We have the joy of a load of weddings at IPC in the next few weeks and months. I am at the stage of having to prepare new wedding sermons and realised I’ve never preached on Jesus at the wedding in Cana of Galilee at a ceremony. As Scripture always does, it surprises you and shocks you. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to preach this for a while but here is what I’ve discovered.
What exactly is the problem in the wedding of Cana in John 2? The wine has run out and there’s still hours of the wedding to go. There are two possible options for why this has happened. One could be that the bride and groom have invited heavy drinkers to the wedding who’ve got through the wine far more quickly than they thought. The guests are slightly inebriated and now there’s the problem that there is no wine. The other option, which I think is more likely, is that the groom failed to do his job and plan properly. It’s quite possible he was being rather cheap and didn’t provide enough wine for the wedding. He’s let his new wife down and brought shame on both his and her family. The guests are getting restless and Mary, Jesus’ mother, a fellow guest, hears about the impending crisis.
The interesting thing about this situation is that when Mary comes to Jesus she doesn’t bring a solution, she just very briefly states the problem in 4 brief words ‘they have no wine’. We don’t know how she said it, whether it was through gritted teeth or quietly in a corner. She doesn’t tell her son to go and rebuke the unruly drunks for their sin, nor does she instruct him to tell the crowd to forgive the groom for being inhospitable. She doesn’t tell him how to act, give him her wisdom or insist that he follow her instructions. She doesn’t say to Jesus you have the power to do a miracle and fix this problem, go and do it. No Mary simply reports the problem to Jesus stating, “They have no wine”. Jesus rebukes her saying “his hour has not yet come”: now is not the moment for him to be displaying the power of God before the crowds. However, Mary doesn’t give up. She just looks at the servants of the feast and says, “do whatever he tells you”. It is a beautiful confession of faith that Mary makes here. It reveals her trust in her son. Mary is recognising Jesus’ sovereignty, he is no longer under her authority as a mother.
When Mary sees there is a problem in her midst, she doesn’t go to her son with a list of demands or a solution. She hasn’t figured out the answer and then asked Jesus to give that to her, to bless her ideas. Rather Mary believes that Jesus knows what is good and right and has the power to act. In saying to the servants ‘do whatever he tells you’, she is showing that she trusts, that in the end, he will do what is good and right. He does all things well.
Mary is a magnificent example to us of trusting Christ. The danger for us is to come up with a solution that we somehow want the Lord to endorse: Jesus fix my problem, do this and do that; restore me to health; cure me; provide this; give me that. I am forever providing Jesus with exactly what I need, and then telling him to do it.
Of course we are encouraged to pour out our hearts to God, to make known to him the desires and griefs of our hearts. We ask him to provide our daily bread. He always does what is best, he does all things well. We pray his will be done because we recognise that God’s ways are higher than our ways. We pray humbly knowing that God always answers and he will answer rightly even if that means I don’t get what I want.
The key in marriage, as in all of life, is to follow Mary’s words: “Do whatever [Jesus] tells you” and to rest in his sovereignty and believe Jesus words have the authority. They are the life giving words. It is his voice we are to follow. It’s the key to a fruitful life and the key to a happy marriage.
Of course in one way John 2 is not really ultimately about a wedding. It is showing us the fullness and richness of what Jesus has come to bring. He is the fulfilment of what was promised. John 2:11 tells us, ‘This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory’. In many ways this is the great foundational sign of John’s gospel which brings total transformation, of new creation. There’s a hint in v1 ‘on the third day’ – it’s a phrase that we find again and again as scripture reaches it’s climax at the end of the gospel in the resurrection of Christ on the third day. When Jesus speaks of ‘his hour’ in v11 which has not yet come, he is using a phrase that will come up a further seven times in John’s gospel, and always refers to his death. Jesus is showing us that this transformation of newness, goodness, and fullness come through the cross.
This life giving transformational God-man Jesus has come to make new creation and give life. Jesus takes the public shame of the groom and in its place he gives joy and transformation and overflowing goodness. The jars in the story that were used for ceremonial washing are now replaced by what Jesus has accomplished.
“Do whatever he tells you”. It is the answer to what makes a marriage be what it should be, it’s the answer to what our lives should look like.
