Jesus the Failure?

It might be funny to think that Jesus thought, He was a failure. Us? Sure, we mess up and there are times all of us feel as if what we do is meaningless. Consider these words from Isaiah:

 

He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.”

I replied, “But my work seems so useless!

I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.

Yet I leave it all in the LORD’s hand;

I will trust God for my reward.” Isaiah 49:3-4

 

These prophetic words are speaking to God's coming Messiah. Yet when we see Jesus, most can't imagine Jesus saying that His work seems useless. However, when Jesus is on the cross and cries out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." I clearly see it. At that moment, the Holy Spirit wasn't giving Jesus the supernatural ability to know things others couldn't know. He was facing agony and death alone. Yet we also see Him saying, "Into your hands, I commit my spirit." These verses show Jesus fulfilling these words but also walking as we often walk.

There are times when all of us feel as if what we are doing is ultimately going to be utterly useless. The truth is without God, they will be. Yet for those who trust God, we can leave all we do in God's hands, and He will reward us for our faithfulness even if no one else will. We might be tempted to laugh at the idea of an uncertain Jesus, but what He went through tell us we're not alone. Jesus knows what it feels like too.

Disgusting Miracles?

 

“After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.” John 9:6

 

Throughout the Bible, God uses unusual ways to get things done; crows to deliver food to Elijah, then later a widow woman with next to nothing to eat, a donkey to correct a Balaam, 300 to defeat a multitude, etc. There are a lot of them, some of them funny but most ironic is some way. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

Jesus takes it to a new extreme. Sometimes, it’s a little disgusting. You might find it humorous, or at least humorous that I get a little queasy thinking about it.

Consider this: “After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue” (Mark 7:33). Jesus stuck his fingers in the guy’s ears (didn’t wash them before or after, either), then spits (I’m assuming on his fingers). Finally, he touches the man’s tongue with fingers that were just in his ears and spit on. Yuk (for me at least).

Yes, I know there are reasons Jesus did what he did and that he was using the miracle as a parable but it is still unsettling for this guy’s weak stomach.

At the end of the day, I still trust God and if Jesus has to spit on me to be blessed then I need to be willing to accept it. 

An Eureka Moment (with a divine push)

EUREKA!

Gideon: A Case Study in Instruction - Judges 7 

 Have you ever been taught by someone who forces you to think things through and maybe when you think you have a plan, they take away something you were counting on using or said, "No, you have to do it without that?" I mean really teacher google isn't going away, why can't I use it? But no, they don't let you use the normal method.

If you have it can seem frustrating but if they are a great teacher, then when you get your eureka moment then everything is clear. Before then it is not fun, in fact, you might think that the teacher/professor is a bit of a sadist. He/She sits around trying to find ways to torment their students. Yes, there might be a few like that but thankfully only a few. Most honestly want their students to grow and learn to think for themselves. They also might be pushing them to think outside the box.  

Years later we might laugh about how our instructor pushed us but at the moment let's maybe not. This is what I see in this chapter. God is pushing Gideon to the correct answer. I didn't see this before, but it doesn't diminish the miracle at all as I see it, it reveals a God who loves us enough to push us to think for ourselves. Let's set the stage...

• A coalition of enemy nations has gathered to plunder Israel again.  
• Gideon gathers an army of 32,000 men to go against them (Side note: Israel is woefully outnumbered).
• God tells Gideon to let the fearful go home. 
• Now there are only 10,000 men left (It's going to be a slaughter for the Midianites). 
• God gives another test and Gideon is left with 300 men. 
• God tells Gideon if he's afraid to sneak down to the enemy camp. (Personally, at this point I would be looking up to God and saying, "Afraid? I'm terrified and now you want me, the guy who every Midianite wants to kill, to sneak down into their camp. ARE YOU? (Pause, deep breath) You're God, so okay, I’ll go.). 

The stage is set for Gideon. Is Gideon going to figure it out or well we know he will because it probably wouldn't have a story if he didn't. Gideon is down by the enemy camp and hears the enemy speaking of dreams that God is going to use Gideon to whip them out. In other words, the enemy is afraid. The enemy is expecting to lose. Yes, they have superior numbers and weapons, but they know they are going to lose. Gideon is shocked. This is news to him. Gideon thought he was the one who was going to lose. In fact, if he fights like everyone expects he will lose.

Eureka! Gideon has his epiphany.  Gideon remembers God's words that He would fight for them. Gideon doesn't have to fight. Gideon sees the army is looking for a reason to run and comes up with a plan to give them that reason. I would note here that the Bible doesn't say that God told Gideon what to do. However, God did place his student in the right place to discover the answer for himself and it was brilliant.   

An army expecting to see an enemy attack woke up to see foreigners around them. They were, after all, a coalition of foreign nations. When they were startled awake, they saw what they expected, foreign enemies. Once the chaos began it just grew. Those who might have had time to realize they were fighting their "allies" were confused by God. The armies, on seeing their "allies" attack their friends and comrades joined in the fighting. Those who survived this first wave of attacks were confused and afraid therefore ran away from the danger. Side note: It's easier to kill soldiers who are running rather than fighting you giving Gideon the day.

The truth is the miracle of this story is three-fold. First, an enemy who had no reason to believe they would lose actually did. Second, God put Gideon in a place where he had to think differently. Third, God prevented the Midianites from seeing their allies as allies. 

This might not be Ha, Ha funny, but it brings a smile to my face when I consider how God taught Gideon how to win an unwinnable battle.

Photo from https://unsplash.com/@mehedi192

How dumb do you think I am?

Didn't have a picture of a golden one.

Exodus 32:24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” NLT

Brothers have been known to, how shall I say this, "fib" to one another or exaggerate the truth a bit and maybe even lie. But who wants to get in trouble especially when it's your younger brother who's in charge? I have to believe that is what Arron was doing when he tried to explain away the golden calf he had made at the request of the people of Israel.

This excuse takes the cake. Who in the world is going to believe this, especially since everyone saw him doing the work. If I had been Moses I might have said, "Arron. just how dumb do you think I am?" 

Yes, they had both seen God do some pretty miraculous things since they had both heard the voice of God specifically say "Don't make an idol" I can't give Arron credence for trying to blame God for it. Which I really hope he wasn't trying to do. God knows.

Whatever the case this has to be the craziest excuse an adult has ever given. Or at least in the top ten. 

Backing the right horse?

 

As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:27-28)

I have heard it taught that Esau was a "Man's man" and Jacob was a "momma's boy." As if God hadn't stepped in that Jacob would have starved if someone wasn't there to take care of him. I believe this is wrong. Though Esau was a skills hunter when you read the rest of the life of Jacob he was no wimp. Jacob worked hard, my goodness he worked for 14 years just to get to marry the woman he loved. 

However, we do see that Rebekah favored Jacob. I want to consider that maybe the reason Rebekah was so connected to Jacob is more than just he was a quiet man. Maybe it in some way had to do with the inside information she had, therefor she was backing the person she knew was going to win?

In horse racing, it is said that you need to back (bet on) the right horse if you want to win. There are lots of ways people guess which horse is the right one. Bookies change the odds depending on what they see and people bet and lose more often than not because you can't know for sure who is going to win. One way to guarantee you can win is to cheat another way (which is also considered cheating both in horse racing and in the stock market) is to get inside information on the state of the horses. If you know a race with two horses is taking place and one has a severe handicap and can't win, you would be a fool to bet on it. 

Looking at these verses, Jacob is the one who would decide who would get the lion's share of the inheritance and God's blessings and he was going to give it to Esau. Yet Rebekah whose future security when Jacob died was in the hands of the heir, bet as it were on Jacob. Why would she? I don't think it was just because he was a "nice boy." Rebekah had inside information. 

"the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son” (Genesis 25: 22-23)

Rebekah was betting on the right son because, well, she cheated. When you see what she encourages later, you have to agree that she wasn't above it. No, I'm not saying she was right. I'm sure she and Jacob should have treated their sons equally but unfortunately, they didn't. This inequity may have been what led Esau and his descendants into disobedience, only God knows. However, without looking at the deeper ramification it is funny to me that this momma was cheating to make sure she was on the right side. It might be strange to see this as a little humorous, but I do. 

What about us? Who are we backing? We have inside information and unlike Rebekah, this isn't hidden information it's open to all. The information is Jesus has won, and will return again fully victorious. Wouldn't it be silly not to back him? Especially, when we consider He loves us and wants us to be on the winning side?  

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

I believe, but...

Jesus said. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24

This is probably one of my favorite scriptures. The reason isn't the promise that if we believe that everything is possible but that after the father's confession of incomplete faith, Jesus heals the child. 

There are more times than I would like to admit when I believe but not completely. I struggle with doubts and as much as anything a bit of self-will. I believe that God will provide but maybe not the way I want or as soon as I want and I act on my own. I regret it eventually, so I get up from my fall and say, "God, I'm sorry. I didn't trust you." The beautiful thing about God is that he forgives. Yes, there are consequences but He will help with that if I believe and act as He would call me. It's work and often it isn't straightforward. For me, right now, I know much of my less-than-stellar attitude at times is more a result of exhaustion and I can ask God for help but his answer is rest. I, however, don't always believe me resting will help the "big picture," but God says if we do things his way then things work out. 

So will I believe it?

I wish I could say otherwise but the best I can do right now is to say, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

PS> Yes, I did promise some funny Bible stuff and I will get it done. 

Good Friday

Quiet Reflection and Communion

Selma Christ Global Methodist Church

 

Palms on the ground

Forgotten, trampled.

Reminder of triumphant praise

Swallowed in rejections chant,

 

CRUCIFY, CRUCIFY,

We reject this king.

 

Palms on the ground

Forgotten, forsaken.

Reminder of devotion’s praise

Swallowed in rebellion’s sin,

 

Actions, Attitudes

We rejected this king.

 

Palms on the ground

Remembered, burned.

Reminder of Wednesday’s return

Swallowed in repenting cry,

 

Forgive, Forgive,

We need this king.

 

Traditionally, Palm Sunday’s palms are gathered, dried, and burned. The ashes which remain are used during Ash Wednesday Services. However, we need not wait until Ash Wednesday to ask for and receive forgiveness from our gracious Savior and King. Receive communion today in an attitude of repentance and gratitude for all Jesus suffered so that we may have salvation.