Inward and Outward

Philippians 3:1-11       Luke 2:15-21

Inward and Outward

At this time of year, people often make decisions about their future…decisions they call “New Year’s Resolutions”. Usually, these kinds of decisions focus on doing something you either neglected to do the past year, or perhaps something you should or could have done better. Then the new year begins and for a while renewed effort and delusion work together to convince the person that they are actually succeeding…but old habits kick in and the backward slide begins. 

Resolutions have been around ever since Eve decided she wanted to be equal to God and, of course, failure to meet expectations (and sometimes the realization that perhaps the resolution was not such a good idea after all) have been around since the fig leaves wilted. But it is interesting to examine humanity’s rationale behind making these decisions. Aristotle maintained that we become what we do and so he resolved to do so that he may become. Plato went in the exact opposite direction, maybe after observing the repeated failed attempts of his teacher. He believed that right action followed on from right thinking and so he resolved to think right so that he might act right. Then along came Farmer Brown who believed that you become what you eat and so he resolved to eat good so that he could look good…just kidding…

Now, although there is truth in the philosophies of both Aristotle and Plato (the truth in Farmer Brown’s philosophy is perhaps more obvious, especially around the holidays), they are both missing the essential and foundational point. Fallen, broken humanity cannot act or think right because they are corrupt at the very core of their being. Scripture tells us that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and altogether corrupt (Jeremiah 17:9). And the Scripture also teaches us that humans follow their heart…a person is as they think in their heart (Proverbs 23:7). 

So, from the very outset, our well-intentioned resolutions are doomed to fail. Therefore, Paul said in Philippians 3:3, “we have no confidence in the flesh”. If we are going to make any kind of decision for positive change, we must be radically renovated from the inside out…but who can do that especially with a heart that lies…even to its owner? 

Well, here’s good news. Our God is in the heart transplant and exchange business. Quite literally. The prophet Ezekiel said that a time would come when God would remove the defective heart and exchange it for a responsive heart…but more than that. He said that God would place his Holy Spirit in us, and he would cause us to do what God knows is the very best for us. This is a radical inner renovation. We are essentially changed from the inside out. We are no longer what we once were and because of this new identity, an identity that is ours in Jesus, we can do what we intended to do as creatures created in the image of God. 

What we are able to do now as believers is a direct result of our new identity brought about by the prior gracious work of renewal that God has achieved in us through the finished ministry of Jesus. Consequently, any resolution should then be based, not only on what God has already revealed to be right and acceptable, but also on what God had already achieved in us if it is to be fruitful. Our actions depend on the ongoing work of God in us…he began the good work in us, and he will complete the good work in us…he is both the author and perfecter of our faith…without him, we can do nothing of substantial and eternal value.

This is seen most clearly in the life of the Apostle Paul. Paul lived out what God had made him and therefore he was not derailed by adverse circumstances. 

But before Saul became Paul, he found confidence, not in what God had done or was doing as much as in what he himself had done and was doing…in the flesh. Paul was a rising star in Israel. He had been schooled by one of the greatest Rabbis at the time. He no doubt moved in high circles and was respected by his peers. He lived according to the strictest ethical code and was so convinced that he was right that he was willing to capture, torture, and kill anyone who did not meet his standards. 

But then, in an instant, it was revealed to him that everything he had once believed to be true was, in fact false. Everything he had once held dear…everything he had once considered gain…everything came crashing down as he realised that what he had been striving to achieve was worthless. 

He was so shocked that he spent three years in seclusion trying to reprogram his life around this new revelation that centred in and around the life and ministry of Jesus. Then he returned to tell his fellow countrymen the truth…but the tables were now turned…his fellow countrymen were still as he once was…and they were not exactly ecstatic about Paul’s drastic about-face. In fact, they were downright hostile. And suddenly, the hunter became the hunted…he had to flee for his life, he was rejected, whipped, beaten, arrested, imprisoned, threatened, and stoned. Gone were the days of moving among the elite…his former friends were now his enemies.

And then, as he sat in an Ephesian prison, he received news that one of his best churches was being torn apart by two head-strong members. So, he took up his quill and wrote: “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.” Poor man…it must have been a piece of rancid bread. Rejoice? In the circumstances, he should have been pulling his hair out. How could anyone rejoice when your labour of love was being destroyed? 

The key to Paul’s inner peace was an inner renovation. He could resolve to rejoice because of who he was in Jesus. His eyes were firmly fixed on what God intended him to be…all other things were peripheral…they faded in the glory of what God had done and what he was doing. 

The circumstances hadn’t changed…in fact, for the most part, they had only gotten worse…but Paul had changed. And so, even when life was hard and unfair and even when he was misunderstood and inconvenienced by the consequences of life in a fallen broken world, Paul could rejoice because he knew what God had done and was continuing to bring to completion. 

All the many resolutions and decisions, rituals, ceremonies, and outward conformity to rules and regulations, count for nothing when compared to gaining Christ and being found in him. To know Jesus and the power of his resurrection, is worth more than all the riches this world can afford.

You see, external change means very little without internal change. This was our Lord’s contention with the Pharisees. He called them whitewashed tombs for good reason. Outwardly they were beautifully decorated, but inside they were full of death and decay. Paul had once been one of them. He listed all his accomplishments in verse 5 and 6 in Philippians 3. But even the Old Testament pointed out that the circumcision of the flesh without the circumcision of the heart meant nothing…the biblical characters all demonstrated this fact clearly. 

The outward is really nothing without the inward. You can make as many resolutions as you wish this year, but if the Lord has not changed the inner you, you might as well write your resolutions in water.  

Better to ask God to graciously renovate you…to change the inside of you…but be forewarned. Things may not get easier…but, as we saw with Paul, if the inner part of you has been changed, you will always be able to rejoice in the Lord, regardless of circumstances, as your focus will be centred on his resolution to conform you to the image of Jesus. Once his will and purpose is more important than your whims and wishes, then you too will gain the peace of God that transcends comprehension. 

So, rather than make fragile New Year’s Resolutions this year, why not rather compare sides of your life’s ledger.  Anything and everything you have ever counted as gain on the one side…and Jesus on the other. The choice is simple, but never easy.

May God in his grace, grant you the inner ability to live as he would have you live outwardly.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2023.

Do you hear what I hear?

Isaiah 9:6-7           Luke 2:1-7

Do you hear what I hear?

On a cold January morning, a violinist was heard playing in a metro station in Washington DC. Since it was rush hour, thousands of people passed him by, most of them on their way to work. The man played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. After three minutes, a middle-aged commuter stopped for a few seconds, but then hurried along to catch his train. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip from a woman who simply threw the money in the jar without stopping to listen.

Others stopped briefly to watch him play, but none of them stayed for any length of time. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy, but his mother dragged him away. This boy’s reaction was repeated by several other children, but all the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. 

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped to listen for a few minutes longer than most. About 20 gave him money but they all continued to walk their normal pace. When he finished playing, no one noticed…no one applauded...no one gave him any recognition. In the end, he collected $32.

What these commuters did not realise was that the violinist playing in the station was none other than Joshua Bell, one of the best violinists in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days prior to his performance in the metro station, Bell sold out at a theater in Boston with the seats averaging about $100.00 each. 

Earlier, the Washington Post had asked Bell to take part in a social experiment about perception and the priorities of people. They wanted the event to take place in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour to establish how people assess beauty. Whether they would recognise something remarkable in an everyday setting. Whether they would stop to appreciate it. Whether they would even recognize brilliance in an unexpected context. 

The aim was to answer a simple question: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

This afternoon, we have gathered to celebrate the greatest Gift ever given. The Scriptures tell us that God loves the world and that he has demonstrated that love by sending his only Son into the world to save it from slavery to sin. It is the birth of this Son, Jesus…the one who came into the world to offer Himself as a substitute for our sin so that he might grant us redemption and everlasting hope…it is his birth that we stop to contemplate at this time. 

In the Word made flesh, we hear the sweet melody of God’s graciousness and his kindness and his mercy and his forgiveness. Here, in this fallen and broken world, from the palatial homes of the wealthy to the squalor of a shack in a slum, people everywhere have been given the opportunity to attend this most wonderful symphony of life, for free. The question is, will they stop to listen…will they perceive the immeasurable gift and stay…or will they not be able to comprehend the Creator God in this very ordinary setting, and simply move on?

It is interesting to note that many at the time of his birth did not respond appropriately either. Other than a few shepherds, the birth of the King of kings went by largely unnoticed. Who would seek a king in the feeding trough of domestic livestock?  

This afternoon, we have gathered not to celebrate the birth of a distinguished and brilliant superstar, like Bell. No, we are here to celebrate the arrival of a fragile baby…born to poor parents in an occupied country. And yet, a baby who is none other than God incarnate…the promised Messiah…the Child who invaded the world to save the world…the one who came to liberate the enslaved…to freely offer the hope of eternal salvation to you and to me…and to anyone who will receive him.

 Of all of the sounds you will hear this Christmas season, listen carefully to hear an even greater sound; the sound of the unveiling of Jesus to the world. Embrace this exquisite melody and allow it to fill every part of your life, so that, wherever you may go in this world, others may hear what you hear and see what you see.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2022

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HEILOO!

Johann and Louise: Training Disciples to Make Disciples in the Netherlands If I were asked to express what has touched me the deepest over the past year, I would say that it is the unfathomable and immeasurable grace of God.  As difficult as this transition has been, our Lord has proved to us that we are never alone. He is truly before us, behind us, above us, below us, on each side of us, and within us. We moved to Heiloo from Villiersdorp in March and, I must confess, we have spent most of our time trying to figure out how things work in the Netherlands. Like most local folks in any country, no one thinks about explaining to the newbie how to use a parking pay machine. Thankfully, everyone is so super friendly here that someone invariably steps up to help and so we move from one challenge to the next.  Christ Church, Heiloo is probably one of the most down-to-earth, loving, family-oriented, kind, accepting, outward focussed church we have ever been in. And they love the Lord and His Word! It is humbling to know that I had nothing to do with the way they are! The members have folded us into their warm family right from the start and we could not, to quote the words of Gershwin, ask for anything more.  Yes, the Netherlands is one of the most secular countries in the world…that’s true. But Christ Church has not seen that as a bad thing…they view this as an opportunity to love their colleagues, friends, and neighbours into the kingdom. No rush, no push, no shoving…just loving, inviting, accepting, and modelling the life of Jesus in their own lives.  Healthwise, Louise and I have never been better. Where I used to experience A-Fib episodes daily in Africa, I have only had a short burst since moving here. The cooler weather and the low altitude are what I needed. We have great physicians and an amazing hospital! Louise has been for a check-up at the cancer centre and will be seeing the oncologist on Thursday. As I mentioned before, we have loads of kids at Christ Church (hence our desperate need to master the Dutch language!), and Christmas is a perfect time to have them invite their friends to parties and Carol services. All ages events are holy cacophonies, but to quote Neil Diamond, it’s a beautiful noise…especially in the ears of our Father. And speaking about kids…Louise and I have an announcement. We have adopted a sweet fur baby from Portugal. It moved me deeply to see his birthdate in his passport. 01/01/2020. When the refugees we worked with in Ethiopia didn’t know their birthdate, the authorities would simply write 01/01/… Mr Pips is a Portugues Herfujiado (phonetically spelled) and he has brought us so much joy it’s ridiculous…as well as tired leg muscles, I might add, as he loves to walk.  I have not looked forward to Christmas in years…but I am now. This is like living in the last chapter in Job. May it never end!  The sequel to my book Breakfast on the Beach: The Development of Simon Peter has been published (For the Life of the World: The Multiplication of Simon Peter) and is now available from Langham Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository and other outlets. If you do happen to read it, please let me know if you were blessed by reading it.  Thank you again and again for walking with us on this journey. Without you we would not be able to serve in the Lord’s vineyard the way we do.  We pray that you have a blessed and joy-filled Christmas and may 2023 bring you only God’s very best. Love, cyber-hugs, and blessings Johann and Louise Support Us Johann and Louise spent two years helping to develop the St. Frumentius Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia. They then worked in Southern Africa, serving in seven southern African countries, while continuing to work with the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa through engaging in a disciple making movement in order to grow the body of Christ. They are now serving in Heiloo, the Netherlands. We are sent  through the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, a missionary sending community, engaging in building relationships with the worldwide church to experience the broken restored, the wounded healed, the hungry fed, and the lost found through the love and power of Jesus Christ.  Support SAMS Copyright © 2016 Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, All rights reserved. www.sams-usa.org      Our mailing address is: PO Box 399 Ambridge PA 15003 Attention to: Johann and Louise van der Bijl Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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The Only Way

Exodus 29:38-46                       John 1:29-51

The Only Way

The coastal area of Namibia is known as the “Skeleton Coast” for good reason. Many have lost their lives along this stretch of land due to the treacherous nature of the sea. The remains of many ships lie scattered along the shoreline from north to south and every story is equally grim. Those who survived the rough seas, faced a lingering death of starvation once on land as they attempted to cross the barren Namib desert in search for help. 

