Tempting Jesus

Several years ago, I was leading a group of Americans on a tour through the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. This gallery is the leading collection of Russian art in the world, established by a Russian merchant, Pavel M. Tretyakov, who donated his well-known collection of art to the Russian nation in 1892. As we walked through the Gallery, I was especially drawn to a remarkable painting by Ivan N. Kramskoy entitled “Christ in the Wilderness.” Unlike many western paintings of Jesus in which he looks like a 1960s hippie in a perfectly clean white robe with bright blue eyes and a smile, Kramskoy’s portrayal is of Jesus evidently struggling with the evil that he faced as he announced his public ministry. Here is indeed “a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering (Isaiah 53:3).”

This painting made me contemplate the depth of Jesus’ suffering in a way that I had not thought of before. I have to admit that I never really thought very much about this event in Jesus’ life and often quickly read through the story of his temptation by Satan in the Judean wilderness. The painting prompted me to think more deeply about this experience of Jesus that immediately followed his baptism in the Jordan River.

Being baptized signifies that we have been set apart or called for service in God’s Kingdom and, once we understand this calling, a wilderness lies ahead. Challenges will come our way because Satan wants us to deny that we are really followers of Jesus. Baptism and wilderness are connected. Matthew, Mark and Luke all describe Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness and I would encourage you to read these three short reports (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).

The Gospel writers draw parallels between the experience of Adam in the Garden of Eden and Jesus in the wilderness. In Genesis, God creates the world and makes man and woman in his own image and then notes that his creation is “good,” even “very good.” Adam and Eve have a special relationship with God and shortly after they are created, Satan interjects himself, tempts them and leads them to disobey God. Satan does this by raising doubts about whether or not God can be trusted.

In a similar pattern, God moves again in history and sends his own son to earth as the Messiah and immediately announces “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Shortly after, Satan appears to tempt Jesus. Three times Satan tries to raise doubt in Jesus’ mind about whether he can trust God. 

In Western culture, people are skeptical about the existence of the demonic. For many, any belief in the supernatural is quickly dismissed. The Bible, however, makes it clear that there are very real forces of evil in our world and these forces are cruel, complex and often well disguised. That’s what Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden and what Jesus faced in the desolate wilderness of Judea.

Throughout Jesus’ life, he was assaulted by Satan and we also face similar attacks, often very subtle. For Jesus, the ultimate attack comes in the Garden of Gethsemane, another Garden where Jesus begins his final journey to the cross, where he pays the ultimate price for the sin of Adam and Eve.

Kramskoy’s painting makes the sorrow and pain that Jesus knew he would face in the next few years very real. It also should be a warning to us. Like Adam and Eve, we are often afraid to trust God and some of us don’t trust anybody. But Jesus’ death on the cross has given us a defense against Satan. If we trust in Jesus as our King, we have a defense against Satan that can withstand his deceit and his lies.

Now God’s words about Jesus at his baptism – “with him I am well pleased” – can be about us as well if we follow Jesus and resist Satan’s temptations that will surely result in our demise.

So What?

• It is important when reading the Bible that we remember some of the main story-lines – the “big picture.” Satan is the father of evil and he is a liar who is out to oppose followers of God and to deceive us. Getting people to be skeptical about the supernatural, about the existence of the father of evil – this is what Satan does. It is good that we believe in God, but it is also important that we understand God’s enemy, Satan.

• Art is such a powerful medium for communicating significant truths about our world. Have you ever had an experience like the one I shared about Kramskoy’s painting?

• The only way we know about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness is that he shared this with his disciples. Can you imagine what they thought when he told them about his experience with Satan? 

• After Jesus is baptized, he is immediately challenged by Satan during his forty days in the wilderness. That seems to be a pattern that many of us have faced. We make a faith commitment, we decide to change our habits and live a faithful life – and immediately we are faced with a serious challenge designed to make us revert back to our old life. Often this challenge from Satan is to make us doubt God’s trustworthiness or to encourage us to be so self-centered that there is little room for God in our small world. Have you experienced this?

Jesus' Baptism: Why?

Sometimes I think I ask too many questions when I read the Bible. As I was studying Jesus’ early life and his decision to “go public” at the age of thirty, I wondered why Jesus decided to be baptized by John the Baptist. Why would the Son of God, who was without sin, seek out his cousin, the prophet who lived in the wilderness, to baptize him? Why did he need to be baptized?

19th Century Russian
Painting: Jesus' Baptism

It is interesting to note that Jesus’ baptism is recorded by all four Gospel writers – one of the very few events before the last week of his life that all the Gospels describe, some in more detail than others. Take a few minutes to read these four accounts – you might be surprised what you find: Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1: 2-13; Luke 3:21-23; and John 1:29-39.

Biblical scholars estimate that the journey from Jesus’ small, obscure town of Nazareth to the Jordan River, where John was baptizing many people, would have taken 10-14 days on foot. What many of us in the West fail to realize is that Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River has great significance. For first century Jews, ritual immersion in water, particularly “living water,” was very important. The purest form of “living water” was rainfall and therefore, by definition, any lake or river was considered “living water.”

The choice of baptism by John in the Jordan River was important because it was “living water” to the Jews and Jesus would use this term in reference to himself on several occasions. In addition, the Jordan was the river where God blocked the water flow so Joshua and the Israelites could cross the river and enter the Promised Land many centuries earlier. For Jews it was not only that “living water” of the Jordan River was important to their religious life, but also a reminder that God keeps his promises as he did with Moses and Joshua.

When Jesus went to John the Baptist, he was not seeking ritual purification, but rather was using this event to announce the beginning of his public ministry. At thirty years of age, he had reached his “age of authority” in Jewish society and now this unknown young man from Nazareth was “going public.”

As I read these four accounts of Jesus’ baptism, I noticed that Jesus does not ask John to baptize him, but simply joins a line of others who are waiting to be baptized by this courageous and stern prophet. John the Baptist has attracted many followers and is a powerful figure by this time, yet when he sees Jesus he humbles himself and says “I am not worthy to untie his shoe,” and becomes the first witness to clearly state who Jesus really is - “the Lamb of God” and “the Son of God” (John 1:29 and 34).

