persecution

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

Run!

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“But when ye shall see…” Mark 13:14-20

The disciples’ original question was “when will these things happen” and “how will we know when”. Now Jesus gives them the answer: when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not. This is not new information. They know their prophecy. That is why they were alert when Jesus appeared on the scene. He reminds them that this is the same thing the prophet Daniel has warned them about.

What is the abomination of desolation? Is it a person? A spirit? The antichrist? Not sure I can answer that satisfactorily here. It is described in the strongest of terms. An abomination is something detestable, filthy, disgusting. In biblical thought it often refers to idolatry. To desolate is to stun, stupefy, appall, devastate, to lay waste. Not the sort of thing any person would look forward to, even if it is a sign of the Lord’s coming.

Take inventory: how many things are going on in the world today that were not spoken of even a few years ago? I’m not suggesting a “frog in the pot” approach where we slowly become accustomed to strange new ideas. These things seem to happen after a few hints then are suddenly upon us in full force. Anyone standing in the way is destroyed. All you need do to realize this is to watch the news. But something worse is coming. Worse than anything anyone has experienced before.

Jesus provides a very practical response. In fact, it is not spiritual at all. He just says, Run. Did you get that? RUN! Don’t stop to take anything with you. Pray for help and protection, but go! Things will get so bad, that God will have to intervene to prevent the total annihilation of all flesh.

We aren’t given times and dates and checklists to figure this out. For Christians indwelt by the Holy Spirit, it will be a gut-level response. It will be overwhelming revulsion; a sickening sense of helplessness and hopelessness on the deepest spiritual level. Everything of God that is good and true will be rejected horribly. But do not despair. Just get away. Jesus is coming and coming quickly.

Copyright 2022 David J. Cooley

With friends like these

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“…the one who endures to the end will be saved. ” Mark 13:9-13 ESV

There’s an old song that goes something like this: “you only hurt the one you love.” Another way to look at it is: you can only be hurt by those you love, those whom you’ve let into your life, cared for, and nurtured. These are the ones Jesus brings up now in his discussion of the times of the end on the Mount of Olives.

Mark starts off by saying “they” will turn you over to the authorities, both religious and civil. These authorities think they have you on trial, but God sees it the other way around. They are on trial and you are the star witness.

So who are the “they” that Mark mentions? Those who are near and dear to you. Brothers, fathers, sons. Children will rise up against their parents. No one wants to be betrayed, but the betrayal of a friend stings worse than the worst an enemy can do.

The stakes are high – beatings and death. But the threat that you pose as a believer in Jesus Christ is so extreme that they can justify it. The real offense is Him. Anything that reminds them of Him must be eliminated and they will stop at nothing to accomplish it. It may be organized and systematic. It may be utter chaos, boiling with mob-driven rioting. It doesn’t matter. They will come for you.

How do you defend yourself against such frenzy? You don’t. First, you must be smart. Stay on your guard. Don’t be tricked into sacrificing yourself needlessly. Then when they haul you before the judge, don’t panic. Don’t worry about what to say. Jesus is on trial, not you. He will provide the words. His Holy Spirit will speak through you.

Thankfully, we are not yet faced with such wide scale opposition, but it is beginning to happen. There is still time and opportunity to accomplish our mission: spreading the good news. This is our first priority and the focus of our energies and efforts. This race may be long and arduous, but run it to the finish.

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?

The right answer

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“We do not know.” Mark 11:27-33

Jesus returns to Jerusalem in the morning. As he and his disciples walk through the temple area, the Jewish officials approach him en masse: the chief priests, scribes and elders. In other words, this is serious. They want to see his credentials. “By what authority do you do theses things? Who gave you this authority?“

In their own minds, they are the ultimate authority of faith and practice on earth. And they knew with certainty that they had not given Jesus any kind of authority to teach or to act. They are speaking, of course, in reference to Jesus driving out the money changers and other vendors from the temple on the day before.

Jesus counters with a question for them. It is interesting that they take up this question as they are under no obligation to do so. Thus they unwittingly yield their authority to Jesus. His question is, “Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”

This was a factual question with a definite answer. But instead of giving an answer based on truth, or even on their own professional opinion, they express fear of the reaction of the people, who no doubt were gathering now to see what was going on. They fall back to a “safe” answer that they hope will not cause too much trouble. So they offer up the pretense that they do not know.

Jesus will not play games with them and states flatly, “Neither will I tell you.” But in a sense, Jesus has already told them the source of his authority. John was indeed a prophet sent from God to proclaim the coming Messiah, whom he identified as Jesus. The officials’ refusal to accept this did not make it any less true, but served as an indicator of the state of their hearts.

The temptation to give a “safe” answer regarding, Jesus, God or the Bible is just as great today. Our modern society has determined we are now “post-Christian” and have been for some time. In other words, we have grown out of this phase in our development and are now able to regard things in a much more realistic and scientific fashion. The concept of God and religion is seen as no longer being useful. In fact it may be downright dangerous, and indeed, anyone holding to these outmoded beliefs is rightfully subject to ridicule, loss of position and power and general persecution.

So, do we go along to get along, or do we stop, stand and proclaim the “right answer”?

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Following in fear

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“…Jesus was walking ahead of them.” Mark 10:32-34

The story picks up just where it was before being interrupted by the rich man. Jesus and his disciples are on the road, leaving the town and heading up towards Jerusalem. Jesus has not brought them to Jerusalem before and this caused amazement and fear among them.

They had experienced firsthand the animosity of the religious leaders while traveling with Jesus. But they had been far to the north of Jerusalem, in Galilee. These leaders had sent investigators to find out what Jesus was up to. They tested him constantly with religious brain twisters and conundrums. They accused him of being in league with the devil and of drawing his miraculous power from Satan himself.

So far, Jesus had bested them with his words and wisdom. But in Jerusalem, the deck would be stacked against him. What had been merely a war of words could easily get physical with dire results. Why would he march directly into a trap?

Jesus walked ahead of the disciples. Did he desire to be alone and prepare himself for what lay ahead? Or did the disciples shrink back, unsure of what to say or think?

Jesus does not leave them in this state. He stops to take them all aside and begins telling them what will happen to him. He has told them this twice before, but they had not understood him. It was too different from the path they had traveled and from what they had imagined lay ahead.

He is matter of fact in relating these things and doesn’t pull his punches. He will be turned over to the religious leaders, condemned to death and sent to the Romans for execution. They will mock, spit on and scourge him before killing him. And three days later he will rise again.

Jesus does not keep us in the dark about what lies ahead. He does not assure us everything will be all right and we have nothing to be concerned about. In fact, he has told us things will get a lot worse before they even begin to get better. So, what good is that?

We must remain confident that he has things well in hand. He knows what is coming and expects us to weather the storm, keeping our eye and faith firmly on him. He will bring us through. We can never forget the hope that lies before us and that, like him, we will “rise again.”

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Who is Jesus?

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“Get behind me” Mark 8:27 – 9:1

Jesus asked the question: “Who do people say that I am?” It’s always easy to answer for other people. But he goes on and gets, well, more personal: “Who do you say that I am?” That’s always more difficult. Our answer might depend on the situation and on who’s listening, but should it?

Peter had it all figured out. After all he’d seen and heard enough of Jesus to know he was not just an ordinary guy. Jesus was who Peter had hoped he would be: The Christ. And he was correct.

But he hadn’t figured all of it out yet. He saw the triumphant Christ, victorious over evil, pain and suffering. He saw a friend, a healer and a comforter of sorrows. He did not see a dangerous threat to the world he lived in. He did not see a man that would get himself killed and his followers along with him.

Jesus saw it plainly, though, and said so. He would suffer, be rejected and ultimately executed by the very people he brought the hope of new life to. (He also said he would rise again, but nobody seemed to notice that at the time).

Peter couldn’t believe his ears. He pulled Jesus aside and proceeded to chew him out for being so negative. Jesus would have none of it and gave Peter a strong rebuke: “Get behind me, Satan!” (It is enough for now to know that “Satan” is a name that can mean “adversary.” Others can explain it’s application to Peter better than I). Peter no doubt is in shock. Jesus spells it out for him: you’re looking at this with man’s interests in mind and not God’s. The picture is much bigger than you are seeing.

