Why Was Jesus So Cryptic At Times? - Ruminating in the Word of God

"The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 13:10-13,

"The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'"

Ever wonder why Jesus spoke in such a cryptic manner at times? His disciples certainly did and asked him about it. What's more is that Jesus gave them the answer.

The things of heaven are shrouded from life here on earth. We do not see what takes place in heaven, we do not see God's agenda being carried out by those in the heavenly realm who do his bidding. We do not see God himself. The reason for this is that God has determined he wants all who want him - but only those who want him - to join him in his family for eternity. He assures the fair and equitable outcome of this (to satisfy the demands of justice) by maintaining a cloak, or veil preventing us from seeing the reality of spiritual things so that faith has an opportunity to express itself within our hearts and therefore prove we want him, we desire him, that we give ourselves to him.

This is why God has determined that only those who embrace him in faith will be allowed to enter into his family for eternity and escape the horrific judgment everyone else will face at the end of the age: those who do embrace him in faith will ever only do so because they want him. They want God more than the pleasures of a short season, they want God more than clinging to the sin that dominates their lives, they want God more that anything or anyone else in this life.

In order to manifest those who want him in this way, he provides for an environment where faith can demonstrate itself in the lives of those who want God... proving that they do. If we see things, if we touch things, we accept them not on the basis of faith but the basis of hard facts, of perceived and known evidence. If God provides just enough of himself (through his word, through the first coming of Jesus Christ, etc.), but not enough to "prove" himself to us, then it takes faith on our part to embrace him, demonstrating our heartfelt desire for him.

Very simply, God keeps many things that are his from mankind to manifest whether any of us are wheat or chaff, sheep or goats, those who will become children of God or not. He, of course, knows our hearts. However, on judgment day, the fairness of everyone's outcome will be made abundantly clear. 

Once that issue is settled for any of us in this life, God reveals more of himself and those things that are his to those of us who have embraced him in faith, that we might know him better, that we might understand what he is doing in the world, that we might grow and develop as his children. As God reveals himself to those who are his, we develop patience, understanding, perseverance, and our excitement and hope in what awaits us.

Everybody else is simply left in the dark. "They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." 1 John 2:11. This is why Jesus pointed out that in spite of having the faculties to hear and understand, unbelievers will never hear or understand the things of God.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Team Cain Versus Team Abel - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 12:30,

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

Jesus points to two types of people. Not one type and not three or four. Only two. Those who are "not with me", those do not "gather" with Jesus, but "scatter." Then, of course there are those who do. If we are not with Jesus, then we oppose him.

Those who "gather" with Jesus... what are they gathering? A couple of verse earlier Jesus said, "if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.", verse 28. That is what Jesus is doing! He is building his kingdom. There are those who work together with him to gather in the harvest of souls, those who make up the kingdom of God. On the other hand, there are those who "scatter", those who oppose the work Jesus Christ does in the world, right up today.

I call these two groups "Team Cain" and "Team Abel". We see the division of mankind right in the very first book of our Bibles. In Genesis 4 we read of two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was the older who killed his brother Abel simply because Cain was not on God's "team", not in the least bit. Abel was.

John makes reference to the account of Genesis 4 when he speaks of the animosity Team Cain has for Team Abel, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." What John refers to as "the world" I simply call "Team Cain" since Cain represents animosity and an aggressive nature toward those who seek to do God's will in working together with the Lord as he builds his kingdom.

Which team do you "play" for? You are either on one team or the other - there is no other option for mankind. 

Those who do not gather with Jesus scatter.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Do All Sinners Receive The Same Judgment? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 11:24,

"But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Jesus proclaimed a more terrible judgment that awaited the people of Capernaum than that which the people of Sodom face. He also indicted Chorzin and Bethsaida. These three towns all face greater judgment than others condemned by God in the past, not because of the evil practiced there (particularly in the case of Sodom), but because Jesus had authenticated his message and himself as the Son of God through miracles he performed in their midst and they had not repented.

I have a couple of observations of Jesus' condemnation of these towns. The first being that Sodom has yet to face its judgment for the horrible wickedness it had sunk to. The destruction of fire brought down on the town annihilated it, but there remains yet a more horrific judgment of the people of the town. This tells me that we may reap destruction by the sin we sow in this life, but there is a more terrible judgment that awaits all mankind for sin following this life. It is called the "great white throne judgment" in the book of Revelation (see Revelation chapter 20).

Secondly, did you notice that Capernaum's judgment will be worse than Sodom's? Judgment will be graduated relative to the degree of sin. Judgment will not be all the same for everyone who has rejected God. The nature of sin people will be judged for will determine the level of judgment. Don't get me wrong... there is nothing good in this for anyone who rejects God in this life! All judgment will be horrific. The thing is, some will have it more horrible than others.

We read about the sinful state Sodom had sunk to in Genesis 19 and its destruction at the hand of God. With its aggressive homosexuality that incited rape and abuse others (the practice of homosexuality always drives in this direction - don't bother to "correct" me on this, I am right about it), God decided to remove the people of Sodom from this life - all of them! Yet, the rejection of the miracles authenticating who Jesus was and his intention of redemption of mankind is found by him to be an even greater cause for more severe judgment. The reason for this is clear: redemption is not possible when Jesus Christ is not embraced - and he came for the sole purpose of securing the redemption of all who will embrace him in faith. Rejecting the miracles of Jesus Christ is to reject Jesus Christ!

It only takes one little sin to cast us into God's judgment following this life - but not all sin will be judged the same. Nevertheless, all judgment will be horrific, and how wonderful the offer of eternal life Jesus provided for when he paid for the punishment of my sin on that horrible cross!

Who would pass up on something like that?! All he asks is to place our faith and trust in him!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jesus Brings Peace Among People? Really??? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 10:34,

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

When Jesus sent his twelve disciples out to the "lost sheep of Israel", verse 6, he gave them instructions. He also provided them with caution. In this verse above he told them that as they went to do his bidding they would discover severe conflict.

That conflict would stem from the fact that when Jesus came into the human family to reach out to us, to offer the kingdom of heaven, it would be a sword among the people of earth, "I did not come to bring peace but a sword."

The reason for this is Jesus' coming to earth was an offensive maneuver by God within the context of the spiritual warfare that finds its origin in the spiritual realm. Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost among mankind, Luke 19:10. The dark side, "Team Cain" does not want to see people turn to God and enjoy communion with him (the very reason Cain killed his brother Abel.)

So, what did the angels mean when they proclaimed at Jesus' birth, "peace on earth" that we see on so many Hallmark Christmas cards? If we look at what the angels proclaimed in Luke 2:14, we read, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." The peace spoken of here is peace between God and those who respond to his Son, Jesus Christ. All who embrace him in faith find God's favor and experience peace with him. However, all who reject Jesus Christ still have God as an enemy (see Romans 5:10). No peace for them.

Among mankind, we find Team Cain with cadres willing and driven to oppose Team Abel (those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith). Consequently, we see this conflict among families (which Jesus pointed to), we see it in the news media, in politics, in academia, within the entertainment community, and the pop culture at large. It is all around us.

Ever wonder why Hollywood always characterizes Christians as fruitloops? Ever wonder why the political left is so vehemently anti-Israel? Ever wonder why militant gays target small indefensible Christian business owners? Ever wonder why our Christian-Judeo heritage is constantly under attack? Look no further than Jesus' words in Matthew 10.

He warned us ahead of time.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jesus Establishes His Bona Fides - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 9:2-6,

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.' At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, 'This fellow is blaspheming!' Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, 'Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.' So he said to the paralyzed man, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.'"

This is from the account when some men brought a paralyzed man on a mat to Jesus for healing. The message Jesus gave at this occasion could not be clearer: Jesus has the authority to forgive sins and he provided his bona fides to do so by violating the very laws by which he governs his own creation (the definition of a miracle) - our Creator has the authority to forgive sins.

John makes clear that the universe we live in was created by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, from out of eternity past. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3. We know that John is referencing Jesus Christ as "the Word" when he says a few verses later, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, 'This is the one I spoke about when I said, "He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me."')" John 1:14-15.