The sea has not changed since those days, and it still claims many lives of locals and tourists every year. Unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge of its power and its unpredictability. When we served at an Anglican Church in Swakopmund, Namibia, on Monday afternoons, Louise had a Women’s Bible Study at our home, so I would take our children and the children of other participants to the beach to play and, if the sea was calm, to swim in the freezing cold waters. 

On this particular day, the sea was extremely rough and stormy, so we all stayed on the beach playing tag and generally running around. Hanno, my eldest son, got a little too close, and a huge freak wave came roaring up the sandbank and did a pincer movement around him. I immediately ran to him and grabbed his hand thinking I would simply pull him out from what just looked like a lot of foam. But the power of the backwash was far too great and before I knew it, the current had swept us way out beyond the 3- to 4-meter-high waves. I had Hanno on my back, and I was struggling to keep us both afloat while trying to swim back to the shore. I kept getting sucked under by each successive wave. 

After about fifteen minutes, I managed to get us in front of a very big wave and, with Hanno and myself kicking furiously, it barrelled us forward into some rocks. At this stage, my strength was failing…my hands were too cold to get a good grip on the rocks…the would-be rescuers couldn’t get to us as there was this seething mass of churching water between us and where they stood on the beach…but one thing kept me going. My son was on my back. I couldn’t give up. I had to get him out. 

Black dots appeared before my eyes, and I realized time was running out…I couldn’t keep this up much longer. In a moment of sheer desperation, I grabbed Hanno by the shoulder and threw him over the water towards the group of men on the beach. Apparently, I threw him right over their heads. Amazing what adrenaline can do, no? But once I knew he was safe, I let go. I had saved my son and that was all I wanted to know. 

Now, of course I was saved too otherwise I would not be here telling you about our terrifying ordeal…but that’s a story for another time. I was later told by the National Sea Rescue Institute that we were the first in living memory to come out of such a sea alive. Exactly a week later, along the same stretch of coastline, a pair of twin girls were swept away in a similar situation and drowned. So, Hanno and I consider ourselves most fortunate.

But what I want to point out is that the one great driving force behind all my efforts in that sea was my child. It never crossed my mind that I might be putting my own life in danger to save his…my primary instinctive reaction was to save him. But by this action I demonstrated that I was willing to die for my son.

I think this is the same driving force behind our Saviour’s incarnation…his love for us is so great that he was more than willing to give his life for ours. The Scriptures tell us that he was willing to lay down his life for the sheep. John tells us in his first epistle (1 John 4:9) that “in this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him.” Jesus came to die so that we might live.

Now, according to some scholars, Jesus fulfilled three basic Biblical roles in his life and ministry. Priest, prophet, and king. As a priest, he offered himself as a once for all time sacrifice for the sin of the world. As a prophet, he made known to us the character of God and the will of God. As a king, he came to reclaim and to reign in and through his people over all the world.

We see these three roles (or offices) of Jesus in the passage we read today.

John divided the passage into three periods of time. In verses 29 and 35 and 43 he introduced the events described with the words “the next day”. In each section, he depicted Jesus as a Lamb or a shepherd to be followed, an anointed prophet or teacher to be heeded, and finally as God’s Chosen, the Messiah, the King of Israel. These three offices culminate in verses 50-51 where Jesus is portrayed as the only way or the only link between earth and heaven. 

But today, I would like us just to look at the first office…Jesus as the Lamb of God…Jesus in his priestly role.

In the Old Testament, the pure and spotless lamb represented sacrifice and penitence. Every day, two perfect lambs, one in the morning and one in the evening, would be slaughtered and sacrificed as a daily atonement for sin. In our Exodus passage we read, “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.” This offering was to be continual throughout their generations.

The daily sacrifice was required if God was to have a relationship with Israel. But we know from Scripture that it wasn’t the blood of these offerings which made atonement for sin. Even in the Old Testament we read of God not being pleased with burnt offerings, thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil (Micha 6:6-7) because these offerings were simply signs and symbols of a far greater reality.

The author of the book of Hebrews tells us “…it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Which is perfectly logical when you think about it. How can any other part of creation pay the penalty for human sin? Humans alone are created in the image of God. Humans alone have sinned and have subjected the rest of crartion to frustration. Consequently, humans alone are responsible for their sin.

Yet humans are also trapped in their sin. Paul quoted from Psalm 14 in his letter to the Roman Church. “There is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” Could you make it any clearer than that?

Can we save ourselves? Not in a million years. We are born in sin and as such we are ensnared and entombed in sin.

We need a rescuer…a deliverer…a saviour, but if that saviour is to deal with human sin he would have to be human to begin with and he would also have to be free from sin himself as well. Nothing and no one else could deal with this dilemma. 

