Sermon and Worship Resources

Jude 1:1-16 · The Sin and Doom of Godless Men

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals--these are the very things that destroy them.

11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

The Marks Of A Spiritual Counterfeit

Jude 1:12-13

Sermon
by James Merritt

Few people know that the Secret Service has not only far more to do than to protect the President. That is not even their primary job. Working under the Treasury Department, one of their major jobs is to try to catch counterfeiters. Therefore they have to learn how to recognize counterfeit money.

The surprising thing is, the way they are trained to do this is not by studying counterfeit money, but by studying real currency. The better they get to know the real thing, the easier it is to spot the phony.

Jude knew the real thing. He was the real thing. He could spot a spiritual counterfeit in a church fifty pews away. He is telling us here how to spot counterfeit Christians; apostates who may look like Christians on the outside, but are definitely not Christian on the inside.

One of my favorite authors, R. C. Sproul, made this extremely pungent observation:

We must not assume that because someone is a theological scholar that he is a Christian. We may not assume that because someone is an ordained minister he is necessarily a Christian. Sadly, there are many people who enter the ministry for the wrong reasons. Some make theological skepticism a profession. There are those who are motivated to study Christian theology out of a burning desire to disprove, neutralize, or change Christianity. Natural man has enough enmity toward God to make a lifelong crusade against Him. There is an enemy within the church.1

Satan is not just fighting churches today, he is joining them! He has placed within churches, colleges, and universities, spiritual counterfeits. Every counterfeit has marks which distinguish it from the real thing.

Jude goes to the world of nature and looks at the sky above, the earth around, and the sea below, to give us certain marks of spiritual counterfeits.

How do you spot counterfeit Christians? They may dress up like a preacher, they may disguise themselves as a professor, but they are counterfeit nonetheless.

I. They Are Perilous Like Wrecking Rocks

Jude says, “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves.” (v.12) To understand what Jude was saying, you have to remember what a love feast was. Back in Bible days Christians would meet together for love feasts before they would celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Now there was no middle class at that time. You were either rich or poor. The love feast was an opportunity for the rich to share what they had with the poor. Somehow, apostates had crept into the church. They would come to these love feasts, which were meant to unite the church, and use these as occasions to divide the church.

Never forget that the apostate and the devil have one thing in common. They want to destroy the faith, the fruitfulness, and the fellowship of the church. These apostates were turning love feasts into hate fests.

The word spots literally means “hidden reefs.” It refers to rocks that lurk beneath the surface of the sea, ready to sink any ship that sails over them. The church was in danger of running aground on the rocks of apostasy that were hidden in the river of truth.

No church is so strong that it can dare to chance running over the rocks of apostasy in the fellowship. I was reading the other day about the Titanic. The hull of the Titanic weighed 26,000 tons.

The ship itself weighed 46,000 tons. Its three anchors weighed 31 tons. It was 882 ft. long, 11 stories high, and had a rudder that weighed over 10 tons.

Yet, it brushed up again an iceberg, a hidden reef, a sunken rock, and it sank. Icebergs can vary in size from a large piano to a ten-story building and can be up to five miles long. But the amazing thing about icebergs is that close to 90% of the mass will be hidden below the sea’s surface. Apostates hide in the fellowship of churches. They hide in the faculty of Christian universities, and then at the right time they pop up just high enough to sink the Good Ship Grace sailing on the ocean of truth, intending to bring people into the kingdom of God.

II. They Are Pretentious Like Waterless Clouds

“They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds.” (v.12) One of the most amazing aspects of God’s creation are those things we call clouds. Clouds are formed by vapor drawn up by the heat of the sun, and have as their main function to provide rain for the earth.

Now clouds were very important and still are today in the Middle East, because water is so scarce, and rain is so precious. Jude refers here to the farmer who feels the wind and sees the lightning and hears the thunder, but the rain never comes. In other words, apostates are just “windbags” all heat and no light, all smoke and no fire. They promise much but they deliver little. Solomon said, “Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain.” (Prov 25:14)

They are clouds of happiness, clouds of inclusiveness, and clouds of tolerance. But they give no water of the gospel, no rain of Bible preaching, no showers of blessing from a pulpit pouring out the water of life.

Did you know that God’s Word is compared to rain? God Himself said, “For as the rain comes down from heaven, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth.” (Is. 55:10-11) The only thing the apostate can bring is the drought of doubt. He has no confidence in the Word of God, and no message from the God of the Word.

I heard about a man who had not been to church in a while. His pastor saw him walking down the street one day, and he said, “Sam, I haven’t seen you in church for a while.” He said, “Well, you know pastor, the last several Sundays it’s been raining.” The preacher said, “Well, it’s dry down at the church.” The man said, “Yes, and that’s another reason why I don’t come.”

There are so many churches today, where dry preachers are feeding sawdust sermons to parched lips that need to be drinking from the water of the Word of God. People are hungry, and they need hot bread baked in the oven of the Word of God. People are thirsty, and they need the living water that flows from the fountain of the Word of God. They wind up getting neither one. They dry up and die because of the drought of doubt.

Jude says these clouds “are carried about by the wind.” In other words, they preach the latest liberal fad rather than the earliest fundamental fact. Their motto is “It’s not true if it’s not new.” They can’t get a message from the Word of God. They have to know what the latest European theologian has to say about it.

You remember this about dry clouds. The only thing a dry cloud does is block the sun. That’s what apostates do block the S-O-N. Waterless clouds only do two things: they bring drought, and they bring darkness.

III. They Are Profitless Like Withered Trees

They are “late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.” (v.12) Now there are many things you can do with a dead tree. You can prune it, cut it, burn it, chop it, stack it; but you cannot get fruit from it.

You see, an apostate is all leaves and no fruit. An apostate can pick fruit, steal fruit, buy fruit, and eat fruit; but he cannot bear fruit. Liberalism never built a college. Liberalism never grew a church. Liberalism never established a thriving, growing denomination. The only thing liberals can do is steal them.

An apostate will never bear the fruit of genuine converts to Christianity. You will never see crowds of converts coming to Jesus at the altar of liberal apostates. They are as dry as waterless clouds and as dead as withered trees.

As a matter of fact, Jude says “they are twice dead.” In other words, they are not only dead spiritually, but one day they are going to be cast into the lake of fire and die eternally. It was Dwight L. Moody who said, “When a man is born once he’ll have to die twice. But when a man is born twice he will have to die once.” These apostates have never been born again. That’s why they are twice dead.

You see, an apostate may be mentally aware and intellectually alive, but he is spiritually dead. The reason for that is, “he is pulled up by the roots.” This proves that their faith was counterfeit. Prov. 2:22 says, “But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.” Jesus said, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.” (Matt. 15:13)

The reason why an apostate is fruitless is because he is rootless. Only those who have a spiritual root will ever bear spiritual fruit, and they bear no fruit because they have no root.

Never forget this: The difference between the counterfeit apostate and the genuine saint is in faith and fruit. Jeremiah put it this way:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jere. 17:7-8)

IV. They Are Precarious Like Wild Waves

They are called “raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame.” (v.13) My absolute favorite place in the world to be is at the ocean. It is not because I am a sun person, because I’m really not. It’s not even so much because I like to play in the water, though I do. But the ocean to me is so peaceful. When the ocean is calm, it is so clear and so clean. But if you have ever been at the ocean after a storm has come, and the bottom is stirred up, you can see that it is both dirty and dangerous.

You walk into the water when it is calm, and it may appear to be clean on the surface, but oftentimes there is filth and refuse at the bottom that is revealed by the storm. I remember walking on the beach after a hurricane had come through Pensacola, Florida. The beach was littered with filth and seaweed and shells and scum that had been washed up and belched ashore. That is the picture that Jude is painting for us here. He must have been thinking about a verse in Isaiah. “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” (Is. 57:20)

You see, there is great turmoil in the heart of an apostate. He is not at peace either with himself, with the church, with truth, or with God. When he turns from truth, he will always turn to sin and to shame.

When you confront the lives of an apostate with the truth of God’s Word, what is down at the bottom of the ocean floor of his heart will always come churning to the top. That is when you realize just how deadly and dangerous apostates really are.

V. They Are Pointless Like A Wandering Star

They are “wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (v.13) Stars were never meant to wander. Judg. 5:20 says, “The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.” The word courses there literally means path or orbit. Stars have orbits just like planets. But every now and then you will see what is called a meteor or a shooting star, which leaves its appointed orbit, its created path, and it begins to go its own way. These shooting stars will flash for a moment, but eventually they will flame out, crash, and burn.

Shooting stars are always brighter than the surrounding stars, but just for a moment. But their brilliance is short-lived. They soon burn out and they are gone forever.

Apostates are just like shooting stars. They go up like a rocket, but they come down like a rock. They flash across the theological sky for just a moment, then they flame out, never to be seen or heard from again.

I heard about a young sailor who wanted to become a captain of his own ship. He went down to see an old sea captain one time to get some advice on how to master the seas. He said, “Captain, what is the greatest single lesson you can teach me so that I can be as good a captain as you?” He said, “Young man, the greatest lesson you’ll ever learn is this: The best friend of the sailor is the star. But never forget the only stars to follow are those who stay in their orbits and never change their position.”

That was not only great nautical advice, that is great spiritual advice. Jude is warning us not to hitch our wagons to falling stars. Just as stars in our solar system revolve around the sun, we, too, are to revolve around the sun, but not the sun, but the Son. Jesus is the “sun of righteousness” and we are to find our orbit around Him. When we stay close to his light, and we make Him the center of our lives, and orbit around Him, then we find true purpose and true meaning in life.

You know a saint is to be opposite in every way from an apostate. Instead of being hidden rocks, I Pet. 2:5 says we are to be living stones. Instead of being waterless clouds, John 7:38 says we are to be bubbling springs. Instead of being dead trees, John 15:3 says we are to be fruitful branches. Instead of being raging waves, Is. 48:18 says we are to be peaceful rivers. Instead of being darkened stars, Dan. 12:3 says we are to be glistening luminaries.

Several years ago, George Bush spoke at a Prayer Breakfast when he was the Vice President. He told of a trip he took to Russia to represent the United States at the funeral of Leonid Brezhnev. The funeral was very precise, very stoic, extremely Communistic.

No tears were shed, no emotion was displayed with one exception. Mr. Bush told how Brezhnev’s widow was the last person to witness the body before the coffin was closed. For several seconds she stood at his side and then reached down and performed the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest.

In the hour of her husband’s death, with the entire Communistic world watching, she did not turn to Lenin, to Karl Marx, to Joseph Stalin, or to Khrushchev. Instead she turned to a Nazarene carpenter, who had lived 2,000 years ago, and who said, “I am the light of the world.”2

Satan can counterfeit preachers, but he cannot counterfeit the gospel. He can counterfeit theology, but he cannot counterfeit truth. He can even counterfeit churches, but he cannot counterfeit Jesus. For He is the real thing.

1 R. C. Sproul, Pleasing God, p. 211.

2 Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder, p. 64.

ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Collected Sermons, by James Merritt

Overview and Insights · Resisting False Teachers (1–19)

Greeting (1-2): Jude, a servant (and likely half-brother) of Jesus and brother of James, writes to the called, who are loved by God and kept by Jesus (1). He offers the following greeting/prayer: “mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” (2).

Occasion and Purpose of the Letter (3–4): It seems that Jude wanted to focus more on the salvation God has provided, but he feels compelled to deal with the situation related to the false teaching. He encourages his readers to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (3). Godless men have secretly slipped into the church and are not only denying the Lord but are twisting God’s grace into a license for godless living (4).

Resisting False Teachers (5–19): Jude denounces the false teachers throughout the central section of …

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Jude 1:1-16 · The Sin and Doom of Godless Men

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

Commentary · Denunciation of the Intruding Teachers

1–2 · Salutation: The salutation is brief, identifying the author, as we have noted, and then identifying the recipients as people who have been “called,” “loved,” and “kept” by God the Father and Jesus Christ. There is no criticism of these “dear friends” stated anywhere in the letter.

3–4 · Opening: Reason for writing: After the salutation comes the reason for writing. While about to write in another vein, Jude has received information that means he must instead exhort the community he addresses to “contend for the faith,” which will be defined in 22–23 as holding fast to what they are committed to and rescuing those who are deceived (i.e., the others and any they have influenced). The reason this is necessary is that these others have entered the congregation and are presently functioning within the community (Jude 12). Jude makes two related charges: they pervert grace into “a license for immorality” and they thereby deny “Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (v. 4). In other words, living in disobedience to Jesus is a form of apostasy.

5–16· Main discussion: Denunciation of the intruding teachers: In the main section of the letter body, the author denounces the others, using groups-of-three illustrations originally from the Old Testament but now read through the lens of Second Temple Jewish literature. The first group (vv. 5–7) is the people saved in the exodus, the angels of Genesis 6:1–8, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Two of the three were once saved or had a dwelling with God, while all three were finally destroyed. The Genesis 6 story, read through the lens of 1 Enoch, and Sodom are put last because each refers to sexual relations across a forbidden boundary (i.e., angel/human; in Jude 7 literally “strange flesh”). The others in the community are apparently crossing some type of sexual boundary, doing things that were not approved of even in the culture surrounding the believing community (perhaps like the man in 1 Cor. 5:1).

These “dreamers” (possibly indicating the source of their “revelation” [v. 8]; NIV “on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people”) not only cross such boundaries but they also “reject authority,” slandering the good angels (“celestial beings” or “the glorious ones”), perhaps those who were thought to have brought the law (and thereby ethical rules) to Moses (vv. 8–10). Unlike the archangel Michael, who in the Testament of Moses argued respectfully with the devil over whether or not Moses deserved burial (the devil accused Moses of having been a murderer in Egypt) and who left judgment to God (“The Lord rebuke you!”), these others, lacking the propriety of Michael, are like animals in that they do not understand what they slander. They are also like animals in that they follow their instincts, not realizing that these impulses will in the end destroy them.

The reference to the Testament of Moses, then, gives way to the second group of three: Cain, Balaam, and Korah (v. 11). This woe oracle sounds like it was pulled out of Old Testament prophecy. While the first and last of the group were rebels, all three were viewed in Jewish tradition as having taught evil. There is a crescendo in the descriptions: “taken the way of,” “rushed for profit into,” “been destroyed in.” Only the spiritually suicidal would emulate them.

These others are a part of the local community of believers (vv. 12–13), for they participate in the Lord’s Supper, which in that period was a full meal, a “love feast.” Yet they are a defilement of that meal. Furthermore, they are there for their own gain, not for worship or building up others. Thus they are like Balaam or like the shepherds of Ezekiel 34:2. Four images create a vivid warning about them: (1) waterless clouds and (2) fruitless autumn trees indicate they promise much but do not deliver; (3) waves seem impressive, but these stir up “shame”; and (4) stars (believed by ancients to be angelic powers) that are wandering rather than in their proper courses (which parallels the clouds being “blown along”) are doomed. Such stars will be destroyed, as was the case with the angels of Genesis 6:1–8.

The message of destruction is underlined by the quotation from 1 Enoch 1:9 (vv. 14–17). As we noted above, our author is familiar with Second Temple Jewish literature such as the Testament of Moses and 1 Enoch. Furthermore, the way he refers to a number of Old Testament stories shows that he is influenced by how these stories were retold in Second Temple literature. Here we find the only quotation of a “scripture” in the whole work, and it is the quotation of a “prophecy” that Jude attributes to Enoch (just as Matt. 13:14 refers to the “prophecy” of Isaiah and Matt. 15:7 says, “Isaiah . . . prophesied”). We now know the quotation as part of the opening chapter of 1 Enoch (which is probably a composite book). Jude cites this work in an unself-conscious manner. He is, of course, not aware that there would later be canonical discussions and that 1 Enoch would not form part of the eventual canon. For him it is simply an authoritative prophecy that he knows is appropriate for his topic, and he cites it as freely as he might have cited other prophets such as Isaiah or Jeremiah. The point of the prophecy is straightforward: final judgment is coming. Those for whom this judgment is a danger include not just the “sinners” named in the prophecy but also the others in the community, who are accused of grumbling (a term found only here, but the idea is also in James 5:9), being driven by their desires, and buttering up others. These sins were important to Jude but are sometimes forgotten about or downplayed today.

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

Writer and Readers

1 By custom, Hellenistic letters began with a threefold formula: (a) the name of the sender; (b) the name of the recipient; and (c) an opening salutation. Greek writers followed the pattern “(a) to (b): greetings.” A NT example is the letter of Claudius Lysias to Felix (Acts 23:26). Jewish letters were introduced slightly differently. The opening sentence gave the names of writer and recipient. A second sentence invoked a blessing upon the reader.

The three elements of (a) author, (b) addressee, (c) greeting are clearly seen at the beginning of most of the NT letters—as here: (a) Jude; (b) to those who have been called; (c) mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance (Jude 1–2).

The writer introduces himself by name (Jude), by status (a servant of Jesus Christ), and by relationship (a brother of James).

Jude is evidently not an apostle, for unlike Paul and Peter in their letters, he makes no claim to have apostolic authority to lend weight to his words. Indeed he distinguishes himself from the apostles by writing “Remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold” (Jude 17).

No doubt it was out of humble reverence that neither Jude nor James in writing their letters makes any reference to being a blood relation of the Lord. Each calls himself simply a servant (lit. bondslave) of Jesus Christ. Even leading apostles like Paul (Rom. 1:1) and Peter (2 Pet. 1:1) were content to own the same title, a remarkable state of affairs in view of the way slaves were so often maltreated in NT times. But the early Christians discovered that to be the slave of Christ is to be the Lord’s freedman (1 Cor. 7:22). Complete and loyal submission to the service of Jesus Christ is, paradoxically, the pathway to perfect liberty. Jude has come to realize that the greatest distinction that anyone can achieve in life comes about through always being at the complete disposal of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For Jude to call himself “a brother of James” was not the customary practice. Normally a person was identified by the name of the father. Jude’s describing himself as “a brother of James” suggests that this James was well known. The readers would be in no doubt as to the man meant. Jude seems content to be distinguished simply as a sibling of the more celebrated figure, just as Andrew seemed happy to be in the shadow of his prominent brother Peter. Both Jude and Andrew had the priceless and rare enough gift of being prepared to play second fiddle.

The outstanding James in the early church was the brother of Jesus who was converted after the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7) and became the leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13).

So the sense of the opening words of this letter is: “Jude, the bondslave, I dare not say brother, of Jesus Christ, but certainly James’s brother.”

Jude addresses his readers as called … loved … kept. The writer’s fondness for triple expressions constantly surfaces throughout his brief letter (see Introduction, p. 19). “Called” is one of the great biblical terms to describe believers. The verb “to call” (kalein) is regularly used in four main senses.

1. It means to call a person or a place by name, as in Luke 10:39 (“a sister called Mary”) or Luke 7:11 (“a town called Nain”).

2. It means to call someone to take up a task or responsibility. Paul is “called to be an apostle” (Rom. 1:1). Certain servants are “called” to take charge in their master’s absence (Luke 19:13).

3. It is used to summon someone to a law court to give an account of his actions (Acts 4:18; 24:2).

4. It is the regular word for calling friends to a meal, inviting them to a pleasant social occasion, as in the parable about the wedding guests (Matt. 22:3). It is the word used for those who are “called” to the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). In short, it is the term for a hospitable invitation. “The called” (ho klētos), the corresponding noun from the verb kalein, was in fact a technical term for “guest.”

So, in describing his readers as “called,” Jude is in effect reminding them of their high privileges. As believers, they have been called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9). They have responded to the divine call to faith in Jesus Christ. They are called by the name of Christ, that is, “Christians.” One day they will be summoned to the judgment seat of Christ to report on their Christian life and witness (2 Cor. 5:10). Meanwhile they can rejoice in the satisfying service to which they have been invited, as to a festive occasion, one constantly shared with their ever-present divine Host.

Who are loved by God the Father. The Greek is, literally, “in” (en) God the Father. Paul often refers to believers as being “in Christ” or “in the Lord,” but nowhere else in the NT are Christians said to be loved “in” (en) God the Father. It is possible that originally Jude left a gap after the “in” for a place-name to be inserted, when his messenger took the letter to various towns where the incipient heresy he writes about had begun to spread. (Something like this may have happened with the “in Ephesus” of Eph. 1:1.) So we could translate: “to those resident in [—], who are loved by God the Father.”

Kept by Jesus Christ is, rather, kept for (dative of advantage) Jesus Christ (as RSV); that is, kept safely, by the one born of the Father, from the evil one (1 John 5:18), for Christ’s second coming (John 6:39, 44, 54; 1 Cor. 1:8; 1 Thess. 5:23), and for the kingdom he will establish. God does not intend to lose any of those whom he has called to be his own. Jude appropriately stresses this theme as he begins a letter warning his readers of their need to be kept safe from the influence of false teachers.

Both ēgapēmenais (loved) and tetērēmenois (kept) are perfect participles. The Greek perfect tense speaks of a past complete act having continuing effects. The divine love and keeping power are constantly holding believers with safe arms (Deut. 33:27). As Christians, Jude’s readers not only were the objects of God’s personal care and love in the past, but they still are and always will be.

Additional Notes

1 Jude or Judas (the same word in Gk.), was a common name in biblical times. It was borne by: (1) the son of Jacob who became head of the tribe of Judah (Matt. 1:2–3); (2) one of the brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3); (3) one of the Twelve (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), and also known as Thaddaeus (compare Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; John 14:22); (4) a Christian prophet, one of the leading men appointed by the Jerusalem church, Judas Barsabbas (Acts 15:22); (5) a freedom fighter, Judas the Galilean (Acts 5:37); (6) a citizen of Damascus, in whose house on Straight Street Paul stayed after his conversion (Acts 9:11); and, of course, (7) the traitor, Judas Iscariot (Matt. 10:4).

Loved: A number of later MSS modify ēgapēmenois, “loved,” to read hēgiasmenois, “sanctified” (KJV), on the model of 1 Cor. 1:2. NEB’s “who live in the love of God the Father” is an unlikely paraphrase. Westcott and Hort suggested that the “in” is misplaced and should be before “Jesus Christ.” We could then translate: “beloved by God the Father and kept safe in Jesus Christ.” J. B. Mayor’s proposal to read “beloved [by us] in the Father” is ruled out because all three participles, called … loved … kept, have the same divine agent as subject.

Some confirmation that James here is the brother of Jesus comes from a report by a second-century Jewish-Christian historian. Hegesippus describes how grandsons of Jude (“who is said to have been the brother, according to the flesh, of the Savior”) were summoned before the Roman emperor Domitian. This would be about A.D. 96. But, when the emperor observed their labor-hardened hands and realized how poor they were, he contemptuously dismissed them as being no danger to his empire (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.19.1; 3.20.6; Josephus, Ant. 20.200).

Kept: Christians belong to Jesus Christ and are kept safe for him until he comes to claim his property (cf. 1 Pet. 1:4, where the inheritance of Christians is declared to be kept safe in heaven until they are able to claim it, at the Parousia). Kept is a key-word of the letter; it occurs five times, in verses 1, 6 (twice), 13, and 21.

Greeting

2 Jude’s opening greeting is another example of his fondness for a trio of expressions. He prays that his readers may know mercy, peace and love. These are virtues which cannot be acquired by self-effort. Neither can they be expected as just deserts. They are gifts of divine grace, and Jude prays that his readers may receive them in abundance (plēthyntheiē, filled to capacity). The faith of Jude’s readers is threatened by dangerous infiltrators, and so Jude prays that they may receive divine mercy, the pity that comes to aid, in total sufficiency. The readers’ fellowship with God through Jesus Christ is being disturbed; consequently they must have their divine peace reinforced, the peace that follows from an unsullied relationship with God. Supremely, the readers need God’s all-comprehending love (agapē) in overflowing measure. This will bind them to God and to one another in their Christian community.

Jude’s prayer is of permanent value, for “the called,” that is, believers in every generation, constantly need divine mercy, peace, and love. That prayer can be prayed in all confidence, since God delights to show mercy (Mic. 7:18). Christ himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14), and the Holy Spirit is the agent of love (Rom. 5:5).

Additional Notes

2 A prayer for mercy is unusual in an opening NT greeting, although examples do occur (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2 John 3). Paul’s prayer is more likely to be for “grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,” as in 1 Cor. 1:3.

The same Greek term plēthyntheiē, be multiplied (RSV), occurs in the opening greeting of Peter’s two letters. See Additional Note on 1 Pet. 1:2.

Jude’s three terms, mercy, peace, love, occur together in the letter to the church at Smyrna on the martyrdom of Polycarp (A.D. 155).

Peace (eirēnē, the verbal form of eirein, to join): Peace is the result of joining together that which has been separated.

The Writer’s Purpose Changed

3 Dear friends is a free translation of agapētoi, lit. “beloved ones,” that is, “beloved by God, and beloved by me, because we share in divine love.” Although agapētoi was an expression in general use, Christians gave the Greek term a new depth of meaning, for it described the quality of the Father’s feeling for Jesus: “This is my beloved (agapētos) Son” (Matt. 3:17; KJV, RSV).

Jude did not set out to compose this particular letter. He had wanted to write (graphein: present infinitive, which could suggest “in a leisurely manner”) on the general subject of the salvation we share. That “common salvation” (KJV, RSV) was one that belonged to all believers equally. It included sharing the same Christ (Acts 4:12), the same grace (Eph. 2:8), the same justification with God (Rom. 3:22), and the same entrance by faith (2 Pet. 1:1). But Jude’s intention to enlarge on such themes to edify his readers was overtaken by events. News suddenly reached him that his Christian friends were threatened by a dangerous heresy. The report made him snatch up his pen there and then to write (grapsai, aorist infinitive) a very different letter from the one he had originally proposed.

I had to write (anankēn eschon grapsai): The compulsion (anankēn) to write at once was as clear as if he had been given a verbal order to do so. In obedience to that inner constraint, and out of love for his Christian friends, he writes without delay to urge them to contend for the faith. The Greek word for urge is parakalōn, from parakalein, to call (kalein) alongside (para). Jude would prefer to be alongside his friends in their peril, but since he is unable to be with them in person, he does the next best thing by sending a letter.

He bids them contend—an athletics metaphor. Believers are expected to be spiritually fit, prepared at any time to meet spiritual challenges, which may arise suddenly and from an unexpected quarter.

Jude’s readers are exhorted to engage in a determined and costly struggle to maintain the faith (pistis). Here pistis is a reference not to the personal faith of the individual, its usual sense in the NT, but to the body of Christian truth. This body of belief, Jude says, was once for all entrusted (paradidōmai, to commit, hand over) to the saints, to the people of God as a whole, not just to apostles or to later leaders. The faith is not something we discover for ourselves, still less is it something constructed from our own ideas. It is the truth about God in Christ that has been handed down from believer to believer in an unbroken chain, stretching back to the teaching of Jesus himself as recorded in the NT. Each individual Christian has the dual responsibility of maintaining that truth unadulterated and of carefully handing it on to others.

4 The reason Jude’s readers must contend for the pure faith of true Christianity is that certain men, itinerant false teachers, have infiltrated the church. Their subsequent condemnation (krima, judgment), Jude declares, was written about long ago. He may be referring to a prediction of Enoch (who is mentioned in v. 14). But Jude is more likely alluding to some tradition, then current, that described such a judgment in more detail.

In the present case, as Jude explains, the peril has arisen more subtly, for certain men … have secretly slipped in (pareisedysan) among you. The Greek word, which occurs in the NT only here, is most expressive: pareisdyein is used of the clever pleading of a lawyer, gradually insinuating his version of the evidence into the minds of judge and jury. It describes the action of a spy stealthily getting into the country, or of someone sneaking in by a side door.

False teachers have managed to get into the church. Jude describes the troublemakers in three ways, each term leading on to the next. The men are godless (asebeis, with no reverence for God): they leave God out of account (Ps. 14:1). And because of that, they are antinomians, they despise God’s laws (cf. 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23). They substitute blatant immorality (aselgeia, lasciviousness, wantonness) for the grace of our God. And because of that, they are self-assertive: they deny (arnesthai, to disown) that Jesus Christ is their only Sovereign and Lord. The Greek is literally: “They deny both (kai) the only Sovereign (despotēs) and also (kai) our Lord (kyrios) Jesus Christ.” The word despotēs (absolute owner, one who has complete power over another), when used in the NT of God, always refers to the Father (apart from 2 Pet. 2:1). So Jude appears to have in mind both God the Father and the Son of God: the intruders disown both.

Additional Notes

3 The affectionate agapētoi, “beloved ones,” which appears again in vv. 17 and 20, derives from the verb agapan (“to love with God’s love”), used in v. 1. The Greek for I had to (anankēn eschon) with an infinitive refers to orders received, as in Luke 14:18; 23:17; 1 Cor. 7:37; 9:16; 2 Cor. 9:7; Heb. 7:27; see Horsley, New Documents, vol. 1, p. 45.

The Greek verb for urge gives us the noun paraklētos, Paraclete, Counselor, “one called alongside to help,” a title for the Holy Spirit in John 14:16, 26.

Contend: The Greek verb epagōnizomai occurs in the NT only here. But Paul uses a similar athletics metaphor in Phil. 1:27, “contending as one man (synathleō), as athletes with true team spirit, for the faith of the gospel”; and in Phil. 4:3, “women who have contended at my side (synathleō), women who were spiritual athletes, in the cause of the gospel.”

Faith has the same meaning of “the body of Christian truth” in v. 20. (See also 1 Pet. 3:15.) This usage is found as early as Gal. 1:23.

The Greek verb here translated entrusted gives rise to the noun paradosis, that which is handed down, tradition. On the Christian paradosis, as distinct from human traditions, see O. Cullmann, “The Tradition,” in The Early Church (London: SCM Press, 1956), pp. 59–99. See also 1 Cor. 15:1–3; 2 Thess. 3:6.

4 The expression certain men (tines) is often used in the NT to denote a particular group of people: “You know who I mean!”

Long ago (palai) can equally well refer to the recent past, as in Mark 15:44 and 2 Pet. 1:9. Itinerant preachers and teachers frequently caused trouble in the early church (Matt. 7:15; 2 Cor. 10–11; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 10; Didache 11–12; Ignatius, To the Ephesians 9:1). A similar passage found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QS 4.9–14) rebukes the “spirits of iniquity” in terms reminiscent of Jude’s accusations, so the problem was not new; various religious leaders spoke and wrote about it. If both Jude and 2 Pet. 2:1–3 have independently drawn upon such a tradition, this would readily explain the differences and the similarities between the two writings. But in any case, the peril to the early church of such false teachers was clearly predicted (1 Tim. 4:1–2).

Jude’s verb pareidyein, to slip in secretly, is similar to the pareisagein, to smuggle in, of 2 Pet. 2:1.

Who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality agrees with 2 Pet. 2:18–19 in pointing to a group who, under the pretense of magnifying the grace of God (Rom. 6:1) and of asserting their Christian liberty, were leading base and licentious lives. The practice was not uncommon, for it was condemned alike by Paul (1 Cor. 6:9–18), Peter (1 Pet. 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:19), and John (1 John 3:7–10; Rev. 2:24).

And deny Jesus Christ: A similar thought is in 1 Enoch 48:10: “they have denied the Lord of Spirits and his Anointed.”

The term godless (asebeis) “may be almost said to give the keynote to the Epistle (cf. vv. 15, 18) as it does to the Book of Enoch” (Mayor). “Because, for the Jew, God’s commandments regulate the whole of man’s conduct, the irreverent attitude to God is manifested in unrighteous conduct” (Bauckham, p. 38).

Sovereign (despotēs): The modern meaning of “despot” is entirely negative and implies oppression and even slavery. But the Greek despotes is morally neutral: one in absolute control can be good or bad.

Three Warning Reminders

5 Sooner or later divine justice will catch up with those ungodly men, just as it did in OT times. To illustrate his point, Jude quotes three examples of divine judgment that his readers will recall (you already know all this). Although the men who were corrupting the church are described by Jude as “godless” (v. 4), they would not have regarded themselves in that light. Neither would they have viewed themselves as the enemies of the Christian church. Rather, they were proud of being free thinkers, a spiritual elite, unencumbered by owning lordship to anyone.

The first two examples Jude chooses make it clear that even if someone has received the greatest of spiritual privileges from God, that person must constantly watch and pray to avoid falling into disastrous error.

At one point in their history, the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt and bondage in spectacular and miraculous fashion (Exod. 14:26–31). Yet even that extraordinary blessing did not mean that subsequently those who did not believe escaped the dire consequences of turning their backs on God, but they were destroyed. When they were on the verge of entering the promised land, the people of Israel took fright at the majority report of the spies Moses had sent ahead to reconnoiter, and they refused point-blank to go on. They did not believe that God would enable them to conquer the land in front of them (Num. 13:26–33). As a consequence, apart from faithful Joshua and Caleb, that entire generation was condemned to spend the rest of their lives in a physical and spiritual desert. Thus they never enjoyed the land of milk and honey God had promised to give them (Num. 14:34–38). The continuous blessing of God depends on continuous reliance on God. The fate of those disbelieving Israelites haunted the minds of the NT writers (1 Cor. 10:5–11; Heb. 3:1–4:2).

6 The second warning example from the OT concerns the sin and fate of fallen angels. They became disgruntled with their positions of authority. Their lofty station, Jude says, the angels did not keep (tērein, to watch over). They failed to do their duty in guarding something of great value. They were not single-minded in maintaining the exclusive position for which God had purposely created them. They chose to look elsewhere and abandoned their own home. They deserted in order to further their own ends.

According to Isaiah 14:12; 24:21–22, pride drives some to rebel (Isa. 14:13). Certain angels were expelled from heaven and sentenced to eternal doom (Isa. 24:21–22; see also Matt. 25:41; Luke 10:18).

The book of Enoch has much to relate about the angels that “have deserted the lofty sky and their holy everlasting station (1 Enoch 12:4). Those rebels are to be chained until judgment day (1 Enoch 10:15–16). Their ringleader Azazel is sentenced: “Cover him with darkness, and let him dwell there forever” (1 Enoch 10:5). So pride was one cause of the angels’ fall. But there was another cause. This comes out in the story of the angels who left heaven and seduced mortal women (Gen. 6:1–4), and so fell through lust.

Jude combines the two ideas. First, the angels deserted their appointed place of authority to go after a position not intended for them. Second, they abandoned their proper domain to cohabit with beautiful women on earth. Such notions may sound bizarre to modern ears, but their implication is plain. Pride and lust ruined the angels that fell. The evil interlopers Jude warns his readers against are equally guilty of pride and lust. Their judgment is as certain as that which befell those angels, despite their exalted status.

The angels who defected have been sentenced to be kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains. We are not intended to imagine a literal dungeon in which fallen angels are fettered. Rather, Jude is vividly depicting the misery of their conditions. Free spirits and celestial powers, as once they were, are now shackled and impotent. Shining ones, once enjoying the marvelous light of God’s glorious presence, are now plunged in profound darkness. There is grim irony in Jude’s repetition of the same verb. The wicked angels proved too proud to keep (tērein) their exalted positions, so God has kept (tērein) them in deepest detention—a hint that the punishment fits the crime (1 Cor. 3:17; Rev. 16:6). A note in 2 Peter 2:4 adds that they have been sent to Tartarus (NIV, “hell”), regarded in the ancient Greek world as the abyss of punishment. There these angels are secured until the judgment on the great Day when the final settlement takes place.

7 Jude’s third warning example is the fate that befell Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns (Gen. 19:1–25). The surrounding towns included Admah and Zeboiim, according to Deut. 29:23 and Hos. 11:8. A fifth town, Zoar, was spared after Lot’s intercession (Gen. 19:20–22). The spectacular and utter destruction of these places, and of Sodom in particular, made such an indelible impression that among later generations the event became a warning byword for divine judgment.

These places were condemned because their inhabitants engaged in flagrant immorality. They gave themselves up to … perversion is lit. “going off after different (heteros, different in kind) flesh” (“strange flesh,” KJV; “unnatural lust,” RSV). Both the fallen angels and the men of Sodom had aggravated their sexual sins by lusting after “different” flesh. The angels of Genesis 6, although spiritual beings, had desired mortal women. The converse also was virtually true, for Jude ignores the fact that the Sodomites were unaware that Lot’s two visitors were angelic beings, not men (Gen. 19:1, 5). In Jude’s view the Sodomites’ intended homosexual practice was likewise a perversion, that is, unnatural sexual conduct, and not of God’s appointment.

George Adam Smith vividly describes what probably happened in the valley near the southern end of the Dead Sea when “burning sulphur rained down” (Gen. 19:24): “In this bituminous soil took place one of those terrible explosions which have broken out in the similar geology of the oil districts of North America. In such soil reservoirs of oil and gas are formed, and suddenly discharged by their own pressure or through an earthquake. The gas explodes, carrying high into the air masses of oil, which fall back in fiery rain, and are so inextinguishable that they float afire on water.” (G. A. Smith, Historical Geography, p. 508). In such a manner Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns … serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah may have taken place a long time ago as far as Jude’s readers were concerned. But the event remains as a permanent warning for all generations.

The godless intruders among Jude’s Christian friends betray a decadence that pervades their whole lives, which these OT examples illustrate. Physically, these men have become immoral. Intellectually, they have grown arrogant. Spiritually, they defy God by their disobedience. Sooner or later, they will bring God’s judgment down upon themselves. The sins may differ, whether a matter of unbelief (v. 5), rebellious discontent (v. 6), or gross fornication (v. 7). The sinners may differ, whether Israelites, privileged to have the divine promises (v. 5), or angels, appointed to a splendid domain in heavenly glory (v. 6), or Gentiles (v. 7) dwelling in pleasant places, “well watered, like the garden of the Lord” (Gen. 13:10).

The punishment of eternal fire implies a destruction as final and total as is portrayed by the utter desolation of the area where the towns once stood. Nothing lives there. The towns themselves are believed to lie buried beneath what are now the southern waters of the Dead Sea. Sir George Adam Smith comments: “In this awful hollow, this bit of the infernal regions come up to the surface, this hell with the sun shining into it, primitive man laid the scene of God’s most terrible judgment on human sin.” (Historical Geography, p. 504)

Additional Notes

5 I want to remind you: a frequent admonition in the NT (1 Cor. 4:17; 15:1; 2 Tim. 1:6; 2:14; Titus 3:1; 2 Pet. 1:12–13; 3:1; Jude 17), although of value only if readers have at some time known the story. Present-day preachers can take much less for granted.

Those who did not believe (Num. 14:1–35): Other NT writers make use of the incident of the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness (Acts 7:39; 1 Cor. 10:1–11; Heb. 3:12–19). While Jude and 2 Peter often cover much the same ground, and both refer to this event, only Jude mentions the deliverance from Egypt, and only Peter speaks of Lot and his rescue. This suggests that it is unlikely that one writer copied from the other.

6 The wicked angels did not keep (tērēsantas: aorist, denoting a past action over and done with), so God for his part has kept (tetērēken: perfect, denoting a past action with continuing consequences).

Positions of authority (tēn heautōn archēn; the Greek word archē means beginning, and then sovereignty, rule): “Their original dignity and high position.” Wycliffe translates as “princehood.” Archē is used in 1 Enoch 12:4 of the Watchers (angels) who “abandoned the high heaven and the holy eternal place and defiled themselves with women” (Gen. 6:1–4, where “sons of God” was universally understood not as men but as angels, or “Watchers,” in Judaism until the middle of the second century, and in Christianity until the fifth century (Bauckham, p. 51). The earliest extant account of the fall of the Watchers (1 Enoch 6–19, early 2nd cent. B.C.) tells how in the days of Jared (Gen. 5:18) two hundred angels descended on Mount Hermon, lusting for human wives. Their giant offspring were taught forbidden knowledge by the angels. That led to the total corruption of the world, which God then had to destroy by the Flood. The Watchers were sentenced to be left bound under the earth until the Day of Judgment, when they will be cast into Gehenna (Bauckham, p. 51).

Abandoned (apolipontas): The aorist tense indicates a once-for-all action. The angels deserted their post. They left forever their own home (to idion oikētērion), their own dwelling place, that is, heaven, their own special abode. See “Heaven” in IBD, vol. 2, p. 466; NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 184–96; ZPEB, vol. 3, pp. 60–64; ISBE, vol. 2, pp. 654–55. “Heaven was made for angels, not for man. It is the temporary abode of the departed saints until the new heavens and the new earth are brought into being, but men’s eternal dwelling place will be on the perfect earth.” (Wuest, In These Last Days, p. 240).

The fallen angels once enjoyed God’s marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9); now they are plunged in darkness (hypo zophon, lit. under darkness). The phrase is commonly used in Greek poetry for the intense blackness of the underworld (Homer, Iliad 21.56; Odyssey 11.57; Hesiod, Theogony 729; Aeschylus, Sibyline Oracles 4.43).

The Greek translated chains by NIV is desmoi, bonds, that is, anything used for tying. In the healing of the deaf man with an impediment in his speech, it is said that “the string (desmos) of his tongue was loosed” (Mark 7:35 KJV). The angels’ chains are described as everlasting (aidios). The Greek word excludes any notion of interruption, but rather lays stress on permanence and unchangeableness. Elsewhere in the NT, aidios occurs only in Rom. 1:20, where it is used of God’s eternal power.

The expression judgment on the great Day is unique in the NT, although similar phrases occur in the book of Enoch: “the Great Day of Judgment” (1 Enoch 10:9); “the Day of the Great Judgment” (93:8; 97:15; 104:3); “the Great Day” (16:2); “the Great Judgment” (22:5).

7 How deep an impression the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah made is reflected in the frequency of references to that event: Deut. 29:23; Isa. 1:9; 13:19; Jer. 23:14; 49:18; 50:40; Lam. 4:6; Ezek. 16:48–50; Hos. 11:8; Zeph. 2:9; Wis. 10:7; Sir. 16:8; 3 Macc. 2:5; Jub. 16:6, 9; 20:5; 22:22; 36:10; T. Naph. 3:4; 4:1; T. Ash. 7:1; Philo, Questions and Answers on Genesis 4:51; On Abraham 140; Josephus, War 4.483–485; 5.566. In the NT: Matt. 10:15; 11:24; Luke 10:12; 17:29. See J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” in Biblical Archaeologist 5 (2, 1942), pp. 17–32; 6 (3, 1943), pp. 41–52.

They serve (prokeintai): are set forth, exposed to public gaze. The Greek verb is used of food laid out on the table ready for guests, or (by contrast) of a corpse laid out before mourners, prior to burial. Example is deigma, sample, pattern, though in this context, something certainly not to be copied.

Eternal fire: Matt. 5:22; 13:42, 50; 18:8; 25:41; Rev. 20:14–15. “And Michael and Gabriel and Raphael and Phanuel [four of the seven archangels, according to 1 Enoch 20:1–7; Tobit 12:15] shall take hold of them on the great day and cast them into the burning furnace” (1 Enoch 54:6).

The paradoxical combination of darkness and fire occurs also in 1QS 2.8, “the gloom of eternal fire.” The language conveys the impression of a state of intense heat and intense darkness, and so of intense isolation.

Brazen Ignorance

8 The NIV translation In the very same way (homoiōs mentoi) disregards the Greek mentoi (“but yet”). The sense is: “Though these men have such dreadful examples set clearly before them, yet they persist in their sin.”

Jude describes such men as dreamers (enypniazomenoi), and says that they pollute their own bodies. The expression could be taken to mean that the godless intruders beguile themselves with erotic fantasies (KJV, “filthy dreamers”). But dreamers applies to all three following clauses. The Greek word occurs elsewhere in the NT only in Acts 2:17, and there refers to prophetic dreams. The Septuagint employs the same verb to describe false prophets (Deut. 13:2, 5, 6; Isa. 56:10; Jer. 23:25; 34:9; 36:8). Jude is therefore referring to men who falsely claim to have visionary revelations to justify their teaching and actions. In verse 11 Jude implies that they even expect a fee for divulging their esoteric knowledge. Jude’s recognition that such men would be troubling the people of God is not a novelty. Another writer speaks of the sinners in the last days who “will sink into impiety because of the folly of their hearts, and their eyes will be blinded through the fear of their hearts and through the visions of their dreams” (1 Enoch 99:8).

By pollute their own bodies, Jude means by sexual excesses, comparable to the practices of Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. 2 Pet. 2:2, 10, 18). Presumably these men justified their actions by claiming enlightenment through their alleged revelatory dreams. According to one early Christian writer, some later Gnostics, such as the followers of Simon Magus, could refer to promiscuous intercourse as “perfect love” (Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies 6.14). Sexual license was a problem in the church from its earliest days, as St. Paul knew only too well (1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 2 Cor. 12:21).

Such men also reject authority (kyriotēta, lordship; abstract noun from kyrios, lord). There are three possible interpretations. The Greek kyriotēs could refer to (1) ecclesiastical or civil authority. Calvin and Luther took it in this way, understandably in view of the turbulent days of the Reformation in which they lived. But nothing else in Jude’s letter is concerned with that topic. Or (2) a class of angels known as kyriotētes (“authorities” in Col. 1:16). But Jude’s use of the singular seems to rule this out. Or (3) the lordship of God (as in Didache 4:1), or the lordship of Christ (as in Shepherd of Hermas, Similitudes 5.6.1). The last is the most probable explanation and corresponds to the earlier “deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (v. 4).

Again, these men slander celestial beings. It is not clear in what way the false teachers were disparaging angels. Usually the NT writers are warning believers against giving undue deference to angels (1 Cor. 6:3; Col. 2:18; Heb. 1:4–5). Perhaps the men deemed themselves to be superior to mere angels, or they may have scorned the very idea of their existence, claiming to be free from such superstitious nonsense. But as the regular Greek word for “angel” (angelos) can simply mean “messenger,” Jude may be intimating that the false teachers consider themselves to be far above mere messenger boys. The implication of the passage for the readers is plain enough. Jude is warning that what the false teachers may have regarded as advanced morality and advanced thought on their part can easily lead to advancing deafness to God’s voice.

9 The opening words, But even (de) the archangel Michael, imply a close link with what has gone before. All three accusations in verse 8 concern the rejection of the moral order, so the “slander” probably relates to the angels’ function as mediators of the law of Moses (Acts 7:38, 53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2; Jubilees 1:27–29; Josephus, Ant. 15.136) and as guardians of creation (1 Cor. 11:10; Shepherd of Hermas, Similitudes 8.3.3), a responsibility which some angels had abdicated (Jude 6).

The OT makes no reference to Michael disputing with the devil and simply states that God buried his servant Moses “in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is” (Deut. 34:6), a secret no doubt designed to prevent the Israelites from turning the spot into an idolatrous sanctuary.

The dispute referred to by Jude was recorded in the now lost ending of an apocryphal Jewish work called the Assumption of Moses. But the tradition can be reconstructed from references to that account in a number of early Christian writings (see Bauckham, pp. 65–76). Satan laid claim to the corpse of Moses for his kingdom of darkness because Moses had killed an Egyptian (Exod. 2:12). He was therefore a murderer, however virtuous his subsequent achievements, and so was unworthy of honorable burial. Satan, in his ancient role of accuser of God’s people (Rev. 12:10), was seeking to prove Moses’ guilt.

In response to the charge, Michael did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against Satan. Barclay (DSB, p. 188) expresses the opinion of most commentators that Jude means: “If the greatest of the good angels refused to speak evil of the greatest of the evil angels, even in circumstances like that, surely no human being may speak evil of any angel.” This interpretation takes accusation (blasphēmias) as a genitive of quality (Moule, Idiom-Book, p. 175), and as such it suits the context both in Jude and in the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2:11 (blasphēmon krisin, “slanderous accusations”). The terms used in this passage are forensic, the language of the courtroom. Bauckham (p. 43) considers that Jude’s meaning must be determined by his source, the Assumption of Moses, and according to that it was Satan who had “slandered” (eblasphēmsei kata) Moses by accusing him of murder. Michael, in his capacity as a legal advocate, refuted the slander (blasphēmia) and appealed to God for judgment against Satan: “The Lord rebuke thee!” Michael refused to take it upon himself to pronounce judgment, for that was God’s prerogative.

10 These men, the false teachers, betray by their attitude that they do not understand spiritual matters in general, or the role of angels in the divine scheme of things in particular (cf. 2 Pet. 2:12). All that they do understand is the result of natural instincts, on a par with unreasoning animals, brute beasts. In other words, they are simply giving rein to their sensual nature. They are devoid of spiritual discernment and are therefore living on no higher plane than the animal creation, despite any ecstatic claims they may make for themselves. But such a sensual motive in life will ultimately destroy them; it will lead to their eternal ruin. This is not a prophecy about the medical peril of AIDS but a reference to the inevitable judgment of God, as evidenced by Israel in the wilderness (v. 5) and by the cities of the plain (v. 7).

Additional Notes

8 Slander celestial beings (doxas, lit. “glories”): a term used for angels in the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QH 10.8) and in other early literature (2 Enoch 22:7, 10; Ascension of Isaiah 9:32; probably also Exod. 15:11 LXX, “Who among the gods (doxais) is like you, O Lord?” The term “glories” is used of angels because they share or reflect the glory of God.

9 “The Lord rebuke you!” According to the account in the Assumption of Moses, the devil was silenced and fled. Michael was left in peace to bury Moses’ body. A forensic plea similar to Michael’s appears in v. 2 of Zech. 3, a chapter quoted again later by Jude (vv. 22–23). The Greek verb for rebuke (epitimēsai) is in the optative mood, used to express a desire.

The term archangel (archangelos) occurs in the NT only here and in 1 Thess. 4:16. Elsewhere archangelos is used of the most senior angels, numbering four (1 Enoch 40:9) or seven (1 Enoch 20:7; cf. Rev. 8:2) and also called “the angel of the [divine] Presence.” Michael is their leader, “the chief of the holy angels” (Asc. Isa. 3:16), and especially acts as the guardian angel of the Jews against their godless enemies in Greece and Persia (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; 1 Enoch 20:5; 89:76; 1QM 17). Michael is therefore the main adversary of Satan.

10 Speak abusively against (blasphēmousin): The Greek word echoes “slander (blasphēmousin) celestial beings” (v. 8), and “a slanderous (blasphēmias) accusation” (v. 9).

They do not understand: cf. 1 Cor. 2:7–16. T. Asher 7.1 refers to “Sodom, which did not recognize the angels of the Lord, and perished forever.”

Unreasoning animals is not a disparaging description but translates the regular Greek formula aloga zōa for the animal creation, brute beasts (Wisd. of Sol. 11:15; 4 Macc. 14:14, 18; Josephus, Ag. Ap. 1.224; 2.213; Ant. 10.262; War 4.170; Philo, On the Virtues 117; On the Contemplative Life 8; see TDNT, vol. 4, p. 141).

Three Examples of Wickedness

11 Woe (ouai) to them! is a phrase typical of OT prophets, but it is not necessarily threatening language. The onomatapoeic ouai can indicate either a denunciation or a lament (the latter most clearly in Matt. 24:19). So Jude may be as much expressing Christian grief at the spiritual blindness of the false teachers as invoking their condemnation, for they themselves are heading for destruction.

In verses 5–7 Jude quoted three OT passages to portray the infiltrators as sinners in quite general terms. Now he uses three more OT illustrations to take his charge a step further. Cain, Balaam, and Korah were three notorious individuals who led others astray by their example. In other words they, like the infiltrators now, were by their actions false teachers.

The infiltrators have taken the way of Cain, that is, their attitude and conduct are like his. Cain murdered his own brother (Gen. 4:1–15), so Jude may be implying that the false teachers in his sights are Cain’s spiritual descendants and nothing better than the destroyers of souls. Jewish tradition enlarged upon the biblical account and considered Cain to be the type of selfish, cynical, and materialistic individual who neither takes God into account nor in practice believes in a moral order. The Jerusalem Targum on Genesis 4:8 portrays Cain as saying: “There is no judgment, no judge, no world to come; no reward will be given to the righteous, and no destruction meted out to the wicked.” So one who takes the attitude of a Cain feels free to do as he or she likes, and Cain’s example misleads others: Cain is the archetypal false teacher.

According to the OT account, Balaam first refused fees or bribes to curse Israel (Num. 22:7–18), but eventually the monetary lure proved too strong to be resisted (Deut. 23:4), and he fell into error (planē, a wandering off from the right way). As a consequence, he led others astray. In the OT account, Balaam’s advice to Balak is never spelled out. But comparing Numbers 25:1–2 with Numbers 31:16 suggests that Balaam was guilty of inciting Israel to lie with Moabite women, who in turn seduced Israel into worshiping Baal. That broke the first of the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3). By the first century A.D., Balaam was considered a notorious character in Jewish tradition. So Jude’s readers would readily pick up the meaning of the allusion. At the time Jude was writing, the name of Balaam was a byword for antinomianism (Rev. 2:14).

Grammatically, Balaam’s error can be taken in a passive sense (they too are victims of the weakness that seduced Balaam) or an active sense (they seduce others in the way he did). In either case the false prophets are motivated by greed: the prophets are out for profit (also v. 16), a vice not unknown among teachers in NT times (1 Tim. 6:5; Titus 1:11; Didache 11.5–6).

The end of such men is inevitable. They have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion: they are as good as dead. As in the case of Korah and his confederates, the false teachers of Jude’s day may well have been sowing unrest and promoting discontent against the authority of church leaders. Korah, with Reubenites Dothan and his brother Abiram, and On, and two hundred and fifty other agitators, had rebelled against the divinely appointed authority of Moses and Aaron (Num. 16). The mutineers’ punishment was swift and dramatic—the earth gave way beneath their feet and swallowed them alive. Some sort of fearful fate for the false teachers is as certain.

Additional Notes

11 Way (hodos): “road”; metaphorically, “a course of conduct.” Taken translates eporeuthēsan, “travelled”; metaphorically, “followed in the footsteps, copied the example.” Jude again uses the verb poreuesthai in vv. 16 and 18 (“they follow their own evil/ungodly desires”).

Cain is also mentioned in Heb. 11:4, where he is contrasted with his brother Abel who held nothing back from God. In 1 John 3:12, he is mentioned again; this time it concerns the murderous hostility of the wicked against the godly. Irenaeus (Against Heresies 1.31.1) mentions a second-century Gnostic sect who called themselves Cainites (cf. Epiphanius (Panarion 38.1.1–3). They regarded the God of the OT as responsible for the evil in the world, and so hailed those who resisted him as heroes, e.g., Cain, Esau, Korah.

