 2009
The things that make God smile
Yes, I know there is an old joke along these lines which says if you want to make God smile tell him your plans, but what really makes God smile?
Piecing together the resurrection appearances is not easy but it seems that Mary was the first to witness his life after death and that the angel's messages sent a small group of women scampering back to find the apostles. Their journey was interrupted by a meeting with the risen Christ; And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” Matt 28:9 NKJV. I have a theory that you can't really tell someone to rejoice without smiling.
The lives of these early disciples had been turned upside down. Their hopes and aspirations lay in ruins, and now, to top it all, someone had stolen the body... or so it had appeared. The angel told them that Christ was risen but we can imagine the mixture of their excitement and fear as they ran to tell the others. How simply the gospel tells this story... Jesus met them, saying "Rejoice". No doubt they were shaken at the meeting, wondering what it could all mean. He smiled... I am sure he smiled... a smile of reassurance and a single word of greeting; "Rejoice".
"Rejoice", why? Because he had survived death? Certainly, but much more. He had not merely survived, he had triumphed over death. He had turned the tables on death and 'by death, had rendered powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil'. His appearance, alive and well, was the sure proof that his sacrifice had been accepted and that death could not hold him. He had died under the weight of a world's sin but the sin could not hold him either.
That poignant psalm, Psalm 22, focuses on the sin-bearing and the forsakenness for the first half but then abruptly changes the mood; ...You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. Psa 22:21-22 NKJV From then on the psalm is a rapture of victory and hope. ending with the words...'he has done it!' "It is finished". The sin-bearing was over and would never need to be repeated. Every impediment to God's perfect will for the human race had been dealt with. A new day had dawned and God was smiling.
Piecing together the resurrection appearances is not easy but it seems that Mary was the first to witness his life after death and that the angel's messages sent a small group of women scampering back to find the apostles. Their journey was interrupted by a meeting with the risen Christ; And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” Matt 28:9 NKJV. I have a theory that you can't really tell someone to rejoice without smiling.
The lives of these early disciples had been turned upside down. Their hopes and aspirations lay in ruins, and now, to top it all, someone had stolen the body... or so it had appeared. The angel told them that Christ was risen but we can imagine the mixture of their excitement and fear as they ran to tell the others. How simply the gospel tells this story... Jesus met them, saying "Rejoice". No doubt they were shaken at the meeting, wondering what it could all mean. He smiled... I am sure he smiled... a smile of reassurance and a single word of greeting; "Rejoice".
"Rejoice", why? Because he had survived death? Certainly, but much more. He had not merely survived, he had triumphed over death. He had turned the tables on death and 'by death, had rendered powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil'. His appearance, alive and well, was the sure proof that his sacrifice had been accepted and that death could not hold him. He had died under the weight of a world's sin but the sin could not hold him either.
That poignant psalm, Psalm 22, focuses on the sin-bearing and the forsakenness for the first half but then abruptly changes the mood; ...You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. Psa 22:21-22 NKJV From then on the psalm is a rapture of victory and hope. ending with the words...'he has done it!' "It is finished". The sin-bearing was over and would never need to be repeated. Every impediment to God's perfect will for the human race had been dealt with. A new day had dawned and God was smiling.
Saturday, 11 April 2009
I will strike the Shepherd
Immediately before starting the journey to Gethesemene Jesus quoted a verse from the ancient prophecy of Zechariah; “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Zech 13:7-8 NKJV It was this prophecy that set the tone for Gethsemene. The Speaker is Jehovah; God himself would 'strike the shepherd'.
It is a remarkable prophecy. It speaks of one who is 'a companion' of the God who says he has 'no companions'. It touches on the nature of the Triune God. This is the mystery that John declared when he said; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1-2 NKJV. Father, Word and Spirit had enjoyed an eternal and unbroken fellowship. 'Daily' delighting in each other's company. Even the incarnation, when the Word became flesh, did not interrupt that delightful fellowship.
But as events move towards their climax the shadow of an impenetrable interruption now falls upon Christ. This was the cause of the agony and the blood sweat. The physical tortures of crucifixion would pale almost into insignificance in comparison to this. In fulfilling his mission he would become the Sin-bearer and as the sin-bearing goat of the Day of Atonement he would not only carry it, but carry it away from the presence of God.
Three times in Gethesemene he came to this same place of submission to the unthinkable. Three times he was offered the cup of God's righteous wrath against sin. Three times he faced the prospect of the Father unsheathing the sword of judgement against the sin-bearer. Three times he set his heart to go through. The calm of the trials is a witness to the fact that the matter was settled. He had accepted the cup, all that remained now was that he should drink it.
This is the explanation to that terrible cry of abandonment; And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matt 27:46 NKJV The phrase is from Psalm 19 which describes the agonies of the cross in language far more gripping than a physical description of the physical suffering. This was the Passion, not the nails or the thorns but this moment of dereliction.
Some theories of the Atonement, held even among evangelicals, refuse to believe that Christ received the penalty for our sin. The modern publishing phenomena "The Shack" teaches that Christ was mistaken when he 'felt himself forsaken'. But Christ was neither mistaken nor deluded. He had been baptised into our condition of separation from God and nature itself drew the curtain of darkness over the scene. It was not visible to human eyes and not understandable to human comprehension, but it is an eternal fact for all that. If God has not 'struck the shepherd' then his sword remains unsheathed. The blow must surely fall. It has either fallen upon the Sin-bearer or it must fall upon me.
It is a remarkable prophecy. It speaks of one who is 'a companion' of the God who says he has 'no companions'. It touches on the nature of the Triune God. This is the mystery that John declared when he said; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1-2 NKJV. Father, Word and Spirit had enjoyed an eternal and unbroken fellowship. 'Daily' delighting in each other's company. Even the incarnation, when the Word became flesh, did not interrupt that delightful fellowship.
But as events move towards their climax the shadow of an impenetrable interruption now falls upon Christ. This was the cause of the agony and the blood sweat. The physical tortures of crucifixion would pale almost into insignificance in comparison to this. In fulfilling his mission he would become the Sin-bearer and as the sin-bearing goat of the Day of Atonement he would not only carry it, but carry it away from the presence of God.
Three times in Gethesemene he came to this same place of submission to the unthinkable. Three times he was offered the cup of God's righteous wrath against sin. Three times he faced the prospect of the Father unsheathing the sword of judgement against the sin-bearer. Three times he set his heart to go through. The calm of the trials is a witness to the fact that the matter was settled. He had accepted the cup, all that remained now was that he should drink it.
This is the explanation to that terrible cry of abandonment; And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matt 27:46 NKJV The phrase is from Psalm 19 which describes the agonies of the cross in language far more gripping than a physical description of the physical suffering. This was the Passion, not the nails or the thorns but this moment of dereliction.
Some theories of the Atonement, held even among evangelicals, refuse to believe that Christ received the penalty for our sin. The modern publishing phenomena "The Shack" teaches that Christ was mistaken when he 'felt himself forsaken'. But Christ was neither mistaken nor deluded. He had been baptised into our condition of separation from God and nature itself drew the curtain of darkness over the scene. It was not visible to human eyes and not understandable to human comprehension, but it is an eternal fact for all that. If God has not 'struck the shepherd' then his sword remains unsheathed. The blow must surely fall. It has either fallen upon the Sin-bearer or it must fall upon me.
Friday, 10 April 2009
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
So says Paul when he writes to the Corinthians as he urges the need to be diligent in removing polluting sins from the local church. It is one of the clearest statements in the New Testament that the early Christians saw Christ as the fulfilment of the ancient laws of Moses and Sinai. The Passover sacrifice had commemorated the first moments of the Exodus; Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt.
