Sermon and Worship Resources

Mark 6:7-13 · Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

7 Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

On Getting the Gospel Out

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon
by Donald B. Strobe

In 1988 former Presidential candidate Pat Robertson got extremely upset when a reporter referred to him as a “former television evangelist.” In Robertson’s camp this was considered slander. I can understand that - given the recent publicity some evangelists have gotten.One of the things which I find so puzzling is that, even after a television evangelist has been discredited, disgraced, defrocked, fired from his denomination, told not to preach, and cancelled by many of the religious TV networks, he still pulls in more money in one week than most of our churches receive in a year! How can you explain it? Perhaps only with the words of that arch-cynic H.L. Mencken who once said that “Nobody ever went broke overestimating the bad taste of the American public!” That may be too cynical...but

I. WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THE GRAND OLD TERM “EVANGELIST” HAS FALLEN ON EVIL DAYS. A writer said recently in Quote magazine, “Parents used to worry if they caught their children playing doctor. Now they worry if they’re playing evangelist.” In the early days of our century, Sinclair Lewis wrote his fiery indictment of a traveling evangelist named “Elmer Gantry.” Many of the mainline churches got upset with Lewis’ depiction of an all-too-human evangelist who fought (and lost) many battles with the weaknesses of the flesh. Fortunately, most folks are bright enough not to associate such goings-on with their local church and its pastor or pastors, and I am grateful for that. But I am sure that the revelations of the various “Jimmys” has taken its toll. For many years, clergy ranked first as the institution in which we lace our confidence as a people, but those days are on the way out. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 57 percent of respondents had “a great deal” of confidence in their churches...down from 66 percent in 1985.

Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. That was the first evangelistic mission. But they didn’t travel in Lear jets or wear Rolex watches. They didn’t beam their message from satellites. Here is how Jesus told them to travel: “He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts...” (Mark 6:8) They were allowed to wear sandals, but to take only one coat. That is how they travelled. Not many present-day evangelists have followed their example. When queried about their extravagant lifestyles, present-day evangelists will sometimes tell you: “God goes first class!” Now, that is doubtful...when we think of the Christmas story and the familiar words: “no room at the inn;” but even if it were true, there is no promise in Scripture that God’s servants must go first class. I remember a story told about Albert Schweitzer who was visiting a certain city, and dignitaries were awaiting him at the train station. But he was not to be found among the first-class passengers. Then they waited while the second-class passengers disembarked. Still no Schweitzer. Finally, they saw him coming out of the third-class compartment, carrying his own suitcase. “Why on earth do you travel third-class?” they asked him. “Because there is no fourth-class!” he replied. The word “evangelist” has fallen on evil days. Which is a pity, because

II. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT JESUS CALLED HIS DISCIPLES TO BE APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS. The word “apostle” means “One sent with a message.” The word “evangelist” means one who proclaims Good News. Evangel means, literally, “good news.”

“He sent them forth two by two...” Why two? According to Jewish law, two witnesses were needed to pronounce a truth. They didn’t have much, but look what they did with it: “They went out, and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.” (Mark 6:13) Wow! We could certainly use a few more folk like that today! There are all sorts of demons and sicknesses all around us that cry out for cure.

“HE SENT THEM FORTH TWO BY TWO” Some of us can remember when we Methodists took that literally. During the early 1950’s we developed a plan for reaching new members called “Visitation Evangelism.” The folks down in Nashville came up with a handy-dandy flip chart which gave detailed instructions about how to go about visiting in people’s homes, and winning them for Christ and the church. I’m not knocking it...it produced many fine results. But I have learned that what works in one generation may not necessarily work in another. (And, during my 16 years in Ann Arbor, I have learned that what works someplace else may not necessarily work here.) “Visitation Evangelism” began to decline in the early sixties. For one thing, when you visited people’s homes, chances are they wouldn’t be there. And if they were, they were usually sitting around with their eyes glued to television, and, (in those pre-VCR days), usually resented their favorite programs being interrupted. As I recall, the flip-charts had an answer for that problem: the visitors were to lower their voices until the visitees could not hear them. Then they would (it said) get up and lower the television volume. I never tried it. I always wondered: “What if they didn”t?” Anyway, after the fifties, “visitation evangelism” - meeting people “on their own turf,” as it were, began to fade into disuse. Pastors still make visits upon people - but usually only after a telephone call ascertaining whether or not they will be at home.

During the 1960’s and early 70’s the watchword for evangelism was: “Meet ‘em on a neutral turf.” All across the land, churches developed “Coffee House” ministries...places where folks could come and sit and drink coffee, eat doughnuts, and listen to folk music (usually). And there would be amongst the coffee-drinkers a sprinkling of clergy and laity who were unafraid to talk about their faith with others. The best example was one started by the Rev. Dr. Sir Alan Walker in Sydney, Australia. It wasn’t a bad strategy. And it, too, worked for awhile. Everything works...for awhile. But, as the hymn and poem by James Russell Lowell says: “New occasions teach new duties.” And there aren’t that many church-oriented coffee houses left around. I can’t even think of one.

In the 70’s and 80’s the strategy for winning new disciples has changed once again. The trick now is to get them into the church - “our turf” - by offering people that which meets their needs. And then inviting them to come. By now most of us are familiar with the statistics which tell us that most people who come to join a church do so because a friend or relative brought them. I have an idea that the best evangelism is that which is done by people when they don’t know that they are doing it. The best advertisement for this, or any other church, is the hundreds of faithful laypersons -men, women, and children, whose daily lives show forth some of the radiance of the Gospel. Jesus called us the “salt of the earth.” The proverbial child in Sunday School was asked if she knew what that meant. She replied: “All I know is that salt makes me thirsty.” Just so; we are supposed to be persons whose lives have been touched by Christ in such a way that people, seeing us, will be thirsty to know our Saviour. Martin Luther suggested that we, as Christians, are called to “be Christ to our neighbors.” As the poem puts it, “You (may be) the only Bible the careless world will read...”

One of my “heroes” is the late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. His words have brought me a good deal of inspiration and help over the years. Rabbi Heschel was one of the most influential religious thinkers of our time. In one of his writings, he said these startling words: “If there are no witnesses there is no God to be met.... For God to be present we have to be witnesses... There are no proofs for the existence of God; there are only witnesses.”

“THERE ARE NO PROOFS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, THERE ARE ONLY WITNESSES.” This is not to suggest that God’s existence depends solely on our witnessing. The point here is that God’s reality for us, God’s relevance in our lives, God’s reality in the world, is dependent upon out witnessing to Him. The ancient Jews did not speculate on the existence of God. Nor do present-day Jews. That is why they tend to turn out philosophers rather than theologians..for who can “speak of God?” For them, God is not found at the end of an argument, but in the midst of life. God was not known to them in metaphysical thinking, but in creative encounter. In the awareness of God’s impinging on their minds and hearts and working in and through the community of faith. The people of the Bible did not try to fathom the mystery of God, or to describe God. That task was left for the Christian theologians...some of whom tell us a lot more about God than they really know!

One of the things that has always attracted me to Judaism is its reticence to speak of God. It seems to me that we Christians are all too glib in our speaking of God. In his famous “Letters from Prison,” Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that he was put off by people who were always talking about God. He was helped much more by persons who, while they didn’t say much about God, acted like godly people. Actions do speak louder than words...and especially so, when it comes to religious faith.

This is not to say that words are unimportant. Heavens, no! I have given the better part of my life to the using of words to communicate the Gospel. And after all, when God wanted to communicate with the world in the most dramatic way, God sent a Word. But that word became flesh. And unless our words become flesh and dwell in the midst of our world, all of the nice things we say and do in the sanctuary are really for naught. Words are important, and our words will always outdistance our deeds - for who can live up to the high and holy calling which is ours as Christians? When Malcolm Boyd wrote his best-seller, “Are You Running With Me, Jesus?” in the sixties, my first reaction was, “Heavens, no! He’s way out ahead of us...and we are all always playing ‘catch up’ with Christ.” Our words are always fallible, faltering, and frail, but they are still instruments which God can use. The real anomaly is that we may sing “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise..” and then refuse to use the one tongue we have to “sing lustily,” as Wesley commanded us, or use our tongues to invite others to experience the joys of the Christian Faith. “There are no proofs for the existence of God; there are only witnesses.”

III. LIKE IT OR NOT, WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE “EVANGELISTS” MESSENGERS OF THE “GOOD NEWS.” It is clear from the New Testament that evangelism is the first business of the church. According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus first called the disciples to be with Him. Then he sent them out, two by two, to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The word “evangel” and “evangelist” comes from a couple Greek words meaning “Good News.” We must, therefore, rescue it from those who have given the good news a bad name.

You and I, like Pat Robertson, may be embarrassed to be called evangelists, but that is what we are...or are supposed to be. Our calling as we leave this place this morning is to go out and lead the world to repentance, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. And, believe me, there are a lot of demons and lot of sicknesses out there. There is war, racism, poverty, chemical dependency, greed, and a host of other social and personal ills. And we are called to heal them. That’s a pretty big order, isn’t it? But it’s our calling, if we are Christians. I had a minister friend who died a few years back who always put on the front of his church bulletin: “The Ministry” - then he named the church staff...and after the ordained-types names added: “and 1200 church members.” He was right! Our General Conference last April mandated that the word “minister” not be restricted to the ordained, but applies to all Christians. The late Reuel Howe said that, “All Christians, by virtue of their baptism, are called to be ministers.” “Minister” means “one who serves.” One way of serving is by witnessing. There are different ways of doing it, but it must be done.

Did you know that our English word “martyr” comes from a Greek word which simply means “to witness.” The word became associated with death because that was the end result of one’s witnessing during the first centuries of the Christian Era. It was worth one’s life to proclaim one’s faith. Now, martyrdom per se will probably not be required of any of us. But it could be. Originally, the word “martyr” meant simply one who witnessed to one’s faith.

It later came to mean one who dies for that faith. The best form of witness is always martyrdom. It has been required, and may be required again. Editor J. Richard Peck of the International Christian Digest, (a magazine which I have come to admire for its breadth of scope and provocative articles), writes in July/August 1988 issue: “I never give much thought to martyrs. On the rare occasion that I do, I think about lions, gladiators, and Charlton Heston.”

But the opportunity to relive some chapters in the lives of Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan, and the cover photo of the slain Archbishop Romero shakes me from my two-car garage attitude that Christian suffering and death are confined to the first century. (p.3) To refresh your memory: Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan were two of the four missionaries slain by “death squads” in El Salvador on December 2, 1980. The transition from “witness” to “martyr” is more than linguistic. It is life. Do you know that the first-century Christians were called atheists, immoral, and cannibals, by their enemies??

They were called “atheists” because they refused to accept the popular gods of the day; “immoral,” because they amazed the world by the way in which they loved one another; and “cannibals” because they regularly partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. Even at great risk! And it is still going on. In the June 6 issue of the Michigan Christian Advocate, the Rev.Clem Parr of our Aldersgate Church in Redford, tells of his recent experiences in Mozambique.

He describes the services which were held in that war-torn country. “People often walked many miles to be with us. They repeatedly risked their lives to walk through war zones to...worship. It struck us with forceful impact to see people walk so far, ride trucks in the hot sun, to come to church when so many American Christians miss because of ‘weather’ or whatever excuse...” (p. 2) “Weather” is always a good excuse: good or bad, it can be used. If it is too bad, we stay at home. If it is too good, we stay at home. In the second century, when Christians were only a small, persecuted minority, one of their most outspoken opponents was a man named Celsus. He said, with a mixture of scorn and admiration, that the gospel was being carried forth by “wool workers, cobblers, laundry-workers, and the most illiterate and bucolic yokels,” instead of bishops and theologians. Reading that, I think of the highly educated and talented people who make up our congregation, and I wonder what God might do with us - if only we had the sense of mission and excitement of those second century “wool-workers, cobblers, laundry-workers, and ...illiterate bucolic yokels.” It was said of the early Christians that they won the world because they “out-thought, out-lived, and out-died, their enemies.” That is how they won their world for Christ. How are we going about winning ours? How are we going about getting the Gospel out? We have heard it this morning, through sermon, song, and Scripture. But how will it get out of here, and into the world? Will it walk out the door on our feet today?

A prison chaplain went to talk with a man sentenced to die in the electric chair. He urged him to believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized; that forgiveness and eternity with God awaited him if only he would turn towards God. The prisoner said, “Do you really believe that?” “Of course I do,” replied the chaplain. “Go on,” scoffed the prisoner. “If I believed that I would crawl an hands and knees over broken glass to tell others, but I don’t see you Christians making any big thing of it!” He had a point. How do we get the Gospel out?...by taking it with us when we go!

Dynamic Preaching, Collected Words, by Donald B. Strobe

Overview and Insights · Jesus’s Ministry Multiplied through the Twelve (6:6–13)

Context: Jesus Ministers beyond Galilee (6:6b–8:21): Often the major sections in Mark open with a scene related to the disciples (1:16–20; 3:13–19; 6:6–13) and close with Jesus being rejected (3:1–6; 6:1–6). As Jesus’s influence and ministry expands…

The Baker Bible Handbook by , Baker Publishing Group, 2016

Mark 6:7-13 · Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

7 Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Commentary · Jesus Sends out the Twelve

Mark now develops the theme of discipleship by means of another sandwich unit (6:6b–30), in which the mission of the Twelve (6:6b–13, 30) is divided by the poignant account of the martyrdom of John the Baptizer (6:14–29). The Greek word for “witness” is martyreō, from which the English word “martyr” is derived. By sandwiching the death of John between the sending and return of the Twelve, Mark signifies that those who heed Jesus’s summons to mission must be prepared for the ultimate witness of martyrdom.

Jesus “calls” and “sends” the disciples into mission in verse 7 with the same authority by which he himself ministers, and with which he commissioned them as apostles in 3:13–14. The sending into mission of disciples whose trust and understanding of Jesus is flawed (1:36–39; 3:21; 4:38; 5:31) is a reminder that service to Christ is rendered not by merit or perfection but by dependence on him. Mention that Jesus “gave them authority over impure spirits” (6:7) confirms that Jesus’s disciples, like their master himself, are sent into the world to confront evil. The mission of the Twelve is not their own but is an extension of Jesus’s ministry. The sending of the disciples with only staff, sandals, belt, and tunic (6:8–9) recalls the sending out of the Israelites from Egypt at the exodus (Exod. 12:11). Disciples are sent not in plenty but in need, thus ensuring both their dependence on their Lord and their receptivity to others. If disciples go with an elaborate support apparatus, then they need not go in faith; and if they do not go in faith, their proclamation is not believable. The command to remain where they are received (6:10) teaches that trust in the Jesus who sends them into mission includes trust in those whom he has designated to meet their needs. The command to shake the dust off their feet when they are not received (6:11) is tantamount to declaring a Jewish village heathen, since Jews were required to shake themselves free of dust when returning from Gentile regions, lest they pollute the Holy Land. The missionary outreach of the Twelve, like the ministry of Jesus, consists of the proclamation of repentance, exorcisms, and healings (6:12–13).

The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary by Gary M. Burge, Baker Publishing Group, 2016

Big Idea: All followers of Jesus are called to mission. Yet when the kingdom news of the gospel is presented, there is both authority from God and inevitable opposition to it when people reject the good news, sometimes even costing the lives of those sent to speak for God.

Understanding the Text

This begins the fourth section of the Galilean ministry in Mark (after 1:16–3:6; 3:7–35; 4:1–6:30) and constitutes the third sandwiching episode thus far (after 3:20–35; 5:21–43). The sending of the Twelve (6:7–13) is not completed until 6:30, when the disciples return and report the results of their successful mission. The intervening material begins with Herod’s response to Jesus and the mission of the disciples (6:14–16) and continues with a lengthy flashback to the arrest and death of the Baptist (vv. 17–29). Clearly, mission (that of the Baptist, Jesus, or the disciples) involves opposition.

Interpretive Insights

6:7 he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. After being rejected by his former neighbors, Jesus goes around Galilee “from village to village” teaching (6:6b), repeating his earlier foray in 1:38–39. He decides to include his disciples in his work and so calls them to come. This is the last of the three-part movement from 1:16–20 (calling) to 3:13–19 (commissioning) to here (sending). They are sent “two by two” as official witnesses (cf. Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15), and this became common practice (John 1:37; Acts 8:14; 9:38; 13:2–3), allowing mutual companionship and protection. The authority over demons is repeated from 3:15 and is a primary Markan theme.

6:8–9 Take nothing for the journey except a staff . . . sandals. Jesus allows only the absolute minimum items needed for travel: a walking stick and sandals. Even the prohibited items—bread, bag, money, extra shirt—would usually be considered basic necessities. The bag is a kind of knapsack for carrying items such as food or extra clothes (which would also serve as pillow/blanket at night). They are to go out depending on God for their needs, allowing those to whom he sends them to provide for them. The thrust is twofold: do not use ministry for profit or self-aggrandizement, and go entirely to serve and glorify God.

