Below is a brief overview on the subject of the Law which I believe will help answer your questions about the believer and the Law today.

The Use of the Term “The Law” (Instruction, Torah)

• This term is used of the entire Old Testament (John 10:34; Psalm 82; Isa. 1:18).
• It is used with such terms as the prophets, and writings, again as a title for the entire Old Testament Scripture, but in this way it looks at them in their division (Luke 24:27, 44).
• It is used of the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
• The term is used of the entire specific code given to the nation Israel to govern and guide their moral, religious and secular life, and covers parts of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (Deut. 4:8, 44-45).
• The term is used of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:12)

The Origin and Source of the Law

God is the origin and source though, in part, it was mediated by angels (Exodus 31:1b; Acts 7:53; Heb. 2:1-2).

The Content and Make-Up of the Law

Though the Law is an indivisible unit—there are three parts or elements:

• Codex I = The Commandments: The moral law governing the moral life guiding man (Israel) in principles of right and wrong in relation to God and with man (Exodus 20:1-17).
• Codex II = The Judgments: The social law governing Israel in her secular, social, political and economic life (Exodus 21:1–23:13).
• Codex III = The Ordinances: The religious law which guided and provided for Israel in her spiritual relationship and fellowship with God. It included the priesthood, tabernacle and sacrifices (Exodus 25:31: Leviticus).

The Recipients of the Law

The Law was for Israel in the land. From the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen.12) Israel was a chosen nation, an instrument of God to become a channel of blessing to all nations. Jehovah was her King—to rule over her and guide her in her destiny so that she might not become polluted or contaminated by the nations and could thus fulfill her purpose. For this the Mosaic Law was instituted to guide her as a nation in all spheres of her life, morally, socially, politically, economically and religiously.

As a code the Law was not to be and could not be specifically obeyed to the letter by any other people in any other place as a rule of life. However, it did set forth, in the spirit of the Law, principles which are applicable and bring blessing to all people, anywhere, and at any time when applied and used.

There were certain economic provisions in the Law to govern and protect the economic life of Israel. For example there was the right of property ownership, free enterprise, protection of the poor which guarded against the evils of great concentrations of wealth in the hands of a few with the consequent impoverishment of others. But the poor were provided for in such a way as to avoid the loss of free enterprise and the individuals initiative by high taxation as well as to avoid making leeches out of men who refused to work.

However, the strict application of these laws to our world is impossible since the original conditions in which God directly intervened cannot he reproduced, at least not until the millennium. Yet, Economists could study and learn much from these laws and principles.

The Nature of the Law

• It is holy and good (Rom. 7:12, 14).
• It is spiritual (Romans 7:14). It is designed to establish a relationship between God and His people.
• It is weak because it was dependent on man’s ability. especially when taken as a system of merit (Rom. 8:3).
• It is a unit or a unity (Gal. 3:10, 12; 5:3; James 2:10-11). All three codices were designed to function as one, you cannot separate any part such as the Ten Commandments. They were designed to function together and guide Israel in all of its life. The recognition of any of its features, i.e., as a meritorious system of righteousness with God, obligates the person to fulfill the entire Law.
• It is the opposite of grace and faith by virtue of motivation and power (Rom. 6:14; 7:6; 8:3; Gal. 3:12).
• It was temporary. It was never designed to be a permanent rule of life. It was merely a tutor or guardian to guard Israel in all areas of her life until Christ (2 Cor. 3:7, 11; Gal. 3:23-24; Rom. 10:4).

The Limitations of the Law

When approached as a meritorious system, the Law cannot:

• Justify (Gal. 2:16).
• Give life (Gal. 3:21).
• Give the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:2, 14).
• Give spirituality (Gal. 3:21; 5:5; Rom. 8:3).
• Make perfect or permanently deal with sin (Heb. 7:19).

The Effects of the Law

• It brings a curse (Gal. 3:10-12).
• It brings death, it is a killer (2 Cor. 3:6-7; Rom. 7:9-10).
• It brings condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9).
• It makes offenses abound (Rom. 5:10; 7:7-13).
• It declares all men guilty (Rom. 3:19).
• It holds men in bondage to sin and death (Gal. 4:3-5, 9, 24; Rom. 7:10-14). This is because man in his sinful state can never fulfill the righteousness of the Law, especially in the spirit of the Law. He always falls short as Romans 3:23 tells us, and thus becomes condemned. The above features result, but only when man approaches it as a merit system.

The Relation of NT Believers to the Law

• He is not saved by keeping the Law (Gal. 2:21).
• He is not under the Law as a rule of life, i.e., sacrifice, Sabbath keeping, tithing (Rom. 6:14; Acts 15:5, 24).
• So he does not walk by the Law but by the Spirit which is our new law (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:5). A law of liberty via faith in the operation of God.
• He is dead to the Law (Rom. 7:1-6; Gal. 2:19). Again by virtue of his union with Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law.
• He is to fulfill the righteousness of the Law, the spirit of the law, as seen in Christ’s words in Matthew 10:37-40. One hundred percent love for God and for neighbor (James 2:9). But this can only be fulfilled through a knowledge of Bible doctrine and the filling of the Holy Spirit which furnishes the power. So we are under God’s new law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2-4).

The Purpose and Function of the Law

• To provide a standard of righteousness (Deut. 4:8; Psalm 19:7-9).
• To reveal God’s holiness and goodness (Deut. 4:8; Rom. 7:12-14).
• To identify sin and reveal man’s sin and bankrupt condition (Rom. 19f; 7:7-8; 5:20; Gal. 3:19).
• To shut man up to faith, i.e., to exclude the works of the Law as a system of merit (Gal. 3:19-20, 20-23; 1 Tim. 1:8-9; Rom. 3:19-20.

The End of the Law as a Rule of Life

The Law ended as a way of life at the coming of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:4). This instituted the new law of the Spirit, the one of liberty (Rom. 8:2, 13).

The Lawful Use of the Law

The Law is still good from the standpoint of its main function and purpose as seen above in The Purpose and Function of the Law (I Tim. 1:8-10; James 2:1-10; Gal. 5:1-3; 6:1). This is how James uses the Law, to reveal their sin (James 2:9), and to get them out of self-righteous legalism and move them out in faith.

Keeping the Law in the True Sense

In the true sense as God intended it, not as Israel and man always tend to take it. Codex I showed the Jew his sin and that he was shut up under it. This made him go to Codex III for forgiveness through faith in the sacrifices which pointed to Christ. Then Codex II, the social law, regulated Israel’s life by showing him how to live socially, but not for merit or spirituality.

Christ, the Fulfillment of the Law

• Christ fulfilled Codex I by living a perfect and sinless life. Thus, when man trusts in Christ, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to that individual so we have justification. We have Christ’s righteousness so the Law can’t condemn us (Rom. 8:1; 7:1-6; Rom. 5:1; 4:4-8).
• Christ fulfilled Codex III, the spiritual ordinances, by dying on the cross for us and in our place. This showed that God was also perfect justice and sin must be judged, but God provided a Lamb. The penalty which the Law exercised was paid. Again there is no condemnation because the believer is in Christ (Col. 2:14; Rom. 3:24-25).
• Christ also fulfills Codex II, the social law. He replaces it with a new way of life fitting to our new salvation. He gives provision for the inner man—the Holy Spirit who makes one spiritual and enables him to produce the righteousness of the Law (Rom. 8:2-4). a. Believers are not under Law but under grace (Rom. 6:143. b. Believers are under a new law, the grace provision of a new law, the principle of the Spirit Controlled Walk which provides the power and energy to produce the righteousness of the Law. c. Now our obligation is to walk by the Holy Spirit. To think, do, and say by His power so we can produce the righteousness of the Law. This gives victory, or better appropriates Christ’s victory and resurrection life over the power of the sin nature and the law of sin and death with the Holy Spirit inside, controlling.

