Stepping in the Light

“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:32-33

The Bible has a lot to say about offerings and sacrifices. When someone is willing to give to the Lord, it tells us a lot about their values and their character. If we take money or possessions that we could use to buy or trade for things that we want and give them to God, we are making a sacrifice. When we see this kind of sacrifice in others, we tend to equate it with spirituality, but the scribe in the passage above understood that there is more to evaluating our spiritual condition than what we can see on the surface. Sacrifice can certainly be an indicator of our spirituality, as we can see with the widow who gave her last two mites; but it is also something that we can do for an outward show or as a way to bargain with God. When King Saul gave the excuse for sparing the best of the animals that had belonged to the Amalekites instead of destroying them as God had commanded, the prophet Samuel answered, “To obey is better than sacrifice,” (I Samuel 15:22). It is true that the Lord loves a cheerful giver (II Corinthians 9:7), but what He wants most is our love and obedience. Do you love God with all your heart? Are you obeying His Word? These are the most important tests of our relationship with Him.

 “And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.” Mark 12:26-27

There was a huge debate between the Pharisees and Sadducees regarding life after death. The Pharisees believed that one day there would be a resurrection, but the Sadducees did not. The Sadducees decided that they would pose an impossible problem to Jesus because they felt that if He were unable to answer them, it would prove that their point of view was correct. Jesus told them that they were making a big mistake in their thinking. He called their attention to Moses as he knelt before the burning bush and heard God say to him, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Jesus pointed out that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died hundreds of years before Moses, but when God mentioned them at the burning bush, they were very much alive.

For those who put their trust in Christ, God has promised eternal life. When we exercise our faith in God, we receive life that will go on forever.  Because God gives everlasting life to all those who believe in Him, He truly is the God of the living. Are we living today as though we will live for eternity? Are we behaving in a way that makes it obvious that He is our God?

“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:6-8

The people of Israel were chosen by God above all of the people on earth. They were not chosen because they had more people, more money, or more power than any other nation. God gave them two reasons that He chose them: because He loved them and because He promised the land to their fathers.

As Christians, we are chosen by God. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy,” (I Peter 2:9). We were not chosen based on merit. He chose us because He loves us and because He promised to save us. Because we are chosen by God, He expects us to be holy as well.  “Be ye holy; for I am holy,” (I Peter 1:16).

“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:15-17

As Jesus drove the merchants and the moneychangers out of the temple, He reminded them that God said that His house should be a house of prayer. People came from great distances to make sacrifices and offerings at the temple, and these businessmen made it more convenient for them. Travelers could buy a lamb at the temple instead of bringing one from home. The chief priests justified allowing this market inside the temple because they felt that it was more important to increase the traffic in the temple than it was to bring the people closer to God in their hearts. They valued convenience over spirituality. It is likely that they personally benefitted from the trade going on inside the temple, and they were more interested in protecting their position and their pocketbook than they were in encouraging people to pray.

How careful are we to protect our prayer time from interruption? The Bible says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that temple should be a house of prayer.

“And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.” Deuteronomy 2:14

Moses is speaking to the people of Israel and reminding them of the things that had happened since God brought them out of the land of Egypt. The Lord gave them the opportunity to enter into the land of Canaan at Kadesh-barnea, but they turned back because they were afraid of the people of the land. Their lack of faith made the Lord so angry that He told Moses that none of the men who were old enough to go to war would live to go into the land of Canaan except for Joshua and Caleb. They were the only two men of fighting age who were willing to trust God and do what He had told them to do. The people of Israel spent the next thirty-eight years waiting for those men to die. They never had the opportunity to accomplish anything or build anything of lasting significance. They never owned land or built a home. They sat around in their encampment wasting away their days.

How sad it would be for us to live this way as Christians! A life of disbelief and disobedience is a miserable life for a person who has accepted Christ. The only way to find true fulfillment is to exercise our faith in His Word and to obey the commands that He has given us.

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” Mark 10:15

Jesus taught that we have to become like a little child in order to be part of the kingdom of God. Let’s consider a few ways that children are good examples for grown up Christians.

First, children are prone to faith. They will believe what you tell them, even if it seems impossible.

Second, children are trusting. A father can place a small child up high on a counter and say, “Jump to daddy!” The child will jump, believing that his father will catch him.

