sinners

The Great and Merciful Shepherd

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24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” – Mark 7:24-37 ESV

After His lengthy, heated debate with the religious leaders over ritual cleansing and defilement, Jesus took His disciples on an unexpected journey outside Israel’s borders. The Jewish Messiah, who had come “to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11),  took His message to the Gentiles. In a sense, Jesus was leaving behind the legalistic, self-righteous law-keepers and choosing to align Himself with the unclean and lawless pagans living in the land of Phoenicia.

The scribes and Pharisees were appalled that Jesus and His disciples did not follow the traditional rite of hand-cleansing before eating bread. What would they think when they heard that Jesus had defiled Himself by traveling outside Galilee and associating with non-Jews?

But that seemed to be the point of Jesus’ excursion outside the land of Israel. God had promised Abraham, “in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18 ESV). Not long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the apostle Paul took the gospel message to the people of Galatia, where many of them turned to Christ. Later, in a letter he wrote to the churches he helped to start, he echoed the words of Jesus.

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” – Galatians 3:7-8 ESV

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. – Galatians 3:16 ESV

In traveling to the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus demonstrated the truth of the Father’s promise to Abraham. Abraham’s “offspring” was about to “bless” the nations.

Mark indicates that, upon arrival, Jesus “entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden” (Mark 7:24 ESV). This statement carries great weight. According to Jewish law, by entering the house of a Gentile, Jesus defiled Himself and rendered Himself ceremonially unclean.

“The strict Jew would not enter a Gentile’s house, nor sit on the same couch, nor eat or drink out of the same vessel. The very dust of a heathen city was defiling.” – Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

A second-century text called The Book of Jubilees contains the following warning against any association with Gentiles.

“And you also, my son, Jacob, remember my words, and keep the commandments of Abraham, your father. Separate yourself from the Gentiles, and do not eat with them, and do not perform deeds like theirs. And do not become associates of theirs. Because their deeds are defiled, and all their ways are contaminated, and despicable, and abominable.” – Jubilees 22:16

So, Mark’s reference to Jesus entering a Gentile home was meant to shock his readers. Yet rumors about Jesus and His miraculous powers had reached Phoenicia. Mark records, “immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet” (Mark 7:25 ESV). Matthew calls her “a Canaanite woman” (Matthew 15:22 ESV). The term “Canaanite” was an all-inclusive term for any and all Gentiles who lived in the land originally known as Canaan. This woman was a Gentile, and yet she was willing to seek out the Jewish Messiah in the hopes that He could help her with a pressing problem. Mark wanted his readers to grasp how shocking this encounter was.

Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. – Mark 7:26 ESV

The woman was not a Jew, so she was considered unclean and unholy. To make matters worse, her daughter was possessed by a demon. Everything about this scenario is meant to stress her defilement and to place Jesus in a potentially compromising position. But in his account, Matthew adds an interesting and important detail. In begging Jesus to help her daughter, the woman reveals an uncharacteristic understanding of who Jesus really was.

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” – Matthew 15:22 ESV

By calling him “Son of David,” she acknowledged her belief that he was the Jew’s long-awaited Messiah, the promised descendant of King David. This wasn’t necessarily an expression of saving faith, but a confession that she believed Jesus was a man of great power and significance. And because she had heard of His many miracles, she begged this powerful man to show her mercy by helping her daughter.

Only Matthew indicates the disciples’ reaction, revealing that these good Jews were appalled at the woman’s unmitigated gall and begged Jesus to get rid of her.

“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” – Matthew 15:23 ESV

Everything about this trip must have had them shaking their heads in wonder. Why would Jesus drag them on a 30-mile journey to a place like Tyre. It’s likely none of these men had ever ventured outside Israel’s borders, so they might have seen this trip as an adventure. But when Jesus began to interact with the local inhabitants, they must have been surprised and confused. What Jesus says to the woman echoed the disciples’ sentiments.

“Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” – Mark 7:27 ESV

The Jews considered dogs to be unclean. Rarely kept as pets, they were typically used for security, and the streets of most Israelite towns and villages were filled with strays that scavenged for food and could threaten public safety. So, when Jesus referred to this woman as a “dog,” He was expressing the common Jewish perception concerning Gentiles.

According to Matthew, Jesus told the woman, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24 ESV). He made it clear to her that His original mission was to His own people. But she was not willing to give up so easily; her need was great, and Jesus was her only hope.

Unphased by Jesus’ comments, she responded, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mark 7:28 ESV). She didn’t debate His assessment of her social standing or take offense at His seeming slight. Instead, she acknowledged her unworthiness and humbly begged for a “crumb” of His goodness and mercy. She knew she was undeserving of His mercy, and was willing to take anything He gave her. And to the disciples’ amazement, Jesus gladly obliged her request.

“For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” – Mark 7:29 ESV

Matthew reveals that the statement itself did not produce her daughter’s miraculous healing; it was the faith that motivated it. Jesus told her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:28 ESV). Her belief in Jesus’ power and authority was rewarded.

And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. – Mark 7:30 ESV

When she arrived home, she found her daughter whole and in her right mind. But Jesus and His disciples left Tire, headed north to the city of Sidon, then back through Galilee to Decapolis on the southeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. This long, arduous trip would have taken anywhere from a few weeks to a month. When they arrived in this predominantly Gentile region, Jesus once again found Himself confronted with a request for healing.

…they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. – Mark 7:32 ESV

Mark doesn’t say whether this man was a Jew or a Gentile, but like the Canaanite woman, he had a pressing problem that required Jesus’ power. Mark’s description of the man’s condition is critical to understanding this miracle’s meaning. The man suffered from a “speech impediment,” and Mark used a rare Greek word, mogilalos, to describe it. The only other time this word appears is in the Greek Septuagint rendering of Isaiah 35:4-6.

Say to those who have an anxious heart,
    “Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
    will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
    He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue ofthe mute [mogilalos] sing for joy. – Isaiah 35:4-6

This Messianic passage prophesies the Messiah’s coming and portrays the amazing miracles He would perform upon His arrival. Here, Jesus is given yet another opportunity to reveal His true identity through another supernatural display of His power.

The way this miracle was enacted is truly unique. Jesus “put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue” (Mark 7:33 NLT). None of this was necessary. Mark had just described Jesus healing the Canaanite woman’s daughter from a distance with nothing more than a spoken word. But in this case, Jesus touched the man and, in doing so, became ceremonially defiled. This man’s condition rendered him unclean because the Jews believed that disease and disabilities were the result of sin. Yet, Jesus touched the man’s ears and tongue, then declared, “Be opened” (Mark 7:35 ESV). And immediately, the man’s hearing and speech were fully restored, leaving the onlookers “astonished beyond measure” (Mark 7:37 ESV). Stunned by what they had just witnessed, they responded, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak” (Mark 7:37 NLT).

Jesus warned them not to tell anyone what they had seen, but they couldn’t help themselves; the news of this miracle spread throughout the region. These two miracles, the healing of the girl in Tyre and the healing of the man in Decapolis, sparked interest in and a hunger for the Messiah among the Gentiles. This matters because, after His resurrection, Jesus commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 ESV). When they arrived in places like Phoenicia and Decapolis, they found an audience ready to hear the good news of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus had primed the pump and prepared the Gentiles’ hearts to receive the message of salvation His disciples would bring. 

