No Other Lord, No Other Priest Necessary

Today’s Reading: Psalm 110; Heb. 7:23–26

Even before Jesus came, this psalm was known as a Messianic prophecy among Jewish interpreters.
* When it was originally written, this “royal” psalm was most likely sung at the coronation of the king.
* When Jesus quotes it in Matt 22:41–46, his point (as well as the point in the Old Testament ceremony) was that the earthly king of Jerusalem is subservient to the divine King.

The Jewish teachers did not understand how Jesus could be the Son of David and the Lord of David.
* Do you understand? I’ll give you a hint: Jesus is a descendant of David, but he is also the Son of God.
* Obviously, the scribes and Pharisees and teachers of the law didn’t get it.

New Testament writers often quote the first lines of Psalm 110.
* Usually, the thought is that there is a battle between the Lord and the worldly powers: the battle is the Lord’s, and the Lord will inevitably win.
* See Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:13; 1 Pet 3:22.

Notice how the first “LORD” is capitalized and the second one isn’t.
* Remember: the capitalized word is a special name for God in the Old Testament.
* Literally, it is YHWH, which is where we get Yahweh, or Jehovah.

Translators of our English Bibles use the capitalized LORD, first, because there is no equivalent in English, but also because of the Jewish custom never to speak the name of God.
* When the New Testament writers quote from the Old Testament, they will often use the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament from the 2nd century before Christ.
* In that translation, every instance of YHWH is replaced with “kurios,” that is, “lord” in Greek.

Whenever you see LORD in the English Old Testament, it refers to God.
* However, the word “Lord” in the Old Testament can refer to God (i.e. Lord of lords) or to a king or another position of authority.
* So, the psalm begins: “Yahweh says to my Lord”; the Lord, in this case, is the Messiah.
* David calls the Messiah his Lord; Jesus is greater than David.

Back to the rest of today’s reading.
* Do you remember reading about Melchizedek when we read Hebrews before? Do you remember the story in Genesis 14:18–23?
* Melchizedek was not born into the family of Aaron, and Aaron’s descendants were the family of priests for the Israelites.
* Priesthood was hereditary, passed from generation to generation; but Melchizedek didn’t inherit his priesthood, and he didn’t have anyone to pass it on to.
* In a similar way, Jesus doesn’t inherit his priesthood from Aaron’s family, and he will never pass it on; he is priest forever (Hebrews 7:17, 24).

It’s a good thing too. Why?
* The Old Testament priests had to keep offering sacrifices on a daily basis, because they were never sufficient to pay for the sins of the people.
* But Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice, once and for all. His offering is infinitely sufficient.
* Also, since he is permanent, he is able to permanently intercede (v. 25).

No further offering is necessary; no other priest is needed. If he is your high priest, he will continue to intercede on your behalf for eternity (v. 25). No other priest is like him.

Suffering in the Midst of Marvelous Light

Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 2:1–12

The book of 1 Peter is, in a word, about suffering.
* Almost the entire book deals with how believers will suffer and how they should respond and how the Lord was an example of suffering.
* In today’s passage, Peter refers to the rejection of Christ as the living stone.
* But most of this passage is in a positive light.

Suffering is still heavy in the surrounding context, but Peter’s focus here is on the truth that overshadows and overcomes the suffering.
* It’s not about fear of persecution; it’s about getting rid of all sin, even if it hurts.
* It’s not about escaping pain; it’s about growing up in salvation.
* It’s not about being acceptable to all; it’s about pleasing God and offering “spiritual sacrifices” acceptable to him, even when others reject you along with Christ.

In short, it’s all about suffering as God’s people.
* Look at all the ways we are his: chosen by him, sent by him, transformed by him, purchased by him, owned by him, forgiven by him, and sustained by him in the midst of suffering.
* And Peter points out one of the purposes of God’s calling us out of darkness into his marvelous light, namely that we would proclaiming the his excellencies (v. 9).

First of All, Blessed Be God

Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 1:1–12

If you look back at when we read Ephesians 1 (on Dec 2nd), you will see the opening to Paul’s letter to Ephesus.
* 1 Peter is a letter written by the disciple Peter to a bunch of churches in present-day Turkey.
* The interesting thing about the two is the similarity.

Eph 1:3 and 1 Pet 1:3 both begin with the same words, even in the original Greek: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
* Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians also begins the same way.
* In fact, most of the letters of the NT begin with some sort of statement of blessing or thanking God.

Paul and Peter are writing letters to believers to give them instruction on living the Christian life, and how do they begin?
* Imagine if they simply introduced themselves and said, “Do this, do this, do this.”
* Is that what Christianity is all about? Are the “rules” all that we need to know?
* No! The rules aren’t even the primary thing we need to know!

That’s why Paul and Peter begin with blessing God, because Christianity is about who God is and what he has done and is doing for us, not about what we do.
* If it were about what we do, all of us would be condemned.
* The NT writers always lay the foundation of God’s grace towards us before giving any “rules” to follow.

In other words, the pattern is: “God is blessed and has saved us; therefore, we will follow and obey him.”
* The pattern is never: “We must do these things in order to be Christians.”
* We should be aware of this pattern not just in these two letters, but throughout the Scriptures.

Hope Fulfilled by a Thief in the Night

Today’s Reading: 1 Thess. 4:13–5:11

Two seriously important points jump out at me:

First, for those who fall asleep in Christ (i.e., believers who die), there is hope.
* Yeah, yeah, I know that’s so Sunday school. But that hope makes all the difference.
* It is because we have hope that we can stand against anything the world throws at us.
* Go back and remind yourself with Eph 1:11–14, Phil 2:1–11; 3:7–21, and 1 Peter 5:6–11.

Second, did you notice how Paul anticipates the question of when all this will happen?
* In short, he says it should not matter when.
* It’s as if God is telling us, “Don’t even bother yourselves with such things! Just have unshakable hope that it will happen. And be encouraged at all times with this hope.”

Paul even points out the irony.
* Those who think they have what they have hoped for now (peace and security) will lose it all.
* But those who hope for the coming of the Lord, though they suffer now, have true hope—and that hope will be fulfilled.

How many times in the last few years even have we heard of one “prophet” or another predicting the End?
* We should not be distracted by trying to guess God’s timing.
* When Jesus returns like a thief in the night (5:2), we will not be surprised—not because we predicted the day and the hour, but because we are always watching.

Blessed Be God, Who Has Blessed Us

Today’s Reading: Ephesians 1:1–14

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

That’s something like the topic sentence of this passage, if not for the entire book.
* Paul builds everything on the nature of God, who he is, what he’s like.
* To that, he adds up what God has done.
* He is blessed (that is, worthy of blessing/praise), and he has blessed (by providing us with gifts according to his favor).

Notice, the one who has done everything in these verses is God.
* He has blessed, chose, predestined, adopted, favored, willed, redeemed, forgave, lavished, made known, planned, brought together, made, predestined (again), decided, and sealed.
* Wow! And most of these actions are towards us.
* We are the ones who have been blessed, chosen, predestined, adopted, etc.

Actually, there are three actions attributed to us. Don’t pat yourself on the back just yet…
* We “put our hope in the Messiah.” In other words, we hoped.
* We “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.”
* And we “believed” in him.
* We hope, hear, and believe.

Later in Ephesians, we’ll get more things to do, but this is the foundation of those later things.
* If we don’t see God working in everything, how can we claim to do anything by his authority and power?
* Even our obedience and service are exercised only in strength he has provided. See 1 Peter 4:11.

Anyway, before we get to those positive actions, we read about our death in trespasses at the beginning of chapter 2.
* Then, finally, Ephesians 2:10 alludes to the “good works” God has prepared for us.
* And as it says, even our good works have been prepared for us!

So, back to chapter 1.
* In short, the God who is Lord over all the universe has saved us.
* We, for our part, must place all our trust and hope in Jesus.

Still, we are supposed to do good works, right? We need to obey God, right?
* Yes, but obeying God is not a way to find forgiveness, nor an entrance into salvation.
* Our service to God is an act of love for our heavenly Father or it is an act of rebellion.
* Note: Like yesterday’s lesson on spiritual gifts, our goal should not be to serve God when we have a mind to obey, rather we should seek to glorify God with every aspect of our lives.

So when we “do good,” we don’t pay off debts to God or attempt to purchase more favor from God.
* First, Christ has purchased all the favor we need.
* Second, we don’t have anything to offer that God doesn’t already have claim to.
* “But that means we can’t do anything!” Right, we can only trust in Christ.
* If you get this, you get Christianity.

Greater Awareness of Sin Means Greater Joy in the Cross

Today’s Reading: Luke 23:33–47; Isaiah 53:12; 1 Peter 2:22–24

We probably know this story so well that it may be easy to miss how much is being revealed here. I have to slow down and make sure I’m paying attention to the details.

Jesus calls for forgiveness at the peak of his physical suffering; there’s a lot that could be said about that, but let’s go with a few obvious things.
* Jesus suffered in ways we can hardly imagine. We don’t want to miss that.
* He asks for the Father to forgive at the exact time when we would want revenge the most. (Note: he could have revenge if he wanted it, and he deserves to be avenged but still doesn’t ask for it.)
* Jesus taught love for enemies (Luke 6:35), and he does just that through prayer (as the last line of Isaiah 53:12 prophesied).
* The very people who are mocking Jesus admit that he saved others (Luke 23:35). It was well known that Jesus did nothing wrong (23:41, 47).
* Jesus submits to the will of the Father in his death (Luke 23:46; 1Pet 2:23; see also Phil 2:5–11).

We can’t fully comprehend what happened between the Father and the Son when the curtain tore, the sun darkened, and Jesus cried out.
* We can have only approximations of understanding.
* I would hesitate to make assertions about the “separation” of Father and Son; I would rather shake my head in wonder.
* But we can certainly better understand the physical pain Jesus endured.
* And we can marvel that it was for our sins he suffered “on the tree” (1Pet 2:24).

How lightly we shrug off our failings, shortcomings, and disobedience in light of Christ on the cross!
* We should be affected by those words—“our sins”—every time we hear them, especially in reference to the cross.
* We should be painfully aware of our sin because Jesus died for sin.
* But we aren’t.

I should confess that I am deserving of punishment, just as much as the thieves.
* No punishment could pay the price I owe… except the payment that Christ made on the cross.
* But even if I make such a confession, it doesn’t have to be filled with despair.

Why? Because Jesus’ mercy is greater!
* He forgives the thief, the one who said he deserved his punishment.
* And Jesus announces that that thief is the one who will enter the kingdom with God (Luke 23:43).

So, when we think about the cross, do we think about our sin?
* And when we think about our sin, do we think about what we deserve from God?
* And when we think about the punishment for our sin, do we celebrate the grace and mercy of God?

The more we are aware of our sin and worthiness of judgment, the more we can rejoice in the cross.

Rejected Son, Rejected Cornerstone, Rejected Message

Today’s Reading: Luke 20:9–19; Acts 4:11–12; 1 Peter 2:4–8; Psalm 118:22–23; Isaiah 8:13–15; 28:16

Parables are teaching tools where the teacher imagines a picture or invents a story in order to explain a real situation.
* Typically, each character has a direct relationship to a real person or group of people.
* In this parable, the son of the owner of the vineyard is clearly pointing to Jesus.
* Now, just about any time you read about a son in the Bible, you can expect that the son is either pointing to Jesus, or being intentionally contrasted with Jesus.

So, with the understanding that any metaphorical language like this has limits, let’s go ahead and break this parable down symbol by symbol:
* The owner = God
* The son = Jesus
* The vineyard = Israel (often referred to as God’s vineyard in the Old Testament)
* The tenants = the scribes and chief priests
* The servants = prophets

I hope it’s pretty clear how all of those symbols make sense of the parable, but what does this parable teach? What is the reality it corresponds to?
* Well, among other things, this parable teaches the Sonship of Christ.
* It is no accident that the owner refers to his son as his “beloved son” (v. 13), an obvious reference to the Father’s words at Jesus’ baptism (3:22).
* The son is different from any of the servants; he is not merely another messenger, but the heir.

Also, it is significant that the son is the last messenger the owner sent.
* What I mean is that it indicates a sense of finality in the coming of the Son.
* The owner didn’t send anyone else, so no one else should come along with a new message claiming to be from the “owner.”
* This point looms large in discussions with other religions that have “newer” messages that Christianity.

