Category: Jeff’s Favorites
Jesus Is No Super Hero!
Jesus is my hero, but he’s no super hero. Hold that thought and I’ll get back to it.
I was reading Mark 6 and following the flow of the story. Jesus had just feed the 5,000 with five biscuits and a couple of fish. The crowd went wild. Jesus sent his disciples on ahead in the boat toward the other side of Lake Galilee while he sent the crowd away.
The disciples later found themselves caught in a terrific headwind and had been rowing with all their might for eight hours without getting anywhere. Suddenly, they see what they perceive to be a ghost-like figure coming toward them over the waters as if to pass them by. It’s Jesus! He tells them to not be afraid and joins them in the boat. They are absolutely blown away! Here’s how Mark records it.
And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark 6:51-52
Why are they so amazed? What’s surprising about this?
Here’s the problem. If Jesus could supernaturally feed 5,000 men with those meager biscuits and fish and still have twelve baskets of food left over, it only stands to reason that he could walk on water, calm the fierce winds, heal hang nails, move that moron out of your office or anything else he wanted to do.
The disciples, like so many of us, took Jesus for a super hero. By that I mean that we think Jesus can do certain things, but 
not everything. Beginning with Superman back in 1938, super heroes have become part of youthful imagination. While Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, he has this problem with kryptonite. Super heroes have super human powers, but only in narrowly defined areas. Some, like Batman, have no special powers at all. Batman is just very smart and intuitive, though he dresses a bit strange. The disciples thought Jesus was an amazing supernatural food provider; they had no idea he could walk on water. What would he do next!
Listen. If Jesus is who he claims to be, he can do it all. He is the sovereign God. There is no limit to his power. Theologians call this omnipotence, one of God’s attributes.
We love to share testimonies about answered prayer and the power of God. But, when it comes time to really pray, I sometimes find myself saying under my breath, “THAT’S not going to happen!”
How dare I limit God! But, the truth is, I do. And I seem to do it often. The problem is not with God’s power but with my perspective. If Jesus can do anything, he can do everything. When will I get my head heart around this?
In his account of the story Mark gives us the problem. He says the disciples couldn’t connect the dots between the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water because their hearts were hardened. This doesn’t mean they were evil people, rebellious or heretics. It simply means that their hearts were not pliable and exercised enough for their faith to function properly.
The is true in the physical realm. Bad diet and no exercise can result in hardened arteries and all sorts of heart problems, even though one may be a delightful person and faithful church member.
Just as I try to be faithful to exercise and eat right, I want to assure my spiritual heart and senses get proper exercise (Hebrews 5:11-14) so I don’t allow my heart to get hardened (Hebrews 3:7-15 and 4:6-13) and begin to compartmentalize God’s power.
Do you think of Jesus as a super hero?
Jesus — Alone among other gods
I have long admired the brilliant apologist Ravi Zacharias. My first experience hearing him speak was in the Billy Graham Conference on Itinerant Evangelism in Amsterdam in 1983. Just a couple of years ago Cheryl and I heard him speak at the Brooklyn Tabernacle while we were on vacation. Some time back I read his book Jesus Among Other Gods, drawing upon his personal upbringing in India and offering some insight from an oriental point of view.
As I read the very familiar story of the Transfiguration in Matthew 17 the other day, I thought of the title to Zacharias’ book. Jesus had taken his inner circle of Peter, James and John up the mountain when he was suddenly transfigured before
them, appearing in his blinding, heavenly glory. We can only imagine the awe that filled his disciples as they squinted to take in the grandeur of the scene. Even more amazing to them was the sight of two other figures talking with Jesus. Soon it became apparent to them that these two personages speaking with the Master were Moses and Elijah.
Peter got it exactly wrong, as most of us would. His first reaction was to build three shelters (tabernacles), one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. No one was more loyal to Jesus or a fierce defender than Peter. Sure, he was boisterous and often said the wrong thing, but he truly adored Jesus. Peter was the one to speak up and say he would die to protect Jesus. When completely outnumbered in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was still willing to draw his sword and take on all comers.