The offspring of Abraham had come to bless the nations of the earth. As the seed of David and the Son of God, Jesus was on a mission to restore the lost sheep of the flock of Abraham, but, as He later declared, “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16 NLT). As the Son of God, Jesus came “to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10 NLT), including people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Scandal of Disbelief

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1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. – Mark 6:1-6 ESV

After healing the woman with a discharge of blood and raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, Jesus and His disciples went to Nazareth. But there is one last thing we need to look at before leaving these two amazing miracles behind. In recording the events of these miracles, Mark provides two details that, at first glance, seem unimportant. First, when describing the medical condition of the woman who touched Jesus’ robe, Mark states that she “had had a discharge of blood for twelve years” (Mark 5:25 ESV). One might assume that he included this detail simply to emphasize the long-term and hopeless nature of the woman’s condition.

But then, just a few verses later, in describing the healing of Jairus’ young daughter, Mark adds another interesting detail.

And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age)… – Mark 5:42 ESV

Why did Mark feel the need to provide the girl’s age? Perhaps he did so to explain her ability to walk when commanded. But why did he think it was important to share her exact age? Even a toddler could have responded when Jesus called out, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:41 ESV).

Did Mark use these two references to years to connect these two miracles? Consider the fact that the very year the woman’s debilitating medical condition began would have been the same year the young girl had been born. While this woman spent the next 12 years visiting physicians and spending all her financial resources seeking a cure, Jairus’s young daughter would have lived a protected, privileged life. After all, her father was a well-respected leader in the local synagogue. For 12 years, the woman’s life would have been marked by pain and suffering, while the young girl most likely experienced a happy and carefree existence. But to the surprise of her family and friends, her young life ended suddenly and tragically in death. No one saw it coming. Although her anxious father sought out the miracle worker Jesus, his efforts proved futile. It was too little, too late.

It would be natural to expect the older woman, who suffered from an incurable medical condition, to be the first to die, but she was spared because she placed her faith in Jesus. Her condition was fatal, and she was close to death; however, she was delivered from death’s door. But the young girl, whose best years were ahead of her, ended up surrounded by mourners grieving her premature and pointless death. But because of her father’s faith, Jesus raised her back to life. Upon hearing the devastating news that his daughter had died, Jairus was told by Jesus, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36 ESV). Jesus didn’t tell Jairus why or what he should believe. But the distraught father followed Jesus and witnessed his 12-year-old daughter be miraculously restored to life.

Two women, one old and one young, one sick and the other whole. One anticipated death, and the other was completely surprised by it. And yet, both women were delivered from death by the same man. The one who was near death was prevented from having to experience it. The one who experienced death was brought back from it through the power and authority of Jesus. This reminds us of the words He spoke to Martha just before He raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26 ESV

When we read the words, “…though he die, yet shall he live,” we should think of the 12-year-old girl. When we read the words, “everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die,” we should think of the woman who had been sick for 12 long years. These two women provide us with living proof of Jesus’ statement. Yes, both would end up dying at some later date. But, in healing them and delivering them from death when He did, Jesus was demonstrating for His disciples that He had power over death and the grave. And, one day, He would prove it with His own death and resurrection.

But back to today’s passage. Jesus and His disciples made their way to Nazareth, the town where He grew up. This is where Mary and Joseph had settled and raised their family. After Jesus’ birth, they had additional children who, unlike their older brothers, all chose to remain in Nazareth.

The next Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples went to the local synagogue, where Jesus was honored as a visiting Rabbi or teacher. He was given the opportunity to address the congregation, and what He said that day made a strong impression on those in the room. But His words received mixed reviews.

“Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” – Mark 6:2-3 NLT

Some marveled at His eloquence and His ability to perform such amazing miracles. News of His most recent demonstrations of power had likely reached Capernaum. But others in the crowd that day were unimpressed because they saw Jesus as nothing more than a common carpenter. They knew His family and were probably aware that even His own brothers thought He had lost His mind (Mark 3:21). His own family refused to believe He was the Messiah of Israel (John 7:5). It seems likely that Jesus’ siblings shared their opinions about their famous brother, and this negative publicity appears to have jaded the minds of those who had known Jesus since He was a child. Mark reveals that the naysayers’ opinion prevailed that day.

They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. – Mark 6:3 NLT

“‘Offense’ comes from the Greek root word skandalizo. It means a stumbling block that causes someone to sin or to distrust another. Jesus expounds on this theme in Matthew. There, He calls Himself a capstone on God’s plan of salvation that the religious leaders stumble on, making it impossible for them to receive Him (Matthew 21:42-46). Luke explains that the people of Nazareth aren’t just doubtful; they try to push Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:28-30).” – https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/6/Mark-6-3

They were “scandalized” by Jesus’ words and actions. They found Him offensive and off-putting, not someone worthy of their belief and trust.  Mark goes on to note that Jesus “marveled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:6 ESV). Those who knew Him best rejected His message and refused to believe the rumors that He was the long-awaited Messiah. They knew the rumors about His miracles, and when they heard Him speak, they were amazed at His wisdom. But they couldn’t get past the fact that this was the same man whom they had seen running and playing in the streets of Nazareth as a boy. How could the local carpenter’s son be the long-awaited Messiah? The old adage, “familiarity breeds contempt,” comes to mind. They knew too much, and their knowledge blinded them to the truth.

Sensing their disbelief and outright rejection of His message and ministry, Jesus said, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family” (Mark 6:4 NLT). Even the Old Testament prophets found it hard to get those who knew them best to listen. Their claims to be spokesmen for God went unheeded, and their calls to repentance fell on deaf ears. Jesus joins the rejected and disrespected prophets of God. He was in good company and experienced the same bad outcome.

Their refusal to accept Jesus as the Son of God prevented them from experiencing God’s power. Jesus’ miracles would remain nothing more than rumors. The healings they had heard about would not take place in their community. The sick would find no relief. The demon-possessed would experience no release. The blind would remain sightless and doomed to walk in darkness. The disbelieving citizens of Nazareth would allow the Light of the world to walk away, leaving them wandering in the darkness of their own sin.

Mark paints a pathetic, pitiable picture of the scene as Jesus prepared to leave His hometown.

…because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. – Mark 6:5 NLT

The entire town of Nazareth lacked faith. Despite all they had heard and seen, they couldn’t get past the fact that this was Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary. He was just a man and no better than them. So, why should they honor Him? Why should they believe Him? Sadly, the Messiah, the anointed one of God, had grown up among them, but their stubborn pride and sin would prevent them from recognizing Him. While Jesus would mercifully heal a few, the rest would be left to die in their sins. Their refusal to believe would have dire, deadly consequences. The real scandal was that the people of Nazareth missed the opportunity to receive new life from the Light of life. Standing outside Lazarus’ grave, Jesus told Martha, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26 ESV). Then he asked her, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26 ESV). 

The two women in Chapter 4 were living witnesses of Jesus’ authority and power, and could testify to His identity as the Son of God. They would have been scandalized by the people of Nazareth’s disbelief. Who, in their right mind, would reject the words and works of someone like Jesus? What could justify such dismissive treatment of the one who could prevent death and restore life? But Jesus, while amazed at the disbelief of His family, friends, and neighbors, was not deterred from His mission. Mark says He “went about among the villages teaching” (Mark 6:6 ESV). He remained committed to His Father’s will and determined to finish what He came to do. The apostle Paul describes Jesus’ unwavering dedication to His Father’s plan. 

Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:5-8 ESV

Jesus Himself described how He would fulfill that plan and demonstrate His Father’s love for sinful humanity.

“…the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:14-16 NLT

God showed His love by sending His Son to die for sinful men; that is the real scandal. Choosing to disbelieve that truth is not only shocking but sad. By rejecting Jesus, the people of Nazareth made a fateful decision with eternal implications. The apostle John offers a sobering reminder that disbelief has consequences, but so does belief.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. – John 1:10-13 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The New Has Come

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18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” – Mark 2:18-22 ESV

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each reported this scene as having taken place immediately after Jesus shared a meal with “many tax collectors and sinners” (Mark 2:15 ESV). The timing matters because it sets the context for what happened next. Jesus’ decision to accept an invitation to dine at Levi’s (Matthew’s) house left the Jewish religious leaders disgusted. Their view of Him hit an all-time low because He chose to consort with known sinners. In addition to being a blasphemer and troublemaker, this radical Rabbi from Nazareth was a poor judge of character.

So, immediately after His dinner at Levi’s house, Jesus was questioned about His behavior, but the query came from an unexpected source. While Mark simply says that some “people” asked Jesus a question, Matthew reveals the actual source.

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” – Matthew 9:14 ESV

These men were confused by the behavior of Jesus and His disciples. They may have been just as alarmed by Jesus’ choice of dining companions, but instead of bringing up what Jesus had just done, they chose to question what He and His disciples failed to do: fast.

As good Jews, John’s disciples would have faithfully kept the various written and oral traditions of their people, and that would have included requirements regarding fasting. But under the Mosaic Law, God set apart only one day for fasting: the Day of Atonement.

It will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law for you. – Leviticus 16:31 NLT

But over time, the Jews had prescribed additional fast days that were intended to demonstrate one’s dedication to God. By the time Jesus appeared, the Pharisees had instituted a twice-weekly fast, which is likely what the disciples of John referred. These additional fast days were visible acts of righteousness that let others know you took your religious commitments seriously. But Jesus warned about just such outward displays in His Sermon on the Mount.

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 6:1 NLT

Jesus purposefully focused on fasting and pointed out how this practice of self-denial had become a means of self-promotion.

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16-18 NLT

Yet the disciples of John asked why Jesus and His disciples failed to honor the twice-weekly fast as they did. By admitting that they were fasting, these men violated the warning Jesus had issued: “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious.” But for them, fasting had become a sign of righteousness and a mark of one’s spiritual commitment.

But they failed to realize that Jesus had come to bring something new. Their attempts at self-righteousness were insufficient, and their outward displays of self-denial could do nothing to elevate their standing in God’s eyes. Their attempts to earn God’s favor through self-effort and adherence to religious rituals were meaningless because their hearts remained unrepentant. Centuries earlier, God had rebuked His people for their vain attempts to replace repentance with rule-keeping.

Bring no more vain offerings;
    incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
    I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
    my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    your hands are full of blood. – Isaiah 1:13-15 ESV

The apostle Paul discussed this same subject in some of his letters because he wanted his readers to know that God’s laws were never intended to produce righteousness.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. – Romans 8:3 NLT

If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. – Galatians 3:21 NLT

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. – Colossians 2:16-17 NLT

Paul offers much-needed insight into what is happening in Mark 2:18-22. With the coming of Jesus, all of the rules associated with Judaism were changing. The temple, the Sabbath, the feasts, and the festivals were all intended to point toward the coming of the Messiah. They were, as Paul put it, “shadows of the reality yet to come” (Colossians 2:17). And as Paul makes clear, “Christ himself is that reality.”

The author of Hebrews reinforces Paul’s understanding about the purpose behind rules and regulations associated with the law.

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. – Hebrews 10:1 NLT

Jesus’ arrival had ushered in a new era; the old was giving way to the new. Jesus came to do what the law was never intended to do: Restore sinful men and women to a right relationship with God.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. – Romans 8:3 NLT

Jesus drives home the point that His presence with them ruled out the need for fasting and rule-keeping. Their self-empowered efforts to earn God’s favor were no longer necessary. Just as a sick person cannot make themselves well, sinners cannot make themselves spiritually whole and acceptable to a holy God. They must admit they are sick and seek a physician.

So Jesus tells John’s disciples that their fasting was in vain. Rather than deny themselves food, they needed to recognize the Messiah’s presence and feast alongside Him. The tax collectors and sinners had dined with Jesus in Levi’s house, so Jesus invited John’s disciples to celebrate with Him, using the metaphor of a wedding feast to illustrate His point.

“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.” – Mark 2:19 ESV

The thought of guests fasting and mourning while attending a wedding feast should have been ludicrous. Celebrating someone’s marriage was the wrong occasion to go without food; it was a time for joy and enjoyment. Jesus wanted these men to know that His presence among them was intended to be cause for celebration. Their long-awaited Messiah had finally come, and He was bringing “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10 ESV). The angels told the shepherds in the field on the night of Jesus’ birth: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11 ESV).

The Messiah (the bridegroom) had come, and that was cause for celebration. But Jesus indicates that a time of mourning would come soon enough.

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” – Mark 2:20 ESV

This somewhat cryptic statement referred to His pending death. While this foreshadowing of His future escaped His audience, it was meant to reinforce His call to celebrate. The Messiah was with them, and His presence should have brought joy and feasting. However, the Jewish religious leaders grumbled, doubted, and disbelieved, while John’s disciples fasted and mourned.

Jesus reinforced the radical new nature of the days in which they lived. He was disrupting the status quo, turning everything on its head, and introducing a whole new means for sinful mankind to be restored to God. His arrival wasn’t meant to be an add-on to the old way of doing things; it wasn’t going to be the law + Jesus. In fact, He had discussed this in His Sermon on the Mount.

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” – Matthew 5:17-18 NLT

He came to fulfill all that the law required and, in doing so, eliminated any requirement that men keep the law to assuage the anger of a just and righteous God. Jesus would satisfy God with the sacrifice of His own life.

To drive home His point, Jesus used the analogy of sewing a patch of new, unshrunk cloth onto an old garment. These two pieces of fabric would prove to be incompatible.  It would also make no sense to store new wine in an old wineskin because the fermentation of the new wine would cause the old wineskin to burst. Jesus had not come to add something new to the old; He had come to offer something completely different.

Jesus had come to do a new thing, and while the way He lived His life seemed to be inconsistent and incompatible with what the Jews had come to know, He was introducing “new cloth” and “new wine” – a new way that was meant to bring new hope to a lost and dying world. The apostle Paul would have us rejoice that the old has been replaced with the new, all because of Jesus.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Great Physician

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13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:13-17 ESV

Jesus had just displayed His power and authority over the physical realm by healing the paralyzed man. But more importantly, His astonishing ability to restore the man’s health demonstrated His God-given authority to forgive sin. As the Son of God, Jesus came to earth to set men free from slavery to sin and the death sentence that accompanied it. The formerly paralyzed man, while now physically whole and forgiven, would still commit sins and face the ultimate penalty for doing so: physical death and eternal separation from God.

But Jesus became a man so He could serve as the substitutionary atonement, the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind. His death on behalf of sinful humanity would satisfy the just and righteous wrath of God, and provide all those who placed their faith in His atoning work with a way to be restored to a right relationship with His Father. As a result of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice, they would enjoy forgiveness of all their sins, past, present, and future. The author of Hebrews describes it this way:

…he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. – Hebrews 9:26 ESV

The psalmist gives a powerful reminder of the Son of God’s sin-forgiving power.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
 – Psalm 103:12 BSB

Mark transitions his narrative from the crowded confines of Simon and Andrew’s home to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. But he maintains his emphasis on Jesus’ power and authority to forgive sin, and continues to reveal the growing divide between Jesus and the religious authorities.

While walking along the seashore, Jesus taught the crowds that continued to follow Him wherever He went. As they made their way along the roadway from Capernaum to Damascus and onto the shore of the Sea of Galilee, they came across the tax booth of a man named Levi. This was not some chance encounter but a divinely scheduled appointment. When Levi woke up that morning, he had no idea that his day would include a one-on-one meeting with the Messiah of Israel. Matthew’s account of the same scene reveals that he was the man whom Jesus called.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. – Matthew 9:9 ESV

Luke describes Levi (Matthew) as a “tax collector” (Luke 5:27), whose chosen profession made him highly unpopular with his fellow Jews. As an employee of Herod Antipas, the Roman-appointed puppet king of Israel, Levi’s job was to collect all taxes related to trade and customs. Because Capernaum sat on a major trade route from Damascus, Levi would have collected export and import fees, sales and customs taxes, and tolls. But what made men like Levi particularly unpopular was their tendency to extort additional fees and surcharges from the fellow Jews. People saw tax collectors as social pariahs who worked for the enemy and took advantage of their own people to line their pockets.

So, when Jesus issued Levi an invitation to follow Him, the Jews would have been shocked and appalled. In their minds, Levi was a traitor to his people and the epitome of a godless sinner. To make matters worse, Mark reveals that Jesus chose to share a meal with this social outcast. Luke records that Levi threw a party in Jesus’ honor and invited many guests.

Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. – Luke 5:29 ESV

Mark clarifies that the “others” reclining at the table were sinners.

…many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. – Mark 2:15 ESV

It seems Levi invited his friends, who, like him, were considered the dregs of the community. Yet, Jesus accepted Levi’s invitation to dine at his house and willingly chose to associate with those whom the Jews considered as unclean and unacceptable. And Jesus’ actions did not go unnoticed.

But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” – Mark 2:16 NLT

They were shocked and disgusted by this shameless display of poor judgment on Jesus’ part; He should have known better. By entering Levi’s home and sharing a meal with this motley collection of sinners, Jesus and His disciples contaminated themselves and became ceremonially unclean.

A clear us-versus-them vibe is at play. The Pharisees viewed themselves as righteous because of their meticulous adherence to both the written and oral laws of the Jews. They were the law-keepers and the law-enforcers, and, as far as they were concerned, Jesus had chosen to associate with the scum of the earth. By entering Levi’s home, Jesus had done the unthinkable and unforgivable.

The Pharisees had no compassion for people like Levi and no desire to reach out to those whom they considered sinners. They felt no responsibility for the spiritual well-being of the less fortunate, whom they considered unworthy of mercy. In the minds of the Pharisees, the sin-prone common people held back the nation of Israel and kept it from enjoying the full favor of God. To the self-righteous Pharisees, it was the sorry likes of Levi and his friends that kept Israel from being all that it could be. These “sinners” were a blight on the nation. Yet Jesus revealed His love for the undeserving and irredeemable.

Jesus was fully aware of the disgust and distaste His actions had caused, and He chose to address the issue head-on.

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17 ESV

With this simple statement, Jesus exposed the glaring difference between Himself and His accusers. They considered themselves spiritually healthy and whole and had no need of a Savior. But what they failed to understand was that their good deeds were of no value to God. As the prophet Isaiah wrote hundreds of years earlier: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT).

Jesus was not impressed by the Pharisees and their outward displays of righteousness. He would later call them out for their hypocrisy and lack of compassion.

“…they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” – Matthew 23:3-4 NLT

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” – Matthew 23:13 NLT

These men considered themselves to be the cream of the crop, the religious elite of Israel whose unblemished behavior guaranteed them a place in God’s kingdom. But Jesus let them know that their self-confidence was misplaced and mistaken. He had come to minister to the sick, those who recognized their spiritual malady and sought help. Like the paralyzed man, the tax collectors and sinners gathered in Levi’s home needed assistance. They knew they were sinners and were fully aware that they lacked what was necessary to “heal” themselves.

The apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV). The sinners reclining around the table with Jesus were just the kind of people Jesus came to save. They were sinners who needed a Savior, and if they would only confess their sin, they would know the joy of having their sins forgiven and their spiritual illness healed.

But the Pharisees, riddled with pride and a misplaced sense of self-righteousness, could not see their need and were unwilling to confess their sins. But their self-confidence would ultimately result in their own self-destruction. Their stubborn insistence that they were spiritually whole would be their downfall. The apostle Paul describes the dangerous path they had chosen and its deadly destination.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. – Romans 1:21-22 NLT

They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. – Romans 1:30-32 NLT

Paul also seemed to have men like the Pharisees in mind when he warned Timothy to avoid those who “act religious” but whose lives are marked by lovelessness, cruelty, slander, pride, and a love of pleasure.

For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! – 2 Timothy 3:2-5 NLT

While the Pharisees were well-respected, even revered, by the common people, Jesus was unrelenting in His criticism of them. At one point, He accused them of using their religious authority to do harm, rather than good.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!” – Matthew 23:15 NLT

Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). His mission was to reach those in need of spiritual healing, and He was willing to risk “contamination” to see the sick made whole. When Jesus encountered the leper in need of healing, “he stretched out his hand and touched him…and immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean” (Mark 1:41-42 ESV). The Pharisees would have avoided this man like the plague. They would have banned him from entering the temple or synagogue. But in their arrogant display of self-righteousness, they were the unclean ones, passing their impurity on to everyone around them. This led Jesus to say of them, “You are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on” (Luke 11:44 NLT).

They were sick and in need of healing, but their pride blinded them to their true spiritual condition and Jesus’ role as the Great Physician. He came to offer hope and healing to the spiritually sick, so He took his message of restoration and reconciliation to those desperate enough to hear and receive it. Levi knew he was an outcast and a sinner, condemned and unclean. But he followed the doctor’s orders that day and received healing and forgiveness. And his admission of need led to a lifetime of service to the Son of God and the hope of eternal life.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Follow the Leader

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16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. – Mark 1:16-20 ESV

After 40 days fasting and being tested by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus took no time off but went straight to work. But Mark alludes to something very significant that happened before Jesus began His earthly ministry: John the Baptist was arrested.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14-15 ESV

John, chosen by God to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming, was removed from the scene, and Luke provides further details about what happened.

John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others. – Luke 3:19-20 NLT

In a sense, John’s work was complete; he had done what God had commissioned Him to do. Now the Messiah had come, and John no longer needed to “prepare the way.” So, God sovereignly arranged for John’s ministry to come to an abrupt and final end. While we might find God’s method for ending John’s ministry a bit heavy-handed, we must recognize His sovereign orchestration and timing.

John’s removal from the scene was essential to God’s plan. It was vital that John not detract from Jesus’ ministry and mission. His job was to announce the coming of “the light” into the world, and now his work was done.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. – John1:6-8 NLT

But while preaching and baptizing in the wilderness, John had amassed quite a following.

People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. – Matthew 3:5 NLT

And there were all kinds of rumors circulating about John. So much so that the Jewish religious leaders sent a delegation into the Judean wilderness to determine who he was and what he was doing.

This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” he replied.

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”[i]

“No.”

“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?” – John 1:19-22 NLT

John was bombarded with questions about his identity, and it seems some believed him to be the Messiah. As long as John was on the scene, he would keep drawing crowds and creating confusion. So God brought his ministry to an end, removing any further suspicion that he might be the Messiah.

Luke records that Jesus “returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all” (Luke 4:14-15 ESV). But before recounting one of those synagogue sermons, Mark inserts the story of Jesus calling His first four disciples.

Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee when He spotted Simon and Andrew, two brothers standing along the shoreline and casting their nets into the sea. Mark says Jesus called to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17 ESV), and the two men immediately left their nets and followed Him. At first glance, it seems Jesus walked up to two complete strangers, issued a strange and rather cryptic invitation, and they dropped what they were doing and robotically got in line behind him.

But John adds some important details that the Synoptic gospels left out. This was not the first time that Jesus had met these two men. In his gospel account, John records that Jesus spent time in Judea in the days following His baptism.

The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.

They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). – John 1:35-42 NLT

So, this was not Simon and Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus. At some point, they traveled from Galilee to Judea because of rumors they had heard about John the Baptist, and Andrew became one of his disciples.  When Andrew heard John the Baptist call Jesus “the Lamb of God,” he immediately followed Jesus and later brought his brother to meet the one he called “the Messiah.”

Andrew and Simon likely returned to Galilee during the 40-day period Jesus spent in the wilderness, and after John the Baptist was arrested and imprisoned. With John’s ministry curtailed and Jesus nowhere to be found, the two brothers returned home to run their father’s fishing business.

But after His 40-day stay in the wilderness, Jesus found them and officially called them to be His disciples. Their abrupt decision to follow Jesus becomes a bit more understandable when you consider all the facts. With Andrew and Simon in tow, Jesus made His way farther up the shoreline until He saw two more brothers mending their fishing nets. Luke reveals that these two men, James and John, were actually business partners with Andrew and Simon (Luke 5:10), and this was not their first encounter with Jesus either. Luke provides yet another detail concerning Jesus’ previous interactions with all four men.

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. – Luke 5:1-11 NLT

All four men were familiar with Jesus, having heard Him speak and teach, but they had not yet decided to become His disciples. Jesus found them casting and mending nets, which shows they were not yet fully committed to His cause. But when He extended the invitation, they immediately responded by leaving everything behind. Jesus would later tell His disciples, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you” (John 15:16 NLT). Their calling was up to Jesus, and He later admitted that God had given all His disciples to Him (John 17:6, 9). 

Jesus began His earthly ministry by calling a group of unexpected, unqualified men to become His disciples and, later, His apostles and ambassadors of the good news. In time, these four fishermen would be transformed into fishers of men, but that transformation would take more than three years and require the coming of the Holy Spirit to be fully complete. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were relatively uneducated fishermen who displayed a rough-around-the-edges attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit. They were anything but refined and well-respected members of society. But God ordained their selection, and Jesus chose them to be His disciples.

Their unlikely calling vividly illustrates God’s grace and the undeserved nature of the gospel. The apostle Paul, another improbable ministry candidate whom Jesus called, described God’s selection process in honest, but far-from-flattering terms.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT

God chooses, Jesus calls, and the foolish, powerless, poor, weak, and despised respond. In the next chapter of his letter, Mark records Jesus stating, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17 NLT). Jesus later claimed to have come “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 ESV), and He began by choosing four leather-skinned, sin-prone fishermen from Galilee. They had no idea what they were signing up for when they said yes to Jesus, but they faithfully followed the leader.  

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

From One Slave to Another

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1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Philemon 1:1-3 ESV

Paul’s letter to Philemon provides a fascinating glimpse into the culture of the 1st-Century. It is a somewhat uncomfortable read for 21st-Century Christians because it deals with a topic that most of us find reprehensible and off-putting: that of slavery. Yet, slavery was an everyday and unavoidable reality for those living in that part of the world at the beginning of the new millennium.

Slavery was ubiquitous throughout the Roman Empire. In fact, the inhabitants of the empire were comprised of two basic groups: Those who were free and those who were slaves. And an individual’s status as a slave usually had nothing to do with their race or ethnicity. Yes, many slaves were members of conquered people groups who represented a particular race, but they had not been enslaved for that reason. Their slavery was the result of war and conquest. Roman slaves included prisoners of war as well as those captured and sold by pirates. But it was not uncommon for Roman citizens to end up as slaves due to economic hard times. If someone was unable to pay a debt, indentured servitude was their most likely fate; they would work for their lender until their debt was paid in full.

Sadly, there were also cases where financially strapped families would raise money by selling their own children into slavery. It is estimated that 1 out of every 5 people living in the Roman Empire were slaves, and by the 1st-Century, the primary source of slaves was the children born to slaves. A child born to a female slave was also a slave, regardless of the status of the father.

With all that as background, Paul’s letter to Philemon should come into greater clarity. When reading the apostle’s comments concerning Onesimus, a runaway slave belonging to Philemon, it would be easy to question why Paul fails to condemn the practice of slavery outright. Why doesn’t he demand that Philemon set this young man free? What is preventing Paul from attacking the institution of slavery and exposing his friend’s obvious injustice toward his fellow man?

But we have to understand that Paul was not out to revolutionize the culture of his day through the radical overturn of the social fabric. He, like Jesus, was a revolutionary, but with an agenda focused on change in the human heart rather than in the political and civil structures of society. One gets a glimpse of Paul’s perspective on all of this in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you. – 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 NLT

Paul was not encouraging insurrection among the slaves. Nor was he fomenting a spirit of revolution or sedition. He was calling for Christians, regardless of their social status, to adopt a radically different outlook on their identity. You get a sense of his agenda from reading his letter to the believers in Galatia, another Roman province.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:28 NLT

Paul encouraged the Colossian believers to focus on their unity in Christ, not on their social status or ethnic identity.

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. – Colossians 3:10-12 NLT

So, as we begin our study of Paul’s letter to Philemon, it is essential to consider the social conditions of the day alongside the spiritual concerns that drove the apostle’s heart. Paul had no love affair with the institution of slavery, and the content of his letter contains neither a stinging condemnation nor a subtle condoning of it. Slavery is not the subject of this letter, but freedom in Christ and a love for our brothers and sisters in Christ is. So, it is best to read it from a 1st-Century perspective and with our ears tuned to hear Paul’s heart for the life-transformative power of the gospel.

As Paul opens up his letter, he identifies himself as “a prisoner for Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:1 ESV). The Greek word he used is desmios, which means “one in bonds.” Paul was writing from Rome, where he was being held under house arrest while awaiting trial before the emperor. It is no coincidence that Paul used this terminology to introduce himself to his friend, Philemon. The rest of the letter will deal with another “prisoner,” or bondslave, named Onesimus, someone Philemon knew quite well. Interestingly enough, Paul and Onesimus were experiencing a somewhat ironic change in circumstances. Onesimus, the slave, was enjoying the life of a free man, while Paul, the Roman citizen, was experiencing the life of a captive.

But despite his incarceration, Paul considered himself a prisoner for Christ Jesus. It was while delivering the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection that he was arrested. He was in Rome under house arrest for preaching the gospel. Paul was not a prisoner of war or a captive as a result of an unpaid debt. No, his imprisonment was on behalf of, and because of his faith in Jesus Christ, and Paul was perfectly content with his situation. In fact, he told the church in Philippi that he had learned to endure any circumstance that came his way, knowing that Christ would use it for his good and God’s glory.

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:11-13 NLT

Paul’s letter, while addressed primarily to Philemon, is intended for a much broader audience, including Apphia, Archippus, and the rest of the members of the church that met in Philemon’s home. It is clear that Philemon was a well-respected member of the local congregation in Colossae, and he played a major part in the church by providing his home as a meeting place for their worship services.

“Christian congregations were dependent upon the hospitality of wealthy members who could furnish their own houses for this purpose. This note then contains an indication of the social status of Philemon. In a large city there would be several such assemblies. Whether the church at Colossae had more than one place of assembly is not known. Probably they did.” – Hiebert, D. Edmond. Titus and Philemon

So, Philemon was a leader in the local fellowship and a person of influence. That’s likely why Paul addressed his letter directly to him. Paul knew that if he could help enlighten Philemon and change his heart, the rest of the congregation would be impacted. While this particular issue involved Philemon and his runaway slave, Paul realized it had far greater implications for the entire faith community.

Each of their relationships with one another was to be influenced by the Gospel. Their new natures, provided by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, were to alter their conduct and attitudes. In another letter, written to the entire membership of the church in Colossae, Paul reminded them that they had been raised to new life with Christ and that their behavior should reflect that new life.

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. – Colossians 3:10-15 NLT

As members of one body, whether slave or free, they were called to live in peace with one another. And Paul wraps up the salutation of his letter to Philemon with his heartfelt prayer for his friend and the members of the local fellowship in Colossae.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. – Philemon 1:3 ESV

Father, we make much out of our status and social standing. We tend to categorize people based on their career choice, educational background, economic standing, and appearance. We judge based on a long list of external criteria that fail to take into account the condition of the heart. But Paul knew that outward characteristics were an reliable tool for measuring a person’s spiritual health. In his day, it was common to mistake someone’s poverty as a sign of Your displeasure with them. In the same way, it was easy to mistake wealth as a sign of Your blessing on their lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, we tend to think the same way. It is so easy to assume that affluence is proof of Your pleasure. When things go well for us, we immediately conclude that we are on Your good side. But let anything bad happen and wonder what we’ve done to make You angry with us. As I read Paul’s letter to Philemon, I am reminded that You didn’t send Your Son to save the upper crust of society. Jesus didn’t come into the world to reach the elite and well-educated; He came to save sinners. That is a non-discriminatory category that includes people from all walks of life. In fact, it includes everyone for, as Paul said, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). Philemon may have been well-to-do and well-liked, but he was no better than Onesimus. At the foot of the cross, the ground is level and all forms of social stratification are removed. We all stand as sinners in need of a Savior. Thank you for the reminder that the only status that matters is our relationship with Jesus.   Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All Have Sinned and Need a Savior

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12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. – Romans 5:12-14 ESV

As Paul continues to defend the doctrine of justification by faith, he draws an interesting comparison, contrasting Adam’s sin and Jesus’ sacrificial death. It was through Adam’s one act of unrighteousness that sin came into the world. While Eve was the first one to give in to Satan’s temptation to eat of the forbidden fruit, Adam was standing by her side and was fully complicit and compliant. As the God-ordained head of his household, Adam was responsible for keeping God’s commands and protecting his family. It was to Adam that God gave the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; Eve had not yet been created.

The book of Genesis records, “And the Lord commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV). In the very next verse, God decides to make Adam a companion.

Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’” – Genesis 2:18 ESV

So Adam was responsible for communicating God’s command to Eve and ensuring that she adhered to it. But he failed.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her. – Genesis 3:6 ESV

The result of Adam’s actions was death, not immediate physical death, but spiritual death or separation from God. He and Eve immediately experienced shame and, for the first time, noticed that they were naked. In a sense, their eyes were opened, and they began to view the world through a different lens. Until that moment, they had not seen their nakedness as a problem. But now, they attempted to cover their nakedness with leaves. Suddenly ashamed, they tried to hide from God. But He found them and meted out punishment for their disobedience.

God cursed Adam to a life of labor accompanied by futility, ending in death.

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Genesis 3:19 ESV

Rather than enjoying the fruit of all the other trees that God had provided, they were cast from the garden and left to provide for themselves through back-breaking work. And, ultimately, their lives would end in death. Which is why Paul writes, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin” (Romans 5:12 ESV).

It was Adam’s sin (original sin) that brought death into the world. Paul is comparing Adam’s one act and its result with Jesus’ one act and its subsequent outcome. He contrasts Adam’s disobedience with Jesus’ obedience. The first brought death. The second brought life. Adam’s action resulted in separation from God (spiritual death). Jesus’ action brought reconciliation and regeneration (spiritual life).

But Paul’s main point in these verses is that men had been dying (suffering the penalty for their sins) long before the law had been given to Moses.

…people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. – Romans 5:13 NLT

Mankind not only inherited death as a result of Adam’s disobedience, but they also inherited his sin nature. But their death was due to Adam’s sin, not their own. From God’s perspective, they sinned “in” Adam. The penalty for his sin was passed down to his descendants. So Paul states, “ everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did” (Romans 5:14 NLT). Long before the law was given, men sinned. They may not have sinned in the same way that Adam did, but they still faced the same penalty of death. They still experienced spiritual separation from God. Why? Because Adam “was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14 ESV).

Prior to Moses receiving God’s law on Mount Sinai, men still experienced the penalty of death for disobedience. All men knew death was inevitable and unavoidable; they just didn’t know why they had to die. They feared death because they were uncertain about what would happen next. Death was an enigma to them, and it appeared to have no purpose. Death was to be feared and avoided at all costs.

But when God gave the law, it revealed the righteousness that God demanded of mankind. It provided a non-negotiable list of God’s requirements for escaping the penalty of death. With the giving of the law, God made His righteous requirements unequivocal and non-negotiable. No longer was man allowed to dictate his own set of rules for life. Morality and justice were not subjective and left up to the opinions of fallen men; they were the province of God.

However, man’s sin nature made it impossible for him to keep God’s law. Before the law was given, man sinned in ignorance. After God’s law was made known, man sinned knowingly. Like Adam, the Israelites knew God’s commands but disobeyed anyway. They knew the consequences for disobedience, but sinned all the same.

But Paul builds on his comparison between Adam and Jesus by illustrating that God provided a way out.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. – Romans 8:3 NLT

That is the gospel of God that Paul has been talking about. Adam’s disobedience brought death; Jesus’ obedience brought life. Death reigned, but through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God declared an end to sin’s control over us. Martin Luther summarizes Paul’s contrast quite succinctly.

“Christ has become a Dispenser of righteousness to those who are of Him, though they have not earned any righteousness; for through the Cross He has secured (righteousness) for all men. The figure of Adam’s transgression is in us, for we die just as through we had sinned as he did. The figure of Christ is in us, for we live just as though we had fulfilled all righteousness as He did.” – Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans

Adam’s sin did not come as a shock to God. In His providence and sovereignty, God knew that the couple He had made in His image would succumb to Satan’s temptation and rebel against Him. The incarnation of the Son of God was not a knee-jerk reaction by the Father; it was not His Plan B. The fall of man did not catch God by surprise. In fact, Paul reminds us that God’s plan of redemption had been in place even before He made the world or Adam and Eve.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 1:3-5 NLT

Paul reiterated this claim to his young protegé, Timothy.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. – 2 Timothy 1:9-10 NLT

Long before Adam was created and made the fateful decision that led to death, God had ordained the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son as the solution. Man, left to his own devices, is incapable of living up to God’s righteous standards. Sin was inevitable, and mankind’s need for a Savior was unavoidable. But God had the plan in place before the universe was formed and man was created, and “Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Romans 5:6 NLT). Adam sinned and brought death. Jesus died and brought life. Adam disobeyed God and was cursed. Jesus “redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13 BSB). 

The sin of Adam was restored by the last Adam.

Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[i] the heavenly man. – 1 Corinthians 14:47-49 NLT

Father, thank You for Plan A. I don’t fully understand why Adam and Eve did what they did, but I have a feeling that I would have done no better if I had been in their place. Sin comes naturally for us. Even as a believer, I find myself succumbing to the temptations of the enemy. Like the Israelites, I know Your will and have Your Word to guide my life, but I still choose to disobey You on a regular basis. Yet, I stand before You as righteous because of the blood of Your Son. His death paid the penalty for my sins — past, present, and future. He redeemed me out of slavery to sin. He has set me free and restored me to a right relationship with You. I am no longer condemned or under a curse. Without Jesus, I would still be trying to earn Your favor and acceptance through obedience to Your holy law. I would be caught in the dead-end pursuit of righteousness by my own strength. But long before You made me, You had a plan to save me, and all I can say is thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

A Sinner Condemned, Unclean

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12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. – Romans 2:12-16 ESV

Paul viewed sin as nothing less than unrighteousness, man’s inability to live up to God’s righteous standard. Earlier, in chapter one, Paul wrote, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18 ESV). The unrighteous behavior of men, their refusal to live according to God’s divine requirements, suppresses the truth about God’s identity and His expectations for mankind.

God created man to live in fellowship with Him, enjoying unbroken companionship and walking in step with His revealed will. But man chose autonomy over conformity to God’s will, making the fateful decision to determine right or wrong on his own.

Eve believed the lie of the enemy and did what God had commanded her not to do, and her husband willingly followed her lead. Ever since, men and women have continued to live unrighteously and ungodly, apart from God’s will. And, according to Paul, all men are without excuse, whether they had been given the Mosaic law or not. Paul makes it clear that both Jews and Gentiles stand before God as unrighteous. The Gentiles, or those “who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law” (Romans 2:12 ESV). They are without excuse, because they “show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it” (Romans 2:14 NLT).

All men instinctively know right from wrong. All cultures have laws or accepted moral standards against murder, cheating, stealing, and a host of other “sins.” Paul says, “They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:15 NLT). Having been created in the image of God, all humanity has had the Creator’s moral code imprinted on their hearts and minds. This includes the Gentiles who were never given the Mosaic Law to regulate their conduct and consciences.

But the Jews are just as culpable, if not more so. They were given the law of God engraved on tablets of stone. He clearly articulated His righteous standards and requirements for morally acceptable behavior. He showed them exactly what was necessary to live righteous and godly lives. Paul states, “the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it” (Romans 2:12 NLT). They will be judged by what they know but, ultimately, by what they do.

For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. – Romans 2:13 NLT

Knowledge of God’s law was not enough; He expected His commands to be obeyed. The Jews, who had been given the law, failed to keep it. They knew what was expected of them but were unable to live up to God’s righteous standards. So their lives were marked by unrighteousness, despite having received and heard God’s righteous commands.

The Gentiles were also condemned as unrighteous because they rejected the law of God written on their hearts. Yet Paul acknowledges that there are occasions when the Gentiles instinctively obey God’s law. 

…they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. – Romans 2:14-15 NLT

But their obedience is sporadic and devoid of any reverence for God. Their spotty adherence to the law is self-serving rather than submissive to God’s divine authority. As Paul stated in the opening chapter of his letter, the Gentiles long ago abandoned any intention of submitting to the will of God.

…they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. – Romans 1:21-23 NLT

So what’s Paul’s point? What is he trying to tell us? Remember, in this letter he has addressed the gospel of God and attempted to explain the divine nature of God’s redemptive plan for mankind – “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 ESV).

The kind of righteousness God demands is only available through faith, not through human effort. Both Jews and Gentiles have clearly proven that no one can live up to the righteous demands of a holy God. Quoting from the prophet Habakkuk, Paul writes, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4 ESV). Those who would live righteous lives must do so based on faith in God. The Jews were required to trust in and rely upon the law of God to guide, direct, and protect them from sin and judgment. The Gentiles were dependent upon the law of God written on their hearts and were obligated, by faith, to trust His divine will.

Man inherently knows what is right; it is wired into his system. He knows instinctively what to do and how to live, but lacks the ability to pull it off. It isn’t that he is unaware of God’s expectations; it is that he is unable to live up to them. Later in this same letter, Paul writes, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature” (Romans 8:3a NLT).

Even when God gave the Jews His perfect, holy law, eliminating all doubt about what His expectations might be, He knew they would fail because of their sinful natures. But Paul provides the good news:

So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. – Romans 8:3b NLT

That is Paul’s point and the thesis of his entire letter. God did for man what man could not do for himself. He provided a means by which man could be justified or made right with Him. And without faith in the saving work of the Son of God, no man, either Jew or Gentile, will be able to stand before God on the day of judgment. Their sins will condemn them, and even their most righteous acts will fail to measure up.

The prophet Isaiah assessed mankind’s state in rather bleak terms.

We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Yet no one calls on your name
    or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
    and turned us over to our sins. – Isaiah 64:6-7 NLT

But again, Paul balances the bad news with the good news. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25 ESV).

We are made right (justified) with God, not based on our own human effort, but because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. And it is our faith in Him, not in our works, that leads to our salvation.

Father, Your gospel isn’t just good news, it is great news. It provided a way for sinful humanity to be restored to a right relationship with You. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, none of us would stand a chance of entering Your presence and receiving forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life. Our best efforts, whether motivated by the law written on tablets or on our hearts, could not measure up to Your holy standards. All of “righteous” deeds are unacceptable to You because they are polluted by sin and rendered of no more value than “filthy rags.” Yet, because of Your gracious love and the sacrificial act of Your Son we can sing the words of the old hymn, “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful is my Savior’s love for me.” Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Unhappy Lot of the Unrighteous

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28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. – Romans 1:28-32 ESV

This is the third time Paul uses the phrase, “God gave them up.” By this time, we should be able to see the seriousness of Paul’s point. If God releases men to live as they wish, separated from Him by rejecting His very existence or re-imagining their own version of Him, the outcome is less-than-ideal. Without God, the one true God, man is left to his own devices, and their foolish heart becomes increasingly darkened. Despite their self-proclaimed wisdom, they become fools, incapable of discerning right from wrong or righteousness from unrighteousness. The prophet Isaiah wrote about these kinds of people in his day.

What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! – Isaiah 5:18 NLT

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. – Isaiah 5:20-21 NLT

When a man decides he has no need of God, he loses far more than his awareness of the Creator. The rejection or reinvention of God is a dangerous game to play. The NIV translates verse 28 this way: “they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind.” They basically said, “We don’t need God anymore,” so God allowed them to experience life without Him, and “abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done” (NLT).

Without God in their lives, man loses the capacity to think wisely. As Isaiah said, they end up calling evil good and good evil. Their minds become twisted, and their logic becomes skewed. And Paul states that they become “filled” with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. They literally become “filled to the brim.” Unrighteousness describes anything that is contrary to what God has deemed right or just. Evil has to do with man living out his godless purposes and desires in depraved ways. Covetousness is simply greed or the insatiable need for more; it is the opposite of contentment. Malice is a shameless desire to do others harm.

