BURN!

This was no random conflagration I spotted on a street in Penang, Malaysia, a couple of months ago.

In Chinese religious traditions, burning “joss paper” (aka “paper money,” “hell’s money,” etc.) is an age-old practice for the benefit of expired ancestors. Joss paper is essentially squares of gold-colored paper, elaborately decorated with seals, stamps, designs, and other appropriate motifs. Apparently this incendiary process is a means to transfer money to those populating the afterlife, so that those denizens of the other-world will have sufficient purchasing power to live comfortably in the hereafter. Paper credit cards, properly stamped “VISA,” are thought to work well, too, not to mention faux traveler’s checks and other monetary instruments. Sometimes these are made out in specific denominations, usually in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.

Things, these days, however, have come to a pretty pass; the non-traditionalists (read: “postmoderns”—woe betide them!) have gone beyond financial items. Such iconoclasts have been known to burn papier-mâché replicas of all kinds of useful commodities, including Mercedes Benzes, laptops, iPhones, passports …. Oh, and Viagra! Paper Viagra is a popular item to be passed on to one’s ancestors, reliable sources inform us. I shall refrain from speculating about the rationale for such a prurient gesture towards one’s predecessors.

Sometimes these offerings in smoke are specifically directed to the Judge of the Dead to bribe that official to release one’s ancestors from the traumatic and less-than-comfortable holding place they might have been confined in.

Indulgences, they used to call it in other places. Of course, Western practitioners of this system were much more sophisticated than humble Easterners. No burning for them. No smoke, no ash. Of course, not! That wouldn’t be environmentally acceptable. Nonetheless, it was a mutated form of burning joss money. In fact, in an undertaking of immense faith these professionals did away with pretence altogether. Why bother with toy money, when you can deal with the real stuff. So they did, with well-meaning descendants attempting to pay off the religious hierarchy in order to win their ancestors a few million years less in purgatory.

Martin Luther inveighed against these devices in no uncertain terms. In fact, his nailing documents to church doors (the ancient version of a flaming post online) kicked off a wake of protests, generating the species of Christianity called Protestantism.

That smart dude was no doubt familiar with Hebrews 9:27.

… it is appointed for men to die once
and after this comes judgment ….
Hebrews 9:27

In other words, not a whole lot we can do for those gone on before. Salvation is function of one’s belief or faith in Christ as Savior before death, not after.

Behold, now is the acceptable time,
behold, now is the day of salvation ….
2 Corinthians 6:2

Here and now is the time for that momentous decision.

Moreover, the Bible does not teach any trans-galactic relocations between stations that are allotted to us in the afterlife.

“… between us
[Fr. Abraham et al. in Paradise]
and you
[a certain rich man in Hades]
there is a great chasm fixed,
so that those who wish to come over
from here to you will not be able,
and that none may cross over
from there to us.”
Luke 16:26

All the more reason for those of us who are believers to labor in proclaiming the Gospel.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were making an appeal
through us;
we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20

I pray you will be.

ALARM!

It happened earlier this week. I went up to roof to get a better view of a film-shooting going on in the park in front of my townhome. And as I opened the door to the roof, the alarm went off—I had forgotten the system was on. I scampered back down, hit the appropriatte buttons, turned off the wailing banshee, and went back up to watch the proceedings outside. What I didn’t know was that the alarm had gone through to the monitoring company. And I didn’t hear their phone call to find out if there really was an emergency.

Within a matter of minutes, I noticed a blue and white squad car of ye olde city’s police force come up to my door. I scampered downstairs again. Two of Dallas’ finest, clad in black, fire-armed and fierce-looking, demanded my ID and proof that I belonged here. Satisfied, they presented me with a bright red warning: “False Alarm Notification.” Thankfully, the City of Dallas allows a few false alarms without penalty.

I am glad the cops showed up—and quite quickly at that: I was profuse in both my apology and gratitude. That “False Alarm Notification” informed me that more than 98% of such alarms were, indeed, false. But our police force responds to all of them. Alert and watchful! Just in case!

We, too, could do with alertness and watchfulness in our spiritual lives, lest we become complacent and cozy, smug and self-satisfied.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed that he does not fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12

It is easy to wander; it is easy go astray; it is easy to stumble—our inbuilt default options of the flesh.

Jesus warned his disciples (thrice) about the importance of non-complacent alertness:

“Take heed, keep on the alert;
for you do not know
when the appointed time will come.
It is like a man away on a journey,
who upon leaving his house
and putting his slaves in charge,
assigning to each one his task,
also commanded the doorkeeper
to be watchful.
Therefore, be on the alert—
for you do not know when
the master of the house is coming …
in case he should come suddenly
and find you asleep.
What I say to you I say to all,
‘Be on the alert!’”
Mark 13:33–37

So it’s rather ironic that in the very next chapter of Mark, in Gethsemane, the disciples are caught (thrice!) doing exactly what Jesus had warned them about. And just as in Mark 13, here in Mark 14 too, there is a “watching,” a “coming,” a “finding,” and a “sleeping.”

And He said to them,
“My soul is deeply grieved
to the point of death;
remain here and keep watch.”
And He went a little beyond,
and fell to the ground and prayed ….
And He came and
found them sleeping, and said …
“Keep watching and praying
that you may not come into temptation;
the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mark 14:34–35, 37–38

Indeed, the flesh is weak. We need help.

But I say, walk by the Spirit,
and you will not carry out
the desire of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16

As Jerome (347–420 A.D.) said long ago:

“We do well to watch heedfully
and pray earnestly
‘lest we enter into temptation.’
For if Christ does not grant us grace,
then the Judas in us betrays.
If he [Christ] departs a little way from us,
the Peter in us sleeps.”
Homilies

May God’s grace keep us awake and alert!

INFUSION!

Cameron Highlands is an idyllic spot in the middle of the Malaysian peninsula. Situated 5,000 feet above sea-level, it is a popular hill station, a respite from the equatorial heat and humidity for those who can’t take either. On the other hand, there is no lack of rain. The coalescence of these climactic conditions, however, renders this locus ideal for the growth of Camellia sinensis, aka “tea.” That also explains the verdure, the brilliant greenness of the land. Tea estates pretty much blanket CH. And all of them have tea rooms. Sit down with a pot of hot tea (cream and sugar, please!) and—believe it or not—a holdover from Malaysia’s colonial past: scones. Delightful!