6:10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. The goal of mission is not to find the nicest living arrangements but rather to bring people into the kingdom. They are to depend on the hospitality of each village they visit, and they must be content with whatever living conditions they experience. To leave one home for another would insult their hosts and bring disrepute on the gospel.

6:11 if any place will not welcome or listen to you . . . shake the dust off your feet. Those who reject the gospel are to be treated as unclean (cf. Matt. 7:6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred”). Even the dust of their town is unworthy. Jews returning from pagan lands would shake the dirt from their feet, so this is saying to these Jewish towns that they have become pagan Gentiles to God. To do so “as a testimony against them” implies also that divine judgment awaits.

6:14–16 King Herod heard about this. The disciples are preaching like the Baptist, and Jesus has become quite famous, so Herod becomes inquisitive. This is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great (all his sons bore his name) and tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (in the Transjordan) from 4 BC (when his father died) to AD 39 (when he was exiled), which means he ruled throughout Jesus’s life. He had wanted to be king like his father, but the emperor Augustus allowed him only to be tetrarch, a minor ruler of “one-fourth” of a Roman territory.

John the Baptist . . . raised from the dead . . . Elijah . . . a prophet. This sums up the popular understanding of Jesus at that time. These are not well-thought-out opinions but popular legends. Certainly any view that Jesus was John redivivus (revived from the dead) could be held only by those who knew nothing about John’s birth and death vis-à-vis Jesus. Still, that is the view that Antipas embraces. We know from 1:14 (cf. Matt. 4:12) that John was arrested just before Jesus began his Galilean ministry, so undoubtedly John had died some time earlier, and this is a flashback. The basis of the comparison is Jesus’s powerful prophetic message and perhaps also his miracles. John did not perform miracles, but if he were raised from the dead, it seems they expect he would have that power.

6:17 Herod . . . had him bound and put in prison. We now begin the flashback. This expands the brief comment at 1:14, telling how and why Herod had arrested John. He was imprisoned in Antipas’s fortress-palace at Machaerus in Perea. The reason for the arrest was John’s denunciation of Herod’s tryst with and subsequent marriage to Herodias, his niece who at the time was married to his half brother Philip. Herodias divorced Philip on the basis of Roman law, and Herod divorced his wife, who was the daughter of Aretas IV, king of Perea. Aretas was so incensed that he went to war against Herod and defeated him.1

6:18 It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. Leviticus 18:16; 20:21 makes it unlawful for a man to marry his brother’s wife. The one exception was levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5 [see on Mark 12:18–27]), but this could not apply because Philip was still alive. So the new marriage clearly was immoral, and the Baptist’s rebuke bespoke a national scandal. Herod considered this seditious because it further stirred up the nation against him.

6:19–20 Herodias . . . wanted to kill him. . . . Herod . . . protected him. Needless to say, Herodias was incensed that John had turned the people against her. To her, the only answer was his death, but her husband stood in her way. His weakness is seen in his realizing that John was “a holy and righteous man,” yet being unwilling to take a stand on this. Still, he “protected” him for a time, undoubtedly from Herodias’s murderous plots. There are parallels between Herodias and Jezebel in 1 Kings 21 and between Herod and a vacillating Pilate in Mark 15.

When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. This brings to mind the governor Felix, who was afraid of Paul but conversed with him often for two years. In Felix’s case, he was also hoping for a bribe (Acts 24:24–26). Herod did not understand the “righteous” truths John told him and was deeply “puzzled” or “perplexed” by them (perhaps “greatly disturbed”). Clearly, he was under some conviction, yet like Herod Agrippa in Acts 26:28–29, he was unwilling to act on it.

6:21 Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’s opportunity came at a lavish birthday party for her husband. Like all Roman rulers, Herod enjoyed extravagant parties. It is difficult to see why Galilean leaders are featured in a party far away in Perea, but it is possible that both territories were involved, and Mark centered on the Galilean members because Jesus’s ministry was there.

6:22–23 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod. Undoubtedly a lascivious dance, this added to the scandal, for such dances normally were done by courtesans. Probably a younggirl of twelve to fourteen (named “Salome” in Josephus, Ant.18:136–137), she greatly pleased Herod, who was honored that the princess would dance for him. Herod impetuously (and likely due to a drunken state) went beyond the usual practice of rewarding performers who please and promised with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” There is a likely allusion to Esther 5:2–3, where Xerxes, the Persian king, promises Esther “up to half the kingdom.” The contrast is stark, however, as Esther saves her people from death, whereas Salome, prompted by Herodias (6:24), will ask for the death of John.

6:25 I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Although it is possible that this was a spur-of-the-moment request, the plot of the story, with Herodias all along plotting John’s death, makes it more likely this was the plan from the beginning. Otherwise, one would expect Herodias’s daughter to make her own request rather than ask her mother what to do.

6:27 sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. “Executioner” (spekoulat?r) is a special term used for a bodyguard/soldier sent on a “black ops” type of mission, in this case to execute a prophet. Beheading was the normal Roman form of execution, and it was also the one form of death that could be immediately carried out. The one righteous man in the palace was sacrificed at the whim of pagans! To have his head brought in on a “platter” like a delectable delicacy at the feast demonstrates the deplorable depravity of Herod’s court. In his death John wins and Herod loses, as the king becomes forever a symbol of wickedness and excess.

6:29 John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. John did not stop having a definable group of disciples after he died, for Acts 18:25; 19:1–7 show a group of his followers in Ephesus over twenty years later, and there were followers in later centuries claiming that he was the Messiah (Ps.-Clem.1.60). The Mandaeans in Iraq and Iran still identify themselves as his followers.

6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. The sandwiching of episodes (6:7–13, 30 intercalated with 6:14–29) is complete. The disciples were designated “apostles” in 3:14 (see on that verse and 6:7), and here they return having completed their first mission as “sent ones” or official agents representing Jesus. Jesus had inaugurated their mission as part of his own in 6:6b–7. As they engaged in their ministry, they replicated his own, with “all that they had done” referring to the miracles that they had performed according to 6:13, and “taught” referring to their kingdom preaching in 6:12.

Theological Insights

Simply put, this section of Mark teaches that mission involves opposition and rejection. Surrounding the sending of the Twelve (6:7–13) is the rejection of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth (6:1–6) and the death of John the Baptist (6:14–29). All who serve God must expect opposition from the world. At the same time, mission also involves authority from God in the proclamation of the kingdom truths. Since we are officially “sent” (the meaning of “apostle” in 3:14) as official representatives of the Triune Godhead, we go out with their authority. Finally, mission involves sacrifice. We must depend entirely on Christ, not ourselves, and we surrender all to him.

Teaching the Text

1. Discipleship involves being immersed in Jesus’s teaching and ministry. This is one of the major themes of the book of Acts, where Luke emphasizes that the history of the early church involved reliving the life and ministry of Jesus. Most of the miracles in Acts are replicas of the miracles of Jesus. The road to Rome taken by Paul replicates the road to Jerusalem taken by Jesus. The trials of Paul are parallel to the trials of Jesus. In other words, the meaning of discipleship (Mark 3:14: “be with him”) is that we become one with Jesus, and our lives will be built upon him as our model. Ephesians 4:13 speaks of “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Here this means that the apostles would reproduce Jesus’s miracles and proclaim his teaching throughout Galilee, and in 6:13 they were successful in doing so. Note that the emphasis here is not on how many responded and became Jesus’s followers but rather on the disciples’ faithfulness to their calling.

2. Mission is conducted with the authority of Christ. Many, maybe most, Christians feel inferior, that they have little to offer the Lord and little to give in his service. And in fact, they are correct. None of us have much to offer, but that is all for the better. In our weakness the power of God is made all the more evident (2 Cor. 12:9–10). The truth is that we do not have power in our own strength and merely with our own gifts. God has made us all individually and given each of us a unique combination of gifts that is perfect for what he wants to accomplish through us. We go out with his authority and under the presence of his Spirit. God is present in a powerful way, and we conduct ourselves under and with his authority.

3. Gospel proclamation often is met with opposition and even death. This is a dominant theme, not only in Jesus’s teaching but also throughout the New Testament. We saw some of Jesus’s teaching on this earlier (see “Teaching the Text” on 6:1–6), so here we consider some of the rest of the New Testament. In Acts hostility and suffering are everywhere. In Acts 4–5 the disciples are arrested twice and beaten with rods the second time, but they respond with joy “because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name” (5:41). Both Stephen and James were martyred (Acts 7; 12), and Paul was repeatedly driven out of cities by persecution (Acts 14:5–6, 19–20; 16:39–40; 17:10, 13–14; 20:1). Paul further dealt with animosity for several years in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome as he was on trial for his life in Acts 21–28. Clearly, most churches went through serious suffering for the Lord, and Paul treats this as something almost to be expected. In Hebrews it was the basic problem; these second-generation house churches had become lazy (5:11; 6:12) and in the midst of persecution were tempted to renounce Christ and return to Judaism. The letter of 1 Peter has been labeled “the epistle of suffering” and addresses discouraged Christians who were “surprised” by the hard times (4:12) but needed to realize that such trials are used by God to strengthen one’s faith (1:6–7; cf. James 1:2–4).

Illustrating the Text

Discipleship: carrying on the ministry of Jesus

Hymn: “Living for Jesus,” by Thomas O. Chisholm. In this great twentieth-century hymn of commitment we read in the second verse that in light of what Jesus has done,

Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

And then the refrain,

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
for Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

God longs that we give ourselves fully and completely to continue the work of Jesus in this world in and through the Holy Spirit.

Depending on God and not on ourselves

Biography: George Mueller. Mueller was a highly effective evangelist and philanthropist in nineteenth-century England. He is credited not only with founding a number of orphanages but also with being an amazing example of trusting in God. He never asked anyone, except God, for anything, and yet the orphans always had what they needed. Mueller once said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.”2

The stories of God’s provision in Mueller’s life and ministry are amazing. Many times Mueller received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children, further strengthening his faith in God. For example, on one well-documented occasion, they gave thanks for breakfast when all the children were sitting at the table, even though there was nothing to eat in the house. As they finished praying, the local baker knocked on the door with sufficient fresh bread to feed everyone, and the milkman gave them plenty of fresh milk because his cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. Imagine how these experiences impacted their faith. Choose to depend on God and not on yourself.

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

Church History: Church history has taught many lessons, not the least of which is the truth that persecution causes the church to grow. This is seen clearly in the book of Acts as the early church grew rapidly in the face of persecution. Why do churches grow in times of persecution? There probably are many answers, but one truth is that persecution separates the true follower of Jesus from the one whose faith is not genuine. Faith and courage in the face of death communicate the authenticity of the faith of those who are martyred. Are you prepared to stand firm for Jesus regardless of the price you might be asked to pay? Consider reading from John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs or from Duane Arnold’s Prayers of the Martyrs.

Teaching the Text by Grant R. Osborne, Baker Publishing Group, 2016

Dictionary

Direct Matches

Anointed

The English word “messiah” derives from the Hebrew verb mashakh, which means “to anoint.” The Greek counterpart of the Hebrew word for “messiah” (mashiakh) is christos, which in English is “Christ.”

In English translations of the Bible, the word “messiah” (“anointed one”) occurs rarely in the OT. In the OT, kings, prophets, and priests were “anointed” with oil as a means of consecrating or setting them apart for their respective offices. Prophets and priests anointed Israel’s kings (1 Sam. 16:1 13; 2 Sam. 2:4, 7).

The expectation for a “messiah,” or “anointed one,” arose from the promise given to David in the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7). David was promised that from his seed God would raise up a king who would reign forever on his throne. Hopes for such an ideal king began with Solomon and developed further during the decline (cf. Isa. 9:1–7) and especially after the collapse of the Davidic kingdom.

The harsh reality of exile prompted Israel to hope that God would rule in such a manner. A number of psalms reflect the desire that an ideal son of David would come and rule, delivering Israel from its current plight of oppression. Hence, in Ps. 2 God declares that his son (v. 7), who is the Lord’s anointed one (v. 2), will receive “the nations [as] your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession” (v. 8). God promises that “you will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery” (v. 9; see NIV footnote). Jesus demonstrates great reticence in using the title “Messiah.” In the Synoptic Gospels he almost never explicitly claims it. The two key Synoptic passages where Jesus accepts the title are themselves enigmatic. In Mark’s version of Peter’s confession (8:29), Jesus does not explicitly affirm Peter’s claim, “You are the Messiah,” but instead goes on to speak of the suffering of the Son of Man. Later, Jesus is asked by the high priest Caiaphas at his trial, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14:60). In Mark 14:62, Jesus answers explicitly with “I am,” while in Matt. 26:64, he uses the more enigmatic “You have said so.” Jesus then goes on to describe himself as the exalted Son of Man who will sit at Yahweh’s right hand.

Jesus no doubt avoided the title because it risked communicating an inadequate understanding of the kingdom and his messianic role. Although the Messiah was never a purely political figure in Judaism, he was widely expected to destroy Israel’s enemies and secure its physical borders. Psalms of Solomon portrays the coming “son of David” as one who will “destroy the unrighteous rulers” and “purge Jerusalem from Gentiles who trample her to destruction” (Pss. Sol. 17.21–23). To distance himself from such thinking, Jesus never refers to himself as “son of David” and “king of Israel/the Jews” as other characters do in the Gospels (Matt. 12:23; 21:9, 15; Mark 10:47; 15:2; John 1:49; 12:13; 18:33). When Jesus was confronted by a group of Jews who wanted to make him into such a king, he resisted them (John 6:15).

In Mark 12:35–37, Jesus also redefines traditional understandings of the son of David in his short discussion on Ps. 110:1: he is something more than a mere human son of David. Combining Jesus’ implicit affirmation that he is the Messiah in Mark 8:30 with his teaching about the Son of Man in 8:31, we see that Jesus is a Messiah who will “suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law” (8:31) and through whom redemption will come (10:45). Jesus came not to defeat the Roman legions, but to bring victory over Satan, sin, and death.

Bread

Generally made of grain, this staple of foods has been known to be in existence since prehistoric days, being mentioned in the oldest literatures of humanity. Though usually made of wheat, it can be made of any grain and also some kinds of beans or lentils.

To make bread, grain must be ground into flour, mixed with salt and water, kneaded into a dough, and baked. Most breads included a leaven to add substance. As a food staple, it became a symbol of hospitality (Neh. 13:1 2; Matt. 14:15–21) and community as people ate together (Acts 2:42). Bread was considered a gift from God, so it was treated with special deference. Unleavened bread was required during Passover feasts and in most occasions related to the worship of God. The “bread of the Presence” (KJV: “shewbread”), representing the twelve tribes of Israel in the temple, was made of unleavened bread (Exod. 25:30) with special flour and was carefully eaten by the priests.

Jesus used bread in the Lord’s Prayer to represent asking God to meet our basic needs (Matt. 5:11), and he called himself the “bread of life” to show that he is the one who “gives life to the world,” our ultimate sustenance (John 6:33–35). During this exchange with the Jews about the bread of life, Jesus foreshadows what takes place at the Last Supper with his disciples, suggesting that believers must “eat [his] flesh” (represented by bread) and “drink [his] blood” (represented by wine) (John 6:53–59; cf. Luke 22:19). Additionally, bread was used symbolically to represent those things that were present in daily life (Pss. 127:2; 80:5; Prov. 4:17; 20:17).

Demons

In Gen. 3 the serpent entices humankind to sin. Not until Rev. 12:9 are we told explicitly that the serpent is Satan.

In the OT, “evil spirit” may be a heavenly being sent by God (1 Sam. 16:14 23; 18:10; 19:9; cf. 1 Kings 22:22–23). The OT engages in extensive rebuke of the superstitions of the surrounding nations that included belief in demons (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37; perhaps Isa. 13:21; cf. Rev. 18:2).

Jesus’ encounter with the devil in the wilderness recalls Adam and Eve’s encounter with the serpent in Eden. The setting, significantly, is now a wasteland. The second man to walk the earth with no sin claims the right to take back the dominion that Adam passed to the serpent. Jesus can have the whole world (without the cross) if only he will submit to the devil’s rule (Luke 4:5–7). Jesus rejects the offer. Later, he sees Satan’s fall from heaven to earth (Luke 10:18; cf. Rev. 12:5–12). Whereas once the devil had access to God’s courtroom, now his case is lost. His only recourse is murderous persecution. Between the ascension of the Son of Man (Acts 1:9) and the final judgment, this is understood to be the experience of Christ’s people (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 12:17; cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).

Whereas the OT provides sparse information about Satan and his angels/demons, the NT opens with an intensity of activity. Demons are also called “evil spirits,” and they are associated with physical illness, madness, and fortune-telling. In Acts 17:22 Paul describes his pagan Athenian listeners as “demon-fearers” (NIV: “religious”). Jesus’ miracles demonstrate his lordship over Satan’s regime as the demons flee in terror before him (Mark 1:23–26; 5:1–15). According to Paul, Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), and John urges believers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1), assuring them that they need not fear Satan or his forces, “because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). On judgment day Satan will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14–15) along with all of God’s enemies.

Judgment

Of several Hebrew words for “judgment,” two are important here.

