Facing the Critics

 Second Century Graffiti founded carved on a wall Insulting an 

Early Christian named Alexamenos, for Worshiping Jesus.

This is the Greatest Question of all time, the one question that all will be called upon to answer! Matt: 16:13-19- “who do men say that the Son of man is?”

The Culture of the day 2000 years ago, had its views of Jesus, and some of those views were very respectful, yet, they were not complete, nor good enough. Many, accepted his rabbinical credentials they saw in Jesus a new voice among the religious leaders of the day, yet they still did not have a complete grasp of just who He was (or is).

From the pages of Scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks regarding Jesus:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” - “And the Word became flesh” Jhn: 1:1-14

This, is who the early Apostolic Church understood Jesus to be, that is, Jesus is the Eternal Son of God the Second person of the Holy Trinity, having taken on our humanity, fully God yet fully Human, and they understood that Jesus’ humanity was just as important as his deity and equally vital for the Salvation of us all.

For these beliefs, that is, this truth, Christians have and still are dying for the faith in who the Holy Bible tells us that Jesus is.

Peter’s Confession

When Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, he asked them “who do men say that the Son of man is?” (The Son of Man was Jesus’ favorite title for Himself) "They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”, (those are good things, respectful things, but not good enough)

 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades  will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be  bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be  loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah” .Matt:16:14-19

Notice, that Jesus is quick to bless St. Peter at his confession regarding who Jesus is, and then, Jesus describes the Church after his exchange with St. Peter, showing that the Church is comprised of those who, like St. Peter, have come to confess that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

This was the message the early Apostolic Church proclaimed; that Jesus is both fully deity and humanity. The One who God has provided Salvation for and to us.

Distorted Views

 There were, and are, many distorted views regarding who Jesus is. In the early Church many ideas surfaced among groups which appropriated the name "Christian" yet their views of Jesus differed from the ideas of those of the Apostles.

Even into the late first century down to our day some of these views circulated and were talked about among group of "gnostics”, those who believed that they had a secret and superior knowledge than others around them.

Some of these views

Some saw Jesus as one who became “good enough” to become the Messiah.

Some believed that Jesus was an angel who took on human form.

Some believed that Jesus was an apparition, who only appeared to be “a real human".

Some believed that Jesus was a man who was “possessed” by the "divine spirit" which abandon him on the cross-leaving Jesus to die alone.

"They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”, (those are good things, respectful things, but not good enough)

 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades  will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be  bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be  loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah” .Matt:16:14-19

Notice, that Jesus is quick to bless St. Peter at his confession regarding who Jesus is, and then, Jesus describes the Church after his exchange with St. Peter, showing that the Church is comprised of those who, like St. Peter, have come to confess that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

This was the message the early Apostolic Church proclaimed; that Jesus is both fully deity and humanity. The One who God has provided Salvation for and to us.

Distorted Views

 There were, and are, many distorted views regarding who Jesus is. In the early Church many ideas surfaced among groups which appropriated the name "Christian" yet their views of Jesus differed from the ideas of those of the Apostles.

Even into the late first century down to our day some of these views circulated and were talked about among group of "gnostics”, those who believed that they had a secret and superior knowledge than others around them.

Some of these views

Some saw Jesus as one who became “good enough” to become the Messiah.

Some believed that Jesus was an angel who took on human form.

Some believed that Jesus was an apparition, who only appeared to be “a real human".

Some believed that Jesus was a man who was “possessed” by the "divine spirit" which abandon him on the cross-leaving Jesus to die alone.

Some, in the culture of early church would grant, even as some do today, that Jesus is a great teacher, prophet or enlighten philosopher, but his Messianic credentials are rejected.

Some, even assert that Jesus himself did not claim to the Christ and that this was an invention of his disciples, yet it is for this very belief that Jesus is the living Son of God, our Messiah, that early Christians died. It is safe to say that someone does not generally give their life for a known falsehood. 

Apostolic Swagger

Many early Christians and others down through history, faced the critics, with what one Biblical Historian called the "Apostolic Swagger", this was not a vein arrogance, but rather, a holy boldness born out of the certainty that Jesus lives and is the Son of God.

This certainty, this knowing that our Redeemer lives, helped empowered Christians to face harsh persecution even death with Godly confidence. The disciples and Christians down through the generations have given up everything for the belief that Jesus "is the Christ the Son of the living God", God's uniquely born Son, fully God and fully human. 

Diminished Deity- Augmented Humanity

Why is it so vital for us to have a solid grasp that Jesus is fully God yet fully human? Simply put, when we have a distorted view of Jesus, if we diminish his deity or augment his humanity then we have to add something to the grace of God, which Scripture tells us is extended to all of us.

Any Theology which diminishes the deity of Jesus or augments the humanity of Jesus adds something to grace in order to “accomplish” salvation. Grace is what we could never earn or deserve, but that which is freely given.

 There are several additions to grace which a distorted view of Jesus produces, and when this happens Christianity moves from being a relationship with God and becomes a religion.

Ergonomics- Works plus Grace =Salvation

Asceticism- Self Deprivation plus Grace =Salvation

Esoteric- Secret Information plus Grace=Salvation

Ecstatic- Experiences plus Grace =Salvation

Sacramentalism- Participation in a Sacred rite plus Grace =Salvation

These things, produce a legalism, which is performance based.

The legalistic can never be at rest, for there are always things left undone or not done well enough; the legalist has to live in a constant state of uncertainty as to their standing before God. Legalism, in the end has two things that it produces; the legalist either overvalues their performance and it manifest in self-righteousness or they undervalue their performance and manifest as self-condemnation. They can never really know the rest in Christ which can be theirs.

We cannot earn God’s grace. If we could, it would not be grace, in that case we could not earn it and we would all fail. But, by Jesus being both one of us and yet God, Jesus accomplished for all of us what none of us could ever do.

 Jesus had to be one of “us” for us. This is what the ancient church called the “vicarious humanity of Christ” – But in order to have this role and accomplish it, Jesus had to be fully God and humanity- being God Jesus' life is worth more than the sum total of all humanity and being human Jesus could, and does stand for us all. His blood (life) was worth more than all of ours, because it sustained the life of God in the flesh.

If Jesus is less of one and more of the other, then humanity does not have a Savior. Jesus has to be fully both, without the diminishing of one for the augmenting of the other.

The Great Question

The question as to who we say Jesus is, and preach that he is, is the great question that will test us all – at some point- especially in the years to come – As we face the coming years, there will be times of revival and renewal, but at some point, the world’s tolerance toward Christianity will be eroded away as Roman’s did in the time of the Apostolic Church.

The unwavering devotion and focus on the person of Jesus Christ and insistence on the exclusivity of Christ as the Savior, and no other, they would call no other LORD was what truly brought the persecution against the early Christians.

 The Only Way

The Apostles proclaimed that in Jesus alone was found Salvation, and that he was, and is the only Savior of humanity. That he alone is LORD. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts4:12

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7:13, Jesus gave the parable of the narrow or better understood, exclusive gate, or door. Jesus mentions that it is difficult. This is speaking not so much, that it is hard to perform, but rather, what is hard is humanity willingness to accept the exclusivity that this gate, which is Jesus, that he is the only way in. In humanities’ thinking it is hard to see Jesus as the only way; this is why it is hard. If they saw Jesus for who he is, it would not be so hard.

 You see, this is the world’s issue with Jesus, and Christians. It always has been, and is and will be again. It is Christianity's uncompromising focus and stance that Jesus is “the Christ the Son of the living God” in the face of critics that brings persecution.

Pluralistic Culture of Rome

At the time of the early church- Rome was a “religious” society, there were varies cults of every sort. Rome believed unity in the Empire could be produced by two routes, one being Syncretism which is mixing elements of many religions, that is pluralistic religious tolerance and validation of many beliefs. This policy manifested at Rome with building of the Pantheon, the “temple all gods”.

The other policy was Emperor worship, demanding- that worship of the Empire in the person of the Emperor be given, those who would not do so were targeted and penalized.

Rome’s policy of allowing people to worship their gods as long as they made no trouble for the Empire worked for a time, and actually gave early Christians freedom to proclaimed the Gospel, unfortunately when it became apparent that Christians placed Christ above all else, then in Rome’s view it had to react.

For Rome, two groups, Jews and Christians were a problem for they refused acknowledging the legitimacy of other “gods” including the Emperor. Jews and Christians were viewed as “fanatics”.

Christians and Jews insisted they worshiped the One True God, they refused to worship the Emperor. The great question is who will you, and I worship, who will we call LORD when we face the critics of our day Caesar or Christ?

Christian Scapegoats

As Jews and Christians refused to worship the Emperor they found themselves being blamed for troubles within Empire. In AD 64 Nero blamed Christians for the great fire of Rome.

As well, there were a series of natural disasters in some Roman Provinces in Europe , for which the Imperial Priest attributed as punishment on Rome sent by the “gods of Rome” due to the presences of Christians in the Empire.

