A far better leaven...

Good Religion

(Mark 8:1-21, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 28, 2019)

[1] In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, [2] “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. [3] And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” [4] And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” [5] And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” [6] And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. [7] And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. [8] And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. [9] And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. [10] And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

[11] The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. [12] And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” [13] And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

[14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” [16] And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. [17] And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” [20] “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” [21] And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

A Second Bread Miracle

When Peter preached about Jesus, and Mark reportedly translated his words and eventually wrote them down in what we have as Mark's gospel, the story of a bread miracle to feed crowds is told twice. While some of the details vary, the point seems to be the same, and Jesus indicates that his disciples should be able to understand it. In John 6 we have more of the explanation given to us—and it is very good religion.

Jesus is the bread of life who comes down from heaven to give life to the world.

It is not his intention that the church only feed people with physical bread, but that we should bring manna from heaven for the soul as we preach the word throughout the earth. All this comes from the creator, who brings new life to hungry souls. Jesus is the bread of life. He brings us a relationship with God that will never end.

Pharisees Still Seek a Sign

In contrast to the life that Jesus brings, there is much bad religion of many different varieties as mankind has always tried to glorify himself by building our own stairway to heaven.

One group among many that did this were the Pharisees. They had man-made traditions that they used to overthrow the commands of God and also to reject the grace of the Almighty through Jesus. They pursued righteousness as if it were by there own works rather than by the gift of Yahweh. Notice Paul's words on this from Romans 9:30-33:

[30] What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. [32] Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, [33] as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

The Pharisees came and “began to argue” with him, that is they came to dispute with him, and the topic that they chose was that they were seeking “a sign from heaven” as a “test.” After all the Lord had done, this was an amazing demand. Jesus “sighed deeply in his spirit” from the depth of his being regarding this provocation. His literal answer to them does not translate well for us: “If a sign will be given.” It sounds like something we might turn into a frustrated question, or perhaps words spoken under one's breath. In their culture it was a way of saying “no” as in “no sign will be given to this generation.”

The Miracle of Understanding Jesus

Jesus warned his disciples about the bad religion of the Pharisees, but he also spoke of another spreading “leaven,” the way of those following Herod. There was another group of Jews who were called the Herodians. We read about them in Mark 3:6 and Mark 12:13. We do not know for sure what this party was about, but we have to believe that their association with the Herod family indicated that they had their hope in their connection to the powers of this world. Pharisees: Man's laws, Herodians: Man's power.

Instead of understanding Jesus' warning to them, the disciples thought that Jesus was talking about bread, as if he had some problem with the lack of bread since they had forgotten to bring bread. Given the amazing miracles that our Lord had accomplished in supplying food for the hungry, it is surprising that they thought that he was concerned about the lack of bread.

Jesus reviews his recent miracles concerning the multiplication of bread. Before and after this recounting of the facts, he highlights this important question: “Do you not yet understand?”

What was the point of all the signs that Jesus did during his earthly ministry? What is the meaning of answered prayers in our midst today? Our Lord has life. This can be externally observed and also internally received and understood. As Christians it is our joy to experience the wonder of believing and following the Word of the Lord.

But what was it that they should have seen, heard, and remembered from the previous bread miracles in particular? We know the answer to that question because of John 6, where Jesus himself teaches the theology behind the bread. (See John 6:32-35, 48-51.)

A far better leaven than the Pharisees and Herodians could offer: True law, grace, and power:

1. Our Father Almighty has given his children the true bread from heaven.

2. Jesus is the bread of life and the source of the fullness of eternal life for his children.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 106 – Grace that is greater than all our sin

New Testament Reading—James 2:1-13 – Mercy triumphs over judgment

Meaning and Purpose for the 21st Century Church

Go Large, Go God, Go Resurrection!

(Matthew 28, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 21, 2019)

[1] Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. [2] And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3] His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. [4] And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. [5] But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. [7] Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” [8] So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. [9] And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

[11] While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. [12] And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers [13] and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ [14] And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” [15] So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

[16] Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17] And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Go to Galilee? Why not Jerusalem? Why not Rome?

The first section of Matthew 28 gives us the facts of an angel visitation, an empty tomb, and a sudden meeting of the resurrected Christ himself.

Perhaps in the shock of the plain facts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and because of our familiarity with what the Bible says about this important event, we might easily miss how understated this all is. Even the announcement of the birth of Christ to shepherds thirty years earlier was much more glorious. We certainly could have envisioned a far more spectacular beginning to the resurrection era. Lots of important people, a glorious crowd of angels and people from heaven, combined with great special effects, all in a very prominent and famous location could easily be imagined. Instead we have a few overwhelmed women, some guards that were there to prevent anything like this from ever happening, and a few disciples that will soon hear the news and doubt the report that will come to them.

Notice just one detail repeated twice here, first by the angels and then from Jesus. It is an instruction about the location of a future meeting. The angel said, “He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.” Then Jesus repeated this detail. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Why Galilee? Why not Jerusalem? Why not Rome? Why not all over the world at once like the second coming of the Lord? Instead Jesus sends his disciples back to their humble home region. All of this adds up to a clearly victorious but surprisingly small victory, at least at first. They are to be a part of this modest start. “Go home. That's where we are going to talk some more.” That's worth thinking about...

Small Minds and Big Lies

How to react? The second paragraph gives us the response of Jesus' enemies to the crisis of the events presented above. It sounds all too familiar. Damage control. The powers that be are convinced that this will all blow over and soon amount to nothing.

They met together to come up with a plan. It was not a very good one. The guards have to lie about sleeping when they were supposed to be doing their duty. Then they have to report on something that happened while they were sleeping. There was money added to the mix to keep everybody quiet who really knew better. It seems obvious that the assembly of religious leaders actually thought that this would work, and that in a few days the whole matter would be forgotten. If somehow the governor heard about anything, they promised to take care of it without any great difficulty. Sound OK?

Obviously this did not work. In a few days over 500 people would see Jesus at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). More than that, in just a few weeks, the Holy Spirit would be poured out on the first gathering of the church, and a centuries-long adventure would begin with very plain people who would go to very ordinary places and live out flawed lives of faith, hope, and love in the midst of ridicule and persecution. A few years later, Herod Agrippa would be very aware of Christianity (Acts 26:26), and the message of the gospel would have an empire-changing impact on Rome and all her territories (Acts 18:2) and the emperor Claudius would command “all the Jews to leave Rome.”

The Large Commission

All of this happened with an understated start on the part of heaven's forces and an assumption by the Lord's foes that they could wait out these reports of resurrection. With such a small and slow start, the commission that Jesus gives his disciples is shockingly large in four ways: 1. The Large Power and Authority of Jesus, 2. The Large Geography of the Divine Command, 3. The Large Life of Total Obedience, 4. The Large Presence of Immanuel – God with us.

God's plans for a new resurrection life are massive. Jesus has all power and authority in making and ruling a renewed, immortal world and in bringing us into that eternal kingdom. He looks for his ambassadors to make disciples from all nations, despite the hatred and resistance that may come from those who persecute the church. The Messiah's followers are instructed to stretch forward in their communal life of imitating our Savior in love and holiness. In the fulfillment of his glorious decrees, the resurrected Jesus extends to us the astounding assurance that he will be with us always, even “to the end of the age.”

The second paragraph of Matthew 28 is what the great celebrity institutions of this passing world offer people who are searching for a purpose for their lives. Keep your head down and your mouth shut, and here's some money for your troubles.

The final paragraph of Matthew's gospel is what God has for us. Identity. Meaning. An Eternal Purpose. All kinds of useful kingdom work for every imaginable type of person. And with all this the benediction of our Resurrection King. Thanks be to God!

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 105 – An Inheritance

New Testament Reading—1 Corinthians 15:58 – Labors in the Lord Not in Vain

Victory Eternal

The only workable offering for our guilt

(Isaiah 53:10-12, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 14, 2019)

[10] Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

[11] Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

[12] Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The will of the Lord – The Father and the Son

We often give much attention to the will of an individual human being, and for good reason. The Lord has made us to be creatures that make important decisions and take significant actions that can have far-reaching consequences. Yet what about the will of the Lord who made us? What is the purpose of the Almighty? Should we not be interested in his plans, since God's will must be freer than any creature's?