In Mark 3 there is a little verse tucked away in the middle of the chapter that speaks of Jesus, “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.” (Verse 13)
The context of this passage in Mark 3 is a frame of hostility. In verse 6, “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” It is a shocking verse – the two groups mentioned had no time for one another, it is an extraordinary unholy alliance. The Pharisees were the religious authorities who viciously held on to their own authority in Israel and the Herodians who were collaborators with their oppressors the Romans. Both unite together to destroy Jesus: the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Mark is showing us that both the religious and political establishment have rejected Jesus. Then in verse 21 his own family arrive on the scene, “and when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind’.” Here there are those whom we would think would be most likely to believe, rejecting him.
In the middle of this frame of hostility we also see Jesus’ such incredible popularity where so many come to hear him, that he needs to have a speed boat ready to make a quick getaway (verse 9) and in verse 20 there is so large a crowd, he hasn’t got time to eat. The evil spirits, who are the finest theologians in Mark’s gospel so far, have a clear understanding in their opposition to Jesus as they note, “You are the Son of God”.
Immediately after verse 13 we have the calling of the 12 who would become the apostles, the foundation of the church. The fulfilment of the people of Israel, the people of God are being reconstituted. But before the 12 is this remarkable verse where Jesus is calling out his disciples. It speaks of the irresistible drawing power of the Lord Jesus and we are taken into something of the mystery of election and irresistible grace. He calls whom he desires and they come to him just like he calls and they come today.
That is my story, and it is yours if you are a follower of Jesus. He makes an offer you can’t refuse. You are not forcing yourself to believe, your arm is not twisted. We were drawn willingly by Jesus Christ. He calls us to believe by his Word and his Spirit. “He speaks, and listening to his voice new life the dead receive”. He illuminates our minds so we understand him, he renews our affections to love him, liberating our wills to move towards him. The simple little verse speaks of what he does for us but also wonderfully reveal the heart of our saviour.
Those whom he calls are those whom he desires. We must not think of Jesus as being reluctant in calling his people – he draws us with chords of lovingkindness. He does not coerce, brutalise or dehumanise. The Lord Jesus is no bully. We love because he first loved us. He desires the undesirable, he wants the unwantable. And those whom he desires come to him will come. His is no unmet desire, it is effectual.
The truth is expressed in different ways in the New Testament, “No one comes to me unless the father draws him” John 6:43-44 and “the Lord opened Lydia’s heart” (Acts 16:14)
Sometimes in evangelism people talk about opening the door of your heart to Jesus. We know what they mean and it is certainly said out of good intentions, but the truth is that the handle is on the outside. The Lord opens it, our hearts are locked tight against the gospel. It is not just that we don’t want to, we could not have, even if we wanted to.
Spurgeon makes this point beautifully in his sermon Feathers for Arrows:
“When we see a casket wrenched open, the hinges torn away, or the clasp destroyed, we mark at once the hand of the Spoiler; but when we observe another casket deftly opened with a master-key, and the sparkling contents revealed, we note the hand of the Owner. Conversion is not, as some suppose, a violent opening of the heart by grace, in which will, reason, and judgment are all ignored or crushed. This is too barbarous a method for him who comes not as a plunderer to his prey, but as a possessor to his treasure. In conversion, the Lord who made the human heart deals with it according to its nature and constitution. His key insinuates itself into the wards; the will is not enslaved but enfranchised; the reason is not blinded but enlightened, and the whole man is made to act with a glorious liberty which it never knew till it fell under the restraints of grace.”
The grace of God is irresistible and invincible, the calling of the Lord Jesus irrevocable. Rejoice that he calls those whom he desires and they come to him.
What is the greatest risk to the Church? I suspect our minds might immediately go to a hostile secular culture, militant Islam, radical LGBTQ+ agenda, authoritarian government – you can take your pick. But in Acts 6 the threat is more subtle and yet just as dangerous.
In Acts 4 and 5 we see opposition to the spread of the gospel. At the start of chapter 5 we have the hypocrisy of Ananias and Saphira who are insiders, well respected church members. In chapter 5 verse 41 we have this remarkable verse that the apostles, “Left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.” They had just received a beating from the Judaisers, and been warned not to speak anymore about the Lord Jesus, but rejoiced in it. Enemies without and enemies within. Of course, behind these attacks we see the malevolent influence of the devil. His attacks come from every angle, having failed to destroy the church from hypocrisy within and hostility without. In chapter 6 we see the most subtle attack of all – diversion and distraction from the real priorities of the gospel.
The structure of chapter 6 is pretty clear: verse 1 is the presenting problem, verse 2-6 the resolution, verse 6 the results.
The chapter begins with a growing church, and with any growing church there are problems. Here, it is murmuring and grumbling, and both those things are specifically because the church has grown. It is the problem of a living church. Here there are all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds. In verse 5 there are widows, but there are also rich people, Jews and Greeks, insiders and outsiders. Every real, every living church, knows that when you get a cross section of people there is bound to be some friction.
