IN THIS TIME OF TRAGIC DIVISION AND DISAGREEMENT, MAY GOD GIVE ME THE GRACE, HUMILITY, COURAGE, WISDOM, AND LOVE

• to be more willing to listen and to learn;
• to be open to investigate even what I think is certain;
• to be more curious to research deeply;
• to be ready to learn from new ideas and unfamiliar voices;
• to be willing to admit when I am wrong and to change my mind;
• to be quick to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me. How can I make it right?”
• to be more able to accurately state the position of others BEFORE attempting to refute them;
• to be less certain that one side is all right and the other is all wrong;
• to be aware that I cannot be right about everything so I must keep searching for where I am wrong;
• to be careful about assuming my opponents are wrong about everything and to keep searching for where they are right;
• to be wise enough to recognize and admit the rights and wrongs which surely exist on both sides;
• to be slow to assume that those who disagree with me are bad people who have sinister motives;
• to be less foolish to believe that my words, more information, and debating will change closed minds;
• to be more patient with those whom I think have been deceived;
• to be strong for what I believe to be right without demeaning those who disagree;
• to be willing to be misunderstood, abused, and rejected if it is necessary to stand for truth and justice;
• to be able to speak truth without rancor or shaming;
• to be averse to giving unquestioning, uncritical, or blind support to anyone;
• to be opposed to giving my complete allegiance to anyone except Jesus;
• to be courageous while standing for and with those who are oppressed, abused, and marginalized;
• to be merciful and understanding with those who don’t have the information or experiences which have brought me to where I am;
• to be compassionate and patient with those who appear to be stubbornly closed-minded or unreasonable;
• to be respectful to those whom I do not believe are acting respectably;
• to be more loving even or especially with those with whom I disagree;
• to be kind even when it is necessary to speak truth without compromise;
• to be gracious while exposing error and wrong;
• to be continually asking God to show me where I am wrong;
• to be more diligent and careful in my study of the Holy Scriptures, especially the teachings of Jesus;
• to be open-minded and open-hearted so as to be teachable;
• to be earnestly praying for those with whom I agree and disagree;
• to be more dependent on God than on people;
• to be more eager and expectant for Jesus’ return and kingdom;
• to be more diligent to bring Jesus’ kingdom into every relationship, conversation, and endeavor.

My morning Bible reading brought me to Matthew 14 where John the Baptizer confronted King Herod, the immoral despot who, had divorced his wife in order to marry his brother’s wife.

John’s truth to power was, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matthew 14:4). Herod might think and act like he was above the law, but he was not above God’s law.

The response of the autocrat was unsurprising. His modus operandi  was to eliminate anyone who opposed, criticized, or threatened his power, as was evident in other incidents besides this one. “Herod wanted to kill John” (14:5). Silence the opposition was the mantra Herod lived by. Cross him and you could expect retaliation.

Surprisingly, Herod’s fear of a united response by good people restrained him: “but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet” (14:5). Even under a dictatorial leader, the people have power when they are united for good . . . and this wasn’t even a democracy.

Sadly, it didn’t end well for John as the familiar story of Herodias (the unlawful wife) and the dance of Salome (Herodias’ daughter) reveals. Some suggest that John became “the first Baptist to lose his head over a dance.” But it certainly was not funny then!

Of course, we know that was not “the end of the story.” John lives! We will meet him in the resurrection when God’s reward for his faithful ministry will be eternally evident.

Jesus frequently faced off with the Pharisees about how to understand and apply the Old Testament law.

In Matthew 12 they accused Him of endorsing law-breaking when His disciples, on the Sabbath, picked and ate heads of grain.

Jesus reminded them of two OT illustrations of apparent law-breaking which obviously were not: the priests’ Temple service on the Sabbath and David and company when they ate the consecrated bread.

Jesus’ stunning claim to be “the Lord of the Sabbath” and hence qualified to interpret (or change) the law was followed by the OT’s elevation of mercy above sacrifice in keeping the law.

Then, in the synagogue, still on the Sabbath, Jesus healed a man’s “shriveled hand” and confronted the Pharisee’s hypocritical questioning of the legality of healing on the Sabbath. He put them on the spot by asking if they would rescue one of their sheep if it fell in a pit on the Sabbath. I wonder if He knew that one of them had made such a rescue on that very Sabbath day.

