Was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

 To me, this is a question that is even silly to ask.  

We have two gospels that refer to Jesus' birth, and both of them put the birth in Bethlehem.  
Matthew 2:1- "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod..." 
The magi came asking the king where was the new "king of the Jews."  Herod consulted the scribes who indicated the prophets say the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (the city of "Bread" or the city of David- his home town).  They based this on Micah 5:2- "But you Bethlehem in the land of Judah..out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel" (David was a shepherd who became king 300 years before Micah). The magi found Jesus in Bethlehem as a child (not an infant) in a house (2:11).  Herod found out and tried to kill all babies under two years old (one of many horrible violent things Herod did).  Note that this gives a specific time, place, rulership, and characterizes the rulership of Herod as violent (which it was).  Matthew was written within 50 years of the death of Jesus.  
Luke 2 gives a fuller narrative.  Saying he was born in a place that houses animals (stable/cave/garage type place-Ken Bailey).   The environment of shepherds out in the field fits in well with Bethlehem which grows sheep for the Passover sacrifice, and was the home of David- and has multiple pastures even today.  Luke also gives a reason for Joseph and Mary to travel to Nazareth though she was pregnant.  A census was to be taken and the governor of Syria (naming Quirinius the governor 6 BC- 12 AD) enforced it.  Again, there are specific names, specific details, and places.  Luke too was written 50-60 years after the death of Jesus as a way to preserve the "eyewitness account" (Lk. 1:2).  Doubtless, some eyewitnesses were still living when Matthew and Luke were written and could testify to it.  They, unlike some other pseudo or later gnostic "gospels" were widely accepted by the living Apostles, their immediate disciples 
For example by the end of the 2nd century (like 180 AD) Irenaeus and Tertullian wrote of the churches' wide acceptance of the four gospels and Tatian even wrote a harmony of the four gospels by then.  Mary, who could have testified to the birth narrative died somewhere between 43-48 AD.  Perhaps her death prompted the writing down of the oral tradition.  
     The other two gospels ignore the birth narrative.  Mark begins with the ministries of John and Jesus' baptism.  John begins speaking of the logos made flesh- a theological description of the birth.  There is no dispute among the canonical texts of the New Testament as to the place of Jesus birth.  John 7 says "we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."  This is not a contradiction of Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace.  It could be seen as muddying the water about the tradition that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem for it seems to indicate a belief that the Messiah would just appear out of nowhere.  But it is also possible, to be seen as from some place but be born some place else.  Julius Caesar was seen as "from Rome" but he was born in Subarra not far from Rome.  Woodrow Wilson was seen as "from Princeton" where he served as president of the university.  He could also have been said to have been from Augusta, Georgia or Columbia, SC where he spent his boyhood but he was actually born in Staunton, Virginia.  
     Some of the earliest post Biblical writers speak of Jesus being born in Bethlehem.  Justin Martyr speaks of Jesus being born in a cave in Bethlehem (180 AD).  Origen also speaks of Jesus being born in a cave in Bethlehem.  The Infancy Gospel of James (2nd century found at Nag Hammadi) has Jesus being born in Bethlehem.  There is no other Christian text that has him being born anywhere else.   
     Bart Ehrman (in a 12/21/2022 blog) along with some other Jesus' Seminar scholars seem to think that an argument from silence is stronger than the argument of people who actually talked with Jesus and eyewitnesses (like Matthew and Luke).  I would say disinterest about where Jesus was born may mean that it doesn't matter to the ones who are disinterested.  But that does NOT mean that it contradicts the clear testimony of biblical and post biblical references to the birth of Jesus.  Ehrman seems to infer that Matthew and Luke's writings were not good enough because they were prejudiced toward Jesus' being born in Bethlehem.  But the same could be said of both Ehrman and John Dominic Crossan.  They do not believe in miracles, or the divinity of Christ or the physical resurrection.  They have brought their own presuppositions to this debate- trying to make Jesus in their own image.  Should we trust scholars who would erase Christian tradition more than those who were around eyewitnesses to the event?  There is no DNA or archaeological evidence that would make those modern scholars more certain or trustworthy.  Most would say that corroborated witnesses closer to the time are more reliable than those making educated guesses later on with their own prejudice against prophesy and scriptural reliability.  
    But there is another strong strand of evidence for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  It is found in the oral tradition of those in Bethlehem who pointed to the exact cave where Jesus was born.  Tradition says that a cave in Bethlehem was venerated as the birth place of Jesus.  Hadrian built a pagan temple to Adonis there in the second century so people would stop venerating the place.  Constantine's mother, Helena, asked the locals in Bethlehem where was the place of the birth of Jesus, and then she built a church there in the fourth century.  It was destroyed but Justinian built the Church of the Nativity over the spot in 530 AD.  In our day we see similar things.  We may not remember where Martin Luther King's boyhood home was until he became a great leader.  Then those in his neighborhood can say it is at 234 Sunset Ave in NW Atlanta.  Similarly, Woodrow Wilson spent several years in Columbia SC as a boy.  When he became president, people remembered he the house was at 1705 Hampton Street and today it is well preserved.  We know where many of the Roman emperors were born (Hadrian and Trajan 9/15/53 in Italica Spain near Seville for example).  The tradition of the people confirmed with text of scripture- with no other valid early text giving a named alternative, adds up.  
     The ultimate "we-know-better-than scripture" pride is very strong in the Jesus' Seminar and Ehrman.  In the 19th century there was a movement that said that no scripture was valid unless it was corroborated by another text.  The Bethlehem narrative is corroborated in both Luke and Matthew.  But the Jesus Seminar folk think they have the right to say what was authentically true or not in scripture by a vote is disrespectful to the writers and elevates them as judges over scripture.  The spiritual danger in this is that if we can pick and choose what we want to be valid or not- we can pick and choose parts that are easy or comfortable for us. This is the ultimate eisegesis- putting our prejudices into or above the text.  This means we don't have to listen to the text when we disagree with it or just don't want to.  Bruggemann was a great scholar and he constantly urged his students to listen to the text of scripture rather than ignoring the parts that are hard or that do not make sense to us right away.  If we listen to the earliest witnesses- and they differ in content- but agree in substance- Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem.  