When Jesus emerges from the water, while praying, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven announces, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22). Don’t miss this important part of the baptism – all three persons of the Trinity are clearly seen here. The presence of the Holy Spirit is critical because of the Spirit’s role in equipping Jesus for the challenges that lay ahead of him.

When Jesus submits himself to John’s baptism, he identifies with all of us. This baptism is the first step toward his painful death on the cross. He submits to baptism for sins he never commits and three years later dies on the cross for our sins, so all of us can be forgiven.

My former pastor, Craig Barnes, points out that at the beginning of the Bible God spoke frequently, but as the Old Testament moves on, God’s words are much harder to come by. Then, for 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, there are long periods of silence from God. But the birth of Jesus changes all this and when Jesus is baptized, God roars from heaven: “This is my Son.”

By sending his Son who would suffer and die for our sins, God demonstrates his great love for us and clearly states his desire that we were loved by him. If we can’t hear this, it may be because we are choosing not to respond to his offer of a new life.

So What?

• Jesus’ baptism is so much more than fulfilling a religious requirement. Jesus is announcing his public ministry, but also identifying with all of us and our sinfulness. This demonstrates so much about Jesus’ character and his love for those who will follow him.

• Consider the thoughts that are possibly going through Jesus’ mind as he is baptized by John. He knew he has much suffering to endure and this is just the beginning. Yet he humbles himself and identifies with sinners. Thank you, Lord, for your love for us and for sacrificing yourself for our sins.

• Sometimes we can feel as if God is silent and non-responsive to our prayers. But this baptism of Jesus and his endorsement by God the Father is clear evidence of God’s message to us that we are loved. Maybe we need to pay closer attention and listen to God’s message to us that he loves us -- as evidenced in the gift of his Son who paid for our sins. God is speaking to us everyday and his grace is a daily reminder of how much he loves us.

Growing Up: Jesus' Youth and Early Adulthood

In an earlier post, “A Surprise Birth” (April 11, 2011) that describes the miraculous birth of Jesus, I comment that the “God of the Bible is a God of surprises. The God of the Bible is not predictable and rarely does things the way I would do them!” As I study the four Gospels and reflect on the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the same thoughts come to mind.

"The Flight Into Egypt,"
Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1515)

I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, but many times I wonder why God chose to have its writers include some events and ignore others. For example, only two of the four Gospel writers (Matthew and Luke) even describe the birth and childhood of Jesus and there is very little information at all about his first thirty years. Why is that the case? And what is the significance of the few events that are recorded?

Following Jesus’ birth, we know that his parents faithfully followed Jewish religious practices. We know from the second chapter of Luke that Joseph and Mary had Jesus circumcised eight days after his birth and gave him the name that the angel told to Joseph and Mary. Then, forty days later after his birth, the parents returned to the Temple where they offered a sacrifice for Mary’s “purification” and then dedicated their son to the Lord. Two separate trips to Jerusalem and three religious rituals – all diligently carried out according to Jewish religious requirements.

Then there is a silence about Jesus’ life for 12 years. The only thing we know about this early period in Jesus’ life is recorded in Matthew, who shares the story of a visit by an angel to Joseph in a dream, instructing him to take his wife and young son and flee to Egypt because Herod the Great is searching for Jesus in order to kill him.

We don’t know how long Joseph, Mary and Jesus were exiled in Egypt, but after Herod died an angel once again appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him he could now return to Israel. Once again, I wonder why this exile of Jesus isn’t even mentioned by the other Gospel writers. Of course we don’t know the answer to this question, but it does explain to me part of the reason why the Christian faith is spreading rapidly in the developing world where poor people are often forced to flee their home country and can identify with Jesus and his parents as they faced the same desperate situation.

Jesus grew up in an obscure town in Galilee, Nazareth – a town never even mentioned in the Old Testament. Matthew breaks off his brief story of Jesus’ youth and early adulthood after their return to Galilee, but Luke adds one other famous story – Jesus’ visit to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Luke makes it clear that Jesus’ parents were very conscientious Jewish believers who went from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve years old, he was now of the age when he could begin participating in this religious festival.

"Jesus Among the Teachers,"
Vasiliy Polenov (c. 1896)

I think many of you know this story. As the religious ceremonies come to an end, Mary and Joseph start on their way back to Nazareth assuming Jesus is with their family and friends who travel together as a community. When they discover Jesus is missing, they return to Jerusalem and find him in the Temple listening to the rabbis and asking them questions.

In Michael Card’s commentary on Luke, he points out that many Renaissance paintings of this famous scene lead you to believe that this precocious boy Jesus is doing all the teaching! Luke doesn’t say this, although he does highlight the fact that the participants were “amazed at his understanding and his answers” and his parents were “astonished.” (Luke 2:47-48).

Following this one event in Jesus’ life, his teenage years and early adulthood are simply ignored by all the Gospel writers. Now, for another eighteen years, Jesus’ personal history disappears from the Biblical story. The only new thing we learn is Luke’s comment that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

This leaves a great deal of mystery about Jesus’ youth and early adulthood, about his family, his siblings, his work and his own understanding of his mission. The conversation in the Temple, when Jesus tells his parents he is in “my Father’s house,” gives us some sense that he is becoming aware of his role.

Why the “God of surprises” chose to reveal to us only limited knowledge of Jesus’ early life is a mystery – one of many in Scripture. What seems to be clear, however, is that Jesus’ parents raised him in a deeply religious home and that he was thoroughly grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures.

So What?

• While we don’t know much about Jesus’ early history, we do have some understanding of the context of his life in first century Palestine. It may be hard for us in the West to identify with this kind of life, but many people in the developing world surely can!

• The fourfold description that Luke gives us about how “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (2:52) is a great way to think about a balanced life – the intellectual, physical, spiritual and social dimensions. Marge and I took a year-long Sunday School on these four facets of human development based on this passage and it served us very well in parenting our large family and keeping these in mind as we set goals for them. By the way, these four dimensions are also highlighted in Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit #7: “Sharpening the Saw.”

Jesus' "Competition" - Tiberius, the Roman Emperor

Statue of Tiberius

Jesus had lots of competition. When he traveled around Judea and Galilee preaching about the “Kingdom of God,” his listeners had to evaluate this message in the context of their own political realities. As I shared with you in my last entry, the names of Herod the Great and his sons would immediately come to mind, because this powerful man and his family claimed to be “King of the Jews” and he had the power to back up his claims.

But there was another dominant power that people in 1st century Palestine lived under and they must have wondered what this rabbi was talking about when he described the “Kingdom of God.” How did this Kingdom match up with that of Rome?

It’s time for a short history lesson. For several hundred years, Rome had been increasing in power and prestige and expanding its borders throughout the Mediterranean region. While there had been tyrants in Rome when it first emerged as a political power, Roman leaders eventually developed a system of checks and balances that ensured no one would gain absolute control.

But this changed in the century before Jesus’ birth. Julius Caesar became a military hero on the battlefield and, at the height of his military success, he returned to Rome with his army and established himself as emperor. He also encouraged Romans to think of him as a divine ruler.

Opponents had him assassinated in 44 BC and a long and bloody civil war followed. The winner of this civil war was Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian. He took the title “Augustus” (which means “majestic”) and became known as “Caesar Augustus.” Caesar Augustus declared that his adoptive father, Julius, was divine, so this meant that he was the “son of god.” Anywhere you traveled in the Roman Empire during this time, the politically correct answer to the question “Who is the son of god?” was “Caesar Augustus.”

Caesar Augustus also took on a priestly role and became known as pontifex maximus (“chief priest” in Latin). N. T. Wright points out that court poets during this time made Caesar Augustus out to be an emperor who would bring in a “golden age.” By the way, the writers of the American constitution borrowed a phrase from these Roman poets – novus ordo seclorum, “a new order of the ages” – and this appears on the Great Seal of the United States and on our one dollar bill!

Roman coin with Tiberius' image

When Caesar Augustus died in 14 AD, his successor Tiberius worked hard to continue the memory of his predecessor as a divine figure, so he could make the same claims to be the “son of god.” Roman coins in Jesus’ day showed Tiberius on one side as Caesar and on the other side as “chief priest.” When Jewish leaders asked Jesus what to do about paying taxes to Rome and showed him a coin with these two engravings, you can now better appreciate the challenge this presented.

There is no way Jesus could have avoided this “competition.” He was proclaiming the coming of a new kingdom, but any potential new kingdom would be viewed as a threat by Herod and his supporting elites, as well as by Tiberius and his regional political appointees. Like today’s Middle East, Palestine in the 1st century was a cauldron of political movements with loyal supporters of the status quo, diverse oppositional parties, and those who tried to simply survive the harsh character of their life under foreign occupation. Jesus’ claims added new questions to all of this!

I had the chance this week to talk about some of these issues with Michael Card, the composer/writer/biblical scholar, and we discussed how this situation is not unlike what we face today. Jesus was preaching about the “Kingdom of God” and encouraging his followers to find their identity in this “Kingdom.” They had a identity crisis facing them – were they going to worship the “son of god” from Rome (Tiberius) or the powerful regional ruler (Herod the Great and his surviving sons) or this new rabbi Jesus? To whom would they attach their identity?

Jesus made it clear that God the Father wanted his people to identify with his plans, his “Kingdom,” and he told them what this meant. He laid out his radical “kingdom message” that, among other things, included not just the healthy and wealthy, but also the poor and disadvantaged, Gentiles, women, Roman centurions, tax collectors, and people who suffered with sicknesses and blindness. This same invitation has been extended to us!

So What?

• Whether we live in America or Russia or anywhere else, there are many pressures on us to place our identity - our meaning - on some person, some ideology, or some political party; or maybe just on our family or ethnic community. Jesus’ “kingdom message” is to place our primary identity here – as a citizen of the “Kingdom of God.” Any other claims on us, if we are followers of Jesus, simply don’t match up to this!


• What would it mean if we began to live as “Kingdom citizens” and no longer found our primary identity in a political party, a social group, or our professional achievements? Of course we find some comfort (at least at times!) in being identified with the country where we live, but Jesus’ message of the “Kingdom of God” teaches us to lay this identity aside and put our true commitments into building God’s Kingdom “on earth, as it is in heaven.”


• I hope these last few entries have helped you to see the importance of biblical context in understanding biblical content. This study has helped me and I have enjoyed sharing what I learned with you. Your response or comments are welcomed.


• Jesus’ response to the Jewish leaders about paying taxes was brilliant. We need to remember this on April 15 and throughout the year as we pay our government taxes owed and consider our contributions to “Kingdom of God” ministries.

Jesus' "Competition" - Herod the Great

When Jesus began his public ministry and gathered his group of twelve disciples around him, the Gospels tell us that his message was the “good news” of a new kingdom – the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:23-25; Luke 4:42-44).  What did this mean to people living in first century Palestine?

Herod the Great

If you take a tour of the “Holy Land” today, it is remarkable how often the name of Herod the Great comes up.  Many tourists who come to Israel to learn more about Jesus often are surprised that they hear more about Herod the Great and see evidence of his many incredible building projects.  During Jesus’ time, if anyone was “King of the Jews,” it was Herod!

When the Romans conquered Palestine and seized Jerusalem in 63 BC, lead by their famous general Pompey, they chose to identify local elites who would rule new territories for them and collect taxes on their behalf.  When Pompey was killed several years later and Julius Caesar was assassinated, a civil war erupted and Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, emerged as the Roman emperor.  

Herod was a shrewd political leader and he seized this opportunity -- choosing to ally himself with the winning side in this Roman civil war -- and was appointed by Octavian as “King of Judea.”  Once the civil war ended and political stability was restored, Herod had all the political backing he needed from Rome and he launched a series of amazing public building projects that clearly established him as the primary political force in Palestine.   Remnants of these remarkable creations tourists are shown when they travel to Israel hoping to experience the “Holy Land” during Jesus’ time.

Herod’s rebuilding of the Temple was clearly one major achievement, designed to firm up his political support among Jewish leaders.  Solomon’s temple, built one thousand years earlier, was now recreated by Herod who employed 1,000 priests as masons and carpenters.  Today only the four retaining walls remain standing, including the Western wall, often called the Wailing Wall.

Masada

In addition, Herod built fortresses, such as Masada and Herodium – both amazing architectural achievements, constructed aquaducts that brought water to Jerusalem, and founded a new port city, Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast where no city previously stood and where obstacles to building on a barren shore needed to be creatively overcome.

