In the Midst of the Camp
Today’s Passages – Numbers 1 – 2
(Second Milers also read – John 19 – 20; Proverbs 14; Psalms 66 – 70)
Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
View “Making Marriage and Ministry Work” by Pastor Paul Chappell
Read “Twenty Reasons To Avoid Premarital Sex” by Cary Schmidt
“Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.” – (Numbers 2:17)
In Numbers chapter 2, God gives us a description of what the camp of Israel looked like when they were not on the move. A careful reading of this chapter will reveal that the nation of Israel was divided into 13 different groups, which included 11 of the original 12 tribes; and also the two half-tribes of Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim). These groups were all strategically placed around the tabernacle. Immediately surrounding the tent on all four sides was the tribe of Levi. They were placed there as closely as possible to the tabernacle because that was their place of service. They were the ministers and priests of the Lord. Beyond the Levites the remaining twelve tribes and half-tribes were positioned by threes in each direction. For instance, on the east side of the tabernacle, beyond the Levites, were the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon. There were also three tribes on the west, south, and north. The thought that I am trying to develop here, however, is that the tabernacle was in the very center of the congregation. The tabernacle was the place where God dwelt, between the cherubims on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. God, and His designated place of worship, was the very center of the lives of the people of Israel.
Now let’s fast forward a few thousands years to the time of the local church. I realize that today God dwells in the hearts of His children, but the local church is God’s designated place for corporate worship, and it is the place where we are to be organized and mobilized for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” – (1 Timothy 3:15)
God should still be at the center of our lives; and the local church should be at the center of the life of our family. I have been a pastor now for over ten years, and I have been involved in God’s work for twenty-two. I have observed that the families who place a high value on the local church, recognizing it’s importance, tend to be stronger and happier than the families that do not. Don’t misunderstand, I do not think that the church has a higher priority than the home; but I do believe that successful homes are built around a strong, Bible believing, New Testament church. The churches’ role is critical to healthy marriages and to the spiritual development of our children.
Take a moment to consider the role that the local church plays in your life; and then consider the role that you play in your local church. We need to keep our local churches strong, and I believe that there are many ways that you can help:
1 Participate in the local church – attend the services and find something that you can do that will serve others. God has uniquely equipped you in certain areas that can be used in the local church.
2 Pray for your church and your pastors and leaders. The ministry can be very discouraging, but you can be an encouragement to the people that minister to you simply by lifting them up in prayer. It wouldn’t hurt for you to let them know on occassion that you are praying for them.
3 Support your church with your tithes and offerings. The work of God cannot go forward without the tithes of God’s people. When you don’t give you are telling God and the church that they have no place of value in your life. You can also support the church by not bashing it. Let people know where you stand. If you are for the ministry, speak out for it, and don’t let others run it down in your presence. Negativity and complaining are like cancers inside the church that will destroy it from within.
Is the local church important to you, or isn’t it? God says that it should be. Remember, He died for the church. It’s His body. He places a great value on it, and so should we.
Posted in Thoughts from Numbers by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
First Things First
Today’s Passages – Leviticus 26 – 27
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.” – (Leviticus 27:30)
I really do not understand why the subject of giving back to God is such a difficult one for many people. Everything we own ultimately belongs to God anyway. We are merely custodians, or stewards, of His possessions. The principle of tithing has been around for a long time, well before the Law was established. You will remember that Abraham gave tithes to Melchisedec, and Jacob promised God that he would give Him the tenth all that God blessed him with. Jesus even commented that the Pharisees were right when they gave their tithes on mint and anise, and cummin. I do not believe, however, that the New Testament Christian is under any law to give ten percent of his or her income to the church. We do live in the age of grace, and all such laws have been nailed to the cross. Having said that, though, when I teach new believers regarding principles of stewardship, I will tell them that the tithe is a good place to begin in giving. They often look at me as if I am crazy, and I guess if you were to judge me by the world’s standards, I am. But, think about it. What better way is there for a young believer to declare that they acknowledge God’s ownership of their money and possessions; and there is also no better way for them to demonstrate their dependence upon the blessing of God. To many new Christians, this is a tremendous leap of faith, and unfortunately, some will never take it.
I remember when I first trusted Christ. My wife and I were only married a few years, and as is typical with many young, married couples, my financial situation was a mess. Wouldn’t you know it, the first church service that I attended as a new believer, the pastor preached on tithing. I was sure that all that these people wanted was my money. Slowly, however, God began to impress upon my heart that I needed to trust Him and to put Him first in my life, and if I was going to do that, it would mean that I would have to trust Him with my money. We started tithing, fearfully at first, but God has always kept His end of the deal. He has been faithful to take good care of me and my family. There has always been food on the table, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head; and their have even been many wonderful “desires” thrown in along the way. God is good.
