I always feel bad for the extras in an action movie. It's pretty predictable when the main character and his three companions (undeveloped characters) go into a gun fight at the beginning of a movie that the extras are going to get blown away. And though you may feel a little tension in your gut about how the main character is going to get out of the situation, you really aren't worried because you know they will be ok. After all there is still over an hour left to go in the movie.
Likewise, when God approaches Abraham (earlier called Abram) at the beginning of chapter 22 and tests him by asking Abraham to offer his one and only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God; there is a feeling of tension but deep down you know this will work out. First, God detests human sacrifice and later will codify into the Law that it is wrong. Second, God has promised Abraham that through his child he will be the father of many nations and Isaac is the only child he has. So it comes as know surprise (like the main character getting out of an impossible situation) that when Abraham is just about to sacrifice Isaac that an angel stops him and an animal shows up to take his place. Crisis averted.
Besides being good drama and showing us an amazing picture of what it means to trust God there is something much deeper in this event. God approaches Abraham to test his trust, obedience, and love. When Abraham passes the test God responds by saying, "By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice" (Gen 22:15-18). God swears by Himself because there is no one or no thing greater than He. Meaning that God's love is greater than Abraham's. So when Abraham shows himself willing to sacrifice his one and only son, it sets God up to do something at least at par even not greater. Not because God is compelled to prove anything to mankind, but by the very nature of who He is, He would never ask of mankind what He Himself would not be willing to do.
The plot thickens even further as God renews His promise that through Abraham's descendants, God will bless all nations. Keeping in mind that the main issue is sin which separates us from God, this sets a dramatic stage for our hero. In essence, though it is not clear at this point in Scriptures, it sets the stage for God's one and only Son to be sacrificed for those He loves (see the book of John chapter 3 verse 16). Of course the tension here is how can our hero both be human (as told to Eve) and the Son of a Divine God? We may not understand it, but it would fit what the Scriptures have showed us of the hero so far.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A Biblical Anomaly (Genesis 14)
An anomaly is something irregular, out of the ordinary, sometimes easily missed. Good writers often weave information into their stories that seem random, but later on down the line end up very significant. The casual reader will often completely miss the clues that the author is giving you a piece of the puzzle. On the other hand, the seasoned reader lives for these nuggets. They learn to pay close attention to details or events that seem to have no place or are extra fluff to the story at hand. They turn this seemingly random information over and over in their heads formalizing hypothesis's and theories. Later when the author draws from this random information to pull the story together, they are not surprised and are often most satisfied that they "knew it all along".
The Bible is full of these kinds of anomalies, but none seem as big as the person who shows up in the book of Genesis chapter 14, Melchizedek. Let me set the scene. There is a war between an alliance of five kings versus four kings. The winner of this war raids the kingdoms of the loser and takes not only all the treasure but all the young men, women, and children as well. Among these captives is Abram's nephew Lot. Abram gets news of this, takes a little over 300 men, tracts down these kings, beats them soundly, and saves all the captives as well as reclaims the stolen treasure. Then he heads back to return everything and everyone to their home.
It is here that the anomaly occurs. Along the way it says that the King of Salem and High Priest of the God Most High comes to Abram and this swarm of people and gives them bread and wine. He then pronounces a blessing over Abram. In return Abram gives this king a tenth of all the treasure, and then goes on his merry way. This is all the history we know of Melchizedek. The first major anomaly is the fact that this guy is the priest of the God Most High. The idea of a priest won't even be developed until Moses comes on the scene about 500 years after Abram. At that time there will be two different posts that are held by two different people, one is king the other is priest. There is no category for someone who is both king and priest. The second anomaly is that Abram gives this guy a tenth of all he has. Again, if we fast forward 500 years to the time of Joshua (who leads Israel right after Moses) we find that God divides the promised land (the one promised to Abram) between 11 families (or tribes). The 12th family doesn't get any land, but are made the priests of all the other families. For their livelihood the other 11 tribes give theses priests a tenth of all they have. It is obvious that Melchizedek is a significant figure in history but we really don't know why. An anomaly worth storing in the back of the mind as this story unfolds.
About 1000 years after this brief history of Melchizedek, David, a "man after God's own heart," and king of Israel writes about the "Anointed One" in a Psalm. He says that the "Anointed One" (a.k.a. the expected hero) who is coming will be "a priest forever,in the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4). The idea is that Melchizedek is a historical figure whose story had no beginning or end, and that the hero will be like this in that he will be a priest that will serve as priest forever. So we find out a few facts about this hero. First, he will be a priest. This makes sense since the job of a priest is to offer sacrifices to God for the forgiveness of sin. Remember, that is the main reason why we need a hero. The second thing we learn is that there is an eternal aspect to this hero which also makes sense since death was a result of sin and if sin is taken care of once and for all, then there would be no death.
What we have to consider here is the tension that this picture of the hero we have painted so far. On one hand, he is a regular guy like everyone else (remember God said he would come from the seed of the woman). On the other hand, there is this aspect to him where he is an effective mediator for the sins of all mankind that results in an eternal aspect. Already this hero seems like he has to be super human.
If you are interested, one of the authors of the New Testament develops the idea of how Jesus fulfills David's prophecy of the "Anointed One" being in the pristly order of Melchizedek in Hebrews chapters 5-7.
The Bible is full of these kinds of anomalies, but none seem as big as the person who shows up in the book of Genesis chapter 14, Melchizedek. Let me set the scene. There is a war between an alliance of five kings versus four kings. The winner of this war raids the kingdoms of the loser and takes not only all the treasure but all the young men, women, and children as well. Among these captives is Abram's nephew Lot. Abram gets news of this, takes a little over 300 men, tracts down these kings, beats them soundly, and saves all the captives as well as reclaims the stolen treasure. Then he heads back to return everything and everyone to their home.
It is here that the anomaly occurs. Along the way it says that the King of Salem and High Priest of the God Most High comes to Abram and this swarm of people and gives them bread and wine. He then pronounces a blessing over Abram. In return Abram gives this king a tenth of all the treasure, and then goes on his merry way. This is all the history we know of Melchizedek. The first major anomaly is the fact that this guy is the priest of the God Most High. The idea of a priest won't even be developed until Moses comes on the scene about 500 years after Abram. At that time there will be two different posts that are held by two different people, one is king the other is priest. There is no category for someone who is both king and priest. The second anomaly is that Abram gives this guy a tenth of all he has. Again, if we fast forward 500 years to the time of Joshua (who leads Israel right after Moses) we find that God divides the promised land (the one promised to Abram) between 11 families (or tribes). The 12th family doesn't get any land, but are made the priests of all the other families. For their livelihood the other 11 tribes give theses priests a tenth of all they have. It is obvious that Melchizedek is a significant figure in history but we really don't know why. An anomaly worth storing in the back of the mind as this story unfolds.
About 1000 years after this brief history of Melchizedek, David, a "man after God's own heart," and king of Israel writes about the "Anointed One" in a Psalm. He says that the "Anointed One" (a.k.a. the expected hero) who is coming will be "a priest forever,in the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4). The idea is that Melchizedek is a historical figure whose story had no beginning or end, and that the hero will be like this in that he will be a priest that will serve as priest forever. So we find out a few facts about this hero. First, he will be a priest. This makes sense since the job of a priest is to offer sacrifices to God for the forgiveness of sin. Remember, that is the main reason why we need a hero. The second thing we learn is that there is an eternal aspect to this hero which also makes sense since death was a result of sin and if sin is taken care of once and for all, then there would be no death.
What we have to consider here is the tension that this picture of the hero we have painted so far. On one hand, he is a regular guy like everyone else (remember God said he would come from the seed of the woman). On the other hand, there is this aspect to him where he is an effective mediator for the sins of all mankind that results in an eternal aspect. Already this hero seems like he has to be super human.
If you are interested, one of the authors of the New Testament develops the idea of how Jesus fulfills David's prophecy of the "Anointed One" being in the pristly order of Melchizedek in Hebrews chapters 5-7.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A Blessing To All Nations (Genesis 12-15)
The Bible shows a bleak picture after the whole garden incident. The aftermath of the evil now present in mankind is very evident. We see murder in the incident between Cain and Able, and soon after God does a restart with Noah because the earth was filled with violence. Even after the flood mankind decides to elevate himself to God, and in response God divides them by confusing their language. The dire need for a hero is set by the time we get to chapter 12 and Abram.
Out of nowhere God comes to Abram and says, "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you will be a blessing:And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and through you all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). Here we find out something else about our hero. He will come from this family. Remember what this history is about. It's just not random incidents that involve the Creator and His creation, but a recorded history of the coming or at least the expectation of the coming hero that will make things right again. So when God tells Abram that through him "all nations will be blessed" that is the first thing that comes to mind; through Abram the promised hero will come.
God recommits himself to this promise many times in Genesis, but one particular situation sticks out. In Genesis chapter 15 God again tells Abram that He will bless him, but Abram asks God how since he doesn't even have a son which would be a prerequisite for God fulfilling much of His promise to Abram. God simply says that He will do it. The Bible says that Abram believed him, and in response to this belief God credited Abram with "righteousness". The reason this sticks out is because it is the main issue. "Righteousness" or right standing before God (A life of no shame) is what was lost in the garden. Here we see that a man gets credit for righteousness through his faith in God.
In Genesis we don't get to see how this is tied to the hero to come, but it is noteworthy since it relates to the core issue of why a hero is needed in the first place. Many centuries later, after Jesus walked this earth, the apostle Paul would write in his letter to the Roman Church, "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe" (Romans 3:21-23). Paul's point is that after centuries of mankind trying and failing to live right with self, others, and God; that another way to be restored had been made known. This way was through the promised hero and faith. The need for the hero was established in Genesis 3 and the need for faith was established in chapter 15. He says that the law and the prophets wrote of this. The first five books of the Bible including Genesis are considered the "law". From the beginning God's plan was to restore us through our belief, not in our selves and what "we" can do, but in belief in the hero and what he would do (or has done).
Out of nowhere God comes to Abram and says, "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you will be a blessing:And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and through you all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). Here we find out something else about our hero. He will come from this family. Remember what this history is about. It's just not random incidents that involve the Creator and His creation, but a recorded history of the coming or at least the expectation of the coming hero that will make things right again. So when God tells Abram that through him "all nations will be blessed" that is the first thing that comes to mind; through Abram the promised hero will come.
God recommits himself to this promise many times in Genesis, but one particular situation sticks out. In Genesis chapter 15 God again tells Abram that He will bless him, but Abram asks God how since he doesn't even have a son which would be a prerequisite for God fulfilling much of His promise to Abram. God simply says that He will do it. The Bible says that Abram believed him, and in response to this belief God credited Abram with "righteousness". The reason this sticks out is because it is the main issue. "Righteousness" or right standing before God (A life of no shame) is what was lost in the garden. Here we see that a man gets credit for righteousness through his faith in God.
In Genesis we don't get to see how this is tied to the hero to come, but it is noteworthy since it relates to the core issue of why a hero is needed in the first place. Many centuries later, after Jesus walked this earth, the apostle Paul would write in his letter to the Roman Church, "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe" (Romans 3:21-23). Paul's point is that after centuries of mankind trying and failing to live right with self, others, and God; that another way to be restored had been made known. This way was through the promised hero and faith. The need for the hero was established in Genesis 3 and the need for faith was established in chapter 15. He says that the law and the prophets wrote of this. The first five books of the Bible including Genesis are considered the "law". From the beginning God's plan was to restore us through our belief, not in our selves and what "we" can do, but in belief in the hero and what he would do (or has done).
Monday, August 31, 2009
An Epic Story with an Epic Struggle (Genesis chapters 1-3)
I like epic books and films. The good ones usually follow a pretty simple formula. In the beginning everything is great; there is peace and everyone is in love. Then some calamity or evil disrupts this utopia, and the rest of the story is about bringing everything back into balance. Some of my favorite books and films are of the fantasy nature, and they often add the extra component of the "prophecy". Some future teller foreshadows the coming of a hero or event that will conquer the evil and restore the world back to the peaceful and loving place it began.
I guess you could say that these stories are a case where "art imitates life". For the beginning of my exploration of who Jesus really is starts with a story much like this. The book of Genesis which describes the creation of the world starts with a picture of Utopia. God creates the heavens and the earth with great care. He creates man and woman to reflect His very nature, and in the end He declares that all He has made is "Very Good". This world he has created is literally paradise on earth. All is well. In fact, at the very end of chapter 2 the scene is summed up by saying that Adam and Eve were "unashamed". In other words, they were content with themselves, each other, and the world around them. There was no feelings of inadequacy, guilt, or need to be better or different.
Unfortunately, evil was also present in this world. And the evil one approached Adam and Eve and tricked them in disobeying the one and only condition that their creator laid upon them. The result of this disobedience is interesting. In Genesis chapter 3 verse 7, it says that Adam and Eve's eyes were opened and they realized they were naked, and immediately they clothed themselves. When evil came into the world it resulted in shame. The painful feeling of being inadequate. All of sudden they were not content with how they looked, who they were with, and the environment around them. They hid, and from then until this very day mankind hides. We hide behind our clothes, our masks of having it all together, our lives of addiction, and our attitudes of disbelief. But behind all of that is a deep seeded feeling of shame. Utopia shattered.
However, right in the middle of this loss of paradise there is a proclamation of a future hope. God is proclaiming the consequences of this act of disobedience. He tells the evil one that He will put animosity between him and the woman, and between the evil one's seed and her seed; and that her seed will bruise his head, and that the evil one will bruise his heel. In other words, somewhere down the annals of time there will be an epic struggle. This struggle will be between a human being (the seed of the woman) and the evil one. The evil one will get a blow in, but it is just the heel of the hero. The hero, on the other hand, will get a much more effective blow striking the head of the evil one.
So here is where I stand today. God created mankind to live in paradise. A place of perfect harmony where there is complete contentment of self, others, and the environment. However, because of disobedience, mankind now struggles with shame and the awareness that we are woefully inadequate (we label this sin). God's plan from the beginning though was to conquer this problem through a human hero. It seems the main problem for humanity is not just political peace and love for one another, but restoration back to where we were created. A place of no shame. A place where we are content with ourselves, each other, and with God. The solution to this problem is a hero that will defeat the evil one and restore us back to a place where we carry no burden of blame but are at peace with ourselves, each other, and God.
Is Jesus that hero? That is the question!
I guess you could say that these stories are a case where "art imitates life". For the beginning of my exploration of who Jesus really is starts with a story much like this. The book of Genesis which describes the creation of the world starts with a picture of Utopia. God creates the heavens and the earth with great care. He creates man and woman to reflect His very nature, and in the end He declares that all He has made is "Very Good". This world he has created is literally paradise on earth. All is well. In fact, at the very end of chapter 2 the scene is summed up by saying that Adam and Eve were "unashamed". In other words, they were content with themselves, each other, and the world around them. There was no feelings of inadequacy, guilt, or need to be better or different.
Unfortunately, evil was also present in this world. And the evil one approached Adam and Eve and tricked them in disobeying the one and only condition that their creator laid upon them. The result of this disobedience is interesting. In Genesis chapter 3 verse 7, it says that Adam and Eve's eyes were opened and they realized they were naked, and immediately they clothed themselves. When evil came into the world it resulted in shame. The painful feeling of being inadequate. All of sudden they were not content with how they looked, who they were with, and the environment around them. They hid, and from then until this very day mankind hides. We hide behind our clothes, our masks of having it all together, our lives of addiction, and our attitudes of disbelief. But behind all of that is a deep seeded feeling of shame. Utopia shattered.
However, right in the middle of this loss of paradise there is a proclamation of a future hope. God is proclaiming the consequences of this act of disobedience. He tells the evil one that He will put animosity between him and the woman, and between the evil one's seed and her seed; and that her seed will bruise his head, and that the evil one will bruise his heel. In other words, somewhere down the annals of time there will be an epic struggle. This struggle will be between a human being (the seed of the woman) and the evil one. The evil one will get a blow in, but it is just the heel of the hero. The hero, on the other hand, will get a much more effective blow striking the head of the evil one.
So here is where I stand today. God created mankind to live in paradise. A place of perfect harmony where there is complete contentment of self, others, and the environment. However, because of disobedience, mankind now struggles with shame and the awareness that we are woefully inadequate (we label this sin). God's plan from the beginning though was to conquer this problem through a human hero. It seems the main problem for humanity is not just political peace and love for one another, but restoration back to where we were created. A place of no shame. A place where we are content with ourselves, each other, and with God. The solution to this problem is a hero that will defeat the evil one and restore us back to a place where we carry no burden of blame but are at peace with ourselves, each other, and God.
Is Jesus that hero? That is the question!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Where to Begin?
So the first question I am pondering is where to begin. The logical conclusion would be the birth of Jesus, but I am thinking of starting a little before that - actually a lot before that. There is an interesting story at the end of the book of Luke (chapter 24). There are a couple of guys returning home who are totally bummed out because the awesome teacher they were following (Jesus) was unjustly killed. As these men are commiserating over the loss of this great man a stranger joins them on the road and asks what they are talking about. They tell him they are lamenting the death of Jesus. The stranger acts like he knows nothing of what they are talking about. They are surprised because all of Jerusalem is talking about it, so they give a summary of this man they thought was a great prophet and how their religious leaders betrayed him. The stranger replies, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" The stranger then took them through the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. the Old Testament), and showed them what it taught about Jesus. The twist to this event was in the end the stranger turns out to be Jesus himself who was now very much alive.
I would of loved to have been in on this conversation, to have Jesus take me through the Hebrew Scriptures and show me the plan from day one of his life, death, and resurrection. That would of been cool. Unfortunately, I missed that conversation, but I still have the Hebrew Scriptures. So that is where I will begin, at the beginning. I will start to look for Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures. Even though it doesn't mention his name, I know he's there. My challenge is to see what Jesus said is there. Wish me good luck :)
I would of loved to have been in on this conversation, to have Jesus take me through the Hebrew Scriptures and show me the plan from day one of his life, death, and resurrection. That would of been cool. Unfortunately, I missed that conversation, but I still have the Hebrew Scriptures. So that is where I will begin, at the beginning. I will start to look for Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures. Even though it doesn't mention his name, I know he's there. My challenge is to see what Jesus said is there. Wish me good luck :)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Who is Jesus?
Is there a more significant, controversial, or inspiring figure in history than Jesus of Nazereth? He has been debated, discussed, and fought over every since he was born. We even divide our calendar based on this birth: B.C. - Before Christ and A.D. - Anno Domini which means "In the year of our Lord". There are so many opinions about him and who he was or wasn't. Some say he was a really good man, others say he was a prophet, and some even say he was God himself. The truth is there are so many opinions that most folks really don't even give it much thought. We pretty much decide on who Jesus is based on our upbringing and our philosophy of life. Jesus becomes whatever we want him to be, or makes us most comfortable with our philosophy of life.
Even those who claim he is God use his life differently. The bloody crusades were fought in his name, and Martin Luther King sparked the civil rights movement with nonviolent protest in his name. Abortion clinics have been bombed in his name, and the poor have been cared for in his name. Our world is torn apart today by fighting over religion (Christianity founded on the teachings of Jesus being a primary one), and some of the greatest humanitarian efforts are done by people serving in Jesus name.
I am on a search. The search for the real Jesus. I can't talk to his family and friends or call him up for an interview. But I can go to the best documented history we have about him and who he was, the Bible. I know the Bible itself is controversial. However, I have to start somewhere. After looking at what the Bible really says about this man, then I can accept or deny it. This is a journey, a quest. A quest to find the real Jesus uncut and unrated. I don't want the "experts" opinion or the Sunday School version. I want to see him as clearly as I can through the lens of those who expected him, heard him, or knew him.
I hope you will join me on this journey, but either way I am going. I don't claim that I will have it all figured out by the end or that I will even understand all I come across, but I do commit to being honest. Honest with what I see and honest with what I struggle with. It is in this spirit of honesty and humility that I hope to discover the real Jesus, uncut and unrated.
Even those who claim he is God use his life differently. The bloody crusades were fought in his name, and Martin Luther King sparked the civil rights movement with nonviolent protest in his name. Abortion clinics have been bombed in his name, and the poor have been cared for in his name. Our world is torn apart today by fighting over religion (Christianity founded on the teachings of Jesus being a primary one), and some of the greatest humanitarian efforts are done by people serving in Jesus name.
I am on a search. The search for the real Jesus. I can't talk to his family and friends or call him up for an interview. But I can go to the best documented history we have about him and who he was, the Bible. I know the Bible itself is controversial. However, I have to start somewhere. After looking at what the Bible really says about this man, then I can accept or deny it. This is a journey, a quest. A quest to find the real Jesus uncut and unrated. I don't want the "experts" opinion or the Sunday School version. I want to see him as clearly as I can through the lens of those who expected him, heard him, or knew him.
I hope you will join me on this journey, but either way I am going. I don't claim that I will have it all figured out by the end or that I will even understand all I come across, but I do commit to being honest. Honest with what I see and honest with what I struggle with. It is in this spirit of honesty and humility that I hope to discover the real Jesus, uncut and unrated.
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