Dialog

I loved being a Cub Scout! I wore my little blue and gold uniform to school on meeting days and decorated my bedroom with scouting memorabilia. I especially loved making crafts out of popsicle sticks (because you had to eat the popsicles first). There were all kinds of special events, from the pinewood derby, where you carved little wooden race cars, to the knights of the round table where you made cardboard armor.

That image of the knights of the round table will help us understand the Apostle Paul’s imagery in Romans 6:12 – 14.     

Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (New Revised Standard Version).

The picture Paul paints is of a soldier standing before a king. He offers himself and his weapons in service to his master. Today, we need to ask two questions. First, who is your Lord? As Bob Dylan sang, “You’ve got to serve somebody. It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’ve got to serve somebody.” The second question may require a little more thought. “How can the parts of my body be used in service to the Lord?” Imagine what God can do with your tongue, your eyes, your hands, your feet, and your heart!

I’m going to go enjoy a popsicle while I think about it.

The Impossible Task

I love studying at the public library. First, I love books, but people also have a chance to ask me questions and talk. This past week, a young mother asked me an insightful question about John 18:6.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:1 – 6)

It’s only mentioned in John’s account. Did you see it? “They drew back and fell to the ground.” It’s a detail the other gospels pass over. What would cause the soldier to fall to the ground? Did Jesus blast them with some miraculous power? No. Were the soldiers afraid of a dozen Galilean fishermen armed with two swords? That’s not very likely. What happened?

To answer that, we need to use our sanctified imaginations. It was Passover. That means there was a full moon illuminating the streets and walls of Jerusalem. It was quite late at night. They had searched all over Jerusalem. They first searched for Jesus at John Mark’s home, probably the scene of the Last Supper (Mark 15). Judas also knew about the Garden of Gethsemane, and so the soldiers followed him through the city walls, down the Kidron Valley, and up into the olive groves. Have you seen an ancient olive tree? They are thick and gnarly and look very sinister – even in daylight. Can you imagine what the trees must have looked like by the light of a full moon? Now think about what the soldiers knew about Jesus. He performed miracles. He healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, had power over demons. “How are we going to arrest such a man?” If they were Jewish, they might have remembered the story of Ahaziah and Elijah. The king sent fifty men to arrest the prophet:

Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 

Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’” But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. (2 Kings 1:9 – 12).

The third captain was wiser, fell to his knees, and politely asked Elijah to spare his life and the lives of his fifty men and come with him peacefully. If the soldiers sent to arrest Jesus knew this story when Jesus showed no fear in the garden, it would be no wonder they would back away and fall down on their faces – a detail only mentioned by John, who was an eyewitness. Aren’t you glad he did? Thanks for the question!

In the Apostle Paul’s last letter, he asks Timothy:

When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13)

Paul was no longer under house arrest. This time, he was in a Roman prison, and we can imagine how horrible it must have been. Damp, cold — the words “bring the cloak” are touching, but the last phrase tells us about Paul’s character. A mind like his needed stimulation! The word translated “books” refers to fragile papyrus documents, and the “parchments” were valuable leather scrolls.

It is interesting how our reading materials have changed over time. The earliest documents, like the Ten Commandments, were chiseled in stone. The Babylonians wrote on clay tablets and baked them in the sun. Later came the papyrus documents formed from ribbons of pith taken from the Nile River plant’s stem. The ribbons were laid side-by-side horizontally, and a second layer was added vertically. Finally, the whole sheet was soaked in muddy water and pressed together while it dried. Most of the New Testament was probably written on this fragile material. The next great innovation was parchment – fine leather scrolls and books.

Have you thought about how difficult it would be to use a scroll? They were unrolled with one hand and wound up with the other. It would be challenging to follow a series of scripture readings during a sermon! The book form was a tremendous innovation. Sheets were folded and stitched together, then bound between two covers. Now it was possible to turn the pages and follow along. They were much more convenient to use in studying the Word of God. For two thousand years, the form reigned and filled the great libraries of the world. In our generation, we’ve seen the next big step in the evolution of books: the digital age.

I was slow to adopt an electronic library. I love the feel of a fine book. Leather covers with gilded pages, fine type, and flowing fonts are a work of art, but when Jan and I moved aboard our sailboat, we disposed of most everything. That included most of my library. It was indescribably hard for me to part with the thousands of books that formed my carefully collected and cherished library. However, they would never survive a life at sea. I never thought I would preach again, but God had other plans.

