From Jim McGuiggan... The Cross and the Godhood of Jesus Christ

The Cross and the Godhood of Jesus Christ

In Euripides's Alcestis the Spartan king, Admetos, is to die unless he gets a substitute. His wife Alcestis becomes his substitute but the thought of losing her is driving Admetos crazy. Heracles (Hercules), son of the gods and a regular guest at Admetos's house comes to visit, learns of the situation and goes out and rescues her from Death.

The poet Robert Browning zeroes in on the reputation of Heracles as a helper of mankind against the forces that are too strong for it. He makes the point that this going to humanity's defence is one of the authenticating marks of genuine godhood. Here's how he puts it:

Gladness be with thee, Helper of our world! 

I think this is the authentic sign and seal 

Of Godship, that it ever waxes glad, 

And more glad, until gladness blossoms, bursts 

Into a rage to suffer for mankind, 

And recommence at sorrow: drops like seed 

After the blossom, ultimate of all. 

Say, does the seed scorn the earth and seek the sun? 

Surely it has no other end and aim 

Than to drop, once more die into the ground, 

Taste cold and darkness and oblivion there: 

And thence rise, tree-like to grow through pain to joy, 

More joy and most joy,-do man good again.

Browning lays hold not only on the theme of suffering to help humanity, he stresses the gladness of heart in which the enterprise is undertaken. It isn't a grim, reluctant, foot-dragging approach to the matter (Heracles "strode" off to effect the rescue). And it was "for the joy set before him" our Saviour despised the pain and loss barring his way.

As P.T. Forsyth insisted, the coming of God as the weak and wounded Jesus Christ is not only not surprising, it would be astonishing if he had not come in Jesus Christ in a rage to suffer on humanity's behalf. In this, Forsyth doesn't only have in mind the tender side of God, his gentle love and compassion though he does have that in mind; he's thinking of God's infinitely holy character. If God was moved in love, it was a holy love. Christ doesn't come simply blessing, being sweet, talking kindly and taking us in his loving arms—he comes sharing the suffering of the judgment that holiness must bring upon sin in order to deal with it!

The forgiveness of sins, the reconciliation of the world is achieved through love's judgment—the word of the cross says that!

And it had to be God's cross or it wouldn't be the love of God that worked the rescue. And it had to be a representative human in and through whom reconciliation was accomplished because a repentance worthy of the sin must come from humankind. In the cross Jesus repents for us. I don't mean he repents so that we don't have to—I mean what R.W. Moberly and McCleod Campbell have taught us, that he alone could give humanity a repentance which gives complete homage to the righteousness of God and to which we can (by faith in him) add our "amen" to his.

It was God and it was God in Christ who came to our rescue. The motivation for this coming/sending of God is that God "so loved the world" (John 3:16).

Not to be able to see that in the cross blinds us to the possibility of seeing it anywhere else in the world.

Would it make any difference to our suffering if we saw it as part of the saving process? If we saw it as part of the destiny of Christ in and through the "body of Christ" as they suffer for the rescue of humanity? What if you in your pain saw it as saying you are a co-worker with God in bringing the reconciling message to the world?

[Sufferers don't suffer alone, as if they were isolated units. They're shaped and enabled by the believing community and the faith, the gospel, that that community has lived out and proclaimed down the centuries. Specific members of the body bear the specific pain and loss to be endured but they don't suffer as independent units. In and through them the body suffers. But it is the body of Christ and in and through them the Christ continues to suffer on behalf of the world, making known his once-for-all atoning sacrifice to every generation. See Colossians 1:24 and 1 Peter 4:13, for example.]

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Healing Of Blind Bartimaeus

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

               The Healing Of Blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52)

INTRODUCTION

1. As we continue our studies in the gospel of Mark...
   a. Jesus and His disciples are making their way toward Jerusalem
      - cf. Mk 10:32
   b. We now come to the last healing miracle described in the gospel of
      Mark - Mk 10:46-52

2. It involves the healing of a blind man near the city of Jericho...
   a. Identified by name as Bartimaeus
   b. Whose persistence, faith, and gratitude can serve as an example
      for us today

[Let's first take a closer look at...]

