Rise Up! Lessons from the Life of Esther - Isaiah 40:28-31

Good morning GEMS, thank you so much for leading us in worship this morning! It’s great to have you share about GEMS and some of the things you’ve done and learned about this year. I love your verses and them this year, “Rise Up!” and how you’ve learned about Esther. These verses from Isaiah really help us to understand how God was with Israel and Esther to build his kingdom, even though we never hear God’s name in Esther.

When I was reading these verses and listening to you read them, it’s like Isaiah’s whispering a secret to us, saying, “Hey, do you know who God is, he’s amazing! God is the creator of everything and he never gets tired, he’s always full of energy so he’s never too tired to help us out. God’s so wise that he knows when we’re really tired and need some energy to keep going, he knows when we start feeling like we’re not strong enough or good enough and he makes us strong enough to keep on going.” Then Isaiah gets really excited and his whisper gets really loud, “But you know what, if you trust and hope in the Lord, he’s going to fill you to overflowing with strength and energy again and you’ll be like eagles that fly so high in the sky and can see forever with Jesus at your side!”

Queen Esther understands what Isaiah’s sharing with us here about God. She didn’t understand it right away, but that’s why God puts really wise people in our lives. Esther lost her parents when she was young and her cousin Mordecai took her into his family and raised her. It must have been really hard on Esther to lose her parents as a child, and sometimes it’s hard to see how God is with us when things are hard. God was moving in her cousin Mordecai’s heart too; moving him to take Esther into his family and to raise her to know and trust in God. Mordecai taught Esther about who God is, that God is someone they can trust and put their hope in, even though they’re living in a foreign land and were often made slaves. Mordecai’s even connected to the palace and hears about a plot to kill the king and saves the king’s life.

So how does Esther, an orphaned Jewish girl, become queen in the most powerful empire? To make Esther queen, God works in the king’s heart when he gets so angry at Queen Vashti, that he makes a law that she can never be around him again, so they hold a competition for a new queen. If the king’s people choose a girl, they have to become part of the competition. God makes them notice Esther and choose her to become the new queen. God is in control and makes his plans happen. He knows what’s coming and who he wants to use to accomplish his plans for his kingdom. This is why we read the Bible, why we study stories like Esther’s, why we go to church and GEMS, so that we’re always ready for when God wants to use us for his plans for his kingdom. 

Mordecai knows that there’s a lot of people who don’t like the Jews, so he tells her to not tell anyone that she’s Jewish. Esther also listens to the advice that Hegai, who helps her get ready for the competition, and because her humbleness and wisdom, she wins the competition and becomes queen, even though Esther’s Jewish. We hear Isaiah saying, “Remember, God increases the power of the weak.” Our strength comes from God, our heart strength, our mind strength, and even our physical strength all comes from God. Esther must have been excited, scared, and wondering how this could happen to her. I’ve discovered when things change a lot, it’s a good time to ask God who he wants you to become because he’s always working in the background, getting you ready to show others who Jesus is and to build his kingdom here. Going to other people who love Jesus and follow him is always wise and helps us figure out what the Holy Spirit might be doing in your life right now. Remember, like we just said, God gave you wise people in your lives, amazing counsellors, teachers, parents, and other Christians to guide us.

Life’s good in the palace, but then an evil man Haman, who hates the Jewish people because Mordecai won’t bow down to him, decides he wants to kill all the Jewish people. All of a sudden, we get a glimpse into how God has been working quietly to protect his people by working in different people’s hearts and lives to make Esther queen right when God’s people need someone to shape the king’s heart and mind to save God’s people. Haman comes to the king and says, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.” So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.” God’s people are in deadly danger here!

Esther isn’t perfect, but she’s a good example for you as GEMS, and for all of us on how to live when few people really follow Jesus. When Mordecai lets her know what has happened, Esther’s afraid to ask the king for help to stop Haman since he gave Haman the permission to kill her people. I’d be scared too! Esther tells Mordecai that she’s not sure if the king still likes her and if he gets angry when she goes to see him, the king might kill her. Then Mordecai reminds her, and us, that God’s plans will happen and to trust that he’s made us exactly the right people that he needs for his plans at this time, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

Isaiah reminds us, “God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Esther may feel weak, but God will give her what she needs. It’s like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God if there can be a different way than the cross but then Jesus says, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Angels then come and minister to him, giving him the strength needed to save us from our sin by going to the cross and washing away our sins. Just like Jesus goes to God, Esther tells Mordecai, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther goes to God and fasts and prays; praying for strength, wisdom, and courage to go to the king to save her people. When you’re in difficult times and need to act, go to God to pray and ask for strength and wisdom and trust that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” When you’re scared and you have something right and good to do, you can stand strong and courageous with God’s help.

