Lip Service to the King Nobody Wanted

Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc.
Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting

Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: January 29, 2006

Lip Service to the King Nobody Wanted
by Dan Trygg

"Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth-phage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, "'The Lord needs them,'" and he will send them at once.’ 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, "‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’"’" Matthew 21:1-5

The account would seem to be pretty straightforward. As they came up the pilgrim road from Jericho, they first came to Bethphage ("house of figs") and Bethany ("house of dates"), on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. John tells us that this event occurred six days before the Passover. He spent the night at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary (Jn. 12:1-11). This was the first Jewish feast since He had raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11), and there were many pilgrims who had heard the reports of this miracle and wished to catch a glimpse of Lazarus and Jesus. The entire area around Jerusalem would have been filled with pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast. The resurrection of Lazarus had been well documented, and many had believed in Jesus as a result of this sign He had performed. On the next day, Sunday, Jesus had His disciples go into the nearby village to fetch a donkey and her colt, which had been tied up in the street. This was most likely prearranged by the Lord, and the disciples were given what they were to say to the owners so that they could borrow the animals.

When they returned to Jesus, they placed their outer garments upon the colt, hoisted Jesus upon its back, and began a procession into Jerusalem, a distance of two miles. Their pathway would have taken them up the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, down the western side, across the Kidron valley, and up the ascending roadway into the city itself, seated on Mt. Zion. Some of the pilgrims (a very large crowd – Matt. 21:8) began placing their coats in the roadway in front of Jesus, and picking them up after He had passed, adding kind of like a "red carpet" kind of dimension to the procession. Others began to cut leafy branches from the trees and palm branches, and placed them in the roadway, as well. When they began the decent of the western side of the Mount of Olives, the multitudes, both behind and in front of Him, began shouting out "Hosanna to the Son of David!", "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!", "Blessed is the king of Israel!", "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!", "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!", "Hosanna!", "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!", and "Hosanna in the Highest!" The noise was deafening. Thousands were shouting, praising God, and crying out for Jesus to "Save now!" ("Hosanna!")

It was very clear what the crowds were expecting. They openly shouted out their wishes. They were expecting Jesus to be the Son of David, who would deliver them from their Roman oppressors. Their cries of "Save now!" must be understood from that perspective. They were cheering for the One whom God had sent, the Prophet Jesus from Nazareth, who obviously had the power of God on His side. They were expecting Him to raise an army and lead a revolt, …but that was not to be. As He came down the Mount, the din increased and echoed across the valley. The Pharisees in the crowd, recognizing the potential danger of an unruly mob, or that the Romans may intervene, or possibly even offended that the pilgrims were shouting out phrases from the Hallel (Psa. 148:1) and the other psalms (cf. 118:25-27 – "Hosanna" comes from from vs. 25. The Hebrew, "hosh vviana vv " became "hosanna" in the Greek Septuagint translation, the popular translation among those Jews living outside of Jerusalem, which most of the pilgrims were.) protested at this unruly demonstration, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" Jesus’ response was, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." This may simply be a declaration that this day was prophesied about, and therefore destined to occur. Or, it may also be a word of rebuke to the Pharisees, based upon Habbakuk 2:9-11, "Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain, to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it." Jesus may be confronting their willingness to compromise for the sake of self-gain. The time would soon come when their unjust plotting would bring about their own destruction. Their lavish houses, built by the fruits of injustice and compromise, cry out for judgment in the eyes of the living God, who sees all.

Immediately after this interchange, as they approached the city, Jesus began to weep. The Greek word indicates that He burst into tears, weeping profusely and with great sobbing, wailing and lamentation. He was weeping over the city, grieving at their blindness to what God was really doing, the opportunity which was present for them to respond to His grace. "If you recognized in this day, even you, the things leading to peace; but at this time it is hidden from your eyes." Then, He prophesied the coming destruction that would be brought upon the city, leading to the utter ruin of the entire place, because they did not recognize the time of God’s coming to them. The city will be surrounded. Embankments will be built up against them. The city will be taken, the people killed. The destruction will be so complete that one stone will not be left upon another. These words were fulfilled 40 years later, as the Romans laid siege to the city. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed, and the city was razed to the ground.

