Woe!

Blind guides. Hypocrites. White washed tombs! Brood of vipers!  Over and over again, Jesus uses these words to describe the religious rulers of his day.  Then he looks them in the eyes, and from the depths of his knowledgable heart, emphatically declares, "Woe!"  (Not once, but seven times...we'll come back to that word.)

If we've ever thought that Jesus only spoke in niceties, we need to get back into the gospels.  I believe Jesus was always kind (a Greek word that referred to the mellowness of wine); he was always gentle (see Sunday's entry about gentleness); and he was always good (his desire was to give that which would always benefit the people); but that didn't mean that he wasn't truthful.  At one point (see Matthew 15:12-14), the disciples came to Jesus worried, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard what you told them?"  Jesus' response basically was this: "Let them alone. Don't be concerned about what they think. They are blind guides leading blind men...and both will fall into a pit!" Ouch!  Truth is always out of love; always desires the best for The Other; always speaks with goodness, tempered by a mellow-mouth; and truth is always gentle (which means that if there's a reason to be angry, that anger is not withheld for all the above reasons).  That was Jesus. No matter what they thought about him, he gave them what they needed to hear.  What they needed to hear wasn't always NICE.  It wasn't always received the way he intended it to be received.  He ruffled feathers. He stirred pots. He forced men (& women) into corners.  I don't know many people who are OK with that...myself included.

That little three-letter-word, woe, is highly important in this passage. In our English language it is spoken as a warning. As we read it in this passage, it appears from the surface, that Jesus is saying..."Listen, you jerks, bad days are ahead of you. This is your warning..." Reading what Jesus has just said, with the choice words he picked to portray the Pharisees in his hearing, we get the feeling he is condemning them to hell right there and then. So, we have to go deeper to see what he meant when he spoke the word, "Woe!" In old Greek writings, the word was an exclamation of grief, of intense mournfulness.  Let that soak in just a minute...

Jesus had healed blind men. He'd been vulnerable and, well, human, setting a whole new paradigm that excluded religion and brought in relationship with the Father.  He'd raised dead men to life...and soon, he'd be lifted up on a cross, as the serpent was lifted up on a pole in the wilderness, to bring complete healing to sin-weary souls (Numbers 29).  However, the Pharisees just didn't get it. They stayed blind, hypocritical, spiritually dead, and covered in spiritual leprosy. With their inability to get beyond their hard-heartedness, and be open to a different kind of Savior, they were condemning themselves to the pit of hell....and Jesus was grieving for them.  He grieved because he knew where he was headed, in just a few days.  He grieved because he knew they'd be the very ones to send him to the cross.  Mostly, he grieved because the salvation he was about to bring to the world, would not be embraced by these leaders.  Woe!  Deep grief.  On this last day of intense teaching, that Tuesday of Holy Week, from dawn to dusk, Jesus was holding onto the hope that one last day of intense training would take root in their hearts and bring them salvation.  Unfortunately, he saw the inside of their hearts (those white washed tombs that looked good on the outside, but inwardly there was decay). What he saw, caused him to lose some hope, and he grieved for them... Yet, even to the end, he kept inviting all who would to be with him in paradise.

I'm reminded this morning of Paul's words about the Lord:

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

At the core of my onion-like heart, I recognize I quickly go to the first meaning of the word "woe".  I pronounce judgment, when someone doesn't seem to want to open their eyes or their hearts to Jesus.  My heart isn't a heart so full of love, that I keep presenting the truth to them, even if it becomes offensive. I don't hold out truth, in kindness, goodness, and gentleness, no matter what their response to me might be.  Oh that I would have a Jesus-heart, patient, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance!

Questions, Questions, & More Questions

And Jesus entered the temple and cast out all those who were buying & selling in the temple.  He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.  And He said to them, It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers den.'  And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them..."

Matthew 21:12-14

The section heading reads Jesus Cleanses the Temple.  Had I just read the section heading, that would have been enough for this morning.  That's really been the bottom line of my Lenten journey to the cross.  This temple needs cleaning.  Really, what it needs is an overhaul.  As I've exercised the seldom used discipline of "examen," I've become more aware, how often I sell myself a "bill of goods."  There are some tables that need to be overturned, and some closets that need to be cleared out.  I may not be selling doves in this temple, but I am selling myself things like: excuses, justifications, rationalizations, explanations, validations, realizations, and defense...  Some of those things are stuck so far in the back of the cupboards, I've forgotten they are there.  Jesus hasn't.  He's all about cleansing the temple today, as much as he was about it back then.  He wants this temple to be a place of prayer!  He wants this temple to be a place of healing...  So, here I am, sitting on the Monday morning of Holy Week, going back through my journal, to see what all has been dug out.  It's time to put it all in a trash bag and take it to the dumpster!

Don't get me wrong.  There have been some very sweet moments with The Lord during this season, where he has been encouraging, affirming, and reminding me of my new identity in Him. He has poured out his sweet mercy and grace, OFTEN. However, this has been a season of preparation for the cross. So, most evenings, and most mornings, together we've done some intense soul-searching. The Lord has also reminded me, as he did the Pharisees, that he came for the sick, and the sinful, and that is me!  More than anything He has shown me the inner motivations of my heart, and is stripping away layers in my heart (pretty much like that of an onion, & just as tear-producing!).  Most of the time, all he has had to do was to ask me a question, or two, and that was enough to land conviction, and a realization of these many areas of hiddenness. Each question could be a blog entry in itself. However, I don't want to bore with my gory details.  Can I simply share just a handful of those questions with you?  Maybe they will not just be for my soul-prep as we land on Good Friday in five days...maybe something will be for you, as well.

#1:  Am I continuing to pursue my mission statement, as God-called, no matter my audience or its size?  Mt. 13:52

#2:  Will I stay true to my calling (& persevere) in spite of what others think of me, or the voice I am given, even within my household, or my hometown? Mt.13: 57.

#3:  In spite of my own “stuff” (even valid emotions), will I respond with compassion to the “multitude of needs” that crosses my path?  Mat. 14:1-14.

#4:  Will I let my faith be crowded out by my fear and thus limit the work of God through me for the Kingdom?  Mt.14: 22-33. 

#5:  What man-rules do I follow just because they are “customary” and therefore unnecessary bondage?  Mt. 15:1-3.

#6:  What’s my “measuring stick” – law or love? Mt. 15:1-3.

#7:  What comes out of my mouth that reveals more of my true nature?  Mt. 15:11, 18-19.

#8:  Am I applying what I am learning or simply writing down lessons?  Mt. 15:21-18.  Am I being a hearer only, or a doer of truth?  James 1:22.

#9:  Do I seek to glorify the Father, even as Jesus did?  Am I truly a display of His glory?  Mt. 15:29-31.

#10:  Christian-service is not just about providing for the spiritual needs of others, but stepping out of our comfort zones to help provide physical needs as well – am I?  Mt. 15:32-39.

#11:  Have I learned to discern the signs of the times; and, am I watching for His return…really?  Mt. 16:1-4.

#12:  Am I careful to discern and line up all teaching with God’s TRUTH, and not just devour or dish out “leaven”?  Mt. 16: 5-12.

#13:  If people looked at my life, who would they say Jesus was?  Mt. 16:15

#14:  Am I particular about who gets the crumbs of my service?  See the story of the Canaanite Woman.

#15:  Like the Pharisees & Saducees, do I demand more of Jesus “just because I want to see more tangible proof of his trustworthiness,"  rather than hold to a simple faith based on what I’ve already seem him do in my life?  Mt. 16:1-12

OK…I’ll stop there.  Remember there are 40 days in the Lenten journey to the cross.  So, this is just a little summarization of where I’ve wrestled over the past month.  Yes, there’s more....but this is enough, right?  Sure has been for me…

Take a Look @ Your King!

Officially, this morning marks the start of Holy Week.  Holy Week: Jesus final week of life, as he steadily, and intentionally, moves toward his death.  Someone once said something like this:  "If you knew you had a week to live, how would you, then, live?  You'd do the important things!  So, Holy Week shows us what was important to Jesus."  Perhaps, so.  However, it is our last week before the crucifixion and resurrection, two of the three most important events in Christianity, that should be our focus as we continue to look inward.  If we do, I believe our outward celebration will be greater than ever come the weekend.  Each day, as the Lord allows, I want to do just that, get ready for Friday, so Sunday's coming will be a true day of rejoicing.  Would you join me?  This will be a bit unusual, I've not done a daily blog before...it's been hard enough to get out the once a week entries...

Last summer, I began going through the book of Matthew.  Somedays, I get no further than a verse, or maybe a handful of verses. There has been no rhyme or reason, no plan other than to just read until I sense the Lord stopping me.   There have been times, I've spent two or three days on a passage, just soaking in it.  It's been slow, and sometimes tedious in its conviction; and, there have been times of comfort and encouragement.  All that to say this: on Friday, I reached the passage in Matthew about The Triumphal Entry.  The Triumphal Entry, also known to us as Palm Sunday!  Coincidence?  Not in God's timing!

I didn't have to read very far into the account that Matthew gives us, before I stopped.  Jesus had just given his disciples some direction, and then Matthew quotes Zechariah (Mt 21:5).  Here are the words as Matthew quoted them (NASB):

"Say to the Daughter of Zion, behold your king is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden."

Here's what I read:

Daughter (Son), take a good, long look at your King!  He comes to you...and he's gentle!  See him riding on a donkey's colt - a donkey, not a royal, prancing steed - a donkey, a beast that is trained to carry burdens.

Let's look closely at our King.

Most importantly, he's coming to me.  He sees....he knows....me!  He's watching, and waiting, for the right timing, and when it's "that day" he comes.  He doesn't wait on me; he just comes.  The King comes!  It speaks volumes to me about how much this King cares.  He cares about the people in his Kingdom.  Even though he left us for a season, he left us in the care of his own very Spirit - the Spirit of God, who is ever present, when we need him.  One day, he will come again...but oh, how different this entrance will be.  This is a King who comes (and is coming again!) - just LOOK!

The first time, our King came, he rode a donkey.  It's important to note that it wasn't a prancing steed. It wasn't a pure-bred horse fit for royalty.  He wan't putting his trust in horses or chariots...he was reminding us all of his humility and service.  Here was a King for the people (how unusual is that - a ruler who truly is for the people).  Here was a King who wanted to take our burdens, make our load light, and give us rest.  Here was a King, who would lay down his life to this end.  Jesus wasn't a victorious King, or a warrior King, He was a serving King.  No one anticipated that!  But...look...!

Jesus' gentleness is his true mark of greatness.  Let me give you Spiros Zohdiates definition of this word, prautes:  Often translated, meek &/or mild.  In the New Testament it expresses a meekness which differs from the usual connotation of the word in English.  Prautes, according to Aristotle, is the middle standing between two extremes, getting angry without reason, and not getting angry at all. It is the result of a strong man's choice to control his reactions in submission to God.  It is a balance born in strength of character, stemming from a confident trust in God, not from weakness or fear (Zohdiates, 2008). Here was a King who set an example of trust in God, living confidently in true identity, to give to his people hope of a victorious new life, while they were still living on this earth.  Look at him!

Jesus didn't ride into Jerusalem on that Sunday to say he was a namby-pamby King, who would simply give up and let them take his life!  He rode into town that day to say he was a King of another color, a stronger kind of King than they had ever seen.  He was a King who could control his character, who could submit to a higher authority for RIGHT and JUSTICE, because of MERCY and GRACE.  He was a King who knew who he was, and lived life without fear (what could man do to him....really?)!  Jesus rode into town that day, to prove he was coming to the people, for the people, with a gift that would change the people.  Oh, how he hoped they would BEHOLD their King for the right reasons!  Now, LOOK and behold your King!

....oh, and Jesus, your King, is coming again to his people, for his people, to get his people to give them a heavenly Kingdom...and this time, he'll be riding a white horse!  Think about that!

More on Words & The Other Side of Shame

Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you?  But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart."

2 Samuel 13:20

Once again, I wandered across this verse that's a part of Tamar's story of rape and desolation this week. It's really not a story about rape.  It's a story about the desolation (great word) that is caused by something called "shame."  We don't have to have been raped to experience shame.  Shame is that niggling little voice inside of us that says, "I am bad."  "I am wrong."  "I am so stupid!" "I am unacceptable." "I'm unforgivable."  "If only I _________." That voice sounds as familiar as the people who fill our lives, or possibly, even as familiar as our own.  Shame, most often is the result of words.  Words that shut us up, and then, shut us down.

I mentioned,  sometime back, that shame is one of the most crippling emotions with which we will ever live!  It absolutely cages us, and like Tamar, ruins us.  It's one of the enemy's biggest tools to quiet us, and to eliminate our effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.  If the enemy can silence our story, he creates a hopelessness that says, "See, your God is nothing!" If he can silence our voice, we have no opportunity to bring hope and joy and healing to others.  If he can stillbirth our words, how can we ever fulfill the purpose for which God birthed us: to bring glory to Himself?  Oh, how wrong Absalom was to command his sister to silence.  Oh, how hard-hearted to give a mandate she could not keep, and thus heaped more shame upon her with his words, "do not take this matter to heart."  Absalom spoke the words that quieted Tamar, but the enemy did his worst damage once they were spoken.  That's most often the way of shame.

What was Absalom thinking with those words?  Of course, Tamar took the matter to heart!  The act was so very personal.  Every act that produces shame in us is personal!  When it is, we take it to heart (I really want to slap my head right now, and say, "Duh!" out loud...ok, that's done.)  We live with our embarassment tucked away in darkness, stuffed in a box labeled "SHAME," with the eyes of heart low, and our throats choked with words that want, no NEED, to come out.  Yet, the world around us doesn't know what to do with our vulnerability.  Like Absalom, they don't want to listen, and be uncomfortable; they just want it/us/them to go away.  They want to fix life for us, rather than let us do the very thing that will bring healing:  speak the words.

Sometimes, we don't want to hear ourselves tell the story.  It's just so very hard!  Sometimes, being vulnerable, for one reason or another, is so-not-easy.  Probably we're afraid, because the story is so very personal.  It is "my" story, after all, and I think I ought to leave it that way.  Besides, I hate all the other emotions that spill out when shame is let out of its box.  So, the fear, also, compounds the messiness; and, of course, it creates more shame.  "If only I were a better Christian." 

Ah, the complexity of shame!  The Lord has been speaking to me for months about this complexity.  About the need to be healed, and set free, of this damaging, crippling disease.  I've even felt compelled to share some of my story, and have sensed the door cracking, and shame being released in little amounts (sometimes, when it's been stuffed for years, we can only handle letting it out in doses).  I keep being reminded that to tell my story, unashamedly, brings healing to myself, hope to others, and glory to Almighty God.  I am not adventurous; I am not courageous; but, I am fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my story.  His is the only voice I want to hear.  So, that desire is greater than the one that tells me to "keep silent...and do not take this matter to heart."

The following link has fitting words that will set a soul free, and eliminate shame as we bring it into the light.  However, it will also be one of the bravest things you will ever do.... Take a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyAfjUHlFSM  

Stop Talking & Listen!

I’d already written last week’s blog, already had processed and determined to de-clutter my mouth with a little spring cleaning, when I sat down in my favorite chair, Bible in my lap, journal open.  I was ready to hear from the Lord.  Well, in all honesty, I was ready to move on and be introduced to a new topic.  The topic I’d just unpacked had left a little sore spot in my heart.  Yes, my pride was bruised a bit.  However, it seemed the Lord wasn’t quite finished with me yet, and determined not to beat around the bush in taking the matter a step further. 

As, I turned to the first few verses of Matthew 17, I was immediately caught up in the scene, and imagining the scenario:  a handful of disciples, Jesus, Moses & Elijah.  The story we commonly call The Transfiguration.  It’s an important story as we journey through Lent toward the cross and the resurrection.  By now, the disciples know Jesus is certainly the Messiah – his miracles attested to that fact, and Peter’s declaration had not been denied.  It was undeniable that Jesus was preparing them for his imminent death.  He’d been talking about it, but the men just couldn’t quite wrap their minds around it.  Then Jesus takes them to a mountain, where his whole being transformed in front of them, and he fully engaged in a conversation with Moses and Elijah. 

In my mind, I’m thinking, what an honor to be present for such an occasion!  Yet one more affirmation of WHO Jesus really was.  I’m thinking to myself, yes, honored, but more, humbled…and speechless!  I’m thinking that at that moment, I’d have been OK with an awkward silence (maybe for the first time in my life).  I’m thinking it would have been difficult to stand in the presence of such greatness!  I’m seeing myself on my face in the dirt.

BUT NOT PETER!  For some reason, Peter filled the moment with his classic impulsivity.  I’m sure it was well-meaning, “Let’s build three churches right here: The Church of Moses, The Church of Elijah, The Church of Jesus, Messiah!”  Now, I’m wondering, would that have been me?  What would I have done…………really?  My typical pattern is to let nervousness speak up.  Like Peter, when I allow my un-comfortableness room to talk, it pretty much doesn’t make sense either.  I ramble, too.  I could have easily said something equally as clumsy.  Even in the midst of greatness, I would have probably not had the sense to be silent.  That was a sad indictment. Sad, but true.

As I read on, I found myself laughing, because where could Peter go next?  With that suggestion, he’d put himself out on a limb… Ah, but from heaven, God-the-Father saved the day, and rescued Peter (in other words, the Heavenly Father interrupted him before he could hang himself on said limb)!   “Yes, this is my Son; I love Him greatly!  I am well pleased with Him.  Stop talking (implied), and listen to Him!”  (Internally, I think God-the-Father is chuckling as He says this.  After all, He created those of us like Peter, so we don't surprise Him...)

The question (and multiple suggestions) has bounced around since that moment, “Why The Transfiguration?”   Was this for Jesus sake?  Did Moses and Elijah come to encourage him as he marched solemnly toward Calvary?  Did they come to bring words of love, affirmation, and assurance from heaven?  Was it for the disciples?  Was it meant to be a mile marker of hope to be remembered during the upcoming events of the Easter season?  My answer is to shrug my shoulders. 

I do think this:  In the big picture amidst everything else, what should be remembered are the Father’s words.  There are, simply, times to stop talking, in order to listen to the voice of the One Who Matters.  He is deserving of our ear…and our focused silence.  Even in my so-called quiet times, I am busy talking, building churches (metaphorically), or trying to put words in God's mouth for Him.  Oh, may I learn to stop talking so that I can just hear Him!  He is the Father's beloved son, well-pleasing, why would I want to hear my voice instead of His?

Just Noise, or the Need of the Moment?

Lenten Lessons.

#1.  I simply just talk too much.  No, I'm not extroverted, but when I'm around people, I seem to need to filll the empty spaces with noise.  I'm not comfortable with awkward silences.  However, as I've been reflecting back over my days (and in connection with Scriptures, which are combined with my quiet times), this truth has become more uncomfortable than those gaps, where there is a lack of conversation...  Then this verse showed up:

Let no unwholesome (rotten) word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification (the act of building up, assisting in the advancement of the divine life) according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace (that which results in joy, peace, and liberty) to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29

The need of the moment.  That phrase was italicized in my NASV Bible.  It simply took my breath away for a moment, and I think my heart stopped beating.  How many times do I not notice the need of the moment, because I'm talking?  Or, how many times am I in such a hurry that I am totally, ignorantly, unaware of the need of the moment?  Probably 99% of the time.  I’ll generously give myself an entire percent of credit.  I doubt I’ve earned that. 

In order to identify the need of the moment, I have to slow down.  I need to develop some other skills, too.  Here’s the list I’ve created:

I need to stop talking... I need to learn to listen.  I better stop worrying about me, and the awkwardness.  I need to quit thinking about what’s on my to-do list.  I better quit focusing on my own issues; and begin to be others-oriented.  In order to listen, I have to hear, read between the lines, ask questions, and not worry so much about what I am going to say next.  That’s probably my biggest barrier in listening.  Because I see myself as a poor communicator, I am continually phrasing my next comment.  I get in such a hurry to tell my story, that I’m not paying attention to their story. 

I’ve decided that listening is a gift of grace in itself.  Maybe I don’t have anything clever or wise with which to respond, but I have a good gift to offer: a listening ear.  Sometimes encouragement simply comes in the form of really engaging with someone: leaning forward, developing eye contact, and being fully present in the few moments I have with them.  Sometimes, the greatest gift I can offer is that when my friends walk away, they believe they have been heard.  Heard and believed.  This is crucial…I know from experience.  We all want to be heard.  We all want to be known.  We all want to be believed. 

So, I want to ask more questions than attempt to provide pat answers (which are probably just cliché anyway), or fill empty spaces with a clutter of words.  I want to develop good listening habits.  I don’t want to put a time constraint on my conversations, as I’m able (obviously, sometimes appointments create that for me).  This is a gift I can always afford: the gift of grace, for the need of the moment!

So, a challenge for me is to talk less, ask good questions, listen more.  Just as I'm working on reducing the clutter of my home, it's time to spring clean my mouth!