The Blinding Power of the Law

The Law has a power that blinds people, as evident in Paul’s statement: But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart (2 Cor 3:15, NKJV). No one is exempt, not even great men of God.

John the Baptist, son of Zechariah, lived in exciting time. More so for him than for anyone else because he was the man tasked to usher in a new era – the era of Grace. The era started with Jesus, for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17, NKJV)

But the fact is that although John helped to usher in the era of Grace, he was very much steeped in the Law. All he knew was the Old Testament.

The pinnacle of John’s career was his pointing out Jesus. Afterwards it wasn’t up and up for him. At his low point he wavered as to whether Jesus was the right one. He was in jail, and about to be executed by Herod. So he sent his disciples to verify with Jesus. He wanted to die knowing that he’s done his job.

Why did John doubt at the last moment? I think his vision was blurred as a result of trying to see through the Law. “Hey,” John was thinking, “the behavior of this Jesus sure doesn’t fit someone who upholds the Law.” Jesus loved to mingle among sinners and break rules of the Sabbath. John was fervent in upholding the Law and seeing through the Law. There was nothing wrong with that, except he couldn’t see God clearly.

Perhaps some might think it harsh to judge John like that, for it was none other than him who pointed out Jesus. If he could have seen clearly then, why could not he later?

The reason is that Law has an expiry date. Just like the milk in your fridge, you shouldn’t drink it once it expires its fit-for-use date. Paul defined in Galatians Law’s expiry date as followed:

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (Gal 3:24-25, NKJV)

So after the Son of God was revealed, John should have no business dealing with the Law. Have you ever wondered why John did not become a follower of Jesus like his own disciples did? If he had, he would have understood and experienced grace: And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace (John 1:16, NKJV). Also, his vision would not have been impaired.

Likewise for us, if we don’t want our vision to be blurred that we can’t see God clearly, don’t meddle with the Law after we have come into God’s Grace.

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Names that Speak Grace

Names are never incidental, especially names in the Bible.

Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, had a name which means “God has remembered” or “God’s memory”. When he became old and had all but given up hope of having a child, an angel appeared before him to announce that God has not forgotten his long-ago prayer for a baby and that his wife would soon bore him a child. We could say he literally experienced the meaning of his own name!

But that’s not all. The angel even told him what name he was to give his soon-to-be-borne son. He was to call him John.

Somehow the same was also communicated to his wife, Elizabeth. It was not recorded if an angel appeared to tell her so.  But it seems she was a woman of faith and would not tend to argue with God’s announcement like her husband did. She had a good opinion of God and of what He said. The name Elizabeth means “oath” or “covenant of God”.

As the story goes, Zechariah was put into mute mode by the angel as a result of his unbelief. Even until the baby was born he couldn’t speak. When the day came for the baby to be circumcised all the family and friends wanted to call him Zechariah after his father. But Elizabeth insisted that he should be named John. They consulted the mute father and he asked for a tablet and wrote: “His name is John!” There and then Zechariah regained speech.

What’s the big deal about the name of the baby, so much so that Zechariah was anxious to follow what God said?

The name is John, which means “God’s gift,” or “God is gracious.”  

Zechariah had seen God’s word came to pass in giving him a son. He was now determined that he should name the baby what God had told him to. Blessing flows when we believe and heed God’s word.  But more than that, he saw the big picture. When we put the three names of the family together, it goes like this:

God has remembered His covenant with His people, a Covenant of Grace.

When I think of it, it is amazing that the Lord would go to such extent arranging the names of a family to bring across a message. How much is His love for us!

The Lord always remembers His covenant with you, and it is a covenant of Grace and Favor.

That’s why you can expect His favor at every turn.

God Has Remembered

There are some hilarious episodes in the Bible, and one of my favorite is about Zechariah the father of John the Baptist.

This bloke was a priest. As the story goes, they cast lots and it fell on him to burn incense in the sanctuary of God. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a great honor!  But the good Lord decreed that this was not enough blessing and wanted to give him even more. So as Zechariah was doing his job in the sanctuary He had the angel Gabriel suddenly appeared before him announcing some super good news:

God is gracious to you! For I have come to tell you that your prayer for a child, a prayer you don’t even pray anymore, has been answered! Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to name him John!...Lk 1:12-13, TPT

When Gabriel was done speaking, this was how Zechariah answered:

How do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is too old to give me a child. What sign can you give me to prove this will happen?...Lk 1:18, TPT

I can’t help laughing every time I read this. It is clear that he had forgotten what he had prayed and had long since stopped praying about it. Not only did he have not any sense of regret of his lack of faith and perseverance, he had the audacity to ask for a sign! I think even Gabriel was taken by surprise at such response.

Zechariah might have forgotten about what he had prayed, but God had not.

I wonder how often we are like Zechariah. But take heart, God remembers. More often than not, He still wants to bless us – more than we want to believe. So don’t be surprised if out of the blue your long-ago forgotten prayer got answered. Make no mistake then, it is the Lord.

Let’s have one last dig at Zechariah. Do you know what his name means? Zechariah means “God has remembered”!

The Lord sure has a sense of humor.

We've Been Offered Glory

He taught in the meeting places and He offered everyone glory!...Lk 4 :14, TPT

You read it right: Jesus offers everyone glory. That was The Passion Translation’s rendering of the later part of the 14^th  verse of Luke chapter 4. In the footnote the translator states that this is a literal translation from the Aramaic text.

I was stunned when I first read it. Never read it this way; I bet you too.

Jesus went about teaching in the synagogues, and He offered everyone glory! But what exactly does He mean by “glory”? Perhaps the following verse would shed some light on the matter:

But Jesus said, “Don’t you know there are other places I must go so I can offer to them the hope of God’s kingdom-realm? This is what I have been sent to do.”…Lk 4:43, TPT

So by “glory” Jesus meant “the hope of God’s kingdom-realm”.

How things go in the realm of God’s Kingdom?

In God’s kingdom there can be no shame, no sickness, no strife, no oppression, no bondage, no poverty and no lack of any kind. And Jesus offers us the hope of being in such a state - a state of shalom peace. Instead of shame we could have honor; instead of sickness we could have health; instead of strife we could have peace; instead of oppression we could have liberty; instead of poverty we could have wealth and instead of lack we could have abundance.

This is glory!

There are two more things about this glory.

Firstly, it has been offered to us by Jesus. We are not called to attain it.

Secondly, the glory is here and now. If it were not so, Jesus would not have asked us to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Too many believers are waiting to get to heaven, whereas the Lord wants them to usher in heaven on earth now.

Glory! Glory! Glory!

You have been offered GLORY! Take it.

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Happy Day

It is a happy day.

The little girl has only happy thoughts. Why, she gets to eat ice-cream! This is the third time in a week she has asked her father. He relented.

In the process she learned something: it pays to persevere.

Well, I bet she doesn't understand the big word; can’t even pronounce it. But she’s got the idea.

Her mother says that she is just like the father: loves ice-cream. She says that the little fellow has been having too much lately and that is the reason for her complaining stomach-ache for much of the past week.

He loves it – that her little girl is just like him. Got to be careful though; must refrain from giving her ice-cream. Not until her stomach is okay.

Sometimes, you need to persevere, to persist, to keep on asking. The Father who loves you will grant you the desire of your heart. At the right time.

And it is a happy day.

Unreasonable Hope?

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You must have been told before, and very often:

This is not our way; in anything we must have principles, follow the rules. This is not the right time. There is a time for everything. Be patient. Be good. Be reasonable. 

And all the while your heart is burning. You have never felt more worked up, and you know you are in the right. Follow the rules? You asked. What if those who made the rules or are supposed to uphold the rules don’t follow the rules? You have worked hard. You have played fair. You have hoped much. Yes, never have you had this much hope. But what now? You asked. Am I to keep on waiting? Until when? Until what?

