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Luke 7:47, Romans 3:20-23

We’re all “face touchers”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 23, 2020

Over the last month or more there have been a lot instructions on how to avoid catching the Coronavirus. You are to stay about six feet apart and some of the stores have laid out tape to be sure that the distances are observed. You need to not gather in groups of more than 10 and actually everyone was instructed to stay home and even work from home. We should wash our hands frequently during the day and do a thorough job. Oh yea, and don’t touch your face! I have to tell you that if staying healthy for me was dependent on my not touching my face, I’m going to die! I find myself touching it more and more now that I’m not supposed to. Why can’t I stop touching my face? Because I’m a face-toucher! I just can’t stop doing it. I find myself touching my face without even thinking about it! It’s just part of who I am. I rub my eyes! I scratch my nose. I handle my beard. I just can’t keep my hands off of my face. The harder I try, the more impossible it seems. These are laws I just can’t keep.  It’s a lot like sin.

If my going to heaven was dependent on my not touching my face, I’m doomed for all eternity. I can’t do it! This gives me a somewhat clearer understanding of what Paul was talking about in Romans 3:20. He said, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” The law presents us with standards too far out of reach for any of us. Thus, the Romans passage continues, “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” Through the law which tells me to “not touch my face” I see how sinful I really am. If I’m going to be acceptable to God and gain entry into His kingdom there has to be another way for me. And that’s the way that Jesus offers to us all.

Wow! I’m so grateful for a salvation that’s not determined by my own righteousness. I’m a face toucher. That is what I am. I have never been able to stop touching my face and I never will. But God in his great mercy has forgiven me. It seems that true repentance is understanding that we are all “face touchers.” Face touchers know how much they need forgiveness! Every time I touch my face, I am reminded that I am a face toucher and cannot stop myself. It is who I am, and I need a savior. The woman in Luke 7:47 knew that she was a face toucher. When she heard that she was forgiven she was filled with gratitude and love for the forgiver. Her “face touchings” were many, just like mine. And recognizing that led to great love for Jesus. Jesus tells Simon, the Pharisee, in Luke 7:47 “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

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John 15:2, Galatians 5:22-23

Make me fruitful!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 13, 2020

Jesus is the true vine and according to John 15:1. God, the Father, is the vinedresser or gardener. John explains the gardener’s work in verse 2. He writes, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” “Takes away” in the first half of this verse is an unfortunate translation. Jesus says these branches are “in” him but they bear no fruit. I believe there are true believers that don’t bear any fruit. What becomes of them? Does God “take them away?” I put cages around my tomato plants because when they crimp over, they can’t draw the nutrients from the roots and never produce fruit. But when I “lift them up” the branches are straightened out and the production can flow again. What do you do with branches that crimp, like a garden hose, and don’t produce fruit? If fruit is the desired outcome, you don’t cut them off and throw them away. You “lift them up.” God’s desire for us, his branches, is that we bear fruit. Jon Courson gets this right. He writes, “The word translated ‘takes away’ in verse 2 is airo – a word in which three of the four definitions deal with lifting up, raising up, or pulling up. Yes, the fourth definition in the Greek lexicon is take away. But there are three that precede it…Thus, the idea here is not ‘take away’ but ‘lift up.’”[1]

According to Guzik, “The idea is that the Father lifts up unproductive vines off of the ground (as was common in the ancient practices of vineyard care). They lifted them up off the ground that they might get more sun and bear fruit better.”[2] Boice[3] also agrees with this translation. Jesus speaks of the love and compassion the Father has for his children too often for this not to be the case. As a loving father would “lift up” the head of a fallen and discouraged child, so too does God lift up the head of the fruitless ones. I would argue this makes perfect sense when we realize we’re not talking about physical fruit, but spiritual. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what this fruit actually is. It says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

When the branches do produce fruit, the gardener wants more! He therefore embarks upon a strict discipline of pruning. As we see pruning in our lives, we know it’s not very pleasant. There is always some pain involved. This is how the author of Hebrews describes this pruning process that produces fruit. Hebrews 12:11 says, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” We often think of God’s interest in increasing our fruitfulness as something at odds with our own desires, but when we realize it’s the fruit of the Spirit we’re talking about, we see that the branch and the gardener are on the same page. Who wouldn’t want more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness and self-control? These are the real treasures of life! Give me fruit!

[1] Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 563.

[2] David Guzik, John, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Jn 15:1–3.

[3] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 1162.

