The Kingdom of Heaven is near you

Luke 10:1-24

Jesus' mission is expanding: back in 9:51, he sent a few messengers ahead of him to prepare the way for him as he went into one Samaritan village. Now, in chapter 10, he appoints 72 others and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

And this first mission was, in many ways, a pattern for the mission of the church – for our mission. It's not an exact blueprint because this was before the cross and resurrection of Jesus, before the HS was sent to every Xn. But there are principles here that still apply today.

And as these 72 go, their first task is to pray – to pray that the Lord of the harvest field will send out workers into his harvest field.  And as is so often the case, as these people pray, they are the answer to their own prayers – they themselves are to be the workers sent by God into the harvest field. Jesus is gathering a people together for God, just as a farmer gathers the harvest into his barns. And just as a farmer needs help at harvest, so Jesus needs help - he needs people to go ahead and prepare for his coming – people who are sent by God. And these 72 must pray that God would send people to help gather the harvest of people who are ready to be gathered together into the K of G – one multi-ethnic nation under God, the church.

'So', says Jesus in v3, 'Go!'

But as these people go into the harvest fields, they won't be sitting in comfortable, air-conditioned tractor cabs listening to the dulcet tones of Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 – no, they're going as 'lambs among wolves'. This doesn't mean it's a suicide mission, but it does mean there'll be danger and opposition, and it does mean that, despite the violence of those who oppose them, they are to be gentle and must not fight back.

And opposition will come: initially from within – from wolves in sheep's clothing – from those who claim to be God's people, but refuse to walk the way of the cross, preferring instead their self-made, pompous religion. But later, opposition comes from without – from the Romans authorities. Even then, Christ's followers will not retaliate. They are to be lambs-to-the-slaughter, not fighting dogs.

The 72 go relying on the provision of those who are sympathetic to the cause. No purse stuffed with money; no bag full of spare clothes. And as they go, they're to remain focused on the task in hand – they mustn't be distracted by lengthy greetings along the road. They've an urgent job to do. The harvest is ripe, there's no time to lose.

As they enter a town, they find a household that will welcome them, and they stay put.

Now we can see principles here that apply to us:

First, we must pray that God would send people into the harvest field, and be prepared to be the answer to our own prayers.

Second, we must be those who support the workers because, v7, the worker is worth his wages.

So, as Jamie & Helen Read tell us that they're struggling because the exchange rate has reduced the value of our support, we need to respond to their request for help. That's our form of hospitality – they should not have to move from house to house as it were to find the funding.

Now, as Jesus prepares the 72 for their mission, he tells them that there will be two possible responses to their message – their message that the Kingdom of God is near. 

Some people will welcome the, v8. When that happens, they must eat whatever is set before them, and give a sign of God's future blessing: they must heal the sick there and tell them, 'The K of G is near you.'

But others will not welcome them. When that happens, v10, they must give them a sign of God's future judgement – they must go into the streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this, the kingdom of God is near.'

So the message to both groups is the same – the k of G is near.

But notice that the ultimate destiny for each group depends on how they respond to the message of the K of G. For those who welcome the messengers and the message, there's a sign of the future blessings of the Kingdom: so, v8, When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you and heal the sick who are there. Those who welcome Jesus as their rightful ruler will be welcomed into his kingdom and receive the blessings of his rule and reign. And the healings are a sign of this.

But those who don't welcome Jesus as their rightful ruler will be judged for their arrogance. And so the 72 are told to completely reject those towns – to the point of refusing even to take the dust from their streets away with them.  When the K of God comes upon these people, they will discover that they are permanently, eternally, excluded.

These people, who have such a high opinion of themselves and their religion, will discover that actually they're worse than the sinful city of Sodom. And the point of vv13 – 15 is that the cities which thought they were righteous and worthy of God – Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum – have in fact committed the ultimate sin - they've rejected God's Messiah, Jesus and refused to repent of their sin. But the despised Gentile cities of Tyre & Sidon which haven't even had the advantage of witnessing Jesus' miracles, would have repented immediately if they'd witnessed the miracles.

And so Jesus pronounces judgement on all who are self-righteous, and who reject his workers who are his representatives, v16. Again, the message to us is clear: your eternal destiny is decided according to your attitude to Jesus – whether you welcome him or not.