Herod’s career gradually went into decline and, having gained absolute power, the power corrupted him absolutely; like many dictators, he became increasingly paranoid.  Not only did he order the murder of all the babies in Bethlehem in a cruel effort to eliminate a potential new king he had heard about through wise men from the East, he also ordered the execution of his own wife and children.  Following his death at 70 years of age, two of his remaining sons became the rulers of regions in Palestine – Herod Archelaus in Judea and Samaria and Herod Antipas in Galilee.

The story of Herod the Great and his sons is important background to the life of Jesus because when Jesus traveled through Judea and Galilee preaching about a new kingdom, the people knew he was directly competing with Herod who was clearly “King of the Jews.”  Herod rebuilt the Temple – could Jesus match this?  Herod brought peace and stability, at least for the ruling elites – could Jesus do this?

The Kingdom of God that Jesus announced was a threat to Jewish leaders who had become collaborators with their Roman overlords.  Jesus was making clear links to Old Testament prophecies that said when God establishes his Kingdom on earth, the result will be justice, peace (shalom), and the removal of corruption and oppression.  This made them increasingly nervous and fearful that the people would rally behind this new teacher.

Jesus did not start a new political movement. He did preach about the Kingdom of God and taught his followers to put their allegiance, their faith, in God, not in authoritarian political rulers who oppressed the poor and vulnerable.  His was a risky campaign – to declare that a new Kingdom was established and that God, not Herod or the Romans, was the true and only sovereign ruler.

So What?

• Although Jesus’ teaching and commandments to his followers were not designed to create a political movement, Christians throughout history have often suffered for their faith when living under authoritarian rulers.  Dictators, such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse-tung, were threatened because Christians refused to make them the sovereign authority in their lives.  Many followers of Jesus died as a result.  The same is true with today’s dictators.

• Even in our democratic system, followers of Jesus can be viewed as a threat by others because they refuse to “bow down” to political leaders and their fanatical supporters.  If we declare that “Jesus is Lord,” all other claims on our allegiance are limited.

• Our challenge, as followers of Jesus, is to put our confidence in God alone and to reject any personal tendency or push from others to make a political ideology – of the left or the right – the place where we put our hopes.

Foreign Occupation

Caesar Augustus

One of the most important realities that sets the context for Jesus’ life and ministry is the fact that Jews in Palestine in the first century were living under foreign military rule. Palestine was part of the Roman Empire. The powerful presence of military forces and political rules closely tied it to Rome. Rome’s constant demand for more taxation was a feature of Jewish life that Jesus knew very well.

Historical reminder: 150 years out of 2,000 years of Old Testament history, the Jews were a marginalized, powerless people, often caught between hostile and aggressive empires in Egypt, Persia and Greece. The last books in the Old Testament dealt with this region as part of the Persian Empire. The New Testament, which picks up the story of the Jews 400 years later, presupposes the dominating presence of the Romans.

Here are some examples that highlight this Roman dominance in Jesus’ life and New Testament times:

• Luke tells us that Jesus’ birth was connected with the decree by Emperor Augustus “that all the world should be enrolled.”

• Jesus grew up in a land where the propriety of paying taxes to Rome was a live and contentious political and theological issue.

• It was a Roman magistrate who sentenced Jesus to death.

• Jesus’ execution was carried out in a brutal Roman style normally reserved for rebels and political enemies of Rome.

• Paul, a Roman citizen by birth, was a carrier of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, even to Rome itself, where he was executed.

• The early church faced terrible persecution from Rome, as the Apostle Paul warned would happen.

• Finally, Revelations -- authored by John, one of Jesus’ disciples -- presents an image of the Roman Empire as a seven-headed monster waging war against the people of God!

Siege of Jerusalem by the Romans

The first major encounter Jews had with the Romans occurred in 63 B.C. when the Roman army, under the leadership of Pompey, besieged Jerusalem. After three months, they breached its massive walls, stormed the Temple grounds, slaughtered the priests who continued their worship in the Temple as if no war were underway, and then entered the sacred “Holy of Holies,” an event the Jews refer to as the “Abomination.”

Following the occupation of Palestine, Rome initially granted freedom of religion, but over time “the Imperial Cult of Rome” took over and “No God but Caesar” became the reality of the day.

We need to keep this in mind as we consider Jesus’ life and times. Because those of us in modern North America have never experienced foreign military rule like this, it is hard for us to imagine what it was like and what challenges it presented to people trying hard to eke out a living, pay burdensome taxes, and were now hearing the “gospel of peace (shalom)” from Jesus.

For the people who lived in Palestine, their land had been ruled for 650 years by the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. There was a deep longing for liberation among the Jews, for a king who would break the chains of their oppression and end the occupation. When would God hear their prayers and give them freedom, like God did when their ancestors were slaves in Egypt? When would a new “King David” appear? In this context, how was Jesus’ message heard?

So What?

• As many of you know, I love history and politics – these were my undergraduate majors and I did a doctorate in this field as well.  But that’s not why I am highlighting this facet of Jesus’ life.  My concern is that we often read the Bible without seriously considering the context of the stories we read.  Jesus was a Jew whose life unfolded in turbulent times and he was not oblivious to this reality.  I will try to illustrate the importance of this in the weeks to come.

• It is a joy for me to see new dimensions of the biblical story when I learn more about the world in which Jesus lived. It’s amazing to see how it opens up new (to me) biblical truths in my own, very different context. I hope you have the same experience! I would love to have you share with me some of the insights you gain.

Location, Location, Location

Geography is an important part of biblical studies and, for many of us, it can open up surprising new insights. Some biblical scholars feel it is so important that they refer to the land of Palestine as “the fifth Gospel.”

I highlighted earlier the fact that Palestine in Jesus’ time was approximately 50 miles wide and 150 miles long, roughly equivalent to the size of the state of Connecticut. The vast majority of the Biblical story takes place in this small area. Palestine has often been referred to as “a land in-between.” It forms a land bridge between three continents, is the homeland of three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and is a territory where the sea and the desert come together.

