One of our human conceits is to think that we’re better than everybody else. At least we tend to think that we’re more important than others – we ought to be first in line or receive quicker service or that we’re the exception to the rule.

Unfortunately, Christians are not immune to the “me-first” attitude. All too often, we put our own interests and desires ahead of what is best for the church and God’s Kingdom as a whole. I suppose we get it honestly. Even Jesus’ closest disciples had the problem. Jesus had to deal with it just a few hours before His crucifixion. Let’s read about it in John 13, verse 1 through 17.

[Read John 13:1-17]

It was not a carefree group which gathered around the table for the last meal Jesus was to eat before His arrest. Jesus, of course, knew that His betrayal and death was just a few hours away. All week the tension between Jesus and the religious authorities had been escalating. The disciples must have realized that things were coming to a head. They must have felt stress anticipating what might happen. Judas must have been wondering how he could fulfill his promise to betray Jesus to the authorities without tipping his hand to the other disciples.

In addition to the stress and worry due to the external pressures, there was tension within the group. The disciples were out of sorts with each other. Luke records that they had another squabble about who was the greatest (Luke 22:24-27). Luke doesn’t tell us when the dispute took place that night, but it is logical to assume that it happened as they were gathering around the table. Who would get the places of honor next to Jesus? When they went to Judas and John, I can imagine Peter harrumphing, “Well be that way! If I can’t have the place I deserve, I’ll take the lowest place!”

It is in this context that Jesus began the Passover ritual. Keep in mind that according to verse 3, Jesus was fully aware that the time had come for Him to return to God. Not only that, He was in full control of events. As always He was operating according to the will, and in the power of God. Everything which Jesus did during this meal was done on purpose to teach needed lessons and to demonstrate His love for the disciples.

While following the Passover ritual, Jesus would have taken the first of four cups, spoken a blessing over it and passed it around to the disciples. After passing the first cup, the Passover ritual called for the host to rise from the table and wash his hands. It was probably at this point that Jesus turned the ritual into a graphic lesson in servant-hood. He took a basin of water and a towel and began to wash the disciples’ feet. In other words, the host of the feast proceeded to perform a task normally assigned to a slave.

Peter was incredulous. “You’re going to wash my feet?” It’s interesting to me that Peter was flabbergasted that Jesus would do such a menial task, yet neither he nor any of the other disciples volunteered to do it.

But Jesus intended much more than merely performing a task that nobody else was willing to do – He was trying to convey a spiritual lesson through the physical act. Peter didn’t understand and exclaimed that Jesus would never wash his feet! Jesus responded that unless He washed him, Peter had no part in Him. There is a timeless truth in this. How do we participate in Christ? Not by anything we do, but by accepting what Christ does for us.

Again, Peter missed the point. “Well, if it’s that way, go ahead and give me a bath!” Jesus explained that those who are clean, need only to wash their feet. What Jesus was trying to convey is that those who have had their hearts cleansed, only need to have the incidental sins of daily life removed. John was later to write, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7 NIV)

Jesus went on to say that not everyone was clean. He knew very well that Judas was going to betray Him. I think Jesus was trying to get Judas to recognize his true condition and repent.

After Jesus had finished and returned to His place at the table, He applied the lesson He had just acted out. If He, as their Teacher and Lord had served them, they too ought to serve one another. Instead of arguing about who was the greatest, they should have been looking for opportunities to serve each other.

We need to listen to the same lesson Jesus taught the disciples. To refuse to serve is to place ourselves above the person we call our Master.

We’re about to take part in what we call the “Lord’s Supper.” It’s a token reminder of the meal Jesus ate with His disciples that night so long ago. We rightly say that the bread we eat is to remind us of Jesus’ body which He sacrificed for us. We rightly say that the juice is to remind us of Jesus’ blood which cleanses us from sin. We’re right to say this because Jesus, Himself, asked us to remember His sacrifice for us with these emblems.

However, there is another lesson in the Lord’s Supper. It is Jesus’ example of servant-hood. Jesus instructed His disciples to serve one another. And, He gave us an example of loving service when He washed the disciples’ feet. A few hours later He gave an even greater example of love when He died on the cross for both them and us.

