Should the Church Abandon the church? Part 3

Ancient Miracles, Fact or Fiction, No Longer

The Jerusalem Talmud...

"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the Western Light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the temple by night, and get up in the morning and find them wide open." (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p. 156-157) [The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]

The Babylonian Talmud...

"Our rabbis taught: during the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the lot ['la-Jehovah'] did not come up in the right hand, nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine, and the doors of the Hekel [Hekel] would open by themselves." (Soncino version, Yoma 39b)

In the painful years that followed the 70 CE destruction of the Temple, two different versions of Jewish thought, Jewish history, and Jewish commentary began to be written. One was written in Palestine, and became known as the Jewish Talmud, the other in Babylon and became known as the Babylonian Talmud. Both passages agree that around 30 CE, things changed radically.

The Miracle of the Lot
As we discussed during out last visit. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would blindly draw two stones to place upon the heads of the lambs before him. One stone, white 'la-Jehovah'; would declare one lamb the sacrificial lamb to be given God. The second stone, black 'la-Azazel'; would declare the other lamb the scapegoat to be sent out of the city, carrying the sins of the nation on it's head. For thousands of years, the Priest would randomly select a white stone or black stone in either hand. It was seen as a sign when the right hand was found to be holding the white 'la-Jehovah' stone that God had accepted their sacrifice. But for 40 years in a row, from the year 30 CE to the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, the Priest's right hand grasped the black 'la-Azazel' stone every single time. The chances of that happening are 2 to the 40th power, or 1 in 5,479,548,800.

The Miracle of the Red Cloth
Taking the Scapegoat's scarlet cloth, torn in two, the High Priest for thousands of years had tied half to the lamb, and half on the door of the temple. Every single year to this point, the red cloth on the door turned white as a symbol that the Lord God had accepted their Day of Atonement sacrifice.

"Come, let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

For those 40 years after the death of Christ, and before the destruction of the Temple (and the cessation of all the Jewish sacrifices), the Crimson cloth remained blood red. As if their sacrifice and service no longer had it's intended purpose or effect.

The Miracle of the Temple Doors
During those 40 years, as they secured the temple doors each night, when they awoke in the morning, they found them wide open. The leading Jewish scholar at the time Yohanan ben Zakkai, rightly declared it as a sign the temple would be destroyed. The Jewish Talmud states,

"Said Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai to the Temple, 'O Temple, why do you frighten us? We know that you will end up destroyed. For it has been said, 'Open your doors oh Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars.' (Zecharaiah 1:11)' (Sota 6:3)

Might this miracle have not just been a foreteling of the destruction of the temple? Might it not also have been a reminder of the rent veil? On the day of Christ's death, the temple veil was rent from top to bottom. The Glory of the Lord departed from the temple to reside in the hearts of men. With the office of the Priest no longer needed, could these eternally open doors been a reminder that fellowship with Father God was now open to all?

The Miracle of the Temple Menorah
Our fourth miracle is that no matter what the priests did, the most important lamp of the Menorah refused to remain lit. Earnest Martin states,

"In fact, we are told in the Talmud that at dusk the lamps that were unlit in the daytime (the middle four lamps remained unlit, while the two eastern lamps normally stayed lit during the day) were to be re-lit from the flames of the western lamp (which was a lamp that was supposed to stay lit all the time it was like the 'eternal' flame that we see today in some national monuments)...


"This 'western lamp' was to be kept lit at all times. For that reason, the priests kept extra reservoirs of olive oil and other implements in ready supply to make sure that the 'western lamp' (under all circumstances) would stay lit. But what happened in the forty years from the very year Messiah said the physical Temple would be destroyed? Every night for forty years the western lamp went out, and this in spite of the priests each evening preparing in a special way the western lamp so that it would remain constantly burning all night!" (The Significance of the Year CE 30, Ernest Martin, Research Update, April 1994, p.4).

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple
One day, Jesus is sitting in the Temple. Now, I don't know if you have ever been to church, but let me fill you in on the unwritten rules. Besides the ones about staying out of Sister So and So's favorite seat, the most important rule of church going is this... When they pass the offering plate, mind your own dang business. Jesus, of course, couldn't care less about the pomp and circumstance that we perform in order to feel better about ourselves, and so, near the end of Mark chapter 12, we find Him breaking that exact rule.

"Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts." - Mar 12:41 NLT

I've never been in a position to be one of the "rich people" who "put in large amounts," but I would imagine that if I ever were, or if I ever become one, I'd probably be pretty excited that Jesus had chosen this particular day to peep in on the plate. Perhaps He would see how "holy" I am, and how "giving" I am, and be impressed with how "sacrificing" I am.
Obviously, like most people, I'm stupid. And Jesus rarely gives eye to the one that is seeking attention. Least of all when one is using an act to publicly prove his "godliness" that is founded in selfishness and insecurity.
Jesus is, of course, not fooled. Nor are the "rich people" the reason He is hovering over the offering. Mark goes on...

"Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins." - Mar 12:42 NLT

This part I have played. Well, not exactly the widow part, but you get the picture. It's different for kids, but when you're a grown-up in church, and the offering plate comes around, the absolute LAST thing you want anyone to notice is the disgusting, look-at-how-poor-I-am, he-probably-doesn't-even-tithe sound of COINS clinking into the bottom of the plate. I have nearly cried in relief at the site of a felt-lining on the bottom of a brass offering plate. Put it in quietly. Don't look around. Nobody will be able to see what a loser you are.
This, I imagine, is the feeling in the room as the widow approaches the collection box. Head down, eyes on her feet, shame oozing from each pore. What Jesus does next probably stopped hearts.

"Jesus called his disciples to him and said..." - Mar 12:43 NLT

What?!?!
Not only is Jesus hovering over the collection box, the offering plate. Not only is Jesus watching. But now, He's gathering a crowd. Gesticulating. Waving. Gathering His guys. Not only that, but in this tomb of silence, Jesus begins to speak...

"Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on." - Mar 12:43-44 NLT

I imagine that statement like a silent thunderclap in the room. This Jesus is not unaccustomed to turning over tables in the Temple. With one comment, He turns their "church" on it's ear.
It is in this environment, and in this frame of mind the Jesus walks out of the Temple at the beginning of Mark chapter 13. His disciples with Him.
Understand that to the Jewish culture, the wealth of the temple is a thing of pride and national identitiy. When Moses's tabernacle in the wilderness was built with tapesty, fine linen, silver, and gold. All of those expensive items came from the Jewish people who had spent the last couple hundred years as slaves! But, if you re-read the Exodus, you see that the Egyptian people loaded them up as they walked away. Gold, Silver, wealth, all of it. Like the plunder of a conquering King. That is what the wealth of the temple represented to them. That God favored them. That He would always make a way where there was no way.
And so, Jesus is walking out of that ordained Temple, having just praised the lowliest of givers, and His disciples reach out to defend this symbol of their nation.

"As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls." - Mar 13:1 NLT

There's no doubt that the disciples rarely understood Jesus. I imagine that this irritated and frustrated Him sometimes. And so, Jesus replies. The word of Jesus are never to be taken lightly. Least of all when He seems a little stormy.

"Jesus replied, "Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!" - Mar 13:2 NLT

The End of the Line
Jesus dies, the sacrifice is completed, the earth cracks open, and dead people begin to walk around Jerusalem.
The miracles that have maintained the Jewish faith in their favor and calling from Jehovah have ceased. The veil is rent. The temple gates which take 20 people on each side to open, somehow will not remain closed at night. The menorah will not remain lit.
But, people do not give up power easily. So, the sacrifices continue. The priests close the gates each morning, hoping no one noticed them being open. They attempt to stitch closed the temple veil, each morning it is re-rent. Nothing works.
The lineage of the High Priest, unbroken for thousands of years, handed down directly from Aaron, the brother of Moses, had existed without fail whether Israel had a temple or not. From the end of Caiaphas's ministry in 37 CE, there are 15 High Priests in the next near 30 years.
Finally, for the first time, when unable to find a direct or indirect descendent of Matthian Ben Theophillus in 66 CE, the Zealots, showing their political power, cast lots and name Phannias ben Samuel the new High Priest. He dies in the destruction of the Temple 4 years later.
The miracles have stopped.
The line of High Priests is forever broken.
The temple is destroyed.
What exactly is it about the work of Christ that caused such a massive shift? What exactly is it about mankind that so refuses to give up it's final vestiges of power?

"The Glory of the Lord has Departed"
We find this in one of the most poignant foreshadowings in scripture. Thousands of years before, Eli is Israel's Judge. He is 98 years old, he is fat, he is blind, and he has not passed on the honor of the office to his derelict sons. The Children of Israel are in battle with the Philistines, and Eli is sitting beside the road, awaiting news. Let's pick it up in 1 Samuel chapter 4...

"A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief. Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town. "What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli, who was ninety-eight years old and blind. He said to Eli, "I have just come from the battlefield--I was there this very day." "What happened, my son?" Eli demanded. "Israel has been defeated by the Philistines," the messenger replied. "The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured." When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel's judge for forty years. Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth. She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. "Don't be afraid," they said. "You have a baby boy!" But she did not answer or pay attention to them. She named the child Ichabod (which means "Where is the glory?"), for she said, "Israel's glory is gone." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead. Then she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured." - 1Sa 4:12-22 NLT

Watch for Part 4, coming soon...

Should the Church abandon the church? Part 2

Ancient Israel's Design

From the mysterious Melchizedek, through the Aaronic ranks, and into the Levitical line, the role of the Priesthood has a long, beautifully complex, and sometimes sordid history. Their role was to mediate between God and man.  They ministered according to very specific instructions, and offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. Once a year, the High Priest would walk into the Holy of Holies and offer a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the entire nation (including the Priests) committed in the past year. In their system, there was no other way to God, but through the ministry of the Priest.

It has often been said that power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely. And, there can be no position more powerful than to act on behalf of God. As expected, Isreal's Priestly history has it's share of ugliness.

The Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' Day

People love to disagree. It's always been that way, it probably always will be. The Pharisees and Sadducees were no different. Making up two very different ReligioPolitical views with varying swings of power and influence as first one party then the other would take popular precedence. It was much the same as our current Democratic/Republican extreme power swings where the majority of the populace are left somewhere in the middle benefiting from neither.

Whether is was the Pharisees imposing their strict and constricting views of Scripture on everyone, or the Sadducees with their elite classism, the resulting effect was the same. The system, bloated by largess and aggresive posturing was broken and much in need of reform or revolution.

Into this environment walks the peaceful warrior, Jesus. He held nothing back. Telling it like it was. Hating the situation, but loving the people enough to tell them the truth, even if they didn't want to hear it. His Father's Temple had been defiled by the avarice of it's leaders, and it was time for a change!

Now, please understand that God knows human nature very well. It was never his intention for this system of beliefs and practices to be perfect and exist forever. It was merely a placeholder. An imperfect work of man, to prepare the way for the perfect work of Christ. God created this leadership with the full intention of eventually replacing it. But, like all man, and especially men of power, the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were not quick to give up their authority.

Scared of His power and influence, the Jewish leadership had Him crucified, not that this would surprise Jesus...

After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead." And the disciples were filled with grief. - Mat 17:22-23 NLT

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. "Listen," he said, "we're going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead." - Mat 20:17-19 NLT

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. - Mat 26:1-4 NLT

On the way, Jesus told them, "Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, 'God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there." - Mat 26:31-32 NLT

In my favorite example of this, Jesus, being Jesus; walks into the temple and seeing the money hungry vultures feasting on the people, throws a holy fit.

Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!" Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: "Passion for God's house will consume me." But the Jewish leaders demanded, "What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it." "All right," Jesus replied. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." "What!" they exclaimed. "It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?" But when Jesus said "this temple," he meant his own body. - Jhn 2:15-21 NLT

So, who exactly is in control here? No doubt that it is Jesus, and Him alone. See, this is part of God's plan. He has come having already decided to sacrifice His son.  And, one of the most important things that He is trying to accomplish during this, (aside from the whole saving the world from their sins thing) is to take the middle man out of the equation. He is coming to destroy the priesthood. To destroy the thing that separates man from God.

I heard a man once say that if you have some frogs to eat, you might as well eat the biggest one first. When it came time to destroy the system of the Jewish Priesthood, Jesus went straight for the big frog.

The Big Frog
The crowning achievement of the Jewish priestly duties happened once a year. It is now known as Yom Kippur, or The Day of Atonement. It is the holiest of all the Jewish holy days. It takes place, ultimately, in the Holy of Holies. And it is done by the premier Priest of the day, a title handed down for thousands of years through an unbroken family lineage, The High Priest. The Big Frog.

A Day in the Life
It had been a tough time for Caiaphas, but it is almost over.

His strategic marriage to the High Priest Annas' daughter, had positioned him just right. The right education, the right contacts, the right relationships, and now the right position belonged to him. He was Israel's High Priest.

15 years earlier, his friendly working relationship with the Roman Governor Valerius Gratus had lead to his appointment to this ultimate role. He had even survived the shift of power as Gratus was replaced by the current Roman lead, Pontius Pilate.

At 15 years of service, he has been High Priest longer than most anyone. As Chairman of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court, his place in history was secure.

He should be feeling a lot better about this day, the biggest day of the year. The day reserved for the HIghest of Priests to step into the Holiest of places, and to do the job that only he could do. He'd feel alot better about this day, if it weren't for that trouble maker Jesus. But, that was almost finished.

What an exhausting week. Finding a traitor in Jesus inner circle, Caiaphas had been able to arrange Jesus; arrest and lead the subsequent 'trial' where Jesus sat silently as they accused Him of blasphemy.

Jesus hadn't said a single word.

It was almost laughable. It would have worried him more. But, for all the trouble the Nazarite had been giving him, at the end, He stood there silently and refused to defend Himself while witness after witness that Caiaphas had been able to fabricate brought forth lie upon lie.

And, Jesus said nothing.

Like a burrowing worm, this unsettled Caiaphas. Jesus didn't seem like the kind to back down easily. But, in thinking about it, Caiaphas realized Jesus must have understood it was hopeless. Assured now. Caiaphas had done his job. He had done it right. And, the Jesus issue was about to go away... forever.

Now, it was time to get down to the liturgical duties of the Jew's High Priest. He just wished he could get the bearded trouble maker out of his thoughts.

Beginning the yearly ritual he had done so many times before, Caiaphas washed his hands and feet. Painful images of the nails being driven into the hands and feet of the carpenter's son splashed through his mind as he scrubbed all the harder.

Slowly undressing from his golden regal priestly garments, and laying out the white linen he will wear for the duration of the sacrifices, he thought suddenly of the garment he had watched them take from Jesus. It really was of excellent quality, rivaling his own. He wasn't sure how a poor street preacher had come across a garment of that quality, He had probably stolen it. But, Caiaphas could guarantee, Jesus would never wear anything as regall as that again.

