This "Aha!" moment came up in our Bible Study on Luke 4.1-13 this morning. After his first two attempts to trap Jesus were repelled by Jesus quoting scripture, the devil had a go at this himself, quoting Psalm 91 to get Jesus to jump off the Temple tower:-
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone" (Psalm 91.11-12).
He stopped short of quoting the very next verse:-
"You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent" (Psalm 91.13).
Which reminds us of Genesis 3.15 and of the fact that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are all about God coming in Christ to defeat evil and set all people and the whole creation free. Amen!!
If you are intrigued or surprised by this last idea, you could get hold of a copy of Gustaf Aulen's classic book "Christus Victor", recently reprinted by SPCK and available online from Church House Bookshop. Or join the Routes2 Course which has just started at St George's Barcelona.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Bible Study - Luke 4.1-13
Bible Study – Luke 4.1-13
The Testing of Christ in the wilderness
Before turning to Luke, have a look at Deuteronomy 8, which gives useful background to the wilderness testing of Jesus.
Q1 In what ways did Israel fail to heed the warnings of Deuteronomy 8?
Q2 Do you think Deuteronomy 8 was significant to Jesus, in the way he understood himself and his mission?
Now let’s read Luke 4.1-13, and spend a few minutes thinking about the whole passage before answering the following questions.
Q3 Who must have been the source of this passage in Luke’s gospel?
Q4 Is it important that we believe there is a personal devil? Can this passage make any sense if we do not?
Q5 Who caused Jesus to go into the desert and why?
Q6 Why did Jesus increase his vulnerability by fasting? Is this something we should copy? Is fasting something you have found helpful?
Q7 Why do the devil’s temptations begin with ‘if you are the Son of God?’ What is at stake?
Q8 Why would Jesus have been wrong to turn a stone into bread? How did he resist the temptation? Can you think of any similar temptation you or I might face?
Q9 The second test (v5-8) offers Jesus a shortcut to achieving his goals. How and why does he reject it? When you are offered a shortcut, how do you decide what to do? Is the hardest way always the right way?
Q10 Jesus answered the first two temptations with Scripture. In the third test, the devil quotes scripture back at Jesus. What is wrong about the devil’s use of Psalm 91 (Lk 4.10-11)? How and why does Jesus refuse the devil’s test?
Q11 What kind of ‘desert’ experiences do we face in our lives? What resources do we need if we are to survive and even grow spiritually through these experiences?
Q12 How well do you understand God’s plan for the world and for you personally?
The Testing of Christ in the wilderness
Before turning to Luke, have a look at Deuteronomy 8, which gives useful background to the wilderness testing of Jesus.
Q1 In what ways did Israel fail to heed the warnings of Deuteronomy 8?
Q2 Do you think Deuteronomy 8 was significant to Jesus, in the way he understood himself and his mission?
Now let’s read Luke 4.1-13, and spend a few minutes thinking about the whole passage before answering the following questions.
Q3 Who must have been the source of this passage in Luke’s gospel?
Q4 Is it important that we believe there is a personal devil? Can this passage make any sense if we do not?
Q5 Who caused Jesus to go into the desert and why?
Q6 Why did Jesus increase his vulnerability by fasting? Is this something we should copy? Is fasting something you have found helpful?
Q7 Why do the devil’s temptations begin with ‘if you are the Son of God?’ What is at stake?
Q8 Why would Jesus have been wrong to turn a stone into bread? How did he resist the temptation? Can you think of any similar temptation you or I might face?
Q9 The second test (v5-8) offers Jesus a shortcut to achieving his goals. How and why does he reject it? When you are offered a shortcut, how do you decide what to do? Is the hardest way always the right way?
Q10 Jesus answered the first two temptations with Scripture. In the third test, the devil quotes scripture back at Jesus. What is wrong about the devil’s use of Psalm 91 (Lk 4.10-11)? How and why does Jesus refuse the devil’s test?
Q11 What kind of ‘desert’ experiences do we face in our lives? What resources do we need if we are to survive and even grow spiritually through these experiences?
Q12 How well do you understand God’s plan for the world and for you personally?
Sermon - Luke 4.1-13 - Tempted?
Luke 4.1-13
Intro
Today’s gospel reading, often known as the Temptation of Christ, is better understood as his Testing. When we looked at the Transfiguration last week, we noticed how Luke speaks of the mission of Jesus as a new exodus similar to the OT exodus in which Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, but far greater in its scope and its depth. The same comparison is in view today, as the testing of Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days begs comparison with the testing of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years, between leaving Egypt and entering the promised land.
