When We Miss the Road

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.

-Psalm 20:7-8

I confess that I have made many mistakes as a mother and homeschooling teacher.  Sometimes I would like to turn back the clock and have a second chance, but I know that will not happen.  What can one do when mistakes have been made?  Some mistakes are small.  Others are more significant.  We imagine that our children will forever pay the price.

In his book Knowing God, J.I. Packer writes, “If I found I had driven into a bog, I should know I had missed the road.  But this knowledge would not be of much comfort if I then had to stand helpless watching the car sink and vanish:  the damage would be done, and that would be that.  Is it the same when a Christian wakes up to the fact that he has missed God’s guidance and taken the wrong way?  Is the damage irrevocable?  Must he now be put off course for life?  Thank God, no.  Our God is a God who not merely restores, but takes up our mistakes and follies into His plan for us and brings good out of them.  This is part of the wonder of His gracious sovereignty.”

I thank God for Packer’s insight.  We, as parents who have miscarried, do not have to stand helpless watching our children sink because we have made mistakes.  Thank God, our children are in His hands and He loves them more than we ever could.  His hand is on them and He takes our mistakes and follies and uses them in His great plan for their lives.  Placing our children in the hands of the Lord is the best thing we can ever do for them.

Yes, I can learn from my mistakes and follies.  I can use what I have learned, not only to grow myself, but also to improve in my homeschooling efforts.  My younger children will benefit from the new knowledge I have acquired.  However, the sad truth is, I will never perfectly homeschool any of my children.  They will all be at the mercy of a fallen parent.  For this reason, I choose to trust in the Lord.  I do not trust in the systems of this world or in my infallibility.  I trust in Him.

Around me there are those who trust in chariots and horses.  But I will remember Him.  It is not the chariots and horses of a fallen world that keep us upright.  He keeps us upright.  He keeps our children upright.  When we trust in Him, we do not become perfect.  Instead, He raises us up and brings good out of our failings.  He also blesses our meagre attempts.  What a blessing it is to trust Him with our homeschooling and with our children.  May He raise them and help them to stand upright in the plans He has for them.

A Day of Darkness

He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.

-Isaiah 53:11

I wondered many things as I read through Matthew 27.  Has the death of Jesus become a commonplace event that we, even we as Christians, neglect to really ponder?  Does the wickedness of the chief priests and elders alarm us?  They plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  Even Pilate realized that they had handed Him over because of envy.  I was struck with the evil that abounded on that day.  I was struck with the wickedness in my own heart.  Do I ever take action because of envy? 

Judas was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver.  Did he think that the evil thing he had done could be undone?  When he threw the silver pieces at their feet and left, they consulted what should be done with them.  The silver couldn’t be put in the temple treasury because it was the price of blood.  Did the chief priests and elders understand what they had done?  Did they realize that envy had led them to condemn Jesus?  Did they ever repent?

When Jesus stood before Pilate, he did not answer with regard to even a single charge brought against Him by the chief priests and elders.  He stood being falsely accused and answered nothing.  Most of us would have hurled insults back at them, but He stood quietly.  As a lamb led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth.  One wants to say with Peter, “This shall not happen to You!”  But then where would we sinners be?  “He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”  He answered nothing because of us.  Do we thank Him as we ought?  Do we marvel that He would do such a thing?

The scene was quickly becoming a riot and Pilate washed his hands of the whole affair.  He seems to have removed himself from all that was happening, but Jesus was left with the hatred of mankind.  The Roman cohort dressed Him in a scarlet robe and pressed a crown of thorns into His head.  They mocked Him, spat at Him, and struck Him on the head with a reed.  When He was on the cross, those passing by blasphemed Him and wagged their heads.  The chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him.  Even the robbers hanging beside Him reviled Him with the same mockery.  And about the ninth hour, God forsook Him.  The pain that was His at that time was meant for me, for you, for those of us who have sinned. 

Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit.  The veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth quaked and the rocks split.  Tombs of saints were opened and the saints came out of their graves after His resurrection.  When the centurion and others guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were frightened.  “Truly this was the Son of God!” 

As I read through this chapter, I saw a day of darkness before me.  Jesus gave Himself for me.  Have I let His death become something unremarkable as I live out my daily life?  Let us marvel once again at the wonderful gift that we have been given at His expense.  Let us ponder anew what it cost Him.  Let us thank Him with hearts full of gratitude.

Jesus, the Debater?

The words of the Lord are pure words,

Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,

Purified seven times.

-Psalm 12:6

Jesus taught those around Him with His words.  He used parables and humour to get His points across.  But when some came to test Him, He used debating techniques.  Jesus knew hearts.  He also knew the ultimate answers so He was prepared when He was questioned.

Matthew 22:15 says that the Pharisees “went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.”  Their entire purpose was to entangle Jesus, to catch Him in His talk.  “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”  Jesus perceived their wickedness.  They were not asking because they truly had a question.  They merely wanted to catch Him.  He asked them whose image and inscription was on the denarius.  That image was the answer to their question.  “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Instead of entangling Him, they marvelled at His Words and left Him.

The Sadducees must now have their turn at catching Him in His Words.  They ask about a woman whose husband dies without leaving children.  Subsequently she marries the husband’s brother, who also dies.  She ends up marrying all seven brothers.  “Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her?”  Now that’s a question to ponder!  Jesus responds by sharing that in the resurrection, there will be no marriage and then states, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”  The multitudes who heard this were astonished at His teaching.  The Sadducees were silenced.

Jesus had silenced the Sadducees.  Now the Pharisees gather together again to plan their next attack.  One of them, a lawyer, tests Him with a question.  “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?”  Jesus answers them by stating the first and greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  He follows with the second, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”  These two commandments embody the entire Law and the Prophets. 

While He still has them there with Him, He asks His own question.  “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”  No one was able to answer Him.  From that day on no one dared to question Him.

These discourses of Jesus are perfect examples of why students should learn the art of communication and debate.  Jesus did not stumble over His Words wondering what to say and how to say it.  He spoke confidently and persuasively.  He marvelled them, astonished them, and silenced them.  Becoming better at speaking will help us to make the difference that God wants us to make.  As Deborah Bush Haffey reminds us, we must be willing to “meet others in the public square with our arguments prepared persuasively in an attempt to advance the kingdom of God.  To do any less is to do less than we could to proclaim His truth in our society.”

The Humour of Jesus

I tend to be a serious person.  Don’t misunderstand me, I do enjoy a good laugh, but when it comes to matters of faith and the Lord Jesus, I am very serious.  When I have seen Jesus portrayed as having a playful sense of humour, I have been offended.  So I was surprised when I recently read Matthew 19 and found myself amused.  Jesus does seem to be using humour to get his points across.

The chapter begins with the Pharisees coming to Him and testing Him.  “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”  This reminds me of a scene in Fiddler on the Roof when the Rabbi tells the men that a certain passage of Scripture means that one can divorce his wife for simply burning the dinner.  Jesus answers the Pharisees by showing them in Scripture that when a man and woman are joined together, they are no longer two, but one flesh.  “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”   

The Pharisees want to know why then Moses commanded to give a certificate of divorce to put one’s wife away.  Jesus responds, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”  He goes on to tell them that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery. 

His disciples’ response to all this talk is amusing.  “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”  They seem to be saying that if one can’t divorce his wife, it is better not to get married at all.  Jesus must smile as He responds by pointing to those who can accept the disciples’ reasoning, eunuchs.  He makes a point.  Marriage is hard business, but most of us would not make the choice to remain single.  Instead we must make the choice to remember that, when we marry, we become one and being one demands effort. 

Later a young man comes to Jesus asking Him, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”  Jesus answers by pointing him to the commandments.  “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”  The man then asks an interesting question, “Which ones?”  Why would he need to ask such a question?  Hasn’t he been taught from his youth to keep ALL the commandments?  Isn’t he rather asking, “How much can I get away with?  How much can I sin and still enter eternal life?”

Notice Jesus’ answer.  He doesn’t begin with the first commandments, the ones dealing with loving God with all our heart.  Rather He starts with those related with our treatment of those around us.  Jesus seems to already know what is in this man’s heart.  The young man had kept all of these commandments.  But when the young man heard the rest of what Jesus had to say, he went away sorrowful.  He was not willing to give all for Jesus or for eternal life. 

Jesus then tells His disciples that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  There is some discussion as to what this means exactly.  Does He mean a sewing needle or a gate in Jerusalem?  The reaction of the disciples shows Jesus’ use of humour.  Jesus is talking about a real camel and a real needle with an eye.  The disciples were “greatly astonished” and asked, “Who then can be saved?”  Their eyes must have shown their amazement.  “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  At this point Peter seems to realize that following Jesus means something far different from what the disciples had been thinking.  Were they looking forward to the day that Jesus would sit upon an earthly throne?  “We have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?”

