31 March 2011

Psalm 42, 43; Jer. 10:11-24; Rom. 5:12-21; John 8:21-32

The complaint here is that while the other nations chased after idols made with their own hands or gods that were not gods at all the Israelites had access to and knowledge of the one true God. Theirs alone the God who created all things and in whom all things hang together. Other nations can worship gods of particular things that require then a multiplicity of gods but in Israel alone is there true monotheism. Zoroastrianism is monotheism but to Israel alone of all the nations was given the revelation, lovingkindness and word of the God of all. In spite of their chosen-ness, they went after the gods of the nations. He warned them up front that He was a jealous God and would not tolerate their apostasy and adultery. The plea from the prophet was simple, correct me in justice not in anger for if you correct me in anger I will come to nothing. As we are constantly reminded in the Old Testament particularly, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

“Who are you?” It is a simple question but, like the Jack Nicholson character in A Few Good Men says, you can’t handle the truth. Jesus doesn’t give them a straight, simple answer by their standards, they need to come to this conclusion on their own. If He tells them now who He is, the Messiah, they will never be able to receive it. He begins pointing to the end, when they have lifted up the Son of Man. He has used this language with Nicodemus in chapter 3 and now He uses it again to define His ministry. This day will come and then they will have all the information they need to decide for themselves who Jesus is. Some begin to come to at least belief but that belief needs to be nurtured by abiding in His word if it is to become faith. The tender shoot of belief needs nurturing if it is to grow into something like faith. Discipleship is the process of nurturing belief through the disciplines of the church into faith that will endure.

Paul sees that grace abounds in Jesus because that grace covers so many sins. In Adam, sin came into the picture and mankind needed now to be reconciled but more than that, we all sin. We are not guilty of simply the sin of the race of humanity, we are guilty of actual sins in our own right. The free gift of grace indeed is amazing. What Jeremiah saw, that he did not want God to judge Him in anger but in justice, is nothing compared to grace. Grace is better than justice and yet too many Christians take it for granted when we should constantly be both amazed and thankful.

Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.