Three Nevers

Living right begins with right thinking. Thinking on this earth is horizontal or human thinking—right thinking is vertical, which is God’s thinking. We need help to think like God. Isaiah says God’s thoughts differ greatly from ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God does things contrary to our thinking. Jonah never thought that getting on a ship bound for Tarsus would mean taking a ride inside a whale’s belly. Goliath never imagined a teenager coming at him with a slingshot would be the last thing he saw on earth. The mother who prepared her little boy’s lunch never imagined it would feed five thousand. When Balaam packed his donkey for the Journey to Moab, could he have ever imagined that his donkey would talk to him? When the Philistine king received the report of 1000 dead soldiers, he could never have imagined that they all died by one man. The widow woman could never have imagined that a few drops of olive oil would fill enough containers to pay off all her debts.

God’s thinking is upside down to man’s ideas. The Sermon on the Mount exemplifies that those who thirst, mourn, and are persecuted are blessed. The first shall be last and the last first. The least is the greatest. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. To save one’s life, one must first lose it. Jesus will one day come in glory but must first suffer and die. None of these things made sense to the disciples, and they still don’t to us. I want to give you three Nevers to help us understand the difference between horizontal and vertical thinking.

The First is Never Allow Impulse to Blind You. Peter answered  Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” with, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). It was the correct answer, and Jesus praised Peter for getting it right. But when Jesus went on to predict his death, Peter could not comprehend that Christ should be crucified.

As Peter stated in his confession, the disciples had seen enough to know that Jesus was the Christ—the Son of God. They had seen bread multiplied to feed thousands, Jesus walking on water, and the dead raised to life. They had listened to him spellbound as he taught them truths they had never heard. Was there anything that Jesus couldn’t do? So what was next? Would Jesus strike the Romans down? Surely he would, but when would he do it, and how? But what was this talk of dying at the hands of the chief priests in Jerusalem? Jesus dying--this can’t be!

The Second is Never Think That You Can’t Be Wrong. Peter was impulsive! He showed here more than any other time in the gospels how much he could stick his foot in his mouth. Can you imagine the audacity of rebuking Jesus? Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” (Matt 16:22).

Jesus doesn’t mince words. Peter has drifted far away from what he should have been thinking and seeing. But Jesus turned and said to Peter, `Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me (Matt 16:23). You think like a carnal man, not a man of God. Peter had gone from being the smartest in the class to the dumbest in only a few minutes.

The Third is Never Think that Being a Follower Can Happen Without Self-Denial. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

This is where the rubber meets the road as Jesus tells us what is required to be his disciple. The pattern is the same as his—cross before the crown. It’s not our happiness but our obedience. The most important part of this command is the (follow me). We get to thinking that we shouldn’t suffer and should go through trials, but Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me!”

 

 

 

 

Questions About Death and Life

 

We all have to deal with death sometime. During this pandemic, there has been much death, which has brought fear and apprehension. The brokenness of this world is apparent with the spread of this disease. We long for a better place. The scriptures tell us God once created a perfect place which was called Eden.  However, the book of Revelation tells us that God has created a New Eden that will one day be our home. One thing for sure is that death and suffering were never part of his original creation no the new earth; we experience them because they are the results of our rebellion against God. We were never meant to live in a world like this. Instead, were designed to live in an unspoiled world. We are wired to long for it, as Solomon says, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl 3:11).

When death comes, it brings questions—difficult questions that have allusive answers. These questions are not new. We find them in this Old Testament story.  Elijah, the prophet, had been sent to a poor widow who sustained him during a prolonged drought. God miraculously provided for her so she could sustain his prophet. However, during this time, the woman’s small child grew very ill and died (1 Kings 17:17-18). As the woman helplessly tried to stop death, she saw her little boy die. She voiced two questions. They are questions we still ask when death stalks us. First, “What do you have against me God?” and the second is, “Is it my fault that this happened” (1 Kings 17:17-18)?

When death happens, and we cannot stop it, it often does not feel right. Our mind tells us something is wrong, so we question God, “Why have you done this to me?” We just can’t accept the idea that this is how things have to be, so we cry out?” Then when we do not get an answer from God, we blame ourselves. This tragedy must be my fault. Did I cause this? Was my sin responsible for my son’s death? It is what we, as humans do. We ascribe meaning to what doesn’t make sense. When we can’t figure it out, we usually blame someone but mostly ourselves.

Elijah did not attempt to answer her questions, which is what any wise person should do when confronted with those questions. We cannot answer why. We can only listen and be there for the person. To explain the unexplainable is to make their pain worse.

Elijah took the little boy in his arms and carried him upstairs to his room, where he pleaded with God for his intervention. Elijah voices the woman’s question, “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” (1 Kings 17:20). His question is a protest against what has happened. God listened and answered Elijah’s plea, “The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (1 Kings 17:22). This was an extraordinary demonstration of the Lord’s power to overcome death. It’s the first time in the Bible anything like this had happened. The God of the Bible is the God of life and death. That had to be quite a scene when Elijah carried the child back down to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” (1 Kings 17:23).

What happened in this story when Elijah stayed in the widow’s house was the beginning of something bigger and more significant than what appeared to be happening. What God was doing in that place was bigger than Elijah, bigger than the widow, and even bigger than Israel. What God is doing in your life is more significant than you. Ask God to let you see it, especially when you are dealing with difficult situations such as death. If you are willing to trust God, then you will come to see the bigger picture.