Story Telling [part two] ...

It is important for us, as we read the story Peter recalled to John Mark in chapter four of his gospel, that we see the words clearly.  For some of us, this requires insuring our reading glasses are on, or that we look at the words through the proper part of our bifocal lens.  Without this enhancement to our vision, it is difficult to read the words and gain the meaning behind them.  But whether your eyes are new, or still maintain a 20/20 reading clarity, there is yet another lens through which scripture can be viewed.  This is the lens of Jesus Christ, and His infinite love for us, and great desire to see us redeemed.  To read scripture, especially when presented in parable or story-form, without keeping in mind the mission of Christ for our redemption, it is easy to begin to insert self into the themes.  Our corrupted thinking begins to influence the meaning we derive from scripture, or stories we read within them.  Perhaps the most telling example of the corrupting influence of “self” even when reading scriptures, was given by our Pharisee forefathers.

The Pharisee was a devout man, dedicated to the study of scripture, the debate of its meaning, and the knowledge of God he believed it would impart to him.  The Pharisee shared the same philosophy as most Bible based faith and denominations of our day.  Where we depart from them (I should hope) is that modern Christians assert the divinity of Christ, and are willing to see scripture through the lens of Jesus Christ.  As we do this, we gain clarity behind not only the words, but the motives of scripture.  We begin to see how things work together for our redemption, instead of our condemnation.  We begin to see how stories were designed to lead us to being made free from sin, not remain bound in slavery to it.  The argument between the Pharisees traditions of keeping Sabbath, and the way Jesus intended for it to be kept, could have been resolved quickly, if the Pharisees were willing to submit their ideas to actual Author of the Law.  But instead they chose to embrace their own “wisdom”, and refused to be taught by Jesus Christ.  When we look at our doctrines, that so distinctly divide denominations of the Christian faith today, can we say we are any different?

As we have allowed our own perceptions, traditions, and egos to enter in to the discussion and debates over the meaning of scriptures.  We have divided believers from each other over the disagreements among us.  None of us are willing to humble ourselves and admit we could have much to learn on a topic we are so certain about.  All of us, believe we have it right, and that we most closely represent what God intended.  Yet not ALL of us could be correct in this assertion, and still maintain so many differences in our faith.  Our obvious lack of clarity, and unity, is evidence of how much of “self” has crept in to the interpretation of scripture.  While we hold to a certainty of our beliefs, we echo the path of our Pharisee forefathers.  The advantage the disciples had over us, is that Jesus Christ was a new phenomenon to them.  As they encountered the Messiah, they quickly realized He knew Truth, the whole of Truth.  No matter what traditions or wisdom had been imparted to the disciples before they met Jesus, they were willing to re-learn anything now that they were in His presence.

If modern Christians were so willing to admit their own fallibility in examining the word, and their complete need of Jesus to see it rightly, perhaps unity could be restored.  In the aftermath of reciting the parable of the sower, Peter recounts to John Mark some interesting dialog and back story about this first parable recalled in scripture.  In our previous study we reviewed the story itself, and the interpretation of its themes both given directly by Jesus Christ.  Now Peter takes us behind the scenes, after the sermon, in the quiet time with the Master.  After the crowds have gone home, and the disciples are alone with Christ, they go to the source of Truth, in order to know more about what He has taught them and the people.  John Mark begins the behind the scenes conversation in verse 10 saying … “And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.”  Keep in mind the disciples officially numbered 12, but in this instance there were a few more folks there,   that stayed behind to understand the gospel better.  Perhaps this group included Lazarus and his sisters, perhaps it included Mary Magdalene, or the blood relatives of Christ His siblings and His mother.  In any case, it is this group that asks Jesus for more.

Jesus responds in verse 11 saying … “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: [verse 12] That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”  The distinction between the disciple’s ability to understand what Christ was saying, and the Pharisees, was the willingness to see Truth only through the lens of Jesus Christ.  This group of believers including the twelve, did not go home, or away from Christ to study what He meant alone and by themselves, to “reason” out what the Truth of this story was.  Instead they went directly to the source of Truth, and asked Him.  The disciples did not pair off into small groups and go break down scriptures and debate meanings until they came to consensus.  It was not human consensus that was needed.  It was clarity only Jesus Christ could bring.  When we read scripture, do we ask Christ directly for its meaning, or do we look at each other and attempt to gain consensus on what it means?  Are we willing to put aside our own ideas and listen to what Christ may add to our mistaken “wisdom”?

