Category: Devotional

The Cradle in the Shadow of the Cross

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

During the Christmas season, our schedule is often crammed with all the festivities to attend, gifts to deliver, and shopping to complete. The race against the clock and the stress of getting things “just right” can be a bit overwhelming. That is why we all could use a reminder to pause, step back, and take it all in. Consider with me what Christmas is really all about.

Selah

The Bible has a wonderful word for this: selah. Selah means stop. Consider. Absorb. Don’t hurry on to the next task to accomplish. Instead, take a deep breath and reflect on the wonder of what God has done out of His unspeakable love for you.

One reason we need to pause is that we often think we have already “figured out” Christmas. We imagine that since we have heard the Christmas story so many times before that we already have a good grasp on it. But, in truth, Christmas is about an event we could never fully wrap our minds around.

“The Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)

We are talking about the infinite becoming finite; the omnipotent One becoming small and weak; the eternal Son of God who created time entering into time itself as the Son of Mary. The Creator entered His creation. The Author wrote Himself into His play.

There is great mystery here. In the words of the Lutheran theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the incarnation is a holy mystery. It’s a mind-bending mystery to consider how divinity and humanity could be so closely intertwined in a single person. And yet, that is precisely what we have with Jesus. He is not merely the greatest man who ever lived. He is the one and only God-man.

His hands were the hands that placed the stars in the sky. His voice was the one that spoke light into existence at the very beginning. His were the eyes that have peered into the soul of every man, woman, and child. Yet, here He was on Mary’s lap, the glory of Heaven was there as a little baby, nursing from His mother’s breast.

And we are meant to pause and wonder, to allow ourselves the time to ponder the incredible truth of it all. As we do that, the Spirit of God opens His glorious truth to us.

We are like the person with impaired vision who went into surgery to have his vision corrected, and when he comes out, he can see color for the first time. “I never dreamed that the sky could be so blue!” he says. “I never imagined grass to be so green.” Although he could see things before, he’s now seeing everything in a brand new way, as it was always meant to be seen.

That’s what we must do as we consider the coming and incarnation of the Son of God. As we stare into the face of the infant in the manger, we begin to see everything and everyone else in the light of God’s glory.

“He Was in the Form of God”

Writing about the incarnation, the Apostle Paul said:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7, ESV)

To say that Jesus existed “in the form of God,” is to say that the Son has always had the nature of God. We typically think of “form” as the outward design, but in first-century Greek, the word morphe (“form”) meant something more like “inner substance” and “nature.” Paul is saying that at no point in time did Jesus ever become a god or graduate to godhood. He always has been and always will be the eternal God of all. The fact that He is the Son of God doesn’t make Him any less divine, because a son always shares the nature of his father.

Paul goes on to say that this Son who has always existed as God “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (v. 6) or clutched. The idea is that the Son didn’t cling to His divine rights so as to avoid coming to our rescue. In fact, He did the opposite. Rather than seeing His divine nature as a reason to overlook us, He saw it as the thing that qualified Him to save us.

“He Emptied Himself”

Now, when some scholars early in the 20th century looked at the text that says Christ “emptied Himself” (v. 7), they assumed this meant He emptied Himself of His divine nature. As if, in order to become a man, Jesus had to shed His deity. But there’s a fundamental misunderstanding here. It doesn’t say He emptied something out of Himself, but that He “emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant” (v. 7). This self-emptying is talking about Christ’s incredible humility – that He who was exalted above all would stoop to such a low and degrading level out of love.

It’s not that being human is degrading; it’s not. We alone are the prized creation made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:26-27). But the Son of God was willing to subject Himself to being servant of all.

Christ didn’t have His Godhood taken away. This might sound like a mathematical paradox, but what we have here is subtraction by addition. Christ emptied Himself – not by losing His deity, but by adding a human nature.

Remember Christ’s words to the disciples when they were bickering about who was the greatest?

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man [speaking of Himself] came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, ESV)

How much egg do you think was on their face after that? They had just been arguing back and forth. Peter says, “I’m taller, so I should lead.” James says, “No, I’m smarter, so I should be in charge.” Jesus says, “Guys, stop looking to be served. Even I came here to serve you all and even die for you.” You can bet their mouths were snapped shut after that!

“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8, ESV)

Once again, “form” here means nature. So Jesus really did become fully human in every way. He wasn’t just wearing a human disguise. And He came as an obedient servant of His Father – all the way to the point of dying a criminal’s death on a cross.

“Even Death on a Cross”

This statement would have been shocking. To say that the cross was God’s idea would have sounded absurd to people at the time. They didn’t think of the cross as something you find on top of churches or worn around a neck. A cross — or stauros in the Greek — would have been viewed as the epitome of shame and agony. The word “cross” is something that even Romans wouldn’t say in polite company, because it conjured up the image of gore and shame.

Crucifixion – which originally was invented by the Persians – and then “perfected” by the Romans was designed to maximize both the pain and shame of the victim. In fact, the very word “excruciating” literally means “out of the cross.” This horrendous experience needed a whole category of its own to describe this level of torture.

Now consider that at Calvary, that was God on the cross. According to this verse, the cross was always the goal of Christ’s coming. This was not Plan B; God had always intended it to happen in this way. The reason for the manger of Christmas is the cross of Good Friday. The Son of God came to this earth as a man ultimately to pay for our sin and die the death we deserved.

Now ask yourself, “How much love is required to willingly undergo that kind of torture for those who are spitting in your face?” Jesus lived out the very humility Paul is calling us to embody. That’s why Paul brings up Christ’s incarnation and death. Earlier, he said, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, ESV). Who but Christ embodied this perfectly?

It was Christ who looked not merely “to His own interests, but… to the interests of others” (v. 4). At the cross, we see the ultimate act of selflessness – God Himself pouring out His love, enduring the penalty for our sins, so that we could be forgiven in full.

“God Has Highly Exalted Him”

Charles Wesley, who is known for his many hymns, including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” also wrote the famous hymn, “And Can It be that I Should Gain.”

The first stanza goes like this:

“And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”

When we consider Christmas, we should see a Savior God who was willing to lay aside every privilege and right in order to secure the freedom of those who deserved death. Jesus looked at you and considered your need, and because of His great love, He willingly made that vast journey from heaven to earth. And because He did that, words like “Bethlehem,” “manger,” and “wise men” mean something to us today.

Let’s join Paul in letting the truths of Christmas and Calvary turn out hearts to worship.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11, ESV)

Have thoughts on this post? Share in the comments below!

“O Holy Night,” Celtic Worship

Beware a Critical Spirit

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional2 Comments

By Jason Smith

“What gives you the right to judge?”

