Reversing The Use Of Power

Sitting in the borrowed upper room with his twelve closest followers Jesus knew something they didn’t know. Tonight he would be arrested, tomorrow he would be executed. He knew these things, not because of some magic, but because he read the Jewish scriptures and listened closely to the inner voice which directed him.

He also knew something he had often told his followers but as yet they didn’t fully understand; that he had come from God and was going to God, and that God had entrusted to him the work of reconciling people to God. .

Something had been omitted from the customs of the time: it was usual to wash the feet of anyone coming in from the hot dusty streets. Because they had neither servant nor slave the foot washing had not been done. Jesus got up from the u-shaped table around which they were all reclining and taking a wash basin and towel began to do job himself. There was a little embarrassment, but Jesus persisted, saying that there was meaning in what he was doing.

When he had finished and was again reclining at the table Jesus said he had given them an example. He truly was their leader and teacher, but in that very capacity he had also taken on the job of a servant and served them. This was how they were to behave towards each other from now on. They were not to imagine themselves as somehow superior to, or more exalted, than himself. Leaders they would become, but they must always be careful to serve whilst leading and lead by serving. .

The Church that arose after the resurrection of Jesus remembers this. When it is forgotten they remind one another, that Christians are not here to govern but to lead by example and to demonstrate their allegiance to God by serving humanity.

The gospel of John, chapter 13: verses 1-17

Matthew chapter 11 verses 29 – 30

Cosmic Power Struggle

There was an annual celebration held in Jerusalem, Jesus had his own reasons for wanting to hold this celebration and eat the celebratory meal with his twelve disciples. The history behind this celebration is so important that it needs remembering.

The Israelites had entered Egypt as guests of a grateful ruler, the Pharaoh. In time the number of Israelites increased so that later rulers felt threatened by so many aliens in the land. The Israelites were made into slaves and worked on building projects for the rulers; still they increased in number. The Pharaoh who was ruling at that time instructed that every male baby should be killed at birth. From this inhuman exploitation God resolved to deliver the Israelites. He sent a messenger named Moses who tried to negotiate a safe exit for the Israelites; Pharaoh would agree when pressure was placed on him and change his mind when the pressure relaxed. At the tenth attempt Moses instructed all the Israelites to prepare for a journey and be ready to leave in haste. Just before they left they were to take a young lamb, one for each family, and pour out its blood, then that blood was to be painted, on the top and the sides of the door frame of the house they lived in. (Being brick makers they did not live in tents but in something like brick built barracks) At midnight God went through the land and the angel of death entered every house, in every house the eldest born died. But wherever God saw the blood painted on the door frame he ‘passed over’ that house and the angel of death did not enter.

This event was celebrated annually by the Jews and called the ‘Passover’ each head of family purchased a young lamb, the blood was poured out at the alter of sacrifice and then the lamb taken home to be eaten with flat bread. (There was no time for leavening agents to work) Jesus ate the Passover meal on the night before his arrest, reclining at table with his disciples.

The rulers of the Israelite religion were afraid of the power of Rome; if news of a possible uprising reached Rome (and it surely would because the temple in Jerusalem was overlooked by a large garrison housing Roman soldiers) then the Romans would come and punish the city, killing many of the residents. The Chief Priest decided that it was better that one man, Jesus, should die than for many people to die. He did not know he was prophesying. Because Jesus had become a wanted man the meal was eaten in an upstairs room and prepared privately.

The small group and the upstairs room became the scene for a cosmic struggle. Four powers fought for control whilst the men ate their meal. The power of Rome, center of the empire which dominated the world, the power of the rulers of religion, who had become blind, the power of evil, which ruled over all who could not or would not resist, and the power of God the liberator.

Only Jesus recognized the struggle, his followers did not yet think in cosmic or spiritual ways. Jesus knew what would happen next; his body and spirit were in turmoil at the thought, but he chose to remain obedient to the guiding voice within him.

Jesus knew that the power of evil would triumph. His own blood would soon pour out, and his power would end. The inner voice he listened to and that had guided him to this time, would guide him to his death. After that the power struggle would be between the power of evil and the power of good, who is also called, God the Faithful.

The Gospel of John, chapter 13 verses 1 to 30
The Gospel Luke, chapter 22 verse 15

Who Knows God?

What do people really know about God and how do they know it? Even earnest seekers after God are frequently more interested it what they can receive from God, than in God himself.

