He wasn't a victim

 I am writing this on Friday April 18, 2025 Good Friday. These past few weeks, I have been restudying the events of that first Easter weekend, from Thursday night through the resurrection and what John and Paul say that this means to all of us. One thing that stood out to me this time around is something that I have noticed before but it didn't stand out as it did this time. The thing that stood out to me is that Jesus suffered many things, but he was never a victim. 

Going back over my 67+ years of reading, hearing, and studying the events of that weekend, I have realized that many times (although I have no doubt that it was unintentional) Jesus has been portrayed as a victim on Thursday night and Friday. What I hope to show is that the Bible shows that Jesus was never a victim, he was not only in control, he kept the show going when I looked like it might not happen. Let's begin.

Let's start with Thursday night. The Last Supper has taken place, Jesus is in the garden where he has just finished praying 3 times to God the Father about the cup that he is about to partake. The guard shows up with Judas and John tells us this exchange.

John 18:3-6

3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Jesus meets the guard and ask them who do you want and hearing their answer Jesus says, "I am" he. It is one of the times that Jesus declares himself as I am, which is the name God gave Moses telling him who God was. 

Do you see the response? Just that verbal declaration forces the soldiers backwards and they go down.  With that one statement Jesus shows his power and sees to it that none of the people with Jesus are taken into custody.  After this one of Jesus' disciples draws a sword cuts the ear off one of them and now see Jesus' reaction from Luke 22:50-51

And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.

Jesus rebuked his disciples and healed the man's ear. Again Jesus was in control.

Now we come to the mock trial. Even then look at what Mark says happened. Mark 14:55-59

55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. 57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.

jesus was on trial right where the chief priests wanted him but yet, they couldn't find anything to charge him with. so they asked Jesus directly and if Jesus remained silent like he had been doing this whole time, they had nothing, but instead Jesus spoke up and said this  Mark 14:61b-65

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65 And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.

So instead of Jesus staying silent, Jesus answers with a phrase declaring himself to be the Son of Man. A title from Daniel 7 that declared him as being God. And with that the trial had done its job and the physical abuse kicked into high gear.

Then the Chief Priests take him to the Roman ruler, Pontius Pilate and notice the frank exchange that Jesus has with Pilate. Jesus talks frankly and not as someone who is on trial.  John 18:33-37

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Then we come to his death. Here we see that before the Romans started breaking the legs of the men being crucified, Jesus declared that it was finished. in Greek the word is Tetelesti. It means paid in full. our sinful debts had been paid and now Jesus died on his own terms and not as others thought.  John 19:30.

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I hope that you see that through all of this Jesus was in control. That doesn't diminish the pain and suffering that he went through, but I think it gives the story more gravitas. 

Now after reading these things think of what Paul declared in Philippians 3:10

10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

and agian in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 

I could go on but and I hope that whoever reading this will do just that. just remember that it was no accident that Jesus took our punishment upon him so that we could be with him and to know him.

"It was almost like a song_"..... except in this case it was a Psalm.

Have you heard anyone say a line from a song and immediately your mind keeps the song going. Maybe when reading this title, you thought of Ronnie Milsap's song titled "It was almost like a song, but much too sad to write". I believe that most if not all of us have done that and that is not new to our generation. They did that back in Bible times.   

During that day that we often refer to as Good Friday, Jesus did just that while hanging on the cross. The book of Psalms is really a book of songs and every boy would have learned that back in his youth from school and every family would have taught them to all their kids at home.

So when Jesus said "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and so the people there would have automatically remembered the lyrics from Psalm 22. The text even reveals that this happened through the way that the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked him by saying - "He trusts in God, let God deliver him now, For he said, "I am the Son of God" (Matthew 27:43) and compare that to Psalm 22:8 - "He trusts in the Lord, let him rescue him, for he delights in him.

Psalm 22 was written by the Israelite king David. The verses of that song describes the pain of the crucifixion that Jesus endured. The images that they portray are very powerful. They are so powerful that the 70's rock band, The Guess Who added a few of those verses to the end of their song "Hang on to your life" Here is a YouTube link to their song. They quote verses 13-15. Those are not the only intense verses from this song.

As I close this post, I will leave you with the song as translated by the ESV Bible. They go like this:

Psalm 22

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4 In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5 To you they cried and were rescued;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8 He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!

9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.

