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Faith Church Nashville

Cleaning House

4/14/2019

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Text: Matthew 21:10-17
Theme: Jesus our King comes to clean house
               and make space for God's work.

Spring is here.  It is one of the most delightful times of the year. 
The weather gets warmer.  We open up windows.  The sun pours in. 
 
Then you may notice some dust and dirt that has accumulated. 
And you get the urge to clean house: mop floors, scrub walls, dust under the bed.
We refer to this as spring cleaning.
 
You might even be inspired to get rid of stuff you never use. 
Of course that’s only possible if you don’t have a spouse who says
Don’t throw that out!  You never know when we might need it.
 
Spring cleaning.  In our Matthew 21 passage that’s exactly what Jesus does. 
After Jesus entered Jerusalem, the very first thing he did was clean house- the temple.
 
Here’s the background: God called his people to offer sacrifices at the temple. 
So devout people from all over Israel would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 
The standard sacrifice was a lamb. But in Leviticus 12 God accommodated the poor:
If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons… 
Mary and Joseph were poor: when they presented Jesus at the temple they offered birds. 
 
Now, carrying and feeding these creatures on a journey was burdensome. 
So most pilgrims would buy one from a merchant once they arrived in Jerusalem.
This led to a thriving market.  The closer to the temple the better.
At some point business moved right inside the temple courts.
 
But now King Jesus arrives! 
Jesus entered the temple courts + drove out all who were buying + selling there. 
He overturned the tables of the money changers + the benches of those selling doves.
 
He didn’t care how long they’d been there. He didn’t care about stepping on toes. 
This stuff didn’t belong there; it was getting in the way.  So he drove them all out.
 
Wow!  What a fascinating glimpse of Jesus’ character! 
Matthew has just quoted the prophet Zechariah- that the king would come gentle.
But Jesus can be fierce. As C.S. Lewis pictures it, he is like Aslan: not a tame lion.
In this sense we are to fear God: that is take him seriously; we don’t mess with him. 
God intended the temple to serve as the center of his presence among all people. 
Jesus reminds them of this purpose: My house will be called a house of prayer.
Clearly it was a perversion to turn a house of prayer into a place of business.
 
But there’s more to it.  Jesus actually calls it a den of robbers. 
The implication is: there wasn’t just business going on, but dishonest business. 
The merchants were gouging the pilgrims- perhaps doubling the price for an offering.
What an irony: in the place where God resided, the God who said: You shall not steal-
in that very place the merchants regularly robbed the pilgrims.
 
Jesus is the light of the world.  And now his light shines in the temple.
Now Jesus exposes these corrupt activities.  Now Jesus comes to clean house.
 
Still today Jesus comes to clean house.  Only his focus is no longer on a temple. 
We no longer need to offer sacrifices for sin; Jesus was our true and final sacrifice. 
We no longer need a house of prayer; Jesus provides access to God anywhere. 
 
Today the church serves as the temple of God.  In Ephesians 2 the Apostle Paul writes:
In Christ the whole [church] is joined together and rises to become a holy temple. 
We may marvel that the temple became perverted by business interests.
But how often doesn’t the church lose sight of its God-given purpose! 
 
Let me give an example from church history- from the early 1500’s. 
Some Vatican leaders seemed more concerned about building huge cathedrals
and wielding political power than about the church’s spiritual well-being. 
And in some quarters church men made it sound like you were saved by works,
and that you could buy God’s pardon with contributions to the church.
 
So the Lord Jesus went to work to clean house- through the Reformers. 
The protests of Martin Luther and others sparked a Reformation. 
This prompted corrections of the worst abuses in the church. 
On some doctrinal points we still may not see eye to eye; but over time
the place of the Bible and the grace of Jesus have been lifted in many parishes. 
 
Here’s another example: forty years ago there were abuses by many televangelists.
Some turned into money changers: they wanted to change your money into theirs.  
Others were robbers, getting rich off the gifts of ordinary people. 
And some perverted the gospel, treating God like a genie
whom they could command to come out of his bottle to grant people their wishes.
 
So Jesus went to work to clean house. Scandals were exposed. Shysters shut down.
Better accountability was installed.  Today TV preachers aren’t perfect. 
But on a Sunday the sick and shut-ins can find some solid, biblical preaching.
 
What house cleaning might Jesus need to do in our church today? 
Could it be that we’re too focused on our needs, our own tastes, our own comfort? 
Could it be that we’ve become too attached to certain traditions?
Could it be that we lose focus on Jesus’ mission to seek and to save the lost?
If Jesus would visit our church today, where would he clean house?
 
And notice: Jesus says My house will be called a house of prayer. Not your house. 
You see, the religious power brokers came to think of the temple as their house-
to use as they wanted, to promote their own business interests.
 
Still today it is possible for us to slip into that kind of thinking:
-I’ve been here for years and years.  Don’t change too much around.  It’s my house.
-I’ve served as an elder; I’ve invested my time and energy here.  It’s my house.
-I’ve been a financial pillar of the church.  Listen to me.  It’s my house.   
 
But Jesus says: no.  It isn’t your house.  It’s my house- to fulfill God’s grand purposes.
 
By the way, the Bible doesn’t just refer to the church as the temple of God. 
It goes a step further and pictures every believer as a temple.  I Corinthians 3 says:
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple-that God’s Spirit lives in you? 
 
Let me ask you: what dust or dirt in your life might need a spring cleaning? 
What needs to be driven out?  Bad habits?  A self-centered use of your time?
Laziness with your spiritual gifts? Impatience? A sharp tongue? A critical spirit? Pride? 
 
Michael Kingsbury, a comedian storyteller in New England, tells of Jesus cleaning house.
“I started reading the Bible and attending church again. 
Slowly but surely, I started noticing subtle changes in my behavior and outlook. 
 
I am not someone who handles… struggles easily. At home, a typical conversation
might involve me yelling: I’ve lost the remote control- that’s proof that there is no God!
But as I read the Bible, as I thought about Christ and his suffering on my behalf,
the more I would laugh at things that once troubled me.”  Jesus cleaned up his attitude.
 
Of course, the specific issue Jesus tackled in the temple was the lure of money.
Why were people doing business in the temple?  To make money.
Money was more important to them than proper worship of God. 
What about you?  Does your money serve God, or has your money become a god?
Here’s a good way to test that: do you faithfully tithe? Do you give 10% to the Lord?
 
People can give all kinds of reasons why they don’t tithe. 
I can’t afford it.  I’d have to cut back on things.  I’ll start later when I’m better off. 
But when we tithe, we show we have faith in God to provide, not our money.
 
Finally I want you to notice the result of Jesus’ house cleaning. 
What happened after Jesus cleared the temple from the junk going on? 
Vs 14: the blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
Once God has cleaned house it’s wonderful to see the people he sends our way.
God wants his church and his people to be sources of healing and blessing.
 
In the book Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario tells about poor Central Americans
who make the desperate effort to go north. 
In El Norte they hope to make enough so their children don’t go to bed hungry. 
But hopping trains can be extremely dangerous, sometimes crushing limbs. 
Along the way these poor people are preyed on by thugs, gangs, even crooked police. 
 
But in one village along the way a Catholic priest mobilized his church to help.
Some wanted nothing to do with these dirty, strange people streaming through.
They just wanted to have mass, say prayers, and enjoy the communion of saints. 
 
But the Catholic priest was determined to help.  He had the church open their doors.
Every night the church courtyard was filled with migrants hungry for a meal,
migrants exhausted + needing sleep, migrants desperately needing basic medical care. 
On the long, exhausting, dangerous trip, this church became an oasis of God’s love.
 
One spring day Jesus entered Jerusalem and cleaned house in the temple. 
Still today Jesus comes to clean house in the church and in our lives. 
He comes to overturn any barriers to his good purposes. 
He comes to make space for people to connect with God- and find healing and blessing. 
 
I hope that you will welcome Jesus.  I hope you will open your doors to him.
I hope that you will collaborate with him in his redeeming work. 

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church, Nashville, TN
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The Substitute

4/7/2019

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Text: Romans 5:6-8
Theme: When Jesus died on the cross he substituted himself for us
in bearing divine punishment on our sins. 

Major League Baseball has just started a new season.  Fans are familiar with substitution. 
When a pitcher just doesn’t have his stuff and is getting hit hard, what happens?
The manager strolls out, signals to the bullpen, and another player trots onto the field.  That relief pitcher is a substitute for the starter. 
 
Or when you need a clutch hit in the ninth inning, a pinch hitter may be sent in. 
Or if a team needs to squeeze in one run, a speedy pinch runner may be sent in-
to substitute for a lumbering slowpoke on the bases.
 
Students are familiar with substitution. Once in awhile their teacher may not show up- because of sickness or taking a personal day to go hiking.
In their place comes a substitute teacher. 
Then students try to figure out how much the substitute will let them get away with.
 
And sometimes a movie plot involves substitution.  Take the 1993 film titled: Dave. 
In it the President of the United States suddenly has a major heart-attack. 
His aides fear that the news could cause pandemonium around the country. 
Or it might embolden enemies to attack the US during this moment of confusion. 
 