They have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error (misthou exechythēsan): “They went headlong for a reward,” genitive of quality (Moule, Idiom-Book, p. 39). The verb is the passive aorist of ekchein, to pour out: “they were poured out,” i.e., “they plunged.” Bengel suggests “streamed forth like a torrent without a dam” (Gnomen, vol. 5, p. 166).

Balaam’s error: In the NT planē (error) always refers to deceit in morals or religion (Matt. 27:64; Rom. 1:27; Eph. 4:14; 1 Thess. 2:3; James 5:20; 2 Pet. 2:18; 3:17). Cain and Korah are not mentioned in the parallel passage (2 Pet. 2:15).

Destroyed is a Greek aorist (apōlonto) and equivalent to a prophetic perfect: their frightful fate is settled.

Korah’s rebellion: In a similar context regarding false teachers endangering the faith of others, 2 Tim. 2:19 (“The Lord knows those who are his”) is also probably alluding to the Korah tradition; cf. Num. 16:5: “The Lord will show who belongs to him.”

Wicked Infiltrators Exposed

From comparing the libertines with notorious OT sinners, Jude goes on to portray the objects of his invective in a series of colorful and barbed metaphors. His word-pictures correspond to the four regions of the physical world: clouds in the air, trees on the earth, waves of the sea, stars in the heavens.

12 In saying that These men are blemishes (spilades) at your love feasts, Jude uses a word that occurs nowhere else in the NT and has two meanings. Both fit the context. The commentators are equally divided between “rocks washed by the sea, reefs” (ASV, Weymouth, NASB) and “spots, blots, blemishes, stains” (KJV, NEB, Phillips, RSV). Jude is warning, either that the false teachers are like treacherous reefs and can shipwreck one’s faith (1 Tim. 1:19), or that these immoral men pollute the fellowship meals by their very presence.

These men pose a dangerous threat at your love feasts. This is the earliest mention of the love feast (agapē). In the early days the agapē was a meal of fellowship in the house-churches on the Lord’s Day. The meal was shared by all the members, of whatever class of society, with each one bringing a contribution of food, according to ability. In practice, it sometimes fell short of the ideal (cf. what happens at the Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor. 11:17–22). Jude warns that the infiltrators are seeking to take advantage of what was intended to be a fellowship of Christian love, and threatening to wreck it by their perfidious teaching. Yet they are acting quite shamelessly, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves, lit. “shepherding themselves.” Evidently these men were making sure that they looked after their own greedy self-interests at the gatherings (1 Cor. 11:20–22), not unlike the scene painted in Ezek. 34:2, 8, 10. The sort of thing that could go on is indicated by Didache 11.9, which declares that no prophet who (supposedly “in the spirit”) orders a meal is to eat of it, or else he is not a true prophet.

Such men are like clouds without rain, which disappoint the farmer’s hopes. They promise much, but fail to provide. All they do is to obscure the light. Just as clouds are blown along by the wind, so these men are carried along by their own verbosity, and their words supply no life-giving refreshment. These men are spiritually dead, for they exhibit no spiritual fruit in their lives. They are like autumn trees, which, after having had the opportunities of a full season of growth, ought to be laden. But they are without fruit, barren. They have failed to fulfill their purpose. They are twice dead, since as a consequence of their fruitlessness, the farmer destroys them (Matt. 7:19).

13 Jude carries on with his vivid word-pictures. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame. Undisciplined, out of control, all they do by their feverish surging is to stir up rubbish and spew it on to the shore—never a pretty sight. Barclay (p. 195) describes how the waters of the Dead Sea are so pregnated with salt that they strip the bark off driftwood. When such wood is thrown ashore, it gleams bleak and white, more like a pile of dried dead bones than a branch from a living tree.

These men are wandering stars: navigators cannot safely chart a course by them. The Greek term (planētai) suggests that the reference is probably to planets, whose irregular movements were not then understood. Ancient lore associated the planets with disobedient angels (hence Jude’s use of the personal pronoun whom). The false teachers had wandered off course because of their rebellion against God. Their destiny is settled: for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever. Their utterly hopeless and fearful doom is underlined by the double expression blackest darkness.

In verses 12–13 Jude has splashed a series of vivid pictures of the false teachers. They are as dangerous as reefs, as selfish as greedy shepherds, as deceptive as rainless clouds, as dead as barren trees, as polluted as the foaming sea. They are doomed as surely as the fallen angels.

Additional Notes

12 These men in the Greek is a single disparaging word, houtoi, these, and is witheringly reiterated six times (vv. 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19). The same caustic curt reference to enemies of the gospel is frequent in apocalyptic writings (e.g., Rev. 7:14; 11:4; 14:4; 1 Enoch 46:3; 2 Enoch 7:3; 18:3).

Blemishes as a translation of spilades is in fact rare; only one other example is known, and that is from the 4th century A.D. So, despite Jude’s use of the corresponding verb spiloun to mean “to stain” in v. 23, “rock” is the more likely translation here. It certainly makes good sense. These men are like treacherous reefs to others sailing the sea of faith.

Shepherds as a metaphor for “ministers” is frequent in both OT and NT (e.g., Num. 27:16–17; Eccles. 12:11; Ezek. 34:1–10; John 21:15–17; 1 Pet. 2:25).

Uprooted: The uprooting of a useless tree is a biblical metaphor for judgment (Deut. 28:63; Ps. 52:5; Wisd. of Sol. 4:4; Matt. 15:13). Such trees were commonly burned (Matt. 3:10; 7:19; John 15:6).

Twice dead: cf. Heb. 10:29; Rev. 20:14.

13 Wild (agrios, untamed) is used of waves in Wisd. of Sol. 14:1. Wild waves … foaming up reflects the Hebrew of Isa. 57:10, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.”

Foaming up translates the Greek verb epaphrizein, found only here in the NT. The Greek poet Moschus (Idylls 5.5) uses it to describe seaweed and other flotsam being carried along on the crest of a wave before being dumped on the shore.

Shame is plural in the Greek and could refer to these men’s deeds or to their words (or both). In either case, their effect is to spoil, not to edify; to soil, not to beautify the lives they touch.

Wandering stars (planētai): There is a play on words between planētai, wanderers off course, and planē, error (v. 11). Theophilus of Antioch (late second century) uses similar language. The righteous are law-abiding, like fixed stars. But planets “are types of men who separate themselves from God, abandoning his law and its commands” (To Autolycus 2.15.47–49).

Doom Prophesied by Enoch

14–15 Jude supports his words by citing a prophecy. This is taken, not from the canonical OT, as is usual with NT writers, but from a popular writing of the day which his readers would appreciate. Jude quotes, nearly verbatim, from the book of Enoch, which reads: “And behold, he cometh with ten thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly; and to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (1 Enoch 1:9). Jude is not treating a favorite tract of the time as inspired Scripture, but doing what every preacher should do: he is employing contemporary language, readily understood by those he addresses.

Irenaeus (Against Heresies 4.16.2) points out the appropriateness of the reference here to Enoch. Whereas the wicked angels mentioned earlier had forfeited their heavenly home on account of their disobedience, Enoch gained his place in heaven by obeying God. His remarkable spirituality is described as a walk with God (Gen. 5:22, 24).

Jude calls him the seventh from Adam (counting inclusively, as was the custom: there are five names between Adam and Enoch in the lists of Gen. 5:3–24 and 1 Chron. 1:1–3). To the Jew, seven was the “perfect” number, signifying completion (as in “sabbath,” the seventh day, marking the completion of creation; Gen. 2:2). The application of seventh to Enoch would be taken as adding weight to the authority of his words.

Jude interprets “he cometh” in the prophecy he quotes from the book of Enoch as applying to the second coming of Christ. When Jesus returns in glory, it will be with thousands upon thousands (myriasin; RSV, “myriads”) of his holy ones, that is, angels forming a heavenly army beyond reckoning. Jesus is coming in order to judge everyone, by which is meant all the ungodly (v. 4). He has been authorized to pass sentence as judge by God the Father (John 5:27–30). The sonorous repetition ungodly … ungodly … ungodly … ungodly drives home the solemnity and certainty of judgment against these evil men, like so many nails in their coffin, on account of both their acts and their words.

16 These men are grumblers (gongystai) and faultfinders (mempsimoiroi), both Greek terms occurring in the NT only here. The splendidly onomatopoeic gongystai is used in the LXX of the Israelites who grumbled against God in the wilderness (Exod. 15:24; 17:3; Num. 14:29). These men, too, Jude is saying, are complaining against God and his directions for living, preferring their own way—but then blaming God for anything that goes wrong for them. The mempsimoiros was well known in Greek literature as a discontent, always finding something to moan about in his lot. His attitude is exactly the converse of Paul’s “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).

They follow (lit. “are journeying down the road of”) their own evil desires, for they reject divine authority. “To them self-discipline and self-control are nothing; to them the moral law is only a burden and a nuisance; honour and duty have no claim upon them; they have no desire to serve and no sense of responsibility. Their one value is pleasure and their one dynamic is desire” (Barclay, p. 198). Furthermore, they boast about themselves, engaging in bombastic speech in an effort to impress. They are quite prepared to flatter others if they think they can wheedle something out of them to their own advantage. The false teachers both bluster and fawn.

Additional Notes

14 Enoch is also mentioned in the NT in Luke 3:37 (as an ancestor of Jesus) and in Heb. 11:5 (as a hero of faith).

The seventh from Adam is the usual description of Enoch in Jewish writings (1 Enoch 60:8; 93:3; Philo, On the Posterity and Exile of Cain 173; Jubilees 7:39; Lev. Rabbah 29.11).

The Lord is coming is lit. “came,” (ēlthen), the Greek aorist used prophetically (as in 1 Kings 22:17, “I saw all Israel scattered”).

With thousands upon thousands of his holy ones: angels, the heavenly army attending the returning Lord of glory (Deut. 33:2; Dan. 7:10; Zech. 14:5; Matt. 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Thess. 1:7).

15 The evil men’s words are described as harsh (sklēros, hard, rough). In 1 Enoch 27:2, Uriel speaks of the valley in which are confined all those who have spoken hard things against the glory of the Lord.

16 Faultfinders (mempsimoiroi): “You are satisfied by nothing that befalls you; you complain about everything. You don’t want what you have got; you long for what you haven’t got. In winter, you wish it were summer, and in summer that it was winter. You are like some sick people, hard to please and a mempsimoiros!” (Lucian, Cynic 17).

They boast about themselves (to stoma autōn lalei hyperonka): lit. “their mouth talks big.” The Greek expression lalei hyperonka does not appear elsewhere in the NT, but it is used of Antiochus Epiphanes’ blasphemous utterance against God in Theodotian’s version of Dan. 11:36.

Understanding the Bible Commentary Series by Norman Hillyer, Baker Publishing Group, 2016

Dictionary

Direct Matches

Adam

See Adam and Eve.

Archangel

A chief or first angel. See also Angel.

Balaam

Toward the end of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses led the people of Israel to the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho (Num. 22:1). From this place, Israel would soon cross into the promised land. However, Israel had just defeated Sihon and Og (Num. 21:21 35), two Transjordanian kings, putting fear in the minds of the Moabites and their king, Balak.

To counteract the threat, Balak tried to enlist the aid of a well-known diviner, Balaam, who lived in Pethor, a site in northwest Mesopotamia (Num. 22:5). The king wanted to weaken Israel by having Balaam curse the Israelites. However, God made it clear to Balaam that he would not endorse any action against his people. Balaam at first refused to go with the Moabite messengers, but after being enticed by an even bigger payment, he left for Moab. God allowed him to go, but with a warning that Balaam could do only what God himself commanded him to do. God emphasized this last point by famously putting an invisible angel in the path of Balaam’s donkey so that it could not pass. In frustration, Balaam whipped the donkey until God gave the animal voice to object to the beating, and then the Lord opened the diviner’s eyes to the angel’s presence. The episode puts Balaam in a negative light, having his donkey alert him, the diviner, to the angel’s presence.

Nonetheless, Balaam continues on his journey, but due to God’s command, he could only bless and not curse Israel. At Balak’s urging, he tries to curse Israel four times, but each time he delivers an oracle of blessing. The final oracle directed to Israel (Num. 23:15–19) contains the most memorable words of Balaam as he predicts, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” (24:17), which comes to fulfillment in the rise of the Davidic dynasty.

Thus, Balak of Moab’s attempt to thwart Israel by prophetic curse fails. However, Num. 25 reports that a different tactic does succeed in bringing harm, though not utter ruin, to the people of God. Some Israelites start sleeping with women of Moab and Midian and worshiping their gods. The damage is stopped by the swift action of Phinehas the priest. Although Balaam is not named in this chapter, Num. 31:16 reports that he was the one who originated the plot. Apparently, Balaam was determined to get the payment. Later Scripture holds him up as a negative example of a false teacher who cares only about money (Judg. 11; 2 Pet. 2:15; Rev. 2:14). The Israelites kill him along with many other Midianites (Num. 31:8).

Cain

The first son of Adam and Eve, initially assigned Adam’s task of working the land. His story is told in Gen. 4: After God favors his younger brother Abel’s offering over his own, he becomes jealous, angry, and downcast (vv. 1 5). God offers him the hope of righteousness and caution against sin, but Cain murders his brother (vv. 7–8). Similar to his parents’ reaction when confronted by God, Cain lies and pleads ignorance when God confronts him about Abel’s death (v. 9), then receives a change in vocational assignment and is banished from God’s presence (v. 14). He becomes a wanderer, and his lineage is prone to arrogance and deceit. The NT use of his name is related to selfishness and wickedness (Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12; Jude 11).

Christ

The founder of what became known as the movement of Jesus followers or Christianity. For Christian believers, Jesus Christ embodies the personal and supernatural intervention of God in human history.

Birth and childhood. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem during the reign of Herod the Great (Matt. 2:1; Luke 2:4, 11). Jesus was probably born between 6 and 4 BC, shortly before Herod’s death (Matt. 2:19). Both Matthew and Luke record the miracle of a virginal conception made possible by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:35). Luke mentions a census under the Syrian governor Quirinius that was responsible for Jesus’ birth taking place in Bethlehem (2:1 5). Both the census and the governorship at the time of the birth of Jesus have been questioned by scholars. Unfortunately, there is not enough extrabiblical evidence to either confirm or disprove these events, so their veracity must be determined on the basis of one’s view regarding the general reliability of the Gospel tradition.

On the eighth day after his birth, Jesus was circumcised, in keeping with the Jewish law, at which time he officially was named “Jesus” (Luke 2:21). He spent his growing years in Nazareth, in the home of his parents, Joseph and Mary (2:40). Of the NT Gospels, the Gospel of Luke contains the only brief portrayal of Jesus’ growth in strength, wisdom, and favor with God and people (2:40, 52). Luke also contains the only account of Jesus as a young boy (2:41–49).

Baptism, temptation, and start of ministry. After Jesus was baptized by the prophet John the Baptist (Luke 3:21–22), God affirmed his pleasure with him by referring to him as his Son, whom he loved (Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22). Jesus’ baptism did not launch him into fame and instant ministry success; instead, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted for forty days (Matt. 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13). Mark stresses that the temptations immediately followed the baptism. Matthew and Luke identify three specific temptations by the devil, though their order for the last two is reversed. Both Matthew and Luke agree that Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread, expect divine intervention after jumping off the temple portico, and receive all the world’s kingdoms for worshiping the devil. Jesus resisted all temptation, quoting Scripture in response.

Matthew and Mark record that Jesus began his ministry in Capernaum in Galilee, after the arrest of John the Baptist (Matt. 4:12–13; Mark 1:14). Luke says that Jesus started his ministry at about thirty years of age (3:23). This may be meant to indicate full maturity or perhaps correlate this age with the onset of the service of the Levites in the temple (cf. Num. 4:3). John narrates the beginning of Jesus’ ministry by focusing on the calling of the disciples and the sign performed at a wedding at Cana (1:35–2:11).

Galilean ministry. The early stages of Jesus’ ministry centered in and around Galilee. Jesus presented the good news and proclaimed that the kingdom of God was near. Matthew focuses on the fulfillment of prophecy (Matt. 4:13–17). Luke records Jesus’ first teaching in his hometown, Nazareth, as paradigmatic (Luke 4:16–30); the text that Jesus quoted, Isa. 61:1–2, set the stage for his calling to serve and revealed a trajectory of rejection and suffering.

All the Gospels record Jesus’ gathering of disciples early in his Galilean ministry (Matt. 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11; John 1:35–51). The formal call and commissioning of the Twelve who would become Jesus’ closest followers is recorded in different parts of the Gospels (Matt. 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16). A key event in the early ministry is the Sermon on the Mount/Plain (Matt. 5:1–7:29; Luke 6:20–49). John focuses on Jesus’ signs and miracles, in particular in the early parts of his ministry, whereas the Synoptics focus on healings and exorcisms.

During Jesus’ Galilean ministry, onlookers struggled with his identity. However, evil spirits knew him to be of supreme authority (Mark 3:11). Jesus was criticized by outsiders and by his own family (3:21). The scribes from Jerusalem identified him as a partner of Beelzebul (3:22). Amid these situations of social conflict, Jesus told parables that couched his ministry in the context of a growing kingdom of God. This kingdom would miraculously spring from humble beginnings (4:1–32).

The Synoptics present Jesus’ early Galilean ministry as successful. No challenge or ministry need superseded Jesus’ authority or ability: he calmed a storm (Mark 4:35–39), exorcized many demons (5:1–13), raised the dead (5:35–42), fed five thousand (6:30–44), and walked on water (6:48–49).

In the later part of his ministry in Galilee, Jesus often withdrew and traveled to the north and the east. The Gospel narratives are not written with a focus on chronology. However, only brief returns to Galilee appear to have taken place prior to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. As people followed Jesus, faith was praised and fear resolved. Jerusalem’s religious leaders traveled to Galilee, where they leveled accusations and charged Jesus’ disciples with lacking ritual purity (Mark 7:1–5). Jesus shamed the Pharisees by pointing out their dishonorable treatment of parents (7:11–13). The Pharisees challenged his legitimacy by demanding a sign (8:11). Jesus refused them signs but agreed with Peter, who confessed, “You are the Messiah” (8:29). Jesus did provide the disciples a sign: his transfiguration (9:2–8).

Jesus withdrew from Galilee to Tyre and Sidon, where a Syrophoenician woman requested healing for her daughter. Jesus replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). Galileans had long resented the Syrian provincial leadership partiality that allotted governmental funds in ways that made the Jews receive mere “crumbs.” Consequently, when the woman replied, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” Jesus applauded her faith (Matt. 15:27–28). Healing a deaf-mute man in the Decapolis provided another example of Jesus’ ministry in Gentile territory (Mark 7:31–37). Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ took place during Jesus’ travel to Caesarea Philippi, a well-known Gentile territory. The city was the ancient center of worship of the Hellenistic god Pan.

Judean ministry. Luke records a geographic turning point in Jesus’ ministry as he resolutely set out for Jerusalem, a direction that eventually led to his death (Luke 9:51). Luke divides the journey to Jerusalem into three phases (9:51–13:21; 13:22–17:10; 17:11–19:27). The opening verses of phase one emphasize a prophetic element of the journey. Jesus viewed his ministry in Jerusalem as his mission, and the demands on discipleship intensified as Jesus approached Jerusalem (Matt. 20:17–19, 26–28; Mark 10:38–39, 43–45; Luke 14:25–35). Luke presents the second phase of the journey toward Jerusalem with a focus on conversations regarding salvation and judgment (Luke 13:22–30). In the third and final phase of the journey, the advent of the kingdom and the final judgment are the main themes (17:20–37; 19:11–27).

Social conflicts with religious leaders increased throughout Jesus’ ministry. These conflicts led to lively challenge-riposte interactions concerning the Pharisaic schools of Shammai and Hillel (Matt. 19:1–12; Mark 10:1–12). Likewise, socioeconomic feathers were ruffled as Jesus welcomed young children, who had little value in society (Matt. 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17).

Passion week, death, and resurrection. Each of the Gospels records Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with the crowds extending him a royal welcome (Matt. 21:4–9; Mark 11:7–10; Luke 19:35–38; John 12:12–15). Luke describes Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem as a time during which Jesus taught in the temple as Israel’s Messiah (19:45–21:38).

In Jerusalem, Jesus cleansed the temple of profiteering (Mark 11:15–17). Mark describes the religious leaders as fearing Jesus because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching, and so they “began looking for a way to kill him” (11:18). Dismayed, each segment of Jerusalem’s temple leadership inquired about Jesus’ authority (11:27–33). Jesus replied with cunning questions (12:16, 35–36), stories (12:1–12), denunciation (12:38–44), and a prediction of Jerusalem’s own destruction (13:1–31). One of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas Iscariot, provided the temple leaders the opportunity for Jesus’ arrest (14:10–11).

At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted a new Passover, defining a new covenant grounded in his sufferings (Matt. 26:17–18, 26–29; Mark 14:16–25; Luke 22:14–20). He again warned the disciples of his betrayal and arrest (Matt. 26:21–25, 31; Mark 14:27–31; Luke 22:21–23; John 13:21–30), and later he prayed for the disciples (John 17:1–26) and prayed in agony and submissiveness in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–42; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–42). His arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and resurrection followed (Matt. 26:46–28:15; Mark 14:43–16:8; Luke 22:47–24:9; John 18:1–20:18). Jesus finally commissioned his disciples to continue his mission by making disciples of all the nations (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 1:8) and ascended to heaven with the promise that he will one day return (Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:9–11).

Clouds

The OT depicts God as riding on a cloud (Judg. 5:4; Isa. 19:1; Pss. 18:11 12; 68:4; 104:3), and as the creator and sender of clouds: “Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain; from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field” (Zech. 10:1 ESV [see also 1 Kings 18:44; Pss. 135:7; 147:8; Prov. 8:28; Isa. 5:6; Jer. 10:13]). Divine judgment is pictured as a dark storm (Isa. 30:30; Lam. 2:1; Nah. 1:3; Zech. 1:15).

At several crucial points God manifested his presence among the Israelites in the form of a cloud: in the wilderness (the “pillar of cloud” of Exod. 13:21 and elsewhere), on Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:9; 24:15), in the tabernacle (Exod. 40:34), in the temple at Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10), and frequently in the visions of Ezekiel (e.g., Ezek. 1:4; 10:3).

The NT continues the imagery of the cloud as a manifestation of divine presence in the story of the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:36), and also in depictions of Jesus as a cloud-rider in Matt. 26:64; Rev. 14:14 (see Dan. 7:13). Jesus was hidden by a cloud when he ascended (Acts 1:9), and believers will be caught up by clouds at his return (1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 11:12).

Devil

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.

Egypt

Egypt is one of the earliest ancient civilizations. The first development of writing took place simultaneously in both Egypt and ancient Sumer around 3000 BC.

Ancient Sumer and Egypt were river valley cultures. Sumer was located in Mesopotamia (southeast Iraq), Egypt in the Nile Valley (northeast Africa). The Nile Valley was well suited for long-term growth and cultural success for three reasons. First, the annual flooding of the Nile (July to October) brought sediment and nutrients from up river to the fields of the Nile Valley. The water also washed the salts out of the soil. These brought great fertility to the valley and allowed the same fields to be farmed year after year for millennia without exhausting the land. Second, the Nile provided a central highway for transporting people and goods across Egypt, thus facilitating internal trade and communication. Third, Egypt was surrounded by a buffer zone of desert regions to the east, west, and south, which hindered foreign invasion. Ancient Egyptians called the fertile land of the Nile Valley the “black land” and the desert regions the “red land.” They also divided the land into “upper” and “lower” Egypt. Upper Egypt (from the first cataract northward to Memphis) was in the higher southern elevations of the Nile River (the Nile flows from south to north). Lower Egypt was made up of the Nile Delta region. Only a pharaoh who controlled and unified both could take the epithet “king of upper and lower Egypt.”

Egypt had an ancient and long history, but the following summary will only address Egypt as it comes into contact with biblical history.

First Intermediate period (2134 2040 BC) and Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 BC). After the death of Pepy II came economic collapse due to drought and falling tax revenues. These led to political collapse, and power was split among many competing factions. This time of instability is known as the First Intermediate period; it ended when the Eleventh Dynasty pharaoh Mentuhotep II reunified Egypt and reestablished a strong central government. It is likely around the time of the end of the First Intermediate period (2134–2040 BC) and the beginning of the Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 BC) that Abraham visited Egypt and later Joseph, Jacob, and his family entered Egypt. The famous Beni Hasan tomb painting of this period shows a caravan of Semitic peoples moving into Egypt, wearing multicolored clothing. In this period the position of vizier (prime minister) grew to prominence. One vizier, Amenemhet, succeeded to the throne of Egypt. Joseph filled the role of vizier in the biblical account (Gen. 41:39–40). Also dating from this period are turquoise mines in the Sinai region that have the earliest known Semitic inscription. Written on the mine walls in Proto-Sinaitic, this inscription may be the earliest alphabetic script in existence.

Second Intermediate period (1640–1550 BC). At the end of the Middle Kingdom, Egypt again fell into a fractured political situation with the decline of the pharaoh’s power. A Semitic people, the Hyksos (Egyptian for “foreign rulers” or “shepherd kings”), invaded the Nile Delta region and established their capital at Avaris. The Seventeenth Dynasty continued to rule Upper Egypt in the south while the Hyksos were in power. Although the Israelites were servants of Pharaoh from the beginning (keeping his flocks), they were not enslaved until later. It may have been a Hyksos pharaoh or a New Kingdom pharaoh who enslaved them to hard labor.

New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC). The last king of the Seventeenth (Theban) Dynasty, Kamose, attacked the Hyksos, but it was his successor, Ahmose, who drove them out and reunified Egypt. Ahmose is considered the first pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. It may have been Ahmose or one of his successors who enslaved the Hebrews. During the first half of the New Kingdom, Egypt was at the height of its power and wealth. During this period Egyptians began to call their king “Pharaoh,” meaning “great house.” The Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Thutmose III and his son Amenhotep II are good candidates for an early-date exodus (c. 1446 BC). A later king of the Eighteenth Dynasty, Akhenaten, moved the capital to Amarna and shifted his allegiance from Amun-Re, the sun god, to sole worship of the god Aton (sun-disk). For this reason, many identify him as the first monotheist. Akhenaten may have made this move in order to defund the temples and priestly orders that had grown very wealthy and powerful over time. His reforms did not last, and the worship of Amun-Re was restored by his successor, Tutankhamen. The Nineteenth Dynasty warrior Ramesses II is the likely pharaoh of a late-date Exodus (c. 1250 BC).

Third Intermediate period (1069–664 BC). This period was a time of weak and divided government, with capitals in the north and the south. Pharaoh Siamun has been conjectured to be King Solomon’s father-in-law, who conquered Gezer and gave it to Solomon as a dowry (c. 960 BC; 1 Kings 9:16). Later, Sheshonq (biblical Shishak), a Libyan pharaoh of the Twenty-second Dynasty, came to the throne and campaigned against Solomon’s son Rehoboam, plundering Jerusalem in the process (1 Kings 14:25; 2 Chron. 12:2; cf. 1 Kings 11:40). The African Cushite pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (760–664 BC) ruled the north for a little more than a century but failed to defend against the waves of Assyrian conquest in the seventh century BC.

Late Kingdom period (664–525 BC). The Twenty-sixth (Saite) Dynasty (ruling from the Delta city of Sais) reunified Egypt under native Egyptian control. Pharaoh Necho II tried to support a declining Assyria as a buffer against the Babylonian onslaught but was unsuccessful (c. 609 BC). However, in the process Necho killed King Josiah of Judah in battle at Megiddo and placed one of Josiah’s sons, Jehoiakim, as a vassal upon the throne of Judah (2 Kings 23:29–35; cf. 2 Chron. 35:20–36:8; Jer. 46:2). After the Babylonian destruction of Judah/Jerusalem (587/586 BC) and the murder of their Jewish governor, Gedaliah, a group of Jewish exiles fled to Egypt. This group forced the prophet Jeremiah to go with them to Egypt (Jer. 40:1–43:7). A small group of Jewish exiles eventually found their way to a tiny island in the upper Nile, Elephantine, where they established a temple and community; there they worked as mercenaries.

Persian period (525–332 BC). Cambyses II, king of Persia and son of Cyrus the Great, conquered Egypt in 525 BC. His successor, Darius I, ruled Egypt benevolently and resumed the construction of temples and canals. However, Egypt revolted against Persian rule several times, ultimately winning independence in 404 BC with the help of Greek allies. The last native Egyptian pharaoh was Nectanebo II, who ruled in 359–343 BC. However, this period of Egyptian independence was short-lived, with Persia reestablishing control in 343 BC.

Hellenistic-Roman period (332–30 BC; 30 BC and beyond). Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC. After Alexander’s death, his general Ptolemy took control of Egypt and ruled as pharaoh. From Alexander’s conquest to the death of Cleopatra, Egyptian rulers were of Greek descent. After Cleopatra’s death (30 BC), Rome annexed Egypt into its empire and governed the country until the fall of the Roman Empire. A large contingent of Jews lived and prospered in the Delta city of Alexandria in this period.

Enoch

(1) The son of Cain after whom Cain named a city (Gen. 4:17). (2) The son of Jared and the father of Methuselah in Seth’s line. According to Gen. 5:23, he lived 365 years, conspicuously shorter than others in the genealogy. Most interpret Gen. 5:24 as saying that God took Enoch to the heavenly realm, without death, due to Enoch’s piety. In the NT, Jude 14 assumes that he wrote or prophesied part of 1 Enoch, a collection of Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic writings.

Faith

Faith in the context of the OT rests on a foundation that the person or object of trust, belief, or confidence is reliable. Trust in Yahweh is expressed through loyalty and obedience. The theme of responsive obedience is emphasized in the Torah (Exod. 19:5). In the later history of Israel, faithfulness to the law became the predominant expression of faith (Dan. 1:8; 6:10). OT faith, then, is a moral response rather than abstract intellect or emotion.

Faith is a central theological concept in the NT. In relational terms, faith is foremost personalized as the locus of trust and belief in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospels, Jesus is spoken of not as the subject of faith (as believing in God), but as the object of faith. In the Synoptic Gospels, faith is seen most often in connection with the ministry of Jesus. Miracles, in particular healings, are presented as taking place in response to the faith of the one in need of healing or the requester. In the Gospel of John, faith (belief) is presented as something that God requires of his people (6:28 29).

In the book of Acts, “faith/belief” is used to refer to Jews and Gentiles converting to following the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and becoming part of the Christian community. The book correlates faith in Christ closely with repentance (Acts 11:21; 19:18; 20:21; 26:18).

Paul relates faith to righteousness and justification (Rom. 3:22; 5:11; Gal. 3:6). In Ephesians faith is shown as instrumental in salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (2:8).

In Hebrews, faith is described as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (11:1). Faith thus is viewed as something that can be accomplished in the life of the believer—a calling of God not yet tangible or seen. To possess faith is to be loyal to God and to the gospel of Jesus Christ despite all obstacles. In the Letter of James, genuine works naturally accompany genuine faith. Works, however, are expressed in doing the will of God. The will of God means, for example, caring for the poor (James 2:15–16).

In 1 Peter, Christ is depicted as the broker of faith in God (1:21), whereas in 2 Peter and Jude faith is presented as received from God (2 Pet. 1:1). In the Letters of John “to believe” is used as a litmus test for those who possess eternal life: “You who believe in the name of the Son of God, . . . you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Father

People in the Bible were family-centered and staunchly loyal to their kin. Families formed the foundation of society. The extended family was the source of people’s status in the community and provided the primary economic, educational, religious, and social interactions.

Marriage and divorce. Marriage in the ancient Near East was a contractual arrangement between two families, arranged by the bride’s father or a male representative. The bride’s family was paid a dowry, a “bride’s price.” Paying a dowry was not only an economic transaction but also an expression of family honor. Only the rich could afford multiple dowries. Thus, polygamy was minimal. The wedding itself was celebrated with a feast provided by the father of the groom.

The primary purpose for marriage in the ancient Near East was to produce a male heir to ensure care for the couple in their old age. The concept of inheritance was a key part of the marriage customs, especially with regard to passing along possessions and property.

Marriage among Jews in the NT era still tended to be endogamous; that is, Jews sought to marry close kin without committing incest violations (Lev. 18:6 17). A Jewish male certainly was expected to marry a Jew. Exogamy, marrying outside the remote kinship group, and certainly outside the ethnos, was understood as shaming God’s holiness. Thus, a Jew marrying a Gentile woman was not an option. The Romans did practice exogamy. For them, marrying outside one’s kinship group (not ethnos) was based predominantly on creating strategic alliances between families.

Greek and Roman law allowed both men and women to initiate divorce. In Jewish marriages, only the husband could initiate divorce proceedings. If a husband divorced his wife, he had to release her and repay the dowry. Divorce was common in cases of infertility (in particular if the woman had not provided male offspring). Ben Sira comments that barrenness in a woman is a cause of anxiety to the father (Sir. 42:9–10). Another reason for divorce was adultery (Exod. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). Jesus, though, taught a more restrictive use of divorce than the OT (Mark 10:1–12).

Children and parenting. Childbearing was considered representative of God’s blessing on a woman and her entire family, in particular her husband. In contrast to this blessing, barrenness brought shame on women, their families, and specifically their husbands.

Children were of low social status in society. Infant mortality was high. An estimated 60 percent of the children in the first-century Mediterranean society were dead by the age of sixteen.

Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean societies exhibited a parenting style based on their view of human nature as a mixture of good and evil tendencies. Parents relied on physical punishment to prevent evil tendencies from developing into evil deeds (Prov. 29:15). The main concern of parents was to socialize the children into family loyalty. Lack of such loyalty was punished (Lev. 20:9). At a very early stage children were taught to accept the total authority of the father. The rearing of girls was entirely the responsibility of the women. Girls were taught domestic roles and duties as soon as possible so that they could help with household tasks.

Family identity was used as a metaphor in ancient Israel to speak of fidelity, responsibility, judgment, and reconciliation. In the OT, the people of Israel often are described as children of God. In their overall relationship to God, the people of Israel are referred to in familial terms—sons and daughters, spouse, and firstborn (Exod. 4:22). God is addressed as the father of the people (Isa. 63:16; 64:8) and referred to as their mother (Isa. 49:14–17).

The church as the family of God. Throughout his ministry, Jesus called his disciples to follow him. This was a call to loyalty (Matt. 10:32–40; 16:24–26; Mark 8:34–38; Luke 9:23–26), a call to fictive kinship, the family of God (Matt. 12:48–50; Mark 3:33–35). Jesus’ declaration “On this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18) was preceded by the call to community. Entrance into the community was granted through adopting the values of the kingdom, belief, and the initiation rite of baptism (Matt. 10:37–39; 16:24–26; Mark 8:34–38; Luke 9:23–26, 57–63; John 1:12; 3:16; 10:27–29; Acts 2:38; 16:31–33; 17:30; Rom. 10:9). Jesus’ presence as the head of the community was eventually replaced by the promised Spirit (John 14:16–18). Through the Spirit, Jesus’ ministry continues in the community of his followers, God’s family—the church. See also Adoption.

Feasts

The Israelites gathered regularly to celebrate their relationship with God. Such festivals were marked by communal meals, music, singing, dancing, and sacrifices. They celebrated, conscious that God had graciously brought them into a relationship with him. Within this covenant he had committed himself to act on their behalf both in regular ways, such as the harvest, and in exceptional ways, such as deliverance from Egypt. At the festivals, Israel celebrated God’s work in its past, present, and future and reaffirmed its relationship with this covenant God.

We know of Israel’s festivals from several calendars in the Mosaic legislation (Exod. 23:14 17; 34:18–23; Lev. 23; Num. 28–29; Deut. 16:1–17), calendars further clarified by the prophets (e.g., Ezek. 45:18–25; Zech. 14), and narrative material (e.g., 2 Kings 23:21–23).

Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Israel’s religious calendar began with Passover, the day set aside to commemorate deliverance from Egypt. Occurring in spring, this single day was joined with a weeklong celebration known as the Festival of Unleavened Bread, during which all males were required to make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary and offer the firstfruits of the barley harvest (Lev. 23:9–14). Israel observed Passover with rituals that reactualized the night God’s destroyer spared the Israelites in Egypt. A lamb was killed, and its blood was put on the doorposts of the homes and on the bronze altar in the sanctuary. The lamb was roasted and served with unleavened bread and bitter herbs while those partaking—dressed in their traveling clothes—listened to the retelling of the exodus story. No yeast was to be found anywhere among them, no work was to be done on the first and last days of the festival, and offerings were to be brought to the sanctuary (Num. 9:1–5; Josh. 5:10–11; 2 Kings 23:21–23; 2 Chron. 30; 35:1–19).

Early Christians associated Jesus’ death with that of the Passover (Paschal) lamb (1 Cor. 5:7–8), encouraged by Jesus’ comments at the Last Supper (described by the Synoptic Gospels as a Passover meal [e.g., Matt. 26:17–30]). Perhaps Jesus meant to emphasize that just as Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread reminded God’s people of his deliverance and provision, his followers would find true freedom and full provision in him.

The Festival of Weeks. Also known as the Festival of Harvest, the Day of Firstfruits, or Pentecost (because it occurred fifty days after Passover), the Festival of Weeks took place on the sixth day of the third month (corresponding to our May or June). This marked another occasion when all Jewish men were required to come to the sanctuary. They were to bring an offering of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, abstain from work, and devote themselves to rejoicing in God’s goodness.

Early in the NT period, if not before, this festival also became associated with the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. The Jews who assembled in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost as described in Acts 2 came to celebrate not only God’s provision but also the revelation of his nature and will. Significantly, God chose this day to send the Holy Spirit, the One who would produce a harvest of believers and reveal God more fully to the world.

The Festival of Tabernacles. So important was the Festival of Tabernacles (also known as the Festival of Ingathering or the Festival of Booths) that Israel sometimes referred to it as “the festival of the Lord” (Judg. 21:19) or simply “the festival” (cf. 1 Kings 8:65). Held from the fifteenth to the twenty-first of the seventh month (September–October), this was the third of the three pilgrimage festivals. For that week, Israel lived in booths to remind them of their ancestors’ time in the wilderness. They also celebrated the fruit harvest. They were to “take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice” before God for seven days (Lev. 23:40 NRSV). Avoiding all work on the first and last days of the festival, they were to mark the week with sacrifices, celebration, and joy. Also, every seventh year the law was to be read at this festival (Deut. 31:10–11).

John 7 records Jesus’ secretive departure to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles, where he spent several days teaching in the temple courts. It was on the last and greatest day of the festival when Jesus invited those thirsty to come to him and drink.

The Festival of Trumpets. Occurring on the first day of the seventh month (September–October), this feast marked the beginning of the civil and agricultural year for the Jews; it was also referred to as Rosh Hashanah (lit., “head/beginning of the year”). Observed as a Sabbath with sacrifices and trumpet blasts, this day was intended for rest and to begin preparations for the coming Day of Atonement. The Mishnah makes this connection more explicit by identifying the Festival of Trumpets as the day when “all that come into the world pass before [God] like legions of soldiers” or flocks of sheep to be judged (m. Ros. HaSh. 1:2).

The Day of Atonement. Some festivals, like Passover, looked back to what God had done or was doing for his people; other festivals, like Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), focused on the relationship itself. The latter was marked by repentance and rituals designed to remove the nation’s sins and restore fellowship with God. Coming ten days after the Festival of Trumpets, this was a solemn occasion during which the Israelites abstained from eating, drinking, and other activities. This was the only prescribed annual fast in the Jewish calendar, though other fasts were added in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months to mourn the Babylonian exile (Zech. 7:3, 5; 8:19).

In Leviticus, God clarified the purpose of this day: “On this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins” (16:30). Not only would the people be purified but so also would the sanctuary, so that God could continue to meet his people there. Sacrifices were offered for both priest and people, and the blood was taken into the most holy place. Only on Yom Kippur could this room be entered, and only by the high priest, who sprinkled blood on the cover of the ark of the covenant. Leaving that room, he also sprinkled blood in the holy place (16:14–17) and then on the bronze altar in the courtyard.

Yom Kippur was marked by another ritual that symbolized the removal of Israel’s sins, this one involving two goats. One goat, chosen by lot, was offered as a sacrifice to God. The high priest placed his hands on the other goat and transferred to it the sins of the nation. He then released the goat into the wilderness, for “the goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place” (Lev. 16:22).

The book of Hebrews uses the symbols of Yom Kippur to describe Jesus’ death. As the high priest entered the most holy place, so Jesus entered God’s presence, carrying not the blood of bull and goat but his own. His once-for-all death at the “culmination of the ages” (Heb. 9:26) not only allows him to remain in God’s presence (10:12) but also gives us access to God’s presence as well (10:19–22).

Sabbath Year. Every seven years, the Israelites were to observe a “Sabbath of the land” (Lev. 25:6 ESV), a time for the land to rest. They could not sow fields or prune vineyards, but they could eat what grew of itself (25:1–7). Deuteronomy 15:1–11 speaks of all debts being canceled (some would say deferred) every seventh year, presumably the same year the land was to lie fallow. When Israel was gathered at the Festival of Tabernacles during this Sabbath Year, the law of Moses was to be read aloud. The Chronicler described the seventy years of Babylonian exile as “sabbaths” for the land, perhaps alluding to the neglect of the Sabbath Year (2 Chron. 36:21; cf. Lev. 26:43). Those returning from exile expressed their intent to keep this provision (Neh. 10:31), and it appears to have been observed in the intertestamental period (see 1 Macc. 6:48–53; Josephus, Ant. 14.202–10).

This year seems intended to maintain the fertility of the land and to allow Israel’s economy to “reset,” equalizing wealth and limiting poverty. Observing such a provision took great faith and firm allegiance, for they had to trust God for daily bread and put obedience above profit. Rereading the law at the Festival of Tabernacles reminded the Israelites of God’s gracious covenant and their required response.

Jubilee. God instructed Israel to count off seven “sevens” of years and in the fiftieth year, beginning on the Day of Atonement, to sound a trumpet marking the Jubilee Year. As in the Sabbath Year, there was to be no sowing and reaping. Further, the land was released from its current owners and returned to those families to whom it originally belonged. Individual Israelites who had become indentured through economic distress were to be freed. The assumption underlying the Jubilee Year was that everything belonged to God. He owned the land and its occupants; the Israelites were only tenants and stewards (Lev. 25:23, 55). As their covenant Lord, he would provide for their needs even during back-to-back Sabbath Years (Lev. 25:21). The year began on the Day of Atonement, perhaps to emphasize that the best response to God’s redemptive mercy is faith in his provision and mercy to others. Although the Jubilee Year is commanded in the Mosaic law and spoken about by the prophets (Isa. 61:1–2; Ezek. 46:17), rabbis, and Jesus (Luke 4:18–19), Scripture is silent on how or if Israel observed this year.

New Moon. The beginning of each month was marked with the sounding of trumpets, rejoicing, and sacrifices (Num. 10:10; 28:11–15). There is some indication that work was to be suspended on this day, as on the Sabbath (Amos 8:5), and that people gathered for a meal (1 Sam. 20:5, 18, 24, 27). By faithfully observing this day, Israel was in a position to properly observe the remaining days, set up, as they were, on the lunar calendar. Paul learned of some in Colossae who were giving undue attention to New Moon celebrations (Col. 2:16).

Purim. Beyond the festivals commanded in the law of Moses, the Jews added two more to their sacred calendar, one during the postexilic period and one between the Testaments. Both commemorated God’s deliverance of his people from their enemies. A wave of anti-Semitic persecution swept over the Jews living in Persia during the reign of Xerxes (486–465 BC). God delivered his people through Esther, and the Jews celebrated this deliverance with the festival of Purim. Their enemies determined when to attack by casting lots, so the Jews called this festival “Purim,” meaning “lots.” It was celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the twelfth month (February–March) with “feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22).

Festival of Dedication. During the inter-testamental period, the Jews came under great persecution from the Seleucids, who outlawed the practice of Judaism and desecrated the Jerusalem temple. After recapturing the temple, the Jews began the process of purification. On the twenty-fifth day of their ninth month, in the year 164 BC, the Jews rose at dawn and offered a lawful sacrifice on the new altar of burnt offering which they had made. The altar was dedicated, to the sound of hymns, zithers, lyres and cymbals, at the same time of year and on the same day on which the gentiles had originally profaned it. The whole people fell prostrate in adoration and then praised Heaven who had granted them success. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar, joyfully offering burnt offerings, communion and thanksgiving sacrifices. . . . Judas [Maccabees], with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev [December], with rejoicing and gladness. (1 Macc. 4:52–56, 59 NJB)

This festival is also called “Hanukkah” (from the Hebrew word for “dedicate”) or the Festival of Lights, to recall the lighting of the lamps in the temple. The rabbis told how these lamps were lit from a small quantity of oil that miraculously lasted eight days until more could be consecrated. John 10:22–39 describes events from Jesus’ life that took place at the Festival of Dedication.

Fruit

Literally, fruit is the seed-bearing part of a plant. It constitutes an important part of the diet in the ancient Near East. Common fruits are olives, grapes, and figs, though many other varieties of fruit are also available, including apples, apricots, peaches, pomegranates, dates, and melons. Fruit trees play a prominent role as a food source in God’s creation and preparation of the garden of Eden (Gen. 1 3). The law prohibits the Israelites from cutting down their enemy’s fruit trees (Deut. 20:19). The abundance of fruit trees characterizes the land that God has prepared for Israel (Deut. 8:8; Neh. 9:25) as well as the final restoration (Ezek. 47:12; Joel 2:22; Rev. 22:2).

One aspect of fruit is that it grows from a plant. This use of the term is often extended to represent what emerges from something else. Thus, fruit may represent offspring, whether human or animal (Deut. 7:13; 28:4), one’s actions (Matt. 7:16–20), the result of one’s actions or choices (Prov. 1:31; 10:16; Jer. 17:10), or words coming from one’s mouth (Prov. 12:14; Heb. 13:15). In the NT especially, producing much fruit symbolizes performing deeds that are pleasing to God (Matt. 3:8; 13:23; Mark 4:20; John 15:16; Rom. 7:4; Col. 1:10). Those who live by the Spirit produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23). The apostle Paul speaks of the first converts in a particular region as being firstfruits, probably referring to their conversion as the result of the gospel being preached in the area (Rom. 16:5; 2 Thess. 2:13).

Gomorrah

After Abram (Abraham) realizes that the land between Bethel and Ai cannot support both him and Lot, he suggests that they part company. Abraham gives Lot first choice, and he decides to settle in the fertile cities of the Jordan plain on the outskirts of Sodom (Gen. 13:1 12). The text then describes Sodom’s inhabitants as “wicked” and “sinning greatly against the Lord” (13:13). In Gen. 18 God reveals to Abram his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the “outcry against” these cities and their “grievous” sin. God says, “I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me” (18:20). Abram pleads on behalf of Sodom and bargains with God to spare the righteous in the city.

Two angels of the Lord then arrive at Sodom to carry out the task of God’s investigation, and Lot meets them and invites them to stay the night with him. The men of Sodom then surround the house and demand that the visitors be brought out to them to be raped. Lot refuses and offers his daughters instead, intending to protect the visitors. The angelic messengers strike the wicked men of Sodom with blindness, and Lot, his wife, and his daughters flee the city. God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with a rain of “burning sulfur” (Gen. 19:24).

In both the OT and the NT, the cities’ names become a symbol of warning against violent wickedness and of God’s wrathful response of fiery destruction (Deut. 29:23; Isa. 1:9; Rom. 9:29; Jude 7). The ancient site of the cities is disputed, though they likely were located near the Dead Sea.

Grace

Grace is the nucleus, the critical core element, of the redemptive and sanctifying work of the triune God detailed throughout the entire canon of Scripture. The variegated expressions of grace are rooted in the person and work of God, so that his graciousness and favor effectively demonstrated in every aspect of the created realm glorify him as they are shared and enjoyed with one another.

The biblical terminology informing an understanding of grace defines it as a gift or a favorable reaction or disposition toward someone. Grace is generosity, thanks, and good will between humans and from God to humans. Divine expressions of grace are loving, merciful, and effective. The biblical texts provide a context for a more robust understanding of divine gift. The overall redemptive-historical context of grace is the desire of the eternal God to bring glory to himself through a grace-based relationship with his creation. The Creator-Redeemer gives grace, and the recipients of grace give him glory.

Holy

Holiness is an attribute of God and of all that is fit for association with him. God alone is intrinsically holy (Rev. 15:4). God the Father is holy (John 17:11), as is the Son (Acts 3:14), while “Holy” is the characteristic designation of God’s Spirit (Ps. 51:11; Matt. 1:18). God’s name is holy (Luke 1:49), as are his arm (Ps. 98:1), ways (Ps. 77:13), and words (Ps. 105:42).

With reference to God himself, holiness may indicate something like his uniqueness, and it is associated with attributes such as his glory (Isa. 6:3), righteousness (Isa. 5:16), and jealousy—that is, his proper concern for his reputation (Josh. 24:19).

God’s dwelling place is in heaven (Ps. 20:6), and “holy” functions in some contexts as a virtual equivalent for heavenly (11:4). God’s throne is holy (47:8), and the angels who surround it are “holy ones” (89:5; cf. Mark 8:38).

A corollary of God’s holiness is that he must be treated as holy (Lev. 22:32)—that is, honored (Lev. 10:3), worshiped (Ps. 96:9), and feared (Isa. 8:13).

While “holy” is sometimes said to mean “set apart,” this does not appear to be its core meaning, though it is an associated notion (Lev. 20:26; Heb. 7:26). Holiness, as applied to people and things, is a relational concept. They are (explicitly or implicitly) holy “to the Lord” (Exod. 28:36), never “from” something.

The symbolic representation of God’s heavenly palace, the tabernacle (Exod. 40:9), and later the temple (1 Chron. 29:3), and everything associated with them, are holy and the means whereby God’s people in the OT may symbolically be brought near to God. For God to share his presence with anything or anyone else, these too must be holy (Lev. 11:44 45; Heb. 12:14).

The OT system of worship involved the distinction between unclean and clean, and between common and holy, and the means of effecting a transition to a state of cleanness or holiness (Lev. 10:10). People, places, and items may be made holy by a process of consecration or sanctification, whether simply by God’s purifying presence (Exod. 3:5) or by ritual acts (Exod. 19:10; 29:36).

God’s faithful people are described as holy (Exod. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9). In the OT, this is true of the whole people of God at one level, and of particular individuals at another. Thus, kings (Ps. 16:10), prophets (2 Kings 4:9), and in particular priests (Lev. 21:7) are declared to be holy. While the OT witnesses to some tension between the collective holiness of Israel and the particular holiness of its designated leaders (Num. 16:3), the latter were intended to act as models and facilitators of Israel’s holiness.

James

The name “James” is a form of the name “Jacob” (Heb. Ya’aqob; Gk. Iakōbos), which was very popular in the first century. In the NT there are five individuals named “James.”

(1) James the son of Zebedee and the older brother of John. He was martyred by Herod Agrippa I in AD 40 (Mark 1:19; 3:17; Acts 12:2).

(2) James the son of Alphaeus we know very little about other than that he is consistently listed among the disciples (Mark 3:18; Matt. 10:3; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

(3) James “the younger” (Mark 15:40), whose mother, named “Mary,” appears in Mark 16:1 just as the “mother of James.” In church tradition, he is sometimes identified with James the son of Alphaeus.

(4) James the father of Judas (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) is mentioned only to distinguish this Judas from Judas Iscariot.

(5) James the brother of Jesus was an early leader of the Jerusalem church (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; Acts 12:17; 15:13 31; 21:18; 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19; 2:9, 12; Jude 1). A number of Jesus’ family members became prominent leaders in the early Christian movement in Palestine, James being the most prominent.

Jude

Jude clearly asserts the sovereignty of God as a basis for Christian assurance, since it is God who keeps the believer (vv. 1, 24). He speaks in absolute terms of the believer’s blamelessness in Christ on judgment day (v. 24). By contrast, those who adhere to another gospel are deviants who violate God’s created order. The Christian response is to hold firm to the gospel and reject false teaching vigorously. Jude’s defense of the faith is exemplary. He has extensive knowledge of his opponents’ literature, myths, and teachings and is able to use this against them. Like Peter, he points his readers back to the eyewitness testimony of the apostles (vv. 3, 17), who predicted such challenges as an ongoing issue for Christians until Jesus returns. He urges believers to work together to maintain right doctrine, behavior, and an attitude of love (vv. 20 21) and to apply the grace of the gospel even to their opponents in hope of their salvation (vv. 22–23). Jude’s final words (vv. 24–25) constitute one of the most beautiful and reassuring doxologies of the Bible.

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).

Korah

A Levite, the son of Izhar, of the family of Kohath (Exod. 6:21; Num. 16:1). Numbers 16 tells how Korah, along with the Reubenites Dathan, Abiram, and On, led a rebellion of 250 Israelite chiefs against Moses and Aaron. They challenged the validity of the Aaronic priesthood and claimed that the entire congregation was holy and fit to perform the priestly functions. They also questioned the authority of Moses over all the tribes because he was not from the tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel.

Moses was then directed by Yahweh to have the congregation move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Moses went to Dathan and Abiram, and they came out and stood at the entrance of their tents along with their households. Then the ground opened up and swallowed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and all that belonged to them (their households and their goods). The sons of Korah, however, did not die (see Num. 26:11). Fire came down from Yahweh and consumed the 250 men with the censers. The censers were taken by Eleazar, the son of Aaron, and hammered into plates to cover the altar as a sign to the Israelites that only the descendants of Aaron should draw near to burn incense before Yahweh. See also Korahites.

Land

Israel shared the cosmology of its ancient Near Eastern neighbors. This worldview understood the earth as a “disk” upon the primeval waters (Job 38:13; Isa. 40:22), with the earth having four rims or “corners” (Ps. 135:7; Isa. 11:12). These rims were sealed at the horizon to prevent the influx of cosmic waters. God speaks to Job about the dawn grasping the edges of the earth and shaking the evil people out of it (Job 38:12 13).

Israel’s promised land was built on the sanctuary prototype of Eden (Gen. 13:10; Deut. 6:3; 31:20); both were defined by divine blessing, fertility, legal instruction, secure boundaries, and were orienting points for the world. Canaan was Israel’s new paradise, “flowing with milk and honey” (Exod. 3:8; Num. 13:27). Conversely, the lack of fertile land was tantamount to insecurity and judgment. As Eden illustrated for Israel, any rupture of relationship with God brought alienation between humans, God, and the land; this could ultimately bring exile, as an ethically nauseated land “vomits” people out (Lev. 18:25, 28; 20:22; see also Deut. 4; 30).

For Israel, land involved both God’s covenant promise (Gen. 15:18–21; 35:9–12) and the nation’s faithful obedience (Gen. 17:1; Exod. 19:5; 1 Kings 2:1–4). Yahweh was the earth’s Lord (Ps. 97:5), Judge (Gen. 18:25), and King (Ps. 47:2, 7). Both owner and giver, he was the supreme landlord, who gifted the land to Israel (Exod. 19:5; Lev. 25:23; Josh. 22:19; Ps. 24:1). The land was God’s “inheritance” to give (1 Sam. 26:19; 2 Sam. 14:16; Ps. 79:1; Jer. 2:7). The Levites, however, did not receive an allotment of land as did the other tribes, since God was their “portion” (Num. 18:20; Ps. 73:26). Israel’s obedience was necessary both to enter and to occupy the land (Deut. 8:1–3; 11:8–9; 21:1; 27:1–3). Ironically, the earth swallowed rebellious Israelites when they accused Moses of bringing them “up out of a land flowing with milk and honey” (Num. 16:13). As the conquest shows, however, no tribe was completely obedient, taking its full “inheritance” (Josh. 13:1).

Mercy

Mercy is a distinguishing characteristic of the nature of God. God is called “the Father of mercies” (2 Cor. 1:3 NRSV [NIV: “Father of compassion”]). God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4; cf. 2 Sam. 24:14; Dan. 9:9). God’s mercy was demonstrated in his covenantal faithfulness to his people (1 Kings 8:23 24; Mic. 7:18–20). God redeemed the oppressed Israelites from slavery under Pharaoh because of his mercy, which was stirred when he heard their groaning and cry for help.

Jesus Christ lived a life full of mercy. He is, in a sense, the bodily manifestation of God’s mercy. Jesus expressed deep mercy whenever he saw the sick and the lost. The writers of the Gospels describe Jesus’ demonstrations of mercy when he healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the leprous, the demon-possessed, and the dead (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 5:19; 6:34; 8:2; Luke 7:13; John 11:33). Jesus especially had compassion on the crowds, who did not have a spiritual leader, and he compared them to “sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36).

What is the proper response to God’s mercy and compassion? God expects believers to show the same kind of mercy toward other people. One of the best examples is the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matt. 18:23–35).

Michael

One of the few angelic beings whose names are identified in the Bible. Scripture refers to Michael as “one of the chief princes” (Dan. 10:13), a “great prince” (Dan. 12:1), and an “archangel” (Jude 1:9), indicating that Michael is a high-ranking leader of other angels (Rev. 12:7).

Moses

Moses played a leadership role in the founding of Israel as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod. 19:6). Indeed, the narrative of Exodus through Deuteronomy is the story of God using Moses to found the nation of Israel. It begins with an account of his birth (Exod. 2) and ends with an account of his death (Deut. 34). Moses’ influence and importance extend well beyond his lifetime, as later Scripture demonstrates.

Moses was born in a dangerous time, and according to Pharaoh’s decree, he should not have survived long after his birth. He was born to Amram and Jochebed (Exod. 6:20). Circumventing Pharaoh’s decree, Jochebed placed the infant Moses in a reed basket and floated him down the river. God guided the basket down the river and into the presence of none other than Pharaoh’s daughter (Exod. 2:5 6), who, at the urging of Moses’ sister, hired Jochebed to take care of the child.

The next major episode in the life of Moses concerns his defense of an Israelite worker who was being beaten by an Egyptian (Exod. 2:11–25). In the process of rescuing the Israelite, Moses killed the Egyptian. When it became clear that he was known to be the killer, he fled Egypt and ended up in Midian, where he became a member of the family of a Midianite priest-chief, Jethro, by marrying his daughter Zipporah.

Although Moses was not looking for a way back into Egypt, God had different plans. One day, while Moses was tending his sheep, God appeared to him in the form of a burning bush and commissioned him to go back to Egypt and lead his people to freedom. Moses expressed reluctance, and so God grudgingly enlisted his older brother, Aaron, to accompany him as his spokesperson.

Upon Moses’ return to Egypt, Pharaoh stubbornly refused to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. God directed Moses to announce a series of plagues that ultimately induced Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to depart. After they left, Pharaoh had a change of mind and cornered them on the shores of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds). It was at the Red Sea that God demonstrated his great power by splitting the sea and allowing the Israelites to escape before closing it again in judgment on the Egyptians. Moses signaled the presence of God by lifting his rod high in the air (Exod. 14:16). This event was long remembered as the defining moment when God released Israel from Egyptian slavery (Pss. 77; 114), and it even became the paradigm for future divine rescues (Isa. 40:3–5; Hos. 2:14–15).

After the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses led Israel back to Mount Sinai, the location of his divine commissioning. At this time, Moses went up the mountain as a prophetic mediator for the people (Deut. 18:16). He received the Ten Commandments, the rest of the law, and instructions to build the tabernacle (Exod. 19–24). All these were part of a new covenantal arrangement that today we refer to as the Mosaic or Sinaitic covenant.

However, as Moses came down the mountain with the law, he saw that the people, who had grown tired of waiting, were worshiping a false god that they had created in the form of a golden calf (Exod. 32). With the aid of the Levites, who that day assured their role as Israel’s priestly helpers, he brought God’s judgment against the offenders and also interceded in prayer with God to prevent the total destruction of Israel.

Thus began Israel’s long story of rebellion against God. God was particularly upset with the lack of confidence that the Israelites had shown when the spies from the twelve tribes gave their report (Num. 13). They did not believe that God could handle the fearsome warriors who lived in the land, and so God doomed them to forty years of wandering in the wilderness, enough time for the first generation to die. Not even Moses escaped this fate, since he had shown anger against God and attributed a miracle to his own power and not to God when he struck a rock in order to get water (Num. 20:1–13).

Thus, Moses was not permitted to enter the land of promise, though he had led the Israelites to the very brink of entry on the plains of Moab. There he gave his last sermon, which we know as the book of Deuteronomy. The purpose of his sermon was to tell the second generation of Israelites who were going to enter the land that they must obey God’s law or suffer the consequences. The form of the sermon was that of a covenant renewal, and so Israel on this occasion reaffirmed its loyalty to God.

After this, Moses went up on Mount Nebo, from which he could see the promised land, and died. Deuteronomy concludes with the following statements: “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. . . . For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Deut. 34:10, 12).

The NT honors Moses as God’s servant but also makes the point that Jesus is one who far surpasses Moses as a mediator between God and people (Acts 3:17–26; Heb. 3).

The date of Moses is a matter of controversy because the biblical text does not name the pharaohs of the story. Many date him to the thirteenth century BC and associate him with Ramesses II, but others take 1 Kings 6:1 at face value and date him to the end of the fifteenth century BC, perhaps during the reign of Thutmose III.

Rain

In an agrarian society with an unpredictable climate, such as Israel, rainfall was of the utmost importance. Two rainy periods could be hoped for each year, in February/March and in October/November, and these seasons were critical in producing a good crop. Regular rainfall thus formed a significant part of God’s promise of a good and fruitful land for his people (Lev. 26:4). Solomon’s prayer acknowledges the conditional nature of this promise: rain would be withheld from a sinful nation but would be given to a forgiven and obedient people (1 Kings 8:35 36).

Rain could also be sent in judgment, most notably in the flood narratives, where God sent rain in order to destroy all living things on the face of the earth (Gen. 7:4), and in the exodus narrative, where rain accompanied hail and thunder in the seventh plague (Exod. 9:23).

Since rain is completely beyond human control, it naturally became a symbol of God’s sovereignty in both blessing and curse. A striking example of this is in 1 Kings 17–18, when for three years the rains were withheld, until finally Elijah’s trust in God was vindicated above the prophets of Baal, and the rain followed. The effectiveness of Elijah’s prayers, first for drought and later for rain, is held up in the NT as an example for all believers (James 5:17–18).

Salvation

“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.

Servant

There are numerous relationships in the OT that could be characterized as following a servant-master model. These included service to the monarchy (2 Sam. 9:2), within households (Gen. 16:8), in the temple (1 Sam. 2:15), or to God himself (Judg. 2:8). We also see extensive slavery laws in passages such as Exod. 21:1 11; Lev. 25:39–55; Deut. 15:12–18. The slavery laws were concerned with the proper treatment of Hebrew slaves and included guidelines for their eventual release and freedom. For example, Hebrew slaves who had sold themselves to others were to serve for a period of six years. On the seventh year, known also as the Sabbath Year, they were to be released. Once released, they were not to be sent away empty-handed, but rather were to be supported from the owner’s “threshing floor” and “winepress.” Slaves also had certain rights that gave them special privileges and protection from their masters. Captured slaves, for example, were allowed rest on the Sabbath (Exod. 20:10) and during special holidays (Deut. 16:11, 14). They could also be freed if their master permanently hurt or crippled them (Exod. 21:26–27). Also, severe punishment was imposed on a person who beat a slave to death (Exod. 21:20–21).

Slavery was very common in the first century AD, and there were many different kinds of slaves. For example, slaves might live in an extended household (oikos) in which they were born, or they might choose to sell themselves into this situation (1 Pet. 2:18–25). Although slavery was a significant part of society in the first century AD, we never see Jesus or the apostles encourage slavery. Instead, both Paul and Peter encouraged godly character and obedience for slaves within this system (Eph. 6:5–8; Col. 3:22–25; 1 Tim. 6:1–2; Philemon; 1 Pet. 2:18–21). Likewise, masters were encouraged to be kind and fair to their slaves (Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1). Later in the NT, slave trading was condemned by the apostle Paul as contrary to “sound doctrine” and “the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God” (1 Tim. 1:10–11).

Jesus embodied the idea of a servant in word and deed. He fulfilled the role of the “Servant of the Lord,” the Suffering Servant predicted by the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 42:1–4; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12). He also took on the role of a servant in the Gospels, identifying himself as the Son of Man who came to serve (Mark 10:45) and washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:4–5). Paul says that in the incarnation Jesus took on “the very nature of a servant” (Phil. 2:7).

The special relationship between Jesus and his followers is captured in the servant-master language of the NT Epistles, especially in Paul’s letters (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:1). This language focuses not so much on the societal status of these servants as on the allegiance and honor owed to Christ Jesus.

Stars

The word “star” is used in the Bible to refer to any bright point of light in the night sky; no linguistic distinction is made between stars and planets (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 2:28; 22:16).

Stars often are used to illustrate the scope of God’s promises (Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4; Deut. 10:22). They were used throughout the ancient Near East to represent the king, an association also evident in the OT (Num. 24:17; Isa. 14:12). Stars also were named, and some were objects of worship, a practice condemned in Israel (Amos 5:26; cf. Deut. 4:19). Stars were subject to study by foreign sages who sought to predict the future based on their observations, although their efficacy is denied (Isa. 47:13). Nonetheless, the arrival of the Messiah is heralded by a star in the service of its creator (Matt. 2:2 10). The falling (Rev. 6:13) and the darkening (Joel 2:10; 3:15) of stars are used to depict the coming of the day of the Lord in judgment.

Suffer

While in the OT suffering is regularly an indication of divine displeasure (Lev. 26:16 36; Deut. 28:20–68; Ps. 44:10–12; Isa. 1:25; cf. Heb. 10:26–31), in the NT it becomes the means by which blessing comes to humanity.

The Bible often shows that sinfulness results in suffering (Gen. 2:17; 6:5–7; Exod. 32:33; 2 Sam. 12:13–18; Rom. 1:18; 1 Cor. 11:27–30). Job’s friends mistakenly assume that he has suffered because of disobedience (Job 4:7–9; 8:3–4, 20; 11:6). Job passionately defends himself (12:4; 23:10), and in the final chapter of the book God commends Job and condemns his friends for their accusations (42:7–8; cf. 1:1, 22; 2:10). The writer makes clear that suffering is not necessarily evidence of sinfulness. Like Job’s friends, Jesus’ disciples assume that blindness is an indication of sinfulness (John 9:1–2). Jesus rejects this simplistic notion of retributive suffering (John 9:3, 6–7; cf. Luke 13:1–5).

The NT writers reveal that Jesus’ suffering was prophesied in the OT (Mark 9:12; 14:21; Luke 18:31–32; 24:46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:22–23; 1 Pet. 1:11; referring to OT texts such as Ps. 22; Isa. 52:13–53:12; Zech. 13:7). The Lord Jesus is presented as the answer to human suffering: (1) Through the incarnation, God’s Son personally experienced human suffering (Phil. 2:6–8; Heb. 2:9; 5:8). (2) Through his suffering, Christ paid the price for sin (Rom. 4:25; 3:25–26), so that believers are set free from sin (Rom. 6:6, 18, 22) and helped in temptation (Heb. 2:18). (3) Christ Jesus intercedes for his suffering followers (Rom. 8:34–35). (4) Christ is the example in suffering (1 Pet. 2:21; 4:1; cf. Phil. 3:10; 2 Cor. 1:5; 4:10; 1 Pet. 4:13), and though he died once for sins (Heb. 10:12), he continues to suffer as his church suffers (Acts 9:4–5). (5) Christ provides hope of resurrection (Rom. 6:5; 1 Cor. 15:20–26; Phil. 3:10–11) and a future life without suffering or death (Rev. 21:4).

The NT writers repeatedly mention the benefits of suffering, for it has become part of God’s work of redemption. The suffering of believers accompanies the proclamation and advancement of the gospel (Acts 5:41–42; 9:15–16; 2 Cor. 4:10–11; 6:2–10; Phil. 1:12, 27–29; 1 Thess. 2:14–16; 2 Tim. 1:8; 4:5) and results in salvation (Matt. 10:22; 2 Cor. 1:6; 1 Thess. 2:16; 2 Tim. 2:10; Heb. 10:39), faith (Heb. 10:32–34, 38–39; 1 Pet. 1:7), the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:10–11), and the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). It is an essential part of the development toward Christian maturity (Rom. 5:3–4; 2 Cor. 4:11; Heb. 12:4; James 1:3–4; 1 Pet. 1:7; 4:1).

Suffering is associated with knowing Christ (Phil. 3:10); daily inward renewal (2 Cor. 4:16); purity, understanding, patience, kindness, sincere love, truthful speech, the power of God (2 Cor. 4:4–10); comfort and endurance (2 Cor. 1:6); obedience (Heb. 5:8); blessing (1 Pet. 3:14; 4:14); glory (Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 4:17); and joy (Matt. 5:12; Acts 5:41; 2 Cor. 6:10; 12:10; James 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:6; 4:13). Other positive results of Christian suffering include perseverance (Rom. 5:3; James 1:3), character and hope (Rom. 5:4), strength (2 Cor. 12:10), and maturity and completeness (James 1:4). Present suffering is light and momentary when compared to future glory (Matt. 5:10–12; Acts 14:22; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17; Heb. 10:34–36; 1 Pet. 1:5–7; 4:12–13).

Throughout the Bible, believers are instructed to help those who suffer. The OT law provides principles for assisting the poor, the disadvantaged, and the oppressed (Exod. 20:10; 21:2; 23:11; Lev. 19:13, 34; 25:10, 35; Deut. 14:28–29; 15:1–2; 24:19–21). Jesus regularly taught his followers to help the poor (Matt. 5:42; 6:3; 19:21; 25:34–36; Luke 4:18; 12:33; 14:13, 21). It is believers’ responsibility to show mercy (Matt. 5:7; 9:13), be generous (Rom. 12:8; 2 Cor. 8:7; 1 Tim. 6:18), mourn with mourners (Rom. 12:15), carry other’s burdens (Gal. 6:1–2), and visit prisoners (Matt. 25:36, 43). See also Servant of the Lord.

Water

Water is mentioned extensively in the Bible due to its prevalence in creation and its association with life and purity. The cosmic waters of Gen. 1 are held back by the sky (Gen. 1:6 7; cf. Pss. 104:6, 13; 148:4). God is enthroned on these waters in his cosmic temple (Pss. 29:10; 104:3, 13; cf. Gen. 1:2; Ps. 78:69; Isa. 66:1). These same waters were released in the time of Noah (Gen. 7:10–12; Ps. 104:7–9).

Water is also an agent of life and fertility and is therefore associated with the presence of God. Both God himself and his temple are described as the source of life-giving water (Jer. 2:13; 17:13; Joel 3:18; cf. Isa. 12:2–3). Ezekiel envisions this water flowing from beneath the temple and streaming down into the Dead Sea, where it brings life and fecundity (Ezek. 47:1–12; cf. Zech. 14:8). The book of Revelation, employing the same image, describes “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (22:1). This imagery is also illustrated in archaeological remains associated with temples. Cisterns are attested beneath the Dome of the Rock (presumably the location of the Jerusalem temple) and beneath the Judahite temple at Arad. Other temples, such as the Israelite high place at Tel Dan, are located close to freshwater springs. The Gihon spring in the City of David may also be associated with the Jerusalem temple (Ps. 46:4; cf. Gen. 2:13).

This OT imagery forms the background for Jesus’ teaching regarding eternal life in the writings of the apostle John. Jesus claims to be the source of living water, and he offers it freely to everyone who thirsts (John 4:10–15; 7:37; Rev. 21:6; 22:17; cf. Rev. 7:17). This water, which produces “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14), is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer (John 7:38–39).

Water is also described in the Bible as an agent of cleansing. It is extensively employed in purification rituals in the OT. In the NT, the ritual of water baptism signifies the purity and new life of the believer (Matt. 3:11, 16; Mark 1:8–10; Luke 3:16; John 1:26, 31–33; 3:23; Acts 1:5; 8:36–39; 10:47; 11:16; 1 Pet. 3:20–21; cf. Eph. 5:26; Heb. 10:22).

Finally, the NT also reveals Jesus as the Lord of water. He walks on water (Matt. 14:28–29; John 6:19), turns water into wine (John 2:7–9; 4:46), and controls water creatures (Matt. 17:27; John 21:6). Most important, Jesus commands “the winds and the water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25; cf. Ps. 29:3).

Works

The Bible has much to say about works, and an understanding of the topic is important because works play a role in most religions. In the most generic sense, “works” refers to the products or activities of human moral agents in the context of religious discussion. God’s works are frequently mentioned in Scripture, and they are always good. His works include creation (Gen. 2:2 3; Isa. 40:28; 42:5), sustenance of the earth (Ps. 104; Heb. 1:3), and redemption (Exod. 6:6; Ps. 111:9; Rom. 8:23). Human works, therefore, should be in alignment with God’s works, though obviously of a different sort. Works in the Bible usually reflect a moral polarity: good or evil, righteous or unrighteous, just or unjust. The context of the passage often determines the moral character of the works (e.g., Isa. 3:10–11; 2 Cor. 11:15).

Important questions follow from the existence of works and their moral quality. Do good works merit God’s favor or please him? Can good works save at the time of God’s judgment? When people asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” he answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:28–29). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The people from the OT commended in Heb. 11 did their works in the precondition of faith. Explicitly in the NT and often implicitly in the OT, faith is the condition for truly good works. God elects out of his mercy, not out of human works (Rom. 9:12, 16; Titus 3:5; cf. Rom. 11:2). Works not done in faith, even if considered “good” by human standards, are not commendable to God, since all humankind is under sin (Rom. 3:9) and no person is righteous or does good (Rom. 3:10–18; cf. Isa. 64:6). Works cannot save; salvation is a gift to be received by faith (Eph. 2:8–9; 2 Tim. 1:9; cf. Rom. 4:2–6). Even works of the Mosaic law are not salvific (Rom. 3:20, 27–28; Gal. 2:16; 3:2; 5:4). Good works follow from faith (2 Cor. 9:8; Eph. 2:10; 1 Thess. 1:3; James 2:18, 22; cf. Acts 26:20). The works of those who have faith will be judged, but this judgment appears to be related to rewards, not salvation (Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:10; cf. Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:13–15).

Direct Matches

Dignities

The KJV translation in two similar passages of the Greek word doxai, meaning “glories” (2 Pet. 2:10; Jude 1:8). The “dignities,” which evil people speak against, apparently are angelic beings of some kind (NIV: “celestial beings”; NRSV: “glorious ones”).

Fire

Human Uses and Metaphors

Fire is a basic necessity for various human activities such as cooking (Exod. 12:8; Isa. 44:15–16, 19; John 21:9), warming (Isa. 44:16; Jer. 36:22; John 18:18), lighting (Isa. 50:11), manufacturing (Exod. 32:24), and refining metals (Num. 31:22–23). Fire is also an important means of maintaining the purity of God’s people, used to punish sinners (the sexually immoral [Lev. 20:14; 21:9; cf. Gen. 38:24] and the disobedient [Josh. 7:25; cf. 2 Kings 23:16]) and to destroy idols (Exod. 32:20; Deut. 7:5, 25; 2 Kings 10:26), chariots (Josh. 11:6, 9), and the cities of Canaan (Josh. 6:24; 8:19; 11:11; Judg. 18:27). As an essential means of worship, fire is used to burn sacrificial animals (Gen. 8:20; Exod. 29:18; Lev. 1:9; 3:3; 9:10, 13–14, 20) and grain offerings (Lev. 2:2, 9; 9:17).

The Mosaic law has several regulations concerning fire. Regarded as work, starting a fire is forbidden on the Sabbath (Exod. 35:3). It is the responsibility of the priests to keep the fire burning on the altar (Lev. 6:9, 12–13). The use of an “unauthorized fire” for sacrifice is forbidden (note Nadab and Abihu’s death [Lev. 10:1–2; cf. Num. 3:4; 26:61; 1 Chron. 24:2]). Also, contrary to the Canaanite religious custom, burning children is forbidden (Deut. 18:10), though the Israelites failed to keep this command and elicited God’s judgment (2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; Jer. 7:31; 32:35; note Josiah’s ban in 2 Kings 23:10).

As a metaphor, fire also signifies human anger (Ps. 39:3), wickedness (Isa. 9:18), self-reliance (Isa. 50:11), evil planning (Hos. 7:6–7), lust (Prov. 6:27–28), evil speech or tongue (Prov. 16:27; James 3:5–6), and, paradoxically, kindness to an enemy (Prov. 25:22; Rom. 12:20).

Divine Uses and Metaphors

In the Bible, God is described as the ruler of fire (Ps. 104:4; cf. 1 Kings 18). Positively, God sends fire to signify his acceptance of worship (Lev. 9:24; Judg. 13:19–20; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Chron. 7:1–3; cf. Luke 9:54). God also purifies his people by fire in order to provide them with abundance (Ps. 66:12), to cleanse them of their sins (Isa. 6:6–7), to refine them into the true remnant (Zech. 13:9), to restore true worship (Mal. 3:2–3), to bring forth genuine faith (1 Cor. 3:13, 15; 1 Pet. 1:7), and to give Christians a true joy of participating in Christ’s suffering (1 Pet. 4:12). God also promises to make his people like a firepot and a flaming torch that will burn the surrounding enemies (Zech. 12:6). Negatively, God uses fire to punish the wicked and disobedient (Gen. 19:24; Exod. 9:23; Num. 11:1; 16:35; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; Isa. 29:6; 34:9–10; 66:24; Ezek. 38:22; 39:6; Rev. 20:9). God is a farmer burning unfruitful trees (John 15:2, 6; cf. Matt. 3:10; 7:19; 13:40) and “thorns and briers” (Isa. 10:17). The eternal fire of hell is the place where God’s final judgment will be executed (Matt. 5:22; 25:41; Mark 9:45–49; Jude 1:7; note the “lake of fire” in Rev. 20:14–15; cf. 14:10; 21:8).

Fire is also a symbol used to image the indescribable God. It symbolizes God’s presence: a smoking firepot with a flaming torch (Gen. 15:17), the burning bush (Exod. 3:2; cf. Elijah’s expectation [1 Kings 19:12]), the pillars of fire and smoke (Exod. 13:21–22; Num. 14:14), the smoke on Mount Sinai and in the tabernacle and the temple (Exod. 19:19; Num. 9:15–16; Deut. 4:11–12; Isa. 6:4). Fire marks God’s protection: the “horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17; cf. 2:11), the “wall of fire” (Zech. 2:5). Fire also represents God’s glory: God’s throne (Dan. 7:9; cf. Ezek. 1:4, 13; 10:2, 6–7), God’s form (Ezek. 1:27), the seven spirits of God before the throne (Rev. 4:5). God in his holy wrath is also likened to a burning fire (Pss. 79:5; 89:46; Isa. 5:24; 33:14; Jer. 15:14; Ezek. 21:31; 22:21; Hos. 8:5; note the expression “consuming fire” [Deut. 4:24; Isa. 33:14; Heb. 12:29]) and even to a fiery monster (Ps. 18:8; Isa. 30:33; 65:5; cf. Job 41:19–21). Fire is an important element in the description of the day of the Lord (Joel 2:3; cf. 2 Pet. 3:12). God’s words in the prophet’s mouth are likened to a fire (Jer. 5:14; 20:9; 23:29).

Fire is also used to speak of Jesus. John the Baptist refers to Jesus’ baptism as one with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11). Jesus identifies the purpose of his coming as casting fire on earth (Luke 12:49). The returning Jesus is portrayed as coming in “blazing fire” (2 Thess. 1:7), and the eyes of the glorified Christ are likened to “blazing fire” (Rev. 1:14; 2:18; cf. “flaming torches” in Dan. 10:6). In Acts 2:3 the Holy Spirit is portrayed as the “tongues of fire.”

James

The name “James” is a form of the name “Jacob” (Heb. Ya’aqob; Gk. Iakōbos), which was very popular in the first century. In the NT there are five individuals named “James.”

(1) James the son of Zebedee and the older brother of John. He was martyred by Herod Agrippa I in AD 40 (Mark 1:19; 3:17; Acts 12:2). Eusebius records a tradition from Clement of Alexandria that the individual who brought James before Herod was so moved by James’s testimony that he converted on the spot and was martyred along with James (Hist. eccl. 2.9).

(2) James the son of Alphaeus we know very little about other than that he is consistently listed among the disciples (Mark 3:18; Matt. 10:3; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

(3) James “the younger” (Mark 15:40), whose mother, named “Mary,” appears in Mark 16:1 just as the “mother of James.” In church tradition, he is sometimes identified with James the son of Alphaeus.

(4) James the father of Judas (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) is mentioned only to distinguish this Judas from Judas Iscariot.

(5) James the brother of Jesus was an early leader of the Jerusalem church (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; Acts 12:17; 15:13–31; 21:18; 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19; 2:9, 12; Jude 1). A number of Jesus’ family members became prominent leaders in the early Christian movement in Palestine, James being the most prominent.

Although he was not one of the twelve disciples and likely did not accept Jesus as the Messiah until after the resurrection (cf. John 7:5; Acts 1:14), James quickly emerged as a key leader in the Jerusalem church, where he served until his death in AD 62. Because the Jerusalem church was the parent of all churches and thus granted a central authority by early Christians, James played an important role by giving leadership and direction to the movement. According to Paul’s account, Jesus singled James out following the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7), and in Luke’s narrative James is described as the leader of the church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18)—a depiction confirmed by Paul’s description of James as one of the three “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9). During Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem, James’s standing was such that Paul felt it necessary to name him along with Peter as having seen him there (Gal. 1:19).

From the influential position of leadership in the Jerusalem church, James wrote two letters that shaped the contours of early Christian life. According to Luke, after the pivotal meeting and decision regarding circumcision in Acts 15, James, along with the “apostles and elders” (Acts 15:23), wrote to the Gentile believers to inform them that they would not have to follow the practice of circumcision in order to become followers of Jesus Christ. During the negotiations James provided a key exegetical argument from the OT (Amos 9:11–12 and Jer. 12:15, recorded in Acts 15:16–17) advocating the inclusion of Gentiles in the church. In the Letter of James, he wrote from this position of central authority in Jerusalem to Jewish Christians throughout the Diaspora. Here James again demonstrates his exceptional abilities as an interpreter of the OT regarding Jewish legal (Lev. 19) and wisdom (Prov. 3:34) traditions through the lens of Christ in order to call his readers to wholehearted living.

Memories of James were preserved well into the second century because he was viewed as the model of a pious person. Eusebius cites Hegesippus, a second-century Jewish believer from Jerusalem, who recounts how James was so often found kneeling in prayer for the people that his knees grew hard like a camel’s, and that “because of his unsurpassable righteousness” he was called “the Just” (Hist. eccl. 2.23.4–7). The same passage records that because of his confession of Christ before the Jews, James was thrown from the parapet of the temple, stoned, and finally killed by a blow from a fuller’s club (Hist. eccl. 2.23.16–18). In addition to these traditions there is a substantial body of apocryphal Christian writings composed in the name of James by individuals during the second and third centuries. These, mainly gnostic, texts promote an almost legendary man of piety and ascetic lifestyle (e.g., First Apocalypse of James, Second Apocalypse of James, Apocryphon of James).

Jude

Jude, whose name is another form of “Judah” or “Judas” (Heb. Yehuda; Gk. Ioudas), identifies himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James” (Jude 1). Because the author does not elaborate on the identity of this James, many conclude that a well-known individual named “James” must be in mind, one whom the readers would be able to identify easily. Certainly this is James the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church (James 1:1; Acts 15:13; Gal. 2:9). This would make Jude the brother of Jesus, named among Jesus’ other siblings in Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3. The brothers of Jesus were never referred to as “apostles” in the early church, which makes sense in light of the fact that Jude both appeals to his authority as a “servant” of Jesus rather than as an “apostle” and implies that he is not among the apostles whose teaching he cites in Jude 17. The NT does not record any more details regarding Jude’s life other than what we can infer from the fact that Jesus’ brothers did not accept him as the Messiah during his lifetime (John 7:5), and that only after the resurrection did they become followers (Acts 1:14). According to Hegesippus, quoted in Eusebius (Hist. eccl. 3.19.1–20.6), two grandsons of Jude were brought before the Roman emperor Domitian and were asked if they were descendants of David. But after finding that they were common farmers who posed no threat to Rome, he released them “as beneath his notice.”

Michael

(1) The father of Sethur, a leader of the tribe of Asher who was sent with eleven others to explore Canaan (Num. 13:13). (2) The head of a clan of the tribe of Gad (1 Chron. 5:13). (3) An ancestor of the Michael in 1 Chron. 5:13 (1 Chron. 5:14). (4) An ancestor of Asaph, a worship leader during the time of David (1 Chron. 6:40). (5) A son of Izrahiah who was a chief within the tribe of Issachar (1 Chron. 7:3). (6) A descendant of Benjamin through Beriah (1 Chron. 8:16). (7) A military leader of the tribe of Manasseh. He and his unit of one thousand men defected to David at Ziklag (1 Chron. 12:20). (8) The father of Omri, a military officer of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chron. 27:1). (9) A brother of King Jehoram of Judah whom Jehoram put to death after securing the throne (2 Chron. 21:1–4). (10) The father of Zebadiah, a man who accompanied Ezra to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezra 8:8). (11) One of the few angelic beings whose names are identified in the Bible. Scripture refers to Michael as “one of the chief princes” (Dan. 10:13), a “great prince” (Dan. 12:1), and an “archangel” (Jude 1:9), indicating that Michael is a high-ranking leader of other angels (Rev. 12:7).

Saints

Used as a reference for God’s people in the OT and NT, the Hebrew word qadosh (e.g., Ps. 16:3) and the Greek word hagios (e.g., Acts 9:13; 2 Cor. 1:1) emphasize being singled out or consecrated. The Hebrew root was also used to designate cult prostitutes (qadeshah) as “consecrated,” though in Scripture this use is relatively infrequent (e.g., Gen. 38:21; Deut. 23:17). Another Hebrew word sometimes translated “saint” is khasid (e.g., 1 Sam. 2:9; Pss. 30:4; 31:23 KJV), which emphasizes faithfulness and devotion to God. In biblical terms, then, the saints of God are those whom he has designated as belonging to him and who live in faithfulness to him. They are not necessarily noted for exceptional holiness or meritorious acts. Thus, Paul places “his saints” in parallel with “all who have believed” (2 Thess. 1:10 NRSV).

The Bible speaks of saints as sometimes being in need (Rom. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:4; 9:1, 12) and persecuted (Rev. 13:7), but also as called to endure (Rev. 13:10) and offer help, especially to other saints (Rom. 12:13; Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 5:10). The saints are the recipients of the faith (Jude 1:3), of grace (Rev. 22:21), and of special equipping for ministry in the church (Eph. 4:12) and prayer (Rev. 5:8; 8:3–4). As those who belong to the Lord, the saints will be raised to eternal life (John 6:39; 1 Cor. 15:22–23).

“Saint,” however, has come to function as a title given to Christians of exceptional merit, beatified or canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. The need for canonization and beatification arose from the Catholic doctrine of the veneration, invocation, and intercession of the saints (see Augustine, Quaest. Hept. 2.94; Faust. 20.21) and is connected to the Catholic doctrine of the “communion of the saints” (a phrase drawn from the Apostles’ Creed), which includes believers in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory, recognizing them as saints in the general sense by virtue of their being redeemed and set apart for fellowship with God. These doctrines suggest that just as Paul, for example, sought the prayers of the church on earth (Rom. 15:30; 2 Cor. 1:11), so also prayer by members of the church in heaven might be sought. Canonization, then, publicly establishes which persons can be surely known to be in heaven and may be properly asked to intercede on behalf of the church on earth.

Protestants, on the basis of the unique intercession of Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5), exclude invocation of heavenly saints as unnecessary and unwarranted. They further find no basis in the Scriptures for a doctrine of purgatory. Thus, Protestant understandings of the communion of the saints focus on the believers on earth, who, “being united to one another in love, have communion in each other’s gifts and graces and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as to conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man” (Westminster Confession of Faith 28.1).

Secondary Matches

The following suggestions occured because Jude 1:1-16 is mentioned in the definition.

Jesus' Brothers and Sisters

Jesus’ brothers are mentioned several times in the Gospels, Acts, and the Pauline Epistles. In Mark 6:3 (see also Matt. 13:55–56) four brothers are named, and sisters are mentioned, though the name or number of sisters is not given. The people of Nazareth are offended by Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue and express surprise that Jesus, given the dramatic claims that he has made about himself in his sermon there (see Luke 4:16–30), is the son and brother of local villagers (Mary and her sons James, Joses [named “Joseph” in Matthew], Judas, and Simon). In the crucifixion scene in Mark, one of the women present is identified as “Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph [NIV mg.: “Greek Joses”]” (Mark 15:40). It is unlikely, however, that this is Jesus’ mother and brothers, since it would be strange to identify Mary as the mother of these two lesser-known siblings rather than of Jesus himself.

In Mark 3:32–35 Jesus redefines what it means to be his brother, sister, or mother in the kingdom of God in response to being notified that his earthly mother and brothers, who at this point in time did not understand his mission (see 3:21), are waiting for him outside the house in Capernaum. Although Mary and Jesus’ brothers appear to have traveled around Galilee with him (see John 2:12), John’s Gospel makes explicit the brothers’ unbelief (7:2–10), which is only implicit in Matthew and Mark. Acts 1:14 shows the dramatic reversal that has taken place in the response to Jesus by his brothers after the resurrection. Mary and Jesus’ brothers are gathered together with the entire body of Jesus’ disciples in prayer, fellowship, and teaching.

James (apparently Jesus’ oldest sibling) became a key leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 21:18) and pronounced the decision at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:13). He is also traditionally identified as the author of the NT letter that bears his name (James 1:1). Another NT letter may also have been penned by a brother of Jesus, since Jude identifies himself as “a brother of James” (Jude 1), a probable reference to this same James.

In 1 Cor. 9:5 Paul argues (through a rhetorical question) that Christian missionaries have the right to take “a believing wife” along with them in their work, just as the other apostles and Jesus’ brothers had done. Finally, while recounting his first trip to Jerusalem after his conversion, Paul mentions a meeting with James, “the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:19).

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Jesus’ brother James died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Jewish high priest Ananus (Ant. 20.197–200).

Judas

The name “Judas” (Gk. Ioudas) is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew name “Judah” (Yehudah). (1) One of Jesus’ brothers (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3), also known as Jude, author of the letter that bears his name (Jude 1). (2) One of the apostles identified as “Judas son of James” (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) and “Judas (not Judas Iscariot)” (John 14:22), probably the same person as Thaddaeus (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18). (3) A defunct revolutionary identified as “Judas the Galilean” (Acts 5:37), probably the same person as Judas the Galilean from Gamala in Gaulanitis, who led a revolt against Roman taxes in AD 6 (Josephus, Ant. 18.4; 20.102; J.W. 2.118, 433–34; 7.253). (4) A resident of Damascus, known simply as “Judas,” who had a house on Straight Street where the blinded Saul stayed (Acts 9:11). (5) A leading Jerusalem believer and prophet, “Judas called Barsabbas” (i.e., “son of the Sabbath” or “son of Sabbas”; possibly a relative of “Joseph called Barsabbas” in Acts 1:23). Along with Silas, he was sent with Paul and Barnabas to add verbal testimony to the letter to the Gentile Christians from the apostles and elders after the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:22, 27, 32). (6) One of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus, he betrayed Jesus. See Judas Iscariot.

Second Letter of Peter

Second Peter is a model of the Christian approach to those who are tempted to follow another gospel.

Outline

I. Greetings (1:1–2)

II. Put God’s Grace to Work (1:3–11)

III. Remember the Basis for Your Faith (1:12–21)

IV. Reject False Teachers (2:1–22)

V. On This Basis, Look to the Future (3:1–18)

Authorship and Date

The author is identified as “Simeon” Peter, using the Hebrew spelling of the name (1:1 ESV, NRSV; cf. Acts 15:14). He is “a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1; cf. Rom. 1:1; Titus 1:1; James 1:1; Jude 1) and an eyewitness of his transfiguration (1:16–18; cf. Mark 9:2). He speaks affectionately of Paul as a colleague (3:15). He bases his argument against false teachers on the Scriptures and his own testimony as well as that of the other eyewitnesses (1:16; cf. 1 Pet. 5:1) of Jesus’ work. He refers (3:1) to an earlier letter that he wrote to the same people, probably a reference to 1 Peter.

A number of second-century authorities report that Peter ministered in Rome, on and off, for up to twenty-five years prior to his execution by Nero in AD 65. Here he speaks of his own imminent execution, recalling Jesus’ words to him (1:14; cf. John 21:19). He speaks of having taken steps to ensure that his testimony will be available after his death, which may be an allusion to Mark’s Gospel, as later Christian writers tell us.

Toward the end of the second century some doubted the authenticity of 2 Peter. A number of works had appeared in the second century claiming to be by Peter. The early church was well aware of the use of forgeries written in the names of the apostles to spread false teaching (even during their lifetimes [cf. 2 Thess. 2:2]). It appears that 2 Peter was not as widely known or used as 1 Peter, but the early church affirmed and defended the authenticity of both letters.

Destination

The letter gives no indication of its destination other than the reference to a former letter in 3:1. If this former letter was 1 Peter, then 2 Peter would have been sent to the same communities (Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia [so 1 Pet. 1:1]). This possibility is supported by the similar use of traditions concerning Noah and Enoch in both letters. However, 1 Peter gives no indication that Peter had any personal acquaintance with his addressees, whereas 2 Peter does (1:16). Given the extensive allusions to Jewish traditions not found in the OT, we can conclude that Peter was writing to Jewish Christians to whom these traditions had a strong appeal.

Relationship to the Epistle of Jude

Second Peter 2 and Jude 4–21 are extraordinarily similar not only in content and wording but also in their order. Scholars have speculated as to which author used the work of the other or whether both used a common source. We have no evidence that would settle the question. What we do know is that both letters interact heavily with the traditions associated with 1 Enoch.

These Enochic traditions differ from the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They were accepted as authentic and authoritative at least by the Qumran community/Essenes (cf. CD-A 6:1–6; Jub. 1.1–9; 4.17–19). Whereas Jude (14–15) cites 1 En. 1.9 directly, 2 Peter only speaks about these stories.

According to the Enochic traditions, salvation was for ethnically pure Israel, observing rigorously the specifications for worship and lifestyle laid down in these pseudepigraphical revelations. While this tradition expected a day of judgment similar to that set forth in the Scriptures, it differed with the Christian gospel in its understanding of the origins of sin and evil (people are initially victims, not perpetrators) and of the way of salvation (rigorously keeping the Enochic rules). The Son of Man (of Dan. 7:13–14) is Enoch (1 En. 71), not Jesus. There is no place here for a crucified Messiah whose death would atone for sin, for the abandonment of OT food laws and sacrifices, or the acceptance of uncircumcised Gentiles into the assembly.

Second Peter and Jude deal in the strongest terms with false teachers who profess to base their teaching on fraudulent revelations (2 Pet. 1:16; Jude 1:8) and who deny Jesus as Lord. This tradition focused heavily on the Zadokite priesthood and the need to restore a pure temple. Peter and Jude’s polemic makes extensive connections between false teaching and all manner of corruption and uncleanness that would disqualify such a priesthood (2 Pet. 2:2, 10, 13, 15, 19, 22; cf. 1 Pet. 2:1–10; Jude 8, 11–13, 16).

The similarities between the two letters probably are the result of the two authors conferring together in some way. We know that Peter and his family traveled on missionary work, as did the brothers of Jesus (1 Cor. 9:5). We do not know where Jude was when either of these letters was written. The urgency that provoked Jude’s letter is also reflected in 2 Peter. The church was facing physical persecution in Rome as well as these false teachers who sought to lead Jewish believers away from Jesus. Meanwhile, Roman control of Judea was crumbling.

Main Themes

Second Peter focuses first on the work of God in Christ, which saves those who believe in Jesus (1:3). This faith is based on the knowledge of God and of Jesus (1:2) and is a response to the gospel call. God has given to the believer everything needed to live in a godly way, to endure, and to discern truth from error so as to die assured of not having been deceived (1:4).

Peter grounds that assurance in the Scriptures (1:19–21), in the testimony of the eyewitnesses of Jesus (1:12–16), including himself, and in the writings of the apostle Paul, to whom Jesus had given wisdom for this purpose (3:15–16). One develops certainty in the faith not only by referring to these sources but also by putting the faith into practice (1:5, 10, 15). The faith then is rooted in history, not in “cleverly invented stories” (1:16). Consequently, Peter expresses his passion to see that his eyewitness account will be accessible to the next generation (1:14–15).

He speaks plainly of “Scripture” as an identifiable body of texts written at the instigation of the Holy Spirit (1:20–21) and places the writings of Paul on the same level (3:16). By this, Peter implies that his letter is to be received as carrying the same authority and usefulness.

False teachers are a permanent challenge to God’s people. Doctrine and behavior are products of each other (2:1–3).

Peter is particularly concerned that his readers not think that Jesus’ delay in appearing is proof that the apostolic witnesses were wrong (3:3–4). Jesus has not returned because were he to do so, it would end all opportunity for unbelievers to hear the gospel and be saved (3:9). God is gracious and long-suffering and is calling his people to reflect his character by giving people the opportunity to be saved. His patience is salvation (3:15). The gospel mission, then, provides the second motivation for the believer to practice the faith (3:11–16) and not waver.

Second Peter ends by challenging believers to constantly grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ (3:17–18).

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1. Don’t Deny the Existence of Trouble

Illustration

Maurice A. Fetty

Any daily newspaper recounts tragic story after story of premature deaths, fractured relationships, and broken dreams. Indeed, we need not turn to any newspaper for an accounting of the world's troubles and sorrows. We have only to look at our own friends and neighbors and families. We have only to look into our own lives and hearts. Jesus, the healer and power-giver, never insulted people by telling them their problems weren't real. He never told the sick they were never really sick or that their illness had no pain or reality. He never told people that death wasn't real, nor did he offer this widowed mother Pollyannaish pabulum to soothe her grieving heart.

An Indiana man had a young son with a special fear of storms. One day, when a storm threatened, the father took his son to the front of their lovely, substantial home, pointed out across the neighborhood, and said to the boy, "There, you see everything is okay. These are solid homes and we are safe and dry in them." About that time a tornado touched down a block away and utterly destroyed several of these "substantial" homes.

The storms of the natural world are real, just as are the storms of the spiritual, psychological world. Trouble and tragedy are real. Evil and death are real. Jesus never said to his disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee, "This is no storm. The storm is in your mind." He never said that. Instead he said to the storm, "Peace, be still." And it was. Are you out of a job? Did your home decline in value? Are your financial resources dwindling? Do you have a serious illness? Is your marriage not right? Is there a real problem with the children? Are you enslaved in a debilitating habit? Then don't deny it, says Jesus. The widow never said her son wasn't dead. Admit the problems. Don't deny them.

2. WHEN WINNING MEANS LOSING

Illustration

John H. Krahn

For the Christian, life is idyllic. As you embrace Christ, your problems become opportunities, heartaches turn into joys, and bad times fade into the past. Your career succeeds as it never has. Your relationship with those around you is enhanced. Unkind words once directed toward you no longer make their way to your ears. Temptation runs against you, then retreats in dismay. Money is no longer a problem, for you’ll have more than enough. Lovely flowers moving in the fresh breeze send their fragrance your way as the warming rays of the sun fill your body with the feeling of health and beautiful harmony with God and nature. You are God’s special person. He spares you from pain, problems, and poverty.

Hogwash, unmitigated hogwash - more like heresy. If Christianity is as I have just described it, then all of us must be wondering whether we really are Christians. Although our walk with Jesus brings us many blessings that will enhance our lives, the Evil One does not roll over and play dead when we follow Christ but continues to dog us as we make our way through life. Following Jesus Christ also brings with it a degree of suffering as our selfishness is lost to service and discipleship. And as we struggle to be what we are, children of God through Baptism, it is often hard and painful. Christ suffered, his followers suffered, we too will have the privilege of suffering.

Those of us who try to live a moral life in society that is so permissive know the suffering that sometimes accompanies our uniqueness. Often, others look at us in disbelief when we stand for something because it’s right rather than because it’s expedient. To them we appear as losers. But for us to do less is to march to a different drum beat than the one Jesus sounds. Jesus puts it this way, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." To lead a winning Christian life, we lose our selfishness and replace it with selflessness.

Our march through life does not end at the grave but moves beyond. Our vision is both present and future, in this world and the next. Courageously we meet the world, proclaiming the glory of the Lord in word and deed and find strength through him to overcome whatever conflicts our faith might encounter. Leaning on him we seek his Spirit’s power to help us deny ourselves, to bear his cross, and to even suffer for the Gospel’s sake. With Christ we desire that everyone might become his children through faith and join him and us at the Father’s house in eternity.

When we arrive, God will look us over - not for medals, or awards, or degrees, but for scars. Finding them, he will declare, "Ah, a wise person who understood that winning meant losing."

3. Sacrificial Love and Hedonism

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Jesus said: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Many years ago, college president William Banowski interviewed Hugh Hefner. He wrote of this encounter:

I was made keenly aware of the universal appeal of Jesus during one of my conversations with Hugh Hefner in Chicago. As we talked, Mr. Hefner surprised me by saying, "If Christ were here today and had to choose between being on the staff of one of the joy-killing, pleasure-denying churches, he would, of course, immediately join us." What most offended Jesus' contemporaries, and what modern men find even harder to accept, is His insistence that to find life we must first lose it. Hugh Hefner writes: "We reject any philosophy which holds that a man must deny himself for others."The playboy cult holds that every man ought to love himself preeminently and pursue his own pleasure constantly. Nowhere is the clash between popular playboyism and the ethical realism of Jesus any sharper than over how the good life is to be achieved. Hugh Hefner tells us to get all we can.

Jesus tells us to give all we can. Because the clash is total, there is no way to gloss over it. The popular philosophy teaches that to gee life you must grab it; Jesus taught that to win we must surrender. The conflict is absolute and irrevocable.

4. THE MOST WONDERFUL GIFT

Illustration

John H. Krahn

One of the things that most young children fear are monsters. Unlike the imagined monsters of children, the early church had a real monster of its own. It was a most deadly enemy that roamed about. The monster was the notion that Christ alone was not adequate for a person’s salvation. And this monster gave birth to another monster, the monster of uncertainty over our own salvation. Both monsters were real - both were inspired by the devil. Unfortunately, they are still very much with us today. Many of us are puzzled and uncertain as to whether we will be saved. To solve the salvation puzzle we must kill the monster of uncertainty that suggests we trust in something other than Christ alone for our salvation.

Recently, I surveyed a large sample of our congregation. I was amazed to discover that so many were puzzled over the crucial question of their eternal life. Perhaps some of you reading this meditation do not feel certain that if you died tonight that you will be with God in heaven. Many who feel certain that they will go to heaven do not base such certainty on faith in Jesus Christ alone. The devil that roamed freely in the early church is still with us.

Brothers and sisters, our salvation is unreasonable, and this is what causes much of our puzzlement. We have been trained from childhood that we must work out our own problems and map out our own destiny. To think that God’s salvation is a pure gift, won for us by God’s actions and effected without any help or aid from us, militates against our, "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" philosophy.

Second, it smacks us where we hurt the most, right in our pride. Adults are hesitant about accepting gifts which they know they have not earned or merited. We do not want to feel obligated to anyone. It is not an easy matter for us to come before Almighty God and accept what he wants to give us - the most wonderful gift of eternal life. It takes a humble person to make such a confession from his heart and to stand totally dependent on God.

Third, for most of us, everything that we have has a price tag on it. Then we are confronted with the strange news of a gospel which declares that God’s salvation is a free gift. Our experience with every other valuable gift causes us to stop and think, "Is that reasonable? There must be a hidden cost, a string attached, we must have to do something. How can God really give us something so wonderful for nothing?"

In the survey of our congregation we also asked our people, "If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ what would you answer him?" What would you answer him? Take a second, think about it. Let me share with you some answers others gave: "I’ve lived a Christian life, loving and caring for my fellowman." "I am a good person and love to help others." "I’ve tried my best to do what you have expected of me." What is the common element in all these answers? It is "I." Everyone emphasizes what I have done.

The Bible says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is a gift of God, not because of works, lest any man should boast." Heaven is a most wonderful gift, it is not something earned or deserved, it is only received by faith. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the key that opens heaven to us.

5. Monkey-hold or Cat-hold Salvation

Illustration

W. Robert McClelland

Christian thinking about salvation has divided itself into two main streams which I like to think of as: "Monkey-hold" salvation or "Cat-hold" salvation. The difference in theological viewpoint is seen in how monkeys and cats protect their young. A mother monkey will sound the alarm when danger lurks. The baby monkeys come running to her and hold tightly to her fur as she runs to safety. A mother cat, on the other hand, picks her kittens up by the nape of the neck and carries them in her mouth out of harm's way. So, which is it? Monkey-hold salvation or Cat-hold salvation? Does God sound the alarm in Jesus leaving us to come running and hold on tightly, or does Christ take us by the nape of the neck and carry us to the throne of grace?

At least in Jesus' parables it appears to be a Cat-hold salvation. Jesus pictures God as a shepherd who seeks out a lost lamb and carries it home on his shoulders. Or a homemaker who searches every corner of the house for a lost coin until she finds it and rejoices with her friends. Our salvation rests in the care and keeping of a seeking Savior. The message is simple and clear: We do not have to worry about holding on to God's coat tails for God will not let go of ours.

6. Christ Plus

Illustration

Larry Powell

It is commonly accepted that the first Church Council met in Jerusalem sometime between A.D. 44-47. Acts 15:4-19 relates that a major part of the agenda was concerned with the matter of whether or not circumcision should be required of Gentile converts. The Jerusalem party said "Yes," while Paul and Barnabas, who were not requiring circumcision of their new converts said "No." A lengthy debate ensued, followed by a brief statement by Peter: "And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, ‘Brethren ... why do you make a trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers or we have been able to bear? But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as they will" (10-11).

Peter’s argument against requiring circumcision of Gentile converts was followed by a pronounced silence within the assembly. After a while, Paul and Barnabas recounted some of the "signs and wonders" which God had accomplished through them among the Gentiles. Finally, James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem and, according to one tradition, the brother of Jesus, concluded the matter with an authoritative judgment: "Brethren ... my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God" (13-19).

The Council has decided: 1. salvation hinges upon but one requirement - faith in Jesus Christ; 2. Christianity would widen it’s orbit to become a world religion. The message of Christ was conceived to be too wonderful to be confined to a clique, territory, or any exclusive setting; 3. Christianity, unlike a religion based upon legalism, is a matter of the spirit.

The issue had clearly been what Charles M. Laymon calls the matter of "Christ-plus." "Christ-plus" refers to whether or not salvation requires anything in addition to faith in Christ. In other words, is salvation understood to mean faith in Christ plus something else? Unfortunately, it is not unusual to observe certain Christians who insist that salvation requires faith in Christ plus participation in a specific mode of baptism, or manner of observing the Lord’s Supper, or actually belonging to a particular fellowship. Exclusiveness erects fences. Jesus Christ tears down fences.

John Bunyan in his immortal allegory, Pilgrims’ Progress, told of the pilgrim who set out from the City of Destruction for the City of Life. Pilgrim will forever be known as a selfish and unworthy man because he made the pursuit of his own salvation his chief aim in life, leaving his own family behind in the City of Destruction. Devoted though he was, he was yet misled by the "Christ-plus" attitude.

Salvation is not so much a matter of what one must do, as a matter of what Christ has already done in our behalf.

7. Second Coming Nonsense

Illustration

Staff

The first perversion of the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is perpetrated by those I'm going to call "prophecy mongers." You know these people. They come with their charts and graphs, with their predictions and projections, claiming to have special insight into the workings of God in the world, so that they're able to cue us in on just where we are in the divine timetable. And somehow, every political event of the past fifty years fits neatly into their scheme of things. But Jesus said that no one not even himself knew the day or the hour of his coming, but only the Father.

But there is another distortion of this doctrine that is equally vitiating although in comes from a completely different direction. Here I refer to those who, far from exaggerating the eschatology of Jesus, want to minimize it because they are embarrassed. They rationalize it or demythologize it or spiritualize it, so that they can embrace Jesus and his teachings without getting all the supernatural trimmings that go with it. The fundamentalist and the rationalist share a common assumption about the second coming. They both assume that this is teaching we can easily understand and exploit and have at our disposal, so that it no longer threatens us, no longer hangs over our heads like Damocles's word, ready to fall upon us and shatter our pretty pretensions into a thousand smithereens. The fundamentalist over explains the second coming, and so takes away its mystery, while the rationalist explains it away, robbing it of its meaning.

Jesus said, "Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." It is here at the point of waiting that most of us have our greatest difficulty.

8. Devil Descriptions

Illustration

Merrill F. Unger

Possible Biblical references to Satan:

Genesis 3:1-14 · He was disguised under the Edenic serpent
Genesis 3:15 · He is the serpent's seed
1 Chronicles 21:1 · Satan stands against Israel
Job 1:7-2:10 · He accused and afflicted Job
Isaiah 14:12 · He was Lucifer, son of the morning before the fall (This verse is erroneously ascribed to Satan. It actually refers to the king of Babylon, see v. 3)
Ezekiel 28:14 · He was the anointed cherub that covers (This verse also is erroneously ascribed to Satan. It actually refers to the king of Tyre, see v. 1)
Zecheriah 3:1-9 · He is Satan, the Adversary of unbelieving Israel
Matthew 4:3 · He is the tempter
Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:10-11 · He perverts the Word of God
Matthew 12:22-29 · He works in demon possession
Matthew 12:24; Acts 10:38 · He is the prince of the demons
Matthew 13:19 · Snatches away the Word
Matthew 13:38 · "the evil one"
Matthew 13:38-39 · He sows tares
Matthew 13:39 · He is "the enemy"
Matthew 25:41 · He is a fallen angel
Matthew 25:41; Rev 20:10 · His ultimate fate is Gehenna
Luke 4:13 · He is the devil, the slanderer
Luke 10:18 · He fell from a sinless high estate
Luke 13:16 · He blinds people physically and spiritually
Luke 22:31 · He viewed Simon Peter as a target
John 3:8, 10 · His children are unsaved people
John 8:44 · He was branded "a liar" and "the father of lies" by Jesus
John 8:44 · He is a murderer
John 12:31; 14:30 · He is the prince of this world
John 13:2,27 · He caused Judas to betray Christ
Acts 5:3 · Educes Ananias to lie
2 Corinthians 4:4 · He blinds people spiritually
Ephesians 2:2 · He indwells the unsaved
Ephesians 6:10-20 · He is routed by Spirit-directed prayer
Ephesians 6:11-12 · He heads a celestial hierarchy of evil
1 Thessalonians 2:18 · He hinders God's will in believers
2 Thessalonians 2:9 · He works diabolic miracles
1 Timothy 4:1-6 · He instigates false doctrine
1 Peter 5:8 · He seeks to harm believers
1 Peter 5:8-9 · He is overcome by faith
Revelation 2:9 · He has a synagogue of legalists who deny God's grace in Christ
Revelation 12:9 · He is the deceiver
Revelation 12:9; 20:2 · He is the dragon, that old serpent
Revelation 20:1-3 · He will be bound during the millennium

9. Satan Is No Myth

Illustration

J. O. Sanders

J. O. Sanders offers this interesting description of the counterfeit nature of Satan:

Satan has his own trinity the devil, the beast, and the false prophet (Revelation 16:13).
He has his own church, "a synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9).
He has his own ministers, "ministers of Satan" (2 Corinthians 11:4-5).
He has formulated his own system of theology "doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).
He has established his own sacrificial system; "The Gentiles...sacrifice to demons" (1 Corinthians 10:20).
He has his own communion service, "the cup of demons...and the table of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:21).
His ministers proclaim his own gospel, "a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you" (Galatians 1:7-8).
He has his own throne (Revelation 13:2) and his own worshipers (Revelation 13:4).
So he has developed a thorough imitation of Christianity, viewed as a system of religion.
In his role as the imitator of God, he inspires false christs, self-constituted messiahs (Matthew 24:4-5).
He employs false teachers who are specialists in his "theology," to bring in "destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them" (2 Peter 2:1). They are adept at mixing truth and error in such proportions as to make error palatable. They carry on their teaching surreptitiously and often anonymously.
He sends out false prophets. "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many" (Matthew 24:11).
He introduces false brethren into the church, who "had sneaked in to spy out our liberty...in order to bring us into bondage" (Galatians 2:4).
He sponsors false apostles who imitate the true (2 Corinthians 11:13).

10. "Others"

Illustration

King Duncan

Every holiday season we begin to see people in uniforms in shopping malls ringing bells collecting donations for the poor. They are doing the work of the Salvation Army.

In 1878, when the Salvation Army was really beginning to make its mark, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. A man who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop in another denomination crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist in the Salvation Army instead. His name was Samuel Brengle. Brengle left a fine pastorate to join William Booth's Army. At first General Booth accepted his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle, "You've been your own boss too long." So in order to instill humility in Brengle, he made him work by cleaning the boots of other trainees.

Discouraged, Brengle said to himself, "Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in order to black boots?" Then, as in a vision, he saw Jesus bending over the feet of rough, uneducated fishermen. "Lord," he whispered, "you washed their feet; I will black their shoes."

Samuel Brengle went on to establish the Salvation Army in America. At the time of his death, the Salvation Army was thriving in both the United States and in Canada. Just before his death Brengle sent out a short memo to all of his top leaders. This memo had one single word written on it: "Others."

11. Great Reversals

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

The theme of poverty, riches, possessions and the realm of God is a constant theme of Luke. It begins with Mary's song. Mary had an encounter with an angel. "You will bear a son and call his name Jesus," the angel announced. "Let it be with me according to your word," said Mary. Elizabeth, Mary's relative, blessed Mary for her trust that God's word of promise would be fulfilled. And then Mary sang a song. Mary's song may just well be the central song of Luke's entire gospel. Luke tells many stories in his gospel that are best understood as comments on her song!

Mary's song sings of a God of great reversals. This God has high regard for a lowly maiden. This God scatters the proud and puts down the mighty from their thrones. The high are made low and the low are exalted. This God, furthermore, fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty-handed. That's the kind of God that Mary sings about it. A God of great reversals. A God who makes the rich poor and the poor rich.

Jesus sings a similar song in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. During the worship service that day Jesus was given the scroll of Isaiah that he might read it to the congregation. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," Jesus read, "because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19). Isaiah had prophesied that God would send a spirit-filled servant who would bring a great reversal to human affairs. After he had finished reading from the Isaiah scroll, Jesus gave it to the attendant and sat down. Every eye in the synagogue was fixed upon him. Jesus spoke. "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing," he said. He was the spirit-filled servant of whom Isaiah had prophesied. He was the one who would bring great reversals to life in fulfillment of Mary's song. He was the one who brought good news to the poor.

"Blessed are you poor." We should not be surprised at these words of Jesus to his disciples. In Luke 6:20-26 Jesus also speaks of great reversals. The poor will be blessed. The hungry will be satisfied. The weeping ones shall laugh. Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake will rejoice. Reversals work the other way as well. The weak of the earth will be blessed but the mighty of the earth shall be filled with woe. Woe to the rich. Woe to those who are full now. Woe to those who laugh now. Woe to those of whom the world now speaks well.

John the Baptist watched Jesus' ministry from afar. John wondered about Jesus. Was he really the promised Messiah? John sent some of his disciples to Jesus with just this question. "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" John's disciples asked Jesus on John's behalf (Luke 7:21). Jesus had an answer for John. "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard," he instructs John's disciples, "the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them" (Luke 7:22). The "great reversals" have begun. That's Jesus' word to John.

Today's story from Luke is a story in this lineage. A great reversal takes place. The rich man is sent away empty. The poor hear good news!"

12. The Lure of the Easy Way - Sermon Starter

Illustration

Brett Blair

I like the story of the young man, eager to make it to the top, who went to a well-known millionaire businessman and asked him the first reason for his success. The businessman answered without hesitation, "Hard work." After a lengthy pause the young man asked, "What is the SECOND reason?"

We want to deal this morning with the lure of the easy way. Jesus and His disciples were at Caesarea Philippi. Their ministry to this point had been a stunning success. Crowds pressed in on them everywhere they went. People eagerly reached out to touch this attractive young teacher from Nazareth. The disciples themselves were caught up in the excitement of it all. Jesus asked them, "Who do you say I am?" and Simon Peter answered enthusiastically, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" It was one of the most dramatic moments in the disciples' pilgrimage with Jesus.

Then Jesus changed the subject. He began to tell them that the crowds would soon turn against Him; He would be crucified, on the third day he would be raised. The disciples didn't know what to make of all this. Simon Peter took Jesus aside: "Forbid it, Lord, that these things should happen to you." Jesus' response to Simon Peter is as harsh as any words in the New Testament: "Get behind me Satan! You are not on the side of God but of man."

Perhaps Jesus called Simon Peter ‘Satan' because of Jesus' experience in the wilderness immediately after His baptism by John. In today's parlance, it was there that Satan revealed to Jesus the way to make a million dollars in three easy steps turn stones to bread, leap off the pinnacle of the temple, "Bow down and worship me!" I see Satan not as a red caped figure with a pitchfork but dressed in a $400 suit and offering in a glib and polished tongue instant success, instant glamour, instant gratification. We can see Satan almost anywhere today. Jesus encountered him this time in Simon Peter: "Forbid it, Lord, that you should have to suffer and die."

If there is any doubt that Jesus is resisting the lure of the easy way, listen to the words that follow: "If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

We are the devotees of the easy way even though everyone in this room knows two important truths.

1. The Path to Personal Success Is that of Self-Denial.

2. Self-Denial Is Essential to the Salvation of the World.

13. Out of the Struggle of Honest Doubt

Illustration

Glenn E. Ludwig

I heard a pastor tell a story about a miracle that happen in the life of a 15-year-old girl during a weekend retreat. Quiet, reserved, shy, brilliant and troubled: that's how he described her. All weekend her hollow, lifeless eyes searched for answers to gnawing questions that had eroded her life and spirit and made her appear dark and despondent. But something happened: Her eyes became more restless and alert. She was searching and she somehow knew she was close to something.

The group had spent the weekend on the theme "Discovery" and had talked about discovery of self, of others, and of God. And as another 15-year-old shared the pain of her older sister's recent suicide, the dam broke and water, like baptism, washed a face that hadn't cried in a very long time.

Later on that evening, the group did a Bible study around Luke 9 where Jesus asked his disciples: "Who do people say that I am?" And later in the chapter where Jesus lays out the conditions for discipleship: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." When the pastor asked the group what that sounded like -- a commercial, a Sunday school lesson, a parent laying down another rule -- the young girl with the tear-stained face responded: "It sounds to me like something worth giving my life to."

The pastor said "I sat with Thomas that night in the form of a 15-year-old girl and we shared some bread and wine in the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ."

Do you see? Out of the struggle with honest doubt, a faith can be reborn, and new life can begin.

14. Your Place Is Behind Jesus

Illustration

Johnny Dean

One of the early church fathers, a man named Origen, suggested that when Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan," what he actually meant was, "Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It's your job to follow me in the way I choose, not to try to lead me in the way YOU would like me to go." Certainly what Jesus said immediately after his rebuke of Peter would support that interpretation. He told all of his disciples, including Peter, that not only did HE have a task that was set before him by God, but that THEY also had work to do. "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me," Jesus said. "Get on this new thrill ride with me. There will be many dangerous twists and turns in the tracks, but I promise you it will never be dull. It will mean putting someone other than yourself first, being concerned not so much with what YOU want, but what God wants for you. It won't be easy and sometimes it won't be much fun, but it will never be boring."

15. Parable of the Lapel Pin

Illustration

Billy said, "Mother, what is wrong with me?"

Mother said, "Why nothing is wrong with you dear, why do you ask?"

"I haven't got any pin," said Billy, "and all the other kids have one. Jimmy has a scout pin, Dick has a class ring, Mary has a locket and I don't have anything."

"Well, those things just say that they belong to something. You'll have one some day."

"But I want a lapel pin. Any thing now. I want a lapel pin. Any kind of a pin."

"You have to do something to earn the scout pin or the Sunday School pin or most any kind of pin. The pin stands for what you belong to or what you believe in," counseled the mother.

Billy was expressing a basic need of wanting to belong, of being identified with something of which he might be proud. It is a worthy desire.

God wants us to belong to His Kingdom. To identify ourselves with Him. Christians are expected to identify themselves with Christ. Jesus said, "He who confesses Me before men, him will I confess before my Father in Heaven and he who denies Me before men, him will I also deny before my Father in Heaven."

Sound lives are built through identification with sound principles and good organizations. Americans declare their loyalty, as they believe in and practice democracy. It is our duty to vote, pay taxes, serve our community and mankind.

Billy could have been given a little flag to wear on his lapel. A lesson in identification with American principles was opportune for the mother.

16. Life at the End of the Line

Illustration

Keith Wagner

Since my name begins with "W" I know what it means to be at the end of the line. All through school I was either near or at the end, always with the Youngs and the Zimmermans. At every graduation I was in the last group to cross the stage and receive my diploma. In the classroom I always sat in the last row near the back of the room. I never knew what it meant to be first until I became a pastor. Now, I am always permitted to eat first at potluck dinners.

I must confess it's rather nice to be the first one to go through the line. You get to choose from all the best dishes and you have first choice on dessert. I wonder sometimes if I would have a different outlook on life if my name began with an "A."

We live in a society where being "first" means everything. Everyone wants to be number one or be part of a group that is number one. Competition is the name of the game. Our motto is "win, win, win, me, me, me." To find ourselves at the end of the line in anything is absolutely tragic. None of us wants to come in last. No one wants to wait.

Then, along comes Jesus. He totally ruins our winning formula by saying the phrase, "For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." What? Lose instead of win? This does not compute. This is illogical. This is now how we were conditioned to believe. Surely this must be a mistake.

Jesus, however promotes an ethic of "end of the lineness." Not only are we to lose to win, we are to "deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him." For Jesus it's even worse. He is to suffer, be rejected, and killed by a hostile world.

17. It's So Daily

Illustration

When Charles Swindoll was a young boy, he was greatly influenced by this remark from an old Texan: "The problem with the Christian life is that it's so daily."

It's true. Following Jesus is a lifestyle that builds on past lessons and decisions, but it also depends on our dedication day by day. We cannot live off yesterday's successes, last week's prayers, or the Bible stories we heard when we were children.

Each new day is both a challenge and an opportunity. Our faith will be challenged, and we can use that challenge as an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God. Jesus Himself said that those who wanted to be His disciples were expected to be in a continual attitude of self-denial and obedience to Him. Here's how the Lord put it: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Lk. 9:23).

As each day unfolds, we must pause and remind ourselves that this is a day dedicated to God, that it is to be used for His glory, and that it is best lived with a continual recollection of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Starting today, let's look at life that way. It's a daily commitment.

The Christian life is more than just
A prayer of faith made in the past;
It's dedicating every day
To live for Christ and what will last.

Dedication to Christ is not just a one-time choice, it's a daily challenge.

18. A Gift You Can't Afford

Illustration

Erwin W. Lutzer

Erwin Lutzer tells a story about a missionary who became a good friend of an Indian pearl diver. They had discussed salvation for many hours, but the Hindu could not believe that it could be a free gift. He believed that salvation could come by walking the nine hundred miles to Delhi on his knees. But the missionary said that salvation was so costly that Jesus had to buy it for us.

Before he left on his pilgrimage, the Indian gave the missionary the largest and most perfect pearl he had ever seen. The pearl diver explained that his own son had lost his life in getting this pearl from the bottom of the sea.

The missionary thanked him, but then insisted that he pay for it. The Hindu was offended, saying that there was no price that could be paid for a pearl that had cost him his son.

Then and there the truth dawned: That is why Christians insist that no one can pay for salvation. It cost God the death of His only Son. To think we can pay for that is an insult indeed. Grace is free to us but very costly to God.

19. What Kind of Cross?

Illustration

Larry Powell

Not long ago, a hard-rock singer reknowned for his notorious over indulgence in mind-altering drugs appeared on television to scream, lunge, and gyrate through one of his bestselling songs. Inasmuch as the rather badly garbled words were totally incomprehensible to me, I turned my attention to the bizarre, uninhibited attire of this widely heralded "artist." Not to dwell on the flamboyance of his appearance, I wish only to point out that dangling from an expensive chain around his neck was a large cross. Perhaps it was there as a counterstatement, a message of rebellion to institutional religion, or perhaps he simply counted it as an attractive piece of jewelry. I do not know. But more and more, the cross is appearing on necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and the like as fashionable symbols, which is all right, I suppose, except that the behavior of those brandishing them is not always consistent with what the cross represents. If a person in ancient Rome had adorned himself with a cross, it would have been the equivalent of someone today wearing the likeness of the electric chair around his neck. The cross was originally not considered to be a thing of beauty. It conveyed pain, humiliation, and death. It still does, except in the Christian context. Another dimension was added to Calvary ... victory.

Jesus issued a call to discipleship, but the invitation contained an inherent inhibitor: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." A cross of adornment or embellishment was not what Jesus had in mind. Self-denial and risking the consequences of following the way of Christ are at the heart of the call to discipleship.

In the eighteenth century, a German artist, Stenberg, was walking through the market place of his home town when he was attracted to the face of a dancing gypsy girl. He invited her to sit for him in his studio as a model. Accepting his invitation, she enabled Stenberg to paint his famous "Dancing Gypsy Girl." There is more. The young girl was greatly impressed by what she saw in the artist’s studio, particularly a painting in progress titled "Crucifixion." Arrested by the painting, she said one day to Stenberg, "He must have been a very bad man to have been nailed to a cross like that." Stenberg replied, "No, he was a good man. The best man who ever lived. Indeed, he died for all men." The girl asked, "Did he die for you?" Stenberg had never really made such a personal application of his explanation. He was led to search the Scriptures, and in a few short weeks, he discovered the answer and surrendered himself to Christ. Returning to his painting of the "Crucifixion," he added these words beneath the likeness of Christ on the cross: "This I did for thee; what hast thou done for me?" There is more. A young aristocratic count, Zinzendorf by name, chanced to observe the painting, paused to meditate at both the depiction and the words, and was so moved that he went on to found the Moravians.

There are elements of power and attraction about the cross. There also is an inaudible appeal: "This I did for thee; what hast thou done for me?" Have we denied ourselves and taken up our cross, whatever it may be, and followed him?

20. God Is Patient

Illustration

Stephen Muncherian

The Apostle Peter, writing shortly before he was martyred, during a time when

Nero's persecution of the church was growing in severity
false teaching was tearing at the heart of the church
believers were beginning to doubt that Jesus was returning
the question of the day was, "How can we continue to trust God?"

During this period of doubt and uncertainty, the Apostle Peter writes in 2 Peter, "Don't let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness but God is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

21. When A Clown Was Just Right

Illustration

William G. Carter

Bill is a minister. He also has been accused of being a little bit nuts. Bill does workshops for churches on clowning. Not long ago, he was in a distant city, packing up after a workshop. The phone rang. Nobody was around. He answered. "Are you a minister?" somebody asked. "Yes, actually I am." "Come quickly," said the voice, "our child is dying of leukemia." Bill dropped everything. He ran out to his rental car and drove to the hospital. He parked the car, ran up the steps, through the double doors, and down the hall.

Suddenly it hit him: he was still dressed as a clown, with a white face, red nose, orange hair, and green suspenders. He didn't have time to change. It was an emergency. He kept going. He found the room, knocked on the door, and entered the room where a young girl in a hospital bed lay surrounded by her family. "We called for a minister, not a clown," said the father. The child replied, "He's better than a minister. Can he stay?" No one dared to deny her request. Bill sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He sang songs. He told Bible stories. He cradled the little girl in his arms until the end. When the last moment came, she made a final request. "Would you come to my funeral?"

So that's how it happened. On the third day, crazy Bill stood with white face, red nose, orange hair, and green suspenders. He never spoke a word, yet he led the people as they laughed, and cried, and remembered the little girl's life. A few people present thought it was wrong to have a clown at a funeral, much less lead the service. They murmured afterwards, "That minister is out of his mind! He's crazy!" By all the proper canons of pastoral protocol, they were probably correct. But there he stood, acting as if God's joyful power has already defeated death. Was he crazy? Who can say? All we know is that Bill heard Jesus say, "I am the resurrection and the life," and he acted accordingly.

"You don't have to be crazy to work around here, but it helps." Likewise, you don't have to be out of your mind to do the work of Jesus Christ, even though a faithful life can provoke the world to think of you that way. Should evil conspire against you, listen closely. You may hear Christ say, "You're my brother you're my sister you're my family."

22. A Revolutionary Text

Illustration

Staff

The passage in Matthew 22 in which Jesus tells the Pharisees to "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's is "a revolutionary text, and its public implications have been working themselves out for almost two millennia," according to George Weigel, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center of Washington, D.C. In an essay entitled "The Christian Citizen and Democracy," Mr. Weigel noted that the Scriptures say to submit to the governing authorities and to pray for them (1 Peter 2:13-14, Romans 13:1), but that Caesar is not God, contrary to a common belief in the times of Jesus.

Mr. Weigel questioned whether atheists can really be good citizens, arguing that democracy requires a standard of truth and morality outside the scope of fallen human beings. Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things, was quoted as saying to an atheist who asked, "Is this the opening salvo of a campaign to deny atheists their rights?", "Relax. Your rights are secured by my understanding of the truth, even if mine are not by yours."

23. Looking Past Oneself

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

An enormously rich man complained to a psychiatrist that despite his great wealth which enabled him to have whatever he wanted, he still felt miserable. The psychiatrist took the man to the window overlooking the street and asked, "What do you see?" The man replied, "I see men, women, and children."

The psychiatrist then took the man to stand in front of mirror and asked, "Now what do you see?"

The man said, "I see only myself."

The psychiatrist then said, "In the window there is a glass and in the mirror there is glass, and when you look through the glass of the window, you see others, but when you look into the glass of the mirror you see only yourself. The reason for this, "said the psychiatrist, "is that behind the glass in the mirror is a thin layer of silver. When silver is added, you cease to see others. You only see yourself."

Whenever your devotion to money and material things causes you to be self centered, you in essence deny God's intention for your life. It is also a denial of the Christ, for Jesus came into the world so that we might be in union with God.

24. Are You Sure of Your Salvation?

Illustration

Staff

After John Wesley had been preaching for some time, someone said to him, "Are you sure, Mr. Wesley, of your salvation?" "Well," he answered, "Jesus Christ died for the whole world." "Yes, we all believe that; but are you sure that you are saved?" Wesley replied that he was sure that provision had been made for his salvation.

"But are you sure, Wesley, that you are saved?" It went like an arrow to his heart, and he had no rest or power until that question was settled. Many men and many women go on month after month, and year after year, without power, because they do not know their standing in Christ; they are not sure of their own footing for eternity. Latimer wrote Ridley once that when he was settled and steadfast about his own salvation he was as bold as a lion, but if that hope became eclipsed he was fearful and afraid and was disqualified for service. Many are disqualified for service because they are continually doubting their own salvation.

25. The Parable of the Talents - Sermon Starter

Illustration

Brett Blair

Jesus once told a story about a wealthy landowner who was preparing for a long journey. He called his three servants and divided his money between them, each according to their ability. To one servant he gave five talents, meaning a sum of money, to a second two, and to a third one talent.

Why is life like that? I don't know. We are all equal in the eyes of God. We are all guaranteed equal rights under the Constitution. In an election our votes are all equal. But when it comes to our abilities, we are as different as different can be. God simply did not make us all the same. There are some people who can handle five talents, there are some who can handle only one.

There are some persons who have great intellectual capabilities, and some who do not. There are some who have the ability to project and articulate their thoughts, and there are some who cannot. There are some who have physical prowess and attractive looks, and there are some who do not.

The important thing to remember is that each servant was given something. No one was left idle. You may not be a five talent person, but you have some talent. We all do. And you know something. I think that there are a whole lot more one and two talent people in this world than there are five talent people. Oh, there are some people who seem to have it all, I won't deny

that. But most of us are just one or two talent servants.

Why do we fear to step up and use our one or two talents. Why did the man in Jesus parable chose to do nothing with the one small sum he had been given him?

First, perhaps he feared failure.
Second, perhaps he played the game "if only." If only I had been given the talent of these other two men.
These may be sound reasons but more than likely he did nothing because he thought his one little talent wouldn't make a difference.

26. Stability Zones

Illustration

Carl Jech

In his book, Future Shock, Alvin Toffler explains how, in this modern world of rapid change, confusion and over-choice, we all need some kind of "stability zones" - regular habits, rituals, beliefs - whatever it is that gives us a stable point of reference. It would be difficult to deny the wisdom of Toffler's observation, or to miss its application to the role of religious faith in our lives. The grace of God as revealed in Jesus, the Christ, is surely our ultimate stability zone.

27. Two Wolves

Illustration

Brett Blair

One of my favorite theologians, Mr. Rogers, used to say: "Have you noticed that the very same people who are bad sometimes are the very same people who are good sometimes?" It reminds me of a story called, "Two Wolves." It goes like this:

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life..."A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. 'It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

28. Why Must We Carry a Cross? - Sermon Starter

Illustration

Brett Blair

Can people change instantly at salvation? Some traditions call it repentance and renewal. Some call it Sanctification of the believer. Whatever you call it most traditions expect some quick fix to sin. According to this belief, when someone gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. We go to church as if we are going to the grocery store: Powdered Christians. Just add water and disciples are born not made.

Unfortunately, there is no such powder and disciples of Jesus Christ are not instantly born. They are slowly raised through many trials, suffering, and temptations. A study has found that only 11 percent of churchgoing teenagers have a well-developed faith, rising to only 32 percent for churchgoing adults. Why? Because true life change only begins at salvation, takes more than just time, is about training, trying, suffering, and even dying (adapted from James Emery White, Rethinking the Church, Baker, 1997, p. 55-57).

Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Why? Peter believes the kingdom of God can be obtained instantly by force. Peter has a worldly view of the Kingdom and Jesus is speaking about a heavenly kingdom. For a moment I would like you to listen to this story with new ears and see Jesus through the eyes of Peter and the rest of the disciples. Get rid of all your notions about who Jesus is. Take away from your mind Jesus as the Son of God. Strip from your memory that he died on the Cross and that he did that for your sins. Forget that Jesus ever said love your enemies or love your neighbor.

Now I want you to think of Jesus only as a military leader like Norman Swartscoff. Imagine that your country has been invaded and is being ruled by godless men. Sense, now, that the tension is mounting and you about to go into battle. That you are about to conduct a coup d'etat. That you and this band of ruffians are going to attempt to overthrow this government by a sudden violent strike. That the odds are stacked against you but you have a very strong belief that God is on your side despite the overwhelming odds.

Now you are thinking like Peter. Jesus comes before his disciples and lays out his military strategy. Look at verse 31. Jesus says, "We are going to march into Jerusalem and your General will suffer many things. We are not going to get any help from our Jewish brothers the Elders. Even the Chief Priest and the Saducees will not join us. Our government the Sanhedrin is corrupt and can be of no help to us. We are going it alone and I will die in this battle.

On this day Jesus spoke plainly to his disciples about the events soon to transpire and even though it was plain language it was not plain enough. Peter was not able to shake his understanding of Jesus as his General so he pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him. He says, "Sir, this is not a very good military strategy. You are not going to die, don't say that. It's not good for morale. We are going to be there with you and we will fight to the end and we will throw these godless Romans out of Israel, you will ascend to the throne in place of Herod, and we will be at your right and left hand as the new leaders of Palestine.

It is fascinating to note that just before Jesus rebukes Peter he turns and looks at his disciples. It is as if Jesus is putting two and two together and realizes the disciples have put Peter up to this. It is a perilous moment in the life of Christ. He must dispel this error from their minds and teach them the meaning of his mission. So, he rejects Peter outright calling him a tool of Satan and says, you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.

Jesus is up against a formidable foe. And in the end this foe may posses more power then he. But the foe is not Peter and it's not the Sanhedrin or Pontius Pilate, or Rome. This formidable foe is not even Satan himself. The powerful enemy of Jesus is our quest for positions of rank and status.

To address the confusion Jesus pulls his disciples together and brings them before a crowd. And in front of the crowd he corrects the disciples aspirations for privilege, rank, and power and he gives them this simple little directive: You must take up your cross and follow me. This morning I would like to ask the question "Why must we carry a cross?" and give three reasons we must do so. We must carry a cross to remind us that…

We are not the center of the Universe.
There are others who suffer and we must fight for justice in the lives of others.
We are responsible in part for the cross that Jesus carried.

29. THE BEAUTY OF SELF-LOVE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

When we are emotionally healthy, all of us have a rather high regard of ourselves. It is natural and normal to enjoy the beauty of self-love. Although the Bible does not stroke self-love, it does not deny its validity either. What it speaks out against is selfish love, a love of ourselves that is exclusive of God and of others ... a love that has its priorities wrong. Whereas self-love is beautiful, selfish love is not.

In order to have the beauty of self-love, the Bible states that we must get our love priorities in order. The first object of our love must be God. The love God wishes demands the action of our whole personality. All of our being: moral, emotional, intellectual, and physical must go into our love of God. Only this is completely acceptable to God, and only this is adequate for his shaping of our lives. When we give God a mere fraction of ourselves, God himself becomes a mere fraction of what he might be to us.

Jesus not only wants to be in our lives but desires to be the master of our lives. He wants to be in the driver’s seat. If your life were likened to your automobile, where would Jesus’ place be in it? Would he be in the trunk like the spare tire only to be called forth in an emergency? Would he be in the back seat only being consulted occasionally for advice? Or, does he sit beside you, one with whom you have regular conversation? Or is he in the driver’s seat, at the controls, guiding your life in the direction he wants it to go?

When God is loved first and foremost and when we enjoy the beauty of a loving God, we can then enjoy the beauty of loving our neighbor. The word love in the Bible does not necessarily mean a personal liking, a sentimental affection, but rather it suggests our active good will in behalf of our neighbor. In other words, God says we are to love everyone even when we might not be able to like everyone.

Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is a great model of neighborly love. The Samaritan overstepped all existing borders to do concrete costly acts of love, even to one considered an enemy. The teaching of Jesus is clear - the love of a neighbor has no boundaries.

Now we are at the point of insight. When we love God completely and have him guiding our lives and when we are enabled by God’s love for us to extend our love to all neighbors, we are now more able to enjoy the beauty of self-love. For we see our importance and our worth with the eyes of God, a God whose Son was not too high a price to pay to reclaim us. If God loved us so much, we can certainly love ourselves.

We are also able to love ourselves more when we let God rid our lives of feelings of hate for other people through the practice of neighborly love. And as we hate others less, as we are uncomfortable with others less, as we love others more, psychologically we will hate ourselves less, can be more comfortable with ourselves, and enjoy more of the beauty of self-love.

Innately we all have a sense of self-love essential for preservation. He has given us the gift of eternity through our Lord Jesus Christ and wants to bless us daily as we love and devote ourselves to him. And as we love God and our neighbor, our natural self-love moves out of the realm of selfishness. For you see, it is no longer exclusive, directing all energies inward. Now it is inclusive, for it is a love with priorities straight. God first, others second, and ourselves third. The beauty of God-love, the beauty of neighbor-love, the beauty of self-love, together they comprise the beauty of Christian love.

30. Commitment

Illustration

It is characteristic of great leaders to make demands upon their followers. When Winston Churchill became Prime Minister he told the British people that he had nothing to offer them but "blood, toil, tears, and sweat." The Italian freedom fighter Gerabaldi told his followers that he offered them only hunger and death.

These were demanding leaders, but Jesus was a thousand times more demanding then they were. Jesus said, "So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Possession cannot stand between you and the Lord. Jesus went so far as to say, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own mother and father, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, he cannot be my disciple." Even something as noble as the love of family, as good and right as that is, cannot stand in the way of commitment to the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, "If any man would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Laziness, fear, selfishness, family nothing can stand between us and the call to discipleship. Jesus Christ demands our obedience. Jesus is not some wishy-washy little fellow coming up to us, hat in hand, hoping to win our favor, saying softly: Please sir, may I have a word with you." He comes to us as the Lord of History and makes demands: Take up you cross and follow me." He comes to us as one to be obeyed.

31. He Set His Face

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

He had just finished feeding the 5,000 men plus women and children when he asked them the question (Luke 9:10-17). In this context of feeding people (cf. Luke 24:28-35) Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" (Luke 9:18). We stand here at a turning point in Luke's story of Jesus. In earlier stories of Jesus' baptism, genealogy, temptation and a sabbath in his hometown synagogue Luke has given us all kinds of clues as to the identity of Jesus. After that there comes action. Jesus healed people. He forgave sinners. He called disciples. He challenged sabbath laws and so on. It's time now to return to the question of identity. Do even the disciples understand who this man is? Does anyone really understand?

The disciples answered Jesus question by stating the opinions of some in the crowds. Jesus' then zeroes in on the disciples themselves. "But who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20). "The Messiah of God," Peter answered.

And then Jesus did a surprising thing. He acknowledged that Peter had the right answer to his question. But he told the disciples not to tell anyone the truth of his identity. The coming of the Messiah would move Israel from one degree of glory to another. But Jesus was not to be this Messiah of glory. Jesus was to be a Messiah on a cross. Jesus tells it straight in a new revelation of his identity. "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised" (Luke 9:22).

The disciples must have been stunned. They had glory on their minds, too. But, no, the way of this Messiah was to be a way of suffering for him and for the disciples. "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The disciples never could get this through their heads. In the story of the transfiguration which Luke tells next we hear Jesus discussing the departure he would accomplish in Jerusalem. Jesus, that is, was discussing with Moses and Elijah his way to Jerusalem, his way to the cross. And the disciples? They wanted to build booths and live on this mountain of glory and transfiguration forever. They did not know what they were saying, Luke tells us.

This hardness of heart of the disciples appears again when they all come down from the Mount of Transfiguration. A man comes to Jesus in order that Jesus might heal his son who is possessed by a demon. "I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not," the father says to Jesus. Jesus proceeds to wonder aloud about the faithless disciples. He tells them again, therefore, of his mission. "Let these words sink into your ears," he tells them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands." Sadly Luke tells us of the disciples that, "... they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so they could not perceive it" (Luke 9:44-45). The disciples prove the truth of this statement by turning to a discussion among themselves about which one of them was the greatest. They're still thinking of glory!

Jesus has revealed that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer, to die and to be raised again. The disciples don't get it at all. With his heart heavy with the suffering that lay ahead, therefore, and with his mind puzzled by disciples who failed to understand, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.

32. Merry Xmas

Illustration

David E. Leininger

For years folks have complained about that "XMAS" abbreviation. They shout, "Keep Christ in Christmas," decrying the commercialization of the whole season as much as the use of "X." Half of the complaint is valid. No one would deny that the season has been taken over by the wizards of mass marketing in their quest to be the first-est with the most-est. Most of us remember the not too distant past when Christmas advertising began on the day after Thanksgiving. Now we get it in late September. I am told that buyers for the major retail chains begin their search for Christmas merchandise in February and March. There is no question as to the over-commercialization of Christmas.

As to the other part of the complaint...the X...there is less validity. To the English-speaking world, X is simply the twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet. But to the Greeks, the ones in whose language the New Testament was written, those diagonally-crossed lines are the letter "Chi," the first letter in the name "Christos," which in Greek means Messiah. Through the years it has been an acceptable abbreviation for Christ. The early Church used it as an abbreviation for Jesus. If you look at the lecture notes I took years ago in seminary, you will see it all over the place. Perhaps next time you tell someone Merry Christmas you could wish them Happy Chi-mas.

To backtrack a moment, I am less than accurate when I say that "X" to us is only a letter of the alphabet. Any math student would happily correct me. In algebra, it represents an unknown: 2+3=X, 3x3=X. But in Christianity X represents someone you do know.

33. Epiphany Moments

Illustration

Arthur G. Ferry

Working in a small town in Latin America, a woman felt despair. She was experiencing marital problems, as well as conflicts with people she worked with. Without warning, an earthquake struck one day. In those moments of panic and fear she ran with other people to the relative safety of a garden plaza as buildings shattered and dust billowed.

"For those moments I saw everything so clearly," she recalls, "how I could become so much kinder to my husband, how other relationships could work out. In an instant and with such gratitude I saw how it would be so easy for me to turn things around." In that dramatic moment this woman had glimpsed how the brokenness in her life could be mended. At that moment she saw clearly how she could bring about healing in her life. At that moment it was as if God had spoken to her in a most dramatic way.

God had told John in a personal epiphany, "He on whom you see the spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." When John saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus in the form of a dove, he knew without a doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. John believed that day because of a personal act of revelation.

Sometimes that happens. The truth of God comes into our lives in such a dramatic fashion that we can scarcely deny that we have been in His presence.

34. Oh, Now I Understand

Illustration

King Duncan

C. S. Lewis once said that the most frequently spoken word in heaven would be, "OH." As in, "Oh, now I understand." Or, "Oh, now I see what God's plan was." Or, "Oh, now I see the reason for the trial I went through."

We do not have that luxury in this world. We walk by faith, not by knowledge. But one day it will be revealed to us. We will be in the presence of the Father and the Son and the Spirit. How can we be in the presence of all three at the same time? It beats me, but as St. Paul says in another place, "I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me."

35. River of Disappointment

Illustration

King Duncan

Can you imagine the disappointment Jesus felt as he looked into the faces of people around him that first holy week? Can you imagine his disappointment with the crowds who would shout hosanna one moment and crucify him the next? Disappointment with his disciples--one of whom would betray him, his most trusted who would deny him, and the three closest to him who could not even stay awake on the job while he agonized over the cup the Father had set before him. Can you imagine the hurt he felt within?

Sir Alexander Mackenzie is a Canadian hero. An early fur trader and explorer, he accomplished a magnificent feat when he led an expedition across Canada from Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca to the Pacific Ocean. His incredible journey was completed in 1793, 11 years before Lewis and Clark began their famous expedition to the west. Mackenzie's earlier attempt in 1789, however, had been a major disappointment. His explorers had set out in an effort to find a water route to the Pacific. The valiant group followed a mighty river (now named the Mackenzie) with high hopes, paddling furiously amid great danger. Unfortunately, it didn't empty into the Pacific, but into the Arctic Ocean. In his diary, Mackenzie called it the "River of Disappointment."

Jesus was now face-to-face with his River of Disappointment. He knew it would end like this, but still it is hard to stifle the will to believe, the hope that things will turn out better than expected.

36. Called by Many Voices

Illustration

John H. Pavelko

Now if I had to nominate one animal to represent the word mediocre, a sheep would easily be in the top five. Sheep are not independent. They cannot defend themselves like cattle. They are not strong, creative, brave nor will they initiate. They cannot even work up a good stampede. Normally, they just sort of meander. Also, sheep will not be driven, like cattle. They will scatter in a thousand different directions. This type of behavior did not earn the animal any respect on the open range so the ranchers assumed that the animal was dumb. However, a sheep is actually smarter than a cow.

So why does Jesus choose to use a sheep to represent his disciples? Even in ancient society, sheep and shepherds did not garner the respect and admiration of the rich and famous. They did not have a contest to see which shepherd would be the next "Israeli Idol." For us who do not live in an agrarian society, it is even harder to understand. I have never identified myself with a sheep. Popular artists write songs about soaring on the wings of eagles, not grazing with the lambs.

Sheep have one particularly admirable quality. They will follow their shepherd wherever he leads them. They have learned to know him and trust him. They are not easily distracted by another shepherd. Move three flocks into a field, place three shepherds at three strategic points and have each of them issue a call. The sheep will sort themselves. You will not need brands to recognize which sheep belongs to which shepherd. Every animal will only follow his/her shepherd.

The people of God have been placed in a very large field that is often called the world. Many voices are calling us to come and join them. The voice of materialism wants us to deny our faith in the supernatural and believe only in the physical world. The voice of consumerism calls us to fulfill our envy by overspending on vacations, cars, clothing and a home. The voice of entertainment wants to fill our lives with media driven flashes that grab our attention, isolate us from our family and friends and then leave us with nothing but an oversized bill.

37. All Comes Down to Jesus

Illustration

Mark Scott

Michael J. Fox was once the guest on a late night news-talk show on ABC. Every night the guest is asked a special question. Michael’s question was “If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be?”

His answer was “Jesus.” He explained his answer by saying, “It all comes down to him. He is an amazing character. Whether you believe exactly what the Bible says about him or not, you cannot deny that he has had a positive impact on history.”

38. Did Jesus Die?

Illustration

Brett Blair

It is interesting to note that included in Jesus' very last instructions to his disciples is an emphases on his suffering, his death, and subsequent resurrection. These three are the ABC's and 123's of the Christian faith. In puzzles me, therefore, that some men, even Christian men, can rise on Easter morning and deny it ever happened.

The Magazine Christianity Today has an anonymous advice columnist who goes by the name Eutychus. A lay person wrote in rather distraught about their pastor's Easter sermon:

Dear Eutychus: (the letter begins)

Our preacher said, On Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think?

Sincerely, Bewildered

The colunist wrote back...

Dear Bewildered:

Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails using 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross, hang him in the sun for 6 hours; run a spear through his heart; embalm him; put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens.

Sincerely, Eutychus

39. Built around the Cross

Illustration

Mickey Anders

There's a great story about the artist Rodin, who one day saw a huge, carved crucifix beside a road. He immediately loved the artwork and insisted on having it for himself. He purchased the cross and arranged to have it carted back to his house. But, unfortunately, it was too big for the building. So, of all things, he knocked out the walls, raised the roof, and rebuilt his home around the cross (Best Sermons 3, Harper & Row, 1990, p. 115).

When you hear Jesus' call to radical discipleship, I hope you will decide to knock down the walls and rebuild your life around the cross. Remember, Jesus said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

40. Easter Is No Mythical Metaphor

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

In recent years, the New Testament has been brutally attacked by radical scholars of the so-called "Jesus Seminar." They regard all miracles, especially the Resurrection, as "mythical metaphors developed by the EarlyChurch." Some revisionist scholars have concluded that Jesus arose only in the sense that his spirit goes marching on, sort of like the way the spirit of Abraham Lincoln continues to influence America.

But William Lane Craig, perhaps the world's foremost authority on Resurrection, dismisses such a theory. Dr. Craig is an English scholar with two earned doctoral degrees. Currently, he teaches at the University of Louvain near Brussels. Dr. Craig points out that it would have been a contradiction in terms for an early Jew to say that someone was raised from the dead but his body was left in the tomb. Furthermore, Dr. Craig points out that numerous disciples were executed because they would not deny the Resurrection. No sane person would die for a mythical metaphor.

41. Chrysostom's Commitment

Illustration

Larry Goodpaster

Chrysostom was the patriarch of Constantinople in the fourth century. One of the stories surrounding this faithful witness concerns the occasion when the Roman emperor had him arrested and charged with being a Christian. If Chrysostom did not renounce Christ, then the emperor would have this Christian leader banished from the kingdom. Chrysostom responded to the threat by saying that the emperor could not do so, "because the whole world is my Father's kingdom."

"Then," replied the emperor, "I will take away your life." To which Chrysostom said, "You cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God." Next threatened with the loss of his treasure, this saint replied, "You cannot, for my treasure is in heaven where my heart is." The emperor made one last effort: "Then I will drive you away from here and you shall have no friend left." But again Chrysostom responded, "You cannot, for I have one Friend from whom you can never separate me. I defy you for you can do me no harm."

Living as we do in our Western, religiously-tolerant society, we may never face a crucial moment such as Chrysostom 16 centuries ago. We do, however, face similar temptations to renounce our faith, ignore our commitments, or compromise our loyalties. We will be tempted to deny we ever heard of the one called Jesus the Christ. We will be enticed to deny his power over our lives with phrases like: "Come on, everyone else is!" or "It will be fun, and no one will ever know." We are daily forced to choose between the easy way, the quick fix and the promise of glamour and the way of Christ. Those who choose to acknowledge Christ must do so not just with lips but also with hearts and minds.

42. Free From Worry

Illustration

Donald Trump, the famous businessman, has a net worth of 3 billion dollars. There is a story about Trump's generosity with a stranger. It is said that Trump's limousine broke down on the Garden State Parkway on the way home from Atlantic City during a weekend excursion. An unemployed auto mechanic stopped to help, succeeded in getting the limo running and then refused to accept any payment for his services. Trump was so impressed that the next day he sent flowers to the mechanic's wife and a certified letter stating that the man's mortgage had been paid in full. Trump refuses to confirm or deny the story or say exactly what he did for the Good Samaritan. "I don't do those kinds of things for publicity," he said.

What a deal that would be, to have someone really rich taking care of you. If you knew that they had money and that they would gladly help you, you could be free from many a worry. You would have financial security. But that kind of security is hard to come by. Even Trump had to face bankruptcy. If you don't have a endless supply of money, can you ever be secure?

That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying that you can be secure. Make for yourselves purses and wallets that will never wear out. Give it away. Give it to the poor. Out of the treasures of your heart, give, and you will be secure in heaven and free from worry here on earth.

43. The Cross Has Always Caused Problems

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

A Pastor on Northern Vancouver Island wrote to online study group this message: "I'm having difficulty with the Gospel this week; what is this cross that I am to take up, and what am I to deny in following Jesus?" Another Pastor, a student minister in the United States wrote: “I find this a hard gospel text because it talks about suffering rather than joy.”

The cross has always caused problems to people. Brutal and barbaric - the cross was a tool of political power for the Romans. They maintained their power because of the fear of death on the cross. When one was condemned by the state, the condemned literally had to "take up his cross" and carry it to the public place where he was to be crucified. It was part of the humiliation process, the mechanism of social control for which crucifixion was invented.

The cross was an instrument of suffering and shame - and no more so than among the Children of Israel - where the scriptures themselves declare: "cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree". To die on a cross was a sign that one died cut off from God, and cut off from the people of God - a sign that the person was rejected. And of course in the case of Jesus this was very true.

44. Following

Illustration

Steven Molin

Author Anthony Campolo says our attitudes start at a very early age. He brought his son to the first day of school and the principal was addressing the parents in this way: "Here at the Ding Dong School, we like to think of each child as a little flower, unique and special, one which blossoms and grows in its own special time." The problem is, the kid grows up thinking she is so special that she's the only one that matters. Then she gets a job at McDonalds, or General Motors, or Andersen Windows. I guarantee you Joe Rosell does not give this speech to the new hires: "Here at Andersen Windows, we like to think of each employee as a little flower, unique and special, one which blossoms and grows in its own special time."

There is a need for conformity. There is a need to leave our personal wants and wishes at the door, and to work together for what is best for the group. That's what it means to "deny oneself" in our day. In fact, Jesus called the Church "a body." And only when the body is working together toward a common goal, only then is the body functioning properly. Friends, take my word for it: there are an awful lot of dysfunctional churches in America today.

45. Saving the Lost

Illustration

Quoted by Anglican Bishop J.D. Ryle about 100 years ago:

A flood of false doctrine has broken in upon us. Men are beginning to tell us "that God is too merciful to punish souls for ever...that all mankind, however wicked and ungodly...will sooner or later be saved." We are to embrace what is called "kinder theology," and treat hell as a pagan fable...This question lies at the very foundation of the whole Gospel. The moral attributes of God, His justice, His holiness, His purity, are all involved in it. The Scripture has spoken plainly and fully on the subject of hell... If words mean anything, there is such a place as hell. If texts are to be interpreted fairly, there are those who will be cast into it...

The same Bible which teaches that God in mercy and compassion sent Christ to die for sinners, does also teach that God hates sin, and must from His very nature punish all who cleave to sin or refuse the salvation He has provided. God knows that I never speak of hell without pain and sorrow. I would gladly offer the salvation of the Gospel to the very chief of sinners. I would willingly say to the vilest and most profligate of mankind on his deathbed, "Repent, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be save." But God forbid that I should ever keep back from mortal man that scripture reveals a hell as well as heaven...that men may be lost as well as saved.

46. Global Rich List

Illustration

Brett Blair & Sarah Dylan Breuer

I encourage you to go to the website givingwhatwecan.org and do a little reflecting. It's a site where you can enter your annual income, in American or Canadian dollars, Euro, Yen, or Pounds, and then click a button to find out how many of the world's people are richer than you, and how many are poorer. You'll find the widget at the bottom of the home page.

For example, my annual income of $36,000 per year places me in the top 16% of the world's richest. That information sure puts me on the edge of my seat when I hear "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." And it puts me on the edge of my seat when I read the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke's "woes" don't say anything like, "woe to you who are rich and ungenerous"; they just say, "woe to you who are rich." As one of the world's top 16% richest people, that has to give me pause.

47. The Confessing Body

Illustration

Charles W. Colson

Yet membership in a confessing body is fundamental to the faithful Christian life. Failure to do so defies the explicit warning not to forsake "our assembling together." His understanding of this prompted Martin Luther to say, "Apart from the church, salvation is impossible." Not that the church provides salvation; God does. But because the "saved" one can't fulfill what it means to be a Christian apart from the church, membership becomes the indispensable mark of salvation.

"So highly does the Lord esteem the communion of His church," Calvin wrote," that He considers everyone a traitor and apostate from religion who perversely withdraws himself from any Christian society which preserves the true ministry of the word and sacraments."

48. History Is Going Somewhere

Illustration

William Barclay

William Barclay wrote in his book The Mind of St. Paul:

"The great value of the doctrine of the Second Coming is that it guarantees that history is going somewhere. We cannot tell how it will happen. We cannot take as literal truth the Jewish pictures of it which Paul used. We need not think of a physical coming of Christ in the clouds, or a physical trumpet blast. But what the doctrine of the Second Coming conserves is the tremendous fact that there is one divine, far-off event to which the whole creation is moving; there is a consummation; there is a final triumph of God."

49. Who Can Be Saved?

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

"Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he ...." Many people have learned that song in Sunday school. We might be tempted to think, therefore, that this is a story "for children only." Nothing could be further from the truth. The story of Zacchaeus is one of the most important stories for children and adults in the entire Gospel of Luke. It's important because it tells us how Christians can live with wealth. It's important because the story of Zacchaeus tells how it is that we can be saved.

Zacchaeus was a man who gouged his riches out of his people in the form of additional taxes. He was a man hated by the people of Jericho. Zacchaeus was a sinner. He had broken most of the laws of his people. Zacchaeus stands quite in contrast to a rich young ruler whose story Luke has just told (Luke 18:18-30). The rich young ruler is a righteous man. He has kept most of the laws of his people. He is beloved by the people of his town.

And so, one day, Jesus came to the town of the rich young ruler. The ruler had a question for Jesus. "... what must I do to inherit eternal life?" the ruler said to Jesus (Luke 18:18).

Jesus answered the rich ruler. "You know the commandments," Jesus said. "You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother" (Luke 18:20).

If you had been there just then you would have seen a big smile break out all over the rich ruler's face. He was tickled to death. He'd done all this! He had kept all the commandments! "I have kept all these since my youth," he said to Jesus through his broad smile (Luke 18:21). This was a man who had just found out that he would be saved. His deeds made it so.

But Jesus wasn't finished with the rich young man. "Not so fast," Jesus seems to say. "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me" (Luke 18:22).

The smile immediately left the young man's face. He was very rich. There was just no way that he was going to give up all his wealth. Not even for his salvation. Jesus reflected upon his departure: "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:24).

Now there was a crowd observing all this. They were scandalized by Jesus' words and the ruler's departure. They knew this young man. They knew him to be an upright and honest man. They knew him to be a benefactor of the town. "If this man can't be saved," they said to Jesus, "then who can be saved?"

Jesus replied: "What is impossible for mortals is possible for God" (Luke 18:27). This is a wonderful, high-sounding answer to the question of the crowd. But what does it mean? What does it mean for you and for me? If a wonderfully righteous person like the young ruler can be turned away from salvation, what hope is there for us? None of us lives up to the standards of the rich young ruler. None of us has kept all the commandments. Is salvation a possibility for us at all?

"Who then can be saved?" Luke's answer: Zacchaeus can be saved! Sinners can be saved! "What is impossible for mortals is possible for God." "For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost" (Luke 19:10).

50. HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Illustration

John H. Krahn

How much is enough? Most of us have asked this question many times throughout life. When our kids are having a bad day, we wonder how much we can take before we lose our temper. How much is enough? When we are buying something and bickering as to how much we should pay, we wonder, "How much is enough?" At work, when the thrust is to increase our production, we wonder, "How much is enough?" And so it is quite understandable that this question might also creep into our religious life and into our thoughts of salvation. How often must we attend church in order to be a good member? How many times must I forgive that person in order to qualify for God’s forgiveness of me? How good must we be to make it to heaven? How much is enough?

Whereas industry might consider it enough to get six hours of work from an employee in an eight-hour day, God says that only perfection is enough for us to enter into his presence at the end of time. There will be no bickering when Jesus returns. To say to Jesus, "But Lord, I was a good provider for my family; I worked seven days a week; I never willfully hurt anyone," cuts no ice with the Lord in terms of salvation. Only those who are perfect will go to heaven when Christ comes again. So you see, we all fall short when we look at our lives and ask, have I done enough? The most righteous among us cannot do enough to save themselves and qualify for heaven, for only perfection is enough.

Heaven can only be grasped by faith. Our faith, our trust, our belief, our love of the Lord Jesus Christ make heaven a certainty for our future. When the King of Ages returns to earth again, those who put their hope in the Lord will receive the benefits of forgiveness obtained through his punishment at Calvary. They will be gifted with eternal life. Good works do not appropriate eternity, only faith does.

To be ready for his return is to remain strong in the faith. If you have been putting off some aspect of the Christian discipline, put it off no longer - now is the time for change. The King is coming, and we must prepare. Each of us needs to be sure that our personal faith is strong. If we all knew the Lord was coming in one week, what would we do differently? Now is the time to begin. God in Christ has given us the crown of life through faith in his Son. Only when God gave everything was it enough for our salvation. How much will be enough of a commitment from us today? The Lord wants a total commitment of faith. How much is enough? Everything!

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