What do our actions say about us? When people look at us do they see loving service or do they see an example of “me-first”? Today as we eat and drink let’s think about Jesus’ example and what kind of example we set.

(Presented on Easter Sunday, 2016)

It seems to me that feelings against Christians and Christianity are on the rise all over the world. For example, not long ago I received a news summary from Far East Broadcasting Associates which had this in it: “A major inquiry into the place of religion in modern society says that Britain is no longer a Christian country and should stop acting as if it is. The two-year commission, chaired by the former senior judge Baroness Butler-Sloss and involving leading religious leaders from all faiths, calls for public life in Britain to be systematically de-Christianised…” (FEBA Snippets – January 2016)

The same paper also had this to say about what is going on in Britain, “Christian Mps (that is Members of Parliament) have warned that Sunday schools could be banned from teaching that marriage is between a Man and a Woman. The Mps said government proposals to subject Sunday Schools to Ofsted inpections, ‘could have a seriously detrimental effect on the freedom of religious organisations.’…”

If that’s what’s going on in Britain, it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s some bureaucrat on this side of the pond who are thinks it’s a good idea too. Personally, the very thought of having to inspect and monitor thousands of Sunday School classes is enough to bring on a migraine. So, being as I’m such a helpful and considerate person, I have a modest proposal which would save the government all kinds of time and trouble. It wouldn’t require any two-year commissions chaired by former judges. And, it doesn’t involve hiring a bunch of inspectors to make sure the Sunday Schools are politically correct. Just think! The money that would free up could be spent on more important things – such as repairing the roads.

If the government really wants to destroy Christianity, if it really wants to de-Christianize the country, it’s very simple. All it has to do is to prove that Jesus did not rise from the dead. If the resurrection didn’t happen, the whole thing falls apart.

Lest you think I’m exaggerating when I say that Christianity falls apart without the resurrection, here’s what the Apostle Paul had to say on the subject. “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:14-19 NIV)

To paraphrase what Paul said, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is a scam. We’re wasting our time. We might as well go home and play tiddlywinks.

So, since all we have to do to get rid of Christianity is to prove that the resurrection didn’t happen, how can we go about it? Here’s an idea: Let’s say that the soldiers who were guarding the tomb went to sleep. While they were dozing, Jesus’ disciples swiped the body and claimed that He rose from the dead. Sounds plausible, doesn’t it? In fact, this is exactly what the authorities did claim at the time (Matthew 28:12-15). But wait a minute! If the soldiers were asleep, how could they know what happened? And, if they admitted to sleeping on duty, then how come they didn’t get punished for it? The penalty for sleeping while on guard was death. So why were these guys still walking around bragging about what happened while they were zonked out? Hmm. Perhaps this explanation isn’t so reasonable after all.

Well, there is another simple explanation as to what really happened. It should be obvious that the women and disciples just went to the wrong tomb. They got mixed up and happened to visit an empty tomb instead of the one where they buried Jesus. But if that’s the case, how come nobody pointed them to the right tomb? When Mary was talking to the person she thought was the gardener, why didn’t he say, “Lady, there’s no reason to get all upset! You’ve just come to the wrong place. Let me show you right one.” And, when the rumors started making the rounds that Jesus had risen from the dead, why didn’t the authorities hold a press conference at the correct tomb? All they had to do was produce the body and the ridiculous notion would have been stopped in it’s tracks.

Perhaps Jesus’ body wasn’t in the tomb because He really didn’t die on the cross, after all. The coolness of the tomb revived Him and He managed to escape. Really? Granted improbable things happen, but this is just a little too thick. Even granting that the Roman soldiers somehow bungled the job when they killed Jesus, His escaping the tomb would have been even more miraculous than the resurrection. When the women went to the tomb to finish their burial customs, they were worried about how they could move the stone away from the entrance. Now, if a bunch of able-bodied women didn’t have the strength to move the stone, then how is someone who is severely injured, weak from dehydration and blood-loss, and weighted down with 75 pounds of spices (John 19:39-40) supposed to somehow unwrap himself from the burial cloths and roll the stone out of the way?

