Jeff Grisham

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. (John 12:20-22)

It was the final week. The ministry of Jesus has healed, cleansed, taught, and given life and hope to many. He has also angered several in power. Tensions had continued to build and had gotten to the boiling point. It all came to a head in Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. With all of this happening, I think it fair to assume that there would have been quite a bit of talk about Jesus among all those who have come to this very important festival. That may be what caused these Greeks to come to find him. Whatever their reason, these Greeks that we meet in John 12 give voice to something that many of us want. We wish to see Jesus.

Our children wish to see Jesus. It is a wonderful thing to see our kids get excited about Bible classes. Their curiosity and ability to absorb information is amazing. We watch as they fall in love with this Jesus that they meet in those Bible stories. As they age, there are many things vying for their attention and offering all kinds of options to them. It can be confusing. They know about Jesus, but want to see if he is really what he claims to be. They wish to see Jesus.

Our spouses wish to see Jesus. Keeping up with the daily routine, building a life and future together, work pressure, money stresses, and many other things can make life challenging. Husbands and wives need to know they can count on each other, that there is stability and security, that they can really lean on one another. They wish to see Jesus in each other.

Our friends and neighbors wish to see Jesus. It seems that everyone is searching for something greater than themselves to give meaning to life. There are plenty of folks that seem to offer solutions: the right house, the right neighborhood, the right relationship, the right job, the right credit card, the right car, the right cause, the right body type, etc. Could it be that hope and a secure future are what are really being sought? Perhaps they’ve tried these things that they thought would do the trick, only to come up empty. They wish for real hope. They wish for a real future. They wish to see Jesus.

Those who come to worship wish to see Jesus. Every Sunday we gather and worship. Maybe life has knocked us around a good bit during the week. Maybe we show up tired and worn down. We need to be reminded of who we are and whose we are. We come wishing to see Jesus.

There are those who come and visit our churches. They come looking for some encouragement, some direction, some refreshing, in desperate need of grace and mercy. They come wishing to see Jesus.

In all these instances we have an opportunity to help. We, like Phillip, have an opportunity to honor their request. Listen to the response of Jesus when Phillip and Andrew inform him of the request.

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:23-26)

We honor the request of those who wish to see Jesus by living a life that indicates that we have seen him. To our children who wish to see Jesus we model a life that takes his teaching seriously, demonstrates self-giving love and grace and talk with them often about our experience with him. We demonstrate that he is a priority in our lives. To our spouse who wishes to see Jesus we demonstrate the faithfulness that we see in him. We love and serve selflessly. We live lives devoted to him knowing that he is real. We make home a place that is safe and secure and where love and grace are evident.

To friends and neighbors who wish to see Jesus, we live lives that take Jesus seriously. There is something notably different about us as we seek to glorify God in our actions the way in which Jesus did.

To those we worship with who wish to see Jesus, we demonstrate love and service to one another. We hold one another lovingly and humbly accountable. We understand that we are all on this journey together and that we seek the good for one another.

In trying to honor all of these requests to see Jesus we need to get rid of the things that tend to obscure him from view. We need to get rid of our pride, our seeking our own way, our desire to be in charge and put our lives completely under his lordship. We do that because of the great promises that he has made. We do that because he has forgiven us and made us alive when we were dead in our sin. We do that because when our lives are over here, we wish to see Jesus.

I grew up playing music with my family. My grandpa played the fiddle, Dad played the guitar and the bass, my brother played the fiddle and I played guitar. We would often get together with others in the community and play for hours on end. As we grew up and went about our lives, we would still get together at certain times and play. One of those times would always be around Christmas. We would sit in the living room at my parents’ house and start to play. “Start to play” is the operative phrase. We would start a song, get part of the way through it, and then realize we didn’t remember it all. “That’s all I know of that one” was a frequent statement. For a bunch of amateurs like us, that’s not all that important. We still had a good time and it brought good memories. But imagine being a professional musician in a band. Forgetting how the song is played, not remembering how it ends, or forgetting the words wouldn’t go well.

John the Baptist had an incredibly important role. He was the one sent from God to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus. He called Israel to turn their hearts toward God and be ready for what God was about to do; namely prepare the people for the arrival of the Messiah. A lot of folks went out to see John at the Jordan. They heard him make this plea. They heard the warnings and wanted to be part of this new thing that God was about to do. Many of them submitted to his baptism. Others, specifically the Jewish leadership, went out to see him, heard the words, but rejected his purpose supposing that they didn’t need his baptism.