If you’ve lived in the United States for almost any amount of time, there’s a good chance you’ve heard this question or some version of it. Maybe someone even threw this barbed question at you or someone you know. It’s a question that gets to the heart of some major cultural shifts that have been witnessed in the last several decades. It’s also a question that points to why so many seem fed up with Christianity today.

But wait a minute, someone might say. Didn’t Jesus Himself tell us we are not to judge others?

Judge Not or Judge Correctly?

Perhaps more than any other passage in Scripture, I hear Matthew 7:1 quoted today – by both Christians and non-Christians alike.

“Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1, ESV)

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? Many will say, “Who are you to judge? Even Jesus said ‘Judge not.’”

Certainly such a command should be taken seriously, if we claim to follow Jesus as Lord. But let’s make sure we are understanding what exactly Jesus meant by this. For example, in another passage of the New Testament, the crowds are quick to criticize Jesus – even calling Him “demon-possessed!” That’s when Jesus showed them the error of their ways and added,

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” (John 7:24, NIV, emphasis added)

So, which is it? Are we to judge or not judge? We like simple and straightforward answers to this question, don’t we? And yet, as with so many other areas of human relationships, the answer has to be more complicated than a simple “yes” or “no.”

Let’s consider the Matthew 7 quote in its full scriptural context. After saying “Judge not,” Jesus goes on to say this:

“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:2-5, ESV)

There’s a lot to unpack here, but if we seek to understand Jesus’ words, we can avoid both errors that people often make. The first error is to think “judge not” is an absolute statement calling us to forsake all moral judgment or critique. The second error is to judge with a Pharisaical or self-righteous judgment.

Pharisaical Judgment

The first thing we need to see is that judgment here is akin to the word criticism. Jesus is chiding those who were eager to make harsh criticisms of others. This is seen in the ridiculous image Jesus paints for us. If you have read this passage before and completely missed Jesus’ use of righteous satire, there’s a good chance you missed what He’s saying.

Imagine someone walking into church with a massive tree trunk sticking out of his eye. To the amazement of everyone around him, the poor guy is somehow unaware of this ocular protrusion. How do you even broach the subject when he’s acting as if nothing is wrong? You then watch as he suddenly approaches one of the gentlemen staring at him in wonder.

“Listen, pal,” says Mr. Tree Trunk. “It seems that no one else is willing to tell you this, but you have some kind of black speck stuck in your eye. Here, I don’t want to embarrass you, but let me see if I can get it out of there.”

To which the other man, still startled by the size of that log, blurts out, “No, no! Thanks, but I think I’ll ask someone else to help with that.”

The whole scene sounds absurd, and yet it makes Jesus’ point perfectly. Jesus talks about things stuck in our eye, because very often our harsh criticism is the result of blindness to our own faults. To criticize someone else when we are struggling with the same thing (maybe even to a greater degree!) is to play the hypocrite.

Why Are We Quick to Judge?

It is part of our human nature that we tend to minimize the seriousness of our own sins and failures while we magnify the shortcomings of others. This can stem from spiritual pride – even if we don’t consider ourselves religious. We all have an inner Pharisee that is eager to make others look worse in order to make ourselves look better by comparison.

Take inventory of your own heart. When you hear about someone else’s failures, are you quick to condemn? Is there a part of you that smiles when others are exposed for wrongdoing? Do you jump at opportunities to show others to be in the wrong simply because you are gratified by being right?

There are times when we might be absolutely right, but the way we are speaking is shortsighted and harsh. Maybe it’s because we’re speaking like someone who has the goal of tearing others down rather than building them up.

Are you better at seeing the good intentions of others or finding errors in their thinking? Too often, we can criticize someone else only to find out later that we had no understanding of their unique situation. Proverbs 18:13 says, “To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.”

The Pharisees felt they had to bolster their self-image, because for them everything hung on being seen as righteous and morally praiseworthy. But when you understand that your righteousness comes from Christ through faith, you no longer feel the need to be superior or self-righteous. When you understand your own guilt has been removed by Christ, you won’t feel the need to find guilt in others.

Why We Can’t Neglect Discernment

Secondly, let’s note that Jesus is not calling for an absolute ban on any and all moral judgments. We’ve already seen that Jesus elsewhere calls people to “judge correctly” or to make sober judgments in the right way. And in Matthew 7, Jesus goes on to say, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs” (v. 6). Picking up Jesus’ metaphor for those who mock and malign us, how are we to know who the “dogs” or “pigs” are without careful discernment? A little later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns of “false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (v. 15). If we should never make any moral judgments whatsoever, why would He say, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (v. 20)? To determine if the “fruit” of someone’s life is good or bad, one must make a moral judgment.

But even in the example of the man with a log in his own eye, Jesus tells us to “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5, ESV)

In other words, Jesus isn’t calling us to stop correcting people who are in error. Jesus is saying that until we have examined our own hearts first and confessed our own sin to God and others, we are in no position to confront others. A good question to ask ourselves before issuing criticism is: “While my situation is different, is this something that I too struggle with in some way?”

God calls all His people to live in holiness, so of course Jesus still wants us to speak the truth in love to one another (Ephesians 4:15). If God calls something “sin,” so should we. Sin is always destructive, and God’s commands are for our good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). When we keep this in mind, we can warn both ourselves and others against it. Jesus calls the clear-eyed person to help the brother with the speck out of love.

Elsewhere the New Testament says:

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1, NIV)

Confronting a brother or sister in sin is something Jesus explicitly calls His followers to do. But this is so important: the goal must always be restoration. The goal is not to expose, embarrass, condemn, or make an example of someone. To confront someone in love is to say, “I know that what you are doing offends God and can only bring harm to yourself and others in the long run. So please come back to the Savior who loves you too much to let you go your own way!”

Tenderness in tone goes a long way here. That’s why Paul says to restore the person caught in sin “gently.”

Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Let’s remember that Jesus came into this world not to condemn, but to save.[1] If you are at all familiar with the teachings of the Bible, you know it says that every last one of us are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.” All includes you, me, and everyone else in the line of Adam. What does that have to do with being overly critical?

Well, if I am a sinner who deserves condemnation but instead receives grace from God, that should radically shape the way I deal with others. As a Christian, I know that Jesus found me when I was lost and showed me incomprehensible grace when I was headed for the ultimate judgment of hell. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV). To forget this in my relationships with others is to forget the greatest thing that happened to me.

How quickly we can forget that because of Jesus’ compassion for the lost, He was frequently found with the biggest sinners. Why? Not because the perfect Son of God wanted to join in their sin, but simply because He loved them and knew they needed Him. How ironic that we don’t find Jesus sharply criticizing the sexually promiscuous or the materialistic tax-collectors. Instead, it was for the religious leaders that Jesus reserved His sharpest criticism, the very ones who mocked Him with the label “Friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19).

