Andrew Mark, a 27 year old husband and father, died of cancer one year ago. The message my Pastor, his brother-in-law, delivered has been listened to over 100,000 times. I can't recommend it strongly enough. It’s not a mystery to most people who know me well that the most endearing, intimate passage in the bible for me is the one most commonly subtitled, “Jesus and the Sinful Woman” in Luke 7:36-50. For those less familiar with this remarkable passage, I’ll include it here:
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." 40And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."
41"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" 50And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
By most accounts, scholars and tradition agree that the occupation that earned for this “sinful woman” such a title, and such disdain towards her audacity to even appear at this event, is that of a prostitute.
Several things struck me upon my initial reading of this passage over 3 years ago, but one has remained in a powerful way: in the face of the judgment and scorn that enveloped the hearts of the religious professionals and good citizens of Israel, Jesus was the only one to defend this woman! He didn’t demand an explanation as to why she ever “chose” to be in the life; He didn’t demand that she pay Him back for all the ways she offended a holy and just God.
And interestingly, He was the only one qualified to do so in the first place! By the mere fact that He not only read the thoughts of Simon, but offered this woman forgiveness of the sins which earned her the reputation that the others in the room were only too pleased and eager to remind her and each other of, He points her, them and us to His Deity. Those who were privy to His grace-saturated words to her, knew precisely what He was saying about Himself! The only one truly qualified to sit in a place of judgment of her, responded in a way that ought to shock us as it did those who were blessed enough to be in His company!
He stood up for her! When they accused her of having no right to love and serve Him, He praised her acts of devotion! He loved her! He forgave her! He wasn’t obligated to do so, and she wasn’t deserving of His free offer to redeem and rescue her. His response was nothing short of amazing grace. The debtors in His parable were utterly unable to repay debts they owed to their moneylender; just as she was utterly unable to repay her holy God for the sins that stained her soul. If He was willing to absorb her debt, intimately knowing what incredible cost it would be to Himself on the cross, who are we – mutually sin-stained sinners – to respond with any less grace, love, mercy and forgiveness?! Who are we – those of us who profess to know our God in a saving way - to refuse our call to be His instruments of such amazing grace?
My challenge for my readers is to seek out those sinful men and women; the ones whose tarnished reputation precedes them as they enter the doors of our homes and churches, and be conscious that we all possess the same sinful tendency that Simon submitted to; to question the right of these “sinners” to be in our homes, to be in our churches, to serve in ministry, to share in our profession of faith in Christ; that very real tendency to look at these broken men and women through lenses of skepticism and cynicism; to demand answers; to demand repayment; to demand explanations that they cannot even provide as the wounds caused by sin – self-inflicted or otherwise – heal.
How does the gospel rescue us from this sinful tendency which lingers within the crevices of every one of our hearts?
True rescue is only possible when we allow the gospel to convince us that God aims to level us all; to open our eyes to the terrible but honest reality that we all owe unpayable debts to our Holy God, and subsequently, that we’re all in desperate need of His deep mercy, grace and forgiveness. Only by submitting to the truth that left to ourselves, apart from the restraining grace of God, we’re all tragically capable of sinning in the same depraved, debased manners as those we too eagerly look down our noses upon.
An unobligated God has condescended to chase down rebellious, bratty, self-willed, self-centered sinners through the Person of Jesus, to offer us a love, mercy and forgiveness that we do not deserve. At all.
May we all seek to drink in that over-the-top, outrageous grace even more deeply, and be compelled to respond as Jesus did – and still does - to those countless broken and damaged souls that surround us each day.
Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.
“The unplanned, inefficient detours of our lives are planned by God. They are common for disciples, and they commonly don’t make sense in the moment. But God’s ways are not our ways because our lives are about him, not about us. He is orchestrating far more than we know in every unexpected event and delay.
So when you find yourself suddenly moving in a direction you had not planned, take heart, hold tight, and trust God’s navigation.”
That’s the conclusion to a recently published article over at DG’s blog.
I want to properly elaborate on this, but December, being what it is for a mom, friend, wife, teacher, mentor, counselor, is set to utterly undo me. I just know it. So for now, I’ll post a simple list of quick thoughts – which, is only appropriate I suppose, since list-making would be the defining activity of my life right now, it seems :
“I would kneel down in front of them at eye level and say, ‘Please look at Daddy’s face. Do you know how much I love you? Do you know that your Daddy is not a mean, bad man? Do you know that I would never ask you to do anything that would hurt you or make you sick? I am sorry that you can’t understand why Daddy is asking you to do this. I wish I could explain it to you, but you are too young to understand. So I am going to ask you to do something – trust Daddy. When you walk down the hallway to do what Daddy has asked you to do, say to yourself, ‘My Daddy loves me. My Daddy would never ask me to do something bad. I am going to trust my Daddy and stop trying to be the Daddy of my Daddy.’”
He goes on to add,
“God does the same thing with you, over and over again. He meets you in one of the difficult hallways of your life, kneels down before you in condescending love, and asks you to trust his loving and wise rule, even though you don’t have a clue what he is doing. He knows there are many times when your life doesn’t look like there is anyone ruling it, let alone someone wise and good. He knows there will be times when you will wish you could write your own story. He knows that at times you will be overwhelmed by what is on your plate. He knows that his plan will confuse and confound you. And he knows that real rest cannot be found in understanding [knowing all the details]. Real rest is found in trust. So he is willing to have the conversation with you again and again, and he has made sure that his Word assures you of his rule again and again.”
And, that’s where I’ll stop.
I don't have much time available to elaborate, but this song has been in my head since I heard it at a concert last Saturday, led by our worship director, David Ward. Typically, having a song –any song- playing itself over and over and over again, isn’t a pleasant experience; but, I can’t seem to get enough of this one and I’m furthermore compelled to do what I can to get it lodged into your head too. You’re welcome! No, really. You’ll thank me ;)
We are blessed each week, by David’s wisdom, passion and godly leadership. For more on his ministry, visit his website at Reformed Praise.
In his own words, this is what he writes about the song (an adaption of two older older hymns, see below for more information) :
"This is a song about the exceeding beauty of Jesus. Though we cannot see Jesus, we know Him to be beautiful both by our knowledge of His character and works in Scripture, and by our experiential knowledge of Him. As we say today, He is a "beautiful person." Why is He beautiful? Stennett reminds us in this hymn text that Jesus' beauty was most clearly demonstrated to us at the cross. By referring to His brow Stennett juxtaposes both the images of a majestic coronation and the picture of the crown of thorns being placed upon Jesus' head in jest. While on the cross Jesus' lips overflowed with grace as He prayed for the very ones who crucified Him. Jesus demonstrated grace and love far beyond anything we can know or experience "among the sons of me." And Philippians 2 shows us that Jesus' humiliation and suffering serve to further glorify His great beauty:
"although [Jesus] existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name."
As the last verse encourages us, let us not only enjoy "regarding the wonders of His grace" but tell others of His beauty that they might love Him and join our songs of praise."
You can click HERE to listen to the song, or follow THIS LINK to Reformed Praise’s website to listen there.
I’m including the lyrics below as well.
Majestic sweetness sits enthroned
Upon the Savior’s brow;
His head with radiant glories crowned,
His lips with grace o’erflow.
Behold the beauties of His face
And on His glories dwell;
Regard the wonders of His grace
And all His triumphs tell.
He saw me plunged in deep distress
And flew to my relief;
For me He bore the shameful cross
And carried all my grief.
To Him I owe my life and breath
And all the joys I have;
He makes me triumph over death
And saves me from the grave.
No mortal can with Him compare
Among the sons of men;
So fairer He than all the fair
Who fill the heav’nly train.
Oh may this sweet and joyful theme
Fill ev’ry heart and tongue
Till strangers love His precious name
And join our sacred song.
Upon His awful brow;
Survey the beauties of His face
Think of the wonders of His grace
Fairer is He than all the fair
Oh may the sweet, the blissful theme
Till strangers love Thy charming name
And join the sacred song.
The lyrics were adapted by David Ward. Verses 1-3a are based on Samuel Stennett’s original hymn “To Christ the Lord Let Every Tongue” while verse 3b is from Anne Steele’s “To Our Redeemer’s Glorious Name.” Caffy Whitney adapted the melody from a song by Connie Dover titled “I Am Going to the West.” Connie has graciously given us permission to use her beautiful melody. The harmonization is by David Ward.