Summary

• Christ is the end of the Law and believers are not under the Law.
• Christ fulfills the Law by His person and work. So believers are under a new law; the obligation to walk by the Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2-4). If we are under the Spirit then we are not under the Law (Gal. 5:18).
• Against such there is no law, because we are operating under the highest law, the standards are met as we walk by the Holy Spirit and grow in the Word (Gal. 5:22).

Warning Against Entanglement with the Law as Believers

After salvation by grace there is the danger of reverting to Law or legalism by taboos and force (Gal. 3:1-3). To go back to the Law as a way of life puts one under the control of the flesh, it nullifies true spirituality by faith in the Holy Spirit, and defeats the believer. It results in human good and domination by the old sin nature (Gal. 5:1-5; Col. 2:14f).

May 24, 2015

When tragedies hit, there are two opposing views among professing Christians. One view, called Open Theism, is that God had nothing to do with the tragedy. He doesn’t know the future in advance and so there is nothing that He could have done to prevent your tragedy. He hurts with you about what happened; He wishes that it wouldn’t have happened; but, He was as surprised over the event as you were.

So Open Theism tries to get God off the hook for all the suffering and tragedy that goes on in the world. It arose from the theological position of taking Arminianism to its logical conclusion. The open theists recognized that if God foreknows everything, then everything is foreordained, which is unacceptable to them. So they had to eliminate God’s foreknowledge. And they couldn’t reconcile the terrible suffering in the world with God’s love. So they jettisoned both His omniscience and His sovereignty.

The other view is that God is sovereign over everything that happens, but He is not responsible for evil. Evildoers are responsible for their sins and will face judgment if they do not repent. Yet at the same time, their evil deeds do not frustrate God’s good and loving purpose. As Job (42:2) affirmed after all of his suffering, which was caused by Satan, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” Or as the early church prayed (Acts 4:27-28), “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” God predestined the death of Jesus, but those who did it were responsible for that terrible sin.

I believe that Open Theism is heretical and the second view is the biblical truth. It’s also the only view that gives us comfort and hope in the midst of suffering. Although we may not in our lifetimes understand why God allowed our suffering, we can know that He will work it together for good because He is sovereign and He loves us (Rom. 8:28-39; John 17:23).

This view of God’s sovereignty over tragedy permeates John’s account of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. Commentators agree that what John uniquely omits and includes in his account of Christ’s passion has the overall effect of emphasizing Christ’s control over His death. For example, John omits Jesus’ agonizing prayer in the Garden, where He asked repeatedly that, if possible, the cup of suffering on the cross be removed from Him. But John includes Jesus’ resolve to obey the Father’s will when He rebukes Peter (John 18:11), “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

John omits Judas’ betrayal kiss, but he includes something that the other gospels omit: When Judas and the armed cohort came to Him, Jesus took the initiative in greeting His persecutors! John 18:4: “Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’” Only John tells us that when Jesus answered them, they all drew back and fell to the ground. John alone reports Jesus’ command to the soldiers to let His disciples go their way (John 18:8). And from John we learn that Peter was the impetuous disciple who swung his sword and Malchus was the slave who got his ear cut off. Probably John could mention their names because both men were dead when John wrote. Revealing their names would not embarrass either man or subject Peter to legal prosecution.

The overall impression that John conveys through his narrative is that Jesus was in complete control of His arrest and crucifixion. Although Judas and the armed soldiers succeeded in arresting Jesus and although Peter by human force vainly sought to protect Him, Jesus was calmly in control of the events leading to His death. He was not a tragic victim, but rather the good shepherd who willingly laid down His life for His sheep. The lesson is:

In spite of rebels who oppose Him and disciples who fail Him, Jesus is Lord over every situation, including His own death.

1. Rebels who oppose Jesus do not in any way thwart His lordship, but rather condemn themselves.

Sometimes when you look at all the evil in the world, with Islamic terrorists boasting in their gruesome conquests, you may wonder, “Where is God in all of this? Is God’s side losing the battle?” Here you have the Jewish religious leaders, who should have welcomed their Messiah, the betrayer who is under the direct influence of Satan himself (John 13:27), and the Roman military, representing the world-dominating Roman Empire, all aligned against Jesus. So we see all the evil powers of darkness and the world coming against this humble, innocent teacher from Galilee. And from outward appearances, they easily triumph, while Jesus is brutally murdered.

But from God’s perspective, it is laughable for anyone, no matter how powerful in this world’s eyes, to oppose the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Psalm 2:1-4 pictures it:

Why are the nations in an uproar

And the peoples devising a vain thing?

The kings of the earth take their stand

And the rulers take counsel together

Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

“Let us tear their fetters apart

And cast away their cords from us!”

He who sits in the heavens laughs,

The Lord scoffs at them.

Christ’s opponents in our text fall into three categories:

A. Religion has always opposed God and His way of salvation, because it is based on human pride and works.

John (18:3) mentions that the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers (the temple police) as part of the contingent to arrest Jesus. During His three years of ministry, the Jewish religious establishment was Jesus’ main source of opposition. They knew the Old Testament well. They heard Jesus’ teaching and saw His miracles. Of all people, they should have known that Jesus uniquely fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. But they not only rejected Him; they also stirred up the people against Him and instigated His arrest and crucifixion (John 11:53).

Why did they do this? For one thing, Jesus threatened their comfortable grip on power over the people and the prestige they enjoyed. They made a nice profit selling animals for sacrifice in the temple. They loved the places of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market place (Matt. 23:6-7). All of that would be gone if their religion was proved to be false.

Also, Jesus confronted their root problem, which was pride. They were proud of their religious practices. They were meticulous about tithing (and letting everyone know that they tithed!). They were fastidious about keeping themselves ceremonially pure, adding many manmade rules to the ones prescribed in the Law of Moses. They despised the “Gentile dogs,” but were proud that they were children of Abraham. They thought that their racial identity and their many religious practices guaranteed them a place in the kingdom of God.

But like the Old Testament prophets before Him, Jesus showed them that God looks on the heart, not on outward religious performance. He exposed the sin in their hearts (Matt. 23:25): “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” In Mark 7:6, Jesus hit the scribes and Pharisees, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.’”

God always looks on the heart. Since religion is always based on a system of works, it never deals the death blow to pride. People who are into religion make two fatal errors: First, they overestimate their own goodness, mistakenly thinking that their good works will outweigh their “few” shortcomings on judgment day. Granted, some are relatively better than others when you look at outward good deeds. But God judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Every wrong thought that we’ve ever had is open and laid bare before Him (Heb. 4:12-13). The Bible declares plainly (Rom. 3:10, 23), “There is none righteous, not even one…. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

The second error of people who are into religion is that invariably, they underestimate the absolute holiness of God, whose eyes are too pure to approve of evil (Hab. 1:13). “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). If God were to allow any sinner into heaven without having his sin atoned for, it would compromise His very nature. So religion invariably lifts up proud man and pulls down the holy God. Because of that, if you hold on to your religion, you will be opposed to God in His holiness.

B. Religious hypocrites secretly harbor sins that eventually lead to their downfall.

This is Judas’ final appearance in the Gospel of John, which does not report his subsequent suicide. John describes Judas in two ways. First, after mentioning the garden, John 18:2 states, “Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.” What a great privilege, to have sat in the garden with Jesus, listening to Him “make known the Father’s name” (John 17:6, 26)! Judas had seen Jesus’ many miracles, including the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Here, he saw the flash of Jesus’ glory, and most likely was thrown to the ground along with the soldiers. (They were not, by the way, “slain in the Spirit”!) But Judas had never truly repented of his sins. He professed to know Christ, but by his deeds he denied Him (Titus 1:16).

We can’t peer into Judas’ heart, but John (12:6) does tell us that Judas was a thief and that he used to pilfer from the money box over which he kept charge. That unjudged greed eventually led Judas to betray the Lord of glory for 30 measly pieces of silver, which were useless to him after he got them. Unjudged sins in the heart are like an unseen crack in a dam that eventually results in total loss and destruction.

John’s last mention of Judas is in verse 5, “And Judas, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.” He was standing with the enemies of Jesus, not with the eleven, who were at risk of arrest because they were standing with Jesus. But Judas was at the greatest risk, eternal risk, of his soul. To stand with the world against the Lord Jesus is to put your soul at risk. To stand with Jesus against the world is the place of eternal safety (Luke 12:4-5).

We should learn from Judas to make sure that our faith is not external only, but rather a matter of our hearts. It’s easy to fake out other Christians. When Jesus told the disciples at the last supper that one of them would betray Him, they didn’t all look knowingly at Judas. They didn’t have a clue at that point that he was the betrayer. So our prayer should be (Ps. 139:23-24):

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way.”

So we see the religionists, who opposed Jesus because of their spiritual pride. We see Judas the hypocrite, who seemed to follow Jesus, but who harbored secret sin that led to his downfall.

C. The secular opponents had adequate evidence to bow before Jesus, but they ignored it.

The Roman cohort, which joined the Jewish temple police, could have numbered as high as 600 men, but probably here was far less. But they, along with the temple police, all fell backward when Jesus answered, “I am He.” Apparently, Jesus’ reply was accompanied by a momentary, miraculous flash of His glory, perhaps like the flash that knocked Paul to the ground on the Damascus Road. For hundreds of fully armed soldiers to fall to the ground in the presence of this unarmed man shows that He could have obliterated them as Elijah called down fire on the cohort sent to arrest him (2 Kings 1). He was not merely “Jesus the Nazarene”; He was God in human flesh!

The fact that they ignored this flash of Jesus’ glory and got up and proceeded with the arrest shows their “dreadful stupidity” (John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 192). How much more evidence did they need to conclude that this was no mere man that they were arresting? Yet how many times has God struck you down, only for you to get up and sin again! Unbelievers typically think that they’re sitting in judgment on God when they smugly challenge the way He runs the world. But even when they think that they have “bound” God (John 18:12) by their skeptical arguments, they’re only condemning themselves. It is they who are really bound. There are no chains strong enough to bind the Lord of glory! So rebels who oppose Jesus do not in any way thwart His lordship, but rather condemn themselves.

2. Disciples who fail Jesus are still under His protective care and redemptive purposes.

After the soldiers got up and asked the second time for Jesus the Nazarene, Jesus answered (John 18:8), “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way.” John (18:9) adds, “to fulfill the word which He spoke, ‘Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.’” This refers back to John 17:12, where Jesus said that He had guarded them and that none, except Judas, had perished. Although the preservation in John 18:9 refers to keeping them from arrest, it is symbolic of His keeping them spiritually. And (as Calvin points out, p. 194), the disciples were not yet spiritually strong enough to endure persecution or martyrdom. So keeping them from physical arrest also kept them spiritually.

In typical fashion, Peter impetuously draws his sword and wildly swings at Malchus’ head. Malchus ducked and instead of having his head split in two, he just lost his right ear (which Luke 22:51 reports, Jesus healed). I don’t know, but I wonder whether John gives Malchus’ name because as Malchus reflected on the Lord’s mercy in healing him, he later came to faith.

While Peter was loyal and committed enough to try to defend Jesus against hopeless odds, his action stemmed from misunderstanding God’s purpose for the cross. He was still trying to keep Jesus from the cross (Matt. 16:21-23) Although Jesus had repeatedly told the disciples about His impending death, they just didn’t get it. Peter’s sword-swinging shows that zeal without spiritual knowledge can lead to tragic actions.

The Lord’s intervention to let the disciples go and Peter’s failure show that in spite of our weakness and failure, Jesus keeps all whom the Father has given Him (John 6:39, 40, 44; 10:28; 17:12). He intervened for us and bore the penalty of our sin on our behalf. And, having saved us, He keeps us, not by our weak grip on Him, but by His powerful grip on us. Calvin (p. 193) applies these verses: “Whenever, therefore, either wicked men or devils make an attack upon us, let us not doubt that this good Shepherd is ready to aid us in the same manner.” Even when we fail Him or do stupid things, His promise still holds: His sheep will never perish (John 10:28)!

Thus, rebels who oppose Jesus do not in any way thwart His lordship. Disciples who fail Him are still under His protective care and redemptive purposes. Finally,

3. Jesus is Lord over every situation, including offering Himself as the sacrifice for our sins.

It was in a garden that the first Adam succumbed to the tempter’s snare. Here in another garden, the second Adam triumphs over Satan (who is controlling Judas, John 13:2, 27), even though on the surface it looks as if He is defeated. The Lord’s calm control over all of the tumultuous events surrounding His death shows that He was obedient to the divine plan to bear our sins. Even though He could have escaped, Jesus deliberately went to a place where Judas and the soldiers would find Him. He knew all things coming upon Him and boldly stepped out of the darkness to ask this mob, “Whom do you seek?” (John 18:4). His reply, literally, “I am,” was used previously to affirm His deity (8:28, 58). Although the soldiers didn’t get it, John wants us to get it. Jesus is the Lord God! He rebuked Peter for his attempted rescue, because He was resolved to drink the cup which the Father had given Him. Nothing took Him by surprise. He was in total control.

The cup which the Father gave Jesus to drink was the cup of His wrath for our sins (Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15; Ezek. 23:31-34). Because God is holy and just, the penalty for all sin must be paid, either by us or by a God-approved substitute. Because Jesus drank it for us, we don’t have to drink it. Rather, we drink the cup of His salvation (Ps. 16:5; 116:13). As we sing:

Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.

While Christ’s suffering was unique, we can learn from how He suffered how to think when we suffer. Matthew Henry (Matthew Henry’s Commentary [Revell], 5:1174) points out how our suffering is only a cup, not an ocean. It is light and only for a moment. Also, like Jesus’ suffering, our suffering is a cup given to us. It’s a gift for our good. Third, our suffering is given to us by the Father, who does us no wrong and who loves us for our good. The application is that just as Jesus was in control even over the events surrounding His own death, so He is Lord over every difficult circumstance that we face. And even if, like the disciples on this occasion, we fail Him terribly, He still keeps all whom the Father has given Him. After our failures, He restores and uses us, even as He did with Peter and the other disciples.

Conclusion

The main application of this story is that since Jesus is Lord, even over His own death, we can trust Him for our salvation and we can trust Him when we go through trials, including facing our own death. The “God” of Open Theism is not the God of the Bible and it would be useless to trust Him. One prominent open theist, wrote (John Sanders, The God Who Risks [IVP], p. 100, cited by Bruce Ware, God’s Greater Glory [Crossway], p. 233),

Although Scripture attests that the incarnation was planned from the creation of the world, this is not so with the cross. The path of the cross comes about only through God’s interaction with humans in history. Until this moment in history other routes were, perhaps, open.

He later states (Sanders, pp. 276-277, in Ware, p. 237):

It is God’s desire that we enter into a give-and-take relationship of love, and this is not accomplished by God’s forcing his blueprint on us. Rather, God wants us to go through life together with him, making decisions together. Together we decide the actual course of my life…. To a large extent our future is open and we are to determine what it will be in dialogue with God.

In other words, Jesus isn’t the sovereign Lord over our lives! He’s trying to figure things out in conjunction with us as we go through life and see what happens!

I prefer the biblical view that in spite of rebels who oppose Him and disciples who fail Him, Jesus is still Lord over every situation, including His own death. He is Lord over every situation in our lives. At all times we can trust that He is in control!

Application Questions

1. Discuss: Religion is always opposed to God and His way of salvation. Is this true? What are some implications of this?
2. Pentecostals use John 18:6 to justify being “slain in the Spirit.” Why is this practice totally bogus?
3. While the Lord keeps all whom the Father has given Him, do we have a role in the process? Support with Scripture.
4. Why is it important to affirm God’s sovereignty even over evil people and events? How can He be sovereign over evil yet not responsible for it?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2015, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

June 7, 2015

A legend tells of an Irish king who disguised himself and went into the banquet hall of one of his barons. He was escorted to a lowly place among the throng who sat at the feast. The brilliance of his conversation and the nobility of his manner soon attracted the attention of someone with sufficient authority to escort him to a higher table. The same thing occurred again, and soon he was seated among the nobles of the realm. After another display of great wisdom, one of the lords spoke out, “In truth, Sir, you speak like a king. If you are not a king, you deserve to be one.” Then the king removed his disguise and took his rightful place among his subjects (Let Me Illustrate [Revell], Donald Grey Barnhouse, pp. 180-181).

That’s what should have happened when Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, laid aside His glory, took on human flesh, and dwelt among us. Although He was a common carpenter from the despised town of Nazareth, by His words and His deeds, including His miracles, the Jews should have recognized Him as their promised Messiah and King. But the Jewish leaders were so blinded by their sinful pride that even the stupendous miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead only hardened their resolve to kill Jesus.

In John’s portrayal of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, he wants us to see that even though Jesus was despised and rejected by the Jews, mocked by the soldiers, and finally condemned by Pilate, the man on the cross is the King. John wants us to see the majesty of Christ as He faced this suffering on our behalf. He also wants us to see the depth of sin that resides in every heart. Apart from God’s grace, we would have responded to Jesus as the Jewish leaders or Pilate or the Roman soldiers did. But also, hidden in this story is the way that we all should respond to Christ:

You can reject Christ for many reasons, but His kingly majesty calls you to trust in Him as Savior and Lord.

I’m going to spend more messages from different angles on these verses, but today I want to focus on the question that Matthew 27:22 reports that Pilate asked the Jews: “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” That’s the crucial question that every person must answer. You can’t remain neutral about Christ. To ignore or disregard Him is to decide against Him. Our text reveals four possible responses to Jesus Christ:

1. You can reject Christ because He threatens your religious pride and self-righteousness.

This was the tragic response of the Jewish leaders. It was the worst choice possible because they knew the Old Testament with its prophecies about the Messiah. They knew about Jesus and His ministry. They had seen His miracles and heard His teaching, as He spoke openly in their synagogues and in the temple (John 18:20). But in spite of this, they led the attack against Him.

So, referring to Caiaphas, the high priest, Jesus tells Pilate (John 19:11), “He who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Note that there are gradations of sin and guilt! There will be gradations of punishment; Matt. 11:22, 24.) When Pilate presents the bloodied Jesus with His crown of thorns and sarcastically says to the Jews (John 19:14-15), “Behold, your King!” they cry out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate asks, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests tragically and hypocritically answer, “We have no king but Caesar.” They hated Caesar, but they spoke more truly than they intended! The Lord God was not their king, as He should have been. If they had been subject to the Lord, they would not have rejected Jesus as their rightful King. Although Pilate knew and they knew that they despised Roman rule, the truth was that their only king was Caesar.

Why did the Jewish leaders reject Jesus as their Messiah? There are many reasons. For one thing, He didn’t fit the image that they had of Messiah as a mighty warrior who would free Israel from her political enemies. This was a major reason why even the disciples could not conceive of a suffering Servant as the Messiah. He didn’t fit their expectations. In a similar way, I’ve seen people who initially profess faith in Christ, but they expect Him to solve all their problems and to protect them from trials. When things don’t work out that way, they reject Him.

Matthew 27:18 tells us that even Pilate could see that the Jewish leaders had handed Jesus over because of envy. He was stealing their following. Large multitudes followed Jesus because He healed their sick and He taught them with authority, not as their scribes taught (Matt. 7:29). After Jesus raised Lazarus, the chief priests and Pharisees convened a council and were saying (John 11:47-48), “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him ….” He threatened their grip on power.

But underlying all of the reasons why the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus was that He threatened their religious pride and self-righteousness. John (18:28) brings this out with exquisite irony: “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.”

For sake of time, I cannot deal here with the question of why Jesus and the twelve ate the Passover the night before, while the Jews seemingly were going to eat it after Jesus was crucified. (Good commentaries offer several possible solutions.) But I point out the gross hypocrisy and religious pride of the Jewish leaders. They didn’t want to be defiled by setting foot inside a despised Gentile residence so that they could observe their religious ceremony; but they had no scruples about murdering an innocent man who had done nothing but good for three years!

But before we condemn the Jewish leaders, we need to make sure that there are no logs in our own eyes (Matt. 7:1-5)! Religious pride and hypocrisy are not the exclusive sins of the Jewish leaders. How often we as Christians think like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:11), “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.” It’s so easy to take pride in our church attendance or our morality or good deeds and look down on those who are not outwardly as good as we think we are! It’s even easy to take pride in your Bible reading or Bible knowledge! As Paul said (1 Cor. 8:1, my translation), “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”

A true understanding of what the Bible teaches about God’s holiness and your sinfulness and God’s grace as demonstrated at the cross leads you to “pour contempt on all [your] pride.” It leads you to view people who have not trusted in Christ with love and compassion, as you realize that, except for the grace of God, you would be just like they are, or worse. Religious pride and self-righteousness will keep you from the Savior. But there’s a second character in this drama who teaches us that…

2. You can reject Christ because, while you have nothing against Him, to follow Him would cost you your career.

Here we’re looking at Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea from AD 26-37. He was a weak leader who made some serious blunders early in his rule. He had his soldiers march into the temple area with shields bearing the image of Caesar, which to the Jews was idolatrous desecration. Caiaphas called out 2,000 Jews who surrounded Pilate’s house in protest. He foolishly threatened to slaughter them, a threat that politically he couldn’t carry out. When he had to back off, he lost face and undermined his leadership.

Later, he built an aqueduct to bring water into Jerusalem, but he used funds from the Jewish temple tax to pay for the project. The Jews rioted and this time Pilate did slaughter many of them. The Jewish leaders protested to the Emperor Tiberius, who issued a scathing rebuke to Pilate for his poor leadership. Since Tiberius was notoriously paranoid and had executed many for trivial reasons, Pilate couldn’t risk another complaint to Rome by his subjects. He hated the Jews, but he knew that they held the upper hand over him.

When the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate, he asked them what the charges were (John 18:29). Their reply no doubt angered him (John 18:30), “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” They expected Pilate to do whatever they wanted. In turn, he taunted them by saying (John 18:31), “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” He knew that they did not have the authority to execute Jesus, which his taunt forced them to admit. After questioning Jesus, Pilate concluded that He was not a threat to Rome’s power. Next week I plan to look further at Pilate’s exchange with Jesus about His kingdom, where Pilate scoffs, “What is truth?” But for now, note that Pilate’s conclusion was (John 18:38), “I find no guilt in Him.”

But at this point, he begins to compromise his integrity in an attempt both to placate the Jews and to free Jesus. He brings up a custom to free a prisoner for them at the time of the Passover. He suggests a notorious robber, murderer, and insurrectionist (Luke 23:19) named Barabbas. Pilate was hoping that the Jews would not want such a dangerous man back on the streets and would agree to release Jesus instead. But, if Pilate thought that Jesus really was innocent, he should have stood on principle and released Him.

When the Jews insisted that he release Barabbas, Pilate tried another ploy to get Jesus released: He had him scourged, thinking that this punishment would satisfy the Jews (John 19:1; cf. Luke 23:22). There were three levels of Roman scourging: a less severe whipping for lesser crimes; a more brutal flogging reserved for more serious criminals; and a horrific, sometimes fatal beating that preceded execution. This extreme scourging was done with a leather whip containing pieces of metal or bone and it could leave its victim with his bones or entrails exposed. Because this severe scourging was only carried out after the death sentence had been pronounced, some reputable scholars think that John 19:1 refers to the lighter form of scourging, which was followed by the brutal scourging after Pilate condemned Jesus to death.

But whatever the case, if Pilate really thought Jesus to be innocent, he should not have scourged Him at all. After the scourging, Pilate repeats (John 19:4), “I find no guilt in Him.” When the angry mob cries out (John 19:6), “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate asserts Jesus’ innocence a third time: “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”

At this point, the Jews take another tack to get Pilate to comply with their illegal wish. They say (John 19:7), “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Now Pilate is spooked! As a superstitious Roman, he believed that sometimes the gods came incognito to earth. If you treated them well, they would look out for you in the future. But if you treated them badly, they would make life miserable for you. To increase Pilate’s fear, his wife sent word to him as he examined Jesus and said (Matt. 27:19), “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

So, Pilate questions Jesus further (John 19:9): “Where are You from?” This time, Jesus doesn’t answer him. He knows that Pilate is morally vacillating and has already compromised judging truthfully. Jesus’ silence angers Pilate, who threatens (John 19:10), “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus calmly puts Pilate in his place by answering (John 19:11), “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” He is reminding Pilate that he is not the absolute power; he will answer to God, who is over all authority and rule.

Pilate again tries to release Jesus, but the Jews then pull out their trump card (John 19:12): “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” If word got back to Tiberius that Pilate had released a man who was a threat to Rome, his career and perhaps his life would be over. The Jews have him cornered, but he’s frustrated with them, so puts in three more digs. He stands Jesus, beaten and bloody, with the crown of thorns, in front of them and mockingly says (John 19:14), “Behold, your King!” When they still demand Jesus’ crucifixion, Pilate taunts (John 19:15), “Shall I crucify your King?” The Jews utter the insincere, blasphemous, but true words, “We have no king but Caesar.” God was not their king, as seen in their rejection of King Jesus. So Pilate, weak and defeated, handed Jesus over to be crucified. But his last dig was to write on Jesus’ placard (John 19:19), “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.”

It’s easy to take potshots at Pilate. He was morally weak and self-serving. He was not a strong or wise leader. But put yourself in his place. Would you risk losing your job, your comfortable way of life, and perhaps your life to defend an innocent man? Have you ever compromised your integrity at work to keep your job? The boss asks you to falsify some records and lie to cover his wrongful actions. When you balk, he suggests that if you don’t comply, he can find someone else to take your job who will comply. What do you do? Pilate didn’t have anything against Jesus and he thought that Jesus was innocent of the charges; but to do the right thing and free Jesus would have cost Pilate dearly. So he rejected Christ thinking that he was protecting his own interests. But in reality, he lost his soul! But there’s a third option in this drama:

3. You can reject Christ because you’re living for good times and are indifferent about eternity.

Here we’re looking at the Roman soldiers. They not only scourged Jesus, they also made sport of Him by pushing the crown of thorns on His head, putting a purple robe on Him, mocking Him by calling Him the King of the Jews, and hitting Him in the face (John 19:1-3). While this was sickening, we’ve witnessed the same kind of thing repeatedly in the news, where American prison guards or soldiers treat prisoners in brutal or degrading ways.

But before we judge them, we need to admit that if we were in similar circumstances, we might want to inflict vengeance on those who had killed our buddies and who would kill us if they got the chance. These Roman soldiers didn’t willfully reject Jesus, as the Jews did. They hadn’t investigated who He was. They weren’t into religion. And their job required them to scourge and crucify prisoners regularly. They were just “having fun,” trying to relieve the boredom of their jobs.

While I hope that they wouldn’t stoop to this level of brutality, there are people like these soldiers today. They don’t hate Jesus or have anything against Him. They’re just living for their jobs and some good times. When you try to tell them about Jesus, they’re indifferent: “If religion is your thing, that’s fine. But it isn’t for me.” Even if you tell them that Christ suffered and died for their sins, they don’t care. They reject Christ because they’re not concerned about eternal matters. They’re living for good times.

But there’s one other character in this story who represents the proper response to Jesus Christ, even though there’s no indication in the story that he actually did respond rightly.

4. You can accept Christ’s death in your place for your sins.

The character here is Barabbas, the robber, murderer, and rebel who was freed instead of Jesus. While at first you may not see yourself in Barabbas at all, he represents each of us in at least three ways (several sources make these points, but I first read them in Leonard Griffith, Gospel Characters [Eerdmans], pp. 166-170):

First, Barabbas should have been on the cross instead of Jesus because he was guilty and deserved to die. You may protest, “But I’m not a robber!” But we’ve all robbed God of His rightful glory and lordship over our lives. You may come back, “But at least I’m not a murderer!” But Jesus said that if we’re wrongfully angry with our brother, we have murdered him in God’s sight (Matt. 5:21-22). “But,” you still protest, “I’ve never led an armed rebellion against the government.” True, but we’re all rebels against the King of the universe. We’ve all sinned many times over against God and His rightful rule.

Second, Barabbas did nothing to earn his pardon. He wasn’t pardoned because of his good behavior or promises to reform. If anything, he was pardoned because of how notoriously evil he was. He couldn’t brag after he got out about how he deserved to be pardoned. He couldn’t claim that he was pardoned for his exemplary behavior. In the same way, Paul says (Rom. 4:4-5) that God justifies the ungodly not through their good works, but by faith alone.

Third, Jesus died in Barabbas’ place. Barabbas, whose name means “son of the father,” should have been on the cross that day. Instead, one who is the eternal Son of the eternal Father hung there in Barabbas’ place. Jesus died in his place—and in your place.

But Barabbas’ pardon was not automatic. He could have spit in Pilate’s face and said, “I don’t need your pardon! Crucify me!” And, he would have been crucified, while a different prisoner would have gone free. In the same way, the pardon that Christ offers to all is only effective for those who receive it. The Bible promises (John 3:16), “Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Like Barabbas, the guilty rebel, you’ve got to accept the pardon that Christ’s death offers you.

Besides saving yourself from God’s judgment, why should you trust in Christ?

5. The kingly majesty of Jesus Christ calls you to trust in Him as Savior and Lord.

Even though Jesus was spit upon, hit in the face, scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked as king, and unjustly crucified, John shows His glory and majesty. Jesus could have called 12 legions of angels and annihilated His persecutors. But He bore all of this abuse at the hands of sinners for the joy set before Him of bringing many sons and daughters to glory. J. C. Ryle points out (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [Baker], pp. 271-272) that Jesus, the innocent, wore the crown of thorns so that we, the guilty, might wear a crown of glory. He was clothed with a robe of shame and contempt so that we might be clothed with His spotless righteousness and stand before God’s throne in robes of white. He bore contempt so that we might receive praise and glory at the last day.

As John’s portrayal of Jesus’ trial before Pilate shows, He really is the King of the Jews. Pilate presented Him bloody and mocked, wearing the purple robe, and said (John 19:5), “Behold, the Man!” He uniquely is the representative man, the Son of Man, the second Adam. Pilate scoffs (John 18:38), “What is truth?” Jesus is the truth and came to bear witness of the truth. The Jews accused Him of making Himself out to be the Son of God (John 19:7). He didn’t just make Himself out to be the Son of God (John 5:18); He really is the eternal Son of God! Three times Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent (John 18:38; 19:4, 6). He truly is the lamb without blemish, sacrificed for our sins!

Conclusion

Like the Irish king in the legend, Jesus’ true identity was somewhat disguised. But if you consider His sinless life, His profound teaching, His many attested miracles, His amazing claims, and His bodily resurrection from the dead, you will see that He is the only rightful Lord and King. So I ask again, “What will you do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?”

Application Questions

1. Do you ever find yourself looking down on others who aren’t as committed to Christ and priding yourself in your commitment? How can we fight this sort of spiritual pride?
2. Have you ever been faced with the temptation to compromise your faith to protect your job? How did you deal with it?
3. How can we impress spiritually indifferent people with the urgency of eternity?
4. If you have compromised your testimony for Christ, how can you recover?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2015, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

Em quase todas as culturas da história existe uma consciência de classe e a cultura judaica da época de Jesus não era exceção. A classe superior daquela estrutura social era constituída pelos descendentes de Arão, o sacerdócio oficial. Naquele tempo, havia cerca de 20.000 deles em Jerusalém e arredores e, lamentavelmente, muitos eram orgulhosos, preconceituosos, extremamente indulgentes e egocêntricos, religiosos só naquelas questões exteriores que poderiam impressionar outras pessoas. Um exemplo típico é o sacerdote da parábola do bom samaritano. Ele se achava bom demais para ajudar uma pobre vítima de assalto e roubo.

Contudo, havia alguns que eram diferentes e, entre eles, estava um velho sacerdote chamado Zacarias, cujo nome significa “o Senhor Se lembra”. Uma vez que a lei de Moisés prescrevia que um sacerdote só poderia se casar com uma mulher de excelente reputação, Zacarias tinha escolhido como esposa a filha de outro sacerdote. Não só ela era descendente de Arão, mas também tinha o mesmo nome que a esposa deste, Eliseba ou Isabel, que significa “o juramento de Deus”. Seus nomes ganhariam um novo sentido antes que o sol se pusesse sobre sua vida conjunta.

Vejamos, em primeiro lugar, seu exemplo de devoção, “ambos eram justos diante de Deus, vivendo irrepreensivelmente em todos os preceitos e mandamentos do Senhor” (Lc. 1:6). Tanto a vida de Zacarias quanto a de Isabel eram agradáveis a Deus. Eles eram submissos à Sua vontade e obedeciam a Sua Palavra. E eles faziam isso “diante de Deus”, ou seja, para exaltar o Senhor quando estavam sozinhos, não para se aparecer diante dos homens. Nisto, eles eram diferentes da maioria dos seus contemporâneos. Eles nem mesmo se preocupavam com o status próprio do sacerdócio. Eles viviam em algum vilarejo obscuro da região montanhosa ao sul de Jerusalém em vez de, como os outros sacerdotes, morar na parte nobre da cidade, ou em Jericó, a suntuosa cidade das palmeiras. Sua piedade não era pura exibição; era um relacionamento íntimo com o Senhor. Eles se importavam mais com o que Deus pensava sobre eles do que com o que os homens pensavam. E isto, consequentemente, é uma base importante para se construir um bom relacionamento conjugal. A qualidade do nosso andar com Deus determina a nossa capacidade de andar com alegria e felicidade com os outros. E esse andar com Ele só pode progredir quando procuramos agradar a Ele em vez de tentar impressionar os homens.

Isso não quer dizer que Zacarias e Isabel não tivessem problemas. Embora muitos dos nossos problemas tenham origem em nossos pecados, Deus permite que eles invadam a nossa vida com o único propósito de nos ajudar a crescer. Ele os quer lá e, não importa o quanto sejamos obedientes, isso não nos tornará imunes aos problemas. Zacarias e Isabel tinham um problema, e um bem grande. “E não tinham filhos, porque Isabel era estéril, sendo eles avançados em dias” (Lc. 1:7). Para nós, é difícil imaginar o tamanho do estigma que era para eles não ter filhos. Muitos rabinos diziam que isso era evidência da desaprovação divina. Mesmo Zacarias e Isabel sendo justos diante de Deus, alguns de seus amigos provavelmente suspeitavam de algum grande pecado oculto. E não tinha como apagar essa mancha. A expressão “avançados em dias” significava que eles tinham pelo menos sessenta anos de idade, muito além da idade normal para gerar uma criança. Era uma situação desesperadora.

Zacarias poderia ter se eximido de sua responsabilidade, divorciando-se de Isabel. Na sociedade daquela época, esterilidade era um motivo comumente aceito para o divórcio. Ele poderia ter se livrado dela, ter se casado com uma mulher mais jovem e ter tido filhos com ela, tirando aquela horrível maldição de sobre as suas costas. Muitos outros teriam tomado esse caminho. Mas não Zacarias. Em vez disso, ele orou (Lc. 1:13). Ele entregou o caso para a única pessoa que poderia fazer alguma coisa. E, embora eu não possa provar, imagino que ele tenha orado junto com Isabel, o que significa que ele ministrava às necessidades dela. Ele era também um homem da Palavra, como mostra seu famoso “Benedictus” (Lc. 1:67-69). Por isso, ele provavelmente compartilhava com sua esposa as grandes Escrituras do Velho Testamento, as quais a consolavam e encorajavam em sua luta.

Essa é a responsabilidade do marido como líder espiritual no casamento. Se ele conhece o Senhor há pouco tempo, no início talvez tenha alguma dificuldade para desempenhar efetivamente seu papel; mas, na medida em que crescer na compreensão da Palavra, ele se sentirá mais confiante para encorajar a esposa por meio dela. Muitas vezes a esposa tem de sacudir a espiritualidade do marido; ela tem de incentivar, implorar e insistir em cada passo vacilante do seu progresso espiritual. Deus não nos quer tentando arrastar os outros espiritualmente, Ele quer que o marido tome a frente, assuma a liderança espiritual e ministre à esposa e aos filhos as coisas concernentes a Cristo.