To Peter’s Jewish perspective on the Mount of Transfiguration, this spectacular scene confirmed that Jesus had been elevated to the same exalted status as Moses and Elijah, two of Judaism’s great figures. Peter would have been so proud of Jesus! Why not commemorate the event? Just think! Moses and Elijah are talking with my Rabbi Jesus! Wow!
To show that Jesus had achieved the revered status of Moses and Elijah was not the point at all. God was using Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, bore witness to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the fulfillment of Law and Prophets and stands alone among the gods. This is why the moment those errant words began slipping out of Peter’s well-greased mouth, a brighter cloud than even the light that already blinded their sight rendered them paralyzed as the booming voice of God Almighty sliced the stratosphere and slapped them across their collective consciousness.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. Matthew 17:5-8
This is the point God wanted made — to see no one other than Jesus. Moses and Elijah simply bore witness in representation of a cloud of witnesses dating back to the fall of mankind and the first promise of a redeemer to come.
Some parts of Peter’s personality correspond to my own struggles, while other parts do not. I, too, can see many times in my life when I have missed the obvious with the very best of intentions. I want to continue to grow and mature, and I think I will do well if I can just focus on seeing no man, save Jesus only.
An Habakkuk Kind of Mood
If you are not familiar with an Habakkuk kind of mood, it is somber, frustrated, perplexed, filled with angst and maybe even a bit angry. We don’t know much about Habakkuk the man, except that he prophesied during the final years of Judah before the Babylonian invasion as God’s people were falling into a state of spiritual and social disarray.
O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Habakkuk 1:2-4
I’ve been in a Habakkuk kind of mood the past twenty-four hours or so. The situation in Kenya concerns me as tribal 
violence has suddenly erupted in a country that has been a model of hope for Africa. Over 50 believers took refuge in an Assembly of God church in Eldoret. They burned the church down, people and all. I have received personal correspondence from people I know who have been affected by the violence, looting and killing. I’ve been in Eldoret. I see images in my mind. We have Kenyans in our church. I hurt for Kenya.
Sunday afternoon a young man from a fine family in our church took his own life. There’s never a good explanation for this type of thing and no way to ease the pain. Another young man that I did not know, a high school student who often frequented one of my favorite coffee shops, disappeared Christmas Eve. He was another good kid, member of the debate team, honor student, no known drug usage. They found his body Saturday under a bridge not far from the coffee shop.
This morning at our staff meeting we had a long list of people to pray for — people suffering from serious illness and other monumental problems. We had some great blessings and answers to prayer that we shared, too, but I’m just in an Habakkuk kind of mood. Have you ever been in an Habakkuk kind of mood?
How did Habakkuk pull out of this spiritual funk? God immediately responded with hope. You might expect that God would do that. Let me paraphrase what God said. “Son, you need to turn your focus outward and look on the multitudes of people outside your little world. Look and consider. I am going to do a work in your lifetime that is so incredible you wouldn’t believe it if I told you” (Habakkuk 1:5)
Then, as though to pour salt in Habakkuk’s emotional wounds, God announces that he is going to raise up the Babylonians to wipe clean the earth’s surface including Jerusalem (Habakkuk 1:6-11). Habakkuk continues the dialog by reminding God of his unchanging nature and trusting that this time of judgment would be not be the end of Israel, but rather a time of correction (Habakkuk 1:12). Finally, overcome by the magnitude of thoughts and emotions, Habakkuk simply retreated to his roof to sit down and wait for God to clarify. Did he ever!
And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:2-4
God explained to Habakkuk that wicked, evil people like the Babylonians never win in the end. He merely uses them to accomplish his will until he impartially judges them for their own sin. Then, this energy-burst of promise:
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
Habakkuk’s problem was that his world was too small. He couldn’t see the bigger purpose. Habakkuk’s tiny world of the moment was swallowed up by the wonder of God’s future eternal world.