Saul Who Remembered...Kind of 5-25-25 sermon at Eastminster

 

1 Samuel 13:7b- 14; Focused reading: 1 Samuel 15:10-17, 22-24   5/25/25 Memorial Day EPC Ben Sloan Sermon: "Saul, Who Remembered...Kind Of" 
We are beginning a preaching series on the kings of Israel/Judah.
On this Memorial Day Weekend we will be remembering Saul the warrior King who only kind of remembered God.

                 What do you remember and how do you remember it?  In the end, God’s memory is the ultimate one that counts.  We say, “God only knows.”  Brian Williams was the anchor for NBC News.  He said twice in 2015 that he was in a helicopter that was hit by a RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) and was forced down in Iraq in 2003.  Truth was his helicopter did come under fire, but it was the helicopter in front of him that was hit by a RPG and forced down.  He was forced out of his anchor position at NBC.  Similarly, Hilary Clinton said in 2008 she had come under sniper fire in Bosnia but CBS and the journalists with her said otherwise and she retracted her story. In 1983 Ronald Reagan told Israeli Prime Minister Yishak Shamir that his film unit took pictures of the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp.  Later we found out his unit never left the United States. Sometimes, whether we are republican- democrat- rich-poor; whoever we are we are human enough to all make mistakes.  Mitt Romney told a Michigan crowd when he was running for president, that he fondly remembered the golden jubilee celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the automobile.  But later he admitted he was born nine months after the event- and that his memory was “foggy.” All this is to publicly show how our memories fail us, and also frankly how our egos can distort the facts a bit.  Daniel Schachter of Harvard speaks of how there is a large amount of literature that points out that we can have confidence in a distorted memory, and how our egos can conflate events or change them a bit in our mind. 
I really like those Progressive Commercials where one person throws a red challenge flag on another for how they remembered things- and then they replay the event on the camera and one of the two remembers it wrong.  
   All this is to say Saul was really good at remembering things the way he wanted them to be remembered- in a way that portrayed him in the best light.  Saul is perhaps the most memory bungled king in the Bible.  His pride and his lack of trust in God caused him to do some impatient and ego-driven things.  The difference in Saul’s remembering was he was given special instructions by God Himself through the prophet and he just kind-a remembered them.  In other words he kinda obeyed God.  It is a bit like half obedience which is not obedience at all.  When he got caught, Saul was sorry he got caught- but there is little evidence of real repentance.  He was great about making up excuses. 
I don’t know about you, but when I get caught doing something- I can find an excuse.   It is a real weakness, and I can learn from this story how wrong excuse making can be.  Usually my wife catches me.  The conversation goes something like this- “Did you do those things that needed to get done that we talked about before the company comes?”  “Uh- well- I didn’t vacuum, but I did sweep the entranceway.”  That is very Saul-like.  I was going to take out the trash too, but the phone rang and I got distracted.  I’d do it now,but we ran out of time.  Usually my wife calls out my excuses- she’s a retired school teacher and can see a lame excuse a mile away.  Saul was called out by Samuel the prophet.  You bet that was really intimidating.  When Saul started making these excuses and then he said, “I’ll tell you what I’ll make a sacrifice to make up for it.”  Samuel said, “To obey is better than sacrifice.”  Let’s talk about that for a minute. 
     The people of God were called to listen to God- who revealed Himself to them through the law and the prophets.  But God knew they would mess up.  So God developed a sacrificial system as an atonement- to make things one or right with God.  But which is better, obeying God or trying to make up for disobedience by sacrifice?  Is it better when a friendship stays strong, or when it breaks up and then manages to get back together?  It’s better if it stays strong.  There is a price of distrust and a crack in the solid frame of a relationship when a break-up happens.  So not listening, not paying attention, not caring, valuing convenience over obedience, finding excuses for misbehavior is very Saul-like and these are things we all do. 
      In our passage Saul was told to wait seven days on Samuel.  But Saul was growing impatient because his soldiers were outnumbered and scared and were deserting at a rapid pace.  So he took things into his own hands and even though he was not a priest, he made the sacrifice to God.  Still on the seventh day, Samuel showed up- just as Saul was finishing the sacrifice.  You can almost hear Saul saying,”Uh oh!”  “Uh oh- I am caught!”  Saul made the excuse- ”The men were scattering, you didn’t come (trying to blame Samuel), and I was just trying to make God happy by having a sacrifice.”  The problem with Saul is not his actions as much as his heart- his pride thinking he can make the rules up as he goes, instead of listening to what God says.  
Saul also disobeyed about the war with the Amalekites.  He kept the livestock and the king partly out of fear of the people who wanted the plunder.  He also later consulted the Witch of Endor, probably an Amalekite religious person. Which was against his rules.  Samuel even rose up from the dead to rebuke him one more time then. 
