John 12:1-8 – Mary annoints Jesus at Bethany

 

In John 12:1 we read that Jesus arrived in Bethany “six days before the Passover.” This would have been on the Sabbath before His death. There are some that do not believe that Jesus would have made a long trip from Jericho to Bethany, but as we have seen elsewhere, Jesus was not concerned about with keeping the laws such as the Sabbath so it is not an issue that he had done this on the Sabbath. Also is He had left for Bethany early on Friday and arrived early on the Sabbath, He would have not violated the Sabbath law. Either of these answers I have no issue with.

 

A bigger issue many have with this is that of a chronological nature. It deals with the time of this supper and the anointing. Many argue that this banquet is the same that we read about in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9 in the home of Simon the leper. Close reading of these Scriptures will show that although there are similarities in the passages John’s account as we see in 12:1 is on the Sabbath six days before prior to Passover. In both Matthew and Mark, the anointing occurred on the following Tuesday. Another area that shows these are two separate events is in John 12:3 it is the feet of Jesus that are anointed, where in Matthew and Mark His head is stressed.  (Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3) This would not be an issue to have two separate events because it was common to have a number of banquets surrounded around the Passover because it was a festival that was important and friends were present form all over. (Deuteronomy 16:16)

 

When burying the dead, the Jews would typically anoint the body, wrap it in the grave clothes, and then anoint the body in the grave clothes a second time. The first anointing that is recorded by John was done by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea in John 19:38-40, but it was recorded in the synoptic Gospels the women who witnessed the burial went home and prepared spices and returned to the tomb Sunday to finish the anointing that the men began. (Matthew 27:61; 28:1; Mark 15:47-16:3; Luke 23:55-24:1) So in both type and fulfillment John records only the first anointing and the synoptic Gospels only record the second. Jesus was the fulfillment of the type of Passover Lamb. What is interesting is that the four days according to Jewish reckoning between the first and second anointing coincide with the four days between the initial selection and the final approval of the lamb for slaughter. (Exodus 12:3-6) Judas Iscariot contacted the Sanhedrin following the second anointment and made the arrangements to betray Jesus. (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11)

 

It was common to give a banquet for a means of honoring a guest in the Near East. Both of the anointing’s may have occurred at the same place since it is believed that Simon the leper was the father of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In John’s gospel we find Martha portrayed as serving, Mary is found at Jesus’ feet where she is usually portrayed and Lazarus probably hosting the meal sat at the table with Jesus.

 

At some point during the dinner Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with “a pound of expensive ointment (perfume) made from pure nard.” (John 12:3) Looking at the description in John we see the word murou (ointment) is a generic term that would be a liquid perfume and nardou (nard) which would have derived from the Sanskirt term nalada which refers to a particular very fragrant plant grown in India. This plant may have been grown in or around Syria but the word pistikes which means faithful, reliable or genuine would suggest that this as the real thing most likely imported from India. This was an ointment that was used for both bodies and wine.  The pound of ointment would have cost about 300 denarii, which is the equivalent of six months’ pay. This may have meant that this ointment would have been in Mary’s family for some time and used only sparingly for special occasions.  John uses the adjective polutimou which means very costly.

 

If you can imagine growing up and smelling your favorite food your grandma made or the way her house smelled or a particular perfume a loved one wore, you can imagine when John wrote about this sixty years later he probably still had that smell of the fragrance of that very expensive perfume. He remembers the scent that filled the room and he wrote in John 12:3, “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”  In the second anointing of Jesus it was the disciples who questioned why so much money was spent when the money could have been given to the poor, but here it is only Judas Iscariot who voiced his concern with this. John also points out that Judas was not concerned for the poor because he was a thief (kleptes) and was only concerned for himself. The second part of verse 6 gives a hint of Judas’ activities, the verb used is ebastazen which means to carry, beat or lift in the sense of taking away from. This is kind of in our context of embezzlement because Judas was not only in charge of the finances but he was stealing from the disciples as well.

 

Jesus defends Mary’s actions when He said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you will always have with you, but you do not always have me.” It seems that Mary may have taken Jesus’ talk about His death serious in which she may have first learned of at His feet in Luke 10:39-42. Jesus emphasized to His disciples to care for and help the poor. Here He is explaining to them that He alone is the center of their faith and their focus should be on Him. This would be especially the case when they are spending the last moments with Jesus as a man prior to His exalted form after His resurrection.

 

The Gospel of John Part 1

Whenever I speak with a new believer or a person who is interested in the Christian faith I usually point them to the Gospel of John. The reason is because there is so much biblical theology within it and it is the “holy of holies” of the four Gospels.  This does not mean that the other Gospels are not important because they are also very important but John’s Gospel is simple in its language and very profound in its meaning.