A wise man once said: Hope deferred makes the heart sick! (Prov 13:12)

You cannot help but suspect that at times rules are made to help keep those in power in power. And they appeal to your decency to behave like a gentleman, to play by the rules, to bide the right time. If you fall for it you will be sick. Very sick. Perpetually sick.

What then should you do?

Something stunning happened one day when Jesus traveled to worship at the holy temple.  Early morning, on the way to the temple with His disciples, Jesus felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree from afar, He approached it hoping to find some fruit to eat. But there was none. Hungry and disappointed, you know what Jesus did? He cursed the fig tree, saying, “From now on no man shall eat fruit from you again.” And the fig tree withered from its roots up.

Beholding the feat in itself is jaw-dropping to say the least. Curse a tree and it dies?! Really cool. But to me, the most amazing thing is that the good old book explains that there was no fruit because it was not the season for figs!

Well, if it was not the season for figs how could you expect to have figs? Isn’t it unfair to expect fruit on the fig tree? Isn’t Jesus’ hope of finding something to eat on the fig trees out of season unreasonable? Yes - if you look from the perspective of the world and the fig tree. No - if you look from the perspective of Jesus and His Kingdom.

In Jesus’ own estimate he is the rightful owner of everything created including the fig tree. All things created must serve their function – in the case of the fig tree to produce figs for man – and in the manner prescribed by the Creator. The corruption on the earth as a result of sin has so distorted the original purpose of the Creator that things created for mankind have demanded to serve on their own terms – in their seasons. Of course Jesus could not accept this when he walked in. He took the opportunity to demonstrate His power.

Is your hope unreasonable? Never - if God is with you. Like Jesus, your words carry great power. Use them to remove the mountain that stands between you and the abundant life that God has promised you.

Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready?

Curse the fig tree!

Scripture: Mk 11:12-24

 

Fullness of Time

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” 

Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV

Fullness of time.

The phrase surely packs a punch – as if time itself is forced to stand still momentarily before the unraveling event makes it flow again. And the perpetual waiting finally comes to an end. But who could discern the fullness of time except God? Who lives long enough and could see the beginning and the end? It takes one who lives longer than time itself to declare that it is the fullness of time. It shouldn’t surprise us to find scarce use of the phrase outside of the Bible. Only God could declare it is the fullness of time.

They waited and waited, the Jews who had been given inside information, for the coming of their Messiah. They were oppressed as a people, and longed to see God’s salvation. They needed deliverance. Their prophets often asked God how long they had to wait. So much so when the old prophet saw the baby Jesus show up in the temple he said he is finally free to die (Luke 2:25-32). What many of them didn’t know was that the Messiah didn’t come for a people, He came for all people.

God knows when it is the fullness of time, and that not only for the birth of Jesus.  When it concerns those that He loves, nothing is too big nothing is too small.

Bryan was taking the final exams at the end of his second year in college. Studied late the previous night he woke up one day at an odd time. He was wide awake suddenly and very fresh, nothing of the drowsiness that he usually feels in transition from deep sleep. The light the ambience the room temperature all felt odd. He looked at the clock – it was 2:00pm! And he was supposed to sit for the Literature paper at 2pm! Immediately he darted from his dorm and rushed to the exam hall – fortunately at a lower floor in the same building! He was in at 2:10pm while the rest were just settling down to the papers in front of them. He sat down, did his paper and scored an A for it.

When Bryan told me his story two weeks ago he was fresh from his exams. He was so eager to share with me his unforgettable experience of being wakened up by God I could see light shining from his eyes. His gratefulness towards the Lord oozed out of his being and soaked the realm around us. Life could not be hidden.

Is there anything you are concerned about? The Lord knows when it is the fullness of time for you. He will act when the fullness of time is come.

Photo Credit: Grant Cochrane at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com