I was actually tempted to skip this next footstep. But when we study Scripture we need to have the courage to honestly view it all, even those passages that are troublesome or that might cause controversy. So here goes. Was the Apostle Peter really given authority over the Church? Was he really its head? Many believe that’s what Jesus meant in Matthew 16:18 when He told Peter “Thou are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This occurred right after Peter correctly replied to Jesus’ question, “who do you say I am?”

But was Jesus really making Peter the head of the church? I can understand why some believe this, especially since it has spawned an entire hierarchy of heads or Popes, and a host of traditions, many of which are not Biblical, and because Ephesians 2:20 says that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Does that mean the Old Testament prophets were “popes” too? Heads of Judaism? Hardly. And what foundation is it talking about? Jesus, of course, who revealed Himself in scripture long before his arrival in Bethlehem’s manger. And finally, when you carefully examine the above scripture and understand that a word-play, like so often occurs in the Bible, was going on, a different meaning actually comes to light.

First, the word Peter in Greek is petros meaning a piece of rock, while petra is the word Jesus used when saying “on this rock (petra) I will build my church,” and petra means a massive rock like a mountain. So who or what is this petra? Well, it’s none other than Jesus Himself! 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 talks about how Moses and the Israelites ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink, “for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.” Both Colossians 1:18 and Ephesians 1:22 clearly state that Jesus is the head of the church. And 1 Corinthians 3:11 says Jesus is the foundation of the church while Peter himself in 1 Peter 2:3-8 says Jesus was the chief corner stone of the church.

And all this makes perfect sense since no mere man could ever be the head of Christ’s church. Only Jesus Himself can be its head. But what of Peter? What was Jesus saying in His play of words? In modern vernacular Jesus was calling Peter a “chip off the old block” with the block being Jesus Himself. I wonder if this was what Peter was remembering when he said in 1 Peter 2:5 that we are all “living stones” that make up the spiritual house of the church. It’s interesting to note that in verse 5 Peter also calls us a “holy priesthood” and in verse 9 a “royal priesthood” ending forever the need for any other priesthood.

In Matthew 15:6 Jesus tells the Pharisees, those religious folks, that they were making the commandment of God of none effect by their traditions. I think that’s why Jesus, right after stating He was going to build the church on Himself, issued this caution in Matthew 16:19 (Amplified), “I will give you (the church) the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven: and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed (lawful) in heaven.”

So, is a man, any man, able to lawfully call himself head of Jesus’ church? I don’t believe scripture supports that claim at all. On the contrary, it indicates that only Jesus can be its head.

If we expect to stand in these darkening days we must truly know and understand God’s word. And that can only be done by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. May God give each of us the courage to open our hearts and minds to His truth.

Until next time,

Sylvia

By the time we get to Luke 9:18-25 and Matthew 16:13-16 the apostles have already seen wondrous things: Jesus healing the sick, driving out demons, feeding the five thousand, walking on water, and rebuking the waves and wind. So it’s not surprising that He finally asks, “Who do men say that I am?” The apostles answer: John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the other ancient prophets. But Jesus doesn’t let it rest there. He then asks the big question. “But who do you say I am?” And Peter nails it by saying, you are “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It’s interesting to note that all this took place in Caesarea Philippi, the territory that once belonged to the tribe of Dan but was now the seat of pervasive idol worship, where the Temple of Pan/Baal stood with its idolatrous statues filling niches carved into Mount Hermon, the very mountain where many Bible scholars believe Satan and the fallen angels descended to earth to work their mischief. And it’s here in this hotbed of sin and rank offense to God, Jesus asks His question.

Satan is still working his mischief, seeking to wreak havoc and to “kill, steal and destroy.” And though the world is a hotbed of sin and offense to God, Jesus’ question to His disciples is the very question He will ask each of us one day. And how we answer will determine our eternal destiny. If we have come to accept that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” who died for our sins so that we can be forgiven, we will be; and we can expect a glorious eternal destiny. But if we have not, if we are stuck in the Temple of Pan, paying homage to the world and its systems, and seeking to gratify self, our eternal future is bleak indeed.

Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 9:23 that they must take up their cross daily. The Amplified Bible perfectly explains what this means. It says we must die daily to self (our cross) laying aside our own interests for Christ’s. It is a life that can only be lived by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. But make no mistake, whatever we choose, we will not be able to escape the “big question.” And with so much riding on it, it would serve us well if we began today to formulate our answer. With so many false teachings about the “many ways to heaven” we need to be sure where we stand.

In parting, I leave you with Jesus’ own words: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Until next time,

Sylvia

After the miracle of the loaves and fishes in John 6:1-14, Jesus, knowing that the people wanted to make Him king, withdrew to a secluded place while His disciples took a boat and began rowing to Capernaum. Since I’ve already written about this I’ll repost it now.

It was the fourth watch of the night (John 6:14-21; Matthew 14:22-32) sometime between three and six in the morning. The boatload of apostles, under Jesus’ instruction to “go to the other side,” have made it only halfway because the wind kicked up and the turbulent waves had impeded their progress. For hours their boat had been toss around like a toy. The Sea of Galilee was like that. Calm one minute, treacherous the next. Then all of a sudden the apostles spot a man walking on the water. “A ghost!” they cry in fear, for what else could it be?

But it’s Jesus’ familiar voice that rings back, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” And it’s Peter who responds by asking Jesus to tell him to come walk on the water, too. When Jesus does, Peter gets out of the boat, and what do you know! He really does walk on water, that is until he takes his eyes off Jesus and once again notices the boisterous winds and tossing sea, and then he starts sinking.

What a lesson! In this tempest tossed-world, with storms all around us to impede our progress, we don’t have to drown in our circumstances. We can actually walk on these troubled waters, but only if we keep our eyes on Jesus. The minute we take our eyes off Him and put them on our problems, we’ll start sinking. There’s no doubt in my mind that had Peter kept his focus on Jesus he would have walked all the way across the sea to the other side.  Instead, Jesus had to pull the nearly drowned Peter out of the water and into the boat. And I’m sure Peter’s heart broke a little when Jesus admonished him with, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst though doubt?”

Most of us want to do what Jesus has instructed us to do. But as the world becomes more unstable, and circumstances more trying, it’s easy to allow fear to enter. And when it does we have two choices: Do we keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to take us through to the other side? Or do we concentrate on our circumstances and allow them to overwhelm us? I think we’re going to have ample opportunity in the days and weeks and months ahead to answer that for ourselves.

Until next week,

Sylvia

As we continue following Jesus we next find Him on a mountainside surrounded by a multitude (Luke 9: 12-17; John 6:1-13). It’s a desolate place and darkness is falling. More than 5000 have gathered in search of a miracle, a healing, a word . . . from God. Luke 9:12 tells us that Jesus has already talked to them about the kingdom and has healed “those who needed restoration to health.” In short, He has poured Himself out for these people and had every right to leave in search of much needed rest and seclusion. But that’s not what happened.

“Give them food to eat,” Jesus tells Philip, to which Philip wails “that would cost more than 200 denarii!” a sum equal to nearly seven months wages.  John 6:6 tells us that Jesus was testing Philip, that He already had a plan, a remedy. There was a little boy nearby who had five barley loaves and two small fish. For Jesus that was more than enough.

At once, Jesus has the crowd recline on the grass in groups of fifty. Then He takes the small loves and fishes, blesses them and breaks them, and has his disciples pass them out. And what do you know? Not only were the loaves and fishes enough to feed this huge crowd there were leftovers! The disciples actually filled twelve small hand baskets with them!

This tells us several things. First, that Jesus is not only concerned about our spiritual wellbeing but our physical wellbeing, too. He cared that these people were hungry and that the nearest food store was a considerable distance away. Nothing is too small, too mundane to escape His attention or care.

Then there are all those numbers peppering the story. The number five in five loaves speaks of God’s grace and the number two in two fishes, talks about a division or difference. Jesus was showing them something new. He was showing them grace verses the law, the law symbolized by the number ten. This is again reinforced when He has all the men sit in groups of fifty (5 times 10). He was showing that His grace was sufficient to satisfy everyone. That it would never run out. And finally, the number twelve, as in the twelve baskets of leftovers, indicates God’s government. Remember the twelve tribes of Israel? And the twelve apostles? The twelve baskets of leftovers indicated that God was in control. That His government was perfection itself.  There is no lack in Him. He can take something small, use it and still have surplus. His government is bountiful and generous, as well as powerful.

