Son of Man

Breaking All The Rules

Matt Otto D-Groups , , , , , , ,

Are you a rule follower, or do you consider the rules made to be broken?

My brother has three wonderful children – a son, flanked by two daughters. They are gifted, creative, winsome, and love Jesus. Also, all three of them enjoy playing card games, board games, as well as the occasional video game. Out of the three, however, my nephew is the most difficult to play with, especially when he was younger. He consistently had an advantage, especially if the game was new or entirely unfamiliar. Why, you might ask? Well, though he would explain the game before starting, he would, without fail, change or add rules that would give him an advantage. These rule changes guaranteed that the game’s outcome would inevitably favor his hand, his game pieces, or his point total. They would ultimately aid him in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Whether it was Uno, Monopoly, or Mario Smash Brothers, rest assured, I would be taken to the cleaners.

Luke introduced the Pharisees into his narrative for the first time when the Son of Man healed a paralytic man of his ailment and forgave him of his sin (Lk 5:17-26). After these “extraordinary things” (v. 26), this group became an integral fixture in Jesus’ life. According to historians and theologians, the Pharisees were a small group of perhaps 7000 that was devoted to Scripture and obedience to the Law. They identified with the judgment that Israel had endured as consequences of its rebellion and idolatry resulting in the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile in 586 BC. Consequently, the Pharisees were fundamentalists, sticklers for the details, and contending with many other Jewish groups that were liberals, politicians, revolutionaries, or ascetics. They were not only the observers of the rules, but their enforcers and, often, their creators. As a matter of fact, rather than the two commands Jesus stressed (Mk 12:30-31), the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws – a set of rules that had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness that cared more about external appearances than a change of the heart.

Jesus flips their entire religious system on its head! As Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors (Lk 5:27-32), the Pharisees are appalled that this rabbi would break bread with such cheats and lowlifes. Furthermore, as Jesus’ disciples enjoy eating and drinking (Lk 5:33-39), the Pharisees are confused that they are showing little solemnity and piety.  Finally, as Jesus is active on the Sabbath (Lk 6:1-11), the Pharisees are infuriated that He would have the audacity to break this holy day. How could Jesus not understand and obey the rules – their rules? Ah, and isn’t that where the problem lies? We so easily forget that when it comes to seeking, saving, and sanctifying sinners, God makes, demonstrates, and enforces the rules.

The Son of Man is the Physician who gives life to the sick. He is the Bridegroom who brings joy to His followers. And, He is the Lord of the Sabbath who gives rest to the weary. The rules of Jesus are not burdensome as are the rules of men (Matt 11:28-30). They are truly good news, since they are offered to the unworthy and undeserving. They are comforting, for their demands are met by their Provider.

Do you see yourself always on the right side of the rules? Are they your rules or are they Jesus’ rules? If they are your rules they will leave you sin-sick, joyless, and restless. Furthermore, you will project your rules upon others, leaving them miserable and empty. However, if the rules are Jesus’ rules, anchored in His Word, they will bring glory to your Heavenly Father and good news to your neighbor, because they give life, and joy, and rest. And, by the way, His rules never change. They will always be gifts of grace… You could say they aren’t rules at all!

Matthew 9:10-13 (ESV) – “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

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The Prelude to the Gospel of Luke

Matt Otto D-Groups , , ,

Are you familiar with these opening lines from five classic literary works?

“Call me Ishmael.”[1]

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”[2]

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”[3]

“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.”[4]

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”[5]

Recently, I have begun to re-read many of the classics I was required to read for my high school English classes. I must admit it is much more enjoyable now than it was then, during my mid-to-late teens. Further, I must admit that some of the literary works like The Ilead, Beowulf, and Great Expectations demanded some additional help to understand their challenging poetry or underlying plot themes. So, I turned to what many students did – I purchased a small yellow and black booklet to help get a better understanding of what I was reading. Yes, you guessed it, I purchased a copy of Cliffs Notes for every book in question.