Isaiah ends his ancient servant songs that speak so clearly about a suffering savior with a shocking revelation regarding the delight of the Lord. Verse 10 of our passage tells us several significant truths regarding God's plan for his son. 1. It was the desire of the Father to crush his beloved Son and put him to grief. Who can fathom this? 2. The underlying goal of such horrific sadness was that the life of the Son of God would be a guilt offering (Lev. 5:15-16), not for his own sin, but for the sin of others. 3. Having accomplished that payment through his death, God would “prolong his days” thus giving life again to his Son. 4. The Son would have “offspring” that he would “see.” 5. He would continue as an agent of the delight of God which would “prosper in his hand.”

Consider the breadth of these five statements. God intentionally gave his Son to die and then to live again, with the plan that Jesus would be our perfect eternal ruler.

The victory of the servant

These central truths are amplified in the verse that follows. Jesus' life was one of “anguish,” yet he would “see” the fruit of his suffering “and be satisfied.” He would make “many” to be “accounted righteous.” This would go far beyond the truth that “he shall bear their iniquities.” The hopelessly guilty would receive the blessings of the one amazingly holy substitute.

In short, on the cross, the one who is called by God “my servant,” would take our hell upon himself, and grant us title to his heaven. He would do all this without being utterly consumed by the awful enterprise. His victory would be so complete that he would wrestle death to the ground and throw it in the place of eternal destruction as a defeated adversary. In his resurrection he would give the church and the world proof that he had the “power of an indestructible life.” (Hebrews 7:16)

The benefit to many transgressors

Who would be considering and receiving all of this? The Father, who according to Psalm 22:1, would forsake the Son for us, but not forever. The Father, who together with the Son and the Spirit, has a perfect delight beyond the imperfect desires of humanity.

The Father would judge the work of Christ rightly, and would distribute the spoils of the war of wars among all those who would call upon Jesus as Lord and own him as the resurrection king. Christ was obedient, even to the point of the cross. He “poured out his soul to death.” He was numbered with us, “the transgressors,” so that he could carry away our guilt and shame as far as the east is from the west. Even to this day, “he makes intercession for the transgressors,” and he is heard. Through him we know God's love.

Application: The place for glimpses of glory as we wait for the perfect glory. Let's back up before the cross and the resurrection to Palm Sunday anticipated and enjoyed.

[Luke 13:31] At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” [32] And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. [33] Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ [34] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! [35] Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

[Luke 19:37] As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, [38] saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” [39] And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” [40] He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Jesus knew he was the suffering servant. He knew about the pain, and he knew about the victory. He knew about Jerusalem and her sin, and he knew the blessings his disciples would shout at him as he entered the city. It was a small taste of victory. Yet he also knew Isaiah 53, and he faced it with great courage, and with true knowledge of what he was doing and the much bigger ultimate victory. Imagine these words in his heart:

“It is the will of my Father to crush Me; he will put me to grief; when my soul makes an offering for guilt, I shall see my offspring; he shall prolong my days; the will of my Father shall prosper in my hand. Out of the anguish of my soul I shall see and be satisfied; by my own knowledge, I, the righteous one, the servant, shall make many to be accounted righteous, and I shall bear their iniquities. Therefore my Father will divide my victory portion with the many, and I will divide the spoil with the strong, because I pour out my soul to death, and I am numbered with the transgressors; and I bear the sin of many, and will forever make intercession for the transgressors.”

The Lord had a costly plan for eternity. Jesus had that plan on his mind and so should we. When he was given a taste of glory he received it. He did not reject the praise of Palm Sunday, nor was he seduced by it into thinking that that great moment would change His Father's will for the coming Friday. He was living for the resurrection morning ahead and for the great coming age of glory that no man can ever take away.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 104 – Creation, providence, and the eternal kingdom

New Testament Reading—1 Corinthians 15:56-57 – The victory

A Pathway to Joy through Jesus

The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:4-9, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 7, 2019)

[4] Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

[6] All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

[7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

[8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

[9] And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

OUR NEED FOR HEALING (Matthew 8:14-17, mortal bodies and beyond)

There is a verse in Jeremiah that speaks of the difficulty we have in knowing our own deepest thoughts. It can be a great comfort to us that there is a supreme being who knows us completely and has determined long before we were born to love us completely. Psalm 139:6 testifies that “such knowledge is too wonderful for me.”