Third, children are quick to forgive. If they begin fighting over a toy, they don’t hold a grudge forever. Soon they will be playing happily together again.

Fourth, children speak the truth. They will tell you what you need to know, even if it might hurt your feelings.

Lastly, children know how much their parents love them. They revel in the love that they sense in their mothers and fathers.

What if we applied these five examples to our Christian walk? We would have more faith in God, we would be quick to forgive, we would be ready to share the gospel, we would have confidence in our Heavenly Father’s love for us, and we would be much better examples to the people around us.

“And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?” Numbers 32:6-7

God had promised to give the whole land of Canaan to the Israelites. In the years before they crossed the Jordan River, they conquered several lands whose kings had made war against them. The tribes of Gad and Reuben asked if these lands could be their possession. Moses assumed that they were asking permission to stay and settle their land instead of going to war with the rest of the Israelites as they conquered Canaan. Moses saw this as presumptuous, selfish, and cowardly, He cautioned them that they might cause the other Israelites to falter and consequently fail to conquer the land that God had promised them. Moses warned them that if they sinned in shirking their responsibility, their sin would surely find them out. He made them promise that they would go to battle and do their part to help subdue the whole land. The tribes of Gad and Reuben responded by solemnly promising that they would cross the Jordan, go to battle, and completely conquer the land before they returned home to their families.

This situation raises a good question for us. We sign the songs “Stand Up for Jesus” and “Onward Christian Soldiers,” but are we really willing to stand for Jesus, or would we prefer to sit by and watch others shoulder the burden themselves?

“And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mark 9:21-24

When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, He found His disciples unsuccessfully trying to cast an evil spirit out of a boy. The father of the young boy said to Jesus, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” The father had failed to help his son. This man had undoubtedly taken his son to many other people for help, but to no avail. As the man brought the boy to Jesus, he came first to the disciples; and since Jesus had not been there, he had asked them to help, but they could not. The boy’s father was desperately continuing to seek help, but he had long since given up hope that anyone could actually help his son. He said to Jesus, “If thou canst do anything….” Jesus told him that all things are possible to him that believeth.

This father is a good picture of us as Christians. He knew that it was his job as a father to find help for his son, so he kept seeking for help in spite of the fact that he no longer believed it would do any good. If we aren’t careful, we can fall into the same trap. We are doing “Christian” things, but are we believing that Christ is able to make a difference in our lives?

“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:15, 21-23

The Pharisees taught that there were certain times that water must be poured over the hands, and there were specific instructions for how it should be done. These rituals were not performed for the purpose of personal hygiene, but rather for fulfilling tradition. When the Pharisees saw that some of Jesus’ disciples had eaten without first performing the ceremonial pouring of water over the hands, they immediately asked Jesus why the disciples were not keeping the tradition of the elders. In His answer, Jesus made a distinction between physical and spiritual cleanliness. Our Lord explained that the food that we eat, regardless of whether or not we have washed our hands before we have eaten it, passes through our bodies with no effect on our spirituality. Of course, Jesus knew the value of the hygienic handwashing we practice today, but He also knew that hygiene was not a part of the Pharisee’s complaint. They believed that the disciples were becoming spiritually unclean because of their lack of observing this tradition. Jesus’ answer shows us that it is not what goes into our mouths, but what comes out of our hearts that reveals our spiritual condition.

“And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.” Numbers 20:10-11

Moses had smitten a rock in order to bring forth water before, but that time it was exactly what God had told him to do. God had told Moses to smite the rock, representing Jesus’ death on the cross. Now, many years later, the people were complaining of thirst once again. This time, God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would come forth. This was to picture the availability of God’s grace to all who simply cry out to the Lord for His mercy. Christ died for us once, and now the water of life is free to all who ask. But this time, Moses was angry. He spoke roughly to the people and struck the rock twice with his rod. God, in His mercy, still miraculously met the need, and water gushed forth to satisfy the people. However, God told Moses that he would no longer be allowed to bring the people into the Promised Land because he disobeyed.

Impulsive, angry behavior can be incredibly destructive. We need to be careful to bring our anger in check to avoid saying or doing things that we will regret later. God used Moses to perform more miracles than any other person in the Old Testament, but even he was subject to acting in anger.