Fields of Blood ...

As crop choices go, attempting to plant blood is not going to yield much, except perhaps a harvest of horror.  So when a field anywhere in the world earns that title, it typically means something horrible must of happened there, and what is remembered most about this place, is death, and blood.  Back in Roman times blood was fairly common place.  The value of life perhaps at its lowest throughout history.  People died, so many the numbers are beyond the counting.  Not just soldiers who stood on the battle fields in opposition to the iron kingdom, but slaves because the whim of their masters took the slightest offense.  Those who did not pay the exorbitant taxes Rome demanded to fund the excess of a few, died without notation in lands far and wide, and again without the slightest hesitation.  The manner of death was as varied as Roman imaginations could invent in those times.  Death was never a mercy.  It was a final punishment meant to inflict pain on the dieing, and terror on those who were left behind and forced to witness it.  In this context, for a field to stand out above the others, and still earn the title to be known as “the field of blood”, something extreme must have occurred.  It did.

The story of this field begins with dark notarity.  The prophet Jeremiah foretells the tale of woe many centuries before it will come to pass exactly as he predicts.  In its own time, the field is seeded with silver.  It is silver steeped in betrayal, not just of one man to another, but of one species to the God who created them.  Blood money gives way to buy a field to be used as a cemetery.  And none of us will ever know just how much that cost took from the universe to purchase.  We caused God the Father, to watch us murder His Only Son, to shed not just innocent blood, but divine innocent blood, a thing no being ever thought possible.  This field would truly be a place where people would go to rest in death.  There would be no hope in this place.  And its title would stick with it for centuries, even in a Roman time, when that name might have been at best redundant.  Still it stood out.  For it is where our actions to kill God were noted.

Matthew penned his gospel to his contemporaries.  His goal was to meticulously outline to any believing, studying Jew, how all the prophecies of the Old Testament met their fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.  Even when those foretellings were dark, steeped in blood and betrayal, and would appear to condemn us all.  Jeremiah was not a light-hearted comedian of his day.  He was a gloom-and-doom, truth-to-power teller of his day.  And let’s face it, nobody likes gloom-and-doom on any day.  Matthew continues detailing the story of the betrayal of our God, of his murder, and of our weakness and horror on display throughout the process.  He picks up in chapter twenty-seven in verse one, continuing from where the church leadership has taken the story to this point.

In verse 1 it continues … “When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: [verse 2] And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”  Irony of ironies.  The church decides to hide all of the other Jews who had visited violence on their Roman oppressors.  But to the One who loves His enemies, they bind Him, beat Him, and take Him to Roman authorities in order to have Him executed by the power of the state; thus attempting to hide who was truly responsible.  But in truth this was Jews, killing the God of the Jews, because He loved too much, and hated not at all.  It is not how bitter you are, that puts you at odds with the world around you, the world is used to bitter.  It is not how much you hate, that puts you out of tune with society.  Society has more than enough hidden hatred to go around to consider any one hater a particular problem.  But love like Jesus, and you will be too much of an odd ball to ignore.  The world cannot understand that kind of love, and frankly would prefer to kill it, than have to accept it.  A pattern that dates back to before the beginning of our world in the first war ever in heaven; and now finds it ultimate fulfillment in the death of Jesus.

But Jesus did not just get here by accident.  A man put Him here.  Not just any man, but the most respected man of His fellow followers.  The disciple all the others wanted to be more like.  The popular, natural leader, the good-looking guy it would be easy for any of us to follow – all things being equal.  But Judas did not just put Jesus here by accident.  He did it on purpose.  He sealed it with a kiss.  He took money for his deed of betrayal.  Even if his motive was to force Jesus to become the King He was supposed to be, that did not work.  Judas saw all of this up close and personally.  Judas was allowed in to the trial by the High Priest because he was on “their” side.  He watched them put a bag of sorts over the head of Jesus, then hit Him, and ask Him to prophecy as to who did it.  Jesus knew who did it.  But despite their crimes, He still does not offer any of them condemnation.  For those who believe it is our job to point out the sins of others, they miss the example of Jesus who was silent while being sinned against.

Matthew continues in verse 3 saying … “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, [verse 4] Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.”  Now Judas does one last act to see if he can undo what he has done.  He comes and makes a public confession of his sin.  He reminds these men, that Jesus is innocent blood.  By telling them Jesus is innocent, Judas hopes that those who live by the law, will be constrained by the law, to release the innocent and punish Him no further.  But these religious leaders who claim to live by the Law, in no way understand the Law, or the Law Giver.  The use manipulation of the Law, to accomplish what they already set about to do.  They do not wish to be led in their interpretations, they wish to be the sole authority by which men understand any interpretation.  They want control.  And they will kill to get it.  There can be no opposition.

This is human nature on display – even inside the church of God.  And it is no different for the centuries to come even inside of Christianity, nor of the churches who evolve from the reformation.  Men still kill, punish, and excommunicate, any who stand in opposition to their control.  It is a contest of man vs. God that began long ago and will see no end, until God Himself ends it at the end of all things.  The priests acknowledge the words of Judas, and respond in a chilling voice, “what is that to us?”.  The leadership does not care what Judas has done.  Nor do they care that Jesus is innocent.  Jesus is marked for death.  Judas helped get Him there.  If Judas is having second thoughts, that is his problem, not theirs.  They remain committed to seeing Jesus die.  Who cares what Judas thinks?  But Judas has now pushed himself over the edge of brokenness.  His plans have failed.  His last ditch effort to stop this farce has failed.  Jesus will die, and history will record the name of Judas as His betrayer, even though Jesus still called him friend when he was in the middle of betraying Him.  It is too much to take.

