Tag: Mystery

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The Exodus story lives on in us.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When one looks closely you can see the story of death, sacrifice and blood from Genesis to Revelation. God himself killed the first animal to clothe the couple in the garden, covering their nakedness (Gen 3:21). Some scholars disagree, but I believe it subtly showed up with Adam’s sons, Cain and Able. Able chose to give God the best of his flocks, the firstborn of his lambs. Cain just gave some of his crops (Gen 4:4). One was a blood sacrifice, one was not. God chose this object lesson about blood to span the eons of time for humans.

The Exodus is an eternal story of redemption and sacrifice that points to the Messiah, Jesus, and beyond. Yet, even after Jesus’ own innocent blood become the markings on a wooden cross for us, death did not pass over Christ. Jesus gave his life as the one and only perfect sacrifice for anyone who would believe and recognize his death, his blood, as payment for their sin. Remember, anyone who eats the fruit of the tree of knowledge will die! The couple ate and immediately, spiritually died and eventually physically died as well.

Every human being has also eaten of the forbidden fruit since! Every human being, ever born, has believed the lie, eaten the fruit, and disobeyed God. Thus, every human is destined to die both spiritually and physically. Jesus death, his blood becomes the “sign,” the covering, on the doorposts of our heart and our life. To believe means that through faith, we have applied that covering so the death angel will pass over us as well, because we are marked (the New Testament uses the phrase, sealed with the Holy Spirit).

In the final book, Revelation, the ending of all things, we see the same theme of the blood as an end-cap to God’s grand story of redemption, of exodus, of completion. A loud voice declares that believers in Jesus have conquered the slanderer by the blood of the lamb (Jesus) and the word of their testimony (they lived and spoke of – not their own truth, but of Christ’s truth). We actually “bear witness” through belief and telling of our own story of being rescued! The Exodus story still lives on, in and through our lives today. Once I was blind, but now I see. I was lost but now I am found. Amazing grace how sweet the sound.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a grand story we are living! I am so thankful to not just be alive today, but to be a part of Your very long story.

Bravo God 🙌🏼 🙌🏼 🙌🏼.

When I was young in faith and in understanding of who You are, I thought these themes of sin, death and blood were so dark and creepy. Now, as I have matured, I see them as marvelously mysterious! I am not a huge fan of blood, I get pretty queasy, but I am a huge fan of being rescued and restored to a full and amazing life. I see more clearly now than ever before. And, I am hundreds of times more grateful.

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Keys to the cypher.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus told many parables, stories with hidden meaning. These stories were perplexing and mysterious. The curious, the learner would listen and think about these words and concepts for days, maybe even weeks. This is one of the ways Jesus revealed himself as God as well as shared the soon coming Kingdom of God, which he ushered in back then. The Kingdom is both here and still yet to be fulfilled, even today. This is also a mystery. Matthew writes, “Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.” Vs. 34‬.

Privately, Jesus would sometimes pull his disciples aside to explain the parable, thus giving his followers the keys to the cypher. In this parable about the wheat and the tares, Jesus gives the key characters, unlocking the puzzle of who he was talking about. He describes himself as the planter of good seed. The field is the world in which we live. The seed itself, Jesus says is the people in the Kingdom. Many would suppose that the seed is the Word of God, but in this story Jesus says it is the people who believe and make up the residents of the Kingdom. The weeds are also described as people, but these are folks who belong to the evil one. Here, Jesus uses an interesting word for “evil one.” Sons of the evil one are the “ponéros: toilsome, bad,” derived from “pónos,” – pain, laborious trouble, pain-ridden, emphasizing the inevitable agonies (misery) that always go with evil. And finally, the weed planter is none other than satan, the “diabolos” – slanderer. Jesus goes on to describe, what many modern pho-theologians deny, as HELL. He says the weeds along with the weed-sower will be burned in the fire, thrown into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There is a point to this entire chapter of parables. Those who want to find God, know God and have a relationship with him… will find and can KNOW, becoming a person of the Kingdom! Yes, it’s a narrow gate, a miracle, and it will cost one everything, but it is possible. God is not hiding so that one cannot find him. He wants us to seek, knock and pursue him. God is already waiting and already made a way!

Prayer

Dad,
I ache for those who are miserable and blame you for it. My heart breaks for those who have suffered or are suffering and see nothing but darkness and doom ahead. But, I also know that you are there for them, if they will turn and lean in to find you. Thank you for doggedly, constantly, consistently pursuing us by your grace. Come close to the broken, that they may be healed and find peace.

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The mystery of a good story.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus’ stories, his parables are fun, sticky and multifaceted. You can read them once or a hundred times and get so much out of them. Here, Matthew records the story of the farmer sowing seed. Or, is it a story of the receptivity of the soil? Hmmm. After he tells the story, he says one his often quoted phrases, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

One of the brave followers of Jesus simply asks him straight out, “Why?” Why stories? Why parables? If you search Rabbi teaching methods, you’ll find a mixed bag. Yes, parables were common and there were hundreds of them. And, parables we’re used, but Jesus stories were by far the ones more durable in antiquity.

The curious disciple’s question yielded an answer from Jesus. Which was rare, compared to how many questions Jesus retorted back to his audience. Jesus said that his disciples, his apprentices, were given a special pass to understanding what he called the “mysteries” of God. Wow. The mysteries, the secrets of God?

Jesus used this word, mystḗrion (the root of the English term, “mystery”) . But, in the Bible, a “mystery” is not something unknowable. Rather, it is what can only be known through revelation, i.e. because God reveals it. So, parables were a teaching style to engage the listener, creating a curiosity so the listener would WANT to learn. Which is so cool! When someone comes to hear a lecture, a teaching, a speech or a TED-talk, they are supposed to be listening with all five senses. They should see, hear, feel, touch and even taste. Sure the last two may need some help with an object in hand, like a fresh apple off a tree. But Jesus is telling them (and us), there is another sense that should be brought to the event. One should bring a spiritual sense of what is happening and what God is up to. I wouldn’t call it a sixth sense, because that gets confused with some metaphysical mysticism.

Jesus tells his followers that those who listen beyond their physical eyes and ears will see and hear God at work! The parable becomes like a whisper when someone wants you to lean in, get close, so you can focus, blocking out all other distractions because you really want to learn and understand. Those learners, those curious, will be given the gift of understanding the mystery and have an abundance of knowledge. Jesus wanted his students to be the kind of people who don’t just show up to hear what the speaker would be saying or doing, but to be extra curious of understanding of what God is doing. Our job, in almost any situation we find ourselves in, is to fully engage with every physical sense we can to be attentive, but also be fully aware that God is always up to something MORE and spectacularly, spiritually, mysterious!

Prayer

Dad,
You are always at work. I miss seeing that so often because I am distracted by so many other things. Things that I think are important, but in comparison to your eternal perspective, they are not. There was an old phrase I remember hearing, that may not be true at all. Someone was said to be “so spiritually minded that they are no earthly good.” I am often distracted by so many “earthly good” thoughts or deeds that I miss the spiritually minded completely. I think your vantage point is so much better than ours! Help me see, as often as I can, your mysteries of heaven.

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Praying with a woke mind and grateful heart.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.” Colossians‬ ‭4:2-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If I don’t like the things happening all around me, I should PRAY. Paul’s admonition to the churches (and us) – PRAY! I’ve been practicing this evening and morning routine of giving everything to God just before I sleep and right after opening my eyes in the morning. No checking late night texts or early emails. And, to have an alert mind and thankful heart.

Paul uses this Greek word only used here in the New Testament, grēgoreúō – to be vigilantly woke. No kidding! Believers need to be woke in prayer. That coupled with a “eucharistos” heart – a well favored, grace-filled heart is a powerful way to approach any situation on any given day. Paul then not only encourages this prayer posture in tough times, he asks for MORE opportunities himself – while in prison! It’s as if Paul is wanting more woke gratitude to leverage it to even more effectiveness in his witness.

He asks for more ways to speak these mysteries, these secret, hidden without a Spirit initiated revelation moments with people. Paul, this giant of evangelism in the first century wants and prays to be even more clear about the gospel, speaking to the hearts of humans that God has already been working on.

With the Holy Spirit at work there is no such thing as a “cold call” when talking to someone! God has already been wooing and working on every possible way to reach them with His love, grace and forgiveness. These perceived serendipitous moments are divine appointments. Paul understood this and asked the churches to pray with him for more of those moments.

Do I pray that way? Mostly I am OVER concerned with my own agendas, frustrations and fears. My prayers have no room, even with woke gratefulness, to ask for more opportunities to share about Christ. I need to hear Paul’s humble admonishment and leave a little room for these supernatural moments of opportunity!

Prayer

Dad,
Wow, when reading Paul’s words, inspired of the Holy Spirit, I feel the embarrassment and challenge to not be so protectively selfish in my prayers. Of course, I am only thinking of what presses in on my mind. But I can leave a little bit, just the edges of my brain-field for these mysterious moments Paul wrote about. Help me not be completely consumed by my own agenda that I forget your BIG agenda for all of us who follow Jesus.