As He continued into the city, the furor of the crowd once again reached a thunderous intensity. Matthew records that "all the city was shaken (as by an earthquake) at the noise, and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." Mark’s account records that He came into the temple. The incident recorded in John 12 must have taken place there. He began to say that the hour for the Son of Man to be glorified had come. He proclaimed, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone by itself; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life ruins it; but he who hates his life in this world will preserve it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let Him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant shall also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him" (Jn. 12:24-26). The crowd was proclaiming Him as their king. Were they willing to give up their lives for Him? The Father will honor those who follow and serve Him. Unbeknownst to the crowd, however, He was about to become like that grain of wheat. In order to fulfill the Father’s purpose, to liberate humankind from their spiritual oppressors and the bondage to sin, the underlying source of all human injustice, it was necessary for Him to lay down His life on our behalf. So, we see His thoughts turning to the great sacrifice which was only a few days away. "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.’" As He uttered this word, a voice came out of heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again" (12:27,28). The multitude who heard it was amazed. Some thought it thundered, while others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

"This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world, now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself" (Jn. 12:30,31). The apostle comments that Jesus said this to indicate the manner of death He was about to die, suspended on a cross. Jesus understood clearly the spiritual conflict which was coming to a head. He was the seed of woman promised so long ago to Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15). What He was about to endure was planned from before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). The serpent was going to bite Him, but, in so doing, would put himself under the heel of the Son of Man, who would crush his head. The power base of the enemy would be stripped away, and the plundering of his house would begin in earnest. Jesus would be the seed who would die and be buried, …but much fruit will grow up as a result. An entire army of followers would find freedom and life in Him, and would set about to liberate other lost souls through the message of Jesus’ victory. The movement would start in Jerusalem and spread like leaven to fill the entire world.

Those listening did not, however, understand what kind of king Jesus was, or what His objective was. As a result, many missed what God was doing right under their noses. For example, the fact that Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a colt was not understood. He did not come riding a war horse. He came as a Man of peace. The prophecy said, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zech. 9:9). The war horse was what a political/military Messiah might be expected to ride. Instead, Jesus came on a donkey, actually upon a colt that had never been ridden before. Such an animal would have neither the strength nor training to respond to a confrontation, should one arise. Jesus would have been a sitting duck in any military encounter. The colt had to be led down the road, probably following its mother, who was also being led. That is about as humble, powerless and non-provoking kind of ride that a person could imagine. Although He was a king, THE King, He came in meekness. He also came with salvation. Not the political deliverance the crowds were expecting, but a salvation that was much greater, one that would strike at the very root of all social and political oppression, …human sin and selfishness. In less than a week, the very multitudes who were acclaiming Him this day would be calling for His crucifixion. Why? Because He was not delivering what they expected, or wanted. He came to destroy self-interest, not to establish it. He would be King only over those who were willing to follow His agenda, not theirs.

He warned them that they had only a limited opportunity to respond to the light that was with them, or the darkness would overtake them. Those who walk in the darkness do not perceive where they are going. "While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you might become children of light" (Jn. 12:36) Whether we are considering following Him for the first time, or whether we are interested in going deeper with Him, this is the bottom line. Respond to the light of revelation while you have the insight, because the shadows will come in again on those who put off obeying God. "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2).

The "Fig-Show-er" in the Fig Tree to Bear Fruit

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: January 22, 2006

The "Fig-Show-er" in the Fig Tree to Bear Fruit
by Dan Trygg

"And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’" Luke 19:2-5

Last time, we left Jesus traveling between the ancient site of Jericho and the newer Roman city by the same name. He had just healed the two blind men by the road, and was proceeding again on His way toward Jerusalem, with the newly healed men following in the rejoicing crowd. In Luke 19, He entered the Roman Jericho and was passing through the city. A man named Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in the area, and he was seeking to see Jesus, but the size and density of the crowd made this impossible, since he was short of stature. Being a resourceful man, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree, so that he would be able to see Jesus when he came by. When Jesus came to the spot, however, looking up into the tree, He addressed Zacchaeus by name, and told him to hurry and come down. "For today it is necessary for Me to stay in your house." Zacchaeus was overjoyed, but "all" the crowd was put off by this, grumbling throughout because Jesus was going to be the guest of a notorious sinner.