We should pay especially close attention to how Jesus interprets his own parable, right?
* Based on how Jesus concludes, one of the main points of his parable is a sort of turning of the tables.
* The points we’ve mentioned so far—the Sonship and the finality of Jesus’ coming—are evidence against those who reject Jesus.

Linguistic side note: The Hebrew words for “stone” (‘eben) and “son” (ben) in are very similar.
* Jesus transition from the story of the rejected son the rejected stone hinges on a sound relationship we can’t hear.
* In any case, it would probably have been compelling to his original audience.

In short, Jesus is warning the religious leaders who have rejected him.
* If they “fall” on the stone (they want to kill Jesus, remember), they will lose ("broken to pieces”).
* If the stone falls on them (say, when he returns to judge), they will lose (“it will crush them”).

And they understand that he’s talking about them!
* “Surely not!” they say, not in fear, but rather to contradict Jesus.
* They hear him loud and clear but, instead of considering such a warning in light of Jesus’ authority, they are all the more hardened against him.
* In the end, they choose not to “lay hands” on him (v. 19). Why? Because they are afraid of the people, not because they are afraid of the Cornerstone.

If we turn to Acts, there we find Peter speaking to the religious leaders also; even Caiaphas is present (see Acts 4:6).
* Verses 11–12 are part of a longer statement by Peter in defense of performing a healing in the name of Jesus.
* To conclude, he delivers a warning, strikingly similar to Jesus warning in Matthew, about the Cornerstone.
* Peter is not so subtle though: he calls out the “builders,” and he clarifies that salvation is at stake.

Again, the religious leaders hear the message, only all the more clearly—How could they not?—but they still do not take it to heart.
* If you continued to read the account in Acts, you would see that they merely threaten and dismiss Peter (and John, who was with him).
* They do not expect God to speak to them, much less for him to use Peter to do it.

But how similar is this scene to the rejection of Christ himself?
* A miracle of healing is standing right in front of them. Peter is teaching clearly and in accordance with the Scriptures.
* Yet, the religious leaders reject the message, and they are still without excuse.

Quick application:
* What should we expect from our audiences when we present the Gospel with boldness and clarity?

Changing gears…

In the letter of 1 Peter, Peter (yes, the same Peter) finally gives a positive angle on this cornerstone business.
* Those who receive Jesus will be built up as a spiritual house on top of the “chosen and precious” cornerstone (2:6).
* All believers are “living stones,” being built up together into the “spiritual house” of God (v. 5).

It’s easy to forget that Peter is not writing in a vacuum.
* He walked and talked with Jesus.
* And he once heard Jesus teach that the wise man builds his house on the rock (Matt 7:24–25). I wonder if that’s what he had in mind here.
* After all, it makes sense that Peter would like to use a rock metaphor; his name means “rock,” remember?

In conclusion, consider the amount of interaction across books of the Bible we have here. Look at Acts 4:11–12, for example.
* Luke is writing what Peter said.
* Peter is saying what he heard from Jesus.
* And Jesus is quoting Isaiah (Isa. 8:13–15; 28:16; see also Psa. 118:22–23).
* And Isaiah was writing the word of the Lord GOD (28:16).

Buidling Blocks or Stumbling Stones

Today’s Reading: MATTHEW 16:13–28

This passage is usually referred to as Peter’s confession. So, what does Peter confess?
* Jesus asks his disciples, first, who the people think he is and, then, who they say that he is.
* Peter answers: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).
* So, he confesses that Jesus is the Christ. Good so far.

And how does Jesus interpret Peter’s answer?
* First, he says that it is revealed by the Father, by divine rather than natural means (“flesh and blood”).
* Peter has heard the truth about Christ from God. He has agreed with it and proclaimed it.
* In other words, Peter gave a good answer.

Then Jesus draws an interesting conclusion.
* He announces that he will build an unshakable church on “this rock.”
* We English speakers miss the wordplay here: Peter’s name (πετρος, petros) means “stone” in Greek, and rock is the word “petra” (πετρα). Get it?

Still, it’s pretty hotly debated what Jesus means.
* Is Peter the rock? Is his confession of faith the rock? Is Jesus the rock? (Well, Jesus is the Rock, of course, but is he this rock?)
* What will be the foundation of the Church? (Note: biblically all of those options are possible. See especially 1 Cor. 3:11 and Eph 2:20).

But I think the most telling cross-reference is 1 Pet 2:4–8.
* Why? Because Peter wrote it!
* Who does he think is the rock? Go see for yourself.

We don’t know how much time passes between v. 20 and v. 21, but we do know that they are deliberately placed in juxtaposition by Matthew.
* Like he’s done before, Jesus is taking faith in a part of the truth and challenging it to deepen and grow, this time not by miracle, but by revealing a “difficult” truth.
* Jesus begins to reveal the truth of his approaching suffering, death, and resurrection.
* And again, Peter is the one to respond. So, his good confession is followed by yet another of his bold statements.

And how does Peter respond to Jesus’ suffering?
* Well, he doesn’t like it; he thinks it is a bad plan, unworthy of his Master.
* In fact, he uses some emphatic language to rebuke Jesus (!) and reject what Jesus has just revealed.

Now, I’m choosing my words carefully to show a relationship between the first confession of Peter and this one.
* God revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ, and Peter proclaimed it.
* Jesus (read: God) revealed to Peter more information about the Christ, and Peter rejected it.
* Two instances of revelation, two contrasting responses.

And how does Jesus interpret this response?
* Jesus has his own strong words for Peter—even refers to him as “Satan”!
* A far cry from “Blessed are you,” and “on this rock I will build my church,” isn’t it?
* The image here is that Jesus is moving inevitably and forcefully in one direction (the cross), and Peter has stepped in his way.
* Pause for a moment and consider the arrogance of Peter. If he still maintains the truth of his first confession, he is rebuking God!

It’s probably worth mentioning that though Jesus says “hindrance,” that doesn’t mean that he can be stopped.
* Rather, Jesus recognizes the temptation that Peter is presenting; the word for “hindrance” means, literally, “stumbling block.”
* Instead of causing Jesus to change course or fall, it’s more likely that the stumbling block itself will get crushed.

Does that temptation sound familiar to you?
* Peter is saying that Jesus should avoid suffering, that he should be the victorious Messiah without being the suffering Messiah.
* Remember Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness (Matt 4)? Peter is dangling Satan’s offers in front of Christ again.
* So, when Jesus recognizes the source of such temptation, he calls out Satan’s name.

Okay, putting it all together.
* First, Peter is giving insight into the truth about Jesus, and he stands up as a proclaimer of God’s revelation.
* As a result, Jesus will build his Church and reveal more truth.
* Then, Peter ignores the things of God (which Jesus has presented with a divine authority) and instead thinks from a worldly perspective.
* In that case, Peter is pushed aside as a voice of deception.

And then, Jesus reveals another, more challenging truth—that he’s not the only one who must take up his cross.
* So, Jesus is the Christ. We agree?
* Okay, he needed to die on the cross. Got that too?
* All right. We must take up our own crosses and die to self…

Will Christ build on that truth in us? Or are we obstacles?

The First-Last Principle in Esther

Today’s Reading: ESTHER 5:3–4; 6:6–11, 14; 7:1–6, 9–10; 8:1–2; 9:1

So I have pieced together a bunch of highlights from the rest of the story of Esther.
* As for Haman, the point seems to be pretty clear: the same one who plans evil will suffer evil.
* Or, in the words of Prov. 26:27, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”
* Ultimately, the justice of God will come, and all will be revealed.

Now Esther and Mordecai enjoy an entirely different biblical theme, right?
* Esther has already been given about the highest position she could get! the queen’s throne. And where did she come from? She has no royal claim or socio-economic status.
* Mordecai (with Esther’s help) offers service without seeking recognition and gets lavishly honored in the end, and with the honor desired by his enemy.
* Perhaps this all alludes to a principle like: “Humble yourselves… so that at the proper time [God] may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).

In the end, the whole book of Esther seems a fine illustration of the concept of the “last will be first, and the first last” (Mk 10:31 and elsewhere).
* And though God’s name is not to be found in the text, the reason these principles are true is because there is a God governing his universe.
* Those who selfishly seek their own power and glory have reason to fear the coming justice of God, even though he is hidden from view.
* Those who are humble and faithful can trust in God’s timing, even though he hasn’t shown his hand yet.