Jesus goes on, “If anyone wishes to come after me…” There it is again, “Get behind me.” When you follow someone, you are behind them. You don’t go running ahead and try to lead the way. The leader is out in front.

This is a tough lesson for Peter, the disciples and all who would follow Jesus. Do we follow only when the grass is green, the birds are singing and the sun is shining? Or do we persevere with him when the storm clouds roll overhead, the rain beats down driven by a gale, and the enemy openly besieges us?

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Surprise!

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Don’t be.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you…”

We know it’s coming in one degree or another. It’s just a matter of when and in what circumstance. It’s not something strange that has singled you out. No, it’s not just a test. It is real. It will test you and demonstrate to the world what you are made of.

“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed…” Not just insulted for any old reason, but insulted because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in you. Remember, “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ” I John 4:4.

“…if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…”  Just as when Peter or Paul or any of the disciples were imprisoned or persecuted, let it be a time of glorifying God. Rejoice that you share in Christ’s sufferings so that you may rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.

For more, read 1 Peter 4:12-16

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

Arm yourself

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“…live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:2

Ever notice how a little pain immediately reasserts cold, hard reality? Maybe it didn’t bother you as a kid, but now walking across hot blacktop in your bare feet is definitely not a good idea. Sure, we’ve all done stupid things that we regretted or paid for dearly the day after. That’s part of life and having fun with your friends, right? Somehow the pain and discomfort is forgotten the next time the opportunity comes around.

But, have you ever made a decision knowing that all you’ll get out of it is pain and suffering? You might ask, why would I ever want to do that?

At some point we will all face a crucial moment when we realize that to continue following after the crowd or to indulge in our our cravings and lust will dishonor Jesus. We may not even be fully convinced that such behavior is actually sinful, yet we suddenly see that to proceed will cause Christ much sorrow. We have to make a choice: who is my friend? What is the right thing to do? The question of what will cause the least pain and bring the most pleasure recedes from view.

Anyone who has made such a decision to stick with the Lord and his ways while facing certain retribution – whether verbal taunting or physical violence – knows that the pull of sin loses a lot of its grip in the aftermath. We are not so easily deceived the next time. And we find ourselves strengthened by the Lord to endure.

For more details, see 1 Peter 4:1-6

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

A Prepared Defense

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“…always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you…” 1 Peter 3:15

Most Christians have probably heard that they need to be ready to share the gospel to whoever might ask. If the truth be known, a lot of us prefer this to the idea that we should share the gospel even when we aren’t asked. There is nothing particularly wrong with either approach, and our preference for one or the other may be influenced by our own gifts and abilities as well as our comfort zones.

“Defense” in this case is usually seen in the sense of a reasoned argument supporting an idea or position, and not in the sense of repelling an attack or protecting ourselves from danger. But the context that Peter provides suggests both ideas are in play.

Why would anyone object or oppose you for getting excited over what is right and good? This may have sounded ridiculous a generation or two ago, but the understanding of “good” and “right” is not so clear in this present generation. The possibility that Christians might suffer for righteousness’ sake keeps getting stronger.

In response, Peter encourages us to “have no fear of them, nor be troubled” and gives a two-pronged course of action: 1) maintain the Lordship of Christ in your heart, i.e., He’s the boss, He’s in charge, not the opposing voices; and 2) prepare a defense of your hope in Christ, seasoned with gentleness and respect.

This is not done out of a need to “be nice” when talking about Jesus, but to avoid responding in the natural fleshly manner: repaying evil for evil or reviling when reviled (see previous post). There should be nothing in our actions or reactions that could be cause for accusation. “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17.

How can we be prepared? By thinking out in advance why you have placed your hope in Jesus Christ. The basic truths are the same for everyone, but God has dealt with each one us in slightly different ways. Perhaps your story may strike a chord with an accuser in a way no one else’s could.

For more details, see 1 Peter 3:13-17

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley