Book Review: The Greatest Words Ever Spoken by Steven K. Scott

The Greatest Words Ever Spoken by Steven K. Scott
A Review by Russ Reaves

Steven K. Scott told his friend Gary Smalley that he didn't even know if this book would ever be published. "I'm doing it for me," he said (xvii). His understanding of John 8:31-32 and Matthew 7:21-25 led him to compile the teachings of Jesus in a topical arrangement. "He wanted the words of Christ to form the concrete foundation of his beliefs on every subject and issue of life" (xvii). This book is the finished product of what was certainly a long labor of love and personal devotional discipline for Scott. In it, over 1900 statements of Jesus are arranged into more than 200 categories, and separated among nine larger headings. Those nine headings are the major chapter divisions of The Greatest Words Ever Spoken. They are "the greatest words ever spoken" about (1) Jesus; (2) God the Father; (3) the Holy Spirit; (4) Eternity; (5) Jesus' Followers; (6) Humanity; (7) God Reaching Out to Us; (9) How to Know God. Each of these chapters and many of the various subdivisions within each one contains material written by Scott to introduce the subjects.

Scott is the author of several books including The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, Mentored by a Millionaire, Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams, and A Millionaire's Notebook. He is not a theologian or pastor, but a successful business entrepreneur. His love for Christ is evident in the obvious effort he put into this project, in the introductory words written by Gary Smalley, and in his own words which introduce the various sections of the book. It is refreshing to see someone so successful and influential in the secular world using that influence to point others to the words of Jesus.

The book has a very usable layout, with the chapter divisions and subheadings clearly marked and the biblical passages arranged in two-columns per page. The Table of Contents, Scripture Index and Subject Index make it a handy reference volume. At over 500 pages, the book is sizable, but not unmanageable.

Upon receiving this book, it occurred to me that I do not know of another book of this kind in print today. There may be one or more, but this is the first volume I have laid hands on which seeks to arrange the teachings of Jesus in a topical order. Topical Bibles abound, but this one is limited solely to the words of Jesus. As such, it is a valuable reference tool. For instance, on pp 46-51, under the subheading of Jesus' Missions, one finds over 50 passages in which "Jesus identifies twenty-six different missions that He set out to achieve when he came to earth" (46). These would serve a pastor or Sunday School teacher well in choosing texts on which to base sermons or lessons for the Advent Season.

A new Christian will find the book to be a great help in discovering Jesus' teachings on the variety of subjects treated. The introductory matter in each chapter would also serve the new Christian well in devotional usage. One could read a separate subsection each day and have nearly a year of daily devotional study set before him or her. As a godly layman, Scott's zeal for Christ and biblical wisdom is worthy of emulation for those who are taking their beginning steps in the Christian faith.

The book is not without its faults. I find three major areas of concern with the book. The first is in its theology. Most importantly, though Scott makes it obvious that he believes in the deity of Jesus Christ, he builds the case for Christ's deity slowly and, in my opinion, carelessly. In his introductory chapter entitled "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken," Scott makes no overt claim that Jesus is divine. In the introduction to the first major chapter division, "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken About Jesus," that claim is still absent. Though the titles "Messiah," "Christ," "Son of God," and "Son of Man" are employed frequently throughout these pages, and the pronouns that refer to Jesus are capitalized (He, Him, His), one is forced to endure thirty-four pages of the book before ever arriving at any clear claim of Christ's deity. There, in introducing the subsection entitled "Jesus' Identity," Scott refers to Jesus accepting worship, identifying Himself as God, and engaging in divine actions. This brief paragraph is still insufficient to convince the unbelieving reader of the divine nature of Jesus. On page 55, a passing reference is made to the fact that "Jesus is a coequal, coeternal member of the Trinity." On pages 87-88, readers are told that J. R. R. Tolkein developed "a simple yet brilliant proof of Christ's deity," but that proof is not shared with the audience. It would be my hope that in future editions, Scott would expand his treatment of the deity of Christ, and perhaps include an appendix containing a detailed apologetic of this foundational Christian doctrine. As it stands, I do not believe that the unbelieving reader will come away convinced that Jesus Christ is fully-divine. In fact, it would be very easy for one to read the entire volume and miss the brief passing statements which are included.

Another theological concern I have with the book is in its treatment of Scripture. Christians believe that "All Scripture is inspired by God (or "God-breathed", theopneustas) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). This means that God is the ultimate author of every word of the Bible. In short, we do not believe that the "red letters" are more important for faith and practice than the "black letters." This is not evident from Scott's statements in the early portions of the book. For instance, on page 6, he states that his topical arrangement of Jesus' teachings "will enable you to read everything Jesus said without the interruption of commentary, transitional scenes, and details about the activities of the people who surrounded Him." Are we to understand from this that the words of the Gospel writers are "interupptions," needless commentary, and unimportant details? I do not think Scott would intend to declare that, but this is precisely the effect of his words. Again, on page 8, Scott writes, "Whenever you are studying a biblical subject, considering a spiritual question, or seeking guidance for a decision, the first question you should ask is 'What did Jesus say?' His words will provide the foundation for all your values, beliefs, and doctrines." This begs the following questions: Are there passages of Scripture outside of the explicit sayings of Jesus which treat the same subjects and perhaps expand on these sayings? Are there subjects which Jesus does not address, but other passages do? And if so, are those passages of lesser importance than these "red letter" passages? We have observed in our culture the tactics of some who want to pit Jesus' teachings with those of the Apostle Paul, for instance, and the Evangelical response to those arguments is that all Scripture is God's Word, and should be handled with equal gravity. Though I am certain that it is unintentional on Scott's part, he has made a false dichotomy between the words of Jesus and the rest of Scripture that can lead to a dangerous handling of the Bible.

The second major area of concern I find in the book has to do with sloppy hermeneutics. Two examples of this will illustrate the concern. First, concerning the study of Scripture in its context, Scott says on page 6 that by reading his book, "In a matter of minutes, you can read everything He (Jesus) said about a topic, which will help you gain a deeper understanding of His teachings." My response to this statement is, "Deeper than what?" Certainly one cannot expect reading this topical arrangement of Scripture portions to provide a greater depth than a historical-grammatical inductive study of the entire passage in its various levels of context. Scott is aware of the need to study Scripture in its context, for he says on page 8, "Because context is so important, the verses surrounding the key points are usually provided." Sometimes, a verse or two of surrounding context is sufficient, but most of the time it is not. The meaning of a particular passage is embedded in a larger pericope. As a case in point, on page 445, Revelation 3:20 is cited under the heading of "Accepting and Receiving Christ." When one studies that passage in its context, one discovers that Jesus is not knocking on the door of the unbeliever, but of the church! Though Steven Scott is not the first, and certainly won't be the last, to wrench that verse from its context, it is but one example of the error of piecing passages together without a thorough understanding of the context and historical setting.

The second example of sloppy hermeneutics that concerns me in this book is its treatment of the promises of Jesus. On page 2, Scott writes, "If you choose to follow Him (Jesus), then all 108 promises are promises you can count on -- promises that will produce peace in a troubled heart, joy in the midst of tragedy, success in place of failure, and most important, a glorified life that lasts for eternity." There is a hint of subjectivity or relativism in this statement, for according to Scott, it is only those who follow Jesus who find that His promises are "promises you can count on." Perhaps more alarmingly is the undeniable fact that those who do not follow Christ will ultimately find that they can count on His promises as well, only for them they will not prove to be promises of peace, joy, success and glory. Moreover, in this statement one finds the common error of misapplying the all of the promises of Scripture as universals when many of them are addressed only to a particular person or group in a particular setting. Scott is aware of this reality in handling Scripture. On page 299, he writes, "You should note that when a promise is made to an individual or a group, it may be so specific as to apply only to that person or group. Such a promise may reflect a principle that applies to others, but it may not." Yet, repeatedly throughout the book, Scott violates this very principle in applying a particular set of promises Christ made to His apostles as if they were universal promises for all believers. I am speaking of the promises concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit found in John 14:26 and 16:13. These are specific promises which deal with the reality that the Holy Spirit would enable the apostles to teach the foundational truths of Christ in the first generation of the faith and to write the infallible words of the New Testament by teaching them all things, bringing to their remembrance all that Christ said to them, guiding them into all truth, and disclosing to them what is to come. Scott says on page 9, "As you study the words of Christ, you will receive the benefits He promised in John 16:13 and John 14:26. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth, He will tell you things to come, and He will glorify Christ. Jesus also promises that the Holy Spirit will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all the things that Christ has spoken to you" [emphasis mine]. These things are repeated in the introductory words on the chapter which treats Jesus' words about the Holy Spirit on pages 114-115 and the introduction to chapter five on pages 183. It has perhaps escaped Scott's notice that the abuse of these promises has been at the foundation of the establishment of many cults who have applied these specific promises universally and used them as justification for their discovery of "new truth." It is a common but dangerous error to mishandle these promises in this way, and the book would be helped by a clarification that these promises are examples of those which apply only to a particular group, namely the apostles.

While this is not an exhaustive treatment of my concerns with the book, these are sufficient to indicate that the book needs some revision. I believe it would be helped by the constructive suggestions of theologians and biblical scholars, as well as by a broader base of personal research on the part of its author. Notwithstanding these concerns, the book is a valuable project. It is unique and fills a void in accessible literature today, being what I would describe as a "Red Letter Nave's." It would be useful for pastors, counselors, Sunday School teachers and laypeople. It would serve them well as a devotional tool and as a guide for selecting texts and parallel passages for preaching and teaching. Perhaps its greatest benefit would be in introducing new believers to the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. Though the foreword promises that Scott's short chapter introductions are "extremely enlightening and compelling to non-Christians," I believe that the non-Christian seeker would be better served by a thorough reading of the Bible itself. And for all of its potential benefits, the book cannot be a substitute for personal inductive Bible study and a regular diet of expository preaching in the local church. It is a good book. With some revisions and corrections based on the input of faithful and careful scholars, it can be a great book that will stand the test of time and serve many generations of Christ's church.

The Covenant Meal: Mark 14:22-26

Audio available here

The phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” is probably nowhere more appropriately applied than in the Christian observance of the Lord’s Supper. For most of us, we have participated in it so often that much of its meaning has been lost. In contrast to those churches who observe Communion each Sunday, Baptists and other evangelical churches have opted to have the observance on a less frequent basis to prevent this from happening. But it happens nonetheless. And so today, as we come to the passage where Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with His disciples, our aim is to rediscover the significance of this meal as we examine His words and actions on the evening prior to His death.

The meal we now refer to as His Last Supper took place during the traditional Jewish celebration of Passover, on the 14th of Nisan on the Hebrew Calendar, which typically falls within March or April on our calendars. Of all the Jewish feasts and festivals, Passover was of greatest theological significance. It commemorated the most miraculous moment in Israel’s history: the exodus from Egypt in the days of Moses. For four hundred years, the people of Israel had been enslaved in Egypt’s bondage. When Moses confronted Pharaoh with the demand to “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go,” Pharaoh increasingly hardened his heart against the Israelites. Therefore, in order to shatter his hardened heart, God sent a series of ten plagues upon the land of Egypt, each one increasing in severity. In the tenth and final plague, God declared that He was going to take the life of every firstborn male child in every household of Egypt. But Israel would be spared this judgment, for they were instructed to sacrifice a lamb. The meat of that lamb would be eaten with unleavened bread in a last supper before they fled their state of slavery for God’s promised land of freedom. And the lamb’s blood was to be smeared on their doorposts. And the Lord promised, “'The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” This is the origin the name Passover. And it happened just as the Lord said it would. And the Lord instructed His people to have an annual meal commemorating this event to continually remind them of what He had done for them.

The original Passover event was, of course, followed by the Red Sea parting in which the Lord miraculously rescued His people and destroyed their pursuers. And then, when the Law of God was made known to the people at Mount Sinai, God reaffirmed His covenant with Israel. In Exodus 24, we read that a great sacrifice was prepared and Moses read to the people the book of the covenant, and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And when the people affirmed God’s covenant, Moses took the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

The word covenant is a significant biblical and theological term. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties which stipulates obligations on both parties. The covenant that God establishes with His people is what might be called a unilateral covenant. That means that God initiates the covenant and accomplishes everything necessary for His people in establishing the covenant. The responsibility of His people is to believe His promises, and walk in faith with Him. God established a covenant with Adam, and established a similar covenant with Noah following the flood. In time, God singled out Abraham to be the recipient of His covenant promises, which He reaffirmed to Isaac, and then to Jacob and his descendants. This covenant was restored under Moses during the Exodus. After David was anointed king over Israel, God furthered His covenant with him. He promised David in 2 Samuel 7 that one of his descendants would occupy an everlasting Kingdom. This promise became the basis of Jewish Messianic expectations that God was going to raise up a deliverer of His people through the line of David. During the days of the Babylonian captivity, when no descendant of David was occupying the throne of Israel, God spoke through His prophet Jeremiah announcing the coming of a New Covenant. He says in Jeremiah 31:31-34, “"Behold, days are coming … when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them …. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days[:] … I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, … for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

More than 500 years elapsed between those words that Jeremiah declared and this final Passover meal that Jesus observed with His disciples. And in this meal, Jesus completely redefines the significance of the Passover meal. Henceforth, for those who believe in Him, it will be a reminder of the new covenant that He has established with His people. The deliverance from Egypt was a miraculous deliverance of a particular nation from the bondage of Egyptian slavery. But the Lord’s Supper commemorates an even greater deliverance – not of a single nation, but of the whole of humanity; and not from the bondage of slavery, but from the greater bondage of sin. And the One who gave the Passover its memorial significance is the same One who exercises divine authority to redefine the observance. Jesus is superior to Moses, His salvation is superior to the Exodus, and His covenant is superior to the covenants which had been established with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. So, the Lord’s Supper is our Passover celebration wherein we remember that because of the sacrificial blood that was shed and applied to the doorpost of our hearts, God’s wrath and His just judgment will pass over us, and we will enjoy eternity in the glory of God’s presence because of what Christ has done for us. This is our covenant meal.

There in the upper room, Jesus inaugurated the meal of the new covenant with His disciples around the table. And as we read His words, and participate in the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded of our covenant with Him. Every time we observe this memorial meal, we are making proclamations about the covenant Christ has established with us. I want to focus on two of those proclamations today as we look into the words of our text.

I. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the cost of His covenant.

The two elements of the Lord’s Supper are symbols of greater realities. I would imagine that a person with no knowledge of the Christian faith and practice would think we are foolish to consider this a “meal” at all. After all, we only eat a tiny wafer of bread, smaller than a penny, and drink a thimble full of grape juice. But it is not the quantity of food and drink we partake in this meal that is important; rather it is the reality behind these symbols which is important. Our goal in the Lord’s Supper is not to eat until we have had the hunger of our bellies satisfied, but to remember that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins satisfies forever the hunger of our souls. God’s offer of a covenant of salvation is a free gift which His grace extends to us. But though it is offered freely to us, we must not think that it was free or cheap for the Lord to provide. It was a costly sacrifice.

In the original Passover meal, there would be more on the table than just bread and the single cup. There would be bitter herbs reminding the people of their hard labor in Egypt. There would be the main dish of lamb, reminding the people of the sacrifice made for the blood that was applied to the door. The unleavened bread would remind them of Lord’s command to rid themselves of yeast, indicating the literal reality of eating this meal in haste before their flight to freedom and the symbolic reality of ridding themselves of the corruption of Egypt. And there would be four cups. And each of the four cups had special significance. The first cup was the cup of consecration which was drank at the beginning of the meal, indicating that God had consecrated Israel as His people. The second was the cup of affliction, indicating the plagues that were poured out on Egypt. The meal was eaten with this second cup. The third cup was the cup of redemption reminding the people of the deliverance from their bondage.

It was between the second and third cups that Jesus took the unleavened bread and blessed it. This was a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God uttered before the bread was eaten. And then Jesus broke that flat piece of unleavened bread and gave it to the disciples around the table and said to them, “Take it; this is my body.” Just as this bread was broken, so His body would be broken. Following His betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Bible tells us that Jesus was beaten and spit upon. He was scourged, which is a method of torture in which a whip of several strands, with shards of metal, glass, or stone embedded in each strand, was struck across the victim’s body, and those shards would puncture the flesh, tearing it from the body as the whip was withdrawn. He was crowned with thorns and beaten over the head with a reed, driving the thorns deeply into His brow. And ultimately, He was taken to Golgotha, where His hands, these hands that broke the bread, were driven through with spikes and His feet were likewise nailed to the cross. It happened just as Isaiah prophesied 700 years earlier in the 53rd Chapter of the book that bears his name. He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

And then He took that third cup, the cup of redemption which symbolized God’s salvation in the Passover, and He gave thanks to God for it before giving it to the disciples. As the disciples were all drinking from this cup, He did NOT point to the events of the past and say “This is the blood of the Lamb which was slain in Egypt.” He rather pointed to the events that were about to unfold and said, “This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” Just as every covenant was sealed with the shedding of blood, so this covenant would be as well. This covenant was sealed with very blood of its Maker. By the shedding of His blood on the cross, He became the substitute who died in our place and bore the wrath that our sins deserve so that we might be forgiven and reconciled to God. By this blood we are bound to God in the new covenant of Christ. This is the cost of our covenant – His very body and blood, symbolized in the Lord’s Supper by the bread and the fruit of the vine. And each time we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the cost of the covenant to ourselves, to one another, and to the world around us.

II. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the consummation of His covenant.

You recall that earlier we mentioned that in the Jewish Passover meal, there were four cups: the cup of consecration, the cup of affliction, and we also mentioned the cup of redemption which was the cup Jesus used to symbolize His blood which was shed for us. But what about the fourth cup? The fourth cup was called, “the cup of praise,” and was shared to indicate that the Passover meal was completed. But you will notice that Jesus does not drink this cup with His disciples. Instead, after sharing the third cup, the cup of redemption, He says, “I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.” He foregoes the fourth and final cup, essentially leaving the Passover meal unfinished. And we see this vow being upheld when, on the cross, He was offered wine mixed with myrrh as an anesthetic, but He refused it. What is the significance of this?

The new covenant, which is sealed by the new Passover sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has been depicted in the meal in symbols, but the reality had not yet occurred. Therefore, the new Passover was not completed. The redemption of humanity from sin had not yet been fully accomplished and would not be until He had laid down His life on the Cross. And it was there as He died that Jesus uttered His final word: Tetelestai, a Greek word translated in our Bibles, “It is Finished!” And then, John tells us in his Gospel, Jesus bowed His head and gave up His spirit. Now the redemption of the new Passover that seals us in the new covenant has been fully completed. But still we wait. We wait throughout all these centuries and generations for the day when He returns and consummates the covenant in establishing His perfect and righteous Kingdom on the Earth. We wait through days and months and years of trials and suffering in this fallen world, having His Spirit within us as a pledge of His promise. And we know that in His own time, according to His own perfect purpose, the day is coming when He will return and gather His covenant people to Himself. And when John was given the glorious vision of eternity in the book of Revelation, he tells us that the consummation of the covenant will be celebrated at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And then and there, when all the elect of God have been gathered into the fold, and the wrongs have all been righted, and the Lord has executed His perfect judgment and those things which we now behold by faith become sight, the fourth and final cup of the covenant meal will be enjoyed together anew with the Lord Jesus in His everlasting Kingdom. And what a cup of praise it will be.

But until then, we gather together regularly and partake of these tokens, these symbolic elements: the bread that represents His broken body; and the third cup of redemption representing His shed blood for our sins. And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.” In other words, we are looking back in remembrance of the cost of the covenant. Jesus Christ suffered the breaking apart of His own body and the pouring out of His precious blood on Calvary’s cross that you and I may be saved from the bondage of sin. And we are looking ahead in expectation of the consummation of the covenant. This Jesus who died for us was raised up gloriously from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He waits at the right hand of the Father until the day when He returns and establishes His eternal throne of righteousness.

And then Mark tells us that they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. You might wonder, “What hymn did they sing?” Well, Jewish custom dictates that the Passover meal be concluded with the singing of Psalms 115-118. And in the singing of these Psalms just before walking into His betrayal, arrest, torture, and death, look at the words He sang: Turn to Psalm 115. &

115:17-18 - “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence; but as for us we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord!”
116:3-4 - “The cords of death encompassed me and the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: O Lord I beseech You, save my life!”
116:8-9 - “You have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living”
116:12-13 - “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.”
116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”

Read the amazing words of Psalm 118 that the Lord Jesus sang as He went out into Gethsamane that night.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let Israel say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
3 Oh let the house of Aaron say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
4 Oh let those who fear the LORD say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."

5 From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.

15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is the LORD'S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalms 118:1-29 (NASB)


The Lord Jesus walked out into the darkest night of His life singing these wonderful Psalms of Joy in the Lord. And remember what we read about Him in Hebrews 12:2 – “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” What is that joy which was set before Him? It was this covenant, sealed in His blood which was poured out for many. He says “for many,” not all. Though the power of His blood is sufficient to redeem all of humanity, ultimately it will only be redemptive to those who turn from sin and self, and call upon Him by faith as Lord and Savior. And many have. Many will. Many in this sanctuary have. But perhaps not all. If you have never received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we invite you to do that this very day. Just as He gave the bread and the cup to those at His table, so He gives His body and His blood to you, and says, “Take it. It is for you.”

The Tragedy of Apostasy: Mark 14:17-21

Audio available here
(Due to a technical glitch, part of the introduction is missing in the audio. The remark I made at the end of the message on the audio has to do with a piece of anonymous hate mail I received on the Thursday prior to the Sunday when this message was preached.)

They say that confession is good for the soul, and I have a confession to make. I’m not proud of it, but I feel I need to just get it out in the open. I have a problem with prejudice. No, I don’t mean racial prejudice. My prejudice has to do with snakes. When I see a snake, I assume it is up to no good. In fact, I would say that my prejudice is more accurately described as a hatred. I think the only good snakes are dead ones. Now, animal lovers will tell me that I need to change my views on snakes. They tell me I need to give snakes a chance. They say there’s some good snakes out there. The Scarlet Kingsnake, for instance, I am told makes a wonderful pet and kills other problem species. And I know people who say they are beautiful. They are colorful with bands red, black, and yellow along their body. But there is another snake that is colorful with bands of red, black, and yellow along its body which is deadly venomous. The Coral Snake has the second most potent venom of any snake found in the United States. The Kingsnake and the Coral Snake look almost just alike. The difference is in the order of the colors in their stripes. A little poem is used to tell them apart. When red meets black, venom lacks. When red meets yellow, it will kill a fellow. But my prejudice against snakes is such that when I see one, I don’t take the time to recite poetry or to ask the snake if he is friend or foe. When it comes to snakes, looks can be deceiving, and the deception could be deadly.

The same can be true of those who call themselves Christian. Among those who call themselves Christian are those who have genuinely been born-again. Through the convicting and regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, they have turned from sin and placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And then there are those who have taken the label of Christian upon themselves without ever having been genuinely converted. They have found church involvement to be of some benefit to their life and are fond of certain aspects of Christian practice. But they are not genuinely saved; they are apostates. The word apostate or apostasy refers to a counterfeit believer. It is one who pretends to be a Christian, and one who may in due time turn their backs on Jesus altogether. They do not lose their salvation, because you cannot lose something you never had. By their defection from the faith, they demonstrate themselves to have never been saved. True believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to persevere in the Christian faith; apostates rely upon self-effort, and when that is exhausted, they fall away.

Christian history has seen many apostates. And the Scriptures tell us that in the last days, we can expect many more. In His parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13, Jesus told of how the enemy comes in the night and sows tares, or weeds, among the wheat. And both grow together in the same field, but when harvest comes, they will be gathered and separated. The wheat will be brought into the master’s barn, and the tares will be thrown into the fire. That parable is about apostasy. There will always be tares sown among the wheat, and there will always be false believers found amongst the faithful. It was true of Jesus’ 12 disciples, and it will continue to be true among His people until He returns. In our brief passage today, Jesus warned His disciples concerning the tragedy of apostasy as He indicated that one of them would betray Him. And we must take heed to these words and receive them as a warning against this tragedy as well. Several tragedies of apostasy are found here in these verses.

The first of these tragedies are seen in our Lord’s words in vv18 & 20.
I. Christian involvement does not prevent apostasy (vv 18, 20)

That should go without saying, for only those who are involved in Christian activity can commit apostasy. It is only those who have the appearance of being Christian and who make the claim of being Christian who may in fact be apostate. But this is a tragedy nonetheless. Notice what Jesus says of the one who is going to betray Him. He says in v18, “One of you will betray Me – one who is eating with Me.” He says in v20, “It is one of the 12, one who dips with Me in the bowl.” Notice the closeness of this one to Jesus. Here He is gathered for Passover, an observance usually partaken with one’s family with His disciples. These 12 are those for whom He spent a night in prayer before choosing them to be His own. And one of them, as Jesus says in John’s gospel, “is a devil.”

It is significant that twice Jesus mentions the fact that He will be betrayed by one who has fellowshipped with Him at the table. His words here echo the 41st Psalm, in which David laments the betrayal of Ahithophel, who had been his trusted friend. He says, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” In that culture, sharing a meal together was a precious symbol of friendship and loyalty. To betray someone with whom you had shared a table, a meal, even a single dish, was an unthinkable act of treachery.

Someone has said, “Friends are something we never have enough of, and seldom have as many we think.” Have you ever felt like that? David felt that. Ahithophel had been his trusted counselor, and he turned his back on David to conspire in the rebellion of Absalom. Jesus felt it too. He knew in advance that one of those whom He had chosen to be with Him and to serve Him, with whom He had shared a table of fellowship, would turn his back and betray Him.

Christian activity and church involvement does not a Christian make. It is possible to walk the aisle of the church, have perfect attendance in Sunday School, to be a teacher, a deacon, even a pastor, to be the best dressed, friendliest person in the church and not be born again. Conversion is not the result of our works. Ephesians 2:8-9 is as true today as it was when Paul wrote it: “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Christian involvement may in fact be a false assurance that keeps one from seeing his or her true need for salvation. The question is, “What are you trusting to save you?” And if the answer is anything you have done, like walking an aisle, joining the church, attending the church, or anything else that is done out of self-effort, then a person is not saved. Our only hope of being saved is Jesus. We must trust Him alone – His death as the payment for our sins, His resurrection as the assurance of His promise. And until a person has turned from self-reliance and self-effort to cast themselves wholly upon the mercy of God in Jesus, they remain lost in their sins no matter how involved he or she may be in Christian activity. They are apostate unless they have been genuinely born again. And that is a TRAGEDY!

Is it possible that in some Baptist church today somewhere in America, there sits one or more individuals who call themselves Christian, who are regularly involved in Christian activity, who on the surface appear to be Christian, but who will betray Jesus and fall away from the faith? I would say that, if among the 12 whom Jesus hand-picked to follow Him there could be apostates, then it is not only possible but probable that the same is true in many congregations today. Immanuel Baptist Church is no exception. And that is a tragedy to think that one with whom we have enjoyed fellowship, one who has sat by our side Sunday by Sunday, one who has been involved in the work of the Lord in this church, could actually not be saved, and one day turn his or her back on Jesus and walk away from the faith altogether.

I understand human nature enough to know that when you hear that, you will be inclined to think, “I wonder who it could be? Could it be him? Could it be her?” But I believe this is the wrong question to ask. And here we move to the second tragedy of apostasy found in this passage.

II. It is possible to be apostate and not know it. (v19)

When Jesus said, “One of you will betray Me,” notice that the disciples did not begin consulting with one another speculating who it might be. They do not say, “I bet He is talking about Judas.” Instead, each one to the man, including Judas, says, “Surely not I?” Here sits Peter, James, John, and Andrew, each of whom having had the opportunity of private fellowship with Jesus as His inner circle. Yet these even question, “Lord, will it be me?” Here sits Judas Iscariot, who has already struck the deal with the Sanhedrin for the betrayal, and even he asks, “Surely not I?”

One of the most crucial doctrines of the Christian faith is the total depravity of man. We are born sinners. No exceptions. Since Adam and Eve fell to sin in the garden, every person ever born with the exception of the Lord Jesus Himself has a sinful nature. Total depravity does not mean that we are as bad as we could possibly be. No matter how bad a person is, it isn’t hard to imagine that they could be worse! Rather, total depravity means that sin has infected every part of our being. Sin affects our reasoning, our decision-making, our thought patterns, our actions, our relationships, and every other aspect of our lives. Timothy George, our esteemed Southern Baptist brother and Dean of the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, prefers to use the phrase “Radical Corruption” to describe our sinful state. Perhaps that better captures the idea.

Now, because of our radically corrupted nature, we are all capable of unthinkable evil. No one is exempt. Jeremiah 17:9 says it like this: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” What that means is that I am unaware of the capabilities of my own heart. I can’t even understand myself. Do you realize that Jesus knows your heart better than you do? He knows more than you and I do what we are truly capable of. Therefore, when He says, “One of you will betray me,” the appropriate response is not, “Well I know it won’t be me, so who is talking about?” The right response is, “Lord, could I be that one?” And were it not for the work of the Holy Spirit in producing perseverance in those who are genuinely converted, it very well could be me, or you, or any other person who calls themselves His follower.

The Apostle Paul issued a warning in 1 Cor 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” Jesus statement here about the self-deceiving nature of apostasy needs to shake us all into a soul-check. As I prepared these words this week, I had to come aside with the Lord and say, “Oh Lord, you know my heart better than I do. If I am falsely assured or self-deceived, please convict my heart of the truth.” What am I trusting in to save me? My own goodness? My own efforts? My own words? God help me if that is true. I trust in Christ alone to save me, and to secure me unto Himself for eternity. I am no better than the hymn-writer who confessed in that great hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” that he is “prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it for Thy courts above.”

I do not want to be paralyzed in my Christian walk by endless doubts of my own salvation. John tells us that he wrote his first epistle that we may know that we have eternal life. God wants us to rest in the finished work of Christ and to be assured of our relationship with Him. But at the same time, I know that there are worse things than moments of soul-searching doubt. Namely, progressing through life in false assurance of salvation when one really isn’t saved would be eternally and infinitely worse than a moment of passing doubt. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

It is just as possible for us as it was for the twelve, that in our midst may very well be one or more who is self-decieved, lost in sin without knowing it, trusting in all the wrong things to save them. Will we be spiritually mature enough to say, “Lord, is it me?” and examine ourselves as we have been admonished? Or will we arrogantly walk on in presumption and assume, “It can’t be me, he must be talking about someone else.” I hope you are right. But a moment spent with Christ in the examination of your own soul in the light of the promises of His word could make a tremendous difference for each of us in this life, and more importantly in the life to come.

This brings us to the third tragedy of apostasy.

III. The consequences of apostasy are of unspeakable severity (v21)

Jesus says, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.” This word Woe occurs frequently in the New Testament. It is a word of pain, of sorrow, of grief. It always expresses unpleasant realities. Almost always it precedes a pronouncement of judgment as it does here. Woe to this betrayer, Jesus says, for “it would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” The consequences of his apostasy are unspeakable. Jesus does not declare what those consequences will be, He only says that nonexistence would be preferable to it. Better, He says, to have never lived at all, than to face what awaits the apostate in eternity. What could this be? Well, we know that eternity only offers two destinations, and heaven hardly fits this description. It is plainly and painfully obvious that Jesus is speaking of the horrors of hell; horrors of such intensity that to speak of them would do injustice to them. He merely says that given the choice, one would choose to never even have lived than to end up there.

It has been said that in our day people by and large do not believe in heaven and hell. I think that is only half true. I think that a good many people believe in heaven, and that they wrongly believe that everyone will end up there. Just hang out at funeral homes and listen to the things that are said. I have stood beside the casket of hardened atheists, who to my knowledge, never came to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, though ultimately only God knows for sure. And in those moments I have heard well-intentioned people say idiotic things like, “Well, at least they aren’t suffering anymore.” Beloved, if that person did not know the saving grace of Jesus, they haven’t begun to fathom the suffering that awaits them. And unlike the sufferings of this life, which are only temporary, the sufferings of hell are eternal.

On the surface, what noticeable difference is there between Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter? Both were called by Jesus to follow and serve Him. Both spent the better part of three entire years with Him. Both heard His wondrous teachings, and saw His glorious miracles. Yet one was saved and the other was lost. One had been genuinely converted to faith in Christ, the other was an apostate. One will spend eternity in heaven, the other, well it would be better for him if he’d never been born. But did they not both turn their backs on Jesus? Indeed they did. But Peter demonstrated the genuineness of his conversion by returning to the Lord in repentance, and he was restored. Judas went out and hanged himself in despair.

Now there are those who would say that it isn’t fair that Judas would have to suffer an eternity in hell because of his apostasy. After all, did Jesus not say, “The Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him”? In other words, wasn’t Judas just carrying out God’s plan in handing Jesus over to die? So, he really didn’t have a choice did he? Why should he suffer these unspeakable consequences? Herein is the age-old conundrum of divine sovereignty and human freedom. Time does not permit us to discuss this in detail, but a little explanation is in order.

God knows the free actions that human beings will take in any given circumstance. And He providentially arranges the circumstances we find ourselves in so that our free actions further His purposes. His foreknowledge of our actions is perfect and infallible. But the moral decision to act remains our own free choice. Therefore, when we choose to sin, we are not absolved of moral responsibility. God’s foreknowledge and His providence did not force our hands to act. God chose to bring about a particular set of circumstances in creating this world and in sending His Son into this world to die for human sin. And those circumstances entailed Judas’ betrayal. Judas is not a blind victim of fatalistic providence and foreordination. He is a responsible moral agent who made a free choice. He did not determine Judas’ actions, but He determined the circumstances Judas found himself in. The choice, however, was Judas’ to make. And he chose to betray the Lord. Therefore, God is able to bring about His own purposes through the free action of Judas, and yet Judas remains accountable for his action. He will face the consequences of apostasy, and those consequences are unspeakably tragic.

The same is true of others who make a shipwreck of their own souls by resisting the Spirit’s promptings to be converted and who abandon Christ fully and finally. It isn’t that they lose their salvation. They never had it to begin with. And as a result, it would be better for that person had they never been born, than to face the unspeakable torment of hell.

The tragedies of apostasy are innumerable. But in this passage, these three stand out. Christian involvement does not prevent apostasy. Apostates may be self-deceived. And the consequences of apostasy are unthinkable. Understanding these tragedies should prompt us to respond in particular ways. Most importantly, we should heed the words of Paul in 2 Cor 13:5 to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. How do you do that? First, consider this question: If God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” what would you say? If you would answer anything other than, “Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again, and I have put my trust completely in Him to save me,” then you are trusting in the wrong things to save you. Being a good person, attending church, joining the church, being baptized, taking communion, saying your prayers, or any number of other good things, will not save you. Christ alone saves. So we must ask ourselves, “What am I trusting to save me?” And the answer should be Christ alone. Second, we should examine our lives for evidence that the Holy Spirit abides in us. In Galatians 5, Paul contrasts the deeds of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. Where a life is dominated by the flesh, it will be marked by immorality , impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. But where the Spirit of Christ indwells and fills a believer, his or her life will be characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Other biblical assurances of regeneration include a love for and obedience to God’s word and love for other believers. We must ask ourselves, “Are these things present in my life?” And if through that self-examination, one discovers that he or she is actually not saved, then that individual should with all haste turn to Christ in repentance and faith and be born again. Many times, embarrassment and pride will stand in the way. A person who has played the church game for many years will not actually want to admit that they were actually unsaved. But beloved, if one of us is apostate, it would be a severe tragedy to let pride stand in the way of the opportunity for salvation. We must humble ourselves and cast ourselves on the mercy of God if that is the case.

Then secondly, the knowledge of apostasy and its tragedies, should move us to prayer for Christ’s church. There will always be tares sown among the wheat. We must be in prayer for the church to be led by regenerate, Spirit-filled believers, and that the falsely assured apostates in the church will be prevented from disrupting the fellowship and function of the body. And combined with this prayerfulness should be a determination to always be sharing the gospel, not only outside the walls of the church but inside as well. We need to share our testimonies with each other, and share with one another the promises of God’s words. We never know when a casual conversation may actually be a divine appointment in which God is going to use our words to draw a person to salvation.

Middle Knowledge Musings on Judas' Betrayal

As I work through Mark 14:17-21 in preparation for this Sunday's sermon, I am wrestling with the dual reality of God's foreknowledge of Judas' betrayal and Judas' moral responsibility for his actions. There is only one solution to this dilemma: Middle Knowledge. What follows is my own attempt to think through this and disentangle my thoughts by putting them into words.

God knows the free actions that human agents will take in any given circumstance. He knows, for instance, that if Judas is placed in circumstance C, he will perform action B. He chooses which circumstances to actualize according to His own divine freedom and for His own purposes. His actualizing is not determined by our actions. By actualizing circumstance C, His foreknowledge of Judas’ action is perfect and infallible. Judas can do no other; if he were to do otherwise, God’s knowledge would be otherwise. God is sovereign over the circumstance, and uses it for His glory. But the choice remains Judas’ own free decision. Therefore, he is not absolved of moral responsibility. God chose to actualize a particular set of circumstances, and those circumstances happen to entail Judas’ betrayal. Judas is not a victim of fatalistic providence and foreordination. He is a responsible moral agent who made a free choice. God is not to be blamed for actualizing the circumstance. He is free to actualize any circumstance He desires for His own purposes. He did not determine Judas’ actions, but He determined the circumstances Judas found himself in. Therefore, God is able to bring about His own purposes through the free action of Judas, and Judas remains accountable for his action.

Now, I just have to figure out how to say that in a sermon in a way that won't be 100 stories over everyone's head.

Fellowship With Jesus: Mark 14:12-16

Audio available here

One of the most widely discussed books among Evangelicals in the last year has been The Shack by William Young. I have read reviews of the book that say it is the greatest book written in a long time, and I have read reviews that said it is the most horrible book to ever be written. So, I just decided to read it for myself, and I have to say, admitting a few things that made me uncomfortable in the book, I thought it was okay -- not as bad as some say, nowhere near as good as others say. The book revolves around a terrible tragedy that strikes a family and how God helps the father of this family deal with it. The man walks down to his mailbox one day and finds there a note inviting him to return to the scene of the tragedy. The note, the man discovers, is from God. Now, that’s a novel. It is a work of fiction, and we shouldn’t go to our mailboxes every day wondering if we might get such an invitation sent directly to us. But the fact is that God does desire that we fellowship with Him, and for more than just a weekend.

This passage of Mark’s gospel opens “on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed.” The feast of Unleavened Bread was a week-long observance which began with the observance of Passover. This was one of the pilgrimage festivals of Israel. It was a desire of every pious Jew to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem, and though estimates vary, it is safe to say that Jerusalem was thoroughly packed with people who came there from all over. Even today, Jewish people will conclude their Passover observance with the phrase, “Next year, in Jerusalem!” Passover was, and still is, a time of family togetherness. And in Jesus’ day many people would open their homes and provide space for traveling families to participate in Passover celebrations.

Knowing that Jesus would want to observe Passover within the city, and that He had no family in the region, His disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” I find it interesting that they said, “prepare for You.” But Jesus quickly turns this into an invitation for His followers to join Him in the Passover, saying in v15, “Prepare for us.” During this historically and prophetically significant time, Jesus desires the fellowship of His disciples and has them make arrangements, not for Him only, but for all of them to join Him. The passage is about preparation. Three times in this short span of verses the word “prepare” is repeated. The disciples prepared for this opportunity of fellowship with Jesus. And Jesus desires that you and I might make preparations to fellowship with Him as well. Several preparations are seen the text.

I. We prepare for fellowship with Jesus by serving Him willingly (v12)

The disciples have not always been portrayed in the best light in this Gospel. We have seen their failures far more often than their successes. But here, they are to be commended for they take the initiative to approach Jesus about the Passover plans. The preparations that they go to make are not the result of burdensome orders that Jesus has assigned to them. Rather, they make an unsolicited offer to get the meal organized. They do not do it begrudgingly, but willingly, as they approach Jesus and say, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” They don’t have to do this. They want to do this. And they want to do what Jesus wants them to do.

If you have raised children, you know the joy of seeing those children do the right thing without being prompted. Our children are like most others: their rooms are nearly always in disarray. And we say, “You need to clean this room,” and they clean it a little bit, and say, “Is that good enough?” Well, a few weeks ago, I came home from the office, and Solomon was in his room with the door closed and he said, “Don’t come in here, it’s a surprise.” A little while later, he emerged and said, “Now you can come in. I cleaned my room and wanted to surprise you with it.” That moment made me one proud papa! It brought joy to my heart to see him taking the initiative and responsibility to do a good thing without being told to do it. And he did it better than he ever has when we’ve told him to clean the room. But God also used that moment to teach me a lesson about Himself. You see, God also knows when I am serving Him begrudgingly and when I am serving Him willingly. There are times when we do the right thing because “we have to,” and times when we do the right thing “because we want to.” And my desire for my own life is that the desire to serve Him willingly would replace the burden of serving Him begrudgingly more and more every day.

In the self-serving culture in which we live, the idea of willingly serving another is not popular. We tend to do only what we have to do in terms of serving others. So why should we be so eager and so willing to serve Jesus? Quite simply, it is because He is worthy. To serve Christ is to serve the greatest possible good. To serve anything or anyone less, even serving ourselves, is to waste our lives in futile idolatry. When we truly fathom what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, our perspective is radically changed. God has come to us in the person of Christ to reconcile us to Himself through the blood of Christ’s cross and conquered death for us through the resurrection, not because we deserved it or earned it, but because He loves us, He pities us, He is gracious and merciful toward us. What greater joy could there be in human existence than to serve such a One as this with our highest affections and our most joyful and willing service?

John Piper writes extensively on what he calls “Christian Hedonism.” Now, this sounds like a contradiction in terms. Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure. Pursuing pleasure seems to be at odds with serving Jesus. But the idea of Piper’s Christian Hedonism is finding pleasure through serving Jesus. It is wrong to pursue pleasure when the things that bring us pleasure are at odds with Christ. But when He is our pleasure and our delight, then pursuing anything else would be a waste. If we make Him our highest pleasure, then there is no sin in passionately and aggressively pursuing the pleasure that He affords through our fellowship with Him.