In their mad scramble they whisk in an ordinary guy named Dave. 
Why?  Dave has an uncanny resemblance to the president.
Suddenly Dave becomes a substitute for the president in all his public appearances. 
And his private activities, including with the president’s wife, who hasn’t been told either.  You can imagine the plot possibilities that follow.
 
Dave reminds us of a proverb: often there is more to something than meets the eye.
Nowhere is this more true than with Jesus’ death on the cross. 
God’s Word teaches: behind Jesus’ physical death, spiritual events were taking place. 
Christians believe Jesus died on the cross for a purpose: to save us from our sins.
 
But how?  How did Jesus’ death save us?  How did it cover our sins? 
What connection does one man’s death two thousand years ago have with our sins today? 
 
Well, early Christians searched the scriptures to gain understanding. 
And they noticed Bible passages such as Romans 5:8-
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
 
Here’s one natural way to understand this statement: Jesus acted as our substitute.
On the cross he took our sins on his shoulders; he suffered God’s wrath in our place.
Jesus died for us.  This is the classic doctrine of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement.
 
This doctrine is clearly found in the Heidelberg Catechism, our church’s main confession.
From Q+A 12: God requires that his justice be satisfied. 
Therefore the claims of his justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or another.
Did you catch that?  By ourselves or another.  This leaves the door open for a substitute. 
Then the Catechism sets up Jesus as the only substitute able to pay the price for our sins. 
 
The substitutionary atonement of Christ.  But some balk at this conclusion. 
I once preached on Jesus’ substitution on the cross at an ecumenical Good Friday service.  Afterward a mainline pastor was a bit miffed; he dismissed it as a “mere theory.” 
 
Why do some reject the historic teaching that Jesus was a substitute for us? 
Here’s why: an action for someone doesn’t necessarily mean being their substitute. 
For example: you can do a favor for someone.  You can give them directions to a store.  But that doesn’t mean you take their place to drive there. 
Doing something for a person may simply mean you’re helping them in some way.
 
Here’s a second objection: substitution doesn’t always seem fair. 
Shouldn’t each person stand on their own two feet? 
Doesn’t justice require us to pay for our own actions? 
Is it right for an innocent person to suffer instead of a wrongdoer- who gets off free?
 
So, what do we make of this?  When we look at our courts we find a mixed precedent.  Substitution is allowed with certain penalties- like fines.
If a teen gets caught speeding, her parents may step in to pay the fine- to pay the penalty. 
 
On the other hand, substitution for a jail sentence isn’t allowed. 
If you are convicted of murder, no court allows someone else to take your place in prison. 
 
So why has the church long maintained that on the cross Jesus acted as our substitute? 
Because God’s Word contains more clues than just Romans 5. 
Probably the strongest evidence comes from the Old Testament. 
There God seems to intentionally prepare us to understand the Messiah as our substitute.
God did that in at least three ways. 
First, God cultivated the concept of substitution through an Old Testament figure. 
Remember when Jacob’s sons journeyed to Egypt to obtain grain during a famine? 
On their trip back the Egyptian lord had his prized silver cup found in Benjamin’s sack. 
As a consequence the Egyptian lord threatened to keep Benjamin as his slave.
 
Jacob’s sons know their father would be crushed by losing his cherished son Benjamin.
Faced with that horrible prospect, Judah offered to be a substitute. 
He pleaded: Now then, please let your servant remain here… in place of the boy,
and let the boy return with his brothers.  Judah offered to be a substitute in slavery. 
He foreshadowed the substitution of Jesus, who one day was born from the tribe of Judah.
 
Second, God cultivated the concept of substitution through sacrifices. 
Take the Passover sacrifice.  In Exodus 12 God was about to bring judgment on Egypt. 
He was about to send his angel to strike down every first-born son in the land. 
 
But for his own people he commanded that blood from a lamb be put on their door frames.  Then the angel of death would pass over them. 
The blood of the lamb was clearly a substitute for the blood of their own first-born child. 
 
Then God commanded them to celebrate the Passover every year.
Every year that ceremony reinforced the concept of a saving substitute. 
Then one night in an upper room Jesus claimed to fulfill the Passover with his own blood. 
 
Third, God cultivated the concept of substitution through prophecy. 
The most clear and compelling example is found in Isaiah 53:
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him + by his wounds we are healed.
 
So, the church has longed maintained that substitution is central to God’s salvation plan.
It is foreshadowed by Judah; by the Passover Lamb; and by the prophecy of Isaiah. 
All that was fulfilled in Jesus.  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 
Here’s the wonder of it all: Jesus was willing to be our substitute on the cross. 
No one forced him.  God the Father didn’t make him.
As Jesus said in John 10:No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord.
Even though it cost him scorn and excruciating pain and laying down his very life. 
The very Son of God was willing to die as our substitute.  That’s mind-boggling!
 
In my Grand Rapids church there was a dear mother of three whose kidneys were failing.
She was forced to start dialysis- with the grind of treatment three times a week. 
At the same time they set out to find a donor for a kidney transplant. 
In the search it’s common to start with family, who may have compatible blood types.
 
Sure enough, one good match came up: her brother.  But he had young kids. 
He was busy with his career. What if something happened to his other kidney later on? 
In the end he chose not to donate his kidney for his sister.  And you can’t really blame him.
You can’t expect or demand a gift from someone.
 
In the same way, you can’t expect or demand God’s Son to be a substitute for our sins. 
Here’s the wonder: in his love for us, Jesus freely chose to be our substitute on the cross. 
He chose to suffer the awful wrath of God on our sins. That should take our breath away. 
 
In closing I’ll highlight one more glorious angle to this great doctrine: God’s genius.
When Adam and Eve plunged the world into sin, God found himself in a pickle.
In his pure holiness, he couldn’t stand sin. 
In his holiness + pure justice, his natural reaction is to punish every last wrong on the spot.
 
But in his pure love, he wouldn’t sit around and see us perish. 
Our misery stirred up his tender mercy. 
In his love for us he longed to spare us the punishment we deserve. 
 
It was a pickle.  How could God be true to his own nature and solve this dilemma?
Here we come to the genius of the gospel. 
By pouring out his judgment on Jesus, God’s pure justice is satisfied. 
By sparing us, God’s love + mercy prevails.  Jesus’ substitution is a stroke of genius. 
 
A new baseball season is upon us.  Every time you see a relief pitcher stroll in;
every time a pinch hitter steps up; every time a pinch runner trots to first base, remember the great substitution.
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
 
This is why we remember Jesus’ death.
This is why we worship him. 
This is why we love Jesus.

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church, Nashville, TN
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Behind the Cross: The Demonstration of God’s Justice and Love

4/2/2019

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Text: Luke 23:32-34, 44-49; Romans 3:25-26 (original NIV)
Theme: Jesus' cross reveals God's perfect justice and love.

Why do we make such a big deal out of Jesus’ death on the cross? 
We commemorate it with special services during Holy Week.
Churches build crosses which soar into the sky.
People wear gold or silver crosses around their necks.
 
Why do we make such a big deal out of the Jesus’ death on the cross?
After all, he wasn’t the only one who died on a cross. 
Two other men were crucified with him.  We don’t sing songs about that. 
And the Roman Empire crucified thousands of people during their lengthy reign.
 
So, why do we make such a big deal out of the Jesus’ death on the cross?
To answer that we have to look behind the cross.
We just read Luke’s account of what happened- on the outside. 
To understand their significance, we have to look behind the cross of Christ.
 
A week after I was ordained into gospel ministry, my grandfather wrote me these words:
I am real thankful to God for the way it all worked out.  And now I pray daily
[that] you may be a good minister, preaching the gospel, Christ died for sinners. 
By the way, what a blessing to have a grandfather praying for you like that!
 
Preaching the gospel: Christ died for sinners.  This gives a glimpse behind the cross.
Now at first glance Jesus’ death doesn’t seem to have any gospel, any good news. 
Crucifixion was a most hideous way to die.  The tearing and rending of the flesh. 
The pain.  The gasping for air.  Dragged out over hours.  All as a public spectacle.
 
Let’s not forget that our songs of the cross are pretty bloody.  Listen to these titles:
There is Power in the Blood.  Are You Washed in the Blood?  Nothing But the Blood. 
All these songs about blood and gore might be shocking to our modern sensibilities.
Because of the cross, the Christian faith has been called a brutal and barbaric religion.
 
How can Jesus’ horrible crucifixion be good news?  Why do we call it Good Friday?
To answer that question, we must look behind the cross to see what was happening. 
To help us look behind the cross I want to ask and answer two questions. 
First, why did Jesus have to die to save us?  Second, why was Jesus willing to die for us?
 
First, why couldn’t Jesus save us some other way?  Why did we need Jesus to die for us? 
After all, there is no universal agreement that Jesus did have to die. 
Most Jews today deny the need for a particular Savior who would be sacrificed for us. 
Muslims think that God is just able to forgive us- period; no sacrifice needed.
 
Why did Jesus have to die to save us from our sins?  Answer: To satisfy God’s justice. 
To satisfy the pure justice of God's righteous wrath against our wrongdoings.
 
We cannot understand the cross of Christ unless we understand God's pure justice.
Justice says that wrong must be punished and thereby have the moral balance restored. 
It is simply a fundamental principle of God's universe that wrong deserves punishment.
As Romans 6:23 says: The wages of sin is death.  Pure justice.
 
You may know the light-hearted musicals of Gilbert & Sullivan: like The Mikado. 
Our human desire for justice even pokes its head even such a frolicking play.
One song declares: Let the punishment fit the crime, let the punishment fit the crime. 
All of us, from child to adult, from comic to serious, have a built-in sense of justice.
 
For example, how often don’t you heard children say: It’s not fair! 
I grew up in the middle of five boys.  There was plenty of competition and jostling-
to use toys, to get seconds at meals, to determine who had poked whom first. 
My Mom was the homemaker + the disciplinarian. You know what would really bug me?
When my Mom settled a spat in a way I thought was unfair!
 
Adults have a built-in sense of justice too.  I once served a church near Toronto. 
In Canada there is no death penalty allowed. 
But one day a popular, athletic girl was abducted from her safe neighborhood. 
Later her body was found in some underbrush.  Immediately the city was up in arms. 
A massive manhunt was launched.  And there was an outraged cry for the death penalty.
 
It is simply a fundamental principle of God's universe that wrong deserves punishment.
Because of our ingrained sense of justice, many look at current events and wonder:
Where on earth is God’s justice!  We see abusive homes where kids don't have a chance,
we see playground bullies, rapes, political corruption and terrorist bombings.
Where is God's justice?  People with moral sensitivity have long been troubled by this.
 
Our unmet desire for justice may lead to bitterness + cynicism- unless we look to the cross.
Now, it is true that final justice is not completely handed out in our time. 
It is true that God allows sins to accumulate in our day without always being punished.
 
But that’s not because God lacks a sense of justice.  Rather God is being patient with us.
As Romans 3 says: in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.
God is being patient, longing for us to accept Christ's saving work on the cross.
 
On the cross, Jesus bore God's awful, majestic judgment for every last one of our sins.
Only the divine Son of God could bear such thundering, consuming wrath. 
That is why creation seemed to creak and groan and heave!  The sun stopped shining.
Darkness came over the whole land.  When Jesus died, an earthquake shook the land. 
 
God's pure justice was perfectly demonstrated at the cross.
 
In turn, the cross points to God's pure justice on the last day- the Judgment Day.
Romans 3 says that Jesus saves us through faith in his blood. 
It is by faith that Jesus takes away our sins.  It is by faith that we are saved. 
 
But for all who reject Christ, the cross reveals the awful punishment waiting for them.
The punishment Jesus endured on the cross foreshadows punishment at the Judgment Day. 
 
Do you get indignant when God seems to do nothing- when injustice runs rampant? 
Then you better first look at yourself- your mixed record. Then look at the cross + tremble. 
Praise God for his patience with us. 
 
Praise God that he presented Jesus as a sacrifice… to demonstrate his justice.
The cross of Christ demonstrates God’s pure justice.
 
The second question I promised to ask: Why was Jesus willing to die for us? 
We all know the answer- love.  Sheer, unexplainable, unbelievable love. 
 
It was out of love that Jesus could say of the soldiers who crucified him:
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. 
It was out of love that Jesus assured the criminal at his side of being with him in paradise.
It was out of love that Jesus suffered the tearing and rending of his flesh.
It was out of love that Jesus endured the awful anger and rejection of his own Father.
 
Out of love God wanted to be, as Romans 3 puts it: the one who justifies us.
As this great hymn puts it: What wondrous love is this, O my soul. 
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
 
Do you want to know what real love is? Don't look in a dictionary. Look at the cross! 
I John 3 says: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
For our good, Jesus was willing to give up his rights, his dignity, his health, his very life.
The cross of Christ supremely demonstrates God's perfect love for us.
F
Finally, I want to apply the justice and love of the cross to our daily lives. 
Perhaps, in a moment of frustration, you said hurtful things to someone you care about.
Later, you saw how wrong and hurtful it was; it was inexcusable; you felt ashamed. 
And then you felt down on yourself; you really blew it; so you felt rather unlovable.
 
Can you relate?  In that situation, besides apologize, you need to look to the cross. 
On the cross Jesus already satisfied God’s pure justice- even for your worst behavior.
And God's perfect love shown on the cross is strong enough to love you- even when you’ve blown it.
 
Another application: a woman I met became Muslim after growing up in the church. 
She cited the awful things going on in society: racism, crime, rape. 
She said: All Christians talk about is a nicey, nice love in the face of his terrible injustice.
So, she turned to the stern Allah of the Koran to satisfy her craving for justice.
 
The truth is: she didn't need to look elsewhere to find a God of justice. 
She simply needed to look to the cross and what Jesus suffered there. 
If she had, she would have seen God's pure and absolute justice.
 
A third application: even in our parenting we should look to the cross. 
Offering children justice without love will leave kids rigid, shriveled and unforgiving.
Offering children love without justice + discipline will leave kids wild and selfish-
not knowing the seriousness of wrongdoing and how their behavior hurts others.  
Parents must reflect the cross in the wonderful interplay of justice and love.
 
A final application: perhaps some of you here just aren't doing that well. 
This has been a rough stretch. Maybe you’re down because you don’t have true friends.
Or maybe your job is a real grind.  Or maybe there’s a lot of bickering at home. 
Maybe you’re dealing with health issues.  It’s draining.  It’s getting under your skin.
Bottom line: with all this you are beginning to wonder if God really loves you.
 
Then look to the cross! Read about Jesus' crucifixion. Ponder what he suffered for you!
Then you may grasp in your heart what you know in your head-God absolutely loves you!
 
So, friends, let’s make such a big deal out of Jesus’ death on the cross?
Let’s sing songs of the cross.  Let’s celebrate Good Friday.
Let’s build crosses that soar to the sky.  Let’s wear cross necklaces.
Let’s glory in the cross: the demonstration of God’s pure justice and perfect love for us.
 
Neil Jasperse
Faith Church Nashville, TN
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Encounters with Jesus: The Disciple on the Lake

3/24/2019

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Text: John 6:16-21
Theme: When the waters of life grow rough Jesus reassures us: It is I; don’t be afraid.

He was one of Jesus’ disciples. 
He was there when the boy made available his small loaves and fish. 
He was there when Jesus multiplied the loaves to feed 5,000. 
He was there when the crowd wanted to make Jesus king- by force. 
After all, someone who will feed you for free is always popular.
 
But Jesus had slipped away. He didn’t want to be crowned based on filling their bellies.  What to do?  The disciples decoded to head back to their home base in Capernaum.
 
Notice the change of scene.  Instead of sunlight, now it was dark. 
Instead of Jesus right there with them, now he was away.
Instead of plenty of grass that was soft, now the waters grew rough.
 
Here we need a backgrounder on the Sea of Galilee.  Capernaum is on the northwest side.  There the sea is over four miles across.  The disciples were headed back home.
So, they were headed directly into the prevailing west wind.  It was rough.
 
Rowing into the wind on rough waters was no picnic.  But they stuck with it. 
After a long stretch of hard pulling, they managed to cover three or four miles. 
Now, on top of the darkness, the absence of Jesus + the rough water, they were bone tired.
 
This scene represents the rough waters we all face at times.  You see, sin stirs things up. 
Waves of sin and strife create danger.  And, of course, danger triggers fear. 
Danger and fear are a prominent part of the human experience.
 
Now for most of us, danger and fear don’t dominate our days. 
We aren’t immigrants living in the shadow of deportation.
We don’t live on a high-crime street where you never know when a teen will be shot. 
We don’t live in Afghanistan or Syria where a bomb might go off at any time. 
Most of us have grown up in safe homes, safe schools and safe neighborhoods. 
 
But even for relatively safe people in Nashville there are dangers that can rock our boat. 
There are dangers on our crowded highways.  Or there is a bully at your school. 
Or your finances may be shaky.  Or you have a check-up and something’s not quite right. 
A further test shows a suspicious spot.  What if that spot is cancer?  Fear rolls in.
Then there are dangers on the international stage: Terrorists plot their next bloody attack.
North Korea threatens to send nuclear weapons flying across the world.
Tariffs threaten jobs.  Drugs make their way through borders.  Super viruses kill.
It’s always something.  Like the disciples, rough waters can leave us feeling tired + afraid.
 
Then the disciples saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water. 
Life is never dull with Jesus!  He has just fed five thousand from a few small loaves. 
Now he comes to them- walking on water!
 
But Jesus’ approach is so unexpected, the disciples don’t recognize him. 
In Matthew’s account they cry: It’s a ghost! It reminds me of the old Scooby Doo cartoons. Shaggy and Scooby are always getting scared by some sinister figure.
Now, the disciples felt threatened by two dangers: rough water + this other-worldly specter.
 