*** For those interested in whether or not we'll ever finish our study in 1 John, over at 'Everyday Theology', we will. It just so happens that every responsibility that could possibly have demanded my time, energy and attention, converged simultaneously over the last three months. We have a total of TWO lessons left, both of which are essential in pulling the letter written by John together into one remarkable conclusion. Your patience has exceeded what I deserve, and I can't wait to get the last two lessons published soon. *** A Sinful Woman Forgiven Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
It's taken me nearly three years to determine exactly what I want to do with this passage, but I believe I've finally come to that decision. I'm not prepared to delve into much detail, but the plan is to write a verse-by-verse commentary/book (?) on Luke 7:36-50. Hands down, it's my favorite passage in all of the Bible, and I believe it's implications for how we relate to God, each other and perceive ourselves are immensely vast.
For those who've read Tim Keller's Prodigal God, this book will handle Jesus' teaching in a similar fashion, and will be similar in the ways it addresses the sins and consequences of reckless-living vs. self-righteousness since Jesus powerfully addresses the issues in both passages. The difference of course, is the "sinful woman". She's never given a name, but Luke's account of her has always had a unique and tender effect on me. I genuinely look forward to meeting her in heaven, where we can both sit at our Savior's feet together; and though we never know what life was like after she met Jesus, we do know that meeting Him changed everything.
If you think of me, please pray that not only would I develop a deeper understanding of the truths taught in this passage, but that God would enable the discipline necessary to write on it: with depth, boldness, wisdom and tenderness. For those of you unfamiliar with the passage in question, I'm including it below. I still remember where I was sitting, what I was wearing and what time it was, the moment I read this for the first time, over 3 years ago...
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."
"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
"Grace is the most transformational word in Scripture. The entire Bible is a narrative of God's grace, a story of undeserved redemption. By the transformational power of his grace, God unilaterally reaches into the muck of this fallen world, through the presence of his Son, and radically transforms his children from what we are (sinners) into what we are becoming by his power (Christ-like). The famous Newton hymn uses the best word possible for that grace, amazing.
So grace is a story and grace is a gift. It is God's character and it is your hope. Grace is a transforming tool and a state of relationship. Grace is a theology and an invitation. Grace is an experience and a calling. Grace will turn your life upside down while giving you a rest you have never known. Grace will convince you of your unworthiness without ever making you feel unloved.
Grace will make you acknowledge that you cannot earn God's favor, and it will remove your fear of not measuring up to his standards. Grace will confront you with the fact that you are much less than you thought you were, even as it assures you that you can be far more than you had ever imagined. Grace will put you in your place without ever putting you down.
Grace will enable you to face truths about yourself that you have hesitated to consider, while freeing you from being self-consciously introspective. Grace will confront you with profound weaknesses, and at the same time introduce you to new-found strength. Grace will tell you what you aren't, while welcoming you to what you can now be. Grace will make you as uncomfortable as you have ever been, while offering you more comfort than you have ever known. Grace will drive you to the end of yourself, while it invites you to fresh starts and new beginnings. Grace will dash your hopes, but never leave you hopeless. Grace will decimate your kingdom as it introduces you to a better King. Grace will expose your blindness as it gives you eyes to see. Grace will make you sadder than you have ever been, while it gives you greater cause for celebration than you have ever known.
Grace enters your life in a moment and will occupy you for eternity. You simply cannot live a productive life in this broken-down world unless you have a practical grasp of the grace you have been given." (Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, Ch. 3, pages 42-43, emphasis mine)
I couldn't have possibly said it better myself. And in case you're curious, yes, the whole book is this good.
From his book, Spiritual Depression
"Avoid the mistake of concentrating overmuch on your feelings...Above all, avoid the terrible error of making them central. If you put them there you are of necessity doomed to be unhappy because you are not following the order that God himself has ordained...After all, what we have in the Bible is Truth; it is not an emotional stimulus, it is not something primarily concerned to give us a joyful experience. It is primarily Truth, and Truth is addressed to the mind, God's supreme gift to man; and it is as we apprehend and submit ourselves to truth that the feelings follow."
"Put at the centre the only One who has a right to be there, the Lord of Glory, Who so loved you that He went to the Cross and bore the punishment and the shame of your sins and died for you. Seek Him, seek His face, and all other things will be added unto you."
I've been an aspiring writer since the first grade; 'aspiring' being an essential word to emphasize. As the designated playwright of the neighborhood, I would write, produce and direct some of the oddest sort of stories, emerging from my over-active third grade imagination. My first journals proved to be the perfect and safest outlet for my young insights, inquiries and earliest philosophical views and suppositions. Nothing was off-limits for me; from poetry, short stories, my unhappy diatribes and criticisms, to the most primitive and simple of "dear diary" declarations, I wrote.
My teachers were relatively swift to take notice of the eagerness with which I took up my pencil and wrote, and offered ample encouragement for me to continue doing so. Middle School brought much of the same support.
And then High School Happened.
I continued to write, but it seemed clear that I was overshadowed by surpassing talent. Though I was always considered for and enrolled in the Advanced Placement English courses, my teachers consistently chose to nurture the unquestionable talents in my fellow students. My writing, so I was told, lacked the depth, clarity, and originality of the others. I regularly submitted my writings to the school's magazine for writers and artists, but was just as regularly rejected.
I got the hint.
I never stopped writing, but I've since struggled with allowing others to see it - especially my poetry. When it comes to this blog, most of what I write is analytical in nature. My teachers never struggled to accept my logic, methodology or reasoning. It was simply my creative writing that lacked necessary luster.
Unfortunately for me, it was the creative writing that I loved most.
An Unexpected Gift
I purposed this morning to finally take on my filing cabinets and bedroom closet. The two may initially appear unrelated, but as my closet has slowly morphed into it's own filing cabinet over the controlled chaos of the last two years, I assure you - they're not.
I pulled from the cabinet, my first file. In it, were my earliest report cards and other school documents. Apparently, according to my first teachers, I had a problem using my time wisely and always seemed to be living in another world, which only added to my problem with finishing my tasks in a given day. I found this funny.
The time spent proved to be worth it. Remember that magazine from high school I referenced? The one I never seemed competent to be published in? I found one. On the top was a handwritten note,
With absolutely no time to elaborate, I'm simply posting the conclusion of a brief article I came across this morning, over at DG's blog. I strongly suggest that you read both the scripture passage from Luke 8:26-39 as well as the article in its entirety, but if you have only time enough for one, read the passage.
It struck me, profoundly. I intimately identified with the very real and intense struggle, Jesus' call for us to return 'home' is capable of being.
I'd be very interested in hearing if or how any of you identified with this brief commentary on Luke 8.
"The man jumped up and said to him, Sir, please, may I go with you? I'll follow you anywhere!'
Jesus looked hard at him without speaking. Then he put his reassuring hand on the man's shoulder again and said, 'Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.'
The words 'return to your home' must have made this man's heart sink. Home for him was not a warm place of sentimental memories. Home was a place of memories so dark and pain-filled that he likely just wanted to escape them and never go back.
But sometimes following Jesus means being sent back to a place where we once knew desolation and indescribable pain. The thought of returning there conjures up fears of our old demons and the people who knew us as we were back then. But it is there that the grace of God in our lives will shine the brightest.
What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. If he can break the death-grip
Satan once had on us and set us free, then he can redeem the places of our former slavery and make them showcases of God's omnipotent race.
Do not be afraid. The Good Shepherd will walk with you and protect you on the darkest road (Psalm 23:4). Declare how much God has done for you. You are being sent because there are other tomb-people to free." -- Jon Bloom, Desiring God Ministries
It stunned me, when I was once more an undeserved recipient of this grace from the man whose child I aborted, as he offered his forgiveness to me earlier this year.Ten years ago, I married Nick.
Four years ago, I divorced Nick.
Three years ago, I became a Christian.
Two (+ a few mos.) years ago, I remarried Nick.
One year ago, I was staring straight down the barrel of the darkest, most intense depression I'd ever known.
Six months ago, God lifted the clouds and enabled me to know, once again, a joy independent of my circumstances.
One month ago, on Labor Day morning...