Cruelty, slander, and mud-slinging happen in the world. We know that. We know people get canceled and shamed and ostracized without a fair hearing. But that should not happen in the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus does not delight in a church that looks down on a sinner who has lost their way.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who goes after that wandering sheep with the goal of bringing it back to the fold. That should be our hearts, too. And as I look at my own heart, I confess there are times that I’ve jumped to conclusions about people without giving them a fair hearing. That is always wrong, and Jesus calls us to do better than that.

Christians of all people should understand the importance of being slow to criticize. We should take our cues from Jesus and be known for humbly loving those with whom we strongly disagree. We should confront religious hypocrisy while being especially watchful about such hypocrisy in our own hearts.

Question for reflection: Am I more eager to confront hypocrisy in others than I am willing to confront it in my own life?

[1] John 3:18.

Living in Daily Dependence on God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

By Jason Smith

Guatemala City Dump

As our team walked across the dirt path, mounds of trash stood high on either side of us. A putrid smell filled the warm air. Birds circled overhead. This place was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Up ahead of us, I saw a few kids running around in an open area, playing soccer with what looked like a ball made of cardboard and plastic. I smiled at one of the boys who stopped and stared at us. As we hiked on, I saw a little child standing at the entrance of what looked to be a makeshift house about the size of a garden shed. She stood behind a scrap of wood acting as a baby gate. Her face and shirt were stained. She looked at me with those big brown eyes which are etched into my memory. My wife, Whitney, and I exchanged looks, reading each other’s mind.

This is no place for a little girl.

We were at the Guatemala City Dump, the largest landfill in Central America. Thousands of people come here to forage for discarded valuables they might sell for a paltry amount. But the most astonishing thing of all was that most of them called this place “home.”

“God Is Taking Care of Us”

A gray-haired woman invited us into her home, which was basically a lean-to made of sheet metal and wooden boards. Inside, I saw a little black stove with flies buzzing around what food was there, a couple of recovered shelves, and several filled garbage bags. In the corner of this little hut sat a black dog with a chain around its neck and a fire in its eyes. The dog stood up when we entered and locked its eyes on me. When it began to snarl under its breath, I quickly averted my gaze, praying that the chain kept me well beyond the reach of the canine’s teeth.

We listened as the woman shared her story of how her husband and her ended up at the dump when they had no other option. I don’t remember everything she said, but one statement stuck with me: “God is taking care of us.” I didn’t hear her utter a word of complaint about her life situation.

Despite the stench that filled the air and the bleak sights all round us, there was something remarkable about this place. The people here took care of each other and welcomed visitors like us who came from such a different world. I saw firsthand that love, commitment, faith, and family endured in this community, despite the squalor conditions.

How strange it is that we humans can so easily forget what matters most.

Hearing this dear woman’s story was convicting. It’s easy for me to forget the countless ways God has taken care of me. I have a roof over my head. I have food in my refrigerator. I don’t have to wear the same clothes every day. Throughout the world, there are many people – including many persecuted Christians – who don’t have the very things I can take for granted.

As the Son of God, Jesus knew how fickle our hearts can be. He taught His followers:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, ESV)

Useless Worry

Jesus said that anxiety rules our hearts when we forget what matters most. Sadly, we naturally tend to fixate on things that won’t last and won’t matter in eternity.

We live in a consumer-driven society. As Americans, we tend to think about what we don’t have, rather than considering all that God has already given us. But, as Jesus points out, this never leads anywhere good.

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (v. 27)

Have you ever thought about how useless it is to worry? No one ever accomplished anything profitable by fretting about the unknowns. Like furiously spinning your tires while stuck in deep mud, worrying is a pointless exercise. And rather than letting us rationalize our anxiety, Jesus gently calls us out for what worry is at the root: a failure to depend on God for everything. He points to nature as an object lesson for us (vv. 26-30). Our heavenly Father feeds the birds of the sky and clothes the grass with beautiful lilies. So, why would you worry about whether He will provide for you, His dearly loved child?

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” (vv. 31-32)

In other words, do you really think that the One who sees all doesn’t see you and your need? When Jesus says “the Gentiles seek after all these things” He’s referring to the non-Jewish pagans who don’t know God. In other words, to fret about having enough each month is to live like an atheist who denies that a loving God is running the world.

Seeking the Kingdom

Those who have been born again through the all-sufficient grace of God should recognize that such anxious thoughts don’t belong in their heart. To be a child of God is to depend on your heavenly Father for everything in life. Cherish this promise from Jesus:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (v. 33)

Seeking God’s kingdom is pursuing life under His kingly rule, not under the rule of something else. Think of it this way: You are a child of the One with infinite riches. His kingdom is beyond any earthly kingdom doomed to eventually perish.

If you’re like me, then you are frequently tempted to depend on so many other things besides God. Maybe you’re putting your hope in a paycheck, your family, your career, or your own abilities. Such things will only leave us anxious about what comes next. Instead, ask the Lord to cultivate a heart of dependence, where you fully rely on Him for everything in life.

What are you tempted to rely on that is preventing you from saying with that elderly woman, “God is taking care of me”?

Are you living in daily dependence on God, where you can pray “Give us this day our daily bread” and mean it?

*Photo Source: https://www.aroundtheworldinktdays.com/living-in-trash-the-guatemala-city-garbage-dump/

Praying to God in Secret

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV)

Maybe you’re a bit like me and you can very easily get caught up in all the “to-do” lists that fill your life. Perhaps you just thought of something you need to get done today or later this week. Life can feel very burdensome when it amounts to finishing one more task after another.

A man named Charles Hummel wrote a little book called Tyranny of the Urgent a while back about time management. The most famous line from that book is this: “Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.” That’s good practical wisdom. Don’t let the urgent tasks – perhaps the things that cause us the most stress and anxiety – rule your life. Because when you are always hustling from one thing to the next, you’ll inevitably miss out on the most important things in life.

It’s also possible that you feel like you never get to your “to do” list. Maybe there’s just too much, and you’re overwhelmed. Or you’re simply not able to get to it right now. But somehow, that list still hangs over your head like a two-ton weight. You can feel like your mind is always racing ten steps ahead of you.

When we let ourselves live life according to the “tyranny of the urgent,” we are always in motion, always on the go. In a sense, we are living life in fast-forward, and we forget to ever press the pause button. But we need to press pause, and God often has to remind us of this fact.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

Like the psalmist in Psalm 46, we can often feel like we need to stay on the hamster treadmill or else something will go radically wrong. But he realizes that to think in this way is to forget that our sovereign God is in full control. In other words, don’t try to be God. Only He has full control over your situation. Don’t imagine that everything depends on you. You were never meant to bear that burden. So, the Lord tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

It is for this same reason that Jesus encouraged us to pray to God in secret. Why in secret? Because if you only ever pray when others are around, you’re bound to turn prayer into yet one more performance. Prayer will be distorted into a show of spiritual one-upmanship, rather than about your dependence on the living God.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6, ESV)

Jesus urges us to shut the door on all distractions from the outside world. Go to your Father in secret. Make yourself totally aware of His presence. His love. His majesty. His mercy. His holiness. Reflect on all the good things He’s done in your life and all the difficult times He’s brought you through. That’s when your prayers won’t be tainted with hypocrisy, because it will be just about your intimacy with God Himself.

Keep in mind, the to-do lists will always be there. You never actually finish them. There will always be one more text or email to which you need to respond, and always one more household chore or project that needs to be completed. But don’t let the urgent crowd out the important. You were made for far more than rushing from one task to the next. Instead, set aside time to just delight yourself in the Lord and His sovereign rule over all.

It may not always be a long period of time. Take whatever time you can get. But take Jesus’s words seriously. Find a time to shut the door and be alone with your Father. When you do that, you’ll be able to approach those urgent matters with greater clarity, perspective, and peace.

Take time today to press pause.

*Photo courtesy of Boundless

Is the Sermon on the Mount for Christians Today?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

By Jason Smith

Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch, 1877 (Wikimedia Commons)
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24, ESV)

With these words, Jesus concluded His world famous discourse found in the Gospel of Matthew, now called the Sermon on the Mount.[1]

It’s hard to overstate the impact this sermon has had on the church throughout history. Augustine called it “a perfect standard of the Christian life.”[2] Others have devoted their whole lives to searching out its meaning and understanding its application for today. Regarding the Sermon on the Mount, biblical scholar R. Kent Hughes has said, “Every phrase can bear exhaustive exposition and yet never be completely plumbed.”[3]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Lutheran pastor who resisted Hitler’s tyrannical rule, based his famous work The Cost of Discipleship on this power-packed sermon. The Sermon is all about what it means to enter the Kingdom of God. It’s an explication of what it means to live your life under God’s rule.

It has even influenced non-Christians, such as Gandhi who came to revere (but not worship) Jesus because of His words spoken here in Matthew 5-7. Nietzsche hated it. He said that the Sermon captures the “slave morality” of Christianity. Apparently, he wasn’t a big fan of loving your enemies. But to be fair to Nietzsche, Jesus’s words here are pretty shocking to all of us, and so we all naturally resist them. Here are some statements found in the Sermon:

“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:29, NIV)
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:38-45, NIV)

Again, these words come from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself. The fact that He, the incarnate Son of God, lived out this ethic is incredible, but that doesn’t make them easy to obey. If we really take them seriously, they are indeed jarring.

There are some Christians who have softened the blow by arguing that Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount as a lofty ideal, a virtually impossible ethic that was only for the spiritual elite.[4] Others have proposed that the Sermon on the Mount was only for the old covenant Jew or for the age to come when Christ’s kingdom is fully consummated.[5] For many reasons, I cannot accept that interpretation.

For instance, in this very sermon, Jesus taught His followers to pray for the kingdom’s arrival: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, ESV). So how could this sermon be addressing a future era and not today?

Those who claim this ethic is too lofty for the Christian today are forgetting that we now have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts and lives. In fact, it’s worth comparing all that Jesus calls His followers to in the Sermon on the Mount with the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” I would also add humility, a trait implied in all of these and one which Paul commonly lists elsewhere (see Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:12).

I’m not arguing for Christian perfectionism. But like Paul I believe we are to strive for holiness through God’s empowering grace. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12, NIV).

Those who claim that the Sermon on the Mount doesn’t apply to today’s world remind me of something G. K. Chesterton said: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”[6] Followers of Jesus should never avoid the difficult passages in Scripture. They are there for a reason.

Without a doubt, Jesus has set a high goal for us to aim at. To claim that the Sermon on the Mount’s ethic is too lofty to attain may sound humble. But ultimately such a response ignores what Jesus later told His disciples: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15, NASB). He also ended His sermon by saying, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24, ESV).

Jesus is our King today, not merely in the future. And this is His kingly address to us. If we consider ourselves followers of King Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount isn’t an optional add-on. It is something we need to read, cherish, and obey now more than ever. Why don’t you read through Matthew 5-7 right now? It might just change your life.

[1] Matthew 5-7. Portions of the sermon are restated in Luke 6:20-49.

[2] Quoted in Philip Schaff, NPNF1-06. St. Augustine: Sermon on the Mount; Harmony of the Gospels; Homilies on the Gospels, Chapter 1.

[3] The Sermon on the Mount, R. Kent Hughes, 14.

[4] This was Thomas Aquinas’s view. See Charles Quarles, The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ’s Message to the Modern Church, Kindle edition.

[5] For instance, Lewis Sperry Chafer said, “As a rule of life, it is addressed to the Jew before the cross and to the Jew in the coming kingdom, and is therefore not now in effect.” L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theology (Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1948), 5:97.

[6] G. K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong with the World.

Mothers Are a Gift from God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

By Jason Smith

“Sweet Lullaby,” sculpture by Alice Heath.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:31, NIV)

It’s pretty hard to overstate the importance a mother has in her child’s life. Our life journeys begin within our mother’s womb. Moms alone have literally been there from the beginning. The nurture and care flowing from a mother’s heart are irreplaceable. And the love a mother has for her children is simply beyond measure.

I am deeply grateful to God for my mother, Sandy Smith. There are so many times in life that I can look back and reflect on how essential my mother’s love, correction, and care proved to be. She has poured her heart and soul into my life in more ways than I can count.

I can say the same for my wife, Whitney, and the undeniable care she shows to our three boys. That same commitment to her children is also seen in my mother-in-law, Shirleen, and in countless other moms I have met.

Mothers are a gift from God.

Honor Your Mother

I’m thankful that our culture still celebrates Mother’s Day as a day to honor the women who have raised us and helped to mold us into the people we are today. Interestingly, Mother’s Day has only been a national holiday since 1914.[1] But God has been honoring mothers from the very beginning.

Honoring both parents is so essential that God included it in the big Ten Commandments He gave to Moses:

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, NIV)

Perhaps one of the biggest ways you can honor your mother is through listening to her.

The logic works like this. She has lived longer than you. She’s been through more experiences than you. She was appointed by God to raise you. Without her, you wouldn’t have survived or become the person you are today. So, listen to her.