In this dramatic moment we learn a lesson:
we need to recognize Jesus’ presence and power.  We need to recognize him with us. 
If we don’t see that Jesus is with us, then we’ll be left frightened. 
Like the disciples on the sea, many people don’t recognize Jesus as a source of help+ hope.
 
Take secularists: they see belief in Jesus as primitive superstition- like Scooby Doo.   
Take humanists: they see Jesus as a crutch- quite unneeded by capable human beings.
Take Muslim belief: they see Jesus as usurping the place of the true prophet- Mohammed.
None of them recognize Jesus as the source of love and hope and salvation.
 
What about you?  Do you see Jesus for who he is- the Son of God who can walk on water?
Do you see Jesus who comes- to be with you and reassure you?
 
Now, in their confusion and terror Jesus speaks: It is I; don’t be afraid.
Later in John 10 Jesus says: I am the good shepherd.  And the sheep know his voice. 
Sure enough, when the disciples heard his voice, they knew it was Jesus.  What a relief!
 
It is I; don’t be afraid. This is part of the gospel: Jesus doesn’t just save us from sin. 
He also comes to free us from fear.
 
You know, fear is a result of sin- part of the curse on human existence.
Fear creeps into our lives in so many ways.  Fear has a way of taking the shine off of life. 
Fear is like an annoying mosquito buzzing around your tent at night.
Let me ask: how much do anxieties and fears buzz around in your mind?
 
 Jesus came to set us free from fear.  Imagine life without any fears to harass you!
No fear of ridicule at school.  No fear of racism on the street.  No fear of financial failure.  No fear of demonic addiction.  No fear of cancer.  No fear of death.  No fear at all!
Life without fear is sweet.  It’s the peace that only Jesus can give.
 
Now this fascinating line in vs 21: Then they were willing to take him into the boat. 
They were willing to take him into the boat.  This is an act of receiving Jesus.
Every person on the planet faces this precise decision. Will you take Jesus into your boat? 
 
Amazing Grace is perhaps the most popular song in the Christian hymn book. 
The author is John Newton.  John was from a sea-faring family. 
At one point Newton got involved in the lucrative slave trade. 
 
Then on a run from Africa to England his ship ran into a terrible storm. 
Cargo came loose and bashed a hole in the side of the ship; water started pouring in. 
Newton thought they were going down.  In terror for his life, he cried out to God for help. 
 
Then a piece of cargo plugged the hole; the storm passed; the ship drifted to safety. 
John felt intense relief!  God had spared him.  Then and there he took Jesus into his boat. 
Afterwards he wrote: Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
 
You know, many people won’t face this crucial decision. 
Some think certain people are just religious and others, like them, aren’t. 
Some think it’s how you were raised. Raised Jewish or Christian or Muslim? That settles it.  But, the truth is: like the disciples we all face a pivotal decision- whether to receive Jesus.
The question here is not: do we believe Jesus exists?  The question is: will we receive him?
 
Sadly, some people choose not to let Jesus in.  Why?  They fear he may swamp their fun. 
They fear Jesus will steer their boat in a direction they don’t want to go. 
They fear he may force them to row too hard.  So they keep rowing- on their own.
 
Will you take Jesus into your boat?  And you can’t go half-way on this. 
You can’t invite Jesus to have one leg in the boat and one leg out.  That’s won’t work.
 
I think that’s sometimes an issue with teens.  You believe in Jesus. 
You know deep down he’s the real deal.  But, you also want to do your own thing. 
You want to be cool.  Like Eve, you may want to taste some forbidden pleasures. 
One leg in; one leg out.  That won’t work.  Will you take Jesus into your boat- all the way? 
 
The disciples were willing to take him into the boat.  Then notice how things clear up: immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. 
Like Noah in his day, the boat reached solid ground.
Some commentators think this was another miracle: to immediately reach the shore. 
 
In any case, what a change!  Instead of rough waters, there was solid ground. 
Instead of rowing, they could rest. The danger was past.  Imagine the disciple’s relief! 
 
This is the gospel: Jesus brings us to safety; to rest; to peace. 
If Jesus’ is in your boat, you’ll get to the other side.  So don’t be afraid!
 
One steep cost of transitional ministry is not knowing where you’ll serve next.
While serving up in New Brunswick, Canada Ruth and I felt far removed from things. 
For a few months no church door was opening.  Then some anxiety started creeping in.
What if no door opens?  What if I’m unemployed? No medical insurance. No place to live.
 
Then who should contact me?  Bart Spain.  Soon we sensed God’s call to Faith Church.
If Jesus’ is in your boat, you’ll get to the other side.
 
As long as this sin-plagued planet continues to spin, we will face rough waters. 
At times we will face danger.  But what a difference when Jesus is with us! 
In every scene of life Jesus says to us: It is I; don’t be afraid.
If Jesus is in your boat, you’ll get to the other side.
 
Are you trying out for a team and not sure if you’ll make it?  It is I; don’t be afraid. 
Are you anxious about a big exam?  Hear his words: It is I; don’t be afraid.
Are you dreading a root canal?  Hear his words: It is I; don’t be afraid.
 
Looking for a job, but worried that your age is against you?  It is I; don’t be afraid.
Have you done something bad and you fear God’s wrath?  It is I; don’t be afraid.
Worried about the future of Faith Church? Remember Jesus words: It is I; don’t be afraid.
 
Later today I urge you to take time to reflect on your life. 
Be honest with yourself.  Are there things that cause you to feel anxious or afraid? 
What are they?  How are they affecting you: your emotions, your outlook on life? 
 
Whatever the danger may be, let Jesus’ words ring in your mind and heart.
It is I; don’t be afraid.  If Jesus is in your boat, you’ll get to the other side.

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church Nashville, TN.
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Encounters with Jesus: The Boy with Bread

3/19/2019

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Encounters with Jesus: The Disabled Man

3/10/2019

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Text: John 5:1-15
Theme: With the disabled man Jesus shows grace which seeks and heals.

The man was disabled.  We don’t know his exact disability. 
He may have been paralyzed or lame or withered by some disease.
We do know that his disability wasn’t anything new.  He had it for 38 years.
 
The man lay by the pool of Bethesda.  Back in 1888 archeologists uncovered the pool. The pool was near the Sheep Gate, which was about 200 yards north of the temple. 
This was probably the gate used to bring sheep to serve as sacrifices in the temple.
 
In Jesus’ day, a great number of disabled people gathered by the pool of Bethesda.  There were two reasons why they hung out there.  First, the pool was surrounded by five covered colonnades. That covering provided them protection from sun and rain.
 
Second and more importantly, they hoped to be healed there. 
Some manuscripts of John’s gospel include another verse: From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters.  The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.
Today we have Olympic races in the pool.  Then they had races to the pool.
 
One day Jesus came to this pool.  Jesus saw him lying there. 
Here again we see that Jesus notices people.  Jesus takes an interest in people. 
He inquired about the man. Jesus learned that he had been in this condition a long time.
 
Then Jesus posed a question: Do you want to get well?  Do you want to get well?
Now, that question might appear silly, because the answer seems so obvious. 
The man has a serious disability.  Of course he wants to get well!
 
But sometimes a disability can be like a vine intertwining with a fence. 
Over time a disability becomes part of one’s identity.  It shapes activities and lifestyle. 
A disability may even attract attention and special sympathy.
Is that why the man never gets in the pool first? 
So, rather than presume, Jesus probes: he asks if healing is what the man truly wants.
 
The disabled man proves eager to explain his situation; he’s eager to tell his story. 
Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. 
While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.
I have no one to help me.  Here is a cry from the heart. 
In these few words are wrapped a lifetime of loneliness + disappointed hopes + misery.
 
For a long time this man has been disabled.
For a long time he’s had no one to help him- no wife, no family, no friends.  No one.
For a long time he’s laid by the pool and it’s hope of healing, but never quite makes it. 
For a long time he’s finished runner up in every race to the pool.  He feels like a loser.
 
Here is a picture of loneliness + despair. The disabled man isn’t the only one to feel that.
There are lonely children: parents preoccupied or divorced; lonely; without a close friend.
There are lonely adults: living far from family; neighbors busy with their own lives;
no friend to have a heart to heart talk with; going to a bar for desperate friendship. 
There are lonely seniors: many friends have died; unable to get out much; long days to fill.
 
One growing alarm in our society is the high rate of suicides among teenagers. 
In recent years suicide has become one of the leading causes of teen death. 
Suicide is the ultimate sign of emotional loneliness and despair. 
 
Despair over a lousy home situation.  Despair over how you look. 
Despair over not having many friends.  Despair over not feeling understood or liked. 
When the man cried: I have no one to help me, he speaks for millions of people.
 
But here’s good news: Jesus is a friend to the lonely.  He is the one who can help.
Jesus said to the man: Get up!  Pick up your mat and walk. 
At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
 
John says nothing about the man’s reaction. But you can imagine his astonishment + joy!
After 38 years of dealing with his disability, he could walk! 
 
In our generation there has been a growing sensitivity to people with disabilities. 
Joni Earickson was a teen when a diving accident left her a quadriplegic. 
She became a great advocate for people, like her, with disabilities.
The CRC has been a pioneer in establishing an office of Disability Concerns.
Churches have been urged to make their space receptive to those with disabilities.
 
All of this flows from the ministry of Jesus.  The disabled man had no one to help him.  Then Jesus came and helped him.  Do you have some limitation- a disability of any kind?
Here is a sparkling reminder: Jesus is able and willing to help.
 
Now, if John’s account ended there, there would be plenty to ponder- plenty to marvel at. 
But it turns out there’s an Act II. Vs 9: The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, so the Jews said to the man: It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.
 
Wow!  Talk about being a killjoy.  After 38 years this man could walk! 
But all they could think about was a Sabbath technicality.  This is the epitome of legalism.
Legalism: an excessive concern for the letter of the law
while neglecting the purpose of the law: to love our neighbor and promote their wellbeing.
 
Take this example: speed limits are set to protect and save life.  It’s not good
to have people driving through neighborhoods at 50 miles per hour.  It’s dangerous. 
 
But suppose at midnight, with little warning, a woman is about to give birth. 
Her husband is hustling her to the hospital and hits 45 mph in their neighborhood. 
A police officer pulls them over for speeding.  The husband explains the emergency. 
For the mother and baby’s well-being they must get to the hospital as soon as possible!  
 
But the officer pays no attention.  They have exceeded the limit.  It’s against the law.  They will wait while he writes out a ticket.  That’s legalism: an excessive concern for the letter of the law, while neglecting the purpose of the law: to promote our well-being.
 
Now think about the sabbath.  God designed the sabbath to promote our well-being. 
God didn’t intend us to become mere beasts of burden. The sabbath limits endless work that might snuff out time with God, time for rest, time for play, time to be fully human. 
Healing the disabled man fit the spirit of the Sabbath- restoring his well-being. 
 
But the Jews showed no interest in the man’s healing.  They were too hung up on the law. 
It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.  That’s so sad! 
 
I hope we will take a lesson from this.  Let’s respect the law. 
But let’s always remember its true purpose-to protect + promote the well-being of people. 
Let’s avoid legalism: as parents, as teachers, as a church community.
 
Now, when the Jews rebuked the healed man, he pleads innocent.  He passes the buck. 
The man who made me well said to me: Pick up your mat and walk.
So now the Jews want to track down the man who would ignore the Sabbath law. 
Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up + walk? Their legalism is almost comical!
 
And now this key detail: The man who was healed had no idea who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.  The man had no idea who it was.
Notice the contrast between the encounter with the royal official and the disabled man.
The official knew who Jesus was; the disabled man didn’t.
The official came to Jesus; Jesus came to the disabled man.
The official asked Jesus to heal his son; the disabled man made no request for healing.
 
Here we see God’s grace isn’t limited by our knowledge or our initiative or our faith.
The man didn’t know it was Jesus; he didn’t come to Jesus; he didn’t ask for help. 
Yet in his goodness and mercy, Jesus healed him.
 
Faith is a channel through which God’s power and grace flows to us.  No question. 
Faith is like a big irrigation ditch through which God’s living water flows to us.
But the point here is: God’s grace isn’t limited to our faith! 
 
That’s a great relief, isn’t it?  I think of times in my life when I’ve been discouraged. 
I think of times when I’ve gone through some rejection or failure or disappointment. 
In moments like that it can be hard to trust God for what lies ahead. 
 
Can you relate? Just when we need God’s help the most, our faith may be at its lowest ebb. 
If God’s grace solely depended on our faith, we’d be in bad shape.
What a comfort that God’s grace isn’t limited by our puny faith!
 
We find this same dynamic at work in our salvation.
Romans 5 says: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
It’s not faith first, then God helps us. It’s God’s saving help first; then faith follows. 
Praise God that his grace transcends our knowledge and initiative and faith.
 
Finally our text includes an Act III.  Later Jesus found the man at the temple and said:
See, you are well again.  Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. 
Here Jesus shows a tender concern not just for him physically, but also spiritually-
not just for the body but also for the soul. 
 
Jesus’ point is this: living with a disability is rough. 
But not nearly as rough as facing the wrath of God at the Judgment Day.
Stop sinning.  Jesus’ words are valid for you and me: stop sinning.
The consequence of sin are worse than any physical disability.  Let’s never forget that!
 
What an encounter with Jesus!  It changed the man’s life. 
He found that Jesus seeks out disabled people.  Jesus takes an interest in disabled people.  Jesus heals disabled people with a power that isn’t limited to our faith.  Jesus is amazing! I hope that you will admire him and believe in him and receive his help- for body + soul.

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church
Nashville, TN
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Encounters with Jesus- 6: The Royal Official

3/3/2019

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Text: John 4:46-54
Theme: In coming to Jesus, the royal official receives healing for his son and eternal life for his entire household.

An astonishing assortment of people encountered Jesus during his ministry. 
There was Nathanael, a Galilean without guile.  There Mary, the mother of Jesus. 
There was the profiteer in the temple courts.  Nicodemus, part of the Jewish council.
A Samaritan woman.  Each had an up close and personal encounter with Jesus. 
Don’t you wish you could have been one of them?
 
Now we come to a royal official. 
Likely he served under King Herod, the regional ruler for the Roman Empire.  
The official’s position gave him power. With position/power you can dictate a lot of things:
your housing, the food on your table, various comforts, servants to do your bidding. 
 
But position and power can never dictate everything. They cannot guarantee good health. 
The official had a son who became sick. His condition grew so bad, he was close to death.
Local doctors could do nothing more.  Few things are worse for a parent.
 
In the middle of this crisis the royal official heard that Jesus arrived in Cana. 
Cana was about twenty miles from Capernaum as the crow flies. 
With winding roads a trip there took the better part of a day.  Could Jesus help his boy?
 
Now, the royal official could have sent a servant to summon Jesus.  But he didn’t. 
He trekked to Cana himself.  Maybe he thought a father’s plea would be more persuasive. 
But one thing is clear: he loved his son so much that he went to any lengths to seek help. 
 
Note: the royal official went to Jesus because he had an urgent need; he was desperate. 
What if he didn’t have that need?  What if his son remained a picture of health? 
Would the official have come to Jesus?  Probably not.
Here is a profound spiritual principle: pressing needs often spur people to come to Jesus.
 
If people urgently need healing, they will come to Jesus.
If people urgently feel the need for love and acceptance, they will come to Jesus.
If people urgently feel the need to be saved from their sins, they will come to Jesus. 
As the Heidelberg Catechism notes: we must first know how great our sin and misery are. 
Obviously this father felt miserable- miserable over his son’s grim condition. So he came.
 
It seems this is precisely the pitfall for so many around us today. 
We live in a pleasant, prosperous, relatively privileged country. 
Many people around us are sitting pretty and feeling fine.  They enjoy the Nashville vibe.
They don’t feel any urgent need- for body or soul.  So, why go and seek Jesus?
 
But the royal official had a need.  So, he made a long day’s journey to come to Jesus. 
And when he found him, he begged Jesus to come and heal his son.
Oh, that people in need would come to Jesus and beg for his help!
 
How did Jesus respond?  Well, his first reaction doesn’t seem too promising. 
Instead of respond to the father, Jesus speaks to the crowd:
Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe.
 
What’s this all about? Well, Jesus certainly isn’t giving the people a pat on the back.
And it doesn’t seem to be a neutral observation.  Likely this is a lament- or a rebuke.
Jesus detected a skepticism in them that would only yield to dazzling, divine fireworks. 
 
But, Jesus’ doesn’t want his followers to depend on signs and wonders right and left. 
The perpetual need to be wowed by some divine display is a mark of immaturity. 
He wanted them to develop a rock-solid faith that simply takes him at his word- period.
 
Remember Gideon?  One day the angel of the Lord came to him and said:
Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.
 
Did Gideon take God at his word?  Hardly.  But Lord, how can I save Israel? 
My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.
 
Instead of obeying he asked for a sign.  So the angel gave him a sign. 
Fire flared from a rock and consumed his meat + bread.  So Gideon knew it was an angel. 
 
But he still wasn’t ready to trust and obey God. He asked God for another sign + wonder.  He asked God to cause the fleece to be wet with dew while the ground around stayed dry.  Gideon’s need for all these signs wasn’t a badge of faith.  It reflected a lack of trust.
 
What a contrast to the official!  He doesn’t say to Jesus: prove yourself; then I’ll trust you.
Unlike Gideon and the crowds in Cana, he doesn’t require a sign or wonder first. 
He simply says: Sir, come down before my child dies.
In response to this faith Jesus says: You may go.  Your son will live.
 
That was hopeful.  But its also a surprise!  It wasn’t exactly what the father expected. 
His plan was for Jesus to go with him to attend to his son in person.  In person.
He thought any healer would need to be there to help his boy. 
 
