When Angels Cried

A friend of mine, Esha Christie, shared these words at a recent Christmas dinner for international students.

Have you ever been to a party where the Birthday boy is not present? Go to a Christmas party. Christmas has become one of the celebrations in the world where Christ is omitted. Today, I am going to tell you what Christmas mean to Christians. Especially what it means to me.

Moving from St. Louis to Texas has been one of the hardest things that I have done. In fact, it has been a year and it still leaves me in tears sometimes. That has made me think what made Jesus move from heaven to earth? Talk about a move!!!! It’s a pretty big move if you think about it, leaving all the comfort of heaven, angels waiting on you and everything… leaving all these glory and coming to earth, to a broken earth… Has it has ever caught you wondering why Jesus had to do that? It has made me wonder.

One of my favorite things to do during Christmas is to sing carols. These are songs that tell the story of Christmas. I won’t go into detail about the story because you just saw it in Charlie brown video. But let me share one specific Christmas carol that has been one of my favorites for past few years. It’s titled “The Angels cried”. Now, this may catch you by surprise because when we  think of Christmas, we think Cakes and Christmas trees and Carols and everything fun. But this song really captures the story of Jesus in the most powerful way. Let me share a few lines:

The angels knew what was to come
The reason God has sent his son 
And knowing of his destiny
And the creatures gathered 'round
And didn't make a sound
And the Angels cried.

     And wondered if they realized      Was sent to tell all of the land     Would soon become the son of man.

from up above
It filled their hearts with joy to see
Came tears of love.

I've often thought about that night
that star so bright
that the son of god 

        And the angels cried.

The song is a powerful reminder to me why Jesus came to this earth. The reason Angels cried looking at the baby Jesus is because they could look into the future and see what was to come. They knew Jesus’ life was going to be full of pain, shame and dishonor from people. And to top that all, He will die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. This is the meaning of Christmas to me. It means to me that God is Love, such powerful love that he would come down to earth in the form of a baby and eventually die on the cross for me. Thankfully, the story does not stop there. He will rise again on the Easter day and live forevermore so that I can live forevermore with Him. This is Christmas to me. This is Christ to me. 

(Pericopes of Peter) Mark 1:1-8, Opening act for the Good News

The gospel of Mark is one of the earliest New Testament writings, probably the earliest gospel.  It is brief, energetic, dynamic.  It starts right in....

Mark 1:1-8  The beginning of Jesus' ministry -- John the baptizer
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" -- "a voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

The quote in verse 2 is from the Old Testament prophet, Malachi (Mal. 3:1) and the quote in verse 3 is from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3.)  What do these quotes say about the expected recipients of this letter by Mark?

Judea was the center of the ancient homeland of the Jews, the descendants of Israel.  In this time, the region was under the control of the Roman empire, with considerable autonomy left to the local peoples.  The phrase, "make straight paths for him", implies a need to get ready for significant change is coming!

How is John the Baptist described?  What type of individual is he?  And why does the story seem to begin with him?  (Even to the ancient reader, John is a strange character.  The reader is expected to be a little shocked by him!)

Mark skips any significant prologue.  The others gospels tell us a little about Jesus's life before his ministry began.  Mark is simpler, more direct.  All that matters here is the short three years of Jesus's ministry!

Hebrews 13, Final Exhortations

At the end of the letter to the Hebrews, like the end of many New Testament letters, we have a collection of final words -- a series of commands or exhortations.  Given the Jewish background, it is not surprising that these come off as a series of proverbs.

13:1-3
Keep on loving each other as brothers.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.  Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Amidst the persecution, we have a reminder to care for those who are in prison.  Although always appropriate advice, this is probably especially poignant here since some of the believers (or their family members) are probably in prison for their faith.

Old Testament examples of people entertaining angels occur in Genesis 18 and Genesis 19 where first Abraham and then Lot entertain a small group of angels.

13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Sex is always a place where we get to demonstrate our view of life and our relationship with God.  We keep the marriage bed "pure" by being consistently committed to our spouse and faithful to a (joyful and affirming) sexual relationship with him/her.

13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."   So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" 

One piece of evidence that we belong to another country instead of a modern (capitalistic) country: "Be content with what you have".

The quote in verse 5 ("Never will I leave you...") is from  Deuteronomy 31:6; the quote in verse 6 is from  Psalm 118:6,7.

13:7-8
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Verse 8, in my experience, has been abused: I heard one church leader quote it in opposition to any change!  It is Jesus who is eternal.

13:9a
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

13:9b
It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.

Let our hearts be shaped by grace!

13:10-16
We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.  The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.  And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.  Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.  

For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.  Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.   And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

The statement about the tabernacle is written in present tense, as if the tabernacle still stands.  Indeed, the whole paragraph implies that, despite the reality of the temple in Jerusalem, the Hebrews should be ready to join Jesus "outside the city gate", as castouts, not part of the popular flow of society.  For this reason, many believe this letter was written before the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E.

Regardless of the date of the letter, the viewpoint of this letter -- with Christians as members of a "better country", not one on earth -- is a viewpoint Christians should always have, in every time and every place.