The sovereign power that caused the universe to exist and by whose laws it is sustained. Who knows that power? Unless God had shown himself to us we would not have known him. We would be struggling still with the hopes and creations of our own minds. God showed who he was by his actions when he rescued a small nation from the cruel exploitation of Pharaoh; He showed that he is stronger than the strongest king known to the people of that time, and that he desires justice and not oppression. God further showed his nature when he showed Moses how to fashion a law which would, even by itself, be glorious, because it emphasized fairness, which was called justice. Then he gave Moses precise instructions on how to make a tent where he would meet with the people as they worshipped. Every part of the tent would contain a symbol of God’s true nature and show how God chose to interact with the people who had entered into a treaty of peace with him. The rescue, the law, the tent of meeting: each one of these was considered glorious by the people because they reflected the nature of the divine.

Now Jesus who has reached the height of his popularity announces that it is time for him to be glorified. Since glory can mean that the true nature of something is made clear, how would this happen? Would it be a new law, or a new rescue? Or the rebuilding of the nation? Most people thought that to rebuild the humiliated nation of Jews would be glorious. Jesus planned a greater nation than the Jewish one; he planned a community of people drawn from all nations, who would be united to God through him. More than that, he planned that every law breaker would be made to appear as a lawful person in the sight of the judge of all the earth.

He did not hide the agony that his plans involved. “Now is my Soul troubled.” He says to the listening crowd. “What shall I say? Shall I ask my heavenly Father to save me from this time? No, I came for this very reason.” In the sight of the crowd he prays, “Father, glorify your name.” A voice answers him, a voice from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The people listening hear the voice, “An angel spoke to him.” They say. “No, it was thunder, says some of them. Jesus tells them that this voice has come for their sake, not his.

He begins to explain what the “now’ is and what the ‘glorify’ will reveal. It is not what anyone expected. Jesus is not going to demonstrate his power by defeating a Pharaoh; he declines to show his power against the Caesar who rules the larger part of the world. He has chosen to withstand the ruler behind the rulers. The power of evil itself. By his death this power will be subdued. He explains it this way; “Now, is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be driven out.” This is the glory he is planning. The judgment of the world, and victory over the power behind all evil..

“When I am lifted up from the earth,” says Jesus, and the crowd is speechless, because that phrase ‘lifted up from the earth’ refers to lifting a wooden cross up from the earth and planting it in the ground, upright, with a man hanging by hands and feet from the cross, a slow cruel death, so cruel that it was reserved only for criminals. Jesus is standing there talking about the turmoil in his soul because he expects to be crucified. “When I am lifted up,” says Jesus, “I will draw all people to myself.” This is the path to glory that Jesus has chosen, and this path will make plain the true nature of this ordinary looking man who has gone around doing good.

The Gospel of John: chapter 12, verses 27 - 33

It's Time For Glory

We have become attracted to this man, this Jesus. We have been reassured that he is the very power of goodness, and has come for the benefit of the people. We would like this man to stay alive for ever, to always be available whenever we are willing to accept his help. Instead of that Jesus begins to talk about his death, his ‘lifting up’ which refers to being executed on a cross. We are distressed, it is almost more than we can bear to think, that a man who has the power to do so much good to some many people, should accept the possibility of dying. How can he talk with acceptance of the way he expects to die – the cruelty of slow execution?

“Now is the time” Says Jesus, who up to now had consistently stated that it was not yet time. The disciples believed it was time to proclaim Jesus as King of Israel. Indeed, they had just that day, walked behind Jesus as he rode into the capital city where a great crowd had welcomed them; shouting out that Jesus was the king of their nation. Now is the time, said Jesus, for the Son of man to be glorified. ‘Time to be glorified’ how and what kind of glory? Jesus teaches them something icomprehensible, that it his death which will glorify him by showing his true nature and person.

“Believe me,” says Jesus, “when I tell you that a grain of wheat planted in the ground, is just one grain; until it dies, then it becomes many grains. If we cling to life in this world we loose it, if we hate our life in this world then we will keep our lives eternally. Whoever wants to follow me must become a servant of mine and where I am there will my servant be also. The Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

“When I am lifted up,” says Jesus, again referring to dying on a cross of execution, “I will draw all people to myself.” We can understand that, for we are already drawn to this person who is the very power of goodness, we are already hoping for his friendship. But how can a dying man draw people who flee in horror from his execution? How can the dead draw the living? Is there any glory in an execution usually reserved for criminals? How can Jesus be the power for good, how can he be what he claims to be, the Son of God himself if he is put to death by the power of evil?

xThe Gospel of John: chapter 12, verses 20 - 36

Conversation between Jesus and his treasurer

Not a year’s disposable income, nor even a year’s savings, but all the money a working man could earn in a whole year. That was the value of the perfume in the jar that Mary carried into the room where Jesus was dining. At the table with Jesus was Lazarus, her brother, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Martha, her sister was serving the meal. Mary brought the perfume and performed an impromptu worship ceremony. As Jesus reclined, in a half sitting, half laying posture, Mary poured the whole jar of precious ointment over his feet; the perfume filled the whole house. Then kneeling at his feet she wiped his feet with her hair.

This is the way people worship God, expressing their thanks publicly, bring a gift of something valuable, and taking up a physical position of trust and humility. Jews, Muslims and Christians worship the same God in this way, which surely is a reason for us to love each other.

Into this reverent atmosphere bursts the voice of Judas, one of the group of people Jesus was training to repeat his words to the whole world. Outraged at what he considered extravagance, he demands to know why the perfume was not sold and the money given to the poor. Not only did Judas intend to gain a little benefit for himself whilst performing the religious act of giving to the poor, but he was angry that he had not been able to control the money obtained by the sale of the perfume.

Jesus defends Mary with words that in English are familiar to many of us, it’s the phrase parents use when one sibling is verbally attacking another sibling. “Leave her alone. “ This is easy to understand, Jesus accepts the worship of Mary. The explanation he gives is much harder to understand and Judas didn’t. "You will always have the poor with you, you will not always have me with you. Mary has done this to prepare for my burial."

We who have read the gospel of John up to this point are suddenly less inclined to continue. Up to now everything has been getting better and better; the way it should when we respond to the call of God. We have had glimpses of the ultimate reign of God where there is no evil, and where the good purposes of God become the avowed intentions of all people. We have been carried along on the crest of a great wave of hope. Now the story is going to change and we are going to have to read about death, deceit, cruelty, injustice, and fear. We do not want to read about such things. I heard someone ask a young person why Christian churches place replicas of the crucifixion cross in the place where they worship. She replied that she was shocked that any church would allow a symbol of torture to be placed in their sacred space.

Mary could bear the knowledge that Jesus was going to die; she was able to accept the intentions of Jesus with trust. How about us? We are not sure whether we can tolerate the story. And we fear its meaning.

Stronger than death

Again, Jesus was overcome by emotion as he approached the burial cave, why? It was clear to him what he had to do. He was confident of the results, and yet he wept. Was it because of the sorrow and suffering his friends had gone though? Was it because he knew that their suffering would not be over even after Lazarus returned to life?

How did the watching crowd react as the man, dead for 4 days, shuffled forward, hands, feet and face bound, in response to the command, “Lazarus, come out!” Did they cheer? Did they fall on their faces in reverence? Or were they silent in amazement? It is hard for people, who have long evaded God to see evidence of his presence with them and know how to react. Doubtless there were already doubters, preparing a conspiracy theory rather than believe the evident truth.

Jesus, who continually made it clear that he was not acting alone but was praying to and listening to God, had prayed aloud at the burial cave, after the stone was moved away. “Father,” he said, “I thank you for hearing me; I know that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”

What does it mean that God sent Jesus? It means, that God had sent Jesus into the world to defeat the power of evil, and by so doing to restore to God and people what they had lost, and what God still grieves over: their togetherness.

Humanity can fight illness and overcome disadvantages for many years; we can make a new generation from our own bodies, and work powerfully for the good of society. Death snatches us away from all we have worked for, and achieved. God, who is for us, sent Jesus to defeat the evil which causes our death.

Through this one action Jesus underlined for all time the fact that he is stronger than death. That the burial cave and stone can not separate us from God who still seeks to restore the togetherness we lost.

The prophets in the Old Testament part of the Bible understood the agony of God and he gave them visions and whispers of a day when he would make all things new and restore the friendship and trust that men deny God now. Isaiah related that message to us in these words: he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces.

The Gospel of John: Chapter 11, verses 38-46

Old Testament Prophet Isaiah: chapter 25, verse 11



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The apparent failure of God

‘Your very good friend is sick’, was the message received by Jesus. The expectation was that Jesus would come and heal him. In a nearby town he had healed a man born blind, so of course he could come and make his good friend, Lazarus well. Jesus did not come and Lazarus died.

Jesus had almost been stoned to death in Jerusalem, less than two miles from where Lazarus and his sisters lived. To return there was to risk his life. It would appear that this man, who claimed to be the manifestation of God, was not going to risk his life for the sake of his friend. It would appear that Jesus did not really care about his good friend Lazarus, or his devoted friends Mary and Martha. It would appear that ‘God-in-flesh’ had failed.

People so often think that. They think that God fails. Either they believe he failed them in the past, or they fear he will fail them in the future. They dare not trust him. He cannot, they reason, live up to all that people hope for in a god. He cannot be relied upon.

When it was too late to heal Lazarus, when it was too late even to attend the burial, Jesus informed his followers that Lazarus had died. He said, “I am glad I was not there, for your sakes, so that you can believe.” What were they supposed to believe? That Jesus comforts the bereaved perhaps, or that he was going to talk about the after-life? “When he announced his intention to return to the home of Lazarus the only response was the somewhat exasperated statement, “We’ll come and die with you.”

Jesus did not go directly to the house but stopped some distance from it and sent messengers to the two sisters. They came separately; both of them reproached Jesus,”If only you had been here our brother wouldn’t have died.” A group of their friends followed after the sisters, they were all weeping, and wondering aloud that surely Jesus could have made Lazarus well. Jesus, who was glad he was not there at the time of death, became deeply emotional and began to weep with them. The two sisters still thinking about how different it could have been, and the people who couldn’t understand why Jesus had not been able to heal Lazarus moved towards the place where they had buried him.
The Gospel of John: chapter 11 verses 1-37

Don't keep us in suspense.

“Don’t keep us in suspense, just tell us right now, are you the Savior of the World?”

“I’ve already told you, you don’t believe it. I am sent by my Father in Heaven to give you good news of his kingdom.”

Who wants to hear that? What the people questioning Jesus wanted to hear was that Jesus would save them in a political way; overcome their enemies, give them riches, make them rulers over the rest of the nations.

“You don’t hear my voice,” said Jesus to the people thronging round him, “because you don’t hear God’s voice. You don’t want to know God, therefore you cannot know me.”

“I have worked signs among you, every one of them showing you what God is like, every one of them evidence of the fact that I and my Father are one.” Consider the signs; I have healed the sick, fed the hungry, subdued storms at sea, and forgiven sins. All of these miracles show that God wants to heal, feed, protect and forgive you.

The people listening seized on one thing; Jesus had said, “I and my Father are one.” That was blasphemy. What an easy way out of the situation, denounce Jesus, attack him. That would stop him from offering them knowledge about God when all they wanted, or thought they needed, was power and possessions.

It’s different today; most people have seen and are convinced of the futility of power and possessions. Around the world the greater part of humanity is seeking spiritual connectedness.

“People come to me because my Father sends them to me,’ said Jesus, “and people come to know God through me. They recognize that my voice is the voice of God’s messenger, and they follow what I have taught them. I know every one of them individually. I give them spiritual life now and spiritual life does not end. They are safe, I hold them in my hand, my Father holds them in his hand, and no one can snatch them away from our loving care.”
The listeners picked up stones to stone him to death, Jesus asked them, “I have done many good works, for which of these works are you stoning me?” But then he left them. He went back to the other side of the river where John the Baptist had preached. Many people came, seeking spiritual connectedness, they listened and believed; some of them became rich and ethical, some became contented and ethical. Today they continue to live in contact with God in the spiritual life that does not end.

The Gospel of John, chapter 10: verses 22-41

Twice proven

Jesus heard that the man whose eyesight he had restored, had been expelled from the temple, and he went to look for him. Get the connection there? Jesus could restore sight, but when it came to personally taking care of the people who trusted him, he worked no miracles, he went looking.

Jesus found him: I always imagine the recovered man squatting somewhere on the fringe of the market, nervous about returning to his parents in case he caused them further embarrassment; newly gifted with sight, but unable to celebrate, because being expelled from the temple was like being expelled from society itself.

The Bible can be understood factually or it can be spiritualized. This story can be understood both ways. The recovered man was in difficulty, he needed a friend, and suddenly Jesus turned up beside him.

This once-blind man received proof of the truth of what Jesus said in two ways. First of all, he was healed. He had been born blind, and Jesus had applied clay to his eyes and told him to go and wash in the local pool, he returned seeing. This man had proof. Spiritualize this, when a person decides that Jesus speaks the truth and is sufficiently convinced to place their trust in him and learn his teachings, change happens. Usually the change is in spiritual sight, before we did not understand God, now through Jesus we ‘see’ God. With the seeing comes change. This is proof that Jesus is worthy of trust.

What happened to the once-blind man happens to a lot of people who decide to believe that Jesus spoke the truth and to become a follower of Jesus. After the first declaration of faith: followed by a public declaration and an honest attempt to follow Jesus in life style, comes difficulty! For the once-blind man the difficulty was the disgrace and ostracism of being expelled from the temple religion that he was born into. Like the blind man, new believers sometimes encounter difficulty because people who knew us before, resist the change that has happened to us.

Again it is legitimate to spiritualize this story; the glorious fact is that in the midst of every believer’s difficult times Jesus comes to him or her. Jesus communicates encouragement to the new believer, usually through the written word or through pastors. He told the once-blind man that he himself, takes care of the people who trust him in the same way as a shepherd takes care of sheep, protecting them guiding them and providing for them. He says that unlike normal shepherds, he is willing to die for the people who trust him. This strong experience in our lives, the experience of Jesus coming to us, being with us, and encouraging us becomes the second proof that Jesus is indeed speaking the truth

So Christian faith is not the product of a person’s own dreams or inventions but is a gift from God, evidenced by the change that happens to us, and nurtured by the continual presence of Christ with us and for us.

Some people are puzzled because after they declared their trust in Jesus the change in their lives was not dramatic. They wonder if they are really accepted by God because there was no sudden dramatic re-orientation of their lives. However when these same people review their lives they often discover that there has been a series of slow changes. Also, when reviewing their lives, they become amazed at the cumulative evidence of God’s presence with them. They suddenly understand that they have been guided, protected and provided for all the journey long. These are the faithful miracles of God, so gradual that a fearful person may dismiss them, until the evidence mounts up, and becomes proof staring in their faces. God has been with them all along, just waiting for them to gain confidence in him.

The gospel of John: Chapter 9 and the first 21 verses of chapter 10

The man who said he was God

The authorities sent guards to arrest Jesus, they came back without him. Their excuse: ‘We never heard anybody speak like he does.’

He was becoming very popular, developing a bigger following than ever before; but then he became offensive. The very people who had been attracted to him picked up stones to throw at him.

His claims were atrocious: he said he was sent from God, that God told him what to say and to do. He even alienated his followers by saying that they were slaves to sin and he would set them free.

Why do it? Why alienate the people who were beginning to believe in him?

“You are ready to kill me, a man who has told you the truth.” said Jesus. This young 33 year old man was speaking somewhat sadly. He valued truth above popularity, He had brought this treasured gift to the people and they would not accept it. For telling the truth he was to be killed. But even if the truth alienated it must be spoken, because no one else could tell them the truth about God, only Jesus, because he had been with God.

One thing would convince them: his death and resurrection. Only when Jesus had died could they understand that just as he brought truth he also took away sins. Only by his resurrection did they have God’s confirmation that what he had said was indeed truth. Jesus spoke of his death using scripture-code language so hard to understand that the people scarcely paused in their arguments.

Introducing the question of sin into a religious conversation does tend to alienate the listeners. Because he was the only one who could choose to carry away the world’s sins by transferring all guilt onto himself, Jesus could not be silent on the subject. Because he had come to show people what God was like Jesus must impress on the people listening, that he had been with God and had brought God’s message. He finally angered the crowd beyond their limit of tolerance, he told them that he had been in existence before Moses and he applied to himself the divine title, “I AM” The message was delivered, and after his death some of the people understood.

The gospel of John: chapter 8,verses 19, 28 & 29, 36-38, 40, 42, 58
Daniel: chapter 7 verse 13

Breaking religious laws

Religious laws require more laws: laws for adapting them to changing circumstances, laws for policing the population, laws for punishing law-breakers. Eventually the whole system collapses under its own weight. A legal system is only as strong as the people who obey it.

There would seem to be value in religious laws. People believe that keeping them ensures God’s pleasure. If that were true, how willingly we would endeavor to obey religious laws. How willingly we would endure harsh correction if only we could please God. Jesus told his very religious, very law-abiding community that they weren’t succeeding at keeping the laws.

Instead of blindly letting the law judge you, judge your laws, said Jesus. Deciding how to do the will of God requires wisdom. He pointed to the fact that keeping the law which said a baby should be circumcised on the eighth day of its life, compelled breaking the law of Sabbath-rest if the baby became eight days old on the Sabbath. Instead of following rules think about what it is that God wills us to do. In Jesus’ community this had already been spelled out as justice (equality) mercy and humility.

Something will happen to the person who comes to me, said Jesus. A force for good will spring up inside him, and be so strong that it flows out into his actions. By this power the person will be both want to do what pleases God and be able to. The power of this man, Jesus, who completely did the will of God, is available to all who put confidence in him. He has promised his Spirit for this purpose, not just his influence or example but his living Spirit.

The Gospel of John, chapter 7 verses 17 – 24
Gospel of John, chapter 7 verses 37-39
Micah chapter 6 verse 8