Jesus knew the importance of John’s work and affirms that work in his teaching and in his actions. It is in the context of praising the work of John that Jesus addresses those who didn’t see their need to listen to the message John carried, those who didn’t recognize what God was doing. We find these words spoken by Jesus in Luke chapter seven.

 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

             “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

        we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” (Luke 7:31-35)

It seems that Jesus is pointing out a real troubling issue in the hearts the Pharisees and teachers. They believed they knew exactly how God would or would not work. Maybe even worse than thinking they knew, they wanted to determine how God would or would not act. They seemed to think that God would dance to their tune.

This kind of thinking is dangerous, and quite honestly a real temptation for us still today. It is a great thing to learn about God. It is a great thing to know God. Pursuing deeper knowledge of his character, his heart, his will for our lives is a great way to spend our time. Continuing to deepen our relationship with him is something that he wants from and for us. He wants us to know him. In addressing those in Athens, Paul makes that very clear. “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,” (Acts 17:24-27).

We often want a god we can define. It is important to realize that as much as we may come to know about him, we don’t determine his actions. We don’t define him. Although we may not say this out loud to anyone, we would like a god that we can control. Somehow we are tempted to think that if we could just get God to do what we want, if he would just dance to our tune, everything would be better. This impulse of being like God and seeking control is the temptation that was so attractive to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. This is the impulse that made idolatry so attractive to Israel. This same impulse makes idolatry attractive to humanity now.

While that may be what we want, God knows what we need. We need God to define us, to direct us, to lead us, and to rescue us. As we make our way through Scripture, we see God in control of defining his people. In Genesis we see God rename (define) Abram to Abraham, and Jacob to Israel. In Exodus, God tells Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” In other words, God is the one beyond our definition. In Mark 3, Jesus selects twelve of his disciples and designates (names) them as “apostles.” (Mark 3:14) To early Christians, Peter writes, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10) We may want a god we can define, but what we desperately need is the God who defines us. God knows this. God knows our limitations and that if left to our own direction; we would move ourselves away from him. Perhaps we would like God to dance to our tune. The problem is that we don’t know the whole song. What he is asking for us to do is to follow his lead. He is the one who knows where everything is headed. He is the one who will make all things right. What he wants from us is to grow deeper in relationship with him, trust him enough to follow where he leads and move as he directs.

In John 21, we read of an incredible experience that seven of the disciples have with the risen Jesus. Peter and six others had spent the night fishing on the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee) with nothing to show for it. They were approaching the shore as the sun began to rise when they saw a lone figure standing on the shore. This yet unknown person asked if they had had any success. After they told him, “No,” he told them where they should cast their net. They followed his instruction and caught more fish than they were able to haul. They recognized that this was no ordinary man on the shore that morning. It was none other than the risen Savior. At this discovery, Peter threw on his cloak, jumped into the water and swam about a hundred yards to be close to Jesus.

John doesn’t tell us why Peter does this when the rest of the group seems content to bring the boat and their catch to the shore to meet Jesus. As Bible students we are aware of Peter’s somewhat impulsive nature. As the one who is always ready to do something and often speaking maybe a little too quickly at times, perhaps it is just part of Peter’s personality that causes him to do this. Maybe it is more than just that. It could be that he knows his desperate need to be close to Jesus. Considering his recent failure as he denied knowing Jesus, he needs to know that the relationship can be restored.

I think we can relate. There are those times in our lives when we know we have failed, we know we have damaged the relationship between ourselves and Jesus and it need to be made right. We need healing. We need restored. And just as he was on that particular day on the shoreline, Jesus stands ready to heal, forgive, and restore. Since that is the case, what is it that we need to do to access that gift?

Face our failures. As Peter ran up to Jesus that day, he found him standing by charcoal fire. It had not been very long ago that Peter was standing around a charcoal fire in the courtyard of the High Priest. That night he had been asked about his relationship with Jesus. And just hours after asserting that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37), he denied being a follower. The sight and smell of that fire may have caused the memories of that terrible night to come flooding back. I wonder if Peter was tempted to back away from Jesus. Did he wonder if Jesus could forgive his cowardice? Did he wonder if Jesus would even still want someone who had failed so badly to be part of his people? Would he ever be able to be close to Jesus again?

