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Never say never.....

Recently I did a series on Avenged Sevenfodl (A7X), looking for the epic themes of good and evil in their songs, and the undercurrent of biblical references, sometimes subtle, sometimes specific, in their lyrics. As I listened to each piece, prayed for the band members, and asked God for insight, I began to see that the saying "Where there is life there is yet hope" is profoundly true.

Right now is the sunshine, right now is the time for harvest. Jesus talked often about using His time well because when the sun fades, and darkness comes, no one will be able to work in the fields. During His three years of sunshine there were some amazing "Come to Jesus" events -- a Phoenician woman and a Roman centurion, both considered utterly unclean and beyond reach came to have faith stronger than even the disciples. Many lepers, paralyzed, lame, blind, deaf and dumb people were both physically and spiritually restored.

People who were considered the dregs of society, prostitutes, tax collectors (think Wall Street embezzlers for a modern-day corollary), convicted felons, scoff laws, and more all came to know Jesus as their friend, their Savior and their Lord.

Those whom the upstanding citizens and professional religious types considered to be beyond hope found their hope in Jesus. Those who were full of their own sense of importance and purity never knew they needed healing, so they rejected the Healer.

Today's incredible story of "Never say never" is found in Jeff Fenholt, who played the starring role in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and fronted the band "Black Sabbath."

I have one last album, A7X's summer release, to blog on. Beginning in December I'll blog on a song a day. To me, this is the essence of Thanksgiving -> Thanking God for life, real life, and that He never gives up on any of us so long as the sun shines.

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Jesus Gave Three Responses To The Pharisees' Challenge

1) He wasn’t going to be their puppet and try and come up with some miracle that they would accept. Instead He would give them the ultimate sign in just a few years, the resurrection of the dead, victory over death and hell

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40)

The prophet Jonah had experienced something similar when he was spit up onto the beach near Ninevah.

God told Jonah to warn the Ninevites that they were about to be destroyed by God unless they repented of their sin. Jonah’s bizarre appearance, bleached out by the stomach juices of a fish, must have unnerved them. The Ninevites were fish worshippers. To them Jonah was like a man resurrected from the dead, and they believed his message – all Ninevah repented.

Jesus was infinitely greater than Jonah. When Jesus rose from the dead, that would be the Pharisees’ call to repentance. But they didn’t.

--> How much worse it is now that the resurrection has been established. The Ninevites will judge those today who ask for irrefutable proof when the resurrection stands proven these last two thousand year

2) The Queen of Sheba traveled at great expense to marvel at Solomon’s kingdom and his wisdom.

Jesus’ wisdom was infinitely greater than Solomon’s, and His kingdom infinitely more wonderful. Yet the Queen of Sheba would stand one day in judgment over the Pharisees who had the Son of God Himself right in front of them and remained nonplused.

--> How much worse for those today who can put their hand on a Bible wherever they go, hear good teaching on the t.v., the radio, the internet, go to any number of worship services on any day of the week, yet remain unmoved.

3) Jesus revealed their dangerously empty hearts. The Pharisees had continued the legacy of Ezra’s day,
+ Keeping Israel clean from idols,
+ Slavishly observing the Sabbath,
+ Obeying every possible nuance of God’s law to tithe,
...To fast,
......To keep the holy days.
But

"When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

"Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

"Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.

"That is how it will be with this wicked generation." (Matthew 12:43-45)

It's not enough to live a clean and disciplined life and mouth a lot of holy words.

Jesus said there must be someone who lives in the home of your heart, as the owner. Otherwise Satan will just move right back in again, and matters will be even worse.

The new owner has to be stronger than Satan. The new owner is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Demons can't possess a Christian because of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Whoever is not with the Lord Jesus Christ is against Him

The miracles of Jesus point to who Jesus is. However, an unwillingness to believe reveals a hard heart.

Failure to believe the message of Christ has serious consequences, because there is no neutral zone.

You are either with Jesus, in the kingdom of God or you are with His enemy, Satan, under his rod of death and bound for his eventual destination of hell. Jesus has pre-eminence over even death and hell, and only He has the power to release you from the strong man’s house.