"Okay, Caiaphas... concentrate. Today's isn't about Jesus, it's about you," he refocused. Putting on the White Robe, and washing again, he nodded, "That's right. Today is all about me."

Standing now between the Temple-porch and the altar, he faces the east, towards the people, and turns the head of the soon to be slain bullock towards the west, to face the sanctuary. Placing both hands on the head of the bull, he speaks, for the benefit of the crowd, the words that he has spoken so many times before.

'Ah, JEHOVAH! I have committed iniquity; I have transgressed; I have sinned— and my house. Oh, then, JEHOVAH, I entreat Thee, cover over (atone for, let there be atonement for) the iniquities, the transgressions, and the sins which I have committed, transgressed, and sinned before Thee, I and my house— as it is written in the law of Moses, Thy servant: "For, on that day will He cover over (atone) for you to make you clean; from all your transgressions before JEHOVAH ye shall be cleansed."'

As always, the people fall on their faces. They cry out in one voice, "Blessed be the Name, the glory of His kingdom is forever and ever."

Stepping closer to the people, he nears the Calphi urn, and standing between two identical goats, thrust both hands inside the urn (called the "Lottery) to grab the two "Lots". The 'Lots' were stones, one white with "la-JEHOVAH" etched in it, the other black with "la-Azazel" or "The ScapeGoat". Taking the unseen stones in hand, and placing a hand on each goat's head, the goat's "lot is cast."

Taking two scarlet cloths, one will soon be tied around the throat of the "la-JEHOVAH" goat where it will soon be slit, He tears the 2nd cloth and ties the 1st half around the horn of the "ScapeGoat", which is turned from the Sanctuary to face the people, awaiting their sins to be "laid upon him." The 2nd half of the Scapegoat cloth, is tied to the door of the temple.

Caiaphas's mind flicks to Jesus standing with Pontius Pilate.

"Which one should I set free?" Pilate's voice rings over the crowd.

"Barrabas! Give us Barrabas!" the crowd screams. 

"But, what shall I do with Jesus?" Pilate is shocked by their passion.

"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

Returning to himself, Caiaphas shakes his head and thinks, "When this day's over, I'm gonna sleep for three days!"

Turning back to the bull, Caiaphas again lays both hands on it's head and this time confesses not only his own sins and the sins of his family, but now confesses the sins of all the priests. He wishes this was more private. It seems almost sacrilege for a man of his position to confess in front of the people. But, it is the tradition after all.

With a swift and practiced hand, Caiaphas kills the bull, and in a vessel gathers it's blood. This vessel, he hands to a helper who swirls it to keep the blood from coagulating.

Stepping to the Altar of Burnt Offering, Caiaphas fills a censer with hot coals, and throws a handful of Frankincense in another dish.

He would normally carry incense in his right hand, and the censer of coals in his left, but today, on the Day of Atonement, when the censer is so big and heavy, he is allowed to reverse the common order, and so, carrying the censer in his right hand, and the incense in his left, every eye watches as the white robed High Priest disappears from sight into the Holy Place.
The curtain of the Most Holy Place towers in the darkness before him. Forty feet high, and four inches thick, it's sheer mass is suffocating. Lit only by the light of the coals in his censer, the corner of the veil is turned back between him and the Holy of Holies, allowing him entrance. In Moses' temple, the Ark of God stood therein with the Mercy Seat overshadowing it. Above it, the glowing presence of JEHOVAH in the cloud of Shekinah between the outspread wings of the Cherubim. In that day, the High Priest would have placed the censer between the staves of the ark. But, in Herod's temple, the Holy of Holies sat empty of ark or shekinah, and instead Caiaphas rests the heavy censer on a large stone, called the "Foundation Stone".

Taking the Frankincense, he carefully throws all of it into the golden censer of burning coals and waits for the temple to fill with smoke, then withdraws.

The incense offering filling the Most Holy Place, the people in the court withdraw in silence to worship. As the people see Caiaphas withdraw from the Most Holy Place, they know his sacrifice has been accepted.

Grabbing the swirling vessel of bull's blood from the attendant, Caiaphas again advances into the darkness, dipping his finger into the blood, he sprinkles, once upward to where the Mercy-Seat would be, and seven times downward, his heart pounding in his chest.

Withdrawing again, he sets the vessel of bull's blood on a golden stand before the veil. Heart thumping, he slits the throat of the goat "la-JEHOVAH", catching it's blood in another vessel, he ventures into the empty darkness again, wondering if the people know that there is nothing inside. As before, sprinkling once upward, and seven times downward, before placing the second vessel on another golden stand.

Taking again the bull's blood, he sprinkles this time toward the veil, outside the Most Holy Place, once upward, and seven times downward, and does the same with the blood of the goat.

He pours the vessel of bull's blood into the vessel of goat's blood, then both back into the bull's vessel, mixing the two. He sprinkles both horns of the Altar of Incense, and seven times the top of that altar.

His own blood coursing through his head, Caiaphas, pours the remainder of the blood at the west side of the Altar of Bunt Offerings, purifying it as well.

