Forward Progress

Jesus Isn’t Afraid of that Smell

Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study, Theology

John 11 records one of the best known miracles of Jesus – the raising of Lazarus from the dead. And yet when you read the story in its entirety, you begin to see some of the great detail John recorded in order to put us in Bethany that day.

Take, for example, the fact that Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 days. That’s pretty significant; a detail that was put there purposely by John.

Jewish folklore was that the soul would hover above the body for up to 4 days after death, looking for signs of life and a chance to return. But after four days of death, there was no hope. Decomposition would have started. The body would have begun to decay.

And the smell. Maybe that would have been the worst part. The smell would have been putrid. Abhorent. Disgusting. The body would be sealed inside a tomb to keep the smell of the dead away from the living.

The smell is the smell of death. Of rottenness. Of lifelessness. A sensory reminder that the situation was beyond repair.

But Jesus isn’t afraid of that smell.

He strode boldly to the tomb and commanded that the stone be rolled away, but there were protests. “Lord, he already stinks. It’s been four days,” said the grieving sister.

“Don’t roll the stone away. It’s going to stink. Let us leave him alone; what good is there in confronting that smell? The smell of death?”

But Jesus isn’t afraid of that smell. He inhales it deeply and then spits it back out. He’s not afraid of it because He won’t abide it. He reaches into the smell of death and produces the fragrance of life. He did it with Lazarus; He did it with me; and He’s doing it countless times every day.

We recoil at the smell of death. Our stomachs turn. Bile comes up in our throats. But Jesus? Jesus beats back the stench of death with the fragrance of life.

And the dead come forth…

Where is your sting, death? That’s what Paul asked. He asked because the sting is nowhere to be found. Jesus confronted it… and won. Because He did, He’s not repulsed by the seeming stench of death. In that smell, Jesus sees the potential for new life.

Praise God as we draw nearer to Good Friday and Easter. Praise Him today, for He is the God who brings us out of the grave, just as He did His own Son.

There is No Such Thing as a Cross-less Christ

Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study, Theology

There is an ongoing discussion regarding professional athletes and the hall of fame for their respective sports. The discussion enters debate when an athlete should clearly be included in history because of their performance on the field, but they have some glaring incident or character flaw that plagued them during or after their career. Can such a person be admitted?

Some say yes – that the hall of fame’s purpose is to memorialize exceptional performances on the field. Their personal life is insignificant.

Historians argue the same issue when evaluating presidential terms. Sure, he did wonderful things in the world and for the economy, but is his legacy tainted by accusations of sexual misconduct and explosive anger?

I’m not here to answer either question, but allow it to illustrate a question about Jesus this Easter season. For there are many who dearly love the teachings of Jesus in all their rebellious love and extravagant grace and audacious freedom, and yet do not want to talk about the cross. It’s an unfortunate period to the story of this great teacher, and so we would do better to play up the teachings and play down the blood and the guts and the gore.

You might do that with athletes. Or even with presidents. You cannot do it with Jesus.

There is no “Christ” without the cross. But don’t take my word for it. Take from Jesus Himself:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven…” (Matthew 16:13-17).

Well done, Peter. That’s the right answer. Amidst the wealth of confusion about the identity of Jesus, you nailed it. So right are you, in fact, that your answer could not have come exclusively by your own intuition or intellect – it was a gift from God Himself. But Peter did not understand the implications of calling Jesus the Messiah, or the Christ:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:21-23).

Peter wanted a cross-less Christ. A great teacher. A charismatic leader. But a dead one? A suffering one? Unthinkable. That can’t be right. But according to Jesus, the very idea that He might be Christ and yet not face the cross is blasphemous. An idea with demonic origins. It cannot be so – Jesus won’t stand for it.

If you take the cross away from Jesus, you strip Him of His mission. You devalue His life. You nullify His authority. And You stand against His crowning triumph and glory.

Jesus withstood the taunts of the soldiers. He was silent before the mocking crowd and the preening government officials. But He will not remain silent when someone tries to separate Him from the very reason He came to earth in the first place.

There is no such thing as a cross-less Christ. As you continue to prepare for Good Friday and Easter, remind yourself of Jesus’ willingness to take on the cross. Consider that this act was His choice, a willing submission, for the sake of us all.

What Would You Do If You Knew You Would Die on Friday?

Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study

- Speak honestly about what angers you (Matthew 23:1-36).

- Provide perspective to those around you (Matthew 24).

- Reflect on what really matters (Matthew 25).

- Have dinner with friends (Matthew 26:26-30).

- Let those around know how much you love them (John 13:1-20).

- Comfort your friends with hope (John 14).

- Pray (Matthew 26:36-46).

Fridays Are For One Question

Posted by MK | Filed under Fridays Are For One Question

News flash, guys: Gasoline is expensive.

Like, “sell-some-plasma-before-going-to-the-Citgo” expensive. And I know I’m sounding like an old man here, but I remember back in the summer of ’98, gas was literally 85 cents a gallon.

Memories.

So today’s question, as spring break is happening or already happened and cars have been on the road, is gas themed. Please complete the following sentence:

“I could either fill up my vehicle with gas today, or…”

More Than Sand Drawings

Posted by MK | Filed under Current Events, Pop Culture

From Colossal…

San Francisco-area landscape artist Andreas Amador etches massive sand drawings onto beaches during full moons when his canvas reaches its largest potential. Using only a rake and often several helpers the geometric and organic shapes are slowly carved into the sand….

The works exist for only a few moments, just long enough to snap a few photographs before being completely engulfed by the encroaching tide.

There is something very beautiful about this. It speaks to the nature of fleeting wonder, that everything is temporary. And yet something very sad. It makes me think about life and priorities. Specifically, in how I’m spending my time and all the various parts of life that vie for it. I wonder how my priorities might change if I asked this simple question:

“Is what I’m doing right now anything more than a drawing in the sand?”

How to Sound Like Robert DeNiro

Posted by MK | Filed under Just for Fun, Videos

I found this video to be immensely helpful:

(HT:22 Words)

Nothing is Wasted with God

Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study, Theology

God, in a sense, is a miser.

Not the sense in that He is cheap with giving good gifts to His children. We know that God has held nothing back from us in Christ, for if He gave up His Son for us, how would He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things (Rom. 8:32)? And we know that in the gospel, God has already given the Christian every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

No, not in that sense. In the sense of experiences. God is an experience miser, for nothing is wasted with God.

We don’t typically think that way. We have seasons of life that feel like a waste. We resonate with the children of Israel, wandering around in the desert for day after day, not sure where we’re going professionally, spiritually or relationally. From our perspective, it seems like an arduous, long, gigantic waste of time.

But it’s not. Nothing is wasted with God.

As a case study, I hold up to you two men mentioned only a couple of times in Scripture: Bezalel and Oholiab. These are the guys who God Himself assigned to take the lead in the construction of the tabernacle – the movable structure that would house the Spirit of God.

Yeah, it’s a pretty important job.

Imagine the scene with me: Moses is up on the mountain meeting with God. He has heard chapter after chapter of intricate law, all emphasizing the holiness and transcendence of God. Then he’s heard chapter after chapter of detailed instructions regarding the building of this tabernacle, ranging from the kind of wood to be used to the material for the priests’ underwear. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, God brings up the names of these two men:

“Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for every craft. I have alos selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan to be with him…” (Ex. 31:2-6).

There was no brainstorming session on the mountain that day. God didn’t lay out the instructions for the temple and then ask, “So, Moses, who do you think would be a good choice to lead this work? Have you seen anybody doing some good whittling in the camp lately?”

No, this call is very specific. God had called these men by name – He had particularly chosen them of all the rest. But there’s something revelatory about the language here. It’s not that now, suddenly, because of the Spirit of God, these guys suddenly have the capability to be master masons and carpenters. Rather, it’s that the Spirit would bring direction and passion to the skills they already have.

Now take that in for a minute. Let is rest next to the fact that these men, along with everyone else in the desert, had very recently come walking out of bondage in Egypt. And then realize that these skills, the ones to now be used for building the dwelling place of God, were honed in the cruelty of the Egyptian chains.

For years, the skills of these men had been refined and sharpened at the ends of their taskmasters’ whips. Surely there were days when they didn’t want to go to work. They didn’t feel like building another pyramid. They felt like their lives were a total waste. But Bezalel and Oholiab were destined to find out the miserly ways of God:

He does not waste experiences. The very thing that they considered to be a waste was to be used in the future to construct the reminder of God’s desire to dwell in the midst of His people.

That’s very encouraging, especially if you find yourself in a season of life today that feels like a waste. That seems to have no purpose. That is, from your vantage point, utterly useless. Maybe you don’t think you can change one more diaper. Or file one more report. Or type one more line.

Be encouraged today, Christian – God is no waster of time. He is no waster of experiences. And perhaps today, in the back of His mind, is a future moment when what you are doing today will be called forth in redemption to once again remind others of a God who desires to be immeasurably close to His people.

Fridays Are For One Question

Posted by MK | Filed under Fridays Are For One Question

In the movies, there is nothing like a good sword fight. Whether the swords are being wielded by Scottish freedom fighters, masked vigilantes, or knights from a galaxy far, far away, movies with a good fight scene always draw my eye.

That’s one of the reasons why this video is particularly hilarious – it’s mocking the “iffy” fight scenes in the first (or 4th, depends on how you count) Star Wars movie:

After you’ve recovered, maybe you’ll take a minute and comment if you share my affinity for swash-buckling:

“What’s your favorite movie sword-fight of all time?”

The “Who” is Better Than the “Why”

Posted by MK | Filed under Books, Theology

Job, when he was stricken with all kinds of suffering, went on a quest for answers. He sought understanding – the mysterious “Why” behind his troubles. He wasn’t content with the explanations of his friends, and pressed into God asking the hard questions most of us shy away from.

The following is taken from my book, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God about our 2-year-old son’s cancer diagnosis, and the impact on our faith as a family:

“In Job 38 God started talking back. He answered Job out of a whirlwind, which must have been more than a little disconcerting. But after these thirty-seven chapters of accusations, ques- tions, and pain, the answer God gave was not the “Why?” Job was looking for. It was the “Who” he wasn’t.

For the next four chapters, God talked about . . . Himself. He talked about His power and His creativity. He talked about His wisdom and His justice. And He reminded Job that he, as a human, possessed none of those qualities in comparison to the Almighty. Never once did God crack the door of eternity and say, “See, this whole thing started when Satan came walking in here. . . .” Never once did He take Job into the future to show him the good that would come from his struggle. Never once did He reveal the way He would redeem Job’s pain. Never did God show Job one of the billions of Bibles that would be printed in the future, all containing his story. Not one single answer to Job’s specific questions. Just descriptions of Himself.

While that may seem unsatisfying on our end, to know that God doesn’t offer answers or promise a glimpse “on the inside,” we’ve got to ask ourselves the question: Would knowing why really help? And at least for our part, the answer is no. It wouldn’t. Why doesn’t bring back the lost time. Why doesn’t gather up the tears we’ve shed. Why doesn’t make the ache go away. Why doesn’t help with the anxiety of the future.

But “Who” does. God is the redeemer of moments small and large. God gathers up our tears and holds them in His hands. God is the healer of the soul. God is the caretaker of the future. Who helps tremendously in ways that why never could.

That’s what Job’s three friends were missing. It’s incredibly ironic that in their attempt to protect God from Job’s ques- tions, they were actually trying to force their friend to settle for something less than the end of his questions. They were pushing him toward logic and reason, and while that has its place, in cases like this what we need isn’t logic and reason. What the hurting person needs more than anything else is God. ”

Find the book here.