10 On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother's womb you have been my God.

11 Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.

12 Many bulls encompass me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13 they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

17 I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!

O you my help, come quickly to my aid!

20 Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog!

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted,

and he has not hidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30 Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,

that he has done it.

The washing of feet - trues and truth.

 I did not turn on the Super Bowl until the end of the 4th quarter this year (2024), so I did not see the surprise commercial  about Jesus washing feet, but I did see the reactions to it. As I read the reactions and then watched the commercial online, I noticed that every one had something true about Jesus washing feet and none of them told the truth. It has been on my heart these past few weeks to try and write about Jesus washing the disciples feet.

First this event is recorded one time in the Gospels and that is in John 13. Verse one sets the stage for the event. It is at the Passover Supper. Jesus' time has come to an end and in just a matter of hours or minutes, He would be arrested, tortured, mocked, had several Kangaroo court trials, and crucified until death. He also loved those who was following Him and this was one last time to be with them, one last time to teach them, one last time to warn them.

Now John does not go into detail about what the topic of conversation was at this time, but Luke tells us in his account found Luke 22:24. They were arguing about which one of them would be the greatest in Jesus' kingdom. So John 13:4-5) tells us that Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

I think that the significance of this action is lost on us today, but it wasn't on Peter. Peter who once said to Jesus to "go away from me for I am a sinful man"; & "You are the Christ the Son of the living God". Foot washing was one of the most menial tasks that a solve would do. Peter saw Jesus for who Jesus really was and that He was/is God. Jesus is the anointed King that will rule the world. This person whom Peter worshipped was coming to him as the lowest of slaves doing the most menail of tasks and Peter objected to that. But Jesus was teaching through these actions. It is not about who is greatest, but who serves others. 

Now when Jesus was through, he explained this to them in verses 12-17. "12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

Luke adds this thing that Jesus taught them that night and it really ties in with what John tells us. Luke 22:25-27.  25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. "

Now I want to point out that Judas was one of them at this point. John had pointed that out in verses      10-11.  So Jesus did wash the feet of someone who betrayed Jesus. the verses that i skipped over also point out that Judas was not clean (saved) as the rest of the disciples were.Jesus was teaching that following Him is about serving others. 

Now there is one more thing that I read about where people were condemning the cost of the commercial and I found that to be both humorous and tragic. It reminded me of another incident in scriptures. John 12:1-8.   "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,[c] but you will not always have me.”

I don't write this to tell you what to believe, but to aid and spur you on to learn for yourselves about Jesus the Christ, & the Son of the Living God.

Note: all scripture quoted in this blog post comes from the NIV Bible.

 The Rich Man and Lazarus - A Bible story whose message is often missed or misinterpreted. 

The Rich Man and Lazarus is a story found in Luke chapter 16, verses 19-31. It has become controversial in recent years as people debate the meaning of these verses. The main problem that both sides of this debate is that both sides come to this parable looking at it through 21st century eyes instead of 1st century eyes. In doing so, both sides sermons have become lacking or so it seems to me. This is my attempt to briefly show what I see in these verses.

To see the message here, you must first go back to Luke 15:1 and see who is here at this time. When looking at this verse, you see that along with Jesus and His disciples, there were Tax Collectors, Sinners (A word that is used to describe Jewish people whom the Pharisees and and Experts in the Biblical Law condemned because of their unholy lifestyle.), along with Pharisees and Experts in the law. The rest of chapter 15 is devoted to Jesus telling parables (fictional stories that teach Biblical Truths) that defend Jesus' association with the Tax Collectors and Sinners and describe what His mission is to them. 

At the start of chapter 16 Jesus turns to His disciples and tells them the parable of a dishonest steward.  This is a parable that teaches - "make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out, you will be welcomed into the eternal homes."

This offends the Pharisees.  This brings us to verse 14 and 15 which is key to understanding the upcoming parable. These verses say  - "14 The Pharisees (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him. 15 But Jesus said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight." You might want to reread verse 15 because this is key to the upcoming verses.

Going from verse 15 we skip down to the text for this post.

"19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 But at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered with sores, 21 who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. 24 So he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in anguish in this fire.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father—send Lazarus to my father’s house 28 (for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to them.’ 30 Then the rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 He replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Now the first thing that I want to discuss is the question of whether or not this is a parable or a true story.  Both sides make valid points to their case, but in the end by making their point, they miss the truth that this teaching brings. The first thing that I want to point out is that this story is in the form of a parable. The starting words, "There was a" is much like "Once upon a time" in the American dialect, which means that this is a fable or more truthfully a parable. However, in the upcoming verses, one of the characters is named Lazarus. That is rare in parables and many believe that shows that this is a true story that Jesus is telling. People who argue these viewpoints do so because of how they want to interpet verses 22-31. More on that later.

The first thing that I want to look at is "the rich man". Who is this man. The first thing that is very oblivious.  He has wealth. He dresses in the finest clothes. He not only eats everyday, but his everyday meals are feasts, much like our Thanksgiving feasts.  What is often left out in sermons is that this is a man whom the Pharisees would praise and honor.  That means that the rich man is a good Jewish man. He does all the right things. He goes to and participates in the Jewish festivals.  He would demonstrate his spiritual cleanliness by going into a Mikveh and then into Synagogue or the Temple. 

Now the second main character in this story is Lazarus. He is on the other end of the spectrum. He is very poor. His body was covered in sores, which would make him spiritually unclean  and unable to gather and/or worship with others. He was reduced to having to beg for food and found himself sitting at the gate of this rich man's house. Now someting that is often missed in the telling of this story is the meaning of the name Lazarus. His name means "whom God helps". The meaning of this name would not be lost on Jesus' audience and adds to the meaning of the story.  Now the main desire of Lazarus is for table scraps from the rich man's table. These would be the crumbs that were often ate by the animals. ( It is tempting for me to go a goose chase to Mark 7:28, but I will not do so here).

Now we get to their deaths and again we see the extreme differences in how this is carried out. The Rich Man died and was buried. His funeral would have been a royal one full of mourners and a large procession going to his burial where he was sealed inside a tomb. The poor man also died. What the story doesn't say and that would have been understood by the original audience is that Lazarus' body would have been casted in a burning garbage pit in a place called Gehenna. A place full of maggots, and fire.  

Nest we get to see the other worldly destinations of the two main characters. The rich man is in an eternal Gehenna with fire and worms and Lazarus (whose name means "whom God helps") is carried to Abraham's side or bosom. 

Now we meet a third character in this story. Father Abraham. This term of God points out that both of these men were descendants of Abraham. They were both Jewish men, but now in the ultimate role reversal -  the one (who was highly praised in life) is in torment and the one (who was highly despised in life) is by the side of God and God is holding him like one would a child or someone when you are comforting them in their grief. And we see here what Jesus was talking about in verse 15 ( For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight.).  The rich man is now the beggar (desiring a drop of water from Lazarus) and Lazarus is now in wealth.  We could end the post right here because that is the main point. The difference between the values we put on people and what God values. However if we did that we would miss the dueling viewpoints and their arguments over verses 23 - 31. The people who generally want this to be a parable do so because they want to dismiss this description of Hell or Judgement. However even if they are right about this as a parable, they miss that God gave His judgement in the afterlife and not this life. Also from what I have noticed is that this viewpoint waters down Jesus words - "utterly detestable" to the point where they do not carry any meaning or consequence. 

 Now the other side of this debate is the literalists who take this as a literal place of judgement. (Those who know me know that I come from this side of the debate). However many of these people miss what these verses teach.  This teaching comes from verses 27-31.  (27 So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father—send Lazarus to my father’s house 28 (for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to them.’ 30 Then the rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 He replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’). 

 The rich man's request for someone to rise from the dead points out to him wanting someone to go and describe this place of torment to his family who is still alive. In other words, the rich man was wanting someone to go back and speak with authority about judgement, and thee fire and brimstone of Hell.  This is the message of a lot of evangelists, preachers, teachers, and pastors of today. Now the danger of this is that they all miss what Jesus is teaching in the next verse. They have Moses and the Prophets. Moses is referring to the first five books of what we call the Old Testament, the first major division of that Testament. The Prophets refer to the last 17 books of teh Old Testament and the last major division (Sometimes this division is further divided into Major Prophets and Minor Prophets). This phrase Moses and the Prophets is a synonym for the scriptures. Jesus would demonstrate the worthlessness of this teaching by literally raiseing people from the dead and no where in scripture does it say that anyone became a disciple of Jesus from these men. You see people who preach these sermons do so to produce converts, but Jesus isn't looking for converts. He is wanting disciples.   A convert may say the sinner prayer, but seldom has the works coming from their hearts that show love and faith. As James would later say in his letter - their faith is dead. a disciple who commits his life to the following of Jesus. They learn what Jesus says and they strive daily to become more like him so that when someone sees them they see Jesus through them.  