I learned something new about Jesus when I looked into this chapter with fresh eyes.  Just as I use humour at times to point out things to my children, Jesus used humour with His disciples.  That humour has been recorded so that He can also teach us.  Humour must be a part of our communication.  As Mary Hirsch said, “Humour is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.”

The Importance of Relationship

Last week I attended a memorial service for a young mother who was only 41 years old.  A service like this forces us to consider afresh what is important in this brief life on earth.  This young mother, Miriam, struggled with cancer for three years, yet through all her struggles, she remained true to what really mattered, relationships.  Each day our attention is drawn in many different directions and in our busyness we tend to lose our perspective of what counts.  We must continuously evaluate the activities of our days.  The Psalmist asked God to “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  Our life on earth is short and we must use the time we are given wisely.

Jesus lived His life on earth wisely.  He did not lay up “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.”  As Jesus told a certain scribe, “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  He lived His life with a completely different perspective.  His relationships were what mattered.  He gave His heart to the Father, His guidance to His chosen disciples, and His love to the people who surrounded Him on a daily basis.  We are called to follow His example.  Relationships must also be what matter to us in our everyday lives.

In Matthew 15 Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites.  “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.’” Our relationship with the Father must take precedence in our lives.  Just as Jesus took time away by Himself to pray, so must we.  Often times we allow our schedules to crowd out our precious time with the Lord.  Our hearts drift far from Him.  Let us draw near to Him not with our mouths, but with our hearts.

Let us also draw near to those special ones whom God has placed in our lives, our family.  How easy it is to take family for granted while we flit about from activity to activity.  Throughout the book of Matthew, we see Jesus spending time alone with His disciples.  He taught the crowds in parables and later explained the meaning of the parables to His chosen few.  We must also take time with our family, time to teach and time to let each one know of their value to us and to God.  Too many families are falling apart.  Someone must be the one that pulls them together with wisdom and guidance.  Miriam did this with her family and her daughter’s words concerning her mother’s death stand as a testimony to Miriam’s diligence in the life of her family.   

Great multitudes followed Jesus and He was moved with compassion for them.  He healed them, taught them, and fed them.  Jesus ministered to those who came into His life.  In the same way, we are to reach out to those whom God brings into our lives.  People and their needs cannot be overlooked as we hurry ahead with our plans for each day.   Worth must be given to each person with whom we come in contact.  We must reach out in the same way that Jesus did, with love and compassion.

Life is short and our influence is small.  Yet the choices we face daily are many.  Prayerfully we can make choices that really matter, where our influence will make a difference.  We can choose to put God and people at the top of our priority list.  This is the more excellent way, the way of love.  Let us walk in that way.

“Come to Me, All You who are Heavy Laden”

Thus says the Lord:

“Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,

And walk in it;

Then you shall find rest for your souls.”

But they said, “We will not walk in it.”

-Jeremiah 6:16

In Matthew 11 John the Baptist is in prison.  He has been there for quite some time expecting to be released by the Coming One, Jesus.  He had heard in prison of the works of Christ and so he sent two of his disciples with a question.  “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”  Jesus had the credentials of the Messiah and he knew that John would recognize those credentials.

The question for us today is do we recognize His credentials?  Do we believe that He is the Coming One, the Messiah?  Have we trusted our life into His hands?  This chapter ends with the Words of Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus invites us as individuals who are burdened with sin to come to Him.  In accepting His invitation we will find rest for our souls.  In Jeremiah 6 the people said that they would not walk in His ways.  They chose a path without rest.  What is our choice today?  Will we accept the rest of redemption or will we resist and go our own way burdened and heavy laden?  The choice is ours to make.

I close this blog with a poem from Horatius Bonar.

Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face

Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;

Here would I touch and handle things unseen,

Here grasp with firmer hand th’ eternal grace,

And all my weariness upon Thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,

Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heaven;

Here would I lay aside each earthly load,

Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;

This is the heav’nly table spread for me:

Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong

The brief, bright hour of fellowship with Thee.

I have no help but Thine, nor do I need

Another arm save Thine to lean upon:

It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;

My strength is in Thy might, The might alone.

Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness;

Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;

Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace,

Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.