Digging down to another level, being a "chief tax collector" meant that Zacchaeus was in charge of the tax collecting enterprise of that entire area, and undoubtedly had a number of other tax collectors working for him. The way tax collecting was set up in those days was very different than our system. The Roman government did not wish to be in the tax-collecting business, but the empire needed a steady stream of revenue to support its troops, government officials and to provide the services it did hold dear (e.g., extensive road building, publicly supported stadiums and other architecture, etc.). The Roman solution was to outsource the distasteful function of tax collection to others. People who were willing to become tax collectors would have to bid for a revenue contract for a certain geographical area. The government expected a certain amount of revenue, and the tax collectors were permitted to take a profit over and above that amount for their services. The idea was that the competition would foster efficiency and would be better for the people than an entrenched government beauracracy. In actuality, however, it fostered a system of corrupt and abusive practices. The tax collectors were given troops to enforce their collection practices, and they regularly used threat of force and high-handed techniques to get what they wanted. They also regularly abused their authority to take more than they contracted for. The bidding system was rife with bribery and favoritism. As long as the money came in, and the public outcry was manageable, the government simply looked the other way.

To become a tax collector, a person was usually motivated by greed, and he was willing and able to play the political game. For a local person, it meant becoming a collaborator with the "enemy", the occupying Roman army. Add to that the fraud, abuse and strong-arm tactics that these men often employed, and it is easy to see why they were so hated. Like modern day pimps or drug dealers who drive fancy cars and wear jewelry to show off their wealth, these men would often build large and ostentatious homes, living in splendor and luxury. Their outward show of wealth was a testimony not only of their prosperity, but also of the fraudulent and oppressive practices they employed. They were outcasts from Jewish society, and despised. To be "chief tax collector", a person would typically have to be one of the "worst of the worst" in that he had to be able to meet revenue quotas consistently, and had to be able to garner influence enough (usually through bribery, intimidation or political "connections") to obtain the position. Then, he would take a cut from those working for him, adding further to the tax burden of the common people.

With that in mind, we can see why the crowd reacted as it did when Jesus chose to fraternize with a man such as Zacchaeus. The rejoicing, exultant multitude was reduced to instant grumbling, once they realized what Jesus was doing. Zacchaeus was also well aware of their feelings. The contrast between the crowd’s reaction and Jesus’ willingness to come to his house could not have been more stark. Furthermore, Jesus was a Man on a mission. He was inviting Himself to Zacchaeus’ house, not responding to any offer by the tax collector. Jesus’ language is very specific. "It is necessary for Me to stay at your house." This implies an agenda behind His statement. This is not just a social visit. There is a definite purpose for His coming. The fact that Jesus called him by name out the tree indicates that the Holy Spirit was initiating this divine appointment. The two did not know each other before this day (Zacchaeus was trying to see who He was.). Yet Jesus called him out of the sycamore tree (Gk. sukomorea) by name, and spoke of a purpose, that "it is necessary" for Him to come to his house. This was a "word of knowledge" given by the Holy Spirit to penetrate a person’s defenses to show them that God cares for them personally (cf. I Cor. 12:8; e.g., Jn. 4:16-18).