13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Harmony with church leaders is a concept that runs throughout a number of New Testament letters. The human tendency for each of us to seek control is destructive to the church.

13:18-19
Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.  I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

The author longs to rejoin the readers.  Note that the pronoun here is singular, so the writer is probably not the couple Priscilla and Aquila?

13:20-21
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Amen!

13:22-25
Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter.  I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.  Greet all your leaders and all God's people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.  Grace be with you all.

Finally, here, we have evidence that this letter, although surely written by someone associated with Paul, is not written by Timothy!  Could it be Barnabas who writes this?

This is only a short letter.  What did the long letters look like?

Hebrews 12, Our Time in the Spotlight

The previous chapter has a long list of Old Testament heroes who followed God, looking for God's Country, aware that they were only aliens on this planet.  Now it is our turn....

12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The metaphor is a race; those who ran before are envisioned as watching us from the stands.  We are to strip down to the essentials and get ready to run, to run with pace, consistency and seriousness.  In this race, like any athlete, it helps to have a single focus. In this case, our focus is to be the Messiah who completed the Jewish sacrificial system in our place.

12:4-7

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,  because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

From verse 4: apparently elsewhere (?) persecution had led to genuine bloodshed, even death.(Certainly first century Christians were martyred for their faith, even in Rome.) Here the readers are chastised for their weakness and for their willingness to give in to pressure, even when the persecution has not been as severe.  They are being reminded that any true growth will involve some pain and hardship.

The quote in verse 6 is from Proverbs 3:11-12.

12:8-10

If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

A larger perspective is being placed on "discipline" and suffering.  The message of Hebrews is that God's plan is a longterm one, through millennia and eons and that the Hebrews should seek to have God's view.

How does God's "discipline" show in our lives?  What is it like?  What is really meant here?  I'm afraid we may confuse this too much with the "discipline" (punishment) meted out by angry broken fathers or step-fathers?

12:11-13

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

I equate discipline here with work, growth, drill, self-control?  The athlete metaphor may be appropriate.  The instruction to "make level paths" gives an image of smoothing out a difficult route for the one who is struggling.  The modern metaphor would be building a wheelchair ramp.

The quote in verse 13 is from Proverbs 4:26.

12:14-17

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.  Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

We are to encourage others (in our believing community) to live righteously.  Esau is given as an example of one thinking only in the short term, thinking only of his hunger.  Sexual immorality is another (easy) example of short term thinking with often long term consequences.

12:18-21

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."  The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."

The image here is of Mt. Sinai, in the Exodus account of God bringing the laws to Moses.  (The quote in verse 20 is from Exodus 19:12-13; the quote in verse 21 is from Deuteronomy 9:19.)  In this passage, the terrified Jews begged that they not have to hear the voice of God.  Even Moses was terrified.

12:22-24

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Why the change of direction in verse 18?  What is the message here about God?  Although there is terrifying imagery in verse 18, the message here (again) is that "you are past that", you are instead "come to Mount Zion", to the "joyful assembly"!

12:25-29

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."

Who is "him who speaks"?  Verse 19 points out that the Jewish people were terrified by the Voice from Mount Sinai.  Now that the voice comes from Mount Zion (verse 22), the writer pleads for his readers to listen to that voice and not turn away.  The warning is couched in encouragement; I see an image of a frightened person (or animal) being coaxed into safety.

The quote in verse 26 is from Haggai 2:6; the quote in verse 29 is from Deuteronomy 4:24.

Hebrews 11:17-40, Examples of God's Fellow Citizens

The chapter of Hebrews, concentrating on faith, now continues with many more examples.

Hebrews 11:17-22
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, heroes of ancient Israel -- each is described as an example of faith in action.  We are given here a motive for Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac -- that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead.  This motive does not appear in the Genesis account (in Genesis 22.)

In verse 18 the Greek word translated here "offspring" is literally "seed".  The quote in verse 18 is from Genesis 21:12.

Hebrews 11:23-31
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.  By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.  By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.  By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

The faith of Moses begins with his parents, who has some type of desperate hope when they attempt to save him from the Egyptian king's command to kill the Jewish children.  At each stage, Moses acts "in faith" although, to read Exodus we see also that he was not confident, but at times somewhat confused and desperate.  (Very reassuring to me!)

The "Red Sea" in verse 29 is literally "Sea of Reeds." (NIV footnote.)

The faith of the Israelites under Joshua, and then that of Rahab, also play an important part in the Old Testament (and in the lineage of David.)  The description of Rahab as a prostitute is a common one, emphasizing God's work among  broken people as He builds David's lineage and eventually that of Jesus.

Hebrews 11:32-38, "And many many more!"
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.  They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

It is not clear who are described in this passage.  We have a list of six names plus "the prophets" and then a list of actions, some identifiable, some not.  Are they all from Old Testament passages? from Jewish folklore or history?

NIV footnote on verse 37: "Some early manuscripts [say] stoned; [others say] they were put to the test."

Hebrews 11:39-40, They all wait God's better plan
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

The summary for the readers of this letter -- God has something better, but it may not be in this world; you are part of an eternal, more important kingdom!