      We could contrast Saul with David with the caveat to acknowledge we are not the judge.  David seems to do worse things- he was at least a second degree murderer, and he clearly broke God’s law with Bathsheba.  Similarly to Saul, a prophet (this time Nathan) confronted him.  The difference with Saul is David did not make any excuses- but recognized his sin immediately.  Supposedly, he wrote Psalm 51 in response to his rebuke- “Have mercy on me, O God according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgression and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight...”  I think the difference between Saul and David is similar to the Pharisee and Tax collector in worship.  The Pharisee was proud and talked about how great he was and listed the things he had done right like he deserved God’s favor.  The Tax Collector beat his chest and said, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.” 
    Memorial Day began towards the end of the Civil War. Some say Lincoln began it when he decorated graves after his Gettysburg address.  Thirty-six different towns both north and south claim they started it first. Our memories are suspect. We cannot  drop the red challenge flag to let the video replay tell us what is true.  God only knows.  Memorial Day comes at the beginning of summer.  The public swimming pools opened this weekend, and they say fashion changes to summer clothes on Memorial Day.  There are tons of Memorial Day sales to celebrate, and grocery stores will have hot dogs and burgers on sale. However, over a million soldiers died in service for their country that we remember.  It doesn’t matter if they were from the north, south, California, or South Carolina.  They are to be remembered no matter what their political or religious persuasion.  They are dead.  In some ways we value liberty today- the freedom to live the life God gave us.  We are not dead, they are- leaving behind grieving families, and future hopes.
One of my favorite Memorial Day movies is “Unbroken” about a World War 2 hero: Louis Zamperini.  Louis qualified for the 1936 Olympics.  He was extremely disciplined.  His plane was shot down and he survived on a raft in the ocean for 47 days.  He watched many of his war buddies die- 40% of the POW’s in Japan died in captivity.  He was picked on mercilessly by his Japanese captors, and amazingly resisted.  The movie ends with the war ending and setting them free. Somebody’s memory was distorting things by this ending. See, the rest of the story is that when Zampirini came back to the states he became an alcoholic trying to deal with the sadness of the loss of his buddies. He was still acclaimed as a hero but he needed strength beyond himself. One night he thought he was choking his tormentors, but was choking his wife. But things changed for the better when he came to the Christian faith through a Billy Graham meeting and found peace with his past and the loss of his friends.  He gave up alcohol.  Eventually he went back to Japan, found those who imprisoned him and amazingly forgave them.  Healing and forgiveness comes when we give up our excuses and egos to confess and repent.  The focus of our lives should not be on our problems or difficulties.  We will all have them.  But it is possible to lift up your eyes and remember God who is the ultimate giver of life and freedom.  When you remember God, He heals your memories.  He doesn’t change them, but redeems them, forgives them and enables you to move on. 
     Let us also as believers not forget to remember.  We do not exist in a vacuum.  As Brad reminds us, We are standing on the shoulders of those who went before us, and drink from wells we did not dig.  While some have half believed and half obeyed-like Saul; there are those who fully humbled themselves before God and lived heroic meaningful and faithful lives.  The Bible calls us to live grateful lives.  We should be grateful for those who have given themselves fully, and also be grateful ultimately to God who gives us life, and sets us free from our sins- when we call out and come to Him. 

WHY MISSIONARIES?

These are the last words of the Gospel of Matthew:  
28:18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The whole book of Acts is about spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman world, with the church ordaining and laying hands on Paul, Barnabas, Saul and others to be ambassadors and missionaries.  Again, the last words of Jesus before His ascension: 
"And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  

The Gospel of John has Jesus saying, "Peace be with you.   As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21)

It seems almost silly to try to defend the idea of   missionaries as an essential part of the Christian faith.  Yet, some have doubted.  Most notably, my own denomination (PCUSA) has recently eliminated its missionary workers.  It has come gradually.  At first we eliminated missionary schools cutting back on official support.  Then we eliminated missionary hospitals.  Ironically over half the hospitals in Africa today were started as missionary hospitals- and many in the United States were also church started/affiliated (How many "Presbyterian Hospitals" or "Baptist" or "St. Joseph Hospitals" are there?).  Then the name changed from Missionaries (meaning "sent ones") to "Mission co-workers" in order that we not offend our partner churches and countries.  

But perhaps we don't need missionaries any more?  Perhaps everyone has heard?  Well we know that 41% (3.2 billion) of the world's population are not in positions to hear the gospel.  Perhaps because there are Christians in every nation our work is now completed?  The Joshua Project along with US World Missions has projected that there are 7,234 people groups (tribes) with their own la.  nguage, culture, area that have no Christian witness in them.  The work is not done until as Revelation 7:9 says, "people from every nation, tribe, people and language" were before the throne.  In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. The "all nations" is "ta ethnois" which could be best translated "testimony to all tribes" as "ethnee" (think ethnic) means tribal.  But our mission work is not just evangelism, it is also an act of love to tell others about our faith.  The full time workers are needed to speak the language, know the people (love), and know the culture.  It is imperialistic to think we can cruise into another culture and tell them what to do without staying with them and loving them.  Short term missions are nice, but they are dependent on long term-paid missionaries.  

We are not just to care about ourselves.  The Parable of the Good Samaritan is about a Samaritan showing love to a wounded Jew as an answer to the question, "who is my neighbor?"  We are called to love people whether they are of our nation or not.  This means feed the hungry whether they are of our nation or not; heal the sick whether they are of our nation or not; strengthen the weak, care for the poor, and yes... spread the good news.  

To some, it seems that just telling another person the good news is a bad thing.  It might infringe on their rights or conscience like some kind of imperialism.  If we know a way out of death and we do not tell others, then we have been partners with them in their not attaining life.  Perhaps, using their line of thinking, the women should not have told the disciples that Jesus is alive?  They were just telling others the good news.  Perhaps they were upsetting the disciples?  The women were the first missionaries- sent from Jesus and the angels to tell the disciples (Matthew 28:10; Mark 16:10,11; John 20:18).   Peter and Paul upset people.  Stephen was stoned for talking about Jesus.  But to the early church, the spreading of the good news was worth everything- even their lives.  

One of the problems we have is that we value our bureaucracy, church institutions, and making political statements above talking about the risen Christ.  Yet it is Christ who gives real hope and enables us to really love others- beyond borders, beyond differences.  All the talk about inclusiveness means nothing if we only include Americans and then only Americans who think like we do.  

In one of the statements defending the firing of missionaries, our denomination's bureaucrats said that we have people from other countries coming to us.  That is not rationale to be quiet about our faith- or withdraw.  Rather that is all the more reason to be missionaries both here and abroad.  Sadly, in our circling of the wagons financially we are looking to simply sustain a denominational structure, existence and offices rather than caring for people and that people hear the good news of Christ.  If indeed other countries are sending missionaries to us, that is a sign that our children are coming back to remind us to repent and turn back to our first love.  Missionaries are sent to spread love.  It is the love of Christ that compels us to send missionaries, and it is the love of Christ that calls us to go.  

A church that is embarrassed to tell others of the love of Christ, is embarrassed to be who we are.  Jesus said, "He who is ashamed of me and my words, I will be ashamed of them before the angels and my Father in heaven."  Paul similarly said, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.  For it is the power of God to all who believe: to the Jew first, but also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16).  Let us not hold the love of God within.  Let us spread the love- by being and calling missionaries.  

The Humiliation of Christ

 The Humiliation of Christ (Maundy Thursday 4/17/25- Eastminster) by Dr. Ben Sloan Jn. 13:31-37; Phil. 2:1-10; Mark 10:45

