As our traveler makes his way through the city he is stopped suddenly by one of the Pharisees. Our traveler is concerned, he knows his beloved Messiah is not someone the Pharisees approve of. Perhaps he is about to be accosted because he has been seen as one of His followers?
“I hear you have been wandering around and asking questions about the man from Nazareth?” The Pharisee inquires.
Our traveler nods his head.
“Why?” The Pharisee presses.
“Because I believe He is someone I… no…we, have searched for for a long time.”
“You must keep such thoughts to yourself. You would not be safe saying them to anyone else.” Our Pharisee smiles. “That being said. Would you like to hear of my own meeting with Him?”
Our traveler smiles back, “let’s go someplace quieter.”
The two strangers find a safe side road and begin their conversation.
John 3:1-5 ESV
[1] Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [2] This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” [3] Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” [4] Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” [5] Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Our traveler is anxious little confused and very excited. “He said these things?”
“Yes, and more. I feel… like I am new after speaking with Him.”
“Which direction did He go when He left?”
“I’m not sure. I was in such awe I did not watch Him leave. If I learn more of Him I will seek for you and let you know.”
Our traveler thanks the Pharisee and leaves.
Jesus often spoke in riddles so that you could not understand without the teaching of the Holy Spirit. He did this as part of the narrow road. That may not make sense to all, but we must we recall the verse where He says this. It was also a custom of the time to speak in parables. The reason Nicodemus was confused was not because he was unskilled or uneducated, he was a priest and very knowledgeable. Yet Jesus’s words confounded him. Why? Because Jesus was speaking of a kingdom that the Pharisees and other leaders had not even thought of. A kingdom where all who come to the narrow gate may enter Heaven if they are washed by the blood of the Lamb. The gate is still open and still confounds some, but others find it and understand. Don’t ignore the open gate. There will come a time when it closes. Walk through it, and be with Jesus.
Fourth Sunday:
Category: guidance
Following the fourth Wiseman- the cleansing of the temple
Our traveler has come to a place where he feels nothing about his Messiah will surprise him anymore. Little does he know that the upcoming passover would be one for the record books.
A flood of doves stand lazily on the roof tops of the buildings and stalls. Sheep ran through the streets. Our traveler barley manages to avoid having his knees knocked out from under him by an oncoming oxen. He looks around and sees utter chaos. He was on his way to the temple. Just because he was in search of the Messiah did not mean he was going to forsake his duties as godly man. As he began climbing the steps he could hear people inside complaining. He lowered his head respectfully and inquired of those inside, asking them what had happened? Was it an earthquake? Perhaps a Roman raid?
The men snorted. “A raid? Don’t be ridiculous. We still have our heads do we not? No, this was one man. Some sort of… zealot or something. You won’t believe what He did.”
John 2:13-17 ESV
[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Our traveler held back a grin and nodded his head. “That must have been very shocking for you.”
“Outrageous is the word!”
Our traveler left the temple and the two men. As he made his way down the steps he shook his head gently.
“My Lord, what are doing?” He whispered, “you are making powerful enemies.”
We love to remember Jesus throwing the tables and chasing the hapless tradesman with his homemade whip. But we must recall why He did it. These people had defiled the Father’s house. They had dishonored God. So Jesus who was pure and righteous cast them out of the temple. There are still people today who want to defile the temple. They blasphemy from the alter, they hang sinful flags, we have a church nearby that permits sacrilegious rituals inside their church, why? For money. See, the money changers never really left the temple. There are still places where their evil hand still holds. If Jesus came into the modern church I wonder how many tables He would flip? This act of Jesus brought about enemies. Enemies that now had a claim to present. He caused carnage within the temple. But these people should have seen that it was they who had defiled God’s holy place, it was Jesus who cleansed it. Our hearts are also temples to the Lord. Have we permitted things to set up booth within our souls that does not belong? When Jesus comes to clean our temple out, will we let Him?
Following the fourth Wiseman- the wedding
We find Our traveler sitting down at a small outdoor food stall. He sips his water and tears at his bread, but his ears are alert! Something has been on the air. A buzz of some sort of gossip. He has heard small bits and peices but has yet to hear the whole tale. Yet, he knows in his bones that the word that is being spread is about his Messiah. A small boy stumbles past and our traveler reaches out to catch his arm.
“Whose house do you serve in child?” Our Traveler asks.
The boy looks carefully at the stranger and sees he has gentle eyes. “I serve the bread maker sir.”
