Grace and Truth

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and from His fullness we have received grace upon grace (John 1:17b,16)

The more I become aware of the truth of who I am--my selfishness, pride, greed, hypocrisy, etc.  the more I embrace the grace that comes through Jesus.  In his grace he died my death--paid my penalty--suffered for my sins.  In his grace he gave me a gift that I did not deserve, that I did not earn, and that I can not repay.  The truth of who I am reminds me that I need grace upon grace upon grace--and the truth that came through Jesus assures me that the grace is eternal and efficient.

Today is good Friday and I believe Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross is more than a beautiful picture--it is more than a compelling story--it is more than an inspiring idea.  I believe Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross is an event that actually happened 2000 years ago--it is an event that proclaims the grace and truth of a holy God's relentless love for humanity.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and from His fullness we have received grace upon grace.

The Story ()

The Story ()

Judas--Good or Bad?

I continue to be affected by the story of Judas as I read through the last days of Jesus' life. 

To summarize what we know of Judas--for years he follows Jesus.  One evening he witnesses a woman pour expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus (Mt26:6-13), and he goes to the chief priests to find out how much money he can make by turning Jesus in (Mt26:14-16).  Very soon thereafter Judas hands Jesus over to the authorities.  And not too long after that Judas is overcome with guilt--tries to give the money back--goes out and hangs himself (Mt27:3-10).  

I struggle with this question--was Judas a committed follower of Jesus who took his eyes off of Jesus for a period OR was Judas just following Jesus for his own personal gain, never truly committed to the cause of Christ? 

The majority of books and articles I read seem to think that Judas was a phony.  I suppose the story makes more sense with this view.  I suppose life is simpler in black and white--I like to be able to categorize people into either good or bad categories.  He must be a Christian because he said or did this, while she must not be a Christian because she said or did that.  While my life may be simpler by making such assumptions, my life may also lack depth and Christlike love by making such assumptions.

Currently I am leaning toward the idea that Judas was a committed follower of Jesus who screwed up, couldn't grasp the depth's of Christ's forgiveness, and drowned in his own guilt.  These days I would rather think the best of people, and I would hope people will return the favor.  

When the book of my life is written what will people assume of me? There will be stories of years of following Christ and there will be stories of selfishness and betrayal. . . . I hope people will see a flawed character trying to follow Christ, making mistakes, while struggling to understand and share His love and grace.

Friend

We are currently in the season of Lent, and in an attempt to prepare my heart for the death and resurrection I am reading through the episodes leading up to the crucifixion.  This week one image stands out above all the others--the kiss of betrayal in the garden.

Matthew 26:47-56 tells the story--Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples as Judas approaches with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs on orders to arrest this revolutionary.  Judas approaches Jesus and greets him with a kiss.  And Jesus' reply is, "Friend, do what you came for."

Friend?!  Really Jesus?!  Even to one of your closest followers who has just sold you out to the authorities--friend?  Even as he is stabbing the knife into your back--friend?  Even as he does it with something as intimate as a kiss--friend?  Even as he profits from your death--friend?

Jesus and Judas' embrace in the garden is a stunning example of Jesus' radical message of love and forgiveness.  His teaching to love your enemies was not mere words but it was the blood that pulsed through his veins--blood that in a matter of hours would be shed for the forgiveness of his friend Judas.

I suppose I shouldn't be as stunned as I am with this passage.  After all Jesus is the friend of sinners, and if I pause long enough to analyze my day and the decisions that I make I realize that I betray Jesus just like Judas did.  I sell out to the American dream or I sell out to my own selfish desires or I sell out for the acceptance of others or I sell out for even a few dollars.  And when I do--each and every time--Jesus whispers in my ear, "friend".  And if I am listening--that word drops me to my knees at the foot of the cross, and I cry out for his loving, grace-filled, forgiving blood to pour down over me--the blood that was shed to wash away Judas' sins and mine.  That simple word whispered from the lips of Jesus--friend--is a reminder to return home to the loving, forgiving friendship that God desires to have with you and with me.  Whether or not Judas embraced that friendship is an age-old debate--whether or not you and I will embrace that friendship is entirely up to you and I.

Temptation

Last week my wife, Caroline, bought ice cream.  This little fact may seem inconsequential to you--but it is a significant issue for me.  I love ice cream.  One of my favorite things to do in life is scoop myself a big bowl of ice cream, recline on my sofa, and watch a rerun of Seinfeld.  I am a simple man with simple pleasures.  However, in spite of the enjoyment ice cream brings me, I do not want it in my house.  We make an effort to not keep ice cream in the freezer because I know that I am not yet strong enough to resist the temptation it brings.  Undoubtedly 11pm rolls around, my feet are propped up on the couch, Kramer stumbles into Jerry's apartment, and I can hear the chocolate chip-cookie-dough calling my name--within seconds I am back on the couch, ice cream in hand.

Temptation . . . it comes in all shapes and sizes.  But how are we to deal with it?

Genesis 39:1-20 tells us the story of how Joseph responded to temptation.  The story goes like this: Joseph is the lead servant in his master's house.  One day his master's wife comes onto him wanting to sleep with him.  A close reading of the text reveals Joseph's 3 tiered response to this sexual temptation.  The first time she tempts him he refuses and explains to her his reasons for resisting (v8-9).  However, she keeps pressuring Joseph day after day to sleep with her, he continues to refuse, while in verse 10 we see tier 2 of his response--"he kept out of her way as much as possible."  By this time Joseph had learned that to simply refuse her was not an effective strategy, so he stepped it up a notch, and tried his best to avoid her.  Unfortunately, this woman had nothing better to do than pursue Joseph so she trapped him one day when no one was around--she grabbed his coat and demanded that he sleep with her--and at this Joseph stepped up to his third level of response and ran away leaving his coat in her arms.  The story continues and Joseph ends up in prison being falsely accused of sleeping with his master's wife.  But what stood out to me in the story is Joseph's strategy when it came to resisting temptation.  First, he said no and thoroughly explained himself. The pressure was even stronger so Joseph avoided the source of the temptation.  The tempter cornered Joseph and he ran away.

Life poses us countless temptations in a day.  Many we can simply say no to, but when we learn that a no will not work we need to avoid these situations, and when avoidance is inevitable we need to swallow our pride and run.

I am not sure what this means for my ice cream issue.  I have said no, and tried to avoid it--I purposefully don't bring it into my house.  But it seems to be cornering me, so I guess I need to run away.  I hope Caroline doesn't get the wrong idea, but I am going for a run. . . .