We cannot for obvious reasons. Every human has their own sin to deal with. Of course, God could, but he may not without violating his own law and thus being himself guilty of injustice. So…what to do…?

Well, what if God were to take on the form of a human…? 

This is what theologians call substitutionary atonement…but not like an animal taking the place of a human as that just can’t work as we have already seen. No, this would be a sinless human taking the place of sinful humans. As the author of the book of Hebrews (10:11-14) said, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But (and here it comes) when THIS PRIEST ( in other words Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice (of himself) he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” 

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In Matthew 1:21, the angel Gabriel revealed to Joseph the name by which he was to call the child whom Mary was carrying and by doing so, he revealed this child’s purpose. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” The name “Jesus” means “God saves” or “God delivers”. Jesus came to deliver his people from their slavery to sin by becoming a willing and fitting substitute. 

We find a beautiful picture of what this substitution looks like in Genesis 22 where God tested Abraham by demanding the sacrifice of his one and only son, Isaac. Abraham, in spite of all the promises concerning a great nation that was to come forth from his loins, obeyed the command believing that somehow God would still do all he had promised, even if that meant raising Isaac back up from the dead. (I hope that you are catching all these amazing similarities between this event and Jesus.) 

But an angel of the Lord stopped Abraham just before he was about to plunge the knife into his son and directed him to a ram caught in a thicket close by. This ram became a substitute for Isaac. The angel of the Lord then repeated the promise that through Abraham’s seed all the nations of the world would be blessed…a reference the New Testament authors picked up on and applied to Jesus. As Abraham demonstrated his love for God by not withholding his only son, so God too demonstrated his love for humanity by not withholding his only son…only Jesus was at once both the son and the substitute ram.

Then we also have the image of the Passover Lamb that died as a substitute instead of the firstborn of Israel in Egypt. The blood of this lamb was daubed on the lintels of the doors of the homes of the Israelites with a sprig of hyssop and the angel of death passed over those houses which were so marked with the blood of the lamb. And inside, the family feasted on the flesh of the lamb…the blood of the lamb and the flesh of the lamb…more images that should ring a few bells.

John pointed to Jesus and informed his disciples that that man walking by was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. So many Old Testament images coming together in one short statement. His blood marks and cleanses his people and they feed on him by faith. 

It is no coincidence that Jesus was crucified at the very same time as the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple. It is also interesting to note that when Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, the word used to describe Jesus’ death is “exodon”…as such the crucifixion was a new Exodus…the Lamb of God would be sacrificed and his blood would cause the angel of death to pass over all those who came under his protection.

Now, I believe the substitutionary death of Jesus has a two-fold emphasis. The fancy theological terms are expiation and propitiation. Some scholars believe that the two terms are diametrically opposed to each other and are, as such, mutually exclusive…but I beg to differ. I think that they complement each other.

Expiation has to do with cleansing…the washing away of sin. John said that Jesus is the Lamb of God that “takes away the sin of the world”. There are a number of Scriptural references to the removal of sins through washing. For instance Paul said that we were washed, we were sanctified, we were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11) 

However, the Scriptures also speak about averting the wrath of God as a just judgement on sin through sacrifice. In John 3:36 we read that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son does not…instead, the wrath of God remains on him. There is a righteous and justifiable anger of God against sinners. It is the kind of anger you might feel when someone stronger uses, abuses, or injures someone weaker. But in 1 John 4:10 we read: “This is love…not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation or atoning sacrifice for our sin”. Here John shows us that the wrath of God is cancelled by the love of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus took upon himself the penalty for sin placed on humans after the Fall. Or as Isaiah said in chapter 53 of his book, “He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.” And later in the same chapter, “He bore the sins of many and made intercession (or stood in the gap for) transgressors/sinners.” Propitiation – appeasing the righteous anger of God.

In Africa, as in other arid parts of the world, during the summers, bush fires can be quite frequent. The early settlers in these countries learned that if they made a smaller fire behind them and then moved onto the already burned areas with their livestock, the approaching larger fire would only come as far as the burnt section and then die down, because there was nothing more to burn. This is a good image of propitiation. Fire cannot burn twice in the same place. What’s burnt is burnt.

If we are to escape the approaching fire, then we need to move on to the land that has already been burned. We need to be in the Lamb of God…we need to be under his shed blood…then the fire cannot touch us. 

Therefore, the Lamb of God issues the call: Follow me! It is only those who follow Jesus…who accept his substitutionary sacrifice…who come under his protection…it is only those who are spiritually marked by the blood of Jesus that can be delivered from slavery to sin. Only they will be free from the righteous anger of God against sin…only they will be be able to stand on already burnt ground…the burning anger of God has moved over that land and if we have followed, we are safe. 

As John said about Jesus in the book of Revelation, “…you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Behold the Lamb of God…the Lamb who was willing to voluntarily give his life in the place of ours so that we might live together with him for all eternity. I had a very tiny little glimpse of this in may attempt to rescue my son from that raging sea…but by God’s grace, we both were saved in more ways than one.

Unlike Isaac, Jesus was not rescued…even though he could have called on ten legions of angels to rescue him…he did not. He drank the cup of God’s righteous anger until it was completely drained. He died the death we deserve. 

But praise God, the story did not end there! On the third day, Jesus was raised from the dead…the first to be resurrected and to stay resurrected…and in his resurrection, God raised us up together with Jesus (as by a staircase, if you will) and seated us in heavenly places with him. 

It is no longer necessary to sacrifice a lamb in the mornings and in the evenings. It is no longer necessary to daub the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of our homes. Jesus has once for all entered into the most holy place in heaven with his own blood…and he has obtained for us an eternal redemption. He is the mediator of the New Covenant…he is the only connection between heaven and earth…the stairway, if you will…he is the only way to God.  

As we enter the season in which we celebrate the coming of the Lamb, born to take away the sins of the world, let us meditate on the greatness of the Gift of Christmas. In the midst of the merriment and the bows and the tinsel and the lights and the fun, may we be filled to overflowing with the wonder of his love demonstrated so clearly in his life, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2022

Knowing Your Identity

Isaiah 40:1-5                    John 1: 19-28

Knowing your Identity

A college student was looking for a small two-hour course to fill out his schedule. The only one that would fit was a course in Wildlife Zoology. However, he had some reservations about taking this course as he had heard that it was tough, and that the professor was rather strict. But, as it seemed to be the only choice open to him, he signed up for it.

After only one week, the professor presented the students with a surprise quiz. The test was one sheet of paper divided into squares and in each square was a picture of a bird’s legs. The test simply asked them to identify the bird from the picture of its legs.

Well, the student was floored. He didn’t have a clue. He sat and stared at the sheet of paper and as he did, he got more and more angry. Finally, he jumped up from his desk, stomped up to the front of the classroom, and threw the test on the professor’s desk exclaiming, “This is the worst test I have ever seen, and this is the dumbest course I have ever taken!”

The professor calmly looked up at him and said, “Young man, you have just failed the test.” Then he picked up the paper and saw that his young student had not written his name on the test.  Dryly he said, “Your name, young man?” At this, the student bent over, pulled up his trouser legs and said, “You identify me!”

Identity is an important part of life as it reveals who we are as individuals…and knowing who we are helps us find our purpose in life…it helps us understand why we do what we do. Yet so many throughout time have had no idea of who they were and consequently were doomed to live out their lives in the wake and shadow of those around them, never finding their own voice and never singing their own song, proverbially speaking. 

This is true of modern society as well. The cause of this loss of identity is known by many different names…peer pressure, fashion, conformity, compliance, tradition, and so on, but ultimately a lack of identity means that we live out the dreams and aspirations and talents and faculties of others. We allow the values and standards of others to shape and mould us, allowing their ideals to smother our ideals and never allowing ourselves to grow and develop into the people God designed us to be. 

And so, all too often at some later stage in life, like during midlife or even later, we experience what some call an identity crisis…a time when we wonder why we did what we did all our lives…a time when we experience real grief as we suddenly realise that we have not fulfilled any of our own desires and dreams. It is a moment when we realise that we don’t know who we really are…we don’t know and may never have known what our real purpose is in life…and we don’t know why we should even continue to do what we are doing. 

And sadly, believers are not exempt. The people of God often find themselves in an identity crisis as we seek to hold on to our identity in Christ with the relentless demand for us to conform to the ways of the world. Tragically, we may even buckle under the strain and begin to live lives that do not reflect the identity of the one we claim to follow.

John the Baptist, it seems, did not have this problem. In the Gospel passage for today, we saw that when questioned by the authorities from Jerusalem, the Baptist’s replies were clear and concise. He knew exactly who he was…he knew exactly what he was meant to do and why.