The word, without Christ, CANNOT save you.  It is not your accumulated wisdom that saves you, it is your submission to Jesus Christ.  It does not matter how many scriptures you read and memorize, it matters how fully you are willing to allow Christ to re-create you into the person He intended you to be.  As you are willing to depend and submit yourself to Christ, He is able to bring the actual truth of scriptures to your mind.  As you believe you already know the truth, He has little room to actually teach you something because you discard it immediately since it does not fit your preconceived ideas.  There is no room in the certain-mind for something more, or something different, than fits its own ideas.  Our certainty is a reflection of our ego.  Our dependence and constant willingness to be taught, is our first step on the journey to His Truth.  Our faith must be based in the Author of the scriptures, not in the certainty of its reader.  Jesus will ALWAYS know more about His scriptures than we will.  He will always get it right, as opposed to how often we get it wrong.  It was the willingness of this group of believers to ask Jesus for His explanation and not try to create one of their own, that granted them insight into more Truth.

Those who base their own salvation in what they do, and in what they know, will retain who they are, and what they want … being bound in the addiction of self-love, and remain enslaved to their own sins.  It is only in coming to Christ and humbling ourselves, giving up the ideas of self-control, and self-assurance, that we can find He is the One who makes us free from ourselves.  It is our self-reliance that keeps us from being truly converted.  It is our self-reliance that keeps us enslaved to sins, instead of finding more than forgiveness from them, but to find freedom from them.  Only Jesus Christ can save us in this way.  For a modern Christian to repeat the path of the Pharisee will have the same result, it does not lead to salvation but to destruction.  The path of self always leads only to this destination.  We can see the scriptures but not understand them, we can hear the teachings but not perceive the Truth.  This is because we refuse to humble our own perceptions and be taught through the lens of Jesus Christ.

Then to emphasize the need to see scripture through Jesus Christ, He asks them the rhetorical question in verse 13 saying … “And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?”  Jesus is saying to them, this is only the first example of a main theme of truth that will be revealed in story form.  Many more will follow.  If the disciples and this group of dedicated believers cannot understand this story’s meaning on their own, they will not understand any other bit of scripture either.  If even the simplest story requires Jesus Christ to understand it properly, how could we hope to interpret the later writings of John in Revelations of Jesus Christ?  The writings of Paul will be more profound and carry deeper meaning.  The stories of the Old Testament while literal, will still require the lens of the redemptive love of Christ in order to be understood properly.  The lesson for these group of believers and for us, is the same.  We need Jesus Christ to understand ALL of scripture.

Then Jesus begins His interpretation which we studied earlier except for the start of the interpretation found in verse 14 saying … “The sower soweth the word.”  This is the summation of the gospel.  God the Father soweth the Word (His Son Jesus Christ) into our hearts, and into the world.  God the Father did not send down golden scrolls for us to read, understand, and gain salvation from our own wisdom.  It was not another book we needed.  It was the person of His Son Jesus Christ.  We needed to see Him live out a definition of how far love will go to save the object of its affection.  We needed to see and bear witness to how much the Father God wants to see us restored physically from our diseases, and mentally from our addiction to sin.  This could not be accomplished through texts.  It had to be lived in person.  We had to see the person of God, in the form of His only Son, come to this world and live love for us, and die rather than see us suffer that fate.  Our scriptures RECALL those events, they do NOT replace them.  Our scripture points us back to the Author of the book, not simply to the words within the book.  It is the Author that is most important.  What was sown into us is Jesus Christ, the Word of God in literal form.

Then Jesus explains His story to the group of believers gathered there from verse 15 to 20 as we have already reviewed in part one of this study.  But He goes a step further, revealing yet another Truth founded in Himself.  There is no Truth that will be kept hidden forever.  Jesus continues in verse 21 saying … “And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? [verse 22] For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. [verse 23] If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”  Whether we accept the Truth of Jesus Christ or not for ourselves, His Truth will be revealed in those who do.  The light of Christ cannot be contained under a bushel or a bed, or put in a place where it cannot be seen.  The light of Christ shining through us, His love for others reflected through us, cannot be contained.  It reaches out to those in need, and touches them.  The love of Christ reflected through us, cannot pass by the needs of another, it MUST meet them.