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
Deuteronomy 8.2-5
The key OT passage in understanding the significance of both the testing of Israel and the testing of Jesus is Deuteronomy 8, supported by Deuteronomy 6. As we shall see, these are the very texts which Jesus relied on in order to dismiss the devil and to survive his wilderness test.
As well as linking the experience of Jesus to that of OT Israel, I want to link it to our experience, particularly as we begin this 40 day season of Lent. Because we need testing too. And although we can all see how this principle and this discipline applies in many other aspects of life, e.g. medicines, sports, military equipment, I’m afraid we are often too casual about applying it to our spiritual lives.
The very beginning of our reading alerts us to this point, as we see Jesus, fresh from his baptism (confirmation/ordination) full of the Holy Spirit, walking away from the river Jordan … and it is the Spirit who leads him into the wilderness to be tested. If testing was necessary for the anointed and Spirit-filled Son of God, it is certainly necessary for us. We’ll come back to that point but first let’s look at the three specific tests Jesus faced, as recorded by Luke.
Test 1
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’
Luke 4.1-3
The first way in which the devil tests Jesus is at his point of greatest vulnerability, his extreme hunger. But isn’t it interesting how Jesus has deliberately increased his vulnerability by fasting for the whole forty days? Why would he do that? If you or I were taking a journey into the wilderness for whatever reason, we would take supplies of food and drink. Presumably Jesus took water, although we are not told. Or perhaps a limited supply of water was available in this wilderness, but no food. Of course he was hungry at the end of it; he was on the verge of starving to death! But Jesus was clearly aware that his test was like that of Israel and as their only source of food was God, he was determined that this would be his only source of food.
Jesus must also have been aware of the unique powers he had. It would be no temptation for you or I to be told to turn a stone into bread because we simply couldn’t do it! For Jesus it would be a simple matter, a word would be enough, as Jesus and the devil both know, but of course Jesus recognized that to do so, although physically nourishing, would be spiritually devastating. And so he answered:-
It is written: “People do not live on bread alone.”
Luke 4.4
He is quoting Deuteronomy 8.3 (People do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.)
Again we may think Jesus has been somewhat reckless in deliberately abstaining from food for such a long time. Perhaps he had in mind the rest of Deuteronomy 8, which clearly warns about the dangers of forgetting God when we are comfortable and well fed. The spiritual discipline of fasting is correctly rooted here and I will come back to that later.
Test 2
The testing of Jesus is not over. Having undergone extreme physical hardship and spiritual pressure to survive the first test he is now offered an easy way of completing his mission (or a subtly distorted version of that mission):-
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.’
Shortcuts are always tempting; especially if they are presented to us in a way which seems to fit our life goals. We are taught in both OT and NT of God’s plan to put all the fallen powers of the world in their proper place under Christ (e.g. Isaiah 45.22-23, 60.3, Philippians 2.10-11, Ephesians 1.9-10) and here the devil offers this to him on a plate. Rather than winning his victory through what Jesus must already suspect would be a painful journey, culminating in the cross, he could have it all now, simply by worshipping the devil. Wouldn’t his Father be pleased with him? Actually, no!
Jesus knew that to worship the devil would break the first commandment and that, in any case, the offer was a lie straight from the father of lies. More correctly, it was a partial truth, because there is a sense in which all the powers and kingdoms of the world have been given over to the control of evil powers, epitomized in the devil. But the devil has neither the power nor the intention of handing control back to God, the rightful owner. He needs to be defeated by Christ and in fact this will be achieved through the cross.
Most of us know from experience that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. That is certainly the case with the offer made here to Jesus. The devil promises the earth but can’t deliver and what he is really aiming for is to break Jesus’s relationship with God. This would spell disaster and Jesus replies:-
‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’
Luke 4.8 (citing Deuteronomy 6.13)
So the first test attacked Jesus at his point of greatest vulnerability. The second offered him a deadly false shortcut to achieving his goals. What of the third test?
