Liberating you from bad ideas about God
Well, I finally broke down and joined Twitter. I’m @jeremyers1.
But don’t follow me on Twitter. I doubt I’ll ever tweet. And don’t ask me to follow you. I probably won’t. I don’t have a cell-phone, and logging on to a computer just to post and read Tweets seems like a waste of time to me. I only joined because maybe I’ll have need of it later.
In a previous post I wrote about how the parables of Jesus were intended to hide truth rather than reveal it. We looked at some reasons why Jesus taught this way. We looked at this briefly in the post where we defined preaching and contrasted preaching and teaching, but let us look in more detail now at how Jesus taught, specifically in regard to His use of parables and the text of Scripture. We also discussed some of this here.
But a follow-up question remains. If Jesus told parables, and parables were cryptic, can we say that the primary teaching method of Jesus was to confuse people rather than teach them? No, we cannot say that. Though disguising truth was why He told parables, parables were not the primary teaching method of Jesus. He spoke in parables to certain people, for certain occasions, to accomplish certain purposes, when teaching about certain truths.
But every other time Jesus taught, He used what some might call an “expository method.” Jesus taught through books of the Bible. The gospels reveal that nearly every week of His ministry, on the Sabbath, Jesus could be found in the synagogue, teaching the Bible to those who had gathered to hear it. We often don’t realize Jesus did this. We tend to think He just wandered about from place to place, healing people, and telling stories on mountain tops.
But the reality is that those are a few isolated incidents. His miracles and parables in the countryside get recorded and get the most attention because they were what made His ministry memorable. But nevertheless, every week, Jesus was in the synagogue, teaching the Word of God.
And how did He teach in the synagogue? Well, we know from the Bible and from many other sources that the teacher would pick a section of Scripture, would stand and read it, then sit and explain it. Jesus does this in Luke 4:16ff, Luke 6:6ff, Luke 13:10ff and many other places.
And the typical method of synagogue teaching was book by book, verse by verse. Typically, when Jewish Rabbis taught the Torah, they taught it straight through (cf. Neh 8:8), and this is probably how Jesus taught (cf. Luke 4:16-21; 4:31; 6:6; 13:10). Jesus “took the Old Testament Scriptures, read them, explained them, and caused the people to understand them” (Pentecost 1981:137). This practice was also used by the early church (Acts 2:42; 13:14-15; 14:1-3; 15:21; 18:4; 19:8-10; etc.). John Lightfoot records that the one who taught this way was often referred to as “an interpreter,” and the teaching as an “interpretation” (Lightfoot 1989:68; cf. 1 Cor 12:10; 14:26). This is partly because the readings were in Hebrew, while some of those in the synagogue may have only understood Greek or Aramaic. So the text was read in Hebrew, then if an interpreter was present, it would be interpreted into a language everyone could understand, and then explained and taught so it could be understood and applied. This is what Jesus did in the synagogues He visited.
Jesus taught the Scriptures every week. He read the text, explained the text, applied the text. There is no better way of understanding God and His Word.
In recent years, when we look at our elected officials in government offices, it is easy to get jaded as it seems that no matter who gets into office, no problems are fixed and things just keep getting worse.
I am not saying we should stay out of politics or throw up our hands in despair. But maybe we are losing hope because our hope was misplaced to begin with. As Christians, we should not be hoping in politicians and governments.
And no, I am NOT saying that instead, we should put our hope in Jesus. This is true, of course, but it’s too easy to say, and much harder to apply. How do you “put your hope in Jesus” for millions of unemployed people? How do you “put your hope in Jesus” for millions of people without food and homes?
As I was walking through a parking lot yesterday, I saw a bumper sticker which read, “Jesus is the answer.” But that depends on the question. There are lots of questions where “Jesus” is not the answer. There are lots of issues where “Jesus” is not the solution. At least, not quite so easily as that.
Let me explain. Rather, let Mary explain.
In my commentary on Luke 1:46-55, I write about the song Mary sings after she is told she will give birth to the Messiah. Mostly, the song is about the Messiah. But I argue briefly that the center of the song seems to be 1:50, that from generation to generation, God’s mercy will be on those who fear Him. It’s a hinge verse, where verses 46-49 are about how God has used her, and verses 51-55 are about how He can use anyone else in a similar way.
As she expands and explains this concept in the rest of her song, Mary shows over and over that God does not work through the rich, powerful, and elite, but through the poor, humble, and hungry. And this is not just true in her own generation with the coming of the Messiah, but for every generation. That includes ours.
So the song is really about how God gets things done in this world. And the answer is that he does not primarily use presidents, senators, investment bankers, and movie stars, but WalMart checkers, stay-at-home moms, construction workers, mail carriers, farmers, and McDonald’s hamburger flippers. Anybody who fears God (i.e., respectfully obeys Him) can be used by God to turn this world upside down. Yes, bankers and senators can be part of that, but that’s not the point. The point is this: WE can help feed and clothe people. WE can help teach people. WE can help people live better, healthy lives. WE can provide clean water. It’s not THEIR job. It’s OUR job. If we fear God, if we want to obey Him, it is what WE will do.
Don’t put such things off on Jesus, especially when He has told US to do it. And definitely don’t put it off on politicians.
Mary saw a world, led by Jesus, where everybody worked to feed the poor, heal the sick, clothe the naked, touch the brokenhearted, and love the unlovable. That’s what she sang about. That’s what she longed for. No matter who is in political office, let’s work together to make Mary’s world a reality.
When you watch a movie, do you watch it just for entertainment value? Let me suggest a different way: As you watch, be asking yourself, “What does this movie say about humans and our needs, about God, about religion, about the meaning of life?” Doing so really allows you to get more out of a movie than ever before.
In the churches I am part of, one of the things I try to do on occasion, is host a movie study. I pick a movie, and open it up with some discussion questions to watch for during the movie. Then we watch it. Afterwards, we discuss the movie, and some of the questions. Here is one such study I did recently on the movie “Henry Poole is Here.” If you haven’t seen the movie, I suggest you rent it, and watch it while asking yourself some of the questions below.
Henry Poole is HereIs your life a miracle or a mistake?
Quote: “Do you ever feel like things happen for no reason? Like you’re just along for the ride?”
Quote:“All that either of us have is right now.”
Discussion Questions:
What do you think of some people’s tendency to see apparition of Jesus (or Mary) in strange places – like a lava lamp, a Cheeto, a piece of toast, or a water stain on a wall? Are these miracles, or just mistakes?
What do you think of healing, especially when it happens to people who believe differently than you do? Are such healings from God, from Satan, or just mere coincidence? What do you think they believe about your claims of healing? What do you think atheists believe about all such claims?
What does the movie say about people’s greatest desire, as seen through Henry, Esperanza, Patience, Millie, and Dawn? How about the film director (Mark Pellington) himself? Four years ago, he lost his wife unexpectedly to a ruptured spleen, and was left to take care of his 2 ½ year-old daughter, Isabella. He says that many times he wanted to end it all, but Isabella and others gave him the hope to go on.
How does water play a role in the move? (Henry’s name. Trying to wash the wall. The balloon fight: “I surrender.” The river walk.) What does it symbolize? What role does water play in the life of the believer, and what does it symbolize?
Why does Henry want to check under the bridge for what he wrote as a child? Why does he post the picture of his family on his wall, and write “Henry Pool was here” underneath?
Can people see the face of Christ in you? Are you a source of hope to those in pain? When you encounter people who are filled with depression and despair, who, or what, do you point them to? Is this a reliable source of hope?
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
What is it that all people want? We could say, “Money” or “fame” or “health” but really, these are pointing to something else, something hidden, that people want: HOPE. Hope for the future. Hope for something better. This life is full of disappointment and despair, but hope keeps us going.