Zacchaeus the manipulator, …Zacchaeus the unscrupulous opportunist and political animal…, would have jumped at the chance to palaver with the possible future King of Israel. He would have tried to make connections, possibly to make arrangements to curry favor with a new regime. Instead, disarmed by grace, all of that was pushed aside. He knew what Jesus stood for. He knew He had been preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, that someone like himself, by faith and repentance, could start fresh with God. His hard shell of defense was cracked open by grace. Now he was pricked by the grumbling of the crowd, and stood to make his repentance known to Jesus, "Behold, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody (Gk. sukophanteo) out of anything (and the Greek implies that he had), I will repay it fourfold." This was real repentance, a change of mind and heart toward his past behavior, and a desire to make it right (II Cor. 7:11). He did not pull this proposal for making amends out of the air. What he said he would do was exactly what the Law said regarding making restitution for a stolen animal (Ex. 22:1). He was submitting himself to God’s word. Jesus recognized this genuine change of heart and affirmed that "salvation has come to this house". Then He mentioned the overarching purpose for His life, "the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost." Indeed, He had come for people who were lost. He had come to seek them out and deliver them from the bondage of their sin. It was scandalous what the grace of God could do, reaching the most unlikely and undeserving of people. But that is what grace is, the undeserved, unearned favor of God (Rom. 11:6), the gift of another chance at life, and another chance for relationship with Him.

Lest the crowds or Zacchaeus misunderstand, however, Jesus picked this moment to tell the parable of the minas, a parable about using grace well, instead of wasting it. In the parable, a nobleman was called away by the emperor to be appointed king, and then return. Before leaving, he gave ten of his servants a mina, a sum of money equal to about 100 days’ wages. They were instructed to trade and do business with this until their master returned. When he left, some who did not like him sent a delegation to try to appeal to the emperor to prevent him from being appointed king. Nevertheless, he received his kingship and returned. When he called his servants to account, the first had multiplied his mina into ten by his diligence and skill. The new king affirmed him, and placed him in authority over ten cities. The next had increased his mina to five, so the master appointed him over five cities as a reward for his diligence and ingenuity. A third servant, however, had done nothing with his mina. The king rebuked him for his laziness, and commanded that his mina be taken away from him and be given to the one who had multiplied his into ten. When the bystanders protested that this didn’t seem fair, since the man already had ten, the king stated a principle by which we shall all be judged, "to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he has shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence." We must be careful when interpreting parables not to make them say more than intended. It would seem that the main point is that we who are stewards, who have received the gift of grace, are expected to do something with it, to "work with it" and multiply it in the lives of others. Those who do nothing with grace are "worthless" as servants, and even the little they have will be taken away. As for those who refuse to come under the Master’s rule, their resistance will cost them their lives. Those who want to please their Master will work hard to multiply what they have been given. Upon the King’s return, they will receive a correspondingly greater reward. Partly to address the scandal of Zacchaeus’ conversion, and partly because some were thinking that the kingdom was going to come immediately, Jesus used this parable to prepare His followers for His departure to a "distant country" and the evaluation that will take place upon His return. None should judge a Zacchaeus. He was given the same grace that was available to any of them. The point is not just that the lost be found, but that they make use of the grace they have received to be found productive for the King upon His return.

There is another hidden connection that is somewhat of an irony. The Greek word for "fig" is sukon. The word that came to mean "defraud" was sukophanteo, which literally meant a "fig show-er". The story behind this was that years before, in Athens, the Greeks had a problem with people smuggling figs out of the area, without paying the proper duties and taxes. A sukophant was someone who was hired to be an informant to "show the figs" to the authorities. Unfortunately, many of these "fig-show-ers" chose to blackmail those who were attempting to smuggle the figs. They were extortioners and the term came to be tied to this meaning as an idiom, or slang term. Thus, Zacchaeus, the sukophant, climbed up a sukomorea, a fig-mulberry tree. Literally, Jesus found the lost "fig-show-er" in the "fig-tree", and called him to a new life bearing fruit for his new Master.

Faith That Refused to Lose an Opportunity

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: January 15, 2006

Faith That Refused To Lose An Opportunity
by Dan Trygg

"The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ 33 They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him." Matthew 20:31-34

Matthew relates the story of two blind men who claimed, and found, healing in Jesus. Their story is an example of desperate, determined faith that drove them to draw the Lord’s attention to them, and kept them from being passed by. Their story is recorded here not only because of the wonderful miracle which the Lord performed for them that day, but also to provide for us a concrete example of faith that will step up to meet opportunity, …faith that will not be dissuaded when opposition arises, but presses through to obtain God’s best.

It is important to remember the nature of the gospel writings. They are not meant to be thorough, objective historical descriptions of all that went on in every scenario of Jesus’ life. John tells us that such an endeavor would have been impossible, since Jesus had touched and healed so many people (Jn. 21:25). They are, however, historically accurate accounts, edited and crafted to fit the purpose of each author. Mark’s gospel was written for the Roman world. It was fast moving, activity-oriented, with a minimum of teaching and dialogue, because this fit the Roman sensibilities. Luke, however, wrote to the Greek world. He took care to include Jesus’ dealings with Gentiles, women and His concern for the poor, presenting Him as a perfect man and the Savior of the entire world. Matthew presented Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, but One who had also come to save and rule the nations as the Son of Man spoken of in Daniel 7:13. Matthew and Luke tend to follow Mark’s general outline, adding their own material as they deemed appropriate. As you would expect from three eyewitnesses of the same event, each recounted things a little differently, based upon their perspective and their purpose. They did not manufacture events that did not happen, but it is clear that they selected what portions of the whole history of Jesus’ life and ministry to tell. We should not be surprised, then, to find what seem to be minor discrepancies between accounts. Careful study, however, has revealed that these are never actually in contradiction, and usually can easily be reconciled. The gospels are not contradictory, but complementary writings. They fill in the gaps, when taken together.

In this episode, we find some such apparent discrepancies. For example, Matthew and Mark record that this happened as they were going out from Jericho, while Luke states that it took place as they were entering Jericho. What is not mentioned is that there were two Jericho’s. The older, more traditional city would have been reached sooner in Jesus’ climb from the Jordan river valley. It, however, was largely in ruins in Jesus’ day, and a new city had been built by the Romans farther up the roadway. Thus, Jesus could have been leaving old Jericho (important to Matthew and Mark), but still have not reached the newer imperial city (more important for Luke’s readers). In addition, Luke and Mark only record the story of one blind man, while Matthew mentions that there were two. It could be that Bartimaeus was the more prominent and dramatically significant of the two, and therefore Mark and Luke told his story, while omitting any record of the other man. Matthew corrects this poetic license, feeling that it was important to give a more precise and complete accounting of how many were healed (He was a tax collector, after all, one who was very concerned about accuracy in numbers. He did the same with the account of the Gadarene demoniac, being the only one to mention that there were two men delivered that day, not just one [8:28f]). The remainder of the differences in the accounts just provide a more complete record, when all are taken together, much as the testimonies of different witnesses in a court of law.

As we piece together the accounts, there were two blind beggars, placed in their regular spots, on the roadway between the two Jericho’s, to ask passersby to give alms to help them. (The verb in Mk. 10:46 clearly indicates Bartimaeus was seated there by someone else, probably a family member.) Suddenly there was a surge of people going by, and they inquired as to what was taking place. Hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, they began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, mercy us!" Obviously, they had heard of Jesus before. They knew of His miracles, and what people were saying about Him. They believed Him to be the promised Messiah, for they addressed Him as "Son of David", a kingly title. The word "mercy" means more than simply having compassion or pity for someone. It is a word that implies a practical response to meet the need of the one in view. It was the same word they would have used as beggars to ask for a handout. "Mercy us!", that is, "Have-compassion-and-give-us-help!" The Greek also indicates that they "began to call out", meaning that they were crying out repeatedly. Since they could not really tell where Jesus was in the crowd, they just began repeatedly calling out to Him for help, hoping that their cries would reach His ears as He passed.

