Author: scott

Truth & Comfort

Posted on by scott

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” – John 14:15-17

Dead Divinity?

I have often looked at the state of the church and the lives of individual Christians, myself included, and questioned the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit.  If the Holy Spirit was unleashed at Pentecost, which He was, and He indwells individual Believers, which He does, how can things be the way they are?

Why does the church seem so ineffective at stemming the tide of an increasingly evil world?  Why has the church lost her focus?  Instead of reaching the lost we seem to be more concerned with satisfying the saints.  Even if we have to entertain them to “keep” them.

At an individual level, how can so many people who claim to be followers of Christ have such “messed up” lives?  What does the victorious Christian life look like?  What does it mean to be an Overcomer?  Which leads me to wonder, while atheists have boasted of killing God, has the church “killed” the Holy Spirit?

Mom’s Request

To my recently deceased mother, the Holy Spirit wasn’t dead.  Far from it.  During the last few months of her life, she would often ask me to pray to the Holy Spirit on her behalf.  Not knowing what precipitated these requests they made me a little uncomfortable.

My mother was on the brink of eternity, so according to my way of thinking she should have been focusing on Jesus and His redeeming work.  But maybe my way of thinking needed a little re-thinking.  Perhaps it was my theology and not mom’s request that was the source of my “discomfort”.

Maybe my theology needed more “life”!

Life Source

It is easy to approach Christianity from an academic viewpoint, gathering facts as if they were ammunition for future discussion or debate.  But Christianity isn’t about cold facts, it is about a living vital relationship with an all-powerful living God.

To me, the most plausible explanation for our plight as individuals and as the Church, is that we are far removed from the living vital relationship with the Person of the Holy Spirit as the Father intended it.  Again, myself included.

If so, there is no better time than the current to repent and surrender ourselves to our Paraclete.  But I am convinced we won’t do so until we understand  Him and trust Him as a person.

Confide

With whom do you share your most intimate thoughts?  A parent?  A sibling?  How about a friend or spouse (in case your spouse isn’t your friend)?  How about your dreams and aspirations or troubles and fears?  To whom do you turn for guidance and direction?

When the disciples needed someone to confide in they turned to Jesus.  He could calm their troubled hearts and buoy their despondent souls unlike anyone else.  When they were weak, they rested in His strength.  When the darkness would oppress them, He was a constant source of light.

No matter what the situation, the disciples always knew they could go to Jesus.  And He never let them down.  He couldn’t.

In the person of the Holy Spirit, we have a Friend just as dear to us as Jesus was to His disciples.  But how often do we confide in Him?

In your time of need, turn to your Friend.  When you want someone to share your cares and concerns with, go to the Holy Spirit.  He is already more intimately familiar with you than any parent, friend or spouse ever could be.  And He loves you more than any human ever could.

Trust

Perhaps when we realize that the Holy Spirit already knows our most intimate thoughts, highest aspirations and deepest sorrows, we will begin to “trust” Him as we should.  Consider this quote from R. A. Torrey.

“The Holy Spirit is not a blind, impersonal influence or power that comes into our lives to illuminate, sanctify, and empower us.  No, He is immeasurably more than that.  He is a holy person who comes to dwell in our hearts, One who sees clearly every act we perform, every word we speak, every thought we entertain, even the most fleeting fancy that is allowed to pass through our minds.  If there is anything in act or word or deed that is impure, unholy, unkind, selfish, mean, petty or untrue, this infinitely Holy One is deeply grieved by it.”

We do not need to accept the status quo.  I am confident God has much loftier plans for us.  Instead of grieving the Holy Spirit with our sin (especially ignorance, apathy, and neglect), what if we were to confide in Him and in an attitude of surrender allow Him to sanctify us?  After all, He is the Holy Spirit and being God His work is efficacious.

Truth

I don’t want to give the impression that the Holy Spirit is simply a “shoulder to cry on”.  On the contrary, as we looked at in the last devotion, He is our greatest hope for comfort.  But He is not going to comfort us “as we are”, but rather by conforming us.  While our sorrows and sufferings are a consequence of sin, the Holy Spirit comforts us with Truth.

When Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit in today’s text, one of the ways He refers to Him is the Spirit of truth.  When we confide in and surrender to the Holy Spirit He will bring us comfort through the Word.  Although we may desire to be made comfortable in our sin, the Holy Spirit must first “hurt” us before He can heal us.  He must be true to His character.  Holy.  This is where trust is so important.

Before we can expect consolation, we must obey the Holy Spirit as He convicts us of sin and reveals Truth.  Truth that He wields to purify us and bring us peace.  With the Word of God, the Holy Spirit can reveal to us eternal truths thereby transforming our ignorance into wisdom.  As He reminds us of the teachings of Christ our fears will give way to boldness.  Certainly, as He illuminates the inerrant Word to us conviction of sin will occur (John 16:8).  Hopefully shaking us of our complacency.

For many, if not most of us it is past time to “reconnect” with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to bring “life” to our theology and comfort to our souls.  Until we do, we won’t be an effective witness to the world.

Revive All

God is not glorified by an anemic church.  Nor is He honored by “messed up” Christians.  While we may grieve the Holy Spirit, He is not dead.  Instead, all too often it is us who seem to be on life support.  But why?

As I have already stated, it is time to turn to the Holy Spirit.  He dwells within you.  He is always available.  The Spirit of truth wants to guide you and comfort you with the Word of God.  He wants to conform you to the image of Christ.  What could be more comforting?  What could be better evidence of the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit?

I may never know what motivated my mother to turn to the Holy Spirit as her certain death was approaching, but there is a truth to be gleaned from her request.  By God’s design, the Holy Spirit is our source of eternal life (John 3:3-6).   Sometimes we need to have the delusions of the world removed from our spiritual eyes to remind us of just how dependent we are upon the Holy Spirit.  No matter what stage of life we are at, the Holy Spirit is our source of comfort.

Thanks for the reminder mom.

The Person of the Holy Spirit

Posted on by scott

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” – John 14:15-17

Simon Magus

What comes to your mind when you think of the Holy Spirit?  I believe that too often for most it is perhaps a thought that parallels that of Simon Magus.  If you are not familiar with him he is infamously recorded in Acts chapter eight.

Simon Magus was a man from Samaria.  But he was no “ordinary” man, however we might define that.  He said of himself that he was “somebody great” (Acts 8:9).  Simon practiced magic and seemed to have quite a large gathering who was greatly impressed by him.

10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic” (Acts 810-11).

But in the midst of Simon’s admirers, God’s true power, the Gospel, showed up.  Philip came to Samaria proclaiming the Gospel and many believed him as he taught about the “kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 12).  Among those who professed belief and were baptized was none other than Simon Magus.

Simon Exposed

After his baptism, we are told that Simon “continued with Philip” (v. 13).  As Simon continued to spend time with Philip, he had the privilege of seeing Philip perform signs and miracles and he was amazed.  Being a magician Simon undoubtedly recognized a great difference between Philip’s miracles and his own slight of hand magic, but what was Philip’s secret?

When the news of what was happening in Samaria reached the Apostles in Jerusalem, they decided to send down Peter and John.  Upon arrival, Peter and John prayed for the new converts and laid their hands on them.  When they did so the new converts “received the Holy Spirit” (v. 17).  At which time Simon was exposed.

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” – vs. 18-19

To Simon Magus, the Holy Spirit and the ability to disseminate Him represented power.  With such power imagine the fame and wealth that someone like Simon could obtain!  For Simon, the Holy Spirit was something he evaluated on a commercial basis that would be subject to his will.

Peter, in very strong language, reprimands Simon for his worship of money, which is ultimately where Simon’s devotion lay.  Certainly, while Simon was being rebuked, the Holy Spirit was grieved.

Him

Look closely at the passage quoted above from the Gospel of John.  When Jesus promises His disciples the Holy Spirit He uses the pronouns whom, him, and he.  When Jesus departed to go back to the Father, He wasn’t simply going to replace himself with a power, but rather with a person.  A member of the Trinity who is as much a person as the Father and the Son are.

It is of utmost importance that we recognize the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person. Without the intimate knowledge of the personhood of the Holy Spirit, any study of His works or appeals for His power is meaningless.  If we want to have a “fair” and “balanced” understanding of the Holy Spirit, we must begin with the fact that HE is a person.

When we refer to the personhood of the Holy Spirit, we are not referring to bodily substance, but rather we mean that the Holy Spirit has personality characteristics.  Although the Holy Spirit may not have arms, legs, hands, etc., the Bible does ascribe to the Holy Spirit such things as knowledge, will, love, etc.

It is the person of the Holy Spirit that is our Paraclete.  The Person called alongside us.  The Person who lives inside us.

