TELL ME ABOUT JESUS

Everyone knows these two

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“She has done what she could…” Mark 14:3-11 ESV

Jesus has left the city and returned to Bethany, where he is having dinner at Simon the leper’s house. While they are eating, a woman enters the room with an unusually precious box of spikenard. No one is concerned with her presence but all are startled by what she does next.

She breaks open the alabaster container and begins pouring the ointment on Jesus’s head. The act of such an annointing was not unusual in Jewish culture, but perhaps it was somewhat unexpected during the evening meal!

Mark records only one reaction to her. There was no middle ground. No one questioned how she came about having such a costly item. No one moved to prevent her entrance to the house or meal. But they were all indignant at what she did.

They didn’t complain about the brashness of her actions, but against the waste of such a costly item! It could have been sold to raise a lot of money to provide for the poor. They began to murmur against her.

However, Jesus defends her. He is critical of their criticisms: you have plenty of opportunity to help the poor any time you want. She has done a good thing. She has annointed my body in preparation for burial. That’s right – if you’ve been listening – you know my death is imminent. I will not be with you much longer.

How hard it must have been to remember those last words later and come to the gut-wrenching realization that you wasted an opportunity to be close to Jesus! Who cares what happens to expensive perfume when you have the precious Savior sitting next to you?

Once again, Jesus looks beyond what has captivated everyone’s attention and reveals what really is happening. What we value is not necessarily what is valuable. Those things that we feel are so urgent and important are but a mere distraction from where our attention and energies should be applied (remember the widow’s mite, Mark 12:41-44). Jesus says that what this woman has done will be recounted wherever the gospel story is told. It will be a memorial to her.

Afterwards Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, makes a decision. If the story was not so well known, we would be shocked to read it. He goes to the chief priests to betray Jesus, to turn him in. They are glad to hear it and promise him money when the deed is done. Judas now looks for a “convenient” time to betray Jesus. How sad. One of Jesus’ hand-picked followers, who has seen and heard so much, now acts the traitor. By the way, we remember him, too.

What’s your choice? Are you devoted enough to Jesus that you don’t care what others think of you? Or do you follow the crowd, pretending he’s not that much of a big deal?

Copyright 2023 David J. Cooley

The plot thickens

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“…lest there be an uproar…” Mk. 14:1-2

Back to our story. Jesus has been openly teaching in Jerusalem in the temple every day. He freely moves about the temple grounds, interacting with the people gathered there. He is not stirring up the crowds, urging some sort of revolt or demonstration against the Romans. He is only teaching and instructing people the ways of God.

Then again, he did make a ruckus with the money changers. And he restored the sight of a blind man down in Jericho. And he did arrive riding a donkey while the crowd went wild, shouting hosannas and declaring “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” The kind of things the would-be messiahs say they would do, but can never quite pull off.

Yet, in the evenings, Jesus and the disciples leave the city and return to Bethany. This could be seen as a security measure. Jerusalem is not friendly territory and moving outside its walls at night reduces risk. Those of us who have looked ahead in the book know that the night Jesus spends in Jerusalem will be his last.

The chief priests and scribes are aware of Jesus’ movements. They see the crowds hanging on his every word. The people have become distracted away from the feasts and festivals they have traveled here to observe. In reality, they are seeing what these celebrations have been pointing to all these centuries: the coming of the Lord. They are beginning to realize that the rites they have been diligently following all their lives are but the shadow cast by this Man Jesus.

You would think that the Jewish leaders would be overjoyed. The main point of all their teaching, preaching and celebration is now standing on their doorstep, saying marvelous things and performing miracles. See, they would say, we have been right about this all the time! But instead, they are holding secret meetings and figuring out how Jesus can be arrested quietly and quickly put to death. They are planning the equivalent of a predawn raid by the FBI, under the cover of darkness and before any opposition is even out of bed. Except the FBI is nicer. They only throw their culprit into a jail cell and destroy his reputation and substance in the courts for months to come. These leaders simply want Jesus dead.

But the moment is not right yet. Too many people would object to such an extreme move. Sure, if they were stealthy enough and kept the killing out of the news and spread rumors about Jesus chickening out or some such rubbish, they might get away with it. The important thing was keeping the Romans pacified. If the crowds found out suddenly – maybe even witnessed the killing themselves – there would be a huge uproar that the armed legions would forcefully put to an end. And possibly the Jewish leadership with it.

Copyright 2023 David J. Cooley

Merry Christmas

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Every year we do this
Do you remember why?

Christ’s beloved friend John says,
In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God,
And the word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, 
and without him was not any thing made that was made.

So what’s he doing here,
In a small town, in a manger,
Unknown, all but forgotten
With no earthly hope of importance?