As they began to call out, those in the front of the procession began to rebuke them, in order that they might be silent. They persisted, and then many others (Mk. 10:48; Matthew says "the crowd") were repeatedly rebuking them, telling them to be quiet. Instead of being shamed or repressed into submission, however, they cried out all the more. In Luke’s account, he shifts to a different verb that indicates a louder shout, while Mark says they cried out "more" and Matthew says they cried out "greater". Clearly, they knew what opportunity was passing before them, and they were unwilling to let "propriety" or the fear of people intimidate them. This was an unusual moment which God had brought into their lives. They were going to do their best to make their request for help known. They were shouting out, repeatedly, at the top of their lungs, for Jesus to "mercy" them.

In defense of the crowd, it may have appeared to them that these two beggars were simply being disruptive, asking for a handout as the Messiah passed. To them, it would have been an embarrassment, a shameful thing to have these panhandlers screaming at the top of their lungs while the Prophet and Messiah passed by with His joyous procession of pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. It was scandalous! The Hope of Israel deserved to be treated with honor and respect. This was a triumphant procession, not the time to be helping roadside beggars. Furthermore, everyone wanted a piece of Jesus. Everyone wanted Him to do something for them. They wanted Him to heal them. They wanted Him to bless them, or their children. They wanted to meet Him. They wanted the equivalent of a handshake or an autograph. These unsightly, bedraggled beggars were diverting attention away from their agenda. They were a nuisance. Thankfully, no zealot of propriety stepped in to physically remove or restrain these "insensitive upstarts".

Suddenly, as He is passing by, Jesus "stood still". Apparently hearing their cries, and hearing from the Father (Jn. 5:19,20), He sensed that there was something more going on here, and He stopped in His tracks. He called to them, "What do you wish Me to do for you?" He was checking their intent. Were they looking only for a handout, or were they calling out for more?

As soon as Jesus stopped and called to them, the tenor of the crowd changed. Suddenly, they were very accommodating and congratulatory to these men. The people, who had been so negative, impatient and almost insulting to these poor blind men, suddenly became very friendly and encouraging to them. "Take courage! Cheer up! Arise! He is calling for you!"

It is at this point that Bartimaeus probably outshined the other unnamed man. Mark vividly describes his response, "Casting aside his cloak, leaping up, he came toward Jesus." Jesus had commanded for him to be brought to Him, but Bartimaeus was charged with excitement and eagerness. He was not about to wait to be led by the hand to the Savior. He threw aside his stuff, sprang to his feet, and started coming toward Him in the crowd. The significance of this is lost, unless you ponder what it means to a blind man. To cast aside his cloak may well mean that he would never find it again, and to start walking toward the sound of the Master’s voice shows the intensity of his expectation. He could step in a hole, or trip and fall flat on his face. He did not even stop to think about it. He was up and off before anyone could even offer assistance.

When he was before Jesus, He asked him (Was this a second time?), "What do you want Me to do for you?" They answer, "In order that our eyes might be opened" (Matt. 20:33). Mark and Luke, focusing on Bartimaeus, record, "In order that I might see again." This latter term implies that he had been able to see at some time in the past. Matthew records that Jesus "was compassioned" or He felt compassion for them. The term is descriptive of the intestinal area, thought to be the seat of emotion. The feeling happened to Him. In response, He touched their eyes (Matt. 20:34) and said, "See again! Your faith has saved you." Immediately, their sight was restored, and they both began following Him in the way, glorifying God. When all the people saw what happened, they, too, gave praise to God (Lk. 18:43).

There is much to learn from this passage. We can learn from what is reported of Jesus’ experience and practice. He heard, He sensed, He stopped, He asked, He felt the compassion of the Holy Spirit in His belly, and He responded by touching, commanding healing, and affirming the faith of the men as critical to the miracle. Secondly, there is much to learn from the blind men. They noticed something different, they inquired as to what was happening, they took action to not miss out on the opportunity coming their way. They did what they could, which was to cry out. When they experienced opposition, they cried out all the more. Like those in the Hall of Faith (Heb. 11), their faith motivated them to bold, definitive and persevering action. As a result, God answered the longing of their hearts. Then, having received a blessing from God, they did not go their own way, but they devoted themselves to following Jesus in His company of followers. The true heart commitment of people becomes evident by what they do when they have received a blessing from God. Do they go off on their own agenda, or does God’s grace motivate them to commit themselves to following Him? What about you? What can you learn from the faith of these two men? Do you recognize the opportunities God brings before you? Are you determined not to miss out on His best?