Then, a statement of God’s sovereignty stops short all human worry, fear and complaints.
But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20
Habakkuk immediately went through a mood swing, a reassessment of reality and a realignment of priorities. He didn’t have all the answers or details he once thought necessary; he just looked in the holy temple and saw who was on the throne.
The book ends with one of the most beautiful psalms in the Bible (not all of them are in the Book of Psalms). Listen to his final words.
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19
I’ll be fine. I’ll get out of my Habakkuk funk. I just need to sit down on my roof for a bit, wait and listen. I need to peek into the temple and see who is on the throne. I’ll never have all the answers to some of the situations I listed above, but as long as I know who is on the throne I have hope. Maybe my little world is just too small and short term.
Remembering My Friend Fred
Fred Land looked by all appearances like a homeless person. The truth is he almost was. He never had much more than most homeless folks, and for decades he lived in a series of humble dwellings in the midtown area. Legally blind, he sported stereotypical coke-bottle-bottom spectacles, unruly hair and beard, and teeth in need of repair. Fred survived numerous challenges from his family background and a traumatic car wreck in his youth that left him with several physical consequences. Adding these factors together resulted in never having the opportunity to learn many, shall we say, social graces. You can see why many people underestimated, overlooked, of just plain avoided Fred. Fred knew he was handicapped in many ways, and he knew that many people, even “good Christian people,” looked down on him in patronizing ways.
In 1971 I had just become youth pastor here at KCBT. We lived right down from the church in a little house on 55th street with just a very few pieces of furniture. That made it very convenient for college age Bible studies every Friday night when about 40 to 50 students would sit on the floor. This is when Fred first entered our lives. I can see him as though it were yesterday. He arrived late and the room was already filled. Clumsily and blindly (literally), he stepped over and on who knows how many people as he made his way to the very front of the room where he could hear.
Right at the climatic moment of the study, as I was zeroing in on the application, Fred had to go to the bathroom. He traced the same path over the same bodies as when he had entered. Just about the time I had recovered and had everyone’s full attention, Fred came back. This exact pattern was repeated for an interminable number of Friday nights.
We’ve all known Freds, haven’t we? No life, no church is complete without a Fred.
I wondered how I could reach college students with Fred having to go to the bathroom at just the same moment every Friday night. Little did I know that God was answering my prayers by sending Fred. Fred, you see, was one of those angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2) that God sends our way to illustrate his truth and to keep us all honest.
With this image in your mind, let me tell you the other Fred that lay beneath the surface. Fred had a sharp mind on the other side of his thick glasses. He memorized more scripture than most people read. He not only memorized it, he understood it and could discuss it. Sometimes if you were sitting near him in church or a Bible study you could hear him mutter to no one in particular the answer to just about any question the teacher might pose.
Can we talk about faithfulness? If something was happening at church, Fred was there. Always. The weather made no difference. Fred could not drive, of course. He took the bus as far as he could, and he walked from there. My first time to take Fred home was many, many years ago on night when Cheryl and I found him walking in the hallway wondering who would take him home. It was well below zero on a night that was one of the coldest ever.
We loaded Fred in the car and headed toward Midtown. I asked Fred how far the bus took him before he had to walk the rest of the way. He explained that on Sundays the buses don’t run a full schedule and he had to get off a good distance away. He showed me the spot — almost three miles away in below zero weather that he had walked in a frayed, light jacket, no hat and no gloves to get to church. He never complained. It was just something he did — always. I’ve known Fred since 1971. He was always at church.
Then, there was Fred’s ministry. Fred cared about people in his own unique way. Over the years he worked in several enterprises for the blind or handicapped. Sometimes, he would make himself more unpopular than he naturally was due to his consistent desire to share the good news of Jesus with others. Did I mention that he lacked some social graces? He didn’t lack boldness or faithfulness.