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Jesus warned the Pharisees that their words gave evidence of the evil in their hearts. The sin against the Holy Spirit is not a matter of speech; the words spoken are only evidence of a sin-filled heart

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

"You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?

"For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." (Matthew 12:33-35)

Jesus wasn’t talking about a single act, He was talking about their whole way of being, their harvest of bad fruit. The Pharisees had no sense of their personal sin.

Everybody will one day have to face all the things they said in those unguarded mome when the real you comes out. It’s not the words. It’s what’s inside you that matters.

Being called vipers, having their sin pointed out, being called to judgment was something the Pharisees could not stand.
Never mind that
+ Jesus spoke with authority,
+ That everything He did, including even just being born was fulfillment of scripture,
+ That the power of God in the miracles authenticated everything Jesus said,
+ And that God’s Holy Spirit was approving and affirming all Jesus taught.

They wanted to find a way to get out of having to accept Him and what He had just said to them. They wanted to reassert their superiority and authority over Him. So they said,

"Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." (Matthew 12:38)

Don’t you and I get the same thing today from people who don’t like what they’re hearing?
Give me one good intellectual argument for believing the Bible,
...Give me some proof that the Bible is true, that it’s reliable,
......Give me some irrefutable evidence that this is God’s word,
.........That it’s divine,
............That it’s relevant,
...............Or has anything to do with me....

Or how about this: before you and I judge the Pharisees, think about the times we’ve asked God for a sign because what we already know from His word was not to our liking.

--> Unless God makes my spouse initiates conversation, I’m not going to say I’m sorry.

--> If God doesn’t let me get caught, that must mean He’s okay with my doing (whatever it is).

--> When have you ignored God's word on something and asked for a sign instead?

People look for signs, but God looks for obedient faith.

Their hearts were committing adultery against God. They pretended to be faithful to God, to obey God’s laws and to worship Him. But in reality they were in love with their own position in life, seeing themselves as the cream, owners and rulers of God’s people.

In reality they kept the people away from God by making Him seem like a mean and cruel master who valued sacrifice over mercy.

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What Is The Unforgivable Sin?

But what is this terrible thing that Jesus talked about next,
23:31-32)
Was it limited to the Pharisees, or can such an unforgivable sin be committed today, and if so, how?

The context of this passage is the Lord's indictment of the Pharisees for attributing the origin of His power and the validity of His claims to the devil.

The unforgivable sin is the rejection of the true power behind The Lord Jesus Christ's miracles. To assign miracles to Satan, not the Holy Spirit, is to reject the One who draws us to Christ. To repudiate the work of the Spirit, and reject the witness of the Holy Spirit was to remain in their sin. Notice what Jesus says in verse 32, such a thing “will not” -- not “can not” but “will not” -- be forgiven. God will not where you will not.

As long as you’re concerned that you’ve committed the unforgivable sin, that is a sure sign that you haven’t. Satan, the accuser and father of lies, will try to convince you that there is something that really could separate you from the love of God. He will try to make you discouraged, convincing you that you’ve gone too far.

But experiencing grief over sin is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said the sin He was talking about will not be forgiven.
* Can a believer do something that would forfeit his or her salvation?
* Can God change His mind about something like that?

Go back to Romans chapter 8. Right at the end of that chapter the apostle Paul declares that nothing – nothing on earth, nothing in heaven – can separate us from God’s love.

Salvation does not find its power in your and my faithfulness; it is rooted in the faithfulness of God to His own Son Who died for us!

When Christ died on the cross, how many of our sins were future?
-> If all our sins were future
--> And Christ died for all our sins,
---> Then no future sin can cancel out what Christ has accomplished.

Since the whole debt has already been paid, no sin can separate us from God. Think of the great comfort in what Jesus was saying. Every sin will be forgiven except the one you and I will never commit! All others will be forgiven!

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Jesus' Response to the Pharisees In Three Parts

1) Satan is a formidable enemy. Sometimes a person tries to resist evil without first submitting to God, and Satan pays no attention to that. Jesus said

"If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26)

Satan wouldn't be very likely to drive himself out, because that would divide his own kingdom and weaken his base of power. Only someone more powerful than Satan would be able to rescue the people in his possession – only the power of God Himself could do it.