So the proverbial question here is - where do you find yourself in this narrative? 

Righteous Lot and the story of Sodom

 I have felt the need lately to go back and look at the story of Lot.  The man who was Abraham's nephew and will forever be known for living in Sodom.  This is a familiar story, but I want to look at the whole study and see what the Bible really says about it.  As we head into this story, we do so knowing that Lot was a Righteous man as recorded in 2 Peter 2. 

We first hear of Lot in Genesis 11 in the genealogy of Shem who was the son of Noah (The man who is linked to an ark (boat) and the flood). We get down to Terah who was the Father of Abram and Haran.  Haran was the father of Lot.  Then Haran dies, and Terah takes his son Abram, Abram's wife - Sarai (who was also his half-sister), and his grandson Lot and they head out to Canaan. While they  had reached a place called Charan (Most translation say Haran which is confusing since this is also the name of Abram's dead brother). while they were there, Terah dies. That leaves Abram, Sarai, and Lot. Then The Lord tells Abram to go to the land of Canaan and they all go.

Now when a famine comes upon the land, they escape to the land of Egypt. While there  They tell Pharaoh that Sarai is Abram's sister and not his wife and Pharoah takes Sarai to be his wife.  God then starts causes bad things to happen and Pharaoh discovers that Abram and Sarai are actually married and he kicks the whole bunch out of Egypt. Lot was a part of all of this. So they left Egypt and head for the wilderness of the Negeb. 

At that time, both Abram and Lot were successful ranchers who had both stock and herds of animals and the land there could not support both men's livestock and fighting would break out because of that. So Abram gets together with Lot and they decide to go different ways as way for them to maintain their relationship with each other. And so Lot decides to go to the Eden-like setting of the Jordan Valley where the city kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah existed. and Abram heads further into the land of Canaan. 

While Lot was living in that land, a war broke out and a number of kings invaded and made war with Sodom, Gomorrah and the region and won the war.  They also captured Lot and Lots possessions and went on their way. When this news reached Abram, Abram raised an army and went after these kings and won the victory and took back everything that this kings had took including Lot and Lot's possessions. Abram then headed back to meet up with the king of Sodom and there he also met the priest king of Salem named Melchizedek. Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils of victory and then he returned everything to the king of Sodom minus the offerings to Melchizedek and also a part to the men who helped Abram.

At this point we skip forward a few chapters and we find that Abram is now Abraham and Sarai is now Sarah.  Abraham has a son named Ishmael with Sarah's handmaid - Hagar.  Also the ritual of circumcision has begun.

Abraham is resting during the heat of the day when 3 men appear before him. Now these men must have had an otherworldly appearance. I say that by Abraham's reaction and in a few verses we see a similar reaction from Lot. Now it is revealed that one of these men was the Lord Jehovah and the other two were angels. Here we see among other things the reveal that Sodom, Gomorrah and the whole region would be destroyed. Abraham then intercedes for Sodom and The Lord tells Abraham that if there are 10 righteous men in the city, the city would be spared.