I. THE NARRATIVE

   A. THE SETTING...
      1. The city
         a. Mark reports that the miracle occurred on the way out of
            Jericho - Mk 10:46
         b. Luke says it occurred on the way to Jericho - Lk 18:35
         c. There were two Jerichos at the time of Jesus, about 15 miles
            NE of Jerusalem
         d. The old Jericho from the days of Joshua was mostly abandoned
         e. The new Jericho built by Herod the Great was an attractive
            city
         f. It may be the miracle occurred as Jesus was leaving one and
            heading to another - Expositor's Bible Commentary
      2. The crowd
         a. Included Jesus' disciples and a 'great multitude' - Mk 10:46
         b. The multitude was likely even greater because it was the
            time many Jews were on their way to Jerusalem observe the
            Passover
      3. The blind man
         a. Matthew reveals that there were actually two blind men- Mt 20:29-32
         b. Luke focuses his account on "a certain blind man" - Lk 18:35-43
         c. Mark does also, identifying him by name, Bartimaeus - Mk 10:46
         d. Bartimaeus sat by the road, begging - Mk 10:46

   B. THE MIRACLE...
      1. The desperate plea
         a. Learning that Jesus of Nazareth was walking by, Bartimaeus
            began to cry out
         b. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" - Mk 10:47
         c. Many sought to silence him, but he cried out all the more
         d. "Son of David, have mercy on me!" - Mk 10:48
      2. The gracious healing
         a. Jesus commanded for Bartimaeus to be called
         b. Some encourage him:  "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling
            you." - Mk 10:49
         c. He throws aside his outer garment (which might hinder his
            steps) and comes to Jesus - Mk 10:50
         d. Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants Him to do - Mk 10:51
         e. "Rabboni (Master, Teacher, cf. Jn 20:16), that I may receive
            my sight."
         f. Jesus' response:  "Go your way; your faith has made you
            well." - Mk 10:52
      3. The new disciple
         a. Immediately Bartimaeus receives his sight - Mk 10:52
         b. He follows Jesus on the road, glorifying God - cf. Lk 18:43

[The people that saw this miracle also praised God (Lk 18:43).  How
might we best praise God for such a miracle?  Perhaps by learning from
the example of blind Bartimaeus.  In that regard, here are...)

II. SOME OBSERVATIONS

   A. PERSISTENCE...
      1. Bartimaeus displayed persistence despite the efforts of others
         to silence him
      2. He exemplifies the truth of what Jesus taught about persistence
         - Mt 7:7-8
      3. Are we willing to be persistent in our prayers? - cf. Lk 18:1-8

   B. FAITH...
      1. Bartimaeus was healed because of his faith
      2. Similar to the woman healed of a flow of blood - Mk 5:34
      3. Do we have the faith to receive what is God's will for us?
         - cf. 1Jn 5:14

   C. GRATITUDE...
      1. Bartimaeus followed Jesus and glorified God
      2. Like the Samaritan leper, he expressed gratitude - Lk 17:12-19
      3. Do we express gratitude for the many blessings God gives us?
         - cf. 1Th 5:14

CONCLUSION

1. Bartimaeus, who many sought to silence, has much to teach us about...
   a. Persistence
   b. Faith
   c. Gratitude

2. May the healing of blind Bartimaeus serve to always remind us to...
   a. Persist in our requests to God
   b. Develop the faith necessary to receive such requests
   c. Never fail to express gratitude when God answers our prayers

Finally, note that Bartimaeus followed Jesus.  Are you willing to show
your gratitude to Jesus by following Him as His disciple, responding to
the gospel of Christ...? - Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-16

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

 

From Gary... Choosing the WINNER

Fifth Place

Fourth Place

Third Place

Runner Up

The Winner

Yesterday, Lizzie and I wanted to do something different with the day and after some discussion, decided to look at all the houses (all 125 of them) in our retirement community.  We went out about noontime, so it was only about 90, but by the time we finished it had reached the higher 90's.  We each took pictures of our favorites and after a half-hour or so, finally compromised on the order you see above.  Uniqueness of style, clever arrangement of landscaping and overall beauty were the criteria.  Also, the quality of the photos was part of the process, as neither of us is a professional- not every picture was perfect.  When it came time to do the blog, the Scripture to use was obvious...

Hebrews, Chapter 12

 1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3 For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.  4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin;  5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, 

“My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord,

nor faint when you are reproved by him;

  6 For whom the Lord loves, he chastens,

and scourges every son whom he receives.”

It occurred to me that the process of grading was a lot like religious life, as there are many things influencing you to go in various directions.  But, once you determine your source of authority (vs. 2 "looking to Jesus..") things become clear.  What he has done (that is, offering a sacrifice for our wrongdoings [sin]) makes him the obvious winner.  Needless to say, if you choose the winner- you WIN!!!  Once you have done this- keeping choosing Jesus; no matter what happens!!!!  "Keep choosing Jesus" sounds like a good summary for the whole book of Hebrews!!!!  I wonder.... could you say that about YOUR LIFE????

From Jim McGuiggan... That which is perfect

That which is perfect

What about Paul’s 1 Corinthian 13:10 statement that when "that which is perfect is come that which is in part will be done away"?

The Corinthian church was richly blessed (1:4-7) but on the whole they were a carnal, childish congregation that must have kept Paul up at night. They took pride in this preacher or that, they took each other to court before pagans, they thought it was okay to lie with temple prostitutes and attend pagan temple festivals. They looked down on one another, strutted thinking they knew a lot, demanded center stage and wanted to hog assembly time. They humiliated the poor and hungry, burned in resentment toward those who are better off than themselves, tittered as they spoke about an incestuous member and some of them sneered at talk of bodily resurrection.

They had everything but what they really needed—a profound love for God and one another. They thought they had arrived or, if they hadn’t, they were close and knew how to get there.

Chapter 13 sounds like it’s all sweetness and fluff but it’s no such thing. It is a gracious and wholesome but stinging rebuke for spoiled brats and its background is in the first twelve chapters. They were in dire need but it wasn’t a need for more information or knowledge or more specific gifts. If they had had a complete revelation written down in a book, and if they understood every bit of it they’d still have been empty. The cure for their sickness wasn’t a completed Bible. (Suppose Paul had returned to Corinth with a ship full of Bibles. Would that have been the cure? Has it cured us?) The cure for their sickness wasn’t more information or more gifts that brought more information. The gifts as blessings became (in a sense) curses because the Corinthians lacked what made anything worthwhile. They were like children with toys. They were juveniles parading their knowledge of God but 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 knocks a hole in that boat. Their knowledge and vision was partial but that partial knowledge of God would vanish when they pursued the "way of love" (14:1) because in that way they would become children in malice and adults (teleioi) in how they viewed things and thought about them (14:6).

While it’s true that the miraculous gifts would cease, when Paul said the "partial" (in part) would be done away when the "complete" (total, maturity) arrived he wasn’t speaking of the gifts themselves—he was speaking of their partial understanding and grasp of God that came through the gifts. Through gifts and with a heart not in tune they saw God reflected in a mirror; their knowledge of him was the knowledge of a child, it was partial; but if love became the dominant element in their lives they would (as it were) have turned from the mirror to look God in the face. (I’ve developed this some in a little commentary on 1 Corinthians. You might be interested in that. In the USA call toll free  877-792-6408)

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Served By Greatness, Serve To Be Great

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

           Served By Greatness, Serve To Be Great (10:41-45)

INTRODUCTION

1. In our previous study, we saw where James and John made a request...
   a. For Jesus to do whatever they ask! - Mk 10:35
   b. In particular, the honor of sitting by Him in His glory (kingdom)
      - Mk 10:36-37; Mt 20:21

2. We saw where Jesus' response was two-fold...
   a. First, about drinking His cup and being baptized with His baptism
      - Mk 10:38-39
   b. Second, their request was not His to grant, but His Father's - 

      Mk 10:40; Mt 20:23

3. This request in behalf of James and John...
   a. Displeased the other apostles - Mk 10:41
   b. Provided Jesus an opportunity to teach an important lesson - Mk 10:42-45
   c. I.e., to be great in the kingdom one must serve, even as the Son
      of Man came to serve

[This is a lesson every Christian needs to remember, yet it goes against
what the world would have us believe.  To encourage us in being willing
to serve, perhaps it would help to recall that we have been...]