Since that notion doesn’t hold up too well, then what about saying that people imagined they saw Jesus after resurrecting? The appearances must be some sort of wish-fulfillment or mass hysteria! The odd thing is that Jesus’ disciples didn’t expect Him to rise. They were at least as shocked as anybody else when Jesus appeared to them after the crucifixion. And what’s really weird is that even Jesus’ closest associates didn’t recognize Him at first. How can something be a wish fulfillment if you aren’t wishing it at all? And not recognizing the person you desperately want to see flies in the face of all psychology. Hallucinations don’t work that way. And are we going to say that over 500 people who saw Jesus during the same incident had exactly the same hallucination at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:6)? Tell me another!

While all the arguments against the resurrection don’t hold water, there is a powerful argument for the resurrection. After the crucifixion, Jesus’ disciples were a thoroughly disillusioned, discouraged and frightened bunch. They met behind locked doors because of fear of the Jews (John 20:19). Yet, only 50 days later this same bunch of frightened, discouraged people boldly and publicly laid the responsibility for Jesus’ death at the feet of the same authorities they’d been so scared of earlier. It’s almost as if they are totally different people. Something happened during those 50 days to change these men from cringing cowards to fearless preachers. There’s only one thing that makes sense: They encountered the risen Christ. They were so convinced of the truth of the resurrection that all of them were willing to stake their lives on it. They never backed down from their story even to save themselves from gruesome deaths.

People have been trying to disprove the resurrection for 2,000 years. They haven’t been able to do so – and they never will. No government commission or blue-ribbon panel will ever be able to change the facts. Christianity is here to stay whether they like it or not.

Because the resurrection is true, it also gives us hope. In the same passage we read earlier, Paul goes on to say, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NIV)

Because Christ rose from the dead, we have hope that we also will rise. Death is not the end.

We’re here today to remember and celebrate the resurrection. The bread we eat and the juice we drink commemorate Christ’s death on the cross. But they also look beyond the cross. Today as we partake, let’s also remember the hope we have because Jesus conquered death. By His resurrection He broke the power of death, so we might live.

There have been a few times in my life when someone has come up to me and, out of the blue, said, “I’ve been thinking about you.” I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel good. It’s really nice to know that someone appreciates me.

As nice as that is, it’s even more special when someone says, “I’ve been praying for you.” Especially, when I’m going through some sort of trouble or heartache and the person who’s been praying for me didn’t know about it. For whatever reason, God brought me to mind and he or she prayed for me – without even knowing why.

It’s especially humbling when the other person is going through some trouble or hardship of their own, but they took the time to pray for me. They, themselves, could use prayer and support, but it was me they prayed for.

Just a little while before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus took the time to pray for others. Jesus already knew what He faced. He knew He was going to have to die and He knew how He was going die. I’m sure He wished that somebody would encourage Him and pray on His behalf. Instead, one of His disciples betrayed Him.

In spite of the betrayal, the emotional stress and the dread of anticipating what He was going to suffer in just a few hours, Jesus was thinking about people besides Himself.

That includes you and me. Right after praying for His disciples, Jesus said, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23 NIV)

Jesus prayed for us. He prayed that we would be united, that we would be one. Jesus not only prayed for unity, He was willing to do what it took to make unity possible. He allowed His body to be broken so that we can be whole. He gave His blood that our differences might be healed.

Each week we gather to remember what Jesus did. We remember His broken body. We remember His blood. Today as we eat and drink the things which remind us of the crucifixion, let’s also remember Jesus’ prayer – the reason He went to the cross. He wanted us to be one.

Let’s renew our determination to make the unity Jesus prayed for a reality. Let’s put aside our differences and disagreements and pray and worship together with one heart.

Today I want to talk to you about one of those little words that is so easy to pronounce, and so very hard to put into practice. It is the word mercy. It means to treat kindly, or forgive, someone who doesn’t deserve it. We all want mercy when we’re the one at fault, yet we find it very difficult to show mercy to someone who has harmed us.

