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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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Luke 9:34-36, 2 Peter 1:16-18

Give more attention to Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

The writer of Hebrews has argued frequently how Jesus should be the focus of our attention. Going back now over a couple passages in the Gospels, this theme becomes even more apparent. At the conclusion of the transfiguration in Luke chapter 9, after Peter speaks up about making some tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, a cloud envelopes them and then in Luke 9:34-35, Peter is rebuked for trying to do something for God and is told to pay attention to Jesus. As Peter was speaking about tents, “…a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!’” I found it interesting that the final verse in Luke on the transfiguration says, “And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.” How unusual for Peter to “keep silent” at all. But the rebuke of speaking when he didn’t know what he was saying must have sunk in a little. Later of course, we see him shooting his mouth off again but for now he “kept silent.”

Yet Peter never forgot this incident in his life and he didn’t keep silent for very long. As Peter and the rest of the apostles went about witnessing to the truth of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as mentioned in all of Peter’s early sermons, they often encountered opposition and were accused of making up stories. You must admit, the thought of the resurrection from the dead sounds like a made-up story. Peter had an answer to that as we read in 2 Peter 1:16-18, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”

Near death stories find their way into the news and tabloids often. Why? I think because people long for some news from the other side. Not long ago a young pastor’s son told the story about Jesus in his near-death experience and they produced a book named “Heaven is for Real.” It became extremely popular both in and out of the Christian circles. Whether they believed him or not, everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. But when we have Jesus’ confirmed death, burial and resurrection, why aren’t we giving Him our full attention? Shouldn’t we focus on the one who actually died and came back rather than one who almost died? I’ve never truly appreciated the “Red Letter” New Testaments, but I’m becoming more and more interested the older I get. Shouldn’t we give more attention to Jesus?

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Luke 9:33, Hebrews 1:1, Malachi 4:5, Matthew 11:13-14

Jesus is Greater than Elijah!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

There’s no question about the superiority of Jesus as far as the author of the book of Hebrews is concerned. He asserts the importance of Jesus over all the characters and rituals of the Old Testament repeatedly. At the transfiguration, Jesus appeared in all his radiant glory along with the personages of Moses and Elijah. I pointed out previously how Jesus out shined Moses and how the author of Hebrews said that Jesus was worthy of “much more” glory than Moses. Even Moses himself was aware of Jesus’ superiority in his prophecy about the “better” prophet, Jesus, would come and be God’s mouthpiece to them. Peter seems to have missed the obvious message from the appearance of Jesus with Moses and Elijah because in Luke 9:33, “Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah’ – not knowing what he said.”

I suspect that part of what Peter “did not know” was that the purpose of the appearance of Jesus with Moses and Elijah was intentionally designed to highlight the superiority of Jesus over the Law (Moses) and over the Prophets (Elijah). We’ve already talked about the obvious superiority of Jesus over Moses but what about the Prophet Elijah? The Old Testament Prophets brought God’s message to the people. Hebrews 1:1 teaches us that God used to speak to us through his Prophets in various ways. The various ways included signs and wonders. Elijah and Elisha were big at performing both. It continues “but in these days God speaks to us through His Son.” The Old Testament ends with a final word from the Prophets from God. In Malachi 4:5, Malachi speaks for God who says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” He spoke from God! But who was this new Elijah?

In Matthew 11:13-14 Jesus explains the identify of John the Baptist. He says, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.” An interesting study is the similarities between Elijah and John the Baptist. I’ve argued that John patterned his life after Elijah. They ate the same wild foods. They lived in the wilderness. The dressed the same. They both contended with immorality in the land. There are many other similarities as well but the point is this new Elijah figure, John the Baptist, knew Jesus was the most important one. When the people asked John if he was the Messiah, John replied, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” Moses was the prophet who heard God on behalf of the people. Elijah was the prophet that spoke for God to the people, but Jesus, the living Word of God, did both. God tells Moses in Deuteronomy 15:18, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” He then adds a warning in verse 19, “And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” We better listen to Jesus because he’s greater than the Law giver himself and the prophet Elijah who represents all the prophets.

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Luke 9:29-30, Mark 9:3, Matthew 17:2

Jesus is Greater than Moses!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 9, 2020

As we looked through the book of Hebrews, it became radically clear that the central message of the Bible is Jesus and His superiority over all the religious symbols of Judaism and all  religions for that matter. That book begins with extolling the superiority of Jesus over the Angels, the Prophets, Abraham, Moses, the Aaronic Priesthood, the Sanctuary, and all of its sacrifices. The superiority of Christ is the basis upon which the writer of the book of Hebrews encourages his readers to “pay close attention” to Jesus. The idea of the superiority of Jesus is flushed out in nearly ever passage of the Bible and as we study the sayings of Jesus over the spring and summer, we want to discover some of them. Today I want to go back to Luke Chapter 9 and take a look at the Transfiguration. This passage also makes it clear that Jesus is greater and better than other religious figures. Luke 9:29-30 says, “And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah.”

Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain and when they awoke from their nap they saw Jesus in all His glory speaking to Moses and Elijah. Mark tells us that “…his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:3). Matthew tells us “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). We don’t know how the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah but they obviously did. We might glean from that how none of our personal identities will ever be lost and that we’ll be recognized by everyone in heaven. But that’s beside the point. The point seems obvious to me: Jesus is superior to the Law and the Prophets.

Of the three persons in that scene, only Jesus shone with God’s glory. Moses, the lawgiver, had once had a shiny face when he left the presence of God on Mount Sinai but if he had that now it would have only been the reflection of the glorious light of the one that stood with him. Moses didn’t shine in Jesus’ presence, but Jesus shined in Moses presence. We think that Joshua wrote the last part of the book of Deuteronomy because it speaks of Moses in the third person implying someone other than Moses wrote it. In Deuteronomy 34:10 we read about Moses, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” But Jesus is greater than Moses and the writer of Hebrews confirmed this very thing in Hebrews 3:3, “For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses.” Where should our eyes be as we walk along the trail of life? But Moses himself was aware of this when the children of Israel at Mount Sinai were too afraid to hear God speak, Moses took the mediatorial role and listened to God for them. But he said to them in Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen.” Where should our ears be tuned?

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