Christ’s Patience

Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

Luke 9:54

Jesus and His disciples had entered a Samaritan village but they were apparently refused hospitality. James and John were incensed that they and Jesus should be treated this way so they asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven to destroy those people. They thought they knew Jesus but in fact they knew only their idea of Jesus. Jesus rebuked them quite strongly: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56).

We live in a world that has largely rejected Jesus Christ and governments that make decisions and pass laws that are contrary to God’s nature and will. Those who refuse to receive Jesus are becoming more hostile toward Him and His people with words and actions of hatred. The temptation for us is to think like James and John and want Jesus to bring down fire and judge the world now. It isn’t uncommon for an unbeliever to question God’s existence by asking why God doesn’t intervene. Of course God has and will intervene – but first He is saving all who want to be saved. John records, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). The next verse makes it clear that the world was already condemned (John 3:18).

Concerning the promise of the coming judgment in the Day of the Lord Peter writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The troubling times we are experiencing are the Lord’s provocation for people to seek Him. This is an opportunity for Christians to share the Gospel of Christ to more receptive hearts. Wickedness in the world should not provoke us to call down the fires of heavenly judgment but to show compassion. One of the symptoms that reveal that we have the same attitude as James and John is that we will cease sharing the Gospel and making disciples. Paul warned the Thessalonian Christians against this behaviour (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). For now we have an open door to make disciples of Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus gives us the assurance “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Set Free

“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you”

Mark 5:19

This man had been possessed by many demons and was helpless to deliver himself from them. They controlled him, making his life an absolute misery. The locals had tried binding him with ropes and even with chains but failed to help him (v 4). He was living among the dead (v 3) and wished himself dead. He had tried to end his life on many occasions but the demons prevented him (v 5). Suicide seemed his only escape from the relentless torture of his demon possessed life.

Jesus had come, with His disciples, from across the sea to meet this man. Unlike the locals who had no compassion him, Jesus had compassion on him. The locals were only concerned about the disruption to their own lives and wanted the man out of their way and out of sight. When Jesus impacted their livelihood they wanted Him gone as well (v 17). They could readily see the result of Jesus’ compassion, and the demons’ obedience to Him, but their greed and comfort blinded them from knowing who Jesus is. The question didn’t even come to their minds. Who is Jesus that He has authority over demons? Only the previously demon possessed man discovered the answer to that question that day.

Jesus left this man behind though he pleaded to go with them (v 18). Jesus had a mission for him. He was told to tell his friends what the Lord had done for him but especially that the Lord had compassion on him. Essentially that is what all of us who have been delivered from Satan’s power should do. Perhaps we forget that we were once under Satan’s power and helpless to deliver ourselves. Perhaps we are inclined to credit ourselves with wisdom or strength to set us free from sin and death. We should remind ourselves that we were just as powerless as this demon possessed man until Jesus came. Though they could see the man in a right mind and heard that Jesus had done this great thing the locals demanded Jesus leave (vv 15-16). There are people like the demon possessed man who are attempting suicide to escape the tortures of a godless world. Jesus went well out of His way, with His disciples, to free this man because He had compassion on him. Thank God there are those disciples who do similarly today.

His Hour

“So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them – walking, leaping, and praising God”

Acts 3:8

This man had been lame from birth (Acts 3:2) and he was now forty years old (Acts 4:22). This was his hour in which God would be glorified through him. He had been at the temple gate every day of his adult life enduring this affliction and begging for daily sustenance. Peter, John and even Jesus would have passed him many times before. He could have asked why he had to put up with years of lameness and begging when he could have been healed earlier.

He didn’t think about what might have been or accuse God of being unfair. He had been delivered from his lameness and was now free to rejoice in his new liberty. What a ridiculous sight it would have been if he had returned to his begging clothes and mat to beg again. No longer would he rely on the generosity of others. Now he would be able to work and provide for himself.

We who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been set free from a much greater affliction, that of sin that binds us under Satan’s power and the inevitable consequence of death. We have no reason to accuse God. It is for this hour that we are here to glorify God and our history has brought us to this hour. Mordecai said to Esther, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).

Instead of concerning ourselves about what might have been we can walk with Jesus and leap in faith praising God that we are in His time. The hour of our salvation may now be some time in the past and we have experienced many things that have been either pleasant or unpleasant; but through them the Lord has brought us to this hour. All that is passed in our lives has brought us to this hour for God’s glory. We won’t return to the begging mat of sin but we will do what we could not do before – serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

The lame man did not know that his hour to glorify God had come until it came – and neither will we.

When other people recognised this man walking, leaping and praising God as the one who had been lame they were ready to hear Peter proclaim Christ. This unnamed man who endured forty years of lameness became the opportunity for the Gospel to be proclaimed. His hour came. He is not complaining. He is still praising God.