The perfect pot of tea requires water at the right temperature to extract the precious chemicals from the tea leaves—infusions call for steeping in hot water. Cold water yields no tea (not the purist’s kind, anyway). Wise philosophers have been known to declare: You can’t make good tea without hot water.

True, in more ways than one.

Recently, preaching on the Seven Letters of Christ to seven churches (Revelation 2–3), I realized one thing. Of the seven churches, there were only two that didn’t have some form of external persecution or the other. And guess which two churches were at the bottom of the list in terms of spiritual quality? Guess which two won the most scathing condemnation from the lips of Christ? Yup, the two without persecution.

You can’t make good tea without hot water? There is something to that adage. Tea infusions call for steeping in uncomfortable circumstances.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly
in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:12

Jesus reminded us of that possibility powerfully.

“Remember the word
that I said to you,
‘A slave is not greater
than his master.’
If they persecuted Me,
they will also persecute you ….”
John 15:20

Tertullian (160–220 A.D.), one of the early Church Fathers, is famously known to have stated that the blood of martyrs was the seed of the church. The more the church was under pressure, the more it grew, which, of course, is a fundamental principle of physics: the greater the heat, the greater the expansion.

For it is better,
if God should will it so,
that you suffer for doing
what is right rather than
for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17

Notice Peter says “if God should will it so.” While that gives comfort—nothing happens outside the will of God—it also creates a sense of apprehension: God might—just might—will it that we suffer persecution.

“Blessed are you when
people insult you and persecute you
… because of Me … for your reward
in heaven is great ….”
Matthew 5:11–12

Perhaps God will will it so. Perhaps we and the church need it. A bit of heat! God has allowed that in the past.

“I will also turn
My hand against you,
And will smelt away
your dross as with lye ….”
Isaiah 1:25

Perhaps He will again. So let us draw near to God as the end draws near each day.

The night is almost gone,
and the day is near.
Therefore let us lay aside
the deeds of darkness
and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:12

And we must be ready to suffer.

Therefore, those also who suffer
according to the will of God
shall entrust their souls
to a faithful Creator
in doing what is right.
1 Peter 4:19

The perfect cuppa … in hot water!

ACKNOWLEDGE!

This year’s graduation will be the last one he attends in his academic regalia (representing The Ohio State University) and sits with the Dallas Seminary Faculty. He’s retiring. After close to four decades of yeoman service to the school, he’s letting go with this grand finale of the academic year. Almost 82. Still the same bright-eyed, ever-smiling, always-serving young man. John Reed. He is ngoing home to better tend to his ailing wife, to putter around with woodworking tools (he’s an accomplished craftsman) and to write. No more worrying about recalcitrant students; no more computing grades to make the registrar’s deadlines; no more shepherding the Department of Pastoral Ministries through its many dangers, toils, and snares; no more building the Doctor of Ministry Department to its current respected status; no more committee meetings, faculty meetings, departmental meetings, meetings about meetings, …. Nope. That’s it! Just some peace and quiet with his dear bride.

Having oft been on the receiving side of his wisdom, concern, care, and prayers, I am thankful to God for this man’s ministry, not only to me, but to countless others whose lives have intersected his. He has been a refreshment to one and all. And I pray I will learn from his example.

For I have come to have much joy
and comfort in your love,
because the hearts of the saints
have been refreshed
through you, brother.
Yes, brother, let me benefit
from you in the Lord;
refresh my heart in Christ.
Philemon 1:7, 20

John’s example of being an agent of God, for it is God, Himself, who provides the refreshing.

“For I satisfy the weary ones and
refresh everyone who languishes.”
Jeremiah 31:25

The model of a good steward, dispensing God’s refreshment with his life..

As each one has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another
as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10

Recognizing his comforters during his own days of distress, Paul writes about such a trio of men …

For they have refreshed
my spirit and yours.
Therefore acknowledge such men.
1 Corinthians 16:18

Indeed, they deserve acknowledgement. They do!

But we request of you, brethren,
that you appreciate those
who diligently labor among you,
and have charge over you in the Lord
… and that you esteem them
very highly in love
because of their work.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13

They deserve acknowledgement for having been trustworthy.

… it is required of stewards
that one be found trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 4:2

They deserve acknowledgement for having been irreproachable.

For the overseer must be
above reproach as God's steward,
Titus 1:7

Far too often, we are quick to spot the wrongs, missteps, weaknesses, and stumbles of others, aren’t we? Far quicker we must be, to acknowledge the good lives some have led, the refreshment they have been to us, the grace they have extended to us, the Christlikeness they have lived out for us. Let’s acknowledge them. Say thanks, today, will you, to someone whose life has refreshed you?

I thank my God always,
making mention of you in my prayers,
because I hear of your love
and of the faith which you have
toward the Lord Jesus
and toward all the saints;
and I pray that the fellowship
of your faith may become effective
through the knowledge
of every good thing which is
in you for Christ's sake.
For I have come to have
much joy and comfort in your love,
because the hearts of the saints
have been refreshed
through you, brother.
Philemon 1:4–7

Thank you, John!

TOGETHER!

The annual high point of Dallas Seminary’s academic year, its raison d’être, was celebrated yesterday—the commencement exercises. As always, it was an delightful and emotional, marked, at its close by the enthusiastic, robust, and joyful raising of voices to sing the Seminary hymn, All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (Diadem). Particularly poignant for the DTS community is the traditional “solo” on the third verse by just the faculty and students, together in magnificent harmony.

Let every kindred, every tribe
on this terrestrial ball,
To him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all!
Edward Perronet, 1779

A “solo” by a “group.” Indeed, it is with the collective voices and lives of the redeemed, together, that God is praised, magnified, and glorified—by every kindred, tribe, and tongue, and nation. Together. All as one.

