The Glorious Gate

In my daily readings I observed various psalms that spoke of gates, and this reminded me of the 80's Terry Clark praise song, "These are the Gates."  The first verse goes, "These are the gates to the Kingdom.  These are the courts of the everlasting King and we enter in with praise and thanksgiving.  We enter in with praise and thanksgiving with praises on our lips, thanksgiving in our hearts, in loving worship of our Lord."  The song captures well the attitude of God's people who enter His kingdom, thanking God with gratitude for the grace He has extended to all people through the Gospel.

In the Old City of Jerusalem today there are many gates with different names with long, storied histories.  The Gate through whom people enter the kingdom of God is distinct and unique because it is a Person sinners enter by faith.  Jesus said concerning the sheep of His pasture as the Good Shepherd in John 10:9:  "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."  Since Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, He is the exclusive path to God the Father and eternal life (John 14:6).  This righteous Way of salvation was spoken of in Psalm 118, a song filled with Messianic allusions.  Psalm 118:19-21 reads, "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter. ²¹ I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation."  We could never find or open a gate of righteousness, but God has graciously opened it for us by the Gospel.

When I read this, my mind goes to Psalm 22 that begins with the words Jesus famously uttered from the cross in Psalm 22:1:  "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?"  David prophetically sang of what would take place when Jesus was crucified.  His song contains lyrics the Jewish religious rulers hurled verbatim at Christ with scorn (Matthew 27:43; Luke 23:35).  Psalm 22:16-18 continued from David's perspective:  "For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; ¹⁷ I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. ¹⁸ They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."  David may have been singing figuratively concerning himself, but by the power of the Holy Spirit he sang literally of what Jesus endured on Calvary.  Psalm 22:21 marks a major shift in the psalm from supplication to praise when God answers:  "Save Me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me."

For all those who believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, our prayers for forgiveness and salvation have been answered with a resounding yes according to the Gospel.  By faith in Jesus we have spiritually entered the Kingdom of God, the narrow way that leads to eternal life.  Our hearts have received Jesus gladly even as subjects rejoiced to open the gates of the city for their returning king to enter.  As many as have received Him, to them Jesus gives the power to become children of God, born again by faith in Him.  Psalm 24:7-10 sings from the page with joy for all God's people:  "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. ⁸ Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. ⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. ¹⁰ Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah."  Let us give God praise and thanksgiving, for the victorious King of glory has come in.

God's Word Fulfilled

When Jesus prayed audibly to the Father before the tomb of Lazarus, He acknowledged God always heard Him.  Jesus did not speak aloud so He would be heard but for the benefit of everyone who stood by as He said in John 11:42:  "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  He made a clear correlation between what He said and accomplished because of who He was, is and will always be:  the Son of God sent to seek and save the lost, the promised Messiah.  Raising Lazarus from death to life was powerful evidence that affirmed who Jesus was and is.

A similar thing occurred as Jesus enjoyed the Passover feast with His disciples.  All these men had been called personally by Jesus and served Him for several years.  Jesus surprised them by revealing one of His apostles would betray Him in fulfillment of scripture.  To show the emphasis of what Jesus said, here is the passage without italicising John 13:18-19 as it appears in the NKJV:  "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' ¹⁹ Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He."  The first italics are a quote from Psalm 41:9 that would literally come to pass in a matter of hours.  Under the cover of darkness Judas would leave the Passover feast, go to the chief priests to betray Jesus, and then lead them to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where He would be arrested.

Jesus told His disciples about His soon and unthinkable betrayal by one of His disciples beforehand so they would "believe that I am He."  Note that when italicised words are written in some Bible translations they indicate a word included by translators that does not appear in the original manuscripts to improve the translation.  In this case, removing the "He" helps us understand who Jesus claimed to be:  the I AM, the almighty God who made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The NIV spells this out plainly in its rendering of John 13:19:  "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am."  In the presence of Judas and all His disciples, Jesus foretold His betrayal by a disciple--the one He literally handed a piece of bread to--so they would all know He was God in the flesh.  When Jesus was crucified the next day, it seems this fulfilled prophecy was forgotten in their grief.  Jesus again affirmed His authority to cleanse the temple, His divinity and power by His fulfilled prophecies, and His victory over sin and death by His resurrection.

God revealed His identity to His people in Exodus 3:14:  "And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"   This name enshrined in the Hebrew scriptures was remembered well by the Jews to whom Jesus addressed in John 8:58:  "Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  They picked up stones to kill Him because of what they believed to be blasphemy when Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Previously Jesus drew the ire of religious Jews because He referred to God as His Father in John 5:18:  "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."  Jesus was not a Sabbath breaker but the Sabbath Giver.  While they revered their Sabbath traditions, Jesus is the substance of our Sabbath rest that endures forever (Col. 2:16-17).

The fulfillment of Psalm 41:9 and Jesus' words to His disciples in the upper room have been recorded so all might know He is God.  The betrayal of Judas followed the plan and purpose God had from the beginning:  to provide atonement, forgiveness and salvation for all lost sinners who trust in Jesus.  All that Jesus has said will come to pass in God's time, and may our faith in Him grow every time His word is confirmed.  The words of Elizabeth spoken to Mary are true concerning all God's people in Luke 1:45:  "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."  Praise the LORD Jesus Christ!

A Glorious Fragrance

"Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil."

John 12:3

The worthiness of Jesus Christ to be praised and worshipped is awe inspiring.  Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed the feet of Jesus with costly perfume as He and His disciples visited them for dinner.  As I considered the passage in light of what happened in the previous chapter, it marked an incredible change in Mary.

After Lazarus died of an illness and had been buried four days, Jesus and His disciples came to Bethany and found a town in mourning.  Martha initially came to meet Jesus, and later (seemingly with reluctance!) Mary did as well.  Both sisters expressed regret Jesus had not been there before Lazarus died, for they were confident Jesus could have healed him.  What they did not comprehend was Jesus intentionally did not return until Lazarus was dead and buried so people would come to know and believe Jesus had been sent by God as Messiah by miraculously raising Lazarus to life.

They drew near to the tomb where the body of Lazarus lay, and Jesus commanded the stone to be moved away.  Martha was opposed to unsealing the tomb because it was filled with the stench of death and decay.  John 11:40 reads, "Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  By faith and obedience to Christ, the stone was rolled away and the pungent smell of death wafted out.  It was shortly thereafter, Jesus having prayed a simple prayer to the Father and called Lazarus by name, the man who was dead four days walked out of the tomb, alive and well.

It struck me that Mary did not use her precious perfume to mask the smell of her brother Lazarus in the tomb.  Perhaps she wrestled with the decision, to anoint the body of Lazarus or to save it for herself.  Was it wasteful to anoint a dead man who could not appreciate it?  After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, however, she realised Jesus was the one worthy of so precious a gift--much to the dismay of Judas who viewed the perfume poured out as a gross waste--costing a worker's annual wage.  The fact Mary did not use this perfume on her brother or save it for herself shows how highly she valued Jesus Christ, and He commended her for choosing to freely pour it on upon Him.  The fragrance filled the whole house.

Judas suggested a better use of the perfume would have been to sell it and give the proceeds to the poor, not because he cared for the poor but would have used it to enrich himself.  John 12:7-8 says, "But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. ⁸ For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  Mary did not use the perfume for her brother's burial after he died, but she poured out the perfume on Jesus before He died.  She seized the opportunity to bless and worship Jesus through her costly gift, and she is an inspiration for all Christians who say we believe Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, the Messiah sent by God to seek and save the lost.  As we have opportunity, we can give to those in need as unto the LORD Jesus.

The problems of poverty are a permanent blight upon the earth, and no amount of giving will "solve" the problem.  But this means we always will have the opportunity to demonstrate we treasure Jesus Christ above everyone else when we feed the hungry, offer a drink to the thirsty, provide hospitality for strangers, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick and in prison.  Our gifts and service to God are not limited to these specific acts, but Jesus commends those who freely walk in His love towards others as He demonstrated and commanded us.  By the indwelling Holy Spirit, our LORD will guide us to give and serve that He be glorified.  Like the perfume Mary poured out, may our lives be a sweet smelling fragrance to our LORD Jesus Christ because we value Him over all.

Examining our Heart

Being God, Jesus was able to look upon people and knew their hearts perfectly, and He discerned their true motivation for what they said and did.  He saw through their facade of devotion and saw fickleness they would have denied if confronted.  What goes on in the hearts and minds of other people is usually unclear to us when we are at our most perceptive, and this can go for our own hearts as well.  Jesus asked a series of questions to prompt people to consider their motivation for going into the wilderness to see John in Matthew 11:7-9:  "As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet."

People did not tramp out to the wilderness to catch a glimpse of a reed blowing in the breeze or to see a man clothed in soft garments.  They went to see John because they believed he could be a prophet of God--some wondered if he was perhaps even the promised Messiah!  John was a righteous man marked by the fear of God, unmoved by the fear of man, a throwback to the prophet Elijah who was identified by his rough clothing.  While many people were convinced John was a prophet, heard him preach repentance from sin and were baptised by him, some religious rulers did not believe John was of God.  When they challenged Jesus concerning His authority to teach, Jesus countered with a question if John's baptism was of heaven or men.  This left them in a quandary as Luke 20:5-7 says:  "And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ⁶ But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet." ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from."  A good question for those religious rulers to consider was, what did they go into the temple to see?  To worship and honour God?  To criticise or find fault with a Rabbi from Nazareth or to receive the Gospel taught by the Son of God?

It is a good practice for us to examine the motivations of our hearts concerning what we are looking for and why.  Eve drew near to the tree forbidden by God to gaze upon forbidden fruit, and Samson went into a vineyard presumably to look for grapes which were off the menu as a Nazarite from the womb.  They would have done well to ask themselves as they headed towards temptation to sin, "What am I looking for?"  We ought to say the same thing when we turn on the computer, pick up a phone, browse the internet or go to church.  There may be aisles in the local shops that present temptation for us, and it undermines our resolve and self-control to see if items we want to avoid are on special.  Today I saw an ad campaign to "Stop hunger," yet it struck me hunger is a natural and healthy bodily response in people who have well-stocked pantries.  The issue (spiritually speaking) is even after we are born again our flesh naturally longs for satisfaction through sin that will never satisfy.  Looking at the fruit did not scratch the rebellious itch Eve, Samson or we can have.

When we go to church or open our Bibles to read, we also can ask ourselves:  "What am I going to see?"  Are we going to hear the word of God preached, to hear the LORD speak to us that we might heed Him, to edify the Body of Christ through fellowship?  A pastor may go to church because it is his job, and another goes because he seeks to answer God's call to preach by obedience.  Do we serve God to make a name for ourselves or to exalt the name of Jesus Christ?  Do we invest ourselves in spiritual labours because we want to see people, our situations or the world change--or because we are being changed by God by the power of the Holy Spirit?  The LORD knows our hearts and knows well every wicked way in us, and by His grace God reveals our continuous need for repentance of sin, humility, meekness and to surrender ourselves to Him.  Since we believe the Bible is God's word and the church is the Body of Christ, we ought to follow the Holy Spirit's leading to obey God and love one another.