Heaven Help Us

As we looked at in our last study, mankind is in need of help.  We looked at the creation of Adam from the dust and the fact that Eve was formed from a rib from his side.  Eve was made to complete Adam, but as we saw, there are spiritual needs that only God can meet.  We need a Paraclete from Heaven.

Adam and Eve could walk side by side down the streets of New York City.  Despite being surrounded by millions of people in a short vicinity, Adam could be the “loneliest” man alive.  The strange faces around him and even the familiar face of his wife at his side may be desperately insufficient to remove his loneliness.  But Adam’s despair may have company.

As she walks by Adam’s side, Eve may be battling the demons of depression.  Rather than being an escape from her torment, the busyness of her environment may only serve as a fuel for her internal torment.  Why, she might ask, with all of the resources such a populated city might possess, can she not find any relief from her suffering?

Jesus foresaw such suffering.  Jesus foresaw such sorrow.  Jesus did not leave us as orphans.  He sent us another helper.  He did not send us “just” a power.  He did not send us simply an illuminating agent.  Nor did He send us an impersonal enlightenment or divine influence.

When we were given the Holy Spirit we were given a person just as divine as Jesus.  One who daily walks by our side.  One who dwells “in the innermost depths of our beings” and knows our needs even better than we know them ourselves.

Comfort

There are many functions that the Holy Spirit performs as our Paraclete, but for now, I only want to broach one, the fact that the Holy Spirit brings us comfort.  I don’t want to imply that as Christians we will never experience such things as loneliness or depression, but I am convinced that our greatest source of comfort is the indwelling Holy Spirit and without a foundational understanding of His personhood we miss His blessings.

As Jesus’ words quoted above imply, the Holy Spirit is to us what Jesus was to His disciples.  When He walked the earth with His disciples, Jesus was their teacher.  For three years, these men, many of which were deemed ignorant “unlearned”, gleaned from the most intelligent “man” ever to live.  In time they would change the world with the truths Jesus taught them.

Not only did Jesus serve as their teacher, He was also their shepherd and leader.  When they were vulnerable, He protected them, and when they were wayward He directed them.  Although they may not have completely understood His ways at the time, they knew in Jesus they had a “guide, counselor, and friend”.

In the midst of a world dominated by Roman power and religious hypocrisy, Jesus was more than a moral “keel” to keep the ship upright.  To His disciples, He was an intimate friend who loved them with a perfect love.  Christ was their “all in all”.  And such is the person of the Holy Spirit to the church.

Glory

I don’t want to exhaust your patience.  We will have to resume this study later.  For now, let me simply remind you that in the person of the Holy Spirit we have a Comforter who is ever present, at our sides and in our hearts.  He is able to act on our behalf in any situation that may come our way.  While it is my hope to impress upon you the personhood of the Holy Spirit, I don’t want to be accused of making this study about us.  My intention is to make it “personal” without losing focus.

We don’t want to make the mistake that Simon Magus did.  We don’t want to confuse the Holy Spirit with a power or treat Him as an object.  It is imperative we understand that He is a divine person, worthy of our worship.  Just as we adore the Father and the Son we must adore the Holy Spirit.  He is worthy of our love.  He is worthy of our faith.  If we want to live victoriously in our Christian faith we need to recognize that He deserves our complete surrender.

It is the Simon’s of the world who misunderstand the Holy Spirit and think of Him as a “tool”.  Their quest in life is to get more of the Holy Spirit.  Often they advertise themselves as “Spirit-filled”.  They feed their spiritual pride and display self-sufficiency and self-exaltation.

In contrast to Simon Magus, may we always be cognizant of the personhood of the Holy Spirit.  When we do, we are not concerned with having more of the Holy Spirit, but rather interest ourselves in surrendering more of self to the Holy Spirit.  When we truly understand the person of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, forever, we are humbled.  Recognizing that the triune God resides in us has a way of keeping our pride in check.

You will never be alone.  You will never be just another face in the crowd.  In the Person of the Holy Spirit, you are indwelt with divinity.  God, in His infinite wisdom and strength, has taken up residence in you and is carrying out His perfect will through you.  May we give the Holy Spirit the glory He deserves by seeing Him for who He is!

Help Needed

Posted on by scott

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. – John 14:15-17

imago dei

Such is the Latin that we translate the image of God.  As we know from scriptures (Genesis 1:26), Adam and Eve were created to be God’s image bearers.  Which simply means, God intended for His highest Creation to be a visible and “tangible” representation of Himself.

The breath of life God shared with Adam made him unique from the rest of creation in that Adam would not only have a physical body but an “immaterial” nature as well.  This nature would be comprised of a soul and a spirit.  This is the imago dei that separates humanity from the animal world.

When God breathed life into Adam, He imparted some defining characteristics into man; an ability to reason, a conscience, and the need for relationships.  As rational, moral and social beings, man was both created to have dominion over the rest of creation (Gen. 1:28) and more importantly, to have fellowship with their Creator (Gen. 3:8).

A Fit Helper

When God looked over His creation, He said it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31), but His pronouncement of Adam’s plight in the Garden was a little different,18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Gen. 2:18). 

God’s creation was very good, but from God’s viewpoint, Adam wasn’t quite complete.  There was a deficiency.  God did not make a mistake, His work simply wasn’t finished.  Adam and Eve and the rest of mankind would have to be taught a very important lesson; “it is not good that man should be alone”.

From the side of Adam, God would make an ezer (helper) that was kenegdow (fit) for him.  In other words, God was going to make for Adam an ideal partner who was literally, “according to the opposite of him.”  Eve would not be above or below Adam, neither superior or subservient, but rather “just right” for him.  She would compliment him as only a woman can compliment a man (Gen 2:20).

Sadly, God’s highest creation rebelled.  When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, death entered the world.  But in His infinite wisdom, when God breathed life into the man He formed from the dust of the ground, He planted an eternal seed in him.

A Marred Image

When God created Adam and Eve, he gave them a free will.  As much as God wanted their fellowship, He did not force their love for Him, which by definition would not truly be love.  Rather God revealed His character to them and gave them the opportunity to meet with Him, but how they chose to respond was entirely up to them.

The disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden not only ushered death into history, but it also disfigured the image of God.  The imago dei was now marred.  The image that God intended His highest creation to reflect was now distorted.

Although the image of God is distorted, it is not destroyed.  It is still the image of God that makes mankind unique.  More importantly, it is the imago dei that makes man redeemable and worthy of redemption.  Man might be capable of forgetting his Creator, but our Creator will never forget the eternal seed He has breathed into man.

One Flesh

Before Eve was created, God “paraded” all the beasts and birds before Adam to see what he would name them.  Despite being made “out of the ground” as Adam was, none of the beasts or birds could suffice to meet Adam’s relational needs.

When Adam stood in the Garden he needed a helper fit for him to make him “whole” and complete.  For his helper, God did not choose to create from the ground, but rather from Adam’s side.  After making Adam fall into a deep sleep, God performed “surgery” on him by taking out one of his ribs and after closing him back up with flesh, God “fashioned” Eve out of Adam’s rib (Gen. 2:21-22).

When God brought Eve before Adam, he named her just as he had named the beasts and birds, but Adam immediately recognized her uniqueness and significance.

23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman
because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. – Gen. 2:23-24

God in the Flesh

In Eve, Adam was able to experience the joy of loving another person.  As God’s image bearers, they could enjoy the physical and emotional intimacy they were created for.  They could live out their lives in a very special union holding fast to one another as one flesh.  Their relationship would forever serve as a model for marriage.  One man and one woman becoming one flesh.

But their union isn’t only a model for marriage as God designed it, it is also a model of the union between Christ and the Church.  His unique relationship with His bride (Eph. 5:31).  But before Christ could be united with His bride, He had to redeem her.  The bite that Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit would have grave consequences.

The need that Adam had as he stood in the Garden without a helper fit for him, was a mere shadow of the need he created by his disobedience.  Although he now had a wife at his side, his fellowship with God was damaged.  Sin had created a barrier that had to be dealt with.  Ultimately, only God could deal with it, so He came to earth as a man wearing human flesh.

God is jealous for His glory.  God is jealous for imago dei.

Paracletes

As we looked at in our last study, before Jesus returned to the Father, He promised to send another Paraclete of which He was the first (1 John 2:1).  The word Paraclete literally means to be called alongside.  Like Adam in the Garden, we stand in need of a helper.  One to come alongside us and make us complete.  We need someone to make us whole in a sense that no other created being can.

In Christ, God made propitiation for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross of Cavalry and dying for our sins.  As we have mentioned previously, Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God where He acts as our Paraclete, advocating on our behalf.

