Tag Archive for 'discipleship'

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Jesus is the Ultimate Untopper/Topper

Published on 12/27/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

All of the disciples are sitting around arguing about who is the best and who Jesus loves the most, all the time getting ready to eat the passover with dirty feet.

Jesus alone gets up to wash the feet, and surely nobody noticed what he was doing until He started, because no one questioned or protested until His activity was already in progress.

“How could they have not even noticed what He was doing if He undressed and wrapped Himself in a towel!?” you may ask. All I know is we miss a lot of what Jesus is doing when we are focused on ourselves.

Then Jesus begins to wash their feet, every one of them, and tells Peter, ‚ÄúAfterward, you will understand.‚Äù Jesus had told them that the greatest among them would be the servant of all, but they still hadn’t gotten it. They were still thinking like their contemporary rabbis‚Äìserving themselves. Life, today too, is so much about prestige and position and authority levels, that they still hadn’t gotten out of thinking about others as greater than themselves. They had to be shown how to do it.

Once you’ve washed a person’s feet, I’m speaking literally here, you have pretty much degraded yourself to them as far as you can go. Even in today’s culture. It’s a pretty humiliating thing.

While the disciples were racing to the top, Jesus, their teacher and rabbi, was racing to the bottom. And not an overly pious, condescending ‘least of these’ position, but the real, tangible, scandalous low position.

The flipping irony of this whole thing, though, is that I’m sure the disciples, just like me, would then say, ‚Äúok, that means if I want to be the greatest, I need to outserve everyone else!‚Äù and then there would be a fight over the basin and towel to wash feet. Jesus was racing for the bottom, but His eyes were on the goal of loving the Father above. He wasn’t racing against others, he was just rushing to get to the Father.

The Father draws us, and attracts us to Him, but always desires to remain the goal, the destination, the end. He does not take pleasure in activity for the activity’s sake. Peter’s clean feet didn’t change anything, and Jesus’ washing activity or exact method of washing didn’t make anything magical or mysterious happen. It was Jesus, following the Father’s lead to show the disciples that they should serve each other and love each other, that taught and transformed the start of that final Passover meal.

John 13:15-17 (ESV) I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

True Authority and Power on Display in John 13

Published on 12/14/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
Here you go world, it’s not as if Jesus was slowly realizing who He was, as so many people write or imply. Jesus was fully aware of His position, of His origin, and of His destination. Jesus knew that He had full authority over the entire world, and in the very next verse He strips down to the most shameful costume of a servant. Not just a servant, but a footwasher. If anyone were to touch any unclean thing, they would become ceremonially unclean. If anything were to be found on the road that was unclean, it would have been on the bottom of Peter’s feet.
But here is Jesus, all authority in Heaven and earth and under the earth, and he bears himself more than would be normal for dinner, and begins to wash feet. Feet of men who were competing and arguing about who was the best. Men who had stolen from Him and the others. Men who had tempted Him to sin against the Father. Men who told mothers to get their children away from Jesus. Men who would later that night swear upon something greater than themselves that they had no connection with Him.
Here is what the Lord looks like. This is True Power. This is True Authority and Beauty.
“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.””
(Psa 2:1-6 NIV)
He will be installed at Calvary on a cross, and with it He will swallow up sin, death, and false authority for all time.

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Here you go world, it’s not as if Jesus was slowly realizing who He was, as so many people write or imply. Jesus was fully aware of His position, of His origin, and of His destination. Jesus knew that He had full authority over the entire world, and in the very next verse He strips down to the most shameful costume of a servant. Not just a servant, but a footwasher. If anyone were to touch any unclean thing, they would become ceremonially unclean. If anything were to be found on the road that was unclean, it would have been on the bottom of Peter’s feet.

But here is Jesus, all authority in Heaven and earth and under the earth, and he bears himself more than would be normal for dinner, and begins to wash feet. Feet of men who were competing and arguing about who was the best. Men who had stolen from Him and the others. Men who had tempted Him to sin against the Father. Men who told mothers to get their children away from Jesus. Men who would later that night swear upon something greater than themselves that they had no connection with Him.

Here is what the Lord looks like. This is True Power. This is True Authority and Beauty.

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.

“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.””

(Psa 2:1-6 NIV)

He will be installed at Calvary on a cross, and with it He will swallow up sin, death, and false authority for all time.

Whoever Loves His Life Will Lose

Published on 11/3/2009 in Bible Study. 2 Comments Tags: , .

1 v. 24-25  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

‚Ä¢ Jesus could be talking about two different things here. On the one hand, He could be referring to His death, which will bring about real life for Him and millions of others. On the other hand, He could also be talking about day to day life, in which we “take up our cross daily” and die to ourselves so that the life of God can be revealed in our lives (2Cor. 4:10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

2Cor. 4:11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. )

• Some of the loneliest people I know are people that refuse to be a part of Christ. They live, they die, and remain alone, not a part of anything. At the same time, I also know people that have gone through horrible heart-ache and God was all they had and they made it through just fine.

• Loving our life is the motto of this world. We are told every day to preserve it and enjoy it and to make long term goals to keep it. Many people in the church discouraged us from going overseas because of that very thing, so that we would not lose our lives! Spring break mission trips for youth groups are even marketed in such a way as to make hard things fun (get out of your comfort zone!)

The worst times of my life have been when I was living for myself. Upon taking my eyes off of me and my abilities (or the lack thereof) and looking to Christ for life, everything changes. Contentment, joy, peace, patience, kindness, all of these things do not come by an act of the will, as so many people may tell you. These things come as the life of Christ works inside of you as you die to yourself in the day to day. Some one that wishes to live for themself will never be able to say Gal 2:19-21

Gal. 2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.

20. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

21. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”


A Little More about Mary’s Foot Washing

Published on 10/30/2009 in Bible Study. Closed Tags: , , , .

The other crazy thing about this act is that while giving to the poor honors God and people can look on and honor you too for honoring God and doing this good deed, what Mary did honored God but brought DISHONOR upon herself. Anybody can do the good deed of giving a few dollars to a poor person, but to dishonor oneself and invite the homeless person into your house for dinner to eat your food and stink up your couch is a whole other story!

Mary’s act was a bridge burning act of devotion, because showing her hair, touching a man’s feet though she wasn’t a slave, and ‘wasting’ 10 months wages worth of nard on a man that was not her husband would have destroyed her socially.

She didn’t care and Jesus told them to let her do it.

Of course, she’s used to being at Jesus’ feet and other people telling Jesus to make her go away! But note that Jesus defends her each time, and never tells her to go do some activity instead of being at His feet.

I know there are things that God wants us to do, but there is never ever any substitute for being at His feet. Never ever.

Jesus Getting a Nard and Mary-Hair Foot Wash

Published on 10/16/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

John 12.3

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.

This is one of those times where if Jesus WASN’T the Son of God, then Him letting Mary do this to Him would contradict everything He had taught. Judas’ logic would have been true if Jesus was just a Rabbi. No Rabbi deserves such excess luxury in the context of Jesus’ teaching about not having a place to lay His head, the world hating Him, and giving your second coat away.

Of course the point here ISN’T the nard, as Judas suspects, or maybe even as John suspects (since he comments on the yummy smell filling the whole house) but the point is that Mary is giving it to Jesus. The point is NEVER what or how much, but how it’s being given. I have a friend, we’ll call him Mr. Gray, who you might judge because he has a nice Toyota Minivan. “That money should have been spent on the poor, and he can drive around in an older, lower priced van”. But what if I told you Mr. Gray took that van, filled it with gas, gift cards for restaurants and gas stations, roadtrip toys and healthy snacks for our kids, and let us have that van for 4 weeks one summer so we could go to some cross-culture training in Colorado (1,000 miles one way)?! Wow!

Jesus just will not accept religious activities aimed at anybody for the purpose of bringing anyone else glory except God! Martha is still serving, but now in a new light, with new purpose, and with new peace. Mary is still at Jesus’ feet, but with new insight, new gratitude, new devotion. If you think about it, once Mary’s hair is soaked with tears and nard, she won’t be in ANY shape to help Martha with dinner. She’s burned her ships as far as helping Martha goes for this meal, but Martha makes no mention of it. Can I focus on Martha for a minute and say that her activity is as radical as Mary’s, because she’s doing the exact same activity she did before, except in a redeemed way? Sure, anybody can do something radical once Jesus rocks their world, but what if He calls you back to the same mediocre activity but with a new Spirit? That’s Martha in John 12.

Jesus didn’t call Judas out for stealing in front of all of those people. He knew full well that Judas’ heart was as wicked as the Pharisees, but He was still laying out chances for Judas to be transformed. He threw two important things at them in His reply, 1. that He had a burial to prepare for, and 2. taking care of the poor is secondary to being attentive to Jesus.

<<<ran out of time>>>

Three Kinds of People People in John 10

Published on 6/15/2009 in Bible Study. 2 Comments Tags: , .

In John 10 Jesus details 3 sorts that work with the sheep, or the people.

1. The Thief: The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He uses up the sheep for his own desires and wants, and does not care about them or for them.

2. The Hireling: Wesley uses the word hireling, and I like it here. This person “Loves the hire, not the sheep” (Wesley) He enjoys making money off of the owner and little else. If a job came along that was better, he would abandon the sheep or if risk or labor increased over his pay, he would leave.

3. The Shepherd: The shepherd owns the sheep. They are  his and he is concerned solely about the care of the sheep. He will not abandon them for something else, because if he did, he would have nothing else.

So, Christian, which of these workers are you in your cubicle, in your grocery store, in your church? When we talk to people, do we just talk to get what we need out of them then move on? Do we just talk to the people we talk to because nothing better has come along? Do we take partnership, even ownership, of the friendship and dive in to care for the people we come in contact with?

I know I’m guilty of being all three of these characters at times.

Jesus/Authority/Life&Death

Published on 6/9/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

John 10:17 w For this reason the Father loves me, x because y I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 z No one takes it from me, but y I lay it down a of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and b I have authority to take it up again. c This charge I have received from my Father.”

Adam had authority over his own life, but he gave it up and sold himself into the slavery of sin. Here is Jesus, born of the Holy Spirit and Mary, who had authority over his own life, and did not sell himself into slavery to sin but submitted it to the Father. This is the ultimate explanation by his life of what “whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 10.39)

Jesus did not seek to find or save His life, but to do whatever charge He received from the Father. Laying down His life wasn’t only done on the cross one day out of 33 years, Jesus layed down His life every single day so that the Father could take over.

We’ve been talking a lot at my house about when someone wrongs someone else, it’s not so much that they have evil thoughts toward the victim, but more that they are only thinking of themselves. I also heard John Piper say recently that we are never bored if we are always looking to see what God wants us to do in a given situation. God desires to be and deserves to be the center of all of our affections. Jesus lived for the Father, and not for Himself. God was in the center of Jesus’ life, and Jesus just rotated around the Father’s will.

Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller

Published on 5/30/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

I just finished Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller, and it is very very good. I think it messed me up more than ever though concerning Jesus and grace!

Here is the premise: In the so-called ‘parable of the prodigal son’ Jesus actually tells the story of two lost sons. One is lost because of his distance from the father in wanting to live for himself and do whatever he wants, the other is lost because he does everything the father has ever asked and now thinks the father owes him for his obedience, so he was really only always serving himself.
It challenged me to think about why I do what I do? What are my motives for loving Jesus more than life? It’s all because of Him, baby!

The bad news is that I’m wrecked for the sake of grace now more than ever. Good quote from that book, “Marx said that religion was the opiate of the people, in that it sedates and makes them powerless. If religion is an opiate, Christianity should be the smelling salts, calling people to wake up!”

I love it. it was a good quick read, and I recommend it...

Vegetable Broth at the Men’s Retreat this Weekend

Published on 5/4/2009 in Bible Study and Short Quotes. Closed Tags: , , , , .

I think the best thing I heard this weekend had to do with Vegetable soup.
As we grow up, we are handed a bowl of vegetable soup. That bowl is everything we’ve learned from our family, our culture, our life experiences. It’s everything we believe and think and know about life. Most people just chow down and eat their soup, memorize the recipe, and teach that same thing to their kids, if they can find the same ingredients.

God calls us out of that bowl of soup. We’re supposed to open up His Word (that is, Jesus) and seek and find out what really isn’t supposed to be in there. If your family recipe has beef in the soup, but God’s recipe doesn’t, take it out and sit it on a plate. You family comments to one another about women’s bodies, but God says to tread women with the purity of a sister? Take that out of your soup! Keep going and you may find that all you are left with is broth.

The amazing thing is, plain broth with God is better than the most stuffed with stuff soup of the world any day of the week. And as you eat that broth of God’s holiness, He’ll toss some stuff back in there from His recipe that is a lot better for you than that big pig shank of worldliness that the world may have dropped in your soup.

Jesus’ Constant Process of Thinning the Herd

Published on 2/10/2009 in Bible Study. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

John 8.31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him…
John 8.59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

John 8.31-59 is a single dialogue, with no sign of a change of location or audience. This whole section seems one way as you hear Jesus talking to the Jews and they are in a constant state of jumping subjects. He talks about sonship, they talk about slavery. He talks about slavery, they jump to ancestry. He talks about ancestry, they jump to saying he’s demon possessed and from Samaria. It is an absolute dance of a conversation.

The thing that flips me on my head in all of it though, is who He’s talking to. “JEWS WHO HAD BELIEVED IN HIM”

These aren’t His opponents when the dialogue begins. He just says to them, “If you abide in my word, then you truly are my disciples.” and they show their true colors from there.

It seems like Jesus is in a constant state of thinning the herd of His followers. In John 6 He fed a lot of people and then taught them the reality of following Him, and most of them left. As Jesus hides himself and leaves the temple, the only people with Him in John 9 are His disciples.

God is so confident and sovereign in who He is, He doesn’t have to artificially woo anybody. He just is who He is, and some men (not all) are drawn to Him. Jesus knew that, so His conversations are not so much convincing arguments but corrections of the wrong thinking of people–a proclamation of what the truth is, for whomever would accept it.