For a small territory, it has amazing diversity in climate, plant and animal life. Mount Hermon is 9,200 feet high – higher than Mount St. Helens, while the Dead Sea is 1,300 feet below sea level – the lowest spot on earth. There are coastal plains, low lying hills, a central mountain ridge, and the impressive Jordan rift valley.

Knowing where Jesus traveled and who he talked with in these regions helps in understanding his message. I often challenge the participants in my adult education classes to pay attention to where Jesus was when a certain event occurred. This can often help us understand what he did and said.

Jesus’ home base was located in Galilee and three times during his short three-year public ministry he traveled in-and-out of this region; all of these journeys are described in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus also traveled to Perea, which is east of the Jordan River, but only Luke records this facet of his ministry. Jesus’ time in Judea is carefully documented in the Gospel of John and John’s chronology is often linked to various religious festivals.

Many of the insights I will be sharing with you in the weeks ahead come from my three trips to Israel in 1986, 1988 and 1980. Dr. James Fleming and Dr. James Martin were the biblical scholars who lead these study trips and they opened my eyes to the significance of the land and how understanding the geographical and cultural context of Jesus’ life and ministry provides important insights in the content of his teaching and deeds.

I still remember the thrill of walking on land where Jesus walked and visiting the area around the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spent so much time. I also have a clear memory of standing outside Jerusalem and looking toward the Herodian, one of Herod the Great’s mountain fortresses. It was from a location like this that Jesus told his disciples that if they had the faith to move mountains, it could be done. To the disciples, who knew that Herod the Great had actually forced Jewish workers to literally move the top of one mountain to its neighboring peak in order to build this fortress, Jesus’ observation hit home!

This experience was an eye-opener to me because it showed the important connection between location – the geographical context -- and Jesus’ teachings. The connections between the words of Scripture and the land itself provided a deepened understanding of the Biblical message, the gospel of peace (shalom), and I have been blessed ever since. I will share these insights with you in the weeks ahead.

So What? 

• Do any examples come to mind of important experiences in your life where the location of the experience was a key to what occurred? 

• Here’s a helpful key when reading the Bible: First, what did God say and do then and there? Second, what does it mean for us here and now? Addressing both questions is important as we read God’s Word. 

Helpful Resources

• If you want to learn more about the land of Palestine during Jesus’ time – and I would encourage you to do this, take advantage of the excellent resources of the Preserving Bible Times. Their web site is www.preservingbibletimes.org. In particular, explore their “Above Israel” and “The Bible and the Land” DVDs as well as two very helpful books – A Visual Guide to Bible Events and A Visual Guide to Gospel Events. 

• Doug Greenwold, the Executive Director of Preserving Bible Times, leads a trip to Israel each year and the web site noted above will provide details if you are interested in joining him for this remarkable Holy Land experience.

What Timing!

Have you ever wondered why God sent his son into the world when he did? The Apostle Paul wrote, “When the time had fully come, God sent his son” (Galatians 4:4, NIV) – other translations say, “In the fullness of time.” Why does the Old Testament end and then we find a 400-year gap before the birth of Jesus? I studied this question and gained some fascinating insights about the context of Jesus’ life.

It’s an election year here in the States, so let’s start with politics. The Mediterranean region was dominated by a single political power, the Roman Empire, and that Roman rule meant peace and stability in the region. A commercial system had been created by the Romans that expedited freedom of travel and the shipment of goods. While the political system was Roman, the dominant cultural influence was Greek and the language of the empire was Greek, because the Romans took over the empire created by Alexander the Great and the powerful influence of Greek culture was absorbed by the new rulers.

The Romans were prodigious road builders and they spent 500 years completing a road system that reached every corner of their empire. It is estimated that Roman roads covered a distance equal to ten times the circumference of the earth at the equator! This road system had 50,000 miles of first class highways (15-20 feet wide) and 200,000 miles of secondary roads (5-6 feet wide). I have been amazed to see sections of Roman roads still in reasonable condition in Europe and in Israel.

Actually the significance of the timing of Jesus’ birth has more to do with what happened after his death and resurrection than during his life. For his disciples, it would not have been possible to share the “good news” if this region was full of conflict and warring states and if travel was inhibited by poor roads. It would not have been possible if the region had been broken up into different tribal areas with languages unknown to others. Palestine in Jesus’ time was an area about 50 miles wide and 150 miles long, roughly equivalent in size to the state of Connecticut. As far as we know from Scripture, Jesus never traveled outside this area and avoided many of the major cities built in this region that Romans used as military and political bases.

While Jesus lived and traveled in only a small, outlying part of the Roman empire, he certainly could not escape the Roman authorities and their claim that there is “no god, but Caesar.” In fact, the Romans ultimately executed him.

Why did God decide to send his son into the world at this time and in this place? Why decide to have his son born to a poor Jewish girl in an obscure, insignificant town far from the capital of the Roman Empire? Why did God choose the Jews as his people and not the Romans? We will explore these questions in the posts that follow. Stay connected.

So What?

• When I study the life and times of Jesus, I am continually amazed at how God works in history. I have to remind myself of God’s declaration -- “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8, NIV). God is a God of surprises and I have learned this in my life. Have you?

• Have you thought much about the context of Jesus’ birth and life? What questions come to your mind when you think about this? Feel free to share your observations with me and, if I have anything to offer in response, I will.

A Model of Leadership

As I look back over my life, there are a small number of key mentors who helped to shape me – mentors who were models that I wanted to emulate because I saw that their lives were lived in obedience to Jesus’ teachings. They were examples to me of what it meant to live a life as a peacemaker, a follower of Jesus who brought healing and reconciliation to our hurting world. I saw their lives and decided I wanted to follow their example. Dr. John R. Dellenback was one of these people.

Introducing John Dellenback 

I first met John Dellenback when I began the American Studies Program (ASP) on Capitol Hill in the fall of 1976, a work-study program sponsored by the Christian College Consortium and Coalition (CCC/C). I had heard his name through friends in the National Prayer Breakfast and was excited to meet him. John had been elected to the Oregon State Legislature in 1960 and then to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1966, where he served until 1974. Following his defeat in the election of 1974, a defeat largely attributed to the anti-Republican backlash in the wake of the Watergate scandal, he was appointed Director of the Peace Corps by President Gerald Ford and served in this capacity from 1975 to 1977.