The word shepet is used of God, who brings the judgments upon the Egyptians in the plagues (Exod. 6:6; 7:4; 12:12). Ezekiel prophesies God’s judgment on Israel and other nations (e.g., Ezek. 5:10; 16:41; 25:11). The word is also applied to human beings, as the Syrians execute judgment on Israel (2 Chron. 24:24).

The most frequent noun is mishpat. Abraham is noted for mishpat, “judgment/justice” (Gen. 18:19). God by attribute is just (Gen. 18:25); he shows justice toward the orphan and the widow (Deut. 10:18) and brings judgment on behalf of the oppressed (Ps. 25:9). At the waters of Marah, God makes a judgment, an ordinance for the people (Exod. 15:25). Similarly, the mishpatim, “judgments/ordinances,” become law for life in Israel (Exod. 21:1). In making judicial judgments, the Israelites are to be impartial (Lev. 19:15), and they are to use good judgment and justice in trade (Lev. 19:35; Prov. 16:11). Israel will be judged for rejecting God’s judgments (Ezek. 5:7 8) and worshiping false gods (Jer. 1:16). Those accused of crime will come to judgment/trial (Num. 35:12). The children of Israel come to their judges for judgment (Judg. 4:5). God will bring each person to a time of judgment regarding how his or her life is spent (Eccles. 11:9).

One key word in the NT is krisis. It has a range of meaning similar to mishpat. In the NT, judgment is rendered for thoughts and words as well as deeds (Matt. 5:21–22; 12:36). Future, eschatological judgment is a key theme for Jesus (Matt. 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:42), Paul (2 Thess. 1:5), and other NT writers (Heb. 9:27; 10:27; 2 Pet. 2:9; 3:7; 1 John 4:17; Jude 15; Rev. 14:7). Jesus himself will be the judge (John 5:22). The only way to avoid condemnation is by having eternal life in the Messiah (John 5:24).

Another key word in the NT is krima. It may refer to condemnation (Matt. 7:2; Rom. 3:8) or to judgment, again including the eschatological judgment (Acts 24:25). Krima is the word most frequently used by Paul. He also often presents judgment as already realized (e.g., Rom. 2:2–3; 5:16). In the later epistles judgment may be realized as well (2 Pet. 2:3; Jude 4). James points out that not many should presume to be teachers, because they will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).

Oil

Almost all the oil to which the Bible refers is olive oil. Oil was used primarily for cooking, but also for medicinal purposes, cosmetics, lighting, and religious ceremonies.

Oil was one of the major export products of Palestine, with huge economic impact on Israel and Judah. Oil often was used as currency for other needed materials (Deut. 7:13; Neh. 5:11; Luke 16:6). For example, Elisha performed a miracle with oil to help a widow pay her debts (2 Kings 4:7). Oil was kept as part of the royal stores (2 Kings 20:13; 2 Chron. 32:28). There are dozens of ostraca that detail the trading, bartering, and selling of oil.

Oil was one of the main ingredients for cooking. A typical meal consisted of flour pressed together with oil and fried with oil on a griddle (1 Kings 17:12 16). This was also the typical way in which grain offerings were made at the tabernacle and temple (Lev. 2:1, 4–7). Oil was also used in lamps because it burned cleanly and produced bright light (2 Kings 4:10; Matt. 25:3–8). Lamps were used throughout the house. Small lamps, often no larger than a hand, were used to give people light when they were walking and traveling at night. In such instances, extra oil usually was carried as a reserve (Matt. 25:1–13). Both the tabernacle and the temple used olive oil to light their lamps. The finest oil was also used for sacrifices at the tabernacle (Exod. 27:20; 29:40; Lev. 24:2; Num. 28:5).

Oil was used cosmetically as well. For instance, oil was put in the hair for beauty (Eccles. 9:8). Oil was also the normal base for perfumes, mixed with a variety of spices (Esther 2:12). The tabernacle had special anointing oil that was mixed to make a perfume (Exod. 30:25). Oil was also used medicinally to help heal wounds, either by mixing it with other substances or by itself to help seal a wound (Luke 10:34). The elders of the church were commissioned to pray for and anoint the sick with oil (James 5:14).

Repent

The act of repudiating sin and returning to God. Implicit in this is sorrow over the evil that one has committed and a complete turnabout in one’s spiritual direction: turning from idols—anything that wrests away the affection that we owe God—to God (1 Sam. 7:3; 2 Chron. 7:14; Isa. 55:6; 1 Thess. 1:9; James 4:8 10).

Save

“Salvation” is the broadest term used to refer to God’s actions to solve the plight brought about by humankind’s sinful rebellion and its consequences. It is one of the central themes of the entire Bible, running from Genesis through Revelation.

In many places in the OT, salvation refers to being rescued from physical rather than spiritual trouble. Fearing the possibility of retribution from his brother Esau, Jacob prays, “Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau” (Gen. 32:11). The actions of Joseph in Egypt saved many from famine (45:5 7; 47:25; 50:20). Frequently in the psalms, individuals pray for salvation from enemies that threaten one’s safety or life (Pss. 17:14; 18:3; 70:1–3; 71:1–4; 91:1–3).

Related to this usage are places where the nation of Israel and/or its king were saved from enemies. The defining example of this is the exodus, whereby God delivered his people from their enslavement to the Egyptians, culminating in the destruction of Pharaoh and his army (Exod. 14:1–23). From that point forward in the history of Israel, God repeatedly saved Israel from its enemies, whether through a judge (e.g., Judg. 2:16; 3:9), a king (2 Kings 14:27), or even a shepherd boy (1 Sam. 17:1–58).

But these examples of national deliverance had a profound spiritual component as well. God did not save his people from physical danger as an end in itself; it was the necessary means for his plan to save them from their sins. The OT recognizes the need for salvation from sin (Pss. 39:8; 51:14; 120:2) but, as the NT makes evident, does not provide a final solution (Heb. 9:1–10:18). One of the clearest places that physical and spiritual salvation come together is Isa. 40–55, where Judah’s exile from the land and prophesied return are seen as the physical manifestation of the much more fundamental spiritual exile that resulted from sin. To address that far greater reality, God announces the day when the Suffering Servant would once and for all take away the sins of his people (Isa. 52:13–53:12).

As in the OT, the NT has places where salvation refers to being rescued from physical difficulty. Paul, for example, speaks of being saved from various physical dangers, including execution (2 Cor. 1:8–10; Phil. 1:19; 2 Tim. 4:17). In the midst of a fierce storm, Jesus’ disciples cry out, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matt. 8:25). But far more prominent are the places in the Gospels and Acts where physical healings are described with the verb sōzō, used to speak of salvation from sin. The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5:25–34), the blind man along the road (Luke 18:35–43), and even the man possessed by a demon (Luke 8:26–39), just to name a few, are described with the verb sōzō. The same verb, however, is also used to refer to Jesus forgiving someone’s sins (Luke 7:36–50) and to his mission to save the lost from their sins (Luke 19:10). Such overlap is a foretaste of the holistic salvation (physical and spiritual) that will be completed in the new heaven and earth (Rev. 21–22). The NT Epistles give extensive descriptions of how the work of Jesus Christ saves his people from their sins.

Staff

A wooden walking stick that could have various functions. In ancient times, people did considerable amounts of walking. The ground in Israel is very uneven and rocky, making a walking stick a useful item (Gen. 32:10; Matt. 10:10). It is likely that walking sticks were customized so that they could serve as identification (Gen. 38:25).

Besides their utilitarian purpose, a rod or staff also came to denote an office and/or one’s authority. Military figures carried staffs that indicated their status (Judg. 5:14), and Gen. 49:10 predicts that the ruler’s staff will not depart from the tribe of Judah. Shepherds also carried a staff (Ps. 23:4; Mic. 7:14).

Sometimes a staff signified the presence of God with an individual. It was symbolic of the tree from which it was made, and a tree sometimes symbolically represented God. For this reason, some divine signs are associated with a raised staff. This was the case of Aaron’s staff. The Red Sea split after Moses extended his rod, and the Israelites had the better of the Amalekites on the battlefield as long as Moses kept the rod above his head. See also Aaron’s Rod.

Direct Matches

Anoint

The OT priests and tabernacle furnishings were “anointed” (or “smeared”; Heb. mashakh [Exod. 28:41; 40:9]) as a sign of separation to God (consecration) when Moses set up the cultic institution. A number of times it is stated that kings were anointed (Judg. 9:8, 15)—such as Saul (1 Sam. 10:1), David (1 Sam. 16:13), Absalom (2 Sam. 19:10), Solomon (1 Kings 1:39), Jehu (2 Kings 9:6), Joash (2 Kings 11:12), and Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:30)—as a sign of appointment to and equipping for sacral office. Anointing is only rarely linked to prophetic office (1 Kings 19:16; Ps. 105:15; Isa. 61:1). David would not agree to slaying Saul because he was “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 24:6; 26:11). The two “who are anointed” to serve the Lord in Zech. 4:14 (presumably Joshua and Zerubbabel) are, in literal translation of the Hebrew, “sons of oil,” the agents of God’s blessing to Israel.

Though there was no king in Israel at that stage, Hannah prayed in her song that the Lord would give strength to “his king” and “his anointed” (1 Sam. 2:10). The personal pronoun stresses that the king/anointed derives power from and owes obedience to God. The OT never uses the absolute form “anointed” (mashiakh), but always “his anointed” (Pss. 2:2; 18:50), “your anointed” (84:9), or “my anointed” (132:17). “Messiah” (“anointed one”) is not a title in the OT, though there is the hope of an ideal Davidic ruler (Isa. 9:6–7; 11:1). Daniel 9:25–26 is no exception, for there is dispute over who or what is so designated. The title “Christ” (Gk. Christos) applied to Jesus in the NT is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Messiah” (Matt. 16:16). When Paul uses the word order “Christ Jesus,” it is plainly titular (i.e., “the Messiah Jesus”).

Jesus’ disciples anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13), and this became settled practice in praying for the sick (James 5:14).

Anointed

Jesus’ disciples anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13), and this became settled practice in praying for the sick (James 5:14).

Anointing

Jesus’ disciples anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13), and this became settled practice in praying for the sick (James 5:14).

Apostle

A title designating members of the group of twelve disciples (Matt. 10:2–4; Mark 3:16–19; Luke 6:13–16) who received Jesus’ teaching (Luke 17:5) and to whom he granted authority (Mark 6:7, 30; Luke 9:1, 10). Matthias later replaced Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:24). These apostles provided leadership to the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:6), performed miracles (Acts 2:43; 2 Cor. 12:12), and faced persecution (Acts 5:18) as they testified to Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 4:33; 5:32). Broader usage of the term includes witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7), James the brother of Jesus (Gal. 1:19), Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14:14), and possibly Silas (1 Thess. 2:6) and Andronicus and Junias/Junia (Rom. 16:7). Paul regularly speaks of his calling in apostolic terms (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:1), while Peter similarly self-identifies (1 Pet. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1). The word is once used of Jesus himself (Heb. 3:1).

Bag

Various Hebrew and Greek words are rendered as “bag,” representing a flexible container used to carry provisions, money, measuring weights, or spices and other valuables. A bag could be made of animal skins, leather, or cloth. A small bag might be fastened to a belt, while a traveler’s bag large enough to carry several days’ provisions would be slung over the shoulder. Its construction could range from a simple bundle of cloth tied with string to a more fabricated carrying case. In the OT, Joseph put grain in his brothers’ traveling bags (Gen. 42:25); later the brothers were advised to present Joseph with gifts of spices and nuts to be toted in their bags (43:11). David carried a shepherd’s provision bag and used it to hold the stones that he chose for his sling when he killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40, 49). Bags were used to hold currency or precious metals (2 Kings 5:23; 12:10; Isa. 46:6). Merchants carried measuring weights of metal or stone in a bag. The Bible stresses the importance of carrying honest measuring standards in those bags (Deut. 25:13; Prov. 16:11; Mic. 6:11). Job pours out his hopelessness to God, longing for his sins to be metaphorically tied up in a bag (14:17).

In the Gospels, two kinds of bags are mentioned. One is the traveler’s bag used to carry food and clothing while on a journey. Jesus tells his disciples not to take such a bag when he sends them out as apostles to preach, heal, and drive out demons (Matt. 10:10; Mark 6:8; Luke 9:3; 10:4). Just before his arrest, Jesus reverses that advice, instructing his disciples to take not only a bag (for provisions) and purse (for money) but a sword as well (Luke 22:35–36). A different Greek word is used for the moneybag or box that Judas is in charge of and from which he pilfers (John 12:6).

Dust

The primary term in Hebrew is ’apar (“loose earth, dust”), which is related to the Hebrew terms for cultivatable “soil” (’adamah [Gen. 3:19]) and “earth” (’erets [Gen. 13:16]). These terms are semantically close enough to be used interchangeably (cf. 1 Sam. 4:12; 2 Sam. 1:2 with Josh. 7:6; Ezek. 27:30).

In the OT, the imagery of dust is used to illustrate notions of quantity and abundance (Num. 23:10; 2 Chron. 1:9; Job 27:16; Ps. 78:27; Isa. 40:12; Zech. 9:3). This stock of imagery is applied to annihilation (2 Sam. 22:43), worthlessness (Zeph. 1:17), humiliation (Isa. 25:12), and mourning (Isa. 2:10; Rev. 18:19). In the OT, ’apar alone is used figuratively over sixty times to refer to judgment. Thus, “to lick the dust” (Ps. 72:9) is a sign of subjugation. The opposite is “to shake off the dust,” a sign of repudiation (Isa. 52:2; Matt. 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:11; Acts 13:51). It is this figurative use of “dust” that facilitates the theological use of ’apar. Yahweh acts to humiliate, debase, destroy, and “cast down” into the dust (Isa. 25:12); and he also restores, “lifting up” to remove the shame (1 Kings 16:2; Ps. 113:7).

The significance of ’apar is powerfully portrayed in the creation of humans. Whereas animals are made from the “earth,” humankind emerges from more refined material, the dust (’apar [Gen. 2:7]). In an etymological pun, the “human” (’adam) rises from the “humus” (’adamah; cf. Ps. 103:14; Job 4:19). Death comes when God withdraws the human’s “breath of life” (cf. Gen. 2:7), causing the groundling to collapse back to the ground like “crushed dust” (cf. Pss. 90:3; 104:29; 146:4). Human life is fragile, dependent, and transitory. This is the teacher’s argument and also the reason that he stresses death as the inevitable end of both human and animal life (Eccles. 3:18–20). However, Daniel knows that “multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake” (Dan. 12:2).

Sandals

In ancient times, footwear generally was sandals, a flat sole constructed of leather, wood, or matted grass secured to the foot with leather straps. Soldiers and dignitaries had more-substantial foot coverings than common people had (cf. Eph. 6:15). Sandals were common and cheap; their quality and presence or absence were indicators of social status (Ezek. 16:10; Luke 15:22). Prisoners were unshod (2 Chron. 28:15; Isa. 20:2–4), and those in mourning also went barefoot (2 Sam. 15:30; Ezek. 24:17). One put on sandals in preparation for a journey (Exod. 12:11; Mark 6:9; Acts 12:8). Moses and Joshua were instructed to take off sandals when they stood on holy ground (Exod. 3:5; Josh. 5:15). The transfer of a sandal from one party to another sealed a property transaction (Ruth 4:6–10; cf. Ps. 60:8), while the removal of the sandal of a man who refused to marry his brother’s widow was a ceremony of disgrace (Deut. 25:9–10).

The lowest servant in a household removed guests’ sandals and washed their feet, as Jesus demonstrated for his disciples (John 13:5; cf. 1 Sam. 25:41; Luke 7:38). John the Baptist did not consider himself worthy of the humble task of untying Jesus’ sandal (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:7; Acts 13:25).

The Twelve

Secondary Matches

The following suggestions occured because Mark 6:7-13 is mentioned in the definition.

Beans

Common and valuable for food, beans were cooked while green in the pods or after being dried. Dry beans were threshed and winnowed like cereals and other grains. Beans are mentioned twice in the NIV (2 Sam. 17:28; Ezek. 4:9).

Binding and Loosing

Binding can mean physically restraining a person or people (Judg. 15:13; 2 Kings 25:7; Job 16:8; Pss. 119:61; 149:8), mending, as with a wound (Isa. 61:1; Ezek. 34:16; Hos. 6:1), or taking a legally constraining oath (1 Sam. 14:27–30; Neh. 10:29; Jer. 50:5). The opposite of binding is loosing or setting free, which can describe literally being freed from bonds (e.g., Acts 16:26) or the release from something that is binding.

The law, a binding covenant between Israel and God, is to be literally bound on one’s forehead as a reminder (Deut. 6:8; 11:18). Non-Israelites who wish to identify with the God of Israel can bind themselves to his laws (Isa. 56:6). In Num. 30:6, 9, 13, an oath taken by a young woman still in her father’s house will be binding only if the father is not against it. If he is against it, it is not binding and she is loosed from it (30:5). This is the same in the case of a married woman, whose approval has to come from the husband. However, for widows or divorced women, all pledges they make are binding since there are no men in their lives to void the pledges (30:9).

