David Bahn – Reflections

Nehemiah 13 today struck me strongly today. It is all about purity of the Sabbath, the Lord’s Temple, the Priests, and the nation itself. There is no place afforded foreigners. This particularly caught my eye and touched my heart: “no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God.” That seems particularly harsh. 

This has much to do with the desecrating of the Temple, the laxity of true worship, profaning the Sabbath, and abusing the priesthood. The situation was horrible. The room in the temple reserved for tithes had been turned into a sleeping quarters for Tobiah. Tobiah was a known enemy of the community. It was a bad situation that had to be dealt with. The whole of the Jewish faith had been abandoned, abused, and desecrated. So Nehemiah took action.

When Jesus came to earth he discovered a different kind of abandonment and desecration. The Jewish leaders of his day had made the Sabbath into a mere outward performance. Rules about the Sabbath put Jesus under scrutiny for healing someone on that day. The Temple was guarded and the offerings were scrutinized so much that people had to use special temple currency to purchase certified animals for the sacrifices there. The priests were well taken care of while the people were oppressed. The whole of the Jewish faith had been abandoned. So Jesus took action.

Jesus action – specifically in relation to the temple – was to overturn the tables of the money changers in the Temple court. But his ultimate action was not to drive out the foreigners, but to offer himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. In him, every people, tribe, nation and tongue are welcome into his eternal kingdom.

As I thought about the prohibition of the Ammonites and Moabites, I also thought of Ruth. She was a Moabite woman. Yet she is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. In the end people from every tribe, nation, and tongue will have a place at the great feast of victory. We’ll never be pure enough on our own – nor will even our religion be untainted by sin. Thank God Jesus is the pure and spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

That includes foreigners – like you and me.

I had recently had hip replacement surgery and was unable to preach or lead worship. But we were able to attend worship. It was a great opportunity to sit in the pew on a Sunday. Our guest preacher was given the task of preaching about whether Jesus is the only way to heaven. He asked the question, in his introduction, “Is Jesus the only way to heaven?” His answer was an unequivocal, “Yes.”

You might wonder why I would recall that. I certainly do believe that. But partially due to my style of preaching and teaching, I would have certainly ended up there, although I might not have started there. He went on to preach a clear message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone. No other way. No other name. Well done. I was very thankful for his clarity: grace and truth so well expressed.

I have been cornered by this question by people outside the church. They wonder why a good person would be sent to hell, and not be allowed into heaven. Humanly speaking that is understandable.

Significant to me are these compelling reasons this must be true.

Jesus himself said it, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

Peter’s testimony is clear: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I think also about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” If there is another way, why did the Father not remove the cup of bitter suffering and death which Jesus ultimately drank?

Only Jesus died for the Sin of the world. Only Jesus has the name that is above every name. Only Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Only Jesus gives me true hope. I cannot imagine investing faith in anyone else. His is the only name worthy of our praise and faith.

Too often we tie our ability to bless others to our own resources. We’re not rich enough to give money to help end poverty. We don’t have enough time to volunteer to work with the youth of the church. We don’t know enough to lead a Bible study. Our time, talent, and treasure never go far enough.

Peter had no silver or gold, but that did not stop him from blessing the beggar at the Temple. He gave what he did have – that which had been entrusted to him. He had the ability to heal, a gift from Jesus, and he used it to heal the crippled beggar.

Isaac didn’t have the direct promise of God as Abraham had received – until this time in his life (Genesis 26). But then come those same words as were spoken to his father Abraham (“Abram” at the time). “In your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” God says.

Today we are abundantly and richly blessed in so many ways. We have more leisure time than ever before in history. We have physical and financial blessings we may only have dreamed of decades ago. Our physical health for many of us brings us into our 80s and 90s. We are richly blessed.

God never intended that those blessings die with us. We are blessed to be a blessing. The moral impetus for that lies in the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation brought to us through Jesus’ redeeming work. As Ephesians 1:3 says, we are “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”  because we are in Christ.

Some Christians love to give subtle witness to God’s goodness and grace by answering, “I’m blessed,” when asked how they are doing. I like to say I’m grateful, which implies that I’ve been blessed, but goes on to acknowledge that God deserves the praise for his goodness and grace to me. Add to that a sincere desire to bless others, and the blessings of God come full circle. We have been blessed to be a blessing. Let’s live that out as best we can every day.