Our traveler smiles, “is there any chance you were at the wedding that happened recently?”
The boy pulls away, “my master forbids me to speak of it.”
Our traveler is confused, “but why? I heard something wonderful happened.”
The boy grins, “wonderful and mysterious.” He looks around, “there…was a miracle.”
Our traveler leans closer to the child and drops his voice, “really?”
“Yes. Not just any miracle, but one like stories from the days of our ancestors. Let me tell you what I heard and saw.”
John 2:7-11 ESV
[7] Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. [9] When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [10] and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” [11] This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Our traveler smiles, “do you know who the man was?”
The boy shakes his head, “One of the guests I suppose.”
Our traveler thanks the boy for his tale and gives him some money. As the child leaves our traveler whispers to him, “imagine, if that guest were someone great. Perhaps even, the Messiah.”
The boy looks at our traveler with a show of shock and then a smile creeps over his face, “yes. Imagine of he were.”
The feast at Cana was not really supposed to be the first sign. Jesus Himself says so. If you asked me I would say that the first sign was the fish overflowing the nets. However, the water turned to wine is considered the first sign. Jesus’s time was not yet, however His mother insisted He help when the risk of public ridicule loomed by the wine running out early. Jesus was pure, meaning He obeyed His human mother and showed His first public miracle. Many have tried to show how He might have done this. Many have found suggestions. Yet the truth is He turned water into wine by His authority over the earth. A true miracle. For those who want to claim it ws a trick, it would be nice if someone reminded them that no one expected the wine to run out and that Jesus would have to change the water. Even the greatest magician needs time and planning. This could not have been set up. Also, there were witnesses. Up close where they could see all that was happening, not in a crowded room from down in the bleachers wher you cant really see what is being done. There was no chance for slight of hand. This was a miracle. No matter what people say. Jesus began His signs and wonders with this insignificant problem. Which reminds us of how loved we are. Even when we run out of drink at a wedding Jesus cares enough to provide.
Following the fourth Wiseman- the abandoned, forgotten, broken and in need
Luke 8:1-3 ESV
[1] Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, [2] and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, [3] and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
We don’t really talk about the women who followed Jesus, and when we do people get hung up on what they had been before following Jesus more than who they were after they had met Him. There were actually several women who followed Jesus, but people like to focus on Mary. Why? Because they like to use Mary to make Jesus seem like He was less holy than the True God He is. Mary had been a woman of ill repute. She had been someone that one who was Holy should not have spent time with, but that’s not the person she remained. People act as if the Mary who followed Jesus was the same Mary who was known for her lifestyle. But this was a different Mary. Just like Joanna was a different Joanna, and Susanna was a different Susanna and the ladies whose names are not listed here but some who are listed elsewhere, are not the same women they had been before they met Jesus. The men who followed Jesus had changed after meeting Him and so had the women. Jesus cast the demons out of these women, He had not let them stay in and just let them follow Him the way they were. The gospels are books of transformation. Not books of stagnancy.
When exploring abandoned buildings, what is the most dangerous thing you will find? Standing water. Why? Because it has sat there, unmoving, rotting under the surface and breeding disease and parasites that become poison and toxins. People are like that. If they stay in their sin and brokenness long enough, separated from the stirring and renewing love of God, they become defiled, their souls rot and they become toxic. But Jesus is like a pound of pure chlorine to such souls. If these people let Him into their lives, He will cleanse them and save them until they are clean springs of fresh water again. That is what He did for the women who followed Him.
Jesus reached out the women who no one else would love. Not in some radical defiance of God’s law, but in fulfillment of God’s law. He loved the widow and the orphan and was the husband to the husbandless and He cast the demons out of those who were trapped by them. These women then changed and became followers of Jesus. They should not be remembered for what they were when they were lost in their sin, they should be remembered for how Jesus changed them.
This then ends our calling of the disciples. There were many who chose to follow Jesus, but here we cover those who were His first and most devoted followers.
As we close this section we see our Traveler again, walking along the shore, still searching for his Messiah. Only now he knows His name, and the names of some of His people. Now he is more excited than ever to walk in the footsteps that his King has left behind.
Following the fourth Wiseman- And all the rest
Our traveler left his new friends with a joy in his heart that replaced the sadness and disappointment of that morning with a burning fire. Our Traveler walked a ways until he found a small hillock and made camp for the night. As he lay on his back with his camel by his side, his eyes stared at the stars and he wondered how many more his Messiah would call and who they were?