What was the father’s reaction?  Would he protest or plead for Jesus to come along?
John records the pivotal reaction: The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 
What an example of trust in Jesus!  Let me ask: Do you simply take Jesus at his word?
 
When Jesus says: Love your enemies, do you take him at his word and aim to love them?
When Jesus says: Flee from sexual immorality, do you take him at his word and flee?
When Jesus says: Forgive one another, do you take him at his word and work to forgive?
When Jesus says: Don’t neglect to tithe, do you take him at his word and tithe- period?
Like the royal official, do you simply take Jesus at his word?
 
Now, imagine the thoughts of the official as he retraced his steps back home. 
What was happening with his son?  Was he still alive?  Had he improved? 
 
Then, at some point, his servants met him along the road.  They brought good news! 
His son’s deadly fever had left him!  He was better!  Imagine the father’s relief and joy!
 
Friends: here is a demonstration of Jesus’ great promise in the Sermon on the Mount:
Ask + you will receive; seek + you will find; knock + the door will be opened to you.
The father sought Jesus out and asked that his son be healed.  And Jesus healed him. 
 
But there’s more.  The official inquired what time his son got better. 
The servants said: The fever left him yesterday at one in the afternoon.
The official realized that was the exact time Jesus said to him: Your son will live.
 
The official sought out Jesus as some healer.  But now he knew Jesus was more than that. 
Healers can only help those they can touch.  Healers are limited to their own space. 
Jesus’ power was not bounded by space.  He could heal a son twenty miles away! 
 
So the official and all his household believed.  In John’s gospel believe is a big word. 
The background is John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 
 
In this sense the official and his household believed. 
They believed that Jesus was the divine Son of God, the Savior of the world. 
The official set out to save his son’s physical life. They all ended up receiving eternal life.
 
Think Ephesians 3: God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.  
The official asked Jesus to come on a long journey to heal his son. 
Jesus did better than that: he healed the son instantly. 
Better yet, in God’s mercy the entire household was saved and received eternal life.
In Jesus we find a God of amazing grace.  Let’s never stop looking for his grace. 
 
One more point about this encounter.  John concludes with this statement:
This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. 
Again, Jesus wanted his followers to develop a faith that simply takes him at his word. 
A sturdy faith that doesn’t have to be propped up with signs and wonders right and left.
 
And yet- and yet: Jesus goes right ahead and provides this miraculous sign for the people!
Gideon had his doubts.  The crowd had its doubts.  We also may have our doubts.
Our faith and obedience isn’t always as brisk as that royal official.
Yet God graciously stoops to our weakness; he proves his power in the face of our doubts.
 
He gave signs to Gideon.  He gave this great sign and wonder to the crowd. 
Through Jesus God reaches out to us as we are- even if we are doubting or demanding. 
Jesus reveals a God who bends over backwards to reach us.
God bends over backwards to reach you and me.  Let’s never forget that. 
 
When we look around the world, we see many barriers to the gospel. 
Take the entrenched Jewish culture and beliefs and the wariness about anything Christian.
More than a million Jews live in New York City.  Not many are coming to believe in Jesus. 
 
But let’s not despair.  Here is hope: God bends over backwards to reach skeptical people.
God will bend over backwards to reach Jewish people.
God will bend over backwards to reach bitter or angry people. 
God will bend over backwards to reach thoroughly secular people.  Amazing grace!
 
In his desperation, the royal official came to Jesus.  What a dramatic encounter! 
Here we find Jesus is compassionate and powerful and surprising and accommodating.
There is simply no-one like him!
 
In light of this encounter I hope that you are impressed and admire Jesus. 
I hope that you come to trust him and simply take him at his word.
Like the royal official, I hope that you believe in him, in the full sense of the word.  
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church
Nashville, TN
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Encounters with Jesus: The Samaritan Woman

2/24/2019

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Text: John 4:4-26
Theme: Jesus tells a Samaritan woman about living water.

The woman lived in the village of Sychar.  Sychar lay in the middle of Samaria. The region of Samaria was situated smack in the middle of the Jewish territory. So, we need some background on these Samaritans. 
 
In 722 BC the northern kingdom of Israel was crushed by the Assyrian Empire. Most of the survivors were carted off as slaves.  Some of the poorest were left behind. Then the foreign conquerors divvied up the land for themselves. Over time they inter-married with the locals and developed their own culture + identity. 
 
Yet, Jewish roots remained.  These Samaritans still had a partial notion of God. They still accepted the first five books of scripture: Genesis through Deuteronomy. 
 
Samaritans also had their own place of worship to rival Jerusalem- Mt. Gerazim. Mt. Gerazim towered just a few miles to the southwest of Sychar.
 
When the exiles returned to rebuild Jerusalem, the Samaritans opposed them. In turn the Jews despised the Samaritans as half-breeds who were three-quarters pagan.  Samaritans were deemed ceremonially unclean- just like lepers. As John’s account bluntly put it: Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
 
One more bit of background: the Samaritan village of Sychar featured an ancient well. The well was originally dug by Jacob nearly 2,000 years earlier. All those years later it still provided the villagers with the water they needed. By the way, that well still exists; it is over 100 feet deep with a convent built around it. 
 
One day at high noon a woman came to draw water.  To her surprise, a man was there.  Usually it was women who did all the grunt work of drawing and carrying water. This man looked tired and hungry and thirsty after a journey. And what do you know!  The man was a Jew!  In this territory, that was passing strange!
 
Then things got even stranger. The Jewish man actually spoke to her: Will you give me a drink?  The woman was startled and intrigued. It triggers the longest conversation recorded anywhere in the entire Bible.
 
In John 3 we listened in on the encounter Nicodemus had with Jesus. Here in John 4 we listen to another encounter. Notice the stark contrast between the two!
 
That was at night; this is at high noon. That one Nicodemus initiated; this Jesus initiated.  There Jesus met a man; here he meets a woman.  Nicodemus was a Jew; she a Samaritan.  Nicodemus was a ruler; this woman was a peasant who fetched her own water. Nicodemus the Pharisee had high moral standing; as it turns out the woman- not so much. 
 
And yet Jesus took an interest in her.  He taught her God’s truth no less than Nicodemus. Jesus breaks through every social barrier: gender, race, religion, even sexual lifestyle. As Galatians 3 says: In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female.
 
How did Jesus do it?  How did he overcome these age-old barriers that separated them? First, notice that Jesus begins with common ground- with shared needs. They both get thirsty; they both need water to drink.  Finding common ground. This is a valuable principle in reaching out to our neighbors despite our differences.
 
I remember many years ago Ruth and I were at the police department.
We were getting our fingerprints taken for a background check in our adoption process. Alongside us was a guy I’d never laid eyes on before.  We had no prior connections. But it turned out he was also applying to adopt a child. That was common ground. Sharing that common experience led to quite an interesting conversation.
 
Today our society seems to have more diversity and more differences than ever before. There are immigrants, Muslim people, homeless people, NASCAR-loving people. Differences- lots of them.  But we can build bridges to our neighbors on common ground: raising kids, paying taxes, a favorite sports team, a love for hunting + fishing, whatever.
 
People often come to know Jesus through neighbors and friends. So we need to cross barriers to connect with people.  That often starts with common ground.
 
Jesus crossed social barriers. How? Second, he asked for a favor. Will you give me a drink?  Usually Jews were aloof: they’d never stoop to ask a Samaritan for help, much less a woman! But Jesus reverses positions.  He puts her in a position of strength- of helping him. 
 
Most people are happy to help with a favor; in the process they put down their guard. I’ve often noticed that when asking for directions.  Usually people are very willing to help. The only problem is: half the time they forget some crucial information and I’m still lost. So, Jesus crossed barriers- both by finding common ground and by asking for help. By now this woman is really intrigued:
You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.  How can you ask me for a drink?
Jesus answered her: If you knew the gift of God + who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.  
 
Here Jesus makes the same move he did with Nicodemus.  He presents a puzzler. I would have given you living water.  What?  Living water?  What is he talking about? He doesn’t even have a bucket in hand.  The woman is clearly puzzled. Sir, you’ve nothing to draw with+the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
 
Like Nicodemus, the woman misses Jesus’ shift from physical things to spiritual things. Still, she’s curious enough to probe his identity. Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well + drank from it himself?  In other words: can you outdo our revered patriarch + provide better water than he did?
 
Her question provides a perfect lead-in for Jesus: Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
 
A spring of water.  I think of city fountains which splash and sparkle with water. Springs seemingly come from nowhere.  They create streams.  Their water is life-giving!
 
But- water from Jacob’s well was temporary in slaking their thirst. People soon became thirsty again. Women had to keep coming to draw more water. This daily task was a grind.  It was back-breaking work.  It wore people out.
 
So, being spared this tiresome task really grabbed the woman’s interest.  Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. But Jesus is teaching about spiritual life- about life that is permanently satisfying. 
 
You know, underneath all our activity, we long to be satisfied; we want to be fulfilled. It’s a fundamental human desire.  We’re all thirsty for fulfillment at the core of our being. And people seek fulfillment in all kinds of ways. 
 