Anyway, this accusation was illogical from the Pharisees’ own point of view too, since there were Jewish exorcists - you can read about them in Acts - who were apparently successful.

Jesus asked them,

"And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges." (Matthew 12:27

2) Satan is a terrible enemy, but he is not omnipotent, as God is. He can’t do everything. In fact, he can only do what God will permit. The devil and his demons have been defeated by Christ's triumph at the cross. Death and hell no longer have any hold over God’s people.

"But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Matthew 12:28)

Only God has the power and the authority to drive out Satan, or to hold him back. All throughout the New Testament, demons recognized Christ as the Holy One of God, and were afraid of Jesus; they had to obey His authorit

3) Jesus was the only one strong enough to tie up the strong man and rob the world of the people he oppressed,

“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house." (Matthew 12:29)

and bring them into the kingdom of God where they would be free for all eternity. There is no neutral place.

Either you belong to Jesus, who has come into the strong man’s house to rescue you and free you from him, or you are a prisoner of the strong man

“Whoever is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30

What’s more, you are either with Jesus, gathering those who want to be free, or you are against Jesus, preventing others from being rescued

"...and whoever does not gather with me scatters" (Matthew 12:30)

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The Pharisees Accuse Jesus of Working With The Devil

The man who was brought to Jesus was in pretty rough shape. He was blind, he couldn’t speak, and he was being oppressed by a demon. When Jesus delivered him,

All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:23)

but the Pharisees accused Jesus of using the devil’s power,

They said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (Matthew 12:24)

From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was driving out demons from demon-possessed and demon-oppressed people. And just as early in the Lord's ministry, the Pharisees had begun dismissing this by saying that Jesus had been driving out demons by the permission, or the power, or both, of the prince of demons.

Satan is a real person. Interestingly, a lot of people don’t believe this – The Barna Research group found that in 2007 more than half of all adults surveyed in the United States, 57%, said that the devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is actually only a symbol of evil.

In that same survey Barna discovered that nearly half of all born-again Christians, 46%, denied Satan's existence.

Yet both the Pharisees and Jesus acknowledged that Satan was a real person, the prince of demons whom they referred to as Beelzebub, which means "lord of the flies" in Hebrew, and was meant as a mockery of the actual title "Prince Baal."

Scripture talks about a spiritual being, an angel named Lucifer, who was accompanied by a large angelic force in a rebellion against God. Isaiah 14 describes the thoughts that went on in Lucifer's mind, "I will make myself like the Most High." He was the most powerful, the most beautiful, of all the angels. His name meant "light-bearer," "shining one," "Son of the Dawn," and he aspired to the throne of God.

He wanted God's possession of and dominion over all the universe, with earth as his footstool.

Jesus said He saw Satan, which means "adversary," fall like lightning from heaven when God cast him out.

Demons are also real, and powerful. A third of God's angels became demons when they were cast out of heaven with Satan and made this earth their dark world. Since that time Satan has been referred to as
- The prince of darkness,
- The father of lies,
- The accuser,
- The beguiling serpent,
- A murderer.

The Bible describes him as a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, and the demons as having the primary purpose of possessing or oppressing humans and tormenting us.

The New Testament describes demons as causing physical as well as mental ailments. They have superior knowledge, supernatural strength and an ability to foretell the future. The devil is fierce, powerful, evil and all the more dangerous because he is a spiritual being; he is invisible.

Satan continues his rebellion against God, seeking in every way to usurp God's position as king. As soon as he had successfully enticed the first man and woman to disobey God, he took ownership of the world and now receives worship from it.

Jesus acknowledged that the world, that people themselves, are occupied by a strong man who possesses them. Satan's rod is death, and he leads the whole world into sin and corruption, using the world to oppose God.

And this was the Pharisees’ official verdict concerning Jesus. No, they said to the gathered crowd of people. This is not the Son of David, the Messiah we’ve been waiting for. This man is possessed of the devil.

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Blended Gospels: Jesus Casts Out A Demon

Then [Jesus] went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind."

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

But when the Pharisees, and the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, heard it, they said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."

Knowing their thoughts, [Jesus] called them to him and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, it is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

"And if Satan has risen up against himself, Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? He cannot stand, but is coming to an end.

"And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

"Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come but is guilty of an eternal sin—

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

For they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

[Blended Gospels, Matthew 12:22-37, Mark 3:2022-30, ESV]

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God Does Not Leave Sin Unpunished

When John was beheaded, all the seventy people Jesus had sent out with the gospel had also just come back to debrief with Him.

They were very tired, having not even had time to eat. It was Passover, there were many more thousands of people than usual in Jerusalem at that time. Emotions were already high. John’s death made matters even worse.

They had to have felt shock that John had been killed in such a terrible way, grief that they had not been with him, anguish over God allowing a good man to die and a bad man to prosper, sorrow and loss over such a dear friend.

What crash of emotions after the heady successes they had experienced in the mission field! So often it happens that way, after a spiritual success Satan rips the rug out.
* What to do you do when something knocks you to your knees?

John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it, laying it in a tomb. Then they went and told Jesus. (Matthew 14:12, Mark 6:29, blended gospels)

John’s disciples knew they could come to Jesus in their trouble and sorrow, knowing He would give them His deep understanding and loving sympathy.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13)

At first glance, you might miss the significance of Jesus' response. Let it sink in.

Herod had many opportunities to change, but refused until it was too late.

Jesus moved out of Herod’s province and into Philip’s province next door, taking the gospel message with Him.

Not long after this, Herod was badly defeated in war by his ex-father-in-law, the king of Petra. (Remember him? Herod had quickly divorced the king of Petra's daughter so he could move Herodias into the palace.)

In His judgment, God allows sin to run its course

In fact Rome had to come bail Herod out. Many people saw this as God’s judgement against Herod. Years later his nephew, Herod Agrippa (who also happened to be Herodias’ brother) gained control of Judea and was crowned a king.

Herodias made Herod so miserable about not becoming a king too, that he went to Rome to ask Caligula, the new emperor, to make him a king. Instead, Herod was stripped of his power and his wealth, and exiled to the savages of Gaul for the rest of his life.

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The Night John The Baptist Died

Finally, one night, Herodias recognized her opportunity. It was right before the Passover, and Herod was having a big party. There was drinking and carousing, and high spirits.

Herodias knew she could manipulate her daughter into getting what she wanted. So she sent Salome into the party to do some pole dancing, hoping a drunk and lustful Herod would make rash promises.

He did.

There are two lessons for us here.
1) The first is from Herod. He was distressed. But his pride and his lust for Salome got the better of him
– He didn’t want to appear weak in front of his drinking buddies,
- And the apostle Mark says he didn’t want to refuse his stepdaughter,
So he immediately sent out the execution order.

What do you do in the heat of the moment?
* What influences your decision-making process?
* Do you step back?
* Do you pray?
* Do you think the situation through with biblical principles in mind?

Herod didn’t take time to consider the consequences, he acted immediately.

He wanted to appear powerful, more powerful even than God’s prophet.

He wanted to appear a man of decision.

He wanted to take young Salome to his bed.

His conscience was bothering him, but he was used to indulging his emotions and his appetites, even when it was wrong.

2) The second lesson comes from Herodias. What a powerful influence you and I have on our children!

There’s no hint Herodias’ conscience was bothering her. In her world sex was how you got what you wanted, so she was teaching her daughter the ropes.

Remember that Salome had grown up in the decadent world of the Roman wealthy and nobility: debauched parties, open prostitution of girls, boys and women, gladiator games.

Sex in the bath houses, orgies, "toga parties," these were all part of the notorious ancient social scene. Watching people be sliced through, heads flying off, wild animals tearing victims to shreds was part of her regular entertainment. Dancing for her father and his lascivious party boys, then receiving John’s head on a platter may have just been one more thrilling episode in her life.

What are you and I teaching our kids without even thinking about it?
--> What are they learning about sex and violence from t.v.,
...from movies,
......from video games?

Clearly the culture of Rome had corrupted and desensitized Herodias and her daughter. What are we letting the culture around us desensitize us to?

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Background on Herod

On the night that the Lord Jesus was born, Herod the Great ruled all of Palestine.

Herod the Great was the one the wise men came to asking about the baby and the star.