Although we have already introduced the theme of the Holy Spirit as our helper, there is so much more to look at.  I believe that if most of us were honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that the “attention” we give to the Holy Spirit is either inadequate or misguided.

Although an equal member of the Trinity, it seems that too often He is delegated to a “secondary” status.  The worship we give Him is disproportionate to that which we give the Father or Son.  Perhaps it is because humanly speaking we can relate to the terms Father and Son whereas Spirit is a little more elusive to our earthly thinking.

Perhaps many of us shy away from placing proper emphasis on the Holy Spirit as a reaction to those that we deem placing “too much” emphasis on the Holy Spirit or His power.  Whatever the reason, it is possible that in our behavior, whether intentional or not, many of us are grieving the Holy Spirit.

God has created us in His image.  He has created us as relational beings whose greatest need is fellowship with Himself.  Accordingly, He has given us the Holy Spirit, who we will be studying in further detail.

Stay tuned.  Stay in tune with the Spirit!

Another Helper

Posted on by scott

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. – John 14:15-17

Going Home

The disciples were stunned.  Just three short years ago Jesus gave them the simple command, “follow me“.  And they did.  Many dropped their nets.  Matthew abandoned his tax booth.  All of them left their homes to follow Jesus, as Peter would remind Him (Luke 18:28).  When they left their homes they left their wives, children, parents, and siblings for the sake of the kingdom of God (Luke 18:29).  And now the same lips that uttered “follow me“, announce; “I am going away” (John 14:28).

Jesus was a radical.  His teachings were controversial.  The religious leaders were threatened by His presence.  They were jealous of Him.  To be associated with Him was dangerous.  But the disciples loved Him.  For three years they listened to His teachings.  For three years they were privy to His miracles.  For three years they sacrificed life’s comforts.  In exchange, they were rewarded intimacy with God.  Only a fool would be unwilling to make such an exchange.

I am not sure what the disciples understood of the kingdom of God at this juncture, but the thought of Jesus leaving them was a thunderbolt to them.  Hence Jesus’ words, “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).  Jesus may be going home, but He isn’t completely leaving!

Preparing a Place

What must have gone through the minds of the disciples upon hearing the words of Jesus’ departure?  Besides the questions of how and why He might depart, there must have been many questions about their own futures.  Three years away from their work.  Three years away from their homes.  They gave up so much, but they gained so much more.  And now perhaps it would all be gone.

What would life look like without Jesus in the picture?  For the past three years, everything revolved around Him.  When the food was running out, He could multiply the crumbs.  When taxes were due, He could raise the money from the mouth of a fish.  When the sea threatened their lives, He calmed the sea.  Most importantly, when they were lost, He showed them the Way.  But apart from His death, it could never be opened.

So now it is time for Jesus to go home to the Father.  If Jesus is going home, it was only logical that His disciples did the same.  Was it not?

But before they had a chance to imagine their homecomings Jesus makes another promise.  Not only is He going home to the Father, He is also preparing a place for them!  And by extension, if He is going to prepare a place for them, He is going to come back and personally take them to their places He is preparing for them.  The sad news of Jesus’ departure was made more bearable by the promise of His return.

As difficult as their separation would be, it would not be permanent.  Christian “separation” never is.

Paraclete

Jesus not only comforts His disciples with the promise of His return, but He makes another astonishing promise.  When Jesus returns to the Father, He will ask the Father to send His disciples another Helper.  A paraclete (comforter, advocate).

Jesus’ return to the Father would “unleash” the Holy Spirit to indwell God’s children.  Contrary to their concerns of being “abandoned”, Jesus assures His disciples that they will not be orphaned.  On the contrary, the Holy Spirit will be with them forever (John 14:16).

Jesus goes on to tell His disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them and bring to remembrance the things that He Himself had taught them.  Part of the Holy Spirit’s role as Paraclete is to help God’s children discern and walk in the Truth.  Without the Truth, there is no foundation for fellowship with the Trinity.

Making Our Home

As staggering as the promise of the Holy Spirit may be, Jesus makes another profound statement.  The Holy Spirit is promised to those who love God and keep His commandments (John 14:15-16).  Jesus then goes on to say that if anyone loves Him and keeps His words, Jesus and the Father will come and make Their home in them.

If you look closely at these parallel statements, Jesus is not only equating Himself with the Father but is also saying that to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit is equivalent to being filled with all three members of the Trinity.  Those that love the Father, and Jesus, and keep their commandments/words will be filled with The Holy Spirit, The Father, and The Son.

While Jesus is preparing a place in Heaven for His disciples, the Trinity is making a home IN them (John 14:23).  The fellowship that the disciples had with Jesus was not going to be broken, it was simply going to be redefined.  Instead of having the physical Jesus in their presence, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was now going to live inside of them.

Until Finally Home

The disciples experienced the fellowship of Jesus for three years and it totally transformed them.  The fellowship was so real and so sweet to them and it “defined” them.  They gave up everything, including their lives for their Faith.  They “tasted” eternal life (John 17:3), and there was no turning back.  Things could never be the same, nor did they want them to be.  They “knew” Jesus, and He was now everything to them.  Can the same be said of us?

Do you love the Father?  Do you keep His commandments?  Do you love Jesus?  Do you keep His words?  If you are a child of God, do you understand what it means to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit?  Is this indwelling something we take for granted?  Are we even in touch with the Spirit or do we grieve Him?

Someday, like Jesus, we will finally be going home to the Father.  Until then, we will experience our share of earthly trials.  We will experience the pain of separation like the original disciples.  We will face our share of storms.  We will too often receive unwelcome news that will trouble us.  In the midst of these trying times, we hear Jesus say, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

Never Alone

As Christians, we will never be alone.  Because Jesus sent “another helper” we can have unbroken fellowship with our Creator, Savior and Paraclete.

I don’t know what the world will throw at you today.  I don’t know what news will reach your ears.  Whether the skies are clear or if there is a storm on the horizon, we can be sure of one thing: we are indwelt with the Spirit of Truth, and He will be with us forever.

Enjoy the fellowship.  As sweet as it is it is only a foretaste!!

Heavenly Footstools

Posted on by scott

 

 

The Lord says to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.” – Psalm 110:1

Right Hands & Footstools

As we last looked at this passage we mentioned that it is a metaphor, giving us a mental picture of spiritual truths.  While it is tempting to look at this passage through the lenses of “spatial” imagery, it is more important to recognize the theological implications.

While Paul does refer to the resurrected Christ as being at the Father’s right hand (Ephesians 1:20), he expounds on the significance of this in his letter to the Philippians,  

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11

While Jesus is “seated” in His rightful position of supreme authority interceding on our behalf, the Father is also busy; making a footstool.

Apparently, no seat of authority would be complete without a footstool.  But how do you make a footstool for someone so highly exalted?

Raw Materials

When The Father (Yahweh) tells the Son (Adonai) that He is going to make Him a footstool, He says He is going to use Christ’s enemies as the raw materials.  Getting back to the imagery, Jesus is to sit at the Father’s right hand until the Father has completed His footstool.

While it is tempting to imagine God the Father turning Satan on a lathe preparing to make him a “leg” for a stool, it is perhaps more helpful to understand the background for this imagery.

In Biblical times, defeated enemies were often ushered in before the throne of the conquering King.  Wearing chains, the defeated enemies would be further humbled as they were placed before the King who would proceed to rest his legs on their backs as a sign of victory.  It was not uncommon for the conquered to find themselves at the feet of their conquerors (see also Joshua 10:24 & Judges 1:7).

While it delights us to envision Christ’s enemies getting their just deserts, it may prove more beneficial to be reminded of the identity of His enemies.

Lineups

I am confident every generation has had their enemies.  When I was young our nation was fighting the war in Vietnam.  It was a difficult time for our nation to say the least.  The war seemed to be very unpopular and it was hard to distinguish if our enemies were abroad or here in the States.

When the war finally ended, there was no talk of world peace.  Instead, the discussion, at least as I remember it, shifted back to our great enemy Russia and the Cold War.  But weren’t they an ally in the last World War?

When our Nation fought for its independence, we broke from the “bondage” of England’s “shackles”.  Now they are our greatest ally in the fight to maintain freedom around the world.

In an ever-changing world, it is difficult to know who our flesh and blood enemies are.  Too often, if our enemies were in a police lineup we would not correctly identify them.

Messiah & Zealots

Since the Fall, the world has been subject to non-stop fighting and death.  Unfortunately, war is one of the constants in our ever-changing world.  Despite what our mouths speak about peace, our hands are quick to shed blood.

When Jesus came to earth as the long-awaited Messiah, so many people “missed” Him because their expectations had become misguided.  Whereas Jesus came offering spiritual liberation, so many wanted political liberation.  Years of bondage can have a way of impacting our expectations.

People like the Zealots did not comprehend a suffering servant.  They literally wanted to see their flesh and blood enemies, the Romans, chained and brought before the throne of an earthly Messiah.  The wanted to see their Messiah literally place his feet on the backs of their Roman oppressors.

How badly their expectations were crushed when Jesus was stripped and led out to Calvary to be crucified on a Roman cross.

Cosmic Powers

Saul may not have been a Zealot, but he was certainly a man of great zeal.  Before his conversion, he was wreaking havoc on the Church seeking to arrest or even put to death the followers of Jesus Christ.  Like so many others, Saul was to learn that his enemies were not flesh and blood.

On his way to Damascus to further persecute Christians, Saul was knocked to the ground by the Messiah.  Jesus confronted Saul not with earthly weapons, but with Truth.

Saul wasn’t just fighting against Christians, he was fighting against Christ.  Saul was fighting a losing battle, as the enemies of Christ all do.  At the end of the day, they are nothing more than the raw materials for Christ’s footstool.

After his conversion, Paul had a much clearer understanding of his enemies.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12

Know Thine Enemy

Vietnam is ancient history (relatively speaking).  The Cold War is no longer a hot topic.  Conflicts still dominate the news, but I am now able to understand the truth behind the headlines and soundbites. While enemies carry out their battles in flesh and blood, their marching orders come from the spiritual realm.

As Christians, we need to be careful of the battle lines we draw.  We can expend a lot of energy fighting the wrong battles.  Our enemies are not those with different nationalities, skin colors or political viewpoints.  Rather, our enemies are those forces “in the heavenly places” that work against God and the well being of man.

It is important that we realize the Judases and Pontius Pilates of the world are merely agents for the spiritual forces of evil.  And although they may ignorantly play out their roles in God’s redemptive plan, often times appearing to be victorious, the fact of the matter is just the opposite.

Thanks to the victory obtained on the cross, Christ’s enemies are now progressively being destroyed.

Mind Battles

As quoted above, Paul tells us that our battles are not against flesh and blood.  Instead, he warns us that our enemies, Christ’s enemies, are those forces which dominate the minds of men and women.  These enemies maintain their “power” as long as people believe in them and render their allegiance to them.  Hence Paul’s warning to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Thankfully, these enemies are being chained and added to Christ’s footstool every day.

As the minds of men and woman are being liberated by faith in our resurrected Messiah, the bondage imposed by these spiritual forces of evil is dissolved.  Held in God’s shackles as they wait to become Christ’s footstool, these forces are exposed for what they really are; “weak and worthless” (Galatians 4:9).

Remember when the enemy had you captured?  Remember the days of bondage to the power of sin and the fear of death?  Have you forgotten what it was like when you surrendered your allegiance to Christ’s enemies?  Did you ever think you could be delivered from the iron grip of the “cosmic powers of this present darkness“?  Praise God for heavenly footstools.

Metaphors and figurative language help to paint mental pictures, but can we adequately put into words the joy and peace we experience as Believers because of the inward release from the power of Christ’s enemies?

Destroying Death

As the Father progressively destroys the enemies of Christ, one, in particular, roams the earth in defiance.  Death.  A respecter of neither man or beast, death has haunted man since Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden.

Death resides in every country.  Death is spoken in every language.  Death was sin’s first child.  Death will be Christ’s final enemy.  Whether we scan the annals of history or the horizon of the future, death is prominent, boldly riding on his black horse.  But death’s time in the saddle is limited.

When Christ rose from the grave, death began to bleed.  Death’s wound is mortal, and Satan knows it.  Death’s sting is gone, and when Christ’s enemies are lined up in chains to serve as His footstool, death will be at the end of the line.

The rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, spiritual forces, and even death may seem rather imposing, but to our all-powerful God, they are “weak and worthless”.  The stuff of which footstools are made.

Kind of makes me glad we are seated with Christ in the Heavenly places at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 2:6).  What a joy it will be to see Jesus rest His legs.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. – 1 Cor. 15:25-26

Right Hand (Son of) Man

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34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ – Acts 2:34-35

A Mother’s Request

Matthew chapter twenty records the incident of the mother of James and John asking of Jesus the honor that her sons may sit one at His right hand and the other at His left in the kingdom.  But what exactly was she asking on behalf of her sons?  And why?  Apparently, even she did not comprehend the magnitude of her own question as Jesus responded,“You do not know what you are asking” (v. 22).

With her motherly bias, Salome wanted assurance that her two sons would have prominent positions in Jesus’ kingdom.  This question, prompted by pride, became an object lesson in humility.  Jesus could assure James and John that they would share in His suffering, but “seating arrangements” in the kingdom belong to the Father.  He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (v. 23).

As Jesus would go on to teach His disciples, if you really want to be great, you must serve.  If you want to be first, you must become a slave: like Me, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (v. 28).

Musical Chairs

In Luke chapter fourteen, Jesus also used “seating arrangements” as a lesson on humility.  In this chapter, He gives us the parable of the wedding feast.  Jesus commented on the tendency of human nature (i.e. – pride) being displayed by the guests wanting the seats of highest honor.

Jesus’ recommendation for His audience was to choose the lowest seats as opposed to the seats of honor.  After all, after you have taken a seat of honor, someone more distinguished may arrive after you, causing you to be demoted to a lower seat by your host.  Jesus wants to spare you such shame.

Instead, Jesus recommends that you humbly choose for yourself the lowest seat.  In doing so it is more likely the host will come to you and invite you to move up, therefore, bringing you honor at your “new” table.

Jesus concluded His parable with this famous line, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11).  But Jesus didn’t just teach about humility, He lived it.

True Humility

While I am thankful for Jesus’ teachings on humility, I know of nothing more powerful than His example as so masterfully portrayed in Philippians chapter two.  Accordingly, I want to share a few verses of it and let it “speak” for itself.

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:3-8

Who is more worthy to teach about humility than our Savior?  Who is more deserving of exaltation than our Lord?

The Father’s Command

In stark contrast to Salome’s request of Jesus on behalf of her two sons, is the Father’s command to Jesus on behalf of mankind.

“The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.” – Psalm 110:1

In the incarnation, Jesus left His Heavenly throne and took on flesh and blood.  When He did so, He “emptied Himself” and took on the form of a servant.  In perfect obedience to the Father, He went to the cross on our behalf.  His work in the “flesh” accomplished, the Father gave Him the seat at His right Hand.

While it is tempting to think of this truth literally we might be better served to understand it metaphorically.  The Father’s command to the Son to sit at His right hand isn’t so much about “space” as it is honor and authority.

When David penned this Psalm in the original it says that Yahweh commanded Adonai.  In other words, this is the Great I Am, Israel’s covenant-keeping, omnipotent God speaking to the promised Messiah.  The long-awaited Christ.

Israel’s long-awaited Messiah left His Heavenly throne, lived a perfect life in human flesh, died for our sins on a Roman cross and ascended back to the right hand of the Father.  But His work is far from done.

Interceding In Between

What did David comprehend about the promised Messiah when he penned the 110th Psalm?  Even with the completed Scriptures what do we truly comprehend about our Savior’s current and future work?

We often speak of Jesus sitting at the Father’s right hand because the Father was satisfied with Jesus’ completed work and therefore Jesus can now rest.  But as I have already mentioned, we have to be careful about taking passages too literally.

His work on earth completed (for a season), Jesus has ascended back to Heaven.  We know from the pages of scriptures that He will be returning back to earth in what we refer to as the parousia.  But in between His ascension and the parousia, Jesus isn’t resting.

As our great High Priest Jesus has made a sufficient one time sacrifice for our sins, but as our faithful High Priest, He knows that we still battle satan and sin, and therefore we need His continued intercession.

Prayer Support

I don’t believe that on this side of heaven we will ever understand the importance of prayer.  Without a doubt, it is the most neglected power source in the world.  How different would the world be if Christians took prayer more seriously?

I still vividly recall the immediate effect the loss of my mother-in-law back in 2000 had on my ministry as an Associate Pastor.  I knew she faithfully prayed for me as well as the other pastors on staff on the time, but I didn’t realize how dependent I was on her faithful prayers.

It takes a very special person to serve in the Pastorate.  The spiritual warfare is very draining on a person, at least it was for me.  In addition to all of the things that need to be done to make sure the services and ministries are effectively carried out, there are a lot of people to visit and many others in need of counseling.  These things must never be done “in the flesh”.

After losing the prayer support of my mother-in-law, handling these spiritual responsibilities became more difficult.  Thinking perhaps I was oversimplifying the situation I patiently waited for things to return to the way that had been before her passing.  But it never happened.  In fact, I found with the passing of time that treading water only became more difficult.

As difficult as it was, in fairness to my church family I knew I had to step down from the Pastorate.  Perhaps I was never “special” enough to be a Pastor, but I know for sure that fighting spiritual battles requires prayer support.  Without it, we are no match for the enemy.  To believe otherwise is not only foolish, it is downright dangerous.

Current Ministry

While I am thankful for the “finished” work of Christ on Calvary’s cross, I am just as thankful that His active concern for His church was not exhausted by His death on our behalf.  Just as we needed His “intervention” at the cross, we need His intercession from the Father’s right hand.

As mentioned above, even though we are washed by the blood of Christ, we will still struggle with sin as long as we are in the flesh.  While we do not need to be “saved” each time we sin, we do know our sins can affect our fellowship with the Father who is too pure to look on sin.

As part of His current ministry of intercession, John tells us that Jesus serves as our advocate (1 John 2:1).  He acts as our lawyer before the Father.  When John refers to Jesus as our advocate in this passage, he refers to Him as, “Jesus Christ the righteous”.  This is important because when the Father looks at us, He sees the righteousness of our Advocate.  With Jesus as our advocate, we will never be condemned (Romans 8:1).

Although we may still sin, we will always have the perfect righteousness of Christ.

On the night of His betrayal, Christ offered what is known as the High Priestly prayer (John 17).  In this prayer, He made a lot of petitions for His followers including their unity and protection.  Luke further records Jesus’ words to Peter that Satan desired to sift him like wheat but Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail (Luke 22:21-32).  I believe in His current role of making intercession, Jesus is doing the same for us.

Satan will “sift” us, but our Intercessor will always sustain us.

It is comforting to know that as long as we are fighting spiritual battles, we will always have the intercession of the Messiah who alone is worthy to be exalted to the right hand of God, the position of supreme authority.

34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. – Romans 8:34

Revealed Glory

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18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. – Romans 8:18

“Jesus Wept”

That is what is recorded in the eleventh chapter of John’s Gospel.  It is the shortest verse in the Bible but it says so much about our Savior.  Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days and his sisters Mary and Martha were devastated.  It appeared Jesus was too late to help them.  As Martha was soon to point out.

Upon hearing that Jesus was coming, Martha ran out to meet Him on the way.  When she met Jesus, she wasted no time in rebuking Him.  Martha had enough faith in Jesus to believe that had He been present four days earlier, her brother Lazarus would still be alive.  According to her faith, Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’ death.  Reality is, Jesus is capable of so much more.

Jesus’ response to Martha was short but profound, “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23).  Martha was soon to witness that she was indeed standing in the presence of the one who is the resurrection and the life (v. 25).  But more tears would precede the resurrection.

Before Jesus could reach the tomb of Lazarus, He surveyed the sorrow of Mary, Martha and their Jewish friends.  Moved with compassion, Jesus wept with them.

Tears all Around

In the last few weeks, we have experienced not only the death of my mother, but our lives have also been impacted by the occurrence of two suicides.  Just when we attempt to come up for breath, we are hit by more waves.

In the past week, our church family has been blindsided by the news of a severe auto accident and the arson of the home of one of our missionaries.  With so much suffering, there has been no shortage of tears.

Like Martha, we are tempted to say, if Jesus had been present these things would not have happened.  Like Martha, our faith needs to be increased.

Light Afflictions?

Too often our lives seem to be dominated by tragedies and suffering.  These things not only vie for our time they also drain us emotionally and physically.  Often times they completely beat us up.  And yet Paul refers to such things as “light momentary afflictions” (2 Cor. 4:17).  How can he say this?

How do you tell a family grieving over the body of a deceased loved one that what they are experiencing is a light affliction?  What balm can alleviate the pain of a young woman whose wedding plans were replaced by funeral arrangements for her late fiance?  Instead of the bliss of matrimonial union, she is experiencing the pain of separation.

What do you say to little children who will never again be embraced by their mother because she has been laid to rest way too young?  How about the missionary family sifting through the ashes of what used to be their home and earthly possessions?

These things seem anything but light and momentary.  In fact, they are earth-shattering experiences that leave us traumatized and scarred.  But although we only seem to feel the “damage” of these present sufferings, God is using them to transform us.  As F.F. Bruce said, “As the hardships wore down the outer man, they were at the same time used by God for the renewal of the inner man and the augmenting of his heritage of glory.”

Paul’s Perspective

What could make Paul write that our afflictions are light and momentary?  How could he consider that our present sufferings are relatively “nothing”?  As humans, God has made us emotional beings.  As alluded to above, we are capable of very strong emotions.  Think about the depth of the sorrow you have experienced during your greatest suffering and ask yourself, how special must the “glory to be revealed” be if Paul says our sufferings are not even worth the comparison?

Paul’s perspective on suffering was not congenital.  It is not something he inherited from his parents or learned in the Synagogues.  Paul was only able to write such radical words about suffering because of his radical conversion.

Paul had the unique privilege, (although it probably didn’t feel like it at the time), of being in the presence of the glory of Christ.  On his way to Damascus, Paul received a special revelation from Jesus and the brightness of the encounter left him temporarily blind.  When his eyesight was restored three days later, Paul saw things more clearly than ever.  Including suffering.

Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, but his thorn in the flesh was nothing in comparison to the new hope in his heart.

Concealed Glory

When Jesus took on flesh and blood, his glory was temporarily “concealed”.  When Peter, James, and John accompanied Jesus during His transfiguration, they were given a glimpse of the majesty that is Christ’s. His appearance overwhelmed them just as it would overwhelm Paul on the road to Damascus.

What will Jesus look like in all of His glory?  Although Scriptures give us a glimpse of our Savior, and through Him, our Heavenly Father, sin limits our ability to see them clearly.  As Paul writes to the church at Corinth, now we see through a dark glass (1 Cor. 13:12).

What will it be like when the dark glass is removed?

When John had a vision of Jesus on the island of Patmos, he fell to the ground as if dead before the feet of his glorified Savior.  When John would write about Heaven in the Book of Revelation he gave us but a glimpse.  Our earthly minds can’t comprehend future glory.

Even with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we have to admit that Christ’s glory is still concealed from us.  However, we see enough to make us long for more.  Like Paul would write just before his execution, we should love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).

Hidden in Christ

When Paul wrote to the Believers at Colossae, he told them that they had died with Christ and now their lives were hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3).  This is a beautiful truth that assures us of our safety in Christ and at the same time implies that although we are radically changed by Salvation, for the most part, who we are in Christ is hidden from the eyes of the world.

Although we are a new Creation, we continue to live in our old tent.  As long as we are in the flesh we will continue to suffer.

From all outward appearances, our new identity is hidden.  But the seed has been planted.  Appearances aren’t always what they seem.  In time reality will be revealed!!

Glory Revealed

As long as we walk this earth, we will suffer.  I am not trying to be depressing, I am only being honest.  But as long as suffering is our fate and the waves keep rolling, I am going to throw out hope to cling to just as Paul did.

Jesus is not unaware of our suffering.  As we saw from His tears, He is sympathetic to our sorrows.  But more important than the tears he shed was the blood He bled on our behalf.  While it is comforting to know that Jesus is compassionate, it is more important to know that He is the resurrection and the life.

Jesus suffered so we could have hope.

As Paul would go on to encourage the church at Colossae, Christ will appear, and we will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4).  Knowing in part will give way to full knowledge (1 Cor. 13:12).

Someday, we will not only see Christ face to face, but the Scriptures tell us we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).  In other words, we will not only see His glory, we will share it with Him (Rom. 8:17).

Unworthy

What do we do when suffering comes our way?  We grieve.  With hope.  Like Jesus, we are not afraid to show our emotions.  It is important to mourn with those who mourn.  But our tears will only last a short time.

As I said before, our suffering and grief are only a backdrop against which glory will be contrasted.  The depth of our sorrows will be nothing compared to the joy that awaits us.  A joy that will not be constrained by our earthly bodies or finite minds.  We will experience the joy of Christ’s perfection.

When we contemplate the effect that the glory of Christ had on Paul, Peter, James, and John we begin to understand their attitude towards suffering.  The instruments God uses to conform us to the image of Christ will seem trivial when we behold Him in all of His glory.

As Paul will go on to tell us in Romans chapter eight, the revealing of the sons of God in glory is the consummation for which the universe waits with longing expectancy (Romans 8:18-25).

Jesus is indeed the resurrection and the life, and in His humility, He has “redeemed” suffering and will share His glory.  We may not understand our present suffering, but it will all be worth it when glory is revealed to us.