Hidden Treasure

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: January 1, 2006

Hidden Treasure
by Dan Trygg

"And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!’" Luke 2:10-14

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure." I John 3:1-3

People did not recognize Jesus when He first came as a baby, or when He was growing up, or even when He was a young man. Folks from the neighborhood, business contacts, relatives and even family members were unaware of who He really was. He was a good man, most would probably say, but none was prepared for what happened when He stepped into His public ministry, and no one would have thought He would die as a criminal. None could have imagined that He would defeat death and rise again, proving once and for all time that He is both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:32,36; Rom. 1:4). He was seen simply as Jesus, the carpenter’s son.

Appearances can be deceiving. We often fall into the trap of making expectations and judgments based only upon what we see, and have known from past experience. God, however, calls us to look beyond the expected. He calls us to a hope or promise that is unseen, not visible to the average human perception (Rom. 8:24,25; II Cor. 4:16-18; Heb. 11:1).

The miracle of our new birth is like that. The scriptures tell us that when we put our trust in Christ as our Savior and the Master of our lives, He gives us the authority to become children of God (Jn. 1:12,13). Having believed in Him, we receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, and we are born from above (Jn. 3:1-16; Tit. 3:3-6; Eph. 1:13,14). Sometimes, this is a very dramatic, powerful experience, while for other people it is barely noticeable. Nevertheless, a transaction has taken place. We are born of the Spirit, and a new creature is birthed inside of us. Our identity is changed from that of a spiritually-dead child of wrath, a sinner by nature and by choice (Eph. 2:1-3), to being that of a spiritually-alive child of God (Eph. 2:4-7; Rom. 8:9-17), and a member of His family (Eph. 2:19), …a holy one by nature. We are new people, created afresh in the core of our being, made in the holy and righteous likeness of God. As we walk with Him, we are experientially being renewed to be more and more like Him (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).

The apostle John teases us with this in I John 3. In the first verse, he marvels at the great love of God that would transform us from lost sinners into God’s very children. God’s love. It was God’s love that saw our impossible situation, and could not leave us in the mess we had made. It was His love that willingly came to dwell among us and chose to take our place to pay our debt. It was His love that reached into your life and mine to draw us to Him, to open our eyes so that we could see who Jesus is for us. It is the victory of His love that is made visible in the life of each person who comes to know Him. Truly, we become trophies of His love. Finally, to secure in us the experiential knowledge of His love, He has actually poured it into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whose mission is to teach us to call God, "Daddy" (Rom. 5:5; 8:15,16).

Why is this necessary? Because we have trouble believing it. The world and the enemy have done damage to us, assailing us with negative messages, inflicting wounds of rejection, pointing out areas of weakness or unfavorability, convincing most of us that we don’t measure up, and could not possibly truly be loved by God. Let us not ignore the obvious. Aside from the poor self-concept that the majority of people seem to struggle with, most Christians are more aware of the sinful tendencies of the old man, the old thinking and habit patterns of their B.C. life, than they are conscious of the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul and John found that it was necessary to write about what God had done for us as believers precisely because it was not readily apparent or self-evident to most Christians. There is a war going on over our lives exactly concerning these issues, …how much we are loved and accepted by God, and who we now are as born-from-above-saints. Thus, we find the apostle John restating the obvious, so we can’t miss it. "…and we are." And we are what? Why, children of God. Now. Not at some nebulous moment in the future. Right now.

What next? "…and it has not appeared as yet what we will be…". John tantalizes our imagination again by the words he chooses. In the Greek, the word "what" is neuter, meaning that it would be understood as "what thing". "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what thing we will be." John is trying to push us to think of something way beyond what we have come to expect from ourselves, or even from life. In other words, God has started a metamorphosis process that is so incredible that we can’t imagine what the end result will be. Metamorphosis. Where do we use that word? It is used to describe the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly or moth. Radical, all-encompassing change. The end result looks so dissimilar from the original starting point that it would seem impossible. Yet it happens every year to millions of caterpillars. In fact, there is not one caterpillar that ever lived out its full life span that did not turn into a butterfly or a moth. Butterfly or moth is written right into the genes and chromosomes of that wormlike creature from before it emerged from the egg. It is going to happen. In the same way, our metamorphosis is destined to take place. It is written into our spiritual DNA. It will happen. Even if it is never fully seen or developed during our earthly sojourn, we will be like the risen Christ. As certain that He is returning to claim His own, we can be assured that our existence, our character, our abilities, even our physical appearance and abilities will be radically different than what we have experienced up to this time (Rom. 8:29; I Cor. 15:35-54; I Jn. 3:2).

What is the point of this study? Is it to just encourage us with some pie-in-the-sky trivia about our future state. No. Far from it. I am trying to get you to begin to look at yourself differently. You are not what you expect. You are not what your past experiences have told you. If you know Jesus, you have a power and potential within you that far surpass what you can currently imagine. True, the full potential will never be fully revealed in this life, but there is another aspect to this story that needs to be explained.

You see, the apostle Paul used the word metamorpheo in Romans 12:2 to describe the transformation that is supposed to take place in the here and now, "Do not conform yourselves together with this age, but transform yourselves by the renewing (making fresh, i.e., of a new, unprecedented quality or kind) of your perception of reality in order that you might experiment-to-discover what the will of God is for you, that which is profitable, well-pleasing, and mature." In other words, we are participants in the transformation process. There is a relationship between my efforts to grow and change and the resulting outcome. If I do nothing, little will change. In fact, my distinct gifts and abilities may never come to the fore. I may be lost in the great mass of humanity, in my attempts to "fit in". If, however, I refuse to accept the messages and expectations of the past, and those around me now, and apply myself to the growth and development of my understanding and perception of the world (meaning, to learn to see it as God sees it), I can radically change. God will show me what I have been created to do that will benefit others, and what will give me satisfaction.

Again, it is important to say that there are forces in this world that do not want us to move toward growth. They want to keep us immature, mediocre, self-contained, ineffective and unknown. They want us to waste our lives on distraction and sensual appetites. To experience transformation, we must go against the grain. We must push past this pressure to conform and accept the judgments that others have made of us. We must grab hold of the hope of transformation, …that God will make something of us that is good and wonderful, well worth the struggle involved in following His way, …and press forward into growth.

There is another passage where Paul uses metamorpheo. It is II Cor. 3:18. In the context, he is describing how God has made us adequate to do His will by virtue of the Holy Spirit which indwells us. There was an external glory in the OT, which was seen in the glow of Moses’ face after he met with God, and was in the presence of His glory. What we have is much greater, since it lives inside of us. Nevertheless, the process of transformation happens as we gaze upon the glory of God reflected through His word, His people, and whatever means He may use to reveal Himself to us. The point is that we must focus on Him. This is not a self-help endeavor. Transformation is not simply the striving of our will against the grain. There is a miraculous, healing, liberating, uplifting element that comes only from God. Renewing of our perception must include an awareness of our need for Him, and the consequent choices made to spend time in His presence.

Just as those in Bethlehem did not perceive the treasure that was embodied in that infant in the stable feeding trough, so those around us do not have a clue what God would do with us, if we allow Him to. Paul says that we have "glory treasure" in earthen vessels (II Cor. 4:6,7). God’s intent is that people could see the glory in us as we are transformed and learn to live in the strength and ability which God supplies. If we do not pursue a new understanding, a deeper relationship with God, and a deeper level of obedience to Him, we will not perceive the glory within us, and it will never find an expression in our lives. We have treasure hidden within us. Do not go on living as though it were not there. In this coming year, determine to unleash the "glory treasure" inside of you. Go after God, and pursue His will. It will be beneficial, well-pleasing, and will lead you to your destiny.