In San Diego, I was called to fill the pulpit in my childhood church. Now I was desperate for a library, but my loving wife, the librarian, introduced me to electronic books. Today I have more books on my cell phone than I ever had on my selves!

The advantages of an electronic library are clear. I can take my study with me anywhere. While I wait in the hospital for a member’s surgery to conclude, I can study, read, and research. It is so easy to search for topics electronically. As I get older, my eyes are getting weaker, but I can easily enlarge the print in electronic books to any size with the flick of my finger. The list of wonders goes on and on.

On the other hand, when the power goes out during a winter storm, like Paul, I may find myself looking for “the books and the parchments.” What do you think? Are you using eBooks now, or are you holding on to hardbacks?

I’m getting older, and I found myself in the doctor’s office for a stress test. That means the nurse attaches a dozen electrodes to different parts of your body using Super Glue that will require a week’s worth of scrubbing in the shower to remove. Then you are asked to step onto a treadmill and walk briskly while they “monitor your vitals” – that’s another way of saying “documenting the heart attack you are about to have.”

At the far end of the treadmill was a motivational poster of some stairs climbing up from the beach. I understand it was a reference from the movie “Something’s Gotta Give.” Jack Nicholson is told he will be healthy enough for sex if he can climb the stairs. I didn’t know that at the time. It just wasn’t very motivating, and I told the nurse, “Stairs! Stairs? Are you kidding me? I’m a diabetic. Stairs won’t motivate me to pass this test! Put a double-bacon cheeseburger up there, and I’ll run to the moon and back!”

She stepped out of the room for a moment and came back in with a color copy of a double-bacon cheeseburger and taped it over the stairs. I passed the test with flying colors.

So, what motivates you to be a disciple? Are you on a quest to meet the Lord? Are you thinking of heaven and your eternal reward? Are you inspired by the amazing love we have in Christ? I often wonder what led those men and women to willingly forfeit their lives rather than deny their Lord. What’s your motivation? Drop me a line!

After a night without sleep, countless beatings, a Roman flogging, and now hanging from nails on a cross, Jesus was nearly dead. What we don’t think of, though, were the little pains: the hurt of the taunts, the sweat in his eyes, the raging thirst. The fifth of the Seven Last Sayings of Jesus is a Greek word: “I thirst” (John 19:28).

By this point, Jesus was approaching the end. The soldiers at the foot of the cross heard and saw it all. Jesus didn’t die like other men. The first thing he said from the cross was, “Father forgive them,” and the second was a promise to the penitent thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Even the battle-hardened centurion would have been touched as Jesus entrusts his mother’s care to Jesus’ best friend. The cry of desperation in the language of his childhood, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” would have haunted them. Thus when Jesus said in a dry, hoarse whisper, “I thirst,” one of the soldiers rushes to wet his lips with their own “sour wine.”

Why is this saying – actually only one word in Greek – recorded for us to meditate on? Jesus wasn’t play-acting on the cross. He didn’t just say this to fulfill the prophecy, and he wasn’t asking for pity. It reveals his humanity.

This word was a prayer, but not to God. It was addressed to his executioners. There is a kind of pride that says, “I will never ask you for anything!” But Jesus still had faith in humanity – even as they were taking his life. So what possessed an unnamed soldier to run to the aid of Jesus? Touched by Christ, the soldier shared what he had.

So what is “sour wine”? Were they sadistically giving a dying man vinegar? A quick search of the different English translations is revealing. Moffatt’s version and the Jerusalem Bible read “vinegar,” while Goodspeed, Phillips, and the New English Bible translate the word as “sour wine.” Still, I like the Today’s English Version and the New American Bible’s translation “common wine.”

Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible explains: “there were three pressings. The first was extracted by stomping on the grapes. This made the best wine. The second took the must, put it in a bag, and squeezed out the juice. The last took the leavings and boiled them to extract the very last. This was ‘common wine.’” The United Bible Society’s Handbook on the Gospel of John, a help for translators, explains: “The Greek word refers to a diluted, vinegary wine. Since it was cheaper than regular wine, it was a favorite drink of laborers, soldiers, and other persons in moderate circumstances. The translations ‘sour wine,’ ‘bitter wine,’ and ‘vinegar’ suggest that offering this drink to Jesus was an act of cruelty, whereas it had the humanitarian purpose of relieving his thirst.”

Even in his death, Jesus won followers! “And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:35).  

Several years ago, I was involved with a Toastmaster’s Club. It was a wonderful way to meet some fascinating people and hone my speaking skills at the same time. One of the members was a divorce lawyer, and I remember he told me, “Valentine’s Day is the beginning of divorce season.” I was a little shocked and asked him to explain. “No one wants to get divorced over Christmas or start the New Year with a filing. But Valentine’s Day, that just reminds people of what their marriage used to be, and now they are ready to move on.”

I often see articles about “How to Divorce-Proof your marriage.” I don’t believe them. They may contain useful advice, but any marriage can fall apart. It happens to couples that you think it could never happen to. Marriage requires work, and prayer, and a commitment unlike any other. However, a well-informed relationship does make a difference.

Here are some observations that have come from my own experience and over forty years of ministry. First, a surprising observation. “What brought you together can drive you apart.” When a couple comes to me for help, I ask them to fill-out two pages in our first session. On the first page, I ask them to write down all the reasons they married their mate. Then, on the second page, I ask them to write down all the reasons they don’t want to be married anymore. The results are surprising.

What attracted you to your spouse? She was such a great conversationalist!
Why do you want to leave her? She never shuts up!

What attracted you to your spouse? He always had money.
Why do you want to leave him? He is so stingy!

What attracted you to your spouse? She was such a great lover.
Why do you want to leave her? All she thinks about is sex!

And so, the lists go on. Perhaps what we need to do is turn back the hands of time. In that first counseling session, I also ask the couple to bring their wedding album. We go through the pictures together. We laugh and cry and remember the way things were. When young couples come to me to plan their weddings, we talk about their budget. How much are you spending on the venue? How much are you spending on the cake, the dress, the tuxedoes, and hair? I don’t care how much you are planning on spending on the photographer. Whatever it is, double it. Someday those pictures may save your marriage!

It was a long walk home to the house of Simon the Leper. The sun warmed their backs as they passed through the Garden of Gethsemane. Slowly they plodded to the top of the Mount of Olives, drawn on by the promise of rest. The disciples stretched, out of breath, in the cool shade of the gnarled olive trees.

     They looked back at Jerusalem, her walls orange in the afternoon sun. But as imposing as the walls were, they couldn’t conceal the magnificent Temple. Even now, her mighty spires loomed above the walls across the Kidron Valley from them. As the disciples sat panting from their climb’s exertion, the words of Jesus came back hauntingly.

     “Do you see all these things?” he had asked. “Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which shall not be torn down.”

     Jesus too gazed back at the city walls, but as vividly as they saw the Temple, Jesus saw the legions that would camp outside Jerusalem forty years in the future.

     The disciples broke the silence, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

     First, Jesus warned them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” The disciples must not allow these false prophets to deceive them! They must carry the gospel to every nation. But remember, Jesus, warns them, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

     Next, he predicts the destruction of Jerusalem in such precise language that his followers could escape the future blood bath. “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now — and never to be equaled again. Be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.”

     In September A.D. 66, anti-Roman extremists annihilated the Roman garrison in Jerusalem and gained control of the city. Florus, the procurator, was powerless. The imperial legate of Syria, Cestius Gallus, marched on the town with the twelfth legion. From their camp on Mount Scopus, north of Jerusalem, the Romans swiftly entered the city but failed to capture the fortified Temple within. Realizing they needed reinforcements for so great a task, the Romans attempted a withdrawal, which quickly degenerated into a rout. The first Jewish Revolt had begun. Four years later, after a systematic campaign, the Romans destroyed the city after a long and bloody siege. The Temple was burned, and her stones were thrown down.

     How did the Jewish Christians escape the fate of their countrymen? An early Christian historian, Eusebius, says they took advantage of the first Roman retreat to escape to Pella, a city on the Jordan River’s far side. When they saw the Romans camped on Mount Scopus, they remembered the words of Jesus and used the Roman retreat as their opportunity to flee.

     They were saved from the swords of Rome by listening to the words of Jesus. I wonder if we are wise enough to listen to the warnings of Jesus two thousand years later?