We Interrupt this Story . . .

. . . to tell another story. Forgive me for interrupting my series on David and Goliath, but this post is important.

    At the prompting of a good friend, I have been doing some reading lately, and that reading has prompted some considerable thought about the nature of our Savior. The mystery of the incarnation is one of those great truths that are foundational to our faith, professed by nearly everyone, and commonly ignored in practice. It is becoming increasingly evident that much of contemporary teaching and preaching ignores the great truth of Christ’s nature. This is spiritually fatal. The true nature of Christ must be declared and applied, believed and practiced. To that end, let’s look at another of the chapters in the story of God’s redemptive work.

    “As he [Jesus] drew near to Jericho, a blind man, [Bartimaeus¹], was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ And he cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” (Luke 18:35-43 ESV)

    It was natural that Bartimaeus would want to know about the cause of the commotion passing him as he sat by the road near Jericho. He was blind, not incurious. So, he asked those around him what was happening. The crowd around him answered that it was “Jesus of Nazareth.” They were using Jesus’ human appellation, which was natural enough for that was how the crowd knew him. The crowd correctly knew Jesus for his compassionate work among the sick and unfortunate and for his religious and moral teachings. His teachings drew great crowds as we see in the story of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and his teaching on the other side of the Sea of Galilee when he fed the 5,000 from five loaves and two fish (John 6). He was very popular and his teachings, like those of John the Baptist before him, were a refreshing relief from the corrupt and hypocritical fundamentalism of the Pharisees. It was a very important part of his ministry, and it is important to note that Jesus commanded his disciples to carry on his compassionate work and his teachings.

    In spite of his blindness, Bartimaeus saw something the crowd did not see. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing, he called out to Jesus, “Son of David,” using Jesus’ messianic appellation. He knew that this man Jesus was more than a healer of bodies and a teacher of truth. He knew that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s covenant with his people. Jesus said that he had come to ‘seek and to save the lost.’ ² Before Jesus’ birth, the angel told Joseph that Jesus would ‘save his people from their sins.’ ³ It is a less visible part of Jesus’ work, but it is ultimately the reason he ‘became flesh and dwelt among us.’ ⁴ The crowd did not understand this, but Bartimaeus did and acted accordingly. He addressed Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, and called out to him for mercy.

    It is interesting that when he called out to the Son of David, those in the front of the crowd, the more visible ones,  rebuked him and told him to be silent, but Bartimaeus would not be silenced. He knew that Jesus was the Messiah and called all the more for Jesus’ attention. That faith was rewarded. The passage does not tell us the crowds reaction when Jesus commanded that Bartimaeus be brought to him, but I am sure they were astonished. Just as they did not see Jesus’ messianic side, neither did they see the deeply spiritual side of Bartimaeus. The crowd could not see the faith Jesus saw. Jesus did more than simply give Bartimaeus the ability to see. He redeemed his soul as well, as we know because from that time Bartimaeus followed Jesus. He left his old life behind for a new life in Christ. Granted, the life of a blind beggar in the first century would be pretty easy to leave behind, but following Jesus as he did was the fruit of repentance both John the Baptist and Jesus taught was the proof of redemption.

    Things really have not changed much. Many know Jesus of Nazareth, but few really see and know Jesus Son of David. Many are content with Jesus’ work as a miracle worker and moral teacher, but few are willing to accept his hard teachings about redemption. Many, I suppose from a sense of duty, attempt to apply Jesus’ teachings to their activities, but few truly understand the nature of his redemptive work and our role in it. Many boisterously follow him down a road eagerly awaiting his next wonderful act, but few truly call out to him in life-changing faith. That reading I mentioned earlier in this post confirms this. The authors have some good things to say, but they miss one very important point. The true prophetic voice points men to Christ and him crucified. No matter how loudly or eloquently one may speak of Jesus and the need to follow him and him alone, if he does not focus on the cross of Christ his teachings are just “espuma.” ⁵ They are form without substance.

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¹ The Luke account of this story does not name the blind man, but the Mark 10 account gives his name as Bartimaeus.

² Luke 19:10  ³ Matthew 1:21  ⁴ John 1:14

⁵ Espuma is the Spanish word for ‘foam’ or ‘lather.’ It is often used to describe something that is without substance.

Just One Story II: Uncircumcised

    Let’s get back to the story of David and Goliath, the one biblical story I believe God would want my congregation to hear and understand for their own spiritual strength. (See 1 Samuel 17.) In my previous post I pointed out that most would consider David’s actions foolish. He was too young, too small, and too inexperienced to understand the danger of his actions. That was not the case, however. David was wise beyond his years. He knew something King Saul and his military leaders did not know. He knew the redemptive history of his people and he knew the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because David knew history he knew God would be faithful to his name and would keep his covenant with his people. According to the biblical account, twice a day for forty days Goliath had come out to challenge the Israelite army to a one-on-one, winner-take-all battle. This challenge was not simply a military challenge, or even a personal challenge. It was a spiritual challenge. He defied the ranks of Israel, God’s covenant people. Goliath’s taunts were as much against God as they were against the Israelite army.

    David knew God would not allow this to continue. He asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David knew God always defends his own glory. This was the purpose of all he did for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was also his purpose in the exodus, in the conquest, in the time of the judges, and in this particular event. Old Testament history is littered with examples of those who mocked God or brought shame to his name. Pharaoh defied God and suffered ten plagues and the loss of his army.  Jericho defied God and its walls fell down. The sons of Eli brought shame to God’s name and they both died on the same day. The Philistines had defied God by taking the captured ark of the covenant to the temple of their god, Dagon, and the statue of Dagon fell and the people were struck with tumors until they returned the ark. The list is a long one, but each time God vindicated his name. David knew he would do so with Goliath as well.

    David also knew God would honor his covenant and defend his people. When David referred to Goliath as an “uncircumcised Philistine” he was declaring that no matter how big Goliath was, he was not one of God’s people. He was an outsider who had no right to mock them. On the other hand, no matter how dismayed they were at the time, the Israelite army was among God’s people and under his protection. David’s complete faith in God’s faithfulness to his people gave him confidence to take on their enemy single-handedly. David knew what God would do because he had seen what God had done. God had already defeated the Egyptians, the Amalekites, the Canaanites, and the others living in the land God gave to Israel. God had already defeated the Philistines more than once, and David knew God would defeat not only this “uncircumcised Philistine,” but the entire Philistine army as well. Because he knew this, David could face this giant of a man with confidence, knowing that the sling might be in his hand, but the battle was in the hand of the Lord.

    Paul understood this story and this great truth. He also knew God would defend his name and defend his people. He said, “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:30-31) Of course, those whom he predestined, called, justified, and glorified are his elect, his people, and he still defends them from their enemies. The outcome of the battle is decided before it begins. God is still God. We can confidently take on the enemies of God’s people without fear. Of course, our enemy is usually not physical, as in a giant Philistine, but the much more dangerous spiritual enemy of Satan himself. That is why Jesus made it a point to tell his disciples that his people, the church, would not be defeated by their enemies. When Jesus asked his disciples who they believed he was, “Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:15-18)

So, why should we be afraid? May “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:11)”

Just One Story I: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

    Once upon a time a young man named David visited his brothers at their army camp in the Valley of Elah. His father had sent him to deliver to them a “care package” and some gifts for their officers. While he was there David witnessed the twice-daily challenge of a Philistine soldier named Goliath. Goliath challenged the Israelites to a one-on-one duel to determine the outcome of the war. If one of the Israelites could defeat Goliath, the Philistines would surrender, but if Goliath won the battle the Israelites would surrender to the Philistines. Now Goliath was more than nine feet tall and carried weapons equally as large. Needless to say, there were no volunteers from the Israelite army. King Saul and all his men were naturally dismayed and greatly afraid of this giant man; they were not eager to fight a battle they could not win.

    David, however, was not afraid. At least he did not appear to be afraid when he volunteered to accept Goliath’s challenge even though most thought his challenge of Goliath was foolish. David’s brother, Eliab, certainly thought him foolish. He reminded David that he was not a warrior, but a shepherd and that he only had responsibility for a few sheep at that. He further accused David of leaving those sheep with someone else so he could come and watch the battle, implying that he was not a good shepherd. Even King Saul, who was desperate for someone to volunteer to fight Goliath and solve this problem, did not believe David had a chance to win. David was just too young and inexperienced to be taken seriously. Everyone figured he would go out and be quickly defeated, but David did not see it that way. He had great confidence that God would defeat this “uncircumcised Philistine.”

    So what did David know that his brother, the king, the king’s military advisors, and the rank and file soldiers not know? David knew history. David knew what God had done for his people over the centuries. He knew that when his ancestors referred to God as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” they were reminding their brothers of all God had done for them that they could not do for themselves. He knew that God was faithful to Abraham and kept his promise to give him a son in spite of his great age, and that God had done so in a way that unmistakably was an act of God. After all, his son was probably the only child ever born to a hundred year-old father and a ninety year-old mother. He knew that God had blessed Isaac, and that he had not only blessed Jacob but had redeemed him and changed both is name and his character. David knew that God had liberated his people from slavery in Egypt, that God had sent manna and quail and given them water from a rock, that God had knocked down the walls of Jericho, that God had liberated his people from their enemies in the stories of the judges, that God had toppled the Philistine god in its temple, and that through many other afflictions God had faithfully cared for his people in ways they could not do for themselves.

    David also knew that God was faithful from his own experience. It may seem to us that David killing the bear and the lion is unrelated to his valiant offer to fight Goliath one-on-one, but it is not. David knew he was no match for a lion or a bear. He knew that in the natural order of things both of these wild animals would have easily taken his sheep and would have probably killed him had he intervened. God used these experiences to strengthen the lessons David had learned from history. God proved to David that he could and would defeat all David’s enemies. David knew this included giant, uncircumcised Philistines. David knew that his God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

    David also knew he was not fighting a common battle and, therefore, could not use common weapons and armor. This faithful young man who walked in the way of the Lord could not walk in the king’s armor much less fight. Goliath was an extraordinary enemy. Ordinary weapons and armor were not effective. David knew that. After all, Saul had all the armor he wanted and he was still afraid to accept Goliath’s challenge. For David, the weapons of this world were untested and unreliable. He preferred to fight with the weapon he knew would be sufficient to defeat the enemy. That weapon was absolute faith in the covenant-keeping God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and yes, even us. He had another weapon as well. That weapon was the glory of God, and David knew God would protect his glory by doing for his people what they clearly could not do for themselves.

    Perhaps this great lesson has been best expressed by another faithful believer, Corrie Ten Boom, when she said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” That, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is a profound truth.  May “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:11)”