You may have heard the story of Corrie Ten Boom. She was a Dutch woman who was sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp during World War II for hiding Jews. Her sister died there. Corrie was released one week before all the other women in her barracks were sent to the gas chambers.

After the war she busied herself in rehabilitation work. She also went to churches telling her story and preaching forgiveness and reconciliation. She writes of a time when she found it almost impossible to show mercy.

“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had met since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face.

“He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,” he said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!”

“His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. …I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity…” (Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place, World Wide Pictures, 1971, p. 233)

There aren’t too many of us who have had to experience the kind of trauma that Corrie Ten Boom did. Yet, whether the hurt done to us is great or small, God still tells us to show mercy to those who have wronged us. We are to forgive rather than take vengeance.

Shakespeare put it this way:

“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings,
But mercy is above the sceptered sway.
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself.
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice….” (The Merchant of Venice)

As Shakespeare says, when we show mercy we display one of the attributes of God. The Apostle Paul writes this in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 5, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (NIV)

Unfortunately, when we are called to show to others the same mercy God has given us, we often find that we cannot do it. In our own strength it is impossible. However, we do not have to rely on our own strength. Corrie Ten Boom continues her story,

“…I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.

“As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.

“And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

Each week we gather to remember and celebrate the mercy God showed us. As we eat the bread which represents Christ’s body, and as we drink the cup which represents His blood which takes away our sins, let’s give thanks for His mercy. Let us also ask for the ability to show the same kind of mercy to those who have sinned against us.

Each one of us is different. We all have different likes and dislikes. We all have different hopes and desires. But there is one thing we all need; there is one thing we all long for – and that is love.

Our culture, and most cultures around the world, is filled with the concept, or the idea, of love. We talk about it. We sing songs about it. Probably three-quarters or more of the books which are written have some sort of love interest in them.

But what is love? Love is one of those things which is very hard to define, but is easy to describe. Unfortunately, our culture has often confused love with sex and lust. But they are very different things. It is entirely possible to have sex without love and to love with no hint of sexual activity. People often use the word ‘love’ as a mask for their own greed and carnal desires.

Some would say that love is a strong attraction. But that misses the mark too. It is perfectly possible to love someone who is utterly repulsive.

So what is love? In 1st Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul writes, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)

But there is another quality of love which Paul does not mention in that passage. One of greatest characteristics of love is that it gives. This is especially true of God’s love for us. I want to read you several passages of Scripture which emphasize this:

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave…”

Romans 5:5 – “…God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Galatians 2:20 – “…The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Ephesians 5:2 – “and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

2 Thessalonians 2:16 – “…God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope…”

God didn’t give to us because we are such wonderful people. He gave because of His love. We were unlovely, but God loved us anyway. We were unworthy, but God loved us anyway. We were His enemies, but God loved us anyway.

God didn’t just give us things. God showed His love for us by giving us Himself in Christ. Romans 5:6-8 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Each week we gather to remember the extent of God’s love. The bread we eat reminds us of Jesus’ body which He sacrificed for us. The juice reminds us of Jesus’ blood which cleanses us from sin.

How much does God love you? He loves you so much that He died for you. When you take the emblems, this morning, remember that God loves you.

The emblems remind us of something else, too. We need to love, just as God has loved us. The Apostle John writes, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)

As we partake let’s not only remember that God loves us, let’s also ask how much we love other people. How much are we willing to sacrifice for them?

I was reading a blog the other day and the writer pointed out that today even the poor have access to healthcare which was not available to kings and the wealthiest of people 100 years ago. Diseases which were incurable then are treated and cured routinely now.

Regardless of how much progress the medical profession has made. There is still one thing for which nobody has found a cure. That thing is death. It’s not for lack of trying. Overcoming death or the hope that we’ll at least find a way to extend life has been on people’s minds throughout history. Lots of people have gone on quests to find the fountain of youth. If you read science fiction it’s amazing how often the idea of eliminating death shows up in the stories. People send me emails all the time about these miraculous pills which will stop the aging process.

All of these attempts to somehow find away around death are doomed to failure. Those seeking a cure for death do not understand its cause. They are looking for a physical cure to a spiritual problem. They are trying to treat a symptom instead of dealing with what caused the disease. Death came to our world as a result of sin. As long as sin is with us, death will be with us also.