Recently, my son and his wife purchased a beautiful home in a nice part of our community. He paid less than half of what his neighbor paid for a similar house ten years ago. We have other young couples in our church who are about to purchase homes, and I know that they will be similarly blessed. Why? Because they have learned to put God first. They have recognized that God can be trusted to take care of them. All of these couples that I am thinking about right now give far above the tithe by the way. Like the Macedonian Christians of Paul’s day, “they gave their own selves to the Lord”. And God is blessing them abundantly.
Friend, you can trust God. Keep first things first in your life; and the first thing needs to be God.
Posted in Thoughts from Leviticus by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
“Get Real” by Melissa Dilley
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 24 – 25
Second Milers also read – John 15 – 16; Proverbs 12; Psalm 56 – 60
Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
“After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people
(1 Kings 13:33-14:2)
At the end of the chapter we find Jeremiah doing evil – he is making anyone and everyone a priest. Anyone who would do his bidding, anyone who had itching ears, he would surround himself with those who would agree with him.
But the very next chapter tells us that his son became sick. His son was dying and all of these “spiritual men” could do nothing. The “yes men” were of no help whatsoever and Jeroboam knew it. So he asks his wife to go to the real man of God. He knows there is only one place to go – the real priest. Jeroboam knew who the real priest was (Ahijah), he knew where to find him (Shiloh), he knew the prophet would tell his wife what they wanted to know, and he even knew of the priest’s eyesight problem (he told her to disguise herself).
When the chips are down, and when the world reaches the end of the rope, they are going to want a real man of God. When they reach the end of the highway, they will know where they can go. They know who the real ones are. I know that I have been openly criticized for mentioning God, or faith, or salvation. But when those same people needed prayer or needed true advice they could call on me.
Be real. Sometimes it’s hard. You may be mocked or even yelled at. Some will ignore you, and some may even persecute you; but there will also be people who will listen and will respect you. There will be a handmaiden that says, “There’s a man of God who wants you to dip in the Jordan seven times.” Countless people swarmed to Jesus because they knew he was real. You be real.
Posted in Guest Posts, Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Build Or Break? – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 22 – 23
Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14; Proverbs 11; Psalm 51 – 55
Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1
Good morning. I want to delve somewhat into Psalm 51. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Of course his sin found him out, and he wrote Psalm 51 of what he was going through and praying for. But before we go there, John chapter 8 tells the story of a woman caught in the very act of adultery. The scribes and Pharisees took her to Jesus. They told Jesus what the law said, and then asked if they should stone her. After a few minutes of writing in the sand, He stood up and answered them saying, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And as Mike Warnke tells it: they dropped their rocks and split.
In the end, there was only the woman and Jesus. It will be the same with us when we sin. It’s going to be me or you and Jesus. That’s what the Bible says in John 8:9…
“And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”
God knew what the woman did. God knew what the scribes and Pharisees did. God knows what you and I did. God gave us a conscience. David told God, in Psalm 51:3, that his sin was ever before him. David cried out to God for mercy, to have his transgressions blotted out, and to be washed throughly and be cleansed from his iniquity and sin.
Certain signs followed him while David was in this fallen state. He could not hear the joy or gladness going on around him (vs. 8). He knew God had seen what he did (vs. 9). He could feel the broken fellowship with the Lord (vs. 11). He had no joy or security in God’s salvation (vs. 12). He lacked in teaching God’s Word and soul winning (vs. 13). And he could not sing praises to God (vs. 14).
David was in a mess, and this was someone of whom God called a man after Mine own heart. But God doesn’t make mistakes. The first four verses in Psalm 51 say it all…
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” (Psalm 51:1-4)
1John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Back in John chapter 8…
“When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (John 8:10-11).
Can you imagine how the woman, and David felt to have there sins forgiven and restored to fellowship with the Lord? All the joy, gladness, and singing. Praising God for His wonderful works. Can you imagine that? You don’t have to. To borrow a slogan from Lance Inc…
“Don’t go ’round hungry!”
Peace. (Mark 9:50)
Posted in Guest Posts, Thoughts from Leviticus by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
What’s The Difference?
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 19 – 21
Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Proverbs 10; Psalms 46 – 50
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
“Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” – (Leviticus 19:2)
“And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” – (Leviticus 20:26)
In the passages which we have read from Leviticus today, we see that God intended there to be a difference in the people of Israel from the world that surrounded them; or actually would surround them when they finally entered into the land of Canaan where God was bringing them. God warns them not to be like the people of the land. God was removing them (the Canaanites, etc.) from the land because of their sinful lifestyles. God’s people would have to be different, or God would expel them out of the land as well.
In the three chapters that we have read today there are many different commandments from the Lord regarding how they were to be a holy people, set apart from the rest of the world. I will not take the time to deal with all of them, but I will mention a few here in this devotion. Think about the world we live in today as we examine these thoughts; and see if we, as Christians, are as “set apart” as we should be. Let’s take a quick look at how the children of Israel were to be different:
1 They were to be different morally. Much of chapter 20 deals with sexual sins such as adultery, homosexuality, and even bestiality. God says that the previous inhabitants of the land were all guilty of these things. The people in our world today are also very perverted in their ability to live morally pure lives. We live in the era of “if it feels good, do it.” God says that His children are to be different.
2 They were to be different in their compassion for others. They were to make provisions in their crops for the poor and the stranger. God reminds them that they were strangers at one time. He wanted them to leave the corners of their fields, and the gleanings for people who needed help. How concerned are we today about helping people? Many of us have been blessed of God with abundance. God wants us to share part of that blessing with others. I think the key here is that God wants us to remember that it all comes from him anyway. We are often like the kid who was eating with his dad at McDonalds. When his dad reached for a french fry out of his son’s meal, the son pulled them away. Not very wise considering the dad supplied the meal in the first place, and would be the supplier of many future meals.
3 They were also to be different in their faith. The people of the land were very superstitious. They worshipped all kinds of “gods” and idols. Some were even guilty of sacrificing their own children. God wanted the people of Israel to stay far away from all of that stuff. No wizards; no witches; no familiar spirits; no divination; no astrologers; no soothsayers; none of that junk. God wants his children to be wholly dependent upon Him; and He does not want to share His glory; or His worship with anybody, or anything else. We have a lot of “idols” in our society today also, don’t we. They may not be little statues, but they are there none the less. An idol is anything that comes between us and God.
4 They were to be different in their respect for the older folks. I think that we are getting away from this in our world as well. There used to be a time in America when Granddad and Grandma were the patriarchs and matriarchs of the family. They were deeply revered and respected by their children and grandchildren. It isn’t like that any more; but we need to get back to it. Today, even young children will mock their elders, and answer back to them. Christian parents need to be very careful that they do not tolerate such behavior in their children.
5 They were to be different in their business dealings. They were to be fair and honest with people; never cheating them with unjust balances and such. The world today is replete with people who will are trying to steal money away from others. There are myriads of scams out their designed to rob others. God’s people should never be involved in any business dealing that is not providing a good product or service at a fair price.
These were just a few thoughts from the passage. There are many more examples contained in the text. But how do we fare today in this present world that we live in? Are we any different from them? Or are we just like them with the exception of the “fish emblems” on our cars. As time goes by, there ought to be more and more of a striking difference between God’s people and the people of this world. Just a thought.
Posted in Thoughts from Leviticus by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
It’s Still in the Book
Today’s Passages – Leviticus 16 – 18
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” – (Leviticus 18:22)
“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” – (Romans 1:26-27)
In chapter 18 of Leviticus, God gives His people His laws regarding marriage and sexual purity. He goes into great detail explaining who they could not “uncover”. He also specifically forbids a man lying with another man. It was very clear to the saints of old that sodomy was a sin, and was to be removed from a godly society. However, in recent years, the sin of sodomy, or homosexuality, has become a very unpopular sin to preach against in our churches. Our modern culture has gone beyond just tolerating this “abomination”, and has even promoted it in many ways. Many of our pulpits have been intimidated into silence, choosing to just leave this particular sin alone. It is not “politically correct” anymore to preach against homosexuality. Some “churches” have even ordained “gay” ministers. God help us. This is clearly a fulfillment of what God said in Romans 1 about the state of mankind as they get further and further away from Biblical principal, and closer and closer to the return of Christ. And the fact that our churches no longer talk about it is also a fulfillment of what God says in 2 Timothy 3:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” – (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Well, I don’t want to be “wishy-washy” about this subject. God has not changed His mind about it, so neither should I as a preacher – Homosexuality is clearly sin, and as such should be preached against with the same spirit and zeal that we might preach against any other sin. By the way, fornication and adultery are also still in the book, and should also be preached against in these modern times. However, as much as we need to be clear in our condemning of the sin, we must also be just as clear in informing the sinner of God’s love for them. I believe homosexuals can be saved; along with adulterers, fornicaters, liars, and any other type of sinner. I believe we all fall into one of those categories. I do realize that there will come a time that if a person continues in their sin, and also continues to reject Christ, their conscience will be seared, and their mind will become reprobate; and when a person gets to that point they will have no desire to repent of their sin, and come to Christ. But I also believe that the vast majority of the people that are living in sin, even sexual sin, still have a conscience , and can still come to Christ for forgiveness. However, once a person becomes saved, they must foresake the sin that they repented of. Jesus did tell the woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more”.
