Even Jesus had a job description!

I'm so glad that God's Word has a record of what Jesus was supposed to do.  Many people had expectations of the Messiah - that He would rescue the nation of Israel, protect Jerusalem and preserve God's people in a political way.  They expected a king like David of old. Their vision was for Israel and the kingdom was limited to geography. But Jesus had a much bigger calling and purpose as Messiah.  

Continuing in Isaiah 61, the next phrase reads: 

*"He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners..." Now we can deduce from this statement that a political or military force would be required to fulfill this claim.  Someone with the authority to set prisoners free.  Like Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman appointee to govern Judea in Jesus' day.  He had the authority to release Jesus from the sentence of crucifixion, even though the crowd and religious leaders called for the criminal, Barabbas, to be released.  Or a ruler like Herod who had the right to arrest and imprison John the Baptist. Herod then eventually had John beheaded because he was offended at John's direct preaching against his sin!  

But what did this aspect of Jesus' ministry entail?  Who were the prisoners He was sent to release?

Reading through the Gospel accounts, Jesus encountered all kinds of prisoners: beggars, prostitutes, tax collectors, physically disabled, demonically oppressed, religiously stuck.  Jesus did not select certain ones who qualified to be delivered from their bondage.  He was sent to set the captives free, whoever they were.  Many were of Hebrew blood and descent; some were Gentiles.  Some were rich and well-off; others were dirt poor!  He was no respecter of persons, as the King James Bible would say.

Jesus' ministry was very deliberate - He would pray and seek God's guidance as to where to go.  Then He would meet "random" people as He and His disciples traveled!  A Samaritan woman at a well at noon needed freedom from her series of relationships and lack of security in life.  A leper dared to ask Jesus to be made clean, to be freed from his social and economic and spiritual rejection.  A blind man made a public spectacle of himself as he cried out to be healed...Zaccheus, a tax collector and a very short man, truly an underdog, responded to Jesus' declaration, "I'm going to your house today."  Zaccheus was released from a questionable career and social isolation.  

Each one met Jesus, by faith received His ministry of freedom and followed this new Way.  What did Jesus ask of them?  Repentance, trust, changed life and leave the old behind.  The Samaritan woman faced her sin and became the first evangelist in Samaria. The leper was cleansed and restored; he, too spread the news of Jesus. The blind man could see; he gave up a life of begging and was be restored to dignity.  And Zaccheus, he not only experienced acceptance and honour, but he paid back those he had cheated and made restitution in response to his changed life and status.

Let's not forget those who were demonically oppressed/possessed.  Jesus demanded that the spirit or spirits be cast out of the victims and He restored them to mental, emotional and spiritual health.  Mary Magdalene followed Jesus faithfully, and we do not hear of any return to the torment she had once endured.  The demoniac who ran around naked in the tombs was fully delivered and sitting, clothed in his right mind.  There is no prison, no bondage, no affliction that Jesus has not conquered, and even more so after His death and resurrection.  The very Saviour who died for our sins, was raised for our justification.  He is victorious over death and hell.  Satan's authority is now limited in scope and in time.  The end is near!

Although we all may long for political, economical and social freedoms to be secured, Jesus came for a far greater purpose. If you are suffering from a bondage, a burden, a prison that you cannot free yourself from - call on Jesus!  And if you want someone to talk to, I can be there to help and point the way to the One who can truly help.  My husband, too, can listen, give counsel, pray and offer hope in the Lord Jesus.

Peace to you. 

 

 

 

Are you praying everyday?

Jesus knew what God wanted Him to do but had to seek the direction of the Spirit regularly, daily.  Mark 1:35-38 tells us that after a very busy day of travel, activity and ministry, Jesus rose early the next morning to pray.  When the disciples searched for Him and found Him, they were eager for Him to repeat what had happened with the teachings, healing and miracles.  But Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so I can can preach there also.  That is why I have come."  

Luke's account opens with verse 14: "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit... He was teaching in their synagogues... He went to Nazareth..." (verses 14-16)  It was customary for a rabbi, a Jewish teacher, to begin such a ministry at age 30.  And it was customary for a rabbi to join the synagogues and be invited to read from a scroll at the Sabbath worship services.  The local synagogues did not have the entire Torah or a complete Old Testament.  They had scrolls in their possession.  Did the rabbis exchange and trade scrolls with one another to read and teach from in the region?  Somehow, when Jesus stood to read, the scroll given to Him was the prophet Isaiah.  And verses 18 and 19 were the readings Jesus gave that day.

From Isaiah 61:1 & 2 :"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favour..."

What Jesus said next blew up the synagogue and community of Nazareth! "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." With one statement, Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah.  The whispers began:  "Isn't this Joseph's son?"  This is Jesus, the son of a carpenter. They knew Mary.  They watched Jesus grow up with His siblings.  Sure, they were pleased that He was pursuing the calling of a rabbi but this?  And the more Jesus spoke, the angrier the hometown crowd grew.

But I want to unpack the calling of Jesus as Isaiah the prophet recorded in the scroll.  Basically, this is Jesus' job description.  Here's what God called Him to do:

*Proclaim good news to the poor - Jesus traveled and spoke to those who gathered.  He often intentionally went to the places where the poor and outcasts hung out, like tax collectors booths, wells in the midday and pools where crippled beggars waited. He did proclaim the good news in the synagogues and at the Temple courts in Jerusalem, as well.  Mark's Gospel says it this way: "After John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' He said.  'The kingdom of God has come near.  Repent and believe the good news!'" (Mark 1:14-15)

And what is the good news?  Paul defines it in 1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."  

By proclaiming this good news to the poor, Jesus was declaring the way of salvation was not only for the religious, the learned, the elite of the Jewish race.  The Gospel is for the rejected, poverty-stricken, handicapped and non-Jews, as well! The Lord Jesus expounded in this synagogue address, saying that God worked through Elijah and Elisha (two popular prophets to the Hebrew people) among Gentiles in Sidon and Syria.  Somehow this infuriated the people of Nazareth and they turned from gushing over Him, to doubting Him to chasing Him to the edge of a cliff!

Read the next blog entry for the rest of this job description!

 

 

Imagine Jesus, walking throughout the countryside of northern Israel, in the region of Galilee.  Dust, heat, wind and sometimes rain.  His ministry had no headquarters or fixed address. The itinerant nature of His calling meant He was on the road, traveling from place to place as the Father directed.  Knowing the end goal was the cross, and the beginning was the baptism at the Jordan River, the middle was not mapped out specifically.

Can you see Jesus stepping out of the waters in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit lighting upon the Son of God like a dove?  With droplets dripping from His beard and hair, His homespun clothing saturated, Jesus emerged from the river and then what?

In Luke's Gospel, chapter four starts with these words:  "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted [tested] by the devil..." (Luke 4:1-2a)  This new ministry venture began with a testing.  Now Jesus had lived 30 years on the earth, submitted to an earthly set of parents and learning under Joseph as an apprentice carpenter.  He had learned much about life, human nature, family, worship as a Jew. Leaving Nazareth, the home and family He knew and loved, Jesus set out for Jerusalem and was baptized under the ministry of John the Baptist.  With the exciting launch of His ministry with a baptism and then the heavens opening and God's voice of approval, how deflating to be led alone to the wilderness.

Somehow, God's plan was to allow the devil to tempt Jesus.  (Luke 4:1-13)  You can read that account and see how the devil found the most vulnerable and key areas of Jesus' identity and calling and directly attacked Him.  And you can discover how Jesus used the "sword of the Spirit, the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) to defeat the lies and schemes of the evil one.

Maybe you are about to launch into a new season of your life.  Is God challenging you to step out and begin to serve Him in a new way?  Are you trudging through life and wondering if there is more to following Jesus?  Possibly involvement in your church, community or beyond?

If so, don't be surprised if a time of testing happens.  Doubts about God's call.  Financial challenges.  Opposition from friends, church members or even family?  The Holy Spirit often leads us into ministry through the testing grounds of such trials.  This prepares us for the real life challenges that ministry of the Gospel will throw at us. 

Pray and see what God would have for you! 

 

 

Celebrating Easter has been something my family has done since I can remember.  Easter egg hunts, candy baskets, stuffed bunnies and a new spring dress.  When I got married and had children, I carried on some of those traditions with our little ones. We would do a quick Easter hunt, then quickly get ready for the worship service.  Our church would have a special meal and often we would have a family gathering that evening or Easter Monday.  For a few years, we would pack up our van before church and then leave right after service to head to Alberta.  We would spend the spring break with the Selke family who lived in the Edmonton area. 

This past Sunday morning, our daughter-in-law prepared a special basket and hid little chocolate eggs around our house for Kaira (2 1/2 years old) to find.  The wonder in her eyes at the discovery of treats and her enthusiasm to find "more" was a delight to all of us!

I remember the first Christmas as a follower of Jesus Christ held special memories for me.  The familiar Christmas carols had personal meaning, the gifts and family time held more joy because I was celebrating the birth of my Saviour, Jesus.  I knew the story, but now it meant so much more!  And the first Easter, I tried to read the Bible passages about Good Friday and the death of Jesus.  I rushed ahead to the Resurrection accounts in the Gospels because I wanted to have the happy ending.  His death was important but so hard to bear!  How could an innocent man be so wrongly accused and not defended?  No wonder the daylight became dark for three hours when Jesus Christ hung on that cross!

But that amazing Sunday morning, when the women went to the tomb before sunrise, still brings a thrill to my heart.  Their sorrow must have slowed their steps, dreading the task of preparing their Lord's body for a proper burial.  And when they approached the tomb, an angel greeted them.  They couldn't believe their eyes: the heavy stone was rolled away and this blinding light emphasized the fact that the tomb was empty.  Where was their beloved Jesus?   The angel told them the good news: "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?  He is not here. He is risen."  Confusion, chaos, doubt and lies filled the next hours and days as the missing body could not be accounted for.  In one Gospel account, Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus - in her grief she assumed He was the gardener - and was sent to announce He was alive to the rest of the disciples!

 The disciples experienced special appearances of the Risen Saviour in the days that followed.  Jesus appeared to them in the house they stayed at in Jerusalem, while they were still there for Passover.  He walked along the road to Emmaeus with some of Jesus' bewildered followers, then revealed His identity to them and ate with them.  A week later, Thomas encountered  the Lord and was given the opportunity to see the nail prints and wound in Jesus' side from the crucifixion.  

If we were to witness the execution of our hero, our Teacher, then see His burial in a tomb, would we expect to ever see the Son of God again on this earth?  Yet, the Bible has four accounts and historical records from other sources also to back up the truth:  Jesus of Nazareth lives.  

Here's an acrostic for the word GOSPEL.   

G - God's

O - Only

S - Salvation

P - Plan

E - Ever

L - Launched 

The Gospel is a biblical word that means "good news."  And the death and resurrection of Jesus is that good news for all of us.  We can believe and receive the death of Jesus in our place, the death that paid for our sins' consequences.  God made this way for us to be forgiven and made right with Him.  And His resurrection gives us proof that He is divine, eternal and the promised One.  This is the pinnacle of the Gospel, Easter Sunday.  

There is no greater event since the beginning of time.  

Along with the family dinners, spring decorations and new Easter bonnet, what does Easter mean to you?

 

 What was Jesus doing in His final week before the cross?

Teaching - Mark 12:1 "Then Jesus began teaching with stories..." Jesus was focused on His final sermons, parables and even conversations to impart closing words to the Pharisees, crowds and His disciples.

Healing - Matthew 21:14 ' "The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and he healed them." Jesus continued to extend grace, mercy and verify His identity by signs and miracles.

Fellowship - Mark 14:3 "And while He was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table..." Jesus spent some special time with Lazarus, Mary, Martha and even Simon who had been a leper (healed?).  I'm sure the fellowship was for their benefit but also a comfort for Jesus in His last days.

Worshiping- Although no scripture that I found specifically mentions Jesus worshiping at the Temple, I assume He came to worship, as well as cleanse the Temple, teach, heal and proclaim the coming of the Kingdom! 

Preparing- Mark 14: 8 "She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time." Jesus was preparing Himself for the cross; and by divine coincidence, Mary pouring out her precious ointment on Jesus' feet was a prophetic preparation for Jesus' imminent death.  

Praying- John 17 is the classic passage of Jesus' prayer for His disciples, and for us, His future followers.  How beautiful to have a record of His actual words of prayer!  And the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane - the poignant pouring out of pain and drops of blood as Jesus wrestled with the cup of suffering.  

Submitting- Mark 14:18 "I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me."  Jesus knew and yet submitted to the Father's will that He be betrayed, beaten, mocked and ultimately executed on a Roman cross.  The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep.

***** 

Jesus was doing the Father's will in everything. His intentional approach to every moment during his last days on earth speaks to me.  Am I using every opportunity to reach people, to listen to the heart of my Father, to pray without ceasing, to give my all?  

At the same time, He continued to connect with people.  How tempting it would be to withdraw, to process what He knew were His last days! Jesus continued to preach and teach.  He seemed to ramp up the intensity in confronting the Pharisees and opponents to His mission. 

Jesus also continued to invest in His disciples and spend time with those who loved Him and cared for Him.  Jesus laid aside His own inner turmoil to minister to those close to Him.  Knowing He was leaving them to carry out the biggest mission in history, the Lord Jesus must have felt the intensity and urgency of training the future leaders of His Church.  He made every moment count.

Are you and I follow our Lord's example in making our every moment matter for His cause? 

 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12