Since the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the Creator of everything, it is to him we must give account. It is his law we all stand in violation of (making us "sinners") and therefore subject to judgment. Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of judgment, so he, and he alone, can forgive sins. His act of healing the paralytic was his demonstration to us validating his claim to be the owner of the authority to forgive sins.

His comment, "I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." is a remarkable statement given by him to clarify who he was, and why he came. The miracles Jesus performed while here were done so to help us understand who he is and why he came: to save us from our sins.

Many "experts" reject the authenticity of Jesus' miracles. Do not be misled: they do so for no further reason than they reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and have decided to pass on his forgiveness to cling to their sin. So much the better, in their twisted thinking, to influence as many others as they can to their persuasion.

Do not make the mistake they do! It holds eternal consequences for each of us personally. Jesus did perform the many miracles we read of in Scripture (each and every one!) and provides us all we need to know about his claim to have the authority to forgive sin.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jesus: Capable and Willing - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 8:2,

"A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'"

Following Jesus' sermon on the mount, many needy people came to him to seek relief. The above verse documents the plea of a leper. Also in this chapter a Roman centurion came to him for help because he had a servant paralyzed and suffering. Peter's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever and Jesus healed her. His disciples sought his deliverance of them from a furious storm as they crossed the lake in a boat. The chapter ends with Jesus healing two horribly demon possessed men.

If nothing else, what we learn from this chapter is that Jesus Christ is who to flee to when in need. He is capable, willing and able to help any one of us regardless of our need.

The greatest need we all have is that we all face the horrific judgment of God for our sins. We have all sinned and we all face God's eternal judgment of us for those sins. However, just as the folks experienced Jesus' deliverance of those we meet in Matthew 8, he can and will deliver us.

There are a lot of remedies out there that are promoted to meet whatever need we may have. There exists no greater need than that which Jesus can provide us relief for. He has the power to deliver us and he has within himself the willingness to deliver us. 

He has the love within him that promises us he is willing to help us in our need.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Charlatans in the House! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 7:21-23,

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Here is Jesus' acknowledgment and condemnation for those who promote themselves as Christian religious leaders, but who really do not know him. Jesus clearly says that it is not everyone who claims Jesus is Lord are heaven bound. Many are headed for God's judgment with a very dark eternity to look forward to.

Jesus said not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. He did not indicate just how big of a contingency they comprise of all who call Jesus Lord, and, frankly, I personally believe we are all going to be pretty surprised at just how many will be among this group.

There is no question in my mind that the many today who seduce the most desperate of people by promising them relief in the form of wealth, "God's blessing" (if they would but send in their "faith-promise pledge" of a thousand dollars or whatever) are among the group Jesus refers to here. They have slick appeal as they ply their trade with well-crafted mendacity: "God loves you and he doesn't want you poor, now does he? Just send your money to me and he will respond by releasing the floodgates of heaven to enrich you." We have all heard the drill.

I am quite certain that those who promise to others in this life what will only be ours in the resurrection are likewise a part of the group of those Jesus talked about in this passage. Intentionally misleading people by corrupting the word of God in passages like Isaiah 53:5, "...by his wounds we are healed" these people promise others healing of illnesses and infirmities if they would but join up with them, or again, send in their "faith-promise pledge" to fill their coffers. The truth is that, as believers, our bodies are not yet redeemed - they won't be until the time of our resurrection (see Romans 8:10, 23-25). As believers, we are all yet subject to illnesses, infirmities and death.

My point isn't that God cannot or would not answer specific prayers for healing or financial relief - indeed we are instructed to pray in faith for such things. Further, the Scriptures provide us of examples of just such things. However, God has never committed himself to the automatic dispensing of these things. And, certainly not in the manner these charlatans promise them, and particularly, when promised as a quid pro quo that involves the enriching of those that offer the promise!

I firmly believe what Jesus warned us of exists right before our very eyes. I can see it any time I want on some of the "Christian networks" that come as part of the package I receive from my satellite service.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.