While contracts were binding, some had time limits. For example, the seventh year and the fiftieth year (Jubilee) allowed for cancellation of such binding contracts as slavery or land ownership (Lev. 25:10–54; 27:24).

The binding of Isaac (Gen. 22), traditionally known as the Akedah, has theological significance for both Christians and Jews. It is interpreted as a form of resurrection, a coming from the dead for Isaac after Yahweh had instructed his father, Abraham, to sacrifice him (Heb. 11:17–19). God inquires of Job whether he can “bind the chains of the Pleiades” or “loosen Orion’s belt” (Job 38:31).

The book of Proverbs encourages the wise to metaphorically bind love and faithfulness around their necks (3:3) and their parents’ commands and teachings to the heart (6:21) and the finger (7:3); it also talks of folly being bound up in the heart of a child (22:15), perhaps alluded to by Paul in Rom. 11:32 when he says that God has bound all people to disobedience that he may have mercy on them.

Introducing his ministry in Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes Isa. 61:1, which talks of binding up the brokenhearted, a reference to his healing ministry. Further, binding and loosing are found in Jesus’ commissioning of his disciples (Matt. 16:19; 18:18; cf. John 20:23), where it may be referring to the binding of demons and loosing of demoniacs bound or oppressed by demons (cf. Mark 3:14–16; 6:7; Luke 13:6). Since Jesus has the power to bind and loose (John 8:36), he chooses to empower his followers to do the same. Binding Satan is the subject of the ultimate eschatological battle in Jewish lore (T. Levi 18:11–12) and becomes central in Christianity. Jesus encounters satanic forces embodied in humans and looses such people from the chains of Satan (Mark 5:3; Luke 13:12, 16). Ultimately, Satan is to be bound for a millennium and loosed only for eternal damnation (Rev. 20:1–3).

Paul invokes Jewish law about marriage by claiming that one is bound in marriage only as long as one’s partner is alive (Rom. 7:2). In this way, Paul explains how Christians are dead to the law, because Jesus has died on their behalf, thus setting them free from the law (Rom. 7:4–6; cf. Heb. 9:15). To the Corinthians also he talks of the binding nature of marriage but with a caveat: if the marriage is between a believer and a nonbeliever, and if the nonbeliever leaves, then the believer is not bound (1 Cor. 7). But for Paul, being set free from sin (Rom. 8:2) means being bound to God (6:22).

Bundle

Disciple

The Greek term for “disciple,” mathētēs, means “student.” Like other rabbis and religious figures of the time, Jesus taught a group of such students (Matt. 9:14; 22:16; Mark 2:16; John 1:35; 4:1). The forms of address that Jesus’ disciples used for him reflect the nature of the relationship: “rabbi” (Mark 9:5), “teacher” (Mark 9:38), and “master” (Luke 5:5). In addition to receiving instruction from Jesus, his disciples took care of his physical needs (Matt. 21:1; John 4:8), ate with him (Matt. 9:10; 26:18), performed exorcisms and healings (Matt. 10:1; Luke 10:17), baptized (John 4:2), controlled access to Jesus (Matt. 19:13; John 12:21), and traveled with him (Luke 8:1; John 2:12). On one occasion Jesus visited the house of Peter and healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14), which suggests that although the Gospels do not generally depict the private lives of Jesus or his disciples apart from their public ministry, the relationship among these men did not prevent the disciples from maintaining their own homes, families, and, probably, occupations.

In the Gospels Jesus is depicted with variously sized groups of disciples and followers. A prominent tradition in the Gospels indicates that there was an inner group of twelve (Matt. 10:1; 26:20; Mark 3:14; 4:10; 6:7; John 6:70), each of whom is known by name. This is the group most traditionally understood as “the disciples” of Jesus. As an authority, the group of twelve persisted beyond the ascension of Jesus (Acts 6:2). Following the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was chosen to take his place among the Twelve (Acts 1:26). Other passages specify a group of seventy or seventy-two (Luke 10:1, 16), and often the number of disciples is indeterminate. Several passages name disciples beyond the Twelve (Matt. 27:57; Luke 24:18; Acts 9:10; 9:36; 16:1; 21:16), and some later authors attempted to list the names of the seventy by drawing names from the book of Acts, the Epistles, and other early Christian traditions (e.g., the thirteenth-century Syriac compilation The Book of the Bee). The book of Acts often refers to any follower of Christ as “disciple,” including those in cities throughout the Roman Empire.

The Gospels tend to present Jesus as a charismatic teacher who could attract adherents with little overt persuasion. The calling of several disciples is narrated, including that of the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, the brothers James and John the sons of Zebedee (Mark 1:16–20; John 1:40–41), Philip and Nathanael (John 1:44–45), and Matthew/Levi (Mark 2:13–17 pars.). The Gospel of John presents Andrew as a former disciple of John the Baptist.

The Twelve

Each of the Synoptic Gospels has a list of the Twelve (Matt. 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16; cf. the list of eleven in Acts 1:13), and the Gospel of John mentions “the Twelve” several times without providing a list. With some slight harmonizations, it is possible to come up with a single list of twelve disciples based on the three Synoptic lists.

(1) All three Synoptic Gospels agree in placing Simon Peter first in the list. (2) His brother Andrew is second, though Mark has placed Andrew farther down the list and does not identify him as Peter’s brother. (3) James the son of Zebedee and (4) John the brother of James are next. Mark adds that the two were also named “Boanerges,” meaning “sons of thunder.” The placement of Peter, James, and John at the head of the list corresponds with the prominence of these three disciples in the story of Jesus’ arrest at Gethsemane, where these three were present (Matt. 26:37 // Mark 14:33). Perhaps the order of Mark’s list reflects the prestige of these three disciples, with Matthew and Luke bringing Andrew to the head of the list not because of any particular importance but so that he is listed with his brother Peter.

The lists continue with (5) Philip, (6) Bartholomew, and (7) Matthew, further identified in Matt. 10:3 as a “tax collector.” The calling of Matthew is narrated in Matt. 9:9–13 and also in Mark 2:13–17; Luke 5:27–32, where Matthew is called “Levi.” (8) Thomas is next (Matt. 10:3 lists Thomas before Matthew; in John 20:24 he is also called “Didymus”), followed by (9) James the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14 also calls Levi “son of Alphaeus”), so named to avoid confusion with James the son of Zebedee. (10) Simon the Cananaean (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18 NRSV) or Zealot (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) is so designated to avoid confusion with Simon Peter. The precise meaning of the term “Cananaean” is uncertain (see Cananaean). (11) Thaddaeus (who precedes Simon the Cananaean in Matthew and Mark) probably should be identified with the eleventh disciple in Luke’s list, Judas the son of James. The names of Thaddaeus and Judas son of James represent the greatest single discrepancy among the three lists, but it may be mitigated somewhat by the fact that some manuscripts identify “Thaddaeus” as a surname (though they give this disciple’s other name as “Lebbaeus,” not “Judas”). All three lists agree in listing (12) Judas Iscariot as the last disciple in the list, and all note that he betrayed Jesus or became a traitor. The fact that Judas Iscariot bears a second name (“Iscariot”) may suggest that there was another Judas among the Twelve from whom it was necessary to distinguish him, as in the case of the two Simons and the two Jameses. This observation lends some weight to the notion that Thaddaeus was also named “Judas.”

The Disciples as Apostles

At various points in his ministry Jesus sent out his disciples to preach and perform miracles, hence they are also referred to as “apostles” (i.e., emissaries). The connection between these two terms is made clear in Luke 6:13: “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.” In the NT Epistles the title “apostle” is applied to several individuals who were not among Jesus’ twelve disciples, most notably Paul. In sum, both “disciple” and “apostle” have narrow and broad meanings in the NT, though there is substantial continuity between “the Twelve” disciples or apostles of Jesus and the narrow definition of “apostle” in the early chapters of Acts.

The Later Careers of the Disciples

After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples (“the apostles he had chosen” [Acts 1:2]) that they would be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Stories about the subsequent careers of the Twelve exist in both the NT and other early Christian sources. The first half of Acts largely focuses on the career of Simon Peter, before attention shifts to the career of Paul in the eastern Roman Empire. Extracanonical books and local legends trace the later careers of Jesus’ twelve disciples, placing them in Rome (Peter), Scythia (Andrew), Spain (James), Ephesus (John), Phrygia (Philip), Armenia (Bartholomew and Thaddaeus), India (Thomas), Ethiopia (Matthew), and North Africa (Simon the Cananaean). Pious local traditions attribute martyrdom to a number of the Twelve, though in the NT we know only of the deaths of Judas Iscariot (Matt. 27:3–10; Acts 1:16–20) and James the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:1–2).

Gestures

In the Bible, gestures are made with either parts of the body or items, such as clothing and rings, directly connected to the body. For this reason, it makes sense to classify biblical gestures in relation to the different body parts that are identified with the gestures. It is, however, challenging to know where to draw a line on classifying a gesture. For example, a devious person is described in Prov. 6:13 as one “who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers.” It is unclear whether this is a single gesture or multiple ones, and whether all signify different things or the same thing.

Head

Gestures that relate to the head range from simple head motions to semiviolent acts such as hair pulling. Simple head motions include lifting of one’s head in honor (Gen. 40:13), bowing one’s head in mourning (Ps. 35:14), tossing one’s head in mockery and derision (2 Kings 19:21), and shaking one’s head as insult (Ps. 22:7; Mark 15:29).

A common action is the shaving of the head, which can be for purification (Lev. 14:8–9; Num. 6:9; 8:7 [includes all body hair]), mourning (Deut. 21:11–13; Job 1:20; Isa. 15:2; Jer. 16:6; 47:5; 48:37; Ezek. 27:31; Amos 8:10; Mic. 1:16), remorse (Jer. 41:5), or shaming (Jer. 2:16). However, priests are forbidden from shaving their heads even in mourning (Lev. 21:5; Ezek. 44:20), while the high priest is to wear a turban on his head during sacrificial duties (Exod. 29:6).

Anointing of the head is done when a priest or king is installed (Exod. 29:7; Ps. 23:5) or simply as a sign of God’s goodness and blessing on a person (Eccles. 9:8). Blessing may also involve placing a hand on the head of the person being blessed (Gen. 48:14–18; Exod. 29:19), while the same gesture on the head of sacrificial animals is a symbolic means of transferring sin (Lev. 3:2, 8, 13; 4:4, 15, 24, 29, 33; 8:18, 22).

In the OT, a woman’s head can be shaved in mourning (Deut. 21:12–13; cf. Jer. 47:5), but in the NT, a shaved head can be a cause for disgrace (1 Cor. 11:5–6).

Face. Facial gestures range from expressions to actions such as touching or covering the face. A face can be downcast in anger (Gen. 4:5–6) or bowed to the ground in honor (Gen. 48:12), in dejection (Josh. 7:6), in humility (Ruth 2:10), in worship (2 Chron. 20:18; Ps. 138:2), in subjection, supplication, reverence (1 Sam. 20:41; 25:41; 28:14; 2 Sam. 14:4, 22; 18:28; 24:20; 1 Kings 1:23; 1 Chron. 21:20), or in dread (e.g., Moses before Yahweh [Exod. 3:6]).

The face can be covered or veiled as an indication of uncleanness (Lev. 13:45), in grief/mourning (2 Sam. 19:4; Ezek. 24:17), in resignation (1 Kings 19:13), with intent to deceive in adultery (Job 24:15), or in horror of judgment (Esther 7:8; Ezek. 12:6, 12). It can also be buried in the dust in remorse (Lam. 3:29).

God can be described as hiding or turning away his face against wickedness and evil (Deut. 31:18; 32:20; Ps. 34:16; Isa. 8:17; Jer. 33:5; Ezek. 7:22; 15:7; 20:46; 21:2) or in an act of withholding blessings (Job 13:15; Pss. 10:1; 13:1; 27:9; 30:7; 34:16; Isa. 54:8; 59:2; 64:7). God can also turn his face toward a place in judgment (Ezek. 4:3, 7; 6:2). In 1 Sam. 5:3–4 the idol of the Philistine god Dagon falls facedown before the ark of the covenant, apparently overpowered by Yahweh.

Acts of humiliation or dishonor can involve spitting in the face (Num. 12:14; Deut. 25:9; Job 17:6; 30:10; Isa. 50:6), slapping the face (1 Kings 22:24; 2 Chron. 18:23; Job 16:10; Lam. 3:30; Mic. 5:1), pulling a skirt up over someone’s face in shaming judgment (Jer. 13:26; Nah. 3:5), and hooking and dragging someone by the nose (2 Kings 19:28). Although being struck on the cheek is humiliating, Jesus instructs his disciples to “turn the other cheek” as a sign of resistance to violence (Matt. 5:39; Luke 6:29).

One can lift one’s face in worship (2 Kings 20:2; Job 22:26; Isa. 38:2) or in confidence (Job 11:15) and can fail to lift it in shame and disgrace (Ezra 9:6). Although the shaving of beards in mourning is common practice (Ezra 9:3; Isa. 15:2; Jer. 41:5; 48:37), the forced shaving of beards is an act of shaming and insulting (2 Sam. 10:4; 1 Chron. 19:4–5; Isa. 7:20; 50:6).

Eyes. Winking the eye is perceived as an evil, deceptive, or malicious act (Ps. 35:19; Prov. 6:13; 16:30). Eyes can be lifted up in worship and expectation (Pss. 121:1; 123:1).

Mouth. Pursed lips can characterize an evil person (Prov. 16:30), while a hand can be clapped over the mouth in awe and submission (Job 21:5; 40:4). Psalm 72:9 looks to the righteous king before whom the desert tribes will bow and whose “enemies lick the dust” in defeat.

Ears. An Israelite slave for life is to have a hole punched through his or her earlobe, held against a doorpost, with an awl (Exod. 21:6; Deut. 15:17). Blood is sprinkled on the lobe of the right ear for purification (Exod. 29:20; Lev. 8:23–24; 14:17), while supplication can be described as asking for the turning of an ear (2 Kings 19:16; Ps. 31:2). Turning one’s ear signifies paying attention or taking something to heart (Ps. 49:4; Prov. 4:20; 5:13).

Neck. The neck can be adorned (Song 1:10) as a sign of pride and honor (Gen. 41:42; Judg. 5:30; Prov. 1:9; Ezek. 16:11) or outstretched in arrogance (Ps. 75:5 TNIV: “Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck”). Jeremiah put a yoke on his neck as a prophetic sign of the approaching Babylonian conquest (Jer. 27–28). While putting someone’s neck in a yoke is an act of triumphal conquest (Ps. 105:18), stepping on the neck of a subdued enemy is an act of subjugation and humiliation (Josh. 10:24).

Body

Nakedness in public is considered shameful (Gen. 9:22–23; Nah. 3:5; Rev. 3:18), so that it is sometimes pictured as part of divine judgment (Deut. 28:48; Isa. 47:2–3; Lam. 1:8; Mic. 1:11) or as a sign of promiscuity (Isa. 57:8; Ezek. 16:36). An unkempt body can be a sign of mourning, as it is for Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 19:24). A certain kind of body covering is a sign of marriage proposal or protection (Ezek. 16:8; 23:18; Hos. 2:9). Body dismembering, even in war, is an act of humiliation (2 Sam. 4:12).

Chest. In self-mortification, one can pound one’s chest in mourning (Ezek. 21:12) or in remorse (Jer. 31:19; Luke 18:13). The breasts of sacrificial animals are waved before God as a “wave offering” before being eaten (Exod. 29:26; Lev. 7:30; Num. 6:20).

Hand, arm. Hand gestures include motions such as lifting hands in worship, clapping hands in joy, and clapping a hand over one’s mouth in awe. The expression “outstretched arm” (Exod. 6:6; Deut. 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36; 2 Chron. 6:32; Ps. 136:12; Jer. 21:5; 27:5; 32:17, 21; Ezek. 20:33–34) indicates power, might, strength. It is often used of God to indicate his ability to defeat powerful armies and enemies. God is implored by the psalmist to lift his hand and act for the sake of the righteous (Ps. 10:12).

Since the right hand is the hand of power, the act of sitting at the right hand indicates being favored (1 Kings 2:19; Ps. 110:1; Matt. 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:43; Acts 2:35; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet. 3:22). When taking an oath, one places a hand under the thigh/crotch (Gen. 24:2; 47:29), most likely the right hand (see Gen. 48:14, 17–18; Lev. 8:23; 14:14).

Clapping the hands can be a sign of awe (Ezek. 6:11), malice, or remorse (25:6), while a bared arm can be a sign of judgment (4:7). Job claps his hand over his mouth in awe of God and in submission and repentance (Job 40:4–5).

Hands can be lifted in worship (1 Kings 8:22; 1 Tim. 2:8), to beseech (Ps. 28:2), to protect and bless (Ps. 10:12), in an oath (Deut. 32:40), or to harm (Exod. 24:11; 1 Sam. 24:6, 10; 2 Sam.1:14; 18:12).

Pilate washes his hands to proclaim his innocence over the death of Jesus (Matt. 27:24), while 1 Pet. 5:6 urges believers to humble themselves “under God’s mighty hand,” so that in due time they will be lifted up.