Those who obsess over the meaning of scripture, and do not stop their debate long enough to love someone else, do not have Truth, nor can they comprehend it in any meaningful way.  They may have the name of Jesus Christ, but have no idea who it is they claim to serve.  While they are busy studying in Sabbath Schools attempting to gain more knowledge; those who have been touched by the fire of His Love cannot help but to DO something about their beliefs.  Those touched by the fire of His love, are driven to meet the needs of others, and reach out to them in meaningful acts of love and kindness.  They are not content to sit and study, they would rather learn by doing.  They would rather be active, they are like little children who will not sit still.  They do not disdain the word or scripture, they instead are driven to apply those words in the living examples of their lives.  They preach with their hands and their hearts.  And the reflection of Christ within them is unmistakable.

When you meet Christians like this, you begin to redefine what a Christian truly is.  If you find yourself driven to love others beyond any reasonable understanding of why you feel the way you do, you are blessed to have found the Word sown into your heart.  The stony heart of apathy, and dislike for others, that may have once ruled your actions has given way to the living Word of Love that Jesus Christ alone can create within you.  If inaction still rules your life, then perhaps your first order of business should be to cast yourself at the feet of the Author.  Perhaps spend less time reading, studying, and debating, and more time doing, loving, and caring for those who clearly do not deserve it.  As we submit our hearts to Jesus Christ, He fills them with His infinite love for others.  As we begin to act on His love for others, we begin to live out scripture, rather than just study it.  We begin to see the meaning of scripture reflected through our actions to make the life of someone else better than it was before we encountered them. 

This light, created by the fire of His love for others, and reflected through us as we are willing to submit to Jesus Christ, cannot be hidden from the world.  For it will not allow itself to be hidden.  His love must be set free in us, to reach those who are in so desperate need of it.  This life, this way of living, is what is meant to replace the cold, unfeeling, intellectual embrace of the Word.  His goal is not that we become scholars and professors of the theory of the gospel, but that we become doctoral experts and practitioners of the gospel.  The parable or story-telling of the seed that is sown into good ground, was not just meant for some, but for all.  None of us, and nothing evil we have done in our past, can prevent God from making our future the future of good and fertile ground.  We too can become vessels that reflect His fire and His light to the world.  As our passion to love others grows within us, it will not be hidden, but employed.  And the world will be the better place for it.

Having finished His first story … a series of them would follow quickly.

 

To Say What Must Be Said ...

Throughout this entire second letter to the church, Peter has attempted to remind his audience; to put the church in remembrance of the transformative power of the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  He has offered the scriptures, his own eye-witness testimony, and the sure word of prophecy as evidence to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  While we do not know Peter as a prophet, in what will be his final written words, he again demonstrates a living prophetic gift powered by the Holy Spirit in what will be revealed.  The goal of these parting words was not to be “prophetic”, but prophecy would be a tool to again remind his readers of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  Our lives were meant to be better than they are.  Our lives were meant to be fuller.  In the death of self, and absence of self-obsession, we find the perfect freedom to love others that ONLY Jesus Christ can create within us.  We are to be made free from our former addictions, and slavery to loving self.  This was the power of the gospel, Peter was so keen for the early church to never lose sight of.  Already false teachers were spreading the seeds of Satanic influence in Christian thinking.  Already there were those who taught the value of “self” in the process of salvation.  This needed correction.

So Peter begins in chapter three of his second letter, the final chapter, his last written opportunity to reach the early church.  This was it.  Consider what you might write, if you knew with certainty your death was near, if you knew it could not be avoided.  What final thoughts would dominate your own priority.  While Peter no doubt loved his wife, perhaps he was more certain of her spiritual fate, and therefore focused his energy of those who he believed were at higher risk.  He begins in verse 1 saying … “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: [verse 2] That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:”  Note the term “beloved” in his address.  Peter has come to truly love these believers.  They are not just numbers to him, a random counting of those who may have been converted at some point or another and now comprise a church of “x” members.  They are not just folks of like-mind.  They are his beloved, and beloved of Christ.  It is not a sexual term, but it is a highly intimate term.  It carries meaning to him, and it is why he chooses to say what must be said.

Peter wishes to stir up remembrance in the church, to cause “pure minds” to consider the value of the gospel message he wants them to remember.  He asks they remember what he has said in times past.  He does not discard scripture, He asks them to build upon it, to be led to its truths.  They are not to become Pharisees obsessed with their own knowledge of the word, but they are not to become heretics that avoid the guidance the word might offer either.  They are to be led because they are willing to be led, to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  They must learn to see all scripture through the lens of Jesus Christ.  He worries they will forget what he and the other apostles have said to them.  This is not an ego trip for Peter.  He is not the sole authority of the gospel, he is merely a voice in it.  He does not discount the words, letters, or teachings of other apostles or leaders in the faith.  He does not defer to them, or assert superiority over them, he UNIFIES with them and acts in concert with them for the betterment of the church.  There is no hierarchy implied here, only a flat-church with Christ as the individual leader of every member.

Peter continues in verse 3 … “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, [verse 4] And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”  Here begins the revelation of the future from the Holy Spirit, inspiring the prophetic words of Peter.  Peter longed for a return of Jesus Christ in his own day.  But he now knows he will sleep until the return of his Lord.  So the Holy Spirit offers Peter a glimpse into human nature, and the temptations of Satan that will plague the church when he is gone.  The words Peter enumerates above have been spoken not just in our own generation, but in nearly every generation between Peter and us.  It is the rally cry of the Atheists in our day.  And it has only ever been made worse by those who claimed to know the exact hour of His returning. They preach a message of fear that the hour of the Lord was near.  When the day and time passed, scoffers only amplified their cries.

You will also note, those who scoff, have not been made free from the slavery of self.  Instead they “walk after their own lusts”.  This is not just a general statement of despair about those who have not yet found the Lord.  It is a profound examination of those within the membership of the church, who have also never been made free from sin, any sin.  There are those who never allow the scoffing words to pass their lips, yet in their hearts, hold these same ideas to be true.  They believe forgiveness will cover their misdeeds, and that they have time to continue committing these sins while God delays his return.  They do not have the courage to utter words of doubt within the body of Christ, but their lifestyles are evident of the desires of their hearts.  Desires that have never been altered or re-created by Jesus Christ, because they would rather prolong His delay and continue in sin, than surrender and live differently.  These scoffers have embraced the idea of responsibility, and the role of self, within the process of salvation.  As such, they have only known failure, and failure has led them to doubt.

Peter continues in verse 5 … “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: [verse 6] Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: [verse 7] But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”  There is a key reason why Satan must attack the validity of Creation, and the Flood in the Genesis accounting by Moses.  If Christians accept the literacy of Creation, they can acknowledge that Jesus Christ could create in them new desires in harmony with the law of God.  But if we merely evolved, then perhaps our own evolution will save us as well.  If Christians accept the literacy of the Flood where the entire world was destroyed except for Noah who was willing to be saved by God; then the idea that a final end to sin will one day come upon us as well is equally real.  If the Flood never happened, then God has never really asserted His control, and perhaps He never will.

The doctrines, the truth, of the stories of Creation and the Flood, illustrate the salvation power of Jesus Christ, and the ultimate end of sin.  To discard them in favor of science, is to deny the author of science.  To discard them in favor of modern wisdom, is to trust our own common sense over the word of God, and repeat the errors of Lucifer and Adam.  Our wisdom will never be equal to God, our vision never as long or wide.  There are things we can study.  But when we believe we know “better” than God, we have crossed the same line Lucifer did, and embarked on the same path as well.  Peter here states that the condition of these scoffers, even inside the church, is to be willfully ignorant.  They do not wish to believe.  They do not want to know the truth.  They do not long for an end to evil, but instead a perpetuation of evil.  They want endless time to sin, not an end to sin within them.  This is the nature of scoffers who have never tasted the freedom from sin; the transformation offered by Jesus Christ who alone is able to bring.