In addition to exposing their skewed values (a sheep is more important than a man) formed by greedy self-interest, Jesus proclaimed a very instructive principle: “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Here’s my takeaway: If how I understand and apply the OT violates God’s character and prioritization of mercy, then I have not correctly understood the OT.

Perhaps this apparent hermeneutical principle should be applied in other OT passages which seem, on the surface, to create a moral conundrum, or seem contradictory to what I have learned from the teachings of Jesus and the NT. A correct interpretation should always display God’s mercy.

Similarly, if some interpretation of the OT is incompatible with the character of Jesus, the perfect revelation of God (Colossians 2:15, 19), with the principle of love for God and neighbor, on which Jesus said that all the law and prophets depended (Matthew 22:40), and with the Golden Rule (do to others as you would have them do to you) because it sums up the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12), then I must assume that I do not have the correct interpretation.

Therefore, as I study the Old Testament, I must view it through these lenses and be sure my interpretation is compatible with them: (1) the character and teachings of Jesus, (2) the law of love–for God and neighbor, and (3) the Golden Rule.

When Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish them [the Law and the Prophets] but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17), what did He mean?

I’m thinking that fulfilling the Law and the Prophets included at least two things:

1. Jesus’ incarnation, life, and ministry fulfilled all the prophesies and types in the Old Testament which pointed to His coming to earth and providing for our redemption.
2. Jesus reenergized and reapplied the purposes of the law  by  reimagining its commands for application under the New Covenant for all people rather than just for the nation of Israel.

The summary of the law and the prophets, according to Jesus, was to “love God” and to “love one’s neighbor.” This Jesus revised throughout His sermon on the mount by repeatedly saying: “You have heard that it was said . . . but I say to you . . .” These New Covenant mandates are for all of God’s people, not just the theocracy, Israel. Thus, Jesus’ teaching, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) becomes the new law/commandment for His New Covenant community, the church.

It must rank among the most stunning statements of all time:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Every word seems pregnant with significance and mystery beyond comprehension—for example the unfathomable mysteries of the Trinity coupled with the most generous and loving act imaginable: praying for the forgiveness of those who were carrying out the greatest injustice and most brutal atrocity in all history.

Jesus prayer was uttered by swollen, thirst-parched, and bloodied lips and with powered by air when the production of every breath required painful effort beyond our ability to conceive.

We certainly know what they were doing. It was the worst injustice ever committed and this against the world’s only truly innocent man – a man whose entire life was the definition of unselfishness, love, compassion, kindness, and sacrificial service for those who deserved the opposite.

How could Jesus’ killers not know what they were doing? Were their hearts so hard and consciences so dead that the unnecessary torture they inflicted was somehow justified in their minds? Did no human decency temper their violent assault and cruel mocking? Were they blind and deaf to what everyone in Jerusalem knew regarding Jesus’ miracles of compassion, His teachings of love and peace, and His unblemished character? How could they so easily brush aside the possibility, however remote, that He actually was God’s Messiah and that they might one day grovel before His judgment bar? Was peer pressure and mob rule so strong that they were able to stifle every internal voice that whispered or screamed, “This is wrong! You should not participate!”?

But Jesus asked His Father to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing.

The generosity of His evaluation is staggering. It seems unreasonable, perhaps even insane.

Nevertheless, for those of us who know that at this moment of pain and shame, He was the Lamb of God and the Savior of the world, we must acknowledge that every word He spoke was the embodiment of truth—they did not know what they were doing.

He, the God of creation, the ultimate Judge of living and dead, saw through the ugly evil, and recognized that at some level, His abusers were such prisoners to what their past experiences and present influences imposed on them, that their decisions and actions, however wicked, were shaped, at least in part, by a broken world populated by broken people.

This understanding did not release them from responsibility for their wicked and murderous actions (Acts 2:23) or from their need to repent in order to experience forgiveness (Acts 2:36-39), but it was, perhaps, an explanation for Jesus’ astounding mercy and compassion. He was able to put Himself into their place and to feel the forces that shaped their character and twisted their minds, and therefore He longed for them to experience His Father’s forgiveness. God never takes pleasure when the wicked experience the just consequences of their deeds (Ezekiel 33:11) and wants all people (even Jesus’ crucifiers) to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) so that they can be part of His eternal kingdom immersed in the Shalom of His love, goodness, and healing.