Now, I am not advocating purchasing Cliffs Notes for the Gospel of Luke – I am not even sure they are available or how helpful they would be, but I am suggesting you take a few minutes to read and ponder the first four verses of his account of Jesus’ life to identify the purpose and motivation for its writing. Similar to the memorable opening lines or paragraphs in classics, the first few verses of Luke’s gospel are familiar, captivating, and revealing.

In the case of the beloved physician and travel companion of Paul, Luke didn’t launch into his Jesus-account haphazardly or casually. On the contrary. Being a fellow worker of the Apostle Paul (Philemon 24), Luke accompanied the missionary and church planter on several of his travels and surely gleaned much from his efforts and passion for the Gospel. In turn, these shared experiences surely influenced his account of Jesus’ life and ministry. Through carefully recorded eyewitness reports, Luke wrote an orderly account so his readers might “know the certainty of the things [they] had been taught” (Lk:1:4) and furthermore, have their faith make a difference in the world and for the one to come.

Finally, Luke 19:10 provides us with the central theme of the Lukan account, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” It is a gospel account that shows Jesus came for sinners – specifically, humans who are broken, troubled, wayward, weak, and helpless. To use Luke’s word, “lost”. Again, Jesus says, “I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness]” (Luke 5:32, Amplified).

Jesus, makes all the difference! He becomes one of us, the Son of Man. He comes (Lk 1-4), He seeks (Lk 4-23), and He saves (Lk 23-24). Luke proclaims that Jesus invites sinners to His table and His invitation is for everybody. It is for you, for me, and for all those lost and longing. Have you accepted the invitation? Will you bring someone with you? That is the challenge that Luke lays before us.

Luke 1:1-4 (ESV) – “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

[1] Moby-Dick, Herman Melville, 1851

[2] Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin, 1813

[3] A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, 1859

[4] The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway, 1952

[5] The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1932

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The Incomprehensibly Wise King

Matt Otto D-Groups , , , ,

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

It is a familiar idiom that encourages us to persevere in the face of failure. Often it reminds us that failure is not the end, and that we should not give up on our goals or aspirations, but rather to keep trying until we succeed. Yet, are there ever circumstances that prohibit success and make failure inevitable? Certainly! The truth is that there are certain things that we are incapable of doing. In particular, physically and intellectually we all have limitations that no repeated “trying” will overcome. This is even more profoundly true when it comes to our spiritual condition. We find ourselves walking in gloom and in deep darkness (Is 9:1-2; see also Is 59:9) deserving only of God’s judgment. Even more disturbing is that we cannot improve or remedy our condition no matter how hard we try. Is there any place we can turn to escape seemingly certain failure?

Yes! The answer is found in Isaiah 9. Here the prophet reminds us that our rescue comes from the God of the angel armies. It is His intense love, unstoppable devotion, and relentless commitment that ultimately accomplishes His redemptive purpose: “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7).

How is this possible? How does this extraordinary God engage with ordinary humans like you and me? In the well known and deeply loved Christmas carol, “What Child Is This?”, the writer, W. Chatterton Dix, beautifully answers this mystery by posing a rhetorical question of his own:

What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?

God enters our world as “King eternal” (the Son of God) and as “King birthed” (the Son of Man). He is worshiped by the armies of angels and adored by insignificant herdsmen. He is both extraordinary and ordinary; both completely unlike us and yet just like us. “In Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9). What an incomprehensibly wise King! He is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses … tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). In his sermon entitled “Vision of a Transcendent God”, Dr. D.A. Carson asks,

How do you describe a God who is purer than the driven snow, who is more magnificent than the most stunning sunset, who is more entrancing than a million twinkling stars, who is more nourishing than the best of foods, who is more loving than the ideal parent, who is more awesome than all of the unleashed forces of nature? How do you describe a God like that?

This is the amazing context of the familiar names that describe the character of King Jesus found in Isaiah 9:6. What we are unable and incapable of doing, Jesus does, beginning as our Wonderful Counselor – the incomprehensibly wise King. He is worth trusting, obeying, and confiding in.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 (ESV) – “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

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