Matthew 10:1-4 ESV
[1] And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. [2] The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; [3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4] Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
We hear specifically about the calling of eight of the twelve deciples, but we don’t really have a lot of information on the others. We know that Simon was a zealot and it is suggested that Judas too may have been. We know James number two was the son of someone named Alphaeus, where Thomas and Thaddaeus were just names in the list. Actually, though he comes later, Bartholomew can also be added to Jesus’s deciples. Who were these men? What had their lives been before Jesus called them? Were they married? Did they have girlfriends or children or pet fish that they left behind? Was it a great sacrifice to follow Jesus? Or did He lead them out of bad places and into the safety of His presence?
We really don’t know. There are side texts and historical records that point to some of them, but there is nothing Biblical record. I suppose that is sort of what it is like to follow Jesus. Once you choose to go with Him who you were before does not really matter. Who you are once you give your life to Him, the things you do after, these are what count. Simon did not stay a zealot. Peter did not remain a fisherman. Matthew gave up being a tax collector. These were what had previously defined them. Now the only thing that defines them is Jesus.
Who you were does not matter. What you did before you met Jesus no longer counts. He has washed it all away, now you are someone new. Loved and chosen.
Following the fourth Wiseman- the tax collector
Matthew 9:9-13 ESV
[9] As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. [10] And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
Our traveler was shocked and stood in sadness at what he had been told. The Messiah he was looking for, the one he had just considered following once he found Him, He was acting like one who was not pure. Our traveler was angry with himself for all the years he had spent. For the true Messiah was to be Holy, yet this man sat with the sinner.
The two men accounting what they had heard and seen of the calling of the deciples spoke calmy to our traveler.
“Just wait. We are not yet finished in our tellings. Sit, please.”
Though still upset, our traveler sat down again and listened as his companions began speaking again.
[11] And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [12] But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [13] Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Our traveler’s eyes felt warm as he held back his tears. He realized in those simple words, that he too would be welcome at the table of Jesus. He was a righteous man, one who sacrificed to God and honored Him. Yet he knew that he was broken and full of sin. There were days when he felt no amount of sacrifice could pay for his guilt. Yet the King he sought after was seeking out the lost and those broken by sin and was offering them a chance to change, He was offering love and hope. He was not impure, He was not making Himself unclean and sinning with those who had chosen to not serve God. He was offering to those who were ready to let go and come to Him a way out from their pain.
“I too am a sinner. I have worried about when I meet Him because of this. Yet now I know that I be with Him and He will help me change.” Our Traveler stated through a mix of joy and tears.
The other two men smiled and nodded their heads, they had been where he was and had gone from anger to peace at the realization of what Jesus had meant.
There have been so many who want to claim the tax collector’s table. They say, “Jesus will welcome me there just as I am.” But then they go no further. They remain at the table of the sinners. Yes, Jesus is sitting there, but He will not remain there. Jesus is sitting at that table because it is the place the broken are willing to come, but He has planned a better table with a great banquet, yet to be seated at this table you must be willing to change.
Here Jesus calls Himself the physician there to heal the sick. You do not seek out a health care professional so they can say, “ya you’re fine, go on the way you are.” You seek them out so they can tell you your illness and help cure you from it. If I go to a doctor and he says, “I can’t see anything wrong with you.” I not only feel like I have wasted my time but I also question his qualifications.
Jesus was not saying, “I like sinners and their sinning and I want to sin with them.” He was not saying, “I see you and don’t judge you.” He was definitely not saying, “you be you bo.” He was saying, “yes these people are sinners, but I love them and have come to heal them.”
The calling of Matthew was a radical move. But look closely. Jesus calls Matthew and Matthew gives up his tax booth and leaves all of that behind and follows Jesus. Matthew is exactly who we are supposed to be. We are all sinners. All of us. The fact that Jesus will forgive us and let us come to Him, that’s what’s amazing.
Imagine being Matthew. Everyone hates you. Your people hate you because you cheat from them and work for the Roman’s. The Roman’s hate you because you’re not Roman. Then one day someone looks you in the eye and says. I love you. Follow me.
Amazing.
Guess what? He loves you. Follow Him.
Following the fourth Wiseman- the fig tree
Our traveler is anxious to hear more! His Messiah is calling people. When the two men with him had first began telling what they knew of Jesus’s calling of the first deciples our traveler had been confused by the “band of un-schooled ruffians and old fishermen,” but now as he listened a new thought came to him, and it filled him with such excitement and joy that he could hardly contain it. If Jesus was calling others, people of low standing and no formal training in the law, perhaps he could join and follow Jesus too?
The two men with our traveler continue speaking. They relate the way the next deciple came to follow Jesus.
John 1:45-51 ESV
[45] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [46] Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” [50] Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” [51] And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Here in this verse we can assume that Jesus said ‘I saw you while you were under the fig tree,’ because Nathaniel was sitting under a fig tree when Philip found him. However, I like the way The Chosen series portrays this scene, Nathaniel has just lost everything, he literally sets fire to his ambitions and dreams and then in tears gathers the ashes and pours them over his head, all while under a fig tree. Do you know why I like this? It’d because it gives so much more meaning to the moment when Jesus says, “I saw you under the fig tree.”
When we are in desperation, and our dreams have gone up in flame, and we sit alone and crying, we can feel no one in the world sees us, nor cares. Yet in the moments we are closer to Jesus than any other time. Why? Because we have nothing else, so we draw nearest to the only one who has stayed beside us, the only true thing that has not disappeared with all the rest. Jesus says He draws near to the brokenhearted because it’s in those moments that we feel no one sees us, yet the King of the world is saying, “I see you when you think you are all alone and no one cares, I care.”
I do not know the true path that lead to Nathaniel’s door, but I know that anytime I am having a fig tree moment, my Jesus is with me.
Following the fourth Wiseman- when Jesus says follow me, will you stop what you are doing and go?
John 1:43-44 ESV
[43] The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
It has been said that Philip was most likely a follower of John the Baptist. We could then produce the hypothesis that Philip might have previously met Jesus through John before, though there is no evidence to that thought. In my mind I see Jesus walking through Galilee and seeing Philip and going up to him and asking him to follow. Jesus was never demanding people to follow Him, they could have said ‘no,’ but each one of them knew in their hearts that this man was different, and each one of them followed Him willingly. We do not know much of Philip, all we know is that Jesus said ‘follow,’ and he did.
Following the fourth Wiseman- Waiting on prophecies
Luke 1:7, 11-17 ESV
[7] But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
[11] And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. [12] And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. [13] But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14] And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15] for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or a strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. [16] And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, [17] and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Before the dove and the voice of God. Before the imprisonment. Before the beheading. There was a prophecy. John fully fulfilled the prophecy of the angel. We have prophecies in the Bible we are still waiting to be fulfilled. We are still waiting for the day when they come to pass. In the waiting we, like Zachariah, may doubt the word of the Lord. But we must not doubt. Not because God will strike us mute for nine months, but because we are not people who have seen the angels face to face, our doubt can turn into something serious and terrible, we can turn away from God. It’s hard not to doubt when a prayer is a long time in being answered, or a prophecy seems to be impossible, but that is why we have faith. We choose to trust. We choose to not believe the lies in our head and the lies of those around us. We hold to faith. We wait on the prophecies of Jesus returning for us. We wait and watch and hope, knowing that the same God who fulfilled the impossible prophecies of the past, will also fulfill the prophecies of the future. Our Wiseman we follow this lent season is searching after a prophecy, one he has searched after for thirty years. Yet, he refuses to give up, because he knows in his heart that he is searching for life, for truth, for the King, for the Messiah, for Jesus.
Following the fourth Wiseman- Jesus baptized
We then see our traveler turn in anticipation and leave in the direction of the nearest great city. In his mind, that is where the savior will be. Teaching the masses, healing the sick, destroying the enemies of His people. But as we know, that was not where Jesus was. I do not know how soon after John’s run in with the questioning Jewish people, that Jesus came. What I do know is that the Bible has the events one chapter after the other. So I assume Jesus arrived within a few days of that event.
Matthew 3:13-17 ESV
[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The Son of God knew how important it was to be baptized. Did He need to make a covenant with God? No. He is God. Did He have sins to wash away in the water? No. He is pure. So why did Jesus decide to be baptized? If you look up what has been discussed and decided upon as an answer you will find that it is largely believed, and makes a fair amount of sense, that Jesus chose to be baptized to show the beginning of his ministry and to show it with an act of obedience to God. Despite Jesus being sinless, this act showed him identifying with mankind who need forgiveness and repentance.
Some may also say that it was symbolic of His death to come. Jesus’s baptism marked the beginning, before the calling of the 12, before the water into wine, before the man by the pool of Bethesda, here Jesus was anointed by God for the journey ahead. Here it begins.
Carried in the cross 