Matthew continues in verse 5 saying … “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”  Judas sees no way out.  How could anyone forgive this level of greed and betrayal?  How could anyone love him after what he has done?  He deserves death, plain and simple.  So Judas does to himself, what all of us are equally deserving of.  He kills himself.  And there is a critical lesson to be learned here.  Judas, still in isolation from any that might have comforted him, or reminded him how much Jesus loves, even murderers, or betrayers (like Peter); makes a rash decision he cannot undo.  While there is life there is hope.  When life is gone, there is only the waiting.  Judas lost faith in the power of salvation, and the power of re-creation of Jesus Christ.  If he had held on to that faith, that hope, Jesus would have done for Judas, what He does for you and I every single day. 

Suicide is not a shortcut to the heavenly gates.  It is a statement that no one else in the world matters more than me.  It happens in loneliness, when faith and hope are lost, and isolation keeps you from getting the comfort you need.  It happens because the victim decides he is of no value to anyone else, and does not test this theory by serving others and letting history decide his value.  It is usually not born of sacrifice (like Samson), but of a break in trust (like Judas); with the God who longs to give you a better life if you would just let Him.  If we are ALL not careful, we may find ourselves on the same road as Judas, sprinting to the same destination.  Not because God will’s it, or is trying to punish us, but because we believe in God’s vengeance more than His mercy; and see ourselves of no value to a Savior who would sacrifice EVERYTHING to save just you, or just me.  This is why loving each other is SO important.  Your tangible demonstration of love might be just the thing, that keeps a suffering one from losing all hope.  And you may never know it throughout your life.  It is not important for you to know it, only to show that tangible love.  When you love like this, you demonstrate to the world, what the real character of God looks like, not what they have been taught to believe.  Anyone can condemn.  Jesus could have condemned Judas, but He did not.  He longed to save him.  But Judas refused to be saved.  Instead he fell to common sense, not divine power.

Meanwhile, the priests who care nothing for Judas, cannot leave money lying around.  Matthew continues in verse 6 saying … “And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.”  Does the irony meter have a ceiling?  The priests were the ones who just paid Judas (a detail they seem in a hurry to forget).  But they recognize this is still blood money.  And “according to the Law” they are not allowed to put the money into the treasury (where it belongs to them once again).  A wonderfully strange interpretation of the goings on of this evening.  They are driven to use the money in some other way.  But hmmm … how to spend 30 pieces of silver paid to kill innocent blood?  In this case, the innocent blood of God Himself, by the murderers who intend to kill Him.

Matthew continues in verse 7 saying … “And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. [verse 8] Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.”  How incredibly random.  First, that a potter’s field would be for sale at just that time in history.  Second, that the price of the potter’s field would be exactly 30 pieces of silver, just the exact amount of money they had, forced to use for some purpose, they interpreted.  And then, to use this field to bury strangers in.  A usage that would immediately associate death with the field.  And because of how it was purchased (the blood money that is), that it would be called and known for many centuries later as … wait for it … “the field of blood”.  Now to the non-believer, this is nothing more than series of coincidental events with no major significance by a group of people who hated Jesus so much they wanted Him dead, enough to make this price in the first place.  But Matthew has a different take on these events.

Matthew continues in verse 9 saying … “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; [verse 10] And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.”  This was the prophecy of Jeremiah.  This was the dark foretelling, of betrayal of our Lord, and how the money used in that betrayal would come to its final disposition.  And the priests (who did nothing but study scripture) walked right down the list of things required to fulfill this prophecy – something they would have NEVER done because they hated Jesus so much.  If they had remembered these words.  If they had thought about it.  They would have paid hookers rather than use the money this way just to avoid fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah about the One they were in the process of killing.  This field of blood existed because of the actions of the priests who hated Christ.  Those very priests insured the prophecy was fulfilled.

And they could not undo what they had done.  They did not even think to.  Instead the field of blood was born not because the potter came up with this idea, but because the priests did.  There was nothing random about it.  This was orchestrated.  This was the foreknowledge of God, NOT because He forced anyone to do anything.  Only because He knew what each of them would do, before they chose to do it.  It was not pre-destination, it was free will.  But those free-will choices were known by God, centuries before they were made.  Jeremiah notes it.  Jeremiah may not have even understood fully what he was writing.  But his words came true, to the letter – made so by the very ones who hated Jesus the most.  These priests were already sensitive about allowing prophecy to be fulfilled by Jesus.  When he rode on a colt into Jerusalem (fulfilling yet another prophecy), the priests complained, trying to shut the whole thing down.  Jesus told them if they did, the stones would cry out in praise instead of the people they were trying to shew away.  And those priests knew He was telling the truth.  So they left them in peace, and only broiled more in anger.  Yet despite this, here they were acting out their part to fulfill the dark words of Jeremiah.

In the world to come, there will be no more fields of blood.  Blood will be something no longer shed or lost.  Blood will stay inside of you where it belongs, where God made it to be.  Blood, like everything else God touches will be perfect.  But its price will never be forgotten.  That we made our God the Father, sit still, having all the power of the universe, and watch while we did, what we did to His only Son.  This price is beyond reckoning.  A single tear from the Father’s face is worth more than I will ever be.  A torrent of tears from the Father’s heart, is a thought that would crush me forever.  But He did it.  He allowed it.  Because God the Father loves you, loves me, and yes even loves Judas and those priests, SO MUCH; He wants only to see each and all of us reconciled to His throne.  His love is greater than our blood.  His love is greater than our worst deeds, and not a single one of us, is beyond His ability to save.  The dark words of Jeremiah bad as they are, should cement our faith in Jesus, because they happened.  Every detail that was supposed to happen, happened.  If God promises to save you.  You have only to let Him, and He will do it, just like every other prophecy He makes, or promise He offers.  And for you, fields of blood, will be no more …

 

Daddy Issues ...