Is there no hope, then? The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision depicting the people of Israel of his day as a bunch of dry bones. He writes, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life…”’” (Ezekiel 37:1-7 NIV)

What is impossible for man is possible for God. The One who gave us life to begin with can give us life again.

Not only can God cure death, for those of us who belong to Christ, He already has. Just as Ezekiel saw those dry bones come to life again, we who belong to Christ also experience new life. It’s a two-stage process. First God gives us spiritual life. In Ephesians 2:4-6 the Apostle Paul writes, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” (NIV)

Not only do we have a new spiritual life now, we also have God’s promise of eternal life in a resurrected body. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15:19-23, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (NIV)

The cure for death was not easy or without cost. Jesus had to die so that we might live. That’s what we’re here to remember. The bread we eat represents His physical body – the body He gave so we might receive a new, resurrected body. The juice we drink represents His blood – the blood He gave which gives us life.

We’re also here to celebrate. Yes, unless Christ returns first, we will die. But death is not the end. Jesus has already given us the cure. We will live forever.

Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews tells us, “…we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NIV)

I think that one of the greatest temptations Jesus ever had to face occurred just a couple of days before His death. John records the incident in chapter 12, verses 20 through 33: “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” (NIV)

The text does not tell us what the Greeks wanted, or what they said to Jesus. Whatever it was, it was something which obviously upset Jesus. This is speculation on my part, but here’s what I think happened. In John chapter 7, Jesus warned the Jews that He was going to be with them only a short while longer (John 7:33). They would look for Him, but would not be able to find Him. This started some questions. “…Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?” (John 7:35 NIV)

I think these men heard the speculation and rumors and decided to offer Jesus a place among themselves. “Jesus, it’s obvious that the powers that be, here in Jerusalem, are opposed to you and are planning to take action against you. Come with us. You can live with us and be our teacher. Our people will accept you. They don’t honor you here, but we will honor you.”

Jesus pointed out that there were two problems with the Greek’s proposition. The first problem is that it was based on a wrong world-view. Their concept was that you have to protect yourself from harm. Avoid confrontation. Preserve what you have. Jesus used the metaphor of a seed to point out that participating in God’s glory and eternal life are not obtained by playing it safe. In order to reproduce, a seed must first die. If we want eternal life, we can’t hang on to our natural, worldly passions, emotions and way of thinking. Just like a seed, we have to die in order to live.

The second problem with the Greek’s proposition is that it was based on a wrong concept of discipleship. A true disciple or follower does not ask his teacher to conform to his expectations. On the contrary, the definition of following is not gratification of our own expectations, but serving. A true follower, a true servant will be where his teacher is. He will conform to the expectations of the teacher. We call ourselves Christians. We claim Jesus as our Lord. Yet, how many times do we try to manipulate Him into endorsing what we want rather than asking what He wants?

Even though Jesus recognized the fallacies in the proposal the Greeks made Him, He was still shaken by it. Why would that be? Think about it. Jesus had publicly declared Himself as the Messiah, the King of Israel. Ever since, He had been involved in greater and greater controversy with the authorities. There could be no doubt how things were going to end. The authorities were going to kill Jesus at the first opportunity. And now, right at the last minute, Jesus is offered a way out. He could go teach among the Greeks and escape the cross.

In His agitation Jesus asked a similar question to the one He was going to ask later in the Garden of Gethsemane, “…what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?” (John 12:27 NIV) Then, He reminded Himself that it was for this very hour that He had come. If He turned away from the cross now, His entire ministry would have been pointless.

Jesus made His decision. He would face the cross. His decision was validated by a voice from heaven. He had passed the test.

There are two consequences of Jesus’ decision. The first is that judgment would be pronounced on the world and the prince of the world would be driven out. In the cross it looks like the world has pronounced judgment on Jesus. In reality it is the world which has been measured and found wanting. Having refused to believe in Jesus, the world has brought condemnation on itself. Similarly, it would look like Satan had won when Jesus was crucified. In reality, through the crucifixion God has destroyed Satan’s power and rule.

The second consequence of Jesus’ choice to go through with the crucifixion was that it would draw all people to Him. If I am correct, the Greeks offered Him safety and honor. The irony is that it was only through sacrifice, only through the crucifixion, that Jesus would receive true honor. The Greeks wanted Jesus to come to them. Through the crucifixion all peoples, not just the Greeks, would come to Jesus.

That’s why we’re here today. We’re to draw near to Jesus. We’re here to remember what He did for us on the cross. The bread reminds us of His body which He sacrificed for us. The juice reminds us of His blood which paid for our sins.

But the bread and juice not only remind us of the cross, they remind us that Jesus overcame the temptation to turn His back on the cross. They are also a symbol of hope. Jesus overcame temptation. Through His strength, we can overcome it, too.

Why do we take Communion? Why do we participate every Sunday in this thing we call the Lord’s Supper? There are a lot of reasons. However, I want to concentrate on just one of them.

In the middle of a passage we often read at Communion time is a phrase that we probably don’t give enough attention to. It’s so familiar we sort of coast right over it. It says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV)

According to this verse, whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper, we’re making a statement. We’re telling the world two things: 1) Jesus died, and 2) Jesus is coming back.

When we eat the bread and drink the cup, most of the time we concentrate on ourselves – our relationship to Christ, what we’ve done wrong during the last week and the areas we hope to improve in. We ask for forgiveness and the strength to overcome our temptations and faults. While looking inward is good and necessary, we also need to remember what we’re telling the world.

Why is it important to proclaim the Lord’s death? From the world’s point of view, what we do here is silly. It doesn’t make sense. Why celebrate somebody’s death? Though it may seem foolish, the truth is that it is only through Christ’s death that we can be reconciled to God. In this same letter where Paul tells us we proclaim the Lord’s death when we eat the Lord’s Supper, he writes, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-3 NIV)

To put it plainly, if Jesus didn’t die, then we can’t be saved from the consequences of our sins. That’s why it’s important to proclaim His death.

We not only proclaim His death, we proclaim that He’s coming back. Why is that important for people to know? The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV)

Jesus died to take away sin. He’s coming back to bring salvation. That’s what people need to know and that’s what we tell them when we eat the bread and drink the cup.

In our daily lives we have to make many choices. Often those choices are mutually exclusive. If we do this, we cannot do that. For example, when we’re driving our car down the street, if we choose to turn left, we cannot simultaneously turn right. The very act of turning left automatically closes off the possibility of turning to the right at that instant.

The same principle holds true in spiritual things. We have to make a choice whom we are going to serve. Whatever choice we make closes off the other. For example, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)

The Israelites seemed to have a hard time understanding the concept. They tried time and again to serve both God and idols. But the choices are mutually exclusive. It’s either God or the idols, not both. That’s why the prophets repeatedly urged them to make up their minds about who they would serve. Elijah told the people of his day, “…How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV)

Just as God offered the Israelites a choice, He offers one to us today. And the choice we make is every bit as important as the one they had make. Choosing one option automatically takes away the other.

Here’s how the writer of Hebrews describes the situation in chapter 9, verses 22 through 28. He contrasts what the Israelites had in the Law of Moses to what we have in Christ. He writes, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (NIV)

In chapter 10, verses 26 through 29 he goes on to say, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (NIV)

According to these passages, we can’t avoid death. Some day all of us will have to face it. Some day all of us will face judgment. We will have to answer for what we’ve done. While we don’t have any choice about whether we will die and face judgment, we do have a choice about how we will die. We can choose to die outside of Christ or we can die in Him. The choices are mutually exclusive. We can’t be both in and out of Christ at the same time.

As we just read, Jesus sacrificed himself to do away with sin. If we choose to accept His sacrifice, we will face the judgment with no sin held against us. We will be declared innocent. If we choose to reject His sacrifice, our sins will be counted against us at the judgment and we will be punished.

The bread we eat and the juice we drink each Sunday remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice. We can rejoice that because of His sacrifice we have a choice of how we’re going to approach death and the judgment to come. As we partake let’s renew our choice to accept what Jesus did for us.