Doug Bratt reminds us, “Through Isaiah 40 God reminds us that those who rely on the Lord find that help.  God doesn’t always take away our problems.  Yet God gives us the strength to deal with them.  God helps vulnerable people like us so that we can run and not tire out.  God lends us a hand so that we can walk and “not run out of gas.” When you read the rest of Esther’s story you see that God gives her what she needs to change the king’s mind, to show the king Haman’s evil plan, and receive protection for her people. Esther flies with the strength of an eagle because God is with her. God loves his people, hears our prayers, and gives us what we need when we follow him to show the world Jesus’ love and grace as he uses us to build his kingdom here.

I Will Sustain You - Isaiah 46

                          

Adam and Heather, you chose this passage for the baptism of Richard and Rosemary. It’s a passage of hope and comfort that challenges us to follow and honour God in everything, and to focus our hearts on God so that our lives glorify God, especially in times of trial. 

It's near the end of Israel’s exile in Babylon for not being faithful to God. They always did the rituals and festivals but didn’t allow God’s laws to shape them to love God and to love their neighbours, especially those who are going through difficult times. It’s been a long 70 years in exile, but it’s almost finished. It’s been filled with times of persecution and times of God showing his power in the center of Babylon’s empire. We remember how God saved Daniel from hungry lions, saving Daniel’s 3 friends from a fiery furnace, and used the orphaned Jewish girl Esther to save his people during a particularly dangerous time for God’s people. With all of this in mind, Isaiah calls the people to remember who God is and reject Babylon’s idols.

The scholar F Kidner shows how Babylon’s gods were similar to the gods that Israel had chased after earlier. Bel was Babylon’s national god of fertility and agriculture, whose son Nebo was the god of learning. Their names are found in king’s names such as Belshazzar, or Nebuchadnezzar. Both gods were regularly transported in processions, weighing down the pack-animals. God, through Isaiah, shows how great the difference is between these idols who are just burdens the people have to haul around, while Yahweh carries his people throughout their entire lives.

These idols are nothing but creations, created by the creatures the eternal God has created. God tells Israel, “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” With all the history God has with Israel, with all the covenants and promises that God has made and kept with his people, Israel is still constantly tempted by the gods of the nations around them. Idols promise you the things you desire, all you have to do is give them your loyalty. Idols demand your devotion in return for temporary pleasure. In doing so, you take away from God’s glory, making him less in your heart. God calls for a response from his people here. God reminds them that he is the only God who is always with them, who cares for them, sustains them, and carries them from birth to death. There’s an especially powerful word of hope here as God reminds them that he’s also their rescuer, echoing back to Egypt, and ahead to their upcoming return back to the Promised Land.

Israel, and we today, too easily fail to give God the glory he deserves and instead focus our hearts on our desires instead. We have our own idols. We allow ourselves to fool ourselves in believing that if we give God some, or even most of our devotion, we’re good and he’ll accept whatever we’re willing to give him. We forget that God is a jealous God and demands all our devotion, something God told Israel in Leviticus, and as Jesus later reminds his followers. Loving God with our entire heart, soul, mind, and strength is the foundation of our relationship with him; anything less takes away from God’s glory and we place ourselves in charge instead of God. God doesn’t like playing games with us when it comes to our relationship with him. It’s important to glorify God and not focus on our own pleasures and wants. God promises to sustain his people, willing to carry us through our difficult times, trusting in his way over the world’s ways. How we respond to God in the difficult times is important; showing our trust in following his way over our own, shows our faith in God, even if it’s really hard. In fact, the harder the situation, the more glory we give God. In hard times, our faith can grow stronger when we choose to trust God’s way.

God calls for a response here. God challenges them, “With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?” God mocks the idols here and the people who worship the idols, “Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.” We shouldn’t fool ourselves about who God is, he’s the only God, there is no other God like him. God has full knowledge of the past, the present, and the future. He’s in control, even in the heart of the greatest empire of that time. God saves, not our idols.

God reminds them, “Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Israel is still in exile in Babylon. They’re still a conquered people and often oppressed. They’re at the mercy of the king and nobles, and it’s often hard for Israel as they’re different, having a God who claims them as his own and demands total allegiance. This, as Daniel, Esther, and others discovered, put them at odds with the powerful and often led to the Jewish people needing to make faith choices that would often have harsh repercussions, and yet bring glory to God.

People, and the world notice when we don’t complain or whine when times are difficult, and instead talk to God, read his Word, and seek his guidance, asking what his purpose is during the times of struggle. I’ve stopped being surprised at how powerful our witness to the world is of who Jesus is, when they see the peace and strength followers of Jesus can show during really hard times, seeing how faith gives us the ability to trust in God’s purposes and laws. Paul’s encouragement in Romans 8 is powerful, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all…. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword…. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul reminds us that we can count on God sustaining us through the hard times, pointing us to the strength and love we find in Jesus and his way.

To fulfill his purposes, “God summons a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.” From Isaiah 44 and 45 we know that this man is Cyrus. God says, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt, and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid.’” If you want to read how God uses this foreign emperor to accomplish his purposes to return Israel to their land and rebuild the temple, you can read about it in the book of Nehemiah. God tells Israel, “What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.”

The fulfillment of these verse occurs when Israel returns to their land through Cyrus, but the ultimate fulfillment of these verse is found in Jesus who came to take all our sin, to bring salvation through the cross, revealing God’s splendor in Jesus, fulfilling God’s promise in Genesis 3 to send a saviour who will crush the serpent’s head. Isaiah 46 is a reminder that God’s purposes are always fulfilled, that God gives us the strength to remain faithful during the difficult times, and bring him glory. May the Lord bless you as your raise your children to trust God in all situations and bring him glory.  

 

 

 

 

 

The Resurrection and the Life - John 11:25-26; John 20:20:1-9 - Easter message

Today is the highest day of the church year. Just over 2,000 years ago history took a sharp turn towards hope and restoration. On the Friday, Jesus took the sins of the world on himself onto the cross, and by doing so, he took the punishment for all of our sin on himself; reconciling his people with his Father. That first Easter, God raised Jesus from the dead as a sign that Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf was accepted and all our sins are forgiven. Hallelujah!

John sets up the resurrection story of Jesus with the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead shortly before his own death. In Lazarus’ death and resurrection, questions come up, like how Jesus responds to the news that Lazarus is sick, “When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Instead of leaving right away to be with Lazarus and offering healing, Jesus waits for 2 days before leaving. As they get ready to leave, “Jesus goes on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” When his disciples don’t understand what he’s just said, “he tells them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Jesus’ goal in Lazarus’ death is to help them believe, but the question is, “Believe what?” When you read the Bible, listen for echoes: where do we hear something similar, see something similar. When we listen for these, we begin to get a bigger picture of what’s happening. The idea of believing but not understanding comes up again and again in John’s gospel; from the woman at the well, to Thomas, Martha, Mary Magdalene, and at Jesus’ tomb, Peter and John. They all recognize in their encounters with Jesus that there’s more going on than they understand. In John’s gospel, this isn’t a mark of shame. Jesus doesn’t get frustrated, instead it gives Jesus the opportunity to teach them and help them believe.

At Lazarus’ tomb, Martha hears that Jesus is there and she goes and meets him. Martha goes in the hope that nothing’s beyond Jesus’ power, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus’ response isn’t necessarily what she hoped for, “Your brother will rise again.” These are words that we often offer to each other when a loved one dies, but Martha’s hoping for something more, but she’s hesitant to push Jesus to directly use his power. Martha answers Jesus with some resignation in her voice, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Her last hope that Jesus might perform a miracle for Lazarus evaporates away. Now Jesus goes on, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” He follows this up with asking, “Do you believe this?” Another reference to believing, but believe what exactly?

We find it easy to believe this side of Jesus’ resurrection, but for Martha and the early disciples, believing in resurrection was harder, even though they had seen Jesus perform miracles and heard his teachings the past 3 years. As I reflect on these stories, I hear doubt and questions, coupled with a desire to believe, and an openness to being open to having our worldview shaped by who Jesus is. I’ve learned that it’s easier to believe our theology as simple knowledge and harder to actually shape our hearts and lives and allow it to shape us in its hope, comfort, and faith. Good theology is rooted in the good news of Jesus and builds up and encourages. In Jesus’ words to Martha, Jesus says he is the resurrection and life, that we have life even though we die, and that we have eternal life through believing in Jesus. But death is still a reality that can shake us and leave us with all kinds of questions even as we live in faith and trust in the resurrection.

Martha responds with a beautiful statement of faith, “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” She doesn’t say she understands exactly what Jesus has just said, but she trusts in who Jesus is. And even though Jesus is the Son of God with power over life and death, he still weeps over Lazarus’ death, over the pain sin has brought into the world before he raises Lazarus into life again. It reminds me that it’s good to weep when death touches us, but because Jesus is the resurrection and the life, we weep with hope. Lazarus’ resurrection points us to Easter morning.

Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was there at his crucifixion. Magdalene shows that she came from the town of Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The death of Jesus affects her deeply. Luke tells us that Jesus freed her from 7 demons that had possessed her. Jesus gave Mary new life, freeing her from those demons, filling her with hope and peace. Mary’s one of the group of women who supported Jesus and his disciples, so Jesus’ death is a huge blow to her. While it’s still dark, Mary heads to Jesus’ tomb. On Friday, she was with the group of women who had followed Joseph of Arimathea and saw the tomb he placed Jesus’ body in. They made plans to come to anoint Jesus’ body with spices and perfumes.

Mary goes earlier than the other women to spend some time alone before the other women show up. Mary sees the stone rolled away and the empty tomb and runs to tell Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and John book it for the tomb. John gets there first, looks inside, sees the linens Jesus was wrapped in, then Peter arrives and goes inside. John then writes, “He saw and believed.” I love his honesty in what he writes next, “They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” So much about God is hard to understand. This is why the gift of faith is so precious, a gift that relies on trust and the Holy Spirit’s assurance as the Spirit keeps pointing us to Jesus and the hope we find in him.

It's an emotional day coming after an emotional weekend for everyone. There’s the fear, guilt, and shame that the disciples are going through; there’s Jesus’ death and the death of Judas after he’s unable to deal with his guilt. There’s lost hope. Yet at the same time, God and Jesus are doing something that’s life and history changing, but so much of it’s happening behind the scenes where people aren’t able to see it. This is where faith comes in, just like Job discovered, just like Joseph told his brothers centuries earlier that what they had done was all part of God’s plan to save them. As we look at how God worked in the past, we’re better able to understand how Jesus’ death is part of God’s plan to save us.

People react to death differently. Many people fear death today. After almost 25 years in ministry, I’ve seen how people deal with death. For some, there’s utter devastation from those without faith and who believe there’s nothing left of the person they’ve just said good-bye to; there are those who go to all kinds of lengths to flee from the pain of loss; then there are those who wonder if there is anything to live for and stick their pain deep down inside and try to deny it because then they need to deal with the reality of death.

Compare this to the funerals we’ve had in lately; funerals where there’s sorrow, but it’s sorrow with hope because of Jesus’ resurrection. Easter resurrection is especially meaningful at times like this, but it can come with questions. We don’t always understand God’s timing or plans. We mourn because of our love for the person who died, but we also live in hope because we know that death has been conquered by Jesus and is now a doorway to eternal life in God’s presence! In a world that assumes death is the last word, there’s something amazing when someone discovers that tombs are temporary, that for those who believe in Jesus, there’s eternal life! After that first Easter, we start to understand what Jesus means with “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” What we call death in the end is not death for the follower of Jesus, but a doorway to be with him forever. We possess eternal life! Hallelujah!

Join me in celebrating this joy with the words from the Heidelberg Catechism… Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 22

Q &A 57 How does “the resurrection of the body” comfort you?

Answer: Not only will my soul be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but also my very flesh will be raised by the power of Christ, reunited with my soul, and made like Christ’s glorious body.

Q & A 58

How does the article concerning “life everlasting” comfort you?

Answer: Even as I already now experience in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, so after this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has ever imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God forever.

 

The Lamb - John 1:29; 10:11, 14-18

     

Good Friday really begins the evening before with Jesus gathering with his disciples over their last meal. It’s not clear in the Gospels if this was meant to be the Passover meal, but there are a number of connections made to the Passover meal. Jesus is in Jerusalem during this Passover week and it’s a very noisy place. Not only were crowds of pilgrims in town milling around in the temple courts, but large numbers of animals were being slaughtered for the sacrifices that the people had come to make. Because the Passover was a pilgrimage feast, the streets and homes were extra crowded and the lambs for the sacrifices were being brought into the city from the fields around places like Bethlehem, creating an ear-hurting clamour wherever you went, especially in the area around the temple.

People were busy on the Thursday slaughtering the lambs, many then putting some of the blood on the doorposts in memory of the first Passover. In a typical Hebrew home, the mother is busy preparing for the celebration, there is food to cook, a specific meal with many symbolic foods reminding everyone of the taste of slavery and freedom, of the journey Israel went through due to unfaithfulness, but then there are the tastes of the Promised Land and blessing. To begin the meal, the father leads the family around the table. As they sit around the table the youngest child is prompted to ask “What does this ceremony mean to you?” The family and guests then hear the father or grandfather tell the story of Israel’s slavery in Egypt, the plagues, the meaning of the Passover lamb with blood on the doorposts of the house, and of God’s great deliverance.

With all of this history and meaning in the Passover meal, we’re able to better understand what John the Baptist is saying when he sees Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. In John 1 we read, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The Passover lamb points us to God’s protection and deliverance from slavery, not only physical slavery, but also our slavery to sin. This lamb reminds us that God remembers us, he hears our cries for help, he responds with salvation, and guides us on our way through life, providing us with what we need. This is a sacrificial lamb, a lamb whose blood protects the people from the anger and punishment of God, just as Jesus’ blood protects us from the anger of God towards our sin by washing our sin away.

This is what we see at Calvary as Jesus hangs on the cross. Jesus has willingly, out of his love for us, become the sacrificial lamb for our sin, protecting us from the penalty for our sin. We see the people’s cruelty toward Jesus, the intensity of his suffering, his willingness to endure it, and the sacrifice it involved. Sin brings pain and suffering and this is all reflected on the cross. But on the cross we see another image, there is the lamb sacrificed for sin on the Day of Atonement, and this takes us back to the temple again. But there is another animal that is part of the Day of Atonement. After the sacrifices had been made, the priests laid their hands on the scapegoat and sent him out into the wilderness, carrying the sins of the people. Jesus was taken outside the city, like the scapegoat with the sin of the people on himself, taking our sin out of God’s sight and presence. Jesus does this all to wash all our sin away so we can be right with our Father one again!

The King - John 12:12-19

                  

We’re entering Holy Week when the church reflects on Jesus’ journey to the cross, grave, and resurrection. It begins with the celebration of Jesus as Israel’s true king. It’s the week of Passover and the day Jesus rides into Jerusalem is the day the Passover lamb is set aside until it’s sacrificed on the Thursday for the Passover. It’s only a few days after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. There are so many elements coming together that will shape how this week will play out.

Jesus has arrived on the outskirts of Jerusalem. His fame after raising Lazarus from the dead has gone ahead of him. Crowds of people are starting to arrive in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, one of the three pilgrimage festivals that God gave Israel, festivals when Israel was called to attend as a people, even though many couldn’t come every year. I can imagine the scene as someone recognizes Jesus and his disciples travelling up the road from Jericho and starts spreading the news. John tells us that they took palm branches and went out to meet Jesus. There’s not a whole lot of doubt about what’s going on in their minds as they greet Jesus, lining the road shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed in he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!”  

They’re echoing Psalm 118, “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.” The psalm goes on, “with boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.” Hosanna means “save us” and the palm branches are symbols of victory, as we also see in Revelation 7, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands,” echoing back to Psalm 118.

Palm branches were stamped on Jewish coins in that day and became one of the symbols of a free Israel. In both Psalm 118 and Revelation 7, we also see a connection to the temple, showing the king is from God. As we put it all together, it’s easier for us to see how Jesus fulfills all these prophecies of the coming Messiah, the king of Israel from David’s line, a king blessed by God. The people are putting these things together and recognizing that there’s something special about Jesus and they cheer his arrival in Jerusalem, hoping he’ll claim the throne of David.

When you hear all this going on as a Pharisee or a Roman, all kinds of alarm bells start going off. For the Pharisees, who supported King Herod who was appointed by Rome, Jesus’ claim to be king would upset the delicate balance between the Jewish leaders and the Roman governor to maintain a certain level of peace and safety. This was their concern in John 11:48 right after Lazarus’ resurrection, “If we let him, Jesus, go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” For the Romans, especially the soldiers, when they hear what’s going on, their thoughts are, “Not another Jewish rebel Messiah! Shall we just kill him right now.” Roman soldiers were tired of all these Messiahs who popped up regularly, stirring up the people with dreams of freedom.

Jesus adds to the excitement of the day, adding to the speculation of being Israel’s true king by taking a young donkey and riding it into Jerusalem, fulfilling another prophet’s prediction, “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt,” a take on Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Excitement is beginning to reach a fever pitch. What a time for God’s king to arrive, right at the festival celebrating God’s delivering his people out of slavery to bring them to the Promised Land to establish his presence in the world through his people and the temple. Memories of Moses, King David, and King Solomon, and the original temple only add fuel to the fire.

In the Middle East warrior kings rode stallions while kings of peace rode donkeys or mules. God warned Israel’s future kings in Deuteronomy to not acquire many horses, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” Israel’s kings are supposed to be different from the kings around them. The horses were a military resource, so gathering more and more horses showed they were beginning to think of territorial expansion, revealing a war-like attitude and a dependence on their own strength rather than depending on God; showing a lack of trust in God and more trust in armies or earthly allies. Reading through Israel’s history, we see this played out over and over again; even wise King Solomon gathered huge numbers of horses, wives, and wealth.

God alone is to be Israel’s king. Jesus comes as a king of peace, a king of humility who looks to God first and always. We see this when Satan tries to tempt Jesus with kingship over all the nations of the world, all Jesus has to do is worship Satan. Jesus can become king without the cross, but Jesus trusts in his Father, turning down Satan’s offer, trusting in his Father’s plan to become the Messiah king.

The crowd’s divided. There are those who support Jesus. Some of them saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, while others have heard and believe the story, and the other stories of the miracles Jesus has performed. Many believe what Jesus has been teaching about the kingdom of heaven and who God’s calling them to be as his people. Most of these people come from outside Jerusalem, many from the north from Galilee. Then there are those who are against Jesus and most of these come from Jerusalem, the center of Judah’s religious and political power. Yet none of them really understand who Jesus is as king.

Jesus is arrested for blasphemy and given over to the Romans with the claim that Jesus claims to be king. Pilate asks Jesus straight out, “Are you king of the Jews?” Now we get a glimpse of what Jesus’ kingdom is, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” When Pilate hands Jesus over to his soldiers to crucify him, the soldiers take Jesus and flog him, taking a crown of thorns and putting it on Jesus, clothing him in a purple robe, mocking him, “Hail, king of the Jews,” and striking him in the face to humiliate Jesus. Pilate places a sign above Jesus on the cross that reads “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” mocking the Jews because nothing good comes out of Nazareth, echoing what Nathanael once said.

Jesus threatens people as king. Herod understood this, which is why he had the boys murdered in Bethlehem at Jesus’ birth. Pilate knows Jesus has the potential to create untold problems for himself and Rome. The Pharisees knows Jesus has the potential to take away their influence, but also to the potential to force Rome to destroy the Jewish people. Yet Jesus talked constantly about the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to the kingdoms of this world. The king gives you your identity, the king demands absolute allegiance and either you give the king your complete loyalty and allegiance or you’re considered a traitor or rebel. The king doesn’t operate under the rules of a democracy where you get to determine how much allegiance you give to your government. But don’t fool yourself, there are many political and thought leaders today that demand complete allegiance from you, and it’s only getting worse, creating all kinds of polarization among people today. Either you belong and align yourself fully with them or you’re out. They, in their own ways, understand the call Jesus puts on our lives as king; Jesus demands total allegiance from us and either you accept Jesus as your king and submit completely to him, or you reject him; there’s no middle ground.

What kind of king is Jesus? Jonathan Edwards, the American theologian and pastor in the 1700s describes Jesus’ kingship this way: Jesus combines infinite majesty and humility, perfect justice and boundless grace, absolute sovereignty and utter submission, all sufficiency and yet utter dependency on God. Jesus is a king like no other king, an all-powerful and yet compassionate king who is willing to sacrifice himself to save his people so they can be part of his forever kingdom. Is Jesus your king?

The Foot-washer - John 13:1-17

                            

It’s just before the Passover, the feast that reminded Israel that their God is a God who protects, who provides, who guides, who will go to battle for them. Jesus’ journey to the cross is quickly coming to its climax, and it fascinates me that John leads into this account of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples by letting us know that “many even among the leaders believed in Jesus. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be thrown out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”

Passover’s almost here; Jesus knows that his time has come. John leads us into this last meal by reminding us of “Jesus’ love for his own, how he loved them to the end.” This is the emotional context of this last meal, coupled with the weight of betrayal. With everything going on, Jesus sits with his disciples at the start of the meal, knowing that “the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” Jesus is confident in who he is as God’s son, confident in his Father’s plan. When you know who you are in God, service, even the humblest and even humiliating service doesn’t threaten your knowledge of who you are, or your self-image, and so it is with Jesus. As John wrote earlier in his gospel, “the free are free to serve,” free from worrying about what others think, free to do what needs to be done.

What happens next should never have happened. Jesus is at the table with his disciples and nobody has bothered to wash their dirty stinky feet after walking all days in sandals in the streets of Jerusalem, streets filled with garbage and animal waste. Their feet were gross and smelled. There should have been a servant or slave assigned to them. These would have been the lowest servants or slaves, or slaves who were being punished by being given this nasty job. For some reason, likely arranged by Jesus, there’s no one there to wash their feet and they’re all way too proud to be humble enough wash their fellow disciples’ feet. I’m sure they would have been willing to wash Jesus’ feet, but then the others would have expected them to wash their feet too, so in their pride they would rather eat with the stench of their feet filling the air.

Now, because Jesus knows who he is, because he loves his disciples, he wants to give them a deep lesson on what’s coming up, on who he is; a lesson on who they’re being called to be as his disciples. So, Jesus, the Son of God, the creator of the universe, gets up, takes off his outer clothing, wraps a towel around his waist, pours water into a basin, and then kneels before the first disciple and begins washing his feet. Imagine sitting at that table. You’ve been willing to put up with the smell of your own dirty feet rather then wash them; washing the feet of the other disciples is definitely below your dignity, but now Jesus is washing your feet. The arguments that had been going on between everyone about who was going to sit at Jesus’ right and left hands when Jesus took power are still fresh in your memory and there’s a sour taste in your mouth because Jesus didn’t choose you to sit right beside him when he takes the throne, he actually told you all off about arguing about caring so much about power and influence.

Now your rabbi, your leader, the one who raised Lazarus from the dead, the one sent by God, blessed by God with power to do amazing miracles, is on his knees, taking your smelly feet in his hands and washing them. How embarrassed are you feeling right now, is the shame making you squirm yet, is guilt flooding your heart and mind? All this is going through the disciples’ minds, especially when Jesus comes to Peter.

Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replies, “You don’t realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” At this point we start understanding that there’s much more going on here than Jesus washing feet, there is something deeply spiritual happening here. There’s a patience here that strikes me. Jesus knows that Peter is going to abandon him to the anger of the Pharisees in just a few hours, and then later deny knowing Jesus three times to save his own skin. Jesus insists that he has to wash Peter’s feet. This is going to stick deep into Peter’s memory, he’ll always remember this moment and the significance of what’s going on, even if he can’t understand it right now. Peter’s shame’s too great and he stubbornly says, “No, you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus now goes deep, pointing past this moment to a deeper spiritual truth, to the reality that “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” We have the advantage of looking back to this moment and the events that are still to come, knowing now that Jesus is pointing to the forgiveness of our sin, to how his sacrifice on the cross is for the washing away of all our sin, echoing back to other moments like when the friends brought their lame friend to Jesus, lowering him through the roof so Jesus could heal him, but Jesus’ first act is to offer the young man forgiveness of his sin, healing his soul before healing his body. Something clicks in Peter and he now goes to the other extreme, “Then Lord, not just my feet but my hands and head as well!” Jesus gently responds, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean, though not everyone of you.” I wonder if Peter remembered these words after the resurrection when he met Jesus on the beach where Jesus restored him, offering him grace and forgiveness and a commission to serve. For those of you heading out to Mexico to serve, remember who we serve; that Jesus has washed you clean of your sin and he is calling you to serve with that same spirit of grace and humility, offering hope as you serve, willing to do even the dirtiest tasks that need to get done.

We often focus on Jesus’ interaction with Peter here, but there’s an even more difficult foot-washing that happens. Jesus also washes Judas’ feet, knowing that Judas has already betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver. Judas hears Jesus connecting washing their feet with something deeper and spiritual. How difficult is it for Jesus to wash Peter’s and Judas’ feet? Even though Peter and the other disciples desert Jesus, even though Judas has betrayed him, Jesus still humbles himself and washes their feet, a spiritual sign that Jesus is willing to wash your feet, no matter what your past has been like, no matter how great your sin has been, or is, Jesus’ blood on the cross is able to wash away all our sin.

Yet there’s more going on here; remember that the disciples had been fighting about who’s more important, so the second thing Jesus sticks in their face is that leadership needs to come from a place of humility. He straight up asks them if they understand what he just did, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Jesus doesn’t command them to wash each other’s feet, this is leadership through example. One of my favourite teachers on what leadership is, is Simon Sinek; he writes “leaders eat last.” The idea is that leaders put those under them first, that they have the ability to have the best first; leaders are responsible to their followers’ needs first. The more important you become, the more you are called to place others first.

The disciples are still learning that following Jesus involves growing a character rooted in humility and service; rooted in loving God above everything else, and then loving your neighbour in practical daily ways. As a mission team, I encourage you to take time to not just work on the house when you get to Mexico, but look for all those little ways of serving that can bless someone else, maybe even someone else on your team. Mother Teresa said, “There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things,” Jesus points us to the importance of serving in the small things that many don’t recognize or won’t do. As the creator of this series wrote, “Perhaps grabbing a towel is a much better symbol of Christian discipleship than we’ve been willing to admit,” serving out of thankfulness for Jesus washing our sins away.

 

The Shepherd - John 10:11-18

                    

John places this teaching of Jesus about being the good shepherd right after the story of Jesus healing a blind man, but the Pharisees won’t accept that Jesus has been given the gift of healing by God. They actually throw the healed man out of the synagogue. Jesus finds the man and asks him a rather strange question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The healed man wants to believe in him, so Jesus tells him, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” The man worships Jesus and Jesus tells him, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Now there’s some Pharisees there and they realize that Jesus is talking about them being the ones who see but who are actually blind, so they ask, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus doesn’t pull any punches here, he wants them to be perfectly clear about the consequences of rejecting him, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” The Pharisees have no excuse for not recognizing that Jesus is the Son of Man.

Daniel 7:13–14 gives us some insight into what Jesus is referring to when he refers to the Son of Man, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Hardin and Brown observe that “Daniel 7 is concerned with the encroaching pressure among exiled Jews to worship the king of Babylon…. Daniel sees “one like a son of man, coming on the clouds of heaven” … who is given privileges normally reserved for God: authority, glory, sovereign power, the worship of men of every language, and an eternal kingdom. Daniel’s vision is one of suffering and exaltation…. Jesus may have used Daniel’s “one like a son of man” to communicate ideas of… suffering, enthronement, and authority.” In our passage this morning, Jesus is on the road to the cross and he’s preparing his disciples for what’s coming, and gives them glimpses of his power, hinting at the suffering that lies ahead.

Now John moves into Jesus’ teaching about who he is as the good shepherd, with the themes of authority and suffering in the background. Jesus talks about robbers, strangers, and thieves who come to steal and kill and destroy the sheep, echoing Zechariah 10 which talks of how the sheep need a shepherd who will care for the flock properly, “Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore, the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd. “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah.” The Lord himself is coming to be their shepherd, to care for them, to help them flourish again. Zechariah’s talking to the people after their return from exile. You’d think they would be more careful in listening to God and his ways after being in exile for not listening to God, but they keep listening to idols and diviners: to bad shepherds, who keep telling them lies instead of listening to the prophets God has sent. Zechariah points to the coming of the Lord as Judah’s good shepherd.

In Advent we looked at Jesus as the good shepherd and reflected on how his sheep know his voice and recognize him and how Jesus laid down his life for us. Today, we’ll dig deeper into Jesus as the good shepherd. The people would make the connection of Jesus to King David, the Shepherd King who wrote Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Phillip Keller, author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 writes, “David in this psalm, is speaking not as a shepherd, though he was one, but as a sheep, one of the flock. He spoke with a strong sense of pride and devotion and admiration. It was as though he literally boasted aloud, “Look at who my shepherd is—my owner—my manager! The Lord is!” Keller goes on to marvel that “the Creator of this enormous universe of overwhelming magnitude, deigns to call himself my Shepherd and invites me to consider myself his sheep—his special object of affection and attention.”

Being a shepherd’s not an easy job. Sheep need an incredible amount of attention and care. We’re like sheep in so many ways: we can be stubborn, we can be really dumb, we can think ourselves so brave and yet in reality are timid and afraid; just consider how difficult it is for many of us to share our faith in our good shepherd with others. Sheep have some strange habits, and if we’re honest, we all have our own strange habits, and yet our good shepherd still chooses us, buys us, and makes us his own in a spirit of joy and delight. He takes care of us, provides for us as a good shepherd provides places of safety, places to rest in green pasture, providing for us. When we find ourselves in fear and worry, in strife or conflict, our good shepherd guides us to still quiet waters to be refreshed and to rest.

Keller notes that the master in people’s lives makes the difference in their destiny, where they end up. I’ve had a number of wise caring people who have offered me guidance over the years and have always reminded me that the first person I need to keep looking to is Jesus. He’s the shepherd I need to always keep listening to. Paul encourages Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” This spirit of power and fear comes from the Holy Spirit, a gift from our good shepherd. The Holy Spirit helps us to listen for, and recognize the voice of the shepherd, especially when we’ve followed our noses and stomachs and unwittingly wandered away. That moment of fear of not seeing our shepherd is calmed when we hear the voice of the shepherd come close.

Sheep require more handling and direction than any other livestock. Without a conscientious shepherd, the flock would easily overgraze their area, keep going back to the same places, eating the grass right down to the roots, destroying the fields. The shepherd has to keep guiding them to fresh field and clean water, otherwise they become sick and waste away. The shepherd has to be aware of their destructive habits and to keep them on the move in what Keller calls, “a predetermined plan of action, a deliberate, planned rotation from one grazing ground to another in line with right and proper principles of sound management.” This speaks to our own tendency to simply repeat our own habits, whether good or bad. We need to keep our ears and hearts open to our shepherd’s guidance into new ways of living as his sheep so we can grow and flourish, trusting his guidance. Sometimes our habits devotionally can become just a habit and we lose sight of our shepherd and who he’s leading us to become as his sheep. Our faith life can be more habit than obedience.

Phillip Keller shares how sheep often fight among themselves, that rivalries and jealousy are not uncommon, and yet “the shepherd’s presence puts an end to all rivalry.” He noticed how “the less aggressive sheep were often far more contented, quiet, and restful,” which reminds me of Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life many win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anyone.” When we’re attuned to our shepherd’s voice and presence, we find contentment and peace, even when we walk through hard times and feel overwhelmed by life.

The good shepherd restores our souls. When we look to Jesus as our good shepherd, we see how his willingness to lay down his life for us, his obedience to his Father’s will and plan to restore us to the Father through the cross, washing away our sin. But there’s more to this image, Jesus restores and brings healing to our souls when we go through times of sorrow, times of doubt and fear, times of loneliness, times when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Shepherds tend to the hurts of the sheep; they will carry a lamb or sheep when they’re unable to go any further. There is something so personal in Jesus calling himself the good shepherd and claiming us as his sheep. He knows our names; he knows us, even the us that we wish he didn’t know, and yet he still claims us as his, takes responsibility for us.

There is so much more to Jesus as our good shepherd, but the big and most important questions is, do you know this good shepherd as yours?