Who Do You Say He Is?

He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God

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Jesus

King of Kings

Posted on April 11, 2020 10:48 pm by drmay Comment

The Latin word corona is translated crown and these days the coronavirus appears to be ruling the world. But this weekend, let me take a moment to tell you about my King, who continues to sit on His throne. Twenty-five years ago Jesus changed my life forever. At that time, I had made the world and the riches of this world my king. I had been pursuing worldly gain and worldly pleasures and I found myself empty (see here for more). While I was a messed up sinner, Jesus met me right where I was. After meeting a girl at a late-night party, I found myself in a church pew the next morning beginning a journey into the arms of my savior. In January 1995, I surrendered my life to the King of Kings. I personally answered the question, “Who do you say He is?” He is the Son of the living God and He is my King.

What changed? Did I just start being religious? Did everything in my life get better and all my problems go away? Was I “born again”? Before I get into my transformation, let me explain why Jesus’ death and resurrection is the greatest news ever.

Hebrews 2:14–18 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus stepped out of heaven to share in our humanity. He knows how it feels to suffer, be rejected and be tempted. He came into the world to show us how to live counter to the culture. The creator of the universe came as a servant who welcomed the outcasts and loved the sinners. The Bible says we have all sinned and we fall short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23) and the just wage or penalty for our sin is death (Romans 6:23). But the sinless Jesus died in our place, and more importantly, He rose from the dead so that he might destroy him who holds the power of death and to free us who have been held in slavery by our fear of death.

These verses in Ephesians describe the grace Jesus showed to me and offers to us all:

Ephesians 2:1–5 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

I was dead, empty and on a very destructive path in my drinking. The world offered me no hope, no stability, lots of stress and its only reliable promise was physical death in the end. Thankfully, God, by His grace, gave me a new life (2 Cor 5:17). Jesus describes being born again this way:

John 3:5–6 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

God put His Spirit in me and began to conform me into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 3:16-18). My desires began to align with His desires. My fears were overshadowed by God himself (Psalm 91:1). My physical body might die, but my spirit, my very being will live eternally with Christ. The night I surrendered to Jesus as my King was the last night I drank a drop of alcohol. I began to experience a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). I’m not perfect, but rather a work-in-progress. Jesus is not just my friend, but He is my King and that means I want to be obedient to what he wants and set aside my own personal gratification. Fortunately, His burden is light (Matt 11:30). Jesus does not expect me to obey a strict set of rules and live a sinless life. He walks alongside me, sometimes carrying me, the weight of my guilt is removed, and His foremost command is this: “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

What has the coronavirus shown us? We cannot depend on the things of this world. Finances are unstable, health is at risk, jobs are disappearing, pleasures are fleeting, many in the world are filled with fear. Corona has taken away many of our freedoms, we have no more sports, theaters are shut down, we can’t hang out with friends or go out to eat. Yet, for me, I don’t put my trust in this world. I put my hope and trust in Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

This Easter weekend, consider what the King of Kings has done for you. Not everyone submits to this King, but He is the one on the throne and He is crowned with glory (Hebrews 2:7–9) and He gave His life for you so that you may truly live.

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The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Posted on December 5, 2018 10:51 pm by drmay Comment

I love the parables of Jesus. In many cases we can relate to the simple stories and see the deeper spiritual meaning, especially when Jesus explained himself. However, sometimes the parables are not so clear, or we can’t even relate to the topic in our lives today. Recently I led a small group discussion about the Parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16. This is one of those parables that has always left me baffled, so I needed a little prayer and spiritual discernment before I could make sense of this one.

Luke 16:1-9 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Really?! This guy was commended? What does this mean? If the rich man represents God and I am a steward like the manager then what is commendable about the debt forgiveness using someone else’s wealth? No matter what assumptions I made, I could not make sense of the story. That’s because I missed Jesus’ point. Jesus was not commending this man. God did not represent the rich man and was not commending this man. This was a parable about acting shrewdly and more specifically, Jesus declared, “the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”

What did he mean by that? Let’s reexamine the story and think about what the manager knew and how he responded. First, he knew he was going to lose his job. He didn’t react defensively so he probably considered the rich man’s actions justified. He also knew that he wasn’t strong enough to dig and was too ashamed to beg so he needed to position himself for a new job or at least a place to stay. Knowing he was on his way out he quickly approached each of his master’s debtors and helped them out by forgiving some of their debt in hopes of building rapport with them. The master (not Jesus) called these actions shrewd. Maybe the master himself operated in this conniving way, but that is not explicitly stated, nor does it really matter. His shrewd actions likely improved his position after he lost his job allowing him to be welcomed into people’s homes.

Jesus stated that people of the light don’t act this shrewdly with their own kind. This is where the parable should bring conviction. What I think Jesus meant is that we know we will one day leave this world and enter eternity when our time comes. What shrewd things are we doing to prepare for that day? When we meet Jesus face to face, will we receive the “Well done, good and faithful servant” praise? The economy of the kingdom of God is upside down in comparison with the economy of the world. The way we prepare for eternity requires a Jesus mindset. Take a look at some of these scriptures:

Luke 12:31–34 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 19:29–30 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 5:43–47 “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 sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Romans 12:20–21  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 20:26–28 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 16:24–27 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 25:22–23 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The theme here is clear. There is reward and treasure in heaven and it is available for those who humble themselves, love others, take care of their enemies, are generous with their possessions and who seek God’s kingdom first. This is kingdom shrewdness and Jesus said the people of the light don’t do it as well as we should.

Jesus went on to say a few more things about wealth as you read on in Luke 16. In verse 9 He told us to use worldly wealth to gain friends for ourselves. Be generous, bless people with it. After all, it will be gone someday. In so doing you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Maybe these eternal dwellings represent those people who received the salvation and love of Jesus Christ through your generosity and love. Finally, Jesus gave parting words to the pharisees when he said, “God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Luke 16:15b

We need to be shrewd enough to know what is highly valued in God’s sight and to invest in those things.

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The Covenant Keeper

Posted on March 27, 2016 3:04 pm by drmay 1 Comment

What exactly is a covenant? We see this word all the time in the Bible. In fact, the word testament could also be translated as covenant, giving us a Bible with two main parts, an old and a new covenant. Unfortunately many of us simplify it down to being a contract and leave it at that, and thus we miss the much deeper meaning of the covenant of biblical times.

In the ancient Middle East, covenants were commonplace and could be made by individuals, tribes or even nations. I’d like to specifically focus on one type of covenant often made between stronger and weaker parties – a suzerain/vassal treaty. I’m sure some of us learned about this way back in social studies (if we didn’t sleep through the class), but before your eyes roll into the back of your head, hear me out on this one. This might just be one of those “aha” moments when some scriptures come alive.

In a suzerain/vassal treaty, one party was more powerful than the other and the suzerain could demand submission from the vassal. These two parties would also be referred to as “father and son” or “lord and servant” in these treaties. Typically, the suzerain would provide land and protection for the weaker vassal who would, in turn, serve the superior and have to pay him an annual tribute. The suzerain often owned all of the land but would give the vassal some autonomy in ruling his own people. The vassal would assist in any military situations by providing an army and the vassal could only have one suzerain. This loyalty to the suzerain was known as “covenant faithfulness”.

Covenants always involved oaths and commitments made by both parties and were often ratified by an appropriate sacrifice. This sacrifice was so common that they often used the idiom “to cut a covenant”. This sacrifice could also communicate the consequences of the vassal not following through with his part of the agreement. During the covenant ratification ceremony, they might even require that the vassal walk between the two halves of the sacrificed animal as to show the consequence of not keeping the oaths.

In Genesis 12, God promised Abraham He would make him into a great nation and all people on earth would be blessed through his offspring (Jesus being an eventual descendent of Abraham to fulfill that blessing to all). Some time later in Genesis 15, Abraham is older and childless and questioned God about His promises of children and land. He was not sure about them anymore. To show Abraham His commitment to the promise, God cut a covenant with him. He had Abraham bring several animals for sacrifice, cut them in half and arrange the halves opposite each other. After Abraham fell into a deep sleep, God appeared and ratified the covenant.

Genesis 15:17-18a When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.

This is such a strange ritualistic story to most of us. What exactly was going on here? Let’s take what we know about covenants and put it into this story. God is the suzerain and Abraham is the vassal. God has promised land, blessing and protection to Abraham (and the eventual nation of Israel) in exchange for his commitment to God as his only suzerain. But something was different in this covenant. The one who passed between the bloody animal halves was not the vassal, but the suzerain, God himself. In essence God said, “may what has happened to these animals happen to me if this covenant is not kept.” Israel did eventually fail to keep the covenant and Jesus Christ came to pay the price for the broken stipulations of the covenant. In other words, God who defined the covenant and its requirements also committed to see the promise through regardless of the vassal’s success or failure to do what was required. This is grace! God demonstrated the covenant faithfulness usually required of the vassal. I want to be a part of this kind of covenant.

That first Easter weekend, before paying the price for the first covenant, Jesus defined a new and better covenant. Again, God is the suzerain, and we (Christ’s followers) represent the vassal. The land is His Kingdom (on earth and heaven), the promise is peace, and His protection from death (death was defeated at the resurrection). The sacrifice was His body (the price of the old covenant, and the appropriate sacrifice for the new covenant). How can you go wrong with this? Come make a commitment to the suzerain. When asked, “Who do you say He is?”, I can say He is my suzerain, my covenant maker, but more than that, He is my covenant keeper.

Happy Easter everyone!

I’d like to give credit to the book The Epic of Eden by Sandra L. Richter who spelled this out for me to understand. I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to be able to better grasp what the Old Testament is all about.

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