Well, the 72 workers have a successful mission, and, v17, return with joy, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'

What's happening here, as Jesus goes on to explain with vivid imagery, is that the preaching of the K of God is overcoming and defeating evil. In its place comes the joy and blessing of the eternal knowledge of God. So, says Jesus, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Now there are some weird videos on YouTube of churches in America where people dance about with live snakes as a sign that they have power over them. But Jesus is using the biblical image of Satan as a serpent or snake to show that Christians are freed from a far more dangerous power - the power of evil itself. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and master, he kicks Satan off the throne of our lives. No longer are we enslaved to his self-centred, self righteous, self-obsessed world of evil.

Instead, we come under the loving rule of our Lord Jesus. And so we rejoice that our names are written in heaven – we have our names written in God's list of his citizens – we have a passport to heaven because we welcomed Jesus the King.

And as Jesus thinks about all this, his joy overflows into praise, v21, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

Who is is that welcomes Jesus? And what sort of a person refuses to welcome him?

Well, God hides the truth about Jesus from those who think they're wise and learned. God refuses to force himself on those who think they're too advanced for talk of Satan or hell or heaven. There's no room in God's kingdom for such arrogance and pride.

But God delights to reveal himself to little children. That's not, as some have said, because children are especially trusting – most children have a healthy mistrust of strangers. No, the little children were those in society who were nobodies.God reveals the truth about Jesus to those who know they are no-one special. To those who know they don't deserve it. To the ones the wise and learned look down on and despise.

The only way we can know God is by admitting that by ourselves we cannot know God. Knowing God begins when we recognise that he must reveal himself to us. Of course we can't know God by examining him under a microscope or through a telescope. We won't get to God by doing a PhD in philosophy. We can only know God if he chooses to reveal Jesus to us: READ v22.

And God reveals himself by speaking. Whether it was Moses at the burning bush, or the prophet Samuel, or Paul on the road to Damascus, God revealed himself by speaking to them. And now we have his speech recorded in the Bible. If you want to know God, you must read your Bible. (Ask me if you don't know how to do this or where to start).

Well, Jesus' final words in this section sum up the immense privilege we have when God chooses to reveal himself to us: Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Oh yes, the kings and prophets of the OT all wanted to meet their Messiah.They all hoped to be alive when he arrived on earth. But they were all too early.

The disciples were there at just the right time to see and hear the Lord Jesus – the Messiah. And not only did they see him physically, but they saw him as he really is – the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. And not only did they hear the sound of his voice, they heard his words and received his message.

And that's true blessing – true happiness of a kind that all the riches and power in the world cannot buy.

Who's the greatest?

Luke 9:46-56

There are two vital things everyone must understand about Jesus if they're to truly know him; and the first is in many ways the easiest – it was for the disciples:

Jesus is the Christ – God's anointed, appointed ruler of the whole world. Jesus the Christ is therefore unsurpassed in his greatness, power & authority.

Peter was the first to recognise this: 9:20...

And he was absolutely right. For about 2½ years, Peter has spent every available moment with Jesus. He's seen what he's done. He's heard him teach and pray. And his conclusion is: this man Jesus is God's anointed ruler – the Christ.

The second, and harder, thing we have to understand about Jesus is that while he is the majestic Christ, he came to be rejected, to suffer & die and to rise again. But the disciples just cannot get their heads round this. Time and again, Jesus tells them, but time and again they don't understand:

In 9:22 Jesus says it as bluntly as possible...

Then in 9:30f at the extraordinary transfiguration, when Moses & Elijah appear to Peter, James & John, what is it they talk about? Jesus' departure in Jerusalem – his death & resurrection.

Finally, in 9:44f Jesus again emphasises his destiny...

So it's clear that this second aspect of Jesus' ministry was and is much harder to grasp. It's easier to believe in Jesus as a great man – a great healer, teacher & miracle worker – than it is to believe in him as a crucified and resurrected saviour. But until the disciples grasp this, they cannot be disciples:

A 'disciple' is, by definition, a pupil - a follower of his master. Disciples follow their master's example – they imitate him as an apprentice imitates his tutor. And Jesus has told them that this is what he expects: 9:23f

But what happens next shows that they haven't even come close to understanding Jesus.

These men aren't really disciples at all because they have no idea what it means to follow and imitate Jesus.

In v46, An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.

Jesus has told them time and time again that he's come to suffer and die. To be rejected and humiliated. To serve, not to be served. But as they look ahead to a life of following Jesus, they argue about which of them will be the greatest disciple.

Jesus will be rejected. He will suffer. He will die. And all they can do is argue about who will be the greatest.

And Jesus knows what they're arguing about. And as he stands before them, he scoops up a toddler as he runs by and stands the little child next to him. And he says to the so-called disciples, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.'

In that culture, great people did not welcome little children. Little children were to be seen and not heard. To be looked after by mothers & nannies; great men did not stoop down to welcome children. But, says Jesus, whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes God – the one who sent me.

And the main point here is clear – humility is to be the hallmark of each and every Christian. That main point is clear – the least is the greatest. But the detail is harder to understand, and so what Jesus says has often been misunderstood.

It's often been said that when we welcome a little child – or any of society's 'little people' – we welcome the Jesus in them. But Jesus does not say that by welcoming a child we welcome the Jesus in the child.

What he does says is, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me.' It's not just the welcoming of the child that's important, it's welcoming him in Jesus' name. And to welcome someone in Jesus' name is to welcome them on his behalf - as an ambassador or envoy. 

Jesus has been welcoming all kinds of people – the greedy, swindling tax collectors; the immoral woman; the outcast Samaritan; the hated Roman soldier; the oppressed, the sick and the handicapped; the little child who's ignored by everyone else. And, of course, the disciples themselves.

Now the disciples, if they're to be disciples – if they're to be great - must realise that their mission will not be to the nice Those who know they deserve nothing. Those who hate themselves for what they've done.people – who are in fact self-righteous & self-reliant – but for those at the bottom of the heap. Those who have been abused and oppressed by the nice people.

These are the people Jesus has come to meet, to welcome and to transform. And the disciples must understand this.

But the child and Jesus' teaching make no impression on these men: 'Master', said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.'

The disciples have seen a man 'casting out demons in Jesus' name' And just as they're not keen to welcome the outcast in Jesus name, so they don't like is when some unknown man does what they think is their right, their privilege. Jesus gave authority & power to them to cast out demons, how dare this man encroach on their territory. And they call on Jesus to endorse their feelings of superiority and self-importance.

But he won't have anything to do with it. 'Don't stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.'

In other words, 'Just because he's not 'one of you' doesn't mean he's not 'one of us'. If he's acting in my name, and not opposing you, then he must be one of us. Let him be.'

Are the disciples now beginning to understand?

Well, no, not judging from the very next incident in vv51-56.

There was mutual hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they had broken away from Judah married non-Jews and worshipped on a different mountain. The Samaritans hated the Jews because they were despised and rejected. And when the Samaritans see that Jesus is headed to the Jewish capital city, Jerusalem, they want nothing to do with him. But this in turn provokes the disciples: perhaps this would be a good opportunity to show their new-found power & authority – 'Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them...?' But Jesus rebuked them, and they moved on.

Now it would be easy to criticise the disciples for their attitudes. But as we look at them, if we have any self-awareness, surely we see a mirror of our own attitudes. We don't like spending time with the outcasts of society, we'd rather spend time with people like us than with people who are different. We naturally stay within our groups – it's easier that way. In fact there are times when we don't even like to be seen to be with certain people. We're proud – we think we're better than them.

But here Jesus is beginning to build a new society – the kingdom of God, the church – in which barriers are broken down. A place where the poor, the outcast, the young, the weak the... different, are not only welcomed but treated as equals.

In the book of Revelation 2, John – one of these once proud disciples – is given a vision of a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

One day, God will unite his people and we begin to get a real sense of that in the church today. But notice where they gather – it's around Jesus – who is on his throne and who is the lamb who was slain. When people understand that Jesus is both their majestic king and their saviour, then they gather in unity.

When you understand that this mighty, glorious king who has all power & authority is the same person who went willingly to have a crown of thorns pressed on his head, to be spat on, to be taunted, beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross because you are a sinful rebellious spiteful creature - when you understand that, then you begin to welcome people who are, in fact, no different from you. You welcome people in Jesus' name because you know that you're no better than them. You welcome them because you know that you deserve no more – and probably less – than them.

Eventually the disciples cotton on to this – as they realised that Jesus' true glory was not in his spectacular & miraculous displays of power, but in his crucifixion – then they understood what Jesus meant when he said, 'Whoever is least among you all – he is the greatest.'