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. – 1 John 3:2

Present Sufferings

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18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  – Romans 8:18

Crazy Eights

I last wrote about the passing of my mother.  As we passed the hours at her bedside we often talked about my mother’s penchant for the number eight.  Ironically, my mother would pass away on 08-08-2018.  The time of her passing was roughly 8:18 p.m.  And of course she passed with all 8 of her children at her bedside.

It seemed that every time we turned around, the number eight or eighteen confronted us.  Of course, sometimes you would have to be a little creative in looking for it.  For instance, when you add up the digits for my mother’s birthdate, the total is eighteen.  Ok, so I started to have a little fun with numbers, but we are just getting started.

After the funeral, a couple of my siblings delivered some flowers to the nursing home and picked up some clothing articles that belonged to my mother.  On the way home, they stopped for lunch and at the restaurant, they found a penny dated 1943, the year of my mother’s birth.  I have to admit that is a little strange.  Now if you add the four digits you get a total of 17, and of course, if you add those two digits you get a total of 8.  Should I even mention that the blog about my mother’s passing was blog number 170?  Of course, those digits also add up to 8.  Amazing what you can do with numbers!!

All silliness aside, on my mother’s porch were some painted rocks placed there for encouragement when she was diagnosed with cancer.  On one of these rocks was painted, “Romans 8:18”.  I thought that since today is 08-18-2018, it might be a good time to look at this verse.  There is nothing crazy about these eights.

Romans Eight

Much like we had fun with the number eight during the difficult time of my mother’s passing, we found solace in the words Paul recorded in Romans 8:18.  Seeing our mother suffer during the last two years of her life and especially during the final days was often overwhelming.  Suffering is never pleasant but seeing our loved ones suffering is even more difficult.  As bad as experiencing suffering is, spectating it is no walk in the park either.  No one likes to feel so vulnerable or helpless.

As we go through such experiences it is easy to ask the question, “Why?”.  It just doesn’t seem to make any logical sense.  In such a position, especially when we are sleep deprived, you can begin to understand to a degree why people like Jack Kevorkian have an audience and even a “clientele”.  If we lived in a “closed system” and this world is all there is, get me out of here with as little suffering as possible!!

But as Paul reminds us in today’s passage, we don’t live in a closed system.  This world is not all there is.  Suffering may be part and parcel of this “present” time, but compared to the future glory it is nothing.  Not even worth the comparison.

Sorry, Dr. Death, your logic is no match for Jesus, who is the Way, The Truth and The Life.  When we look to Him, He helps us keep everything in perspective.  Even suffering.

Present Suffering

In the context, it would appear that the sufferings Paul has in mind are specifically those that result from our association with Christ.  In other words, it might seem as if he is primarily interested in persecution, especially if we look at verse 17.  But while it might be tempting to say this is predominantly what Paul is referring to, I don’t believe it is exclusively what he is referring to.

As I have mentioned in a prior writing, suffering is a consequence of sin.  As Paul goes on to say in this chapter, even creation is groaning as it waits to be set free from the consequences of sin.  Which leads me to believe, Paul is talking about suffering in general, whether it is illness, bereavement, financial difficulties, hunger, or death itself.  Sin has forged a strong chain with this present time, and the consequences are not pleasant.

As we walk this earth, we are not immune from suffering.  Paul delineated his sufferings as he mentioned such things as being whipped and stoned and left for dead.  Peter and the other Apostles also suffered during their lifetimes.  And even Christ Himself suffered as He bore the consequences of our sins.  It is difficult to expect immunity from suffering if even our Savior was not.  In fact, Isaiah would refer to Him as a Suffering Servant.  But the beauty is, for the Christian, suffering will never have the last word.

Seeing Suffering

Much is made about being at the side of our loved ones as they take their final earthly breaths, however, at the present, I am feeling that perhaps it is overrated.  I will spare you the details, but as I have often said, it is difficult to unsee things that we have seen.  Certain images will forever be forged in our minds and perhaps reappear when we would rather they don’t, such as when we want to sleep.

While we can’t unsee things that we have seen, the beauty of Biblical Truths such as we are looking at today, is that they help us to properly see things that we have seen.  Which in this case is better than unseeing that which we have seen.

As difficult as it was to see my mother pass, it does serve as a canvas or backdrop on which God can paint eternal Truths.  How much more beautiful are the pastels of eternity when we contrast them with the blackness of this present world?  How much more majestic will the Heavenly voices sound in contrast to the groanings of this world?

In other words, as unpleasant as the present sufferings are, they will help us to more clearly see and appreciate the glory that awaits us.

The Other Side

Christians have historically referred to death as a river to be crossed.  We can accompany our loved ones to the river’s edge but no further.  We must release them at the bank and entrust them to Christ.  The transfer from one side of the river to the other is a mystery.

The last two days of her earthly life my mother was for the most part non-responsive.  At least she wasn’t verbally communicative.  At one point during this final stretch, a smile came on her face.  She then began to stretch out her neck and turn her head from side to side.  Although her eyes were closed, she appeared to be looking around and basking in the scenery.

What she was experiencing and seeing, if anything, is a mystery.  We would like to think that she was experiencing a foretaste of Heaven itself.  If so, I am sure she would tell us that as difficult as the suffering was, it was nothing compared to what she was seeing.  Fortunately, the glory that awaits us is not something we will spectate, but more importantly something we will experience.  Paul is right, that which is earthly and temporal never can compare with that which is heavenly and eternal.

Suffering may be prevalent, but Glory will have the final word!!

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, – 2 Corinthians 4:17

Behold Your Mother

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26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. – John 19:26-27

Giggles & Goosebumps

I remember playing hide and seek as a young boy.  Stealthily sneaking into a closet.  Silently sliding the clothes on the bar.  Softly positioning my small frame in the corner and sliding the clothes back into position.  Holding my breath to listen for, “ready or not, here I come.”

And then I would giggle.  I recognize that laughter spells “doom” when you are hiding but I couldn’t help it.  I had a good hiding spot and I knew it.  Certainly I wouldn’t be found for hours.  Maybe even days!!  And then I would be smitten by the giggle bug.  I might as well have tried hiding with an elephant and a foghorn!

For a young child to stop such giggles is a little like trying to stop the hiccups.  Not wanting to prematurely sacrifice my hiding spot I knew I had to put an end to my giggling.  Pronto.  I figured the best way to do so was to try to think of something sad.  I knew I had to trick my mind with sober thoughts.  But what?

What was the saddest thing I could think of?  Death.  I wasn’t trying to be morbid but as my mind ran through the gamut of sad thoughts, the worst I could think of was the death of my mother.  As the thought crossed my mind my giggles gave way to goosebumps.

Worst Fears & Reality

Sadly, my worst childhood fear has now become realty.  Last night my mother succumbed to cancer.  Death has made another un-welcomed visit, leaving his cruel calling cards; numbed minds, heavy hearts and lots of questions about the future.  How do we pick up the pieces?  And once we pick them up, where do we place them?

As much as we would like to, we can’t turn back the clock.  We can never recover or relive yesterday.  There will be no more hugs or “I love yous” with mom.  Crawling in a closet and covering myself with clothing isn’t going to hide reality.  Mom is gone.

For the time being I can’t trick my mind.  I can’t turn these goosebumps into giggles.  At a time like this there is only one thing to do: turn to Truth..  I can’t bring back my mother, but I can turn to my Heavenly Father.  I can open my Bible and see what I can learn from Jesus.

Cross Eyes

As Jesus hung on the cross, He was badly beaten.  Isaiah tells us, “his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind” (Isaiah 52:14).  His back was torn open from the scourging.  His brow was bloody as He bore the crown of thorns.  His face was black and blue from being slapped and mistreated.  His heart was heavy as He bore the weight of our sins on his shoulders.  But the cup would become more bitter.

Despite His present physical condition, Jesus knew the worst was yet to come.  The sun would be darkened and the Father would have to look away.  God’s eyes are too pure to look at sin.  Jesus had never experienced a separation from His Father’s gaze.

As Jesus braced Himself for the turning away of the Father’s gaze, His eyes would turn to His mother.  Before He showed us the ultimate sacrifice as our Savior, He showed us the tender love of a son for His mother.

Behold Your Mother!

Despite the fact that His body was beaten and “broken” and the stench of death, His death, was in the air, Jesus’ heart was still swollen with love.  With all eyes on Jesus, He made sure His mother was taken care of after His death.

Although most of His disciples abandoned Him, John did not.  As Jesus looked at His mother He entrusted her future care to the “disciple whom He loved.” “Behold, your mother!”

Jesus would have grown up hearing the rumors.  His young mother was pregnant before she was married.  But Jesus and Mary knew the truth.  Jesus’ birth was no ordinary birth.  Jesus was no ordinary son.  Jesus’ love is unlike any other.  And Mary had the privilege of seeing it lived out on a daily basis.  But no more.  Death would sever the bond.  For a time.

Jesus and Mary

The love between a mother and her child is a special thing.  A mother’s sensitivity and ability to nurture is a very special gift from God.  Children intuitively know this, making separation difficult.  At any age.

I don’t know what an average day in the home of Joseph and Mary would have looked like.  If Jesus grew up in our house He would have had a nickname.  At least one.  Perhaps Joseph and Mary didn’t take the liberty considering the fact that Jesus’ name was Heaven ordained!

Nickname or not, I am confident that the bond between Jesus and Mary was a very special one, where love was spoken not just in words but in actions.  When Jesus would fall, Mary would pick Him up.  When Jesus was sad, Mary would comfort Him.  When Jesus was hungry, Mary would feed Him.  But these are just the obvious things.

In addition to the obvious, I believe a key part of what makes the love of a mother so unique is the intuitive aspect.  What we refer to as maternal instinct.  Mothers know when their children are struggling even though there are no evident signs to others.  A mother has a unique connection with her children.  They can read things in their children that no one else can.  But more importantly, they can meet the needs of their children that nobody else can.

It is no wonder Mary’s heart was pierced as her Son’s broken body was hanging on a cruel Roman cross.  If any human could “feel” Jesus’ pain, it was Mary.  Which makes Jesus’ care for her from the cross so special.  If only we could grasp the significance of the words John recorded about Jesus and His disciples, “when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).  The love of Jesus is not restricted by time, nor can it be quantified.

Desiring Love

As my mother was battling cancer, she had her share of highs and lows.  After the initial shock of the diagnosis, there were a few glimmers of hope as she had some positive responses to treatments.  As you might expect, this drawn out battle left her physically and emotionally drained.

As my mother was going through one of her difficult times, my sister was asking her some probing questions.  They discussed such things as my mother’s greatest fears and greatest needs.  In a moment of brokenness and vulnerability my mother simply stated, “I just want to be loved”.

Whether we are broken by cancer or not, isn’t that the heart cry of every human?

Love & Life

As the earthly life of Jesus was coming to an end, He looked out through His swollen eyes and beholding his heartbroken mother made sure that she would be taken care of.  With His lifeblood ebbing out of Him He made sure Mary would be loved and comforted in His absence.

As the earthly life of my mother was coming to an end, she became more afraid of darkness and being left alone.  Her mother’s heart did not want to be separated from her loved ones.

When my mother passed, all eight of her children were at her bedside.  As we cried and grieved, we assured her we loved her.  But despite our presence and our love, we were no match for death.  But Jesus is.

The love that motivated Jesus to provide for Mary’s temporal needs, sent Him to the cross for our spiritual needs.  Because Jesus died for our sins we no longer have to fear death (Heb. 2:14) as unwelcome as it my be.  Because of the love of Jesus, we can have eternal life.

If our loved ones die in the faith, our separation is only temporary.  It doesn’t remove the grief, it just covers it with hope (1 Thes. 4:13).

It has been less than 24 hours since my mother’s death.  The emotions are still raw.  Forgive me if this seems incoherent, but I just want to express my thankfulness for my Savior, who is light in darkness, who will never leave us or forsake us, who loves us with a perfect love and has conquered death so that our goodbyes don’t need to be forever.

Someday, I hope to “behold” my mother again.

Jesus Help Us

As we stood around the bed of my deceased mother last night, there were a lot of tears and very few words.  My fourteen year old son Caleb with Down Syndrome did not appear to grasp the magnitude of the moment.  As I scanned the room his were the only eyes without tears.  But then I realized that perhaps he had the best “comprehension” of the moment and the greatest faith.

In the midst of the grief Caleb said just three words, “Jesus help us”.

So He has.  So He will.

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

Does God Have A Sense of Humor?

Posted on by scott

 

27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”  – 1 Kings 18:27

Humor Questions

Why is it that we are concerned about whether God has a sense of humor?  Is it because humor is so important to us?  And if humor is so important to us can we assume that it is a reflection of God; part of being created in His image?  Or is our concern regarding whether or not God has a sense of humor one more attempt to bring Him down to our level?

When Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden during the cool of the day, how much of their fellowship consisted of humor?  Is it possible that there was no humor or a need for it before the fall?

While we are asking questions, I have to wonder, to what degree is humor a coping mechanism?  I don’t need to tell you that life is full of trials and turmoils.  Sadly, some turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping.  But how many of us might drown ourselves in humor to “escape” life’s problems?

What is Humor?

The origin of the word is in the Latin umor which generally meant “moisture” or “vapor”.  In medieval physiology, the word was used of the four fundamental fluids in the body (blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile) which were believed to determine a person’s health or temperament.  It was believed that black bile made a person melancholy while yellow bile promoted a brighter disposition.  No joking!

I like to think of humor as something that amuses us or makes us laugh.  Although not everything that makes us laugh is necessarily humorous.  Like being tickled.  I suppose the same could be said about amusement.  Not everything that amuses us is necessarily humorous.  Since I am no Webster, let me quote the Merriam Webster definition of humor:

a : that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous : a funny or amusing quality

Apparently, the only requirement necessary to possess a sense of humor is the ability to experience humor: to be able to be amused by or smile or laugh at something funny.  It implies the ability to perceive the incongruous or ludicrous elements of life and to appreciate them.  Not a very exclusive group wouldn’t you say?  But does God belong to the group?

No Laughing Matter

I have seen passages such as Psalm 59:8 and Psalm 2:4 used as evidence that God has a sense of humor.  But what do they reveal if we read them in their context?

7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths
    with swords in their lips—
    for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”

8 But you, O Lord, laugh at them;
    you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress. – Psalm 59:7-9

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

    the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.” – Psalm 2:4-6

While each of these passages state that the Lord laughs, in neither instance is He laughing at humor.  To the contrary, each of these passages tell us why He is laughing; He holds those He is laughing in derision.  In other words it is a mocking laughter.  I don’t think we can make the leap to say that just because a passage states that God laughs, it proves His sense of humor.  As we can see from these often cited passages it is just the opposite.  God is in no humorous mood as He belittles those who challenge Him.

Creation Evidence

Those that quote passages such as those above as proof texts for the fact that God has a sense of humor will support their argument by pointing to creation.  They claim that animals such as monkeys, penguins, and even kittens and puppies are evidence that God has a sense of humor.  But how?  Just because you and I might find them amusing to watch doesn’t necessarily mean that God does.  A child will find humor in Tom and Jerry, but try handing them satire and see what effect it has on them.  Besides, if these animals “prove” that God has a sense of humor, what are we to discern about God when we are bitten by a rattlesnake or attacked by a shark.  And don’t even get me started on deer flies and mosquitoes.

I am thankful for variety.  I am amazed at the number of different species of animals God has populated our planet with.  Likewise I am grateful for the variety of plants and flowers God has chosen to create.  While I will concede that His creation reveals His power and His Wisdom as I contemplate the complexity of all that comprises our universe, I am not so sure it is proof positive that God has a sense of humor.

Mankind Evidence

Probably the most common “proof” that people offer that God has a sense of humor is that we as humans do.  They claim it is simple transitive logic.  We were created in God’s image.  We have a sense of humor.  Therefore God has a sense of humor.  Fair enough, but how is your battle with lust going?  How about your struggle with fear?  Having a problem keeping your pride in check?  How long since you told your last lie (who cares how little)?  Let’s cut to the chase.  How many sins have you committed today?

Adam and Eve were created in the the image of God, unfortunately, because of the fall, their offspring have been born into sin.  Be careful when you stand before a mirror hoping to see a reflection of God.  That reflection has been distorted.  Sorry to say, that face looking back at you may reflect as much of the devil (John 8:44) as it does God.

God does not struggle with lust or fear.  Nor does he battle with pride or have a habit of telling lies.  It is dangerous to jump to the conclusion that God has a sense of humor just because mankind does.  I don’t believe we can make any inference about God’s sense of humor simply by looking around us.  Instead, I believe we need to look at His Word, while keeping in mind the importance of context and looking for repetition.

But most important of all, we must remember that God did not inspire the Bible for our entertainment, but to reveal Himself to us for His glory.  Accordingly, we better be well acquainted with the Holiness of God before we worry about the humor of God. 

O.T. Humor

Space limits the examples I could list, but certainly the Bible has humorous individuals who used wit, satire and dare I say, even sarcasm.  To me, perhaps the most humorous line in the Bible is the passage I quoted above from the Prophet Elijah.  As Elijah is challenging the prophets of Baal, he taunts them because Baal does not respond to their pleas.  Could it be possible Baal was sleeping or stepped aside to the bathroom?  I doubt that the prophets of Baal appreciated the humor but I find it hilarious.  And while we’re waiting for Baal to step out of the restroom, let’s turn to Isaiah.

Short Beds

Isaiah Chapter twenty-eight refers to a foolish treaty King Hezekiah made with the Egyptians.  The treaty that they expected to bring them the protection of the Egyptians instead “unleashed” the disappointment of God.  Isaiah wittingly alluded to this arrangement not only as a covenant with death but compared it with a bed that was too short to stretch out on with covers too narrow to wrap oneself in.  A humorous illustration to simply point out, you’ve made your own bed, good luck finding rest in it!  But it isn’t the only humorous word picture Isaiah paints.

Shortened Hands

As the Israelites are expressing their frustration that God has not fulfilled His promises, Isaiah uses another humorous word picture to show them the folly of their thinking. “Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear…” (Isaiah 59:1a).  Before Isaiah exposes the sins of the people as the cause for their predicament, he informs them that God has not lost any of His strength or hearing.  With a twist of humor.

N. T. Humor

We see humor in the New Testament as well as the Old, many of which seem to include Peter, who had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth.  Whether he is offering to build booths (Mt. 17:4), correcting Christ (Mt. 16:22), or defying a detachment (John 18:10), Peter often finds a way to amuse us. But I think two of the most humorous events in the New Testament involve Peter and “jail breaks”

Preach It Brother

In Acts Chapter five we have the account of the arrest of Peter and John.  The jealous Sadducees had heard enough from the Apostles so they thought to silence them behind prison bars.  God did not agree with the assessment of the Sadduccees, rather He wanted Peter and John to do more preaching so they were released by an angel with the command to preach in the temple.  The next day, the high priest calls his council together to examine the prisoners.  As “the council and all the senate of Israel” are gathered together in all of their pomp, the apostles are summoned.  But they never arrive.  While these important dignitaries are waiting to interrogate their prisoners, the prisoners are back in the temple preaching.  Oh to be a fly on the wall to see the red faced assembly.  I probably would have laughed my wings off.

Someone’s Knocking at the Door

The second prison incident is recorded in Acts Chapter twelve.  This chapter records the death of James and the imprisonment of Peter.  While Peter is in prison the church is fervently praying.  Miraculously, Peter is freed by an angel and makes his way to the house of the mother of John Mark where many were gathered in prayer for him.  As Peter knocks at the door, his voice was recognized by a servant girl. Instead of letting Peter in, however, she ran to those gathered in prayer and they did not believe her.  While they are praying for Peter’s release, Peter is standing at the door still desperately knocking.  I’m sure Peter didn’t find it funny at the time but later on they all probably laughed at the irony.

Speak for Yourself

Now that we have established that there is humor and humorous people in the Bible, let’s look at specific texts about God the Father and Jesus.  We can start just about at the very beginning.

Name Games

Genesis chapter two records the “creation” of man.  After speaking the rest of creation into being, God forms man out of the earth and woman out of man’s rib.  As if to remind us or our humble origins, God appears to use puns as he designates their sexes (‘adam from ‘adaman and ‘ishshah from ‘ish).  We see this early trend continue in Genesis Chapter three with a play on Eve’s name and then again in Genesis Chapter eleven with a pun on the word babble as the Tower of Babel was destroyed.  But things were just getting started.  According to one estimate, there are more than 500 word plays (paronomasia) in the Old Testament alone.  Certainly more than I want to cover.

What’s For Supper?

In Numbers Chapter eleven, God promises to provide meat for His people.  Moses deems this to be a daunting task, and for whatever reason, decides to inform God of the number of people in the camp.  As if God didn’t know.  By way of reminding Moses that His powers were not exhausted, God asks Moses, “Is the Lord‘s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not” (Numbers 11:23).  The ensuing feeding of quail and accompanying plague reminded Moses that the Lord’s hand definitely was not shortened.

The Original Mr. Ed

Numbers chapter twenty-two records the humorous exchange between Balaam and his donkey.  God is displeased with the mission of Balaam, so He sends an angel to block his path.  While Balaam cannot see the angel, the donkey he is riding can.  The first time the angel is encountered, Balaam’s donkey ran off of the road and into a field, which drew the ire of Balaam.  Balaam decided to repay his donkey by striking him.  The second time the donkey saw the angel, they were passing through a narrow path, and the donkey’s reaction caused Balaam’s foot to be bumped against the wall, which precipitated another beating.  The third time the donkey saw the angel in their path she did the wise thing, she simply lied down.  Furious, Balaam began beating the poor creature with his staff.  Imagine Balaam’s surprise when God opened the donkey’s mouth and she questioned Balaam as to why he was beating her!  But the story gets even more humorous.  Balaam actually carries on a discourse with his beast of burden as she justifies her behavior.  If I was looking for a proof text for God’s sense of humor, this might be the strongest argument!

Turn Up The Heat

The Book of Jonah ends with an amusing exchange between God and His upset Prophet.  After reluctantly preaching to his enemies, Jonah is upset with God for withholding His judgment.  In the original translation, Jonah is “hot”.  So much so that he says he wants to die.  If Jonah thought he had a right to be hot, God was about to oblige him.

After challenging Jonah as to whether he is justified in being so “hot”, God decides to bring Jonah back in line by turning up the heat.  By removing Jonah’s source of shade and hitting him with a hot wind, God allows Jonah to simmer under the hot sun.  Once Jonah had “melted” with the sun beating on his head, God decided to “mold” him with a rebuke.

What does Jesus Say?

As I stated above, making the claim that God has a sense of humor just because fallen man does, is faulty logic.  But how about Jesus?  He was not born in sin, nor did He ever sin.  As a matter of fact, in contrast to our poor reflection of God, the Bible tells us that, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).  Jesus Himself, said these words to Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Since Jesus was not affected by the fall, our attempt to use transitive logic will work.  If Jesus had a sense of humor, and He is the exact imprint of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3), then assuredly God has a sense of humor.

Pass the Tweezers

Although John tells us that Jesus wept, there are no references to Jesus laughing.  However, we do see His wit as He uses hyperbole, parallelism and word play in his interactions.  When Jesus rebukes his audience of hypocrisy, He levels this charge:

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? – Matthew 7:3-4

Camel Lessons

We see similar hyperbole in Matthew chapter twenty-three when Jesus is condemning the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, this time He accuses them of, “straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel” (verse 24).  But His wit wasn’t reserved only for hypocrites, Jesus also made this famous warning to the wealthy, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mt. 19:24).

A Stone By Any Other Name

Like we saw with the Father, Jesus also used word play.  In His case He did so using Peter (Petros) and rock (petra) (Mt. 16:18).  And when He told the parable of the great banquet, we have to believe Christ was using humor when one of the guests said he could not make the feast because he was recently married (Luke 14:20)!  Apparently Jesus was familiar with the expression, “happy wife happy life”.

Testing Jesus

In Matthew chapter twenty-two, we see Jesus being tested by His opponents.  They want to discredit Jesus and expose Him before His followers as a fraud.  First, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a question about paying tribute taxes to Caesar.  Is it right to pay them or not?  Then, the Sadducees use a ridiculous scenario to try to undermine the teaching of the resurrection since they do not believe in it.  If this woman was married to seven different brothers, which one will be her husband in Heaven?  Next, the Pharisees make another attempt by sending a Law expert to test Jesus regarding the greatest commandment in the Law.

What Jesus Knows

All three of these attempts to test Jesus and trip Him up failed.  Miserably.  In their attempt to expose Jesus, His opponents were made to look like fools by His wisdom.  In fact, Jesus followed up their questions with a question of His own, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he” (Mt. 22:42)? 

His opponents were no match.  In fact, the text tells us that they did not ask Him another question after that day.  Good decision.

Some see the parallelism Jesus used in Matthew chapter twenty-two as evidence of His sense of humor.  To me, this chapter is a reminder of the wisdom of Jesus.  In fact, Jesus is God, and as such He is omniscient.  If a sense of humor requires recognition of the incongruous, who would better recognize such than the Creator of the universe?  Whether He finds the incongruous amusing or funny is another matter.  But based on what we have looked at thus far, I am guessing that quite often He may.

Gift

Regardless if whether we believe God has a sense of humor, I believe He has given it to mankind as a gift.  While it may not be a miracle drug to remove life’s troubles, it does provide a medicine for our souls (Proverbs 17:22) until we are removed from our troubles.  Once in the presence of our holy God, I don’t believe we will be concerned about humor and the incongruous, as everything will be in perfect order.  In Heaven, humors fleeting laughs, as beneficial as they are now, will give way to eternal joy.  Now that is definitely something to smile about.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” – Luke 6:21b