And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are You … for You were slain,
and purchased for God with Your blood
people from every tribe and tongue
and people and nation.”
Revelation 5:9

Always impressive is the cheering crowd that gathers for these events—family, friends, and well-wishers of the graduating students. (Yes, I did have my camera with me while sitting in the ozone layer onstage with the rest of my faculty colleagues at Prestonwood Baptist Church.) Quite appropriately, our Dean gives students an opportunity to turn around and acknowledge and applaud the supportive efforts of all of these precious ones in their lives, without which their years of hard work would not—could not!—have come to fruition. Graduation ceremonies celebrate the group activity accomplished, not in solo, but in concert. Together. All as one.

It’s not just academic achievements that call for the co-agency of many acting in concord. Christian life, itself, is one of cooperation and coalescence, in chorus.

And let us consider
how to stimulate one another
to love and good deeds,
not forsaking our own assembling together
… but encouraging one another ….
Hebrews 10:24–25

For the way is difficult, often dreary, sometimes dreadful. The loads are heavy; the hurdles are high. No one can do it solo. We need one another.

Bear one another’s burdens,
and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

Jesus’ law of love.

“A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another.”
John 13:34

Voices in harmony, raised together. Varieties of body parts, working together.

… through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13

No doubt, the way is fraught with friction. Dissensions threaten and discords menace.

So, as those who have been chosen of God,
holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience;
bearing with one another,
and forgiving each other,
Colossians 3:12–13

And those who have trodden those paths before us and gone on to glory ahead of us—they cheer us on.

Therefore, since we have so great
a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance
and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus ….
Hebrews 12:1–2

Until that day, that soon-coming day, when we will join them to sing again that grand new song in the presence of the One who called us, redeemed us, and comforts us—for the glory of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.

O that, with yonder sacred throng,
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Edward Perronet

Amen!

WASH!

As of yesterday, 658 cases in 16 different countries, including the US (160 cases in 21 states; 1 death). Swine flu!

Of all the precautions one can take to keep this disease at bay, nothing is probably more important for an individual than to wash one’s hands. Scanning the WHO website, I noticed they recommended hand-washing for as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. 20 seconds. Good advice, and not just for swine flu!

About two centuries ago, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (1818–1865) had the same idea. This Hungarian physician wanted to put an end to the scourge of “childbed fever,” death in childbirth, that took the life of one in every 10 women delivering. In a day when doctors went straight from autopsy rooms to labor rooms, he suggested that gynecologists wash their hands before examining expectant mothers. This was, of course, before the days of germ theory. Semmelweis’ own custom was to wash his hands in a chlorinated solution. Putting this prudent principle into routine practice, his clinic dropped the mortality rate from about 15% to zero in two months. Give the man a Nobel, I’d say!

Unfortunately, the story is tragic.

Disturbances of the “four humors” were believed to cause disease. Semmelweis’ brilliant and groundbreaking theory was contrary to all known and accepted medical dogma. After all, these doctors were “gentlemen.” Their hands unclean? Ridiculous!

Semmelweis was fired. No one listened to him. And he died insane at the age of 47. It took Louis Pasteur some two decades later to offer a theoretical basis and to substantiate Semmelweis’ conclusions.

Wash!

But there are some things worse than germs that we must be washed of.

Jeremiah warned:

“Although you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your iniquity is before Me,”
declares the Lord GOD.
Jeremiah 2:22

Isaiah urged:

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds
from My sight.
Cease to do evil.”
Isaiah 1:16

David pleaded:

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned.”
Psalm 51:2–4

Jesus provided the solution (no pun intended) for washing:

“If I do not wash you,
you have no part with Me.”
John 13:8

His life, given for us, a payment for the stain of sin.

… the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Robert Lowry, 1876

Indeed, the blood of Christ—His atoning death and resurrection—cleanses believers from sin.

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the LORD,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18

And for those who believe—the “washed” ones—eternal life is promised.

Blessed are those who wash their robes,
so that they may have
the right to the tree of life,
and may enter by the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:14

And it doesn’t even take as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice!

ALTRUISM!

The other day the venerable news-disseminating print instrument in our fair city, the Dallas Morning News, reported on two women who met on a website that posts personal ads for those in need of organ transplants. From this, potential donors look for a connection to the recipient that begins with blood type, personal story, photo, etc. To cut a long story short, these two women in the DFW Metroplex were total strangers to each other, but Annette donated a kidney to Sapna. “I just think that if more people would try to help each other—even with small things—the world would be a better place,” said Annette.

However, late last year, two major transplant centers in Dallas, Baylor and UT Southwestern Medical Center, turned the two away. So in January, Annette and Sapna, who live only 30 miles from each other, traveled over a thousand miles to accomplish their goal at the University of Toledo Medical Center. You see, hospitals in Dallas will not accept organ donations from those who are strangers to each other. Rightly, they fear that this might be a sale with undisclosed monies changing hands; it is, after all, a federal offense to trade in body parts.

One of the surgeons here in Dallas commented: “The preservation of body from injury is probably the strongest basic instinct we have as man. To violate that, you really have to ask yourself, ‘Is this something people do because they want to do a good deed?’ And I think you have to ask the question, ‘How reasonable is that?’”

How reasonable is altruism?

I have to agree with my medical colleague: it is unreasonable, indeed. The world does not recognize altruism—entirely unselfish concern for another. The world views it with suspicion. Altruism? How strange! Unnatural. Inconceivable. Out-of-this-world.

Literally!

Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life
for his friends.
John 15:13

The most powerful expression of selflessness was modeled for the world by an out-of-this-world Person. He laid down his life for the ones He loved.

But God demonstrates
His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

Paying the price for our sins, that we might have eternal life with Him.

For God so loved the world,
that He gave
His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish,
but have eternal life.
John 3:16

And now we are forever cocooned His love, from which nothing—nothing!—can separate us.

For I am convinced that
neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38

But we who abide in His love now have a responsibility:

This is My commandment,
that you love one another,
just as I have loved you.
John 15:12

And what are we to do to demonstrate that kind of love?

We know love by this,
that He laid down His life for us;
and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren.
1 John 3:16

Altruism indeed. That’s more than a kidney. Our lives!

By this all men will know
that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.
John 13:35

May God help us to show the world that “altruism” is not unreasonable. May we believers be the demonstrable proof that there are those who truly love one another.

ENDURE!

About half an hour’s drive from Ipoh, in Malaysia, stands Kellie’s Castle.

William Kellie Smith was born near Dallas—not our fair city in Texas, but its namesake in Morayshire, Scotland. This enterprising young man made his way to what was then called Malaya in the late 1800s. He found his fortune in rubber and tin-mining and purchased 900 acres south of Ipoh, making his home there with his Scottish bride, Agnes. It was when they were blessed with a son, Anthony, in 1915, that Kellie engaged in a most outlandish undertaking. He decided to build a castle.

Fascinated by Indian culture, Kellie had all its bricks and tiles, and even its laborers, imported from South India. Tragedy was not long in coming. Spanish flu struck, killing many of these workers. Kellie even had a Hindu temple built close by, to appease the gods who were wreaking havoc on his plans. (Among the pantheon of idols on the roof of that temple is a rather incongruous one of a mustachioed, obviously European man in brown jodhpurs, a green jacket, and a topi!)

Among the fascinating ideas for the castle were tunnels running from the building under the nearby river, one of which, to the aforementioned temple, was discovered only recently. Plans for an indoor tennis court were drawn, as well as a rooftop courtyard for parties. Most curious of all was the shaft for an elevator—the first in all of Malaya. That led to another tragedy—this one sadly final. On a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, in 1926, ostensibly to buy an elevator for this mansion, Kellie contracted pneumonia and died. His bereaved wife quit the whole project, sold the estate, and moved back to bonnie Scotland.

The “castle”—half done—meanwhile, was taken over by the jungle, until Malaysia’s Department of Tourism refurbished that symbol of colonialist dreams and unfinished glories.

Kellie’s Castle is called by some “Kellie’s Folly.” It is not entirely fair to blame the non-completion of this edifice upon any fault of Mr. Smith. Nevertheless, that half-executed vision and unachieved fantasy does remind one of the result of a lack of endurance. A goal unaccomplished. A finish line unreached. A grand task undone. Could happen to anyone.

The Bible frequently warns believers of that same ruinous finish, that fall by the wayside, tripped up, entangled, and enmeshed in the things of the world.

… let us also lay aside
every encumbrance and the sin
which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us …
Hebrews 12:1

Eyes clearly set on the goal, minds focused upon our Model, feet running with Him.

… fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy set before Him
endured the cross, …
and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

No question, these days on earth are hard.

But you, be sober in all things,
endure hardship,
2 Timothy 4:5

We are to endure, persevering for eternal rewards.

If we endure,
we will also reign with Him
2 Timothy 2:12

And let us also never forget that this endurance is not some cooked-up fortitude, some self-manufactured tenacity. It is a reliance on the Lord who provides us with what we need.

… God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation
will provide the way of escape also,
so that you will be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

He enables. We endure.

SAVIOR!

In Penang, Malaysia, is a strange place of worship called the Snake Temple. In it are a collection of pit vipers, freely lounging around in the shrubs outside and potted plants inside. Built in 1850, this sanctuary, for some strange reason, attracted those reptiles, which apparently took shelter in the shrine on their own accord. These serpents have been continuous inhabitants of the building since that time. Tropidolaemus wagleri (Wagler’s pit vipers) aka temple vipers—so called simply because of their tenancy at this particular temple.

But what I found even more curious was one of the tourist-trap stalls on the temple grounds. A young girl manning this booth of interest offered to write whatever I wanted on … a grain of rice. Yup, a grain of rice (and there’s a dime for comparison)!

OK, I said, taking her on. Standing in the temple precincts, I figured these were the best words to get the young lady to inscribe: “Jesus Saves!”

(Since there was a lot more space on that grain of rice, the good woman also added “Jesus is Lord” on the other side of that infinitesimal canvas!).

This amazing piece of work took her all of two minutes. She offered to make it into a key chain for me. I chose the closest thing that looked like a cross in which to place the rice grain. What color liquid did I want the grain floating in? Red, of course. Jesus Saves!

He does. Indeed!

We have heard the joyful sound:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land,
Climb the mountains, cross the waves;
Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command;
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Priscilla Owens, 1882

And save He did, by paying the price for our sins by His life, death, and resurrection.

Sing above the battle strife:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
By His death and endless life
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout it brightly through the gloom,
When the heart for mercy craves;
Sing in triumph o’er the tomb:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

The resurrection of Jesus demonstrated the sufficiency of the price He paid for sin. Death couldn’t hold Him. The grave had no claim on Him. The penalty had been paid. For me. And for all who believe.

Christians are …

… those who believe in Him who
raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
He who was delivered over
because of our transgressions,
and was raised because of our justification.
Romans 4:24–25

“Justified”—we are declared righteous by God because of that Great Exchange.

He [God] made Him [Jesus Christ]
who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

His righteousness becomes mine, as He bore my sins. No longer would sin be an issue for eternal life between God and mankind. The price had been paid, fully, finally, forever.

The gospel, the power of salvation to all who believe.

… the gospel … which also you received,
… by which also you are saved,
… that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised
on the third day ….
1 Corinthians 15:1–4

Give the winds a mighty voice:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Let the nations now rejoice:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and free;
Highest hills and deepest caves;
This our song of victory:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Praise God!

HONOR!

Palm Sunday. That’s a frieze from Nikolaikirche in Leipzig—where Bach served as organist and Kapellmeister for 27 fruituful years.

Palm Sunday. The day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the King into His capital city. One would expect the elite of the city to receive this honored One. Nope! Just the hoi polloi waving palm branches as He rides in on a donkey.

And many spread their coats in the road,
and others spread leafy branches
which they had cut from the fields.
Those who went in front and
those who followed were shouting:
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Blessed is the coming kingdom
of our father David.
Hosanna in the highest!”
Mark 11:8–10

And then that curious anticlimax in Mark’s account.

Jesus entered Jerusalem
and came into the temple;
and after looking around at everything,
He left ….
Mark 11:11

He enters the city, comes to its focal point, the Temple, and … nothing. Nothing happens. This was nothing short of an insult. An “a-triumph,” as some have called it, an antithesis of a triumphal entry. The King dishonored; the regent “dissed.”

The next thing you spy in Mark is a sequence of events, in this order: a fig tree is cursed by Jesus, He cleanses the Temple of its disreputable activities, and then Peter and the rest note that the fig tree withered from the root up. A fig tree sandwiching the Temple incident. (Sandwiches, BTW, were among Mark’s favorite “foods”—there are several such textual culinary delights in that Gospel.)

I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit
on the fig tree in its first season.
But they came to Baal-peor
and devoted themselves to shame,
and they became as detestable
as that which they loved.
Hosea 9:10

Rejected God and served their own ends and even demonic elements.

The King Himself was unnoticed. In obscurity He came. Neglected He left.

He came to His own,
and those who were His own
did not receive Him.
John 1:11

They did not believe.

But as many as received Him …
John 1:12

Some did. They recognized His status as He entered the city ceremonially. They acclaimed His presence with invocations to God. They believed!

Once again …

And many spread their coats in the road,
and others spread leafy branches
which they had cut from the fields.
Those who went in front and
those who followed were shouting:
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Blessed is the coming kingdom
of our father David.
Hosanna in the highest!”
Mark 11:8–10

They believed, indeed!

But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right
to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name.
John 1:12

God deserves honor. God alone deserves honor.

Worthy are You, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honor and power;
for You created all things,
and because of Your will they existed,
and were created.
Revelation 4:11

All glory, laud and honor,
To Thee, Redeemer, King,
To Whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

To Thee, before Thy passion,
They sang their hymns of praise;
To Thee, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.

Theodulph of Orleans, ca. 820 AD
(trans. John M. Neale, 1851)

May God be honored in our lives and in the church forever!

Now to the King eternal,
immortal, invisible,
the only God, be honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17

And “Amen!”

SHIP!

That’s a restored Chinese junk, one of the most successful exemplars of sailing vessels ever. This one is in Malacca Town, in the state of Malacca, in Malaysia, where I happened to be, a couple of weeks ago. The junk was one of the reasons for the fact that Malaysia is now about 25% Chinese. Ships have undoubtedly played important roles in people movements and world history.

For Christians, the “ship” has been an age-old symbol of the church—the body of believers—tossed about on a less than amiable world, hassled often, intimidated frequently, persecuted periodically. The metaphor goes back to the time of Noah and his family, saved in the ark, through water.

… the patience of God
kept waiting in the days of Noah,
during the construction of the ark,
in which a few, that is, eight persons,
were brought safely through the water.
Corresponding to that,
baptism now saves you …
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:20–21

The idea is, indeed, ancient. Tertullian (ca. 160–ca. 220 AD), a Church Father, talked about it:

… the apostles

then served the turn of baptism
when in their little ship,
were ... covered with the waves ….
… that little ship
did present a figure of the Church,
in that she is disquieted
“in the sea,”
that is, in the world,
“by the waves,”
that is, by persecutions and temptations;
the Lord, through patience,
sleeping as it were,
until, roused in their last extremities
by the prayers of the saints,
He checks the world,
and restores tranquility to His own.
On Baptism, XII

So also another worthy, Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150–215 AD):

And let our seals be either a dove,
or a fish, or a ship

scudding before the wind,
… or a ship’s anchor,

… and if there be one fishing,
he will remember the apostle,
and the children drawn out of the water.
The Pedagogue, III, 11

That the mast of these vessels forms a cross must certainly have stimulated the Christian imagination as well. Later, the “ship” motif became, literally, part of church architecture. Ancient (and modern) cathedrals and churches often have, as the main portion of their structure, a “nave” (related to “naval” and pertaining to ships—in Latin, “navis”), that section of the building that resembles an upside down ship.

As Tertullian alluded, significant to this theme also is the incident in Mark 4, when Jesus, in a boat, stilled a dangerous storm before the terrified disciples.

And He got up and rebuked the wind
and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.”
And the wind died down
and it became perfectly calm.
Mark 4:39

Jesus’ subsequent question to the disciples is poignant, and ought to echo in the hearts of believers today.

And He said to them,
“Why are you afraid?”
Mark 4:40

Why, indeed? No waters can swallow the ship where lies the Master of oceans, of earths, of skies.

That’s the basis of the hymn masterfully created by Edward Hopper (1816–1888):

Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
‘Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on thy breast,
May I hear thee say to me,
“Fear not, I will pilot thee.”

The shore is near. Arrival is nigh. Only a few more days of turbulence, tempests, trials, and tribulation. The Lord is with us. Why fear?

RETURN!

Last Thursday, I was getting back home from a trip abroad, making a connection in Seoul, S. Korea. Flying into the west coast of the US crossing the international dateline does funny things to your clock. My Korean Airlines flight left Seoul on Thursday at 9:50 am, and I arrived in Dallas at 8:50 am … on the same day! In other words, I practically got to my destination before I left! Time travel! (Needless to say, I’m still getting over the ill effects of that odd journey “back in time.”)

I’ve often wished I could do that in actuality—bid time return. There are times when we’ve all wished for that gift. Ye olde Bard penned those immortal words.

“O, call back yesterday, bid time return.”
Shakespeare, 1597 (Richard II, Act III, Scene 2)

The good Bard and we aren’t alone in wishing time be turned back. Indeed, God, too, desires we “return”—a form of time travel! In the mouths of God’s spokespersons, the Hebrew prophets, šûb (“return”) was a popular word, as they called upon their audiences to reject their wayward ways. Return to God, they pled, petitioned, and persuaded.

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to Me with all your heart,
and with fasting, weeping and mourning;
and rend your heart and not your garments.”
Joel 2:12

We must return to a clean slate often—“go back in time”—for we humans have an inherent tendency to drift and meander far, far from God.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way.
Isaiah 53:6

Or as the hymn writer put it …

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Robert Robinson, 1758

A return to God, a heartfelt turning back, a repentant time travel, is essential—frequently. Here’s the prophet Joel in full …

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to Me with all your heart,
and with fasting, weeping and mourning;
and rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the LORD your God,
for He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
and relenting of evil.
Joel 2:12–13

Those were not arbitrary words chosen by Joel to describe the God of love. In fact, this depiction of YHWH, first noted in Exodus 34:6 when God gave the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai, attained idiomatic status, and recurs time and again in the Scriptures.

The LORD, the LORD God,
compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindness ….
Exodus 34:6

(and Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8; Jonah 4:2)

This is why a return is possible; this is why a return is advisable; and this is why a return is profitable.

Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
Hosea 6:1

We return because our God is a forgiving God.

Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the LORD,
and He will have compassion on him, …
for He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:7

This return, one of repentance, therefore quickly turns to one of exultation as the “returner” is restored. Time travel, indeed!

So the ransomed of the LORD will return
and come with joyful shouting to Zion,
and everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah 51:11

Let’s go back, shall we? Travel in time!

DESSERT!

This week Dallas Seminary conducted its World Evangelization Conference, a yearly event “designed to assist our students in answering how they will engage in the Great Commission,” with the prayer “that God would inspire future mission-goers and mission-senders.” The entire Seminary essentially shut down all normal academic operations for the entire week. Several missionaries and mission agencies were on campus, conducting seminars and workshops, in addition to the daily plenary and worship sessions.

It began Monday evening, with the International Dessert Night. DTS students, representing 50 odd countries, put on a gala affair to appease even the most insatiable sweet tooth. A few days before this, the organizer of this event had asked me if I would be a judge (along with fellow-prof, Gordon) at this highly calorific and gastronomically delectable occasion. Yessssss! Bliss! Now I had a perfectly legitimate excuse for pigging out. In fact, I volunteered to be the judge every year for the next two decades. (By then, I’ll probably be in ill health as a result of this reckless luxuriation in culinary negligence. But, hey, I can die happy!)

Anyways, there I was, with Gordon. Boy, oh, boy! Desserts from every corner of the globe with exotic names and exquisite tastes.

Why is it that all that tastes good is bad for you?

And that includes sin. One must confess: sin is tasty. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be so attractive.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up,
refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to endure ill-treatment
with the people of God
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
considering the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt;
for he was looking to the reward.
Hebrews 11:24–26

Yes, those shiny things of Egypt are “treasures.” Yes, sin is pleasurable, gratifying, attractive and, perhaps, “beautiful.”

That is why it is important to grasp and cling on to something more beautiful than sin.

One thing I have asked from the LORD,
that I shall seek:
That I may dwell
in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD
and to meditate in His temple.
Psalm 27:4

For if we haven’t seen the beauty of God, sin will be far more beautiful to us. Only when we have gazed upon God’s magnificence, will sin’s allure dissipate.

Augustine’s lines are worth repeating:

Too late have I loved you,
O Beauty so ancient and so new,
too late have I loved you!
Behold, you were within me,
while I was outside:
it was there that I sought you, and,
in my unloveliness, rushed headlong
upon these lovely things
which you have made.
Augustine, Confessions

Far too long we have been running after the “sweet,” the “beautiful,” and the immediately “gratifying,” not realizing that the pleasures of the world are only distant echoes of One who is fairer, sweeter, and eternally rewarding.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.
Joseph A. Seiss, 1873

You are fairer than the sons of men ….
Psalm 45:2

Let us remember that in the light of the beauty of this King, all else fades!

I count all things to be loss
in view of the surpassing value
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord …
and count them but rubbish
so that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:8

May we not have to say in regret: “Too late, have I loved You.”

ENGAGE!

Hemoglobin is a molecule of special interest to us humans—this iron-containing protein molecule in the blood keeps us alive. By binding oxygen via its four heme groups, this molecule becomes, indeed, the molecule of life. It picks up this precious gas in the lungs and releases it to needy tissues.

Hemoglobin, I declare, is of theological interest for the period of the church calendar called Lent—that 6–7-week season before Easter, when the church reflects on the reason why the redemptive passion of Jesus Christ was necessary: our sin! Lent has, therefore, traditionally been a time of focus upon the spiritual disciplines—the giving up of, or abstinence from, certain activities to train us toward godliness: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, celibacy, secrecy, sacrifice.

… I discipline my body
and make it my slave ….
1 Corinthians 9:27

Which brings us back to hemoglobin and its “theology.” The lethal gas, carbon monoxide, can bind the heme group more avidly than can oxygen, thus effectively negating hemoglobin’s oxygen-carrying capacity. And that means … death!

In other words, abstinence is not good enough. Lest an addictive “carbon monoxide” fill the gap, the disciplines of abstinence must be counterbalanced by disciplines of engagement—those actions that bring our embodied selves into alignment with God’s order.

This Lent may I suggest a discipline of engagement or two?

Study: Engagement in the study of the Word of God.

… continue in the things you have learned
… the sacred writings which are
able to give you the wisdom
that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14–15

If you haven’t done it recently, try reading through the Bible in a year. It takes only 70 hours to read it the whole way through in one sitting. The average person in the US watches that much TV in just 3 weeks!

Celebration: Engage in celebration and enjoy life and enjoy the world, as we see all of this as God’s gift to us from the bounty of His goodness. Do this with friends—eating, enjoying, and sharing how God has been good to you.

Thou hast turned for me
my mourning into dancing;
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth
and girded me with gladness;
that my soul may sing praise to Thee,
and not be silent.
Psalm 30:11–12

Service: By engaging in this discipline we train ourselves away from self-focus, and self-gratification, as we serve others selflessly, without agenda, for no reward. Serve someone for at least 30 minutes each week.

… whoever wishes
to become great among you
shall be your servant ….
Mark 10:43

Prayer: This Lent, if you choose this discipline, spend 30 minutes a week in prayer with one other person. Or catch your church’s weekly prayer meeting.

Devote yourselves to prayer.
Colossians 4:2

Fellowship: The Christian life requires regular, profound fellowship with others, being accountable. So, this Lent, find an accountability partner. Spend at least 30 minutes with that person each week. And ask one another whether the disciplines you commit to are being practiced.

… let us consider
how to stimulate one another
to love and good deeds,
not forsaking
our own assembling together ….
Hebrews 10:24

Don’t let the carbon monoxide get you. Complement abstinence with engagement as you go through Lent and prepare for the grand event of Easter.

… discipline yourself
for the purpose of godliness;
... godliness is profitable for all things,
since it holds promise for the present life
and also for the life to come.
Timothy 4:7–8

Abstain and engage!

RESTORE!

The other day it happened. Not exactly a crash, but close. I had downloaded some updated drivers for some software, naïvely following those pop-ups that periodically exhibit themselves on your monitor: A new version of the driver for XYZ is available. Download NOW!

And I did.

Then I had to restart the computer for all of those fancy updates to take effect. That’s when it happened. Uh-oh!

I couldn’t get to my desktop. My computer actually signed on to the “Guest Account,” obstinately refusing to accept my log-in as the legitimate version of Abe Kuruvilla. Try as I might—and try hard, I did—this identity crisis couldn’t be resolved. Yup, I figured, all those downloads and updates. Something’s gunked up the works. I wondered if WD-40 would work … or maybe even duct tape. (Ancient Texan maxim: If it moves but shouldn’t, use duct tape; if it isn’t moving but should, use WD-40.)

It was at this juncture of consternation and confusion that I remembered our man Bill Gates’ invention of that outstanding maneuver called “System Restore.” This handy system tool actually rolls back everything related to the running of the system (without touching one’s documents and other such files) to a date when things were actually working. It’s a magic wand! Amazing stuff. Within ten minutes, everything was back shipshape. A time machine, indeed!

Now that, folks, is one useful tool. A more global version of the “Undo” button on your word processing program. You know, they need to have things like that for life! One click and you are back where you were before you began messing things up with your thoughts, and words, and deeds. System Restore!

Harry Potter could do that (not exactly, but more about that here). Thankfully, no one in the real world can fiddle with time. Think of the chaos!

But we have something better. Selective Restore! The bad things “wiped out”—not that the actual bad stuff I do (read: “sin”) gets erased, but their eternal consequences are.

Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18

Gone. Once for all.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Robert Lowry, 1876

Penalty suffered. Price paid. Debt canceled.

[Jesus Christ] Himself bore our sins
in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin …;
for by His wounds you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

The Great Exchange. One taking the place of the other. God for me. Substitution.

He made Him who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

We’ve entered the period in the church calendar called Lent, the seven weeks (or so) leading up to Easter—the celebration of the event of redemption: the Resurrection. And traditionally the church over the centuries has used this period to reflect on why this redemption was necessary in the first place—my sin … and yours.

This Lent don’t forget to give thanks for redemption. Redemption that will finally be consummated when we see Christ face to face.

We know that when He appears,
we will be like Him ….
1 John 3:2

Then it will indeed be … System Restored.

NAME!

Trawling through cyberspace last week, I came upon something spectacular—to me, at least!

Almost serendipitously, I stumbled upon a website that had archived old copies of The Kuwaiti, the English weekly magazine (now-defunct) of the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), headquartered in Ahmadi, Kuwait. On a whim, I looked up the issues around my birthdate—you see, I was born in Ahmadi and my father worked for the KOC. So I hunted around in the back issues of The Kuwaiti, searching for birth notices amongst crossword puzzles, classifieds, comics, and cricket scores. To my utter delight, there it was, or … there I was! In the birth announcements of one issue was the notice that yours faithfully himself had arrived—40-plus years ago (OK, OK, “50-minus” it is, these days).

Now you may not consider that a spectacular find, but for me it was!

Born in Kuwait, biding my early years in that land, then raised in India during my teens, and now living in the l. of the f. and h. of the b., this was a spectacular find.

Several decades ago, I needed an official birth certificate as I was planning to emigrate to the U.S. Gosh, the trouble I had to go through! There I was in India, trying to contact authorities in Kuwait. The hospital I was born in was no longer in existence. Who knew where all their records were! I had to enlist a cousin living in Kuwait to go on a massive detective hunt. Finally, success. The Kuwaiti government had, thankfully, stored all the records someplace. (Bureaucrats are not all bad!) There was only one small problem. The entire document was in Arabic! (I’ll spare you the agonies I went through to get it translated officially, in a fashion acceptable to international authorities and visa offices and border security agents!).

All this to say, finding a report of my birth in The Kuwaiti the other day was spectacular, indeed!

Somebody had recorded my birth!

But you know what? Our God is far better than baby accountants, birth records, and bean counters.

The LORD will count
when He registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.”
Psalm 87:6

Everyone else might forget me; everyone else might neglect you; but our God, He does not—not His children. He declares:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child
and have no compassion
on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
but I will not forget you.
Behold, I have inscribed you
on the palms of My hands.”
Isaiah 49:15–16

Those who have placed their trust in Christ as Savior are now children of God.

But as many as received Him [Christ],
to them He gave the right
to become children of God,
even to those
who believe in His name.
John 1:12

And His children, He remembers.

… He [God] Himself has said,
“I will never desert you,
nor will I ever forsake you,” ….
Hebrews 13:5

And so we rejoice, not because of birth records found, certificates located, registries updated, or numbers assigned, but because God remembers.

“… rejoice that your names are
recorded in heaven.”
Luke 10:20

It may not exist in Kuwait, India, the U.S., or Scotland, but it is there—in heaven. My name. What a privilege.

Jesus promised:

“He who overcomes
will thus be clothed in white garments;
and I will not erase his name
from the book of life,
and I will confess his name
before My Father
and before His angels.”
Revelation 3:5

Remembered. Named. Confessed. Clothed. For ever. Never erased. And ever. Amen.

GIANT!

A giant went home last week.

Harold Hoehner, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Seminary, died unexpectedly Thursday morning.

Our weekly Faculty Meeting that day was agonizing; the sharing of memories, the prayers, and even the laughter as we recollected his wry humor and dry wit brought a heaviness of heart, a numbness of mind. Shock and grief.

I met Harold in the early 90s. With a couple of PhDs under his belt—one from Cambridge—this giant of a scholar thought nothing of flying down to Houston, two Sundays in a row, to preach at a small international church plant I was pastoring, that met in a cafeteria. There he was, the erudite DTS professor, Greek New Testament and all, patiently sitting through my Sunday School class in Wyatt’s! Though this “gentle man” did his best to put me at ease, even now I cringe at the memory!

Who among you is wise and understanding?
Let him show by his good behavior
his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
James 3:13

That was Harold … just like his Lord.

Years later, I would be his student, after that, his colleague and, on occasion, his family dermatologist! Until last week, I was also privileged to serve under his leadership on the PhD Studies Committee at DTS. He, one of the senior-most profs at the Seminary and I, among the junior-most. The rank differential didn’t matter. He was a friend, an encourager, and a champion for you, no matter where you were situated on the totem-pole. In fact, last year, this kind giant took it on himself to write a glowing letter of recommendation to a publishing house, T. & T. Clark in London, to get them to accept my book proposal. They did!

So, as those who have been chosen of God,
holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12

Harold did—chosen of God, holy and beloved!

It is so hard to believe he is gone! He leaves behind an immense legacy. Over four decades at Dallas. Hundreds of students mentored, taught, guided, entertained, edified …. An institution!

And now he is in heaven, in the very presence of the God he loves.

In Him, you also,
after listening to the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation
—having also believed,
you were sealed in Him
with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,
with a view to the redemption
of God's own possession,
to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13–14

Harold remarked on this verse in his 960-page magnum opus, a commentary on Ephesians. That inheritance, he declared there, “qualifies believers to live eternally in the presence of God … because of the Father’s election, the Son’s redemption, and the Spirit’s sealing.”

I bet he is beginning to enjoy his well-deserved inheritance now!

In a recent Seminary faculty-authored festschrift to this giant (Interpreting the New Testament Text), the editors put it best:

“[Harold] is a man of integrity, energy, frugality, … coupled with a genial sense of humor, humility, and a loyal and collegial spirit. Those of us who have served with him at DTS have had the rare favor of genuine mentoring: he guided us as students, recruited us as neophyte faculty, defended us and challenged us when necessary, and all along modeled for us what scholarship in the service of Christ can be.”

Amen!

Harold Hoehner, man of God. A giant. Finally home!

We were blessed by his life. I, and the rest of the DTS community, will be proud to stand on his shoulders.

I’ll miss him.

LION!

In front of the Altes Museum in Berlin is this bronze sculpture by Albert Wolff (1814–1892) titled, The Lion Fighter (1852). (Interestingly the original cast was also used to create a “clone” now located in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.)

It caught my eye as I was wandering the grounds of this renowned museum on Berlin’s Museum Island (the location of a number of other internationally recognized museums as well). It caught my eye. You see, I know a Lion Fighter! No, not one who grapples with member of the family Felidae, genus Panthera, species leo—those big cats with golden manes that roar as they rule the jungles. But this Lion Fighter has—get this!—already defeated an even more virulent and malignant beast.

… the devil, prowls around
like a roaring lion ….
1 Peter 5:8c

The lion, devil: always maneuvering to attack, always eager to consume, always malevolent, always deceitful.

… the devil … was a murderer
from the beginning.
… there is no truth in him.
John 8:44

Always attempting to thwart the plans of God.

But you said in your heart:
I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God,…
I will sit on the mount of assembly ….
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.
Isaiah 14:13–14

The purpose of Satan, this evil lion, is reflected in these phrases: to secure the abode of God, to obtain the rule of God, to usurp the kingdom of God, to receive the glory of God, and to gain the status of God, that is, to be God.

And the whole world, the Bible tells us, is in the power of this fiendish feline. It is against him and his forces that we struggle.

For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

But the end of the battle is nigh. In fact, the end has already begun!

The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8

By His life, death and resurrection, as He paid the price of sin—our sin! Jesus Christ defeated the power of Satan.

He Himself … also
partook of [flesh and blood],
that through death
He might render powerless
him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil.
Hebrews 2:14

Now for all who believe in this accomplished fact, placing their trust in Christ, salvation is free. Sin is no longer an issue between mankind and God.

O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law;
but thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57

But, though defanged and disarmed, Satan continues his nefarious activities.

Your adversary, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8bc

So we are called to be vigilant.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8abc

And divine help is available, too.

Put on the full armor of God,
so that you will be able to stand firm
against the schemes of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11

The Lion Fighter wins! The lion has been chained!

FOOD?

This is it, folks! I’m down to my last jar of the good stuff. My stash, purchased a few months ago, is down to the final container. The end. Finis! With all the recent panic, menace, and alarm about peanut butter, I am stuck. I don’t need no Salmonella!

Moses was right.

… man does not live by bread alone …
Deuteronomy 8:3

Yup! Man doth not. I vouch for that. Man doth need peanut butter as well. The JIF kind and no other!

And now I’m running out. Woe is me! (I know, I know, it should be “I,” but who cares about predicate nominatives, when one’s out of JIF!)

Well, alright, alright, alright. I hear you.

I gotta go preach in few minutes. And I know you’re saying preachers ought not to be misusing and misquoting the good Book like I just did. I repent. In sackcloth and ashes. (Appropriate vestments for one who is out of JIF, I might add!)

Here it is in its entirety—Moses’s words regarding the Lord’s doings during the Exodus.

He humbled you and let you be hungry,
and fed you with manna …,
that He might make you understand
that man does not live by bread alone,
but man lives by everything that proceeds
out of the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8:3

(Nope, nothing about JIF in that verse.)

Our Savior repeated the salient portion of this verse when He was tempted by Satan. You see, He’d just finished a 40-day fast. And He was tempted by Satan to turn rocks into bread.

But He answered and said, “It is written,
‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4

What is way more important than food is doing the will of God, obeying His Word.

Jesus was a bit more explicit to his disciples who had just purchased food for the whole bunch.

… the disciples were urging Him,
saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
But He said to them,
“I have food to eat that
you do not know about.”
So the disciples were saying to one another,
“No one brought Him
anything to eat, did he?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will
of Him who sent Me
and to accomplish His work.”
John 4:31–34

So it should be for us. Peanut butter scare or no, economic crisis or no, job layoffs or no—and all of these impact our “bread”—doing God’s will ought to be our primary focus. That alone will satisfy, for that alone is good and acceptable and perfect.

And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove
what the will of God is,
that which is good

and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

All else, JIF included, will pass away.

Food is for the stomach
and the stomach is for food,
but God will do away with both of them.
1 Corinthians 6:13

And what, you ask, is the will of God? Here are a few suggestions …

For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
1 Thessalonians 4:3

… live the rest of the time in the flesh
no longer for the lusts of men,
but for the will of God.
1 Peter 4:2

… as slaves of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart.
Ephesians 6:6

Hey, Lent begins soon. Want to give the discipline of fasting (one meal or more) a try?

(And may all Salmonella perish!)