At the center of this knowledge and love is something called sacrifice. The Bible has much to say about sacrifice. From the moment that God provided animal skins to Adam and Eve, our experience of peace with God has come through the shedding of blood.

For many centuries the Israelites were instructed to follow a system of animal sacrifice outlined for them in the Torah. They had specific men among them who were designated as priests from birth who were in charge of offering up the right animals at certain times and for specific purposes, creating the annual rhythm of life in the culture.

The Passover was celebrated in the first month of the year, involving the commemorative slaying of a lamb to mark the history of God's special mercy to Israel and his frightening power against those who would not let his people go. In the final cycle of festivals in the seventh month of the year was something called the Day of Atonement where the priest confessed the sins of Israel over the head of an animal as part of a detailed ritual to symbolize the freeing of Israel from her sins against Jehovah.

Sacrifice testifies to an immense problem between God and man that must be solved God's way. Our famous passage from Isaiah 53 is one of the most important in the Scriptures teaching us about our great need and about the Lord's shocking provision which would come many centuries later. First, our need. We are creatures that experience “griefs” and “sorrows” that testify to us that something is not good. God has laws for us, and we have many “transgressions” and “iniquities” that would “crush” us with an overwhelming weight that we could never bear. These sins are personally ours and not just something generally in the air of our environment. If our father in heaven were to give us the “chastisement” or discipline that we really deserved, it would be far too much for our survival. Why? Instead of following his word, we have wandered like lost sheep who don't hear God and have gone our “own way.” We stand in need of a sacrifice, not only to deal with this mountain of “iniquity,” but also to provide us with a new record of obedience that has been missing from our innermost beings and our lives.

AN IMPORTANT REVELATION – HIS PROVISION (Acts 8:31, a pathway to joy)

One of the shocking truths that was in part concealed in the Old Testament and was eventually more fully revealed by the Spirit of God in the New is that “the blood of bulls and goats” could never have taken care of our need (Hebrews 10:4). They prepared us for a far better provision—a person who alone had perfect, personal, and perpetual holiness, who became for us the lamb of God. We had a great need, and he has become our Passover, our Atonement Day, our only credible provision who could satisfy the one person whose opinion matters—God who alone must count us as righteous in his sight.

Jesus is this provision. What happened to him at the center of human history? He was “oppressed” and “afflicted” in a very quiet and humble way for us in his ultimate deed of obedience to his father—the cross. He took the “oppression” and “judgment” that stood against us, and overwhelmed them as he was “cut off” from “the land of the living.” Not only did he die like the most wicked man, he then was placed in a “grave” that was not his own, but was donated for the purpose by a sympathetic “rich” elder of the Jews.

The key to this sacrifice actually working in the way that fit God's eternal plan is stated wonderfully in verse nine: It was because “he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” Such perfect holiness can only proceed from a sinless heart. Though many might imagine that they have no serious sin, who would claim to have perfect, personal, perpetual obedience to all of God's commandments (James 2:10)? We have nothing close to that to offer our maker and judge. But we don't have to, because the one who knows us completely and who loves us completely, has done this for us.

What just happened? Hebrews 12:1-2

Those who observed this all actually happening at Calvary, when the unthinkable became history, when it was all over might have asked themselves, “What just happened here?” The Lord God Almighty had an eternal plan of salvation joy for his very needy children. That plan required a worthy substitute who could carry the weight of a broken world. Jesus was that suffering servant—the lamb of God. Only he was able to put death in a grave through his own cross and burial. He is our ultimate healing and resurrection.

Two applications: 1. Help in sorrow: Think of the death of death. 2. Celebrates the great knowledge of God. Not one sin of yours was overlooked. As Jesus said, “It is finished.”

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 103 – Bless the Lord, O my soul!

New Testament Reading—1 Corinthians 15:50-55 – Behold! I tell you a mystery.