I. WE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY GREATNESS

   A. SERVED BY JESUS...
      1. He came to serve, not to be served - Mk 10:45
      2. He served by giving His life a ransom, dying on the cross for
         our sins
      3. He serves even now, as our High Priest who intercedes for us
         - He 7:24-25

   B. SERVED BY THE PROPHETS...
      1. The prophets spent their lives in service for our benefit- 1Pe 1:10-12
      2. Thus we have been served by men like Moses, Samuel, David,
         Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and many other "heroes of faith"!

   C. SERVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT...
      1. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets - 1Pe 1:11
      2. He also inspired the apostles to reveal the gospel - 1Pe 1:12;
         Jn 16:13

   D. SERVED BY THE APOSTLES...
      1. They are the ones who preached the gospel to us - 1Pe 1:12
      2. Through them, we have come to believe in Jesus - cf. Jn 17:20
      3. Thus we have been served by men like Peter, James, John, and
         Paul, who suffered greatly in their ministry to us! - cf. 

         1Co 4:9-13; 2Co 11:24-29

   E. SERVED BY ANGELS...
      1. They had a keen interest in the things being revealed - 1Pe 1:12
      2. For they had a part in the process of revelation - cf. Dan 8,
         9; Lk 1:11-19,26-38
      3. Thus they too have ministered to us - cf. He 1:13-14

   F. SERVED BY OTHER CHRISTIANS...
      1. Someone taught us the gospel, others continue to teach us and
         our children
      2. Some made it possible for us to assemble, and each week clean
         up what we leave behind
      3. In times of sickness, many have prayed and rendered various
         forms of service

[With so many rendering so much service, it is easy to feel pampered.
Indeed, we have been "served by greatness"!  Do we take it for granted?
I hope not.  We can show our appreciation by emulating those who served
us...]

II. LET US SERVE TO BE GREAT

   A. SERVE IN EVANGELISM...
      1. Someone led you to Christ, can you not lead another to Him?
         - cf. Jn 1:35-46
      2. Begin by being hospitable, offering acts of kindness and
         service
      3. At the very least, invite to services, offer a Bible
         correspondence course
      4. Hone your skills in personal evangelism, seek to improve your
         ability to share the gospel

   B. SERVE IN EDIFICATION...
      1. Many have contributed to your spiritual growth, can you help
         others? - cf. Ep 4:16
      2. Begin by being present at every service, greeting every one
         present
      3. Take a special interest in those who are new, encourage them
      4. Offer to help teach our children, even if it only means to
         assist another teacher
      5. Volunteer whatever service you can render in the work and
         worship of the church

   C. SERVE IN BENEVOLENCE...
      1. Has anyone ever showed you kindness?  "Be kind to one another"
         - cf. Ep 4:32
      2. Visit the sick or elderly in hospitals, and at home
      3. Render service such as cleaning, transportation, errands, etc.
      4. Minister to the poor, hungry, or those otherwise in need

CONCLUSION

1. The important thing is that we be people of service...
   a. People who serve others, not just benefiting from the efforts of
      others
   b. People who are producers, not just consumers

2. Serving is not just the path to greatness in the kingdom, but also to
   true happiness:

   "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have
   done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not
   greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he
   who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you
   do them." - Jn 13:15-17

   "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you
   must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
   that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
                                                        - Ac 20:35

Shall we not follow both the example and teaching of Jesus, and live to
serve others...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

 

From Gary... Flowers for Dorothy

#1

#2

#3

#4

My sister-in-law, Dorothy is still recovering from a devastating stroke.  She has been "down" and just plain worried about the future.  Yesterday, after morning church services, we visited her and it was obvious to me that she had been crying.  We talked for a long time and went outside and sat in the Gazebo, which perked her up some.  Still, I think she was feeling "down" when we left (but not as bad).  I know that when I feel "down", that the best thing for me to do is to remember the Scriptures, and the Psalm below is one of my favorites...

Psalm 1

 1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stand on the path of sinners,

nor sit in the seat of scoffers;

  2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law.

On his law he meditates day and night.

  3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,

that produces its fruit in its season,

whose leaf also does not wither.

Whatever he does shall prosper.

  4 The wicked are not so,

but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

  5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

  6 For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked shall perish.

Today, my Linda suggested we take her some of the flowers that she is growing, in hopes that it will cheer her up.  So, we went outside and took some pictures of the most likely candidates.  They may or may not do the trick, but I know that if those who love God will pray for her, that is better than any flower that ever grew.  Most of you have never met Dorothy, but I assure you that she is a kind and generous person; worthy of every second you might spend in prayer to God on her behalf.  Please do this as a favor to me; I promise I will not forget it!!!!

PS. Linda probably will not visit her until this afternoon, so if you send me your favorite picks (by number) it will help her make the best choices!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... Sense or Nonsense?

Sense or Nonsense?

Is God revealed in the stars? Yes. And birds and flowers, and fields of golden wheat; in little children? Is he revealed in a cancer patient, skeletal and complaining? In a beautiful girl? A handsome young man with a giant IQ? Yes. Is he revealed in a little child, twisted and drooling, brain-damaged and IQless? Hmmm.

Years ago I met a mother who learned, before the birth, that her baby was badly hurt. Would she want an abortion? No, she didn't want to abort the baby. When I met her, that child Jerry was twenty-nine years old and weighed about 70 pounds of twisted limbs. He grinned widely at any movement and when he was touched; and he laughed out loud when he heard the trash collectors outside his window. It was one of his real pleasures, his mother told us. Her days were taken up mostly with caring for her child who would never improve.

But she could have aborted the baby and spent all her time in other ways; ways demonstrably profitable. Shaping a healthy child perhaps who could shape and change the world. Yes. That "makes sense" to me.

But making sense might not be the main thing.

I don't say that making sense is nonsense; I'm just saying that the gospel didn't come to us in a "making sense" way. For starters, the signs were all wrong (the alleged Messiah didn't impress, didn't raise an army, and didn't obliterate Rome). And it made no sense! You really get to know God through a single historical event? A young man streaked with spit and sweat and blood dying in the dark? You reason from that to eternal truths about God?

No, you don't "reason from that" to eternal truths about God. You believe what the Spirit of God reveals in, through and about the event. You can never get to God by rational theorems and you can't rationally deduce truths about God reconciling the world to himself in and through the young man dying on the cross.

The cross of Christ doesn't require us to destroy our brains. In fact, the cross provokes us to set our brain-power and logic to work and shows that brain-power and logic can't arrive at the cross. Brainy, shrewd, religious and political thinkers looked the Lord of glory up and down, studied him intensely, and then promptly nailed him to a stake. They didn't see him as the Lord of glory and they didn't know that their killing him was the supreme moment of glory-filled revelation as well as the supreme lunacy of a world gone mad.

The young man on the cross might have lived a long life and taught in Rome and Athens; might have started hundreds of schools and changed the world in significant ways. That "makes sense" to me. And Jerry's mother could have acted sensibly.

Yes, but would it have been cross-like? If common-sense is the final and only arbiter by which we construe life and the world, and react to it, there would be billions of abortions. There would be billions of "crosses". Common sense would create a world after its own image--a world covered with "common sense" crosses. But there couldn't have been the cross of Christ and there couldn't be even one cross like his.

Whatever else you make of abortions, no one pretends that it's the same thing that Jerry's mother chose. And it's only within the Christian Story with its own grammar and way of construing things that the cross of Christ makes sense. Without the input of the Spirit, it remains opaque, lightless. Even with the Spirit's help the cross goes deeper than our hearts and minds can fathom.

The event itself must be the source that generates and controls all our thinking about the event. It is never to be used to approve of our already existing proposals and agendas. What we can come to without the cross-event is not distinctively Christian even if it is correct.

Jesus Christ was put to grief by his Father! It was God who delivered Jesus to death by his determining counsel and foreknowledge. So the cross was God's idea!

But Jesus Christ was put to grief by his fellow-humans. He bore the sinful hatred and cruel self-serving in his body up on to the stake. He was both the object of human evil and the death of it; he was the means by which God reconciled wicked humanity to himself. In the cross sin plunges to its lowest low and climbs to its pinnacle of arrogant self-assertion.

You can't, without revelation by the Spirit of God, come to such a faith. Rational thinking, the use of logic, empirical testing, the reading of signs or the reading of tea-leaves, stars or tarot cards--none of this can arrive at the wondrous gospel of reconciliation. Even with the Spirit there's much that's mystery. Without him there's only barren, sterile "common sense".

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.