I have clear memories of bringing our ASP students to his office right across the street from the White House and talking with him about his leadership of that agency and how, as a Christian, he understood his role as a public servant. He was always so gracious to our students and such a great example of a man who was serving God with distinction in high public office.

Although I admired him as a Congressional leader and Peace Corps Director, when I learned he had been chosen to serve as the next president of the Christian College Consortium and Coalition in 1977, I remember thinking this was a mistake. What did he know about Christian colleges and universities? He had never attended one, and now he was going to become my boss. Was I ever wrong!

Dr. Dellenback served as President of the CCC for eleven years (1977-1988) and I had the privilege of working closely with him for all that time. Dr. Karen Longman and I were his vice presidents and the three of us formed a bond that profoundly shaped my life. He became a mentor and, by his example, I learned so much about biblical leadership by his words and deeds.

Lessons Learned As I look back on my eleven years of working with John Dellenback, the following lessons stand out:

• Marriage cheerleaders. John’s relationship with his wife, Mary Jane, was such a powerful example for Marge and me. These two loved each other and served as cheerleaders for each other. Both did everything they could to encourage the development of the other and to accentuate the other’s gifts. What a powerful model – especially in power circles in Washington, D.C., where marriages were easily broken and unfaithfulness seemed to be the norm. Marge and I saw their example and decided to try to live like this. 
• Not a respecter of persons. For a boy from Cicero, Illinois, to meet and work with a former Congressman and Peace Corps Director was heady stuff. It was exciting to go to meetings with John Dellenback and meet representatives and senators from the U. S. Congress who knew John and respected him. But he did not defer to these powerful leaders, but always treated everyone with dignity, including elevator operators in the U. S. Capitol and the Capitol Hill police. All of these people were of equal value in John’s sight and I was so impressed by his quiet obedience to Jesus’ commandments about treating everyone as a person created in the image of God and not deferring to the “big shots.” 
• Fearless. I remember some difficult challenges we faced in the CCC and how John never put his finger in the air to see which way the wind was blowing, like many political leaders. We would talk through the issues, get all the available information out on the table, and then he would make a decision. He was fearlessly committed to doing the right thing, regardless of potential opposition or threats. 
• Not afraid of confrontation. I will never forget when John met with a group of Christian college presidents and told them to stop competing with each other and to start finding ways to cooperate. Their petty conflicts were impeding the development of Christian higher education and he wanted them to get the message. They did and, under John’s leadership, the CCC grew from 13 colleges and universities to over 75 schools by the time he left the presidency. 
• “To tell you the truth.” When our staff used sayings, such as, “To tell you the truth” or “To be perfectly honest with you,” he would always interrupt you and say “I assume you are always honest with me.” Even if you just started to say these words and then remembered and stopped, you still got his standard response. There was no escape. I have adopted the same approach with my staff. 

John was soft-spoken and warm, a model of generosity, with a great sense of humor. He loved and respected people and treated everyone with dignity. John was a gift of God to me and a model of a life of a shalom-maker.

* If you are interested in learning more about this remarkable Christian leader, see the video entitled “Oregon Legends: The John Dellenback Story,” a 28-minute video available at www.soptv.org/oregon-legends-john-dellenback-story/. The focus of this video is on John’s leadership in Oregon and later in Washington, D.C., but also follows him on his trips to developing countries as Peace Corps Director and Chairman of the Board of World Vision. He had a heart for the world and especially for the poor in developing countries and America’s urban centers. John died in 2002 and his memorial service will be an event I will never forget.

Justice and Peace: The Kiss

"Shalom" in Hebrew

During my first day at Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan), I remember stopping in a restroom, meeting a young guy who said, “Hello,” and when he found out I was new to the campus, welcomed me.  I found out later that this young man was Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff, a professor of philosophy at the college – not a student, as I supposed since he looked so young.  Wolterstorff taught for years at Calvin College and later moved to a former Christian college, Yale University, but I continue to learn from him through his books and lectures.  He has been an important mentor and some of what you read in this Shalom blog are based on insights I gained from him.

Of his many books, Until Peace and Justice Embrace has been one I have read through repeatedly and upon which I built my own “Shalom lectures” while teaching at the American Studies Program on Capitol Hill and the Russian-American Institute in Moscow.  In a short chapter, “For Justice in Shalom,” Wolterstorff writes about the need for a comprehensive vision that will guide our lives and keep us from losing our way.

With this brief introduction, he offers “the vision of shalom – peace – first articulated in the Old Testament poetic and prophetic literature but then coming to expression in the New Testament as well.”  He then goes on to explain that shalom is intertwined with justice and that there is no shalom without justice, but shalom goes beyond justice.

It was Wolterstorff who first introduced me to the four dimensions of shalom when he wrote, “Shalom is the human being dwelling at peace in all his or her relationships: with God, with self, with fellows, with nature.”  He emphasized that shalom is not merely the absence of hostility, but “at its highest is the enjoyment in one’s relationships.”

The title of Wolterstorff’s book is taken from Psalm 85:10: “.  .  . justice and peace have kissed (or embraced)” – what a magnificent depiction of the close link between  justice and peace!  While I am not a bumper sticker guy, I do like the bumper stickers that read “No Justice, No Peace; Know Justice, Know Peace.”

In the conclusion of this chapter, Wolterstorff presents a challenge that profoundly impacted my life: “Can the conclusion be avoided that not only is shalom God’s cause in the world but that all who believe in Jesus will, along with him, engage the works of shalom?  Shalom is both God’s cause in the world and our human calling.”

So What?

• Who have been mentors in your life?  Have you thanked them?

• What have you learned about shalom from this blog that has helped you to see it as a part of your “human calling”?

• Can you see how Biblical shalom involves enjoying relationships and flourishing in your work and in your community?  Living a life of shalom results in being more fully human, according to God’s design.  It’s a good reason for sharing this truth with others.

Bright Lights

For the Apostle Paul, to be a follower of Jesus means “living in the light.”  This theme is powerfully articulated in these verses from Ephesians:

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  .  .  .  For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:1-2 and 8-10, NIV).

In the verses that surround this passage in Ephesians, Paul gives many practical instructions about how to live out the gospel of peace.  Here’s a quick list of these practical guidelines:

• Tell the truth
• Control your anger
• Remain sexually pure
• Don’t steal
• Work hard
• Avoid disruptive behavior
• Build others up
• Be compassionate

The call to be a peacemaker and a reconciler is a theme woven throughout the whole fabric of Scripture.  The words of the wise man recorded in Proverbs to “walk the path of peace,” the counsel of the Psalmist to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to pursue peace, the advice of the prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk to “seek the peace of the city” and rejoice despite the circumstances – all of these serve as helpful guidelines for living a life of faith.

These Old Testament injunctions are reiterated by Jesus and his disciples, as well as by the Apostle Paul.  The Good News from the Prince of Peace is that those who believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior are “born again.”  They are redeemed and recreated into “children of light.”  They are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be agents of the Kingdom of God, agents of peace and reconciliation.  

No citizen of the Kingdom of God will ever be unemployed.  Everyone has been given a job to do – showing both the love of God and our love for God.

So What?

• I really love this word picture of followers of Jesus living as “children of light.”  I have been in some dark places in my life and it has been reassuring to me to know that my little “light” can make a real difference when it is all dark where I am standing.  Have you ever experienced that?  Even a little light can make an impression and that’s all we are called to be – lights or reflectors of God’s light.

• The book of Ephesians is such great reading because it weaves together theological insights with practical guidelines for living as Jesus calls us to live.  Do other passages in the Bible come to mind that offer similar insights?

• Do you ever feel “unemployed” or “underemployed” as a follower of Jesus?  Do you ever struggle with your current situation in life and wonder if this is “all there is”?  This passage from Ephesians is telling all of that if we just live as “children of the light” we are making a difference in our world!

Two for One

As we have seen in previous essays, God has given us the strength and ability through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to be his agents of peace in our broken world.  We also need to be reminded that Jesus’ commands on the subject of living out the “gospel of peace” are clear: Go and Do!  The Bible has many practical instructions about what it means to live as a peacemaker and we will highlight some of these in the next few weeks.  This week we will reflect on the amazing promise of Jesus to his disciples on the night of his betrayal.
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The celebration of Easter week with the momentous events leading up to Jesus’ betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection are a highlight in the year for me and for many of you.  I have always been so moved by the conversion that takes place in the Upper Room on the night of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas.  Jesus pours out his heart to his disciples, his closest friends, knowing that they will not fully understand what he is telling them until after his resurrection.

In John 15: 1-17, which I encourage you to read, Jesus explains to his disciples the unfolding of God’s plan.  He tells his followers that the Holy Spirit will come and be their “Counselor.”  He also gives his disciples the gift of peace, a peace the world can not give.  Jesus, knowing the traumatic events that they will face beginning that same evening with his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, says to them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

After sharing these thoughts, Jesus declares himself “the true vine,” a word picture often used in the Old Testament as a symbol of Israel.  For the disciples who live in an agrarian society where vineyards are commonplace, this is a graphic illustration.  The central theme is this: if the disciples believe in Jesus, they will bear fruit; if they separate from Jesus, they will not.  Being productive is directly related to one’s relationship to Jesus. 

This profound statement is exactly the opposite of the way many of us often think.  We use the results of our Kingdom work to measure the quality of our relationship to Jesus. I know I struggle with this. But God’s ruler is different than ours. What we should be doing is trusting Jesus’ promise that we will be fruitful – despite how things may look to us – if we follow him. 

Having just given the disciples the gift of peace, Jesus then tells them that they will be successful peacemakers, successful fruit-bearers, if they are faithful to his commands.  Jesus also told them that their fruit-bearing would bring glory to his Father. In other words, there will be both earthly and heavenly results – two for one!

In the emotion-filled closing moments of this last gathering before his death, Jesus calls his followers “friends” and explains “everything” he has learned from his Father.  He reminds his disciples that God chose them and commissioned them to bear fruit – “fruit that will last” (v. 16).  The strategy of the God of love is now revealed: those who believe in Jesus as Lord and who follow his commands will bear fruit as agents of his reconciling love.  We can practice peacemaking in the confidence that our labors are not in vain.

So What?

• The peace that “the world can not give”: Have you experienced this at troubling times in your life?  What do you remember about it?  Are there lessons to take away from these times?
• While we don’t totally understand God’s “ruler,” can you think of something in your life or in the life of a friend where, using our “measuring stick,”  we might see it as negative, but over time we look back and see positive results?  Can this be helpful at times when we see nothing good in a situation?
• How can Jesus’ promise about fruit-bearing encourage you?

P Squared

As we have seen in previous essays, God has given us the strength and ability through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to be his agents of peace in our broken world.  We also need to be reminded that Jesus’ commands on the subject of living out the “gospel of peace” are clear: Go and Do!  The Bible has many practical instructions about what it means to live as a peacemaker and we will highlight some of these in the next few weeks.  This week we will discuss two practical biblical injunctions for followers of Jesus.

Psalm 122 is a hymn that was sung by the Jews in biblical times as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to attend annual religious festivals.  Biblical scholars refer to these pilgrim hymns as “songs of ascent,” because the elevated location of Jerusalem meant the weary travelers would sing the songs as they climbed the steep ridges to get to their sacred city.

If you read this chapter – and I encourage you to do so -- you will find this passage: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’  For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.’” (Psalm 122:6-8, NIV).  Here’s some real practical advice: Pray for peace.  In fact, the first action step for any peacemaker should be prayer.

The words of this hymn beautifully weave together the various dimensions of shalom: peace involves physical security, prosperity which means having what one needs for a full life, and a “right relationship” with God.  Praying for shalom means praying for all these aspects of a wholesome life grounded in the Lord God. 

Ordinary followers of Jesus – like us – are called by God to be prayer warriors.  Like the Jews journeying to Jerusalem, we are to pray for our “Jerusalem” – our neighborhood, our city, our nation, our world.  In my experience, when we pray for something in earnest, action usually follows.  But it should begin with prayer.

A second practical instruction for peacemakers also comes from the Psalms, this time from Psalm 34, composed by King David.  Again, I encourage you to read this powerful message, especially verses 8-14.  David tells his followers to “fear the Lord” if they loved life and desired “good days.”  He also instructs his people to “seek peace and pursue it.”  The words of David called for action: avoid evil, do good, and seek shalom. 

Peacemaking requires a commitment to shalom that is more than just an intellectual consent to an abstract concept.  If a person truly loves someone, they are not content to merely think about that love, but actively desire to be with and do things for that person they care so deeply about.  The same is true with peace.  Scripture instructs Christians to pursue it – an active, initiating posture.

Shalom, as we have seen, is much more than an absence of conflict or a period of calm between wars.  Biblical shalom is a positive, constructive word that involves wholesome, harmonious relationships between our Creator, humanity and the world.  The Bible offers us helpful practical advice: pray for peace and then pursue it.  P squared – pray and pursue! 

So what?

• Have you had the experience of praying about something or someone and then, over time, realizing that you needed to do something about this prayer concern?  Prayer does that, doesn’t it?   It gets us focused on an issue of concern and then often leads to action on our part.  It doesn’t lead to immobility and passivity.  “P squared” can be a good reminder!
• Praying for our “Jerusalem” requires a wide-angle lense.  When we pray for the peace, prosperity and security of our city, we are lead to focus not only on our family and close friends, but on the community in which we live and on people who are struggling to survive.  Have you developed a prayer life that involves a broad view of your “Jerusalem”?

Walking the Talk

As we have seen in previous essays, God has given us the strength and ability through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to be his agents of peace in our broken world. We also need to be reminded that Jesus’ commands on the subject of living out the “gospel of peace” are clear: Go and do! The Bible has many practical instructions about what it means to live as a peacemaker and we will highlight some of these in the next few weeks. This week we will discuss how shalom does not just involve some actions, but is a way to live -- a life journey.

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The book of Proverbs contains the heart of Old Testament religious instruction and it is a good place to begin our look at practical peacemaking advice. For example, the third chapter of Proverbs – and I would encourage you to stop and read it now – begins with insights that link obedience to God’s commandments and living a full, healthy life with prosperity. This chapter highlights shalom in all of its many dimensions and emphasizes that it is a gift of God to his people.

The wise teacher, who, as you may remember, is King Solomon, encourages his readers to make love and faithfulness the core of their lives with the promise that doing so will bring favor from both God and other people. Verse 5 has been a favorite of mine for years and I frequently think about it when I pray: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (NIV) or “he shall direct your paths” (NKJV).

However, I confess that I don’t fully understand this passage. I often wonder what it means to “lean not on your own understanding” since I work hard to understand developments in Russia and have a Ph.D. in European and Russian history. But what I count on is God’s promise that he will “direct’ my paths (note it’s plural!).

When I face tough decisions, I do the best I can to follow what I think God wants me to do, even though sometimes this is not very clear. Then I pray that God will bless what I have done and I wait to see what happens. It’s a formula I learned years ago: Work like everything depends on you and but know that God is in charge and he will orchestrate the future. Work hard; pray hard. This gives me great freedom to move ahead, while continuing to seek God’s guidance in my life.

Later in this same chapter, these powerful words appear: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. . . . Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she [wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold . . . Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace” (Proverbs 3: 7, 13-14, and 17, NIV).

The foundation for this profound biblical insight is clear: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. The sin of humanity was and is the desire to become like God – autonomous, independent, accountable to no one – isn’t that a good description of most Americans? But these verses teach the opposite: do not trust in your own understanding, but trust in God alone. Fearing God means not putting confidence in ourselves and our plans and goals, but relying solely on our Creator.

That’s walking our talk. Life is a journey and peacemaking should be a key part of our travel kit.

So What?

• Putting our trust in God is so counter-cultural, isn’t it? Everything around us stresses how we need to be in charge, how we need to call the shots. Kingdom living points in another direction – we are men and women made by a God who loves us and cares for us. Deciding to put our confidence in our Creator is life’s best investment.

• One of the biggest challenges for followers of Jesus is to put our faith into practice. We can so easily sing all the gospel songs, but we struggle with actually living out what we believe. How can we help each other to “walk our talk”?

Getting Equipped

Biblical shalom involves wholeness, delight, and a sense of meaning and purpose for all of God’s creation. Shalom is the way things are supposed to be! This includes four facets: peace with nature, peace in society, peace with ourselves, and peace with God. This is the second in the series on peace with God.
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At the end of the Book of Hebrews, there is a beautiful benediction that reads as follows: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (13:20-21).

Because the readers of this book were most likely Jewish converts familiar with the Old Testament, the images used in this benediction would have communicated a powerful message. The “God of peace,” a familiar descriptive title in the Old Testament, was linked to his covenant and to his son, the “great Shepherd” as described by the prophets.

This reference might bring to mind the prophecy of Isaiah, for example, where he describes the Lord who is coming and who will “tend his flock like a shepherd” and will “gather the lambs in his arms” and ”carry them close to his heart” (Isaiah 40:11). After grounding this prayer in words that religious Jews would recognize, the author went on to the heart of his petition: the equipping of the saints “with everything good for doing his will.”

The Amplified Bible adds a helpful insight with its translation of these words: “Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be.” J. B. Phillips’ paraphrase puts it this way: “Equip you thoroughly for the doing of his will.” God’s plan is to enable us to be agents of his Kingdom and he promises to give us the strength and ability to do the job.

Followers of Jesus have a unique opportunity to be involved in the implementation of God’s strategic plan for history. In fact, this benediction in Hebrews tells us that we will find our greatest fulfillment in life as men and women when we do God’s will. Determining God’s will for our time is not always easy, but being shalom-makers – working for peace, is certainly part of our calling. Anything less will leave us unfulfilled and dissatisfied.

Here’s the bottom line: Peace with God comes at God’s initiative and is available to us by faith alone. Peace with God means we can be equipped with everything we need to do his will and this brings pleasure to him and honors Jesus, our Lord. Peace with God means we can become what we ought to be – truly and fully human as God’s creations.

So What?

• Have you ever worked hard at something only to achieve it and feel let down, unfulfilled, unsatisfied? Can you pinpoint why?
• And have you worked hard at something and felt satisfied and fulfilled? Can you figure out what was the difference?
• God promises to equip us, so why are we afraid to step out in faith? Learning to trust in God’s promises requires that we have the courage to “step out of the boat,” like Peter did, but without looking down at the waves.