First off the Gospel is unique in that it has a prologue as well as an epilogue. The prologue (John 1:1-18) is highly theological and introduces all the major themes in the book. The Gospel also has three major sections, 1. Christ’s revelation to Israel (John 1:19-12:50) which has seven signs within the book. It also has a private section (John 1:19-2:11) in relation to John the Baptist, the Disciples, and the first miracle (wedding feast in Cana).  2. Revelation to His Disciples (John 13:1-17:26) which includes the upper room discourse, prayer of the High Priest Jesus before He dies and revelation to the disciples. This is also the core teaching of the book. There are more “red letters” or Jesus speaking in this section of the book than any other. In chapters 13-15 Jesus gives instruction and in chapter 17 Jesus gives intercession. One of the chapters I love to read over and over is chapter 17. It is a wonderful prayer and it includes Jesus praying about us. 3. The redemption for the world (John 18:1-20:31), which we read of His death, resurrection. In John 20:31 we read the purpose statement of John, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” This is why this Gospel is known as the Gospel of belief. However the word belief or faith is not found in this Gospel as a noun, belief in John is not a concept (belief, faith) it is an action (believe, believing).

The purpose of the Gospel of John is that John recorded a select number of signs and sayings of Jesus in order to persuade his audience that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, who could give them eternal life if they would believe in Him. In this Gospel the signs always go with the sayings, and the structure of John goes back and forth from private to public. It starts out private (1:19-2:11), than public (2:12-12:50), than private (13:1-17:26), than public (18:1-19:42), than back to private (20:1-31) kind of like an accordion style. In the public sections there are three festivals that occur within them, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Dedication (Hanuka).

In this Gospel there are seven miraculous signs:

1. Turning water into wine chapter 2
2. Healing the nobleman’s son chapter 4
3. Healing the infirm man  chapter 5
4. Feeding the 5,000 chapter 6
5. Walking on water chapter 6
6. Giving sight to the blind man chapter 9
7. Raising of Lazarus chapter 11

There are also seven Messianic claims, and the signs always authenticate the sayings.

1. I Am the Bread of Life chapter 6, this goes along with the feeding of the 5,000.
2. I Am the Light of the world chapter 8, and in chapter 9 we see Jesus giving sight to the blind man.
3. I Am the Door of the sheep chapter 10
4. I Am the Good Shepherd chapter 10
5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life chapter 11, three times the Gospels show Jesus bringing people back to life.
6. I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life chapter 14, the dominate theme is life.
7. I Am the True Vine chapter 15

Jesus offers spiritual life in His name. Christianity at its core is a Book (the Bible), a Person (Jesus), and an experience in order to have biblical Christianity you must have all three.

In the prologue of John he recorded it to lay the theological foundation for his Gospel in which he presented Jesus as the Logos who was sent from God as the Light and Life for man.  (John 1:1-18)

 

Do the four Gospels contradict each other? Resurrection..

Many non-Christians attack the gospels and say that they contradict one another when it comes to the account of the resurrection of Jesus, is that true? Why do they believe this?

One of the reasons why non-Christians attack the accounts of the resurrection is because it is a fundamental truth of Christianity and is the most important event in history that shows irrefutable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, just as He said He was. Non-Christians know if they can attack the resurrection of Christ, or get us to doubt it than they can prove that Christianity is false.  The resurrection not only validates that Jesus is God, but it also shows that all of Scripture is true as well.

The resurrection events in the gospels is sometimes hard to piece together but we must remember a couple things. First when the resurrection happened imagine how chaotic this event would have been. Knowing Jesus died on the cross many of His followers were scared and many of them left in different groups, and I am sure that many of them visited His tomb on several different occasions hoping that what He said about His resurrection was true. Secondly, I don’t believe that the gospel writers at the time were worried about writing every single detail or even the order in which everything happened. Look at the news today or even an event that maybe you have witnessed yourself. If you were a witness to a robbery or a car accident I am sure you would have a completely different account of what happened or even the order in which it happened, but the one fact that would stay true and constant is that an accident or a robbery did happen. Just like with the resurrection, the different accounts do not discredit the resurrection the absolute fact is that it DID happen. This is one of those situations where if the gospels were in complete and perfect harmony with one another than it would be said that the writers conspired with each other or copied off one another, but if they believe they contradict one another they will say it is unreliable and therefore can not be trusted. Without going into great detail here I will try and give a timeline as to the way to harmonize the gospel accounts of the resurrection and I hope this will help you. If you would like a more exhaustive list please let me know. This list will only deal with the accounts of those who visited the tomb and saw Jesus on the resurrection morning:

1) Three women went to the tomb (Luke 23:55-24:1)

2) They find that the stone was rolled away (Luke 24:2-9)

3) Mary Magdalene leaves to go and tell the disciples (John 20:1-2)

4) Mary, the mother of James, sees the angels (Matthew 28:1-2)

5) Peter and John arrive and look in the tomb (John 20:3-10)

6) Mary Magdalene comes back, sees the angel and then sees Jesus (John 20:11-18)

7) Mary, the mother of James, comes back with other women and see the stone rolled away (Luke 24:1-4)

8) These women also see the angels (Mark 16:5; Luke 24:5)

9) They are told by the angel that Jesus has risen (Matthew 28:6-8)

10) They leave and met by Jesus, they worship at His feet (Matthew 28:9-10)

 

As I wrote earlier this is not an exhaustive list of how the gospels compliment and not contradict each other, this actually happens a lot. Each of the gospels give a testimony of Jesus from different perspectives, but they tell the same story. So when someone tries to tell you that the gospels contradict one another and attempt to discredit the Bible point out to them that they are actually in harmony with one another and any differences they may find are minor in details and many times new information is provided from one account to another. These are accurate accounts of Jesus and are all “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

 

Why should we pray for our pastors?