Test 3
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written: he will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Here the test is more subtle. Jesus has resisted the first two by quoting scripture, but the devil knows scripture too and here he quotes Psalm 91.11-12 to test Jesus. He quotes it accurately too. He doesn’t even take a few verses out of context and say something which runs against the meaning of the Psalm. Psalm 91 really is about the safety and security of those who put their trust in God, dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. Why shouldn’t Jesus do what the devil suggested and throw himself off the tower. Surely God’s angels would prevent him from injury and this spectacular display of his authority would display his credentials to everyone - and how appropriate that this would take place at the temple!
But Jesus recognizes that the devil is twisting scripture for his own evil purpose. The Psalm encourages believers to live humble, trusting lives, which is not the same as testing God’s love for us. In fact in many places, scripture commands us not to put God to the test, significantly in Deuteronomy 6.16, with which Jesus replies:-
‘It is said “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
It is good for us to test ourselves and for God to test us, but we are never to speak or act in a way which puts God to the test.
Conclusions
So the wilderness testing of Jesus ends with the devil leaving him until an opportune time. Further battles will follow in the coming months and years, culminating in the incredible reversal at the cross, where the devil’s apparent victory over Jesus becomes instead his total defeat.
All that will come later, but for now Jesus leaves the wilderness to start his ministry, physically weak but spiritually strong. He survived his ordeal with no resources at all, except the only two things he needed. He was filled with the Spirit and he knew the Scriptures. These same resources are available to us and we need to learn to rely on them as we too are tested.
We may prefer to avoid the whole ordeal and may be foolish enough to think this is possible. However:-
• Effective disciples need to spend time being tested in the wilderness. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and the power of the Spirit and of Scripture were demonstrated in these extreme circumstances.
• Christians don’t have to fast, but it can be a useful spiritual discipline. It can be difficult to really hunger for God when our bellies are full of rich food, when we are living in comfort and surrounded by toys and gadgets. We need to hunger for God, to want him and to eagerly seek him – without being distracted or weighed down by junk. How can you achieve that? Fasting may be part of the answer, temporarily denying yourself some food or other comfort in order to be fed spiritually. But don’t be too ambitious to begin with! See me for practical advice on how to introduce fasting into your pattern of life.
• Like Jesus we need to know the Scriptures and this does not mean having a casual acquaintance with a few favourite verses. It means studying prayerfully to discover God’s purposes as revealed and our place in those purposes. That’s why Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6 and 8. Through Home Groups, courses like Roots1 and Routes2 and other good quality study materials, we can become strong and confident in all situations and able to notice and avoid wrong use of Scripture.
• Like Jesus we also need to be aware of the devil’s tricks and tactics. If he attacked Jesus at his most vulnerable point, he’ll do the same to you. We all need to be honest with God about what our weaknesses are and learn how God, the Church and our Christian friends can protect us from self-destruct. We are equally likely to be tempted to chase unrealistic shortcuts to success and happiness and even to test instead of trusting God’s love for us.
Let’s make this a good and significant Lent for ourselves and for St George’s Church, following the example of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Intro
Today’s gospel reading, often known as the Temptation of Christ, is better understood as his Testing. When we looked at the Transfiguration last week, we noticed how Luke speaks of the mission of Jesus as a new exodus similar to the OT exodus in which Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, but far greater in its scope and its depth. The same comparison is in view today, as the testing of Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days begs comparison with the testing of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years, between leaving Egypt and entering the promised land.
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
Deuteronomy 8.2-5
The key OT passage in understanding the significance of both the testing of Israel and the testing of Jesus is Deuteronomy 8, supported by Deuteronomy 6. As we shall see, these are the very texts which Jesus relied on in order to dismiss the devil and to survive his wilderness test.
As well as linking the experience of Jesus to that of OT Israel, I want to link it to our experience, particularly as we begin this 40 day season of Lent. Because we need testing too. And although we can all see how this principle and this discipline applies in many other aspects of life, e.g. medicines, sports, military equipment, I’m afraid we are often too casual about applying it to our spiritual lives.
The very beginning of our reading alerts us to this point, as we see Jesus, fresh from his baptism (confirmation/ordination) full of the Holy Spirit, walking away from the river Jordan … and it is the Spirit who leads him into the wilderness to be tested. If testing was necessary for the anointed and Spirit-filled Son of God, it is certainly necessary for us. We’ll come back to that point but first let’s look at the three specific tests Jesus faced, as recorded by Luke.
Test 1
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’
Luke 4.1-3
The first way in which the devil tests Jesus is at his point of greatest vulnerability, his extreme hunger. But isn’t it interesting how Jesus has deliberately increased his vulnerability by fasting for the whole forty days? Why would he do that? If you or I were taking a journey into the wilderness for whatever reason, we would take supplies of food and drink. Presumably Jesus took water, although we are not told. Or perhaps a limited supply of water was available in this wilderness, but no food. Of course he was hungry at the end of it; he was on the verge of starving to death! But Jesus was clearly aware that his test was like that of Israel and as their only source of food was God, he was determined that this would be his only source of food.
Jesus must also have been aware of the unique powers he had. It would be no temptation for you or I to be told to turn a stone into bread because we simply couldn’t do it! For Jesus it would be a simple matter, a word would be enough, as Jesus and the devil both know, but of course Jesus recognized that to do so, although physically nourishing, would be spiritually devastating. And so he answered:-
It is written: “People do not live on bread alone.”
Luke 4.4
He is quoting Deuteronomy 8.3 (People do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.)
Again we may think Jesus has been somewhat reckless in deliberately abstaining from food for such a long time. Perhaps he had in mind the rest of Deuteronomy 8, which clearly warns about the dangers of forgetting God when we are comfortable and well fed. The spiritual discipline of fasting is correctly rooted here and I will come back to that later.
Test 2
The testing of Jesus is not over. Having undergone extreme physical hardship and spiritual pressure to survive the first test he is now offered an easy way of completing his mission (or a subtly distorted version of that mission):-
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.’
Shortcuts are always tempting; especially if they are presented to us in a way which seems to fit our life goals. We are taught in both OT and NT of God’s plan to put all the fallen powers of the world in their proper place under Christ (e.g. Isaiah 45.22-23, 60.3, Philippians 2.10-11, Ephesians 1.9-10) and here the devil offers this to him on a plate. Rather than winning his victory through what Jesus must already suspect would be a painful journey, culminating in the cross, he could have it all now, simply by worshipping the devil. Wouldn’t his Father be pleased with him? Actually, no!
Jesus knew that to worship the devil would break the first commandment and that, in any case, the offer was a lie straight from the father of lies. More correctly, it was a partial truth, because there is a sense in which all the powers and kingdoms of the world have been given over to the control of evil powers, epitomized in the devil. But the devil has neither the power nor the intention of handing control back to God, the rightful owner. He needs to be defeated by Christ and in fact this will be achieved through the cross.
Most of us know from experience that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. That is certainly the case with the offer made here to Jesus. The devil promises the earth but can’t deliver and what he is really aiming for is to break Jesus’s relationship with God. This would spell disaster and Jesus replies:-
‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’
Luke 4.8 (citing Deuteronomy 6.13)
So the first test attacked Jesus at his point of greatest vulnerability. The second offered him a deadly false shortcut to achieving his goals. What of the third test?
Test 3
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written: he will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Here the test is more subtle. Jesus has resisted the first two by quoting scripture, but the devil knows scripture too and here he quotes Psalm 91.11-12 to test Jesus. He quotes it accurately too. He doesn’t even take a few verses out of context and say something which runs against the meaning of the Psalm. Psalm 91 really is about the safety and security of those who put their trust in God, dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. Why shouldn’t Jesus do what the devil suggested and throw himself off the tower. Surely God’s angels would prevent him from injury and this spectacular display of his authority would display his credentials to everyone - and how appropriate that this would take place at the temple!
But Jesus recognizes that the devil is twisting scripture for his own evil purpose. The Psalm encourages believers to live humble, trusting lives, which is not the same as testing God’s love for us. In fact in many places, scripture commands us not to put God to the test, significantly in Deuteronomy 6.16, with which Jesus replies:-
‘It is said “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
It is good for us to test ourselves and for God to test us, but we are never to speak or act in a way which puts God to the test.
Conclusions
So the wilderness testing of Jesus ends with the devil leaving him until an opportune time. Further battles will follow in the coming months and years, culminating in the incredible reversal at the cross, where the devil’s apparent victory over Jesus becomes instead his total defeat.
All that will come later, but for now Jesus leaves the wilderness to start his ministry, physically weak but spiritually strong. He survived his ordeal with no resources at all, except the only two things he needed. He was filled with the Spirit and he knew the Scriptures. These same resources are available to us and we need to learn to rely on them as we too are tested.
We may prefer to avoid the whole ordeal and may be foolish enough to think this is possible. However:-
• Effective disciples need to spend time being tested in the wilderness. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and the power of the Spirit and of Scripture were demonstrated in these extreme circumstances.
• Christians don’t have to fast, but it can be a useful spiritual discipline. It can be difficult to really hunger for God when our bellies are full of rich food, when we are living in comfort and surrounded by toys and gadgets. We need to hunger for God, to want him and to eagerly seek him – without being distracted or weighed down by junk. How can you achieve that? Fasting may be part of the answer, temporarily denying yourself some food or other comfort in order to be fed spiritually. But don’t be too ambitious to begin with! See me for practical advice on how to introduce fasting into your pattern of life.
• Like Jesus we need to know the Scriptures and this does not mean having a casual acquaintance with a few favourite verses. It means studying prayerfully to discover God’s purposes as revealed and our place in those purposes. That’s why Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6 and 8. Through Home Groups, courses like Roots1 and Routes2 and other good quality study materials, we can become strong and confident in all situations and able to notice and avoid wrong use of Scripture.
• Like Jesus we also need to be aware of the devil’s tricks and tactics. If he attacked Jesus at his most vulnerable point, he’ll do the same to you. We all need to be honest with God about what our weaknesses are and learn how God, the Church and our Christian friends can protect us from self-destruct. We are equally likely to be tempted to chase unrealistic shortcuts to success and happiness and even to test instead of trusting God’s love for us.
Let’s make this a good and significant Lent for ourselves and for St George’s Church, following the example of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Luke 9.28-36
The Transfiguration – All Age Worship
What shape do you think the children are trying to illustrate for us?
(A mountain).
WHY WOULD YOU CLIMB A MOUNTAIN?
Let’s take votes on the following 4 suggestions…
(a) Exercise
(b) Achievement
(c) View
(d) Separation from crowds/noise
Which of these do you think was the reason Jesus took his closest disciples up the
mountain in Luke 9? Yes, (d)!
When we think of our own ‘mountain-top experiences in life, perhaps this separation
aspect is also significant.
In Luke’s gospel we should also be aware of the context. The ‘hinge’ verse of the gospel is
approaching rapidly, 9.51.
Next shape from the children…
V
(A letter V)
The disciples of Jesus had become confused about WHO Jesus was, WHAT he had come
to do and HOW they fit into the picture.
They needed to be separated from the world in order to see Jesus as he really was. The
experience would be one of the most impressive and inspirational events of their lives. We
know this from what they wrote in the New Testament (eg 1 Peter 1.17-18).
3 Vs happened… The children are putting the letters of three words beginning with V into
order. Let’s look at them now.
First there is VISION. Which of the children knows what a vision is? It could be where we
imagine seeing something which isn’t really there, but in the Bible, especially here, it is the
opposite! This kind of a VISION is when God allows somebody to see things AS THEY
c/ Horaci, 38; 08022 Barcelona · tel: 93 417 88 67 · fax: 93 212 84 33
stgeorgeschurch@telefonica.net · www.st-georges-church.com · http://drewtweedy.blogspot.com
REALLY ARE. When the disciples saw Jesus in all his glory they knew once and for all
that he was sent from God to save the world.
Secondly there was a VISIT. Who were the visitors mentioned in our story?
(Moses and Elijah).
Some interesting things about Moses and Elijah.
• They represent the Old Testament Law and the Old Testament Prophets
respectively.
• They each handed on to a successor who was a bit like Jesus (Joshua had the
same name as Jesus and led the people over the River Jordan into the promised
land. Elijah’s disciple Elisha had a great healing ministry!)
• Their presence here shows that Jesus continues, confirms and completes their
works. (The children can make a letter C for us!)
The third V word is VOICE. Whose voice was heard on the mountain top?
Yes, God’s voice… saying “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
Now, let’s see what letter we get by putting two Vs together… thank you children,
W
a W.
This letter reminds me that when people are separated from the world and see Jesus as
he really is, only one response is possible, a word beginning with W…
(Worship).
In Matthew’s version of this same story we are told that the disciples fell to the ground
terrified. Then Jesus touched them, lifted them up and said “do not be afraid.” This is very
similar to other Bible stories about worship like Acts 9, Revelation 1 and Ezekiel 1.28-2.2.
THESE stories give us a model for how we should worship God (not the OT sacrifice
system).
AT their best, this is what our worship services are like, which is a very challenging
thought. It is a challenging thought for all of us who are responsible for leading worship
AND for all of us who come with expectations of worship.
The best worship actually changes the worshippers and equips them for their mission
(which is a continuation of Jesus’s mission).
Which brings us onto our final illustration…
< >
Just as we try to hang on to our special ‘mountain-top experiences’, so Peter and the
others wanted to stay on the mountain and make little huts for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
c/ Horaci, 38; 08022 Barcelona · tel: 93 417 88 67 · fax: 93 212 84 33
stgeorgeschurch@telefonica.net · www.st-georges-church.com · http://drewtweedy.blogspot.com
But Jesus didn’t let them, instead he led the disciples back down the mountain into the
world.
The symbol the children have made reminds us of arrows, pointing us out into the world.
He told the disciples that their job (and ours) was to be his witnesses in the world. And this
wouldn’t be easy because just as Jesus would have to suffer and die to save us from our
sins, the disciples’ lives would also involve suffering to shine his light and share his love
with others.
CONCLUSION
It is good for Christians at least once a week to come up the mountain and, for a time,
separate themselves from the world.
Why? To see a VISION of Jesus as he really is, to hear God’s VOICE and to worship God
as Father, Son and Holy Spirit…
…with the PURPOSE of being transformed into effective carriers of his grace and mercy to
the world.
We can’t stay on the mountain top if we are to witness effectively. It is good for us to enjoy
the bright light of Jesus, but then we have to take that light out into the world!
FINALLY, as a symbol of our commitment to taking the love of Jesus out into the world, I’m
going to invite each person here today to put a heart shaped ‘leaf’ on our prayer tree. You
don’t have to write on them, but you can, if there is a specific person, country or situation
that you have in mind.
The Transfiguration – All Age Worship
What shape do you think the children are trying to illustrate for us?
(A mountain).
WHY WOULD YOU CLIMB A MOUNTAIN?
Let’s take votes on the following 4 suggestions…
(a) Exercise
(b) Achievement
(c) View
(d) Separation from crowds/noise
Which of these do you think was the reason Jesus took his closest disciples up the
mountain in Luke 9? Yes, (d)!
When we think of our own ‘mountain-top experiences in life, perhaps this separation
aspect is also significant.
In Luke’s gospel we should also be aware of the context. The ‘hinge’ verse of the gospel is
approaching rapidly, 9.51.
Next shape from the children…
V
(A letter V)
The disciples of Jesus had become confused about WHO Jesus was, WHAT he had come
to do and HOW they fit into the picture.
They needed to be separated from the world in order to see Jesus as he really was. The
experience would be one of the most impressive and inspirational events of their lives. We
know this from what they wrote in the New Testament (eg 1 Peter 1.17-18).
3 Vs happened… The children are putting the letters of three words beginning with V into
order. Let’s look at them now.
First there is VISION. Which of the children knows what a vision is? It could be where we
imagine seeing something which isn’t really there, but in the Bible, especially here, it is the
opposite! This kind of a VISION is when God allows somebody to see things AS THEY
c/ Horaci, 38; 08022 Barcelona · tel: 93 417 88 67 · fax: 93 212 84 33
stgeorgeschurch@telefonica.net · www.st-georges-church.com · http://drewtweedy.blogspot.com
REALLY ARE. When the disciples saw Jesus in all his glory they knew once and for all
that he was sent from God to save the world.
Secondly there was a VISIT. Who were the visitors mentioned in our story?
(Moses and Elijah).
Some interesting things about Moses and Elijah.
• They represent the Old Testament Law and the Old Testament Prophets
respectively.
• They each handed on to a successor who was a bit like Jesus (Joshua had the
same name as Jesus and led the people over the River Jordan into the promised
land. Elijah’s disciple Elisha had a great healing ministry!)
• Their presence here shows that Jesus continues, confirms and completes their
works. (The children can make a letter C for us!)
The third V word is VOICE. Whose voice was heard on the mountain top?
Yes, God’s voice… saying “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
Now, let’s see what letter we get by putting two Vs together… thank you children,
W
a W.
This letter reminds me that when people are separated from the world and see Jesus as
he really is, only one response is possible, a word beginning with W…
(Worship).
In Matthew’s version of this same story we are told that the disciples fell to the ground
terrified. Then Jesus touched them, lifted them up and said “do not be afraid.” This is very
similar to other Bible stories about worship like Acts 9, Revelation 1 and Ezekiel 1.28-2.2.
THESE stories give us a model for how we should worship God (not the OT sacrifice
system).
AT their best, this is what our worship services are like, which is a very challenging
thought. It is a challenging thought for all of us who are responsible for leading worship
AND for all of us who come with expectations of worship.
The best worship actually changes the worshippers and equips them for their mission
(which is a continuation of Jesus’s mission).
Which brings us onto our final illustration…
< >
Just as we try to hang on to our special ‘mountain-top experiences’, so Peter and the
others wanted to stay on the mountain and make little huts for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
c/ Horaci, 38; 08022 Barcelona · tel: 93 417 88 67 · fax: 93 212 84 33
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But Jesus didn’t let them, instead he led the disciples back down the mountain into the
world.
The symbol the children have made reminds us of arrows, pointing us out into the world.
He told the disciples that their job (and ours) was to be his witnesses in the world. And this
wouldn’t be easy because just as Jesus would have to suffer and die to save us from our
sins, the disciples’ lives would also involve suffering to shine his light and share his love
with others.
CONCLUSION
It is good for Christians at least once a week to come up the mountain and, for a time,
separate themselves from the world.
Why? To see a VISION of Jesus as he really is, to hear God’s VOICE and to worship God
as Father, Son and Holy Spirit…
…with the PURPOSE of being transformed into effective carriers of his grace and mercy to
the world.
We can’t stay on the mountain top if we are to witness effectively. It is good for us to enjoy
the bright light of Jesus, but then we have to take that light out into the world!
FINALLY, as a symbol of our commitment to taking the love of Jesus out into the world, I’m
going to invite each person here today to put a heart shaped ‘leaf’ on our prayer tree. You
don’t have to write on them, but you can, if there is a specific person, country or situation
that you have in mind.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sermon - Luke 8.22-25
Luke 8.22-25
Today’s gospel reading is short but carries a powerful and important message. But first I want to begin with a personal story. When I was at University I took flying lessons as a member of the University Air Squadron. One of the first times I had control for the approach and landing I encountered WIND SHEAR for the first time – a sudden loss of height and airspeed caused by variations in wind velocity – we were quite near the ground and before I could react, my instructor took control, shoving the aircraft’s nose down hard, to gain enough speed to make a safe landing.
At the time I was just glad to get back on the ground in one piece but in hindsight I learn two things from this experience:-
1. When a crisis comes, what matters is who you have with you and who is in control. If I’d been alone or with a less alert instructor I might have crashed and been killed or seriously injured. Thanks to F/Lt Mike Connell, my story had a happy ending and an important lesson was learnt.
2. Sometimes the action required to get out of danger can be ‘counter-intuitive’, meaning the opposite to the action you would normally or instinctively take. This was the case with the action my instructor took. Another example is when your car skids and you have to turn into the skid in order to recover.
By the way, in case you are a nervous passenger, don’t worry about windshear – modern passenger planes all have safety devices to protect them from this danger!
How does this story relate to our gospel reading?
The presence of Jesus
We read that, as the disciples were crossing the lake by boat, a storm suddenly began so fiercely that even the experienced fishermen on board were afraid. The boat started taking on water and was in danger of sinking. What made all the difference in this situation was that the disciples were not alone. Jesus was on board with them and, after the disciples woke him up, he was able to stop the storm with a word and restore calm and safety. The story raises some interesting questions.
1. How was Jesus able to sleep?
Because he knew where he was going, that he was doing his Father’s will and that on this particular day that involved crossing the Sea of Galilee by boat with his disciples. He also knew that he had power over the elements, which makes it interesting that he didn’t fix calm weather in advance for the whole crossing. He allowed the storm to happen and was able to sleep securely, full of faith and peace, even in the midst of chaos and danger. His faith and his faithfulness were built on his relationship of unbreakable intimacy with his Father God and with the Holy Spirit.
In effect the same person who said ‘let there be light’ (Genesis 1.3) had now also said ‘let us go over to the other side of the lake’. From Jesus’ perspective there was never any doubt that the crossing would be completed.
2. Why did Jesus sleep?
This is perhaps a more interesting question and the answer may be as mundane and obvious as the fact that he was tired! But it is also an example of the method Jesus used to train his disciples for their mission, a mission which would continue after he was taken from them. A life of plain sailing with Jesus at the wheel and the disciples sleeping the whole time will not prepare them for what they need to be able to do after his ascension. He isn’t preparing them for a life as passengers but as pilots, as crew. They need to go through a few storms and develop qualities of resilience and strength of character, learning to use the controls, if you like, the resources of faith and learning to trust God in all circumstances.