In him was life
and the life was the light of men
The light shines in the darkness, 
and the darkness has not overcome it.

Darkness does not get along with light.
It flees any light, and does not desire it.
Somehow darkness invaded the soul of men,
Nay, it was invited by man to live within him.

Why?
When the light is so beautiful and full of life?
Man thought he knew better
and sought knowledge
Knowledge of good and evil,
but not wisdom to know the difference
Knowledge without
guidance and discipline.

And isn’t that the rub?
No one likes being told
What to do,
what to believe,
what to think,
how to act
(unless he is the one telling, of course).

He was in the world
and the world was made through him
yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own, 
and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, 
who believed in his name, 
he gave the right to become children of God.

And the Word became flesh 
and dwelt among us, 
and we have seen his glory, 
glory as of the only Son from the Father, 
full of grace and truth.

This is Jesus!
the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world! 

Merry Christmas

Render unto Caesar

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“Whose image is this?” Mark 12:13-17

When we look at our coinage today, at least in this country, we see the inscription, “In God we trust.” Some who are concerned about the materialism rampant in our modern society point out with heavy sarcasm that it might be more accurate to say, “In George we trust.” And in Jesus’ day, that approach would certainly be accurate, since the Roman coinage (the only legal tender available publicly) said in effect, “In Caesar we trust.”

In fact it went a step further. It proclaimed Augustus Caesar to be God and his son Tiberius to be the son of God. This infuriated the Jewish leaders, who felt the wording was an intentional slam on their belief in One True God. Other nationalistic Jews simply hated the fact they were under Rome’s thumb and rebelled in any way they could get away with, including the nonpayment of taxes.

So when the Pharisees approached Jesus with oily words of flattery, they sought to embroil him in both a theological and a political controversy. A controversy that they themselves avoided, fearing the reactions of both Rome and their own people. Jesus could not help but offend one group or the other.

They came directly to the point, “Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said so, “Why do you test me? Let me see a coin.” They produced one for him to look at. Quick aside: If they detested the coins so much, they sure didn’t seem hesitant to carry them and use them!

Jesus turned the coin back for them to see and asked, “Whose image is this?” They almost spat out the name: “Caesar’s”. Jesus then gave this famous reply: “If it is Caesar’s, give it to him. But the things that are God’s, make sure you give to God.”

And they marveled at him. This is interesting. They were stymied, and surprised at how easily Jesus defeated their carefully laid trap. For all their words of flattery, they pay him no heed. He is true, but not to be trusted. He speaks honestly, not allowing the opinions of men to sway him, neither do they allow his words to sway themselves. He is a faithful teacher of God’s way, but they fail to follow him. They simply regroup and plan their next attack.

Truthful words are hard to hear and difficult to accept. Our stubborn and rebellious hearts are not easily satisfied with the answers to our questions. We often seek only to reinforce our own biases and opinions. The ability to come up with questions and opposing arguments does not invalidate truth. If our purpose in raising issues like these is to end discussion and deny authority, how can we ever come to the Truth?

Why then?

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“…when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son” Galatians 4:4

Sometimes the question is asked, “Why did Jesus come when he did? Why not today when we have vastly superior means of communication?” Of course, God knows what He is doing, and His omniscience should be enough reason for anyone. But, often the Pax Romana (Roman peace) is cited as a significant reason for the timing since Rome controlled a large part of the world at that time. Nations were not at war with each other. Rome had conquered them and it was not wise to quarrel with Caesar.

This brought about an unparalleled exchange of goods, ideas and thought. People could move throughout the empire with a measure of freedom. People could share the gospel openly at first, spreading the good news far and wide.

But as time has gone by, other reasons present themselves as we begin living in times with changes that were unforeseen back then. Hence the question regarding communication. But something important has not changed: people. Particularly the people “in charge.”

Jesus encountered opposition from the day he appeared on the scene. The religious leaders questioned his teaching and his authority constantly. They tried to discredit him in the eyes of the people, failing in every instance, while at the same time strengthening his credibility. They eventually had to resort to lies and false testimony to convict him of a charge worthy of death.

Here’s where the political people “in charge” came on the scene. The Jews lacked the authority to put a man to death so they appealed to their local Roman governor. Against his better judgment but wanting above all to keep the peace, he complied and executed Jesus on a cross.

But Jesus didn’t stay dead, even though the Jews had posted military guards at the tomb. They bribed the guards to lie and say the disciples had somehow gotten past them and stole the body. Later, they strictly required the disciples to stop preaching about Jesus. The disciples did not comply and the gospel spread further and faster.

