Day or night, we are here above you. We speak a universal language understandable to all people, and we share our message with every part of the world.
But we aren’t really interested in talking about ourselves.
It is our pleasure and joy to serve our Maker for your benefit and His glory. He has perfectly equipped us for our tasks.
One of your poets once said it this way:
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”[1]
We were here before you were, but our Maker was here before us and will be here when we’re gone. For you, He has us mark the days and seasons. We give light for you to see, warmth for your comfort, and energy for your food to grow.
He asked us to tell you of His power and His love for you. We are not here by accident, and neither are you. Whoever you are, the sun rises for you and the rain falls in its time. He ensures it.
The Apostle Paul says that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”[2]
Today, rejoice in the regularity of the heavens, which declare to all people in all times and places that the eternal God cares about them.
Today we come back to the topic of our Master’s voice, which began with the painting “His Master’s Voice” and continues through the story of Gideon in the book of Judges, chapters 6 and 7. So far, Gideon has done his best to discern whether God was really talking to him, then set out with an army of 22,000 soldiers, which Gideon faithfully whittled down to only 300, at God’s instruction. Against an army “like locusts in abundance,” Gideon might have needed a little reassurance, because outside of a miracle[1] his army was going to fail miserably.
That very night, God spoke to Gideon, saying: “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.”[2] We know Gideon was still afraid because he took Purah and went down into the camp. We also know that God made provision for Gideon’s fear, instead of counting on Gideon to have perfect faith. Should Gideon have needed extra reassurance? No, but God provided what was needed to overcome Gideon’s fear, which was a bit more insight into God’s plan. Victory in battle is never a matter of how many soldiers are on God’s side, as if spiritual warfare was determined by democracy, but by whose side God is on.
When Gideon snuck into the camp: “behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, ‘Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.’ And his comrade answered, ‘This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.’”[3]
Victory in battle is never
a matter of how many
soldiers are on God’s side
Some commentators suggest that the “barley” reference means that an inferior army would win, since barley was considered inferior to wheat and other grains, but what we know is that this dream put fear into the Midianite camp and emboldened Gideon to trust God, even though he didn’t understand Him. Overhearing these words in the camp let Gideon know that that God was at work in far more ways than he could imagine, that victory belongs to the LORD, and that he can trust that God has the knowledge he lacked. God is trustworthy, even if we don’t fully understand Him.
We only know part of our part in God’s plan. He knows all of our part, and also all of everyone else’s part. Each of us are but one of millions of Christians trying to figure out our relationship with God, and we have no idea what those other millions are up to. But God does, and if we insist God tells us everything before we act, we not only disobey God, but lose out on the opportunity to impact those other lives and see how awesome God’s plan really is!
Our ability to hear and obey our Master’s voice is not a question of complete knowledge, but of wisdom. Proverbs 17:24 says, “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” Since “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight,”[4] from the story of Gideon, we learn that God was teaching Gideon to revere Him above any desire to see the “ends of the earth.” Wisdom keeps us on the path of life but doesn’t always mark it out for us far into the future. We can’t see the reasons God wants us to trust Him because there is far more at work than we could ever imagine.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” – Deuteronomy 29:29
This post is third in a series that started with this post on His Master’s Voice. More to come…
[1] Or a certain action film directed by Zack Snyder… [2] Judges 7:9b-11a [3] Judges 7:13-14 [4] Proverbs 9:10
The last post focused on Jesus’ withering of a fig tree on His way into Jerusalem and how it was a sign of the eventual withering of those who reject God’s authority by not bearing fruit where fruit was needed. Today we return to Jesus’ explanation of how the tree withered so fast: “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:21-22)
Jesus does not say “any mountain,” but “this mountain.” Which mountain? Since they were returning to Jerusalem, a city built on a hill, it is likely that He is talking about His purpose in going there. He was about to overthrow the authorities of the world on the cross, including that of the Jewish rulers, but also the Roman Empire. As I wrote in an earlier post: “Only in hindsight do we know what Jesus already knew at the time: in AD 66, Rome would invade and level the city of Jerusalem, including desecrating the temple. In 410 AD, Germanic tribes would sack the city of Rome and eventually overthrow the empire of Pax Romana.”
By causing the fig tree to wither quickly, Jesus showed His disciples that anyone who rejects His authority will inevitably wither. What He demonstrates in a limited way instantaneously, He will fulfill completely eventually, but certainly. Through our faith we bear our own cross rather than blindly following the authorities of the world. If we act in faith, our actions outlast every authority of this world. Thus, our faith moves mountains!
Being “on the right side of history” means doing the right thing in light of eternity, not doing what is popular in the fleeting, present moment or imagining some future opinion poll’s judgement on the present day. The popular view may often seem like the easy way, but the authority of God, which tells us to love Him and love our neighbor in every circumstance, is the only way to bear fruit that lasts. Following God may make us popular, or it may not, but seeking popularity should not be a reason for doing things. Popularity is ok as an outcome, but not as an objective. For the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, seeking popularity initially made them unable to commit to anything, but eventually led them to crucify God Himself.
In my case as a blogger and in many areas of anyone’s life, there are constant temptations to do what is popular. Many of the “followers” of this blog are other blogs asking me to pay for advice about how to get more attention; to improve my “metrics.” Other forms of social media want us to focus on “likes” and other verifications of our popularity. However, only a life lived knowing that God, our Maker and King, knows what is most beneficial for us and fruitful for His people provides the wisdom we need to find true fulfillment. The lesson of the fig tree reminds everyone that a quest for popularity might only lead to a withering of their ability to bear real fruit for eternity.
We close with these two verses: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:8 “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” – Mark 8:35
After Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and after driving the moneychangers out of the temple, He left Jerusalem and stayed in Bethany for a time. On His way back into the city, an odd event occurs where Jesus curses a fig tree so it can never bear fruit again:
“In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once.” – Matthew 21:18-19
Today’s post covers why I think He did precisely what He did at this time and place, and also why and how Matthew records it in his gospel in this context. But first, a couple of concepts for background. Elsewhere, “Jesus said to [His disciples], ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’” (John 4:34). Also, from the very beginning the will of the Father has been that His creation bear fruit both physically and spiritually. (Genesis 1:22, 1:28).
Although Matthew says Jesus was hungry, He could have easily found food somewhere else or gone without it. Therefore, Jesus did not make the fig tree wither because He was upset about being hungry. That would have just been uncontrolled impatience or rage. He was making a point about something else, which is God’s authority over both nature and man. The will of the Father is more important than food. The fig tree was rejecting that authority by not bearing fruit where fruit was needed.[1]
The next event in Matthew’s gospel is “the chief priests and elders of the people” challenging Jesus to prove that He has the authority to do things like chase moneychangers out of the temple and to heal on the Sabbath.[2] If Jesus was going to disregard the authority of the priests and the elders, they were going to make Him explain, so they ask: “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”. Masterfully, Jesus asks a question of His own: “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” In this response, Jesus revealed that the priests and elders were like the fig tree bearing no fruit because they rejected God’s authority. They knew if they answered: “’From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’” Believing in John the Baptist would require genuinely placing their faith in the God of heaven, and it is no coincidence that John told them to “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” earlier in Matthew’s book (3:8).
Jesus’ question proved whose authority these religious leaders feared because in verse 26, they reasoned that they couldn’t say John’s baptism came from man, because that would be unpopular. They were “afraid of the crowd,” who thought John was a prophet. They were not interested in learning about Jesus by asking Him questions, but in preserving their own position. Jesus had provided them all they needed to know about His authority, but they would wither like the fig tree because they rejected Him.
In truth, they were already withering, not knowing how to answer a simple question from Jesus. They had no integrity to stand on and were subject to the whims of the people to keep what little temporary authority they had. The parable of the tenants continues this idea in Matthew 21:33-43, and again the religious leaders “feared the crowds” who thought Jesus was a prophet in verse 46. Ironically, the popular view in both verse 26 and 46 was closer to the truth than what the religious leaders were willing to commit to, but they were not interested in truth. However, they would not publicly reject it because they needed their popularity.
To be continued tomorrow…
[1] In Mark’s gospel, he notes that it was not the season for figs (11:13), but Matthew leaves that detail out since it is not necessary for the point he is making. [2] The following quotes are from Matthew 21:23-26
Each June 18 in in the African nation of Zimbabwe, a festival is held to remember the service of Bernard Mizeki and his martyrdom on this date in 1896. As recently as 2005, almost twenty thousand attended the festival at a time when Zimbabwe had massive food shortages and an unemployment rate of 80 percent!
As profiled in the book “Clouds of Witnesses” by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom[1], Mizeki found Christ, was baptized, and became a missionary under the influence of an Anglican order in Cape Town, South Africa. He planted[2] a one-man mission among the Shona people in an area then known as Theydon, now part of Zimbabwe. The Shona worshiped a creator-deity they called Mwari and sometimes practiced the killing of twin babies and the murder of those identified as sorcerers by their leaders.
Mizeki befriended Shona Chief Mangwende, learned their language in one year, translated key Biblical texts and Christian creeds, held Anglican services, and sought to reform the practices mentioned above. He also identified with and invested in the Shona by marrying a Shona woman, teaching children and others to sing, and providing medical care. His work prospered, and many came to believe.
However, opposition to his work began to grow, especially from those who saw his work as an assault on their culture and authority. On the night of June 17th, 1896 he was assaulted in front of his home and had a spear driven into his side. It seems Mizeki’s removal of some “sacred trees” was the last straw. Then the account gets truly interesting.
Multiple accounts by Africans and Europeans attest to a “great and brilliant white light” and “a noise ‘like many wings of great birds’” around the hut where Mizeki was laid while his friends cared for him, seemingly near death. There was a “strange red glow” around Mizeki’s hut and afterward his body was gone, never to be seen again. Jean Farrant, who documented witness accounts in her book on Mizeki, says each person must decide what to make of this, but that “something happened that night which to the Africans was beyond explanation, which frightened them very much, and left a deep impression”[3] This event is still celebrated today, and others have taken up Mizeki’s work.
Soli Deo Gloria!
[1] Noll, Mark A.; Nystrom, Carolyn. Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia (2011). This post is drawn from chapter 1. [2] John 12:24 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” [3] Farrant, Jean. Mashonaland Martyr: Bernard Mizeki and the Pioneer Church (1966). P. 216-22. Cited in Clouds of Witnesses P. 30.