One more thing – the rainbow is God’s symbol. It does not belong to the gay rights crowd.
Posted in Thoughts from Leviticus by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
House Leprosy?
Today’s Passages – Leviticus 14 – 15
(Second Milers also read – John 7 – 8; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
“When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;” – (Leviticus 14:34)
As we continue reading in chapter 14 of the Book of Leviticus, we come across this curious passage that deals with leprosy within a house. This leprosy spoken of here would not be what is commonly called leprosy today (Hansen’s Disease); but rather this leprosy that appears on the walls of a house seems to be a type of mold or mildew. I remember when I was in Bible College down in Longview, Texas. There was a man there that was on the staff of the college that had purchased a beautiful home, but shortly after moving in they discovered that there was a mold problem in the house. Now I’m told that some types of mold can be very dangerous, and can cause many physical problems for people that come in contact with it. Anyway, this dear brother and his family had to eventually move out of the house for several months until the mold was completely removed from it. From what I understand this was no easy undertaking either. I believe if I remember correctly, that most of the drywall had to be removed and replaced after the framework was cleansed.
We have had a little trouble with mold in our house here in Galloway as well. We had to completely “gut” two of our bathrooms during our time here. One thing that I have learned about mold is that, like leprosy, it starts out very small; and often can be growing within the walls, as well as without. In fact, it probably grows better inside the walls where there is no light and perhaps a little moisture. In the right conditions, and if left untreated, it will quickly spread. It must be removed early and completely.
Even though this leprosy is not the same physical disease that was spoken of involving humans, it is still a picture of sin. We must be careful that we are vigilant about keeping sin out of our homes. We must watch for it, and remove it as quickly as possible; and then strive to keep the area as clean as we possibly can. If sin is allowed to multiply and grow, it will eventually destroy our homes from within. When it gets that bad, it will require much more than a little cleaning. We will have to “gut” areas, or possibly the whole home. It will take major reconstruction to fix the problem. Don’t let sin gain this kind of a foothold in your home. Nip it in the bud as early as you can.
I want to challenge to think for a moment about your home. Ask God if there is anything in your home that needs to be removed and cleansed. If there is, do it now, before it grows into a huge problem that may not be easily fixed.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Unclean!
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 13
(Second Milers also read – John 5 – 6; Proverbs 7; Psalms 31 – 35)
Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Watch “Growth Points 008 – Keep It Real” by Pastor Paul Chappell
“And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.” (Leviticus 13:45 – 46)
This morning we have been reading all about the plague of leprosy from Leviticus 13. Leprosy was certainly a horrible disease which, I believe, was fatal in almost all cases. If a person was determined by the priests to be a leper, he was separated from all others in the congregation, including his family, and was required to live outside the camp presumably among other lepers. If they were ever in a situation where they were in a close proximity with non-lepers, they were required to cry out unclean, unclean, so as to warn the people to keep their distance. This policy may seem to be harsh to us, but it was the only way to keep leprosy from spreading throughout the entire congregation of Israel.
Leprosy in the Bible is a picture, or type, of sin. Sin is like leprosy in many ways. It starts out on the inside, but eventually works its way out to the outside. It starts out small, but soon covers the entire body. If not dealt with, it will also spread to everybody. It causes us to be separated from God, and the people we love; and it leads eventually to death. We are all sinners, so we should all be able to relate to this dreaded disease. Fortunately for us there is a cure, a cleansing for this spiritual leprosy that we are plagued with. It is called the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the song says, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” What a blessing it is to know that there is a cure for the penalty of sin in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though we are unclean in our flesh, He comes near to us and cleanses us from our sin. Praise the Lord!
One more thought regarding the leprosy of sin. God spared no precaution in trying to keep the people away from leprosy, and He feels the same way today about sin. He wants us to stay as far away from sin as possible. We are supposed make much of sin, instead of trying to minimize it. Don’t try to justify the sin in your life; do your best to eradicate it. We will never be able to remove the presence of sin in our life altogether. There is no such thing as “sinless perfection”; but we can get as close to God as possible, and through our closeness to God, see sin as He sees it. Maybe then we will strive to keep sin as distant from us as Israel attempted to keep leprosy from their congregation. This does not mean we loathe the sinner; we are commanded to love them, and pray for them, and do everything we can do to help them get to the cure; just as somebody helped us.
Posted in Thoughts from Leviticus by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Creeping Things
Listen to yesterday’s choir specials and messages
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 11 – 12
(Second Milers also read – John 3 – 4; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30)
Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
“Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.” – (Leviticus 11:43)
How would you like to wake up with one of those creepy crawly things (above) on top of you? I thank the Lord that this particular bug is not native to our area. It is found far away from here in the Philippines. Remind me to never go there. The worst that we have to deal with here in Galloway Twp. is the Camel Cricket (below), which is an ugly looking critter, but is also harmless.
In our passage this morning, God is explaining to the children of Israel which animals, fish, and bugs were safe for them to eat, and or touch. Frankly, I am not sure about the reasons why God declared certain animals to be clean, and others to be an “abomination”. The people of God just had to obey the law by faith, believing that the omniscient God that created the universe knew better about what was best for them.
We know that in the New Testament period we are not under law regarding any of these things, and we will not face judgment for touching or eating any of these animals, etc. However, I can’t help but think that God had good reasons for banning these critters from the menus of the Israelites.
My thought this morning is not regarding what we should or shouldn’t eat, however. I got to thinking about all of the “creeping things” that God wants us to stay away from today. There are a lot of things out there that will hurt us if we “touch” them or partake of them. For instance, many of the philosophies that spew out this world system are “creeping things” that shouldn’t be touched, and certainly shouldn’t be allowed to enter into our minds. There are also many doctrinal heresies coming from some so-called theologians that attack the very foundation of our belief system. We should steer clear of these “creeping things” as well. There are also some pretty “creepy people”out there that should be avoided. People who have an ungodly perspective on living. I am not saying that we shouldn’t love these people and try to reach them with the gospel, but we shouldn’t run with them either, allowing their lifestyles and doctrines to influence us.
The “creeping things” today are not the same as in Moses’ day, but they are to be avoided nonetheless.
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“Friend or Foe” by Melissa Dilley
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 8 – 10
(Second Miers also read – John 1 – 2; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25)
Scripture Memorization for February – Psalm 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
“And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.” – (Matthew 26:50)
I’ve heard many sermons from this Scripture, mostly pertaining to why Jesus called Judas, “Friend” in this verse, and earlier called Peter, “Satan” (Matthew 16:23). The application of Peter hindering God’s will, and Judas propelling it, is understandable. However, Jesus used the word “friend” specifically. Why didn’t he call him “assistant”, or “helper”, or “facilitator”? I believe Jesus wanted Judas to know that He still loved him as a friend. Jesus knew what Judas was doing but still loved him, and was willing to forgive him and let him know that everything could be OK.
Being a friend is a choice. It means that despite how you are treated, you still love and forgive. Jesus was being betrayed to His death – not exactly a perfect relationship. But Jesus was showing us what a friend ought to be. “Love covereth all sins” (Proverbs 10:12) A friend is a friend in any circumstance. In fact the harder the situation – the more love expressed – the truer the friend. Jesus demonstrates this to us everyday.
Christ loves us unconditionally despite how we treat Him. While on earth, He cared for nothing but the people. He healed them, fed them, and even raised some from the dead. He took time to be with them, and taught them, and showed them how to live better. What did He get in return? They plotted to kill Him. They used every opportunity to trap Him in His teachings; and eventually they succeeded in putting Him to death.
Today the same things continue to happen. We no longer physically spit in His face, but the treatment we give Him is still just as wrong. Yet, Jesus is still doing things for us. He prays for us and takes time to listen to our prayers; He teaches us His Word, His preachers, and through the ministry of His Holy Spirit. He guides our lives, and sometimes even gives us the desires of our hearts. And what do we do? We ignore Him, and disobey Him; treating Him as if He doesn’t even exist.
My prayer is to use His example to be a better friend to others. It seems petty that after all Christ has forgiven in my life, that I can’t love and forgive someone else. I am so glad that Jesus is always a friend to me despite the way I treat Him, and I desire to be a friend to others despite the way they may have treated me.
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.