A lot of unkind jokes use the phrase “daddy issues” to make a punchline out of lifelong insecurities.  Most conventional thinking attributes the ideas of daddy issues to young women inexplicably attracted to older men.  But that is far from where it truly ends.  Nearly every child of divorce has some inkling of what daddy issues entails.  And divorced or not, every child of workaholic type “A” personality go-getter dads knows what it is like to live in that shadow and possibility never live up to it.  Who you are cannot be explained in full without knowing where you come from; not just who composed your family members, but what life was like with them as well.  All of us no matter the age we recognize it, look for a degree of affirmation from our fathers.  We want that “stamp of approval”, perhaps “parental pride”, to lean on, and know it is there, and it is as solid as concrete.  Given the state of our society, I would say those of us getting this affirmation, and knowing we have it, is a good deal less than the majority of our populous.

But it gets worse ☹.  You have probably heard the expression (derived from scripture), that “we are made in the image of God”.  This tells us we tie the roots of our existence in similarity to the God who created us.  Some people say “we have a God shaped hole in each of us”.  This is meant to convey that we each seek a love that only God can provide.  No other substitute for it, no matter what level of self-gratification we try to mask that need with.  If you mirrored our local family needs of at least at some point looking for the affirmation of our earth-bound fathers – then it stands to reason we will look even harder for the affirmation of our Heavenly Father.  But there’s the rub.  Local dad can tell me he loves me, or if he is proud of me (if he ever chooses to).  But Heavenly Dad seems to have a harder time getting that message across.  We have a distance thing to deal with.  And if not the physical distance, we also have a distance between us in how we love.  He loves me absolutely.  But instead of loving others that way, I tend to heap all the love I get, right back on me (ahh the invention of selfishness).  So how could our Father God, ever be proud of me, when it is clear, my life could hardly ever be a source of pride in a heavenly kingdom (where selfishness is something long since extinct in the average heavenly heart, let alone in a God, who was willing to die for me, to show me how far His love would take Him).

I am a disobedient child at best.  Belligerent, noisy, insisting I know what I am doing, when history is clear I do not.  Any Father of a two-year-old can tell you when they are screaming and covered in poo, it is hard to pick that precise moment to state your pride in them.  I should imagine this is a dilemma God faces nearly every time He looks at me.  On the other side of that coin, any Father of a two-year-old can also tell you that sometimes even despite our bad behavior we can still look pretty cute to Dad.  Perhaps it is because we belong to Dad.  Perhaps because we are His.  Perhaps it is His love that is able to see through our shenanigans and see us for who we could be, rather than perhaps who we are.  And every dad wants to clean up our dirty; nurse the boo-boo’s; and point us in a direction where what will bring us happiness is right in front of us (instead on unnoticed by us).  The daddy issues we may find ourselves having with God, don’t come because of His lack of love, they come from us failing to realize “this” is not what was meant for any of us.  There is something so much better.  And we need to trust Dad, that He is trying to set our course on a path to that (no matter how it looks in the here and now).

Matthew in his gospel to his Hebrew contemporaries, in chapter 25, continues discussing what the second coming will be like from a readiness point of view.  The conditions we face here and how we might steer clear of paths leading in the wrong direction.  Jesus gives us a parable (a story that is), to show themes His audience would understand better.  This one picks up in verse 1 saying … “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. [verse 2] And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.”  So call me cynical but in today’s modern age the first thing that jumps out at me is the ratio of brides to husband, ten to one, if I read this right.  My cynical mind jumps right to the unkind phrase “daddy issues”.  Why else would any bride be willing to share their husband with another bride, let alone with nine others?  But then I remember, this is a story to make a point, not a word for word endorsement of multiple-partner-marriages.

And then it also occurs to me, perhaps the Bridegroom, was the one NOT given a choice in the matter.  What? You ask.  Think about it.  Traditionally the bride(s) represent a church of some kind.  In this case we presume a Christian church.  And perhaps at the end of all things (i.e. in our modern age), there is more than “one” Christian Church who qualifies as being a bride of Christ.  Imagine that my Baptist friends, it could be that you will be sharing your virginal bride status, with our Catholic friends, and Mormon friends, and Adventist friends, and so on, and so on.  I know a good number of Christian denominations (my own no exception), that believe “they” are the only “virgin” – all the rest are sluts at best.  All of us Christians are quick to adopt the idea that our particular church is the virgin talked about in scripture, and any other church can get thrown into the “whore” category, also discussed elsewhere (and out of context).  But if Jesus was coming back to reclaim all the believers who follow Him, then perhaps He has an appointment with ten virgins instead of one, because our foolishness and pride over doctrines have left Him no choice but to find ten of us walled off from each other, each thinking we are “all that”.  When in truth, we each have only a portion of “the Truth”, too stubborn to accept that others might have other parts of “the Truth”.

Consider too, Jesus does not say the Bridegroom was coming to marry 2 virgins, 3 concubines, 2 divorcee’s, and 3 good old-fashioned prostitutes.  Instead all ten are virgins.  Which given our doctrinal differences (that cannot possibly “all” be right), it might be that the only thing that makes one a virgin is in how they truly “follow” Jesus Christ.  Not, if they have scriptural understanding perfect, or every prophecy coded down to a gnat’s behind.  But even in virginity, there is a distinction between the wise and the foolish.  Jesus tells us what that is continuing in verse 3 as he goes on stating … “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: [verse 4] But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.”  Daddy issues again perhaps?  This time however, it is more about how we listen to Dad, than whether His instructions are clear.  Think about it, virginity is not in question.  The fact that you are bride destined to marry our Lord is not in question.  This is about whether you carry the oil you need for a moment, or whether you plan ahead for any contingencies.  It is a subtle difference.