When I first learned of the work of the Holy Spirit, calling us to faith in Jesus, I realized how complete is the grace of God. It would have been enough on God’s part to send Jesus to redeem and save us. But it was not enough on our part. For the very ones for whom Jesus came rejected him totally and put him to death on the cross. Thank God that he sent also the Holy Spirit to bring us to contrition over our sin and faith in Jesus.

The readings today include not only Joel 2 and Psalm 16, but also 1 Kings 2. God had promised to pour out his Spirit on all flesh. This occurs on Pentecost. He also foretold of Jesus resurrection in Psalm 16. But as I listened to 1 Kings 2, I was struck by the means by which Solomon established his kingdom. He killed many people, even one who had sought refuge at the altar of God. He expelled Abiathar the priest. Brutality and bloodshed established his kingdom.

The kingdom of God was established in a similar but dramatically different manner. Similar in that it was established by brutal bloodshed. Dramatically different, because the King himself died but was raised to life. That is the fulfillment of Psalm 16:9-10. This stunning fact rocked the world of the people in Jerusalem for the Pentecost celebration. When they heard that, ” God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified,” they were cut to the heart and they repented. Then they discovered how true was Joel’s prophetic invitation: “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

I’ve looked over the chasm of despair, hopelessness, death, and doom that is my sin. I’ve determined that were it not for God’s grace I would be eternally lost, condemned, hopeless, and damned. It was an existential moment for me. But there is grace. The Holy Spirit has brought me to faith in Jesus. I have been saved. God’s abounding and steadfast love has secured me to him and I praise him for the fullness of his glorious grace!

We have been using Zach Zehnder’s Questions Jesus Asked blog post which listed 305 questions Jesus asked. They range from challenging to inviting. And they all offer opportunity for repentance and faith. God has been asking questions from the dawn of time. From, “Adam, where are you?” in Genesis 3, to “Have you considered my servant Job?” in Job 1, God asks probing questions. But they are never asked because God doesn’t know the answer. God asks questions for our sake; to cause us to reflect and come to grips with our need for him.

Then comes this question by the angels just after Jesus’ ascension. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” I love this question! The reason? Because I could so easily answer: Because I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life!”

To be sure, the apostles had seen water changed into wine. They had been aboard the boat when Jesus stilled the storm by his command. They saw Jesus cast out demons. They had seen plenty, including Jesus’ death on the cross and his scarred body after his resurrection. But this seems to me a very different sight. A man taken up into heaven before their very eyes. This is different.

But this is not unexpected to the angels. Their moments of amazement were the 33 years during which the eternal Son of God laid aside his glory(!) to live in a fallen world with fallen people. That had to be completely amazing to them. Why would he do that? But when he ascended back into heaven they surely thought, Now it’s back the way it should be! Jesus is back on his throne. He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit! 

We do not understand all the ways of God. We have questions. People will say, “When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask…” The angels’ question alerts us to the ways of God which we may not understand, but are the ways of life, salvation, and hope. It also reminds us that there will come a time when Jesus returns to receive his people and usher them into the fullness of his reign and rule. What an amazing day that will be! There is no question about that.

I have enjoyed watching The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins’ creative and imaginative accounting of Jesus’ ministry as told through the supposed experiences and thoughts of his disciples. It is especially moving to imagine the relief of Peter when Jesus provides for him to catch the miraculous haul of fish. I love how “Little James” asks Jesus why he had not healed him and hear Jesus’ kind and imagined answer. And when I see the drama of water turned to wine—it moves me.

Attempts (since the Enlightenment) to reconstruct what can be known about Jesus of Nazareth apart from faith confessions, miracles, or theological claims fall flat and end up obscuring much of what the Bible tells us about Jesus—including his miracles, the confessions of faith, and the real-life struggles of Jesus’ followers.

John 21:25 tells us that Jesus did have a life outside of the accounts recorded in Scripture. If permission is needed for Jenkins’ efforts, that certainly opens the door to such imaginative storytelling. It does not, however, open the door to stripping Jesus of his miracles, the confessions of faith (think Thomas!), or the theological truths Jesus teaches and embodies.