I had lunch with my pastor and had an awesome conversation and meal with him as usual. We talked about how school was going and I told him that I pray for him and his family daily, as well as praying for him and the church on the Sundays I am not there because I am working. I feel it is so important to pray for your pastor and I will explain why and give Biblical reasons.

In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul writes, “Elders (Pastors) who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching.” Faithful church leaders such as your pastor need to be supported and appreciated. Most of the time we only see our pastor on Sundays and maybe Wednesday if you have a mid week service, what we see is them giving us the message from the Word of God. What we don’t see is their other days. The days that they are running to hospital to pray for someone, or the late night calls of one of their members needing spiritual guidance or help. We tend to believe that our pastor is on call 24/7. They often spend time away from their families to help and serve others.  They become all to often targets for criticism because the congregation hold to high of expectations for them. This is the main reason why we need to be praying for our pastors.

In 2 Corinthians 1:11 Paul asked for prayers for himself and the others he was travelling with as they went on teaching and preaching the Gospel. The enemy is ready to attack and the best line of defense against him is prayer. So many pastors get burnt out on ministry and quit. I firmly believe that either they were not called into ministry or they did not have a flock that continuously prayed for them. Paul also writes in Romans 15:30, “Dear brothers and sisters, I URGE you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. DO this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.” I emphasized the word urge because Paul is urging the believers to join in his struggle by praying for him. To urge is to have a strong desire or impulse, or to earnestly do something. We should also look at the last part of this verse, Paul asked the believers to pray for him because they love him. Do you love your pastor? You should, I love my pastor and pray for him and his family every day. If you love and appreciate your pastor and his family and all that he does day in and day out for your church then we should all be praying constantly for them. Prayer is a weapon that all believers have as an armor as we intercede to fight against our enemy, Satan. If we think we as Christians get attacked when we stand boldly for our faith, think how much more our pastors get attacked. Our prayers need to reflect the type of urgency that Paul talks about here. Jesus also taught us that prayer is very important, and He asked Peter, James and John to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In closing what should we be praying for when we pray for our pastor? We should first and foremost pray for him and his family, that they will continue in the Word of God together and follow God’s will in their life. We should then pray for wisdom for any of the situations they may face during their day as they minister and serve those in the church and community, that they will continue to be deep rooted in the Word of God and continue to teach and preach unashamed.  We should also be praying for his ministry, that it will be blessed and accepted and that people will receive him and hear and understand God’s Word.  Pray also for their spiritual protection that they will not fall prey to the world. And finally pray that doors will be opened to them for them to spread the Gospel (Colossians 4:3), and that they continue to have the boldness and desire to teach and preach the Gospel. (Ephesians 6:19)

Hebrews 2:10-18

I will start off with some wonderful insight into today’s verses from the book I have written by my friend Edgar Andrews. He starts off this section with, “This passage expands further the theme of Christ the man. In doing so, however, it begins to elaborate a subject briefly touched upon in 1:3 and 2:3 and which preoccupies the Writer increasingly throughout the epistle-the Saviour’s work of deliverance. By coming as a man to lost mankind, the Lord of glory has delivered His people from Satan, death, fear, bondage, sin, and temptation. In doing so, he brings God’s chosen ‘sons’ to glory.” (Andrews, pg. 87)

It was God’s grace to us that led Christ to His death. The writer has already been telling us and making a point that Jesus is so much more and far superior to the angels. Now he explains why the Son of God had to become man and why He had to suffer and die as a human being. Jesus did not come into this world to gain status or to be a political power, He came to suffer and die so that we can have eternal life. This is what is meant by “bring His many children into glory.” (2:10)

How was Jesus made perfect through suffering? Jesus is and always will be perfect, but His suffering made Him a perfect leader of our salvation. Jesus did not need to suffer for His own salvation, because He is God in human form. His suffering and sacrifice was the completed work for our salvation. Our suffering makes us more sensitive servants of God. Andrews writes, “It is central to the message of Hebrews that Christ’s work of deliverance is complete. Christ is the perfect Saviour because He saves perfectly. There is nothing partial, conditional, or temporary about the salvation that is in Christ. Nothing is left to chance.” (Andrews, pg. 88)

In 2:11, this is the first place in Hebrews we see Sanctification. Sanctification, or being made holy, does not refer to the moral renewal of a person’s life after they experience salvation, it speaks of the person’s reconciliation to God. Here we can see the great significance of Jesus’ incarnation. Jesus, the Son of God, not only had an identity with very unworthy people, but He was also not ashamed to do so. This was also something only Christ could do, no angel was capable of this. We who have been set apart for God’s service, cleansed, and made holy (sanctified) by Jesus now have the same Father He has. This makes us His brothers and sisters.