Everybody has oil on day one.  If we were to interpret that the “oil” was a reference to the Holy Spirit, then you could assume every believer has a notion of the role of the Holy Spirit and is at least initially happy to invite Him into our lives.  But when you invite God in, He comes.  And when you invite God in, He starts changing things.  Before you even realize it, sin is on its way out, and joy is backfilling the void.  Most of us would say bring it on.  But for each of us who has some sin we are not quite ready to give up, we may not want “that much” Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts.  What if the Holy Spirit begins taking the cherished sin out?  He might knock that sin right out of our hearts before we are ready to lose it.  For us foolish virgins, we want a “controlled” measure of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not a full measure of it.  We are still too foolish as to try to give up “all” our sins, we just want most of them gone, and keep only a small few we are so desperately fond of.  And so we create daddy issues when that was never the plan.

Jesus continues in verse 5 saying … “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.”  Yeah that is one of the more painful scriptures in the Bible, and such a clear commentary on how we various Christian churches keep dropping the ball.  It’s not so much that we “ALL” slept (the foolish and the wise).  It is that we ALL were more comfortable falling asleep from a delay in His return, than in pointing others to the light and love of Jesus Christ.  That is supposed to be the number one mission of any Christian church.  And yet, nope, each of us virgins, (insert a collective reference to yours and my church here), were all too happy to sleep on the accomplishments of our founders, than to get out there and help with the redemptive work.  That just hurts.  And it is not like we can blame this on a miscommunication from some random prophet in scripture, this is Matthew recording the very words of Jesus Christ Himself, that other gospels would seem to coordinate.  So even when our virginity is in tact (we truly follow Jesus), even when we are wise and invite a full measure of the Holy Spirit’s oil into our lives and hearts, we are still taking all that testimony and witness and sleeping on it, rather than sharing it.

The sadness continues as Jesus states in verse 6 saying … “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”  At midnight, that is to say, when we are deep in sleep, and completely unaware something is coming.  Or as Jesus stated earlier, in an hour when we think not.  A cry is made.  Well guess what, the cry is NOT coming from one of the virgins.  They are ALL asleep.  The cry would most likely come from an external, heavenly, or heavenly inspired source.  Perhaps there is a group of Christians who are as we speak, learning to submit to Jesus, and experiencing a level of transformation from His love, that put them outside completely of all the known churches.  Or perhaps there are so few of them, it takes an angel to get things kicked off.  Either way, every church finally wakes up, and is told to begin to go out to meet the bridegroom.  Time to kindle up that oil.

Jesus continues in verse 7 saying … “Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. [verse 8] And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. [verse 9] But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.”  The foolish virgins, by wanting to cling to a few precious sins, have let their lights go out.  But they have some idea of what needs to be done.  They go to those who embraced the Holy Spirit fully, and ask them to give them some of that attractive sin killing oil.  But the time for acquiring oil requires an education the wise do not have time to give.  The foolish must go back to basics, and figure out how to get a full measure of the Holy Spirit so they too can get out there to meet the Bridegroom.  When Daddy teaches you how to trust Him, it is not a one-day process.  It takes time.  It takes a full submission.  You must learn how to recover from bumps in the road, we bring about by trashing the victories He gives, with our stubborn failures.  It takes the humility to come again to Dad, ask forgiveness, and start the process again.  And as we go through this process, we learn what it really means to trust Dad.  The daddy issues start to dissipate.

Jesus continues in verse 10 saying … “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. [verse 11] Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. [verse 12] But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. [verse 13] Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”  When Jesus comes, they that are ready will go with Him.  Those who are not ready, those who still cling to sin, any sin, do not understand the degerative disease they have chosen to hang on to.  It is like wanting to keep just a little bit of terminal cancer.  It is like being a cocaine addict and only keep a closet full of it (even though the rest of the house is clean).  When we cling to sin, it is a disease that overwhelms us.  It changes us.  It makes us self-centered.  And our self-centered-ness grows until that is all we really are, no matter what banner we claim as our belief system.

It will not be the moniker “Catholic” or “Baptist” that saves you in the end.  It will be whether you allowed Jesus and the Holy Spirit to wipe the sin out of you, in heart, mind, and body.  It will be whether you submitted to Jesus, and learned how to love like He loves.  When that happens you develop a passion for other people.  When you delay it, you embrace apathy for others, and love for yourself.  It leads to those horrible words coming from the foolish virgins who ask to be let it, and finding the Bridegroom saying “I know you not”.  In another parable, those words were uttered by Jesus associated with Christians who carried the name, but never did anything for the poor or needy, because they frankly did not care about the poor, imprisoned, or needy.  They were too busy in church to make time for people in need.  They were too busy performing miracles in the name of Jesus, too busy planning worship services, and offering sermons.  They did much in the name of Jesus (just not anything from a genuine love of others, only a need to be seen as great themselves).  And so Jesus says to them, I know you not.  A lack of embrace of full transformation leads to behavior that results in the ultimate of daddy issues.  It leads to losing Dad forever.

That is not what our Heavenly Dad wants.  The mission of Jesus was not to see us lose to sin, it was to see us let Him take the sin out of us.  We were not meant to live in pain, and suffer death.  We were meant to live in bliss, and know the true joy of loving others never even thinking of yourself.  The command to “Watch” by Jesus is not a veiled threat to those who understand transformation.  It means the clock is ticking, and we only have so much more time of participating in His redemptive mission to point others to the light and love of Jesus Christ.  Once Jesus returns, the clock is done.  No more time to help others.  Only time to return with Him.  Whoever we missed, whoever we did not love enough, is now a lost opportunity.  A fate no child wants to see.  And an issue for our heavenly Dad He just cannot bare to think about.  It is why He delays, desperately hoping each of us will come to Him.  The delay was not a punishment to those waiting His return, it was a desperate plea to those who could care less.  That kind of love that just does not want to give up, on even one poo-stained child, is where the heart of our Daddy is.

And the affirmation we seek from our Father, will one day come in person from Him, and forever more in person from Him.  And then, the idea of daddy issues will be gone forever.

And Jesus was not yet done trying to prepare us for His second coming …

 

A Vision of His Kingdom ...

Does Jesus lie?  Non-believers may not have a good basis to answer that question.  And even believers sometimes doubt its answer.  But to answer in the affirmative, it would help to have an explicit example of where Jesus did lie.  Otherwise given the vast history of things He predicted that came true, and the personal examples in your own encounters with Jesus, I believe you will find that Jesus does not lie.  So lets give it a stretch and look for an instance that proves this theory wrong.  You might begin with prophecy and its interpretation.  Does being wrong about how you interpret prophecy make Jesus the liar?  To believe that is to state, you are completely right, and if reality deviates with what you believe, it must be Jesus who lied about it.  Given how often you are wrong in life in general about a great many things.  It seems hardly plausible, that in matters of scriptural interpretation, you suddenly became all knowing – and Jesus must have lied, if reality does not work out the way you interpreted it would.

More likely, a second look, a deeper study, will find more meaning in the same texts you studied before.  More likely, the other meanings that may emerge offer you a different way to see things, perhaps a better way, perhaps a way closer to what Jesus originally intended, than what you gathered the first time you read it through.  To trust to the interpretation of the church leaders, and church tradition, is to walk the path of our Pharisee forefathers, and wind up in the same end result – kill Truth, rather than change our minds.  On the other hand, looking to so many of the Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled, and so accurately, tends to give one confidence that Jesus knows what He is talking about.  His record is very very good.  This inspires confidence that again Jesus does not need to lie.  The Truth is always better for us to know, and always what He reveals to us, even if the revelation is slow – because that is the speed our minds need to receive it without blowing a gasket.

Just a few segments ago, Peter stated that Jesus was the Son of God, a revelation given to him by God the Father.  Jesus called him blessed to receive it.  And immediately Jesus asked His disciples not to tell anyone about it yet.  Instead He began revealing to them that He was to die at the hands of church leadership, be tortured no less, and crucified; but then to rise on the third day.  As for Peter’s revelation, Jesus asked His disciples to keep this from His otherwise would be followers – they were NOT ready to hear it yet.  While it was true, it was a Truth, not everyone was ready to hear.  Then the remainder of what Jesus told His disciples, they DID NOT LIKE hearing.  Peter even tried to rebuke Jesus, and tell Him this would never happen.  Yet again an unpleasant truth, but then a truth so glorious the history of the universe would soon be defined by it.  Even then His disciples could not get over the fact, their own interpretation of the role of the Messiah, like the church leadership of the time, was wrong.  Did it make Jesus a liar?  No.  Things unfurled exactly as Jesus had predicted, including the fantastic parts that could only happen after the horrible parts.

Outside of the miracles (and they were astonishing, perhaps terrifying, and yet so glorious), the disciples looked up to Jesus as one of their own.  Jesus was different to them, but more the same than different.  For the most part Jesus looked like any other man, since Adam, until then.  But to increase their faith yet again, this was about to change.  Matthew picks up the story in the last verse of chapter sixteen, that in context, continues the next thoughts right into the first verses of chapter seventeen.  Perhaps it would have been better if placed there, but no matter, we are capable of continuing a read as needed.  It begins in verse 28 saying … “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”  And so begins our intense analysis; did Jesus lie?

We interpret this text to mean … some of you disciples … not all, but a few … will not die … until you see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom (or in our minds, the second coming of Christ, which the whole world continues to wait for).  Since ALL the disciples died, we know this could not have been true.  In fact, ALL the disciples (short John but not for lack of trying) met martyr’s deaths, ugly, gruesome, torture of extreme bodily pain, which was only relieved by death itself.  That was how reality unfolded, which definitely does not jive with our traditional interpretation of this verse – so again I ask did Jesus lie?  Or perhaps, did Jesus have something else in mind, then what we traditionally think?  The answer is contained in chapter seventeen of Matthew’s gospel, in the very next texts as this story continues.

It picks up in verse 1 saying … “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,”  You will note this is a few of the disciples, or “some” of them.  In reality, these represent three key disciples who will serve in the new Christian church’s leadership.  James will head the new church in Jerusalem (its traditional headquarters, as the impact of the Messiah was first to be felt by the traditional bloodline of Abraham if they but accepted it).  Peter will be the first great evangelist, spreading the gospel far and wide across the then known world.  John would be the chief prophet to not only the Hebrew church, but to the Christian faith all the way from that time to the last remnant to walk the earth before His return.  These three disciples were taken apart from the rest, and up the mountain they hiked, likely to the place where Jesus went to pray at night.  Chances are, none of them thought anything strange about it at first.

Matthew continues in verse 2 saying … “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”  This is the true form of the Son of Man.  This is Jesus, NOT like one of them, burdened by our world of darkness, but how the Son of Man looks in His kingdom – just as He said only six days earlier at the end of chapter sixteen in the gospel of Matthew.  This is not baby Jesus in a manger.  This is not good-time Jesus at the Wedding in Cana.  This is not tortured Jesus upon a cross, dead.  This is Jesus alive as He was following the resurrection, the same way He will look past His ascension from this world forever more.  This is Jesus at home in His kingdom.  And true to form about the kingdom of Jesus, it was not meant to be alone in.

Matthew continues in verse 3 saying … “And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. [verse 4] Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.”  The first thing that appears in the Kingdom of Jesus are the redeemed for which He is destined to die and return again triumphant.  These represent the first fruits of the Kingdom.  Elijah is there never having tasted death, translated while still alive (like Enoch before him).  Moses did die, but was resurrected by Jesus and taken to heaven early (partially because Satan was trying to mess with the body).  Both architypes are representations and reminders that Jesus will go through whatever comes to Him personally because His ability to visit with Elijah, and Moses, and Peter, James, and John depends on it.  His love will motivate Him to face whatever comes, because His Kingdom is not a Kingdom at all without His children in it.  It is not home without you, without me.  He so loves the countless millions He intends to fill His home up with, that association and fellowship have become the treasure He prizes above all else.  The streets of gold are for you to have fun with – your company, is what He is looking forward to with such a passion you can hardly comprehend it.

Peter offers the best his brain can think of.  He immediately assumes the place must be the important thing.  He offers to build three tabernacles, that is, three temples to worship in.  One for Elijah, one for Moses, and one for Jesus.  But Elijah wants no temple, nor does Moses.  The lives of men are not worthy of worship, even those of the great Biblical heroes we admire still today.  It is only Jesus that is worthy of worship.  The cleaned-up versions of Elijah and Moses, depend on Jesus following through with the sacrifice He is still to make.  There is no holiness in Elijah or Moses, that does not first originate in the transformative power of the love of Jesus, which they have fully agreed to accept, even though it will change them completely from who they were, unto who they are at this moment, and every moment going forward.  Peter is too much a baby in the faith to begin to contemplate this yet.  He has not even finished speaking when he is interrupted, by none other, than God the Father who is also present.

Matthew continues in verse 5 saying … “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. [verse 6] And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.”  God stops Peter in his tracks, there is no need for tabernacles that honor men, not even elaborate temples to honor Jesus, there is ONLY need to listen to what Jesus says.  God the Father appears clouded in a brilliant cloud, barely able to contain the majesty and glory of who He is.  He speaks saying … This is my beloved Son.  Any doubts about the identity of Jesus, or the fact, that this is what His kingdom is and will be are shattered into a million pieces.  God the Father proceeds to acknowledge the life of Jesus to this point, in saying that He is well pleased with His Son.  In case you thought Jesus was ever wrong, let it go.  In case you thought Jesus did not have all the facts, well, one of you might, but it is not Jesus.  God the Father wants you to listen to Jesus His Son.

And in this verse crumbles the entire Muslim faith.  An endorsement of Jesus as the Son of God, and the way by which entry to the Kingdom is attained.  The One God is in three parts, and the Father says, to listen to His Son.  Case closed.  Every other supposed claim to deity is shattered in this one verse.  One God who asks you to listen to His Only Son.  This right here is all you need for salvation.  This Jesus will be all you ever need.  And listening is free.  Just like the transformation Jesus longs to bring to your life, to end the pain and death you embrace, and offer you a life beyond imagination that starts in the here and now, not just after the grave.  And what happens when human men encounter the God of the ages.  They fall flat on their faces and become exceedingly afraid.  The fear in them, is a reflection of the sin in them.  Before Adam fell he looked forward to the walks with Jesus in the Garden of Eden.  But after he fell, he immediately feared allowing his sin to come in to contact with the perfect love of God.  And no matter how good you think you are – the mirror of the Father God – will reveal the truth of how much farther you have yet to go.

Matthew completes this vision of the Kingdom in verse 7 saying … “And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. [verse 8] And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. [verse 9] And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.”  And here in this sequence of verses is the direct interpretation to the last verse of chapter sixteen.  Some of the disciples, still alive, saw Jesus in His Kingdom, with the saved, and with His Father.  A vision not the complete reality, because until the final days, we will remain unable to see God the Father until all our evil has finally been washed away.  But this version does not require a second coming, only a vision of what the end result of the second coming will one day look like.  Not only does it prevent Jesus from being a liar, you don’t have to bounce around scripture looking all over the place to find a convoluted meaning for what it means.  You literally only have to keep reading.  Just a few more verses in sequence.

And in case you thought prophecy had only one meaning … hang on to your hat … Matthew continues in verse 10 saying … “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? [verse 11] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. [verse 12] But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. [verse 13] Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”  Church leadership, and church tradition, and the common people of the church – all believed that the prophecy of the coming of Elijah before the coming of the Messiah was a literal one.  Jesus, here states, no, it was a figurative one.  It was the message of Elijah to restore all things, i.e. for the nation to repent, that was needed to prepare the way of the Lord.  For if we will not repent, we will not submit, we will not allow Jesus to change us, and so keep Jesus at arm’s length (our choice, not His).

In the very next sequence of texts, as if to reinforce the point that we do not always get it right.  Jesus reinterprets what scripture intended to say for the followers willing to listen directly to Jesus, instead of to tradition, or the church leadership to tell them what they should think.  Does Jesus lie?  Only you can answer that for yourself.  But for me, He never has, and I believe He never will.  He simply does not need to lie.  The Truth is who He is.  The Truth is the core of the gospel.  The gospel is not good news based on lies, it is good news founded in a power that can transform you no matter where you are, what you have done, or how you think today.  Submit yourself to Jesus and watch how much better your life gets.  Watch your priorities change.  Watch what you treasure turn to thinks that really matter, and how your treasure keeps growing based in a love you can barely describe.  Watch your interpretation of scripture begin to change, not towards heresy, but towards a fulfillment and proximity to God that only comes from being in harmony with God.  There is no end to the upside, and in all of it, no reason to lie ever again.  No wonder He is called the Truth.  And the Truth had more yet to say …

 

An Important Book Revealed ...

Chapter 5 of John’s book of Revelations seems to follow the same thoughts and vision that began in chapter 4 without any apparent breaks or change in topics.  As noted earlier, John is in vision, he has entered heaven through an open door at the bidding of an angel.  He found himself in the throne room of God.  What he sees there besides the throne and God sitting on it, is 4 other beasts or life forms, and 24 elders seated around the throne.  This was the setting of the stage we discovered in the previous chapter.  Now he begins to describe events that unfold in immediate succession beginning in verse 1 with … “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.”  Keeping in mind, the one who “sat on the throne” is God the Father as later texts will reveal, this means the book in question was likely authored by the Father.  The contents of the book remain a mystery as what the book will say is not revealed here.  However the idea that God the Father may have authored it, and at the least is currently holding it, gives this book great importance to John.  In addition, the book is sealed with seven seals.  Noting as before that the number seven represents perfection, the idea is that this book is perfectly sealed and casual perusal or reading cannot be accomplished without first opening the seals that keep the book closed.

John continues in verse 2 … “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?”  Again notice that John identifies speakers and participants easily, in this case he remarks the participant asking the question is a “strong” angel.  It is not a man asking, or beast / other life form, or God, but rather a strong angel.  This would add further evidence that there is a clear distinction between angels, elders, and sentient beings who may also be present, adding to the idea that the 24 elders are of human origin.  But the salient question here, is that the angel poses the perhaps rhetorical question, of “who” is “worthy” to open this book in the hand of God the Father, and to loose the seals that bind it?  This implies that the time has come for the contents of the book to made open or else the question would not be posed.  It also implies that not just anyone may make the book available, but that it will take someone worthy of opening and reading it.

John continues in verse 3 … “And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.”  So despite the offer to any who might be worthy to loose the seals and read the book, no “man” could be found that was able to do so.  Interesting that John offers locations that were examined to find such a man as being in heaven itself, or in earth, or under the earth (to which location I have no idea where he is referencing).  But while Enoch, and Moses, and Elijah may have taken residence in heaven due to the mercy of our God, and were joined by other first fruits that Christ took back with Him on the day of His ascension into heaven, none of these redeemed men or women were found to be able to open the book held by God the Father.  Men on earth, perhaps both the living at this time or at any other, were also unable to open this book and reveal its contents. 

This situation deeply affected John, and he notes his response in verse 4 … “And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.”  John perceives the importance of the contents of this book, and the reality that no man is worthy or able to open it and read it.  For all he knows, he was brought to heaven in vision to receive the message contained in this book and now despite everything he has witnessed the point of his journey here appears to be about to remain a mystery to him.  This deeply affects John.  It does not just cause him to be “sad”, or to cry, but instead it causes him to “weep much”.  But in our human frailty, the courts of heaven are not immune to our sadness, or ignorance, or diseased condition of pain we choose to embrace in our sins.  Instead, all in the courts of heaven are engaged in the mission of our redemption and salvation from pain and sadness. 

To this end, John is given comfort from one of the elders present there in verse 5 he continues … “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”  One of the elders (notice again, not ascribed as being anything more than a human man), offers John the comfort that there is One man who is able to open the book.  Like the angels who asked the question “Who is this King of Glory” on the return of Christ to His heavenly home, only because they so love hearing His name.  The “strong angel” has asked the question “who is worthy” and the participants in this scene know there is only One answer to this question.  Notice now, the answer of what man is worthy, has a genealogy that is important as it fulfills the prophesies in our Word of God.  He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  He is the Root of David.  He is the Messiah who descended from Adam to Abraham to Judah to David to Christ.  He does not descend through Ishmael or Esau or Mohammed.  Nor does He come from a random Nordic, or Asiatic tribe.  Christ has a defined historical genealogy that traces back through our Word of God to our creation.  He establishes and fulfills the religion that began in Eden, found renewal in Abraham, and again in Moses, and again in the tribes that made up the Israelite nation.  But the religion of our God did not end in exclusivity of the Jewish birthright.  Instead as was always His intention, our reconciliation to God was made open to the world by the Lamb of God.

John continues in verse 6 … “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”  Symbolism is used in the imagery John sees of the One who is worthy to open the book.  First, he sees in the midst of this scene, a Lamb as it had been slain.  No clearer image was ever set for what Christ did in taking on our punishment to see us redeemed.  He who was completely innocent (as is a lamb, a young creature who has committed no crime), is slain for our iniquity.  The sacrificial system employed in the Old Testament was to remind us how innocence would be slain for our iniquity.  How our sins hurt more than just ourselves, they hurt the victims or objects of our actions and motives.  Our sin causes pain to others, often to those who do not deserve to be hurt.  So One who did nothing to deserve our pain and anguish volunteered to suffer it, so that we might be made free from it.  Lambs were not to die to teach us that there is “no” cost to the choice of breaking trust with God, but instead how terrible are the results of that choice.  Our hearts were meant to be broken as the blood of the innocent was shed for our worship of self.  We were meant to see that keeping trust with God could avoid this pain and death in the future.  The sacrifice of our Lamb made possible a freedom from the slavery of sin, not a continued indulgence in it.

Second, the Lamb is noted as having seven horns.  Generally a horn symbolizes a kingdom or power structure or government over a group or nation.  In this instance, having seven horns, is to symbolize that the Kingdom of Christ or the Lamb is a perfect kingdom that is without end.  He is not just a King.  He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Lastly, the Lamb is noted as having seven eyes, and symbolism of the eyes is immediately identified as being the seven Spirits or Holy Spirit of God that is sent forth into “all” the earth.  The Holy Spirit portion of our Godhead is not idle in the work of our redemption, but rather has a very active role.  He is also not constricted to visit only the perfect, or only those with a correct doctrinal understanding, or only those who see the need for Him.  Instead as this text points out, He is sent into “all” the world.  He works on the hearts of ALL men and women, trying to point them to the source of their redemption and salvation.  And notice too, His work is not untied from Christ, but rather tightly tied to Him.  The seven eyes are a characteristic of the Lamb, they are bound to the Lamb.  The Holy Spirit does not offer a path to redemption that is absent the ministry of Christ, but instead the only way and the way based on Him.  There are not “many” paths to God, instead there is only one, in the person of Jesus Christ.

As has already been noted, there is only One who is able to loose the seals of a book that is presented by God the Father to this heavenly setting.  There is only One method of our redemption and salvation and that comes through the person of Jesus Christ.  John continues in verse 7 … “And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”  Here is where the differentiation takes place that establishes it was God the Father on the throne, and Jesus Christ who enters the scene and comes and is worthy and able to take the book from the hand of His Father.  This act of Christ in doing this must have been a tremendous relief to John.  It was an end to his sadness, and a beginning to his joy.  Our Savior is an end to our sadness and a beginning to our joy.  It is not a life of self-denial that is intended to see us never happy, but instead it is a life of freedom to serve others that is intended to see us happy beyond our wildest imaginations as it is with our God.  John records the jubilation that ensues as Christ takes the book from the hand of His Father.

In verse 8 he continues … “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. [verse 9] And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; [verse 10] And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”  Notice the jubilation and worship that is so steeped in gratitude begins at the event of Christ taking the book.  But the worship is made by both the 4 beasts or other life forms, and by the 24 elders.  There is not a clear distinction between the beasts and elders as to having harps and golden vials of incense that represent the prayers of the saints.  Incense has long been used as a symbolism of prayers of the people of God rising up to Him.  Perhaps one of the roles of the participants in this scene is to be witness to the prayers of the people of God, and to see the mercy of God in His answers to our requests.  But then it does seem once again that the perspective of the 24 elders is a very human one.  For they praise Christ as being the One who was slain, and who has redeemed “us” to God by Thy blood.  They further seem to self-identify as being out of “every” kindred, tongue, people, and nation.  The 24 elders seem to originate from every nationality, every ethnicity, every language, and every kind of family or community.  While the genealogy of Christ is specific to the lineage of Abraham, the 24 elders represent the wider salvation He was to enact for mankind.

The gratitude expressed in the song they sing, and reflected in the lyrics in verse 10 are not intended to be a reflection of power over others, but as their role in the service of others.  In the Kingdom of God to reign as kings and priests is to have a place of honor in the service to those whom you “reign” over.  As our God serves us, and loves us, and never tires of doing great acts of mercy and love for us – He is the King, the model of a King, to which we also aspire to be.  He does not exist in order to be served, He finds joy in His existence through the expression of love and service to those who He creates.  So we, begin identified as kings or priests unto God, will find our fulfillment not in being served, but in serving others.  This is a radical departure from the kingdom and goals of Satan.  Satan wishes only to be served, by those he would enslave.  Your purpose in the kingdom of Satan is only to amuse his every whim, no matter what cost to you.  Whereas your purpose in the kingdom of God, is to find the purest joy in the voluntary service to others.  You are free to express love to others without limitation.  You are free to know the joy of the choice to love, not the slavery that would bind you to serve only self, and find only emptiness. Kings and priests of our God, know the joy of service to others, they wish not the servitude of others to themselves.  This is the key distinction between the 2 types of kingdoms, of good and of evil.

John continues in verse 11 … “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”  By my math. 10k times 10k, would be eight zeros or 100million (though math is not my strong suite).  But added to that idea thousands of thousands (or additional millions), I would surmise that John now sees angels beyond counting that are present at this scene.  Angels do not ever wish to miss an opportunity to tell our God just how much they value His love and want to return it.  So they add their voices to the jubilation already underway as in verse 12 he writes … “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”  Angels too, long to praise our God and His Son.  Their millions or billions of voices join in the praise.  John continues in verse 13 … “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. [verse 14] And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

Perhaps at this point, John is taken forward in time to a point where all evil has been fully eradicated.  Perhaps this ultimate scene of jubilation and worship of our God and His Son is a reflection of how it will be one day in the not too distant future.  John notes in his description that every creature regardless of location praises God.  It may be a movement forward in time, only because we know that at present the evil in our world would preclude “every” creature from praising God.  While sin remains, and our slavery to it, it prevents our full worship of our God.  The worship described here, seems to be unencumbered by our selfishness.  It reflects the full statement of the worthiness of our God, and why He deserves our unbridled gratitude.  It is a picture of worship that includes angels, men, sentient life from across the universe, and 24 elders, and every creature or creation regardless of location.  That is a picture of love that seems to be complete and without omission, and is a scene I hope to participate in, in a life that nevermore lacks opportunity to do so, now and forever.

The Revelation of this scene, began with a book that God offers to us.  It ends with our most important recognition; that Jesus Christ is the means through which the book will be offered to the world.  Jesus Christ alone is able to loose the seals that bind this book.  Jesus Christ remains our method of salvation, our singular path to the Father God who sits on the throne of the universe.  This revelation teaches us that there is abundant activity in heaven by all who sit in its courts to see us redeemed.  And that all sentient life understands the nature of our God, and longs to return the love He shows, back to its source through freewill expression. 

And the content and message of this vision had not ended yet …