Tag: Jesus

It’s been fascinating to see the hashtag “rapture anxiety” trend this year on Twitter. And no surprises with all the news that has been tied in with so-called Bible prophecy. Consider the Middle East peace deals with Israel, the US embassy moving to Jerusalem, a 27% increase in natural disasters including wildfires, floods, and earthquakes. Oh, and a global pandemic.

Many people have turned to prayer and the Bible for answers (which is terrific). There’s been a renewed interest in Revelation and the futurist interpretation proclaimed by the contemporary church and made famous by the Left Behind series of books. The futurists focus on the Great Tribulation, antichrist, a rebuilt Jerusalem temple, a peace deal, and the rapture. This reading of Scripture, a view I used to hold to but no longer, causes anxiety in many. Hence the hashtag.

#RaptureAnxiety

Consider one young mum who wrote to me this week because she was feeling confused and fearful. “I have a young family with a little 2-year-old boy, and I’m worried I won’t see him grow up. I know everyone is going through this, and there are a lot of people scared as I am.” She continued, “To be honest, I didn’t want to read Revelation at the moment with my mental state. That’s why I have been asking a lot of questions to a few people. I believe [the Bible] should not be used as a tool of fear, and I really don’t know what to believe that I keep looking for answers and continue to be more scared than ever.”

I responded, “One of the reasons I’ve been so vocal about the false “end times” doctrine that is spread by many evangelical and Pentecostal churches is the abject fear it causes many people. The world will always hold a mixture of good and evil. The Gospel is good news, though. I would encourage you to stay away from articles and sermons that cause you to fear. Place your faith securely in Jesus and allow yourself to be loved by Him.”

I feel deeply for this young mum and the many others who are anxious and traumatised by an erroneous understanding of the Bible. “#RaptureAnxiety, like #ChurchToo (by which people shared stories of sexual harassment at church) and #EmptythePews (which critiqued hypocrisy in the evangelical community) before it, seeks to amplify the voices of those affected by the waves rocking the evangelical community.”

What the Rapture Isn’t

So, what is this “Rapture” all about? The popular view is it’s a time when believing Christians will be suddenly and unexpectedly caught up to heaven before the events that herald the end of the world. In most accounts of the rapture, believers go straight to heaven, while nonbelievers are left behind to undergo a period of great tribulation (political chaos and personal torment).

The rapture was one of the first things I heard about when I became a Christian in 1977. Jesus was returning in the 80s; the planets would align, causing cataclysmic events on earth. The antichrist was already in the world, and everyone’s eyes were on Israel and the Middle East. What happened? Nothing! And that’s the point! Doomsday prognosticators have existed for centuries, and not one of them has been right.

All of these false predictions have caused untold harm to precious people. Individuals had maxed out their credit cards, believing that the rapture would come before payment was due. Others sold houses, spent all their money, or resigned from jobs. Some failed to plan for an education convinced the end was near. I didn’t buy a house in my late teens and 20s (against the advice of my dad) because Jesus was coming back. That is one of my few regrets even to this day.

The Futurist Error

While early Christianity was intensely focused on Christ’s Second Coming, the “end times” theology as we know it today is relatively recent. While futurism appeared for a brief time in the Christian church’s early centuries, the view was not popular. During the Middle Ages and before the Protestant Reformation, futurist interpretations were virtually non-existent. Two Catholic Jesuit writers in the 16th and 18th centuries proposed the futurist view. Futurism became popular among the Puritan preachers in the 18th century and has grown in popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries so that today it is probably the most readily recognised. 

So, what does the Bible say about the rapture, and should it cause anxiety? Firstly, the Bible doesn’t use the word “rapture” anywhere. The Bible’s word is resurrection. In my early days as a Christian, Matthew 24:40-41 was the go-too passage proving the rapture: “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken, and the other left.” These verses were the inspiration for the popular Christian song, I wish we’d all been ready.

No doubt this song scared a lot of people into the Kingdom of God and caused a lot of #RaptureAnxiety.

But Jesus is not speaking here about a rapture. The context is “readiness and alertness.” Some will be ready for Jesus’ return while others, as they were in the days of Noah, will be blissfully unaware. One will be taken (taken by surprise; taken in judgment) while the other one will be left. The person you want to be is the one who is left, not the one taken! Paul reinforces this point in his first letter to the Thessalonian believers, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (5:4).

What the Rapture is

Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonian church present the most detailed description of the rapture/Second Coming of Jesus in the Bible: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (4:16-18).

Notice the order of events:

  1. Jesus comes down from heaven
  2. Deceased Christians rise to meet him
  3. Living Christians rise to meet him

The word “Meet” means to “escort of a journey.” Followers of Jesus will be gathered from the grave and the four corners of the earth to one point ~ where Jesus is. We will then all descend with Jesus to earth, “And so, we will be with the Lord forever.” No antichrist. No great tribulation. No peace deal with Israel. No cashless society or mark of the beast. No one-world government. No, #RaptureAnxiety. In fact, Paul tells us to “encourage one another with these words” not scare the living daylights out of each other.