Memories of our failures, of our sinful pasts, seem always close at hand. When they come to mind, Satan often whispers these same kinds of questions in our ears. He would like for us to believe that those failures define us and are obstacles that we cannot overcome. So, instead of running to Jesus, we keep our distance. We continue to carry the guilt of our failures with us, trying to keep them hidden. But distance from Jesus won’t heal us. The only way to healing is to confess those faults, and realize that without him we can never be good enough, strong enough, or holy enough. Realizing our weaknesses and confessing our failures reminds us that we are utterly dependent on him to be made righteous. Distance won’t help. We have to draw near to him for strength and help.

Fall on his mercy. It is impressive to me that Jesus never stops serving. He had taught, healed, and fed them. He had washed their feet, prayed for, and given his life for these men who were there that morning. As if that wasn’t enough, he provides them with a net full of fish and then feeds them to boot. He continues to provide, to have mercy and compassion.

Mercy and grace are sometimes hard for us to accept. We like to earn what it is that we have, and mercy and grace are gifts we cannot earn. They are extended to us because of the great love that Jesus has for us. We don’t earn his forgiveness and restoration. He offers it to us as we realize our great need for it. The same John who shares this encounter with us also wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Follow his lead. After breakfast that morning, Jesus and Peter have a conversation that begins with Jesus asking Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times Jesus repeats this question with Peter responding, “Yes” every time. After each of Peter’s answers, Jesus gives him a different but similar directive. “Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.” Each of these invites Peter into the continuing purposes of Jesus. They instruct Peter to follow in the steps of Jesus, doing what he had seen Jesus do time and time again during his ministry.

Restoration calls for a response. Realizing the great gift of hope, healing, and restoration that we have been given through Jesus, we devote our lives to him. We realize the position we were in and the direction in which we were headed and do not want to go that way again. The good news is that we don’t have to do try and achieve that goal on our own. Jesus promised us the Spirit to help shape and mold us into his image. He knows that continuing to walk in his steps is where we find hope, healing, and purpose. Following after him and having our lives shaped more and more like his is our response to the healing and restoration that he has extended to us. It is a demonstration of the gratitude and the love that we have for the one who came to heal and to restore us when our sins had separated us from him. 

There are things that we encounter that are of such magnitude that they take our breath away. These things, once we see them, hold our attention to the point that it is almost impossible to look away. Some images may have come to mind as we read the preceding sentences. Maybe it was the memory of a particular view from a trail we have hiked. Maybe it is remembering time spent at the edge of the ocean listening to and watching the waves crash against the shore. Perhaps the first time we saw our significant other, or one of our children or grandchildren. Breathtaking. When we think of these things that take our breath, it is most often things that are positive in some way, but that may not always be the case.

Imagine being a traveler in first-century Palestine. You and your family, and possibly your extended family are making your way to the city for a very important religious festival. You walk along and are excited to arrive. You talk about the things that you will most likely encounter during this time. You think of all the people you hope to see, people you maybe haven’t seen since the last one of these gatherings. As you near the city, you encounter a large crowd of people that are just outside the city gate. It seems odd, but there must be something big happening. As you get closer, you hear shouts, maybe even some mocking laughter, along with screams of pain. Then you see it. Roman crosses are standing there, all occupied by those who have been condemned to die. The sight takes your breath away.

Crucifixion was one of, if not the worst way to die. It was designed to prolong death while inflicting the maximum amount of pain. Death by crucifixion could take as short as a matter of hours or as long as a few days. It was a sign of what happens if you dared to rebel against the Roman Empire. It was a shameful death, as the victim of it was stretched out, exposed, nailed to that instrument of death by nails driven through the hands and feet. As a person living under the rule of the Roman Empire, just the sight of a cross would bring images of immense suffering to mind. It was something that was not spoken of in polite society. It is something so grotesque that it takes our breath away just to think about it.

Yet, the cross, this instrument of death is attractive to us. It has become an object with which we decorate our church buildings, is present in various ways in our homes, and serves as jewelry that we proudly wear. How could this shift take place? Could it be that because of Jesus we see something incredible in the cross?