How foreign this spirit is to us who are pleased when disaster overtakes those who hurt us and lust after our own vindication and for the punishment of their wrongs. How unlike this is to our confidence that we know perfectly the entirely wicked motives of those who inflict pain on us and to our certainty that they knew exactly what they were doing and that it was wrong, wrong, wrong!

The bottom line is that Jesus LOVED them – totally, unconditionally, and relentlessly. The generosity of His appraisal of their actions and His longing for their forgiveness places the power of His example behind the clarity of His command for us to love and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44) – perhaps the most unique and distinctive characterization of what it means to be a Christian.

“Dear Father, teach me to love as Jesus loved; to be as generous as He is in my attitudes and actions toward those who do evil and who bring pain to me and those I care about. Work in me Your beautiful balance of justice and mercy. Help me to hate and work against evil and injustice while longing for the salvation of those who perpetuate them. Fill me with compassion rather than vengeance and help me to freely give to others the mercy You have freely lavished on me.”

Words have power.

Solomon, sometimes called “the wisest man who ever lived,” wrote, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing,” and “The tongue has the power of life and death”(Proverbs 12:18; 18:21).

Too many people experienced the power of words because when they were young, someone, maybe an abusive parent or teacher, used words like these with them: “You’re stupid.” “You’re ugly.” “You can’t sing.” “You’re good for nothing.” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You’re lazy.” “Nobody likes you.” Some of those who were wounded by words when they were young and vulnerable now understand the destructive power of those words because they’ve spent their lives trying to overcome the damage, to erase those words from playing in their head, or to try to prove them wrong.

Others had the opposite experience. They had a parent, teacher, coach, or other person in their life who said to them, “You can do it.” “I’m proud of you.” “You look great!” “You can do whatever you put your mind to.” “You’re terrific.” Those words affirmed them, made them feel good about themselves, gave them confidence, and enabled them to take risks.

The good news is that, if you understand the dynamic, you don’t have to let negative words haunt and harm you throughout your life. You don’t have to let those words or the sad people who spoke them control your life.

The fact is that WORDS, positive or negative, can shape the life of a child for their entire life.

The same is true of marriage. The WORDS a husband and wife speak to each other shape their relationship for good or bad. Words can kill a marriage or breathe new life into it. Words can wound or bring healing. Experts suggest that one “zinger” requires ten positive statements to minimize the damage.  If you want to change your marriage, change your WORDS. Even a dead marriage can be brought to life through the right kind of words – maybe starting with, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. How can I make this right?”

Words have power in the workplace too. They shape attitudes and relationships. They kill motivation or invigorate it. The work environment, productivity, and interpersonal relationships are all influenced by WORDS, whether spoken by supervisors or employees. Even in confrontation or correction, the right words, spoken in the right way, can produce positive change and leave both parties feeling good about the exchange.

Friendships, family relations, classmates, and acquaintances–all are affected by words. Words transform every relationship for the better or for worse. I can choose words which are transformative in positive ways.

I can’t control another person’s words, but I can control mine. I can make a difference in every setting and relationship if I choose words that build up rather than tear down, that encourage rather than bring pain.

In all the years I’ve studied the Bible, I don’t ever remember noticing Timna. It’s not surprising since her name always appears in a long list of genealogies — you know the lists of strange-sounding names which we like to skip over when we’re reading through the Bible.

Actually, Timna’s name appears six times in two books of the Bible — one being almost a mirror image of the other.

Genesis 36 details the descendants of Esau, father of the Edomites. Within the list, Timna is mentioned three times (vv. 12, 22, 40). The references stand out in a list of mostly males — typical in that highly patriarchal culture where men were valued far above women who had few rights, little value, and no voice. The similar genealogical list in 1 Chronicles 1 makes nearly identical references to Timna (vv. 36, 39, 51).

In both lists she is noted as being the sister of Lotan — as if her value came from association with her male sibling. That was super common in that culture.

But them — SHOCKING! — she is listed as one of the “chiefs” of the Edomites — the only female so noted (Genesis 36:40 and 1 Chronicles 1:51).