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John 15:1, Hosea 10:1, Jeremiah 2:21

Jesus is the “True Vine”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 13, 2020

John 15:1 opens Jesus’ discussion with him calling himself a vine and his Father the gardener. It says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” What did Jesus mean by referring to himself as the “true” vine? The word is used in other passages with other metaphors. It’s used in the same way back in John 1:9 where Jesus calls himself the “true” light, then again in 6:32 where he calls himself the “true bread.” Also, in the book of Hebrews he’s referred to as the “true tabernacle.” That last reference might be instructive in understanding what is meant. Jesus was the true tabernacle in contrast to the earthly one that was simply a picture of what Christ would fulfill. We must remember that Israel was the vine according to the Old Testament prophets. God refers to Israel as a very productive vine that prostituted itself to foreign gods. Hosea 10:1 says, “Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.” It was not a “faithful” vine to the one who planted it. Then Jeremiah speaks similar words. Jeremiah 2:21 speaks of Israel as the vine. God says, “But I planted you as an entirely trustworthy, fruitful vine. How have you turned to bitterness as a foreign vine?” We see that the productive vine became and unfaithful vine. When Jesus says He is the “true vine” he means he is the vine planted by the master that has remained faithful. He is the “true vine.”

There have been many suggestions regarding the setting for this statement by Jesus. Some think it was delivered in the upper room, after the meal when Jesus took the wine and blessed it and then established the communion service. He had just taken the wine and the idea of the “vine” from which the wine came, representing his blood, to teach the disciples about their connection with himself. Others see this speech delivered on the steps of the temple before the doors which were adorned with vines all around. Others see it as being delivered at the Garden of Gethsemane which is covered in vines. We don’t know for sure, but the point seems clear. All these other vines are only illustrations. Barnes observes, “The point of the comparison or the meaning of the figure is this: A vine yields proper juice and nourishment to all the branches, whether these are large or small. All the nourishment of each branch and tendril passes through the main stalk, or the vine, that springs from the earth. So, Jesus is the source of all real strength and grace to his disciples.”[1]

Not only is Jesus the true vine, God the Father is the “vinedresser.” Some translations use different words: gardener, farmer, etc. Köstenberger tells us what the gardener does. He uses a passage from Isaiah to explain. He writes, “Isaiah’s first vineyard song, which constitutes the background of this parable, depicts God as spading, clearing, planting, and taking care of the vineyard, only to be rewarded with sour grapes (Isa. 5:1–7; cf. Ps. 80:8–9).”[2] But Jesus is about to expand on this parable by explaining how all that Israel failed to do, He has accomplished on our behalf. We will not produce the fruit that the gardener desires on our own. We are incapable of doing so. But by attaching ourselves to Christ, we enable His life to flow in and through us. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.

[1] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke & John, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 336.

[2] Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 451.

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John 15:1, Genesis 2:2-3, Matthew 11:28

Jesus said, “I will give you rest.”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 13, 2020

The number seven shows up a lot in the Bible. Coincidentally (or maybe not) the number seven is mentioned over 700 times! It is an important number in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Many commentators suggest that seven is the holy number of God and of perfection and completion. It’s often contrasted with the number six, which seems to be the number of incompletion and imperfection. The number six always leaves something undone that number seven fulfills. Six is said to be the number of “man.”  Man was created on the 6th day and he was to do all his work in six days but to stop all his work on the 7th day because God had completed all His work. The children of Israel were to march around Jericho six times. It was on the 7th time that God himself brought the walls down and conquered the city. It’s interesting that 666 becomes the number of the beast and it’s said to be the number of a “man” in Revelation 13 as if to repeat the idea of man’s imperfection three times. Without looking at all 700 uses of the number seven, it appears that the commentators are correct in seeing it as the number of perfection and completion.

John, the Apostle, was fond of the number seven. He features it in the book of Revelation: seven churches, seven angels, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls and seven stars. These sevens serve to wrap up God’s “work” with mankind in general. In his Gospel, John speaks of seven miracles that Jesus performed and called the miracle of changing the water into wine “the first sign” that Jesus performed. The last one was the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. John also gives us the seven “I am” statements of Jesus. This is what those seven “I AM” statements are:

“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)  As bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and sustains spiritual life.

 “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as a guide.

“I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7,9) Jesus protects His followers as shepherds protect their flocks from predators.

“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) Death is not the final word for those in Christ.

“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14) Jesus is committed to caring and watching over those who are His.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the source of all truth and knowledge about God.

“I am the true vine.” (John 15:1) And the 7th great “I AM” statement is from our passage today.

I just finished a study of Hebrews and I neglected to talk about the focus on the sevens. The first chapter gives us 7 reasons Jesus is superior to the Angels and quoted seven Old Testament passages that show this was in the Bible all along.  But we must go back to the very beginning to get the real impact. The first use of “seven” is seen way back in Genesis with the creation account. God created everything in six days and then on the 7th day he rested. The seventh day became known as the “sabbath” or the “rest day.” Literally though, sabbath in Hebrew means “seven.” This creation account became the basis for the “Shabbat shalom,” the day of rest directed by God in the ten commandments.