Do we serve Him with our lives? Most of us would say that we do in some way or another, but what is our motive? Is doing what Jesus wants us to do something we think is burdensome? Or do we want to do what He wants us to do? Do we take the initiative to seek opportunities to serve Him? If we would turn the “have-tos” of serving Him into “want-tos”, we would find ourselves in fellowship with Him in the midst of our service.

II. We prepare for fellowship with Jesus by trusting Him completely (vv13-15)

Jesus gives two of His disciples a set of instructions to follow. They are to go into the city, find a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him to a house, ask the owner of the house to show them to the room, and make preparations there. Some elements of these instructions are detailed: they have a specific encounter to anticipate, and are given specific instructions on what to say. But on the other hand, the instructions as a whole are very vague. He doesn’t tell them where in the city they are to go or who it is they are to meet, or where the house is where these preparations are to be made. He only says, “Go into the city and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.” The only part of these instructions that would make sense to the two disciples is “the city.” They would have understood that to be Jerusalem. But Jerusalem was big city. And admittedly, a man with a pitcher of water might stand out distinctly, for usually it was women who fetched pitchers of water from the wells. But Jerusalem was crowded with travelers at this time, possibly being 6-8 times more people there than usual. How will they ever find this man, this house, or this room? They simply have to trust Him completely.

When I was a kid, my parents used to like to go out on Sunday drives. They would say, “Let’s hop in the car and go for a ride.” I would say, “Where are we going?” They would say, “You’ll find out when we get there.” In other words, my job was to sit in the backseat and let them drive, and trust them. I never looked forward to those drives. I like to know where I am going and what to expect. I was overly-analytical even at a young age. I like details. If you are giving me instructions on how to do something, I will often write it down, and ask multiple questions for clarification. If Jesus had given me the same instructions he gave these two disciples, I may say, “OK, when you say “city,” you mean Jerusalem right? And this man with the pitcher – what’s his name? What does he look like? What color is the pitcher? Will it be on his shoulder or in his hands? And just in case we don’t find him, where is the house? What’s the address? Let me Google Map it so I have a back up plan.” And so on. But the disciples didn’t ask those questions. They trusted Jesus.

In a way, they are like Abraham. In Genesis 12, when God called Abraham, He said, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” God told him what to leave, but He didn’t tell him where he was going. Abraham had to decide to trust God to do what He said He would. He had to trust Him to show him the land to which he was going. The apostle Paul said in 2 Cor 5:7 that we walk by faith and not by sight. And like Abraham, like these two disciples, we can fellowship with Christ as we walk by faith, trusting Him completely. He has complete knowledge of all that is and all that will be. He has sovereign control over the circumstances of our lives. He is the truth. He is good. He loves us. And He leads us, as the Psalmist said, “in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” And knowing that, we can trust Him, even when the directions He gives us to follow don’t answer all of our questions or contain all the details we might prefer. The question is not, “Is He trustworthy?” He has demonstrated that time and time again in the Scriptures and in our lives. The question is rather, “Are we willing to trust him completely?” As we walk with Him in that kind of trust, we find ourselves in fellowship with Him.

III. We prepare for fellowship with Jesus by obeying Him faithfully (v16)

Jesus gave the two disciples three instructions. They were to (A) enter the city, (B) follow the man with the water to the house where they would inquire about the room, and (C) make preparations. And v16 tells us that they obeyed His instructions precisely. We see that (A) the disciples went out and came to the city just as He had told them to do. Then (B) they found it just as He had told them. This is a summary statement which indicates that they found the guy with the water, and followed him to the house, and asked the owner about the room, etc. Finally, (C) they prepared the Passover. They were faithful to the instructions Jesus gave them, and obeyed each one.

General George Patton once said that when it came to selecting a man for an important promotion, he would line up all the candidates and say, “Men, I want a trench dug behind warehouse ten. Make this trench 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 6 inches deep.” And Patton said that he would watch them while they got their tools out of the warehouse. Some of them were questioning the instructions. Some were arguing over the dimensions of the trench. Some were complaining about having to dig the trench by hand when they had power equipment they could use. Others would complain that it was too hot or too cold to be digging trenches. Some would say that this was work that should be assigned to people of lower rank. But Patton said, “Finally, one man will order, ‘What difference does it make what he wants to do with this trench? Let’s get it dug and get out of here.” Patton said that man would be the one who gets the promotion.[1] He followed the orders obediently without complaint, question, or criticism.

From what we know of these disciples, we wouldn’t be surprised if they had blown it. We might expect them to complain about the obscure directions and say, “What’s this all about anyway? Why did we even volunteer for this job? Any room will do, let’s just get something set up.” It would not surprise us if they came back and said, “Sorry Lord, we never saw the guy with the water.” But in this case, like few others in the Gospel of Mark, the disciples did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They obeyed Him faithfully.

Because of our fallen human nature, we are prone to look for shortcuts, easy-ways-out, and better ideas. But when it comes to being obedient to Jesus, we must remember that His way may not be the easy way, but it the right way, and there are no better ideas. And there are no short-cuts or substitutes to obedience. Obeying Him partly is disobeying Him completely. Obedience does not need to be thought of as a laborsome thing that we do for Him. Rather, in our obedience, we are doing something with Jesus. He joins us in task and works alongside of and through us. Obedience prepares the way for fellowship with Him.

The Bible is full of words of grace. When we read about God’s love for us, His offer of salvation for our sins, His promise of redemption and eternal life, we are reading about things we do not deserve. We do not deserve to fellowship with the maker of heaven and earth. But grace is all about God giving us what we don’t deserve. If we all got what we deserve from God, we would be perishing eternally because of our sinful condition. But thanks be to God, He has reconciled us to Himself through the blood of Jesus. And as we turn from sin and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior in our lives, we experience His grace. When Jesus says, “Prepare for us,” that’s grace. He wants to fellowship with His people and we can experience that fellowship with Him as we follow in the example of these disciples: serving Him willingly, trusting Him completely, obeying Him faithfully. The Christian life is not easy, and Jesus didn’t promise us that all of our experiences would be pleasant. But knowing that He desires to join us in fellowship as we walk with Him through this life will help us to view every opportunity we have to serve Him, trust Him, and obey Him as moments of fellowship with Jesus.

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[1] Craig Brian Larson, Contemporary Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), 161.