As the years went by, it seemed that Fred became more susceptible to those who would take advantage of him or even abuse him. I lost count of the times Fred was robbed, mugged, assaulted or beat up and pushed around. Someone would help him buy a new pair of glasses or replace some of what was stolen.
There was a time not many years ago when our staff worked to try to move Fred into one of the retirement communities next to our church. He wouldn’t hear of it! He still had work to do in his neighborhood. He was witnessing and ministering to people there. Who would do that if he left?
I learned so much from Fred. I don’t suppose I will ever meet anyone who has more of a pure faithfulness. Few people do as much with the deck they have been dealt than Fred did. He was amazing in many ways. The more I got to know Fred, the more I came to respect him and the more humble I felt in his presence.
The day after Christmas Fred’s neighbor noticed he had not picked up his mail and found him dead in his apartment. I got the news in an e-mail the next day and it felt like a kick in the gut. What was worse was the feeling of helplessness. Fred was not close to his birth family, but a brother and sister were found who claimed the body. He was 64 years old.
Fred would not care whether or not his body was present for a funeral. Anyway, funerals are for those of us left behind. So, at 6:30 next Tuesday evening at the Midtown campus, just before our combined prayer meeting that Fred always attended, we will have a brief time of remembrance for anyone who would like to join us. I have been moved by the messages and comments I have already received from those of you who knew Fred. I miss him already.
God Has Always Been a Step Ahead
Will this be the year a woman is elected President of the Unites States? Or, will it be a black man? If the new President is a Democrat, it appears that history will be made. You know I don’t do politics, but I find society fascinating, and I love to search the scriptures. Though I am not a prophet, I can say with confidence that whether our new President be black or female, she won’t be a black female. I say this with apologies to Condi Rice whom I admire greatly.
Carol Jenkins is President of the Women’s Media Center and an African American. I stumbled across a thought-provoking article she wrote yesterday after being on CNN to debate which is worse – -being black or being a woman? Her answer was: Both. Host Rick Sanchez refused to allow her to sit on the fence and insisted that she come down on one side or the other of the question. Here is her answer.
You may or may not agree. You can see the entire interesting article here. The stimulus for this debate was an essay by noted feminist Gloria Steinem. This essay “considered an African American woman with the same credentials as Barack Obama, and concluded that she would not find herself as close to the presidency as he is; that the barrier of gender — no matter how “charismatic” she was — would have hobbled her.”
I have not read the original article by Steinem, but I thought of Condoleezza Rice. She’s probably at least as qualified by experience as Obama to be President, but she is not in the running (she has not made herself available). Some have commented that Condi is not “black enough,” whatever that means. But, isn’t that the same comment that has been thrown at Obama? Could it be that Gloria has a point?
Carol Jenkins adds,
Here’s the good news. I don’t have to be. All God asks me to do is allow him to use me. He takes care of everything else.
This point was hammered home the other day as I was working my way through Genesis with the inspiration of D. A. Carson’s For the Love of God. He commented in passing that according to his most diligent research there is only one woman addressed directly by deity in all of ancient Middle eastern sacred literature. Do you have any idea who that one woman might be?
Her name is Hagar.
Hagar was not Jewish. She was not Caucasian. She was not a person of social influence. She was not even a television celebrity or winner of American Idol. She was a woman of color (an Egyptian) and a lowly domestic servant. Not only that, she was a single mother!!! She is the only known case of a woman directly addressed by deity in all of ancient Middle Eastern literature. Right smack in the middle of establishing the Hebrew race and the blood line of the Messiah, God still cared enough about a single mother of color that he reached out to her directly and called her by name. And, he does so long before any of us ever considered this a trendy issue. The Bible never records God addressing Sarah directly by name.
Here’s what I take away from this. God is concerned for every single person in society. He reaches out to every one of us and understands our challenges and needs more than anyone else possibly could. I also think that I should be even more intentional to reach out to those who are different than me. What do you think?