Genesis 2:2-3 says, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Further, in giving Israel the 10 commandments, he wanted them to focus on the finished work that God did and to do no work themselves. Exodus 20:11 says, “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Man wasn’t to work because God has done all the work and there is nothing man can add to it. He should not attempt to but rather rest in and celebrate God’s finished work.

The writer of Hebrews attached the idea of “rest” with the idea of the sabbath. In Hebrews 4:3-4 we read, “I swore in my wrath that they will not enter my rest although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.  For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’” This is critical in understanding the book of Hebrews because the “rest” is the rest that comes to believers in Jesus the Messiah. That’s God’s rest. On the cross Jesus said “It is finished.” Just as God finished the work of creation in Genesis and no more was to be added to it but it was only to be enjoyed, so too Jesus finished the work of redemption and no more can be added to it. It remains only to be celebrated! Our “Sabbath Rest” is the rest from wearisome religious observation and rituals as Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” I like the way Eugene Peterson translates this verse in “The Message.” He says, “come to me all you who are weary and burned out on religion and I will give you rest.”

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Luke 24:44-45

Jesus is the alpha and the omega!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

Jesus went out of his way to present to his disciples as a group, the physical evidence that will make them eye-witnesses to his resurrection. He physically appeared to them showing them his scarred hands and feet. He demonstrated that he was not a ghost by calling them to touch him and see that he had flesh and bone. He then added to the evidence by calling for some food and eating in their presence. He left them marveling in joy and ready to tell everyone what they had experienced, but before Jesus left them he had something else to say. Luke 24:44 says, “Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

The focus of the Old Testament from God’s divine perspective was the coming fulfillment of his original promise to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God would send a redeemer who would save his people from their sins. Jesus is referring to the complete Old Testament when he uses the three-fold division of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Psalms was the largest and longest book in the so-called “writings” and was often used to refer to the entire section. Thus Jesus is saying again, the whole Bible in all of its parts is about him in one way or another. He told the two disciples on the road to Emmaus some of the things that were about him and how that was so but it is not exhaustive. The writer of the book of Hebrews goes out of his way to help us understand how the sacrificial system along with all of its objects were about their eventual fulfillment in Jesus.

The next verse says, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” I would argue that it requires a divine act of enlightenment for us to see Christ in the scriptures. I’m convinced that he is there. The writer of Hebrews found Jesus in the priestly order of Melchizedek. He spent several chapters explaining that to us. If this obscure figure from Genesis chapter 15 can enlighten us that much about Jesus, what else might we find if we look. Paul even argues that the Old Testament scriptures were clear enough about Jesus that it could in and of itself lead us to salvation. This is what he told Timothy, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Jesus is not absent from the Old Testament. No, Jesus is every letter written in the whole Bible. He is often called The “alpha and the omega.” He’s the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet and all that’s written is about him. May the Spirit open our minds to see him!

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Luke 24:40-42, Exodus 16:31, Revelation 19:9

Looking forward to a great feast day!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

Jesus invites the disciples to come close and become physical witnesses of his resurrection. Luke 24:40 goes on, “And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.” There was no mistaking the body of Jesus for anyone else. The marks of the nails make it clear to all that this was indeed Jesus. This made the great change in them from fear and disbelief to joy and disbelief. Luke 24:41 says, “And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’” You’ve heard that if it sounds too good to be true, it is!! Well, I think that’s the joy of the disbelief that’s mentioned in this passage. There was no longer fear, but joy in their incredulity. But Jesus further dispels their disbelief by eating! Ghosts don’t eat. Verse 42 says, “They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.”

Luke is the only one that tells us what Jesus was given to eat. That stands to reason because in the prologue to his Gospel he makes it clear that he did diligent research to get all the facts straight. But there is a problem with modern translations. The King James and even the Catholic Douay Rheims Bible include the phrase “and honeycomb.” Jesus was given both fish and honeycomb to eat. This points to the food of angels. Psalm 78 refers to manna as the food of angels. It says, “Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.” Manna was described by Moses in Exodus 16:31. He says, “Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.” At one point in his earthly life, Jesus took two fish and five small loaves of bread and fed 5,000 and then again on a separate occasion fed 4,000! Fish and honey bread: the food of heaven!

Since Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection and all believers will follow, we’ll have incorruptible, immune from disease bodies and will also be able to eat the food of heaven. In Revelation 19:9, John is told “And the angel said to me, Write this: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” There will be one great feast day of all the fish and bread you can eat! As a kid, I grew up with Joe Tess’ carp dinners on Friday nights. My dad would bring them home almost weekly. Along with that meal came a slice of black rye bread as I remember it. I used to enjoy both the fish and the bread. It seems almost blasphemous to compare the fish and sweet honey bread of the banquet in heaven with the fish of Joe Tess, but I just couldn’t help it! As much as I enjoyed those fish dinners, I can hardly wait to partake of the heavenly one that is yet to come!