The eternal reality of every living church is that we are one in Christ Jesus and we have to keep putting off the old self to put on Christ. When we see murmuring and grumbling about the ministry in a church, it is a sure sign that we are not focussing on the true reality of eternity but focussing too much on the passing earthly reality of this world. Instead of thankfulness that others are being brought into Christ, there is grumbling that our needs aren’t being met. Each of us is a grumbler by nature, that is the natural drift of the human heart.
Interestingly in verse 1 we’re not even told whether this neglect of widows was real, or whether it was just a perception. It seems safe to assume there must have been some kind of oversight and people were missing out, particularly these Greek widows. Many Jewish widows in the diaspora had come back to Jerusalem to live out their days there and wonderfully many of them had responded to the gospel. The church however had to deal with this influx.
You can well imagine in a situation of great growth in the church that things got hard to manage and change was difficult. Church growth is never a tidy thing. There are times when God wonderfully answers our prayer for growth but that same growth will bring challenges, difficulties, tension and even conflict. As churches grow it is very, very easy for people to begin to feel left out. They begin to grumble and probably here in Acts 6, there was a real reason for that, a genuine neglect. But it is very important for us to notice what Luke is telling us: they were wrong to grumble or murmur like they were. That is clearly to be implied by the language that Luke uses.
Murmuring, grumbling or complaining is always a negative thing in the bible. Luke, in the language he is using in describing this situation is making a clear allusion back to the Old Testament. He is wanting us his readers to make that connection. Think back to the people of God in the wilderness. What characterised them? They grumbled and murmured and complained against Moses but ultimately against the Lord. In Exodus 16 and 17 we see this extraordinary contrast to Exodus 15 where they are found singing the songs of victory but in the very next chapter in verse 2, “The whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.” God then miraculously gives them manna and quail, but remarkably they go on grumbling.
The Lord says in Numbers 14:27, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.” The end of the story is the Lord judging the people, and a whole generation was cast off (Numbers 14:29). In Acts 6 it’s the same word that’s used. We might think grumbling is an insignificant thing, but not in the Lord’s eyes.
This grumbling, resenting and murmuring in church is actually a grumbling against God himself and is incredibly dangerous. All you need to do is read the book of Exodus and Numbers and you see their focus is on this world’s thinking and this world’s priorities. In Acts 6 it is food and drink, but in church life it can be a whole host of issues. The focus of these grumblers and murmurers is not on the eternal kingdom of Christ.
However legitimate the issue (and it does seem to be legitimate in Acts 6), grumbling and resentment is a sign that our eyes, biblically speaking, are on Egypt and not on the Promised Land. To use the words of Paul in Philippians 3:19, “Your God is your belly not the God who has given you citizenship in heaven”. It is why the New Testament warns us not to be grumblers like they were in the Old Testament. The apostle tells the Corinthians, “Don’t grumble and be destroyed as they were by the destroyer.” It is a tough and unpleasant message, but, “These things happened as warnings and were written down for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:10). In Philippians 2:14 he commands us to, “Do all things without grumbling or resentful murmuring.”
In Acts 6 there were real issues to be addressed, but the way to resolve those issues was never by resentful murmuring. It is the case that grumbling often arises from misunderstanding, and my guess is that is the case here. It’s reasonable to say that many problems in church life arise from misunderstanding, but misunderstanding often occurs because we are very ready to misunderstand.
It has been one of the great surprises of my ministry, as I had no idea before how people – including myself – misunderstand things. In fact I was remarkably naive about how ministers and elders communicate.
The truth is we misunderstand things very easily because deep down in our hearts we often have a spirit of self focus, the easy spirit of discontent. I see that in my own heart. If you are anything like me, you tend to easily put a negative construction on things first, not a positive one. We can easily assume the worst and not the best because our drift is toward “uncharity” rather than charity. Paul again in 1 Corinthians 13 says that love or charity is kind not resentful, it doesn’t murmur. As I read Acts 6 I often find myself reacting like these widows, grumbling, murmuring. I can easily assume the worst, a simple oversight, and I’m ready to think something is studied intentional neglect.
