Missions Paul

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately.” (Matthew 24 v 3)

He spent a lot of time on this mountain and as he was sat there on this day I wonder what he was thinking? It has been a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and at the centre of conflict many times. From this vantage point the vista over Jerusalem is breath-taking.

From this moment he would begin to prophetically warn the disciples of what is to come. But take a step back a moment before they arrive. The Son of God is sat on this mountain again. We know from Luke’s gospel that it was here that he had previously wept over the city. It would be here that he would be left alone as even his closest friends left him. This would be the place where he would descend into a personal dark hell that he had never experienced before and he did it to take our place.

One thousand years previously, King David had made the journey up the same mountain. The story can be found in 2 Samuel 15. This broken man who had sinned before God and whose sin had been passed down generationally within his own family was a king in need of a Saviour. “But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.” (2 Samuel 15 v 30)

David was rejected as king, pursued by his own favourite son, betrayed by his close friend who would later hang himself (sound familiar?). The whole story is a sad one.

Today, we all escape up a mountain at some point in our life. Rejected, heartbroken, pursued and in fear we look to some higher place, a vantage point of a new perspective that we might understand or gain perspective. We all need a Saviour.

He is here. He came and sat on that mountain for you and me. He is waiting. It is easier now than for King David because not only did Jesus sit on the Mount of Olives, he descended down it for all of us.

“Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24 v 1-2)

If you have ever visited the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem then you catch a glimpse of the reaction of the disciple in verse 1. In AD 70 Titus and the Roman army totally destroyed the temple and yet this 150 foot long wall was preserved under all the debris. Jews from all over the world go there 24 hours a day to ‘wail’ for the lost glory of the temple and for the peace of Jerusalem and the nations of the world. When I was there I saw many posting their own personal prayers into the crevices of the wall. The wailing is the constant noise of people praying.

The Wailing Wall tells me:

Life is filled with magnificence but it doesn’t last forever so enjoy and appreciate every moment, every relationship and even every conversation. Slow your life down, go to a vantage point and breathe in the magnificence.

Nothing is ever totally destroyed. Wailing walls can be found in photographs, letters and personal belongings. These can become holy relics which keep us connected to God.

The remnant can be used to spur us on to believe again that there is a future hope to hold on to.

The beauty of today can be the wailing wall of tomorrow. The wailing wall of today can be the hope for tomorrow. Where is your wailing wall?

I was longing for the person to apologise; every ounce of my being for them to show some humility; I had the words for them to say and I wanted to put those words in their mouth; I sat with them and went through the whole story and told them that it would be good to apologise for this and that; and they did, they apologised but a few days later they took it back, they killed the apology.

Do you know this feeling? You are longing for someone to change, to show humility or to come to Christ. How much more does God’s heart ache?

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23 v 37-39)

We see the heart of God. The longing of Christ who reveals He is God by saying it was Him who sent the prophets, “how often I have longed to gather your children …”

Jesus is the mother bird, the hen, being driven away from the chicks and the nest, but is refusing to do so. Jesus remains but it is the chicks who are fleeing the nest.

THE ENEMY OF OUR SOUL IS CONTINUALLY TRYING TO DISTANCE US FROM JESUS. HE COULD NOT TEMPT JESUS FROM HIS MISSION SO HE CONTINUES WITH US EITHER THROUGH TEMPTATION OR PRESSURE TO RUN FROM JESUS. THERE IS ONE SAFE PLACE AND THAT IS WITH JESUS WHO LONGS TO GATHER US TO HIM. RUN TO HIM TODAY.

When it all becomes too much. When it looks like the behaviour of your manager, parent, pastor or neighbour is not getting better but worse. It isn’t over.

“And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. (Matthew 23 v 35-36)

Judgment will come to those narcissistic leaders who have abused their position by spiritually, physically, sexually, emotionally, mentally abusing those they were meant to Shepherd. It isn’t over. Their sin will get the better of them and will destroy them. Conflict resolution will not help them.

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ” (Matthew 23 v 33-34)

Prophets, sages, teachers, killed, crucified, flogged and pursued by God’s leaders.

Ever been told which preacher/teacher not to listen to? Or which author not to read? Or even who not to have coffee with? Or which Church you should never go near?

If you have, the person who told you that, were they speaking of themselves or someone else?

There are other messengers.

There are other books.

There are other conversations.

There are other Churches experiencing God’s presence.

We are not the only ones.

Don’t let anyone narrow your experience of life.

When I was a young minister I would drive miles to the other end of the country if I heard that God was doing something. People would say to me that no one should have to do that. I was told that If God was wanting to do something He would do it right here without any need to travel. They were not generous to what He was doing. They had become cynical to His move.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!” (Matthew 23 v 29-32)

That generation were more responsible than all simply because the prophets all spoke of this moment when the Messiah would be standing in front of them. But they did not recognise Jesus and would be instrumental in his crucifixion. Further they had elaborate tombs for these prophets and yet do not speak about how those prophets were killed.

The prophet Zechariah was killed by stoning because he spoke against the rebellion of God’s people (2 Chronicles 24). Their ancestors did this. Zechariah not only prophesied Jesus would come but he even prophesied his betrayal by the 30 silver coins (Zechariah 11).

It is easy to be generous towards the past when the past has proven the prophet correct.

But when the prophet is moving in the present and speaking of the future then we are tempted to be less so. We can become sceptical and dismissive; if God was going to speak He would do it through a different person, through me, right?

I wonder how many messages we have missed and how many acts of power we have ignored simply because we were not generous to what He was doing right in front of our eyes.

The Law of Moses said that if anyone touched a grave in any way they were deemed ‘unclean’. The Pharisees would white wash tombs so that people could see them and not go anywhere near them. These tombs were beautifully ornate. Jesus uses the image in his continued warnings to the religious leaders:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23 v 27-28)

Every year in Britain women will spend on average £400 on cosmetics and they own 24 products. 48% of women take 15-30 minutes fixing their face in the morning with lipstick, foundation and mascara the most favourite products of which they own 24 of them at any one time. Men are actually on the rise in looking after their skin with £33.1 million spent each year on moisturiser. Looking good costs. However, in England alone 1 in 6 people will be battling mental health problems such as anxiety and depression in any one week, the pandemic has certainly heightened people’s anger. No amount of cosmetics can deal with the issues of the heart.

Walking through a cemetery and viewing the headstones, the family emblems and flowers laid it is obvious that each family are making a statement about their loved one. Yet for each family there is a story of pain and behind it all death and decay.

Jesus warns the religious leaders saying they are masking what is on the inside of their hearts. He looked very much like a Pharisee. He would talk about the Old Testament Prophets just like they did. He obeyed and taught the Law of Moses just like they did. However there was a huge difference. They were not the same.

What is that person like behind the make-up? This is the question and Jesus knows.

Office coffee cups, there’s nothing like them, right? In the cupboard they may sit there all looking nice with their designs and often funny captions. But pick one up and take a look inside and that’s a different story! A decision is then made whether you really want a coffee or not?!

 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” (Matthew 23 v 25-26)

A hypocrite is a person who purposely deceives others. They appear right, all the while they hide or deflect the reality of their wrongness. They deny the invitation of grace because they deny their own sinfulness to either themselves or their world. The moment we deflect our own wrong in order to expose the wrong in others is when we become a hypocrite.
Your purity isn’t from performance but from His action on the cross. Your purity isn’t from you, it is from Him. Your purity isn’t announced by man but from Him. Your purity is not yours, it is His.

Jesus took our imperfections when he died on the cross. His broken and bleeding body bore our legalistic efforts and demands and judgments on others who don’t meet our standards. All our efforts now fall to the ground as we rest in His purity. Our obedience is not work to prove but love and joy. We live life knowing He makes all things beautiful, impure hearts pure and the inside of office coffee cups clean!

I was a Pastor for 21 years and led 2 churches. In all that time I never got involved in the banking of the church offerings except for one occasion in the early years when on one occasion the treasurer was unable to go because of illness. As I was depositing the money I noticed one of the cheques had a strange amount registered. It wasn’t the size of the amount that was of concern. It was how the amount was so exact. In fact all that is etched in my memory is that the cheque ended in .33 pence. This was a member’s tithe cheque and I was amazed that they had not thought of at least rounding it up or even down! It was so exact!

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23 v 23-24)

The outside can look perfect but inside your heart it can be tight, stingy and impoverished.

We need to learn to be generous in our hearts.

 The Pharisees were not even putting exactly .33 pence in terms of their dealings with people. They had no thoughts towards those who needed help, justice and love. If only they had given such meticulous attention to their cause never mind being like God who is lavish and extravagant.

Their hearts were not seeking justice and love for the people around them. Jesus would soon show that to carry justice and love in your heart is to suffer but is the pathway to resurrection and new life. The Pharisees had a word for this justice in their language, ‘tzedek’ it meant for right relationships with God, mankind, ourselves and the world they lived in. Jesus came to reconcile all 4 of those relationships where love and justice met on the cross.

TODAY let our hearts to be large and loud towards people and our relationships. Let us not be stingy or even exact but let us extravagantly, generously love and help people who are in need.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.” (Matthew 23 v 16-22)

The 3^rd warning to the leaders was about their ridiculous petty-games of swearing on oath and what they are bound to or not. Promises by the temple or the altar are not binding but if they promised on the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar they were bound to the oath.

Leaders can preach and boast how they may be in an accountability group. The box is ticked. They have an external form of accountability so they can be trusted. Yet their approach to that group could be artificial and they may never tell the truth to one another. So what good is it? It is an external form of accountability.

The lesson is this: stop pretending.

Focusing on details like the gold of the temple and the offering on the altar but missing the fact it is the Temple and the altar that makes them sacred is blinded.

Focusing on details like ‘look how accountable I am’ but not engaging in accountable conversations is useless.

I knew someone who would focus on finding one detail to prove his argument but missed the whole point of the argument.

You may have a detail but it can act as a pretence to the truth.

Stop pretending is the lesson.