Humiliation is a tough word.  I think of the Middle School student who is embarrassed to be seen with their parents in public- walking behind them five steps.  But humiliation is the bringing down of someone high up.         So we may think of examples of humiliation- as a preacher who has been kicked out of their church- Like Jim & Tammy Baker who had a TV ministry of millions called the PTL Club from 1974-1987 and developed a Christian Theme Park called “Heritage USA” in Fort Mill, SC. He went to prison for fraud- charged w/ infidelity.
Jefferey Epstein; Prince Andrew; Harvey Weinstein; Martha Stewart. 
Humiliation is seen as a terrible nightmare that we avoid at all costs.  Some love to see the fall of others.  Jesus purposefully fell- not sinning, but humbling himself.  You cannot really understand Maundy Thursday if you don’t understand Jesus’ humiliation. 
Our Westminster Confessions speak of Christ’s work as prophet priest and king- both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.  The humiliation of Christ is something done willingly for us.  It consists in
1) Leaving the throne of heaven to be born in a stable- in a humble condition- not in a palace.
2) Being made subject to the laws of nature and human laws.  The King of kings became a subject.
3) Undergoing the miseries of this life- Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, get tired, feel alone, to suffer- he understands.
4) Face the wrath of God- He bore the punishment that we deserved on the cross.
5) The death of the cross- All the scorning, mocking, whipping, mock trials, the torture.  The cross was meant to be an element of humiliation as well as suffering- it was publicly visible- took a long time so it was hard to miss.
6) Being buried- He was put away.  They tried to seal and guard his tomb to make sure he stayed there- but He didn’t. 
But Christ talked all about not exalting ourselves- but exalting God the Father.
He said, “He who would lose his life will save it.”
“If anyone would follow me, they must deny themselves, take up the cross and follow me.”
“Now that I your teacher and Lord have washed your feet, you should also serve one another.” 
The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 
Jesus’ cousin and forerunner, John The Baptist likewise said, “If someone wants you to go one mile- offer two; share your coat, your food with others. Be content with your pay.” John also said he was not worthy to untie the messiah’s sandals- that He must increase and I must decrease.”
In our first world thinking- we are tempted to think of Jesus as making our lives easier, and better.  It is true, I think that the Christian life of love is the very best way to live- but it is not always easy.  In much of the church, service and suffering are ways we become like Christ. 
The suffering we face purges off the unimportant trivial distractions.  Job said, “When He has tried me I will come forth as gold.”  When you have been told by the doctor you only have a few months to live- it changes what is important to you. 
When you are in pain- you priorities change too.  Paul says (Rom. 8:18) “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”  When you know you will live forever, you know suffering and death are not the last word- and that is how so many disciples of Christ including 10 of the disciples- could face death bravely.   James tells us to “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds- knowing that the testing of your faith develops perseverance- and in the end maturity.”  Suffering has meaning because of the humility of Christ. 
Likewise- losing our pride in service to others is also Christlike.  When we suffer for others or God- it is redemptive/healing suffering.  When we get out of ourselves in service- we find relief from suffering.Laura Story- b Augusta- USC-CIU- Carl Evington Brain Tumor- why not heal?  John Calvin- founder of the Presbyterian church- says that the two parts of the Christian life are mortification and vivification- that is dying to self- and living to God.  Calvin was no stranger to suffering- he was sick with something most of his ministry, he had been hunted down by the catholics, and kicked out by the secularists.  He lost his wife and had several stillborn children.  People made fun of him.  Yet he continued to give himself to God.  
Think in history of great people who were humiliated only to come back to success.  Einstein was so slow to talk that his teacher called him “misfit” and he failed his first college entrance exam- but ended up as the world’s greatest physicist. 
Nelson Mandela was arrested and in prison for 27 years- they thought they had silenced him, but he led the revolution of South Africa becoming its first president. 
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested.  He famously wrote, “Letters from a Birmingham Jail.”   And led the world in the abolishment of segregation in the United States. 
J.K. Rowlng was turned down 12 times before her Harry Potter series was published.
Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for lacking creativity.
Steve Jobs was fired from Apple only to be asked later to return and run the company- which he did- leading it to the richest company in the world.  Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team but went on to be a legend.  Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and his first company failed before he founded Microsoft.  Josh Sullivan was trying to start a church- now that he has been rescued from his kidnappers he has a platform and a bullhorn for the gospel. 
Humility and humiliation often strengthens us for success if we persevere. That is part of God’s design.  Success and suffering or humiliation are often linked. 
Jesus teaches this in coming down for us- leaving heaven, living a poor life- born in a stable, being a refugee to Egypt, not having a house- he said famously, “Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Dying the public humiliating death of a wicked person- though He was innocent. 
Maundy Thursday is about the humiliation of Christ- He washed their feet; He gave Himself as the bread and the cup.  He was praying til he bled in the garden.  He was betrayed by a friend- arrested.  He was left alone and later that night Peter denied Him.  Humiliating. 
The context of the new commandment/mandate- Love one another as I have loved you- is the humbling way He loves us- How has he loved us?- He gave His body and blood.  The concrete way of showing love is humble even sacrificial service.   Our faith, our words of love mean little without humility and sacrifice.  He washed the feet of his betrayer- and shared a meal with him.  God has served us in Jesus.  Let us humbly love one another and keep the love feast.

Peace Be With You- Words of the Risen Christ

 

“Resurrected Peace” John 14:27  4/27/25 Preached at the Presbyterian Home in Columbia Ben Sloan

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  (John 14:27) 

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  …Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!  As the father has sent me, I am sendng you.” 
(John 20:19- ) 

The most common words Jesus said to his disciples were “Peace be with you.”  (Shalom Aleichem); (Shlam’alakhon Aramaic); Why was this important for Him to say?  Why is it still important for us to hear today?

I) WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO SAY? 

1) The second most common phrase Jesus gave was “Do not be afraid.”  (al tira). 

They had been afraid of those who put him to death- the Roman authorities, the Sanhedrin.  They were in a locked room- and Jesus came through the locked door- according to Matthew,

Mark says “He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen (16:14). 

In Luke it seems they thought they had seen a ghost and they were afraid- 24:37 sas, “They were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost.”  He proved it was not by inviting them to touch him- then give him some broiled fish to eat.  Ghosts can’t be touched.  He invited Thomas to put his hands in his wounds- to prove it was really him- not just someone with makeup on.  He ate because ghosts can’t eat. 

2) He wanted them to not cower in fear but to be bold and brave.  In all the gospels he tells them to tell others that He is alive- in fact to go into all the world.  Today there are believers in every part of the world.  The disciples went from cowering to boldly proclaiming and going into all the world.  Star Trek used to have a saying, “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”  The first missionaries lived this.  They didn’t know the language, didn’t know the customs, didn’t have time to study ahead of time- they just went.  Today there are 430,000 Christian missionaries all over the world.  [Sadly the PCUSA just fired all theirs last month (Did not say)].  There are still over 7,000 (7,244 according to the Joshua project) unreached people groups (tribes) and 3.43 billion who have no Christian witness in them (most (85%) live in the 10/40 latitude window).  Some of our missionaries are the bravest, most sincere, most believing, most loving people I have ever met. 

II. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TODAY FOR YOU AND ME-

1) We need peace.  In this world we will have tribulation- troubles, suffering, sickness, dying- but be of good cheer- I have overcome the world.  Jesus said while He was living, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am humble and lowly in heart and you will find rest unto your souls.

In our day many of us have anxiety.  I want to say I refuse to be anxious about what goes on in Washington.  I want you to know I refuse to be anxious about what goes on in Louisville- though I may disagree with a lot- it is beyond my control; but it is not beyond God’s control.  Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to your height? Or a single hour to their life?  Truth is worry takes away from our height and our time.  It weighs us down, eats up our sleep, destroys our energy- our life.  In His greatest sermon Jesus said look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field- and find peace.  We need to pass that peace on to our children and grandchildren. 

2) We need to rest in peace- That ability does not come just when we die.  President Trump’s response to the Pope’s death was, “Rest in peace.”  We want the dead to not worry or be restless.  There is a peace that comes from the grave- it is just non-action.  But there is a steady peace- we can have right now.  It is found in confidence in God’s Word and recognition that we have the victory in Christ.  You know I am a Clemson fan.  About one game a year I go up and see Clemson play.  They  struggle on the field- push, tackle, stretch.  I sit and eat a hotdog and clap my hands.  But if they win I say, “We won!”  I am happy- though I didn’t break a sweat except in maybe walking to my seat.  There may have been some white knuckled times when I was anxious about their winning- but in the end- they won.  Jesus won in the resurrection.  But we won too.  We are connected to Him by faith.  He is the first one through the tunnel of death- and He came back to say, “I made it though- now put your faith in me and have peace in this life.” 

There is an interesting phenomenon happening right now. You don’t hear about it in the news or even the Presbyterian News.  Easter attendance in the West and for that matter all over the world was at an all-time high.  At Eastminster we were up by 200 if you count online people- and we do today.  There is a growing belief in Christ among the younger generation.  There is a huge rise of people who believe in heaven today.  Part of this is fueled by people who have seen the video testimonies of people who have had Near Death Experiences.  That is, they were declared dead- maybe their heart stopped beating for a long period of time and then they came back.  For those who have faith, they tell us about going through a tunnel of light and seeing Jesus and even seeing relatives and friends on the other side.  They talk about being enveloped in a feeling of love and peace.  There are also hundreds who testify about being pulled down to the other place.  But if they call on the name of Jesus, they are buoyed up.  All of them talk about coming back and telling others to not be afraid of death.  Some say “fear of death is what drives us in life.”  But what if you are not afraid to die?  What if you have the peace of Jesus in you?  Then you can change the world around you- your relatives, the people that live in this place, and yourself.       Seek Peace and pursue it.  The Lord bless you and keep you… and give you peace.  

What was Jesus doing on Saturday?

  6)  The Cross as Descending into Hell (1 Peter 3:18-20; Colossians 1:18)

18For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19After being made alive,  he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. (1 Peter 3:18-20)

8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross. 9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8-11) 

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the said, supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:18) 

7Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.” 9What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descendedc to the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. (Ephesians 4:7-10)

The death of Jesus Christ in each of the passages above is tied to the descent into hell (sometimes called "The Harrowing of Hell").  
Here is a bit of the thinking on the descent into hell: 
The idea of Christ's descent into hell is found in scripture (above) but also in the early church- Hipppolytus (c. 200AD)  said, "Therefore as many as Satan swallowed and bound, these the Lord, when he came, loosed from the bonds of death, having bound him who was strong against us, but having set humanity free." Origen (c. 220 AD) "First therefore he bound him at the cross, and thus he has entered his house, that is Hades (infernum), and from there "ascending on high, he led captivity captive."  By the fifth century it was seen as an important enough concept to add to the Apostles' Creed and confirmed in 750 AD.  But this is a bit of a strange concept.  What does it mean?  Here are two main ideas:
1) Christ went to hell after he died on the cross and proclaimed his death to those in hell.  Some say this meant A) the seal of those doomed there- like a proclamation (Luther/Hodges/1 Peter 4:6) and the conquering of the devil and evil; Some say it B) released the Old Testament saints who were in the realm of the dead until Christ came (Zwingli, Roman Catholic); Others that it C) emptied out hell entirely. 
The scriptures are a bit less specific here.  For those who think Christ emptied out hell, does that mean that he did that for eternity, or just for those who died before he descended.  It seems a stretch to think he eternally emptied out hell on Saturday- and nowhere in scripture or early tradition does it say this.  Certainly every knee can bow to the proclamation of Christ's death on the cross.  
2) Christ went through hell for us on the cross.  Hell is separation from God.  Jesus said, "My God, My God why have you forsaken me" (quoting Psalm 22).  He bore our sins in his death on the cross.  John Calvin interpreted his descent into hell in this way.  
3) Some say this is just meant to say that this is just a symbolic way of saying Jesus died and has victory over death and hell.  It is true that evil, death, the destruction of his crucifiers, hell and the devil are all conquered by the cross.  
4) Some say this just confirms the fact of his really being dead and buried.  So in the creed it says, "He was dead and buried, descended into hell."  While this is true, this alone misses the scriptural meanings above. 
5) Some traditions say he destroyed the power of hell and Satan/the devil.  (Acts of Pilate- 311 AD- "Satan, shaking and utterly terrified, spoke to his angels, "Bar the gates, for the Son of Man, God's champion, comes. He comes to lay waste to my Kingdom and devastate my realm. Do not let him pass for he shall take everything he can take, leaving us in ruin"."John 12:31; Col. 2:15

Whether you agree with Calvin that the death of Christ on the cross is "the descent into hell", certainly we can agree that the cross is where Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).   He became the fulfillment of all the Old Testament sacrifices.  It is on the cross that the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world (John 1:29).  
The cross is a symbol, therefore of the taking away of our sins, and also the victory over evil (and the devil and hell).  The cross is a powerful symbol that good conquers over evil.  

Application: Our response to this should be gratitude and praise.  Christ went through hell for us so that we would not have to.  He paid our price with the infinite value of His death.  

Prayer: Thank you God for the cross of Christ- on which He paid my penalty of judgment and hell.  Thank you for your victory over death, destruction, evil, and hell that enables me to be free- in this life and the next.  

So what is my opinion?  My opinion is secondary to what the scripture says, and my desire is to submit my opinion to God (and thus God's Word).  In the 1950s the PCUS compiled a new (burgundy) hymnbook.  In the front it had the Apostles' Creed.  But because they couldn't understand "he descended into hell" and because the United Methodist Church omitted it and it was said to be a latter addition, they omitted it from the creed-without any authority from the church.  But just because we don't understand something doesn't mean we should omit it.  Part of saying the creed is to strive to believe what the church has agreed to believe.  
Jesus indeed did go through hell for us on the cross.  That is the most meaningful and universal application of this.  But also He truly died.  It seems that this is where God destroyed the power of the devil (He could not keep Jesus out), and preached his triumph to all those in hell already.  This is what it means when it says, "every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth- and every tongue confess [even those in hell] that Jesus is Lord."   Hell is not destroyed here (see Rev. 20).  Nor are people in hell given a second chance.  The Reformation partly rebelled against the purgatory idea that is not found in canonical scripture.  We cannot pay, pray, or say our way out of hell for those who refused to be saved.   This life and our decisions in it are important and have to do with our eternal life.  We are given a chance up until the last breath.  Think about the thief on the cross who was told "Today you will be with me in paradise" by Christ.  It was not "Today you will descend into hell, I will meet you there and take you to heaven."  The ones who came before Jesus are not condemned to hell, or to sleep or to some quasi-hell.  Think about Lazarus and the rich man (Dives) in Luke 16. The rich man was carried to hell, the poor man to heaven.  This was before Jesus died, and he was giving a glimpse into how we are saved.  I understand those who say Jesus brought the Old Testament believers and other believers that lived before he came out of hell.  Certainly no one gets to heaven but by the grace of God found in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus (which made all those Old Testament sacrifices real).  But Jesus doesn't need to physically descend into hell in order to do this.  When we die, our Maker decides where we go.  We will all stand before Him at the ultimate judgment to be declared innocent (by Christ's work, or guilty) at the end of time.  But Luke 16 implies that when we die we go to where we are destined.  Jesus descended into hell to declare He is Lord of heaven, earth, and under the earth.  No gates of hell can keep Him out.  He is God not just of 2/3 of existence.  But He is God of all.  It is not that the ruler is the ruler of all outside of prison and the prisoners rule the prisons.  Jesus is ruler of all.  His descent into hell proclaims Him Lord of all.  He is worthy of our worship.      

The Sabbath (7th day) was fulfilled when Jesus proclamation over death is completed.  Jesus was buried before the seventh day which was also the special holy day of Passover.  Jesus said himself that He is "Lord of the Sabbath."  "Sabbath" means "stop" or "rest."  It is a sign of peace- wholeness (shalom).  As God, He initiated the idea of Sabbath, but as the God-man, Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath rest.  Death is not the ultimate rest. The Sabbath is not the ultimate rest.  Christ's victory over death and hell and sin means ultimate peace with God, ultimate peace with others, and ultimate peace within ourselves.  Jesus' proclamation of victory in hell means there is nowhere that He is not Lord.  No evil can stop Him. No death can stop Him.  There is no more war- it is won.  While there are still fights going on, the surrender of hell has happened.  Jesus holds the keys to death and hell.  When we put our trust in Him, we can have peace.  We do not need to fear the power of evil.  We do not need to fear the power of death.  We do not need to fear the power of pain.  The Lamb of God who is slain has sacrificed Himself so we might have peace (rest) with God (Rev. 5:11-12- note "under the earth" is mentioned).  We know who wins in the end.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Jesus Christ. He has descended onto earth, then descended into hell, and ascended into heaven.  He is God of all.  He is THE PRINCE OF PEACE.  