Remaking a Broken World

David Cameron and the Conservatives have labelled Britain as a 'broken society'. And in saying that, they mean that vandalism, racial tension and family breakdown are all too common in our nation. The trouble is, their diagnosis doesn't go far enough and their solution (politics) can never work. 

In his new book, 'Remaking a Broken World', Christopher Ash outlines how the Bible explains that the breakdown of relationships (from personal to international) is inevitable. He shows why all human attempts to heal the divisions fail and how the Bible alone explains the solution. 

The argument goes a bit like this:

The LORD God is One. Unity is in his nature, though he is three persons. Unity is his delight and his goal.

Humanity was created to be in fellowship and unity with him, but sin disrupted that unity. 

"Sin" is me wanting to rule my own life, and my attempt to make everything revolve around me. In other words, it's me wanting to be god.

So, after the fall, Adam & Eve's relationships with each other, with God and with creation are disrupted. As Ash puts it, 'Had there been two gates out of Eden, we may be sure they would have stormed out of different ones, not speaking to each other, muttering under their breath how it was all the other's fault'! (p11).

Then at Babel, as men try to build their towers to heaven so that they can climb up and behave like gods, God comes down and disrupts their plans. He scatters them and confuses their languages in a gracious act of judgement because it hinders their plans to be gods. That's why we live in a broken world - because we're sinners making gods of ourselves.

From then on, God is working to bring a people back to himself in unity. He calls them together into an 'assembly' or 'church'. Whether this assembly is the OT assembly or the NT church, God gathers people to himself and his word. So, 'We need to remember when we gather in the local church that our assemblies are not just functional (to encourage us in our Christian lives); they are the reason God has redeemed us.' (p49, italics mine). 

Just think of that. The purpose of your redemption was to join the assembly (church) of God's people. Church is not something to help us on our Christian way, it is now the purpose of your whole Christian life.

It's the purpose because God's plan is to bring people together in a great, united multitude around the throne of Jesus. And God's plan begins to be fulfilled at St Peter's. At St John's. In the Icknield Way Parish. 

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10 ESV)

This is a great book Buy it. Read it.  Remaking a Broken World 

400 years of the KJV

There's much hype at the moment about the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible (or 'Authorised Version' as it's often called). Some Christians seem to think that this will be a golden opportunity for evangelism. But will it really?
Is any ordinary working man or woman really interested in this anniversary? And even if we could persuade them to read it or listen to it, what will they make of, for example, 1 Corinthains 15:15, 'Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.'?
Yes, there may well be interest amongst the older public school brigade who would love to see all the churches return to 'proper' services of the BCP and the 'beautiful language' of the KJV. That way, they can exclude the plebs (who ought to be in chapel, not church, anyway!), ignore the meaning of the gospel and carry on with their weekly religious observance for which God ought to be jolly pleased!
And then there are those genuine believers who have cling to the KJV as the only 'proper' Bible, despite the fact that the best manuscript evidence shows that the KJV misrepresents the original NT documents.

So should we rejoice and celebrate?

Yes, but only so as to echo the original intention of the KJV - to produce a Bible in a language that the people could understand, and to get such a Bible into the hands of the ordinary people. So today, we rejoice in the internet through which we can access modern versions for free (especially the ESV), and we should encourage people to download it onto their smartphones, laptops, Kindles, i-pads etc. and to read it.
We should also be campaigning to see the Bible taught and preached properly in our churches. Faithful exposition of the Bible is sadly lacking.
Let's rejoice, but not beauty's sake, and not for history's sake. Let's rejoice for the sake of the salvation of many souls.

Letter

Some of you have asked if my letter was published. Sadly not, though it's hardly surprising since I'd pretty much plagiarised someone else's letter!
Still, at least I had the satisfaction of telling the BBC what I thought about their 'Equality & Diversity' policies by completing their questionnaire ( http://tinyurl.com/2bctd28 ) though as always, having done it, I then thought of various things I'd like to have said! (e.g. why is it that the R4 'Sunday' programme has more about Islam than it does about Christianity? Perhaps they should change it to 'Friday'). Ah well, they'll probably just write me off as a mere white, middle-aged, male, Christian who therefore has nothing good to contribute to our wonderful tolerant British society that welcomes every point of view... ??!!