(I prepared this meditation to go along with a sermon on Psalm 8.)

At some point in our lives just about all of us ask the question, “Why am I here? What is my place in the grand scheme of things?”

In trying to answer that question we run into one of the contradictions in human nature. On the one hand we have a pretty good opinion of ourselves. In fact, pride is one of our besetting sins. We tend to think that, at least in some ways, we’re better than others – or, we’re certainly not as bad as they are.

On the other hand, we have this sneaking suspicion that we’re insignificant. In comparison to the vast universe out there, not only we ourselves, but the whole of mankind is really small potatoes. In chapter 2, verse 6 the writer of Hebrews says, “…What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (NIV) That’s a quote from Psalm 8 where King David asks that question after he looked up at the night sky and saw the multitude of the stars. Compared to everything out there just what is mankind anyway? Why should God care about us?

A lot of people wonder about that. For example, I was reading a novel the other day. In it one of the characters says, “…to me those stars look pretty randomly scattered. And think about their size and distance! How can anything on this earth matter? We’re microbes on a grain of dust. Life is a stupid and insignificant accident, and when it’s over we’re just dead meat.” (Herman Wouk, War And Remembrance, Pocket Books, 1978, p.377)

However, King David and the writer of Hebrews have a very different answer about our worth when they contemplate the heavens. The heavens not only display the glory of God, they also disclose the glory of mankind. They write, “You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet…” (Hebrews 2:7-8 NIV)

In verse 5, the writer of Hebrew already said that the world to come will not be subjected to the angels but will be under the rule of mankind. But here we run into a paradox. Verse 6 of Hebrews 2 asks the question why God should care about mankind at all? Verse 7 says that in the order of creation man is lower than the angels. How can man be lower than angels, yet have more honor and dominion than they do? In order to understand we need to take another look at how things began. When God created this world, He intended man to rule over it. Genesis 1, verses 27 and 28 say, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”” (NIV)

However, mankind has never fulfilled God’s purpose. One of the consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin was a fundamental change in our relationship to the world around us. Genesis 3:17 says, “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you…”” (NIV)

Fortunately, God also promised that one day the curse will be reversed. John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (Revelation 21:1 NIV) Then he adds, “No longer will there be any curse…” (Revelation 22:3 NIV) According to what we read in Hebrews, this new earth will be under man’s dominion, just as in God’s original intent.

Since we have messed up our heritage through sin, and mankind is lower in the creation than the angels, then how is it that angels are sent to serve us and how is it that we, and not they, will rule over the world to come? The answer is in the passage we’ve already looked at in Genesis 1:27. God created man in His own image; He put something of Himself in us. Though, because of our sin we have totally distorted that image, God still cherishes it and wants to redeem it.

Now if we are created in God’s image, that also explains why He chose us to rule rather than the angels. By definition, God rules. If we are made in His image it follows that we also must rule. Otherwise we cannot fulfill or satisfy the nature that we have.

But this raises another question. The description we’ve been reading does not seem to match reality. Hebrews 2:8 candidly admits that we don’t see everything subject to mankind. “…In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” (NIV)

The solution to this dilemma is in verse 9. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (NIV)

When we look at Jesus, we see the same pattern of being made lower before being exalted, of defeat before victory. He had an exalted position. Then He was made lower than the angels. He tasted death. Afterward He was crowned with glory and honor. In other words, Jesus is the prototype or forerunner for what will happen to us. Since we have Jesus’ example of how this works, we can be confident that the promises made to us will come to pass also. If we look through physical and material eyes, our current position is very low. Yet, when we look at things from the perspective of God’s will and promises, we have already been crowned.

Jesus was crowned because He suffered death. Without the death there wouldn’t have been the crown. This is one of the reasons we gather each week to remember Christ’s death. The death we commemorate in the bread which represents His body and the juice which represents His blood, point to the glory He received. It’s also a reminder of the honor and glory we anticipate. Paul points out in Romans, chapter 6 that we receive new life by being baptized into Christ’s death. Because we share in His death, we will also share in His glory.