In the book of Proverbs, we read about the importance that both a father and a mother have in raising children.  

“Listen, my son, to your father's instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.” (Proverbs 1:8, BSB)

Again, the need to listen and cherish what both parents say is highlighted. In doing so, she can be joyful.

“Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old… Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.” (Proverbs 23:22, 25, NIV)

The same message is repeated over and over in Scripture: Your wise decisions lead to Mom being happy. And, as you can imagine, foolish decisions have the opposite result.

Thanks to postmodernism, our children today are being assaulted with a host of cultural lies about God, truth, morality, and history. In her excellent book, Mama Bear Apologetics, Hillary Morgan Ferrer writes about the essential role moms have in preparing their children for a world that is often very hostile to the Christian worldview:

“We need to prepare our children so they aren’t left unprotected for the future. The greatest protection we can give our kids is to equip them to face the cultural lies head-on while remaining gracious, loving, and winsome. It is not enough to simply tell them which ideas are raised against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). We must train them to understand why those ideas are flawed.”[2]

Cultivate a Contagious Love for God’s Word

For mothers, sound advice, careful discernment, and moral instruction are all certainly important. But for followers of the risen Lord, the greatest joy is seeing your children come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

On his second missionary journey, Paul befriended a young man named Timothy, who was apparently raised by both his Jewish mother and grandmother. His father was a Greek pagan, so it was left to the women who raised him to teach him the faith. Paul notes how important it was that Timothy learned to love the Bible at an early age.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

Notice that phrase “knowing from whom you learned it.” So, who’s Paul referring to here? Who taught Timothy “the sacred writings” (the Bible)? If you flip back a page to chapter one, we get the answer. In his greeting to Timothy, Paul writes:

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” (2 Timothy 1:5)

Although it’s easy for us to read past this if we are reading through the whole letter, I think that it’s worth stopping to consider what Paul is saying here. In chapter 3, he’s telling Timothy to be on guard against false teachers, to rely on God’s Word, and to remember “from whom” he learned God’s Word. It’s significant because Paul can point to both Timothy’s grandma and mom to say, “This faith that you now have that will keep you on the straight and narrow and save you for eternity—this faith—is what you first learned from them.”

I think Paul is showing Timothy—and God is showing us through Paul—just how important a godly mother is. Here we have two generations of godly mothers highlighted and Paul can say, “Look at their lives. Look at how much they depended on God for everything. You want to know that God’s Word is trustworthy and can tremendously help you in life? Well, look at your grandma and mother—the two women who have had the biggest impact on your faith—and consider how God’s Word shaped them into the gracious, loving, hope-filled and pure people they are.”

The Inestimable Impact of a Godly Mother

If you are a mother, my prayer for you is that you would be so committed to reading God’s Word—and so, to knowing Jesus—that your faith would have a tremendous impact on your child’s life and shape how he or she views the God who made them.

The great Baptist preacher of the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon, wrote this after reflecting on the incredible impact his Bible-reading mother had on him:

“Never could it be possible for any man to estimate what he owes to a godly mother. Certainly I have not the powers of speech with which to set forth my valuation of the choice blessing which the Lord bestowed on me in making me the son of one who prayed for me, and prayed with me.”[3]

In Acts 16:1, the author Luke mentions that Timothy’s mother was a believer. Here’s what John Piper said about this passage in a devotional I read recently:

“The apostle of Jesus Christ in this text bestows on motherhood and grandmotherhood a great honor. You have a calling that can become the long-remembered ground of faith, not just for your children — mark this — but for the untold numbers who will be affected by your children. And that’s in addition to all the other thousands of ripple effects of faith in your life.”[4]

Mothers, here’s the good news. Yes, you have an immense privilege and great responsibility in your calling as a mother. But, praise God, you don’t have to do this alone! You have Jesus, who is present with you and in you by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). You have the treasure trove of Scripture, which offers us both wisdom and grace to us every time we pick it up to read (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Cor. 9:8; Col. 1:5-8; Eph. 5:26). You have a God who is both faithful and loving, despite our flaws and failures (Deut. 7:9; Rom. 3:3-4; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:13; Titus 1:2). And, by God’s grace, you have others in your life who, while imperfect, are committed to loving you, loving your child, and loving Jesus.

You have been given an incredible charge, and you are also given an endless supply of grace (James 4:6). And, if you ever find your faith faltering, remember to fix your eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:1-2) and to consider the promise that when we read His Word, our faith is strengthened. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

[1] Although it became a holiday in 1914 thanks to President Woodrow Wilson, it was actually originated with Anna Jarvis, who began holding annual memorial in 1908 to honor her mother specifically and every mother also for their love and support.

[2] Hillary Morgan Farrer, Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies.

[3] Charles Spurgeon, Autobiography.

[4] http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/her-children-arise-and-call-her-blessed

Spirit-Empowered Relationships

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

By Jason Smith

Photo from Shutterstock
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3)

Several years ago, a friend of mine told me about how another friend had betrayed his confidence by sharing sensitive information with others. Apparently, this person had even made light of something that had caused my friend a great deal of pain. This caused a rift in their relationship that wasn’t quickly healed.

Former NFL defensive linemen and motivational speaker Joe Ehrmann has talked about how men who are constantly competing and comparing themselves to others can end up feeling very isolated. And with the rise of social media, “friend” has become a verb, but studies have pointed out that it’s becoming increasingly common for men over 30 to have no authentic friends.[1]  

Friendships are precious things. Sadly, most of us don’t take stock of how incredibly valuable genuine friendships are to our overall well-being. However, friendships are also very fragile. They can break if we aren’t careful with them. As my friend Jamie has put it, “The thing about relationships is that my brokenness inevitably bumps up against your brokenness.” You don’t have to live long before you realize that people will let you down. Imperfect people are just that – imperfect. So we need help in our relationships.

The Primary Cause of Relational Conflict

Very often, when a married couple is having issues one spouse will point out all the ways that the other spouse is failing them. The problem, it is said, is that their spouse is too selfish. Of course, what such a person often ignores is that their spouse is usually saying the same thing. Both spouses believe the other is being selfish!

The Bible actually agrees that this is the primary cause of relational conflicts. The problem in each of our hearts is this desire to have our own way. This desire is at the root of every conflict from the minor quarrel to the violent attack.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.” (James 4:1-2, NIV)

If relational conflict stems from the desires battling within, then we have to ask ourselves, “How can I change in this area of relationships?” We all know intuitively that humble and selfless people tend to have more fruitful and thriving relationships. Their personalities are so attractive because they are not so self-consumed.

The good news is that Jesus has not left us alone to navigate the rough terrain of human relationships.

Love: The Missing Ingredient

We talk a lot about love in our culture, but I often wonder if we really know what it is. Love isn’t merely an emotion or feelings of attraction. It is a conscious act of the will, where we go out and meet the needs of others. When God loved us, the Bible said that He showed it, not by merely talking about warm feelings, but by meeting our greatest need through real sacrifice, as when Jesus went to the cross.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10, NIV)

Jesus called His followers to love one another. This kind of love needed to be visible and show up in how we treat one another. It’s what would draw the world to His message of forgiveness. When we as Christians fail to love one another, we are acting no better than the world and implying that we have nothing better to offer.

But gritting our teeth and trying with all our might to work up love in our hearts will never work. It’s something that the Spirit of God has to work in your life. “The fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22).

So How Do I Change?

I have a tan sweater hanging in my closet that I really like. I have worn it on many occasions. I even wore it on several dates when my wife, Whitney, and I just started dating. I have many fond memories while wearing that sweater.

There’s just one problem. Whitney thinks it looks atrocious on me – something about it clashing with my skin tone. She’s had to remind me of this fact on numerous occasions. It’s in my closet right now, but she would rather I get rid of it. For some reason, I just have trouble parting with that beloved sweater.

Why do I bring this up? Because taking off and putting on clothing is the metaphor the Apostle Paul uses when he describes how we change in our relationships in Colossians 3:

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:8-10, NIV)

Notice Paul says our old habits of relational dysfunction (anger, malice, slander, and filthy language) belong to our old self. And he doesn’t say, “You need to take the old self off.” He says, “You already have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” In other places, we learn that our old self “died” and has been “crucified with Christ” (Romans 6:6-8; Galatians 2:20). When you come to Christ, you are given a whole new identity – a “new self.” Or to keep in step with Paul’s clothing metaphor, we don’t just need to get our old clothing resized or patched up. We need a whole new set of clothing, which is really the righteousness of Christ.

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation.” (Isaiah 61:10, ESV)

To go back to behaving like our “old self” in our relationships is to contradict the change that has taken place in us. It’s like me putting on that old sweater that shouldn’t even be in my closet. Instead, we need to embrace the new clothing meant to replace the old ones.

But Paul’s point is that this can only happen through saturating our hearts and minds with the gospel and letting “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15-16). The God of love comes inside so that we can extend that love to others.

The Spirit Makes the Difference

It’s not that we need to produce this love in our hearts by our own willpower. Instead, we need to yield to what Christ is already doing in us by the Holy Spirit. Many people look for evidence of the Holy Spirit chiefly in external signs, but the most definitive evidence of the Holy Spirit’s power is a radically transformed character. In other words, you know the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you if your life starts to match Paul’s description.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14, NIV)

Again, notice this is all about our relationships with others: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. As forgiven people, we are now empowered to forgive those who wrong us. Paul says, “Because you are God’s chosen people, holy, and loved, you need to dress like it.” Christians need to adorn themselves with the traits that match who they really are now. We need to be on Earth who we already are in Heaven.[2] When we do that, our relationships will take on a radically different shape.

The final overcoat that binds these all together is love (v. 14). When we are yielding to the Holy Spirit and His power, love will be the hallmark our lives. We will care more about the unity that glorifies God than satisfying our own self-centered desires. And differing personal preferences and opinions won’t have to divide followers of the same Lord.[3] Spirit-empowered relationships make unity in the church possible. They are also what will draw those outside the church to Jesus Christ.

[1] See Mark Gaisford, “Why do many middle-aged men like me have absolutely NO FRIENDS – and what toll does it take on our health?” The Daily Mail. ; https://www.huffpost.com/entry/men-friendship-crisis_l_5dbc9aa7e4b0576b62a1e90f ; https://www.menshealth.com/uk/mental-strength/a759609/the-truth-about-male-loneliness/

[2] See Colossians 3:1-4.

[3] See Ephesians 4:1-6.

Wired for Community

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments
Photo by FreePik

From the moment we emerge from our mother’s womb, we crave closeness and connection. New mothers are encouraged to practice skin-to-skin contact to bond with their babies. Have you ever wondered why a baby’s head smells so good? It’s because God designed their scent glands to secrete pheromones which actually make their perspiration smell sweet.[1] Everything about our physiology seems to point to this need for community. Through eye contact, we connect. Through a hug, we comfort. Through body language, we convey emotions.

Humans naturally long to be with other humans. When we are left in isolation, we quite literally start to go insane. Just watch the film Castaway, where Tom Hanks’ character is stranded on a desert island and forced to befriend a volleyball named “Wilson.” Sure, there are days where we tell ourselves, “Life would be great, if it weren’t for other people.” But like it or not, at the end of the day, we crave human contact.

This has everything to do with how God originally wired us. We were created in the image of a personal God of community. He has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In other words, God is by nature a God of relationships. That’s why God said “it is not good that the man should be alone” when He made us to reflect His nature (Genesis 2:18). From the very beginning, we were wired for community!

Many today will ask the question, “Why should I bother with the church anyway?” Perhaps, you can relate to this question. Maybe you were hurt by others in a church, and you feel church is not worth the effort or the risk of being hurt again. After all, they reason, I can have a relationship with God without being part of a church.

It’s this sentiment that has led to the mantra we often hear: “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Although I have an idea of where this statement comes from, that response has always somewhat bothered me. There seems to be a whole bundle of worldview assumptions buried in that simple declaration. The worst part about this is that it seems to draw a solid black line between that which is spiritual and that which is religious (or even church-related). Such a dichotomy seems to fly in the face of so much of what I know personally and what I see in Scripture.

Is it true that we can have a relationship with God without being involved in a church? The answer, according to Scripture, is that at the moment we come to Jesus Christ in repentant faith, we are indeed reconciled to our Creator. We don’t need the church or a leader in the church to establish our conversion; that’s something God alone can accomplish. So the answer to the question above is “yes,” but it is a qualified “yes.”

Here’s what I mean. To be in a relationship with someone implies that you are living with that person — not merely speaking to that person, but also listening to that person. And God, in His Word, has a lot to say about the great importance of regularly gathering with a local church.

For example: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV). So, for the Christian, “meeting together” should be a regular, consistent part of our life. In fact, the emphasis on “encouraging one another,” implies that we will benefit spiritually as we meet together in the context of the local church.

In the past year, with the spread of COVID-19, this has taken a different shape for many who cannot meet for various reasons. Either way, meeting together should be the norm for the church – barring exceptional circumstances. In this past year, many have found ways to “meet” or interact online. Would Paul have this in mind as a form of gathering? Since he lived in the first century, not the twenty-first, the answer is clearly “No.”

Technology has its limitations, and I don’t think it’s an ideal permanent substitution for the vast majority of Christians who can meet together. But even if it’s not the ideal, at least it allows believers to study God’s Word together, pray for each other’s needs, and talk with one another. Several people have told me how grateful they are that our church has online options available; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to participate in church life at all. I know what it’s like to be encouraged when talking with Christian brothers and sisters on Skype who are halfway around the world. Sure, the fellowship is not as sweet as when we meet in person, but I can still say I’m thankful for the connections that technology gives us. Overall, the in-person gathering is certainly the ideal the church should strive for because there’s a certain level of fellowship or community that technology can’t achieve.

And since definitions are important, by “church” I do not mean that brick building with stained glass windows. The Greek word we translate as “church,” ekklesia, simply means “a gathering or assembly of people.”[2] However, in the Christian sense, it refers to a “gathering of believers in Jesus Christ.”

Too often, men today can think of true manhood as being this solitary, John Wayne-like individual who has no need for friendships. It’s as if being alone and independent of others is the epitome of manliness. But that’s not true! Our Creator says, “It’s not good for the man to be alone.”

In the words of the theologian-poet, John Donne: “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

Not only is perpetual isolation unfulfilling, it is also unwise. It can often reveal a stubborn unwillingness to listen to the counsel of others. Proverbs 18:1 says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”

Here’s how this can work out. In our pride, we can think, “Of course I know what’s best for me. I don’t need to listen to anyone else.” What about when others are counseling you not to go down a road in life they consider unwise or dangerous? They can easily be ignored, because you don’t consider yourself in community with them. Proverbs says that when you isolate yourself from others who can speak wisdom into your life, you are raging against sound judgment. You are actively choosing the way of destruction.

God calls believers to live in community with other believers, so that they are in a context where others can know them well and speak biblical wisdom, love, and encouragement into their lives. God says, “Don’t isolate yourself. Christian men, unite with other Christian men and seek accountability as a band of brothers, walking together in the journey of life. Christian women, form close bonds with other Christian women as your sisters in the Lord who can share life with you.”

In the dark days of Israel recounted in the sobering book of Judges, we are told: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). It’s a tragic thing to see men and women refuse counsel and accountability to others. Although they imagine they are building up a fortress of protection around themselves, in reality they are cutting themselves off from growth, hope, and the joy of Christian fellowship.

If you are a Christian, God calls you to not neglect the gathering of a local body of believers when you are able. From the moment the church was first launched, the Holy Spirit came upon the gathered group of believers on the Day of Pentecost. Note the way Luke explains this: “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (Acts 2:42, NLT). Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we need one another. We were designed for community.

[1] Rachel Nuwer, Smithsonian Magazine, (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-smell-of-newborn-babies-triggers-the-same-reward-centers-as-drugs-58482/  September 24, 2013)

[2] See Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 2nd Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020),), 1048. Grudem points out in footnote 2 that even in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) the word ekklesia “refers frequently to the assemblies of God’s people.”

The Surprise of Christmas

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment
Thomas Cole, “The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds,” 1834

During the Christmas season, my wife, Whitney, and I like to sit down and enjoy a good holiday movie together. Frequently, we turn to the Hallmark channel to watch one of their one million Christmas movies. I don’t want to knock Hallmark movies, because they are generally good, wholesome films with a guaranteed happy ending. Nevertheless, something I’ve found while watching these movies is that after you have watched a few of them, you begin to see some (how shall I put it?) consistency to the plot and character development. Before long, you can’t help but make some surefire predictions in the first five minutes, like “Oh, there’s the guy she’s going to fall in love with” and “That’s the guy who’s about to be dumped… Somebody better warn him!”

But for many of us, this predictability is not a bad thing. If you are watching a Hallmark movie, you’re not looking for a surprising plot twist or a suspense-filled ending. You just want to get into the Christmas spirit with an escape to the land of “feel good fiction.”

Maybe you can think of a time you were reading a book or watching a film, and you assumed the conclusion was well in hand. You can already imagine how everything is going to work out for all the characters involved. But then, in the final minutes, the plot takes a shocking twist, and the ending rocks your world.

As we read the Christmas story found in the Bible, one thing we have to see is that this is a script no one but God could write. Despite how familiar with the story we may be, there is a surprising truth to Christmas. Imagine, for example, what it would be like to be Joseph and to have your whole world turned upside down when you learn that your fiancée is pregnant via supernatural conception.

Or put yourself in the sandals of Mary, a young Jewish virgin probably still a teenager, who is visited by an angel telling her that she is about to give birth to the long-expected Messiah, who is also the eternal Son of God. What do you think was running through her head? She probably already had a life planned out for herself. Although we may know how the Christmas story goes, Mary did not. This was the last news she expected to receive.

Nevertheless, she humbly responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38, NIV). As her belly began to swell in the following months, she must have pondered late at night many times the magnitude of what was about to happen. She was going to give birth to the Savior of the world.

The problem with familiarity is that we can sometimes grow numb to how shocking the gospel really is. It is the news that the angels call “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Because the Creator of all laid aside the glory of Heaven to come as a little baby, we can have joy beyond measure.

The true story of Christmas tells us that God has not abandoned us. He did not leave us to the misery and chaos of this world. He came after us in Christ to redeem a lost and hurting world.

Recently, Whitney and I were with another couple, and the wife complimented her husband by simply saying, “He gets me.” That statement encapsulates what we all truly want: to be fully known and fully loved. Because of Christmas, we can say of God, “He gets me.” Because He has lived a full human life on this planet, He is acquainted with all our sorrows, joys, struggles, and emotions. Because of Christmas, no one can say, “God doesn’t understand me.” He does.

Now think of this. When the Sovereign King of the universe steps into His world, shouldn’t we expect Him to be raised in a palace, reigning over the world empire, and wearing a crown of gold? But what happens instead? When God finally shows up, we can’t even make room for Him in a small town inn. Instead of being wrapped in silk and laid in an ornate crib, He is laid in a manger — a feeding trough for farm animals! If you’ve spent any time on a farm, you know that this a filthy nursery for a newborn baby. This is how the Lord God came to us.

Many have wondered, Why the shepherds? Of all the people that God could have chosen to make His great announcement to, why them? He doesn’t send the angels to make a royal announcement in Caesar’s palace or among the Jewish nobility in the temple. He didn’t come at a time when He could broadcast the announcement on cable news. No, He sent those angels out to the grassy fields outside of Bethlehem to tell none other than lowly shepherds – the guys who spend their whole lives chasing stubborn sheep around.

And while this too could be surprising, isn’t it only fitting that the God whom the Jews have long called the “Good Shepherd” should send the first invitation to them. Shepherds, after all, picture one who must care for, protect, and at times rescue those who are constantly wandering from the fold.

The Bible says that we are all like sheep who have gone astray. And that, ultimately, this is the whole purpose of Christmas. Jesus came as a baby, but He didn’t stay a baby. Jesus came not only to identify with us in our struggles but to save us from our sin. That is why Jesus came not to wear a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. And that’s why He came to ascend not a throne, but a cross.

It is at the cross that our ultimate need is met – our need for forgiveness. Because of His great love for you, the Lord God Himself came from the highest realm of glory to the lowest of lows. He bore your burden of sin so that you can be free of your past – totally forgiven and restored to fellowship with your Creator. In the end, that is the surprise of Christmas.

Jesus Was a Fetus

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life5 Comments
Photo by The Olive Press

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31, NIV)

In the ancient world, human life was viewed as very cheap. Someone’s value came from what they could offer to others. If you were useful or skilled, you had value in the eyes of others; if not, you were expendable. Babies were often viewed as disposable, and women and children were treated as property. Before Jesus came, human beings almost universally had only instrumental value in the eyes of others, not intrinsic value.

The birth of Jesus Christ changed all that. The Bible says of Jesus, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Colossians 1:19, NIV). His primary purpose for coming was to accomplish our redemption from sin and make us new. Yet the Creator of the cosmos was not above entering this world through a virgin’s womb. Although He was supernaturally conceived, He otherwise entered this world like you did, growing inside His mother’s belly for most of a year. And like you, after coming down the birth canal, He was totally dependent on His mother’s nourishment and care.

Here lies the greatest enigma of all. The Supreme Creator who spoke everything into being was coddled and nursed by His teenage mother. No wonder the angels look on in stunned amazement at what God has done (1 Peter 1:12). The One through whom and for whom all things exist had made Himself small. Simply put, Jesus was a fetus.

The word fetus simply means an “unborn baby.” Although there’s nothing degrading about the term itself, it is often used as a way to dehumanize the unborn. Not long ago, my wife, Whitney, and I visited OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). One of the most fascinating exhibits is called Prenatal Development. In a circular room, you find preserved unborn babies at every stage of development in utero.[1] What struck me was that from a very early stage, perhaps around nine weeks, the tiny baby revealed features that were so undeniably human. Already at that point, miniscule limbs have sprouted and little black eyes can be seen on the bean-shaped head. I came away from the exhibit agreeing with King David that we truly are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). How incredible to think that Jesus too passed through each one of those stages in Mary’s womb!

Luke records that when the pregnant Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant, Elizabeth’s baby – later known as John the Baptist – leaped in his mother’s womb. And then Elizabeth tells Mary:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:42-44, ESV)

Today, many in our nation are asking, “Why should we care about the unborn?” One abortion rights advocate even mockingly called the pro-life position a “love affair with the fetus.”[2] The unborn child has even been likened to a parasite or blob of tissue.[3] No doubt the dehumanization of these precious little image bearers of God has led to the slaughter of millions.

So, why should we care about the baby in the womb? Here is one very good reason: Because Jesus was once a baby in the womb. And even while unborn, He brought joy to another unborn baby! If experiencing joy in the presence of another doesn’t qualify for personhood, I don’t know what would!

It’s worth noting that the Greek word used for baby here –βρέφος (brephos) – is the same word Luke uses for babies outside the womb elsewhere, showing that God’s Word doesn’t distinguish between babies inside and babies outside the womb (see Luke 2:12, 16; 18:15). Either way, they’re all babies.

It is because Jesus came as a baby and welcomed and loved the little children He encountered that Christians have always made the care of children a priority. In ancient Rome, where babies were often aborted or abandoned, the early Christians were known for saving thousands of babies. They brought them into their homes, adopted them as their own, and taught them the Christian faith.

When the disciples tried to hold the children back as little nuisances, Jesus famously said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them” (Matthew 19:14a, NIV). Those words inspired Christians throughout history to be the first to start orphanages, foundling homes, and eventually start Sunday Schools for children to learn about Jesus at an early age.[4]

Christians today are known for being at the forefront of the pro-life movement and starting the 3,000 to 4,000 crisis pregnancy centers across the United States. These clinics are known for offering free services and demonstrating compassion to thousands of young pregnant women in difficult situations and empowering them to make wise and informed decisions.

Many today view the pro-life movement as an obstacle to the women’s rights movement. However, those who hold this notion ignore the fact that the same Jesus movement that brought about the pro-life position also paved the way for equal treatment of women.

In ancient times, nearly every culture viewed women as having a lower status than men. Aristotle even argued that a woman ranked somewhere between a free man and a slave. Considering that a slave held no more value than cattle in ancient times, you get a glimpse of how poorly women were treated. As you review the accounts from ancient India, China, Rome, and Greece, the widespread consensus was that wives were the property of their husbands. Modern westerners can hardly fathom such a low view of women. So what changed all that? What inspired the now widespread perspective that women and men have equal value, rights, and dignity?

In the words of historian Rodney Stark, the elevation of women has its roots in the “triumph of Christianity.”[5] That is, Jesus Himself elevated women to a level of dignity and respect. He honored the women who followed Him, engaged them in conversation, and was eager to teach them alongside the men, all social taboos at the time. Jesus treated women as equals to their male counterparts. It is the early Christians who taught the then-pagan world that husbands are to love and be faithful to their wives, widows should be cared for, and polygamy was forbidden by God. Stark writes, “In response to the special appeal that the faith had for women, the early church drew substantially more female than male converts, and this in a world where women were in short supply.”[6]

What does all this have to do with Christmas?

By daring to become a human Himself, Jesus imbued all human life with greater dignity than it ever had before His birth. In the Christian worldview, unborn children, women, and men all have equal value as image bearers of God, and consistent followers of Jesus have always stood for the rights of each.

All this because of Christmas. When you trace the roots of all these changes back far enough, you will find that they all began in a little manger in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago.

[1] According to the display, all of the unborn children died as a result of “natural causes or accidents,” not abortion.

[2] Joycelyn Elders, quoted in The New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/30/magazine/joycelyn-elders.html

[3] Randy Alcorn, Pro Life Answers to Pro Choice Arguments (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1992, 1994, 2000).

[4] George Grant, Third Time Around: A History of the Pro-Life Movement from the First Century to the Present (Franklin, TN: Legacy, 1991, 1994).

[5] Rodney Stark, The Triumph of Christianity (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2011), 121-135.

[6] Ibid, 135.