So what was the people in this region doing that was so evil? The verses that I've been suminizing have already said that they were guilty of living for sensual pleasure. Ezekiel 16:49-50 tells us that their sin was that they had arrogance, abundant food, prosperous ease of living, did not aid the poor and needy, did abominations   (sexual sins from having sex with anyone who is not your spouse, (including other family members) same sex relationships, and bestiality - Jude also hints at them doing bestiality).  But now let's get back to the story. These two angels approach the city gates of Sodom and that is where Lot is at.  It is interesting that since the rescue of the people of Sodom by Abraham (Lot's Uncle) that he now sits at the city gates which is a place of influence and honor. Lot has a similar reaction to Abraham when he sees these otherworldly people and talks them into coming to his house, getting their feet washed, eating and spending the night. The Angels agree to this and after they have finished eating, all the men of the city had gathered outside of Lot's house. These men had gathered to gangrape these angels.  Now, many people teach that this was a homosexual act, but it wasn't. Homosexuality is congenial, and this was not. this was forced. This style of rape is about destroying a person, with their penis as their weapon. Lot offers to sacrifice his two youngest daughters to save the otherworldly men. The response of the mob shows us that Lot was trying to use his influence for good, when they cry out against Lot saying that he came that he came there as a guest and now has become a judge over them. So the mob decide to do to Lot what they wanted to do to the strangers plus more. The otherworldly men or angels pull Lot inside and tell him to gather his kin. Lot goes to his two son in laws but they treat Lot like he was like Don Quixote.  The angels then tells Lot to take his wife and two remaining daughters and leave the city. They then pretty much have to take them by the hand and drag them out of the city and tell them to leave the area and to not look back. Lot's wife does look back and becomes a pillar of salt. Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole region was destroyed by fire and sulfur raining down on the region, but Lot had interceded for the town of Zoar and at first went there and then he went on further into a cave where his daughters thought that they were the last ones standing. They get their father drunk and have sex with him and bear him sons. I included this because when God delivered Israel out of Egypt later on, He tells them to leave the incestuous descendants of Lot alone and let them dwell in the land.

It is important that we as Christians get this story right, because God uses this story as how it will be in the end times and how God can and will deliver His people out of destruction.

The start of Sin and its Cure

 One thing that I've noticed over the course of my life is this sin that no one talks about. We find it throughout scriptures. We see it in our nation. We place  these people on high pedestals.  Our political elections are designed to put people who demonstrate this sin into power..We even find this sin within our churches, and I believe that it is this sin that is causing our church attendance to decline and the moral decay of our nation to increase.

Before I go any further, let me post a couple of verses of scriptures to demonstrate where this sin takes all of us.  The verses are Isaiah 14: 13-14. I'm quoting the NASB in all verse references in this blogpost.

13 "But you said in your heart,

'I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.

14 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.'

As you can see these verses are talking about the subject elevating himself to God.  These verses are from a bigger context dealing with God's judgement of certain people and nations and there is a debate about who these verses are referring to, but no matter what the position of that debate you may hold, the meaning of what I am discussing here is the same.  I believe that self-exalting is to sin what love is to righteousness. 

To look at this, let's go back to the Garden Of Eden and look at what made the fruit of the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil so tempting.  We find what I'm talking about in Genesis 3:5

 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

This is the verse right before the fruit looked good to eat. It was when Adam and Eve saw the tree as a means to exalt them to be God's equal that caused the sin of eating.

Now before we go any further, let us acknowledge that there are two ways to exalt oneself. you can elevate yourself by your actions and achievements or you an elevate yourself by cutting down others. Both ways will result in you being exalted about the others.

Now applying that to God's law that He handed down to Israel, we see:

Worshipping other Gods instead of the one true God, lowers God from His rightful Status.

Making images of a God that is beyond being represented in an Image, lowers God's Status.

When you use God's name in a vain way, you lower God's status.

Working 7 days a week or forcing your hired help to work seven days a week is a way to exalt yourself. 

When you dishonor your father or mother, you lower their status and exalt yourself

When you murder someone, you exalt yourself above them.

When you commit adultery, your cut down and exalt yourself over your spouse, the person you have the affair with and also their spouse.

Stealing exalts yourself over others.

Bearing false witness or lying about someone else, cuts them down to exalt yourself.

Even just wanting or desiring to do those things, even if you don't act upon those thoughts, serves to exalt yourself over others.

Now maybe we can look back at what I started this blog post about. The American way is to honor those who have found a way to exalt themselves above others, whether it is through their monetary  accomplishments, or athletic achievements, etc.  Our Elections are based upon candidates exalting themselves. Our churches are full of Pastors who use their Seminary degrees as a means to exalt themselves. They use church statistics to exalt them and their local congregation above others. Even regular members seek to exalt themselves to be the "bell cow" of the congregations to dictate the actions of others. I could go into examples, but I think that everyone gets the ideal. Every person who has been born since Adam and Eve has had this sin, except one.

Now, I think is a good time to look at the cure for this sin and to do that, we need to look at the one, I just mentioned. That One is the person that we Non-Jews call Jesus. So let us look at Philippians 2: 5-8

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

While the whole book of Philippians is a good book to read for this, let us look at these Christological verses that I quoted and see these things about Jesus

Jesus was in the form of God. He was equal with God. He was God. As we look at these next actions of His, let us remember that and that He never became a doormat for others to walk on.