People seek fulfillment through acceptance from our peers. People seek fulfillment in gaining money and all the things money can buy. People seek fulfillment in popularity and fame. People seek fulfillment in reaching various goals- like climbing the highest mountain. People seek fulfillment in finding the right man or the right woman- our true soul mate.
 
Isn’t that the premise of The Bachelor?  Isn’t that the story with the Samaritan woman? Over time she had five different husbands. Now she’s trying again- living with another man. Underlying all of our human striving is the basic longing for fulfillment- to be satisfied.
 
But in the end all these quests alone don’t satisfy; they still leave people thirsty. Listen to the testimony of Manny Brotman: I tried religion. I had a wonderful religion- Judaism.  Both my parents were Jewish. I was born a Jew. I would die a Jew!  But somehow, I didn’t feel I could live my whole life for only religion.
 
I tried academics.  I had honors… both in high school and college. But I could not live my life only for a string of doctorate degrees after my name.
 
I excelled in sports.  In Philadelphia, I was quarterback of the championship high school football team + pitcher for the winning city baseball team.  I had awards in basketball. But I couldn’t live only for athletic accomplishments and the friends they brought.
 
I tried the business world. I worked my way up...to corporate president. I had a lovely ranch home. Our company had a twin-engine aircraft; a pilot who flew me wherever we wanted to go. But still, I couldn’t live my life only for business accomplishments.
 
None of my accomplishments could ever fill that God-shaped hole within me. All these quests left Manny Brotman thirsty- until he met Jesus and was satisfied.
 
Are you thirsty at the core of your being?  Do you long to be satisfied- truly fulfilled? Ultimately you won’t find it by being the best student in your class. You won’t find it through a really great career. 0You won’t find it with enjoyable family vacations.
 
Jesus says: Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
 
What an offer! What an offer for that woman coming to draw water at the well! What an offer for each of us.  It’s an offer I’ve found satisfying- for sixty years.
 
Friends: will you receive the living water that only Jesus gives? Every other quest will leave you thirsty- unsatisfied. Come to Jesus and drink deeply of his truth and his grace. Then share the living water- as the Samaritan woman did.

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church
Nashville, TN

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Encounters with Jesus: Nicodemus

2/17/2019

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Text: John 3:1-8
Theme: Jesus tells a Samaritan woman about living water.

The woman lived in the village of Sychar. Sychar lay in the middle of Samaria. The region of Samaria was situated smack in the middle of the Jewish territory. So, we need some background on these Samaritans. 
 
In 722 BC the northern kingdom of Israel was crushed by the Assyrian Empire. Most of the survivors were carted off as slaves.  Some of the poorest were left behind. Then the foreign conquerors divvied up the land for themselves. Over time they inter-married with the locals and developed their own culture + identity. 
 
Yet, Jewish roots remained.  These Samaritans still had a partial notion of God. They still accepted the first five books of scripture: Genesis through Deuteronomy. 
 
Samaritans also had their own place of worship to rival Jerusalem- Mt. Gerazim. Mt. Gerazim towered just a few miles to the southwest of Sychar.
 
When the exiles returned to rebuild Jerusalem, the Samaritans opposed them. In turn the Jews despised the Samaritans as half-breeds who were three-quarters pagan. Samaritans were deemed ceremonially unclean- just like lepers. As John’s account bluntly put it: Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
 
One more bit of background: the Samaritan village of Sychar featured an ancient well. The well was originally dug by Jacob nearly 2,000 years earlier. All those years later it still provided the villagers with the water they needed. By the way, that well still exists; it is over 100 feet deep with a convent built around it. 
 
One day at high noon a woman came to draw water. To her surprise, a man was there. Usually it was women who did all the grunt work of drawing and carrying water. This man looked tired and hungry and thirsty after a journey. And what do you know! The man was a Jew! In this territory, that was passing strange!
 
Then things got even stranger. The Jewish man actually spoke to her: Will you give me a drink?  The woman was startled and intrigued. It triggers the longest conversation recorded anywhere in the entire Bible.
 
In John 3 we listened in on the encounter Nicodemus had with Jesus. Here in John 4 we listen to another encounter.  Notice the stark contrast between the two!
 
That was at night; this is at high noon. That one Nicodemus initiated; this Jesus initiated.  There Jesus met a man; here he meets a woman.  Nicodemus was a Jew; she a Samaritan.  Nicodemus was a ruler; this woman was a peasant who fetched her own water. Nicodemus the Pharisee had high moral standing; as it turns out the woman- not so much. 
 
And yet Jesus took an interest in her.  He taught her God’s truth no less than Nicodemus. Jesus breaks through every social barrier: gender, race, religion, even sexual lifestyle. As Galatians 3 says: In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female.
 
How did Jesus do it?  How did he overcome these age-old barriers that separated them? First, notice that Jesus begins with common ground- with shared needs. They both get thirsty; they both need water to drink.  Finding common ground. This is a valuable principle in reaching out to our neighbors despite our differences.
 
I remember many years ago Ruth and I were at the police department.
We were getting our fingerprints taken for a background check in our adoption process. Alongside us was a guy I’d never laid eyes on before.  We had no prior connections. But it turned out he was also applying to adopt a child. That was common ground. Sharing that common experience led to quite an interesting conversation.
 
Today our society seems to have more diversity and more differences than ever before. There are immigrants, Muslim people, homeless people, NASCAR-loving people. Differences- lots of them.  But we can build bridges to our neighbors on common ground: raising kids, paying taxes, a favorite sports team, a love for hunting + fishing, whatever.
 
People often come to know Jesus through neighbors and friends. So we need to cross barriers to connect with people. That often starts with common ground.
 
Jesus crossed social barriers. How? Second, he asked for a favor. Will you give me a drink?  Usually Jews were aloof: they’d never stoop to ask a Samaritan for help, much less a woman! But Jesus reverses positions.  He puts her in a position of strength- of helping him. 
 
Most people are happy to help with a favor; in the process they put down their guard. I’ve often noticed that when asking for directions.  Usually people are very willing to help. The only problem is: half the time they forget some crucial information and I’m still lost. So, Jesus crossed barriers- both by finding common ground and by asking for help.

By now this woman is really intrigued: You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.  How can you ask me for a drink?
Jesus answered her: If you knew the gift of God + who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.  
 
Here Jesus makes the same move he did with Nicodemus.  He presents a puzzler. I would have given you living water.  What?  Living water?  What is he talking about? He doesn’t even have a bucket in hand.  The woman is clearly puzzled. Sir, you’ve nothing to draw with+the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
 
Like Nicodemus, the woman misses Jesus’ shift from physical things to spiritual things. Still, she’s curious enough to probe his identity. Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well + drank from it himself? In other words: can you outdo our revered patriarch + provide better water than he did?
 
Her question provides a perfect lead-in for Jesus: Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
 
A spring of water.  I think of city fountains which splash and sparkle with water. Springs seemingly come from nowhere. They create streams.  Their water is life-giving!
 
But- water from Jacob’s well was temporary in slaking their thirst. People soon became thirsty again. Women had to keep coming to draw more water. This daily task was a grind.  It was back-breaking work.  It wore people out.
 
So, being spared this tiresome task really grabbed the woman’s interest.  Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. But Jesus is teaching about spiritual life- about life that is permanently satisfying. 
 
You know, underneath all our activity, we long to be satisfied; we want to be fulfilled. It’s a fundamental human desire.  We’re all thirsty for fulfillment at the core of our being. And people seek fulfillment in all kinds of ways. 
 
People seek fulfillment through acceptance from our peers. People seek fulfillment in gaining money and all the things money can buy. People seek fulfillment in popularity and fame. People seek fulfillment in reaching various goals- like climbing the highest mountain. People seek fulfillment in finding the right man or the right woman- our true soul mate.
 
Isn’t that the premise of The Bachelor?  Isn’t that the story with the Samaritan woman? Over time she had five different husbands. Now she’s trying again- living with another man. Underlying all of our human striving is the basic longing for fulfillment- to be satisfied.
 
But in the end all these quests alone don’t satisfy; they still leave people thirsty. Listen to the testimony of Manny Brotman: I tried religion. I had a wonderful religion- Judaism.  Both my parents were Jewish. I was born a Jew. I would die a Jew! But somehow, I didn’t feel I could live my whole life for only religion.
 
I tried academics.  I had honors… both in high school and college. But I could not live my life only for a string of doctorate degrees after my name.
 
I excelled in sports.  In Philadelphia, I was quarterback of the championship high school football team + pitcher for the winning city baseball team.  I had awards in basketball. But I couldn’t live only for athletic accomplishments and the friends they brought.
 
I tried the business world. I worked my way up...to corporate president. 
I had a lovely ranch home. Our company had a twin-engine aircraft; a pilot who flew me wherever we wanted to go. But still, I couldn’t live my life only for business accomplishments.
 
None of my accomplishments could ever fill that God-shaped hole within me.
All these quests left Manny Brotman thirsty- until he met Jesus and was satisfied.
 
