Four Only Sons

“And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. …And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.” (Luke 9:39, 42)

“And [the angel of the Lord] said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” (Gen 22:12)

“Now when [Jesus] came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. …And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.” (Luke 7:12-14)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16).

I have often wondered if our Lord felt a special compassion for the parents that he met whose only son or daughter was sick or dying. As an only Son himself, he truly understood how precious these children were to their fathers and mothers.

In the first three passages (Luke 9, Genesis 22, and Luke 7), we learn about the marvellous way in which God delivered three only sons, sparing their parents much sorrow and grief.

The first man (Luke 9) had an only son that was suffering. He approached our Lord with a plea – “I beseech thee” – shortly after the Lord Jesus descended from the Mount of Transfiguration. The son’s situation was pitiful. He would cry out in pain as ‘the spirit… tore him’. He would foam at the mouth and injure himself in his thrashing. He would grind his teeth and moan in agony (Mark 9:18). Sometimes he would stumble into water and risk drowning, while at other times he would fall in to the fire and be burned (Matthew 17:15). How this father sorrowed as he watched his son suffer! The disciples could do nothing for the man, but our Lord healed his son with a few words and restored him to full health once again. By this miracle, God mercifully spared this father the pain of seeing his only son suffer.

Abraham (Genesis 22) had an only son that was about to die. This son, Isaac, was a fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. He had waited decades for Isaac’s birth. And, at a time in life when it was utterly impossible from a natural perspective, Sarah miraculously conceived and bore Abraham this long-awaited child. But how his heart must have saddened at the prospect of his only son being slain on the altar. What sorrow must have filled his heart as the knife was about to fall. But then the angel of the Lord intervened and a substitute was provided to die in Isaac’s place. That impending sorrow turned to wondrous joy for  Abraham as he descended back down the mountain with his only son by his side. Through the cry of the angel of the Lord, God mercifully spared Abraham the pain of seeing his only son die.

The widow of Nain (Luke 7) was in an even more hopeless situation. She had an only son that was about to be buried. Her son was already dead. Her only means of support was being carried outside of the city in a funeral procession. Her husband was already gone. How would she survive on her own? How lonely would her heart be when they laid her most precious possession into the cold, dark tomb? But then a stranger entering the city met them at the gate. He touched the bier where her only son lay and spoke unusual words, “Weep not.” Then, commanding the young man to arise, he restored him to life and “gave him to his mother.” No wonder the people glorified God. And even the young man spoke in evidence of his new life. Through the touch of the Saviour, God mercifully spared this widow the pain of seeing her only son buried.

As I review this stories, I wonder which would parent felt the greatest joy. Was it the father whose only son was released from a lifetime of suffering? Was it Abraham whose only son was saved the prospect of death? Was it the widow whose only son was delivered from the seeming certainty of the grave? I cannot tell.

But there is an ever greater cause for wonder than this. Yes, I wonder what these fathers and mothers felt as thestories unfolded, but even more, I wonder what God the Father felt as he worked in mercy. Would I be going to far to wonder whether the God of heaven felt a measure of sorrow on each of these occasions, knowing that his beloved Son would not spared any of these things? Was his heart touched by the knowledge that he had spared these three individuals the agony from which he would not spare himself?

God spared a Jewish father from the pain of seeing his only son suffer, but God did not spare His only beloved Son from suffering.

God spared Abraham from the pain of seeing his only son die, but God did not spare His only beloved Son from death.

God spared the widow from the pain of seeing her only son buried, but God did not spare His only beloved Son from the grave.

God spared their only sons, but “He spared not his own Son.”

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

“…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39)

How to create a Scripture diagram

I’ve  included a summary of the steps at the end of this post as a reminder, but if you haven’t done so already, then I recommend that you read the overview from the workshop attached here: How to Diagram Scripture

What is a Scripture diagram?

Lately you may have noticed a few posts on this blog about diagramming Scripture and perhaps you are wondering what this is all about. These posts are the continuation of a recent workshop where the concept was introduced as a valuable tool for studying Scripture. Since many of my readers (a) may not have been at the workshop and have no idea what this is about; or (b) were at the workshop but would like a refresher, I thought that I would start at the beginning.

What is a Scripture diagram?

A Scripture diagram is the name that I prefer to use for a visual outline of a passage of Scripture. This is one of a variety of techniques that all seek to accomplish the same thing – making the meaning of Scripture clear by arranging it so as to reveal its intrinsic structure. There are various ways of doing this which go under a multitude of different names (phrasing, structural diagrams, structural outlines, etc). What I will be demonstrating here is the way that I have found works for me and which I have broken down into five simple steps. As with all skills, the key to successfully diagramming is practice, practice, practice!

What does a Scripture diagram look like?

A simple diagram of the first part of Romans 1 might look like this.

What does a Scripture diagram tell us?

A Scripture diagram lays out the Word of God in an orderly way according to the rules of language, so that we can understand the pattern of its teaching. A passage of Scripture contains two things: [1] a subject or subjects (a “main thoughts”); and [2] truths or information about that subject (“clarifying thoughts”).

When we lay out a passage in the form of a Scripture diagram, it somewhat resembles a tree with branches. The trunk of the tree is the main thought and the levels of branches are layers of clarifying thoughts. Consider the below image. It is the same Scripture diagram that we had as our earlier example, but we have added a few coloured lines to highlight the areas that we are discussing.

In a Scripture diagram, the words or phrases indented above or below another word or phrase contain further information about it. This structure enables us to clearly see what the author is saying about his subject? Of course, it isn’t always unequivocally clear what the structure of a complex passage is, so everyone’s diagram of this passage will not look the same as the one above. Likewise, inferences made from a given diagram may also vary just as perspectives on a given verse can vary even among wise and godly expositors. The above diagram represents the way that I understand these verses, but I welcome other input.

So, how to understand this diagram? Do you ever think, I wish I knew what the writer was saying about “X” subject in this passage? A diagram can help us with this by lining up the “information” phrases underneath the subject to which they pertain. We can then study these expressions in further detail to understand the passage better. I’ve added lines to show you how these levels of information work.

What does this passage tell us about “Paul”? {Hint: Follow the red line}. There are three things that Paul says about himself.

1. He was “a servant”.
2. He was “called to be an apostle”.
3. He was “separated”.

“Separated” to what? Separated “unto the gospel.” What does this passage tell us about “the gospel”? {Hint: Follow the green line}.

1. The gospel is “of God.”
2. The gospel was “promised.”
3. The gospel is “concerning His Son.”

What does the passage tell us about “His Son”? It gives us two alternate names or titles: “Jesus Christ” and “our Lord”. And it tells us three things about Him. {Hint: Follow the blue line}.

1. He was “made” (of the seed of David).
2. He was “declared” (the Son of God).
3. And it by Him Paul received grace and apostleship.

What does it tell us about his declaration? {Hint: Follow the magenta line}.

1. He was declared to be the Son of God “with power.”
2. He was declared to be the Son of God “according to the spirit of holiness.”
3. He was declared to be the Son of God “by the resurrection from the dead.”

We have only traced a few of the lines of teaching in this passage. Take a look at the diagram again and see if you can answer these questions.

• What three things does Paul tell us about the gospel being promised?
• What three things does Paul tell us about his obedience?
• Whose two things does Paul say about the Lord Jesus Christ being made?

This diagram is just a small part of a larger diagram. The same method used in constructing the diagram of these few verses can be used to diagram the whole passage or even the whole book.

Okay, so how do I create a Scripture diagram?

Review the post entitled “How to create a Scripture diagram?” which contains the step-by-step guide that we covered in the workshop. If you have questions or comments regarding diagramming, use the “comment form” below or the “Contact” page.

God bless.

Assignment from the ‘Studying the Scriptures’ Seminar

Thank you to everyone who attended the ‘Studying the Scriptures’ Seminar this past weekend. I’ve attached Mike’s assignment to this post in a couple of formats. We encourage each individual who attended the seminar (or any others who wish to do so) to complete this assignment and send it back to us. May God bless you as you study His Word.

‘Studying the Scriptures’ assignment (MS Word)

‘Studying the Scriptures’ assignment (PDF)

The Scripture Diagramming files will be posted this evening. Thank you for your patience.

She cried out against what her heart secretly loved

And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: (Genesis 39:12-14)

Have you read “Pilgrim’s Progress” recently? If you haven’t, I encourage you to do so. Although I read it once in school, many years (10+) have passed since then so I recently picked it up again to read. I now realize that I may have underestimated this book for far too long.

When I read it as a boy, I knew that it was an allegory of spiritual things, but I had no idea how perceptive it was in its detail. The particular edition that I am currently reading is called “The New Pilgrim’s Progress” (published in 1989). It has been both delightful and convicting to read.

This edition is particularly helpful since Bunyan’s vocabulary has been carefully updated and the text has been exceptionally footnoted by Warren Wiersbe. I was entirely unaware that there were so many allusions to Scripture in Bunyan’s masterpiece. Warren Wiersbe has annotated the text with an average of five footnotes or cross-references per page – over 700 footnotes in the entire book.

But, perhaps you are wondering how this apparent book review pertains to the verses above. It is because this is one of the passages that Bunyan perceptively enlightens in Pilgrim’s Progress and I have found his points most convicting. The context is a conversation between Faithful (a true believer) and Talkative (a religious pretender who loves talking about spiritual things, but not doing them).

Faithful asks Talkative how one can tell that the saving grace of God has been at work in a man’s heart. Talkative replies that it is when the heart cries out against sin, but Faithful corrects him by saying that it is not enough to cry out against sin in general. Instead, one’s heart must abhor (ie – detest, loathe) its own sin. After all, Potiphar’s wife “cried with a loud voice” against the sin of adultery which her heart secretly longed to commit. It is easy to cry out against sin in others, it is very much a different thing to hate and abhor the sin that is within our own hearts.

This is the difference between Joseph and “Mrs. Potiphar.” Potiphar’s wife could be heard “lifting up her voice”  in loud protest against this great sin, but in secret she coddled it and pursued it. Joseph wasn’t heard crying out against it, but his soul hated the very thought of sinning against God. Therefore he fled even the very hint of temptation.

The religious world is full of people crying out against the evil around them, but how many of those that claim the name of Christ truly abhor the sins that are found in their own hearts and lives? Religion teaches men to cry out against sin, but – as Faithful wisely observed – only God can give a man true abhorrence for sin.

Do I cry out against sin in others? Or do I abhor the sin within my heart?

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

[Continue reading for an excerpt of the conversation between Faithful and Talkative...]

Question Box (November)

Over a month ago, we received a question from a reader which requested a detailed explanation of Christ’s cry from the cross: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, et al; Psalm 22:1). At my request, Ian Gibson promptly wrote a detailed article on the verse, but I have been remiss in posting it to the blog in the intervening weeks. I am pleased to now attach the article. The questioner requested an answer “in detail” and since the article is therefore lengthy, I will attach it as a PDF for all who may be interested.

 

Question: “Jesus was never separated from his father, not even on the cross. But he was separated from God—”my God, my God why has Thou forsaken Me ” Please explain in detail.”

 

Answer: Psalm 22v1 (Ian Gibson)

My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

This loud cry of the Saviour from the cross (Ps 22v1, Matt 27v46, Mark 15v34) was the central cry of the 7 recorded sayings of the Saviour at Calvary. The record of both Matthew 27 and Mark 15 indicate that it was made “about” or “at the 9^th hour”, i.e. at the conclusion of the 3 hours of darkness from the 6^th to the 9^th hour. The tense is the aorist tense, “why didst Thou forsake Me” (Newberry), indicating an event completed with the conclusion of the hours of darkness.

This would be in keeping with the Saviour crying as the great Sin-bearer, giving expression to the unique loneliness of the only Man ever thus forsaken by God, when “He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”, when every true believer recognises that He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1^st Peter 2v24). In those dark hours, God dealt with His Son as He must deal with sin, and the Saviour bore the great burden of man’s sin.

It is important to recognise that this was a cry the Saviour made as a Man to His God. In Psalm 22, the emphasis is the thoughts and feelings of the Lord Jesus as a dependant Man before His God; v10 “I was cast upon Thee from the womb, Thou art My God from My mother’s belly”. So in v1, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” is the cry of the Saviour as a Man before His God. He was forsaken by His God specifically in this context, as He dealt with sin, and as the awful wrath of a holy God was poured out upon Him. He was the sinless perfect Man who was taking the place of sinful men; “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Cor 5v21). As a Man, He was bringing to an end before God that order of sinful humanity that He represented at Calvary.

To accomplish this, the Saviour must experience not only being forsaken by men, even by His own disciples who all “forsook Him and fled” (Matt 26v56), but also being forsaken by God. The answer to the questions of Psalm 22v1 is found in v3, “But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel”. This shows how much a holy and righteous God cannot overlook sin, He must judge sin, and thus He “spared not His own Son” (Rom 8v32). For the Saviour, this meant experiencing an unprecedented abandonment; the dependant Man who had cast Himself upon His God from the womb, would now experience God’s back turned toward Him, He is being forsaken by His God.

An elderly David says in Psalm 37v25 “I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken”. Here is the great exception, the only truly righteous Man, now forsaken in those dark hours, as He suffered for sin. Those hours of suffering were lonely hours; He must go to place where there was no company. This is typified in the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, that 2^nd live goat, upon which was confessed the sins of the people, was led by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness, “unto a land not inhabited” (Lev 16v22), i.e. a land of separation, and there let go. At Calvary, in those dark hours, the Saviour went to that uninhabited place; He experienced separation from a holy God.

But we ought not to speak of this as the ‘orphan cry’, as it is sometimes referred to; the Lord was never forsaken as the Son by His Father. The 1^st & last of the 7 sayings from the cross are spoken by the Son to His Father, and that Father/Son relationship is eternal. He is the eternal Son of the eternal Father, and that relationship was never disturbed when the Lord Jesus was here on earth; He was ever the only begotten Son who dwelt “in the bosom of the Father” (John 1v18). In keeping with this, in the gospel of the divine Son, John 19 makes no mention of the 3 hours of darkness, or the fulfillment of Psalm 22v1.

The emphasis in the synoptic gospels is the death of Christ as the sin offering, but the emphasis in John’s gospel is His death as the burnt offering, a sacrifice He made out of love and devotion to His Father, obedience to the Father’s will, and in order to bring pleasure to His Father. John alone, of the gospel writers, was there at Golgotha witnessing all that took place, but as the Spirit of God inspires his record of Golgotha, he omits the cry of abandonment. John will record that at Golgotha many Old Testament scriptures are being fulfilled, including from the Psalms (Psalm 34v20, John 19v36), and even other verses from Psalm 22 (Psalm 22v18, John 19v24), but no mention by John of Psalm 22v1 being fulfilled. Thus, as it was throughout the Lord’s life on earth, but now especially at Golgotha, the Father found all delight in His only begotten Son. The Father who loved His Son because He would lay down His life (John 10v17), could not be the Father who would then forsake the Son of His love when He accomplished that sacrifice.

For believers in the Lord Jesus, as we meditate upon this cry of our Saviour from the cross, how precious to know that because He experienced that lonely place in our stead, we will never know separation from God. Even though the path of faith may at times be a lonely and difficult one, we will never be left alone with no company. The apostle Paul knew what it was for all in Asia to forsake Him (2 Tim 1v15), but He could also write “The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4v5). He says “all men forsook me” when he had to stand before Nero, “Notwithstanding the LORD stood with me, and strengthened me” (2 Tim 4v16-17). We have His precious promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13v5).

“Ye are sons…” (Galatians 4:6)

The very fact that we address God as “Father” is evidence of our sonship (Romans 8:15). What a precious privilege this is to us when we consider the place from which we came! It’s touching to read the adoption stories where children have been rescued from unloving, abusive homes and placed into caring, capable homes, but there’s no “rags-to-riches” adoption story quite like the spiritual biography of you and I. Have you considered how far God has brought us in order to make us His children?

Once we were “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3), but now we are “dear children” (Ephesians 5:1). “By nature” (2:3) there was enmity between ourselves and God because of our sin. “By nature” we lived in the lusts of our flesh. “By nature” we served the desires of our flesh and mind. “By nature” we were opposed to God. But what a change redemption has brought! It is not only that the wrath of God has been removed from us, but that we are now beloved of God. The word “dear” is agapētos. It is the same word that is used of our Lord Jesus when the voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved (agapētos) Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; cf. 12:18). Who would ever have believed that this word would one day be used of those who were the children of wrath?

Once we were “children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), but now we are “obedient children” (1 Peter 1:14). As sinners under the influence of Satan (Ephesians 2:2), we took delight in disobeying God. Another word for this disobedience is ‘unbelief’. Our sinful actions were only evidences of the disobedience that was in our hearts (Colossians 3:5,6). And because of this disobedience, the wrath of God was upon us (Colossians 3:6; Ephesians 5:6). But God, in grace, convicted us through his Spirit and brought us to the obedience of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 6:7). We no longer delight in disobedience, but we rather rejoice in obeying Him.

Once we were “children of the bondwoman” (Ephesians 4:31), but now we are children of the free and “children of promise” (Galatians 4:28). Once we were under a law whose demands we could not meet. It could  only condemn us to death. Now we praise God that this law was our schoolmaster that pointed us to Christ. No longer under its demands, “we stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free” (Galatians 5:1). No longer working to gain favour with God, we now rest in the promise of eternal life (1 John 2:25).

Once we were “children of the wicked one”, but now we are “children of light, and children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Although I may adopt a child into my family and love him as deeply as a father can, I am completely unable to give him my life and character in the same sense that I give it to my biological son or daughter. This is where God has done something much greater than any earthly father can do. He has not only brought us into his family, but He has put His divine life within us. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). And now we are “children of light, and children of the day.” His divine life dwells within us, conforming us to be like His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Once we were the “children of this world” (Luke 16:8), but now we are “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26; cf. Romans 8:16). Once we were associated with a world that is temporary and passing, but now we are linked with One who is eternal and unchanging. The world cares poorly for her children. One day, her favour shines upon them, but the next they are forgotten and forsaken. In contrast, our God is the ever-caring Father (Matthew 7:7-11) and none of his children will ever be forgotten (Matthew 10:29-31). Soon this world, and all that pertains to it, will pass away, but every true child of God will be gathered to Himself. Not one will be left behind or lost along the way. What a privilege it will be to find ourselves there!

Blindness

“Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age.” (Genesis 48:10)

“But the Philistines took [Samson] and put out his eyes“  (Judges 16:21)

“Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.” (1 Samuel 4:15)

“But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.” (1 Kings 14:2)

“And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah” (2 Kings 25:7)

“Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelation 3:17)

Whether it is the patriarchs (Genesis 48:10), the judges (Judges 16:21), the priests (1 Samuel 4:15), the prophets (1 Kings 14:2), the kings (2 Kings 25:7), or the churches (Revelation 3:17), it makes no difference. In God’s Word the end of each of these great institutions is marked by blindness. Even the local church is not immune to eye trouble as is evident by our Lord’s words to Laodicea.

Our physical eyesight may fade, but the Lord wants our spiritual vision to be 20/20.

Beware of shortsightedness. Our sight must be strong enough to see past time and into eternity, for “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 10:7; cf. 2 Peter 3:12).

Beware of tunnel-vision. Our perspective must be broad enough to see beyond ourselves to those around. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4).

Beware of a downcast view. Our vision must rise above earth’s horizon to the place of our hope, “for our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 3:20). We live our lives daily “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Beware of cataracts. Cloudy vision makes reading difficult. Since the study of Scripture is critical to a Christ-centered walk, our prayer to God should always be, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:18).

Beware of night-blindness. This world is a dark place, full of pitfalls and obstacles designed to trip us up. We must hold the lamp of God before our feet (Psalm 119:105) and walk circumspectly as those that are wise (Ephesians 5:15). There is also a cunning enemy who lurks in its shadows, waiting to ambush us. No wonder Paul exhorted the Corinthians: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

The race that is set before us can only be run while “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Anything that hinders our vision of Him will cause us to stumble, so may the Lord anoint our eyes with divine eyesalve (Revelation 3:18) that will enable us to see the things which physical eyes cannot see – those things that are eternal (2 Corinthians 10:7).

Humbled… Obedience… Death

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)

“Humbled… Obedience… Death.” These are three remarkable words that could only be linked with our Lord Jesus Christ because of his incarnation.

Consider how He humbled himself . (1) He was humble in His birth: The wise men expected that the King of the Jews would be born in Jerusalem’s palace, but instead He was born in a stable. Nevermind a palace, there was no room for Him in the inn. (2) He was humble in His boyhood: As a child of twelve in the temple, he astounded the teachers of Israel with His answers, but His parents did not understand Him (Luke 2:51). He was all-wise, yet He left the temple, returned to Nazareth, “and was subject unto them” (2:51). The perfect, sinless Son was subject to His imperfect, sinful mother. (3) He was humble in His ministry: taking a child in His arms, touching a leper, washing the feet of sinful men, etc. These actions weren’t what Israel had expected from their Messiah. They wanted Him to manifest political power. He manifested glorious grace. (4) He was humble in His suffering: He was silent when He could’ve destroyed the world or won His release with a word. He was smitten by hands he had made and mocked by lips to which He had given voice. He was spit upon by His own creation. And He, the sinless one, was condemned to death by the sinful ones.

Consider how He was obedient. Since we have already spoken of His submission to His earthly parents, let’s now think about His obedience to His Father. During His life, our Lord endured the rejection of unbelieving men, but rested in the knowledge that His obedience delighted His Father. The sweet relationship between the eternal Father and the eternal Son is portrayed in a particularly beautiful way in John where we hear our Lord speak these words approximately 40 times – “My Father.”

In John 17:24 our Lord asserts that He was loved by His Father as a Son before the world began. And in incarnation, the first recorded words of His life sum up His mission on earth: “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He came in His Father’s name (John 5:43; cf. 10:25). He worked in harmony with His Father (5:17; cf. 10:32, 37). He spoke the words that His Father had taught Him (8:28) and shown Him (8:38). And even in the hour of suffering, His eyes were lifted up to His Father (Matthew 26:39, 42, 53). Through His death and resurrection He both obeyed the command of His Father (10:18) and furnished fresh motives for the Father’s love toward Him (10:17). Indeed we could write over His entire life the beautiful words that He spoke in John 8:49: “I honour my Father.”

Consider His death. This was the place to which His humility and obedience led. “He humbled himself and became obedient unto death.” Most men, especially great men, are honoured in death, but “this Man” was put to shame in His death – for He died “the death of the cross.”

Consider His exaltation. He was humble, but God has highly exalted Him. He was obedient, but every knee will bow to Him. He died, but God has raised Him from the dead and given Him a name above every other name. And we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

An Early Morning Meditation (#68)

Scriptural context is vital to the understanding of every passage. Awake much earlier than usual this morning, I was reading in the psalms when I encountered this verse: “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2).

Well, that seemed to be appropriate to my situation, so based on this clear word, I considered for a moment whether I should set things aside and return to my bed. Then I remembered