Good Friday Devotional on the Cross as Love

 https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4804590506350529753/8306935298571643703

5) The Cross as a symbol of God's Love (John 3:16; John 15:13; Romans 5:8)

It is possible to sacrifice out of duty or a sense of law.  But the love of God seen in the cross is never in doubt. The sacrifice of Christ was not just His calling- but He did it out of love.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten (one and only) Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)   God loved us so He sent His Son to die for us that might have life- and come to Him.  So when many see the sacrifice of Christ to get us to heaven they see the first proposition of that verse- God so loved us.
       For the last several years, this scenario has played out each year.  A father rescues his child from dangerous rip currents, but drowns himself in the effort.  June 20, 2023 47 year old Christopher Pierce of Alabama was able to save his daughter from the strong current in Panama City Beach, FL but in the effort gave himself.    The news said that this "serves as a reminder of the importance of heeding warnings."  But I think this misses the point, the father was willing to give himself out of love for his daughter.  He did not have to try to rescue his child.  We cannot miss the larger point that the cross was the willing sacrifice of Christ for us.  Matthew 26:53 records Jesus' saying, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" In other words, Jesus could have escaped- but He remained on the cross willingly.  He willed, out of love, His sacrifice for us. 
        The cross is an example of love- inspiring us to give of ourselves- to sacrifice for others.  Jesus spoke about loving your neighbor as yourself and even loving your enemies- but the cross embodied those words.  The words of love from Jesus were lived out on the cross.  He even said of those crucifying Him, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."   Romans 5:8 says this clearly, "But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  It is not that we have great knowledge of God and that saves us.  While we still sin, Christ's death still works for us.  It is not that we are good- therefore God saves us.  It is the grace of God that while we were yet sinners, He still came and died that we might have the opportunity to accept His gift of love and live.  
 "Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave Himself as a propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).  
     Jesus Himself described His death on the cross as a gift of love: "Greater love has no one than this: that He lay down His life for His friends" (John 15:13).   Jesus saw his death not only as a ransom (Mark 10:45) but also a gift of love.  It is ironic that God could turn a terrible torture mechanism (the cross) into a symbol of His love. Most today, when they see the cross do not think of death but of life and the love of God.  The cross is the symbol of God's gift of unconditional love- offered to all people- irrespective of what you look like, what you have, where you live, or even what you have done.  It is a way to go from selfishness to love.  The love of God is the greatest gift- and it is made clear by the cross. 
      The question is will we leave that gift unopened?  Will we not see it or pretend it is irrelevant for me. Years ago I gave my children a trip to Disneyworld.  It scraped the bottom of the bank account to send them, but I wanted them to have that experience.  I put the note that they were going at the back of the Christmas tree.  The children looked at their Christmas gifts and were unimpressed.  But they didn't see the note wrapped as a gift in the back.  The greatest gift we could possibly have is God's love.  It means more than any trip, any thing.  He sent His Son because He cares about us.  But His Son's rescue out of love is the ultimate fulfilling of that love.  The offer of His love is not automatic- we must believe in order to receive it ("Whosoever believes in Him").  This is not mean or unfair.  On the contrary, to not appreciate the gift of God's love is indeed mean and unfair.  We should accept the gift and believe in the power of it to give us life.  Similarly, my children needed to believe that my note that was saying we were going to Disney was valid and would bring joy.  We are called to not take God's gift of love for granted but to love Him in return and to want others to know that love- made evident in the cross. 

Application: Accept the gift of love.  Ask God to make it real for you and to forgive you of your sins.  Look for ways to spread that love to others.  

Prayer: Your love, O Lord, has the power to change me and to change the world around me.  Help me to relish and cherish your love shown in the cross.  May your love inspire more love in me.  

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul. 
What wondrous love is this O my soul. 
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss 
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

[The crucifixion Diego Velasquez 1632 Museo del Prado]

Anselm (d. 1109 Cur Deus Homo) was a great expounder of the cross as an example and means of the forgiveness of sins.  He expounded well the idea of the Old Testament sacrifice climaxed and fulfilled in Jesus.  John Leith rightly says that the church never let this alone be the meaning of the cross.  Abelard (1079-1142) found Anselm's view incomplete and legalistic.  John Leith said, "For Abelard, the work of Christ was not the bearing of our sins so much as it was a manifestation of the outgoing love of God, which lays hold of us and frees us from slavery to sin and wins for us the true liberty of children of God, so that we do all things out of love rather than fear" (Basic Christian Doctrine p.158).   Anselm is more profound...but without Abelard's view the view of the cross is not complete. "This is the truth of the old evangelical way of describing salvation as coming to know Jesus."  

The cross as love is sometimes scorned as being too mushy without the substance.  But the sacrifice of Christ is motivated by love.  The danger is to go to one-sided on this.  Grace without obedience is what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace."  Paul in Romans 6:15 asks the rhetorical question, "What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!... You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Love also elicits obedience.  Jesus said, "If you love me, you will do what I say." (John 14:15).