Depois que Zacarias entregou seu problema ao Senhor, ele simplesmente continuou a fazer o serviço que Deus lhe confiara. Ele não parou de orar e abandonou o barco porque sua situação parecia sem esperança. E nós também não devemos. Nosso Deus é o Deus do impossível! Ele Se deleita em fazer coisas impossíveis por nós quando sabe que daremos a Ele toda a glória. É muito mais fácil desistir e fugir das situações difíceis, no entanto, normalmente isso só agrava o problema. Deus quer que levemos a Ele em oração todas as nossas dificuldades, buscando na Palavra encorajamento e direção e, então, esperemos pacientemente Ele agir.

Vejamos, a seguir, o dia mais memorável da vida de Zacarias e Isabel. O dia de Zacarias começou bem agitado. “Ora, aconteceu que, exercendo ele diante de Deus o sacerdócio na ordem do seu turno, coube-lhe por sorte, segundo o costume sacerdotal, entrar no santuário do Senhor para queimar o incenso” (Lc. 1:8-9). Era sua vez de ministrar diante do altar de incenso no Santo Lugar, possivelmente pela primeira vez em seu ofício sacerdotal. O rei Davi tinha dividido os sacerdotes em vinte e quatro turnos, e a ordem de Abais, à qual Zacarias pertencia, era a oitava da fila. Cada turno era chamado a ministrar no templo em apenas duas ocasiões durante o ano, cada uma delas com duração de uma semana. Tendo cada turno cerca de mil sacerdotes, é evidente que seria impossível a cada um deles entrar no Santo Lugar e queimar o incenso sobre o altar de ouro mais de uma vez na vida. Entretanto, este era o dia de Zacarias.

Primeiro, ele teria de escolher dois amigos especiais para ajudá-lo. Um, com toda reverência, removeria as cinzas do sacrifício da noite anterior. O outro entraria depois e, com todo respeito, colocaria brasas novas no altar. Finalmente, Zacarias entraria sozinho no Santo Lugar levando o incensário de ouro e, a um dado sinal, espalharia o incenso sobre as brasas. Conforme o incenso queimasse e uma nuvem de fragrância surgisse do altar, a oração dos adoradores do lado de fora subiria à presença de Deus (cf. Lc. 1:10). Era um belo símbolo de adoração.

O ritual terminou e era hora de deixar o Santo Lugar. De repente, um anjo do Senhor apareceu a Zacarias, ficando do lado direito do altar. A visita pessoal de um anjo de Deus era uma distinção que fora concedida a bem poucas pessoas na história da raça humana. E, como se pode imaginar, foi uma experiência assustadora. Mas o anjo logo falou: “Zacarias, não temas, porque a tua oração foi ouvida; e Isabel, tua mulher, te dará à luz um filho, a quem darás o nome de João. Em ti haverá prazer e alegria, e muitos se regozijarão com o seu nascimento” (Lc. 1:13-14). Deus pode realmente realizar coisas impossíveis e foi exatamente isso que Ele prometeu a Zacarias e Isabel. Contudo, seu filho não seria apenas uma criança comum. Ele seria o precursor do Messias prometido pelo profeta Malaquias (Lc. 1:15-17; cf. Malaquias 3:1; 4:5-6).

Tudo isso era demais para a cabeça de Zacarias. Ele tinha orado por um filho, mas, francamente, sua fé tinha enfraquecido. Agora, esta Palavra de Deus – era bom demais pra ser verdade. Antes de ter a chance de colocar seus pensamentos em ordem, ele deixou escapar: “Como saberei isto? Pois eu sou velho, e minha mulher, avançada em dias” (Lc. 1:18). Zacarias era um homem de Deus, mas era homem, e tinha lá suas fraquezas. Deus compreende a fraqueza da fé. Ele não Se empolga com isso, mas entende, e faz o que for necessário para estimular e fortalecer a nossa fé. Essa é uma das razões pelas quais Ele nos deu a Sua Palavra, e também porque incluiu nEla esses grandes acontecimentos históricos. A Palavra de Deus fortalece a fé quando meditamos sobre Ela e sua aplicação à nossa vida. “E, assim, a fé vem pela pregação, e a pregação, pela palavra de Cristo” (Rom. 10:17).

Zacarias conhecia o Velho Testamento. Ele sabia que Deus tinha dado a Sara um filho na sua velhice. Mas, naquele momento, ele não pensou naquele grande precedente das Escrituras. Mesmo homens da Palavra, às vezes, não conseguem se apropriar disso. No entanto, Deus fez algo muito bondoso para ajudá-lo a crer. Ele lhe deu um sinal. “Todavia, ficarás mudo e não poderás falar até ao dia em que estas coisas venham a realizar-se; porquanto não acreditaste nas minhas palavras, as quais, a seu tempo, se cumprirão” (Lc. 1:20). Não foi muito agradável para Zacarias perder a voz e, como ficamos sabendo depois, a audição também (cf. Lc. 1:62). Mas não creio que ele tenha se importado muito com isso. Sua incapacidade de falar e ouvir era a confirmação da Palavra de Deus e serviu para fortalecer a sua fé na promessa que Ele fizera.

Ao sair do Santo Lugar, Zacarias era um homem diferente. Ele sempre fora um homem piedoso, mas seu encontro com o anjo Gabriel deixou-o com uma nova consciência da grandeza de Deus, um novo senso da sua própria indignidade e uma fé forte, viril. Quando sua semana de ofício sacerdotal terminou, ele correu para casa para compartilhar com Isabel cada detalhe daquele dia memorável, e ambos se regozijaram na graça de Deus.

“Passados esses dias, Isabel, sua mulher, concebeu e ocultou-se por cinco meses” (Lc. 1:24). Essa concepção foi um milagre. Coisas impossíveis realmente acontecem! E Deus hoje é o mesmo de ontem e de sempre (cf. Malaquias 3:6, Josué 1:17). Ele pode resolver os nossos problemas, e colocou esta história em Sua Palavra para provar isso e fortalecer a nossa fé.

A notícia desse milagre revigorou a fé da virgem Maria. Deus lhe disse que ela conceberia um filho sem nem mesmo ter relações com um homem. Isso era meio difícil de acreditar. No entanto, ouça o que a mensagem do anjo lhe assegura: “E Isabel, tua parenta, igualmente concebeu um filho na sua velhice, sendo este já o sexto mês para aquela que diziam ser estéril. Porque para Deus não haverá impossíveis em todas as suas promessas” (Lc. 1:36-37). E, com esta nova surpreendente, Maria disse: “Aqui está a serva do Senhor; que se cumpra em mim conforme a tua palavra” (Lc. 1:38).

Algumas pessoas invariavelmente dirão: “Mas você não entende. Meu caso não tem jeito”. “Meu marido não muda”. “Minha esposa não aprende”. “Nunca vamos sair do vermelho”. “Nunca mais ficarei bem”. “Meus entes queridos não crentes nunca irão crer em Jesus”. “Este emprego não melhora nunca”. Ouça mais uma vez a Palavra de Deus: “Porque para Deus não haverá impossíveis em todas as suas promessas”. Creia nisso. Obedeça a Ele. E continue crendo.

O acontecimento seguinte na vida deste casal piedoso foi a visita de Maria, a jovem prima de Isabel da cidade de Nazaré, e, por essa visita, ganhamos uma compreensão um pouco mais profunda sobre o caráter de Isabel. Ela estava no sexto mês de gravidez e, assim que Maria a saudou, seu bebê estremeceu dentro dela, como se movido pelo Espírito Santo para saudar o Filho de Deus. A seguir, iluminada por esse mesmo Espírito, ela pronunciou estas palavras surpreendentes: “Bendita és tu entre as mulheres, e bendito o fruto do teu ventre! E de onde me provém que me venha visitar a mãe do meu Senhor?” (Lc. 1:42-43).

Suas palavras são extraordinárias por vários motivos. Antes de mais nada, elas mostram que Isabel compreendeu quem era o bebê de Maria. Ela a chamou de “a mãe do meu Senhor”. “Meu Senhor” é um título messiânico tirado do Salmo 110:1: “Disse o SENHOR ao meu senhor…” Por revelação divina, Isabel confessou que Maria daria à luz o Messias, o Filho de Deus. No entanto, o mais impressionante foi sua atitude para com Maria. Embora soubesse que ela mesma tinha sido agraciada por Deus, Isabel entendeu que Maria fora muito mais agraciada; na verdade, Maria fora mais agraciada que qualquer outra mulher na terra. Isabel nem ao menos se sentia digna de sua visita. Tanta humildade e modéstia são qualidades raras. E, embora Isabel fosse mais velha que Maria e tivesse todo o direito de perguntar: “Senhor, por que não eu?”, não havia traço de ciúme ou egoísmo em seu espírito. Dá para entender porque Deus a abençoou tanto!

O ciúme é um sentimento muito destrutivo. Ele devora a alma, cria um ambiente hostil dentro de casa e arruína o relacionamento com nossos amigos. No entanto, não há ciúme na vida de quem espera e confia em Deus, como Isabel. Se cremos que Deus faz o melhor para a nossa vida e esperamos que Ele solucione os nossos problemas impossíveis no Seu próprio tempo e do Seu próprio jeito, como poderemos ter ciúme de qualquer outra pessoa? Sabemos que somos vasos imperfeitos escolhidos para cumprir Seu propósito especial para nós. Sabemos que Ele age em nossa vida para realizar o Seu próprio beneplácito, e não há vocação maior do que fazer a Sua vontade. Essa certeza nos dá satisfação interior, e a satisfação remove todo ciúme. Precisamos aprender a crer que Deus expurgará o ciúme corrosivo da nossa vida.

A última coisa que gostaríamos de observar na vida de Zacarias e Isabel é seu filho maravilhoso. Tenho certeza de que eles ficaram meditando nas Escrituras do Velho Testamento durante os últimos meses de gravidez de Isabel, lendo cada passagem que pudessem encontrar sobre o Messias e Seu precursor. A nação ansiava por isso há séculos e Deus tinha escolhido este casal piedoso para fazer parte desses acontecimentos emocionantes. A empolgação deles aumentava a cada dia, até que “a Isabel cumpriu-se o tempo de dar à luz, e teve um filho” (Lc. 1:57).

Como era de costume, seus parentes e vizinhos se reuniram para se alegrar com eles pelo acontecimento extraordinário e, no oitavo dia, no momento da circuncisão da criança, eles tentaram dar-lhe o nome de seu pai, Zacarias. Isabel, no entanto, protestou: “Pelo contrário, ele deve ser chamado João” (Lc. 1:60). Mas, por que João? Esse nome era inédito. Ninguém, em nenhuma das duas famílias, se chamava João. Talvez fosse bobagem de Isabel. Era melhor perguntar a Zacarias. “E perguntaram, por acenos, ao pai do menino que nome queria que lhe dessem. Então, pedindo ele uma tabuinha, escreveu: João é o seu nome. E todos se admiraram. Imediatamente, a boca se lhe abriu, e, desimpedida a língua, falava louvando a Deus” (Lc. 1:62-64).

João significa “O Senhor é gracioso”. E como Ele foi gracioso com eles! Eles simplesmente Lhe pediram um filho para dar continuidade ao nome da família e ao sacerdócio, mas Deus lhes deu o precursor do Messias, uma criança sobre a qual a Sua mão era evidente desde os primeiros dias, um homem a quem Jesus chamaria de “o maior entre os homens” (Mateus 11:11). Deus nem sempre dá de acordo com o que pedimos e, com certeza, nem de acordo com o que merecemos. Ele dá de acordo com as riquezas da Sua graça. Ele dá “infinitamente mais do que tudo quanto pedimos ou pensamos” (Ef. 3:20). E Ele ama fazer isso para quem confia nEle e Lhe obedece, mesmo nas situações mais impossíveis.

A grandiosidade da graça de Deus inspirou Zacarias a entoar uma magnífica canção de louvor a Deus. Cheio do Espírito Santo, ele disse: “Bendito seja o Senhor, Deus de Israel, porque visitou e redimiu o seu povo, e nos suscitou plena e poderosa salvação na casa de Davi, seu servo, como prometera, desde a antiguidade, por boca dos seus santos profetas, para nos libertar dos nossos inimigos e das mãos de todos os que nos odeiam; para usar de misericórdia com os nossos pais e lembrar-se da sua santa aliança e do juramento que fez a Abraão, o nosso pai” (Lc. 1:68-73). Esse juramento feito por Deus a Abraão é uma referência à aliança abraâmica na qual Deus prometera abençoar os descendentes de Abraão e torná-los uma bênção para toda a terra. Muitos judeus estavam começando a pensar que Deus havia Se esquecido da Sua promessa, que não havia esperança para a situação da nação. Zacarias e Isabel, no entanto, nunca pensaram assim. Juntos, seus nomes eram um constante lembrete de que “o Senhor Se lembra do Seu juramento”. E sua experiência miraculosa provou que isso era verdade. Deus não só Se lembra das Suas promessas, Ele também as cumpre!

Talvez você pense que Deus tenha Se esquecido da sua situação. Mas Ele não Se esqueceu. Ele realiza coisas impossíveis para as pessoas todos os dias e talvez você seja o próximo da fila. Portanto, não se irrite, nem se aborreça sob o peso das provações. Creia nEle. Continue a viver para Ele com fé e paciência, e espere Ele agir, como fizeram Zacarias e Isabel. Embora seus nomes não sejam mencionados novamente depois do nascimento de João, eles nos deixaram um legado de fé nas promessas de Deus, o Deus do impossível.

Vamos conversar sobre isso

1. Zacarias e Isabel eram “justos diante de Deus”. Quais coisas na sua vida tornam difícil a aplicação dessa afirmação a você? Você estaria disposto a se comprometer com Deus para buscar a vitória Dele nessas áreas?
2. Por que você acha que tão poucos maridos cristãos assumem a liderança espiritual de sua casa? Como a esposa pode incentivar o marido nessa questão sem ser irritante?
3. Você encontra sempre traços de ciúme na sua vida? Se sim, tente se lembrar de alguma especial que Deus fez por você.
4. Quais promessas da Palavra de Deus você acha difícil de acreditar? Memorize-as, medite nelas e clame por elas a Deus.
5. Existe alguma coisa na sua vida que pareça impossível? Leve tudo a Deus em oração e peça-Lhe paciência para viver com isso até que Ele mude a sua situação.

Tradução: Mariza Regina de Souza