Henry Poole needs hope. Upon moving into his home, the first person to welcome him to the neighborhood is a woman named Esperanza, which in Spanish, means “hope.” And like hope, she is unrelenting. Patience patiently works with Henry. And Dawn is the light. Upon meeting Dawn, he begins to feel hope.
And yet, Henry Poole is a man without hope. His situation is so desperate, his life has been so full of fear and failure, that he cannot bring himself to hope. He cannot bring himself to touch the face of Jesus on his wall. Why not? For fear it “won’t work.” For fear of another failure.
In the end, Henry discovers he is not sick. Was he healed, or was it a misdiagnosis? As with the other healings, the movie leaves such questions unanswered. But whether the physical healing occurred or not, Henry is still healed, because he now has hope.
How can you be a voice of hope to those around you? How can you be the face of Christ?
How do you view your life? As one big mistake, or one big miracle? Henry Poole has problems seeing a miracle in the stain on his wall. What he realizes by the end is that whether it is just a stain or actually a miracle, it still caused a miracle in his life. Regardless of whether he was truly healed or simply misdiagnosed, he found the miracle of love and hope for the future, he found that his life could actually be lived with significance.
I thought this was a great movie, full of insight and humor. You can get it at Amazon.
Over the past several years, I have experienced a huge paradigm shift in my thinking about life and ministry. As a result, I have watched with interest how this shift has affected my theology and my ministry practice.
Below is a brief explanation of the shift that has occurred, and a few of the resultant ramifications.
I no longer view myself as pastor, or church planter, but as a missionary…and not just any missionary, but a missionary to a cross-cultural, unreached people group. In plain English, I view myself as a person who wants to introduce Jesus to a group of people who don’t know much (if anything) about Him, and as far as they are concerned, don’t really care to know Him.
There are many changes I’ve gone through, but here are four examples:
1. A Shift in “ministry” time.
While a pastor primarily does ministry among the people of his church, a missionary focuses on the people who are not yet part of a church. He immerses himself among them and learns their culture, their language, their issues, their needs, and their concerns. He lives life with them and among them.
Practically, while in the past, I have spent most of my pastoral time in the church office and with church people, in the future, I want to spend most of my time out of the church office, and with the people of the community.
2. A Shift in Vocation.
A pastor wants to get paid by the people of the church so he can free himself up to do “ministry.” This is not bad, but a missionary will often get a job in the community so he or she can live and work among the people, and be seen as one of them.
I don’t yet know what I’m going to do, and maybe some of my income will come from the “church budget” but ideally, I want to be living and working among the community. This also has the added benefit of freeing up as much money as possible to actually serve the community.
Many churches are handcuffed by pastoral salaries and building mortgages. Imagine what the church could do in the community and around the world if it didn’t have to pay for pastors or buildings!
3. A Shift in Bible translation. (This one I can hardly believe.)
As a pastor who focused primarily on preaching and teaching believers, I wanted a Bible-translation that was as close to the Greek and Hebrew as possible. Now, I want to use a Bible that is as close as possible to the language of the people I am working among.
When Wycliffe goes into a community to translate the Bible, they don’t try to make a translation that is hard to read but instead, while trying to maintain accuracy, try to get a translation that is as close as possible to the vernacular. So, while I used the NASB and the NKJV, I now think I’m going to switch to the NLT.
4. A Shift in how Truth meets life.
I used to be a professional theologian-pastor. All I did was read, write, think, talk, and teach about the Bible and theology.
I now believe that while doing so is valuable and important, if it does not result in loving and serving others (especially those who are not followers of Jesus), then I don’t really know the truth I talk so much about. While some pastors can afford to live and work in an ivory tower, missionaries must get down and dirty. Theology must come to grips with life.
I have discovered that as I try to live with and love other people (especially those who are not like me and don’t believe the way I do), a lot of what I thought and taught becomes much less important. Knowing the various views of the rapture are not that important when you are talking to a drug addict who is facing divorce.
Truth, I believe, is both tested and forged on the anvil of relationships.
If you are undergoing similar shifts, please let me know in the comments below. Maybe I will add more as I think of them.