Buttocks. Exposure of the buttocks can serve as a humiliating insult and provocation, as happens to David’s men (2 Sam. 10:4; 1 Chron. 19:4) and Egyptian and Cushite captives (Isa. 20:4).

Leg. The leg or thigh is often a euphemism for the male reproductive organs, so that putting one’s hand under a thigh in oath (Gen. 24:2; 47:29) may involve actually grabbing the genitalia. Animal thighs are waved to God in offering before being consumed (Lev. 9:21; 10:14; Num. 6:20), while oaths administered to uncover adultery cause a guilty woman’s thighs to waste (Num. 5:2–27).

The most common gesture involving the knee is bowing, in worship or reverence (Deut. 33:3; Isa. 45:23; Rom. 11:4; 14:11; Phil. 2:10), in defeat (2 Sam. 22:40; Ps. 18:38; Isa. 60:14), in distress (Ps. 57:6), or in respect (1 Kings 1:31). In what seems to be a somewhat awkward position, Elijah puts his face between his knees in prayer (1 Kings 18:42).

Feet. Gestures involving the feet are probably the most common gestures in the Bible. Feet can be washed in hospitality (Gen. 18:4; 19:2; 24:32; 43:24; 1 Sam. 25:41), in ablution (Exod. 30:19, 21; 40:31), or in supplication (1 Sam. 25:41). Feet can be bathed in oil as a blessing (Deut. 33:24), uncovered in marriage proposals (Ezek. 16:8; cf. Ruth 3:4, 7), and stamped in remorse (Ezek. 25:6), and sandals can be removed from them in honor (Exod. 3:1–10) or disgrace (Deut. 25:9). The heavenly seraphs cover their feet in supplication before the throne of God (Isa. 6:2), while the feet of humans can signal deception (Prov. 6:13).

Enemies can be placed under one’s feet in subjugation (1 Kings 5:3; Pss. 8:6; 18:39; 45:5; 47:3; 110:1; Mal. 4:3; Rom. 16:20), have their feet shackled or ensnared (Job 13:27; 33:11; Pss. 25:15; 105:18), and be forced to lick the feet of victors in humiliation and defeat (Isa. 49:23). The righteous will bathe their feet in the blood of their enemies in revenge (Pss. 58:10; 68:23).

Those overwhelmed can grovel at the feet of the powerful (2 Kings 4:27, 37; Esther 8:3; Matt. 28:9; Mark 5:33; 7:25; Acts 10:25), while those emboldened can rise to their feet in confidence (Ezek. 2:1–2; 3:24; Dan. 8:18).

In the NT, dust can be shaken off one’s feet as an indication of divine judgment (Matt. 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5), even as lying at a person’s feet is a recognition of authority/submission (Matt. 15:30; Mark 5:33; Luke 8:28, 35, 41, 47; 10:39; 17:16; Acts 4:37; 5:2). A woman publicly washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and kisses and perfumes them in what seems an act of love and repentance; but Jesus indicates that she has prepared his body for burial (Luke 7:38–46; John 11:2; 12:3). Jesus washes his disciples’ feet as instruction on servanthood and discipleship (John 13:5–14).

Fingers, Toes. Different fingers seem to have different roles assigned them. A finger sprinkles blood in cleansing (Lev. 4:6, 17, 25, 30, 34; 8:15; 9:9; 14:16; 16:14, 19; Num. 19:4), while blood on the tip of the right thumb and on the right big toe is for cleansing (Exod. 29:20; Lev. 8:23–24; 14:17, 25, 28).

One wears a signet ring as a sign of power (Esther 3:10) or a gesture of restoration and forgiveness (Luke 15:22). But fingers can also motion in deception (Prov. 6:13) or point in blame (Isa. 58:9). Jesus writes with his finger on the ground, apparently as a gesture of indifference to those pointing accusing fingers (John 8:6).

Clothes and Shoes

Garments. Garments attain significance as they are related to specific emotions. Wearing sackcloth and ashes in mourning is common (Gen. 37:34; Ezek. 7:18; 2 Sam. 3:31), while ripping garments in mourning is also frequently attested (Gen. 37:34; 44:13; Lev. 10:6; 21:10; Josh. 7:6; 2 Sam. 1:11; 3:31; 13:31; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 2:12; 19:1; Esther 4:1; Isa. 32:11; 37:1; Jer. 41:5).

Ripping someone’s clothing to expose nakedness (Ezek. 16:39; 2 Sam. 10:4) or pulling a person’s skirts up over the face (Jer. 13:26) is an act of shaming or insulting. But tearing one’s clothes off can be a sign of fury (Matt. 26:65). Persons with defiling diseases are expected to warn off others by wearing torn clothes and shouting, “Unclean! Unclean!” (Lev. 13:45).

By laying their clothes at Saul’s feet, the crowd may be acknowledging his authority in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58).

Sandals. A woman can remove a man’s sandal in contempt (Deut. 25:5–10), while a sandal can be removed by a kinsman-redeemer to indicate giving up a right or as a transfer of property (Ruth 4:7–8). A sandal can also be removed in mourning (Ezek. 24:17) or be cast over a piece of land to claim ownership (Pss. 60:8; 108:9).

Prophetic Gestures

Prophetic gestures in the OT are mostly concerned with the call to repentance and approaching judgments upon failure to heed the warning. Jeremiah puts a yoke on his neck (Jer. 27–28; cf. Deut. 28:48), Ezekiel cooks with dung (Ezek. 4:12) and sleeps on his left side for 390 days and then on his right side for 40 days (4:5–6), Isaiah strips off his clothing (Isa. 20:2–3; 32:11), and Hosea marries an unfaithful wife (Hos. 1:1–3).

In the NT, Jesus cleanses the temple as an act of symbolic judgment (Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:15). He also breaks bread and drinks wine (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 24:30, 35; Acts 2:46; 20:11; 27:35; 1 Cor. 11:24–25) and washes his disciples’ feet (John 13:1–13), thereby establishing symbolic Christian practices.

Myrtle Tree

Pine Tree

Plants

Sack

Shoe

Shoes

Trees

Unction

Jesus’ disciples anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13), and this became settled practice in praying for the sick (James 5:14).

Showing 1 to 50 of96 results

1. A Reputation Is Hard to Shake

Illustration

Steven Molin

Do you remember the stupid stuff you did when you were a kid? I'm not talking about wetting the bed or spilling your milk; I mean the things that you did in public, the things that were known in the community and, perhaps, even gave you a reputation. Maybe you were arrested for some prank, or you were kicked off the football team for drinking, or maybe, on a dare, you streaked the high school lunchroom. Whatever.

The point is, a reputation is a hard thing to shake. Even as a fully grown adult, when you go back home, the people still whisper: "There's Bill Smith, he got busted for ‘dining and dashing' back in '72." No wonder so many people move away from their hometown when they grow up! It's less humbling that way.

In high school, I was known as "The Class Clown." Now there's a shock! I was forever cutting up in class, telling jokes, making smart comments. When I arrived in biology class on the first day, the teacher took role, and when she came to my name, she said "Steve, I've heard about you, and you've got one chance. If you smart off in my class, you're out of here." Well, I lasted about a week. When Mrs. McMartin asked if someone could define the word "dilute" I said that it was a city on the shore of Lake Superior. Hello, study hall!

But as my life began to change, some people wouldn't let me change. I came to faith in Christ and got serious about ministry, but people still saw me as a clown. I decided to go to seminary and they whispered "That's Steve Molin, he was tossed off the college hockey team in '68." When I got ordained, some supposed that I would show up as Guido Sarducci of the Saturday Night Live skit. Is it any wonder then that my first ministry job was in Rochester, some 70 miles from home? Or that my next call was to Sioux Falls, 250 miles from here. Or that next, I traveled 1600 miles away to serve in Salem, Oregon. In Salem, they loved me. In Sioux Falls, they took me seriously. But seven years ago, I came back home, and I can't tell you how many times I have run into people from my high school who have said "Really? Steve Molin? A Lutheran pastor?" As I said, it's hard to shake a reputation.

2. Witnessing Your Faith

Illustration

Steven Molin

The message I have for you today is that, just like the disciples Jesus sent out that long-ago day, you will have opportunities to witness to others about your faith. But before you do that, here are a couple of things to consider:

Don't be preachy, or you might come across as self-righteous.

Don't plan a lecture that you're going to deliver when you have some unsuspecting soul captive in a fishing boat, for example.

But do be honest about your life; about your flaws and your regrets and even your continued imperfections.

And be honest about this God who loves you just the way you are, warts and all; a God who knows your past, in fact, a God who knows your story better than your biology teacher, or your probation officer, or your spouse. And he loves you anyway!

You see, that's the beauty of the Gospel: we don't have to be specially qualified to receive it, and we don't have to be specially qualified to share it. We only have to be honest about who we are, and how much God loves us.

3. Failing (in order) to Succeed

Illustration

Have you ever heard of Choglit soda or OK soda? Maybe you remember Surge, which was around for a few years and tasted a lot like Mountain Dew? No? All three of these sodas were launched by Coca-Cola and all three were complete and utter failures. In April, CEO E. Neville Isdell reminded shareholders of these failures in order to shake up Coca-Cola's "risk-adverse" culture. "As we take more risks, this (failure) is something we must accept as part of the regeneration process."

Many big businesses are starting to recognize the importance of "intelligent" or "smart" failures. These failures might hurt in the short-term, but offer critical lessons for long-term growth. It is significant to note that the long-term lessons would never be learned with out taking risks in the short-term. In other words, sometimes that one step back is exactly what is needed to take a leap forward.

Are we willing in our church to take risks when necessary? Do we understand that even failures might lead to growth and regeneration? Are we willing to shake the dust off of our feet and move forward when that is what our ministry requires?

4. Walking in Faith

Illustration

Mark Trotter

"Take nothing with you." Jesus is saying, be Knights of Faith. Do this journey right. Do it the way it is supposed to be done. Journey with grace. Make your journey without any visible means of support. Make your journey with the spiritual equivalent of "no hands," so that others, seeing your faith, seeing the way that you make your journey, will be astonished. How does she do that? And give glory to your father in heaven.

And I have seen that with my own mother. I have stood there and asked, how does she do it? She knows what's going to happen. The doctors have told her. She knows that it is not far away. But look at her. She laughs; she makes jokes about the way her wig looks. Then she asks about me. She asks about my family, the children, where we are going to spend our summer.

Then she cries. Because you know, it's not the right time. Things are not the way they should be. There are still things that she wants to do. There are joys that mothers know that she will never experience. There are celebrations that are coming, and she wants to participate in them. But it's not going to happen. So she weeps. Then she says, "But I'm going to keep on going anyway. I'm going to go right up to the end. And I'm not afraid."

I stand there, and I watch her ride through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil, sitting there, straight and tall, perfect balance in her life, no hands. She is at that point in her journey when she is traveling on faith alone. She is taking nothing with her now, but faith. I stand there in awe, and I give thanks.

5. We Are on a Journey

Illustration

Mark Trotter

This text is about a journey. And you and I are supposed to be on it. If you ask me, "Why do we have to be on a journey?" I have to say I don't know. And if you ask, "Why can't be just settle down in civilized inertia, avoiding pain and seeking pleasure (in moderation, of course, because we are Methodists) and I say, "I don't know why it's that way."

Cows can do that, but human beings cannot. So if you are restless, if you are discontent, if you are bored, even if you are unhappy, its good news. It means, you are not a cow. And if you are not happy with your life, then look at it this way. If you are not happy, it doesn't mean that you are going nuts. It may mean that you are becoming human. Human beings can't live like cows and still be human.

Here's the rub. Cows are who they are. Human beings are who they become. And that act of becoming, the Bible calls a journey. And Jesus says, "If you want to do it right, then follow me. And if you follow me, take nothing with you, except faith."

6. Travel Light and Keep Moving

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

Jesus' mandate to his disciples is to travel lightly and keep moving. Nowhere do we see him sitting down with the twelve and a map, or a snakebite kit, or a store of provisions, or a feasibility study, or a specific set of "goals,""strategies" and "objectives." Jesus gives the disciples (at times as confused and uncomprehending a lot as ever there has been) only what they need most: a mission and the authority to carry it out. All he recommends they take in addition to this is a walking stick a personal goad to keep them moving when the terrain gets rough or when they get weary.

Today the church would never dream of starting on such a significant journey without what we now envision as "adequate provisions." Yet for all our carefully considered plans, it is doubtful that we are ever as prepared as either David or the disciples for what the future may offer. David was prepared through his willingness to sit before the Lord in prayer. The disciples were prepared through their certainty that they went out with the matchless authority of Jesus.

Does the church have confidence in that authority or in that power of humble prayers? Does the church, in fact, even remember that it is called to embody a mission, not just live out a survival plan?

7. Real Evangelism

Illustration

Staff

If we are going to be effective in reaching people for Christ we are going to have to start showing people that we really care. Evangelism and missions must be relational in nature. There is no record of Jesus walking up to someone out of the clear blue sky and saying: I am the Messiah and then him beginning to show his care for them. No, he showed his care for them first and then he revealed himself to them.

A story is told about a man who was on a luxury liner and suddenly he falls overboard. He can't swim and in desperation he begins calling for help. Now it just so happens that there were several would be rescuers on deck who witnessed the incident. The first man was a Moralist. When he saw the man fall overboard he immediately reached into his briefcase and pulled out a book on how to swim. He now tossed it to him and he yelled: Now brother, you read that and just follow the instructions and you will be alright.

The man next to him happened to be a Idealist. When he saw the man fall overboard he immediately jumped into the water and began swimming all around the drowning man saying: Now just watch me swim. Do as I do and you will be alright. The person next to him happened to be a member of the Institutional Church. He looked upon the drowning man's plight with deep concern. He yelled out: Now, just hold on friend. Help is on the way. We are going to establish a committee and dialogue your problem. And then, if we have come up with the proper financing, we will resolve your dilemma.

The next man on deck happened to be a representative of the school of Positive Thinking. He yelled out to the drowning man: "Friend, this situation is not nearly as bad as you think. Think dry!" The next man on board happened to be a Revivalist. By this time the drowning man was going down for the third time and desperately began waving his arm. Seeing that, the revivalist yelled out: Yes brother, I see that hand, is there another? Is there another? And finally, the last man on deck, was a Realist. He immediately plunged into the water, at the risk of his own life, and pulled the victim to safety.

My friends, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We need realist in the church willing plunge into the water and go to work.

8. Relationship Evangelism

Illustration

There is an old story told about a man by the name of Ali Facid. He had a small farm and a family. One day, the story goes, a Buddhist priest came by and said to Ali Facid: You know, there are valuable stones called diamonds, and if you get one of these you could be a wealthy man." Ali Facid went to bed that night, but the words of the old priest haunted him. He was so obsessed that he felt that he must find him one of these diamonds so that he could become a ruler. He sold his farm, put his family out to neighbors and went out to find his acres of diamonds. Months passed. He was broken in body and spirit. His funds were gone. And at the Bay of Barcelona, he threw himself into the water, never to walk this earth again.

Meanwhile, the man who bought his farm bent over one day and picked up a little stone. He laid on the mantle that night not knowing what it was. A few days later the old Buddhist priest cam by and saw it and exclaimed: Ali Facid must be back from his search. No, came the response. Then where did that diamond come from? The farmer replied: I was out plowing in the garden and found it there. And friends, did you know that from that very garden, for this is not a legend but a true story, came the jewels and diamonds that today adorn the crown heads of Europe and Russia. In Ali Facid's own back yard there were acres of diamonds and he knew it not.

My friends, I know that the [your church's neighborhood] is not like [name two neighborhoods in your area that are experiencing growth] in terms of extensive growth. But, I also know that there are acres of diamonds right here in our own back yard. There are people right here in our area that do not have church families, who are not committed to Christ, and who are waiting to be asked. We don't have to look to other areas of the city. All we have to do is pick up the diamonds that are right beneath us.

9. Shake Off the Dust

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Sometimes our highest hopes are destroyed so that we can be prepared for better things. The failure of the caterpillar is the birth of the butterfly. The passing of the bud is the blooming of the rose. The death of the seed is the prelude to its resurrection as wheat. Someone has said that plants grow best in the darkness of night just before dawn. Our failures can be the door to a new success.

The name of John James Audubon is forever associated with the magnificent paintings he made of the birds of North America. No one else has so accurately painted the birds and the natural environment in which they were found. It might not have happened had he not gone bankrupt in business! In 1808, he opened a store in Louisville, Kentucky. It was after he went bankrupt in 1819 that he began traveling and painting birds. We are all richer because of his business failure (Ministers Manual 1991, p. 320). Shake off the dust and go on.

10. Genius after Failure

Illustration

Peter Rhea Jones

When we listen to the exalting music of Handel's Messiah, we usually assume it was surely written by a man at the pinnacle of his success, but that is not the case. In fact, it was written after he had suffered a stroke. It was written while Handel lived in poverty amid bleak surroundings. He had suffered through a particularly deep night of gloom and despair over his failure as a musician, and the next morning he unleashed his creative genius in a musical score that continues to thrill and inspire us generations later.

11. Pastor Casey's Been Tuned Out

Illustration

William G. Carter

Anybody listening? Maybe not. Many people resist the opportunity to hear the good news. John Duckworth describes this preaching moment in a poem called, "Casey at the Pulpit,"

The smile is gone from Casey's lip;
his notes are clenched in hand;
He pounds with great intensity
his fist upon the stand.

And now he starts to make his point,
and now he lets it flow,
And afterward the people tell him,
"Pastor, way to go!"

Oh, somewhere in this favored land
the Son is shining bright;
The organ's playing somewhere,
and somewhere hearts are light;

And somewhere folks are learning,
and somewhere Christians shout;
But there is no growth in Mudville
Pastor Casey's been tuned out.

12. Running the Filing System

Illustration

King Duncan

Often we forget what our main business is. A super salesman sold a complicated filing system to a thriving business. Three months later, the salesman paid the company a visit. "How is the filing system working out?"

"Magnificently," replied the manager. "Out of this world!"

"How is business?" asked the salesman to the manager.

The manager said, "We had to give up our business to run the filing system!"

Something like that has happened to the church. We have a wonderful structure, we have a wonderful story to tell, we have a highly capable and intelligent sales force, but somehow it seems we spent our time with the filing system rather than looking after our main business: Applying the good news of Jesus Christ to people's real needs.

13. How to Fail Successfully - Sermon Starter

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

It's amazing what we do with funny stories. We apply them to whomever we wish. For instance, you might hear one funny story with the legendary coach Bear Bryant as the primary actor. When you hear it again, the primary actor may be Johnny Majors. I heard a marvelous story sometime ago about Thomas Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in fact, he told the story on himself. Lately I've been hearing it about President Clinton. So the story goes with the new actor Bill Clinton in it. He and his wife Hillary were driving through a city up east and noticed they were low on gas. They pulled over at the first exit and came to a dumpy little gas station with one pump.

There was just one attendant working at the place, and as he began to pump the gas, the President went to the bathroom. Then it happened. Obviously the gas station attendant and Hillary recognized each other. They began to talk and laugh and were having a very animated conversation when the President came out of the bathroom. The President was surprised and the attendant was embarrassed by this. The attendant walked away, pretending that nothing had happened. The President followed him, paid for the gas and as they pulled out of that seedy little service station, he asked Hillary how it was that she knew that attendant and what they were talking about.

She told him that they had known each other in high school, in fact they had been high school sweethearts and had dated rather seriously for about a year her first year in college.

Well, the President couldn't help bragging a little and he said, "Boy, were you lucky I came along, because if you had married him, you would be the wife of a gas station attendant instead of the wife of the President of the United States."

Hillary replied, "My dear, if I'd married him you would be the gas station attendant and he would be President of the United States.

It's a matter of perspective isn't it? Success and failure mean different things to different folks. Today I want to talk about "how to fail successfully". Does that sound like a oxymoron? How to fail successfully. No one wants to fail. Everybody wants to succeed. That being the case, if we are going to fail, we should do it successfully.

A few years ago Fast Lane magazine conducted a survey to find out whose lives its readers would most like to emulate. Lt. Colonel Oliver North placed first. Then President Ronald Reagan placed second. Clint Eastwood was third. Fourth place was a tie between Lee Iacocca and Jesus Christ. What a commentary!

A young woman went into a Denver jewelry store and told the clerk she wanted to purchase a gold cross on a chain to wear around her neck. The clerk turned to the display case and asked, 'Do you want a plain one, or one with a little man on it?' What a commentary!

Jesus tied for fourth place with Lee Iacocca and is referred to as a little man on a piece of jewelry.

That brings us to our Scripture lesson which will provide the foundation for our theme, "how to fail successfully." Jesus had already been "successful." Just recently He has stilled a storm on the sea (Mark 4: 41). He had healed "Legion", the man who was possessed by demons and lived in madness in a cemetery. And then came the healing of the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, and the raising of a little girl from death. All of this is recorded in chapters four and five of Mark. Jesus was obviously a success.

Chapter six opens with Jesus coming to Nazareth and teaching in the synagogue and the people being amazed, asking the question, where did this man get all His wisdom and all his power? They were amazed.

It is in the midst of that success that Jesus calls his disciples and sends them out. In His instruction He warns about failure. Listen to verses 10 and 11 of chapter 6: He said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them."

Is there not solid instruction here in our Scripture lesson and from Jesus himself instructions that there may come a time when it's really time to quit? We can try too long. At least Jesus is saying that there are moments when in order to keep on keeping on we need to give up face our losses and accept failure. I think there is an understanding for us here maybe a guide to "how to fail successfully." Let's look at the possibility.

1. We Can Give Up Too Soon.
2. We Can Keep Trying Too Long.
3. There Comes a Time to Stop Trying.

14. Stop Carrying the Anvil

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

My friend, and mentor, the great Quaker Douglas V. Steer, tells a story that comes out of Maine. A short in stature young blacksmith in a small town fell in love with a tall local girl, but he was so short that he was too bashful to tell her. One day she came into the smithy to call for a tea kettle that he had fixed for her and she had thanked him so nicely that he suddenly found courage to ask her to marry him. She consented and he got up on the anvil and put his arms around her and sealed it with a kiss. Then they took a walk out through the fields together and after some time he asked her for another kiss. When she refused, he said, "Well, I'm not going to carry this anvil any longer." (Printed 1978 for Wider Quaker Fellowship with permission of Douglas V. Steer)

There comes a time when we put the anvil down because we can keep trying too long. It's not easy but we have to find that rhythm, that balance, between not giving up too soon but also not continuing too long. There is a time to stop trying. When things do not work and you know it; when people do not respond and you feel it; when the situation goes from bad to worse and you can do nothing about it; when a broom is not enough to hold back the flood swollen river from your door. In Nazareth, Jesus met opposition He perceived as unyielding, so He stopped trying and He went elsewhere to minister. When He sent out the disciples on their mission, He advised them: "If any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, leave and shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." We can keep trying too long.

15. That’s Where I Used to Go to Church

Illustration

A fellow had been stranded on a desert island for 20 years. Finally, he saw a modern cruise ship which had anchored unusually close to shore in order to permit a little snorkeling. Catching someone's attention, the man was taken on board. After getting himself cleaned up and dressed, he was invited to the captain's table for dinner.

"So," asked the captain, "how did you manage to survive by yourself all those years?"

The castaway pointed at the porthole and said: "By the grace of God. You see those three huts out there on the beach?'

"I see them," said the captain. "You must spend a lot of time in them."

"That's right," said the beach bum. "In the middle hut I live, cook my fish and sleep in a hammock that I made for myself. The hut on the right is where I go to church. Never miss a Sunday. I celebrate Christmas and Easter, give myself communion once a month, and even hold a revival every other year. That's why I've been able to survive so long ... by attending church regularly."

"Amazing," said the captain. "So what about the hut on the left?"

"Oh, that's where I used to go to church."

16. You Are Not the Only Laborer

Illustration

I read clergy journal after clergy journal that make things sound so simple. "Do this ... preach this ... sing this ... launch this ... and you're sure to have people banging down the doors." Well, sometimes yes. Sometimes no. I've seen two identical preachers do two identical things (in what would seemingly be two identical churches), causing the doors to swing in both. But one pair of doors are swinging in, with people coming. While the other pair are swinging out, with people leaving. You can't win 'em all.

There will be times when you will fail. There will be places where you will not be welcome. There will be people who simply won't like you. So if, with the very best of intentions, you have done the very best you can do, don't keep beating up on yourself. Move on. Maybe someone else will do what you couldn't do ... reach who you couldn't reach ... finish what you couldn't finish. You're not the only laborer in the vineyard.

17. Switching Tracks

Illustration

David G. Rogne

Sometimes the best thing we can do is to move on to another field. Paul Harvey tells the story of Joe, who was born into a family of Sicilian immigrants, a family who had a 300-year history as fishermen. Joe's dad was a fisherman. His brothers were fishermen. But Joe was made sick by the smell of raw fish and the motion of a rocking boat. In a family where the only acceptable way to earn a living was by fishing, Joe was a failure. His dad used to refer to his son as "good for nothing." Joe believed his dad. He believed that his attempts at other types of work were an admission of failure, but he just couldn't stand the smell of the fishing business. One thing that Joe could do was to play baseball. Giving up a field where he could not succeed, Joe DiMaggio moved to another field and became one of the great successes of baseball.

18. Learn to Empty Yourself

Illustration

R. Curtis Fussell

A martial arts student was meeting with his master and teacher at a table, having tea. The student said to his master, "I've learned all you have to teach me about defending myself. I want to learn one thing more now. Please teach me about the ways of God."

The master took the teakettle and starting pouring the student's cup full of tea. Soon the cup was full and began to spill over onto the saucer. But the master continued to pour the tea until it spilled over the saucer and then onto the floor.

The student finally said, "Stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can't take any more." The master then looked at the student and said, "You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself."

19. The Four Authorities

Illustration

This concept of authority as something that causes another person to "do what you want him to do" is reflected in most definitions. For instance, the Random House Dictionary of the English Language speaks of authority as "a power or right to direct the actions or thoughts of others. Authority is a power or right, usually because of rank or office, to issue commands and to punish for violations." Again the root idea seems to be control or direction of the actions of others.

We see this same idea even in sophisticated examinations of authority. For instance, William Oncken, Jr., in a 1970 Colorado Institute of Technology Journal, gives an analysis of authority that suggests it is comprised of four elements:

1. The Authority of Competence: the more competent the other fellow knows you are, the more confident he will be that you know what you are talking about and the more likely he will be to follow your orders, requests, or suggestions. He will think of you as an authority in the matter under consideration and will feel it risky to ignore your wishes.

2. The Authority of Position: This component gives you the right to tell someone, "Do it or else." It has teeth. "The boss wants it" is a bugle call that can snap many an office or shop into action.

3. The Authority of Personality: The easier it is for the other fellow to talk to you, to listen to you, or to work with you, the easier he will find it to respond to your wishes.

4. The Authority of Character: This component is your "credit rating" with other people as to your integrity, reliability, honesty, loyalty, sincerity, personal morals, and ethics. Obviously you will get more and better from a man who has respect for your character than from one who hasn't.

20. The Last Word

Illustration

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever been in a heated argument with someone and couldn't let the matter drop? You just had to continue making your point. Why? Because you had to have the last word.

If you have ever been in a classroom discussion, you have discovered the importance of that class reaching some sort of resolution and conclusion to the discussion. Students will often look to the teacher to settle the matter. The teacher has the last word.

If you ever watched Ted Koppel on the late night television show Nightline, you saw him struggle with trying to be fair in dealing with two or more opposing points of view. It is also obvious how important it is to have the last word on that show. The last one to speak always seems to have the most lasting impact.

To have the last word is to be the final authority. To have the last word is to have the most power. To have the last word means that you are in control, that you are the boss. Ask any coach, teacher, manager, CEO, or parent and they will tell you that having the last word is what they are all about.

However we might think that a king is an old-fashioned and irrelevant image for an authority figure for the late twentieth century (and that is probably accurate!), nevertheless, before we throw this day out of our liturgical calendar, we ought to get behind the historical cobwebs of a king and look instead at what the tradition of the church is really trying to communicate with this day of Christ the King.

Perhaps "King" isn't a helpful way to talk about Jesus in this day and age, but if we think of a king as someone who has the last word, who is the final authority and power in life, then celebrating Christ as King might begin to make more sense.

21. Pop Quiz: Advent

Illustration

Matthew T. Phillips

On Friday, a teacher told his class that he was going to give a surprise quiz the following week. One clever student—we'll call him Jamie—went home and thought about this pop quiz. He didn't know the subject very well, and was upset that he was going to miss his whole weekend to study. Jamie tried to figure out what day the quiz might be. First, he noticed that it couldn't be Friday, because if they got to Thursday and hadn't had the quiz yet, then everyone would know it was on Friday, and the teacher had said it would be a surprise. Friday is out. Well, now the text couldn't be on Thursday, because if they got to Wednesday with no quiz then everyone would know the quiz was on Thursday, because Friday was already ruled out. Thursday is out too. By the same logic, the test couldn't be on Wednesday or Tuesday. That left Monday as the only possible day, so a test given that day wouldn't be a surprise. Jamie figured out there was no way for the teacher to give a surprise pop quiz, so he spent his weekend playing with his friends, going to church and youth, and watching Monty Python movies. Anyone want to guess what happened? The teacher gave the quiz on Wednesday morning, Jamie was surprised, and he failed.

Did I tell this story just to embarrass Jamie? Certainly not. We read Jesus' prophecy about his second coming, especially the part about the present generation not passing away before all these things come to be, and we reason that since, as far as we understand, part of the prophecy was not true, we should just read this all as a nice set of symbols. That part about expecting the master to come home and keeping awake—we don't really need to do that, because he hasn't come back in the past two thousand years. The odds are pretty good he won't come back this year either. Well, the odds were pretty good Jamie wouldn't fail the pop quiz.

22. History of Christ the King Sunday

Illustration

Brett Blair

This is actually a pretty new festival in the church year. Its roots go back only to the early 1900's, when the world's great empires British, American, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese were all at war or about to go to war somewhere.

The man who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human race, even with those who do not know God.

After World War I, Pope Pius XI designated the last Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe. Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the church year for good reason. It's a time to reflect on Christ's return at the end of time to rule over all creation, a theme which echoes throughout Revelation, the last book of the Bible. But here's the powerful thing about this celebration. Pope Pius created the day because of the encroachment of secular forces upon society. Something he called anticlericalism.

In 1925 Pope Pius XI wrote the following:

If We ordain that the whole Catholic world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need of the present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of anticlericalism, its errors and impious activities.

With the term “anticlericalism,” Pius XI sums up the multifaceted war waged against Christianity by modern revolutions, characterized by a ferocious and indeed demonic hatred of the church, clergy, celibacy, religious life, communion, crucifixes, church buildings, parochial schools, the cross and Gospel, and anything that belonged to or bore the mark of the Church. “Anticlericalism” is a fitting term for all this.

It was an ideological war whose roots were only beginning to grow, and after decades of deep roots, has only now blossomed in our generation.

Pius XI continues:

This evil spirit, as you are well aware, venerable brethren, has not come into being in one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation—that right was denied. Then gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then put under the power of the State and tolerated more or less at the whim of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished to set up in the place of God’s religion a natural religion consisting in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God.

The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences. We lamented these in the encyclical Ubi Arcano; we lament them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society, in a word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin.

23. Called to a Higher Standard

Illustration

Douglas J. Deuel

A minister had a special teacher, named Mr. Thompson, when he was in the fifth grade. Not only was he an excellent educator but he also went to great lengths to build the confidence and the sense of self-worth of the student. He showed interest in the boy's family life and he encouraged the boy's participation in sports. This teacher was rare in the passion and the caring he brought to his students.

Then the boy went on to the sixth grade. He began to hang around with a different group of students. The boys that he was now hanging out with were notorious for their shoplifting, their indifference to school, and their foul language. Mr. Thompson recognized what was taking place, and one day he asked the boy if he would stay after school and talk with him.

As they talked that afternoon, Mr. Thompson expressed concern for the boy's new friends and their behavior. The boy quickly responded to him that just because he hung around with those boys didn't mean that he did everything they did.

Mr. Thompson thought about that for a moment and then he said something that has always stayed with the minister. He said, "What do you think would happen if I took one good apple and put it in a barrel full of bad apples?Do you really think one good apple could change all of those bad apples into good apples?"

Very sheepishly the boy said, "No, I don't think so."

Then Mr. Thompson said, "Well, the same is true for young boys."

That is the challenge we, as Christians, face. We are called to a higher standard. When we encounter Jesus, our perspective about that which is acceptable changes. We have a new master and a new set of guidelines for living our lives.

24. The Meaning of Life - Sermon Starter

Illustration

Brett Blair

In Act 5 scene 5 of Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character Macbeth has heard that the queen is dead and he knows his own death is imminent. At this time he delivers his famous soliloquy:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, Out, brief candle
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
and then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.

Is Macbeth right? Is life nothing but a shadow having no substance, no meaning? Writers and philosophers since recorded time have tried to answer the question. I don't think any of them have been successful in answering the question to everyone's satisfaction. Some one once said that "Trying to speak about the ultimate reality is like sending a kiss through a messenger." I understand their point: Something of its truth is lost in the translation.

What is the meaning of life? A philosophical question to be sure but this is not only the philosopher's question. It is a genuinely human question and therefore a question that we all ask. It might be a question that is asked in despair or hope, out of cynicism, or out of sincere curiosity and a deep desire to have goals and guidance in life. However we raise the question about the meaning of life, it is our most basic and fundamental question.

And so it comes as no surprise that Jesus deals with this question and answers it. Surprisingly, the answer is not given in the context of an argument with the Jewish leaders or in a discussion with his disciples, and it is not given in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus deals with so many fundamental issues. It is telling that Jesus deals with the meaning of life in the context of prayer.

In the context of what has been called, by many scholars, Jesus' High Priestly Prayer. [Pause] The Disciples are in the upper room, now. They have just finished the Passover meal and Jesus is thinking about his crucifixion which will occur within the next 24 hours. He knows he is about to leave his disciples alone in the world and he goes before God as a priest would, to intercede for them, to pray for them.

Listen again to his prayer. I am lifting out a few key verses: "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe, but I will remain in the world no longer…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life…and this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." It is in this third verse that Jesus delivers the meaning of eternal life and in essence the meaning of life itself. He says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

In essence, Jesus says, "the meaning of life is this: that you have a relationship with God, and me his Son, Jesus Christ." And that's the long and short of it! But, Jesus himself, understood just how difficult it was going to be not only for his disciples but for all of us to come to this very simple realization in life and so he prays for two key things. First, in order that we might understand the meaning of life…

1. He Prays for Our Protection from the World.
2. He Prays That We Might Know God.

25. Carved from Ruins

Illustration

Staff

There may be a bit of legend and myth in this illustration but it is essentially true. The comment by the student is unverifiable.

A sculptor had ruined a huge piece of beautiful Carrara marble. It was left in the courtyard of the cathedral in Florence, Italy, for 40 years. Artisans thought it was beyond repair. But in 1505, a young sculptor by the name of Michelangelo was asked if he thought anything could be done with "The Giant." He measured the block and carefully noted the imperfections caused by the bungling workman of an earlier day. To his mind came the image of the young shepherd boy David. So he carefully made a sketch of that biblical character as he envisioned him. For 3 years he worked steadily, his chisel skillfully shaping the marble. Finally, when one of his students was allowed to view the towering figure, 17 feet high and weighing 9 tons, he exclaimed, "Master, it lacks only one thing, and that is speech!"

Facts from History.com: Michelangelo was notoriously picky about the marble he used for his sculptures, yet for his famous “David” statue, he made use of a block that other artists had deemed unworkable. Known as “the Giant,” the massive slab had been quarried nearly 40 years earlier for a series of sculptures, eventually abandoned, for the Florence Cathedral. It had deteriorated and grown rough after years of exposure to the elements, and by the time Michelangelo began working with it in 1501, it already bore the chisel marks of more than one frustrated sculptor. Michelangelo eventually crafted the discarded block into one of his most luminous works, but recent analyses of the “David” have revealed that the poor quality of its stone may have caused it to degrade at a faster rate than most marble statues.

26. Astonishing! - Sermon Starter

Illustration

Brett Blair

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. Legend has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right.

I believe that this illustrates perfectly what is going on in the world today. You could show the terrible ravaging effects of AIDS and people will have promiscuous sex anyway. You can show someone a diseased liver and cancerous lungs and people are going to abuse alcohol and smoke regardless of the facts.

You know what I wish? I wish someone would just climb to the top of the tower and push off a ten-pound argument and a one-pound argument and let's just see if they reach the ground first. That would finally prove who is right and who is wrong. But then I am reminded that when Galileo did that no one believed him. Even with the authority of obvious visible proof, i.e. the two weights reached the ground at the same time, the professors did not believe. The problem here is obvious. Most people are going to believe what they have always believed regardless of the facts.

But something different occurred in the life of Jesus. Something persuasive. Mark records that when Jesus came to Capernaum, on the Sabbath day, and entered the synagogue and taught, the crowds were astounded. Why? One word: Authority. He taught, not as the scribes taught, but as one having authority.

What was it that convinced them? What did they hear and see in the life of Christ that made him stand above all other teachers. Why were they so drawn to him?

1. His teaching was new.
2. He taught with authority.

27. When We Fail to Listen

Illustration

Brett Blair

A certain public school superintendent passed down a verbal set of instructions to his assistant concerning the appearance of Halley's Comet a few years back. The superintendent said:

Next Thursday at 10:30 a.m., Halley's Comet will appear over this area. This is an event that occurs only once every 75 years. Call the school principals and have them assemble their teachers and classes on their athletic fields, and explain the phenomena to them. If it rains, then cancel the day's observation and have the classes meet in the auditorium to see a film about the Comet.

The assistant superintendent telephoned the school principals with this message: By order of the superintendent of schools, next Thursday Halley's Comet will appear over your athletic field at 10:30 a.m. If it rains, then cancel the day's classes and report to the auditorium with your teachers and students, where you will be shown films, a phenomenal event which occurs only once every 75 years.

The principals told their teachers the following: By order of the phenomenal superintendent of schools, at 10:30 a.m. next Thursday, Halley's Comet will appear in the auditorium. In case of rain over the athletic field, the superintendent will give another order—something which occurs only once in every 75 years.

The teachers then told their students: Next Thursday at 10:30 a.m., the superintendent of schools will appear in our school auditorium with Halley's Comet—something which occurs every 75 years. If it rains, the superintendent will cancel the Comet and will order us out on our phenomenal athletic field.

By the time the message was taken home to parents by the students and it sounded like this: When it rains next Thursday at 10:30 a.m. over the school's athletic field, the phenomenal 75 year-old superintendent of schools will cancel all classes, and appear before the student body in the auditorium, accompanied by Bill Haley and the Comets.

When we fail to listen, we misinterpret or modify what we have heard. It is then that chaos and confusion come in. We practice selective listening and hear only what we want to hear! Good Shepherds listen carefully, attentively, and intentionally to the voice of the Master Shepherd. In listening to Jesus, we hear the instruction, guidance, and sensitivity we need in relating to members of our flock.

28. Easter Crown

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Crowns have always been the sign of authority and Kingship. Charlemagne, whom historians say should deserve to be called "great" above all others, wore an octagonal crown. Each of the eight sides was a plaque of gold, and each plaque was studded with emeralds, sapphires, and pearls. The cost was the price of a king's ransom. Richard the Lion Heart had a crown so heavy that two earls had to stand, one on either side, to hold his head. The crown that Queen Elizabeth wears is worth over $20 million. Edward II once owned nine crowns, something of a record. Put them all together, from all of Europe and from the archives of the East, all of them are but trinkets compared to Christ's crown. Revelation 19 says he had many diadems. He wears a crown of righteousness. He wears a crown of glory. He wears a crown of life. He wears a crown of peace and power. Among those crowns, one outshines the rest. It was not formed by the skilled fingers of a silversmith, nor created by the genius of a craftsman. It was put together hurriedly by the rough hands of Roman soldiers. It was not placed upon its wearer's head in pomp and ceremony, but in the hollow mockery of ridicule and blasphemy. It is a crown of thorns.

The amazing thing is that it belonged to me. I deserved to wear that crown. I deserved to feel the thrust of the thorns. I deserved to feel the warm trickle of blood upon my brow. I deserved the pain. He took my crown of thorns—but without compensation. He offers to me instead His crown of life, the crown that fadeth not away.

29. What's Our Purpose?

Illustration

Brett Blair

If we are to reach people for Christ we need people with passion and power. But we also need people with a purpose.

In the late 1800’s, no business matched the financial and political dominance of the railroad. Trains dominated the transportation industry of the United States, moving both people and goods throughout the country.

Then a new discovery came along—the car—and incredibly, the leaders of the railroad industry did not take advantage of their unique position to participate in this transportation development. The automotive revolution was happening all around them, and they did not use their industry dominance to take hold of the opportunity. In his video tape The Search for Excellence, Tom Peters points out the reason: The railroad barons did not understand what business they were in. Peter observes that "they thought they were in the train business. But, they were in fact in the transportation business. Time passed them by, as did opportunity. They couldn’t see what their real purpose was."

If the railroad barons at the turn of the century had understood that they were in the transportation business and not the train business we would all be driving a Gould and not a Ford. The same thing happened in the watch and clock industry. The Swiss had dominated time keeping. They controlled 90% of all revenues made in their industry. They made the most precise gears and springs in the world. Their watches and clocks were perfect.

Then something new happened called the Quartz movement—LCD readout. Guess who invented it. A Swiss man. But because it had no gears or knobs or springs it was rejected. They failed to recognize that they were in the business of helping people tell time not making precision gears. They lost their dominance in the industry. They now control 20% of all revenue. Seiko is the dominant leader.

"If Sports Illustrated magazine understood it was in the sports information business, not the publishing business, we would have the Sports Illustrated Channel, not ESPN."

And folks, if we in the Methodist Church, forget that our purpose is making disciples for Jesus Christ we will also become obsolete. If we loose our focus and get distracted by tradition, habit, custom, ritual, routine, we will go the way of the trains, the Swiss, and Sports Illustrated. We must remember our basic identity. We must—whenever, however, wherever—fulfill our basic purpose.

I want to be part of a church whose soul purpose is to win people to Jesus Christ.

I want to be part of a church that is empowered by the Holy Spirit. A church that is going out into the streets with spiritual power and the authority. The Holy Spirit compels us to go.

30. Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day

Illustration

William H. Seward

Washington, D.C. March 30, 1863

Senator James Harlan of Iowa, whose daughter later married President Lincoln's son Robert, introduced this Resolution in the Senate on March 2, 1863. The Resolution asked President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting. The Resolution was adopted on March 3, and signed by Lincoln on March 30, one month before the fast day was observed.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.

And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.

31. If You Were God

Illustration

Benjamin Hirsch, a survivor of the Holocaust, tells a story about the ancient rabbi Baal Shem-Tov. One day, the rabbi and his students were standing on a hill when they noticed foreign troops invading their town. From their vantage point on the hill, they were able to see all the horror and violence of the attack. The rabbi looked up to Heaven and cried out, "Oh, if only I were God."

A student asked, "But, Master, if you were God, what would you do differently?"

The rabbi answered him, "If I were God, I would do nothing differently. If I were God, I would understand."

32. Did Your Mother Ever Say To You?

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

Did your mother ever say any of the following to you?

I could plant potatoes in those ears.
I'm not your maid.
If your friends jumped off a cliff does that mean you have to jump too?
Just wait till you have kids of your own!
Don't talk with food in your mouth!
You weren't born in a barn, so stop acting like you were!

And of course I am sure you have heard, if not uttered, the all time classic

Because I'm your mother, that's why!

These expressions have been passed from generation to generation. They are expressions of authority - the authority of a parent over a child. Authority however is weaker in some people and stronger in others. We have all heard parents who say things like "I really mean it this time" and know that it means nothing.

Equally, we have heard others say simply and quietly, "Come here, children" and seen an entire herd of kids tumble into a classroom, waiting for what is to be said next. Authority and power is not easy to define but it is easy to recognize when we see it.

33. The Power of God Is Real

Illustration

Paul van Dine

In David Dunn's book entitled "Giving Yourself Away," he tells of a lesson he learned from a bus driver whom he once had met.

Riding the bus this day, Dunn noticed a driver who was exceptionally cheerful in every imaginable circumstance. There was a kind and happy word from him for everyone who stepped on the bus, and again for everyone who left.

As he was about to get off, Dunn told the driver he was the happiest bus driver he had ever seen and wondered what the reason was. "Well," the driver said, "to be honest, I read in the paper a few months ago about a man who died and left a lot of money to a bus driver who was nice to him. So, I thought maybe I would try it myself. But (now) I've enjoyed myself so much being nice to people, I don't care whether anybody ever leaves me any money (anyway).'

I would suggest to you the doctrine of the Trinity tells us something about God which is akin to that. If you would know Him, you cannot fully know Him with your mind. There must be the discovery of the spirit of it all somewhere living within you.

There must come that point in your life when you know both of the love and power of God are real, and they are true--not because you have run up against God's authority and fear to do otherwise, nor even because you have seen His love expressed and feel attracted to that in return. For to know God is to have chosen for yourself to live like that, simply because the spirit of it has become your own.

Trinity! Does it say very much to us of God? Perhaps not very much, as only a word --not very much at all.

But, if you mean by "Trinity," this reality of how men and women have to come to know God in their own lives, if they know Him at all, then Trinity is surely a word we can scarcely do without.

34. Holy Name

Illustration

Staff

Singer and songwriter Gloria Gaither describes Christ’s authority:

The Bible tells us that there is power in the mere mention of Jesus’ holy name. . . . Jesus. The mere mention of His name can calm the storm, heal the broken, raise the dead. At the name of Jesus, I’ve seen sin-hardened men melted, derelicts transformed, the lights of hope put back into the eyes of a hopeless child . . . Emperors have tried to destroy it; philosophers have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth with the very blood of those who claim it. Yet still it stands.

And there shall be the final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound--every voice of Adam’s race--shall rise in one great, mighty chorus to proclaim the name of Jesus--for in that day ‘every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!’

Ah, so you see, it was not mere chance that caused the angel one night long ago to say to a virgin maiden, "His name shall be called JESUS."

35. Reasons for Jesus Submitting to Baptism

Illustration

Brett Blair

At first blush it seems odd that the student is baptizing the master. But John is a conduit. He is simply performing the ritual. The reasons for Jesus' submission are far deeper and to the heart of overall mission. He is baptized for these reasons:

To fulfill all Righteousness: To be consecrated to God and approved by God.
The public announcement of the arrival of the Messiah and the inception of His ministry.
Identification with human sin and identification of himself with the peoples movement toward God.
To be an example to his followers.

36. No! I am not a virgin!

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

We call it the virgin birth, and it is one of the most incredible ideas that was ever introduced to the world. Many of us may accept the virgin birth of Jesus on the basis of biblical authority, but we do not understand it. I have a beautiful little friend in the seventh grade whose name is Kristin. She is a very bright and sensitive girl, but she does not understand everything she hears in church. (I am sure that many of us can identify with that!) One day when Kristin was in the cafeteria at school, and one of her curious friends asked her, "Are you a virgin?" Well, Kristin was really on the spot because she did not know what a virgin was. But she did some quick thinking that went like this: The only virgin she had heard of was Mary, and everyone knows that Mary had a baby. Therefore, a virgin must be a woman who has had a baby.

Thus armed with that conclusion, Kristin announced loudly to her friend in the cafeteria, "No! I am not a virgin!" As several people nearby registered their shock, one little boy leaned over and whispered in her ear: "Kristin, I don't think you know what you are talking about!"

Many of us, adults included, do not know what we are talking about when we are tasking about the virgin birth, but as I understand it, the virgin birth means that Jesus came from God. He is God's Son. The emphasis is not primarily on Mary, but on the creative life-giving power of Almighty God. As Reginald H. Fuller, the theologian, expresses it, Jesus is not the product of human evolution, the highest achievement of the human race, but he is the product of the intervention of a transcendent God into human history.

37. Basic Ministry

Illustration

Warren and David Wiersbe

Ten Basic Statements about ministry:

The foundation of ministry is character.
The nature of ministry is service.
The motive for ministry is love.
The measure of ministry is sacrifice.
The authority of ministry is submission.
The purpose of ministry is the glory of God.
The tools of ministry are the Word and prayer.
The privilege of ministry is growth.
The power of ministry is the Holy Spirit.
The model for ministry is Jesus Christ

38. The Master's Approval

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A young man once studied violin under a world-renowned master. Eventually the time came for the student’s first recital. Following each selection, despite the cheers of the crowd, the performer seemed dissatisfied. Even after the last number, with the shouts louder than ever, the talented violinist stood watching an old man in the balcony. Finally the elderly one smiled and nodded in approval. Immediately the young man relaxed and beamed with happiness. You see, the man in the balcony was his teacher, and thus the applause of the crowd had meant nothing to him until he had first won the hearty approval of his master.

39. Historic: The Declaration of Independence

Illustration

Staff

The unanimous Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies in Congress, July 4, 1776

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained, and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren.

We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.
We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.

They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare.

That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Background

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), approved the Declaration of Independence. Its purpose was to set forth the principles upon which the Congress had acted two days earlier when it voted in favor of Richard Henry Lee's motion to declare the freedom and independence of the 13 American colonies from England. The Declaration was designed to influence public opinion and gain support both among the new states and abroad especially in France, from which the new "United States" sought military assistance.

Although Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the committee charged with drafting the Declaration, the task fell to Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer. The document is mainly his work, although the committee and Congress as a whole made a total of 86 changes to Jefferson's draft.

As a scholar well-versed in the ideas and ideals of the French and English Enlightenments, Jefferson found his greatest inspiration in the language and arguments of English philosopher John Locke, who had justified England's "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 on the basis of man's "natural rights." Locke's theory held that government was a contract between the governed and those governing, who derived their power solely from the consent of the governed and whose purpose it was to protect every man's inherent right to property, life and liberty. Jefferson's theory of "natural law" differed in that it substituted the inalienable right of "the pursuit of happiness" for "property," emphasizing that happiness is the product of civic virtue and public duty. The concept of the "pursuit of happiness" originated in the Common Sense School of Scottish philosophy, of which Lord Kames was the best-known proponent.

Jefferson emphasized the contractual justification for independence, arguing that when the tyrannical government of King George III of England repeatedly violated "natural law, " the colonists had not only the right but the duty to revolt.

The assembled Continental Congress deleted a few passages of the draft, and amended others, but outright rejected only two sections: 1) a derogatory reference to the English people; 2) a passionate denunciation of the slave trade. The latter section was left out, as Jefferson reported, to accede to the wishes of South Carolina and Georgia, who wanted to continue the importation of slaves. The rest of the draft was accepted on July 4, and 56 members of Congress began their formal signing of the document on August 2, 1776.

