The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. [John 10:10-12 (ESV)]
In a cartoon drawn by Paul Noth, an enormous political billboard overlooks a pasture inhabited by a flock of sheep. Looking up at the picture of a grinning wolf in coat and tie saying, “I am going to eat you!” one sheep tells another, “He tells it like it is.” Would that all politicians were so forthright!
While the cartoon was political commentary by Noth, the sheep and wolf reminded me of Scripture’s many analogies likening us to sheep and Satan to a predator like a wolf. Unlike that wolf, however, Satan would never be so honest as to openly announce his intention to devour us. Like many politicians, he distorts, deceives, and betrays us for his own purposes.
In Matthew 4:7-10, we read of Jesus being led into the wilderness to be humbled and tested. For forty days Jesus fasted and, during that time, Satan visited Him. Like a politician who, knowing the people’s hunger, promises a chicken in every pot, the tempter reminded Jesus that, as the Son of God, He could turn the stones under his feet into bread with just a word. Satan was tempting the hungry man to act independently of God and use His own power to ease His hunger. Jesus, however, responded by citing Deuteronomy 8 and telling Satan that God let Israel hunger so they would know that man doesn’t live by bread alone “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Satan then took Jesus to the highest point of the Temple where, like a true politician, he offered only a half-truth. Omitting a few words and misapplying God’s promise, he quoted from Psalm 91 that the angels “will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone,” and dared Jesus to jump. The Lord again responded with words from Deuteronomy that, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” [6:6] God is to be trusted rather than tested!
Finally, Satan took Jesus to a mountain peak and promised to give Him all the nations of the world if Jesus would kneel and worship the evil one. Like many a politician, Satan was promising something that wasn’t his to give—God the Father already had promised Jesus the kingdoms of the world! Countering Satan’s offer to take a shortcut and sidestep the cross, Jesus quoted the words from Deuteronomy prohibiting idolatry.
Satan tested Jesus by offering Him ways to take the easy way by misusing His power but, every time he did, Jesus refuted the tempter’s deceitful words with Scripture. There is power in the word of God that even Satan cannot deny.
Unlike the sheep in Noth’s cartoon, our shepherd has not left His flock defenseless; He’s given us the sword of God’s Word. Perhaps, it’s time to sharpen up our blades with some Bible reading so that, when we’re tempted, we too can say “It is written…!” It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.” Those words apply to the citizens of God’s kingdom, as well; when we know the truth, the enemy can’t bamboozle us with his lies.
“How was work today?” asked the wife in the Born Loser comic strip (drawn by Chip Sansom). Her husband answered, “Horrendous!” adding, “It feels so good that it’s over, I’m almost glad it happened!” Having had times when my prayer was simply, “Lord, just get me through this!” I understand. Sometimes, life seems so challenging and exhausting that we’re willing to settle for merely getting through it. That, dear friend, is setting the bar far too low. God has better plans for us than just getting by and none of us are born losers.
Most of us breeze through (or skip altogether) the Bible’s genealogies. Nevertheless, when genealogy and all those “begats” seem so important in Scripture, what explanation is there for the difference between the genealogies of Jesus found in Luke and Matthew? Because Jews were meticulous about recording genealogies, it’s inconceivable to have two conflicting yet correct lists of Jesus’ lineage.
After feeding a multitude with little more than a handful of food, Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. He stayed behind to send the people home and then, exhausted, went into the mountains to pray. During the fourth watch (somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 AM), Jesus looked out at the water and saw that the disciples were struggling against the wind and waves to keep the boat on course. Seeing their distress, he walked on the water toward them. Seeing Him walking on water, they thought Him a ghost and cried out in terror. Phantoms of the night were said to bring disaster and it was thought that the last thing a boatman saw before drowning in Galilee was a ghost on the water! It’s no wonder they were frightened at first.
Whenever I asked about her boys, my sister would give a vague answer like, “They’re fine…just doing their own thing” It was several years before I learned “their own thing” meant they were breaking her mama’s heart with their mental illness, addictions, and run-ins with the law. Because she kept her pain concealed, she carried the weight of that burden alone for many years.
The celebration of the Lord’s Supper/Holy Communion/the Eucharist has been central to Christian worship since the early church. While Protestants think of the Eucharist as the sacrament commemorating the Last Supper with bread and wine, for Roman Catholics and some Orthodox, “Eucharist” specifically refers to the consecrated elements, especially the bread. How ever you define it, the word “eucharist” originally had nothing to do with this beautiful sacrament.
Devotions of the Heart 