In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul makes the following statement. “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)”

In the cross we see more, far more, than just an instrument of death. We see the desire that God has to be with us. Our sin has separated us from God and on our own, there is nothing we can do to close that gap. We were without any resource to remedy the problem. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

We see how far God will go in order to be with us. At the cross we see God pull out all the stops. He is willing to give and give in order to be with us. Paul words it this way:  “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

In the cross we see the love of God on full display. Jesus willingly went to the cross. He willingly subjected himself to the pain, the humiliation, the mockery all for our benefit. He didn’t deserve it. The innocent suffers for the guilty. And what motivated him to do this was the great love he has for us. It’s no wonder that the cross is something that continues to take our breath away.

O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

(Habakkuk 1:2-4)

This is the opening of the book of Habakkuk. The time is around the mid to late 7^th century B.C. The northern tribes of Israel have been taken captive by the Assyrians. Judah still remains, but there is a lot of trouble. Probably like many of other people in Judah, Habakkuk appears to wonder if God notices, and if he does, what is he going to do about it.

God responds to Habakkuk’s question. “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.” (Habakkuk 1: 5-6)

Are you kidding? God’s response to the trouble that is in Judah is to bring the Babylonians to take Judah. Unbelievable! The people of Judah may be bad, but they aren’t nearly as bad as the Babylonians. God goes on in Habakkuk chapter one to describe the Babylonians as dreaded, fearsome, violent, and “guilty men, whose own might is their god.” How could God do this?

It is here that we should stop and point out that God often does the incredible, the unbelievable. God created the world out of nothing. He spoke the world into existence. Unbelievable! Because of the wickedness of humanity in the days of Noah, God destroyed the world with a flood. Unbelievable! God called Abraham and Sarah, promised them a son and delivered on that promise when they were far past their childbearing years. Unbelievable! God rescued a nation of slaves from Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at the time. Unbelievable! The list could go on and on.

God does the unbelievable. It is an unbelievable thing is that God wants to be with us. As stubborn and rebellious and difficult and wicked as we can be, he still desires to be with us.  As unbelievable as that is, what’s more incredible is the lengths to which God will go to make that possible.

Around 700 years after Habakkuk spoke to God, we find another of God’s people asking questions of a strange new rabbi named Jesus. Nicodemus comes to Jesus looking for answers. Jesus speaks to him about being born again, born from above. Nicodemus wonders how this can happen. Jesus speaks of being born again of water and spirit, of heavenly things, and eternal life. Nicodemus still does not understand. It’s just unbelievable.

Then Jesus says the most unbelievable thing. “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

We watch as we follow Jesus through the Gospels. We watch as we follow him all the way to the cross. We hear his plea to the Father in the garden of “Let this cup pass from me.” We read of the abuse, the mocking, the beating, the humiliation, the pain and suffering. We listen to him cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We hear him say, “It is finished.” And as we see this and witness the lengths to which God will go so that we can be with him, there is word that comes to mind. “Unbelievable!

 It is truly amazing to see how much Jesus loves us, and how badly he wants to be with us. That kind of love and self sacrifice should elicit a response from us. It demands our love and devotion to him in return. It should result in lives that are marked by our faithful obedience to him, and lives that are transformed into his image. If that is not our reaction to what he has done for us, that’s unbelievable.

There are a lot of things that I remember fondly from my childhood. Among them are memories of family dinners. I always looked forward to those times gathered around the table, but I especially looked forward to the home cooked fried chicken that mom would make. One of the things that we would do is to find the wishbone from that chicken and two of us would pull in opposite directions to see who would get the long side and get to make a wish. 

I was reminded of that little tradition a few days ago when I saw a billboard that had the picture of a man hanging from the edge of a cliff with one hand while another giant hand was positioned directly below him. The caption on the sign read, “Let go. Jesus will catch you.” Now, you might be wondering how that billboard could remind someone of pulling apart the wishbone of a chicken. That is a great question. Thank you for asking.

The billboard reminded me of the way in which we often have a desire to follow Jesus, but are reluctant to let go of things that hinder our pursuit of that goal. Perhaps it is a habit. Perhaps it is a goal. Perhaps it is our desire to maintain control. Maybe it is a disordered love; love of money, or pleasure, or position. Maybe it is our anger, a grudge, or a judgmental attitude. The list could go on and on. 

In Mark 10 we meet a young man who is reluctant to let go. 

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22)

Jesus calls his followers to let go of everything else and follow him whole heartedly. He does this not because he is a narcissistic control freak, but because he wants what is best for us.  He wants to be with us. He wants us to trust him enough to let go of our need for control and live for him so that can happen. But too often we are reluctant to let go of the things that keep us from following him the way he wants. We feel pulled in opposite directions, and much like that wishbone we feel as if we may snap in two. 