But did Jesus really need the boy’s bread and fish to do His miracle? The answer is obviously, “no.” He could have easily turned the stones on the dusty ground into food. This tells me that God looks to use us for His glory even in our smallness and impotence, and that He is more than able to use our meager talents, works, activities we have dedicated to Him for something far greater than we can ever imagine. What a privilege to partner with Him in this way!

How greatly God cares for each of us. How deep is His concern for every detail of our lives! And He is a big God, capable of big things. We need not fear failure when we step out for Him. He will take the little we have and bless it and multiply it for His glory. All we need do is take that first step.

Until next time,

Sylvia

Jesus was not one to be intimidated. Even when the religious sect took exception to His healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda and they began plotting to kill Him, Jesus knowingly added fuel to the fire by boldly asserting things like: He only did what He saw the Father do (John 5:19 Amplified), and that “the Father dearly loves the Son” and just as the Father gives life, the “Son also gives life to whomever He wills” . . . and that “all judgment has been given into the hands of the Son.” Jesus went on to speak of the resurrection and judgment of sinners, and ended John 5 by telling these religious people that they didn’t know God at all; that they were blind to both God’s voice and the vision of God. And then the kicker. He told them that God’s love was not in their hearts and that they were only interested in receiving praise and accolades from each other rather than God.

The thing we have to understand is that Jesus left no wiggle room. There could be no fence-sitters in His camp. He made very definite claims about Himself and we have to come to a place where either we believe them or not. And we can’t pick and choose, either. We can’t say, “yes I believe Jesus gives life” but I don’t believe He’s ever going to judge sinners. And here’s the tougher reality, if only one of the things Jesus said about Himself is not true then all the rest, like a house of cards, must, of necessity, come tumbling down, for then He would be a liar, and can a liar be trusted or believed?

I believe Jesus is exactly who He said He is. I climbed off that fence long ago to align myself with His camp. So when I hear Christians, and especially ministers, picking and choosing what they want to believe, I find it disturbing. As Christians we are to proclaim God’s Word, His entire Word. And yes, some of that Word can make us uncomfortable. It can be inconvenient and even downright painful. But to do less would make us like the “religious” crowd in John 5, blind to God’s voice and vision, lacking God’s love in our hearts, and only interested in receiving the praise of man rather than God’s.

Oh God, may we not be fence-sitters.  “Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit in us.”

Until next time,

Sylvia

After Jesus healed the man who had the “lingering disorder for thirty-eight years” (last week’s blog) the Jews wasted no time in finding fault. “It’s the Sabbath and you have no right to pick up your bed” they told the newly healed man in John 5:10 (Amplified). Then they demanded to know who it was that healed him. When the Jews found out it was Jesus, they began persecuting Him and even “sought to slay Him because he had done these things on the Sabbath day” (verse 16).   

Every time I come across one of these incidents in the Bible where the Pharisees or other “religious” types want to kill Jesus for healing or doing something else on the Sabbath I want to scratch my head in wonderment because instead of trying to garner the bigger picture they were constantly, as Jesus put it in Matthew 23:24, “filtering out a gnat and gulping down a camel.”

If I had been there would I have done the same? Would I have failed to appreciate what Jesus was doing? Jesus had already told them He was the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8) yet they just couldn’t break old habits, their old traditions. Would I have overlooked the move of God’s Spirit for the sake of my theology? My religious traditions? When I actually sat down and thought about it I realized that at certain times I had done this very thing. It’s easy to get hung up on our church’s way of doing things. We are comfortable in the service that usually runs the same amount of time each week and has the same format. After all, it’s the way our church has always done things. Why change now? But what if the Holy Sprit wants to move in a special way and take a few hours longer? Or change the format? Or add a different type of music? Or maybe come with such power He brings everyone to their knees for the entire service? What then? Do we yield or do we, like those “religious” Jews, miss the moment and a chance to really interact with God?