They had been the bond-slaves of the Pharaohs for many a generation but God had heard their prayer and sent them a deliverer and a mediator. Moses instructed that each family was required to measure the potential appetites of its members so that all could have a adequate meal of roast lamb. If the family was too small to warrant a whole lamb then two or more families were to join together. It was an intimate family affair. They were to eat it already prepared for the Exodus, the departure from Egypt; their robes tucked into their belts, their few belongings on their backs, their staffs in their hands and their sandals on their feet. They were to eat it in haste and standing up. They had to be ready to move out at a moment's notice.
It was not just a meal however. The lamb was a sacrifice and died as a substitute for the eldest son of each family. Judgement was on its way to Egypt and all the eldest sons were on a death list; Israelites and Egyptians alike. The Israelite families sheltered in their homes and ate the meal that the lamb had provided by its death. The only difference between their homes and those of the Egyptians was that they daubed the blood of their lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their homes. It was a sign to God's avenging messenger of death; "When I see the blood", said God, "I will pass over you." Hence the name of the annual commemoration, Pass-over.
The Last Supper was a Passover meal and elements of the different parts of the ceremony can be traced in the gospel accounts. As far as we know this is the only 'sacrifice' that Christ ever made. As leader of the feast, it would have been his responsibility to provide the lamb and order the ceremony. He paused during the meal to declare that he had had a passion to share this Passover with his disciples before he suffered. He would not, he said, drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes. In the next moments he transposed the Old Covenant ceremony into a New Covenant one. "This cup" he said " is the New Covenant in my blood which is shed for you." He mingled together pictures of sacrificial lambs and the words of Moses when the Old Sinai Covenant had been inaugurated.
This was a new beginning and a new Exodus. From this time onwards his new family would look backwards to a human Passover lamb who had carried their sins and paid the price of their judgement. The Old Covenant had had its own Passover Lamb and now, so did the New. As Paul expressed it so profoundly; Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. God has seen the blood and we are spared. Are we feeding on the Lamb?
They had been the bond-slaves of the Pharaohs for many a generation but God had heard their prayer and sent them a deliverer and a mediator. Moses instructed that each family was required to measure the potential appetites of its members so that all could have a adequate meal of roast lamb. If the family was too small to warrant a whole lamb then two or more families were to join together. It was an intimate family affair. They were to eat it already prepared for the Exodus, the departure from Egypt; their robes tucked into their belts, their few belongings on their backs, their staffs in their hands and their sandals on their feet. They were to eat it in haste and standing up. They had to be ready to move out at a moment's notice.
It was not just a meal however. The lamb was a sacrifice and died as a substitute for the eldest son of each family. Judgement was on its way to Egypt and all the eldest sons were on a death list; Israelites and Egyptians alike. The Israelite families sheltered in their homes and ate the meal that the lamb had provided by its death. The only difference between their homes and those of the Egyptians was that they daubed the blood of their lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their homes. It was a sign to God's avenging messenger of death; "When I see the blood", said God, "I will pass over you." Hence the name of the annual commemoration, Pass-over.
The Last Supper was a Passover meal and elements of the different parts of the ceremony can be traced in the gospel accounts. As far as we know this is the only 'sacrifice' that Christ ever made. As leader of the feast, it would have been his responsibility to provide the lamb and order the ceremony. He paused during the meal to declare that he had had a passion to share this Passover with his disciples before he suffered. He would not, he said, drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes. In the next moments he transposed the Old Covenant ceremony into a New Covenant one. "This cup" he said " is the New Covenant in my blood which is shed for you." He mingled together pictures of sacrificial lambs and the words of Moses when the Old Sinai Covenant had been inaugurated.
This was a new beginning and a new Exodus. From this time onwards his new family would look backwards to a human Passover lamb who had carried their sins and paid the price of their judgement. The Old Covenant had had its own Passover Lamb and now, so did the New. As Paul expressed it so profoundly; Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. God has seen the blood and we are spared. Are we feeding on the Lamb?
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