This is another hymn sung at our Maundy Thursday service (see earlier post 4/23). Written by Johann Heermann in 1630, the slow pace and  solemn words fit the point of the memorial – this was the night that Jesus prayed in anguish in the Garden, prior to his arrest.  

Verse one concentrated on the afflictions Jesus suffered – hated, derided, and rejected by his own.  Verses two and four make the need for the crucifixion personal – it was my sin that required Christ’s incarnation, anguish, and death; it was necessary for my salvation.  Verse three notes it was God’s plan; He interceded when man could do nothing to save himself.  And verse five is a pledge to adore and glorify the risen one, full of thanksgiving and wonder.

 

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended, that man to judge thee hath in hate pretended?  By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty who brought this upon thee? Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.  ‘Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied thee:  I crucified thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd, for the sheep is offered; the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered; for man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth, God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was thine incarnation, thy mortal sorrow, and they life’s oblation;  they death of anguish and thy bitter passion, for my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee, I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee, think on thy pity and they love unswerving, not my deserving.

The sad part of the Gospel news is that some people will not get it.  The parable of the sower in Mark 4 has seeds falling on the rocky ground and being eaten quickly by birds; the good news never reaches those people’s hearts or minds. 2 Corinthians 4.3-4 speaks of those who don’t understand: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

We have had especially excellent sermon presentations of the gospel message the last two weeks.  Easter’s passage was Acts 26.1-11, where Paul is giving his defense to King Agrippa.  The key verse (8): “Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?”  The historic Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus launch the Christian church and are events of first importance cited by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

This past Sunday, in Acts 26.12-32, Paul proclaims his desire that all who hear him would become Christians.  Pastor Kevin used the opportunity to describe three things you do in becoming a Christian:  See, Turn, and Receive.

See – Paul’s personal testimony includes physical blinding by an intense light but then receiving spiritual sight as part of his recovery. Like the prognosis in 2 Corinthians 4, a Christian needs to see the light of the glory of Christ. Turn – Acknowledge sins before God, not just being sorry or ashamed, but repenting and turning away from the sins and turning toward God.  Receive – Forgiveness and eternal life are offered to those who believe.  Accept the free offer.

Both messages seemed so clear and obvious; how could someone not understand?  But, I know of at least two people whose response was, “That didn’t do anything for me” or “The Pastor overstates his case all the time.”

Fortunately, 2 Corinthians 4.6 goes on to say that it is God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness” is the One who has “shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  We can pray that God would continue to shine His light where darkness now reigns.

This Isaac Watts hymn, Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed, was the first one sung at our Maundy Thursday service last week.  Written in 1707, it has a time-honored, deep understanding of the good news for believers.  The writer knew his own sin, understood the pain and grief Jesus experienced on the cross, and marveled at the depth of love and grace that made his redemption possible.  His thankfulness led to the last line, “Lord, I give myself away, ‘tis all that I can do.”  His response to his Savior was to make Him his Lord.

 Alas! And did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die! Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I!

Was it for crime that I had done he groaned upon the tree! Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut his glories in, when Christ the mighty Maker, died for man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face while his dear cross appears; dissolve my heart in thankfulness and melt mine eyes in tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; here, Lord, I give myself away, tis all that I can do.

The poem in Job 28 starts with a description of the great effort men expend to find precious metals and gems in the earth; gold and diamonds are well hidden.  Then a powerful question is posed in verse 12: “But where shall wisdom be found?  And where is the place of understanding?”  Wisdom’s value exceeds that of gold, silver, onyx, and sapphires, crystal, pearls or topaz (verses 15-19).

Verse 23 points to the answer: “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.” This is as it should be, because wisdom was present when God created the universe (Proverbs 8.22-31).  In the last verse of Job 28, God tells man, “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.”

This coupling of fear of the LORD with turning from evil is repeated in many places in scripture (see Proverbs 3.7, 14.16, 16.6 and Ecclesiastes 12.13).   Turning from evil sounds like “repent” – more than being sorry or remorseful, but vowing and striving to stay away from sin.  And fear of the LORD sounds a lot like “believe” in Him.

So we can say that Jesus’ call to “repent and believe” (Mark 1.15) is laced with godly wisdom.  The gospel of Jesus Christ, the offer of salvation through the cross and resurrection,  is not only good news, but it is wise.