Here in Acts 6 there is an oversight. Probably because of the wonderful growth of the church, the apostles could barely cope with the growing situation. But the natural assumption of some of the people is ‘we are being neglected and they don’t care about us’. We are not the ‘in people’ and so we’re on the outside. That spirit is very common in the church and it is easy for us to fall prey to it: ‘no one cares about me’, ‘nobody thinks I’m important’. Resentment builds and bitterness begins to grow and it is exactly that which gives the devil a foothold. Satan is right in there to stir up murmuring and resentment. People get together and instead of sharing encouragement about the gospel and people being converted and finding salvation, of the church growing, they speak of the problems, or the perceived slight, or the things that really ought to be done better in church.
If our churches are characterised by that spirit, even things that are good can have real faults in our eyes. Pretty soon everything is disastrous. We have this exact warning in Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled”. That is precisely the devil’s strategy in Acts 6 verse 1, to stir up resentment and murmuring to work with the natural drift of our hearts towards self centeredness and selfishness.
It is a tactic that the devil still uses very effectively all over the world and in all sorts of churches today. He will do it particularly in a growing and living church: in every church where God is at work and doing things.
Secondly, we see the resolution of the problem.
The response of the apostles in verse 2-6 is a resolute management of the church’s ministry. I think that is a surprise as it is not a ‘super spiritual’ response. They recognise immediately that behind this practical issue is a spiritual issue.
The first thing the apostles do in seeking to resolve this problem is that they put the gospel firmly at the centre of the church’s life: they insist on it. Having done that, they work out all the practicalities that flow from it. Notice there is no knee-jerk reaction to the practical issue, they don’t rush to pander to the complainers. It is very tempting to do that in a situation like this. The temptation is to want to go to people and massage their egos, and make them feel very special. The result being they calm down, things are smoothed over and all is at peace again. The big problem with that approach is that you reinforce that the way to get attention in the church is by murmuring and complaining. It would have been easy for the apostles to do that, to drop everything and devote to the temporal needs of these widows, to cut down their teaching of the word and prayer and go into a public relations initiative and a frenzy of activity for the widows. Their popularity would have soared in certain elements of the congregation. Any minister can make themselves very popular by flinging themselves into welfare issues.
After resolving to keep the gospel firmly at the centre of the church’s life, they rebuke the attitude of the complainers, “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.'” (Acts 6 verse 2) On first reading, that might not sound like a rebuke. But the clear implication is that the grumbling was about what they think the disciples ought to be doing. The grumbling is against the apostles and their priorities. The apostles are adamant that the ministry of tables is not a priority for them over the ministry of the word. They refuse to be diverted from the true priorities of the ministry of the word and the gospel. However, we need to notice that they didn’t say word ministry is more important and we are going to stick to that. They didn’t say we are not going to address this, we will just preach and pray, we won’t reorder and change the church, we are not going to get involved in the reforming and managing of the church.
It is possible to have a church where the gospel is preached and taught, but the principles of the gospel don’t get worked into the pores of the life of the church. The principles of the gospel not only need to get from the pulpit to the person in the pew, but also into the life and structure of the church.
It is one of the sadnesses of the last 70 years in the UK that there has often been Reformed pulpits where there has been a faithful preaching ministry, where the word has been taught, but it has not changed the church. The congregations have been happy to have an evangelical ministry in the pulpit, but not allowed that ministry to change the structures of, and ministry of the congregation. It is why in times of crisis, or times when there is the need to call a new minister, the gospel that may have been preached over the last 20-30 years, is then denied practically in the decisions that are made.
We saw it clearly in the Church of Scotland meltdown over a decade ago and I fear we may well see it in the Church of England in this next decade. The problem being churches have been happy to have gospel preaching pulpits but that same gospel has not been applied either to the church structures to which they are accountable and sometimes even to the nitty gritty of the congregation’s life.
Driving the priorities of God’s word into a congregation’s life and structure is hard and difficult work and tragically hasn’t often been done. There is a difference between a gospel preaching pulpit and a gospel preaching church, it is a wonderful thing when that distinction is eradicated but it is only done by the back breaking work of applying that gospel into church life.
As the gospel is at work in a congregation, there will ordinarily be growth and development and that will mean inevitable changes need to take place. A refusal to make those changes there will result in a blockage to growth and this will increasingly provide a focus for complaint and division. What the apostles are doing here in these verses is forcing the principles of the gospel firmly into the centre of the church’s life. They are making the church see that eternal issues must be the priority, not temporal ones. It is not right to have it the other way round. They are saying we will not give up gospel proclamation to focus on another kind of ministry.
The danger at this point is that the priority of the apostles is misunderstood. The practicalities are not ignored, the issue the widows raise is solved. However, the principle of the gospel must drive the priorities of ministry which in turn will dictate the practicalities and management of the church.
The practicalities of these principles and priorities result in them instructing the people to, “Pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” (verse 3). In verse 5 we find that the first two names are Stephen and Phillip and we find out later that these men become gifted teachers and evangelists. They were spiritual men. Their chief focus above everything else was the gospel. That is the kind of person who is needed for practical ministry in the church. It is not two spheres, one a spiritual ministry and the other a social ministry. Practical ministry in the church of whatever nature is profoundly spiritual.
It is also worth noting there is also sensitivity on those men appointed. All of the names of those appointed to wait on tables in this situation are Greek names which would certainly have helped as it was Hellenists widows bringing the complaint.
None of these practical decisions would have been easy to implement, but it is part of the ministry of the world to apply these things into the structures and life of the church. We are not told how long the apostles deliberated over this. It is a short account in Acts 6 and only a few verses, but that does not mean it was a short process. If it is anything like managing change in church life in my experience there may well have been much discussion, prayer, frustration, disagreement and even tearing your hair out. We don’t know, but that is realistic and what church life is like.
The apostles had to give time and attention to the problem in order that they would establish the right pattern of ministry permanently. It is why it is right for elders to give time in their meetings to the oversight of the church, looking at various ministries, managing change in the congregation, discussing different ways of working to best put the priority of the ministry of word and prayer at the centre of church life. Elders have to do that because gospel principles need to drive gospel priorities and therefore shape the practical management of the church.
It’s been stated often and in various ways but keeping the main thing of the gospel of the Lord Jesus the main thing in church life takes hard work as well as prayer and preaching. It is the calling of elderships to grasp the difficult nettles of church life and work the priorities of the gospel in the warp and weft of church life.
Thirdly and finally, the results
Verse 7 describes the resultant multiplying of church’s ministry, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” It is one of the key phrases in the key verses for growth in Acts – ‘the word of God spread’ (Acts 1:7, 12:24, 13:49 19:20).
We can see in Acts 6 that knowledge and understanding of the gospel grows inside the church and outside. The influence and and rule of Jesus grows and expands. The two are linked together: as knowledge and understanding become deeper in the life of the church therefore the church impacts the world more and more. The result is in Acts 6 a, “multiplying greatly”.
In Acts 2 verse 47 we are told that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved, but in Acts 6 addition is turned into multiplication. “The number of disciples multiplied greatly” and in an extraordinary twist, many of the priests became obedient to the word. The priests, the ones who had been beating and flogging, then became obedient to the faith. They bowed the knee to King Jesus and that happened because the church became more and more obedient to the faith themselves and more obedient to Christ and his promises.
They became more obedient to his priorities not their own, to their heavenly citizenship, their heavenly calling, their seeking first the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 1 Paul urges the church to be side by side striving for the gospel. When that happens the church won’t be face to face, grumbling and resenting one another. Whether Hellenists or Hebraists, highbrow or lowbrow, old timers or newcomers, there are always these potential tensions in a church.
How do we resist the devil seeking to destroy us through dissension or distraction? We put the gospel, the eternal gospel, resolutely at the centre of church life driving the priorities of the church’s mission. Whether ministering God’s word or serving at tables, we are side by side resolutely contending for the faith.
When the gospel of Jesus is at the centre of church life, Christ will be at the heart of a congregation. His presence will overshadow everything that is done and his grace and power will be seen. He will add, even multiply the number of disciples. The devil himself and the gates of hell shall never be able to prevail against a church that has the gospel of Jesus Christ as its ultimate priority.
Over the last few months I have had more opportunity to listen to preaching than I have in a very long time. It’s been a real joy to have Reuben and Andrew minister God’s word to me week by week.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that, in my listening, I’ve become a master at applying the word to others. I recently read about “whataboutery” as a misdirection technique. That is when I hear something which could apply to me but in my head I think “but what about so and so: they really need to hear this”. I have subtly managed to redirect the application to someone else and somewhat nullify the truth.
I suspect I’m not alone in this because it is so very easy. To agree with what’s being said in principle, but raise the objection ‘but what about this person or that situation…what would so and so think if they heard that’ or ‘Mr or Mrs could have done with hearing that’, ‘if only so and so had been here’.
There’s an example at the end of the gospels of ‘whataboutery’, in the last chapter of John. The risen Jesus has appeared to Peter and charged him three times to feed his sheep. Jesus explains that will involve a long and tiring life of ministry and a future painful death. He finally reminds Peter, “follow me”. Peter then sees his old friend John and asks the Lord, “What about him?”, to which Jesus replies, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:17-22) It’s as if Jesus says to Peter, ‘I will work out my purposes and plans for John’s life, what concern is it of yours? You mind your own business and do what I’ve told you, follow me’.
I expect it was slightly awkward for Peter, but Jesus makes his point clear. There are different people in God’s kingdom, with different gifts and different temperaments that have different ministries. Peter’s overwhelming priority in life was to be following Jesus.
In listening to preaching it is easy to see the application to others more clearly than the one to ourselves. Jesus’ masterful illustration shows us this regarding the man who has a plank of wood in his own eye but is very keen to point out the speck of wood in his brothers (Matt 7:3,4).
There are also times when, listening to faithful preaching, we will not like what we are hearing. The application of God’s word might cut across what we believe or like to think. It may well confront a pattern of behaviour or thought. It will certainly critique the culture in which we maybe have become comfortable. God’s word shows me where I’m wrong and at that point there is a confrontation between my will and God’s will. Good preaching is always confrontational! The temptation to raise points of objection about what others might think or offence they might take is dangerous, because it stops me dealing with my sin. The subtlety of my sin means that I can hide in complexity, claiming it’s not as straightforward as the preacher is making it. The truth can equally be lost by endless caveats and qualifications.
‘Whataboutery’ can mean I deflect anything I don’t want to hear. As we come to God’s word, the right posture is to come wanting to hear.
Little Samuel, finally recognising that God was speaking to him, said, “Master, speak your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3) Psalm 95 beautifully expresses the joy of God’s people gathering to worship and yet finishes with the warning, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah”. It is a reminder to them and to us of the seriousness of hearing God speak and not taking notice.
One of Jesus most oft repeated commands and warning is he who has ears to hear let him hear. He tells us in John’s gospel that, ‘Whoever is of God hears the words of God”. (John 8:47) The danger of whataboutery, is that if is allowed to become a habit we can inoculate ourselves to God’s word. We see the need of others but fail to see our own need.
It’s why the prayer of Ulrich Zwingli the Swiss Reformer is so helpful:
‘Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe, and, believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honour and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Leader: If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
All: But if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Almighty God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed: we have not loved you with all our heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. Have mercy upon us: cleanse us from our sins; and help us to overcome our faults: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
We have been going through John’s gospel for six months. John as a writer is both beautifully simple and deeply profound.
One of the weaknesses in the way I have preached it, going consecutively through the passages, is that we can miss some of the great overarching themes that John is showing us. The gospel of John is like a beautiful piece of music with a melody and bass lines, different harmonies and textures. There are all sorts of things going on that one misses at first hearing.
One of the themes I fear I’ve missed is the profound mystery of Jesus’ knowledge. He is, as we confess, ‘very God of very God and very man of very man’. His beautiful humanity contains a great mystery that we cannot fully fathom, but must bow our knee to and worship him. In John’s gospel we are confronted by the mystery of these two natures (that he is both God and man) in one person, and because of this, one of the remarkable things and difficult truths to comprehend in John’s gospel is what Jesus knows:
John 1 – he sees Nathaniel and says that he is a man without guile. Nathaniel responds by asking, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answers by telling him he had seen him under the fig tree. Nathaniel immediately exclaims, ‘Teacher, you are the Son of God’. (John 1:47-50)
John 2 – Jesus is aware that the temple of his body will be destroyed in three days and raised up again. He shows us that he has knowledge of the future, of what it will involve for him. Then in concluding chapter 2 we’re told, ‘But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.’ (John 2:19-21)
John 4 – in the account of the woman at the well, he shocks her by revealing to her that he knows about her past, ‘for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.’ (John 4:18)
John 6 – there are two references to Jesus knowing (v61), ‘But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offence at this?”’. Then (v64), ‘’But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.).’
There is a way of reading these incidents and drawing the conclusion that Jesus in his humanity knew all things at all times. God is all knowing and Jesus is God so he must have all knowledge when he was on earth. But that wouldn’t take into account the true humanity of the Lord Jesus.
It is true there were incidents like that above where he displays divine knowledge, but that isn’t in every interaction. We mustn’t imagine that Jesus knew the answer to every question before he asked it. Luke 2 tells us that when Jesus was growing up as a boy, ‘he grew in wisdom, and in stature and favour with man’. You have there the extraordinary ordinary development of the God man.
The gospels also portray Jesus as having limited knowledge. This runs parallel in John to the accounts where he shows extraordinary knowledge. So in John 4:1 we are told that, ‘Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptising more disciples than John.’ He didn’t instantly know it, it was unknown to him and he learnt it. In fact Jesus’ very first words in the gospel are a question, ‘What are you seeking?’ In Hebrews 5 we are told that Jesus learnt obedience.
Jesus humanity was not some kind of charade where he pretended he didn’t know things but in reality did. We must maintain the reality and integrity of the divinity and humanity of Jesus. His coming to earth involved human development and a taking on of the limitations of humanity. As we flesh out the picture from the other gospels, there is the remarkable verse Mark 13:32 which tells us that Jesus did not know the timing of his return. He did know of his impending death and his resurrection, and his return in glory, but he did not know exactly when he would return.
As we piece this together we can be greatly encouraged. The Lord Jesus in his authentic humanity had to live by faith in his Father like we do, he was not an automaton, not some kind of robot who knew exactly the programme laid out for him. He lived trusting his father moment by moment, relying on the Spirit as we must.
He has fully entered into our human experience, he knows what it is to be tired and weary, to submit himself to his parents. He knows the frustrations of living in a fallen world. He knows what it is to be misunderstood and falsely accused. He knows the limitations of our humanity.
As we meditate on the knowledge of Jesus Christ we are forced back again to the fundamental bedrock of our faith. Louis Berkhof states, ‘Two natures in one person is a mystery which we cannot grasp, and which for that very reason is often denied’ but we must bow before the God man Jesus Christ. Our minds cannot fully comprehend it and yet we gladly accept. As Philip Melanchthon wrote ‘we do better to adore the mysteries of deity than to investigate them’.
For us as a church we must revel in the Person of Jesus Christ.
I often find it most difficult to meditate and talk about him. I can think and talk endlessly about myself, even my sin. l can wax lyrical on church life and the problems facing it. But to be taken up with Jesus Christ in his person and work is a great challenge to me. I would ask you as a congregation to pray for us as elders and those of us who preach that we would present Christ to you, that we would truly be a church that loves and cherishes Jesus Christ.
Rabbi Duncan’s words are so helpful to us, ‘the dust of the earth now sits on the throne of the universe’.
William Chalmers Burns prayed this on a Saturday in September 1839. He was in the midst of that remarkable work of God in Dundee whilst Robert Murray McCheyne was in Israel.
“Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! O scatter the clouds and mists of unbelief which exhale afresh from the stagnant marshes in my natural heart, the habitation of dragons, and pour afresh upon my ransomed soul a full flood of thy divine light and love and joy, in the effulgence of which all sin dies, and all the graces of the Spirit bloom and breathe their fragrance!
Nor do I pray for myself alone, but all my dear friends, and for my father, mother, brothers and sisters, and for all the people here; and for all ministers of every name whom Jesus hath called to preach his gospel, and for all who shall tomorrow hear or read glad tidings of great joy which shall yet be to all people!
Lord, hasten the latter-day glory! Come quickly, and reign without bounds and without end! And now wash me in thy blood, whose price I cannot tell, but need to cleanse me, so great a transgressor am I.
Glory be thee, O Lamb of God, and to thee, O Father, and to thee, O Holy Ghost, eternal and undivided! Amen”
“We have no strength, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are to you.”
King Jehoshaphat was not a bad man. He was a kind and generous king, but he was a weak man. He found it difficult to say no and as for all people who find it difficult to say no, one can end up trapped. And that is where we find him in 2 Chronicles 20. The stakes are just a little bit higher when you are the king, and so your weakness leaves your people in trouble.
He has carried out one of the most radical reform programmes Judah had ever known. He has overhauled the justice system, reformed the nations worship. He established a teaching programme so people would know the law of God and has started great building works. What is the result of this? We might surely think the Lord’s blessing and prosperity. But no. 2 Chronicles chapter 20 begins with a vast coalition of attackers from the north and east coming against him. He finds himself in great trouble and he knows it.
“For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (v12)
You might say ‘we are not Jehoshaphat’ and you would be right, we are not. But the Apostle Paul tells us, “these things are written as examples for us” (1 Cor 10:6). They give us outlines of how we are to believe and live. The best of the Kings provide us with anticipations of what the ultimate King is like, foretastes of Jesus and all the rest he brings.
The truth that King Jehoshaphat expresses is always true. We are always powerless, we always have no strength. In times of trouble and difficulty we are acutely aware of that but it’s equally true when things are going well and thriving. You may be not be willing to admit it but you have no strength, you can pretend for a little while that you do, but the human condition is such that the truth will come out sooner or later. Your ministry may be thriving, your church growing, your family happy but the reality is still you have no strength, no power.
As we recognise that, Jehoshaphat provides us with a beautiful example of how to pray. There are 3 nots in the passage which lift our eyes from ourselves and our problems to God.
Are you not?
“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” (v6)
One of my great struggles is that my problems can often overwhelm me, they can seem intractable. In marriage and family there is often pain and difficulties. It may be in church life there is a situation that doesn’t seem like it can be resolved. We look out into a culture that is hostile against the gospel, thousands, millions without God without hope. The temptation to despair is real. Jehoshaphat helps us enormously by telling us to look to God, to realise who he is.
“O Lord God of my fathers, Are you not God in heaven? You rule over the nations, in God’s hands are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.“
He focuses firstly on the Covenant of God – the God of our fathers – the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of his people Israel. He who has been faithful to all his promises, he is the God of history, the God of providence and this is our God. He then moves on to the sovereignty of God, this God is not just the God of a small beleaguered nation in the middle east. He is the Lord God of heaven who reigns over nations. He does what he pleases, his strength unparalleled, his power unmatched, his wisdom unsurpassable. There is no one who can stand against him. There is nowhere where he does not reign. There is nothing that can stand in his way. His sovereignty knows no limits.
“His love has no limits
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundary known unto men”
Take your problem and set it beside the Lord God, take your difficulty and measure it against the God of creation and the God of history. There is nothing too hard for him.
Jehoshaphat then moves on to the second not.
Did you not?
“Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it for ever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? (v7)
He moves from the character of God to the actions of God, looking at what God has done in history for his people. He recounts to God his provision for his people. He reminds God: this is what you have done, you are the defender and provider for your people.
He tells God of how his people will stand before him and his temple, claiming the promises of the Covenant (v9). They ask the Lord to act for the honour of his name, they cry out in their distress and he will hear and he will save. Jehoshaphat speaks to God with honesty, he ties the actions and state of God’s people to the glory of God’s name. It’s as if he is asking “how can this be?” He takes the character and the actions of God seriously and brings them to him in prayer. He reminds the Lord of his faithfulness in the past and he holds God to his character and covenant.
Then we come to the final not of prayer.
Will you not?
“O our God, will you not execute judgement on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (v12)
God is patient, he is longsuffering, he hesitates but he will act. His certain judgement is coming. In Jehoshapat’s day they face being wiped out, enemies on every side, the future is bleak and so again the King brings the covenant to bear. He asks God is it not time to act? To deal with your enemies?
I suspect in the West we’re a little bit squeamish regarding praying for judgement. We’re too comfortable and too at home. We often don’t feel the oppression of the enemies of God like we should. Those brothers and sisters in the midst of severe pressure and persecution around the world see reality more clearly.
As we look at some in our culture and how evil is being called good and good called evil, part of our response surely must be, ‘Will you not execute judgement Lord?’
We also know in scripture that whenever God comes in judgement on his enemies, at the same time, he comes to save his people. We see that clearly at the Exodus which the rest of 2 Kings 20 picks up. He judged the Egyptians but delivered his people. It’s been part of the testimony of God’s people throughout the ages.
Later on in the chapter the people of God are told, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s……you will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (V15-17)
It’s a beautiful picture of the gospel: when judgement fell on Jesus, salvation came to us. And so… “do not be afraid, do not be dismayed, you will not need to fight, stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord… the Lord will be with you”
The confession that the King makes, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are to you” is the confession of God’s people throughout the ages.
Few things are more unbearable in life than someone who thinks they’ve got all the answers, who is never at a loss what to say or what to do. Sadly those people can often be found in churches. There are biographies in which the subject never puts a step wrong, always makes the right decision, seems to sail triumphantly through life. Thankfully the bible is far more realistic. As I look at my own life, our church life and certainly our culture, we find ourselves saying, “we are powerless ….we do not know what to do, but our eyes are to you.”
It is often wrongly said that prayer changes things, it doesn’t, prayer puts us in touch with the God who changes things. King Jehoshaphat is so helpful to us because he points us away from himself, he doesn’t give us techniques in prayer, or even a pattern of words to say. He doesn’t tell us how long to pray but he points us to the God who does not change, the God of our Fathers. He tells us not to look to ourselves and our plans, but to admit our cluelessness and lift our eyes to him who is the Lord God of heaven and earth.
My aim in this article is to embolden preachers and encourage evangelists as we understand more fully how God has made us. The subtitle is obviously tongue in cheek!
Paul Levy 