It became easy to point to Christians as being the problem. Riots started in the streets of Rome, which were blamed on Jewish reaction to the Christians preaching about Jesus. The early Church had many critics to face.

Second Century graffiti ridiculed a Christian named Alexamenous, for “worshiping his god”. Jesus is depicted as a mule headed criminal on a cross.

Martyrdom

Yet in spite of it all, many Christians gave up everything even their lives. Speaking about early Christians, and Christians down through the ages we read in Revelation,

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much   as to shrink from death” Rev: 12:11

Christians were bold even to the point of death, willingly laying down their lives all for Jesus and the belief that he is the Christ.

In the early church martyrdom was considered a great honor, early letters and notes by Christians reveals that many thought of martyrdom as a calling. We get the English word Martyr from the Greek, máryts = μάρτυς, which means to witness to something. It means by laying down their lives that they were witnessing to the critics that Jesus lives. These Christians believe who he said he was , and is to the point of death.

That Jesus is LORD, not any Emperor, that is, in Jesus alone there is salvation- this is the point called into question that we started with, “who do you say that I am?” Not which day you attend church, or what foods that you eat or do not eat, not Eschatological (that is end of the world views) views, or a focus on a given nation or events or personalities. Not political or social activism, not how much material gain you can amass, or if and what gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifest in your life or do not, but rather who do we say Jesus is when critics arise.

This is the question, who will you and I call Lord? The refusal to bend on this issue has brought persecution from the world system, Rome in the early church and throughout history, and unfortunately even from within the church where others have wished for a different emphasis.

Now & Future

The world of the early church was very much like that of today, tolerance toward those whose focus is fixed on Jesus and face critics with the answer that Jesus is “the Christ the Son of living God” is waning.

The world that is emerging now, and some day years to come, will ,at some point, grow intolerant of the Christian this assertion, its reactions will be as it has been in the past.

Facing the Critics

What will our answer be when the critics as ask about our view or when they ridicule us for our faith in the living Jesus will there be sufficient evidence in the witness in our lives to convicted us of believing in Jesus; will we answer our critics when asked about of faith in Jesus, when we are asked who do believe Jesus is, will we answer and profess as did St. Peter , that Jesus is the “Christ the Son of the living God”  Will we love Jesus More than our lives when we face our critics?

Benediction: may we each and all always give the answer that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma

                            "If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

Dark Night of the Soul

The Dark Night of the Soul

By 

St. John of the Cross

Once in the dark of night,

Inflamed with love and yearning, I arose

(O coming of delight!)

And went, as no one knows,

When all my house lay long in deep repose

All in the dark went right,
Down secret steps, disguised in other clothes,
(O coming of delight!)
In dark when no one knows,
When all my house lay long in deep repose.

And in the luck of night
In secret places where no other spied
I went without my sight
Without a light to guide
Except the heart that lit me from inside.

It guided me and shone
Surer than noonday sunlight over me,
And led me to the one
Whom only I could see
Deep in a place where only we could be.

O guiding dark of night!
O dark of night more darling than the dawn!
O night that can unite
A lover and loved one,
Lover and loved one moved in unison.

And on my flowering breast
Which I had kept for him and him alone
He slept as I caressed
And loved him for my own,
Breathing an air from redolent cedars blown.

And from the castle wall 

The wind came down to winnow through his hair

Bidding his fingers fall,

Searing my throat with air

And all my senses were suspended there.

I stayed there to forget.
There on my lover, face to face, I lay.
All ended, and I let
My cares all fall away

Forgotten in the lilies on that day.

Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma 

Sailing the Waters of Zion

 The Book of the Prophet Isaiah , is referred to by some Biblical Scholars as  the fifth Gospel because it speaks  so powerfully regarding the work of salvation that Our Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf.

Isaiah prophesying about  an ideal time that the people of Israel have long hoped for, the Prophet sees in vision a water flow issuing forth from Zion the  place where the Great God is worshiped.

"Look on Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.
There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams." Isaiah: 33:20-21

Zion is seen as the place of God, a water flow of Justice, Peace, Mercy, Equity, Holiness, and Grace all flow from his presences.  Zion is that idealized place where God dwells and rules. It is here that the people gather to worship. It is here that the rivers and streams are broad with lots of freedom to navigate.

Flows From Zion

Psalm: 48:2 - tells us that Zion, which upon the North side of Jerusalem, “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King."

North is found in Scripture to represent the place of Gods’ throne and dwelling place.
 

No Great Ships

Upon these streams flowing out of Zion the Prophets speaks of the boats and ships that sail upon the waters. Isaiah tells us that the vessels which navigate the broad waters of Zion will not be the great ocean-going ship which were driven by slaves chained deep within the depths of the ships. Those slaves who rowed were subjected to cruel task masters who were never satisfied, they restlessly beat and abused the hapless oarsman.

Human efforts will not take us to Zion, we will become frustrated and exhausted as the galley slaves became.

Many times, even some Christians will look for the means to row upon these waters only to find themselves spent and exhausted spiritually. Yet some row on believing that they are making headway.

Those who rowed these ships found that life upon these vessels was hard with little reward and little rest afforded them, always anguishing and working but seemingly with little recompenses. Life at the oars offered little benefits, other than if you rowed well, the slave would live to row another day.

The means is there for them, but religiosity prevents them from hosting the sails of grace, it's there just un-availed of in their lives and they missed many great blessings. They can row, but can they not sail.

" Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder"Issiah: 33:23

It was just such great ships that the Lord God would not allow to sail the waters of Zion, no ships that relied upon the energies of human strength were found here. 

The Winds of Grace

These verses offer us a glimpse of such a peacefully state that Israel has longed for, but the verses speak of more than that. They speak to us regarding the life of grace that we can experience, not just, "someday" in the years to come after the reign of God is extended over all things, but here today, right now. Any who will but freely receive all that our Lord Jesus has for them can sail the peaceful broad waters of his grace. 

All that we read here is far more meaningful when we read them through the vantage point of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring us Gods' grace. Jesus sets us free from rowing at the oars chained within the ship of legalism under cruel taskmasters who are never satisfied.  Where work is long, hard and fruitless, there is only more work to do with only the hope that we might live to row another day. That is how the law or any   religiosity works, it acts as a task master, we labor under it but never seem to do any better than just living to row another day.

The chains of "religiosity" feel as a great weight, at best theses chines keep us at the oars, we are as the galley slaves in the great sea vessels which the Lord will not permit  to transverse the waters of Zion. This is "religiosity", but Jesus came to bring us something better, that is Grace formed relationship.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ". John: 1:14-17

Hoist the Sail

The waters of Zion which flow from the presence of our God, which the vessels of our lives were intended to sail, are meant to be sailed by boats bearing a hoisted sail. The wind of Grace is enough: powerful enough to give us momentum throughout lives, yet gentle enough that the boats of our lives are not out of control or capsized. All we need to do is hoist the sail, that is, by faith look to and rely upon our Lord and the salvation Jesus has accomplished for us all.

The life which we can have in Jesus is not the painful work of the oars of "religion”, but rather it is a lite burden that Jesus offers all, his yoke that we assume is easy and lite, it is ours' by accepting his grace rather than having it forced upon us. Jesus calls us all to rest in him.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" Matthew:11:28-29

No more struggle in the depths of "religiosity” but rather rest for our souls. That is what our God offers us all. Life in Jesus can be as effortless and sailing on the waters of Zion.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm: 46:10

The wind of the Holy Spirit will move us ever closer to the fountain head of the Waters of Zion which is our Lord himself. Jesus said in John:3, that wind blows where it will but you cannot see from where it came or where it goes, so it is with the work of the Holy Spirit, he moves in our lives in ways we may not first understand, yet we do not drift aimlessly   upon these waters, our Lord navigates us along to where he himself desires, if we will just hoist the sails.  

The winds of Grace move us not works, there is freedom to navigate these broads streams and rivers of Zion when we sail in grace there is little danger of midstream collisions with the oar driven vessels of" "religion".

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2Corinthians:3:7  

We are cautioned by the Apostle St. Paul not resort again to the oars of religion but sail rather in the freedom of our Lord Jesus. there are moments when our momentum may not be as great as we had wanted, we think that there is something needed from us, we look for an oar to take up and row in these moments, whatever that oar may be, a program, a prescribed list of "dos and do nots", some sort of expedience, secret knowledge or works, sometimes we seek an oar when all we really need is Jesus.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians: 5:1

Arriving at Zion

Here the Prophet Isiah is inspired by the Great God showing the ideal life of resting in Him, this is for us even now not just in the years to come, we can even now have the waters of Zion flowing in abundance in our lives moving us ever closer to our Lord, God tells us that it is in rest that we know that He is God and then He will be exulted in the earth.

We do not find God in the sweat of our brow as we row chained the oars of religion. But rather in rest as we sail the grace filled waters of Zion, which brings us to gently into the presence of God.

Benediction: May we each and all hoist the sales of the Grace of God, as we sail the waters which flow forth from Zion, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma