New Thoughts (08/13/09-08/14/09)
Looking at the items I have gathered together for comment, it seems the list is much more tightly focused than has been typical of late. I see two fundamental heads upon which to think. The first of these is something of a carryover from the previous section of this study. It is clearly colored by the recent debate on the role of healing in the functioning of the Church. Let me, then, set the stage a bit before I look at how this passage bears on the discussion.
In considering the matter of the charismatic gifts – how they apply, and how they are perceived in various corners of the faith – it had been explained by some that in their view, the weakness of the Church in America was largely due to the rejection of these gifts by the more traditional denominations. In support of this view, a modern day claimant to the title of prophet had apparently pronounced that the only thing that was going to save the intellectuals of New England was a clear display of heavenly power – a manifestation of the miraculous so obvious as to defy all possibility of an alternative explanation. Based upon this, the idea had been put forward that the Church, apart from the active miracles of healing, was plainly not holding true to the directives set forth at its foundation.
In other words, the argument goes, since Jesus clearly indicated that signs and wonders would follow those who were spreading His Gospel, the lack of signs and wonders around so many ministers in our time must be taken as evidence against their legitimacy. This must, in the end, suggest that those making this point, and those who accept the point, are by and large declared illegitimate by their own words. But, leave that aside for the moment. The argument being focused on the means by which intellectuals might be saved, and miracles being propounded as the sole means that might work, I suppose appealing to logic is of little to no avail.
What I will not shrink from, however, is appealing to the Scriptures, and that brings me to this scene laid out before us. Here we are observers of the intellectuals of the day. The Pharisees represented the best of theological thought and practice in their society. Here, they were confronted with an accomplished miracle. The proof of the miracle stood before them. What is their reaction to this miracle? Well, given that they have fundamentally rejected the possibility of a miracle, they reject the evidence out of hand. You say you were born blind, yet this is obviously untrue, for you are standing here, looking at us now. How many fingers am I holding up? Yes! That’s correct. You see? You see. Ergo, you cannot have been blind.
This is their opening bid, if you will. As the man has brought up the name of Jesus as being the one through whom this act has been accomplished, their rejection of his story is sealed that much more tightly. Now, then: these reasonable men will not be seen by the crowds to utterly pervert the course of justice. Besides, they’re quite certain of their case anyway. So, they call the man’s parents. They will tell the truth. The people will surely hear in just a moment that this man has been lying about the whole thing. But, his parents confirm that he has indeed been blind from birth. What shall these judges conclude?
I am rather surprised that they don’t simply propound the theory that his parents, as they have been profiting from his ill-gotten alms, are in on the charade. They may not be aware that their boy has been spotted as a fraud, but they find it in their interest to support whatever lame defense he is making now that he’s been caught. Their own skin is on the line as much as his. However, we are not really privy to the further thoughts of these men of learning beyond the fact that a large portion of them remain unconvinced.
Had the majority been swayed by this evidence, we would be hearing how that ban they had pronounced was lifted as they began to realize that this Jesus really was the Messiah. Had they been swayed by the clear evidence of miracles, there would have been no cross. The whole Gospel story would have been completely different. But, it isn’t. The story unfolded exactly as it did.
This is not an isolated event. It is, however, a clear indication that miracles are not sufficient to persuade of God’s Truth. If anything, I should think them far more suited to persuading the less intellectual, who are more naturally inclined to accept such things. You see, the miracle requires something prior in order to be accepted for what it is. It requires faith. It requires belief that such things are even possible.
It is exactly at this point that the Pharisees have been left behind. They did not believe the man. They had no faith in his testimony. They were not persuaded by his explanation. To be blunt, they thought he was lying. This same attitude, however, ran deeper. It applied to God’s Truth. Here, too, they had a problem. They didn’t believe what He said. They were not persuaded as to what Scripture revealed, what the prophets had said, what the Law indicated. So, when Jesus seeks to expound on those truths, they have shut out His voice, because they are already convinced of their own answers.
Faced with the miraculous, many will simply refuse to see the truth of the matter. That’s the reality of the deal. It really doesn’t have a great deal to do with the hunger of people in this nation, or the simplicity of the natives in that region. Neither does it have to do with some great evil inherent in intellectual prowess. Quite frankly, it can be argued that the thing that has truly weakened the effect of the Church in America is that it has become so caught up in supernatural display that all concern for Truth has been thrown to the curb.
Listen to the story Jesus told on another occasion, regarding the rich man and poor Lazarus. In particular, focus on the conclusion of that tale, as the rich man lies in torment, the paradise of Abraham’s bosom lying beyond reach across the chasm. He begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers, lest they, too, be lost in torment for all of eternity. Abraham points out that they have plenty of evidence before them already, more than sufficient cause to believe. But, this man begs the more, “But, father Abraham! Surely, if somebody rises from the dead, this will convince them to repent” (Lk 16:30). The Word is not enough, God! People need miracles! Show us a sign, Jesus, then we will believe You! But, Abraham’s answer, God’s answer, is borne out by the very evidence of the Cross. “If they won’t listen to the Word, to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced by the Resurrection, either” (Lk 16:31).
That’s the problem with this whole idea that signs and wonders are going to be the power to convince where exposition of the Truth has failed. God has not chosen this as the means of spreading His truth. Yes, there were miracles to establish Moses in his credentials. Yes, some of the prophets had the occasion sign performed. But, for the prophet, the fundamental sign was the accuracy of their word. The insurance of the prophetic was the death sentence hanging over those who would abuse the claim to being God’s spokesmen. We have put aside the insurance, nor do we look for signs and wonders from these ones who put themselves forward as prophets. Frankly, we could care less if they produce the slightest bit of Scriptural, historical or any other sort of support for their statements. Just so it sounds good to us. Why! We have schools of prophecy out there teaching that the prophet should never say anything negative. Find me some Scriptural support for that concept! That’s pop psychology, not prophecy. That’s Dale Carnegie, not Jeremiah.
A few other points as to the place of miracle in spreading the Gospel are worth considering. First, let’s consider the mandate given the Church at the close of Matthew’s Gospel. “Go and make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them to observe all that I commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). Is there anything there about healing? Is there anything about the miraculous at all? Does He mention anything like, “Go out and do signs” or “Go heal all the sick”? No. He says baptize and teach. Train them how to walk in the Way of righteousness.
Let’s try Paul’s words, then. What does the Scripture say? He asks. “The word is near you, in your mouth and heart.” It is the word of faith that we are preaching (Ro 10:8). “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” But why would they cry out to a Lord they don’t believe in? And how are they supposed to believe in a God they’ve never heard of? How, indeed, are they supposed to hear about Him except they encounter a preacher? And, what preacher shall they hear unless the preacher is sent? (Ro 10:13-15). Paul, the great proponent of the charismatic gifts, does not see them as the power to spread the Gospel. He does not suggest that it is by what the eyes witness that the lost shall be saved, but by the Word that they hear. It is not the miracle worker that will get the job done, but the preacher. It is the Gospel that is the power to save, not the display.
Look. Pharaoh’s magicians had plenty of display, but they had no power to save. There were plenty of exorcists running around Israel before and after Jesus came along, but they did not usher in the kingdom of God. There were plenty and more of those who laid claim to the title of prophet during Israel’s patchy history, but only the smallest of minorities in that number had God’s approval.
Like it or not, God has proclaimed the preaching of the Word, the message of the Gospel as His chosen means of proclaiming His Truth. Furthermore, He insists, by that very Word, that it is not the eloquence of the preacher that will make the difference. It’s Him. Where He has opened the ears of faith, that Word spoken by the preacher will take root. Where He has not so moved, however charismatic the preaching, however well-phrased the sermon, however accurate the expounding of the Scriptures, it will fall on deaf ears.
In the end, it is not the atmosphere we establish, it’s not the programs we pursue, it’s not the miracles we perform of the eloquence of our speech. It’s God. Ours is but to pursue that which He has commanded us to do: To go, to make disciples, to baptize and to train. Ours is to show no favoritism as to who we will or won’t present with His truth. Ours is to keep laboring in His fields until He says otherwise. But, it’s a rare farmer who fails to recognize his limited influence over the productivity of his fields. Yes, he knows there are things he can do to improve the likelihood of a good crop. But, in the end, it’s in God’s hands, and the farmer knows it. The best efforts on his part will be of little use in the face of drought or flood or frost.
Let me turn once again to the Cross, though. For here is the clear evidence that what Jesus spoke in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man was absolutely true. In Him, that scene the rich man had requested was actually played out. But, the predictions of Abraham were shown true. He was raised from the dead, and they weren’t convinced by it. To this day, however strong the historical support, however well reasoned the defense of the Gospel truth, the majority simply will not be convinced of it.
The reaction of modern educated man to the miraculous is to discount the very possibility of miracle at the start. This is the foundation of liberal theology, after all. It begins from the assumption that every seeming miracle in the Bible must be shown to have some less mystical basis. It’s reduced to a morality play, if no other means can be found to discount the miracle. Otherwise, scientific explanations are put forth to explain how the miracle was really just the ordinary course of nature. The parting of the Red Sea? Nothing more than a seismic event, really. Happens all the time, you see. Moses just got lucky. Manna from heaven? Not really. No, you see, there’s this bush that grows in the wilderness. It produces this stuff. Of course, the Israelites were unfamiliar with it, having grown up in Egypt, but no, it was no miracle.
Virgin birth? Unthinkable! Clearly there was a man involved there somewhere. I mean (at least prior to modern science) who ever heard of a virgin giving birth? Maybe in mythology, but surely not in real life! Resurrection? An empty tomb? Of course this was some ploy by the Apostles to establish themselves. They’d left their livelihoods behind after all. They had to make a go of this religion thing, or they were without recourse. But, miracles? No.
How about Paul reviving that guy that fell out the window? Well, clearly he wasn’t dead after all, was he? Probably just knocked out by the fall. It’s not like medical science could discern such things in that day. And so it goes, through every miracle of the Bible. The skeptic, the unbelieving, will find one way or another to discount it as evidence.
Likewise, we can look at how the miracle workers of our own time are received. Let us suppose, for the sake of argument, that they are real, that at least some portion of the claims are true. It doesn’t matter! They are taken to be frauds at the start, and really, whether their claimed miracles are real or not, it won’t make a difference. The very possibility has been rejected and the most they will ever convince the unbeliever of is that they have profited from some powerful coincidence.
Those who insist on the rational explanation for everything are quite simply not going to accept the miraculous as miraculous. It will not happen until and unless God sovereignly moves upon their spirit first. As with the preaching, so with the miracle. Unless God moves first, it’s powerless. However, one holds faithfully to the command of God. The other devolves into show. One puts forth the Truth in confirmable fashion. The other is subject to fraudulent abuse. If, then, God has said, “Do it this way,” why do we insist on doing it our way?
This is not to say that every claimant to the working of miracles or every purported prophet is necessarily a fraud. Neither can it be said that every bearer of the pastoral title is truly called to that office. In the end, then, neither gift nor office can be the evidence upon which we take the measure of the man. It is Truth that must be the measure. If the preaching is conformed to the Gospel as we received it once for all from the Apostles, then we are well served. If it is not, if it is no more than pop psychology and imagined mysticisms, then we are better served to flee from such a pulpit.
I have witnessed a very few in Charismatic circles that I must maintain are true to the faith, whatever their display may be. This is not to suggest that they have cleaved perfectly to the way of the Cross, but they are earnest followers of Him who died on that Cross. I have witnessed many more who by their so-called teaching prove themselves no more than profiteers. They prey on the desperation of those with physical needs, offering them healing for pay, but in reality robbing them.
Of course, wherever there is a true manifestation of God in power, the counterfeit is sure to spring up. It is in the nature of things that this is the case. It is this which makes it such a great risk to remain in Charismatic or Pentecostal systems of faith without ensuring one’s grounding in sound theology and doctrine. If ever it were imperative to devote oneself to study of the Word it is in these denominations. True enough, the more mainstream denominations have issues of their own, and those who accept the dogma of their chosen denomination without due consideration for Truth do so at risk of their own soul. But, somehow it seems the risk is that much greater when mysticism and spiritual powers are brought into the mix.
Note well that leader who, though he may follow a rabbit trail for a brief moment, is ever drawn back to the path of truth. This is one who is truly led by the Spirit. We cannot expect perfection in our pastorate any more than we can really expect perfection in ourselves. But, where we see course corrections being made, we see a man of God. We see one who teaches under the teaching of the Spirit. Let such a one fill his office as the God of heaven has commanded, teaching the Truth of the Gospel, expounding only that which was received, adding nothing to it nor taking from it any least facet of God’s Truth.
For ourselves, the measure we must take constantly is that of motivation. Quite apart from what we do, it is why we do it that matters. Were this man’s parents wrong to have respect for the authorities God put over them? No. But, to allow a reign of fear, to allow themselves to perceive God through eyes of fear, this is not a habit learned from His Law. This is something that has come from without. This is the influence of an alien world view. Motivation has become corrupted, and what should have been moved by love and a security found in the perfect providence of God has been moved instead by abject fear. The God of Love is not honored by attempts at appeasement. He has already reconciled us, and must surely be offended when we cringe before Him as those expecting retribution at any moment.
What moves us to give into the ministry? Are we trying to earn God’s favor? Then we have failed. Are we hoping that maybe if we give Him a little something He’ll pour out greater bounty upon us? Then we are twisted in our beliefs. Are we faithful to attend services because we are desperately hoping that maybe someday He’ll check our account and find we’ve deposited enough that we can withdraw a healing from Him? God will not be mocked!
Motivation is so important, and it is all but inevitable that we should find ourselves wanting when we take the measure of our own. We are so prone to the influence of worldview, and we don’t even notice it as it happens. Bathed in a capitalist system, we may not even realize that we are looking at heaven in terms of profit and loss statements. Bathed in a society that is so taken by relativistic thinking, we don’t even notice the erosion of our own commitment to the reality of Truth. We take no notice of our own inconsistencies. I see it in myself entirely too often. I, who was convinced of God largely on the premise that there is no such thing as coincidence (a long story that I’m sure I’ve recounted elsewhere in the last several years of notes) will yet seek to write things off as just a coincidence. I, being fully convinced that God is fully in control and that He works all things for the good of those in His service, will yet allow myself to be moved by anxiousness for the future.
What is my motivation? Is my motivation a matter of securing a comfy journey through this life? Then, I am pursuing a chimera, a mirage. I am every bit as off course as those who are determined that God must heal them, who demand it of Him and whose faith will find itself shipwrecked if He does not. It is even as He gave me in song a few years ago. What will you do if I say, “give it all away”? Why are you here? What do you worship Me? Is it because of Who I AM, or is it because of what you think you can get from Me?
I know, this is old thinking, but it’s worth repeating. The parent of a child apologizing is not interested in hearing the words, “I’m sorry.” They are empty more often than not. Neither, for all that there are those profiting off of promoting the several ‘languages’ of apology any closer to nailing the truth of apology. Apology is not, in the end, about what you feel when you hear the apology any more than it’s about the words or the acts by which I may seek to demonstrate apology. It’s about the motivation behind the apology.
The child that apologies solely because they sense the consequences coming and hope maybe they can avoid them by a false display of remorse fool nobody. The parent receiving such an apology sees it for what it is. It has fulfilled the requirements of polite society, but it is utterly devoid of meaning. Likewise, the apology offered by a spouse that simply wants to shut the other up. An apology offered as a means of ending discussion is not an apology, it’s a defensive weapon, and it will doubtless be received as such.
Others may offer an apology for no more reason than to salve their conscience for a moment. It feels better when they apologize, but they have no real intent of changing the action for which they’re apologizing. You know the routine: I’m sorry, but that’s just the way I am. That’s not an apology, it’s making excuses.
See, none of these apologies are motivated by that which makes for real apology. They are empty words at best, deceptions at worst. Sadly, we are prone to pursuing worship much like we pursue apology. We go through the motions. We pray when called upon to do so because we feel we must. We go through the whole ‘repeat after me’ thing because it’s expected. If there’s an altar call, or a request to raise your hands if this or that be true, or a stand and promise God you’ll heed this message, we do it. We don’t mean it, but we feel we must keep up appearances. Is this what you call acceptable to the Lord? What the Lord calls acceptable is to undo every injustice, to remove every bondage, to share with those in need and to honor your own flesh and blood (Isa 58:5-7).
The time is now, Jesus said, for true worshipers to worship in spirit and truth (Jn 4:23-24). Those who would worship the True God, who is Spirit, must do so in this fashion. What’s your motivation? Is it love for God or fear of Him? Is it the response of appreciation for all He has done already or the demand that He do more? Is it an expression of contentment, or the demanding mewling of a spoiled child?
Look again at what is on display in the parents of this man. They have let the world view of the pagans around them become their tutors in how to worship God. All the other nations have kings and we want one too! All the other nations plead with their gods, lest those gods destroy them, so we shall do likewise. Never mind that our God is superior. Surely, they all think the same of theirs. Maybe they’re right after all, and our God is only God over our nation, not over the rest. Anyway, we’d best appease Him lest He destroy us! Being fearful of God, as opposed to being in reverential awe of Him, they are brought to the place of fearing those who claim to represent Him. They have been cowed by convention. They no longer think God is knowable to the common man, but feel He must be interpreted to them by the experts, and so, those who claim expertise make prey of them.
This is our dual lesson: First, let us not take our cues from the culture around us. Indeed, let us be careful to check ourselves for unnoticed infiltration by foreign mindsets. Second, let us not fall into the trap of thinking the Gospel is beyond our understanding, that we are too untrained to grasp the Truth. It simply is not so! God has revealed Himself to the simple as well as the wise. Neither wisdom nor simplicity is any bar to knowing your Creator! He has graciously stooped down to make Himself recognized on our own level. The One Who came down from heaven, He has explained Him. He has demonstrated Him in His own example, and we are blessed to have the record of those who accompanied Him as He walked this world in like fashion to ourselves.
One last point I feel I must make as regards our motivation. I have seen a tendency amongst some believers to suppose that the fact that they have been offensive is somehow a badge of honor for them. They look at verses like Luke 6:22, where Jesus says, “Blessed are you if men hate you and insult you and scorn you and exclude you” and they fail to take note of the clause upon which all depends: “because of your association with Me.” The mere fact that you are offensive to an unbeliever is not proof of your holiness. If you are offensive simply because you act in such a way as to offend, then you are not doing so as Christ’s representative, and those who take offense do not do so because they associate you with Him. They do so because you are being rude and offensive! There is no badge of honor in that. Quite the opposite! You do a great disservice to that One whose ambassador you claim to be.
On the other hand, we are also warned that, “They will toss you out of the Church, even kill you, thinking they are doing God a favor by doing so” (Jn 16:2). Based on this, some seek solace under discipline, supposing that bringing judgment upon themselves is proof of a greater devotion to God. But, this, too, is errant nonsense. Yes, there are those occasions where a true reformation is called for, and those who are called to bring on that reformation may well find themselves facing stern opposition from the controlling powers of religion. But, these are the exception not the rule. These are the ones for whom God is most likely to manifest Himself with signs and wonders that their revolution may be shown approved.
Apart from that, we ought to be concerned by those who seek approval in their rebellion. The normative practices of faith are normative for a reason. What has been passed down, in so much as it holds true to the message of the Gospel, has been passed down for our preservation. Even as the Scriptures then present were written for the edification of those who found themselves at the dawn of the Church age, so the Scriptures they added are present for ours. We are shown the trials and the errors of the Church that we may learn from them, not that we might repeat them. But, to avail ourselves of that benefit, we must study what is written. We must beware of every urge to become selective as to what portions of Scripture we will adhere to and what portion we will reject. We must beware of every urge to become too creative in our interpretation of the text, beware of coming to the revelation of Truth with our preconceived notions already cast in concrete.
If we do not come to our Teacher with a willingness to be taught, then again: we fail the motivation test. We have come just to promote our own pet theories, to attempt to build up a framework that will make our errant nonsense seem more legitimate. We seek to make the Truth support a lie. In short, we allow the politics we see around us to become our model, and the world once more turns the Church upside down. We were called for greater things. We were called to be the Church that turns the world upside down, casting down every idol, skewering every proud system of knowledge that would promote itself above the God of all Knowledge and Wisdom.
This we cannot do from a base of pride, but only from a base of humility. This we cannot do by fancy words and carefully reasoned argumentation alone, although these have their place. The promise of God is that He will show as foolish the arguments of the wise. The promise of God is that He will give us that which we are to say. There is a preparation that we are called to make, studying to show ourselves approved, making ourselves a people prepared to give reason for our hope, to preach the Gospel in season and out. But, unless we consistently do so with an absolute dependence upon His choosing of the words and the times, we shall ever do so in vain.