His White Robe is without blemish or spot.

Having now completed the purification of the temple, Caiaphas's weariness nearly overwhelms him. It is almost 3 o'clock in the afternoon. But, strangely, it is as dark as the middle of night.

Now that he pauses, Caiaphas realizes that each time he stepped out of the Most Holy place over the last 3 hours, it has seemed as dark as death.

He has only one last act to perform this day as High Priest, his weariness suffocating. One last sentence. A phrase to be uttered by the High Priest alone.

What Caiaphas does not know, is that at The Place of The Skull hanging between two thieves, the Jesus whom Caiaphas schemed to defeat begins to form His mouth to speak. The mouth that remain closed during His trials, now opens to speak once again.

And, as one, two Priests breath in. The Heavenly Priest, bloody and beaten, gulps in His last. The earthly Priest thinking all is normalcy. But, none the less, as one, they agree for the first time and speak together the closing words of the sacrament...

"It is FINISHED!"

What Caiaphas next experienced, he would never be able to fully retell. The Earth began to violently move beneath him like a long-captive behemoth finally breaking it's bonds. Caiaphas next became aware of the warm blood on his hands and knees. Having fallen to his knees, his fingers, so often dipped in the warm blood of the sacrificed animals, now dripped his own blood.

The next sound shattered his ear drums. The earth quaking, rocks disintegrating, the multitudes screaming in terror. They did not compare with the rending sound exploding behind him. As if the earth itself were roaring it's triumph, the mighty curtain snapped taught. Though no hands touched it... though no outside force pulled it... The mighty curtain... the immense veil... the separation between God and man... that which seperated Caiaphas from all other men... with one horrendous, heart-stopping snap, rent explosively from top to bottom.

Sudden, clean, piercing, and cleansing light splashed the heavens. The unnatural night ends in an instant. The sun pierces the before-shadowed room, now no longer hidden by veil or fear.
Truly, It is finished.

Next, Whatever happened to the Priesthood?

Should the Church Abandon the church (Part 1)

Camelot

The year is 1960. A baby-faced good looking kid from Massachusetts has just been elected the youngest American President ever. He appoints his brother Bobbie to the US Attorney General's office. Bobbie, then approaches the storied founder and leader of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover to begin investigating the Mafia.

Hoover and the FBI had been criticized in the media for ignoring the mafia for many years. Truth is, he had been avoiding the Mafia for a very long time. The world-wearied Hoover understood something practical that others seemed not to grasp.

There was money in the Mafia. There wasn't money in government service.

J. Edgar Hoover had been around the seedy side of people long enough to know that his underpaid and overworked field agents were much too vulnerable. The long hours, the financial needs of their families, and the necessary periods of separation from direct leadership oversight that was the life of a field agent was a recipe for disaster when mixed with Mafia money.


Now, history tells us that J. Edgar Hoover attacked the Mafia by upping the ante in their game. He attempted to trump their aces by buying mafia informants. Offering them protection and resources that would exceed anything they would see in their current deals in exchange for information. Only the 20/20 vision of review allows us to see whether there was wisdom in his decisions. However, one thing remains clear...


J. Edgar Hoover was hesitant to put his people into a position in which they were almost certain to fail.


The Mission or the Missionaries?
Jesus is about to be betrayed. He will soon be beaten, whipped, ridiculed, mocked, and humiliated. He knows this is coming. He has agonized over it. He has begged to have this cup that He must drink removed from Him. Nevertheless, He has accepted it.


Having done that, His thoughts are on His friends. Let's take a moment and look at an extended piece of scripture as Jesus exposes His heart towards His friends as He prays for His disciples.


After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life--to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. "I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. "Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. "I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. "I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them." - Jhn 17:1-26 NLT


Do you hear His love for His guys?  Do you hear the responsibility He feels towards them?

The next chapter, John 18, starts by Jesus and his guys crossing the Kidron, and walking into a grove of olive trees. Judas knows this spot, and Judas is ready with soldiers to give his "kiss of death."


This is His final thought before He is taken from them to be crucified. His heart is not for the mission as much as it is for His missionaries. His heart is breaking for them. That love is amazing.


Like Whitewashed Tombs
One thing is for sure. When it came to confronting the religious leaders of His day, Jesus did not mince words. He laid it out plain and simple...


Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach. - Mat 23:1-3 NLT


Alrighty, then. Sounds like a lot of people we know...


They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. "Everything they do is for show... . - Mat 23:4-5a NLT


I don't know about you, but that sounds like what everyone I know says about our Modern Day church.


And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi.' - Mat 23:6-7 NLT


Right off the bat, I think it's safe to say that Jesus is not fond of these traits in His church. He has come to earth to start a revolution. The Jews wanted Him to start a political revolution, and to lead them out of the oppression that they were suffering at the hands of the Romans. But, He has other plans. He ALWAYS has other plans.


Understand that, in this passage, He is talking about what we would now call the "church." But, He is talking to His followers, His believers. He's talking to the "Church." Follow the capital letters here, He's talking to the Church about the church. (I'll explain the differences as I see them later)


Let's continue in Matthew 23 as He instructs how He wants them to be different than what they've seen so far...