Precious to God

“’Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die?’ ‘For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord. ‘Therefore turn and live’” Ezekiel 18:31, 32

How often do we hear people who do not know the Lord criticize Him? Because His ways are not our ways He is criticized as unworthy, unjust, unrighteous and unloving by people who do not know Him. One of the frequently asked questions is why God allows people to suffer and die. He is considered to be unjust, vindictive or cruel, one who enjoys punishing people.

God did not turn away from people first. People first turned away from Him. These days He has been cast out of our schools, government and now there are those trying to remove him from conversation – especially in the media. That same media reports the consequences almost daily.

The above words of the Lord state a principle of His Divine Nature that is fully expressed in the cross of Jesus Christ. God invites every person to turn to Him and live with Him eternally. There is no reason for any person to go to hell since Jesus Christ has died for all sin. Why should you die? says the Lord and invites everyone to come to Him. People are only separated from God because they choose not to come to Him. They have been seduced by Satan’s lie to Adam, you will be like God.” His door is always open to anyone who will turn to Him. As Paul writes, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). No one is excluded. That door will only close upon bodily death but then it closes forever.

If God found pleasure in punishing people He would never have sent the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, to take away our sin. This one act is an act of love and compassion. To confirm His desire He says again, “’As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die?’” (33:11). There is much passion in these words that express the heart desire of God.

On the other hand, the Lord says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). These are those who accepted His invitation to turn from their ways. These are those who know the love, kindness and grace of God. They know that He is not cruel or vindictive but rather He is a loving Father who wants His children to have all that is good and best for them. The moment believers die bodily they are in the presence of Jesus and see Him face to face. What a glorious moment that will be and it is “precious in the sight of the Lord.”

Greener Grass

“He has hedged me in so that I can’t get out” Lamentations 3:7

There will be times in our lives when we are in situations that we want to escape as quickly as possible. This may be one of the reasons some people suffer depression which may lead to taking their own life. They feel trapped and see no hope of being delivered from their painful situation.

Jeremiah’s situation included spiritual pain with the physical and emotional pain. His cry reveals that he was suffering because he had done all that the Lord had asked of him. His present affliction and pain was the response to his speaking, writing and doing as the Lord had asked.

He had proclaimed God’s word but the people had chosen to reject it and in rejecting it they took to persecuting God’s messenger. This is still the way of those who refuse to accept God’s word. That was bad enough but he also lived to see Jerusalem’s destruction. None of this needed to have happened had the people received the warning and returned to the Lord.

As we walk with the Lord Jesus Christ and seek to proclaim His gospel there will inevitably be times when we find ourselves in situations where we are being persecuted in some way and feel trapped. We want to escape. As far as we know we have been faithful in our walk with Jesus and sharing the Gospel. Yet, like Jeremiah, the response has been hostile.

The same can be said in regard to being a leader in the church. We long to see Christians respond to the Lord and grow, but they seem seduced and trapped by worldly values and ways. This is akin to Jeremiah weeping over Jerusalem. Jesus also wept over Jerusalem.

Many years ago, a man I knew well took his own life as a result of just such a situation. He had led many to Christ, but he became overwhelmed with grief over the worldly ways of some leaders of his church. It appears that he lost hope that it could be recovered. His response to the situation was not the right one – but it does show the depth of grief he suffered. Jeremiah grieved and Jesus’ grieved over Jerusalem’s failure to return to the Lord.

Jeremiah did not lose faith in the Lord, because he knew that it would pass. “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He cause grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies” (3:31-32).

There will be times when we feel trapped with no way out, even though we have been faithful to the Lord. The grass may look greener somewhere else; the hunt for that greener grass may simply be a desire to escape a situation where we feel trapped. All the doors ahead may appear closed for now, but at the right time the Lord will open the way for us.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6.

Introducing Our Friends

“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” Luke 7:47

We live in a day when the name of Jesus Christ is used in personal and public language, and in the media much more than a few decades ago. Unfortunately those who do not know Him are using it all too frequently in a wrong way and those who say they do know Him are not using it enough in a true way.

Most who use the name of our Lord as a swear word have no idea what they are doing. They are not aware that He is a real person, their Creator and the One to whom they will account for their life. This is not entirely their fault. They have been seduced and deceived. Jesus gave His people, the Church, the privilege and responsibility to preach the Gospel concerning Himself in life and word. Jesus will forgive the abuser of His name and change their heart when they realise who He is and ask for that forgiveness.

People who know that we have a living, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, grounded in love, will be less inclined to use His name in such a degrading way. In order to help them to that understanding we ought not to play the role of spiritual policeman or judge – but rather be a friend of Jesus informing the uninformed about who He is and what He has done for them.

This means having Christ’s compassion as He revealed in His interaction with a woman in Luke 7 and not a spirit of criticism. Only “Christ in you” can be compassionate in this way. The natural man cannot. Our desire is to bring ­two of our friends together, Jesus and the one to whom we are speaking.

Outraged

“They were filled with rage and discussed with one another what they might do with Jesus” Luke 6:11

When Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath He met a man with a “withered hand.” The scribes and Pharisees were also there but Jesus perceived that their intent was not to worship God or edify the people but to find grounds to accuse Him. They had not appreciated His claim to be “Lord of the Sabbath.”

To demonstrate that He is indeed Lord of the Sabbath Jesus called the man forward and asked the scribes and Pharisees if the Law permitted acts of compassion on the Sabbath. They did not respond but kept silent.  Jesus healed the man’s withered hand. We would expect such an act to produce great joy and gladness to the man and to the witnesses but there was no such joy in the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees.

They understood that Jesus was claiming to be God incarnate. To them that was blasphemous and it enraged them. They ignored the testimony of the miracle and instead of rejoicing that the man had been healed they were filled with rage over Jesus’ claim. What brought them to such a state of heart where they could be outraged by this wonderful and gracious act of God?

We see the same thing in the media daily. Men filled with rage mercilessly and cruelly killing anyone who does not hold their religious view. Such rage comes out of religious fervour. Instead of having a loving relationship with God, men have become entrapped in a legalistic religion in which they believe that the end justifies the means. Jesus demonstrated that He had a loving relationship with the Father by showing compassion on the man. The scribes and Pharisees demonstrated that they did not have such a relationship with God. Rage is the seed of murder and murder is always the intent (expressed or not) of the one filled with rage.

People who are filled with this kind of rage will seek to kill Jesus and their rage will be all the greater when they witness His great mercy and grace. If they can’t get at Him they will express their rage against those who they believe represent Him.

Instead of compassion for the man who had the withered hand the scribes and Pharisees looked down on him as an undeserving sinner who deserved his predicament. They were indignant that Jesus showed kindness and compassion to the man and that He also claimed to be the One who gave the Law – specifically the law regarding the Sabbath. They could not see that they were outraged with the very Messiah for whom they claimed to waiting.

Followers of Jesus Christ have always faced this kind of rage from people who are fervent in their legalistic religious beliefs (including atheism). Just as men crucified Jesus they will seek to kill His followers today and will continue to do so until Jesus returns. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” and “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18, 20).

Rather than being discouraged by the more open hostility against Jesus Christ and His followers we should be encouraged as we see the day of His return approach. This in no way mitigates the wickedness of those who perform such horrendous acts (cf. Genesis 4:8-13). Jesus told us these things would happen in the lead up to His coming. Besides, just as no one could touch Him until He permitted them, so no one can touch us until He allows.

Compassion of a Mother

“We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7

There are a number of comparisons in relationships to that of a mother to her child in the Bible. The Lord Himself compares His compassion for Israel with that of a mother for her nursing child, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). It is most unlikely that a mother would ever cease to have compassion for the child she has nursed. The Lord states that He will never cease to have that kind of compassion for Israel. The Lord used a mother’s love and compassion for her child because it is the nearest earthly evidence available that compares to His own kind of love and compassion for Israel. Had there been a better illustration available he would have used it.

The other side of the coin is that the love and compassion a mother has for her child is evidence that she is created in the image of God. That a mother might forget is a consequence of the fall which has corrupted the image of God in mankind but that was never a part of the original creation.

Paul also uses a mother’s love and compassion for her nursing child for comparison (1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8). In an attempt to remind the Christians in Thessalonica of his own love and compassion for them he speaks of the great affection that a nursing mother has for her child and the pain she suffers upon separation or rejection. He, too, could find no greater example of tender compassion than that of a mother for her nursing child. Clearly, the context reveals that he would be broken hearted if they turned away from him and the teaching he had given them.

The greater the love one has for another, the greater the pain when the object of love suffers. A woman suffers pain in child-birth but it doesn’t end there. “A foolish man despises his mother” (Proverbs 15:20), “a foolish son is the grief of his mother” (Proverbs 10:1) and, “a child left to himself brings shame to his mother” (Proverbs 29:15).

Not all pain for a mother comes from the foolish behaviour of her child. Mothers feel more acutely than others the suffering of the child they have given birth to and nursed when they suffer injury, are ill or suffer abuse at the hands of others. Mary knew this kind of suffering. Simeon told her before it happened that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35). The context is Simeon’s prophecy of the opposition and persecution that Jesus would endure. Mary’s pain no doubt was at its worst when Jesus was on the cross and the spear pierced His body. It would be as though a sword had pierced her own soul. Her pain turned to joy when she saw Jesus risen from the dead (Acts 1:14).

“God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Without the witness of mothers our comprehension of our God and His Divine Nature would be the poorer.