In 2:12, The writer gives one of three citations from the Old Testament as a proclamation of Jesus’ solidarity with His people. Here he quotes from Psalm 22:22, which is a messianic Psalm and looks forward to Christ and His work in the world. God adopted all believers as His children, Jesus calls them His brothers and sisters. The two other citations from the Old Testament are found in verse 13 and they are from Isaiah 8:17-18. These references speak of the Messiah, who will be revealed in due time along with those He has redeemed. (Andrews, pg. 91)

Hebrews 2:14-15 Jesus had to become human so that He could die and rise again in order to destroy the Devil’s power over death. (Romans 6:5-11) Had Jesus not accepted His limitations of humanity, He could have never tasted death on behalf of all humanity. Christ was a perfect human being, His humanity allowed Him to die and His perfection made Him an appropriate sacrifice to God. When we belong to God, we do not need to fear death. We know that death is only the doorway into eternal life. (1 Corinthians 15) Death has been defeated and we have been set free because of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is a fact, we are all going to die one day, but to us who are children of God death is not the end, it is only a doorway into new life. If you are reading this and you dread death, I beg of you to take this opportunity you have right now to know the hope that I have, that hope that Christ’s victory brings and receive His gift of salvation. I think that even as Christians we all have a fear of dying, but the difference with the fear is that we have hope, and the uncertainty of death has been removed, for He (Christ) has passed through death and become the first born of the dead. (Colossians 1:18)

Hebrews 2:16-17, It was Jesus’ mission to provide salvation for human beings, Abraham’s descendants, not angels. Jesus helps in a very real way by seeing His people through whatever they are facing. He can relate to human suffering because of His incarnation. He experienced the emotions, pains, and temptations that are common to all human beings. This qualifies Him to act as a high priest, an intercessor between sinful humankind and a perfect God. In the Old Testament, the high priest was the mediator between God and His people. His job was to regularly offer animal sacrifices according to the law, as well as intercede with God for forgiveness for the peoples sins. Jesus is now our high priest, He has once and for all paid the penalty for our sins by His own sacrificial death, His atonement, and He alone was able to restore our broken relationship with God. We have been released from sin’s domination over us, only when we commit ourselves fully to Christ, and trust Him completely.

Hebrews 2:18, while reading this verse we can have faith and trust Christ because we know that He suffered pain and faced temptation just as we do. He understands us, He knows our struggles, because He faced them as a human being. This is why we can trust Christ fully and completely to never leave us when we are facing those trials in life. So when you are facing trials and temptations, because you will, go to Jesus for strength and patience in those times. He understands and is able to help. Matthew 11:28 says, “come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

One thing to note on an Apologetics side of Hebrews 2:16 is that some people say that this verse teaches that Jesus is a biological descendant of Abraham and then they question its veracity in the light of Matthew 1:18, which teaches that Christ lacked a biological human father. Offspring in Hebrews 2:16 refers to the descendants of Abraham not to Jesus. The point of this verse is that the Son, through the incarnation, helps Abraham’s offspring and not the angels. (from the Apologetics Bible)

Apologetics-Defending the Christian faith

For the last year or so I have been really enjoying reading different book from many different authors who are some of the best apologists in the world. Along with the Hebrews study I have been slowly writing about I will also add in some posts on apologetics. I feel in this day and age when we, Christians, are being attacked by all sides about what we believe and it is only going to get worse. This is the number one reason why we need to learn how to defend what we believe and why we believe it is true.

One thing I have noticed from atheists I have talked to and debated is that they usually run a bully type game where they try to bully you into making you feel as if you are not smart or that you have no idea what you are talking about when you try to defend or speak out about what you believe in. They throw things out their like “science has proven”, “logic says”, or “it is well known that this is not true.” They try to tell you that multiple scientists or scholars have proven that God does not exist and that the Bible is full of contradictions and errors. So I am hopefully going to go through some ways to try and help you in defending your Christian faith.

First I want to talk about what apologetics is and what it is not. Apologetics is not apologizing for what you believe. It is not us telling people over and over again I am sorry. It is also not a way to forcibly making or strong arming them into believing what you believe. Apologetics is the branch of Christian theology that attempts to give a rational defense of the Christian faith.

The word apologetics is derived from the Greek word apologia, which was originally used of a speech or a defense or an answer given in reply.The word appears 17 times in the New Testament in either noun or verb form . Both the noun (apologia) and the verb form (apologeomai) can be translated defense or vindication in every case. Paul used apologetics in his writings to defend his Christian faith. Jesus also used apologetics, any claim Jesus made He was able to give full evidence of that claim. A couple examples would be His claim of the fulfillment of His prophecy (Mark 14:61-62; Luke 24:44-45), in His miracles such as His resurrection prediction (John 2:19-21; Matthew 12:39-40), His accomplishment (Luke 24:26-27), His healing’s (Matthew 11:2-5), as well as He corrected false interpretations of Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). So as you can see it was very important to Jesus as well as the early Christians, so it should be important to us.