Peter continues in verse 8 … “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  Here again the prophetic influence of the Holy Spirit is displayed.  So many students of scripture have used this text to apply timelines to prophetic interpretations of other parts of scripture.  It helps set historical context, and allows timelines to be precisely formed for the beginning and ending of other prophecies.  And it is wonderful to see how the words of Peter here are used to help enhance prophecy in other places, by other authors.  But this was not the intent of Peter when penning these words.  He is simply continuing his thought about the complaint of scoffers as to the delay in the return of our Lord.  This is as much a figurative analogy as a declarative key to unlock other prophetic timelines.  Time has far less meaning when there are no limits to it.  It is our own mortality that feels the weight of passing minutes, months, and decades.  God has never known those limitations.  We had a Genesis.  God did not.  We were created therefore at some point in the infinite timeline of God we came into existence.  But our lives were never meant to be ended by an embrace of sin.  That choice was ours.  The result of that choice was inevitable.  Sin must end.  But in the light of our redemption, once again time has less meaning.  Knowing we will live forever at His return offers us a freedom from the weight of time.

Peter then offers insight into the reason why God would delay His return in verse 9 … “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  This is the fundamental difference in the thinking between God and Satan.  God uses time for the redemption of mankind, working diligently that all men might have time to come to want salvation.  Satan uses time to perpetuate evil and wishes it will never end, so that he can continue to act in evil forever.  Scoffers tend to align with Satan.  Their cries of perpetual delays and challenges to the truth of any end-state of the world, are more meant to validate their own desires to remain in sin.  They do not complain about the plague of sin that endures, they instead relish in it.  While those whose hearts are aligned with God, see each day as yet another opportunity to bring the freedom of Christ to an unreached aching soul; a chance to add one more to the number who will join them in eternity.  This is the consuming passion of the Christian, to love someone enough to find them in the kingdom together.

Peter continues in verse 10 … “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. [verse 11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, [verse 12] Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? [verse 13] Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”  Peter echoes the teachings of Christ stating that the day of His return will come as a “thief in the night”.  Or in other words, it comes when few are looking for it.  There are guards or policemen who keep an eye out for thieves at night.  But the mass of citizenry are sound asleep, not on guard, and content in the false knowledge that they are secure.  How many Christians are content and asleep, and not looking to be made free from the sin within them?

But what happens to the wealth of this world, and the combined accomplishments of mankind, when they are dissolved with a fervent heat?  All of the things we spend our time building, for ourselves, for our employers, for our nation, will ALL be melted away.  Our cars gone, our homes, our vacation resorts will be gone in a minute.  If these are things where we have invested so great a part of ourselves, our return on investment is to be disappointing.  Peter points this out, and says that in the light of the meaningless of the wealth of this world, we should invest our time, our conversation, and our actions in the wealth of the next one … namely in loving people to see them there.  Christians are to look past the destruction of this world, not at the wealth of the next one.  Notice he does not call attention to golden streets, but to a place “wherein dwelleth righteousness”.  It is not the structures we should be concerned about, it is the method of HOW we live that matters.  The absence of sin is the ultimate goal, not where we live when that occurs.

Peter summarizes in verse 14 … “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”  This is the message Peter has so needed to say.  This is the goal of reminding the early church.  The transformation Jesus Christ offers allows us to be found amidst the turmoil of the world, yet in peace.  The transformative power of Love Jesus Christ offers allows us to be found without spot, though surrounded by the most vile sins.  The freedom from loving self, to made free to love only others, allows us to be found blameless in world were all the troubles are blamed upon us.  It is not the conditions of our surroundings that dictate who we are.  It is in allowing the transformation process to occur within us that sees us made perfect in a world filled with imperfection and sin.  The problems have never been on the outside, they have always been on the inside.  This is the message that had to be said.  These are the words Peter must say before his time is ended.  We should cling to the gospel of hope.  We should cling to the transformative power of Jesus Christ to redeem us, and do not allow “self” to enter in and corrupt the process.  With the knowledge of his impending death, Peter chooses to write these words to the church.  It had to be said.  It must be said.  Now will we listen …

And Peter had one more epilogue to write …