These characteristics mark those who reject God and manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Paul provides a fairly sobering list: “envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossiping, slander, hate for God, insolence, haughtiness or pride, boasting, invention of evil, disobedience to parents, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness” (Romans 1:29-30 ESV). 

Here’s the worst part: not only do they do these things, but they also give their full consent and approval to anyone else who does them. Even though they know “that those who practice such things deserve to die,” they do them anyway. They become driven by unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. It ends up filling them and overflowing from them.

It was Chrystostom who said, “the one who praises the sin of others is far worse than the one who sins himself” (Chrystostom, Homilies on Romans). Paul warned Timothy that a day would come when people would no longer want to hear the truth. They would look for teachers who would approve of their actions and tell them that their lifestyles were perfectly acceptable.

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. – 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV

The Greek word Paul used for “myths” is mythos, which refers to something invented, a fiction or falsehood. Without God, men will not only invent their own god, but a different form of righteousness as well. They will determine their own ethical and moral standards, and then seek out those who will tell them that their unrighteous actions are acceptable. That is the world in which we live today. Sadly, there are pastors all across the country who are more than willing to tickle the ears of their congregations, telling them what they want to hear, approving of their lifestyle choices, and, as a result, denying the truth of God.

We live in a day when the cry for tolerance has drowned out God’s call for righteousness. We have become accepting and accommodating of all kinds of attitudes and actions that God has deemed unrighteous and unacceptable. It is unloving to allow someone to live according to a lie. It is unmerciful to hide the truth from those who are deceived. It was Jesus who said, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:21-32 NLT). The gospel of God is about the righteousness of God made available to men through the gift of His Son.

Left to his own devices, sinful man will never produce the righteousness that God demands. Even those who claim to believe in God will fail to live up to God’s righteous standards. That is why Paul says that all men are without excuse and stand guilty before God.

But the good news is that Jesus came to die for sinners. He came to pay the price for our guilt and to free us from condemnation. But for a man to be free, he must acknowledge the truth of his own sin and accept the gift of God’s Son. He must understand the reality of his guilt and the just outcome of his sin: death. Then he must accept the free gift of God’s grace and believe that Jesus Christ has paid his debt and replaced his unrighteousness with righteousness. That is the good news, the gospel of God.

Father, in a world where tolerance and a reduced standard of righteousness rule the day, there is an ever-increasing need for the truth of the gospel. Sin is real, whether anyone wants to admit it, and judgment is coming. Your holiness and righteousness do not diminish just because men question Your reality or try to reinvent Your nature. Your judgment against sin remains unchanged, but so does Your solution. Your Son is the only means by which sinful men can be restored to a right relationship with You. Death remains the penalty for unrighteousness, but Jesus gave His life so that sinners could become Your sons and daughters. But this world is full of people who have rejected You as God and who have determined to live according to their own standard. They are blind, ignorant, deceived, and in desperate need of the truth. Empower Your children to take seriously their role as reconcilers. May we become increasingly more bold in proclaiming the good news about Jesus and calling condemned sinners to “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Boast in the Lord

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26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV

The division taking place within the church at Corinth was based on pride. They were boastfully claiming, “‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:12 ESV). They each saw themselves as somehow better or more spiritual because of their choice of leader. They were even bragging about who had baptized them, claiming to have been baptized in their name. This led Paul to declare, “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name” (1 Corinthians 1:14-15 ESV). Even those who were claiming to follow Christ were emphasizing His teaching more than His role as Messiah. They had become followers of men and adherents of their particular teachings, rather than followers of the very one whose death had made their salvation possible. 

So Paul felt compelled to remind them of their pre-conversion state. For the most part, none of them had been wise, wealthy, or powerful. They were not from the upper crust of society or recognized for their intelligence and erudition. Their influence and power had been minimal. In fact, Paul flatly states that they had been foolish, weak, and despised. Not exactly a flattering assessment. But Paul’s seeming put-down was intended to get them to see the “foolish” nature of their salvation, not stroke their egos. There was nothing about them that warranted what God had done for them. Even from a worldly perspective, they had been undeserving of God’s amazing grace and mercy. They were not the brightest and best, the richest and wisest, or the movers and shakers of society.

When Jesus ministered on the earth, He did not choose His disciples from among the wealthy, wise, and powerful. Those 12 men had been lowly fishermen, tax collectors, and commoners. Those who had followed Him during His three years of earthly ministry had been, for the most part, from the peasant class, and this trend continued long after Christ’s resurrection. Paul reminded the Corinthians, “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28 NLT).

None of them had cause for boasting, and they had done nothing to deserve their salvation. Their pride was misplaced because their spiritual status in God’s eyes had nothing to do with who baptized or taught them. Those men were nothing more than instruments in the hands of God. They were His messengers, but not the Messiah.

Later in this same letter, Paul writes, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV). It was only as Paul displayed the character of Christ that he was to be considered someone to model their lives after. His life was meaningless unless it emulated that of Christ. Paul’s ministry was never meant to be about him, but, instead, it was intended to point to the life-transforming nature of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Paul wanted them to remember that their status as children of God had been the work of God. It was He who had called them, which is why Paul tells them, “consider your calling.” The Greek word Paul used was βλέπω (blepō) and it means, “to turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine” (“G991 – blepō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible). Paul wanted them to take a long, hard look at their calling by God. So he reminds them three times:

God chose what is foolish…

God chose what is weak…

 God chose what is low and despised…

God chose. In other words, it was His doing and was not based on any merit or worth of the ones chosen. It was solely based on God’s divine mercy and grace. That is why Paul reminds them that it was “because of him [God] you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV), not because of themselves and due to the efforts of Paul, Cephas, or Apollos. Those men had been used by God to carry the gospel to the Corinthians, but they were simply messengers. It had been God who had made it possible for the believers in Corinth to have a relationship with Jesus, and it had been Jesus who had revealed to them God’s wisdom. By His death on the cross, Jesus opened a way for men to receive righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. With His death on the cross, Jesus took on the sins of mankind, and those who placed their faith in Christ had their sins imputed to Him and received His righteousness in exchange. They now stood before God as righteous because of the work of Christ, and they are going through the process of sanctification, their ongoing transformation into the likeness of Christ, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Ultimately, they would enjoy their final redemption or release from the power of sin in their lives when God glorifies them.

No man can make these things possible. No human teacher can provide us with righteousness before God. No pastor can transform us into the likeness of Christ. No evangelist or theologian can make our glorification possible. These things are all the work of God, just as our salvation was. He called, chose, justified, sanctifies, and will one day redeem. So if we are going to boast, we need to boast in God; we need to brag about all that He has done, is currently doing, and will accomplish in the future. He made our salvation possible, He has made our daily sanctification obtainable, and He will one day accomplish the seemingly impossible: our glorification. We owe it all to Him.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die. – Rock of Ages, Augustus Toplady

Father, we are a prideful people. Even those of us who have received Your undeserved mercy and grace tend to find ways to make it all about us. We can become overconfident about our spiritual status and convince ourselves that we somehow deserved to be chosen by You. We have a habit of forgetting our sinful past and failing to recall just how desperate we were before we heard the good news of Jesus Christ. But as Augustus Toplady reminds us, we bring nothing to our salvation other than our sin, shame, and a need for a Savior. Our wisdom and wealth play no part. Our accomplishments are of no value. But You accept us based on nothing more than our faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. May we never forget our inadequacy and His all-sufficiency. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.