In Mark’s version of the story the disciples say to Jesus ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ Of course he cares! He cares so much that he wants to transform them into confident, effective disciples who can hold their own in the world and make a difference for the gospel.
The fact that the disciples learned their lessons well comes out strongly in the Acts of the Apostles, which we are continuing to work through in our fortnightly evening services, continuing tonight. One of the things we are noticing is the calmness and strength of the disciples, even in the most extreme and threatening circumstances. We are seeing how these qualities following the example of Jesus and enabled by the Holy Spirit, ensured that the saving influence of the gospel spread quickly and effectively throughout society.
How does this relate to our task?
In Ann Morisy’s book Bothered and Bewildered she explores big questions about the role of the church in today’s world where the majority of the world’s population finds itself living in one kind of ‘storm’ or another. Anxiety is rampant, hope is in short supply and people have by and large lost confidence in governments and religions. Ann identifies one of the greatest gifts the church can offer the world in times like these as being a non-anxious presence – in a similar way to my flying instructor, or Jesus in the boat with the disciples. One of the first steps Christians may need to take towards this may be the recognition that we are in fact ‘in the same boat’ as everybody else. We are not in a separate little Christian safety capsule carrying us smoothly and painlessly to heaven.
Jesus is with us in the boat and may appear to be sleeping, but in fact his life, his power, his Spirit is within US and so, whatever storm the boat encounters, we are required to BE the non-anxious, grace filled, hope filled, love filled presence of Jesus, as he continues to save and transform the world. During our church weekend away in May, Ann Morisy will be helping us to explore what this will mean for us in our context here in Barcelona. One thing is certain. As we take up this challenge our lives will certainly not be plain sailing. Like the disciples we need to learn to trust God through the storms of life and develop qualities of resilience and strength of character. We also need to eagerly and hungrily seek the intimacy with God which Jesus had and which he has made possible for us. It is a gift, but we have to receive it.
May we do these things and grow in confidence that no storm can destroy us and that we will reach the destination God has prepared for us.
Bible Study - Luke 8.22-25
Bible Study – Luke 8.22-25
Q1 What do you notice about the context of this passage?
Q2 What is the significance of Jesus falling asleep? Do you think he knew there was going to be a storm? Could he have prevented it?
Q3 Do you ever feel like you are ‘drowning’ in troubles and that God is asleep or doesn’t care?
Q4 In what ways was the faith of the disciples lacking? What did they learn from this experience?
Q5 Is it best to have a calm, trouble-free life or to go through lots of difficulties? What difference does Christian faith make?
When trouble comes it matters who is in the boat with you and who is in control…
…With this thought in mind, what do you think are the main causes of stress, anxiety and fear in society (locally and worldwide)?
Q6 Are Christians ‘in the same boat’ as everyone else, or are we separate from the rest?
Q7 How can we develop the ability to be a non-anxious presence in troubled times?
Q8 How can we encourage faith and hope in our neighbours?
Q9 How can we develop greater intimacy with and confidence in God?
Finally, read the passage through again, slowly and meditatively.
Q10 Is there anything you want to resolve to do differently as a result of what you have read?
Q1 What do you notice about the context of this passage?
Q2 What is the significance of Jesus falling asleep? Do you think he knew there was going to be a storm? Could he have prevented it?
Q3 Do you ever feel like you are ‘drowning’ in troubles and that God is asleep or doesn’t care?
Q4 In what ways was the faith of the disciples lacking? What did they learn from this experience?
Q5 Is it best to have a calm, trouble-free life or to go through lots of difficulties? What difference does Christian faith make?
When trouble comes it matters who is in the boat with you and who is in control…
…With this thought in mind, what do you think are the main causes of stress, anxiety and fear in society (locally and worldwide)?
Q6 Are Christians ‘in the same boat’ as everyone else, or are we separate from the rest?
Q7 How can we develop the ability to be a non-anxious presence in troubled times?
Q8 How can we encourage faith and hope in our neighbours?
Q9 How can we develop greater intimacy with and confidence in God?
Finally, read the passage through again, slowly and meditatively.
Q10 Is there anything you want to resolve to do differently as a result of what you have read?
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