"Don't let anyone call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don't address anyone here on earth as 'Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don't let anyone call you 'Teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. - Mat 23:8-11 NLT


Shut the front door! How do we miss this stuff? Or more correctly said, how do we put so much importance on some of the things Christ said, while we completely ignore other things He said?


I'm not Jewish, so I don't call anyone Rabbi. But, I get His point. There is only one teacher, and all the rest of us are all equal. I'm also not Catholic, so I don't call anyone 'Father', but I was in church yesterday, and sat and listened to a wonderful 'Teaching Pastor' give a great 'sermon' on Job and the ups and downs in his life. It was meaningful, it was inspirational, it was comforting. The 'Teaching Pastor' is genuine and Godly. His message was impacting not because of his title, but because he has caught onto the heart of his calling, 'The greatest among you must be a servant.'


My issue isn't with him, we'll come back to this. For now, let's continue with a warning from Christ to the power hungry...


But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. - Mat 23:12 NLT


I don't know about you. But, Jesus doesn't seem like the kind of guy to make empty threats. I'd guess that you could pretty much bet that if He says something, He'll follow through on it.


He continues to characterize the religious establishment. Understand that, if you only know the "Sunday School" polite Jesus, what He says here may shock you. If your prayers sound like Ricky Bobby's, "Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, with your curled-up, fat, balled-up little fists pawin' at the air..." Well, this Jesus has a beard. Let's listen to the MAN.


"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either. "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! "Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! ... Blind fools!... How blind!... "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law--justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy--full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs--beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! ...Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? - Mat 23:13-33 NLT


This may not be clear to you, but to me it seems pretty obvious. Jesus does not dig people who use "religious authority" to laud power over people for their own advantage or for the people's disadvantage. He REALLY doesn't like it, and He REALLY isn't someone to mess with. One thing is clear. Jesus did not like the way the Jewish leaders treated the Jewish people. I would imagine His opinion of that type of leadership in today's church is not much different.

Next, Part 2, where we go back a few thousand years...

REDUX If all the Bible is really "Scripture", then are we "Scripture" too?

I've spent a lot of time thinking lately.  I know... dangerous... Anyways, I've been thinking about the "infallibility of scripture", the importance the church places on the study and understanding of scripture, and the role our lives play in the world around us.


I've spent a lot of time in church. Having worked in "full-time ministry" for many years, for periods of my life I probably spent more waking moments involved in "church" than not. I've studied our sordid history. I've compared denominations. I've contrasted major belief separations within "Christendom".


And, for the life of me, I just can't figure this out. 


I may have spent time thinking this through, but I am definitely no expert. I've studied, but I am no scholar. I am at best an semi-informed semi-pro layman, yeah... not even that. 


Here's my problem.


We put this immense focus upon the intricate study of scripture. We scour the original (or at least earlier historical version) languages. We read commentaries. We listen to sermons. We compare linguistics. "Yes, but this is in the Greek Aorist tense!"


A Short Rabbit Trail
It bothers me that we have made the study of scripture a profession. Thus, to be done by professionals. And, in doing so, re-instituted the exact separation between laity and regular-everyday Joe's that Jesus eliminated. But, that's another subject.


Back to the Point
I am not trying to say that the study of scripture is not beneficial. I am not trying to say that it is not important. I am not trying to say that you shouldn't be studying scripture.



[22] But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. [23] For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. [24] You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. - Jam 1:22-24 NLT


Study of scripture is a beautiful thing. But, it is not a destination in and of itself. The point is not to JUST study the scripture. But, to study the scripture, seek to understand it, and then apply it in such a way to your life that it makes changes in your character.


Study itself is not worship. Study is a vehicle. Study of scripture, which becomes knowledge, can become belief. If that belief is given time to mature, it produces changes in our character which manifests itself as changes in our behavior and actions. 


Lives that have visibly changed bring glory to God. THAT is worship.


Worship is an Olde English word which comes from "Worth-ship". And it means "to ascribe worth."


When we study, it does not necessarily ascribe worth to Father God. However, when that study becomes maturity in our lives, and people notice it. In that, our Father is glorified.


So, let me encourage you. Or, more correctly, let me encourage myself. Don't be like the man who looks into the mirror of scripture, then turns away and forgets what he saw. James continues...



[22] Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. [23] Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. [25] But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. - Jam 1:22-25 NIV


Okay, but what does this have to do with Scripture?
Now, in my last post, we were discussing the letters that Paul wrote, and whether they were "Scripture". I was running off at the mouth about my issues of using Paul's quote about "all scripture is God breathed" to prove that Paul's letter itself was scripture. (Go back and read it, because I just did a terrible job readressing the issue).


Anyways, without any doubt, Paul wrote some great letters. But, in my opinion, he had something even more interesting to say about a letter that Christ wrote...


I'm in the Second letter Paul has written to the Church at Corinth. At the end of Chapter 2, he is saying that he's not like all the "televangelists" of his day who are only preaching to make a quick buck. But, he speaks before God out of love, and with sincerity. 


Then, he continues at the top of Chapter 3 (understanding that it wasn't Paul who divided this letter into Chapters) and he takes an interesting stance.  



[1] Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! - 2Cr 3:1 NLT

Okay, let's back up. First, he's saying that he's not a money-hungry-preacher-for-hire, like so many other people of his day (lest you think that you and I are the only ones who detest that type). Then,  he starts talking about the proof behind the legitimacy of his ministry and calling.


Paul hypothetically asks if he really is like the other guys. Does he need to bring a letter of recommendation? Should he ask them to write their own letter of recommendation so he can go to the next town to preach-for-pay there?


Of course not!


But, watch what he says...



[2] The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. - 2Cr 3:2 NLT


Basically, Paul tells them that if anyone wants to look at the legitimacy of his ministry, he can look at the harvest produced in the Corinthian believers. That is the only "letter" of recommendation that he needs, "...everyone can read it and recognize our good work...".


So, the "letter" of recommendation is read in the lives of the people that his ministry has touched. But, who wrote that letter?



[3] Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. - 2Cr 3:3 NLT


Paul's letter to Corinth vs. Christ's letter to the Earth
Now, let's return to our subject from last post. If a man can write something (under the influence of the Holy Spirit), and across thousands of years of discussion, it can still be considered "God breathed Scripture". How much more so a letter from Christ.


If Paul's word ring eternal. How much more so the Eternal One?


Okay, so what's the point?
You undoubtedly know many a person that would never pick up a Bible. Maybe they've been burned by church. Maybe they can't stand "Christians". Maybe they can't stomach the politics. Maybe they just don't feel "holy" enough or "clean" enough or perhaps they do feel that they are just "not" enough. 


Whatever the reason. The bible is not their source for inspiration. Paul's letter will never grace their thought patterns. 


Your life, however, does. They may not read Paul's letter. They will read Christ's. Because Christ's letter... is you.


"...The only letter of recommendation we need is you..."


"...Your lives are a letter..."


"...Clearly, you are a letter from Christ..."


"...everyone can read it..."


You may be the only "Scripture" someone ever reads. Your reaction to difficult situations. Your decision in times of temptation. Your grace with the tough-to-love. Your patience with rush-hour-traffic. Your spirit of forgiveness instead of judgement.


You, my friend, are a letter of recommendation from God to all the people around you. Live it fearlessly!

Is all the Bible "Scripture"? The Riddled Riddle.

When I was in High School, I had a friend named Dave. I'd love to be able to describe to you what type of high school student Dave was, but I'm not sure how to classify him. He wasn't a "Jock", but the Jock's all knew him. He didn't party, but the "Stoners" all thought he was hilarious. He could discuss quantum theories in the morning, help an awkward Freshman avoid social foibles at lunch, and chat up the Home Coming Queen before the end of the day.


Dave did not fit into any social structure, but was liked and respected by all


I am not Dave.


In some ways, although I am not Dave, I am a little like Dave... only a little... the not fitting into any social structure part. But, that's where the similarities end.


All the Super Human abilities to effortlessly maneuver the minefield of High School angst belonged to Dave alone. He made it look so easy. Easy smile. Lots of genuine laughter. Comfortable with the ladies.


I hate him still.


In the 20 plus years since I've graduated from High School, I can say with full confidence that I have gotten no better at this at all. I just can't seem to fit in. It's not that it bothers me, exactly. I know that it's healthy to have your own opinions. You don't know how many times I've quoted, "That warm comfortable feeling is the body temperature of the middle of the pack."


I know that, ultimately, it's good to not follow the status quo. To not believe something just because everybody else believes it. 


I just spend a lot of time feeling... alone.


I spent most of my life in the church. Going to church. Working for the church. Cleaning the church. Setting up and tearing down at church. Teaching at church. Loving the church. Hating the church. Vowing to never step foot again in a church. Returning anyways to church.


And let me tell you first hand. Do you know what I feel most often when I'm around church people? Do you want to know?


Alone.


I feel alone. Isolated. Separated. Like there's nobody who understands me. Nobody who thinks like me. Nobody like me.


Everybody else seems to laugh and joke... worship and weep... sing and clap... given and take. But me, I feel like I'm always just watching. When the worship gets loud and boisterous... yeah, I'm not really very charismatic. When the offering plate comes around... yeah, I'd love to be an extravagant giver, but most times, giving anything at all is an extravagance.  


I just don't feel like I'm a very good Christian.  Maybe you understand.


I can't figure out how David did it. He made High School look easy. Like Michael Jordan graciously playing basketball with innocent children.


In life, I often feel like the 3-eyed half-brother who wasn't allowed to play basketball with gracious Michael Jordan lest my clumsiness cause him to tumble and fracture his spleen.


In Christianity (where I've spent so much of my life and time), when I am allowed onto the court, I feel I must have learned basketball from another planet, because what they're all doing makes no sense to me.


It's not that I don't pray. But, that my prayers are not bold and triumphant, they're more like "Hey God, can you help me not be such a jerk to my wife and kids. They don't deserve me being such a grump."


It's not that I don't read and study. That's probably the only thing I do well. 


It's just that the things I learn when I read and study seem to disagree with a lot of what I hear around me.  


Now, I don't claim to have any special knowledge. No secret code. No ancient sect. 


But since I was a little kid, I couldn't jive with the typical. It's not that I didn't want to follow their drumbeat, it just didn't sound like rhythm to me.


I'm 40 now. It's not getting better.


Someone asks me a question... wants to know my thoughts on an issue...  I'm in a dilema.


Do they really want to know what I think? 


Or, do they want the neatly wrapped answer that most believe? The answer handed down from our father's father?. That the church has been teaching for 200 years? I mean, that answer has to be right... right? If it's widely accepted, and widely believed, then it has to be right... right?


The dance begins, and I am just a God-Awful dancer. I want to answer their question honestly, but I don't want to tie them up in a 2-hour long conversation explaining how I think the political environment in the church hundreds of years ago fostered an environment where someone twisted the interpretation to support an ideology which became doctrine handed down from pulpit to pulpit... from lectern to lectern... till it became unquantifiable fact.


I could give the patent answer, or engage in a miserable and thoroughly un-enjoyable review of the sordid underbelly of church history and doctrine.


Or, I could choose neither. Be vague. Dancing like a feather-weight boxer. Ducking and diving, tripping and stumbling lest I accidentally engage in the unpleasant, and thoroughly exhausting. 


I hate it. I freaking hate it.


Maybe if I was smarter. Maybe if I was cleverer. Maybe I could come up with some smooth answer that reassures my troubled confidant without being untrue to my understanding. Maybe if I was smart.


It's not that I think I've got some kind of super-power vision giving me the ability to see invisible truth. No gamma ray induced green transformation with requisite whisper,  "You wouldn't like me when I'm truthful..." (cue ominous music).


C'mon. I'm a screw up. Barely able to type and think at the same time.


Let me give you an example of my dilema. Let me give you an example of what I feel is an often-quoted scripture that consistently makes me uneasy. And then you tell me what you think...


First the setting, Second Book of Timothy, Chapter Three. Paul is instructing his understudy. He's warning him. Paul tells him there are people he can trust, and people he can't. Teachings he can trust, and teachings he can't. He talks about how Timothy knows Paul, and what Paul teaches. How Timothy has seen the persecution that Paul has gone through. How Timothy has treasured these teachings that he (1) learned, then (2) embraced as the truth. Because he (3) knows the life of the person who taught it to him. 


So, Paul tells him that having (1) learned something, (2) embraced it as the truth, and (3) paid attention to the lives of the people you learned it from; having done all that, (4) look at it in light of the wisdom of the "scripture" you've been studying since childhood.


Specifically in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, he says...



[14] But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, [15] and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. - 2Ti 3:14-15 NIV


Paul goes on in verse 16...


[16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, - 2Ti 3:16 NIV


He's saying, this scripture that you learned as a young Jewish boy, it still applies. It came from the same God. The same God who breathed into Adam, breathed into those Scriptures and made it useful. Useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness...


[17] so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2Ti 3:17 NIV


Awesome! Beautiful! I love it! Ancient wisdom, handed down from celestial minds. It trains us in righteousness and thoroughtly equips us for every good work.


Here's the rub. Here is where I start to wish that I wasn't me. Here's where I start to major on the minors.


Here's what bothers me. What qualifies something as "Scripture"?


Obviously, Paul is talking about the books of Moses and other ancient books that Timothy studied as a boy. No problem for me there.


But, my whole problem here, and the reason I often flinch when I hear this passage referenced, is because this verse is often quoted as though it were referring to the entire work that is now our modern Bible. Including, the letter in which this idea is contained.


It is used as "proof" that anything within the pages of your Bible is on a higher-plain than mere mortal books. Thus, making everything written therein, the decisive factor in any moral argument. 


My question is this. Did Paul consider everything in our Modern Bible to be scripture (understanding that some of it had yet to be written when He made this argument)


When Paul said that all "Scripture" is God breathed, was he referring to the letters he himself had written? Was he referring to the letter that he was dictating even then to Timothy?


I can't fathom that was Paul's intent.


Let me be clear, I'm not saying God didn't breathe life into what Paul wrote. I'm not saying that it is clearly not "Scripture". 


I am only saying that Paul was talking here about the "Scripture" Timothy studied as a child, not the letter Timothy was presently holding in his hand reading.


If Paul didn't consider the letter he was writing to be "Scripture", and wasn't trying to claim it was "Scripture"... should we be using his statement to say that it is "Scripture"?


Even more importantly, if we can't use his statement to prove his letter is "Scripture". Does that mean his letter to Timothy is not "Scripture"?


My high-school buddy Dave isn't around to help me out here. So, instead I pray, "Hey, God. Can you please pound some wisdom into this thick stubborn head of mine?"


Maybe, He's planted some wisdom specifically for me inside of you. Do you have some insight? 


What do you think?