The good news for us is that we can choose. We are not helpless. We can make a wish to follow Jesus with all that we have. We also know that just wishing for that to happen will not make it so. We have to be constantly attentive to those things that tend to hinder our pursuit of the good, because doing so is something that is an ongoing process. The more attention that we give to making that wish a reality, the easier it may become, but it is something that we will continue to do throughout our lives. There is  more good news. If we will be attentive and make the effort to let go of everything else and hold on to Jesus, he has promised to help make that wish come true.  

A good way to maintain our focus and to be attentive to making our wish of being totally devoted to Jesus might be to begin each day with a simple prayer. “Lord, I want nothing more than to be your person. I want to hold on to you and live the way you direct me. Please help me today to let go of those things that hinder whole-hearted pursuit of the life to which you have called me.” Then give attention each day to holding on to the good and letting go of everything else. May God bless us as we pursue our wish of being his people.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

What a vision! What a thought! Making all things new sounds exciting. We like new. We like new houses, new cars, new clothes, and new adventures. “New” gets our attention. Even if we prefer older things, vintage things like cars or houses, we really like them if they have been restored to “like new” condition.

New excites us. The really exciting thing about this particular passage in Revelation is that the “all things” includes you and me. We can be made new. In fact, in order to be a part of this grand vision that John shares with us, we must be made new.

We hear that from Jesus all throughout his ministry. In Matthew 4, at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus we read:  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This indicates that the way in which we operated prior to being called into the kingdom has to change. The way we thought, the way we viewed the world around us, the way we dealt with people around us will all have to change. We will live in a new way and see the world completely differently. The language of losing our lives in order to follow Jesus (Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35) makes that same claim.  John’s account of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus makes this incredibly clear.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:1-3)

A new birth, a fresh start, has a wonderful sound. It is something that we have all wanted. It is something we find ourselves desiring. We want to be restored to “like new” condition. Thanks to God, this can happen.

The description of this change as a new birth reminds us that this is not something we accomplish on our own. Think of our first birth. You and I didn’t decide to be born. We didn’t choose it. We didn’t cause it. We were only the beneficiaries of it.  

God is ultimately the one who makes us new. He is the only one who can. He has done so much to make it possible. He sent his Son so that we could be made new. But he does this with our cooperation. Unlike our physical birth, we decide to participate in the new one.

Being born of water and spirit, as Jesus describes this new birth to Nicodemus, is a reference to baptism. It is in baptism where person we once were is buried and a new life begins. It is in baptism where we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who leads, guides, and makes us holy.

Baptism is not the end of the story, but only the beginning. From that new birth, we are continually being made new due to the gift of the Spirit. That also is not done without our cooperation. We must continually submit to the lead of the Holy Spirit. We spend time in studying God’s word. We spend time in prayer. We gather with the church and worship. We spend time getting to know Jesus and how he would have us live.

We all long to be made knew. We all look forward to the time when God will make everything new. We look forward to being with him, seeing him face to face. To do that, we have to be willing to follow the lead of Jesus. We have to be willing to cooperate with God. We do that because we know it will be worth it.

There is a somewhat humorous encounter that we find in the first chapter of John’s gospel in the calling of Nathanael. Jesus had called Phillip to follow him. Phillip recognized the significance of the call from this rabbi and went to find Nathanael. “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45) Nathanael’s response was less than enthusiastic. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46) He did, however, follow Phillip to meet Jesus. We read of their encounter in the next few verses of chapter 1:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:47-49 ESV)

Nathanael’s initial reaction may have been one of being thoroughly impressed. “How does he know me? Have we met?” What else went through his mind may have been more disturbing. “He knows me. He seems to have known what I was thinking. He knows what I said about him and his hometown. How much more does he know about me?”

This encounter that John records for us is one that is very relatable, humbling, and deeply profound. It is relatable to us because we have all been where Nathanael was. We have all said things we later regret and have had the things we said come back to bite us in one way or another. We have judged too quickly, and have had that judgment proven wrong and have had to admit to our mistakes.

This event is also very humbling. We see Nathanael standing before Jesus completely exposed and unable to hide. We like to be known by others, but we typically only give them information that we want them to know about us. In other words, we only share the parts of ourselves that make us look good in their eyes. We want people to think well of us. We realize in this encounter that we cannot hide anything from Jesus. He knows all about us: every thought, every desire, every careless word, all the dark places where we like to keep things hidden, everything is open to his view (Hebrews 4:13). That is a very humbling and vulnerable place to be.

This encounter is also very profound in that even though Jesus knows all about us, even though there is nothing we can hide from him, he still wants us. Jesus calls people, broken and flawed people, people with ugly pasts and presents, people like us. The depth of his love and desire to be with us are incredible. It is not a new thing. Throughout history, God has called, dwelled with, and worked through incredibly flawed people. The nation of Israel wasn’t called to be God’s people because they were morally better, more powerful, or more influential than the other nations around them (Deuteronomy 7:6-8; 9:4-7). It was because of God and his faithfulness to his covenant and because of his desire that all nations would have the opportunity to be a part of his people.

The invitation of Jesus is offered to us where we are, but as we learn more about what this call means, we become different people. Nathanael’s confession after seeing Jesus is one that leads to a change, a complete change. It is one that communicates that we allow Jesus to lead us and to transform us from the old, broken person we used to be into a new person with new direction, new priorities, and real hope. This encounter in John 1 ends with Nathanael being invited to witness something amazing. Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:50-51)

We are invited on that same journey. When we meet Jesus and see him for who he truly is, when we realize his great love for us and his willingness to be with us, it will change us. When we answer the call to follow him, we get to witness the incredible. As we continue to follow and continue to learn and to trust and obey, we will see our lives changed. We will interact differently with those around us, and invite others to join us in following him.

There are times in Scripture when God’s reaction to the disobedience of his people seems incredibly harsh. There are three narratives from the Old Testament that come to mind as examples of this.

The first is found in Leviticus 10 in the narrative of Nadab and Abihu. On the heels of Israel constructing the tabernacle and beginning the service of God in this new system, we read of these two sons of Aaron.

“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (Leviticus 10:1-2 ESV)

That leaves us with several questions such as: what exactly is meant by “unauthorized fire,” or why these two who had seen God on Mount Sinai would do such a thing? It may seem to us to be a very strong reaction by God to what might be looked at as a rather minor offense.

The next narrative to examine is found in the book of Joshua and is the narrative of a man named Achan. God had brought Israel safely into the Promised Land and had given them victory over the city of Jericho. Prior to the battle God had commanded that everything in Jericho be devoted to destruction (Joshua 6:16-19). After the battle we read this about Achan:

“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel.” (Joshua 7:1 ESV)

Achan took some of the things that were not to be taken and he hid them under his tent. When this was discovered Achan and his entire family were stoned to death, burned, and then covered with stones.

Considering all that God had put up with in regard to Israel’s rebellion to that point, and all the rebellion that God would endure from Israel in the generations to come, this seems a rather harsh punishment.

The final one for us to examine happens during the reign of David. After the death of Saul, David as a new king moves the capital to Jerusalem. As a part of this process, he moves the Ark of the Covenant into the city on an oxcart. During the trip, the oxen stumbled and a man named Uzzah reached up to steady the ark.
“And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7 ESV)

As Bible students we know the significance of the Ark of the Covenant. This was where God would meet with the people of Israel. It was kept in an area that was only accessible to the High Priest one day per year. We also remember that it was not meant to be transported on a cart, but rather it was to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites. But, all Uzzah did was touch it to steady it and he was killed. That may seem a bit harsh.

When we stop and look at these narratives together, there are some important things to notice.

Obedience is very important. Nadab and Abihu had been instructed on what to do in regards to the fire that was to be used. It seems they decided that they knew best how to carry out the commands of God. They were wrong. Achan, like the rest of the Israelites, knew that he was not to take things from the city of Jericho. It appears that he thought God would be fine with him asserting his own view of right and wrong. God was not ok with it. Uzzah’s actions seem completely harmless if not even somewhat noble. Surely him steadying the ark even if it was being transported in a way that God did not want wouldn’t offend God.

Obedience is important to God.  It is not because God is some sort of tyrant. It is not because God wants to see what he can get us to do. It is an expression of our trust in him. God’s commands are for our good and for his glory. He wants us to trust him enough to obey, even if we think we have a better idea or a better way. Obedience demonstrates our trust in and love for God.

It is also worth noting that our being obedient (or failing to) affects others around us. This is especially evident in the case of Uzzah. The text doesn’t tell us, but it seems reasonable that it wasn’t his idea to transport the ark on a cart. That decision probably came from someone else, yet it is Uzzah who suffers.

We are a relational people. Our lives intersect with others and our actions affect them as well as ourselves. The way others see us respond to the commands of God communicates to them the importance that we place on obedience. It can have far-reaching effects.

The next thing we need to notice is the timing of these various events. Each of these occurs at the beginning of a new time, new situation in the life of Israel. Nadab and Abihu are ministering in this new thing called a tabernacle. This is shortly after Israel’s release from Egypt and they are learning more and more about the God of their fathers. Achan’s sin occurs just as Israel enters this new land, the one that had been promised to Abraham. This is a new place and they are under new leadership with Joshua. The incident with Uzzah and the ark happens as Israel has a new king and his administration is moving to a new location.

I think what we are meant to see is that the circumstances may change for God’s people, but God is still the same. He is just as holy. He is just as powerful. He is just as worthy of honor and respect and awe as ever.

My prayer is that we remember this as we begin this new year. 2023 will bring changes. It will bring its own set of challenges and successes. Our contexts may change, the culture around us may change, leadership may change, but God remains the same. That is good news! The God who has seen us thru in the past is the same God who walks with us in the present. He is the same God with whom we exist in a covenant relationship. He is just as holy, just as gracious, and just as desirous to be with us as ever before. The same God who leads and shepherds us as his people has not changed. Our response to him, his holiness and graciousness, should not change either.

It really is a great time of year. We all have various activities and traditions around Christmas. There are parades, programs, and all kinds of decorations that are scattered all around our various areas. When the kids were smaller, one of our favorite things to do was to drive around and look at all the Christmas lights. Among the Santas and sleighs, the lights and trees, we would see nativity scenes displayed. We would often drive past and comment about how nice it looked, or admire the way it was set up, without paying much attention to what is actually communicated in that scene. What if we stopped and looked?

We see a couple with a newborn baby. We see a group of shepherds. We see what appear to be wealthy kings. We see three very different and disparate groups of people with little if anything in common. Yet, these are three groups of people that we find in the accounts of the birth of Jesus recorded in Matthew and in Luke.

Mary and Joseph, the young couple from Nazareth were ordinary people on a their way to a life that was probably quite predictable. The shepherds were people who were just going about their lives in one of the least honored vocations of their day. Then there were the kings from the East, wealthy and educated who studied and watched for the fulfillment of prophecy. Three groups of people that we see in various scenes all around us at this time of year, all brought together by a singular event.

That singular event was one that had been in the works for centuries, ever since the fall in Genesis 3. That singular event consisted of an angelic messenger, an imperial edict, a miraculous conception and birth, communication to various people via dreams, the appearance of a star, and a chorus of angels making the grand announcement. All of this, plus many more acts of God of which we read throughout the Old Testament, brings together people from all walks of life with God in their midst. There are several things we need to notice as we look at that first nativity scene.

We see the importance of stepping out in faith, trusting in what God can do. When Gabriel shows up to make the announcement to Mary, she really doesn’t know what to make of all this. Who would? She was just told that she would conceive and give birth to God’s son, that he would sit on the throne of his father David, and that his Kingdom would never end (Luke 1:26-33). After asking how this could be possible and hearing the explanation of Gabriel, Mary replied, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) She had no idea where this would lead. She simply said, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

Joseph is another example of this kind of faith. Imagine being told by your fiancé that she is pregnant and that her child was the result of a miracle. It’s no wonder that Matthew tells us that he wanted to “put her away.” But when God communicated with him, confirming what Mary had said, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24-25)

We see the importance of being watchful. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1) We know little of these men. How far did they travel? Who exactly were they? We can tell that they were people who were expecting God to do something. They had been watching and waiting for the promise of God to come. As a result of this, they were able to witness a marvelous event.

We see that this event was good news for everyone; no one was to be excluded. “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12) The shepherds, the least of society, were the first to hear of this news and to be invited to the celebration. It wasn’t just for the rich, the respectable, the religious, or even just the Jews. God sending his son is good news for all.

We see that God does all of this in order to be with us. The divide between us and God due to sin was something we could not resolve. God wants to be with us badly enough to show up as a vulnerable infant, born in a stable. I pray that this is what we see as we stop and look at a nativity scene. I pray that this is something that we remember every single day of the year.