Eventually, Rome had had enough of this growing religion and began a fierce campaign of persecution against them. Not just name-calling but horrible tortures and death, yet Christianity survived and flourished, conquering even Rome itself.

Now, is it any different today? If Jesus’ first appearance happened now, how would the people in charge respond? Ask yourself some basic questions:

  • Have news sources ever distorted, misrepresented or ignored a major story?
  • Have lawmakers ever tried to limit the rights of god-fearing citizens?
  • Have publishers and filmmakers refused to cover certain subjects?
  • Have the masters of social media ever shut down discussions involving “misinformation”?

Even with our modern communications abilities, it may well be that it is more difficult now to spread radical news capable of turning the world upside down. Best to stick with the original plan. God’s good news was meant to be shared by word of mouth. By the way, word of mouth is still considered to be the most effective and fastest form of advertising. Word of mouth means person to person contact. Are we willing to put down our electronics and give it a try?

You talkin’ to me?

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What will the owner do? Mark 12:1-12

The discussion about the authority of Jesus has ended. Or has it? Jesus begins telling a parable about a vineyard in the hearing of the Jewish leaders. Though the disciples often sought explanations to Jesus’ parables, Mark tells us the officials did not. His meaning was plain to them.

Jesus tells of a man who planted a vineyard. He outfitted it with everything needed to protect and operate the venture. Then he rented it out to growers to run the place while he went on a long journey. At harvest time, the owner sent a slave to collect his portion of the crop. The tenants beat the slave and sent him away with nothing. The owner sent others to collect, but each time the tenants treated them shamefully, injured them or even killed them.

Finally, the man sent his beloved son, thinking, “Surely they will respect him.” But the growers figured that if the heir died, the vineyard would belong to them. When the son arrived, they killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard. What will the owner do now? He will destroy the growers and give the vineyard to others.

Jesus drives home his meaning by quoting Psalm 118:22: The stone which the builders rejected became the chief cornerstone. This, coupled with the obvious allusion to the unproductive vineyard of Isaiah 5, left no room for misinterpretation. And the Jewish leaders understood him fully. They realized that Jesus equated them with the treacherous growers. After all, their ancestors had rejected and reviled God’s prophets.

To their credit, the officials did not attempt to shift the blame to others. To their discredit, they excused themselves, rejecting Jesus’ message and that of the scriptures they knew so well. They knew what he was saying, but refused to apply his words to themselves. They could not – dared not – see themselves in that light.

So they acted in the lack of light they had and sought to seize Jesus on the spot. The only thing that prevented them was the presence of the crowds. Fear of the people outweighed any fear of the Almighty in their hearts. So they retreated.

Jesus does not have to document or certify his authority. It is obvious and effective. All pretenders to the throne have to slink away. Any attempt to deny that authority in our own hearts will ultimately fail. Is there anything you need to set right and yield to him?

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Of figs and doves

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“…He went to see if he could find anything on it…” Mark 11:12-19

The picture is of a fig tree in my back yard. It was difficult to take a photo without showing any fruit. This tree always has loads of fruit on it, which start forming as soon as it begins leafing out. Some say the small buds that are first to form are particularly desirable. Maybe that is what Jesus expected to find. As a country boy, he would know when to find figs. As the Son of God, he would also know without looking that this particular tree was barren of fruit. So why bother?

To focus on the fig tree and its fruit-bearing habits is to miss the point. To focus on the apparent self-centeredness of Jesus at this moment and on his seemingly unreasonable response also misses the point. If Jesus expected to find fruit, I won’t argue. So, what was he trying to say?

The fig tree has long been a symbol of the nation Israel. Jesus has just made his grand entry into Jerusalem as King. As any earthly king would, he expects his subjects to bring forth the fruits of his kingdom when he appears. There will be none. As king he must act in judgment; hence the tree is cursed and subsequently withers away.

He continues on into Jerusalem and goes to the temple. He finds the situation there to be wholly unacceptable. Instead of finding priests welcoming Jew and Gentile to prayer, he sees corrupt profiteering, bilking the pilgrims out of their hard-earned money. He responds in immediate judgment by overturning the tables of the money changers and driving out the sellers of doves for sacrifice.

Some may have thought that Jesus was finally showing some muscle. He was becoming the political revolutionary they thought they needed. Certainly the Jewish leaders feared he would upset the cautious balance they had crafted with the brutal Romans (and managed to make a tidy profit at the same time, which Rome no doubt shared).

They now set about on a tricky and treacherous course. The crowds loved Jesus and his teaching. They thronged him wherever he went and stood in awe of him. To the chief priests and scribes there was only one answer: kill him before Rome raised its armored boot and squashed them. The hard part? Getting the crowds to go along with their plan.