I was awake, but my eyes were still stubbornly closed. However, the aroma of fresh coffee was unusually near , and mere curiosity compelled me to force them open. My curiosity was soon satisfied, but only for a moment, because though the fact that my husband was drinking a cup of fresh coffee in bed, answered the aroma question, the fact that my husband was drinking a cup of coffee in bed and reading, raised several others. For starters:
"I came to a chapter about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The author began to explain how the Father had to abandon His Son, and how Jesus fully knew what He had to do. Being a father myself, I can't imagine just giving my son to save my enemies. That really moved me and weighed heavily on my heart."The following weekend, the men from our church went out on their annual men's retreat. About 30 men attended, and Nick was one of them. He recalls his time there this way,
"The theme of the weekend was the gospel: living in it,standing on it. During one of the messages, Pastor was talking about knowing who we are, and as he stuck his hands in his pockets, making the keys and change inside jingle against one another, he said that we're the ones, still with the nails in our pockets. For the first time, I saw myself as the one whose sins nailed Jesus to the cross. Previously, I always believed it was someone else who put Him there, back then in the past - not me."God opened the eyes of my husband. He goes on to explain that even though he saw himself there at the foot of the cross for the first time, he could find no comfort or relief from the guilt he now had. As he shared this with one of the men attending the retreat with him, his friend insisted he speak with Pastor. Pastor explained to Nick that all he had to do was ask for forgiveness and accept it as a free gift.
Nick's testimony was video taped, and he's given me permission to put that up on the blog as soon as it's available. Additional pics will be available soon as well, since his very excited wife was too busy watching her husband be baptized to remember to use the camera sitting on her lap. Thankfully, there were others snapping a few pics during his wife's absentmindedness."He's given me a peace that I've never known. I have a desire to know Him more and love Him more - to adore Him."He closes his testimony with Romans 5:1,
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with GodPraise our sweet, amazing, merciful, gracious God in heaven.
through our Lord Jesus Christ"
It's in the works. And it's a good one - not because of me (in spite of me would be more like it, I'm sure), but because of the exceeding, abundant, over-the-top grace of God!
For those of you who thought I was done blogging: not yet. I'm afraid you'll need to tolerate me a bit longer, because even if I write just one more post, this one last post will be one of the most profound in the story of God's Hand so powerfully at work in my family's life....
And I can't hardly wait to share it. I mean it. I'm like a little kid on Christmas morning, and I cannot wait to show all my friends what I got to see as the wrapping was torn off!
So please bear with me just a little longer as I make the finishing touches to it!
To anyone remotely interested or just plain curious, I'm continuing to post the lessons to a bible study on 1 John, over at Everyday Theology. The posts there are insanely time and thought consuming, which is the other reason why posting around Justified has been so light for the last month or so.
Summer is always a favorite time of year for me - especially since moving to Minnesota and knowing that in just two short months, the cold air of winter will begin blowing in. The children and I have tried our very best to make the most of our time together, and have had an amazing time of it so far!
This would help to explain the larger-than-normal gaps of time between posts, but I'm pretty confident that many of my readers have been spending some time playing outside too!
I could possibly get something written in the next week or so, but we've got another busy week looming ahead, so I doubt it. I know. People like me should never start blogs! I am reading some fantastic books though, so an occasional book review (or something resembling one) may pop up!
I do hope your summer has been a time of fun and refreshment with your families, and that God is using this time to knit families closer together.
I'll more than likely be away until the fall. See you then!
A very cool friend just alerted me to the fact that there's a L'Abri located in Rochester, MN. Which, is only about an hour or so from where I live right now. At the bottom of the page she linked me to, was this little gem (which consequently led to the title of this post): The centrality of L'Abri teaching is that Biblical Christianity is true, and that it offers sufficient evidence to say 'it is the Truth'. It can be proclaimed and known without committing intellectual suicide or simply having to say 'just believe'. Because Christ is Lord of all life, Christianity speaks to all areas, not to only what might be called 'religious'. True spirituality is seen in lives, which, through Christ's redemption, are free to be fully human. Therefore, Christians can and should realize the implications and relevance of a Biblical worldview in the arts, sciences, politics, etc. If Christianity is 'the Truth', it will stand up to examination and provide satisfactory answers, and on this basis your questions will be taken seriously and addressed honestly.
Emotional
or
Callous;
Naive
or
a Know-it-All;
Meek
or
Arrogant;
Godly
or
Worldly;
a Conformist
or
Eccentric;
Well-adjusted
or
Dysfunctional;
Honest & Transparent
or
just a Fraud...
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