Those realities are the sum and substance of what we know of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The question is not only whether Jesus did these and other great miracles, but do we believe in him? Do we see Jesus as merely a good teacher, or a religious prophet, or do we see him as the Son of God—the one who gives life through faith in him?

John tells us that by believing we may have life in Jesus’ name. That’s not a mere possibility. It is a gift as certain as Jesus’ life, teaching, suffering, death, and resurrection. It is as sure as Thomas’ declaration upon seeing Jesus’ scars and putting his hand into Jesus’ side: “My Lord and my God!” No dramatization or scholarly reconstruction can add to or improve on that confession—it is the heart of Christian faith and the foundation of the promise of eternal life.

I’ve loved Daniel 10 ever since I read it in connection with John Eldridge’s Waking the Dead book and companion devotional study. I’ve used it in teaching confirmation, delighting to describe the “man clothed in linen” as being an 11 on the 10-point weirdometer scale. This vivid imagery captures the awe-inspiring nature of God’s messengers. Even when God dispatches angels in answer to our prayers the answers don’t come instantly.

There is a spiritual dimension that inhabits every corner of life. We live in a world of desks and chairs, cars and highways, houses and playgrounds. But sometimes all we can see are the cars and playgrounds. We too easily miss the spiritual realities that lie behind all these things.

Daniel 10 makes that point clearly. We pray. We may pray earnestly, fervently, intently, faithfully. But the answers don’t come quickly. We chalk it up to God’s timing – and rightly so. But spiritual forces, battles, and delays in the unseen realm also impinge upon our experiences of God’s answers.

Why was Jesus in the tomb for 3 days? Why did he have to wait until Sunday to rise? Some of that may have had to do with the necessity of “preaching to the spirits in prison” (cf. 1 Peter 3:19), or “binding the strong man” in order to plunder his house (cf. Matthew 12:29). We don’t really know, but we do know that the moment Jesus died and was laid in the tomb our sins were completely and totally forgiven.

Beyond the point of proving that Jesus had actually died, his three-day rest in the tomb may teach us something about the way God works. He is neither on a time clock nor interested in merely quick fix solutions. We are not isolated islands in a sea of independent needs and desires. Sometimes even the heavenly realms must align properly before God’s answers become evident.

But be assured that, just as Jesus was raised from the dead and the man clothed in linen appeared, God hears our prayers. His answers surpass our imagination, and the worship he desires is neither empty ritual nor hurried prayers. Even when God’s answers don’t come immediately and doubts creep in, we can find comfort and strength in worshiping the One who has conquered death and remains with us to the end of the age (cf. Matthew 28:20).

The New Testament writers frequently draw from Zechariah when pointing to Jesus as the promised Messiah. Passages such as Zechariah 9:9 (fulfilled in Jesus’ triumphal entry, Matt. 21:5; John 12:15), Zechariah 11:12–13 (thirty pieces of silver, Matt. 27:9–10), Zechariah 12:10 (pierced one, John 19:37), and Zechariah 13:7 (striking the shepherd, Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27) all find their fulfillment in Christ. In fact, one estimate counts over fifty echoes of Zechariah throughout the New Testament, with Revelation drawing on it most extensively.

I had forgotten just how much of Zechariah points to Jesus until I reread chapter 12 and was arrested by the phrase, “they shall look on me, on him whom they have pierced.” God himself is speaking. He declares that He will be pierced!

The chapter begins with God’s promise to defend His people against their enemies. Yet victory would come at a terrible cost: the piercing of the Son of God, nailed to the cross. And what is the result? Deep mourning and repentance among God’s people as the Spirit works contrition and faith in hearts pierced by the awareness of sin and awakened to the wonder of God’s mercy.

God’s people in Zechariah’s day were much like us. Their spiritual renewal was fragile, their faith easily stalled. They needed God’s intervention. They needed the Spirit to draw them to repentance and trust. So do we. And God gives it — not by our grasping, but by His gift.

That is what God has done for all people in Jesus, the One pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. In Him, sorrow is met with comfort, guilt is covered by grace, and death itself is overcome. When we look upon the One who was pierced, we see not only the cost of our sin but also the depth of God’s love.