40. Thinking of Nothing Else

Illustration

J. Curtis Goforth

The famous Catholic monk, Martin Luther, was legendary not just for nailing a piece of paper to the door of his home church citing 95 things that needed to be changed about it. He wrote and lectured extensively to his students at the university as well. Some of his students were very good learners, and others were not so good. But a few of his students realized that some of the most valuable instruction that Luther gave was not in the classroom, but was in the dining hall over a meal and a few drinks. His students began taking notes on what Luther told them in that relaxed atmosphere, and they eventually published these notes in what was known as Martin Luther's Table Talks.

One such example of the profound insight and truth Luther gave his students happened one day after class in the dining hall and they were all sitting around eating their meal and talking on the subject of prayer. A student of Luther's by the name of Viet Dietrich preserved Luther's words for us:

"When Luther's puppy, Tölpel, happened to be at the table, looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes, Luther said, ‘Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise, he has no thought, wish, or hope'" (Table Talks, May 18, 1532).

Martin Luther's puppy reminds me of the woman in today's Gospel lesson from Matthew. Although this woman was a Gentile, from the region of Tyre and Sidon (modern day Lebanon), she couldn't think about anything other than Jesus healing her daughter.

41. POLICEMAN

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Acts 16:28 - "The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens."

A school has rules to keep students from hurting or disturbing each other. Cities, counties, states, and nations make laws that large groups of people may live together in peace. Rules and laws, however, serve their purpose only so long as everyone obeys school rules, because he does not want to interfere with the rights of other people and because he knows that everyone must respect laws if he himself is to be protected.

In every group, however, some people refuse to obey the laws in the hope of gaining something. Because there are such people in every group, it has long been recognized that making laws is not enough and that it is necessary to have certain people to enforce the laws. Through the centuries the men who have done the work of law enforcement have had many titles. Today, in most parts of the world, they are called police.

The police do not make the laws - this is done instead by city councils, state legislatures, and other law-making bodies. The police simply enforce the laws that such bodies make. And it was so in biblical times, also, although the laws that these police enforced were the laws of God.

Deuteronomy mentions the appointment of shoterim - officers - and most Jewish commentators render this as police officers who maintained the law, first the law of God, and, later, the law as set down by court decisions. Among the duties of these officials were issuing court proclamations to the people and administering corporal punishment.

In the New Testament, the word used for police may be translated literally, as "one who carries a rod" - the fasces - as a sign of office and authority. The fasces was a bundle of birch rods held together with a red thong; these rods might be used for scourging prisoners. In some cases, the fasces also held an axe, which was used for carrying out the death sentence. All the principal Roman magistrates were publicly attended by officers carrying the fasces before the magistrate as an emblem of his power of criminal jurisdiction.

42. God's Evangelism Plans

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

The fall of Haile Selassie in 1974 did not bring the kind of peace that the Ethiopians had hoped might follow their somewhat "benevolent" dictator. They had hoped for democracy. They had hoped for freedom. What they got, instead, was a Marxist state that ruled with an iron hand. Repression was everywhere. Persecution was everywhere. The Christian church became a target of this repression and persecution. The almost 20 years of Marxist rule was a very difficult time for the Christians of Ethiopia. During the waning years of this Marxist rule an Ethiopian pastor named Yadessa addressed an American audience concerning this persecution. He told of churches being closed and of many Christians and Christian leaders being put in prison. He said that there were hardly any churches left open in the western region of Ethiopia where evangelical Christianity had been very strong.

But closed church buildings did not close down the church. "Houses became churches," Pastor Yadessa told his audience. Christianity not only survived but thrived and grew under state repression. Pastor Yadessa reminded his audience that the most significant person to be imprisoned in those years was the president of the church himself, Pastor Gudina. Pastor Gudina was jailed and released several times but he eventually died in prison, Pastor Yadessa reported. He further reported that Pastor Gudina's wife was also imprisoned. "She has adjusted to prison life very well," Pastor Yadessa said. "She sews sweaters for people and distributes Bibles that are sent to her. She and many of the other imprisoned Christians have become great evangelists in the prisons. God has God's own evangelism plans," Pastor Yadessa proclaimed with a smile.

He told another story of God's evangelism planning. At the time of his address to his American audience Pastor Yadessa was the director of evangelism for the Ethiopian Evangelical Church -- Mekane Yesus. (Mekane Yesus means "the place of Jesus.") He planned that evangelism leaders from the Addis Ababa area and evangelism leaders from the land to the West that had been so heavily persecuted should meet in a city on the border of the two areas. "Just the logistics of planning the meeting," Pastor Yadessa said, "were extremely difficult. Communication between parties was almost impossible. But," he continued, "when the day for the meeting arrived, somehow, under God's providence, all of us arrived safely." The meeting, of course, was a bit subversive in light of the state's persecution of the church. The evangelism leaders gathered, therefore, in a simple home in the city. "We were just about to start our meeting," said Pastor Yadessa, "when seven uniformed policemen barged through the door of the house. 'This is an illegal meeting,' the head of the policemen shouted at us. 'You are all under arrest. Come with us at once.' It wasn't long until all of us were locked together in prison." As Pastor Yadessa told the story he indicated that the first hour or two that the leaders were in the jail were moments of great despair. "But then," he said brightening, "we realized that God had given us a great opportunity. Here we were all together in one place with nothing to do but pray together and talk together and think about evangelism together. We found ourselves on a wonderfully unplanned evangelism retreat. God, indeed, has God's own evangelism plans that surprise and surpass our own!""

43. Human Government

Illustration

Charles Colson

Though it is hard to pen scripture down on exactly what role government has in the Christian's life, the following is offered as a starting point: The general function of human government, as instituted by God, may be said to be threefold: to protect, punish, and promote.

The Function of Protection: The moment Adam sinned it was obvious that civilizations would need some form of restraint and rule to protect citizens from themselves. An example of this function is seen in Acts 21:27-37 where Roman soldiers step in and save Paul from being murdered by his own enraged countrymen in Jerusalem.
The Function of Punishment: Both Paul and Peter bring this out. Paul writes that duly appointed human officials are to be regarded as God's servants to "bear the sword," that is, to impose punishment upon criminals (vv. 3,4). Peter tells us that governors are "sent by him for the punishment of evildoers" (1 Pet 2:13, 14).
The Function of Promotion: Human government is to promote the general welfare of the community where its laws are in effect. Paul commands us to pray for human leaders "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Tim 2:1,2). New King James Version Notes, Thomas Nelson, p. 1152

Converesly, we have a responsibility to human government. It is impossible for a believer to be a good Christian and a bad citizen at the same time. As children of God our responsibility to human government is threefold:

We are to recognize and accept that the powers that be are ordained by God. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." (Rom 13:1) This truth applies even to atheistic human governments unless, of course, the law is anti- scriptural. In that situation the believer must obey God rather than man (Acts 4:18-20). In fact, when Paul wrote those words in Romans 13:1, the evil emperor Nero was on the throne. See also Titus 3:1.
We are to pay our taxes to human government (Matt 17:24-7; 22:21, Rom 13:7).
We are to pray for the leaders in human government. "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Tim 2:1-3). New King James Version Notes, Thomas Nelson, p. 1270

We are to take responsibility for the right ordering of civil society without falling prey to the idea that it is within our power to build the Kingdom of God on earth.

44. The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like a Professor

Illustration

The kingdom of heaven is like a professor who went off on a long sabbatical. Before he left, he called together his graduate students and gave each of them projects to work on; to one he gave five projects, to another two, and to another one, each according to their ability. The one who received five projects immediately went to work, designing experiments, building equipment, and analyzing data. She worked long and hard, and eventually she achieved good results on each project. Likewise, the one who received two projects immediately went to work, and eventually got results as well. But the student who received one project was easily discouraged, got distracted by her coursework, and eventually gave up.

After a very long time, the professor returned to settle accounts with his students. The first student said, "Professor, you gave me these projects to work on, and see, here are the results." And the professor answered, "Well done, good and faithful graduate student. You have been faithful over five projects. You shall be co-author on five publications and receive a Ph.D! (And you can expect a good letter of recommendation, too!)" Likewise the second student showed his results, and the professor said, "Well done, good and faithful student. You have been faithful over two projects. You will be co-author on two publications, and receive a Master's degree."

But the third student came and said, "Professor, I know that you are a harsh man, publishing where you did not labor, and claiming credit where you did not contribute, and I was afraid. So I kept the lab locked up and I didn't let anyone borrow any equipment. See, everything is just the way you left it." Then the professor answered, "You wicked and slothful graduate student! I will judge you by your own words. So, you knew that I was a harsh man, publishing where I did not labor, and claiming credit where I did not contribute; well then, you should have at least gotten a teaching fellowship so that I wouldn't have had to pay your salary out of my research grants! Now depart from me and from this institution ... out into the REAL world, and try to find a job. There you will have weeping and gnashing of teeth." For to everyone who has, more will be given. But to him who has not, even what little he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25:14-30)

45. Faith and Expectation

Illustration

Larry Powell

Acts 1:4-14 contains certain encouragements to the followers of Christ to be an "expectant" fellowship. With this in mind, let us consider some specific instances where expectancy is implied.

1. Acts 1:5: "For John baptized with water but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." What is the difference between John’s water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

a. John’s baptism. Water baptism was commonly practiced by the Jews long before the appearance of John. It symbolized religious purification, and in a more specialized use it was applied when new converts entered into Judaism (proselyte baptism). John, however, baptized both Jews and Gentiles as a rote of moral purification for the approaching Kingdom of God. Although John’s baptism would enable those who submitted to it to meet the "Day of the Lord," it was to be distinguished as different from a future baptism, administered by one who "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

b. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This baptism consists not in symbolic gestures of initiation, but in the receiving of "power." It does not ordain anybody for, or against, the future but rather manifests itself in a spiritual experience in the present. An initiatory baptism is symbolically accomplished once, whereas the baptism of the Holy Spirit may occur quite unrehearsed many times over. The element of expectation is contained in the selected scripture by the phrase, "But before many days, you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

2. Acts 1:7-8: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father had fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." The disciples have just asked Jesus a legitimate question regarding the nature of his mission. A simple "yes" or "no" answer would not have been sufficient inasmuch as if he replied, "Yes (I have come to restore the Kingdom of Israel)," it would have been a lie, and if he had replied "No," they would have become disillusioned with him in the beginning. Instead, he informs them that it is not for them to know all the mysteries of God - but there is a consolation: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Perhaps it is like saying to someone, "You cannot adequately define love, but nonetheless you can experience it." Here, the power of the Holy Spirit is promised, and they are encouraged to expect it in their own experience.

3. Acts 1:11: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?" I suppose the most logical answer would have been, "Because we are bewildered!" It would have been extremely difficult to have acted otherwise while witnessing their Lord being lifted up into heaven on a cloud. If that were not enough, two men in white robes suddenly appeared to stand by them and question their amazement. In all probability, at least one of the inferences here is that rather than gazing into heaven, it would be more proper to get on with the business of the Kingdom, teaching and preaching, and doing "whatsoever I have commanded you." However, they should pursue their tasks of soul-winning with an attitude of expectancy because "this Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way."

4. Acts 1:14. "All those with one accord devoted themselves to prayer." And we may be sure that their prayers contained expectancy. Expectancy for what? For the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the return of the risen Lord.

46. Inspired by the Best

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Leonardo da Vinci had started work on a large canvas in his studio. For awhile he worked at it—choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, applying the colors, with his own inimitable genius. Then suddenly he ceased, the painting still unfinished, and, summoning one of his students, invited him to complete the work. The student protested that he was both unworthy and unable to complete the great painting which his master had begun. But da Vinci silenced him. "Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?"

Our Master began two thousand years ago—by what he said, by what he did, and supremely by what he suffered. He illustrated his message and he has left us to finish the picture.

47. The Temptations

Illustration

Glenn E. Ludwig

Maybe we need to rethink sin. Maybe we need to think of sin in broader categories than just "bad things done" or "good things left undone." Maybe the most uncomplicated definition of sin we could give would be our inclination to take the easy way out.

Our gospel text for today offers a good way to assess our new definition. The devil offers Jesus temptations which seem, on the surface, harmless enough. They are certainly not temptations to do evil. The devil is just encouraging Jesus to take the easy road in order to show the world that he really is the Son of God. Look, again, at these "harmless" temptations.

"Command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Temptation number one. Not a bad idea, really. Think about it. A lot of good could come from such a move. Changing stones to bread could move the world in a giant leap toward feeding the hungry masses. Thousands of lives could be saved. Isn't that worth some consideration? Think of the children we see with distended bellies. Think of the mothers who are too weak to feed their own children. Bread-making from stones could feed the world. Isn't God concerned with the hungry?

Or what about that second temptation? "Worship me," says the devil, "and to you I will give all authority over all earthly kingdoms."

Now, don't dismiss this one too quickly, either. There are some real possibilities here. Think about what it would mean if Jesus really were in charge around here. If Jesus had control, there would be no need for nuclear weapons of destruction. Wealth and resources would be shared more equitably. We wouldn't need a United Nations Peace Keeping Force to ensure the fair sharing of food supplies. It would be done, by Jesus, who had the power to make it happen. It's a plan that deserves some thought.

And what about that third temptation? "Jesus, throw yourself down from here" and let God perform a dramatic rescue. Again, think of the consequences. If Jesus did this, it would show that God can be manipulated to do what we want and what we need. It would show us once and for all that he really is here for us. And think of the consequences for Jesus' following.

Do you see the point of these three examples? The temptations were so subtle. And we could easily rationalize the outcomes! These "harmless" temptations could lead to Jesus being King of the World immediately and easily -- no more preaching to crowds on hillsides or by lakes, no more healing all those sick bodies, no more teaching to those who seem not to understand, and, most important of all, no cross to bear. It would have been the easy way out and it would have lead away from Calvary and death – but it also would have led away from Easter morning, and an empty tomb, and the death of death and sin, and the end of that real kingdom Jesus tried so desperately to explain to his followers.

The temptation of Jesus was to choose another way other than the cross. Maybe ... maybe that is our temptation too.

48. Here I Stand

Illustration

Maurice A. Fetty

When Martin Luther began publishing abroad his new teaching, the time came for him to take a stand and he took it. The gentle and scholarly Erasmus advocated many of the same ideas as Luther, but he had not the courage to take his stand so boldly. Scholars sometimes quip, somewhat inaccurately, that Luther hatched the egg Erasmus laid. Nevertheless, when Luther was called before all the ecclesiastical and political power of medieval Europe to answer for his teachings, as to whether they were his, he replied: "I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. Amen." No wonder Luther's teaching had a ring of authority heard all over the world. He staked his life on it. Amidst the blizzard of information available today, you can be sure we are on to something significant when the teacher begins to stake his reputation, even his life, on it. Talk is one thing, but commitment to the subject matter of the talk is quite another.

As in Luther, so in Jesus we have a man who takes a stand on what he is saying.

49. Method to the Madness

Illustration

Few of our nations' chief executives could match Herbert Hoover's executive competence, intellect or energy. With a handful of assistants, he put together a series of relief operations that saved millions of lives during and after World War I. He was familiar with Latin and proficient in the principles of mining and metallurgy. Yet his Presidency was a failure. Poor judgment (high tariffs and taxes) did him in.

Franklin Roosevelt's managerial style was the antithesis of Hoover's. He often put off making decisions. He didn't respect lines of authority. He would deliberately give different aides similar assignments. He incessantly played members of his official family against one another. Internal battles were constant and bitter. FDR was devious. He was never confrontational, using indirect methods to get this way. You rarely learned where you stood by having a face-to-face meeting; the President was usually congenial and unspecific.

Many thought FDR's methods were inefficient and chaotic, but most political scientists have concluded there was method in his seeming madness. The chaos enabled him to prevent anyone from accumulating too much power or blocking him from information. He was incontestably the master of his government and the dominant figure of 20th-century American politics.

50. Passing Down a Kiss

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

Andor Foldes was an internationally renowned Hungarian pianist born in Budapest, who later took American citizenship. He past away in 1992. He told a wonderful story about how praise made all the difference for him early in his career. His first recollection of an affirming word was at age seven when his father kissed him and thanked him for helping in the garden. He remembers it over six decades later, as though it were yesterday.

But the account of another kiss that changed his life says a great deal about our inner need for purpose. At age sixteen, living in Budapest, Foldes was already a skilled pianist. But he was at his personal all-time low because of a conflict with his piano teacher. In the midst of that very troubled year, however, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to the city to perform. Emil von Sauer was not only famous because of his abilities at the piano, but he could also claim the notoriety of being the last surviving pupil of Franz Liszt.

Sauer requested that young Foldes play for him. Foldes obliged the master with some of the most difficult works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. When he finished, Sauer walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead.

"My son," he said, "when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, 'Take good care of this kiss, it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.' I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now I feel you deserve it."

Showing 1 to 50 of 96 results