In the first chapter of his first book, Peter cries out in the third verse, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”  Why?  Because this is what HE has done:

According to his (God’s) great mercy

He has caused us to be born again TO a living hope THROUGH the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

We are born again TO an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading

This inheritance is kept in heaven for us

By God’s power, we are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Knowing that heaven awaits, we are to rejoice even though we are grieved at this time by various trials

The trials test the genuineness of our faith, that it may result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1.3-8

 

Like most Isaac Watts hymns, this one uses multiple bible references, including Galatians 6:14: “But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

 

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died; my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God: all the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down; did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

 

The writer repents of pride, boasting, and vain things that charm. He confesses Christ as God, the Prince of glory, and Lord.  He writes that the blood of Christ was caused by both sorrow over man’s sinful nature and even greater love for those created in His image.  And, the gift offered by Jesus cannot be repaid, ever.  My proper response of gratitude is to offer my whole self.

John 20.30-31 gives the summary purpose for the book. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

These verses are one of the proof texts used to support the first part of Answer #3 of the Westminster Shorter Confession: “The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.”

So according to the Bible, we (men) are to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the one prophesied throughout the Old Testament.  Jesus is part of God’s plan from the beginning.  The patriarchs; the Exodus; the Law and the sacrifices; the judges, kings, and prophets; the genealogies all point to Jesus as the Christ.  And all the New Testament gospels and letters declare Jesus as the Christ, bringing into focus his authoritative teachings and signs.  The disciples and followers of Jesus had the advantage of knowing him and hearing his explanations of how the Old Testament applied to him (Luke 24.27).

We are also to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  He is truly God as well as truly man.  He is Emmanuel, God with us.  As holy God, he is righteous and without blemish or sin.  As just God, he will judge upon his return. As loving and merciful God he died on the cross to exchange his righteousness for our sins.

And we are to believe that our faith in Jesus will lead to life. John 3.16 rings strongly to support this idea: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” 

John wrote his book so that its readers would believe these things. All men are supposed to but sadly not all do. Heaven awaits those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Amen.

There are three comparisons in rapid order in Matthew 9.12-13 that get to the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The story starts in verse 9, when Jesus calls the tax collector Matthew to follow him; now Jesus is eating with Matthew and his friends. 

The Pharisees are indignant with Jesus for several reasons.  Calling a tax collector to be a disciple was very bad form. Tax collectors were deemed to be traitors because they were partners with the Romans – they were considered “sinners” whether they were honest or not.  Eating and associating with a whole group of “sinners” would make Jesus one also.  And the Pharisees probably did not like it that Jesus rebuked their lifestyle.

Jesus had three responses to the Pharisees questioning his choice of dinner companions.  First, the Great Physician says that the sick need a doctor, not those who are well.  The Pharisees considered that their good habits made them well and so missed their spiritual illness, here seen as their lack of love for their neighbors. 

Second, Jesus challenges them to understand what God meant when he proclaimed through the prophet Hosea (6.6). “I desire steadfast love (mercy) and not sacrifice.” Sacrifice summarizes the blind following of the law, whereas steadfast love focuses on heartfelt adoration of God.

And third, Jesus is clear that he came to call sinners rather than the “righteous.”  The Son of God’s ministry was to the broken-hearted, those who recognized their need for a savior, a physician, a heart-change.  Those Jesus called were willing to repent and believe.

 

Pastor Jason gave a great sermon this past Sunday about The Road to Emmaus in Luke 24.13-25.  Why was the small (less than 100) group of Jesus’s disciples transformed from a discouraged, disappointed, and depressed band of nobodies to a world-changing body of believers?  Because Jesus opened their eyes in three different ways..

 

“He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (verse 27). All through the Old Testament, men were given numerous opportunities to earn their redemption, through re-dos; great ideals of unity in Babel; a great nation; a great system of laws; their own land; great leaders – judges; priests; kings; and prophets, but it is never enough.  Nothing except God could be their redeemer; no one is good but God alone.  The Messiah was much bigger and glorious than they could imagine.

 

He opened their eyes to the necessity that “the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (verse 26).  The clear testimony in scripture about a crucifixion is that it is scandalous and only for criminals (Deuteronomy 21.22-23).  But the opened eyes of the disciples could see that THIS crucifixion had been part of God’s plan from the beginning, even announced back in Genesis 3.15! The suffering servant had to die as a sacrifice. Suddenly the degrading spectacle of a cross became a glorious symbol of salvation, redemption, and life.

 

He opened their eyes to the resurrection.  They recognized Him (verse 31) as their leader who had died but was now alive. They knew that everything the scriptures promised and declared was fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus. And they knew that Jesus IS God, their Lord.

 

The rag-tag, shepherd-less disciples could not stop telling what they knew. They suffered persecution and martyrdom, often gladly, because their eyes were opened to the ongoing redemption plan of the One True God of the universe.