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Luke 24:39, 1 John 1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:50

The Resurrected Body is Immune!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

It seems that the disciples gathered to discuss the stories of Jesus sightings by the two men on the road to Emmaus as well as the message the women received from the angel at the empty tomb. Peter may have also had his post-resurrection appearance and was putting in his two cents worth in the discussion about the resurrection, when Jesus miraculously appeared in their midst and shut down the argument. After lovingly commending peace to his gathered disciples who might deserve a rebuke, he then assures them that they need not let the “troubles” and cares of life get them down. They need only believe in Him and His resurrection. But these disciples had a purpose to fill in God’s plan. He was going to make them eye witnesses to the fact of his resurrection. So in Luke 24:39 Jesus says, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

In the Preacher’s Commentary we read, “I would suggest that there is far more evidence for believing that Jesus was raised from the dead than for not doing so. First of all, there is no logical reason why any of the principals in the Gospel narrative would steal the body. How the Pharisees, faced with this great spiritual awakening that threatened Judaism, would have loved to produce the corpse and give the lie to the Resurrection rumor. They could not. Surely the soldiers were held accountable for the disappearance of the body they were guarding. You can be certain that leaves were canceled, promotions denied. They may have been imprisoned or killed for their negligence. The soldiers would be extremely eager to produce the body. It’s inconceivable that the disciples might have stolen the body. They were a broken, defeated, demoralized group after the Crucifixion. With the appearance of the risen Christ they were filled with a holy boldness which endured for the rest of their lives. If the Resurrection was a myth, there is no way to explain psychologically the actions of the early Christians – some of whom were crucified or fed to lions as a result of their faith. The evidence is overwhelming that something supernatural occurred.[1]

This group of disciples did indeed become eyewitnesses as God had planned. John tell us “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” (1 John 1:1-2). The disciples saw with their eyes the resurrected Jesus who proclaimed to be “flesh and bone.” It wasn’t flesh and blood because all human life is in the blood. But some commentators suggest that there is also “death” in the blood because of the transmission of sin from Adam to every following generation. Every drop of Jesus’ blood, the only disease-free blood, was poured out intentionally for our sins on Calvary. 1 Corinthians 15:50 makes it clear that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” An incorruptible body is one of flesh and bone but not blood! As Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection we too will be like him in being “flesh and bone.” There will be no blood in which COVID-19 or anything else can infect us. I can find peace in that!

[1] Bruce Larson and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Luke, vol. 26, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1983), 354.

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Luke 24:37-38, Psalm 103:13-14, John 14:1

Peace to You in spite of COVID-19

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

Jesus doesn’t rebuke his disciples for deserting him when he first appears to them as a group after his resurrection. Instead he expresses his love and forgiveness in three simple words – “Peace to you.” He doesn’t send “guilt” upon them. He doesn’t shame them with what they did, he simply wishes them peace. Psalm 103:13-14 says, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” The passage I’m looking at now, Luke 24:37-38, informs us that the disciples sure do “fear the Lord.” It says, “But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.” You’ve heard the expression “he looks like he had seen a ghost.” Well these disciples must have truly looked that way because they thought they did see a ghost. Half the translations I looked at used the word “terrified” instead of “frightened.” I suspect it was a pretty profound emotion.

Then in verse 38, Jesus asks them a question. Now we have to see this as a legitimate question. Sometimes we see Jesus’ questions as the kind of questions our parents asked us, or a teacher, or a policeman or our bosses. Jesus once asked his disciples “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I tell you to do?” That’s been seen as an accusation designed to arouse shame so they would try harder. My father asked me questions like that: “Why did you do that? What were you thinking?” But his questions were indeed designed to arouse shame and to guilt me into becoming a better person. That might have worked for a little while but not for long.  I’d argue Jesus never stooped to such tactics. He truly wanted his disciples to think about their true sinfulness so that they’d become more deeply aware of their need for a Savior. Jesus wanted them to come to repentance and then he’d step up as the Savior.

The question in verse 38 is stated this way, “And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?’” He wasn’t trying to shame them or arouse guilt, but to get them to think about “why” they were afraid, why they were troubled and doubted. You see, there was no need to be afraid. Jesus is our Savior and theirs. He did come back from the dead. He did conquer the grave. They did not need to worry or be troubled. He had it all under control. It reminds me of His words to them before the crucifixion. He said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). The resurrection assures us of our eternal destiny and therefore God wants us to be at peace with all of our “troubles” and cares in this life, even COVID-19! He knows our frame and that we are but dust. He understands us and our trials but still says to us “Peace to You.”

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