Once Timna is noticed, it’s hard to miss that the scriptures call special attention to her, most likely because, in that male-dominated world, she, a female, was one of the CHIEFS of the renowned Edomites, and perhaps because the Holy Spirit who guided the authors of Scripture, wanted to inform all of us readers that God has also given women great gifts and abilities to lead and that He was putting a subtle stamp of approval on that feminine role.

This leading lady was brought to my attention today by Randall Arthur, a best-selling Christian novelist who lives in Atlanta and has become my friend through our mutual interest in writing about the Bible’s teachings regarding women pastors. Randy has written a number of outstanding novels (I’m reading my second now), the latest being “Quiet Roar.” I was so impressed that I wrote the following amazon review describing the plot: “A gorgeous lady pastor is imposed on a Georgia evangelical church and all hell breaks loose.” I highly recommend it. Gloria also read it and thought it was great.

I told Randy that I was embarrassed to have never noticed Timna before despite the multiple references to her and her unusual position in a culture where men ruled. I told him I feel like a kitten whose eyes have been opened because for 40+ years I read the Bible through the lens of patriarchal bias. My faulty exegesis blinded my eyes to how often the scriptures identify great women leaders — in Israel and in the church. My book (“Should Women Be Pastors and Leaders In Church?” describes my journey of discovery of what the Bible actually teaches on the topic).

When I get to heaven, I may need to apologize to Timna for overlooking her for so long. Perhaps this post is a step toward redemption.

This is a common theme in the Bible letter written by James, Jesus’ half-brother (excerpts from chapters 3 and 5):

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you?

 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. 

John the Baptizer is a reminder that effective leadership requires commitment, sacrifice, truth-filled messaging, and humble selflessness: “John came preaching, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near’ . . . John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan, confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River . . . ‘He must become greater and I must become less” (Matthew 3; John 3).

Would-be-leaders, develop those traits. Supporters, follow this kind of leaders. Commitment, sacrifice, truth-filled messaging, and humble selflessness.

Like Jesus!

Many Christians believe that, as He promised, Jesus is coming back to earth, and that ultimately He will bring the Kingdom of God to earth – that beautiful kingdom filled with love, life, peace, health, prosperity, unity, righteousness, and justice, and, absent of temptation, selfishness, death, sickness, conflict, poverty, injustice, violence, and all that sin brought and brings into the present broken world. It was often the theme of the Old Testament prophets, of Jesus, and of the Apocalypse (the book of Revelation, as in 11:15; and chapters 20, 21).

Then it will be the world Christians have prayed for (“let Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”). It will be the world everyone longs for; the world where everyone lives happily ever after.

When will that be? Will it be soon? What are the “signs” Jesus spoke of which will herald its nearness? Are the signs being fulfilled?

That’s not what this post is about.

I believe those things, and with Christians and people of good will everywhere, long for the arrival of Jesus and of His kingdom on earth.

But Jesus and the Scriptures also spoke of God’s kingdom in another way – as being near or even already present. In this sense, the kingdom of God exists wherever Jesus rules and thus wherever His teachings and example are followed and His values adopted in one’s thoughts, words, actions, and relationships. Jesus’ followers and His church ought to be little islands of the Kingdom of God in the ocean of the Kingdom of evil (1 John 5:19, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one”).

The message of John the Baptizer, Jesus’ “advance man,” was simple, “REPENT for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2). When Jesus emerged from the obscurity of His first 30 years, His opening theme (fleshed out in His teachings and life) was “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. REPENT and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15).

Perhaps we could state it this way, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AS NEAR AS MY REPENTANCE.

Repentance is when I turn from my own self-governance and confess Jesus as my Lord. Repentance is turning away from “doing it my way” to doing it His way. It is recognizing that “my way” leads to death, but His way leads to life. My way is selfish, self-centered, and self-seeking. His way is love — loving God and loving my neighbor as myself.

Repentance is turning away from something (“my way”) to follow Jesus – to study His example and teachings and adopting them as the guiding principles and values of my life every day.

Repentance isn’t a “one off” – something I do one time and then it’s done. Repentance is a way of life, constantly rejecting “my way” and recommitting to His way.

How close am I to Jesus’ Kingdom? As close as a life of repentance.