He emptied Himself. Instead of Exalting Himself, He lowered Himself and thus elevated us. He took the form of a bond-servant, or a slave. The lowest position of any person on Earth and He became like us.  When Jesus did that, He elevated us. Then He was obedient to the point of being tortured to death and dying on a cross. By Doing this He exalted us to the point where we can now receive Sanctification.  That is we can be cured from our sins.  We can become Justified. That is - Jesus took the punishment that we deserve.  This is the basis of forgiveness. I can forgive those who harmed me because I know that someone has received punishment for that hurt that I received. 

Now Jesus did not stay in that humbled position, because God has exalted Jesus about all of us and because of that - we who have accepted His Lordship over us are elevated to be considered younger siblings to Jesus. This is what love does.  Love elevates others.  When we humble ourselves instead of exalting ourselves, we are in a position to show love for others. To meet their needs, elevates them to a higher status. By seeing our actions of love, they see the how God seeks to exalt and can take part in that, by asking God to do that for them and they will be part of the family of God.

Christmas and God's Embrace of Shame and Scandal

 It's Christmas time.  It is many people's favorite time of the year. As I sit here this year, my mind keeps pondering all the shame and scandal that God provoked during this time. That part of the story doesn't get expounded on as much as the Homogenised and Pasteurised  version does during our church services and songs. If you will bear with me, I will try and explain some of what I'm talking about.

To begin with, let us look at the announcement from Gabriel to Mary.  We she that she is a virgin who was "engaged" or betrothed to a man named Joseph. History books suggest that she was probably a teenager, maybe even as young as 14 or so. This means that she looked down upon as one who had a baby out of wedlock and may have been a pregnant teenager. Even though she was right in her song of praise that she would be known in history as being Blessed, people of her day (especially the religious leaders) would see her as being immoral and "wild". 

Joseph could have demanded that her and her baby be stoned to death because of this. He do know that he pondered what to do, so he would have considered this but instead decided just to "divorce" her (or maybe "annul the betrothal" would be a better way to understand this). At that point is when he had his encounter with an angel. So Joseph took the shame of this upon himself, and their marriage would look more like we used to call a "shotgun wedding".  We see that this indeed did happen as during a heated exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees (in John chapter 8),  they tell Jesus that they were not born as a result of fornication.

The immorality thing would not be the only thing that would cause people to look down upon them as Mary and Joseph were very poor. First we see this by they needing to find refuge in a stable or place where animals were kept.  Bethlehem that night was overrun with people who the Romans required to be there, but you still did not see "rich" people staying in such conditions. Also when Mary went to the Temple to offer her sacrifice to be pure again after the birth, she offered two doves or pigeons instead of a lamb.  This offering of doves was for people who had no money. 

Also look at the people who God chose to reveal this birth.  With the exception of Simeon, Anna, and the parents of John the Baptist, everyone else was looked down upon in this society. I'm talking about the shepherds and the Magi.  Even though sheep and lambs were very important in Jewish worship and life, shepherds were the outcasts of society. They were not allowed to participate in any of the "reindeer games" that people played in those days. To continue in my Rudolf references, they would be considered "misfits" in their society.

The Magi were not even Jews. They were star gazers from the Iran/Iraq region of the world.  (Several empires from these parts pestered, invaded, conquered Israel throughout their history.) They used the stars to predict the future. Maybe they knew the words that Balaam  spoke to Balak, when he prophesied about a Star coming from Jacob to rule the nations.  

Then we have the fact that Jesus' birth caused the execution of many toddlers and infants.  The man used by the Romans to lead this area as King (Herod the great), ordered the death of all children that were under two that were in Bethlehem  to be killed. Joseph and Mary who were warned by God about this, took Jesus and fled to Egypt.

God could have chosen to be born in any way that He wanted to be born when He came into this world, but did it in a way of a unwed teenage Mom, in a way that brought accusations of having "wild" and immoral parents. He was born among the poorest of society's moneyless people.  He sort to reveal his birth to Jewish outcasts instead of that nation's highest ruling or religious hierarchy.  He was forced to immigrate to another nation for sanctuary, to live as long as Herod ruled Israel.  

So, even from the birth, we see a God who loves the outcasts and misfits in society and chose to be numbered among them.