Monday, December 28, 2009

Another Eye-Witness: 2 Peter 3b thru 1 John 1a

The minor epistles are precious to us. These are letters written by men who had first-hand knowledge of Jesus Christ. They saw the miracles, heard the teaching, and finally, saw the risen Lord.

John is a special case in point. He is the only epistle-writer that also wrote a Gospel. He and Matthew were the only Gospel-writers that were Apostles.

He also died of natural causes. What is it about this man, that compelled the Romans to keep him alive? He had the most dangerous information of all! He was at the Transfiguration! With Paul and James, he was one of the "Inner Circle" of disciples, with whom Jesus shared the deepest secrets!

Is this why John had his particular view of Christ. Is this why his understanding of Jesus went beyond great teacher and redeemer, to Son of God, Word-made-flesh, Living Word? John understood the deepest and most powerful aspects of God's plan. Why did the Romans keep him alive so that he could write it down, for the ages?

What was there from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and felt with our hands concerning the word of Life . . .

If John were crazy, why did they not put him away for good? If he was not reputable at all, then why was he spared? The man was a close friend of Christ! He may have been the one at the cross, who Jesus charged with caring for his mother! He was like family to Jesus! He had seen more than perhaps anybody!

And then, on Patmos, he received visions never matched before or since! The entire plan of the ages unfolded before his eyes, and he wrote it down in the Book of Revelation!

Why did he live? He was an eye-witness to it all!

Why was John spared?

Praise God, that he was!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Peter's Witness: 1 Peter 5b thru 2 Peter 3a

The Apostle Peter gave us a great gift, that touches us on this Christmas week.

He was a first-hand witness to one of history's most profound events. We know about the birth of Jesus, born to a young woman, who had conceived while she was yet unmarried. (The original word translated "virgin" in modern texts, describing Mary, most accurately meant "a young maiden", or someone that was not married. But to the Hebrew mind, a young maiden was assumed to mean that the woman had not had sexual relations. Thus is the true meaning made even more profound to our modern understanding of "maidenhood" and "virginity.")

True though the Gospels are, about the circumstances and history surrounding Jesus' birth, yet we are left with second-hand accounts only.

But here, in Peter, the facts about the birth, and genealogy, and divine origins of Jesus, are reinforced with resounding and gentle force:

"My son, My beloved son, this is the one with whom I am delighted." And we heard that voice borne from the sky as we were with him on the holy mountain.

Peter, you see, was there. The man witnessed the transfiguration of Christ, and heard the voice of God declaring the man Jesus to be His son. God Himself gave witness that Jesus is His son, and Peter was there to see it.

It isn't so much that Peter witnessed it, and reported it years later, in this letter. The account is substantiated by other eye-witnesses to the events of Jesus' life.

But let's go back to the main point. At Christmastime, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This birth is significant for a number of reasons. We can dissect the word of God, harmonize it, integrate it, collaborate it - and take an entire year doing so.

But let the simple message of today's reading be this. Jesus' birth was nothing less than the birth of God's son, here on earth. It signified the coming of the Son of God. The Second Adam was here. The Redeemer of humanity. The Lion of Judah. The Son of David and heir to his throne.

God Himself said of Jesus: "This is my son."

Amen.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Listen, and Lose the But: II Peter 3c thru 5a

If people spoke less, there would be fewer troubles in the world.

We get into so much trouble, because of what we say. And it isn't so much that we say the wrong things, as it is that we are not interpreted accurately, by our hearers. We all listen through our own biased prisms. A single word may be completely innocent to one person, but hateful to another.

Consider the word "but". I have conditioned myself to cringe a little, when someone says but.

"Oh, those are some good ideas, but . . . "

But is usually followed by something negative, or disagreeable. I read about research that was done on the frequency of use of the word but. It showed that scholarly journals tend to use the word a lot, as do speeches by politicians, and legal arguments made by attorneys. These are professions, you see, that highly value argument. They are always out to win adherents to their own viewpoints. They have to take others down a few notches, therefore they employ the but, to great effect.

Now - an exception can be made when we consider places in which God says but.

"And you were once dead, . . . children born to God's wrath, . . . . But God, rich in mercy . . . " (Ephesians 2).

The word but is used to contradict what came before. We would do well to limit its use in our own conversation.

I hate it when you try to make a comment based on Scripture, and the other person gets mad (because it does not fit their beliefs). How ridiculous! How can we ever learn, or grow, without a willingness to hear some new angle, or insight, from someone else? Can it be that God has placed other people in our lives, to show us these new things? If a person is discussing Scripture, appealing to it as God's inspired word, and they have something to share with you, then listen! Get the word out together, and learn together!

When someone speaks, let it be like God's conversations.

What does Peter mean? What if, in conversation, we treated the other person as though we were speaking to God? What if there are sharp disagreements? Can this be done?

Well, it's going to have to be done!

Peter says we should listen to others, as though it were God Himself speaking. "As you have done it to the least of these . . . "

What wonderful new insights are there for the taking, if we would but listen!!