Herod the Great was the one who ordered the slaughter of all the baby boys in Bethlehem. It was no big deal to him. He had numerous sons and daughters of his own, by ten wives, and he killed them, too, when he thought they were getting in his way.

When Herod the great died He divided Judea into three portions and, with Rome’s permission, divvied these portions out among three of his surviving sons:

--> Archelaus got Judea and Samaria;

--> Philip got Trachonitis and Ituraea;

--> and Herod Antipas got Galilee and Peraea.

--> A fourth son, named Herod Philip, received money as his portion and lived in Rome.

It was at this time that an angel came to Joseph and told him it was safe to move back to Nazareth.

The year before John the Baptist was beheaded Herod Antipas went to Rome to visit his brother, Herod Philip and began to admire Philip’s wife, Herodias.

We’re going to see a biblical principle played out in what happened next.

Sin begins with what is cherished in the heart

The Bible says that we are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead [James 1:14-15] Herod and Herodias had a lifestyle of indulging their sinful desires. Their sin was full blown, but we all have sin to deal with, and there are lessons to be learned here from their bad example.

Who knows who seduced who, but Herod and Herodias ended up having an affair, and Herod brought her and her teenaged daughter Salome back with him to Galilee.

One problem.

Herod was already married to a princess whose father ruled Petra, right next door to Palestine. Herod divorced this wife to get rid of her and sent her back to Petra so he could move Herodias into his palace.

John the Baptist boldly denounced what Herod and Herodias had done, and that made them mad.
* How do you respond to someone who has just pointed out sin in your life?
* Do you get mad?
* Do you want to get them back?

For the next ten months Herodias nursed a grudge against John the Baptist and wanted to kill him. The only person standing in her way was her new husband.

See, Herod liked to listen to John even though what John said often puzzled and even sometimes offended him.

- And he was afraid of John since he knew that the Baptist was a righteous and holy man,
- and he was afraid of what the people might do if John were killed, since the people considered the Baptist a prophet.

So Herod protected John.

He imprisoned him in one of his palace fortresses, but he let John’s disciples have free access to minister to John.

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Blended Gospels: John The Baptist's Death

Finally an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."

And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."

And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?"

And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."

And prompted by her mother, she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and buried it, laying it in a tomb, and they went and told Jesus.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.

[Blended Gospels, Matthew 14:6-13, Mark 6:21-29, ESV]

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Blended Gospels: Women Support Jesus

Soon afterward Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities:
1) Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
2) and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager,
3) and Susanna,
4) and many others,
who provided for them out of their means.

[Blended Gospels, Luke 8:1-3, ESV]
____________________________________________________________

Just some observations that will help to clarify truth from tradition:

1) Luke is the only one to note, in his gospel, that certain women supported Jesus' movement out of their own means. This is one of many specific references about the importance of women to the Lord, in Luke's account.

2) In particular, Joanna, being the wife of Herod Antipas's manager, was probably affluent andm for that matter, influential as well. Note that the Lord Jesus had an inside source to Herod's affairs.

3) Luke included both Mary Magdalene and Joanna among the women who discovered the empty tomb in Luke 24:10.

4) Notice that Luke did not identify Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman described in the previous story.

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Jesus Forgives Sin

The woman who had entered Simon the Pharisee's home to perfume Jesus' feet was a notorious sinner. Traditionally she has been called a prostitute, but the text is not so specific. She was probably not Mary Magdalene, who was introduced after this story.

In the ancient world it apparently was common to allow people to enter the home where a meal was being held in honor of a major teacher, or speaker. Nobody was shocked that the woman came in. What scandalized everyone is that she got close to Jesus and He let her anoint Him.

What she did came at great personal cost
1) The perfume she used was both precious and expensive. Anointing ran deep in Jewish custom, being practiced at civic feasts and used for the purification of priests or the tabernacle. If this perfume was nard, it would have cost three hundred denarii, or about a year's salary, per pound!

2) Her tears were an expression of overwhelming gratitude, love and joy. She already knew of His forgiveness

3) Undoing her hair was culturally shocking. Symbolically, she lay herself entirely bare before the Lord, kissing His feet with a tender intimacy that offended every person in the room save one...the Lord Himself.

Simon the Pharisee expected such brazen behavior from the woman, but he found Jesus' acceptance of this worship both outrageous and intolerable.

What he thought revealed the depth of self-righteousness in his heart: If this man Jesus really were a prophet, then he would know what kind of woman was touching him, and He wouldn't have allowed it.

Obviously, Simon said to himself, Jesus is no prophet because look at this sickening display being enacted right here in his banquet hall. Jesus not only had not rebuked the woman, He in fact seemed to be enjoying her kisses. Simon concluded that Jesus must be of a very low class Himself.

Pharisees maintained that if spiritual people were to guard purity and testimony, then they certainly could not associate with sinners.

Jesus saw the situation completely differently.
1) Simon doubted Jesus was a prophet because He had allowed a notorious sinner to cover Him with her affection. But Jesus proved He was a seer by discerning Simon's secret thoughts.

2) Simon scorned Jesus' lack of rebuke towards sin, yet Jesus gently rebuked Simon's sin with His parable.

3) Simon thought Jesus to be a very low class of person, yet by forgiving sin Jesus revealed Himself to be of the very highest order, God Himself.

4) Simon had no love nor appreciation for Jesus because he had no sense of personal sin. On the contrary, Simon now viewed himself to be far Jesus' superior. So Jesus showed that appreciation and love flow from the one who has been forgiven a great debt.

Great forgiveness provides the opportunity for great love

As one author put it, "When God forgives a notorious sinner for much sin, the realization of such bountiful forgiveness means the potential for great love."

Simon showed how little he thought of Jesus
- By not having His feet washed.
- Simon did not even greet Jesus with the customary Mediterranean kiss on each cheek shown to friends and welcome guests,
- Let alone put oil on Jesus head, as he would have with an honored dignitary.

But this woman had
- Washed Jesus' feet with her own tears.
- Far more than the ceremonial greeting, she had covered Jesus' feet with her kisses.
- And rather than anoint His head with customary oil, she had poured out rich and costly nard on His feet.

What the woman had done went far beyond the call of custom and good manners (which Simon the Pharisee had failed to meet even the minimum for).

In contrast to Simon's desultory throughtlessness, her actions reflected heartfelt gratitude, tender love, overflowing joy and a deep sense of humility.

Jesus then explained that this woman's sins were forgiven because of her great love for Him. It was not her works which saved her. It was her love, which was expressed in these acts.

This was even more offensive and troubling! Bad enough that Jesus would receive this known sinner in a Pharisee's home. Far, far worse that He should presume the place of God and dare to announce her sins forgiven!

The Pharisees knew the significance behind Jesus' statement. They knew no mere man had the right to forgive sin, so they asked each other, behind trembling hands, "Who is this who even forgives sin?"

If Jesus had the authority to forgive sin, then he was far more than a prophet. They didn't dare to even form in their minds the implications of what Jesus had said.

So Jesus made it all the more clear for them by saying to the woman -- and to no one esle in that room -- "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

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Blended Gospels: A Woman Bringing Perfume

One of the Pharisees asked [Jesus] to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."

And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt."

And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."

And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"

And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

[Blended Gospels, Luke 7:36-50, ESV]

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"Come To Me, You Who Are Weary"

Having said the negative, Jesus now gave the positive, beginning with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to His Father

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do." (Matthew 11:25-26)

Those who come with a childlike heart, open, trusting and humble, are the ones who are going to understand and receive the gospel, rather than those who have a sense of self importance, who delight in their own mental abilities, and mistake their knowledge for wisdom.

Jesus explained God’s plan of revelation:

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27)

Only Jesus can show the way to the Father.

Jesus saw people burdened with trying to please God,
...getting right with God,
......using all the methods that the Pharisees were insisting on.
.........It was a great load of rules, and they were weary with trying,
............sensing, deep down, that none of it was working...

Jesus offered rest, freedom from trying and never succeeding.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Think about the yoke as what rabbis called their way of understanding and living by scripture, which they expected all their disciples to take on themselves.

The Pharisees' yoke was heavy. It made people bone weary with trying to labor under it.

Jesus’ yoke is light, it’s freeing, it’s enabling so that your work becomes joy. Jesus’ yoke fits perfectly because we are designed to wear His yoke, and His yoke is designed for us.

Jesus gives wisdom and rest to those who come to Him

Following Jesus brings relief from sin’s burdens. Those who follow Jesus find that Jesus’ yoke brings equilibrium and Jesus’ power.

* In what ways can you say that you have taken on Jesus' yoke?

* An encounter with Jesus demands a response – what’s yours?

* Do you believe in Him Have you said yes to Him?

* Will you serve Him, and co-labor with Him in the harvest?

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Some Thoughts on Judgment

Jesus' teaching on the fate of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, as compared with Bethsaida, Chorazim and Capernaum, seem to indicate that there are degrees of punishment in the judgment of God.

Though there is not a lot written in the New Testament about this teaching, it does show that even in judgement God is just and fair.

Judgment is meted out according to the light given to the individual.

Indifference to the claims of Christ are a terrible sin. An encounter with Jesus demands a response, and not to respond is to decide against Jesus.

When Jesus speaks of judgement, we know there will be judgement. God’s judgement goes clear back to the story of humankind's fall from original righteousness and communion with God, found in Genesis 3. The first man and woman had the opportunity to grow in the knowledge of good and evil through obedience to the goodness of God and His word. But they were tempted to
1) Doubt God's goodness
2) Question God's word
3) Desire to be "as God" thinking one could have God's position and authority.

After their fall, Adam and Eve showed the effects of sin by hiding from God and by blaming others for their own wrongdoing. God judged the man and the woman in specific and distinct ways, but the chief judgement was the penalty of death which God had said would be the result of they chose to eat from the forbidden tree.

1) Their spirits died. Their deep communion with God was broken, which they proved by running away from God when He came to them in the Garden.
2) Their souls died. They experienced a break down of their originally righteous and good character as they suppressed the truth and laid the blame for their own sin on someone else.
3) Their bodies died. God said, "Dust you are, and to dust you will return," and eventually both Adam and Eve, as well as all their offspring, died.

These three aspects of death are eternal unless they are overcome by the work of the Messiah. In Christ we
1) Receive a new spirit, by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which loves God
2) Receive a new soul, which begins to live for God,
3) Eventually every believer will receive a new body patterned on the resurrection body of Jesus, and has now a deposit on that resurrection power to live by faith.

Those who refuse to respond to Jesus will be judged. Many people today hear God’s word, and remain unmoved. They witness God’s power in someone else’s life and say, that’s okay for you, but it isn’t for me. They remain indifferent.

Rather than get special exemption from judgement, those who know God, and know His law have an even greater responsibility to obey God and honor Him.

When are you guilty of refusing to repent, and count on your standing with God instead to get you by?

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Jesus Denounces Coldness

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

"And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The two key words in this section are “repent” and “judgment.”

Jesus was saying: Because you were given evidence and you refused to repent, you are under the judgment of God for either not deciding for God, or for rejecting His offer of rescue.

Jesus pronounced judgement on Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum. Bethsaida was the home town for five of His disciples. Jesus healed a blind man there, and very near there Jesus fed 5,000 people.

Not much is known about Chorazin.

Jesus had made Capernaum His home town, and many miracles were performed there.

Tyre and Sidon were infamous for their wickedness, and Sodom was considered the epitome of wickedness, yet Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have repented had they been given the same level of evidence as Jesus was now giving these towns

Read the above passage again. God did judge those wicked cities of old, as recorded in scripture, and Tyre, Sidon and Sodom certainly will be judged by God on the last day, since all people can know God
* Through the witness of creation,
* Through the witness of their own consciences,
* and through an instinctive law of righteousness that God has written into every person's heart.

But why will it be more bearable for those pagan cities than for the people of these Jewish towns?

Because the Jews had far more than the Gentiles.
--> They had God's law,
--> They had His wisdom and prophecies recorded in scripture,
--> They had the temple and the sacrifices,
--> They had God's covenants.

And they had the long prophesied Messiah

Jesus was God incarnate, He was authenticating His deity, but the people were blase, unimpressed, they didn’t want to hear His message. Jesus was heartbroken in His anger over their refusal to repent.

Jesus didn't fit the profile His own people had crafted for their ideal Messiah. So they rejected Him. The people most privileged and able to know the Savior were the people most hardened to receiving Him.

Who would those people be today? People who are religious without actually believing what God's word has to say. People who are more enamored with their religious traditions, and their own good deeds and relgious activity, than they are with God.

Where do you stand in comparison with Tyre, Sidon and Sodom?

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Jesus Then Taught The Crowds

What The Lord Jesus said next is difficult to understand,

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12)

- It could mean that the gospel had been forcefully advancing in spite of opposition.

- Or, it could mean that the gospel was being violently opposed.

Either way John was like Elijah in that he called people’s attention to their sins, and called people back to God, to make a decision to follow God rather than the gods of this world.

John was not a reincarnation of Elijah.

The Bible never teaches that reincarnation is any kind of a possibility at all. What Jesus referred to here was John’s function. In Luke 1:16-17 an angel told John’s father that John would go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the disobedient and to make the people ready for the Lord.

If people accepted that, then they also needed to accept that Jesus was Messiah

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15

But, Jesus went on to tell the people, you people don’t listen, you don’t accept, you’re never happy with what you hear.

People did not want to hear God’s message, they wanted to call the tune and have God sing the song they wanted to hear.

They had complained that John was too austere, so they called him a demon.
On the other hand, they complained that Jesus was too familiar, so they called him a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of sinners.

"Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."(Matthew 11:19

Wisdom is proved right by actions. You will be able to assess God’s wisdom by what He does. Jesus’ miracles authenticated who He claimed to be.

Jesus gives answers to doubters who come to Him

* Where do you turn with your questions?

The best place to go for answers is scripture, God’s word. You will find the answers about Who He is, and what He promises to do for you and for me.

God may provide answers through other means
- Maybe in a Bible study group,
- Or your pastor’s sermon,
- Or an event in your life,
- Or a talk with a friend.

But the best place to go for clarification and finding out the truth is in God’s word itself, praying that God will help you understand.

Scripture isn’t necessarily going to give you specific instructions about where to go tomorrow, what job to take, how to work out a particular situation – but scripture will provide insight into God’s character, His ways, and what He has provided for you.

Through that you will have the beginning of your answers.

Jesus is also kind, His answers will be more than you asked or imagined, Jesus will encourage you whether through a friend, or answer to prayer, or something you hear on the radio, or read.....look for the encouragement that God provides

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Jesus' Answer to John

Jesus answered John from the prophetic book of Isaiah,

"Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them." (Matthew 11:4-5)

that’s the text John the Baptist most often preached from. Sinners must be restored first before God will come to rule the earth in righteousness. Jesus was about the business of bringing restoration

Jesus was not condescending, not judgmental, not impatient. Instead He spoke gently and clearly to John’s disciples, teaching from the very same scriptures that John knew best, and understood.

Jesus did not condemn John, who, after all, of all people, had the very best reasons not to doubt. And Jesus does not condemn you or me, either, when we doubt, so long as we come to Him with our questions and listen to His answers.

Doubt is a mind game, and the antidote for doubt is truth.

Jesus was telling John “I’m working My plan, just trust Me,” then He gave a gentle warning,

"And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." (Matthew 11:6)

An encounter with Jesus always demands a response. John’s response must have been a continuing response of faith. We know he stood firm for the truth to the end.

Jesus gave John more than he asked or imagined in commending his ministry and his faith: John was truly a prophet in every sense of the word – he was strong, powerful, fearless, unswerving, uncompromising. He even looked like a prophet.

Jesus said,

"This is he of whom it is written,

'Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.'

"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." (Matthew 11:10-11)

Not only was John filling the characterization of a prophet, he gave the message of a prophet, he was the very one Malachi had prophesied would come right before the Messiah.

--> He was the greatest among prophets in that he had the greatest role, he had the privilege of announcing Jesus the Messiah.

But as great as John the Baptist was, he would not live to see, and understand, the rest of the gospel unfold.

Those who have been born again, after the cross, are greater than John the Baptist because you and I, and all those who follow Christ, have the full gospel, the whole story, and we have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We may not have greater character than John, but we do have the understanding and ability to bring the full good news to others.

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