Are you thirsty at the core of your being?  Do you long to be satisfied- truly fulfilled? Ultimately you won’t find it by being the best student in your class. You won’t find it through a really great career. You won’t find it with enjoyable family vacations.
 
Jesus says: Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
 
What an offer! What an offer for that woman coming to draw water at the well! What an offer for each of us.  It’s an offer I’ve found satisfying- for sixty years.
 
Friends: will you receive the living water that only Jesus gives? 
Every other quest will leave you thirsty- unsatisfied. 
Come to Jesus and drink deeply of his truth and his grace. 
Then share the living water- as the Samaritan woman did.

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church Nashville, TN
0 Comments

Encounters with Jesus: A Temple Profiteer

2/10/2019

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Text: John 2:13-17
Theme: The temple profiteer learns that Jesus’ has a burning zeal for God’s purposes.

He was a businessman with an eye for profit. 
Of course, businessmen with a nose for money are to be found everywhere. 
But he had an edge: he was located in Jerusalem. More than that: he was a temple insider. 
 
Jerusalem and the temple stood at the very center of the Jewish nation. 
Pilgrims from across the country traveled to the temple to offer sacrifices to God. 
Those who traveled some distance found it hard to transport their own offerings. 
So, they usually bought them at the market when they arrived in Jerusalem. 
 
It makes me think of an open market in Kenya I visited several years ago. 
When I walked by their booth, those sellers really went after me. 
Sir, take a look at this!  Look at that fine product!  We’ll give you a good deal.
Or the ultimate pitch: It will look really good on your wife! 
After walking by fifty booths, I felt worn out by their aggressive appeals.
 
Merchants positioned close to the temple were less likely to miss arriving pilgrims.  Apparently these salesmen kept creeping closer and closer to the temple. 
At some point one of them made a bold move: he set up inside the temple wall. 
 
The first court was the Court of Gentiles.  It covered several acres. 
Soon others set up shop there.  They wanted a prime spot too.  It made for good business.
 
Of course, this changed the ambiance in the temple courts.  Now it was a noisy market. 
William Hendriksen writes: it must have resembled a stockyard. 
There was the stench and the filth, the bleating + lowing of animals, destined for sacrifice.
 
Then there were money changers.  In Jesus’ day there were a variety of currencies.  Likely there were Roman coins and Egyptian coins, as well as Jewish money. 
Think of Europe before the Euro: with British pounds, Dutch guilders + German marks.
Pilgrims could buy animals only if they had the proper kind of coins.
 
No doubt, over time our businessman got used to the hubbub in the temple courts.  Sheep bleated, coins clanked, profits were made.  No big deal.  All in a day’s work. 
Life was good.  He was making a neat profit off the pilgrims.
 
But one day all that changed.  Jesus came up to Jerusalem for the Passover. 
When he entered the temple courts, he saw what was going on.  Jesus was outraged!
 
Now, he wasn’t outraged that merchants were doing business.  Nothing wrong with that.  After all, pilgrims needed animals to sacrifice to the Lord, as he commanded.
 
Jesus was outraged at where they were doing business. The temple was meant for worship.  They turned it into a market! They trespassed.  It was a misuse-a perversion of the temple. 
 
Perversion means to use something in a way it was not intended. 
Now, there are fairly innocent forms of perversion: using a sleeve to wipe your nose;
using cafeteria food to throw at friends; waking your kids with an air horn.
 
But perversion can be far more serious.  Perversion is a leading form of human sin. 
For example, driving your car at a safe speed on neighborhood streets is fine. 
But driving at 50/mph and endangering children is a perversion- a sin.
 
Enjoying a glass of wine is fine.  Getting drunk is a perversion. 
The gift of sex is a wonderful thing within marriage.  Pursuing sex outside marriage is not.
 
The merchants had changed the place of prayer for all people into a place of profit. 
In his outrage at this perversion, what did Jesus do?  He made a whip. 
With that whip he drove out all the animals and merchants from the temple area. 
 
Our temple profiteer was among those who hustled out, afraid for his own skin.
Jesus scattered the coins of the money-changers.  He overturned their tables. 
He said: Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!
 
In this confrontation we hear echoes of Psalm 69:9: zeal for your house consumes me.
The Greek word for zeal literally means to be eaten up.  Zeal: a consuming passion.
 
If you want to get a sense of zeal, watch a Super Bowl game.  Players are full of zeal.  Before the game they huddle up and shout and chant as if they are half men/half beasts. 
They fly around the field with reckless abandon. 
After a crunching tackle, they pound their chests and emit primal screams.
 
Meanwhile the fans are just as full of zeal. They paint their faces.  They put on costumes.  They wave signs.  They scream and shout.  They bang the bleachers. 
They go into a frenzy when their team scores.  We’re talking fervor, passion, zeal.
 
Jesus had zeal.  But it wasn’t zeal for a football game.  It wasn’t to make a big profit. 
Jesus had zeal for his Father.  Jesus had zeal for his Father’s good purposes. 
Jesus had zeal for his Father’s house- that it be used as intended: for worship and prayer.
 
Right here, Jesus is a stirring example to us.   Romans 12 says:
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 
What about you? Do you feel eagerness, fervor, passion for Christ and his kingdom?
 
Or are you more eager for a favorite TV show?  More eager to play a video game?
More eager to root on a favorite team?  More eager to take a grand vacation? 
 
What would someone say of our church? Easy to like, but not that eager for God’s Word. 
Fine folks: but not much fervor to share the gospel: the good news of Jesus. 
Pleasant people: but not that passionate to seek justice and serve the poor.  I hope not.
Like Jesus, may we throb with zeal for what matters to God. 
 
Now notice that Jesus’ zeal sparked anger. 
When you have fervor for something good + someone messes with it, it makes you angry. 
Jesus couldn’t stand merchants and money-changers messing up the temple.
In his account John doesn’t specifically use the word.  But you can tell Jesus is angry. 
How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!
 
Often Jesus is pictured as gentle and humble.  And he was: so gentle with hurting people. 
But Jesus could also get angry.  Jesus displays the righteous wrath of God.
 
You know, when we think of God we prefer to think of his love, his grace, his goodness.  But the wrath of God? That’s something else. It’s uncomfortable. So we downplay it.
 
But we are not at liberty to ignore any aspect of Jesus’ character. 
God is a God of anger- righteous anger when we pervert his good purposes. 
That temple profiteer shrank from Jesus’ anger in the temple courts. 
How much worse for sinners to meet God’s righteous wrath at the Judgment Day!
That’s why a sensible person will run to Jesus to plead for mercy- to be spared God’s wrath.
 
Here we should note that anger is a powerful emotion.  It gives people power. 
No one wanted to face an angry Jesus wielding his whip.
 
Anger is like dynamite.  It can be used for good or bad.  In building the transcontinental railroad, dynamite was used for good- to blast tunnels for the tracks to get thru mountains. 
But dynamite also could be used for bad- to blow up railroad lines. 
That’s why the dynamite of anger must be handled so carefully.
That’s why Ephesians 4 says: In your anger do not sin.  Don’t be destructive.
 
Here Jesus harnesses his anger for good: clearing out the temple area- restoring it for prayer.
Let me ask this question: do you get angry for godly reasons?
And when you do get angry, do you harness it for good, rather than bad?
 
At the end of the day, what did our temple profiteer learn in his encounter with Jesus?
First, Jesus has zeal for God the Father and his good purposes.
Second, his zeal could readily spark holy anger when God’s purposes were perverted.
Third, Jesus harnessed his anger for powerful action- to oppose wrong and restore the right.
Zeal- holy anger- powerful action.  That’s a dynamic triple combination.
 
This is the Jesus who says: come and follow me.  Never be lacking in zeal. 
 
You know, every generation has its great perversions that need zeal to confront. 
At the time of Martin Luther there was the perversion of salvation- by good works.
Luther and the Reformers harnessed a zeal for God’s truth to restore the gospel of grace.
 
In early American history there was the perversion of slavery. 
In reaction many Christians were zealous to defend the God-given dignity of every person.
In their zeal these abolitionists developed a holy anger at the institution of slavery. 
In turn they harnessed that anger into powerful action: working to abolish slavery.
 
What perversions of God’s good purposes should we be zealous to oppose in our day?
Treating sex like a recreational activity between any consenting adults.
The abuse of alcohol that has caused countless traffic accidents and destroyed lives.
Thinking that because we have a powerful military, we always have the right to use it.
 
Let me add this: Jesus restored the temple in one fell swoop. 
But our action often must be sustained over months and years- even generations.
 
And zeal for God isn’t limited to broader social issues. 
Young people: what about classmates who engage in cheap talk or take God’s name in vain?
Guys: what about comments about females as if they’re cattle or sex objects. 
Does talk like that stir you to holy anger- to speak up and object?  I hope so.
 
Jesus surprised the temple merchants. Who would expect a rabbi furiously wielding a whip? 

Neil Jasperse
Faith Church Nashville,TN

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