Until Christ’s Second Coming, the world will continue as it is. Society will progress as it has for thousands of years. Life will be a mixture of good & bad. As Jesus taught, there’ll be wars and rumours of wars and natural disasters in various places. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

So, should the rapture cause anxiety? Not at all. It’s a day to look forward to as we will ever be with the Lord we love and who loves us. In the meantime, live a life that makes this world a better place, and demonstrate God’s love to others as you have the opportunity. Because He loves them too!

 

For further study: Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 John 4:17-19

I recently read a comment from a pastor who was angry about the behaviour of a politician. Nothing strange about that you may think, and I agree. What was a little out of the ordinary, though, was that the pastor suggested he’d like to do something painful to the politician and, to justify his viewpoint, he quoted the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple.

“WWJD: he would have made a whip and beat the crap out of him!”

I’ve heard a few people over the years use this story about Jesus and the whip as a license for some act of violence against another person (or people). But is that really what Jesus is doing here, and does this story encourage the use of violence?

Jesus in the Temple

Even though the account of the cleansing of the Temple is found in all four Gospels, it’s only the apostle John who mentions a whip (John 2:15). There is no mention of Jesus using the whip against a person; in fact, John reports that he used the whip to drive both the sheep and the cattle out of the Temple. John doesn’t say Jesus hit the animals either.

Jesus’ Purpose

The most important question here is, why did Jesus act in this way? What did he want to teach his followers? It certainly wasn’t to “beat the crap” out of someone with whom we disagree.

All the way through his ministry years, Jesus faced resistance from the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus came with the revelation that God, the father, was compassionate (Luke 6:36). In contrast, the predominant theme of the first century Judaism was purity, not compassion: “You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” The Gospels record the constant clash of cultures between Jesus’ compassion for people and the purity code of the day. That’s what the cleansing of the Temple was all about.

Old Testament Temple law didn’t restrict the access of women or non-Jews. But over the centuries, purity laws were extended. By the time of Jesus, women and Gentiles were excluded from the Court of Israel on pain of death.

It was Passover, and space that was meant for people in the Court of Gentiles was taken up by merchants, their tables, and their animals. And that’s why Jesus’ anger boiled over. He had come for those on the margins of society, those who were often excluded by the purity laws – the unclean, the poor, sinners, tax collectors, women, lepers, the disabled, and so on. He came to bring IN those who were kept OUT by man-made religion.

Jesus’ Anger at Injustice

As Jesus is clearing the Temple, he quotes from the Scriptures, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers” (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11). Isaiah goes on to speak of the Temple being for the Gentiles as well (a house of prayer for all nations), a fact that many of Matthew’s readers would have been well aware. And so, Jesus’ action here becomes clear. He’s providing room for those who have been left out. Matthew tells us, “and the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.” Hang on a minute! The blind and the lame weren’t allowed in the Temple. Ah, that’s the point. Jesus consistently brought in those who were left out – and so should his church today!

Grace & Compassion

This story has nothing to do with excusing violence against someone with whom we disagree and everything to do with extending grace and compassion to people in distress. If Jesus were here today, he wouldn’t make a whip and beat the crap out of anyone.

Another occasion makes Jesus’ peaceful intentions clear. He and his disciples had been rejected by a Samaritan town. James and John (the ones most likely to make whips to beat people) suggested they could “call fire down from heaven to destroy them.” Jesus rebuked them because “the Son of man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” But Jesus, don’t you want to beat the crap out of them? “No, I’m the Prince of Peace, not a man of violence!”

Unlike the other religious people of Jesus’ day, he lived up close and personal with people. He associated with those who respectable pious people would usually shun, and it eventually got him killed.

Jesus came near

He got into the trenches – he got his hands dirty.

He walked and talked with people.

He wasn’t afraid of being a part of their lives.

He placed infinite worth on every human being.

“The common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37)

He saw everyone as worthy.

He was merciful and deliberately went to places where mercy was needed – and provided it.

 

Jesus was the life of the party

He wasn’t a party pooper. He turned water into wine when the wine ran out.

He accepted an invitation to Matthew’s party even though there were undesirables present.

Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard, but he was neither.

He was holy and blameless.

He faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.

He mixed with the people of the world but didn’t compromise with the world.

Jesus was an unexpected God

He didn’t fit into a stereotypical religious box.

Jesus looked for ways to free people from rules and bondage.

His yoke was easy and his burden light.

He lived and taught the law of love – love of God and love of neighbour.

He humanised the poor and demonstrated God’s incredible concern for their well-being and, in doing so, decried those who ignored or dominated them.

He spoke directly to women, something men would not usually do.

The gospels show Jesus speaking to women, and doing so with tenderness and kindness.

His ministry was largely supported by the financial offerings of women.

It was to women that He made his first post-resurrection appearances.

 

Jesus came close

Not only did he heal lepers, he also touched them – the most unclean people in Jesus’ society.

He used children as an example of what the Kingdom of God is like.

He spoke to, loved, and healed his racial enemies like the Samaritans.

He even spoke of a Samaritan as being “good.”

 

Jesus taught everyone is included

He helped Israel’s oppressors. Centurions and tax collectors were not exempt from Jesus’ kindness and attention.

He even called a tax collector to be a disciple and write the first gospel.

He taught us to love our enemies and revealed what this looked like.

 

In the words of the apostle Paul, even though “he had equal status with God he didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion” (Philippians 2:5-8 MSG).

 

Jesus is God in human form

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood” (John 1:14)

He lived, worked, and ministered amongst people ~ and he still does.

Jesus has a body on earth – the Body of Christ.

It’s you and it’s me, reflecting his nature wherever we are.

 

 

 

On the one hand, the Gospel is broad and spacious, a message with its arms wide open welcoming all to come and receive God’s grace, mercy and the gift of eternal life.  The Gospel is open-hearted, it says, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21).  

On the other hand, the longer you follow Jesus, the narrower the road gets. It’s like the Arts Centre tower in Melbourne – broad at the base thinner at the top!

Crowd Versus Disciple

Jesus frequently had large crowds following him. Sometimes he healed them, other times he taught them. His teaching to the masses was invariably tough as he laid down the cost of what being His disciple really meant. Frequently, when the crowd got too big, he’d thin it out by teaching tough.

Consider Mark 8:34 where Jesus “called the crowd to him along with his disciples.” In other words, there’s a difference between the two. Today there are many in the Christian crowd but, when it comes to the pointy end, fewer people put their hands up to be disciples.

True Disciples

What does it mean to be a disciple? The Greek word is mathetes. It’s the word from which we get our English word mathematics, which means, “to apply yourself to study, learning and knowledge.” Jesus frequently encouraged people to become his mathetes, his disciples who would use their mental effort to think things through, to count the cost of what it means to be his follower: somebody who applied themselves to study, learning and knowledge of the Scriptures, and the lifestyle they require. That is, a people who wouldn’t just know the Bible, they’d learn it and then live it out in their daily lives.

A disciple counts the cost of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. They ask themselves the question, “Is it worth it?” And they answer with a resounding YES!

On one occasion, large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple … those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:25-33).

Note the three kinds of people who Jesus says, “cannot be my disciples.” Those who love their family more than they love him; those who are not prepared to suffer hardship; and those who value possessions more than him. That is, if you hold onto your money and possessions even though you’d be well able to meet the needs of others, you cannot be Jesus’ disciple. Whatever a disciple has is always on call for the Master’s use.

A Disciple Counts The Cost

It’s hard teaching that’s just as necessary today as it has ever been. The contemporary church draws big crowds, but how many in that crowd have counted the cost to become a disciple? My guess is very few, just as it was in Jesus’ day. When he faced the cross, they all deserted. After the resurrection they started drifting back, by the day of Pentecost there were 120. Where was the crowd?

I was speaking to a Christian leader this week who specialises in church health. He told me the story of a pastor who was very proud of his large church, until God spoke to him and said, “your church isn’t big, it’s fat.” It’s easy for us to look at a big church and to think all is well. But is it a crowd or is that church making disciples?

Are You A Disciple?

Jesus frequently attempted to convert crowds into disciples. Sometimes it worked, but invariably the masses moved away. So, are you part of the Christian crowd or are you a disciple? Is Jesus your Lord? Does he have control of and access to everything you are and all you have? When things get tough will you leave too?

 

 

Maybe you’ve just read the title of this blog and thought, “Surely Jesus doesn’t get exasperated? He’s gentle Jesus meek and mild right?”  Wrong!  In fact, Jesus is never described as “mild” in the Bible while he is defined as “meek.”[i]

The mild Jesus seems to be the invention of hymns, poems, and a rather insipid view of the Christian faith that sees strong emotion as sinful or at least unfitting of God.  And yet, in the Bible God is portrayed as angry against injustice and jealous over his people. God has strong feelings, and so does Jesus (God in human form).

Emotional Jesus

The Gospels frequently describe the emotions of Jesus. At various times He was joyful, exhausted, angry, sorrowful, compassionate, frustrated, empathetic, disgusted and, yes, exasperated.

Mark’s gospel describes a time when “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking for a sign from heaven, to test him. He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.”(Mark 8:11-13 NIV) Notice that Jesus, “sighed deeply in his spirit”.  He was experiencing strong emotion, intense exasperation, because of the stubbornness of the Pharisees.

A quick look at the previous chapters shows us why Jesus was so annoyed with these guys asking for a sign. Not long before this Jesus fed 5,000+ predominantly Jewish people on the western side of the Sea of Galilee.  A while later he sailed to the eastern side of this Sea and fed 4000+ gentiles.  Add to that some healings and miracles, and walking on water, and it’s easy to understand his exasperation – there was already so much to see, but they wanted more.

Feeding the More Mentality

Sadly, the “mentality of more” didn’t pass away with the Pharisees.  It’s still alive and well even amongst followers of Jesus today who have bought into a consumer mindset of their faith.

While the poor are being fed, orphans adopted, and healings are happening; pastors and leaders faithfully preach and teach the Scriptures week after week, provide opportunities for service, connection, and worship, encourage, pray, counsel, and inspire with vision, some Christians too easily ‘channel their inner Pharisee’ and ask for more – a bit like Oliver Twist.

The twist here is that, unlike Oliver, Christians in the Western world are already exceptionally well fed, but what they have is never enough.

Our needs aren’t being met in this church anymore.

The sermons are not relevant to me.

The worship is better is that church (whatever that means).

The songs are too modern/old, too loud/quiet, fast/slow.

The list is endless, and I’m sure you get the picture.  Amazing things are happening all around these people but they want more and, like the consumers they are, they will go anywhere to get what they want.

The Heart of the Problem

The fundamental problem here is that these consumer Christians, just like the Pharisees that exasperated Jesus, have put themselves in the centre of the universe. In their minds, even if they don’t express it plainly, the whole world revolves around them, their needs and their wants.

And so, life is a constant disappointment because the rest of the world doesn’t recognise the position they perceive for themselves. They are restless souls always looking to get their own way, and for everything to be made-to-order just the way they like it.

No church can be that for every person all the time. Bayside Church doesn’t always tick every box for me, even though I’m its senior leader.  My leadership of Bayside isn’t about getting my way or styling a church that I always enjoy. I’ve made a choice to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. But instead, in humility I try and value others above myself, not looking to my own interests but to the interests of the others (Phil 2:3-4).

I continuously seek to take myself off the throne of my life and make sure Jesus is firmly in his rightful place. Sometimes I succeed at this. I encourage you to do the same. You’ll be surprised at how much your church (or workplace, or family) improves when you do, and you’ll stop exasperating the people around you (most of the time).

 

[i] Meekness is having power under control. Jesus was all-powerful but also self-controlled. Meekness should never be confused with weakness.

During the early months of Jesus’ ministry, he was seen as a teacher (Rabbi) who travelled around the Galilean countryside teaching in their synagogues. People loved Jesus right from the start. His message was fresh and insightful and often came with a demonstration of the power of God in signs, wonders, and miracles.

On one particular occasion, Jesus returned to Nazareth, the small rural town of about 400 people where he had been brought up. “On the Sabbath day, he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:14-21).

The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Jesus for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he was teaching them from the Scriptures, so they were focused on him and secondly, Jesus had stopped reading halfway through a sentence, and they probably wondered why.

Focus on the Good

We don’t know what Jesus taught the people that day. For whatever reason Luke didn’t deem it essential to record the sermon, just the text, and to let us know that Jesus had told the people that this 700-year-old portion of the Hebrew Bible was fulfilled in their hearing on that day!  Wow!

The fact that Jesus stopped reading the Isaiah prophecy halfway through a sentence was very profound. Those in the congregation who knew their scriptures well would have realised that Jesus didn’t complete Isaiah’s sentence: “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God.” There’s no comma or full stop after the word “favour”.  Jesus just stopped reading, rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

Jesus came to declare the beginning of a period known as “the year of the Lord’s favour.” It’s worth noting that favour is spoken of as a Year whereas vengeance is a Day. These are symbolic rather than real periods, but it’s encouraging that favour lasts a long time whereas vengeance or judgement passes quickly. Jesus didn’t come to bring judgement – he warns of it as a future event, but his emphasis is on the favour, which is the good news, the gospel.

To realise more deeply what Jesus is referring to, it’s helpful to have some understanding of the Hebrew calendar. The Torah mandated a seven-year agricultural cycle for the land of Israel, something which is still observed in contemporary Judaism (Lev 25:10). Every seventh year was to be a Sabbatical year in which the land was rested. No ploughing, sowing or harvesting was to be undertaken. The fields would rest and then be ready to produce crops from the next year, and the cycle would begin again. Then every fiftieth year was to be a Year of Jubilee (or year of the Lord’s favour). It was a sacred time of freedom and celebration when everyone received back their original property, non-commercial debts were cancelled, and slaves would return home to their families. Clearly, this was very GOOD NEWS for many people.

A Modern Jubilee

In modern terms, the closest thing we have to a jubilee is an amnesty. In 1996 the Howard government responded to the Port Arthur massacre by allowing owners of illegal firearms to hand in weapons without penalty. “All up, more than 700,000 guns were removed from the community and destroyed. No other nation had ever attempted anything on this scale” (The Age). More than 50,000 guns were collected at the second amnesty in 2017. Usually possessing an illegal firearm would incur a penalty, but not during an amnesty. That’s what Jesus declared by his statement about the year of the Lord’s favour – a time when we can literally hand over all our sins, and mistakes (that would usually incur a punishment) with no questions asked and no penalty to pay. That’s the time we’re in right now – living in God’s favour; our debts have been cancelled, our sins are forgiven, and past offences are forgotten or overlooked.

The year of God’s favour is a whole new age in which God lifts his people out of their distress. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are continually living in his favour. While I was meditating on this a few days ago, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that Bayside Church is coming into a Year of Favour – not 365 days but rather a new beginning, a fresh start. Christie and I are so excited about this. We’ve shared it with the church board and staff, and now I share it with you too. May I encourage you to draw close to your church at this time and benefit from all the Lord is doing.

Just before Christmas, I uploaded a short clip from a recent sermon on my Facebook page. I included the caption, “A church that makes the main thing the main thing, respects questions and doubts, and seeks unity in Jesus alone ~ Bayside Church!”  The clip went for about 5 minutes and included some humour because I believe making people laugh is like sugar that helps the medicine go down.  But apparently, I’m wrong!

One person commented, “You added a lot of humour here but I never heard Jesus, or the apostles do that in their ministry.”  Personally, I’ve never heard Jesus or the apostles say anything.  I’m not that old (whoops, sorry, humour).  I guess what they meant is they haven’t read anything humorous in Jesus’ or the apostles’ teaching.

Lost in translation

One of the challenges we have with the Bible is that it was written over 2,000 years ago in various languages and to different cultures, and so the humour that is in the Bible doesn’t usually translate into modern English. It’s like when I preach in other countries through an interpreter; some jokes just don’t translate, and other things that I don’t think are funny become absolutely hilarious. Much of my life is like this!

Sad or joyful Jesus?

Quaker author Elton Trueblood in his book The Humour of Christ points out that because of the need to explain the suffering of Jesus, the sad parts can overwhelm the lighter elements. But Jesus was only the Man of Sorrows concerning His work on the cross – and even that He endured with joy (Hebrews 12:2).  In fact, Jesus taught his followers that their sadness would only be for a short period and that his ultimate goal was for their joy to be full (John 16:19-24).

Some may want to point out that the Bible records that “Jesus wept’ not that “Jesus laughed”.  This is mentioned because it was news, that is, an unusual event.  Our newspapers don’t tell us the sun rose this morning, they don’t report on all the people who made it to work safely.  The news announces unusual events – otherwise, it’s not news.  The Bible doesn’t document that Jesus laughed because it wasn’t news, and there’s plenty in the Bible to indicate that Jesus was a happy man.

Hebrews 1:9 tells us “God has set you [Jesus] above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”  He was a joyous man because He was filled with the Spirit and thus had the fruit of the Spirit including joy (Luke 10:21).   Jesus attracted people. Children especially loved Jesus.  They would climb up into his arms, and he would bless them.  No one is attracted to sour-faced individuals.  Jesus told people to “Be of good cheer” (Mt 9:2) – surely, He practised what He preached!

Jesus gave His joy to others – you have to have it to give it (John 15:11).  And yes, Jesus used humour in His teachings.  Statements like “take out the beam from your eye”; “strain out a mosquito and swallow a camel”; and “a camel going through the eye of a needle” would all have been hilarious to Jesus’ hearers.

Misunderstood Jesus

The overly severe Pharisees accused Jesus and his disciples of being gluttons and drunkards.  Of course, they were neither, but in the eyes of the stern religious people of the day, they were guilty because they associated with people who were. The first miracle Jesus did was turning water into the best wine at a seven-day wedding feast.  Unfortunately, some of the Christian faith over the centuries has been about transforming the wine back into water!

On one occasion, Matthew threw him a massive feast and invited all of his tax-collector buddies to meet Jesus (Luke 5:27-39). The happy party caused the religious leaders to criticise, complain and talk of fasting and prayer (obviously because that is more spiritual than eating with friends).  Jesus responded with humour, sarcasm, a parable, and then a sigh that despite his presentation of truth they, like fools, would stick to their old ways.

Even the morose and peevish John Calvin (known for burning opponents at the stake) had to admit in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (III: 19:9): “We are nowhere forbidden to laugh, or to be satisfied with food, … or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.”  Thanks for your permission, John!

A place for humour in faith

Humour celebrates the goodness of God, the world God created, and the life God gives. It is an accepted fact of medicine that humour is good for our physical health (Proverbs 17:22) and is usually the best way of coping with the trials and disasters that come our way.  If we aren’t careful, we can let circumstances suck the joy right out of us. Humour can lighten the load.

The New Jerusalem Bible translates Colossians 4:6: “Talk to them agreeably and with a flavour of wit (“seasoned with salt,” RSV), and try to fit your answers to the needs of each one.”  Greek comic writers used the verb artyo, meaning “to season”, as seasoning with the salt of wit. That’s what I was doing by using humour in the video I posted to Facebook, seasoning God’s truth with the salt of wit.

Jesus wouldn’t use humour? I beg to differ!

I’ve always held the greatest respect for Imran Khan.  He was a fantastic cricketer and cricket captain, and well known for his philanthropic work especially building and developing the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre; to make cancer treatment accessible to every citizen of Pakistan.

Since August this year, Imran Khan has been Prime Minister of Pakistan, with a focus on making the country a humanitarian state that seeks to elevate the standards of living of the less fortunate and where everyone is equal under the law.  His Party aims to create a welfare state that gives attention to education, health, and employment. It promotes freedom of thought and works against religious discrimination – and that’s why what Imran Khan said last week is confusing.

While addressing a conference in Islamabad on the birthday anniversary of Prophet Muhammad on Tuesday, he said, “Moses got some mention, but Jesus Christ has no mention in human history.” [1] Khan’s statement is concerning for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it works against his party’s platform of working against religious discrimination and secondly, it’s completely false.

Inconsistent With Reality

Pakistan’s strict Blasphemy Laws have recently been in the news again highlighted by the case of Asia Bibi, “a Christian woman from a Punjab village who in 2010 got into an altercation with some Muslim women and was later accused by them of having blasphemed.”[2]  She’s now been acquitted but is in hiding for fear of her life.

Pakistan is the fifth worst persecuting nation in the world and is “the most violent country for Christians. Islamic extremists attack churches.  Christians are abducted, forced to marry Muslims and even killed for their faith. Many are forced into hiding. The government doesn’t usually intervene.”[3]  Surely Imran Khan’s statement about Jesus will do nothing to help the already desperate challenges faced by Christians in Pakistan.

Jesus in History

Imran Khan’s assertion that Jesus Christ has no mention in human history is completely false.  First Century historian, Josephus, wrote of Jesus in his Jewish Antiquities in AD 93, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.”[4]

The Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus alludes to the death of Christ, “Christus [Christ], the founder of the name [Christian], was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius” (Annals XV: 44).

Suetonius, the Roman historian and court official during the reign of Emperor Hadrian wrote in his Life of Claudius: “As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus [Christ], he expelled them from Rome” (Life of Claudius 25.4).

Tallus was a secular historian who, in AD52, wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean from the Trojan War to his own time. The document no longer exists but other writers like Julius Africanus, who wrote around AD221, quoted it. He cites Tallus’ comments about the darkness that enveloped the land during the late afternoon hours when Jesus died on the cross. Julius wrote: “Tallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun unreasonably, as it seems to me (unreasonably of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died)” (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1).

Mara Bar-Serapion was a stoic Syrian philosopher who wrote a letter from prison to his son about AD70. He compares Jesus to the philosophers Socrates and Pythagoras.

Lucian, the Greek satirist in the latter half of the 2nd century, spoke scornfully of Christ and the Christians but never argued that Jesus didn’t exist. “The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account …” (The Death of Peregrine, 11-13).

The Babylonian Talmud states: “It has been taught: On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu [Jesus]…they hanged him on the eve of Passover.”  Hanged is another way of referring to a crucifixion (Luke 23:39 and Galatians 3:13).

Add to all this the recent discovery of hand-struck coins minted sometime between 33-47AD which have images and depictions of Jesus Christ – many which correlates to popular Biblical events including Jesus healing the blind man, Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead and Jesus being bound and dragged on His way to Pontius Pilate.

There are plenty of mentions of Jesus Christ in human history.  Imran Khan could not have been more wrong.  Islam’s Holy Scriptures also attest to the existence of Jesus,

“in the 114 chapters of the Quran … Jesus (Isa) is mentioned directly and indirectly 187 times in 93 verses.”[5]

I hope that Imran Khan will correct his false statement, but I won’t be holding my breath. In the meantime, please remember the precious Christians of Pakistan, pray for them and pray for their persecutors too.

 

[1] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-pm-imran-khan-stirs-controversy-over-jesus/articleshow/66754025.cms?from=mdr

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35910331

[3] https://www.opendoors.org.au/persecuted-christians/world-watch-list/

[4] https://baysidechurch.com.au/jesus-a-really-historical-person/

[5] https://baysidechurch.com.au/jesus-in-the-quran/

 

 

We hear a lot these days about political correctness, a term that was popularised by a 1990 article in the New York Times by Richard Berstein.  It was initially a term coined by the far-left but has, in more recent times, been adopted by the conservative right to speak against “policies, behaviour, and speech codes that the speaker or the writer regarded as being the imposition of a liberal orthodoxy.” [1] These people on the far-right use the words politically correct (or PC, or the PC Brigade) as a form of insult. They dislike words such as tolerance and love, even though they’re Bible words, and they’re always at war with culture.

Now, of course, we can take any good thing too far, and I’m not suggesting that we become a ‘Nanny State’ where every word has to be policed, but it’s helpful to remind ourselves what it really means to be politically correct and what the Christian response should be to political correctness.  The dictionary defines it as follows, “the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.”  [2] It sounds to me like that’s an excellent definition of what it means to live out the Christian faith!

If you’re a Christian (or even if you’re not), do you want your words and actions to exclude, marginalise or insult people who are already on the edges of society?  Would you want to increase the pain they already experience because of social disadvantage? Does your faith lead you to discriminate against others? If it does, it’s probably time to re-examine your beliefs.

The above definition of political correctness leads me to think about the life of Jesus.  At the start of His ministry, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah to define and communicate the nature of His ministry amongst people. Remember, Jesus is God in human form, so when we look at Jesus, His life, His words and His actions, we see what God is really like.

Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” [3] To the first century Hebrew mind “the poor” were those who existed on the margins of society and thus excluded from the social and religious communities because of either gender, age, poverty, disability, or impurity.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  Jesus avoided forms of expression or action that excluded, marginalised or insulted people who were already socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.  Jesus was politically correct!  In fact, the only people He regularly offended were the people who weren’t excluded – those who held and abused religious or political power.

For Jesus, the words from Isaiah weren’t just a Bible quote, they were “truth to be lived” – something He embodied as He walked amongst people.  Over and over, as you read about the life of Jesus in the Gospels, you see a man who was full of kindness for the excluded.

That’s how Jesus started His ministry, and He practiced what He preached until He was crucified. He then commissioned His Church, His followers, Christians, you and me to follow His example by feeding the hungry and thirsty, offering hospitality to the stranger or foreigner, clothing the naked, looking after the sick and visiting prisoners.  These are the things we will give an account of to Him in the future. [4]

Frequently the church is seen as protecting its own self-interests rather than looking out for the interests of others.  That’s why we hear some Christian people complain about political correctness as if it’s an enemy. I think it’s tragic that we have to be reminded to be kind and inclusive towards people who are often socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.  But as Jesus said, “it is true that the children of this world are shrewder in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.” [5] It’s a sad indictment on some of the church that this statement is still valid.

Paul, the apostle, summarised the entire Bible in one statement, “love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.” [6] Now that sounds like political correctness to me!

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_correctness#1980s_and_1990s

[2] www.dictionary.com

[3] Luke 4:18-19 (Cf. Isaiah 61:1-2a)

[4] The Parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

[5] Luke 16:8

[6] Romans 13:10

I realise that a joyful Jesus is not everyone’s experience.  I mean, I’ve met some of his followers and joy wasn’t the first word that sprung to mind.  When I was in Grammar school, my divinity teacher was Reverend Harry – the meanest guy in the school.  I came top in his class with 63%, and it looked like he’d been baptised in lemon juice.  Atheism seemed like a good option to me for some years afterwards.

Since converting to Christianity, I’ve met Christians who, in my opinion, are not necessarily good representatives of a joyful Jesus.  Maybe they are joyful, but it seems the joy was buried quite deeply!  It’s a shame because the Jesus we read of in the Bible is anything but joyless. 

Sorrowful Jesus

Now it’s true that Jesus was “a man of sorrows”.  He was despised, rejected and familiar with suffering[1], but that only applied to him concerning his work on the cross, and even that he endured with joy.[2]

The problem is that some Christians and churches emphasise Jesus as the man of sorrows and forget joyful Jesus.  Someone may object to this by reminding me that “Jesus wept.”  That’s the shortest verse in the Bible and one of my favourites because it’s so easy to memorise!

The Bible records that Jesus wept because it was news that is an unusual event rather than a daily occurrence.  The Bible doesn’t record that Jesus laughed because it wasn’t news; he did it all the time.

Joyful Jesus

The Bible tells us that Jesus was a happy man; in fact, he had the oil of joy poured out on him more than anyone else.[3]  He was filled with the Holy Spirit and thus had the fruit of the Spirit including joy.

Jesus attracted people, especially children, and no one finds a sourpuss attractive.  Jesus told people to be of good cheer.  Surely He practised what He preached!

Humourous Jesus

Jesus gave his joy to others,[4] and you can’t give what you do not have!  Jesus used humour in his teachings.  Although his humour doesn’t come through into English translations, statements like “take out the beam from your eye” or “strain out a gnat and swallow a camel” or “a camel going through the eye of a needle” would have been hilarious to his audience.[5]

The overly serious Pharisees accused Jesus and his disciples of being gluttons and drunkards.  Of course, they were neither, but in the eyes of the stern religious people of the day, they were guilty by association.  The first miracle Jesus did was turning water into the best wine at a seven-day wedding feast.  Unfortunately, some Christians over the centuries have tried to reverse the miracle.

 

Party Jesus

Jesus let Matthew throw him a great feast along with all of his sinful tax-collector buddies (Luke 5:27-39).  The happy party caused the religious leaders to criticise, complain and talk about fastingand prayer (obviously because that is more spiritual than eating with friends).  Jesus responded with humour, sarcasm, a story, and then a sigh that despite his presentation of truth they, like fools, will stick with their old glum ways (see The Humour of Christ). Even the morose and peevish John Calvin (known for burning opponents at the stake) had to admit in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (III: 19:9): “We are nowhere forbidden to laugh, or to be satisfied with food, or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.”  Thanks, John, we were hanging out for your permission!

Rethink Jesus

I understand that a joyful Jesus may mess with your theology.  If that’s the case, I suggest your theology could do with it.  When I imagine Jesus, it is not merely as a person who healed the sick, raised the dead and preached the good news. It’s also as a man of considerable goodwill and compassion, with a zest for life, someone unafraid of controversy, free to be who He knew Himself to be and brimming with generous good humour and a playful and fun demeanour.  So let’s set aside the idea that Jesus was a humourless, grim-faced, dour, unsmiling killjoy and let’s choose to be just like him – joyful!

 

[1] Isaiah 53:3

[2] Hebrews 12:2; John 16:19-24

[3] Hebrews 1:9

[4] John 15:11

[5] In his book, The humour of Christ, Quaker author Elton Trueblood examines in detail 30 humorous passages in the Gospels.

 

 

 

It’s one of the most difficult Christian teachings to grasp – that God is a Trinity – that He is THREE but also ONE. This difficulty, added to the fact that it is one of the least understood Christian teachings, also makes it one of the most criticised.  Some groups, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Latter Day Saints and Christian Scientists, say it’s simply not true.  But the Trinity is one of the most important Christian teachings and is foundational to all other major doctrines of the Christian faith.  For example, if God is not triune then Jesus is not God. If Jesus isn’t God then he wasn’t sinless.  If he weren’t sinless he would have had to die for his own sins and not ours.  If this were the case no one could be forgiven and reconciled to God.  And on it goes.

While the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, the concept is.  It comes from two words – “tris” meaning “three” and “unus” meaning “one.”  God is one but He is expressed in three distinct personalities – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) God revealed Himself as a plurality in the very first chapter of the Bible when He said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” Two chapters later, “the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us.”  We find God speaking in plural form all the way through Genesis (cf. 11:7; 18:1-2,10,13-14) and using plural names like Elohim and Adonai.

In the New Testament there are literally dozens of references to the Trinity.  Some of the more profound ones are:

  • The baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17)
  • The great commission (Matthew 28:19)
  • The promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17)
  • The gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
  • The benediction (2 Corinthians 13:14)
  • The plan of redemption (Hebrews 9:14)
  • The love of God (1 John 4:16)

This last point is very interesting when we consider that “God is love.”  By its very nature love needs an object in order to exist. In the eternity before God created, perfect love existed between the members of the Godhead (theotés): the personal and extremely relational God who is clearly seen in the person of Jesus (Colossians 2:9).

The teaching of the Trinity simply states that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are three distinct persons who make up one God.  The Father is God (John 6:27); the Son is God (Matthew 1:23, “Emmanuel – which means, God with us.”) and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:1-4).

I’ve heard a number of illustrations over the years that help us grasp the concept of the Trinity.  A family can consist of a mother, father and a child – three distinct persons but one family.  A musical chord is made up of three different notes – three sounds that make up one sound.  Water can exist as a liquid, a gas and a vapor but it’s all H20.  The sun gives us light, heat and radiation; three distinct aspects, but only one sun.  If we were to use maths, God would not be 1+1+1=3 but rather 1x1x1=1.

While any illustration ultimately falls short of fully describing the Trinity, all of these are helpful for us as limited human beings to grasp something of an infinite and eternal God.  And that’s important to remember. Would a god that I could fully explain to you be worth knowing?  How can a finite mind fully grasp an infinite God?  It would be easier to fit the Pacific Ocean into a teacup!

But there is one thing more important than knowing about God, and that’s knowing God.  And that’s why Jesus came.  God in human form – “with us” – that we might know Him.

I’ve always been aware that the Quran mentions Jesus a number of times, but it wasn’t until I had a fascinating conversation with a guy this week that I realised how much Jesus is revealed – and not just the quantity of references but their quality too.

Now I want to state upfront that I am not a scholar of the Quran. I don’t pretend to be an authority on Islam and neither is this blog written to be critical of another religion.  I never make light of other people’s beliefs even when they differ from mine.  To be genuinely Christian is to “Love your neighbour as yourself” and that includes loving and respecting those of other faiths including Islam.

The man I was chatting with pointed out to me that in the 114 chapters of the Quran, Mohammed is mentioned in 5 places, but Jesus (Isa) is mentioned directly and indirectly 187 times in 93 verses (ref: Jesus in Islam).  Now I’m not suggesting that the frequency of mention automatically makes one more important than the other, but it does interest me that the Muslim Holy Book honours Jesus in this way by making Him the most mentioned person.

The Quran teaches that Jesus is al-Masih (Messiah or Christ) who came to bring a new revelation (al-Injil, or Gospel).  He is referred to as the Son of Mary, the Spirit of God and the Word of God who went to Heaven, is still alive and will come again. The Quran, as well as most Hadith (reports describing the words, actions and habits of the prophet Muhammad) mention that Jesus was born without sin and performed many miracles.

Although most Muslims don’t believe in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection there is an interesting verse in the Quran (19:33-34) which some have suggested refers to both events: “And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive.  That is Jesus, the son of Mary – the word of truth about which they are in dispute.”  Other scholars disagree with this interpretation.

In the Quran (Surah 62:5) Allah does not think very highly of those who don’t read Holy Scripture such as the Tawrat (Torah or Hebrew Scriptures) and al-Injil (the Gospel).  The Quran also instructs Muslims on how they should treat those who study Holy Scripture: “So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which we have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters” (Surah 10:94).  Many scholars believe this verse encourages Muslims to read, know and apply truth by listening to the people of the Holy Scriptures, that is, the Jews and the Christians.  In fact, to learn more about Isa (Jesus) one is encouraged to read al-injil – the Gospel, the four books found at the beginning of the Christian New Testament.  Reading these amazing, ancient books will give you great insight into the Man Jesus, what He did and what He taught and, most importantly, what He can do in your life today because, as the Quran and the Bible declare, He is still alive!