We are told that the ministry of John the Baptist had become quite popular.  Mark said that the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. This is hardly surprising. Messiah fever was quite common in those days…many people yearned to be free of the oppressive Roman yoke…and the fact that John, the son of a respectable priestly family, was baptising at Bethany beyond the Jordan, an area loaded with political significance as it was here where Joshua camped with the Israelites prior to crossing over the Jordan into the Promised Land, may have been the reason the crowds flocked to be baptised. They understood that what the Baptist was doing was getting them ready for something big…and they wanted to be ready.

Now, I think it is possible that the interrogators from Jerusalem understood this. The priests and Levites no doubt knew John and his family well. So, the question “who are you?” was not a simple “getting to know you” exercise. This delegation wanted to know if the Baptist was who some of the people thought he may have been…because if he was, this might mean trouble. 

Some folks really do prefer the status quo…they don’t like rocking the boat because this might make things uncomfortable. The Jerusalem authorities didn’t like their Roman overlords any more than anyone else, but they didn’t want anything to disrupt their daily way of life. At least the Romans allowed them to continue with their traditions and their rituals. We see this fear of disruption expressed clearly in a statement made by Jesus’ opponents in John 11:48. A member of the Sanhedrin said, “If we let him (Jesus) go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then (and here come the fear) the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” Never mind the truth. Just don’t make things difficult for us. 

It might very well have been this same fear that caused the authorities in Jerusalem to send a delegation of priests and Levites to question the Baptist. If this was the case, then “who was John the Baptist”, was quite a serious and weighty question. 

The language of verse 20 is interesting…it is quite blunt and emphatic. “He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Christ.’” Note the double positive coupled with a negative. John had absolutely no delusions of grandeur. He had no false ideas about himself. He knew exactly who he was and therefore he also knew who he was not. He knew his purpose in life and consequently he did what he did intentionally…deliberately. Unlike some false messiahs before him, he had no political aspirations outside the reality of his own identity. To put it plainly, John wanted to be nobody but himself.

But it seems his reply still did not dispel the fears of the Jerusalem delegation. The second question did not so much deal with who John was, but rather what exactly was the purpose of his ministry? If he was not the Christ, well then why was he doing what he was doing? If not to lead a rebellion to deliver Israel from Roman occupation…if not to re-establish the kingdom of Israel…then what? What did he seek to accomplish?

Now, there were three loaded questions asked here. “Are you Elijah?” to which the Baptist simply answered, “I am not.” Then the question, “Are you the Prophet?” Here John didn’t waste much time in his reply…he bluntly said, “No.”

The Baptist didn’t appear to be in a talkative mood and the Jerusalem delegation seemed to have run out of any further specific suggestions. 

So, notice how they framed the next question. “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” Do you see how they combined his person with his purpose? They knew that a normal person cannot consistently act out of character. A person is what they believe themselves to be. You cannot live contrary to your convictions. It confuses the whole of life if you attempt to live contrary to your principles. Attempting to live a life that is not yours in order to “fit in” or to please others can only lead to personality problems.

So, by quoting from Isaiah 40:3 in his response, John revealed his purpose, and in his purpose, he revealed his person. He said, “I am a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’.”

Now you need to understand a few things about all these questions. The popular belief at the time was that Elijah (whom you may remember did not die but was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot) would quite literally return. If you’ve ever attended a Seder meal you may have noticed one extra chair and an extra place setting at the table. While this practice is symbolic, it does signify the belief that Elijah is meant to return to announce the coming of the Messiah. 

But John knew that while his ministry was certainly like that of Elijah, he was not the returned or resurrected or even reincarnated Elijah. Remember what the angel said to Zacharias, John’s father? John would go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah. So, in his denial, the Baptist was correcting their incorrect understanding, not denying his place in the fulfilment of the prophetic word.

The second question was about him being “the Prophet”. Now, I believe the use of the definite article must not be overlooked here. This is not just any prophet. This is the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. Moses said to the people, “The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him shall you hear.” True, there was some debate about the identity of this prophet. Was he the Messiah or was he the forerunner of the Messiah? 

But seeing that the Baptist had already denied being the Messiah, it seems that the priests and Levites either did not equate the Prophet with the Messiah or that they were simply asking the same question another way. As we have seen, John simply said no.

The final question, I think, was one born out of desperation. What do you say about yourself? And here John quoted the well known passage from Isaiah 40.

The implication of his answer seems clear. John believed himself to be the herald of the Messiah. In the Ancient Near East, when a king was to visit a certain area, heralds would ride out before him and prepare a safe roadway for the royal entourage. They would also announce far and wide that the king was coming and that the people needed to be ready to receive him properly. This is the imagery behind this prophetic statement of Isaiah.

So, to sum up, in his responses, John flatly denied that he was the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. He knew that he was a simple servant preparing the roadway for his king. 

But this raised the issue of authority. If he was no one special, who gave him the right to do what he was doing?

In order to understand the objection, we need to understand what baptism would have meant to the Jews of the first Century. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the word “bapto” or “baptizo” was sometimes used to refer to the ceremonial washings of the Jewish people. As such, baptism was seen to be a rite of cleansing or of consecration.

In Exodus 19, three days prior to God’s appearance on Mount Sinai, Moses received the following instruction from God: “Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” This type of “baptism” was composed of two parts. A washing of their clothing coupled together with a rite of sprinkling living or running water, usually mixed with the blood of a bird, onto the people with a branch of hyssop.  As such it is a graphic image of cleansing and of consecration as hyssop was used as a purgative.

Hyssop was also used to daub the blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of the Israelite homes in Egypt prior to their deliverance from slavery…so there’s a lot of symbolism here…

I believe, this practice serves as the backdrop for John’s baptism. Remember, John was a priest, and therefore would have prepared the people accordingly…using the living or running water of the Jordan river.  The Lord was coming, and they needed to be ready…they needed to be clean and consecrated…the people understood this and therefore they confessed their sins and were baptised. 

But the burning question was why. Why was he doing this? 

Well, what was his purpose? Who was he? 

In his replies, John the Baptist made it clear that he was simply an obedient servant whose purpose was to serve his Lord by preparing the way for him…by preparing the people to meet him at his coming. 

As I said before, John was a herald…a messenger…an ambassador…nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

It seems strange to me that this delegation had such difficulty in completing their mission. John’s identity was plain for all to see. There was no incongruence in John. He knew exactly who he was and he acted in accordance with that knowledge. His actions revealed his person and his single purpose. To do what he was called to do. That was his identity. That was his purpose. That was his practice.

Now, we, dearest beloved brethren, have an identity too. We are no longer in Adam…we are no longer under the curse…through Jesus we are forgiven, and we are now in Jesus. And more…the fullness of the Godhead now lives in every single believer. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, we are adopted by God as his sons and daughters. We are united to Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we are now citizens of heaven. Paul tells us that we are raised with Jesus and seated with him in heavenly places and that we are new creations in him. Last week we saw that all who accept Jesus are given the right to become children of God, co-heirs with Jesus and heirs of the kingdom. 

These are all present spiritual realities…this is no pie-in-the-sky-when-we-die-by-and-by promise. We are children of God in Jesus. We have been raised with Jesus. We are seated in heavenly places with Jesus. We are new creations in Jesus. 

This is our identity. We are in him. 

But because we are who we are…because we are new creations, we have a new purpose. Because we have this new identity…and since we have been raised with Jesus, we ought to set our mind on things above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Why? Because as children of God we ought to display the family likeness…we need to discard our old worldly characteristics and clothe ourselves with his character…like him we must be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, caring, merciful, and loving. 

This is what we are and what we ought to strive to be…because of our new reality…because we are in Jesus, we ought also to do what Jesus did. As the Father sent Jesus into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world as ambassadors of the new reality…as spreaders of the good news…as lights dispelling the darkness…as agents of the renewed creation. We are God’s vice-regents in the world…just like Adam and Eve before the Fall we too have been given the responsibility to care for all creation. 

It is extremely important to know that we know that we know this! When we are flooded with questions about our identity, we need to answer as clearly as did John the Baptist. This is who I am and therefore this is what I do. No questions. No doubts. No compromise.  I am in Jesus and because I am in Jesus old things have passed away…all things have been renewed…I am a new creation…signed, sealed, delivered…I am his and he is mine. Period. 

Thankfully, while the world will seek to identify us by what is observable and measurable…our station in life, our wealth, our position in society, our possessions, our intellect, our outward appearance…while the accuser of the brethren will come with his lies and deceit to make us believe that somehow we just don’t measure up…thankfully, our Lord doesn’t look at our exterior…our Lord doesn’t need to identify us by our legs or our stature or our pedigree or anything external in order to identify us. No, our Lord looks at our heart…hearts renewed and reborn because of Jesus. 

So do not live your life in the shadow of the past (or any other shadow, for that matter), dearest beloved brethren…live in the reality of who you are in the one who came to give his life so that we might live in freedom.

Then you will pass any test that comes your way.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2022