The main verse in the Bible used for apologetics is 1 Peter 3:15 which says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” With this verse we can see that ALL of us who proclaim to be Christians need to be able to defend the “hope that is in us.” I used to think as many still do that defending the Christian faith was for those who went to Bible school, those who really studied the Bible, for pastors and not me. I found out the hard way several years ago when I was taken to task about my faith by someone who used to claim they were a Christian who asked me a question that I could not answer. I have been a believer my whole life, I have always loved God with my whole heart and my whole soul, but I could not defend or explain why I believed what I believed.

Even though faith is a very personal issue or matter, which in part is true, but we should always be ready to give an answer, with gentleness and respect when we are asked about our faith. Apologetics is kind of like a pre evangelism, in that when we can defend what and why we believe we can then evangelize and witness to that person. This is also why we need to make sure that others see Christ in us, in our daily life and walk. 1 Peter 3:15, tells us all that we are called to defend our faith. This is the number one reason why we should know and read our Bible daily. If you do not know your Bible you will not know how to defend your faith. The Bible never tells us to just go along with what the world teaches or believes, it tells us to “not conform to the pattern of this world.” (Romans 12:2) We can not conform by teaching and explaining what and why we believe what we do and why it is a better way of life than what the world has to offer.

Part of the verse also is that we are to do this with “gentleness and reverence”, some translations use the word respect or meekness. This means we are not to be loud or obnoxious (many are),or making someone who is struggling or doesn’t believe feel inferior. I see to many times today when some people who are Christians really make a bad name for us all because they think they are reaching out to people with love, or they come with a judgmental attitude and leave a bad taste in peoples mouth. We represent the church, we represent Christ because He lives in our hearts, it is our job while we are here on this earth to win souls for Christ and to offer them the Hope that is in us. We need to be respectful when we do this, the turn or burn mentality has to be gone. One of the best way to show Christ in us is by being real and giving your own testimony of how you came to be a Christian. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic testimony, it just has to be real.

I am going to try and keep these as short as possible with as much useful information as I can. I will explore how to talk to people about why we believe God exists, and how He is still active in His creation, a defense of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Trinity, Heaven and Hell and much more. Also is there are any questions you may have I would be happy to help as much as I can. I also want to feature books, authors and other apologetic resources to help you as well.

My first resource I would like to tell you about is a great book called Cold Case Christianity by my friend J. Warner Wallace. He is a retired Cold Case Homicide Detective in California who was an atheist for over 30 years, until he began looking at Christianity from a homicide detectives point of view. It is a great book you can get on Kindle or book format.

Hebrews 2:5-9

Continuing in the study of Hebrews, I know it has been a few weeks and I apologize for anyone who has been reading these studies. School has started up again and am in a dreaded philosophy class that is drawing most of my intention away from getting to this. Today we are reading Hebrews 2:5-9, which in the verses before we see the author talking about and explaining the superiority of Jesus over everything and everyone including the angels.

Here after stating his clear warning the author returns to the theme he began to write about in Hebrews 1, the superiority of Jesus Christ to the angels. This is the general theme of the first couple chapters of Hebrews, it was so important for the writer to show the Jewish people of that time that Jesus was more and better than the angels, and that yes the angels are and were important in bringing God’s message but Jesus is and was so much more.

In Hebrews 2:5, he wants the readers to consider the world to come, and he makes it clear that this is what he has been talking about all along. I was blessed to be given a wonderful book called, “A Glorious High Throne” written by a great man of God from England, and my friend Edgar Andrews. When he heard I was doing a study on Hebrews he sent me his book which is a beautifully written book on the book of Hebrews. It is very easy to read and goes verse by verse in explaining the book. I will quote and give some of his insight in some of my writings, and will reference him and his writings from time to time.

In his book, Andrews writes about Hebrews 2:5, “The great salvation made available in Christ is a privilege beyond description- that much is made clear in 2:3. But now the writer unveils a further aspect of God’s eternal and cosmic purpose. The redeemed, we are told, will inherit the world to come.” So we see that not only does Christ surpass the angels, but the humblest believer also enjoys a status higher than theirs. So if the Hebrew believers were being influenced by members of the Essene communities, they would be presented with teachings that included the exhalation of angels in the end times.

The Essene’s were a branch of Pharisee’s who conformed to the most rigid rules of Levitical purity while aspiring to the highest degree of holiness. The name usually means the modest, humble or pious ones. You can imagine how hard it was for these Jewish Christians to live their faith and how much persecution they must have endured form the religious Jews who continued to practice the “old law.”

The author never differentiates any of the angels either good or bad, he simply raises the issue that God did not appoint the angels to rule in the world to come.

In Hebrews 2:6-8, the writer quotes from Psalm 8:4-6. The Psalm can be read as a description of how human beings fit into God’s creation. Man is God’s special creation, designed to serve Him and enjoy an eternal destiny of glory. This destiny is fulfilled in Christ. (Andrews) Jesus is the quintessential human being. Jesus frequently referred to Himself as “Son of Man”, in this authors interpretation of the Psalm, the title has a double meaning referring both to human beings in general, and then to Jesus as the fulfillment of humanity’s destiny. All people have been created a little lower than the angels, but because of the fallen state this high status is not seen today. Through the perfect life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus reversed the results of the fall and achieved this glorified status predicted in the Psalm. (Philippians 2:6-11) In Christ the true dignity and destiny of humankind is fulfilled.

In his books Andrews writes this, ” So man is higher than the angels because of the glorious destiny God has purposed for him, in the form of the church of Christ. But at the same time he has been made a little lower than the angels. (2:7) How are we to resolve this paradox? Firstly the words “a little” are better translated “for a little while.” They refer not so much to a degree of man’s present subjection as to its duration (it will last until Christ returns in triumph Romans 8:21). In God’s sovereign purpose, man did not step immediately from Eden’s garden to eternal glory. Why not? Because then God’s purpose for mankind would have usurped His purpose for His Son, namely, that he might have the pre-eminence, be glorified as the Redeemer of the lost, and become heir of all things (1:2). As a result, man’s potential is hidden in this present age, obscured by the ravages of sin and the curse of death. Thus “now we do not yet see all things put under him” (2:8). But all is not darkness. The man Christ Jesus, having died for his elect and risen from the dead, has entered into glory as their forerunner. He thus demonstrates what ultimately awaits the whole church in glory.

God put Jesus in charge of everything, and Jesus revealed Himself to us. Although we do not see Jesus reigning on earth, we can picture Him in His heavenly glory. So when we are confused about what is happening on our earth now, or we feel anxious about what our future may hold we need to stop and remember that Jesus is still in control, and He is in His true position  and has complete authority over all things. He is the Lord of all and one day He will rule on earth as He does now in heaven.

Image of God

Here is my final essay for one of my theology classes I just finished up this past weekend. It was written on what does it mean to be made in the image of God, why being made in the image of God is so important to our Christian faith, and how does being made in the image of God affect the way I interact with people as a pastor?

                                                                            Final Essay: Image of God

The foundation to the Christian faith is the belief that we are all made in the image and likeness of God. What does it mean to be made in the image of God, why is being made in the image of God so important in our Christian faith and how does being made in the image of God affect the way I interact with people in my chosen profession as a pastor? These are the questions I will answer in this essay.

We must first see that our belief is essentially synonymous with our doctrine. Doctrine is a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true.[1] So if we look at what our Christian doctrine says about us being made in the image of God we will find it in the Book of Genesis, “Then God said, “Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life-the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.” So God created people in His own image; God patterned them after Himself; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) That humanity by creation uniquely bears the image of God is a fundamental doctrine-as is also that this image is sullied by sin and that it is restored by divine salvation.[2] How are we created in God’s image then? We are not created exactly like God because He has no physical body and He is omniscient and omnipresent. Being in the image of God relates to man’s immaterial parts and not his physical parts. We are a reflection of the glory of God and we are able to reflect His character in the way we love, forgive, in our kindness and faithfulness. God made both man and woman in His image, this means that neither are made more in His image but they are both equally made in His image.

The image of God as described within Scripture appears to have four separate aspects. If one of the items were removed, the image would cease to be the image of God.[3] The first is the rational aspect. This is the aspect that makes us aware of our own existence, our self-determination, and our ability to reason. The second aspect is the moral aspect. This is how we are able to discern between right and wrong. We all have a sense of right and wrong within us, some choose to suppress it and choose to do evil rather than good. The third aspect is the spiritual aspect. Within this aspect there are two separate issues, first a true understanding or knowledge of God and secondly it is also inferred that the spiritual aspect included original righteousness. The fourth and final aspect includes immortality. In the beginning when God created man and woman death was not in the original plan, but because of the sin of Adam and Eve we know have physical death.[4] All of these aspects combined make us in the image of God.

There are many times in Scripture that Jesus and the writers talked about and made reference to being in the image and likeness of God. In the books of Matthew and Mark there is an account of Jesus talking to the Pharisees. The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into saying something against Caesar so they could accuse Him. They asked the question about whether or not it was right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not. Jesus knew of their motives and quickly rebuked them saying, “Give to Caesar what belongs to him, but everything that belongs to God must be given to God.” (Matthew 22:21) This was in response to them handing Him a Roman coin with Caesar’s image on it. Jesus avoided this trap they had set for Him by showing that we have dual citizenship. We have a citizenship in heaven and as Christians our soul belongs to God who made us in His image and likeness. Our souls are worth much more to God than any money or other “things” we can acquire in this world.

Being made in the image of God is important to our faith because when we accept Jesus as our Savior, not only are we still in the image of God but we are also a new creation in Christ. This will also affect the way we treat people, we will want to treat people with a genuine love, just as Christ did. Jesus is the perfect image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4b) and so we should strive to live our life as Christ did, this involves loving our neighbors as ourselves and loving God with all of our heart, soul and mind. (Matthew 22:37)  Because we are made in the image of God, He knows everything about us and we should praise Him because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Being a pastor and knowing that all people are made in the image of God is important in that I need to treat each person I come in contact with love and compassion, just as God is love. (1 John 4:8) It is the pastor’s job to recognize the image of God in other people, and know that they are all special because God created them. God chose us to be ministers of His Gospel so this must not be taken lightly. We should follow our perfect example, Jesus Christ, and have a servant attitude, have a love for God and others and remember that everyone is made in His image and likeness.

To be created in the image and likeness of God is to be created by a loving God and have much of His qualities. We will never be totally and completely like God because He is our creator but we have the ability to reflect His character and show such things as love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

Word count: 998

Bibliography

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker

Academic, 2001.

Merriam-Webster. Accessed October 7, 2014.

Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today. 3rd ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.

[1] “Doctrine.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed October 7, 2014.

[2] Elwell, Walter A. “Image of God.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 591. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1984.

[3] Towns, Elmer L. “Anthropology.” In Theology for Today, 575. 3rd ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.

[4] Towns, Elmer L. “Anthropology.” In Theology for Today, 575-577. 3rd ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.

Hebrews 2:1-4

While reading the first chapter of Hebrews we see how important Christ is. He is more than all the angels, He is everything. He is God’s Son and His messenger.  In the first chapter of Hebrews then anonymous writer was writing to the Jewish Christians who were being persecuted. They had the idea of turning back to their old Jewish ways and the writer was writing to them to encourage them to stay strong in the Lord. He referenced Christ being more than the angels because to the Jewish people the angels of God were very important to them.

Now we start with the second chapter of Hebrews. After opening with how much superior that Jesus is to any other prophet or angels, the author now applies that knowledge to personal faith. Throughout this letter of Hebrews we see how important it is to persevere in the Christian faith. Even when times get rough, and you are persecuted for your faith, it is important to stand strong for your faith.

Hebrews 2:1-4 speaks on how important it is to pay attention to the truth that they heard so that they wouldn’t “drift away” into false teaching. In early translations of Scripture, the word used for drift away was glide. Sometimes drifting away is not an intentional conscious decision as it is carelessly listening to false teaching. I think it is the same way today, there is so much false teaching and doctrine going around, and this is why we as Christians need to stay planted in His word, so we don’t intentionally or unintentionally drift away. We must heed the writers advice and pay more careful attention. Paying careful attention is hard work sometimes, this is why we need to stay focused in our mind, body and senses. Listening to Christ means not merely hearing but also obeying. (James 1:22-25) We can sit and hear God’s word all day, it is when we obey that we can truly listen and carry out His instructions.

The message and gospel of Christ is not a new teaching. The Jewish readers of this letter were steeped in the ancient scriptures an had no doubts whatsoever about the authority of those writings. They took the law and the Prophets very seriously. They believed the scriptures had been mediated by angels. (Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19) They also believed that those who did not submit to it would be subject to serve punishments. The “message God delivered through angels” refers to the teaching that angels, as messengers of God, had brought the law of Moses. The author was saying to his readers that they had good faith, but their faith had to point to Christ. Just as the writer described in the first chapter that Christ is superior and greater than the angels, so is His message far greater than theirs. No one will escape God’s punishment if they do not have the salvation that is offered by Christ.

The eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry handed down His teachings to the readers of this letter. The readers were second generation believers who had not seen Jesus in the flesh. We have not seen Jesus in the flesh, like them, but we base our belief in Jesus on the eyewitness accounts in the Bible. In John 20:29 Jesus says, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”  We are truly blessed to be able to have the freedom to have and read the Bible. The accounts of the eyewitnesses who were inspired to write the Bible. We should not take that freedom lightly and focus on our faith and read our Bibles everyday to help strengthen our faith. There are so many people today who think they would believe in Jesus if He would just “give them a sign” or “show them a miracle”. Jesus says we are blessed if we can believe without seeing, or needing a sign or miracle.

God “verifying the message” (2:4) continues the thought from verse 3. Those who heard Jesus speak and then passed on His words also had the truth of their words confirmed by “signs, wonders, and miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit.” If we look at the book of Acts, miracles and gifts of the Spirit authenticated the Good News wherever it was preached. (Acts 9:31-42; Acts 14:1-20) Paul discussed spiritual gifts in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4. He taught that the purpose of the spiritual gifts was to build up the church, to make it strong and mature. We know that God is truly present when we see the gifts of the Spirit in a person or on the church. We should all find our spiritual gifts that God has given to us, thank Him for them and use them to further the church into spiritual maturity.