No wonder Jesus continued his nightly retreat to Bethany.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

The King comes

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“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Mark 11:1-11

The journey up to Jerusalem has now reached the Mount of Olives. Stopping briefly at Bethpage and Bethany, Jesus sends two disciples into the village to retrieve a colt that had not yet been ridden. They are to find it just as they enter town, untie it and bring it back to him. Just in case they encountered anyone, Jesus adds “if any one asks what you’re doing, tell them that the Lord has need of it.”

The two disciples set out to perform their task and found everything just as Jesus had told them. The colt was tied up outside on the street, they were asked what they were doing and allowed to take the colt with them. It is not often that anyone has such specific instructions in following the Lord’s will! Still, following those instructions requires a measure of faith. It still does.

The disciples put some clothing over the colt’s back and Jesus sat on it. Many others spread their garments out on the road. Others cut leafy branches from the fields and laid them before the path of Jesus.

Where did these people come from? They also were traveling to Jerusalem for Passover, as was the Jews’ custom. Luke tells us that Jesus had made the trip as a boy with his parents, likely with friends and relatives from Galilee. No doubt the tradition continued and Jesus and his disciples found themselves in a friendly crowd, surrounded by many from Galilee who had seen Jesus’ miracles and had heard him speak. And there were others that joined the happy throng along the way, such as Bartimaeus of Jericho.

The longings of the people for their coming messiah saw the day’s events as fulfilling the much anticipated words of the prophets. They began shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” For once Jesus did not prevent them, for his time had come.

Jesus entered the city. John informs us that the Jewish leaders were greatly concerned about his arrival and the effect he had on this large crowd. Jesus goes to the temple and spends some time looking around. Not as a casual tourist taking in the sights, but as a commanding general conducting a reconnaissance and planning his strategy. Then, since it was late in the day, Jesus retreated with the twelve to Bethany, which became his base of operations.

The campaign will begin in the morning.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Seeing what others do not

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“…your faith has made you well.” Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus and his disciples passed through Jericho on their way up to Jerusalem, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard they were coming. He was sitting beside the road in his usual spot and began calling out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The people around him were upset at Bartimaeus and sternly told him to be quiet. Why would they do this? Were they afraid that Jesus would go another way to avoid this noisy beggar? Were they ashamed that they were standing next to a beggar? We don’t know. At any rate, Bartimaeus kept calling out, paying them no heed.

Jesus continues to come. He hears Bartimaeus and tells the people around him, “Call him here.” So, why didn’t Jesus address Bartimaeus directly? For one thing, it did force those people to have a change of heart. They went from preventing Bartimaeus from getting too close to Jesus to instead encouraging him to go to Jesus. In fact, they said, Jesus is calling for you!

Bartimaeus does not hesitate. He casts aside his cloak and approaches Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks. Bartimaeus states the obvious, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” Jesus replies, “Go your way: your faith has made you well.”

Bartimaeus immediately received his sight and began following Jesus on the road. Was he disobedient for not doing what Jesus told him? No, I think not. His way was now Jesus’ way. How else could he respond but to follow him?

Bartimaeus, though blind, saw something the people around him did not see. He recognized Jesus for who he was, the long awaited Messiah. As a result, he calls him by his messianic title, “Son of David,” and humbly begs for mercy instead of asking for any specific thing. It is fitting that as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, the city of David, that he will be honored as the “Son of David.”

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Like a child

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“…He took them in his arms” Mark 10:13-16

Some were bringing their children to Jesus so that they might be close to him, to sit on his lap and be held by him. The disciples, however, would have none of it, and prevented them.

But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was indignant. He demanded that the children not be hindered and allowed to come to him. He took them in his arms, blessing them as he placed his hands on them. It is hard to imagine a more tender and loving scene. This is the Jesus we can still come to, knowing he will gently embrace us, filling us with comfort and strength.

But somehow our ideas of what is proper and respectful get in the way of what Jesus is really about. An important and dignified teacher would never allow such behavior; certainly not a mighty and powerful leader such as the Messiah. This is adult, grown-up business. It must not be disrupted by noisy, demanding and boisterous kids!

Jesus does not see things this way. He turns the situation upside down and presents the truth of the situation in a way few in charge would have considered. Children have something about them that keeps them close to the kingdom. They possess a quality that commends them and draws them to God. What is that quality? Is it their open trust and willingness to love? Is it their wonder for the world and people around them?

It is hard to describe without falling into chiding those mean old adults, which a child would not think to do. However it is worthy of our contemplation and pursuit. There’s nothing like crawling into the warm, inviting lap of our savior, letting him push aside the world and its troubles for a moment or two and soak up his gentle comfort.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley