Christian Haters

1 John 3:13

          One of the advantages of being a Jesus-follower is that people will hate us for no other reason other than our trust in Jesus. Now you might not see this as an advantage, but it is. It helps us identify those who need the Gospel message lived out before them. They are the ones who need love.

          It is easy to love someone who loves you, or someone who is at least not unkind. But when we strive to love someone who hates us, our reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit has to increase. Loving someone who hates us is beyond our capacity, so we must draw in close to the LORD and draw on His strength. If love were easy, more people would be doing it. But love goes against our natural sinful tendency. We naturally are selfish.

          Cain, of Cain and Abel fame, murdered his brother. He did it because he yielded to the same sin-tendency that exists in all of us. Apart from the grace of God working in our lives, we would all be murderers. Or we have at least felt like killing someone.

          So why do non-Jesus-followers hate Jesus-followers? It is simple. The love we show pierces their hearts with conviction. We stand firm in our convictions. We are not willing to compromise. We won’t bend to their will. We won’t follow them in doing evil. This is why in the places where persecution of Christians happens, the church grows. It often grows underground, but it grows. And when it grows, believers are empowered to share their love.

          We see the animosity toward Jesus-followers in our culture today. You can believe any foolish thing you want, as long as it isn’t historic Christianity. You are welcome to believe a modern twist, a shell of the Gospel, devoid of its power, but don’t hold onto the reality of sin and the resurrection. If you do that, and proclaim that through love, you end up in the cultural crosshairs.

          But if you become Gumby, flexible to a fault, unwilling to stand up for anything, then you won’t become the object of this hatred. But the minute we stand for something and are unwilling to compromise (which is code for giving up our conviction and believing what they believe), then the hatred flies our direction. We get labeled. Laws get passed against our beliefs. We get fined and jailed.

          Have you noticed what happens to Jesus-followers in Muslim countries? They get three choices: convert, pay a tax, or die. And the tax is designed to ensure that the Christians are second-class citizens. They lose their jobs. Families kick them out. And this is what happens under ‘tolerant’ Islam.

          Our response, and the response of many living under hatred like this, must be love. Jesus loved and we must also love. And this is hard, impossible really. And yet, this is our calling. Love our enemies. No wonder the world hates this kind of love. They expect their actions to bring a similar response. They expect hatred coming back toward them. So when they see love, it infuriates them.

          Let’s make a few people angry today by loving them!

Two Peaks

Mark 13:24-25

      If you have ever been to a place with lots of mountain peaks, you have probably discovered something. When you look at some of the peaks, it can be hard to tell if they are part of the same mountain, two different mountains, and maybe even which peak is closer. Keeping perspective can be difficult. You can often think a peak is closer than it actually is. With very large mountains, they can be seen for twenty or more miles away. They almost seem to grow as you approach.

      Jesus describes these two peaks, these two distinct events in our passage. The closer event is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. Many of the people reading Mark’s Gospel would be still alive when these events took place. Perhaps even some of those who heard Jesus speak these words were also alive, although far fewer. Much of what has been said up to this point points primarily to the events of that time, although they will also occur before Jesus’ return.

      We must remember that these things were written to help us understand, not to make us more confused. They might have been written in a political climate that prevented saying things more directly, but they aren’t written to hide things from us. The reason we know there must be two events is that Jesus didn’t return after the 70AD events. Only part of what Jesus shared has happened. The word “but” at the beginning of verse 24 marks the beginning of the second peak. The things described after this pertain primarily to Jesus’ Second Coming, not the destruction of Jerusalem.

      So we read about the sun and moon not giving their light and the stars falling from the sky. If I were trying to come up with a natural, non-God intervention explanation of this, I would say a volcano erupts and spews so much ash that it filters the light. Perhaps a volcano local to Jerusalem spews molten rock from the sky. This would explain this at least for a local, natural event. But I think this is more than a natural event. I know it is. This is a God-timed, God-generated, God-sanctioned, God-empowered event. It is not a coincidence that it will happen at this specific future time. Whatever it is, the LORD is behind it and in it.

      People around the world see these kinds of events and think it is the end of the world. Even in countries that are ‘educated’, people fear for their lives when earthquakes and volcanoes happen. They wonder if this is “the end” of life.

      So what should we take out of these verses?  On top of the distresses of deceivers, wars, persecution, arrest, trials, betrayal, and destruction, there is a time when everything, including what we think about the stability of the universe, will be shaken. But that is not the end.

      We will be kept through any and all of what happens. Even if we die, we are safe with Him. Nothing can break the connection we have with Him. That is why it is so important for us to nurture that relationship. We need to be on guard, watching, attentive, listening to the moving of the Holy Spirit now, so that when more difficult times come, we will be ready. Fellow Believers around the world are today experiencing many of the difficulties outlined here. They are enduring for the sake of the Good News. Are we ready to do the same?

Dividends

Mark 12:2-5

      Over recent years there have been many failed financial investments. The housing market at the individual homeowner level has seen the much inflated value of their home drop down to a more sensible value. But that doesn’t mean the mortgage payment dropped an equal value. So many people ended up upside down in their mortgage. They owed more to the bank than their house was worth. They couldn’t sell their home and move to a new location because they couldn’t sell the home and pay off their old mortgage.

      The corporate scandals abound. So many originated with a few individuals who become wealthy off the backs of the rest of us. Stock holders demanded higher earnings on their portfolios, and the government was more than happy to help them out by changing the rules for lending. People who had no real prospect of repayment were given loans, with the government holding the bag. When they defaulted, we were stuck with the bill. A trillion here, a trillion there, here a trillion, there a trillion, everywhere a trillion trillion.

      Its time for the annual meeting of the shareholders, or in our text’s case, the sole owner. The annual report is being read, and the dividends are being distributed. A check for everyone! But in our story, the legal representative of the sole stock owner is rebuffed by the bank. The renter-farmer won’t release the funds. They have put a hold on the payment accounts. They are refusing to give the owner the agreed sum of rent money.

      So this representative goes back to the owner with his report and the owner sends another servant to collect the funds. Perhaps the owner faulted the approach of the first representative, unable to believe that the renter would not pay the amount due. But this time the hit him in the head, a more serious blow than the previous beating. And then they treat him shamefully. We are not sure what they did, but as the man leaves he is clothed in shame. Perhaps they followed the Old Testament examples and shaved his beard, or cut his robe to expose his private parts. Not the best way to influence people!

      The owner is more than patient, giving the renter many opportunities to change his mind and pay the rent that is rightfully owed. But, no matter how his emissaries approach the renter, the outcome is still the same. He refuses to pay the rent that is owed. I would not want to be in line for rent-collection duties after the previous one has been killed. I might want to take a sick day from work!

      How do you and I treat the LORD’s messengers? How many times does the LORD have to come to us and ask for what we owe? Are we free with our worship? Are we generous with our obedience? Do we overflow with thanksgiving? Is our life filled with abundant praise?

Two Questions

Mark 11:27-28

      When people feel threatened they will do some unusual things. Fear is a very powerful emotion. People have been killed because of fear’s power to overtake rational thought. Fear is one of our most basic emotions. God put it in us to protect us from harm. Fear is a God thing. And one of the greatest sources of fear is the fear of being alone, separated, unconnected to other people.

      Infants overcome fear when their parents respond appropriately to their cries for safety and security. When the infant is held and comforted, their fear drops. They learn that they are important and that others will respond to them when they need help. They are worthwhile and others can be trusted. When infants are not cared for properly, then they develop a fear response that can last a lifetime. They learn that they are not worthy of response, that others can’t be trusted to meet their needs, or both. Their lives become detached from others, or stuck in a yoyo of pull for connection and pushing away from others.

      The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were driven by fear. They saw the things Jesus was doing. They heard the power of His teaching and its ability to cut right through their carefully constructed superstructure they had built around the Law and the LORD, and they felt threatened. Their jobs were at stake. Their place in society was at stake. Everything they believed about themselves and the world around them was at stake. For them this was not a dry academic issue. If they believed what Jesus was saying and doing, everything in their lives would have to change.

      Jesus is in town for the Passover Festival. This third day of His visit He arrives back in Jerusalem and is walking in the Temple Courts, the area outside the official Temple. This courtyard is where He caused a ruckus two days previously when He drove all the commercial activities out. This place was supposed to be a place of prayer.

      He is walking around and is approached by three groups of religious leaders. They have formed an alliance to deal with the Jesus problem. They have in mind catching Jesus in some claim that would warrant His death. Their powers are limited, so they must plan their move well. It must be a coordinated effort, or they won’t succeed.

      So they gather to question Jesus. They want to put Him on the spot, catch Him off guard. They start by questioning the nature of His authority. What kind of authority is it? Is it civil or religious authority? Is it authority that will overthrow the system, or authority that will exist within or alongside the system? This first question and its answer will define their role in the future if Jesus isn’t stopped. Their survival is on the line.

      The second question is equally important. It is about the origin of Jesus’ authority. Who gave you this authority? Is it just Jesus full of Himself, or is He sent from someone else? Jesus doesn’t have any inherent right to authority because of His lineage or status in society. There were many people who were descendent of King David. He wasn’t born into the right family or educated by the right people. He is a common craftsman from a backwater town. Lately He had been hanging around will all the wrong people.

      Someday, people will be questioning us about our authority to do the things we will be doing. They will want to shut us down, stop our caring for the poor and acts of kindness. They will want to muzzle our boldness in sharing the fact that Jesus is the only way. They will threaten us with punishment, even death. They will put us in prison, labor camps and kill us. They will do to us what they are doing to other Jesus-followers in Iraq and other Muslim countries. Are you ready to tell the truth about your authority?

Left

Mark 10:28-31

      Have you ever noticed something called “selective deafness? It is most often found in teenagers and husbands. I hate writing this, since I was both a teenager and I am a husband! Let me describe the symptoms and see if you have it, or if you know someone who does.

      Selective deafness occurs when someone hears only part of what is said, either through a conscious choice or inattention. You can tell selective deafness is happening if they remember some part of the conversation, usually the parts that positively affect them, and not hear other parts of the same conversation, usually those parts that contain some obligatory action on their part. They hear only the positive items and leave out any negative demands.

      Peter seems to have suffered from selective deafness. He is present for the whole conversation with the rich man and his desire to be part of God’s Kingdom. He hears Jesus’ one stipulation given to this man, that he divest himself of all his money, and then come and follow. He hears about the impossibility of entrance to God’s Kingdom when wealth has your heart. And he hears about the impossible being made possible with God. And the one piece he latches onto is the request by Jesus to the rich man to leave all his wealth and follow.

      Peter thinks it is about leaving things, not about God’s provision. If not having things was key to entrance into God’s Kingdom, some countries, because of their rampant poverty, would have many Kingdom-bound people while others would have few. It isn’t about the things.

      Jesus’ answer shifts the conversation in His answer. He says that those who line up with Peter’s concern, those who have left everything, will receive abundance in this life. What a strange answer for Jesus to give. I thought wealth was the problem, and Jesus says those who leave all that stuff behind in pursuit of Him will get it all back. And not only that, they will get it back in an overflow measured in terms that the best investors on Wall Street would be impressed.

      But Jesus throws in a couple of uncomfortable, perhaps parts that would be left out if selective deafness were at work. And in modern Christianity, many people suffer from selective obedience and selective deafness. Jesus says that will the abundance that follows discipleship there will be persecutions. Notice that Jesus said persecutions not persecution, plural not singular.

      This portion of the text gets so often pushed aside by modern churchgoers here in the West. It is a regular part of the lives of millions of Jesus-followers around the world who daily face life and death situations based on their connection to Jesus. But here in the West, either our relationship with Jesus hasn’t been salty enough to bring out the poison of sin in our culture, or God has chosen to withhold persecution temporarily for the sake of His Kingdom. I fear we are not salty enough!

      What have you given up to follow Jesus? That seems to be on the mind of the disciples. They have heard about how impossible it is for anyone to get into heaven on their own merits. The rich have to be willing to give it all up to get in. Some give things up in hopes of getting it back in a newer more expensive version. Some think they must only be willing to give it up in order to fulfill what Jesus told this young man. Remember, He told this to a particular young man. He might tell you something even more radical.