The comfortable, the familiar can be the enemy of God. It can make us miss Him completely. We need to keep ourselves open to the Holy Spirit. We can trust Him. He will never violate Scripture but He may violate our sensibilities, our preconceived ideas. And if we cling too hard to the familiar we can end up with religion and not relationship. Relationship with the most High God who loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend and who is always looking to do something new in our lives and take us out of our comfort zone. The question is, will we let Him?

Until next time,

Sylvia

Imagine being desperately ill for thirty-eight years and the only chance you thought you had of ever getting better was to dip into the Pool of Bethesda. Only problem was, a lot of other people wanted to get healed in that pool, too, and only the first to reach the water, whenever an angel stirred it up, ever seemed to get well (John 5:1-5). Even so, this poor man didn’t give up. Year after year he went to the pool hoping he’d be the lucky one this time.  But after trying for thirty-eight years, I’m sure he was at the point where he wondered if he’d ever make it first into the pool, especially since he had no one to carry him down. Then along comes Jesus.

John 5:6 tells us that Jesus “noticed him (the sick man) lying there helpless” and knew at once that he had been in this poor state for a very long time. His first question to the man seems a bit odd. “Do you want to become well?” Even to a casual observer the answer seems obvious. Or is it?  Sometimes after being so long in a certain condition we can become resigned, lose our hope, even become comfortable in our misery and let it define us. Some people even use their misfortunes to manipulate and control others. There are numerous stories of parents/husbands/wives/friends/neighbors who have used an illness or misfortune to control those around them through guilt.

So at second glance Jesus’ question doesn’t seem that odd after all. And Jesus asks this same question of us. Do we really want to be free of that illness, that situation, that addiction, that heartache? Or do we want to hold onto it and let it define us? It’s no accident that Bethesda means “house of kindness” in Greek. Jesus is kindness itself and where He is allowed to enter, where He is invited to go, automatically is infused with kindness and mercy. We are much more fortunate than the man who suffered for thirty-eight years. We don’t have to wait for an angel to “trouble the waters” then race to its edge trying to be first. Jesus is our Pool of Bethesda. He is our “living water.”  He is our “House of Kindness.” We need nothing more. And if we are serious and want His intervention in our lives He will not disappoint. And His grace will carry us through as He works things out in His way and according to His timing.

Until next week,

Sylvia

While Jesus is dinning at the house of Simon the Pharisee a woman suddenly bursts in carrying an “alabaster box of ointment” (Luke 7:36-50). That word “ointment” is muron in the Greek and means myrrh, a costly resin used in not only perfumes but in medicine to deaden pain, for the purification of women, in incense, in priestly anointing oil, and for anointing the dead. It also means bitter. Perhaps it symbolized this woman’s own bitter circumstances, and her desire to pour out her pain upon Jesus. To pour out her sins and be purified, to be made a sweet fragrance to the Lord, as well as the acknowledgement that Jesus was not only teacher but a priest before God and that He could do all these things. I believe it also speaks of the price Jesus was willing to pay in order to accomplish this for her, His very death, thus making it as much an anointing oil for His death as it was her oil of purification. 

But it obviously cost her much. Perhaps up to a year’s wages. She is weeping. And then she does something shocking. She bends over Jesus’ feet and begins washing them with her tears, then drying them with her hair. Finally she smothers His feet with kisses before applying the costly perfume.

You can imagine Simon’s reaction! It was so typical of the proud “religious” sect. At once his mind is filled with unkind thoughts: If this man Jesus was really a prophet he would know what a gross sinner this woman was and would never let such an unclean person touch him!  The Pharisee had no idea that Jesus could discern the thoughts and intents of his heart.  

At once Jesus tells him about a “certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.” Then Jesus asks Simon, “who would love the creditor most after he forgives both their debts?” Simon’s answer: the one who was forgiven most. “That’s correct,” Jesus says, before exposing Simon as a hypocrite by contrasting him to the woman.

This woman, Jesus goes on to tell him, had not stopped washing and kissing His feet since she came while he, Simon, didn’t even offer Jesus water to wash his feet before dinner, a basic courtesy offered to guests by every good host. On top of that Simon had not greeted Jesus with a kiss, nor anointed him with oil, all of which the women did. It seems this gross sinful woman had outdone Simon the Pharisee at every turn.

At the end Jesus tells the woman her “sins are forgiven” and to “go in peace,” while I’m sure the Pharisee sat red faced not knowing what to say.

There are many lessons here, one being we are incapable of judging others properly, that’s why the Bible instructs us not to do it. One may seem like a paragon of virtue while another a gross sinner but the secret inward condition of their heart might tell a different story. It also shows us that we, too, can bring our own bitter circumstances, our pain, our sins, our wish to be purified, to be a sweet fragrance to the Lord—we can bring it all to our Savior and High Priest. And of course it reveals Jesus’ own heart, always so tender toward sinners and so ready to forgive. And it gives depth to other passages of scripture such as “We love Him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19) and that it’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Nothing should keeps us from our wonderful Savior, not our gross sins, not our unworthy state, not even our own selfish inflated estimates of ourselves, for while our hearts may be “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9) Jesus does knows it and loves us anyway.

Wow! It’s simply mindboggling!

Until next week,

Sylvia

When Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth and begins teaching and expounding on the Scriptures His neighbors become offended. Mark 6:1-4 lays out the story and tells us why. Seems these people who had lived right alongside Jesus for years just couldn’t get over the fact that He was a carpenter, a respectable trade but hardly one that would qualify Him to speak on such lofty matters as holy writ. And didn’t His brothers and sisters live in town too? And weren’t they just ordinary folks like the rest of them?  This mindset hindered them from receiving anything from Jesus to which Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”

The same thing can be said of us. Though we may not be prophets it is often hard for our unsaved family and friends to accept our words when we try to witness to them. They know us and have put us in a box: sister, brother, mother, father, cousin, sidekick, etc. and it’s hard for them to see us any other way, and certainly not as a minister of the gospel. When that happens, the best witness will be how we live our lives rather than what we say.

If we live what we believe, in time those closest to us will see the change and will want to know what happened. How is it that we can be so calm during a problem when once we were the first to panic? Or how is it that we can answer a curt word with a sweet reply? Or not lose our temper or be so patient? In a world where hype in advertisement is everywhere, where exaggerated claims are made every day, it will be noteworthy to those around us to see something genuine as we, empowered by the Holy Spirit, quietly walk out our faith in meekness, love and patience, all the while praying for, rather than preaching to, our family and friends.

Sometimes we need to share God’s Word with others and sometimes we just need to live it.

Until next time,

Sylvia

Did you know that a three-strand cord is not easily broken? That’s what Ecclesiastes 4:12 says. I suppose that’s why Jesus sent his disciples out two by two in Matthew 10:5-8 to “preach . . . heal the sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead and cast out devils,” because along with each pair of disciples came the third in the party, the Holy Spirit. In the same way Deuteronomy 32:30 speaks of one chasing a thousand, but two putting “ten thousand to flight” with the understanding that God, who makes up the third, is with them.

So we see exponential power here. What one can’t accomplish two can, and that is especially true in ministry or in matters of spiritual warfare or in times of trials and hardship. In these, and indeed any serious situations requiring God’s hand to move, it is always best to join forces with someone else. We are not meant to labor alone. Christians are part of a body, the Body of Christ. We need each other and should not isolate ourselves. And things always seem easier when two are involved.

Unfortunately, during our most difficult hour we often pull back and withdraw. And that’s just the opposite of what we should do. Satan, who walks about like a roaring lion “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), likes nothing better than to see a wounded sheep isolated because he knows it will be easier to defeat him/her if separated from the flock.

So if you are experiencing hardship or a crisis or some serious problem, reach out to a trusted friend, and partner in prayer with him/her. It’s amazing how much easier the load will seem and how much power the prayers will generate for it goes without saying that God will be there. After all, He has promised that where two or more are gathered in His name there He will be in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20), making the three-strand cord mighty indeed!

Until next time,

Sylvia