It is very important to realize that the author was writing to believers and not unbelievers in this letter. When he speaks of the superiority of Christ over all he is telling them and us that the Gospel is so much more important than any other thing in this life. So many times we do not take the time to spend time in the Word, or even praying. We should always make time for God and His Word. I would encourage you to keep reading along in Hebrews as well as other books of the Bible, and pray that the Holy Spirit will help you understand and guide you through the Word of God. In the next blog I will be writing about Hebrews 1:5-9. I like to take only a few verses at a time because part of understanding God’s Word is not to rush through and read, it is easier to meditate and read smaller parts within the chapter. If you read verses 5-9 every day this would be a great way to do a devotional and I think you will get something new out of it everyday that you read it.

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Women’s Role in the Church

This is a very controversial subject, and I had to write about it on my theology essay. I received another 75/75 points on it.

The Role of Women in the Church

Mary I think it is great that you want to be involved with your church, it is always such a wonderful way to enhance your faith by serving others within the church. You told me you had some concerns about the roles of women in the church and I will use this essay to explain the roles within the church and what the Bible says about role’s women should play in the church.

First we should look at different offices in the church and look to the Bible to see the qualifications of the offices. The first office is an elder. In the New Testament “Elders or presbyters appear early in life of the church, taking their place along with the apostles, prophets and teachers.” [1] The elders were part of the government of the church, and in 2 and 3 John elders are referred to as someone highly esteemed within the church.[2]  The Bible gives clear instructions on the qualifications of an elder. The says “therefore an overseer (elder) must be of reproach, the husband of one wife, sober minded, self-controlled, respectful, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:2-7, ESV) Looking at this verse we can see that the Bible prohibits women from being elders. The use of “he” and “his”, as well as being the “husband of one wife” makes it clear that God ordained the office of elder to be only a man.

A deacon is described more as a “servant” or “server” within the church. The word deacon comes from the word diakoneo, which means “to serve” and initially referred to a waiter at a meal. [3] We can see the qualifications for a deacon in 1 Timothy as well. The Bible says, “In the same way, deacons must be people who are respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers and must not be greedy for money. They must be committed to the revealed truths of the Christian faith and must live with a clear conscience.” (1 Timothy 3:8-10, NLT) If we look at these verses we notice a difference in words for a deacon it is not specifically “he” or “his”, but “people” and “they”. This may mean that a deacon can be either a man or a woman. If we take the definition of a deacon being a server, we are all to serve the Body of Christ and can all be deacons. The Bible also says, “In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not speak evil of others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.” (1 Timothy 3:11, NLT) Wives in this verse may refer to women helpers or deaconesses. Romans 16:1 refers to Phoebe who was known as a deacon, or servant. The only reference to a deacon being a male is when the Bible says, “A deacon must be faithful to his wife.” (1 Timothy 3:12a, NLT) It is my opinion that women may be able to serve as deaconesses or servers in the church. In Romans 16:7, Paul also mentions two people a husband and wife named Andronicus and Junia who were his relatives and they were “respected among the apostles” which could possibly mean they were servants or deacons in the church and were themselves apostles.

There are some people who believe that men and women should be equal in all offices in the church and that is what egalitarianism is. One verse in the Bible that they use is, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians-you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NLT) In my opinion this verse is not meant for women’s role in the church, but Paul is saying that we all are in Christ and receive the original promise God made to Abraham. (Galatians 3:29)

The view of complementarianism is the view of man and woman being created equal in God’s image, but they complement each other in different roles which includes serving in the church. A couple Bible verses that this view uses is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, and 1 Timothy 2:11-15 where Paul speaks of women keeping silent in the church and for them to not have authority over a man. This is also some verses that some liberal Christian’s use to try and show the Bible is anti-women. In context Paul is forbidding a kind of disruptive babbling and questioning that would interfere with a worshipful attitude in the church. Women are mentioned here because they were the primary disturbers.[4]

The limitations on women that exists in the church should not apply outside of the church. A woman should have just as much right to do a job as long as she is qualified and can do the job. I also do not believe this is any type of contradiction because in the church we are held to a higher standard than we are in the world. We do not have a manual for worldly things, just a manual (the Bible) for within the church structure. God created man and women in His image and in the outside world everyone should be equal.

There have been so many wonderful women of God who are seen throughout the Bible. Women who changed and help transform people. [5]  The first women in the church were the group of female followers who were attached to Jesus and travelled about with Him. [6]Women who have a strong faith should teach other women (Titus 2:3-5), they can also teach children. In my opinion women can have many important roles in the church, they are only restricted from having authority over men in a pastoral or elder role.

I hope this answered your questions about a woman’s role in the church. I urge you to find your spiritual gift and act on it in a good Biblically based church. Don’t forget about the important role women had in the Old Testament as well as the development and growth of the church in the New Testament. There are important roles for women in the church such as, worship leader, youth ministries and so many others.  I believe you should pray about where God needs you and follow His lead.

[1] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 369

[2] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 369

[3] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 320

[4] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 1284

[5] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 1289

[6] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 1289